Azerbaijan introduced unprovoked attacks against the sovereign and worldwide identified the territory of the Republic of Armenia on September 13, killing 207 Armenian army workers and civilians and displacing 7,600 civilians.
The recent outbreak of violence between the two countries is the deadliest since a 44-day war in 2020 on the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The territory is an Armenian-majority enclave that identifies itself around the world as part of Azerbaijan but has been claiming independence since 1991. Nagorno-Karabakh has been in the midst of territorial disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, two former Soviet republics where the clash has been simmering for decades.
“There have been skirmishes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border for decades, but there hasn’t been this kind of blatant violence deep in Armenian territory in cities [and] villages,” said Syuzanna Petrosyan, associate director of USC’s Institute of Armenian Sciences. Studies. ” We are not talking directly about the border. We are talking about kilometers inland, where there are communities of people, schools and pastures.
Although a ceasefire halted last Tuesday’s attacks, many Armenians fear a full-scale war between the two countries, Petrosyan said, as Azerbaijan continues to claim Armenian territory.
“People living [in Nagorno-Karabakh] don’t need to be part of Azerbaijan because they are Armenians, and they know that for them, being incorporated, completely controlled through Azerbaijan, means ethnic cleansing,” Petrosyan said. “Now that the war is over and Azerbaijan has new claims on the Republic of Armenia, there have been so many stories of violence and trauma. Every time Azerbaijan arrives in a territory, there is torture and flagrant violence.
Mane Berikyan, a second-year foreign affairs student, was at the Armenian Institute when, shortly after they occurred, she learned of the attacks. He learned that his aunt’s circle of relatives had been awakened by the sound of shelling in Vardenis, one of the settlements that had been attacked.
“I think it’s the biggest concern I’ve ever felt for my family’s safety,” Brekinyan said. “It’s not the first time their village has [under fire] just because it’s close to the border, but it’s the first time. “it is with this intensity and with other primary peoples of deep inner Armenia, not very close to the border. “
Berikyan said that for a few hours, their relatives were unable to evacuate, but eventually male civilians brought the women and youths to the capital.
Gegham Mughnetsyan, an archivist at the Armenian Institute, also ran when news of the attacks broke. He said another high school student discussed that his brother was in the military and serving on the attacked stretch of the border. He and Berikyan were looking to get in touch with their families.
“It’s a very chaotic time where this war is 5,000 miles away, but it directly affected academics in the midst of their paintings at USC,” Mughnetsyan said. “And, for the time being, we also had to struggle to get data from Armenia. “and check to locate sources. . . Everyone in this state of verification to look on the web to look for reliable data to see if there is still a war. “
Berikyan said many Armenian academics at USC feel scared, but also angry and “invisible” because of the management’s silence on the conflict, despite the extension of the Armenian network on campus. Nearly 700 Armenian scholars attend USC, many of them from Los Angeles, home to one of the world’s largest Armenian diasporas. Many Armenian scholars are also dismayed by the administration’s lack of resources during the difficult period.
“We have a lot of events to come,” Breikyan said. We try to channel anger and worry into something productive, but it’s easy to feel paralyzed and think you’re not going to do anything to get so far away from you. “his circle of family and enjoyed who are in danger. “
Armenian academics coordinated several efforts in reaction to the crisis, adding a fundraiser for displaced Armenian civilians, a jointly published open letter urging educational communities to act, and a vigil honoring lives lost in recent attacks.
During the first week of the attacks, the USC Armenian Student Association hosted a fundraiser for Kooyrigs, a non-profit organization that provides humanitarian assistance on the floor to displaced Armenian families. Donations have surpassed $2,000 so far.
USC ASA also joined other ASAs at top universities across the country by publishing an open letter to their college communities on Tuesday. The letter calls on academics and professors to oppose Azerbaijan’s “assault on humanity” and show solidarity with Armenians.
The letter cited “horrific developments,” such as a series of videos released on Sept. 16 showing Azerbaijanis celebrating the mutilation of an Armenian woman. where they have created GIFs of those videos: one channel, Telegram, has made more than 3,000.
“This is the laughable inventory of Azeri chains and even other officials,” Almadjian said. “They don’t care that our identities are at stake and endangered because of their violence. These are just facets of Armenian reality. These are things that scholars have to deal with.
The letter also drew attention to the threat of cultural genocide in Armenia under Azerbaijan. The letter cited a recent report by Cornell University and Purdue University detailing how Azerbaijan removed many Armenian cultural heritage sites under its jurisdiction. The letter also discussed Nancy Pelosi’s recent scale. in Armenia on the weekend of September 17. During her stopover, Pelosi expressed herself strongly for Armenia, emphasizing the country’s position as a democracy in a “sea of autocracy. “
On Wednesday evening, the Armenian Students’ Association held a candlelight vigil in the courtyard of the devout center of the attacked Armenia, where a priest was invited to make comments and lead a prayer. Students lit candles and observed a moment of silence to pay tribute. to those who died in the fighting.
The date of the vigil on September 21 also had a deeper meaning for the attendees: it is the date on which Armenia gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Araxi Malazian, a civil engineer graduate, said a day historically called a birthday party has unfortunately been overshadowed by recent violence.
Malazian learned of last week’s attacks on social media after waking up and said he enjoyed waking up after an incredibly stressful week juggling “helping in any way possible,” pain and life.
“It’s a bit surreal to wake up and spend the rest of the day,” Malazian said. “So it’s great to have occasions like [this, where] there’s something I can do to pay tribute and show my support. “
Correction: An earlier edition of this article said that the attacks on Armenia began on September 14. They began on the thirteenth of September. The Daily Trojan regrets this error.
Folt will now spearhead the projects of the Association of American Universities.
Coronavirus and flu vaccines have exceeded expectations.
USG members also created an ongoing organization on civil discourse.
Henry Parker-Elder answers the age-old question: Who do you want to be?
We may request that cookies be installed on your device. We use cookies to know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience and personalize your appointments with our website.
Click on the sections in other categories to learn more. It can also replace some of your preferences. Please note that blocking certain types of cookies could affect your browsing on our websites and the facilities we can offer.
These cookies are strictly mandatory to provide you with access to our online site and to use some of its features.
As those cookies are strictly mandatory for the delivery of the site, their rejection will have an effect on the operation of our site. You can block or delete cookies by converting your browser settings and forcing the blocking of all cookies on this website. But this will prompt you to accept/reject cookies when you visit our site again.
We fully respect if you wish to refuse cookies and ask you again and again, please allow us to purchase a cookie for this. You cannot opt out at any time or settle for other cookies for a better experience. If cookies are denied, we will delete all cookies set on our domain.
We provide you with a list of cookies stored on your PC in our domain so that you can verify what we have stored. For security reasons, we must not demonstrate or modify cookies from other domains. You can check them in your browser’s security settings. .
These cookies collect information that is used in aggregate form to help us understand how our website is used or the effectiveness of our marketing campaigns, or to help us personalize our online site and application so that you are tailored to your experience.
If you don’t need us to track you on our site, you can disable tracking in your browser here:
We also use external facilities such as Google Webfonts, Google Maps and external video providers. Since those providers would possibly collect non-public information, such as your IP address, we allow you to block them here. Please note that this may also particularly diminish the capacity and appearance of our site. The settings will take effect once you reload the page.
Google web feed settings:
Google maps settings:
Google reCaptcha settings:
The Vimeo and Youtube video includes:
The following cookies are also mandatory. You can allow them if you need: