Azerbaijan’s War Against Artsakh and Armenia

Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression against Armenia began more than a week ago, but has not been widely covered by the mainstream media. Of special interest is the fact that Turkey has funded the movement of ISIS mujahideen from Syria to the Caucasus to act as mercenaries for Azerbaijan.

Armenian Americans for Human Rights (AAHR) was founded in Massachusetts in early 2018. Its chair is David Boyajian, a number of whose essays have appeared in the past at Gates of Vienna (see the list at the bottom of this post).

Below is a press release issued yesterday by AAHR.


Map: Regions of the Caucasus (See Note 6)

AAHR Calls for an Immediate End to Aggression Against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh) and Armenia

We strongly condemn the latest aggression by Azerbaijan against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh) and the Republic of Armenia.

On Sunday morning, September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan flagrantly violated a negotiated ceasefire by launching a massive, unprovoked attack on Artsakh and Armenia.

In Azerbaijan, the NATO member Turkey has deployed and is using its own armed forces and advanced arms, including American-supplied weapons such as F-16 jets, to attack Artsakh/Armenia.

Using American-supplied weapons for other than self-defense is a grave violation of American law for which the United States must bear full responsibility.

Azerbaijan and Turkey have been deliberately targeting innocent civilians, schools, and homes in Artsakh, resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries, including those of children.

Turkish President Erdogan and his country have no business intruding into this conflict — particularly on the side of the aggressor.

For years, Israel has been selling billions of dollars in armaments, including advanced attack drones, to Azerbaijan for use against Armenians. Israeli personnel have even fired such weapons against Armenians.

Israel is now resupplying these weapons to Azerbaijan.

This is not surprising, because Israel, which demands worldwide acknowledgement of the Holocaust, has always refused to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide committed by Turkey from 1915-1923.

Leading Jewish American organizations (ADL, AJC, AIPAC, and others) had long colluded with Turkey and Israel to deny/diminish the Armenia Genocide and/or actively defeat Armenian Genocide resolutions in the U.S. Congress[1].

For years, Israel has also been guiding Jewish writers to publish falsehoods about Armenia, Artsakh, and Armenians.

The American people and the international community will ultimately not tolerate such hypocrisy.

Consistent with American interests and values, for nearly 30 years America and the American people have generously provided economic, charitable, and political support to Armenia and Artsakh, which also have excellent relations with the European Union.

Armenia participates in NATO’s Partnership for Peace and has supported the U.S. in Afghanistan.

America, the European Union, and NATO must act now, not merely talk, to stop Azeri/Turkish aggression.

Artsakh and Armenia are democracies. Azerbaijan is headed by dictator Ilham Aliyev, and, like Turkey, imprisons political opponents and journalists.

America is now energy independent. It need not sell itself to corporate interests whose only goal is profiting from Azerbaijan’s gas and oil deposits.

Azerbaijan has threatened to bomb Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant, a crime against humanity that would spread radiation throughout the world.

Turkey has now sent jihadist terrorists from Syria, Libya, and elsewhere to Azerbaijan to fight against Armenians[2].

Former ISIS commander Sayf Balud is going to Azerbaijan, courtesy of President Erdogan[3].

This continues Turkey’s practice of supporting terrorist organizations such as ISIS[4].

The U.S. State and Defense Departments as well as Congress should be embarrassed that they have long turned a blind eye to Turkey’s support for terrorists — thereby making a mockery of America’s “Global War on Terror.”

In the early 1990s, Azerbaijan deployed Afghan Mujahedin, Chechen militants, Turkish Grey Wolf neo-fascists, and others to fight Armenians.

Perhaps not surprisingly, given his financial investments in Turkey and deep ties to the corrupt Erdogan family, President Trump is ignoring Turkey’s support for terrorist factions, aggression against Armenians (and others), and illegal use of American-supplied weapons.

Similarly, the Democratic Party and its presidential nominee Joe Biden have said little about Turkish and Azeri aggression against Artsakh/Armenia. This implicitly aligns Mr. Biden and Democrats with President Trump with whom they allegedly disagree on issues involving Turkey and Erdogan.

Artsakh is Armenian

In 1921, the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin and Bolsheviks used “divide and rule” tactics to place Artsakh inside Azerbaijan, even though Artsakh was Armenian and Armenians constituted 95% of the population.

In 1988, Artsakh freed itself from over 60 years of repression, economic underdevelopment, and periodic massacres: It democratically voted to secede from Azerbaijan in accordance with Soviet law. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, Artsakh voted for independence.

As these events were taking place, Azerbaijan’s authorities responded with massacres of Armenians in Sumgait and Baku in 1988 and 1990.

In 1921, Stalin also put the Armenian territory of Nakhichevan under Azerbaijan’s jurisdiction. Azerbaijan subsequently drove out all of Nakhichevan’s Armenians and has destroyed its ancient Armenian cultural heritage[5].

Azerbaijan had continuously attempted to do the same to Artsakh. That is why Artsakh voted for self-determination and freedom.

Azerbaijan was, in actuality, cobbled together only in 1918. Prior to that, no such country ever existed nor did any “Azeri” identity.

Though the population of Armenia and Artsakh is at most 3 million compared to the combined 92 million populations of Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenians are fighting valiantly against the aggressors.

From 1915-1923, Turkey committed genocide against Christian Armenians, Assyrians, and Greeks. And Turkey has for years threatened Armenia with a new genocide.

The international community is not helpless. It must act.

Armenian Americans for Human Rights makes the following calls:

  • That the United States unequivocally demand that Azerbaijan and NATO member Turkey cease their aggression against Artsakh/Armenia. NATO must do the same. Enforcement must be swift.
  • That the United States immediately cut off military aid of any type to Azerbaijan and Turkey.
  • That the United States impose sanctions on Turkey for illegally using American-supplied military equipment and technology against Artsakh/Armenia.
  • That the United States and NATO condemn the deployment of jihadists by Azerbaijan and Turkey and work for their immediate exit from Azerbaijan.
  • That Israel cease supplying any and all military equipment, advice, personnel, technology, and intelligence — including that provided to Israel by America — to Azerbaijan.
  • That the leading Jewish American organizations — particularly the American Jewish Committee and its CEO David Harris (received dictator Aliyev’s highest award) — end their disgraceful support of Azerbaijan, and condemn Azeri and Turkish aggression. We respectfully ask principled Jews and Israelis to ask them to do so.
  • That the international community condemn Azerbaijan’s threat to bomb Armenia’s Metsamor nuclear power plant.
  • That Russia cease supplying weapons and intelligence to Azerbaijan and Turkey and prohibit their use against Artsakh/Armenia now and in the future.
  • That Russia adhere to its defense agreements with Armenia and cease using Azerbaijan and Turkey to coerce and extort Armenia.
  • That Russia live up to its stated policy of opposition to terrorism and immediately work to remove jihadists from Azerbaijan.

We call on Americans and all people of goodwill to help to prevent what may soon become a second Armenian Genocide.

1.   Showdown Set in ‘Genocide’ Debate, Rebecca Spence, The Jewish Daily Forward, Sept. 2, 2006:

Every year on April 24, the day that Armenians commemorate the killings, a resolution calling for the use of the controversial term is proposed in Congress and then beaten back. Some Jewish groups claim credit for ensuring that such a resolution never passes.

Jewish advocacy groups, including the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, B’nai Brith and American Jewish Committee “have been working with the Turks on this issue” for more than 15 years, said Yola Habif Johnston, director for foundations and community outreach at Jinsa.

“The Jewish lobby has quite actively supported Turkey in their efforts to prevent the so-called Armenian genocide resolution from passing,” she said.

Armenian Lobbyists are Facing a Lost Cause, Nathan Guttman, Haaretz International, Aug. 12, 2004:

Last year, Jewish organizations, primarily the American Jewish Committee (AJC), have been more active in thwarting the resolution acknowledging the Armenian genocide. This year the politicians managed of their own accord and the resolution will be postponed even without the involvement of Jewish organizations.

But a central activist in a Jewish organization involved in this matter clarified that if necessary, he would not hesitate to again exert pressure to ensure the resolution is not passed and the Turks remain satisfied.

2.   One of the scores of articles and reports confirming Turkey and Azerbaijan’s use of jihadist terrorists:

Turkey’s Syrian Mercenaries in Azerbaijan “Feel Tricked” as Bodies Pile Up, Lindsey Snell, The Investigative Journal, Sept. 20, 2020:

3.   Turkey sends former ISIL commander to lead Azerbaijan’s fight against Armenia, National Post/Reuters, Sept. 29. 2020:
4.   Two Columbia University (New York City) studies prove Turkey has supported ISIS:

5.   Live video (“The New Tears of Araxes”) of the Azerbaijani army using pickaxes and dump trucks to destroy a 9th century Armenian cemetery’s thousands of iconic carved headstones
6.   By Travelpleb — Own work, based on Caucasus regions map.svg by Peter Fitzgerald and the map of ethno-linguistic groups by Pmx, CC BY-SA 4.0
 

David Boyajian is an Armenian-American freelance journalist. Many of his articles are archived at www.armeniapedia.org/wiki/David_Boyajian.

Previous posts by David Boyajian:

2015   Apr   1   The Allies At Gallipoli: Defeat In 1915, Disgrace In 2015
2016   May   21   The ADL and the Armenian Genocide: It’s Not Over Until It’s Over
    Jun   26   An Armenian-American Group Caves in to the Anti-Defamation League
2018   May   6   Armenia’s People-Power Revolution, Russia, and the Western Bloc
    Sep   10   No to the Anti-Defamation League in Glendale and Elsewhere
    Nov   28   Blundering American Ambassadors Unmask the War on Terror
2019   Jul   8   Hypocritical Jewish Organizations and the Armenian Genocide
    Nov   10   The Phony Anti-Defamation League’s Genocide Legislation
    Dec   29   What the U.S. House Impeachment Inquiry Wouldn’t Ask Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch
2020   Jun   24   The ADL’s “Task Force on Middle East Minorities”: A Con Job?
    Aug   15   Avoiding World War III in the Caucasus
 

32 thoughts on “Azerbaijan’s War Against Artsakh and Armenia

  1. Thank you, Mr. Boyajian, for shedding light on the existential threats that Armenians are facing as they defend their three millennia-old lands — the Armenian Highlands — which are the easternmost bastions of Christianity in the greater Middle East/southwest Asia.

    Armenians are the proverbial “Davids” in this existential battle, as its civilian population in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) faces an onslaught of cluster munitions, kamikaze strike drones, and high-caliber missiles by the “Goliaths” – Azerbaijan, Turkey & jihadist mercenaries recruited, with impunity, by the Erdogan regime.

    • I have great Christian Azerbaijani friends. The last thing they want to be associated with is Armenia.

      • …because most Azerbaijani people are over 90% Muslim and most of the population of the Republic of Artsakh is predominantly populated by Christian Armenians. Aren’t the Azeri people mostly Turkish-Persian too? They aren’t ethnic Armenians. So what a surprise they don’t associate with Armenia. Because Armenia is Armenian. Meaning there are Armenian people in Armenia. There are millennia old culturally ingrained distrust of nations whose theo-political ideology has fomented perpetual warfare against the Armenian people. A Christian living within the Republic of Azerbaijan is a minority and if they aren’t natives I’d guess their opinions would only have to reflect what the majority has already established there.

    • A few things the article didn’t mention, or took out of context:

      (A) Armenia has NEVER been an ally of Israel’s. Azerbaijan always has since the USSR collapsed. There were many Azeri Jews who lived quite peacefully with their Azeri Shi’te neighbors, and many of those ties continued even after many Azeri Jews migrated to Israel. So it’s difficult to criticize the Israeli’s for helping an important ally with arms, especially since they have such close ties with Azerbaijan and virtually none with Armenia.

      (B) The gist of what’s the article states is that Erdogan and the Turks are using THEIR armed forces and their recruited fighters against Armenia. This is Erdogan’s attempt to build his empire, just as he’s trying to do in Libya and northern Syria…the old Ottoman fantasy. And it is Erdogan and the Turks who still lie about their horrific massacre of Armenians in 1915. I doubt that the Azeris really like the idea of whom Erdogan is bringing into this since these are mostly Sunni mercenaries, but they have little to say about it. Among other things, Turkey has Azerbaijan’s main oil pipeline in its territory.

      (C) This dispute over Norgono Karabakh has been going on for years. It was considered settled some time ago but apparently is not. Each side has their story to tell. The best thing would be for the two countries to try and work out a solution, with a mediator, perhaps a way to divide the land equally. The big problem these would be getting Erdogan’s greasy fingers out of things. He is disabling the whole region.

      Just for the record, I have nothing against Armenians. I grew up in an area of Southern California that had a large community. I had lots of Armenian friends I went to school with and my school letter was soccer, on a team that was mostly half Armenian. By talking to the elderly, I learned first hand what had happened to them, and actually wrote an article about the genocide called ‘Tears In The Sand’ which was translated and reprinted in a local Armenian paper. The Azeris and the Armenians both have a common problem here…it’s called Turkey. And as far as I’m concerned getting Erdogan, the Turks and their hired killers out of the area would be a big step towards a peaceful solution.

      • Would you care to show me where there has been any peace with islam? There is NEVER any peace with islam, there are only temporary lulls until the next storm, islam understands and respects only on thing, force or arms.

  2. “Christian” Georgia behaved very interestingly – it closed its borders and the sky for Russia so that it could not provide assistance to Armenia. But on the sly, it allows Turkish convoys to Azerbaijan. All deliveries to Armenia go through Iran !!!
    The Turks of Iran are very unhappy with this and are starting actions of disobedience. Azerbaijan uses Israeli weapons against Armenia.

    Russian social networks write “Russia should help Armenia by sending Armenians there, and Azerbaijan – by Azerbaijanis”
    We have a huge diaspora here (two million people each). And they don’t want to go to war, they want to sell kebabs !!!

    • The only good thing I know about Georgians is that their plonk makes a good mouth wash. They oppress their minorities. They lost a chunk of “their” lands because of their racism. Having no pride or integrity, they have gone to bed with Turkey and Azerbaijan. While its PM pretends to be a good neighbor to Armenia, Tbilisi has banned ground transportation of goods from Russia to Armenia so as to weaken Armenian resistance to the Azeri/Turkey attack. Meanwhile, Georgia allows Turkish trucks to transport weapons from Turkey to Azerbaijan via Georgia. “Vile” is the mildest word I can think of for Georgians.

    • According to what I read here and there, you are 100% correct.

      Some sources say Russia has transferred weapons to Armenia via Iran and Turkish-speaking community in Iran opposed it in the streets. 20 arrested now. But I do not trust these sources. Wonder how different sources say different things. Some say Armenia started it, this essay says Azerbaijan started it.

  3. Leading Jewish American organizations (ADL, AJC, AIPAC, and others) had long colluded with Turkey and Israel to deny/diminish the Armenia Genocide and/or actively defeat Armenian Genocide resolutions in the U.S. Congress[1].

    Why?

    • I can’t help laughing at this. The organizations you mention are hardly even pro-Israel, with the exception of AIPAC and AIPAC has more important things then to deny the Armenian Massacre.

      As for those resolutions you mention, they were all proposed during the Obama Administration…Obama as you know liked Erdogan quite a bit..and it was Democrats who had a majority in the house that stopped those resolutions from passing…not that Barack Hussein Obama would have ever approved them!

      As for the Israelis, you might recall that Obama put the spurs to them not to antagonize Erdogan even after he sent a terrorist ship into Israeli waters. Any relationship Israel had with Turkey collapsed once Erdogan and his Islamist friends took over Turkey.

      You might also want to realize that there are 12,000 or so Jews still in Turkey and they are hostages in a sense just a the Jew in Iran are. So if you expect Israel to endanger those Jews just to take a stand that will change nothing, you are simply unfair.

      • “The organizations you mention are hardly even pro-Israel, with the exception of AIPAC and AIPAC has more important things then to deny the Armenian Massacre.”

        From the ADL (Anti-Defamation League) website:
        https://www.adl.org/what-we-do/israel

        “Stand Up for Israel”
        “ADL has always been a strong voice for Israel.”
        “ADL remains an unwavering supporter of Israel, advocating for a secure and stable democratic Jewish state. We educate and inform about the important security, diplomatic and societal issues confronting Israel.”

        Tell me another one.

    • Because only the jews have had a genocide, in their eyes. They have never been friend to the Armenian people in their cause to have the genocide recognized.

  4. What an awful indictment of the US government, the US Jewish lobby and Israel.

    The enemy is as clear as day and it isn’t the Christians.

    • Read my comment above and it may make you think a bit.

      Although since you’re a Brit and Britain is not known to be very friendly to Jews or Israel, perhaps not.

  5. Armenians are right on every count, as the article proves. The attack on Armenia is an attempt at another genocide by the two Turkic states of Azerbaijan and Turkey. It’s shocking the world just sits there and allows this genocide to proceed by Turkey which has the second-largest army in NATO in addition to Azerbaijan, the ISIS terrorists, Pakistan and other forces. Armenia, with a population of 3 million is alone in fighting more than 90 million people committed to the genocide of Armenians. When will the cowardly, treacherous Western world stand up for humanity, justice, democracy, and civilization.

  6. I do not understand the israelite attitude towards the armenian genocide.
    Under normal ethic standards, they both would have to align as victims.
    Is there a jewish fear of losing the ” unique selling proposition” ( excuse the advertising lingo, no sarcasm intended) of being the most persecuted people in history? Looking back in history, they are not, but there is no competition out there: Whats my persecution ?

    • My guess is – it’s pure politics… For a long time, Israel had one of its only Muslim “allies” in Turkey, and probably didn’t want to endanger this.

      Very disappointing to see Israel supporting and supplying the Azeri jihad against Armenia, nonetheless…

  7. Armenia has no access to the sea, and is surrounded by Turkey to the West, Azerbaijan to the East, Iran to the South, and Georgia to the North…

    The first 2 are Armenia’s sworn enemies, and I don’t think I need to write about Iran… Yet in spite of Armenia and Georgia’s common Christian history, it seems like even Georgia is doing big deals with Azerbaijan (ie the pipeline, between Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan), and says that Nagorno-Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan… (And if they were to “take it back”, we can only guess at what may happen to its Christian population).

    In short – is there a country with a worse geopolitical situation in the world today?

    • “The first 2 are Armenia’s sworn enemies, and I don’t think I need to write about Iran…”

      Please write, because probably you got the wrong idea. Iran has always been the shelter for Armenians. Whenever are in trouble they escape in hordes to this place. No hostility ever (well, except a short period of serious political opposition around 300-200BC, but that’s all). However this time Iran is under control of the Islamic mafia, and I better be cautious with conclusions.

      But one thing I am sure: these Armenian-Turkish wars are viewed as a prelude to annexation of Azerbaijan and Turkish speaking regions of Iran to Turkey. No citizen supports it (except Turks) and the bigger portion of government also do not want to lose their lands. So there is a huge tendency in Iran to be on the side of Armenia.

      • [I vehemently disagree with your assertion]. Many Armenians left Iran once the Ayatollahs took over. One of them was my personal Assistant in my real estate business, and a lot of my Armenian clients told the same story.

        Just to escape, many of them had to give up everything they owned, just like the Nazi’s did to the few Jews they let leave.

        • Yes many left after the black coup of 79. However that does not mean I am wrong, because history is longer than 40 years. Look at 1502, look at massacre of 1915 when many Armenians escaped here.

          I know Armenians very well. I lived in their districts for 4 years. Mostly liberal douchebags. Majority of them only nominal Christians. Extremely arrogant and ungrateful people. Ask Madame Elena about attitude of Russians toward these ungrateful people. So I know them and I know what they may have already told you.

          And don’t look further for evidence, it is right in front of you: the organisation that issued this document (AAHR) is quite intent to put their liberal views in showcase. A Christian believes in biblical values not in Babylonian “human rights”. I strongly feel tied with the minority of Armenian brothers who still believe in Jesus Christ, but the rest for you to listen to their lies.

      • The attitude of the people of Iran may well be another matter… But why would the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran support Christian Armenia in this conflict, seeing as Azerbaijan is mostly Shi’ite?

        • As I said this is not about ideology. It’s about land. Turkey has been inciting Turks inside Iran for many years. Almost every Turk is a secessionist here. We view this as a bigger project of pan-turkish expansion, which may soon incite Turkish rebels in Iran too. Basically Turks in Iran are considered low IQ, Mongolian-speaking, secessionist douchebags who are only worth to be the idiots of juicy jokes.

          There is no doubt that even the bloody Islamic Republic will side with Armenia. Though government groups directly connected to global Left may have different idea. So I am a little bit cautious to make any prediction.

    • Or maybe R9X Ninja missile the ISIS Commander Erdogan sent to murder Armenian Christians in the Republic of Artsakh. Wouldn’t that be something. It sure would.

    • That would only cement his legacy. Better if he went the way of Catherine the Great, or Elvis, both whom expired while sitting on the throne.

  8. So then we now can see Turkey’s dictator Erdogan now at war against the Kurdish people in Syria along with the original natives of Libya. His nations genocide of the mostly Christian Armenian people now continues out of Azerbaijan whose population is just over 90% Muslim, which I’m guessing would be Sunni since ISIS is too.

    Yet not a peep from the agents of disinformation that predominate the major media outlets here in north America. I also see the Russian Federation of Putin supplying both sides with enough arms to kill each other. Somewhat like their war against the mostly Christian country of Georgia in 2008 when they sided with the Republic of South Ossetia which is only recognized as a state by Russia, Nicaragua, Nauru, Syria and Venezuela. Go figure, huh.

  9. You ask why? Israel hates Armenia and Armenians. That is all coming to the surface — FINALLY!

  10. Armenia is in dire straits and it is hoped the US will do something to stop this aggression and call Erdogan to heel. Someone must stop turkey.

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