I am looking for an elusive mountain path in the steep dangerous peaks of Karabagh. I am not sure there is a way through, but I will continue to try. Others have attempted to do so before me. So many have failed or turned back.
Avetik Ishkyanyan, the Chairman of Helsinki Committee of Armenia, a human rights defense organization, has expressed his concern over Gagik Khachatryan’s case, a former minister of Finance of Armenia currently facing politically motivated charges. His statement reads:
On 21 July the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) published its decision by which it awarded the application by former Minister of Finance of the Republic of Armenia Gagik Khachatryan. The ECHR requested the Government of the Republic of Armenia to ensure immediate medical treatment as required for Khachatryan’s state of health in the civil hospital and ensure the involvement of foreign doctors.
The end result of the statements by the heads of Turkey and Azerbaijan about their readiness to implement the adjusted military plans for a joint war has made it imperative for the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to speak about the threat of recurrence of the Genocide hanging over the Armenian people. The relevance of the “Never Again” principle for the Armenian people is due to the genocidal attacks on the Armenian population of Azerbaijan during the Perestroika in the USSR, which were in response to peaceful political rallies of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians for the right to self-determination and secession from the Azerbaijani SSR in accordance with the USSR legislation and international law. We are talking about the pogroms in Sumgait and Kirovabad in 1988 and in Baku in 1990, as well as war crimes committed against the civilian population of Armenia during the April war of 2016.
The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an amendment by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) which calls for greater Congressional oversight over a U.S. military aid program under which Azerbaijan has received over $120 million in U.S. defense assistance, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Azerbaijani aggression and its legal-political consequences.
On July 18, Minister of Defense of Azerbaijan Zakir Hasanov held phone talks with Minister of Defense of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoygu amid the operations that are being carried out on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border these past few days.
Forbes has referred to the threats of Azerbaijan to strike Armenia’s Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. The magazine noted that Azerbaijan threatens a Chernobyl-style catastrophe in the Caucasus drone war.
“The Armenian side should not forget that the latest missile systems, which are in the arsenal of the Azerbaijani army, can hit the Metsamor NPP with a great accuracy, which will lead to a great disaster for Armenia”, the Azerbaijani defense ministry spokesperson told reporters at a press conference.
During today’s Cabinet meeting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan commented on the sabotage infiltration attempt carried out by the Azerbaijani special forces at night on the border, which involved more than 100 personnel and aimed at capturing the border position of the Armenian Armed Forces named “Anvakh” located in Tavush province.