Tevan Poghosyan - UNSC Meeting on Karabakh | Artsakh Internal Developments | Yerevan Elections | Ep 275 - August 20, 2023 [EP275]

Guest:

• Tevan Poghosyan

Topics:

• UNSC Meeting on Artsakh
• Artsakh Internal Developments
• Yerevan Elections

Episode 275 | Recorded: August 22, 2023

Show Notes

UN Security Council Meeting

There are still many unanswered questions regarding the UNSC meeting this past week, where the Artsakh issue was discussed.

The UNSC discussed the situation in Artsakh, and there were many statements of support for reopening the Lachin-Berdzor corridor and demands that Azerbaijan should lift the blockade on Artsakh from UNSC members. None of that has happened, and Azerbaijan didn’t even bother to send its foreign minister to the meeting.

However, the US invited Turkey to attend the meeting, and of course Turkey gave full support to the Azeri stance.

Questions:

• Why would the US invite Turkey to the UNSC meeting, when technically the issue discussed had nothing to do with them?
• Why didn’t Armenia, or another Security Council member invite Iran, a neighbor as related to this conflict as Turkey is, to the meeting?
• No UNSC binding resolutions were either requested, or came forth from the UNSC meeting. Some say that the weakness of the outcome can be seen as a green light for Azerbaijan to continue or intensify its belligerent position towards Armenia. Do you agree? If so, in hindsight, was it a good idea to call this meeting in the first place?

Some countries expressed surprising positions. For instance, Brazil used the term “Khankendi”. Pro-western analysts praised the US position as “good” and decried Russia’s position which again seemed to suggest to use the Aghdam road. France, as expected, had the most pro-Armenian speech.

Question:

• Did Armenia do a good job in preparing for this meeting?

On the heels of this meeting, Armenia immediately announced that the next round of negotiations with Azerbaijan will be held in September. Interestingly, according to our regular guest Sergei Melkonian, Armenia has asked Iran to not get in the way of Pashinyan’s “peace agenda”. Everyone knows that Iran has a clearly defined redline about changing its border with Armenia: that is a no go.

Question:

• What is Armenia’s government trying to accomplish?

Artsakh Internal Developments

There are signs of internal trouble in Artsakh, of a potential coup attempt in Artsakh. It all initially was externalized by Ruben Vardanyan through a video address on Saturday.

• Ruben Vardanyan video
• Arshavir Gharamyan facebook post
• Announcement by leader of militia

Since the start of 2023 Arayik Harutyunyan has disseminated rumors of his resignation as president of Artsakh. In the months following Ruben Vardanyan’s forced resignation as state minister of Artsakh, Harutyunyan even spearheaded a constitutional amendment to allow the Artsakh Parliament to elect, or select, a president under conditions of martial law. But he has not resigned yet.

Questions:

• What do we know about this incident?
• Is Arayik Harutyunyan trying to cling to power, or is he being forced to stay on as president by powers that need him to continue the current process with Azerbaijan?
  • Who are those powers, and what outcomes are they pursuing?

The militia that raided and threatened politicians in Stepanakert has also claimed that Arayik Harutyunyan is not guilty of losing the 44-day war, but rather that guilt falls upon former presidents Bako Sahakyan and Arkady Ghukasyan. This is completely in line with the current Armenian regime’s whitewashing of its history to blame former administrations for its own failures.

Question:

• What would you say have been Arayik Harutyunyan’s responsibilities during his tenure?

August 23

Tomorrow is the 32nd anniversary of the declaration of independence of Armenia.

Question:

• How is the current leadership of Armenia guiding the country vis-a-vis the points set forth in the declaration?

Yerevan Elections

The Yerevan mayoral elections will be held on September 17. Campaigning will start tomorrow, August 23. There hasn’t been much said and done about the upcoming campaigns in the past week, and last week we talked about the major participants a little bit.

Questions:

• What are the latest developments in the race for city council, and therefore mayor?
• What can we expect from these elections, are they likely to be “free and fair”, given the heavy meddling by Pashinyan’s Civil Contract, and its history of dirty campaigning since 2020?
• The election results will likely be seen as a referendum on Pashinyan himself, due to the size of the Yerevan electorate. A third of the country’s voter base is in the capital. What should the opposition do, to ensure that the people who vote for a city leader who can pick up their trash and ensure transportation safety, and other municipal concerns, are not seen as approving of Pashinyan’s policies of giving Artsakh, and Armenian sovereign territory to Azerbaijan?

Topics from the Panelists

• Tevan: August 23, Sep 2nd, Artsakh independence.
• Hovik: The essence and beauty of the Armenian Declaration of Independence, August 23.

Wrap-up

We hope you found our Week in Review helpful. We invite your feedback and your suggestions, you can find us on most social media and podcast platforms. Thanks to Laura Osborn for the music on our podcasts.

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