Politics 19:29 07/04/2015

TV channel BBC tells about Armenians’ lives in NKR under Azerbaijan’s permanent threats

The British TV channel BBC has made reportage from Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Rayhan Demytrie, the reporter tells about the life of a family living in the village Madagis, not far from the line of contact with Azerbaijan. They live in a constant fear that Azerbaijan may reactivate military operations.

As the article has it, fourteen-year-old Karen hides the stump of his left hand in his pocket. His mother, Ludmila Bagdasaryan-Mirzoyan, says that two years ago Karen found a live anti-aircraft shell in the garden. The relic from the 1990s war with Azerbaijan exploded in his hands. Ludmila often contemplates what the consequences of another war would be.

"If there is another war, we will suffer, my children will suffer. [Azerbaijan's forces] won't care whether we are guilty or not, they will just think that we are Armenians and we have no right to exist," Ludmila says.

According to the reportage, after the collapse of the Soviet Union Karabakh war broke out. An estimated 30,000 people were killed from 1992 to 1994. Despite a ceasefire of 20 years, the area is heavily militarized.

It is also noted that Nagorno Karabakh has its own government, universities, even an international airport, though in reality Karabakh is isolated from the outside world. The airport sits empty as the civil planes risk being shot down by Azerbaijan. Besides, it is noted in the reportage that the children in the schools of NPR are taught self-defense not to repeat Karen’s mistake.

As the second part of the reportage has it, the Armenian inhabitants of Nagorno Karabakh call themselves citizens of the Artsakh Republic. The territory has its own flag, an international airport, police and armed forces, although regular Armenian soldiers serve on the frontline.

It is stated in the article that Nagorno-Karabakh is isolated. Financially and militarily it depends on Armenia. Its subjects hold Armenian passports. And the international airport stands empty, because Azerbaijan has threatened to shoot down any planes.
As the article reads, peace negotiations mediated by the Minsk Group, under the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), have seen little progress.

"The first goal of the mediation is to keep the peace process alive and the second goal is to prevent war,” says Richard Giragosian, director of the Regional Studies Centre, a think tank based in the Armenian capital, Yerevan.

Frustrated by the lack of a diplomatic solution, Azerbaijan's leadership has threatened to retake the territory militarily. Oil-rich Azerbaijan has spent billions of US dollars on modern weaponry. And most of the arms are supplied by Russia. That is deeply unpopular with Armenia. It counts Russia as its strategic ally, and hosts Russia's only military base in the region. 

"We are concerned that Russia, for all sorts of reasons, is selling weapons to Azerbaijan. The problem is not the quality of the weaponry, but the fact that an Armenian soldier standing at the border knows he could be killed by Russian weapons," the Armenian President, Serzh Sargsyan, said at a recent public forum in Yerevan.

The territory's de facto foreign minister, Karen Mirzoyan, says that without their inclusion in the peace process, there will be no resolution to the conflict. "When you withdraw NK from the negotiation table, it's very easy to say that it's not a conflict for self-determination, it's just a territorial problem and it's very easy to show Armenia as an aggressor. But in reality this conflict is about self-determination," he told the journalist.

The demining organization HALO Trust fellow Yuri Shahramanyan told BBC correspondent that their main goal is to prevent accidents. 

“One of the main challenges is accessing minefields in Nagorno Karabakh. There are hardly any roads, sometimes the roads have not been used for more than 20 years, in winter some roads are covered with snow, with mud and it’s impossible to drive. Karabakh is quite mountainous and most of high grounds, hills and mountains have been used as military positions. Normally armies would lay defensive minelines in front of the positions and this is one of those,” Shahramanyan said adding that they had cleared over 400 minefields, and they had got another 127 to clear.

“Last year there was an increase of accidents. There have been 8 accidents, involving 11 casualties, of which two people have been killed. It’s quite difficult to raise funds for Nagorno Karabakh because Karabakh is unrecognized republic. It will be free of mines one day and if there’s more funding available, we’ll be able to make it free of mines even earlier,” Yuri Shakhramanyan highlighted. 



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:07
Winter military draft starts in Armenia on November 25
The winter conscription for compulsory military service starts in Armenia on November 25 to run through January 31, 2025. The...
16:45
Russian spokeswoman told not to comment on ballistic missile strike live on air
Russia's foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova received a phone call during a live press briefing on Thursday telling her not to...
16:33
Belgian politicians call for immediate release of all Armenian prisoners held in Baku
In the backdrop of the COP29 currently taking place in Baku 20 members of the Belgian Federal Parliament, the Flemish Parliament, the Walloon...
16:06
Armenia thwarts large-scale drug smuggling attempt
Officers of Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC) have foiled an attempt to smuggle some 1,600 grams of cocaine into the country as part...
15:33
Armenian government reduces financial aid for Artsakh refugees
The Armenian government on Thursday approved a decision to reduce financial aid for the displaced Artsakh Armenians. Starting from...
14:45
Percival Everett wins National Book Award
Percival Everett has won the $10,000 National Book Award for fiction, one of the US’s most prestigious literary prizes, for James, his...
14:35
Pyunik v West Armenia match canceled
An Armenian Premier League match between FC Pyunik and West Armenia has been canceled. The 17th round match was scheduled for November 21....
14:06
Armenian Foreign Ministry denies cooperation with Azerbaijan on water management
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry has denied claims of cooperation with Azerbaijan on transboundary water resources management. In a social...
13:36
No rain in sight for rest of the week
Clear weather is expected in Armenia's regions from Thursday to Sunday.  Rain and snow are forecast for most parts of the country...
13:06
Pashinyan thanks dismissed officials for cooperation
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan expressed gratitude to the dismissed top government officials for joint work and wished good luck to...
12:36
Armenian church marks Presentation of Virgin Mary
The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Thursday, November 21. According to tradition,...
12:15
Luxembourg's parliament demands immediate release of all unlawfully imprisoned persons in Azerbaijan
Luxembourg’s Chamber of Deputies has adopted a resolution condemning the Azerbaijani government’s sanctions against the freedom of...
12:00
Davit Khudatyan appointed minister of territorial administration
Armavir Governor Davit Khudatyan has been appointed Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure. Armenian President Vahagn...
11:45
Australia launches bill to ban social media for children under 16
Australia's centre-left government on Thursday introduced a bill in parliament that aims to ban social media for children under 16 and...
11:30
Armenia's Andranik Avetisyan wins gold at World Military Wrestling Championships
The 37th World Military Wrestling Championships kicked off in Yerevan, Armenia, on Wednesday, bringing together 400 participants...
11:10
Leopard missing for two years spotted in Armenia's Tavush
A leopard, that lost its front paw and disappered from Armenia's Vayots Dzor Province in December 2022, has been spotted in...
17:09
Armenian political analyst warns of risk of nuclear war
Political scientist Stepan Danielyan has warned of an imminent threat of nuclear war after the Russian nuclear doctrine change. President...
16:45
Rain, snow expected in parts of Armenia
Rain and snow are forecast for some parts of Armenia on Wednesday, overnight Thursday, late on Sunday and next Monday. Clear weather is...
16:22
GM Robert Hovhannisyan qualifies for FIDE World Cup
The European Individual Chess Championship 2024 has concluded. GM Aleksandar Indjic from Serbia became the champion, scoring 9 points...
15:46
Cher reveals she lost her virginity at 14 to get revenge on boyfriend
Cher has revealed she lost her virginity at age 14 as an act of revenge against her teenage boyfriend, The Independent reports. In part...
15:32
Political analyst: Azerbaijan transported weapons to Nakhichevan 5 times in 4 days
Political analyst Sergei Melkonian, a research fellow at the Applied Policy Research Institute (APRI Armenia), says Azerbaijani planes carrying...
15:04
Azerbaijan attempts to distort Energy Charter goals in lawsuit against Armenia
Azerbaijan is attempting to distort the content and goals of the Energy Charter Treaty by trying to link it to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,...
14:32
Armenian MP calls for tough response to destruction of Artsakh heritage
Opposition lawmaker Tigran Abrahamyan calls for a tough international response to Azerbaijan’s destruction and desecration of Armenian...
13:52
Arpine Sargsyan appointed Armenian interior minister
Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan on Wednesday signed a decree to appoint Arpine Sargsyan as Armenia’s new interior minister....
13:30
November 20 is World COPD Day
World Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD) Day is marked annually on November 20. World COPD Day is organized by the Global...
13:06
Yerevan to spend some 549.7 million drams on New Year celebrations
The Yerevan Municipality will spend 549.7 million drams on the upcoming New Year celebrations in the Armenian capital, Deputy Yerevan Mayor...
12:34
Pashinyan names pick for new minister of territorial administration
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has named Davit Khudatyan as his pick for Armenia's new minister of territorial administration and...
12:15
Amnesty International urges Georgia to respect right to peaceful assembly
Reacting to the news that police in Tbilisi, Georgia’s capital, have violently dismantled a protesters’ tent camp, Denis Krivosheev,...
12:05
'Dictators release political prisoners only when they face consequences,' lawyer says
Azerbaijan, a country often criticized for its authoritarian governance and human rights abuses, is hosting the 29th United Nations Climate...
11:30
Armenia blocks Artsakh movie from nomination for Oscars
By Harut Sassounian TheCaliforniaCourier.com In my last week’s article I criticized the government of Jordan for buckling under...

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}