April 24, 2024 • 19 mins
Join hosts Ellen Benz and Clive Johnson as they delve into the roots of the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict, exploring the history, on-going tensions, and geopolitical intricacies of the long-standing conflict between the two former Soviet states.
The countries’ principal dispute concerns the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous and heavily forested area in the Karabakh region of the southern Caucasus mountain range. Ellen and Clive look at the background, go behind the reasons for the conflict, and assess where our prayers and intentions are needed now as a very fragile peace appears to be holding between the two countries.
As is customary, Ellen and Clive close the episode by assessing where our prayers and intentions are needed now.
Suggested intention
While there have been some positive developments towards a potential peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia, the situation remains volatile, with unresolved territorial disputes and border tensions threatening to derail progress. The potential for further conflict remains strong if underlying issues are not adequately addressed. Given this tense situation, we suggest holding as our focused intention this week:
We will that those in positions of influence and power within the Armenian and Azerbaijan governments will be moved in with compassion to work toward and maintain peace between their nations.
Please join us in holding this.
The Remembrance Day of the Armenian Genocide this year is on 24 April 2024. http://www.genocide-museum.am/eng/remembrance_day.php
Chapter markers:
00:04 Introduction
01:38 Historical Background
02:18, Azerbaijan And Armenia
08:00 Nagorno–Karabakh Conflict
10:08. Recent Developments
11:38 Regional Dynamics
14:44 Human Impact
16:09, Focusing Our Intentions
18:16, Wrap Up
Sources referenced for this episode:
https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/are-azerbaijan-and-armenia-heading-peace
https://www.humanrightsnetwork.org/nagorno-karabakh
https://carnegieendowment.org/politika/90655
https://president.az/en/pages/view/azerbaijan/karabakh
https://www.c-r.org/programme/caucasus/nagorny-karabakh-conflict-focus
https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/odr/nagorno-karabakh-armenia-azerbaijan-conflict/
https://www.cfr.org/global-conflict-tracker/conflict/nagorno-karabakh-conflict
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2022/country-chapters/azerbaijan
https://www.britannica.com/place/Nagorno-Karabakh
https://dgap.org/en/research/publications/armenia-azerbaijan-conflict
https://www.csis.org/analysis/renewed-nagorno-karabakh-conflict-reading-between-front-lines
https://www.amnesty.org/en/location/europe-and-central-asia/eastern-europe-and-cen
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:04):
Hello, I'm Ellen Benz, coming today from Wheaton, Illinois, in the United States.
Welcome to Impact, a podcast about how we can each bring about real change in
the world and getting practical in making that happen.
And hello, I'm Clive Johnson, coming today from Leoncee in the UK.
A special welcome if you're listening for the first time and a big thank you to our new subscribers.
(00:27):
Each week we look at one aspect of how we can connect our hearts to offer healing
for others with our collective intention, prayers, and meditation,
and go behind the headlines of a critical happening in our world that needs
our attention right now.
In today's episode, we take one of these regular deep dives to more fully understand
(00:48):
and tune in with something many of us may know only a little bit about,
and see where we might hone in with our prayers and intentions.
And as we record, it's April 23rd, 2024.
And in this special episode, we take a look at the background and current situation
in the long-running conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
(01:12):
Two former Soviet states that have been embroiled in a conflict for decades.
And in fact, Ellen, you were just mentioning that, as we recall,
we're one day before the genocide Memorial Day for Armenia,
which goes way back to an event that happened in 2015. So very long.
(01:34):
1915. I thought I'm talking 1915. Yes, my goodness. Well over 100 years.
So we'll talk a little bit about that history.
The countries, these two countries, Azerbaijan and Armenia, their dispute principally
concerns a disputed territory.
And we're going to have to apologize up front for our pronunciation here,
which we almost certainly will get wrong with some of the names.
(01:57):
The territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is a mountainous and heavily forested
area in the Karabakh region of the southern Caucasus mountain range.
Territory covers just over 2,000 square miles, so it's not very big in terms
of country size, as it were, and has a population of around 150,000.
(02:18):
So let's firstly say a few words about these two neighboring countries that
both claim rights to this territory.
So we'll start with Azerbaijan, which is an oil-rich landlocked country,
and it's bordered by Russia, Iran, Armenia, and Georgia.
(02:39):
I would highly suggest to our listeners to go ahead and pull it up on your phone
or however you're listening to this podcast and get an idea of these two regions,
because it really helped me a lot when we started investigating this to know
where these landmarks were.
Its capital, Baku, is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea,
(03:02):
which borders the east of the country.
The country was briefly independent between 1918 and 1920 before becoming incorporated
into the former Soviet Union.
Turkic-speaking Azerbaijanis, and I guess are they called Azaris?
That's another word i think so make up
(03:24):
90 of the country's population at the
start of this century the population of the azerbaijani exclave of naxivan which
holy you know it lies wholly within armenia it's very strange was almost entirely
ethnic azerbaijani whereas the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh,
(03:47):
which lies wholly in Azerbaijan,
was predominantly ethnic Armenian.
The territory was farmed by nomadic Turkic tribes,
Kurds, and Caucasian Albanians from medieval times, the latter of whom converted
to Christianity in the 4th century and came under the cultural influence of the Armenians.
(04:11):
From the 16th century, what is modern Azerbaijan continued to be influenced by Persian culture,
although a larger part of its territory was ceded to Russia following a series
of wars between Russia and what is now Iran.
Like Armenia, it has been an independent nation since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
(04:37):
And today, Islam continues as the predominant faith of the country.
A lot of history there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. And we were reflecting
when we were on this idea of these countries being landlocked,
because whilst there's this massive inland sea, the Caspian Sea, it is inland.
And if you want to get out to the Mediterranean through the Black Sea or to
(05:01):
the oceans, You are going to have to cross other countries' territory.
So, yeah, it's fascinating. But both countries in landlocked,
but within them, these two exclaves.
Yes. Yeah. So what about Armenia? It lies west of Azerbaijan,
also landlocked, also bordered by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkey.
(05:24):
Ancient Armenia was one of the world's oldest centers of civilization.
At its height, stretching, this is incredible, history I didn't know,
from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. so it covered a huge area,
and from the Mediterranean Sea to Lake Ermiya, which is in present-day Iran.
The territory of today's Armenia is but a fraction of the size of that ancient land,
(05:47):
which came under increasing threat from foreign adversaries from the 14th century
onward, leading to territory being divided between two great powers on either
side, essentially Russia and the Ottomans.
Like Azerbaijan, Armenia enjoyed a brief period of independence in the early 20th century,
around about the same time, I believe, Azerbaijan, but became a part of the
(06:10):
Soviet Union in 1920 until the breakup of that union, as we mentioned, in the early 1990s.
Prior to the Soviet era, many Armenians were the victims of a genocide,
which is being marked this 24th of April, as it is every year,
which included deportation and mass killing conducted by the Ottoman Empire
(06:32):
during the First World War.
The country is heavily prone to earthquakes, and most of its land lies at a
high altitude of 6,000 feet or higher, including extensive steppes,
grass plains in other words.
Armenians constitute nearly all of the country's population and are mostly Orthodox Christian.
(06:55):
Its capital, Yerevan, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in
the world. It's a remarkable cultural heritage and history there.
Yeah, for the whole world. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
And I was curious about why Armenia is more prone to earthquakes than Azerbaijan
(07:17):
because they're so close.
An earthquake seems like it would affect both countries.
I think it's probably its location on the, I'm guessing, on the fault line of
the Caucasus mountain range, which is kind of like a north-south range primarily.
Primarily, I'd imagine that's the reason.
(07:39):
It's almost like, I guess, and again, I may be wrong on this,
but I guess it's the European and the Asian conic plates colliding.
Right. I guess that's happening in that area. But again, I might be off on my
geography there. But there's one theory.
(08:00):
We'll take it, Clive. So what about Nagorno-Karabakh?
What is the backstory of this conflict?
The disputed territory is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan,
but has a majority ethnic Armenian population.
The issues surrounding this conflict are really complex, including historical
(08:24):
grievances, ethnic tension, territorial claims, and regional geopolitics.
So picking up on some of the historical and ethnic tensions,
the conflict has deep historical roots with both ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis
laying claim to this territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The region has been a flashpoint for violence and war for decades.
(08:48):
The two countries have engaged in no less than five wars in the past century.
The Nagorno-Karabakh War between 1988 and 1994,
six years, resulted in Armenian forces gaining control over the region and surrounding
areas, and this ended following a Russian-brokered ceasefire in 1994. 1894.
(09:09):
Ethnic tensions have been exacerbated by atrocities and massacres,
with reports of ethnic cleansing during periods of conflict.
There is also a lack of mutual understanding in both countries about the historical
atrocities committed against each other, especially among the younger generations.
During the Soviet era, there were several disagreements regarding the placement
(09:31):
of Nakhchivan, this exclave of Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Moscow ultimately determined that Nakhchivan should be recognized as an autonomous
Soviet Socialist Republic.
I guess that was an arrangement that worked during the Soviet period with close
ties to Azerbaijan, while Karabakh remained within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist
(09:55):
Republic but with significant autonomy.
Very interesting how they came
up with that. I'd like to have been in the room. I'm excited about that.
So in the territorial dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh,
Armenia supports the self-declared republic run by ethnic Armenians,
(10:19):
while Azerbaijan asserts its sovereignty over the area.
And on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive to regain
control over Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories.
Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, made significant territorial gains during 44 days
(10:41):
of fighting, capturing areas around Nagorno-Karabakh previously controlled by
ethnic Armenian forces.
After intense fighting that killed thousands on both sides, a Russia-brokered
ceasefire was signed on November 20, 2020.
Under this 2020 deal, Armenia returned control of territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh
(11:05):
to Azerbaijan, while ethnic Armenians retained a portion of Nagorno-Karabakh itself.
Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region, including along the Lashin
Corridor, linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
The outcome was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan in regaining territories it
had lost in the 1990s, but left the core issue of Nagorno-Karabakh's status unresolved.
(11:33):
Tensions and reported human rights violations have persisted. Yeah.
It's so complicated. It is. It is. And on top of this, there are regional and
wider international dynamics to consider.
So regional powers, we've mentioned Russia, but also Turkey have been heavily
involved in the conflict.
(11:53):
Turkey supporting Azerbaijan, while Armenia traditionally having good relations
with Russia, although these have soured recently.
The presence of Russian peacekeepers in the region and Armenia's questioning
of its membership in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization,
that's the CSTO, indicate shifting alliances and security dynamics.
(12:16):
The CSTO is a Eurasian intergovernmental military alliance formed back in 2002
between six former Soviet states.
They include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
Interestingly, I was just picking up on a story. I know no more than the headline
(12:38):
on this, I'm afraid, that there appear to be a movement of Russian forces in
that region at the moment.
Not terribly clear what that's about or whether they're planning to withdraw
the sort of peacekeeping operation, perhaps moving troops to fight against Ukraine.
We really don't quite know what's going on there, but there does seem to be
some detection of movement, quite significant movement of troops.
(13:01):
So, recently also, in September of 2023,
Azerbaijan conducted a military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh leading to the
surrender of the separatist leadership and a large-scale exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region.
So, at this time, more than 42,500 people are said to have fled to Armenia. Wow.
(13:25):
Representing more than a third of the 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in the region.
Although UNHCR says that 115,243 Armenian refugees had been registered in the
country as of March 2024.
So by comparison, the percentage of Ukraine's population displaced by its war
(13:48):
with Russia has rarely exceeded 20% during more than two years of fighting.
As of February this year, 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and over 10,000 civilians,
or around 0.1% of the adult population, had been killed in that war.
Compared with at least 6,500 Armenians killed in 44 days in 2020,
(14:11):
or 0.2% of the population.
So it's drastic. It is. It is. And I think that comparison with what's happening
in Ukraine is interesting because this is a war, again, that's often or conflict
that's often not on the international radar.
Oh, we don't hear much about it. But proportionally, whilst the actual numbers,
(14:33):
number of the death toll lower,
in terms of percentage of populations, we've just said, these are much,
much more significant than what is happening in terms of displacement in Ukraine.
So what's happening now?
Relations between the two countries remain tense and unresolved,
with no diplomatic ties between the countries and the ongoing territorial disputes
(14:57):
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Currently, it's reported that human rights abuses against ethnic Armenians in
that region continue to be a significant concern, with reports of physical attacks,
harassment, and forced displacement.
The unblocking of communication links and control over routes through the region,
(15:19):
particularly what's called the Zangazur Corridor, remains a contentious issue.
Russia insists on implementing provisions to unblock regional transport links
under its control, which raises concerns in Armenia over sovereignty.
The EU, meantime, has a monitoring mission along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border,
but Azerbaijan has criticized the EU's presence.
(15:43):
There have been efforts towards peace, with both Armenian and Azerbaijani leadership
showing signs of commitment to resolving the conflict, and both agreeing to
exchange prisoners of war.
However, the peace process remains fragile, with recent deadly skirmishes highlighting
the potential for renewed violence, including border clashes earlier this year. Hmm.
(16:09):
So where might we focus our intentions?
So while there have been some positive developments towards a potential peace
deal, as Clive said, the situation remains volatile.
With unresolved territorial disputes and border tensions threatening to derail
progress, the potential for further conflict is still strong if underlying issues
(16:34):
are adequately addressed.
So, given this tense situation, we suggest holding as our focused intention this week,
we will that those in positions of influence and power within the Armenian and
Azerbaijan governments will be moved with compassion to work toward and maintain
(16:55):
peace between their nations.
So, we hope you will join us in holding this intention. Very important to...
Not neglect this particular conflict it
really is has potential to
to really again play a part in destabilizing that
whole region i believe and clearly there are many people suffering human rights
(17:20):
abuses and and being killed and all the horrors of war going on there and i'm
grateful to know a little bit more about it because even if we do hear about
it in the news you know we hear Are we Azerbaijan? Are we Romania?
It hadn't registered with me what was really happening there, why it was happening.
No, absolutely. It's certainly an area I know very little about as well.
(17:43):
It doesn't feature very much in the UK news.
So we have to hope in a sense that it doesn't, well, it doesn't escalate.
And there is this potential for some peace deal to be agreed.
Maybe, again, those powers working together, maybe it's Russia,
(18:04):
maybe it's Turkey, they seem to at least be talking with each other.
Maybe they can have influence.
And perhaps there's a sort of wider peacekeeping role that can be played there.
So an important intention.
Yes. Yes. Please join us. Yeah. So that about wraps it up for this episode.
(18:25):
Remember, you can connect with us in the Facebook group and for live intention
holding in Clive's daily Insight Timer offerings, and with me in the Labyrinth
Activist Network's Zoom calls.
Details of how to hook up with these are in our show notes.
Look out, too, for our next special topic episode, which we'll be releasing in the next few days.
(18:46):
Thank you for listening and for sharing with us and holding intentions.
We look forward to connecting again next time.
And in the meantime, thank you. Go well. Stay safe.
And remember, we're more powerful together.
Music.
Impact is presented by Helen Mintz and Clive Johnson and produced by Impact Productions.
(19:09):
Our theme music is by Chris Collins and our logo artwork is by Auto Classic.
(19:36):
Thank you for listening.
Hello, I'm Ellen Benz, coming today from Wheaton, Illinois, in the United States.
Welcome to Impact, a podcast about how we can each bring about real change in
the world and getting practical in making that happen.
And hello, I'm Clive Johnson, coming today from Leoncee in the UK.
A special welcome if you're listening for the first time and a big thank you to our new subscribers.
(00:27):
Each week we look at one aspect of how we can connect our hearts to offer healing
for others with our collective intention, prayers, and meditation,
and go behind the headlines of a critical happening in our world that needs
our attention right now.
In today's episode, we take one of these regular deep dives to more fully understand
(00:48):
and tune in with something many of us may know only a little bit about,
and see where we might hone in with our prayers and intentions.
And as we record, it's April 23rd, 2024.
And in this special episode, we take a look at the background and current situation
in the long-running conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia.
(01:12):
Two former Soviet states that have been embroiled in a conflict for decades.
And in fact, Ellen, you were just mentioning that, as we recall,
we're one day before the genocide Memorial Day for Armenia,
which goes way back to an event that happened in 2015. So very long.
(01:34):
1915. I thought I'm talking 1915. Yes, my goodness. Well over 100 years.
So we'll talk a little bit about that history.
The countries, these two countries, Azerbaijan and Armenia, their dispute principally
concerns a disputed territory.
And we're going to have to apologize up front for our pronunciation here,
which we almost certainly will get wrong with some of the names.
(01:57):
The territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is a mountainous and heavily forested
area in the Karabakh region of the southern Caucasus mountain range.
Territory covers just over 2,000 square miles, so it's not very big in terms
of country size, as it were, and has a population of around 150,000.
(02:18):
So let's firstly say a few words about these two neighboring countries that
both claim rights to this territory.
So we'll start with Azerbaijan, which is an oil-rich landlocked country,
and it's bordered by Russia, Iran, Armenia, and Georgia.
(02:39):
I would highly suggest to our listeners to go ahead and pull it up on your phone
or however you're listening to this podcast and get an idea of these two regions,
because it really helped me a lot when we started investigating this to know
where these landmarks were.
Its capital, Baku, is located on the coast of the Caspian Sea,
(03:02):
which borders the east of the country.
The country was briefly independent between 1918 and 1920 before becoming incorporated
into the former Soviet Union.
Turkic-speaking Azerbaijanis, and I guess are they called Azaris?
That's another word i think so make up
(03:24):
90 of the country's population at the
start of this century the population of the azerbaijani exclave of naxivan which
holy you know it lies wholly within armenia it's very strange was almost entirely
ethnic azerbaijani whereas the enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh,
(03:47):
which lies wholly in Azerbaijan,
was predominantly ethnic Armenian.
The territory was farmed by nomadic Turkic tribes,
Kurds, and Caucasian Albanians from medieval times, the latter of whom converted
to Christianity in the 4th century and came under the cultural influence of the Armenians.
(04:11):
From the 16th century, what is modern Azerbaijan continued to be influenced by Persian culture,
although a larger part of its territory was ceded to Russia following a series
of wars between Russia and what is now Iran.
Like Armenia, it has been an independent nation since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
(04:37):
And today, Islam continues as the predominant faith of the country.
A lot of history there. Yeah, yeah, yeah, definitely. And we were reflecting
when we were on this idea of these countries being landlocked,
because whilst there's this massive inland sea, the Caspian Sea, it is inland.
And if you want to get out to the Mediterranean through the Black Sea or to
(05:01):
the oceans, You are going to have to cross other countries' territory.
So, yeah, it's fascinating. But both countries in landlocked,
but within them, these two exclaves.
Yes. Yeah. So what about Armenia? It lies west of Azerbaijan,
also landlocked, also bordered by Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, and Turkey.
(05:24):
Ancient Armenia was one of the world's oldest centers of civilization.
At its height, stretching, this is incredible, history I didn't know,
from the Black Sea to the Caspian Sea. so it covered a huge area,
and from the Mediterranean Sea to Lake Ermiya, which is in present-day Iran.
The territory of today's Armenia is but a fraction of the size of that ancient land,
(05:47):
which came under increasing threat from foreign adversaries from the 14th century
onward, leading to territory being divided between two great powers on either
side, essentially Russia and the Ottomans.
Like Azerbaijan, Armenia enjoyed a brief period of independence in the early 20th century,
around about the same time, I believe, Azerbaijan, but became a part of the
(06:10):
Soviet Union in 1920 until the breakup of that union, as we mentioned, in the early 1990s.
Prior to the Soviet era, many Armenians were the victims of a genocide,
which is being marked this 24th of April, as it is every year,
which included deportation and mass killing conducted by the Ottoman Empire
(06:32):
during the First World War.
The country is heavily prone to earthquakes, and most of its land lies at a
high altitude of 6,000 feet or higher, including extensive steppes,
grass plains in other words.
Armenians constitute nearly all of the country's population and are mostly Orthodox Christian.
(06:55):
Its capital, Yerevan, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in
the world. It's a remarkable cultural heritage and history there.
Yeah, for the whole world. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah.
And I was curious about why Armenia is more prone to earthquakes than Azerbaijan
(07:17):
because they're so close.
An earthquake seems like it would affect both countries.
I think it's probably its location on the, I'm guessing, on the fault line of
the Caucasus mountain range, which is kind of like a north-south range primarily.
Primarily, I'd imagine that's the reason.
(07:39):
It's almost like, I guess, and again, I may be wrong on this,
but I guess it's the European and the Asian conic plates colliding.
Right. I guess that's happening in that area. But again, I might be off on my
geography there. But there's one theory.
(08:00):
We'll take it, Clive. So what about Nagorno-Karabakh?
What is the backstory of this conflict?
The disputed territory is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan,
but has a majority ethnic Armenian population.
The issues surrounding this conflict are really complex, including historical
(08:24):
grievances, ethnic tension, territorial claims, and regional geopolitics.
So picking up on some of the historical and ethnic tensions,
the conflict has deep historical roots with both ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijanis
laying claim to this territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The region has been a flashpoint for violence and war for decades.
(08:48):
The two countries have engaged in no less than five wars in the past century.
The Nagorno-Karabakh War between 1988 and 1994,
six years, resulted in Armenian forces gaining control over the region and surrounding
areas, and this ended following a Russian-brokered ceasefire in 1994. 1894.
(09:09):
Ethnic tensions have been exacerbated by atrocities and massacres,
with reports of ethnic cleansing during periods of conflict.
There is also a lack of mutual understanding in both countries about the historical
atrocities committed against each other, especially among the younger generations.
During the Soviet era, there were several disagreements regarding the placement
(09:31):
of Nakhchivan, this exclave of Azerbaijan, and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Moscow ultimately determined that Nakhchivan should be recognized as an autonomous
Soviet Socialist Republic.
I guess that was an arrangement that worked during the Soviet period with close
ties to Azerbaijan, while Karabakh remained within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist
(09:55):
Republic but with significant autonomy.
Very interesting how they came
up with that. I'd like to have been in the room. I'm excited about that.
So in the territorial dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh,
Armenia supports the self-declared republic run by ethnic Armenians,
(10:19):
while Azerbaijan asserts its sovereignty over the area.
And on September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan launched a military offensive to regain
control over Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories.
Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey, made significant territorial gains during 44 days
(10:41):
of fighting, capturing areas around Nagorno-Karabakh previously controlled by
ethnic Armenian forces.
After intense fighting that killed thousands on both sides, a Russia-brokered
ceasefire was signed on November 20, 2020.
Under this 2020 deal, Armenia returned control of territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh
(11:05):
to Azerbaijan, while ethnic Armenians retained a portion of Nagorno-Karabakh itself.
Russian peacekeepers were deployed to the region, including along the Lashin
Corridor, linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
The outcome was seen as a victory for Azerbaijan in regaining territories it
had lost in the 1990s, but left the core issue of Nagorno-Karabakh's status unresolved.
(11:33):
Tensions and reported human rights violations have persisted. Yeah.
It's so complicated. It is. It is. And on top of this, there are regional and
wider international dynamics to consider.
So regional powers, we've mentioned Russia, but also Turkey have been heavily
involved in the conflict.
(11:53):
Turkey supporting Azerbaijan, while Armenia traditionally having good relations
with Russia, although these have soured recently.
The presence of Russian peacekeepers in the region and Armenia's questioning
of its membership in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization,
that's the CSTO, indicate shifting alliances and security dynamics.
(12:16):
The CSTO is a Eurasian intergovernmental military alliance formed back in 2002
between six former Soviet states.
They include Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Russia, and Tajikistan.
Interestingly, I was just picking up on a story. I know no more than the headline
(12:38):
on this, I'm afraid, that there appear to be a movement of Russian forces in
that region at the moment.
Not terribly clear what that's about or whether they're planning to withdraw
the sort of peacekeeping operation, perhaps moving troops to fight against Ukraine.
We really don't quite know what's going on there, but there does seem to be
some detection of movement, quite significant movement of troops.
(13:01):
So, recently also, in September of 2023,
Azerbaijan conducted a military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh leading to the
surrender of the separatist leadership and a large-scale exodus of ethnic Armenians from the region.
So, at this time, more than 42,500 people are said to have fled to Armenia. Wow.
(13:25):
Representing more than a third of the 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in the region.
Although UNHCR says that 115,243 Armenian refugees had been registered in the
country as of March 2024.
So by comparison, the percentage of Ukraine's population displaced by its war
(13:48):
with Russia has rarely exceeded 20% during more than two years of fighting.
As of February this year, 25,000 Ukrainian soldiers and over 10,000 civilians,
or around 0.1% of the adult population, had been killed in that war.
Compared with at least 6,500 Armenians killed in 44 days in 2020,
(14:11):
or 0.2% of the population.
So it's drastic. It is. It is. And I think that comparison with what's happening
in Ukraine is interesting because this is a war, again, that's often or conflict
that's often not on the international radar.
Oh, we don't hear much about it. But proportionally, whilst the actual numbers,
(14:33):
number of the death toll lower,
in terms of percentage of populations, we've just said, these are much,
much more significant than what is happening in terms of displacement in Ukraine.
So what's happening now?
Relations between the two countries remain tense and unresolved,
with no diplomatic ties between the countries and the ongoing territorial disputes
(14:57):
over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Currently, it's reported that human rights abuses against ethnic Armenians in
that region continue to be a significant concern, with reports of physical attacks,
harassment, and forced displacement.
The unblocking of communication links and control over routes through the region,
(15:19):
particularly what's called the Zangazur Corridor, remains a contentious issue.
Russia insists on implementing provisions to unblock regional transport links
under its control, which raises concerns in Armenia over sovereignty.
The EU, meantime, has a monitoring mission along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border,
but Azerbaijan has criticized the EU's presence.
(15:43):
There have been efforts towards peace, with both Armenian and Azerbaijani leadership
showing signs of commitment to resolving the conflict, and both agreeing to
exchange prisoners of war.
However, the peace process remains fragile, with recent deadly skirmishes highlighting
the potential for renewed violence, including border clashes earlier this year. Hmm.
(16:09):
So where might we focus our intentions?
So while there have been some positive developments towards a potential peace
deal, as Clive said, the situation remains volatile.
With unresolved territorial disputes and border tensions threatening to derail
progress, the potential for further conflict is still strong if underlying issues
(16:34):
are adequately addressed.
So, given this tense situation, we suggest holding as our focused intention this week,
we will that those in positions of influence and power within the Armenian and
Azerbaijan governments will be moved with compassion to work toward and maintain
(16:55):
peace between their nations.
So, we hope you will join us in holding this intention. Very important to...
Not neglect this particular conflict it
really is has potential to
to really again play a part in destabilizing that
whole region i believe and clearly there are many people suffering human rights
(17:20):
abuses and and being killed and all the horrors of war going on there and i'm
grateful to know a little bit more about it because even if we do hear about
it in the news you know we hear Are we Azerbaijan? Are we Romania?
It hadn't registered with me what was really happening there, why it was happening.
No, absolutely. It's certainly an area I know very little about as well.
(17:43):
It doesn't feature very much in the UK news.
So we have to hope in a sense that it doesn't, well, it doesn't escalate.
And there is this potential for some peace deal to be agreed.
Maybe, again, those powers working together, maybe it's Russia,
(18:04):
maybe it's Turkey, they seem to at least be talking with each other.
Maybe they can have influence.
And perhaps there's a sort of wider peacekeeping role that can be played there.
So an important intention.
Yes. Yes. Please join us. Yeah. So that about wraps it up for this episode.
(18:25):
Remember, you can connect with us in the Facebook group and for live intention
holding in Clive's daily Insight Timer offerings, and with me in the Labyrinth
Activist Network's Zoom calls.
Details of how to hook up with these are in our show notes.
Look out, too, for our next special topic episode, which we'll be releasing in the next few days.
(18:46):
Thank you for listening and for sharing with us and holding intentions.
We look forward to connecting again next time.
And in the meantime, thank you. Go well. Stay safe.
And remember, we're more powerful together.
Music.
Impact is presented by Helen Mintz and Clive Johnson and produced by Impact Productions.
(19:09):
Our theme music is by Chris Collins and our logo artwork is by Auto Classic.
(19:36):
Thank you for listening.
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