April 24, 2023
Azerbaijan sets up first checkpoint at the entrance to a vital road to Armenia. (Politico)
One of the most critical yet frustrating aspects of the conflict over Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh) for Armenians is establishing credibility in the face of Azerbaijan's spurious historical claims. These reckless deceptions put the onus on neutral parties--geopolitical stakeholders and international media-- to untangle the web of falsehoods and vet the veracity of such dubious accounts.
That is why AGBU has gone to great lengths to document key facts and references for anyone looking to present a cohesive summary to counter Azerbaijan's propaganda campaigns at home and PR machines worldwide.
Please use this information responsibly.
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Azerbaijan sets up first checkpoint at the entrance to a vital road to Armenia. (Politico)
Four Armenian soldiers killed in Azerbaijani attack. (Le Figaro)
Three Armenian policemen killed in a subversive attack by Azerbaijani forces in Artsakh. (Le Figaro)
The ICJ indicates a provisional measure to ensure unimpeded movement along the Lachin Corridor.
EU is launching a civilian mission to contribute to stability in border areas. (IPS)
Amnesty International calls to lift the blockade without any further delay and end the unfolding humanitarian crisis. (Libération)
European Parliament adopts a report Calling on Azerbaijan to withdraw the occupied territories of Armenia and unblock Artsakh.
Red Cross facilitates transfer of six patients from Artsakh to Armenia for treatment. (Los Angeles Times)
Armenia accuses Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing at International Court of Justice hearing and calls for measures to end blockade. (Le Figaro)
European Union approves another 2-years monitoring mission to Armenia-Azerbaijan border. (RFI)
Due to the blockade, food stores are empty in Artsakh. Essential supplies, including medicine are running out. (France 24)
Azerbaijan cut off the gas supply to Artsakh in an effort to strangle its population during winter. (Open Democracy)
Lachin corridor completely blocked by Azerbaijani leaving 120,000 citizens without access to essential supplies. (The Economist)
The EU sends a "civilian EU mission" to Armenia-Azerbaijan border. (France24)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Congressman Frank Pallone visit Armenia to denounce Azerbaijan's attacks. (New York Times)
On the night of 12–13 September, Azerbaijan launches an attack on sovereign killing hundreds. (The Guardian)
US researchers confirm 98% of cultural Armenian heritage sites in Nakhichevan destroyed by Azerbaijan. (Hyperallergic)
Azerbaijan violates ceasefire attacking military positions of Artsakh, resulting in evacuation of Aghavno, Nerkin Sus and Berdzor. (Horizon)
Moscow accuses Azerbaijan of violating ceasefire as troops move into village of Parukh. (France 24)
Pipeline supplying gas to Artsakh damaged leaving population without heat. (Time)
Azerbaijan claims “restoration” of Ghazanchetsots Holy Savior Cathedral in Shushi. (Public Radio of Armenia)
Evidence of Armenian Church disappearing after Azeri control. (BBC)
The peacemaking forces of the Russian Federation deployed along. (Reuters)
Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia signed a trilateral ceasefire agreement. (France Info)
Fear rises as Azerbaijan advances. Artsakh authorities evacuate Stepanakert. (EurasiaNet)
White phosphorus is used by Azerbaijani armed forces. (France 24)
Nearly 90,000 refugees arrive in Armenia as a result of the war. (UNHCR Armenia)
Azerbaijan targets the maternity ward of Stepanakert’s Maternal and Child Health Center. (Greek City Times)
Azerbaijani soldiers publicly execute two Armenians in Hadrut. (Bellingcat)
Holy Saviour Cathedral in Shushi (St. Ghazanchetsots) is bombed. (BBC)
Cluster munitions fired by Azerbaijan into Stepanakert are identified. (Amnesty International)
Turkey sends Syrian mercenaries to support Azerbaijan. (Reuters)
Azerbaijan launches large-scale attack on Artsakh using artillery, rockets and drones and aircraft. (Forbes)
In the blink of an eye the dreams of a child are changed forever. A run in the park or a warm meal becomes a distant memory. For over two years, the people of Artsakh have lived in uncertainty. First, shaken by aggressive violence in September 2020 and now living under a territorial blockade - both at the hands of Azerbaijan.
When war besieges the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh (Karabakh), writer and photographer Lika Zakaryan takes cover in a bunker - and begins to write a diary. Little does she know that her words will become the definitive chronicle of the brutal 44-day war. Watch Lika's incredible testimonial and use the film, Invisible Republic, now available for online streaming, as a tool to teach and share the truth during this current moment of humanitarian crisis in Artsakh.
During the 44-day war, AGBU sat down with individuals who fled from Artsakh as well as doctors who were at the frontlines, all of whom wanted to share their stories. Each harrowing testimony reveals the horrors of the surprise attack on their homes and towns and the fear that followed. Excepts from the Voices of Truth series appear below or view the complete playlist here.
Submit on-the-ground testimonials from the current blockade to press@agbu.org.
Azerbaijan and Turkey have consistently devalued and disrespected minority cultures by neglecting, defacing or misappropriating their structures and artistic treasures. Often, they will go so far as to erase all traces of indigenous cultures so as to claim historical rights to lands and redraw historic maps. Armenians have lived on the lands of Artsakh for centuries and resisted erasure time and time again.
Tigranakert of Artsakh: An Armenian ancient city named in honor of the Armenian king Tigranes the Great (r. 95–55 B.C.) or his father Tigranes I (r. ca. 123–95 B.C.). The remains of the city were discovered in the territory of Artsakh in March 2005 and currently serve as a museum.
A.I. Boltunova /Ancient cities of Georgia and Armenia / Antique city / Academy of Sciences of the Soviet Union, Institute of Archeology - M.: USSR Academy of Sciences Publishing House, 1963, p. 161
2. Hewsen, Robert H. (2001). Armenia: A Historical Atlas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 58, 73, map 62. ISBN 0-226-33228-4.
3. Asbarez, daily newspaper (Los Angeles, CA) “Museum at Ancient Ruins of Tigranakert Opens in Nagorno-Karabakh”, June 8, 2010
4. “Archeologist Raises Alarms Over Azerbaijan’s Shelling of an Ancient City”, hyperallergic.com , October 3, 2020
Amaras Monastery (4th century): An Armenian monastery founded by Gregory the Illuminator.In the 5th century Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet established the first-ever Armenian school there. In 1988 and 1991 the monastery was attacked by Azerbaijani troops.
1. Pavstos Byuzand. Armenian History (written in 4th-5th centuries).
2. Movses Kaghankatvatsi. History of Aluank. Book I. Chapter XIV (written in 7th-10th centuries).
3. Viviano, Frank. “The Rebirth of Armenia”, National Geographic Magazine, March 2004
4. John Noble, Michael Kohn, Danielle Systermans. Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Lonely Planet; 3 edition (May 1, 2008), p. 307
5. Notes from Lord Hylton, MA ARICS, resulting from a visit to Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia 13-21 April 1998
6. David B. Barrett, George Thomas Kurian, Todd M. Johnson / World Christian encyclopedia: a comparative survey of churches and religions in the modern world / Oxford University Press, 2001 - p.92 (876)
Tsitsernavank Monastery: An Armenian monasterywith a three-nave basilica, like most of those in Armenia of 5th-6th centuries.
1. Paolo Cuneo, “La basilique de Tsitsernavank dans le Karabagh,” Revue des Études Arméniennes 4 (1967), pp. 203—216
2. Tom Sinclair. Architecture: Armenian Monasteries // Encyclopedia of Monasticism / Associate Editors John W. Barker Gail Geiger Richard Lansing. — Routledge, 2013. — P. 54
3. Orthodox encyclopedia, ed. by the Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia Alexius II, article “Armenia”
Dadivank Monastery: An Armenian monastery (9th-13th century) with Armenian script engraved into its walls, in addition to several 13th century frescoes.
1. Robert G. Ousterhout. A Byzantine settlement in Cappadocia. — Dumbarton Oaks, 2006. — p. 151.”In the Armenian monastery of Dadivank’, however, dated 1211, a four-columned, domed hall is set into a range of rooms chat included the kitchen and refectory.”
2. Lydia А. Durnovo, Essays on the Fine Arts of Medieval Armenia. Moscow. 1979. [In Russian]
Khadavank Monastery: Armenian inscription by Ter Hovhannes Khachenetsi who built the church of the Khadavank Monastery in 1204.
1. The preserved piece is currently on display in Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan, Armenia.
Gandzasar Monastery: An Armenian monastery in its style similar to the plans of the Armenian churches of Geghard, Hovhannavank and Harichavank, also built in the 13th century. Azerbaijani historians intentionally omit the fact that Gandzasar is a typical example of Armenian architecture of the 10th-13th centuries, as well as the numerous Armenian inscriptions in the drawing of the facade.
1. Thierry, Jean. Eglises et Couvents du Karabagh. Antelais, Lebanon, 1991, pp. 161-165
2. de Waal, Thomas (2013). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War (2nd ed.). New York University Press. p. 168.
3. Schnirelmann, Victor (2003). Войны памяти: мифы, идентичность и политика в Закавказье [Memory wars: myths, identity and politics in Transcaucasia] (in Russian). Moscow: Akademkniga. p. 212. ISBN 5-94628-118-6.
Armenian Roots of Shushi: The oldest artifact found in the village of Shosh was an Armenian Gospel created by the calligrapher Ter-Manuel in 1428.
1. Boris Baratov. A Journey to Karabakh. Moscow, 1998, pp. 32–33
2. Bishop Makar Barkhudariants. History of Aghvank. Volume 1, Vagharshapat, 1902, p. 384
Read articles proving recent desecration of historic sites>>
Find more critical resources, including a timeline of Armenian presence in Artsakh and heritage site preservation below.
View a preliminary inventory of more than 5,000 monuments, 100 bibliographic items and legal documents, and a list of dozens of Artsakh museums and galleries. This is a multiyear, collaborative endeavor attempting to catalogue as many monuments as possible and updated regularly.
Led by archeologists and Cornell and Purdue Universities, Caucasus Heritage Watch, monitors and documents endangered and damaged cultural heritage using high-resolution satellite imagery aiming to reveal visual evidence of cultural erasure using the latest technologies of earth observation.
A stunning virtual tour presented by the Museum of the Bible, explores ancient churches as well as the Christian culture of the people who worship at them. The exhibition also features insights from scholars, cultural conservationists and theologians highlighting the cultural erasure threatening these sites.
Funerary bas-reliefs at Koshik Hermitage and Gandzasar’s military cemetery.
The principality of Khachen is one of the last medieval eastern Armenian principalities was formed in Artsakh in 821.1
Source:
1. Hewsen, Robert H. (2001). Armenia: A Historical Atlas. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. pp. 118–121. ISBN 0-226-33228-4.
The oldest known Armenian cross-stone “Eghtsu ktor” dated from 866, Vaghuhas village.3
Khachkars (cross-stones) are characteristic of Medieval Christian Armenian art.1 2 Artsakh is home to a very large number of khachkars.
Sources:
1. The Grove Encyclopedia of Medieval Art and Architecture. — Oxford University Press, 2012. — Vol. 2. — p. 222
2. Gough M., The Origins of Christian Art, London, 1973
3. Samvel Karapetyan, Armenia: Illustrated album, Yerevan 2014, p. 435
4. Jean-Michel Thierry and Patrick Donabedian. Les arts arméniens, Paris, 1987. p. 231
5. Christian Armenia Encyclopedia, 2002, p. 222 ISBN 5-89700-016-6։
6. Northern khachkar of Gtichavank is currently exhibited at the old residence of the Catholicos of All Armenians, in Holy Echmiadzin.
Armenian Inscription on the tomb of Hasan-Jalal Dawla in Gandzasar, Artsakh.
Hasan-Jalal Dawla, the founder of the Armenian royal dynasty Hasan-Jalalyans in Khachen (Artsakh), built Gandzasar monastery and is buried there.1
Source:
1. H. Evans. Kings and Power Bases: Sources for Royal Portraits in Armenian Cilicia // From Byzantium to Iran: Armenian Studies in Honour of Nina G. Garsoïan / Edited by Jean-Pierre Mahé, Robert W. Thomson. — Peeters, 1997.
Remains of the Dizak castle (Artsakh) ruled by Melik Avanian family.
Five Armenian Melik (prince) families ruled the five Melikdoms of Karabakh.2
Sources:
1. Christopher J. Walker. The Armenian presence in mountainous Karabakh // Transcaucasian Boundaries / edited by John Wright, Richard Schofield, Suzanne Goldenberg. — Psychology Press, 2004. — P. 93. — ISBN 0203214471.
2. Britannica: English-language encyclopaedia.
Strabo
In his Geographica, Greek historian and geographer Strabo refers to an Armenian region he calls “Orchistene”, which is believed to be the Greek version of the old name of Artsakh.1
Source:
1. Strabo. Geographica, Book XI, Chapter 14
The map dates to 1788 (France).
Kingdom of Greater Armenia during 189 BC - 390 AD including Artsakh province.
Source:
1. L’Arménie majeure dressée sur les auteurs arméniens et divisée en 16 grandes provinces, Bibliothèque nationale de France
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