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World is ignoring another war on Europe's doorstep

International community is letting down Armenia and its independent church to please energy-rich Azerbaijan
US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (left) prepares to lay flowers at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on Sept. 18

US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (left) prepares to lay flowers at the Tsitsernakaberd Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan on Sept. 18. (Photo: AFP)

Published: September 26, 2022 03:59 AM GMT
Updated: September 26, 2022 06:03 AM GMT

Armenia, the world’s first Christian nation, marked its 31st Independence Day from the erstwhile Soviet Union on Sept. 21. But these days, existence gets more importance than independence and the Caucasian nation is left to fend for itself in dire need.

As the nation lacked economic clout and because of its geographical location, Asia and Europe were tight-lipped when its neighbor and Muslim-majority Azerbaijan flexed its muscles against Armenia with the tacit support from another Muslim-majority nation and NATO member Turkey.

Fighting renewed last week between the historic rivals. One Armenian civilian, 135 soldiers and 70 Azeri soldiers perished in the latest round of conflict on Sept. 12.

On this year’s Independence Day, Armenians were forced to celebrate while mourning the lives of soldiers who fought against Azerbaijan.

The worrying factor is that the historical territorial dispute between the two neighbors is moving closer to a religious conflict.

Azerbaijan regularly accuses Armenians of being the guilty aggressors while Armenians are defending their homeland. This has been the consistent pattern between the rivals.

"Armenia appealed to the international community and urged world leaders to come out with an adequate reaction to Azerbaijan’s aggressive acts"

On Sept. 12, at midnight, Azerbaijan fired artillery shells at the Armenian towns of Goris, Sotk and Jermuk and on Sept. 13, Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan told the Armenian parliament in the capital Yerevan that at least 49 Armenian troops lost their lives.

Though the Russian Foreign Ministry reported a cease-fire had been reached between the warring nations on Sept. 13, early the next day, the Armenian Defense Ministry said Azerbaijan had again “resumed shelling.”

On Sept 13, Armenia appealed to the international community and urged world leaders to come out with an adequate reaction to Azerbaijan’s aggressive acts. But the plea fell on deaf ears.

Armenians live in a hostile neighborhood in the South Caucasus. This was good enough reason for Europe and Asia not to come to their rescue.

Besides, the sleepy nation lacks the economic clout to woo wealthy EU nations to condemn Azerbaijan, though the predominantly Christian country is bordered by Muslim nations, including its arch enemies Turkey and Azerbaijan, and its ally, Iran.

Iran and Russia are Armenia’s allies, but they have their own complicated relations with NATO member Turkey and they prefer to play it safe due to the complex region where Armenia is located: because it is neither European nor Asian in all respects and its ancient Armenian Apostolic Church is independent.

After the current standoff, as a member of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), Armenia sought its assistance, but there was no reciprocation from the six-member grouping. When it comes to the landlocked nation of Armenia, the CSTO prefers to play neutral as its standoff with Azerbaijan dates back decades.

Other members of the CSTO are Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The latter three nations are members of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conference, while Azerbaijan has been a participating nation in the Central Asian Bishops’ Conference.

Most of the Christians in Azerbaijan are followers of the Russian Orthodox Church and make up 4 percent of Azerbaijan’s 10.15 million population.

Armenia has a long spiritual history. It is believed that it became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity in 301 AD. There are still many ancient sites and monuments in the country that boast of the pious history of the current 3 million people.

The former Soviet states waged a six-week war in 2020 over Nagorno-Karabakh or Artsakh to Armenians, which is within Azerbaijan’s international border.

It was a cakewalk for Azerbaijan then. Equipped with sophisticated arms and drones from Turkey, it took control of the majority of Nagorno-Karabakh. In total, more than 6,000 people died then, with thousands of ethnic Armenians uprooted from their homes.

After a feeble peace pact was inked following the flare-up in 2000, Russia came to the rescue of Armenia and stationed 2,000 soldiers serving as peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia has close ties with Russia and one-third of its exports go to Moscow and its partners. Russia sells natural gas and energy to Armenia at a subsidized rate.

The feud between Armenia and Azerbaijan has simmered for decades. In April 2016, the largest flare-up took place over Nagorno-Karabakh since the 1994 war.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been an ethnically Armenian region for centuries but it was given to Azerbaijan by the Soviet Union in 1923. Like the decision to assign Crimea to Ukraine in 1954, it was an administrative decision by Soviet leader Josef Stalin.

The conflict led to two full-scale wars in the 1980s and 1990s with no light at the end of the tunnel. At least 30,000 people perished in the conflict following the disintegration of the Soviet Union in 1991.

"As Armenia’s all-weather ally Russia is busy in Ukraine, Azerbaijan seized the window of opportunity"

Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh have been up in arms against Azerbaijani rule and in 1991 they declared independence and the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh had the tacit support of the Armenian government.

In 2007, the Minsk Group, led by the US, Russia and France, put in place a solution. But both Armenia and Azerbaijan are not keen on following the Madrid Principles put forth by the Minsk Group.

Azerbaijan’s offensive has the full support of Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan, who is trying to strengthen his position in disputes over Syria, Libya, Cyprus, and oil exploration in the Mediterranean region in general. Moreover, Turkey has soured ties with Armenia. In 1993, Turkey, Armenia’s western neighbor, shut its border with Armenia to aid Azerbaijan.

As Armenia’s all-weather ally Russia is busy in Ukraine, Azerbaijan seized the window of opportunity this month to complete its unfinished business of 2020.

With the latest move, Azerbaijan has stirred a hornet’s nest in the wider South Caucasus region so that it is easy for those who plan to fish in the troubled waters.

On its part, the international community has let down Armenia and its independent church to please energy-rich Azerbaijan.

But the US showed the courage to send House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Armenia to condemn Azerbaijan’s attacks.  Pelosi, the highest-ranking US official to visit the country since its independence, made her momentous visit to Yerevan from Sept 18-19.

For that matter, President Joe Biden became the first US president to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide in which Turkey’s Ottoman Empire slaughtered 1.5 million Armenians living in Turkish lands, beginning in 1914.

After Turkey’s turn, Azerbaijan is planning genocide on hapless Armenians. But this time killing them softly.

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.

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