Who Does Lebanon Support: Armenia Or Azerbaijan?

Lebanon is home to the eighth-largest Armenian population in the world, with around 156,000 Armenians living in the country. Armenians have lived in Lebanon for centuries, and the country was the first Arab League member state to recognize the Armenian genocide. Lebanon is accredited to Azerbaijan through its embassy in Tehran, Iran, and has an embassy in Baku. Lebanon has a large Armenian community with several political parties and is recognized as an institution in its own right, with reserved seats in parliament. During the 2020 conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, members of the Lebanese-Armenian community fundraised and sent aid to Armenia, and some even travelled to Armenia to fight.

Lebanon's stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Historically, Lebanon has had a close relationship with Armenia. Both countries share cultural and religious ties, and the Armenian community in Lebanon is quite significant. Additionally, Lebanon was one of the first countries to recognize the Armenian Genocide in 1991. This recognition was largely driven by pressure from the influential Armenian community in Lebanon, which wields considerable political and economic power.

However, when it comes to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Lebanon's stance has been more nuanced and cautious. Lebanon has not officially recognized Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent republic, nor has it explicitly supported Armenia's position. This cautious approach can be attributed to several factors:

• Internal political dynamics: Lebanon's politics are highly complex, with a delicate balance of power-sharing among different religious and ethnic groups. The country's president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the parliament a Shiite Muslim. This power-sharing arrangement aims to maintain stability and prevent any one group from dominating the country's politics. As such, Lebanon's foreign policy decisions are often influenced by this internal balance and the need to maintain consensus among the various factions.
• Geopolitical considerations: Lebanon is located in a volatile region and has to carefully navigate its relationships with neighboring countries. While it has friendly relations with Armenia, it also seeks to maintain ties with other regional powers, including Azerbaijan and Turkey, a key ally of Azerbaijan. Therefore, Lebanon may refrain from taking sides in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to avoid upsetting the regional balance of power.
• Regional alliances: Lebanon is a member of the Arab League, and its foreign policy is often influenced by the positions of other Arab states. While the Arab League has not taken a unified stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, some influential members, like Saudi Arabia, have closer ties with Azerbaijan and may prefer Lebanon to remain neutral.

In summary, Lebanon's stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is complex and influenced by a range of internal and external factors. While it has not explicitly supported either side, its position is shaped by its own political dynamics and the broader geopolitical context in the region.

Lebanese-Armenians' involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

Lebanon is home to the eighth-largest Armenian population in the world and was the first member of the Arab League to recognize the Armenian genocide. The country's vast Armenian community has several political parties and is recognized as an institution in its own right, with reserved seats in parliament.

Lebanese-Armenians have been involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is an ethnic and territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region was inhabited mostly by ethnic Armenians until 2023, and seven surrounding districts were inhabited primarily by Azerbaijanis until their expulsion during the 1990s.

During the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, there were reports of Lebanese-Armenians travelling to fight in the conflict. Novaya Gazeta, a Russian newspaper, reported that around 500 ethnic Armenian Lebanese individuals had gone to Nagorno-Karabakh to join the fighting. Additionally, according to Komsomolskaya Pravda, a Russian newspaper, some Lebanese-Armenians who were members of the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia, a militant group listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, supported Armenia in the war.

The involvement of Lebanese-Armenians in the conflict demonstrates the strong connection and solidarity felt by the Armenian diaspora towards their ethnic homeland. It also highlights the global nature of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which has drawn individuals from various countries to participate in the fighting.

Lebanese-Armenians' influence in Lebanon

Lebanese-Armenians have had a significant influence on Lebanon, with a presence in the country dating back centuries. They constitute around 4% of the population, with around 156,000 Armenians living in Lebanon, making it the eighth-largest Armenian population globally. Lebanon was also the first Arab League member state to recognize the Armenian genocide, with the Lebanese parliament voting to do so in 1997 and 2000.

Lebanese-Armenians have established strong cultural and political institutions within the country. They have their own media outlets, schools, churches, political parties, sports clubs, and scout movements. They also have reserved seats in parliament, with six seats guaranteed for Armenian candidates according to their religious confession. Lebanese-Armenians have held positions in government, with at least one government minister representing them in cabinet formations. They have also had success in business, with hundreds of Armenian-owned shops in Beirut, and their community was considered the economic tiger of the country before the Lebanese Civil War.

Lebanese-Armenians have played a crucial role in shaping the country's arts and education. Haigazian University, established in Beirut in 1955, is the only Armenian university outside Armenia. The community has also produced notable artists, musicians, writers, and media personalities.

During the Lebanese Civil War, the Armenian community in Lebanon was known for its neutrality, and they have generally strived to balance their Lebanese identity with ties to their Armenian homeland. They have had to navigate complex confessional and sectarian divisions within the country, and their experience in Lebanon has been shaped by the specific "confessional" mode of governance. Despite some challenges and migrations, the Lebanese-Armenian community has demonstrated resilience and adaptability, contributing significantly to the social, cultural, and economic fabric of Lebanon.

Lebanese-Armenians' history in Lebanon

Lebanese-Armenians have a long history in Lebanon, dating back to the early 1920s when the country was formed. During World War I, around 1,500 Armenians lived in Beirut, with a small community of Protestant Armenians and students at the Syrian Protestant College (later the American University of Beirut). The Armenian presence grew significantly after the Armenian Genocide of 1915, with refugees seeking sanctuary in Lebanon. These refugees established Bourj Hammoud, a suburb east of Beirut, and another wave of migration occurred in 1939, with refugees from the Turkish annexation of Alexandretta founding the town of Anjar in the Beqaa region.

The Lebanese-Armenian community continued to grow and develop in the following decades, with improvements in housing, health, and hygiene. They established Armenian schools, churches, and cultural institutions, and played an active role in Lebanese politics, with reserved seats in parliament. By the early 1960s, Beirut had become the most densely populated Armenian community in the diaspora, and a centre of Armenian culture and politics. The community flourished economically, with a strong presence in various sectors.

However, the Lebanese Civil War disrupted this progress. The insecurity and economic dislocation caused many Lebanese-Armenians to emigrate, and the community suffered losses. Despite these challenges, the Lebanese-Armenian community has been resilient and played a significant role in Lebanon's history. They have adapted to the shifting political and social landscape, striving to balance their Lebanese identity with their Armenian heritage. Today, there are around 156,000 Lebanese-Armenians, and they continue to have a presence in various aspects of Lebanese society, including politics, sports, media, and the arts.

Lebanese-Armenians' political parties

Lebanon has the eighth-largest Armenian population in the world, with around 156,000 Armenians living in the country, making up around 4% of the population. The Armenian community in Lebanon has several political parties and is recognised as an institution in its own right, with reserved seats in parliament.

The three most important Lebanese-Armenian political parties are the Tashnak Party, the Hunchak Party, and the Ramgavar Party. Of these, the Tashnak Party has had the greatest political impact. The party was founded in 1890 in Russian Armenia and sought to coordinate all Armenian revolutionary groups seeking to improve their conditions under Ottoman rule. The Lebanese branch of the party, however, prefers capitalism over the socialism advocated by the international Tashnak Party movement. Since 1943, most Armenian deputies in the Chamber of Deputies have been members or supporters of the Tashnak Party. The party has tended to be pro-Western and took an anti-Nasser stance during the 1950s and 1960s. Like other Armenian groups, the Tashnak Party remained neutral during the 1975 Civil War, refusing to take sides, which resulted in attacks on Armenian quarters in Lebanese towns by Bashir Jumayyil's LF.

The Hunchak Party was organised in Geneva, Switzerland, in 1887. The party has promoted the dual objectives of liberating Turkish Armenia and establishing a socialist regime in a unified Armenian homeland. In Lebanon, the party has advocated for a planned economy and a just distribution of national income. In 1972, the Hunchak Party, for the first time, ran jointly with the Tashnak Party for election to the Chamber of Deputies.

The Ramgavar Party was founded in 1921, with the ultimate goal of liberating Armenia. The party has oriented its activities toward preserving Armenian culture among Armenian communities worldwide. The Ramgavar Party presented itself as an alternative to the Tashnak and Hunchak Parties, avoiding divisive issues within the Armenian community. It has sometimes been considered the party of Armenian intellectuals and has opposed what it sees as the right-wing policies of the Tashnak Party.

In addition to these three major parties, there are also other Lebanese-Armenian political organisations, such as the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), a highly secretive militant group established in 1975 that used violence against its political enemies, primarily the government of Turkey. ASALA took advantage of the Lebanese Civil War to put its beliefs in armed struggle into practice without government interference.

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