Armenian
News Network / Groong
Table of Contents
Conversation with Karena
Avedissian on Nat’l Security
This Week in Review we discuss the aftermath of the border clases of
mid-July between Armenian and Azerbaijan. The violence
that erupted between Armenian and Azeri demonstrators worldwide and the new
National Security Strategy document promulgated by the government of Armenia.
And
Joining us today are
●
Emil Sanamyan, who is a senior research fellow
at USC’s Institute of Armenian Studies specializing in politics in the
Caucasus, with a special focus on Azerbaijan. He is a regular contributor to
ANN/Groong.
●
Garen Vrtanesyan, editor of Razm.info, a
specialty website on military and warfare strategies with a focus on Armenia
and its neighboring region.
●
Asbed Kotchikian, Professor of political science
and international relations at Bentley University in Massachusetts.
This week we saw the fighting
in the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan simmer down and take a backseat to
the political statements flowing in from around the world. In general except
for Turkey and a few other countries, we’ve seen balanced statements from major
countries and organizations such as the US, the EU, the UN, Russia and the
CSTO.
Major journalists such as
David Ignatius called on the US and Russia to seize this moment as a rare
opportunity to collaborate towards peace in the Caucasus.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijan has
called in Israel and Turkey to analyze the failures of its UAV/Drone arsenal,
and also to upgrade to a fleet of Turkish drones which were highly effective
against the Kurds and Russia in Syria. We’ve also had a full week of Jeyhun
Bairamov in his new role as Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, following
Mammadyarov’s humiliating dismissal by Aliyev.
We discuss the state of
affairs since the cessation of fighting, and what the replacement of
Azerbaijan’s long-time foreign minister portends for the future of negotiations
with Armenia. Also, the drone wars and what that means for the future of
warfare in the region.
We also spend some time into
why, as the border quieted down, clashes have broken out in cities around the
world between Armenian diaspora communities protesting against Azeri aggression
against Armenia, and Azeri or Azerbaijan-supported protesters. In cities like
Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Moscow, Kiev, London, violence broke out between
angry demonstrators. In San Francisco an Armenian school was vandalized with
hate graffiti, while in Berlin a car belonging to the Armenian embassy was set
on fire.
●
Interview with Seyran Ohanyan - Yerkir Media
●
Turkey
Now Has Swarming Suicide Drones It Could Export -
TheDrive.com
● Armenian,
Russian servicemen to develop new ways on fighting against UAVs -
Armenpress
Armenia’s Security Council introduced a new
National Security Strategy (NS
Strategy) on July 10, 2020. The previous strategy document was adopted in 2007,
in the final year of second president Robert Kocharian’s final term in office.
Last week we had a conversation with Dr. Karena Avedissian on this topic. Her
research focuses on social movements, new media/communications, civil society
and governance in the former Soviet Union, with an area focus on Russia and the
Caucasus. Here is that conversation.
● Rationalizing the
Tonoyan Doctrine: Armenia’s Active Deterrence Strategy - Jamestown.org
●
Armenia’s New National
Security Strategy: Sharing First Impressions
-By Vahram Ter-Matevosyan
on EVNreport.com (contains a link to the NSD)
● Armenian-Azerbaijani Border Clashes: The Russian Dimension and Beyond - Jamestown.org
● Հարցազրույց Արմեն Գրիգորյանի հետ - Armenian Public TV
● Թշնամին ներսում չի, թշնամին դրսում է, վե՛րջ տվեք. Արա Հակոբյան - 5 TV
The publication of the NSD came just before the border flare up and at a time when Armenia has been articulating a more assertive military doctrine known as a deterrence doctrine or in some circles “Tonoyan doctrine”. Azerbaijan may have been surprised at what appears to have been an aggressive counter response by Armenia.
One salient point we’ve noticed is that it seems that Armenia is making a deliberate effort to not use the term “Artsakh Republic” or “Nagorno Karabakh Republic” in the strategic document, which is a marked difference from the 2007 version. In explaining this change, Armen Grigoryan simply pointed to Pashinyan’s speech in Artsakh on August 5, 2019. That was the speech where Pashinyan said “Artsakh is Armenia, and that’s that”. Meanwhile, critics argue that this move de-emphasizes the right of self-determination, one of the key positions held by the Armenian sides throughout the last 30 years in negotiations.
Discuss.
●
Over the weekend the Russian Defence Ministry
carried out a snap check of troops in the southern and western military
districts, as well as units of Air and Naval forces per the decision of
President Putin. Despite denials, the exercises were clearly a warning to
Turkey to stay out of the Caucasus war scene.
●
Turkey's pro-Kurdish party refuses to sign under
anti-Armenian bill in the Turkish parliament, stating that it is necessary to
give preference to a peacemaking foreign policy instead of an anti-Armenian
statement and that bringing Armenia and Azerbaijan to the negotiating table and
easing the tension need to be the main principle.
● Greta Thunberg was awarded the first Gulbenkian Prize for Humanity
●
Rep. Frank Pallone Jr.'s Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act will
be included in an en bloc package and passed by Congress. It requires a report
from the Secretaries of Defense and State to address allegations that some
units of foreign countries that have participated in security cooperation
programs under Section 333 of title 10, U.S.C. (Building Partner Capacity
Program) may have committed gross violations of internationally-recognized HR
before or while receiving U.S. security assistance.
●
Three
Armenians were elected to Syria’s 250-seat parliament: Dr. Nora Arisian and
Jirair Reisian from Aleppo, and Lucy Esgenian from Damascus.
●
Ararat Mirzoyan signed the law on the
constitutional court, when the 21 mandated days expired after president Armen
Sarkisian refused to sign it.
● Washington Post associate editor David Ignatius called on the US and Russia to collaborate on a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
● The ECHR demanded Azerbaijan to give information about the location and living conditions of Narek Sardaryan; about his health; and whether a criminal case has been initiated against him. Narek Sardaryan wandered into Nakhichevan and was apprehended there nearly 2 weeks ago.
●
Paul
Stronski, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
think tank noted the very late reaction from the US
State Department on the
Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, and attributes it to a lack of South Caucasus
strategy at the White House.
● An official car of the Armenia Embassy in Berlin is set on fire.
●
The US congress adopted the Speier-Cox-Krishnamoorthi Amendment for U.S.
demining assistance to Artsakh as part of HR 7608.
●
US House Rules Committee
ruled Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus amendment as
"out of order".
● Vandals targeted the Krouzian-Zekarian-Vasbouragan Armenian School in San Francisco with threatening and racist graffiti, in an attack that claimed to support a violent, anti-Armenian movement led by Azerbaijan. The attack, which US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemned, is being investigated as a hate crime.
●
Ukrainian nationalists are
recruiting civilians, as well as experienced former and current soldiers to be
sent to Azerbaijan to take part in the military clashes against Armenia, a spokesman of the militia of the unrecognized
Luhansk People's Republic, Yakov Osadchiy, told a press briefing on Friday.
● UNESCO expressed its deepest regret for Turkey’s decision to change the status of Hagia Sophia, and has not received any guarantees of preservation of the world cultural site.
Dr. Nora Arisian
was elected to Syria’s parliament on July 19.
Sources
● Three Armenians elected to Syria’s Parliament, preliminary results show - ArmRadio.am
Mr. Jirair
Reisian was elected to Syria’s parliament on July 19.
Sources
●
3 Armenians elected members of
Syrian parliament - Armenpress.am
Lucy Esgenian Esq.
was elected to Syria’s parliament on July 19.
Sources
● Three Armenians elected to Syria’s Parliament, preliminary results show - ArmRadio.am