War is like a dirty toilet that no one wants to clean someone said…
Violence begets violence and war is the ugliest human invention. For the past 4 days our lives here in Armenia have turned upside down…Things are calm in Yerevan but the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is on everyone’s mind. Most people know at least someone who is on the front lines, mostly 18-20 year old boys serving their mandatory 2 year service, though hundreds of volunteers and army reserve forces are joining.
It’s hard to shift my mind and concentrate on work at all in this situation…I’ve been idly browsing and refreshing the news (local - only official info that is of course censored, intl - absence of reaction and investigative journalism, and azeri- misleading statements and false accusations) since Saturday morning when the shootings began.
Even though me and most of the people I know haven’t really grasped the reality in this information blockade, this is war…this is what war looks like…and I do remember the consequences of the Karabakh conflict too well, even though I was only 6 when it started…
First thing on my mind - I do not want my daugher to witness the horror we’ve been through…second thought - Armenian and Azeri people should gather at the border in masses and have free hugs…third thought - war is inevitable, this is the reality, people too brainwashed by their governments, full of false patriotism, nationalism and machism…peacemaking failed once again…
We dance and send our children to fight the enemy, this is the only way…both sides consider each other agressors and feel the necessity to protect themselves/reclaim their lands…false declarations of ceasefires, provocative war crimes, rejoicing in the losses of “the enemy” just like in a football match and asking the gods to protect our boys on the frontline…and the international community that can only do so much as to “condemn” the violence…
Thoughts and prayers are not enough here. An escalation of this situation may lead to a full blown war that can set this region back for decades.
As I am too paralized to form my own thoughts, I’ll just quote some of the most objective and reasonable comments I’ve seen on the internets in the ocean of misleading and incorrect information for the past couple of days.
We need all the attention and help we can get to spread the message out to the world to “illustrate that an oil-rich country whose leader sucks the blood of his own people to add to his growing personal coffers, who stifles freedom of speech and thought, who imprisons human rights activists and journalists, who spews anti-Armenian hate, who refuses to negotiate from a place of integrity is not a trustworthy partner. Show the world how Turkey has vowed to support Azerbaijan till the end. Remind them of our history and tell them our story. Our story through the millennia. Our story of struggle and survival and for our right to have our place on this fragile planet.” Maria Titizyan
“The timing of these events should not be a surprise. Azerbaijan’s economy is in terrible shape right now. Their currency dropped 40% in value against the dollar in January. Their entire economy is almost completely tied to oil and oil prices are at the lowest point in a decade. Mass protests against corruption and a depressed economy in Azerbaijan have increased in recent months. Invading Nagorno-Karabagh is an attempt to boost nationalism and act as a distraction from real problems at home. All that plus Russia’s deteriorating relationship with Turkey, a strong political ally of Azerbaijan, creates a terrible condition for Azerbajian to act aggressively against Nagorno-Karabakh.” Erik Yesayan
“Armed with the knowledge of the history of this conflict, it is easy to discern that it is not in Artsakh’s interests to break the peace and renew hostilities. Instead, it is Azerbaijan that wishes to retake control of land which, due to the political maneuvering of a third higher power, temporarily fell into its hands but over which it has no legitimate claim.” Aram Hovasapyan
Right now both sides agreed on a temporary ceasefire while Armenia’s president is meeting OSCE in Vienna and Azeri PM is in Iran to attend a meeting with foreign ministers of Iran and Turkey…hope this will de-escalate sooner than later…
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