Zhoghovurd: The Resolution and Baku's Provocation — Allies Respond to the U.S. Through Armenia

Zhoghovurd newspaper reports that the U.S. House of Representatives yesterday overwhelmingly recognized the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. The positive reaction from the Armenian community, including Prime Minister Pashinyan, was swift. It is worth noting, however, that this document does not have mandatory legal force at present; rather, it stipulates that the U.S. government should officially recognize and commemorate the Armenian Genocide, refrain from denying this fact, and encourage public understanding of the Armenian Genocide. Now, the resolution must be voted on in the Senate, where it may undergo some changes, after which U.S. President Donald Trump must sign it. Only after going through these procedures will the resolution take effect.

It was entirely expected that the Turkish-Azerbaijani tandem would raise its voice in protest. Moreover, immediately after the resolution was adopted, Azerbaijan resorted to another provocation by shelling civilian areas and positions in the Tavush region on the night of October 29-30, using weapons of a significantly larger caliber. According to newspaper sources, instead of the previously used 7.62 mm caliber weapons, a much larger caliber of 23 mm was used this time.

The spokesperson for the Armenian Minister of Defense, Arzrun Hovhannisyan, called on the Azerbaijani side to refrain from provocations, adding that they will not go unanswered. The Ministry of Defense of Artsakh also made a separate statement yesterday, highlighting that there has been an increase in violations of the ceasefire regime by the adversary along the Artsakh-Azerbaijan contact line in recent days, with sniper weapons being used more frequently.

Now, perhaps it is time for the international community to respond. Should we wait for a reaction from the CSTO, which in Article 4 of its charter states: 'If any member state is subjected to aggression by any state or group of states, such an action will be considered aggression against all member states of this treaty?' Konstantin Zatulin, the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma's Committee on CIS Affairs, emphasized in an exclusive conversation with the newspaper that Russia will not allow an unjust resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

'Such attempts were also made in April 2016, and Russia did everything to stop the escalation of tension as quickly as possible. The Russian Federation, as a state, will not allow an unjust resolution of the Karabakh conflict,' summarized Zatulin.

For more details, refer to today's issue of the newspaper.