Anger in Yerevan as Armenia, Azerbaijan agree to end war in Nagorno-Karabakh

November 10, 2020

Marek Grzegorczyk

Armenia effectively admits defeat in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and will be forced to cede territory held since 1994.

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement early on November 10 to end almost two months of fighting in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The agreement, which came just hours after Armenian officials confirmed that the key city of Shusha (known as Shushi in Armenia), the second-biggest city in the enclave, had been taken by Azeri forces, was described by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as “unspeakably painful”.

“[This] agreement as the best possible solution to the current situation,” said Mr Pashinyan. “While it is unspeakably painful for me personally and for our people, it follows an in-depth analysis of the military situation”. The agreement follows weeks of advances by Azeri troops who, in possession of more modern weapons, have overpowered Armenian forces.

The announcement of a full ceasefire sparked a violent response in Armenia, with angry protesters storming government buildings in Yerevan where they ransacked offices and broke windows. Videos published on social media appeared to show protesters dragging Ararat Mirzoyan, the speaker of the country’s parliament, out of his car and beating him on the street. His injuries were so bad that he had to be hospitalised.

Protesters also attempted to storm Mr Pashinyan’s home but were turned back by a heavy police presence.

Azerbaijan’s defence ministry released a video Monday showing the country’s flag flying on public buildings in Shusha, which is just 10 kilometres from the regional capital Stepanakert. The video shows deserted streets and damaged buildings.

Later on Monday, Azerbaijan apologised for downing a Russian helicopter near the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, saying it was an accident.

Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev said the agreement was “historic” and that Armenia had been forced to negotiate because of Azerbaijan’s military successes.

“This statement has historic significance,” he wrote on Twitter. “This statement constitutes Armenia’s capitulation. This statement puts an end to the years-long occupation. This statement is our Glorious Victory!”

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the two sides would hold on to areas in Nagorno-Karabakh under their control and that Russian peacekeepers would be deployed along frontlines and to secure a corridor connecting the region with Armenia. However, Armenia will be forced to hand the strip of land – which it has occupied since 1994 – that sits between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia by December 1.

The unrest in Nagorno-Karabakh dates back to the collapse of the Soviet Union, when the region, backed by Armenia, declared independence from Azerbaijan.

Shusha was captured by Armenian forces in 1992 and Nagorno-Karabakh established a de facto independence that is not recognized by most of the world. A 1994 ceasefire brought the violent conflict over the enclave to an end, but tensions continued, with irregular skirmishes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces.

Azerbaijan has long claimed it would retake the territory, which is internationally recognized as Azerbaijani.

Since the resumption of fighting in September, as many as 5,000 people have been killed, and as many as 40,000 ethnic Armenians have been forced to flee the region.

Mr Pashinyan, who took office in 2018 the wake of widespread protests that forced the resignation of his predecessor, Serzh Sargsyan, now faces a battle to cling on to power. Protests are likely to continue, and 17 opposition parties have called for Mr Pashinyan’s resignation.

The 17 parties have vowed to overturn the peace agreement and resume fighting should they be successful in removing Mr Pashinyan’s government.

Will Lavender, a senior policy and advocacy officer at the European Friends of Armenia, a Brussels based NGO which seeks to promote EU-Armenian relations, says that it is very difficult at this point to see where things will go in Armenia.

“So far the public reaction has been very negative and we have witnessed turbulent scenes in Yerevan,” he says. “The deal is by no means seen in terms of peace, but in terms of surrender.”

Mr Lavender was also critical of the European Union, which he describes as “absent”.

“By and large this is a Russian-imposed peace, which will see Russian troops heavily ensconced in the region and will dramatically alter the balance in Russia-Armenia relationship. This will have long term implications for Armenia’s domestic politics and its relationship with the EU,” he says.

“Once again, the EU has been completely absent, despite the Eastern Partnership’s aims of bringing the rule of law and democracy to its neighbourhood. This peace has emboldened autocratic Azerbaijan and could undermine pro-western/pro-democratic trends in Armenia.”

Armenian Opposition demanding PM to resign - 'It's most shameful day in our history!'

ARMENIA10 November 2020

Signing trilateral declaration proves that Azerbaijan was just standing for its rights on Karabakh - US expert
NAGORNO-KARABAKH CONFLICT10 November 2020 12:44 (UTC+04:00)








BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.10

By Nargiz Sadikhova - Trend:

Signing a trilateral declaration of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the President of the Russian Federation proves to the world that Azerbaijan was just standing for its rights on Nagorno Karabakh, US-based military expert Benjamin Minik told Trend.

“If the agreement holds, truthfully this will be an amazing thing,” Minik said.

Minik explained that Azerbaijan can now focus on rebuilding the areas that have been occupied for 30 years and hundreds of thousands of people will have homes again.

“This proves to the world that Azerbaijan was just standing for its rights. I am proud of, and for all of you. I'm proud to have stood with all of you,” Minik said.

Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by Azerbaijani president, Armenia's PM and the president of Russia.

A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is introduced at 00:00 hours (Moscow time) on 10 November 2020.

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars and artillery on Sept. 27. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front.

Back in July 2020, Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district. As a result of Azerbaijan's retaliation, the opposing forces were silenced. The fighting continued the following days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian Armed Forces.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Nov.10

 

Trend:

The most shameful page of our history has been written today, said Iveta Tonoyan, a member of the Prosperous Armenia opposition party, Trend reports.

“A few hours ago, the Prosperous Armenia and a number of other parties demanded the resignation of the Prime Minister. After all this, the resignation is the least that Pashinyan must do,” Tonoyan said.

The MP stated that she was near the building of the Armenian government in order to prevent clashes between citizens and the police.

“We came to calm the anger of people, which is quite objective and understandable. Here are people whose fathers, brothers and sons fell on the battlefield. And at the same time, secretly, without taking into account public opinion, it was decided to transfer the lands, give Shusha away with a piece of paper", noted the MP.

She added that in the morning of Nov.10 the party will convene a meeting under the chairmanship of the party leader Gagik Tsarukyan, after which she will make a statement.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and President of the Russian Federation made a joint statement. A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict shall be introduced at 00:00 hours Moscow time on 10 November 2020.

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars and artillery on Sept. 27. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. Currently, Azerbaijan continues the liberation of its territories from Armenian troops.

Back in July 2020, Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district. As a result of Azerbaijan's retaliation, the opposing forces were silenced. The fighting continued the following days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian Armed Forces.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations.

President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and President of the Russian Federation made a joint statement. A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict shall be introduced at 00:00 hours Moscow time on 10 November 2020.

Armenian Armed Forces launched a large-scale military attack on positions of Azerbaijani army on the front line, using large-caliber weapons, mortars and artillery on Sept. 27. Azerbaijan responded with a counter-offensive along the entire front. Currently, Azerbaijan continues the liberation of its territories from Armenian troops.

Back in July 2020, Armenian Armed Forces violated the ceasefire in the direction of Azerbaijan's Tovuz district. As a result of Azerbaijan's retaliation, the opposing forces were silenced. The fighting continued the following days as well. Azerbaijan lost a number of military personnel members, who died fighting off the attacks of the Armenian Armed Forces.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian Armed Forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiation

 Russian Ceasefire Deal in Nagorno-Karabakh Marks Slow, Painful End of Empire in the South Caucasus

Azerbaijan is triumphant — but its triumph, while recognized by Russia, was really delivered by Turkey.

By Mark Galeotti

AP / TASS

Does the Russian-brokered ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan represent a victory for Moscow? The tragic coincidence with the shooting down of a Russian helicopter suggests that this is really about the Kremlin’s efforts to manage its decline.

The trilateral deal essentially fixes Baku’s recent territorial gains. Armenian forces have to withdraw from regions such as the politically-significant eastern district of Agdam and the strategically-crucial Lachin region, through which runs the main road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

That road, the so-called Lachin corridor, will remain open, a lifeline guaranteed by 1,960 Russian peacekeepers, who will also monitor the new line of contact. These troops, from the combat-experienced 31st Independent Guards Air Assault Brigade, have already arrived in-theatre.

While there is massive popular dissatisfaction in Armenia about Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s acceptance of the deal — he himself admitted it was "incredibly painful both for me and for our people" — this is essentially a fait accompli. It was also made all but inevitable by the fall of the strategic town of Shushi to Azerbaijan’s forces, the gateway to Karabakh's main city, Stepanakert.

NEWS
Nagorno-Karabakh Briefing | Nov. 10


For Armenia, this at least staves off a more comprehensive defeat in Nagorno-Karabakh. For Azerbaijan, whose forces had taken heavy losses to get this far, President Ilham Aliyev has been able to crow that this represented Yerevan’s "capitulation."

But what does it mean for Moscow? The Kremlin has long regarded the South Caucasus as part of its "Near Abroad" sphere of influence. Not an empire as such, but a region in which it has to be acknowledged as regional hegemon.

Its inability and seeming unwillingness to control this six-week war had become increasingly problematic, especially as Armenia — unlike Azerbaijan, still a member of the CSTO, Russia’s increasingly-threadbare answer to NATO — was suffering attacks even on its own territory.

This was all the more serious given Turkey’s extensive and evident support for Azerbaijan. It is not just that the Azerbaijanis were deploying Turkish Bayraktar TB2 drones to deadly effect, but Ankara has deployed F-16 fighters to Ganja airport, presumably to deter Armenian attacks, and according to admittedly contested reports have also sent Syrian mercenaries and command personnel.

This represented a clear challenge to Russian regional hegemony. In that context, it is noticeable that the ceasefire deal was a trilateral one, concluded between Moscow, Baku and Erevan (although Aliyev also claims that Turkey will play a role in monitoring the deal).

So is this Moscow finally asserting its role as regional hegemon? Not so much.

NEWS
Wary Armenians and Azerbaijanis Watch War From Moscow


Armenia, which put its faith in Russia’s protection against larger, richer and far better armed Azerbaijan, has in effect been forced to accept defeat. While some might see it pleased also to undermine Pashinyan, as a liberal elevated by one of the infamous ‘color revolutions’ that so exercise the Kremlin, it is hard to see that any alternative government would be any more friendly, now. Armenians do not appear to be considering the Russians as their saviors.

Azerbaijan is triumphant — but its triumph, while recognized by Russia, was really delivered by Turkey. Aliyev makes no bones about this, and in his speech about the ceasefire referred to Putin in neutral terms while thanking "my dear brother Recep Tayyip Erdoğan."

Managing decline

Russia may have the role of peacekeeper, but it is worth noting that this is an additional burden on its military and treasury. It does bake a role for itself into the geopolitics of the region, to be sure, but this was a part of the world in which it was already meant to be dominant? When you have to escalate your commitment to retain your position, that does not seem a sign of progress so much as laboring to hold back decline.

Whether or not Turkish officers do end up working in the new peacekeeping center for ceasefire control is in many ways irrelevant. In a pattern reminiscent of the changing orientation in Central Asia — where Moscow retains the overt trappings of hegemony, while behind the scenes Beijing’s economic power is increasingly dominant — so too in the South Caucasus, Russia is having to accept new players in what was once its unquestioned backyard.

The irony is that it is not that Russia did not have the political and military muscle to act more quickly and decisively, had it wanted to.

The response to the shooting down of its aircraft in many ways demonstrates a decay in Moscow’s will, its capacity to maintain its imperial pretensions that has been evident for some time.

On the same day as the ceasefire agreement, an Azerbaijani surface-to-air missile shot down a Russian Mi-24 helicopter gunship well in Armenian airspace as it was escorting a Russian military convoy to its 102nd Military Base in Gyumri. Two crewmen were killed.

NEWS
Azerbaijan Downs Russian Helicopter in Armenia as Fighting Rages Over Karabakh

Baku has extended its apologies, after a fashion. Although the action was well away from the conflict zone, the Azeris highlighted that it was flying at night and at low altitude — hardly surprising for a convoy escort — and "in the context of these factors and in light of the tense situation in the region and increased combat readiness in connection with possible provocations of the Armenian side, the duty combat crew decided to open fire to kill."

An immediate parallel has been drawn with the shooting down in November 2015 of a Russian Su-24 bomber that was involved in combat operations in northern Syria when it cut across Turkish airspace. Then, a clearly furious Putin denounced the act as a "stab in the back by terrorist accomplices." Sanctions were then imposed on everything from package holidays to Turkish tomatoes.

Moscow's bluster ended up masking weakness. Eventually, Erdoğan delivered his condolences, carefully framed not to be an apology. Nonetheless, the Kremlin chose to pretend that this is exactly what had been offered, and the sanctions were lifted.

Moscow pretended that honor had been satisfied. In fact, Erdoğan had outstared Putin.

Likewise, this time the Russian Foreign Ministry expressed its satisfaction that "Baku immediately admitted its guilt... We also note the assurances given by the Azerbaijani side that an operative investigation of this incident will be carried out."

In other words, the matter is over, and the two dead pilots will not be avenged or likely even remembered.

This is neither mature statecraft not self-confident hegemony. This is managing decline, a Russia that in regional terms is strong in capacities, weak in will, trying to make the best of a situation, and in the process disappointing its allies and doing nothing to deter its challengers. All one can say is that at least the guns are silent now — but for how long?
The views expressed in opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the position of The Moscow Times.


Prof. Mark Galeotti is a senior associate fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and a Honorary Professor at the UCL School of Slavonic & East European Studies.

What did Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia leaders agree on?

10.11.2020

Region:Armenia, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Russia
Theme: Politics


Civilnet.am has presented the English-language text of the statement that was signed overnight between the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia. The text reads as follows, in particular:

“We, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan I. G. Aliyev, Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikolai Pashinyan and President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin announced the following:

1. A complete ceasefire and all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict are announced from 00:00 hours Moscow time on November 10, 2020. The Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia, hereinafter referred to as the Parties, stop at their positions.

2. The Aghdam region and the territories held by the Armenian Party in the Gazakh region of the Republic of Azerbaijan shall be returned to the Azerbaijan Party until November 20, 2020.

3. Along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachin corridor, a peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is deployed in the amount of 1,960 servicemen with small arms, 90 armored personnel carriers, 380 units of automobile and special equipment.

4. The peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is being deployed in parallel with the withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces. The duration of the stay of the peacekeeping contingent of the Russian Federation is 5 years, with automatic extension for the next 5-year periods, if none of the Parties declares 6 months before the expiration of the period of intention to terminate the application of this provision.

5. In order to increase the effectiveness of control over the implementation of the agreements by the Parties to the conflict, a peacekeeping center is being deployed to control the ceasefire.

6. The Republic of Armenia will return the Kelbajar region to the Republic of Azerbaijan by November 15, 2020, and the Lachin region by December 1, 2020, leaving behind the Lachin corridor (5 km wide), which will ensure the connection of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and at the same time not will affect the city of Shusha [(Shushi)].

By agreement of the Parties, in the next three years, a plan for the construction of a new traffic route along the Lachin corridor, providing communication between Stepanakert and Armenia, with the subsequent redeployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent to protect this route will be determined.

The Republic of Azerbaijan guarantees traffic safety along the Lachin corridor of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions.

7. Internally displaced persons and refugees are returning to the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent areas under the control of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

8. There is an exchange of prisoners of war and other detained persons and bodies of the dead.

9. All economic and transport links in the region are unblocked. The Republic of Armenia provides transport links between the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic in order to organize the unimpeded movement of citizens, vehicles and goods in both directions. Control over transport communication is carried out by the bodies of the Border Guard Service of the FSB of Russia.

By agreement of the Parties, the construction of new transport communications linking the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic with the western regions of Azerbaijan will be provided.”

Armenia PM: Why was Karabakh statement’s content not presented to public before its signing?
10.11.2020
Region:Armenia, Karabakh, Azerbaijan
Theme: Politics

There is a certain public discussion why there was no public informing in advance about the statement being signed [regarding the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war], and there is a very specific reason for that. Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted about this during his Facebook livestream on Tuesday.

"First, I myself have admitted that the content of that statement is not good for us [the Armenian party to the Karabakh conflict]. Imagine a situation where that content is presented and as a result, it is not signed for some reason. That would have had a very negative consequence on our combat-readiness; that is, if it had not been signed, and for example, a decision had been made to cease hostilities, it would have turned out that there was talk of a content which did not lead at least to a cessation of hostilities, but led to a decrease in combat-readiness," Pashinyan said.

The other reason, according to the Armenian, is that when you present the content to the public, you should also explain why you do such a thing. "If you do that simultaneously with the hostilities, with that, you also reveal some of your weaknesses to the adversary. And if suddenly it [the statement] is not signed, or the adversary gains an advantage by knowing your weaknesses, this in some way affects further processes and, in general, the defense capacity and combat-readiness," Nikol Pashinyan added.

Protesters assemble at Armenia parliament courtyard
 10.11.2020
Region:Armenia, Karabakh, Azerbaijan
Theme: Politics, Society

YEREVAN. – The people who are protesting at the courtyard of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia—and in defense of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)—have closed off Baghramyan Avenue that runs along the parliament premises.

There is a large number of police forces in the area.

The protesters are demanding the cancellation of the signing of the agreement which envisages considerable territorial concessions by the Armenian party to the Karabakh conflict.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced at midnight that he had signed a document that was painful for Artsakh, and since then protests are being staged in Armenia.

At night, a group of protesters stormed the government and NA buildings.

The war is over: Armenia accepts heavy concessions, Russia sends peacekeepers
By TOC On Nov 10, 2020

MOSCOW, (BM) – The leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement ending the war in Nagorno-Karabakh a month after its new outbreak, which returned to Baku much of the remaining Armenian-controlled territories since 1994, learned BulgarianMilitary.com citing Dnevnik.bg.

Read more: BulgarianMilitary.com 24/7 – All about Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

This is not the final solution to the conflict, which claimed 30,000 lives at the end of the last century and an unknown number in the last month. However, with it, Armenia, which has suffered heavy losses from Azerbaijan in recent weeks, is making radical concessions that have also led to a storming of parliament and protests in Yerevan.

“I signed statements with the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan to end the Karabakh war as of 01:00 [23:00 EET time]. The text of the already published statement is inexpressibly painful for me personally and for our people. this decision is the result of an in-depth analysis of the military situation and the assessment of people who are familiar with it in the best possible way,” Pashinyan said. “This is not a victory, but it is not a defeat if we do not admit ourselves as losers. We will never admit that we lost,” the prime minister wrote on Facebook.

“What will you say now, Pashinyan? Karabakh is ours!” said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. As a result of the agreement, which was also confirmed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Moscow has already sent nearly 2,000 peacekeepers and 470 units of military equipment to Nagorno-Karabakh.

What else does the agreement include?

Armenia and Azerbaijan stop fighting in the positions occupied in the last month.
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, ruled by ethnic Armenians and unrecognized by no one, will not cease to exist, but it is not specified with what legitimacy. According to Aliyev, Baku offered the possibility of autonomy, but the other side insisted on independence.

The territories conquered by Azerbaijan this year will no longer enter the territory of the NKR. Among them is the strategically and symbolically important in historical and cultural terms for both countries city Shushi / Shusha (in Armenian and Azeri), captured a few days ago.

 Stepanakert remains under Armenian control and will be connected to Armenia through the Lachin Corridor, leading from Nagorno-Karabakh, through Azerbaijan to Armenian territory.
Armenia liberates and returns to Azerbaijan all territories that are not part of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region during the Soviet era, conquered in the 90s of the last century. Armenian forces controlled vast areas around the enclave, and Azerbaijan considered one-fifth of its territory occupied.

Russian forces (1960 troops, 90 armored personnel carriers and 380 units of vehicles and special equipment) are sent to the line of contact and along the corridor between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia (much of which was captured by Azerbaijan), connecting Armenia and Stepanakert. They remain in Nagorno-Karabakh for five years. The deadline will be extended automatically if Baku and Yerevan “do not mind”, said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

However, Turkey will also take part in the peacekeeping effort. The Peacekeeping Center will include teams from Ankara as Azerbaijan’s main ally. Putin said last week that he wanted Turkey to be part of the peace process without going into details.

Azerbaijani refugees will be able to return to Nagorno-Karabakh after the Azerbaijani minority left the territory in the 1990s. The process will involve the UN.

Protests

The news was met with sharp discontent in Armenia. Residents of Yerevan, protesting against the cessation of hostilities in Karabakh, broke into the building of the Armenian government, TASS reported. World agencies showed similar footage from the Armenian parliament. The Speaker of the Armenian Parliament was beaten.

Aggressive protesters break down the doors of the offices in the building. Hundreds of people gathered in Republic Square in central Yerevan, where the government building is located. The police did not use force against the protesters and tried to calm them down.

The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh escalated on September 27, active clashes are taking place in the disputed territory. Martial law was introduced in Azerbaijan and Armenia, and mobilization was announced. Both sides reported killed and wounded, including civilians. In Baku, they announced the control of several Karabakh villages and strategic heights. Yerevan also reports about the shelling of the territory of Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Azerbaijan and Armenia have been in conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh since February 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan SSR.

During the armed conflict in 1992-1994, the Azerbaijani side lost control of Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven areas adjacent to it. Since 1992, negotiations have been conducted within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group on a peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is led by co-chairs – Russia, USA and France.

In 1994, Azerbaijan, Armenia and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, through the mediation of Russia, signed the Bishkek Armistice Protocol. At the same time, military operations did not stop there, which periodically renewed. The most significant exacerbation of the conflict was the four-day war of 2016. Then hundreds of soldiers on both sides became victims.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, during a meeting with the President of Azerbaijan last year, called for a rhetoric that would go against the fundamental principles endorsed by both sides and enshrined in the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act when resolving the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh. At the same time, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry admitted that much more needs to be done to achieve a long-term political settlement.

Anger Erupts in Armenia as Country Signs “Painful” Deal with Azerbaijan
By Tasos Kokkinidis
-Nov 9, 2020

This was the scene in Yerevan after news of the agreement

Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia signed an agreement on Tuesday to end six weeks of fierce fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh in a deal Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan described as “unspeakably painful” in an emotional Facebook post.

Under the deal, Azerbaijan will hold on to areas of Nagorno-Karabakh that it has taken during the conflict. Armenia has also agreed to withdraw from several other adjacent areas over the next few weeks.

During a televised online address, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin said that Russian peacekeepers would be deployed to patrol frontlines. The country’s defense ministry confirmed that 1,960 personnel would be involved, state news agency Tass reports.

Turkey will also take part in the peacekeeping process, according to Azeri President Ilham Aliyev, who joined President Putin during the address.

Anger in Yerevan

Describing the decision as “unspeakably painful for me personally and for our people”, Pashinyan said the agreement followed “an in-depth analysis of the military situation” that has seen Azeri forces closing in on Stepanakert, the region’s main city.

He said the agreement was “the best possible solution to the current situation”.



The Armenian leader in Nagorno-Karabakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, said he gave his agreement “to end the war as soon as possible”.

In the Armenian capital Yerevan, a large crowd has gathered to protest against the agreement. They broke into parliament and government buildings, shouting “We will not give it up.”

Unrest, Political Crisis Hit Armenia Over Nagorno-Karabakh Losses
November 10, 2020 

By RFE/RL's Armenian Service

Protesters storm the parliamentary assembly in Yerevan on November 10 after Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said he had signed an agreement with the leaders of Russia and Azerbaijan to end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia was plunged into political crisis after opposition groups called on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to resign and a night of unrest over a Russian-brokered agreement with Azerbaijan to end fighting over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh left the fate of the deal uncertain.

In chaotic scenes in the capital, hundreds of opposition supporters in the early hours of November 10 stormed the government headquarters in Yerevan and parliament, ransacking offices and smashing windows in an outburst of anger.

Parliament Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan was injured in a mob attack and hospitalized, drawing a sharp rebuke from the government.

Earlier, thousands of angry demonstrators gathered in central Yerevan after Pashinian announced he had signed a Russian-brokered agreement to end six weeks of hostilities with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The backlash over the agreement came after 17 opposition parties issued a joint statement on November 9 calling for Pashinian’s resignation amid a series of military defeats suffered by Armenia-backed ethnic Armenian forces in the enclave fighting against Azerbaijan.

Among the parties that signed the statement were the main parliamentary opposition party, Prosperous Armenia, led by tycoon Gagik Tsarukian, the former ruling Republican Party of former President Serzh Sarkisian, and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutiun).

In his comments following the night of chaos, Pashinian implied that corruption in previous governments was also to blame for the current situation.

"We must prepare for revenge. We haven’t dealt properly with the corrupt, oligarchic scoundrels, those who robbed this country, stole soldiers’ food, stole soldiers' weapons," said Pashinian, a reformist pressing an anti-corruption campaign who came to power in 2018 in the wake of mass popular protests.

"I call on citizens with dignity to be ready for us going after the rioters and their bosses, after the corrupt part of Dashnaktsutyun, after the robbers from the Republican Party, the Prosperous Armenia Party, the deserters from the Hayrenik party who left their combat positions and fled, and must be tried for desertion," he charged.

The trilateral agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia to end fighting comes as Azerbaijani forces have made major battlefield gains in the six-week flare up of the decades-long conflict.

SEE ALSO:
Armenia, Azerbaijan Agree To Russia-Brokered End To Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict

The agreement would see Azerbaijan keep territory in Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas captured during the conflict. It also calls for Armenian forces to hand over some areas they held outside the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Nagorno-Karabakh is recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the ethnic Armenians who make up most of the population reject Azerbaijani rule.

They have been governing their own affairs, with support from Armenia, since Azerbaijan's troops were pushed out of the region in a war that ended in a cease-fire in 1994.

With reporting by RFE/RL's Armenian Service
RFE/RL's Armenian Service
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Great plague of 1660s bears sad similarities to Covid pandemic

Inner-city poor suffered most while rich decamped to countryside – but numbers started falling as winter cold killed off rats

Paul Brown
Mon 9 Nov 2020

An engraving showing a street scene in London during the great plague in the 1660s. Photograph: Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images


The king, Charles II, imposed a lockdown to prevent people mixing, ships with infection aboard were quarantined, food deliveries were organised for the poor, trade was suspended, fairs banned and the Scottish border closed. This is 1665 as attempts were made to halt the great plague. London lost 15% of its population. Officially the capital’s death toll was 68,596 but it was probably nearer to 100,000. Other big cities suffered too, especially York.

Mapping London's great plague of 1665

The king and his courtiers decamped to the safety of Oxford. Lawyers, rich merchants and doctors fled to the countryside. What sounds horribly familiar is that it was the poor and deprived, living in cramped conditions in the inner-city suburbs, that suffered most. The servants, shoemakers and tradesmen lost their jobs. A contact with an infectious person meant 40 days in quarantine at home. A red cross was painted on the door and watchmen were employed to make sure order was enforced. At night, carts passed through the streets with cries of “bring out your dead”.

The difference is that on this day, 10 November, the number of deaths began to fall dramatically, having peaked at 7,000 a day in September. The winter cold was killing off the rats and their fleas that spread the bubonic plague. Life began to return to normal by Christmas.

Joe Biden's victory is a reality check on Facebook's power to win elections

Margi Murphy
Mon, 9 November 2020

Joe Biden delivers remarks in Delaware on November 9

On October 15, Donald Trump’s campaign paid Facebook $30,000 (£23,000) to share the message “Biden and Harris would enact UNCONSTITUTIONAL gun control measures while ANTIFA terrorizes our cities and the Radical Left calls to DEFUND the Police” to adult voters in swing states Michigan, Pennsylvania and Arizona.

The advert, which included a video of a cannon in an apparent attempt to outwit the social network's rules around using pictures glorifying guns, was just one of several in a social media campaign that cost $201m in the seven months leading up to the election, according to figures from the Wesleyan Media Project.

The political advertising tracker says the 2020 election was the most expensive in political advertising history, with an estimated $1.5bn spent between April 9 and October 25.

But if we learn anything from the competing campaigns, the biggest spender on social media will not necessarily be the winner.

Donald Trump, whose campaign staff are connoisseurs of shareable, attention grabbing memes and GIFs that flood Facebook news feeds, spent more on the social network than Biden's campaign.

The Trump campaign forked out around $201m, or 47pc of its entire advertising budget on Facebook, YouTube and Snapchat and 41pc on broadcast TV. In contrast, the Biden campaign poured $249m or 44pc of the kitty into broadcast TV, according to Weslayan. Just 29pc, or $166m of Biden's budget went on social media.

An advert showing Joe Biden with Xi Jinping

Another clear difference between the pair’s strategy was its allocation for local TV and radio.

Burned by what happened to Hillary Clinton in 2016, the Biden campaign placed targeted advertising on local TV channels which were shown in swing states and cities. It focused on the really close states like Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania, investing just a little in Ohio and Iowa and states that turned out not to be that close, like Texas.

Overall, it spent $81m, or 14pc of its advertising, on local cable and 4pc on local radio. Trump spent just 2.8pc and 0.6pc on local TV and radio, respectively.

Joe Biden's victory is a problem not only for Trump but Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg because it proves the social network is not as influential as he may like Wall Street to believe.

“I do think social media is overrated,” says Travis Ridout, a professor of government and public policy at Washington State University and director of the Wesleyan Media Project.

“I’m not yet convinced that this year or 2016 was a social media election as Biden pumped money into TV advertising in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia and Arizona which were states that ended up being really close.

“While both were targeting people in those states on social media I would be hard pressed to say that TV no longer matters and social media is where it is right now, given the pattern of results”.

Despite less overall spend on social media, Biden did pay slightly more than Trump for campaigns on Google and Snapchat. This suggests that it might be Facebook in particular that has proven less effective in this election cycle, Ridout says.

This is the first Presidential election that we are able to look at how much politicians are spending on social advertising for a US election. This makes it difficult to compare it to 2016, when Trump’s use of Facebook was regarded as hugely influential.

Zuckerberg has tried to publicly downplay political advertising and last week he claimed that it takes a “relatively small cut” from the market. As of late October, Facebook had sold $2.2bn worth of political advertising since May 2018 (when it first began publishing the figures).

He and fellow Big Tech chief executives have been toeing a fine line between keeping advertisers convinced that their platforms have a huge influence on its users, while assuring governments (and regulators) that they couldn’t sway an election.

The company was caught charging the Biden campaign higher fees to place adverts in the run up to November 3. An advert shown to older voters in Arizona cost the Trump campaign $14 per 1,000 people who saw it. But a Biden advert targeting the same demographic cost $91 per 1,000 impressions, according to the Markup. Facebook says this was due to its automated bidding system.

What is interesting, is the differing ways in which each campaign used Facebook: Biden to get a message out and Trump to source more donations or sign ups to mailing lists or his app, something that could be stored for use at a later date.

“I’m not saying Facebook is useless for a campaign as some people will say Facebook is useful for raising money that you can spend on TV advertising,” Ridout says.

“Social media campaigns are often a way to get more fundraising or to get people’s email addresses and are just one part of a comprehensive media strategy but to assume that targeted advertising made the election day for a specific candidate is just going too far. We just do not have any evidence that it is the case.”

Steve Passwaiter, the vice president of consultancy Kantar’s political advertising intelligence division agrees. “It has its defined place but is social media enough on its own to win a campaign?” he says.

“That’s probably giving it too much credit.”

Apple puts iPhone supplier Pegatron on probation after labor abuse

Christian Zibreg on November 9, 2020


Apple has suspended its partnership with Pegatron, a major iPhone supplier, after finding labor violations at a student workers’ program. Pegatron will be banned from new Apple contracts until it takes action to resolve the violations of Apple’s code of conduct for suppliers.

“We are working on the corrective actions and are confident that we will complete it soon,” said a Pegatron spokeswoman, adding the company fired the manager who oversaw the student worker program. Pegatron was found to have falsified paperwork to hide that students at its Shanghai and Kunshan campuses in eastern China worked night shifts, over-time and in positions unrelated to their majors.

Debby Wu and Mark Gurman, writing for Bloomberg:

The Cupertino technology giant said it discovered several weeks ago that the Taiwanese manufacturer misclassified student workers and allowed some to work nights and overtime in violation of Apple’s Supplier Code of Conduct. Employees then ‘went to extraordinary lengths’ to cover up the violations. It’s since placed its partner on probation until corrective action is completed, the US company said in a statement.

Apple said in a statement:
Pegatron misclassified the student workers in their program and falsified paperwork to disguise violations of our Code, including allowing students to work nights and/or overtime and in some cases to perform work unrelated to their major. The individuals at Pegatron responsible for the violations went to extraordinary lengths to evade our oversight mechanisms.

Pegatron is a contract manufacturer that Apple commissions to assemble some iPhone models. Apple relies on other partners to assemble its products, including Taiwan-based Foxconn which has been the target of criticism by labor activists over the years.

Pegatron’s statement:
Upon discovery of this non-compliant activity, we immediately took the student workers off production lines and worked with our customer and third-party experts to make appropriate arrangements for them to return to their homes or schools with proper compensation alongside all necessary support and care.

This suspension won’t impact Pegatron’s work with Apple on expanding iPhone assembly outside of China because it only covers new business. As a result, however, rival Luxshare Precision Industry could become the first mainland company to assemble the iPhone in 2021.

Apple suspends business with its 2nd-largest iPhone manufacturer, Pegatron, after discovering student-labor violations in China

Kate Duffy NOV 9, 2020

Employees before their shift starts at a Pegatron Corp. factory in Shanghai. Qilai Shen

Apple said Monday it had halted business with its supplier Pegatron after discovering labor violations in a student-worker program.
Pegatron, the second-largest iPhone manufacturer, misclassified students, allowed them to work night shifts and overtime, and let them perform work "unrelated to their major," Apple said.
An Apple spokesperson said: "Apple has placed Pegatron on probation and Pegatron will not receive any new business from Apple until they complete all of the corrective actions required."
This isn't the first time Apple has faced supply-chain trouble — in September 2019, it emerged that Apple and Foxconn, its biggest supplier, broke Chinese labor laws by employing too many temporary workers.

Apple said Monday it had suspended business with its second-largest iPhone supplier, Pegatron, over labor violations in the manufacturer's student-worker program.

The tech giant said that several weeks ago, it discovered the Taiwanese manufacturer "misclassified" student workers and let them perform work "unrelated to their major" at its plant near Shanghai.

Apple said the company also allowed students to work night shifts and overtime, which violated Apple's supplier code of conduct.

The news was first reported by The New York Times.

"Apple has placed Pegatron on probation and Pegatron will not receive any new business from Apple until they complete all of the corrective actions required," an Apple spokesperson said.

Apple said Pegatron falsified paperwork to hide the labor violations. 

"The individuals at Pegatron responsible for the violations went to extraordinary lengths to evade our oversight mechanisms," the spokesperson said.

Apple found no evidence of underage or forced labor, the spokesperson added.

Pegatron has fired the executive of the student program, and students have safely returned to their homes with financial compensation, Apple said.

Pegatron did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Apple relies on companies such as Pegatron, and its larger Taiwanese rival Foxconn, to assemble its products, such as the iPhone.

Apple has run into trouble with Foxconn, too.

In September 2019, a report published by China Labor Watch found that the US tech company and Foxconn broke Chinese labor laws by employing too many temporary workers at the largest iPhone factory in Zhengzhou, China.

Undercover investigators said they discovered that 50% of the factory's workforce was made up of temporary workers, even though Chinese law caps the proportion of temporary workers at 10%.

In October, Apple unveiled its latest lineup of new phones. The iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro are available to buy now, while the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max became available for preorder on November 6 and will ship on November 13.

Trump-appointed NASA boss will leave now that Biden is President-Elect

Image source: SpaceX

By Mike Wehner @MikeWehner
November 9th, 2020 

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine has revealed that he will be leaving his post now that it appears Joe Biden will be President.
Bridenstine was appointed by Trump early on in his presidency, and the NASA boss has been trying to gain funding for a return to the Moon by 2024.
Biden will need to pick a new NASA Administrator once he’s sworn in as President in January.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine was appointed by Donald Trump shortly after taking office and now that it appears Joe Biden will be the next President of the United States, Bridenstine has revealed that he will be leaving his position with the US space agency.

Not long after Bridenstine’s appointment to the post, the Trump administration issued a mandate that the space agency find a way to accelerate its Moon mission plans and send humans back to the lunar surface by 2024. In the meantime, NASA and Bridenstine have done everything in their power to make that a reality, though securing funding for the accelerated timeline has been an uphill battle. Now, it seems, Bridenstine won’t have to worry about it anymore

Speaking with Aviation Week, Bridenstine said that he is likely headed for the door now that Joe Biden is President-Elect. The decision is not, Bridenstine claims, a political one, but rather to ensure that the relationship between the administrator of NASA and the President is as close as it can be.

“The right question here is ‘What’s in the best interest of NASA as an agency, and what’s in the best interest of America’s exploration program?’ Bridenstine told the outlet in an interview on November 8th. “For that, what you need is somebody who has a close relationship with the president of the United States. You need somebody who is trusted by the administration…. including the OMB [Office of Management and Budget], the National Space Council and the National Security Council, and I think that I would not be the right person for that in a new administration.”

Bridenstine credits many of NASA’s successes over the past four years to his close relationship with the current presidential administration. That, he says, is crucial if the space agency is to continue its success in both the short and long term.

It’s certainly not unusual for individuals who were appointed by a specific president to prepare their letters of resignation when that president leaves office. This is really no different, though it may complicate things slightly as NASA is in the midst of so many different new programs, and Bridenstine has been, presumably, crucial in making those things happen.

In any case, Bridenstine says that even if the Biden administration were to ask him to stick around, he’d leave anyway. That effectively rules out any possibility that he’ll be NASA’s administrator moving forward, and the Biden administration will have another role to fill once gains the power to do so in January.

Mike Wehner has reported on technology and video games for the past decade, covering breaking news and trends in VR, wearables, smartphones, and future tech. Most recently, Mike served as Tech Editor at The Daily Dot, and has been featured in USA Today, Time.com, and countless other web and print outlets. His love of reporting is second only to his gaming addiction.

Second Cable Fails At NSF’s Arecibo Observatory In Puerto Rico
November 9, 2020 University of Central Florida

A main cable that supports the Arecibo Observatory broke Friday at 7:39 p.m. Puerto Rico time.

Unlike the auxiliary cable that failed at the same facility on Aug. 10, this main cable did not slip out of its socket. It broke and fell onto the reflector dish below, causing additional damage to the dish and other nearby cables. Both cables were connected to the same support tower. No one was hurt, and engineers are already working to determine the best way to stabilize the structure.

A safety zone has been set up around the dish out of an abundance of caution and only personnel needed to respond to the incident are allowed onsite.

Officials haven’t determined why the main cable broke, but they suspect it is related to the extra load the remaining cables have been carrying since August. A monitoring team has been closely watching all the cables and platform since then as part of the facility’s safety and temporary emergency repair plan. Observers had noted and were tracking broken wires on the main cable that failed Friday. The facility was awaiting a team of engineers this week who were expected to begin temporary emergency repairs related to the August incident.


“This is certainly not what we wanted to see, but the important thing is that no one got hurt,” said Francisco Cordova, the director of the observatory. “We have been thoughtful in our evaluation and prioritized safety in planning for repairs that were supposed to begin Tuesday. Now this. There is much uncertainty until we can stabilize the structure. It has our full attention. We are evaluating the situation with our experts and hope to have more to share soon.”

The University of Central Florida, which manages the facility under a cooperative agreement with Universidad Ana G. Méndez and Yang Enterprises Inc. for the U.S. National Science Foundation, worked overnight with the engineering firms WSP, Thornton Tomasetti and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Inc. to come up with a strategy to address the new break. UCF retained these firms in September in connection with the first cable. UCF also notified NSF, which owns the facility and NASA. Drones and cameras are also being used to continue to monitor the structure.



The team hopes to be able to reduce the tension in the existing cables at the tower and install steel reinforcements to temporarily alleviate some of the additional load that is being distributed among the remaining cables. Experts are being mobilized to do the work as quickly as possible. The team will attempt to expedite the arrival of two new cables that were already on order. That’s the current plan pending further evaluation, which will be taking place over the next few days.

UCF has a supplemental funding request pending with the NSF to make temporary repairs related to the original break. There is no cost estimate for the new repairs that will be needed at this time.

Since the August incident, engineers have been working to determine the cause of the initial failure and to create temporary and long-term repair plans. Because there was no obvious cause for the break, the complexities of such a large and unique structure that was built in the 1960s, and the need to prioritize safety above all else, the development of a temporary emergency repair plan has taken some time. Implementation of the first repairs was scheduled to begin this coming week. For more on work being conducted related to the first break click here.

“This is not good, but we remain committed to getting the facility back online,” Cordova said. “It’s just too important of a tool for the advancement of science.”

The Arecibo Observatory is home to one of the most powerful telescopes on the planet. Its instruments are used by scientists around the world to conduct research in the areas of atmospheric sciences, planetary sciences, radio astronomy and radar astronomy. Arecibo is also home to a team that runs the Planetary Radar Project supported by NASA’s Near-Earth Object Observations Program in NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office through a grant awarded to UCF.

Although the facility has suspended most of its operations since the August incident, researchers continue to use data already collected by Arecibo to push ahead with their research. The facility has endured many hurricanes, tropical storms and earthquakes since it was built more than 50 years ago. Through it all, the facility has continued to contribute to significant breakthroughs in space research in the area of gravitational waves, asteroid characterization, planetary exploration and more.
 

NOT TERRORISM
Lyon Greek Orthodox Priest Was Shot by Lover’s Husband

The Greek Orthodox priest shot earlier this month in the French city of Lyon was the victim of a jealous husband rather than an Islamic terrorist, French prosecutors said on Saturday

By Tasos Kokkinidis
-Nov 9, 2020

Father Nikolaos Kakavelakis. Credit: Communauté Hellénique de Lyon/Facebook.

Nikolaos Kakavelakis, 52, was shot twice with a sawed-off shotgun outside his church on October 31, in what police feared was a copycat attack, coming as it did just three days after three people were murdered in a terror attack at a church in Nice, with one of them beheaded.

But according to prosecutors, the priest put the police on the trail of his attacker as soon as he came out of a coma on Tuesday, telling them he believed he had been shot by the “jealous husband” of one of his conquests.

A 40-year Georgian man, who the Le Parisien newspaper named as “Giorgi P,” admitted to carrying out the attack after he was arrested on Friday.

He insists, however, that he had not wanted to kill Kakavelakis, who was having an affair with his 35-year-old Russian wife, named by the newspaper as Lela K.

The priest had announced that he was resigning from the church one month earlier.