REFLECTION OF THE BEIRUT NEWSPAPER “AZDAK” ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ARMENIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE DURING THE APRIL WAR

The centuries-old presence of Armenians in the Middle East and the active work of the Armenian periodical press also includes coverage of the activities of Armenian lobbying organizations operating in the Diaspora, including the Armenian National Committee. The April 2016 war was the first large-scale aggression organized by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh since the ceasefire in 1994. During the hostilities and in the following days, the Armenian National Committee was active. organized protests and information campaigns, held meetings and discussions with a number of political and public figures, widely covering the events taking place in Nagorno-Karabakh and demanding a proper response from the international community. The 44-day war unleashed by Azerbaijan on September 27, 2020, and the depopulation of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2023 showed that the conflict resolution process and the efforts of Armenians in its direction need coverage and comprehensive analysis. It is important for the Armenian historiography to assess the activities of Armenian lobbying organizations operating in the Diaspora and to cover it on the pages of the Armenian press in the Middle East. Among them, the daily newspaper Azdak, published in Beirut during the April War, actively covers the activities of the Armenian National Committee, the situation in NagornoKarabakh and Armenia, which presents it from a pro-nationalist position. The novelty of this research is that until now Armenian historiography has not studied the reaction of the Armenian National Committee in Armenian periodicals published in the Armenian-dominated countries of the Middle East.