Month: February 2020

Provincial governors summoning village mayors, forcing that YES win in referendum, Armenia opposition MP says

Emil Karabekian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 29 2020

                        

We are already receiving reports from various provinces that the provincial governors are summoning the village mayors and forcing that YES win in their province [in the forthcoming referendum on constitutional amendments]. Gevorg Gorgisyan, secretary of the opposition Bright Armenia faction in parliament, told this to RFE/RL.

Gorgisyan added that they have already received such reports from 3 or 4 provinces, but did not want to say which provinces they are.

He expressed the hope that the Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Suren Papikyan, who also heads the YES campaign headquarters for the upcoming referendum, does not make secret calls to the provincial governors, other than public calls, and that the referendum would be conducted in accordance with the letter of the law.

Georgian Defense Minister on Official Visit to Armenia

Khoyetsian Rose
Civil Georgia, Tbilisi
Feb 28 2020
28/02/2020 – 13:54

 

Georgian delegation headed by Defense Minister Irakli Garibashvili is visiting neighboring Armenia on February 27-28.

Defense Minister held talks with his Armenian counterpart Davit Tonoyan discussing regional security and stability. The Ministers signed a bilateral cooperation plan envisaging deepening ties between the two Ministries. Georgian delegation then visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to pay tribute to the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, Armenian Ministry of Defense wrote.

Started my official visit to Yerevan by meeting my colleague David Tonoyan. We signed a bilateral cooperation plan between our ministries and discussed the ways to strengthen our ties and foster regional security. pic.twitter.com/Cch4AqBKVp

— Irakli Garibashvili (@GharibashviliGe)

In the course of the visit Georgia’s Defense Minister also met Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. “Prime Minister Pashinyan and Minister Garibashvili stressed that the two nations are bound by centuries-old historical, cultural ties and Christian values, which provide a solid basis for closer interaction between the two countries,” Pashinyan’s Office reported. 

“I reaffirmed our good neighborhood and friendly relations with Armenian people”, tweeted Garibashvili. He also voiced support for the policy of balanced relations to foster security in the [South Caucasus] region. The two sides agreed that joint efforts should be made to that end.

Met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to reaffirm our good neighborhood and friendly relations with Armenian people. Georgia supports the policy of balanced relations to promote security in the region. pic.twitter.com/9J2IW6G1oY

— Irakli Garibashvili (@GharibashviliGe)

Defense Minister will conclude his journey on February 28, after paying a visit to Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Karekin II, Catholicos of all Armenians and Head of the Armenian Apostolic Church.


Armenian State Symphony Orchestra to perform in Israel

Aram Torosian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 28 2020


The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra (ASSO) will participate in the Wandering Music Stars Festival in Israel on March 1-5. An international competition of saxophonists and clarinetists will also be held as part of the festival.

ASSO will be joined by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and clarinetist Shirley Brill for the first concert in Jerusalem on March 1. Three more concerts will be held in Tel Aviv.  

Famous violinists Maxim Vengerov and Daniel Lozakovich, cellist Alexander Knyazev will perform with the orchestra. The concerts will be led by conductors Sergey Smbatyan and Dmitry Jablonski, who is also the artistic director of the festival.

The State Symphony Orchestra of Armenia will perform works by Haydn, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky and other composers.

In Tel Aviv it will perform acclaimed Armenian composer Alexander Arutiunian’s symphony for string orchestra.

The orchestra is leaving for Israel with the support of the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport and the European Fund for Cultural Assistance.

Artsakh: Azerbaijan continues its policy of inciting hatred against Armenians

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 28 2020

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry has issued a statement on the 32nd anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait.

Below is the full text of the statement.

“32 years ago, on February 27-29, 1988, the authorities of the Azerbaijani SSR perpetrated the massacre and forced deportation of the Armenian population in the city of Sumgait, accompanied by atrocities committed with unprecedented cruelty. The three-day mass beatings, killings and violent acts were the response of the authorities of Baku to the peaceful and legitimate demands of the Armenians of Artsakh (Karabakh) to realize their inalienable right to self-determination.

There is ample evidence that the massacres of Armenians in Sumgait were thoroughly prepared and planned by the Azerbaijani authorities. Speaking at the rallies held on the eve of the massacres, high-ranking representatives of the city authorities called on the crowd to punish the Armenians and demanded “to kill and to deport them from Sumgait and from entire Azerbaijan”. Almost every speech ended with the chanting of “Death to Armenians!”. Amid the obvious inaction of the authorities and law enforcement bodies, as well as guided by the latters, hundreds of Azerbaijanis in Sumgait, inspired by the calls for hatred and violence against Armenians, started unimpeded attacks on the apartments of the Armenians living in Sumgait, having the lists of addresses at their disposal.

The impunity of the real organizers and perpetrators of the crimes against humanity committed in Sumgait created a fertile ground for the ethnic cleansing of Armenians throughout the Azerbaijani SSR in the subsequent years – in Kirovabad, Baku and a number of other Armenian-populated cities. Thousands of Armenians became victims of this policy, and hundreds of thousands became refugees.

Currently, the Azerbaijani authorities, unfortunately, continue their policy of inciting hatred and xenophobia against the Armenians, heroizing and glorifying the Azerbaijani officer who brutally killed an Armenian officer in Hungary in 2004. Another manifestation of such a policy became the rewarding of the Azerbaijani officer by the President of Azerbaijan for beheading a serviceman of the Artsakh Defense Army during the April war of 2016 unleashed against the Republic of Artsakh, as well as the gross violations of the norms of humanitarian law and the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces.

We bow to the memory of the innocent victims of the Sumgait crime. The international community should condemn and give a clear and unequivocal assessment to the genocidal actions committed by the Azerbaijani authorities against the peaceful Armenian population, which will not only prevent the repetition of such atrocities in the future, but will also help to heal the situation in Azerbaijan.”

Ombudsman: The massacre in Sumgait was only one of the episodes of the genocide committed against the Armenians of Azerbaijan

Chatinian Lara
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 27 2020

ArmInfo.The Sumgait massacre was just one of the episodes of the genocide committed against the Armenians of Azerbaijan. This was stated by Artsakh  Ombudsman Artak Beglaryan during his speech in Askeran at an event  dedicated to the 32nd anniversary of the pogroms in Sumgait.

“The Armenians in Sumgait suffered brutal reprisals, which was the  response of the Azerbaijani authorities to the Artsakh movement.  After Sumgait, mass pogroms continued in other settlements of  Azerbaijan and Artsakh. For several years, thousands of Armenians  were killed, hundreds of thousands were forced to leave their homes  only because of their ethnicity.

To this day, the international community has not given a proper legal  and political assessment of these acts, and the Republic of Artsakh  continues to be consistent in the issue of receiving compensation  from Azerbaijan for the Armenian Genocide, as well as holding the  organizers of these acts accountable. We all understand that this  danger remains in the region to this day, and the Armenian-phobic  policy of Azerbaijan at the state level is vivid proof of this, and  the strong Armenian statehood and the Armed Forces are a guarantee of  the prevention of new crimes, “Artak Beglaryan emphasized.  To  recalll, ethnic cleansing occurred in the city of Sumgait, Azerbaijan  SSR on February 27-29, 1988. It was accompanied by massive violence  against the Armenian population, robberies, killings, arson and  destruction. According to the British journalist Thomas de Waal,  these events were “the first outbreak of mass violence in modern  Soviet history.” The Sumgait pogrom was a landmark event and a  turning point in the exacerbation of the interethnic conflict in the  Caucasus, which caused the first flows of Armenian refugees from  Sumgait to Stepanakert and in Armenia. According to official data  from the USSR Prosecutor General’s Office, 26 citizens of Armenian  nationality were killed in the riots, more than a hundred people were  injured. According to unofficial estimates, hundreds of Armenians  were killed.  During the clean-up operation, injuries of varying  severity were received by 276 servicemen. On February 29, 1988, at a  meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central Committee in Moscow, it  was officially recognized that the mass pogroms and killings in  Sumgait were carried out on a national basis.

However, as indicated in the materials of the Memorial human rights  center, the lack of a timely investigation into the circumstances of  the pogroms, the establishment and punishment of those responsible  led to a further escalation of the Karabakh conflict. 

Gastro-yard and museum of kamancha opened in Ashtarak

Karagyozian Lena
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 27 2020

ArmInfo.The regular gastro yard was opened in Ashtarak within the framework of the UNDP Integrated Rural Tourism Development program. According to the  Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Armenia, a kamancha museum was  opened at the gastro-yard (Armenian national four-stringed musical  instrument – Ed. note).

The gastro-yard in Ashtarak is unique as in addition to the Armenian  national cuisine, tourists will also get acquainted with the culture  of the country. In this particular case, the guests of the Ashtarak  gastro-yard will learn about kamancha, about the process of its  manufacture, and will even be able to enjoy during dinner the  musicians playing this instrument.

As of today, 35 gastro-yards are already operating in the republic,  of which 23 contain a wine component.  According to UNDP program  coordinator Arman Vanesyan, wine gastronomy yards are open not only  in areas famous for their wine-making culture. A similar approach, he  said, helps to improve the quality of the wine produced. “Within the  framework of the program, we provide the villager with equipment and  specialist services, which helps to improve the quality of wines,”  Vanesyan said. In particular, he referred to the experience of the  beneficiary of one of the wine gastro-yards, who, based on high  demand, increased the grape harvest from 1 ton to 5 tons. Moreover,  income from tourists increased from 3 thousand to 6-10 thousand  drams.

In total, within the framework of this program, 60 gastro-yards will  be opened throughout the republic, which will create jobs for  residents of rural areas. The total cost of the program is $ 3  million. Of this amount, $ 500 thousand was allocated for the  construction of gastro-yards. The Ministry of Economy of the Republic  of Armenia additionally allocated 60 million drams for the   implementation of the program. 

Yerevan: Sumgait crime laid the foundation for Karabakh conflict

Badalian Vardan
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 27 2020

ArmInfo. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia issued a statement on the occasion of the anniversary of the anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait.  So, the  statement of the Armenian Foreign Ministry, in particular, states:   “Today we honor the memory of the victims of the anti-Armenian  pogroms in Sumgait. At the end of February 1988, the Armenian  population of Sumgait was subjected to mass killings and atrocities  committed with indescribable cruelty.

The Sumgayit crime laid the foundation for the Nagorno-Karabakh  conflict when Azerbaijan responded to the peaceful appeal of the  people of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination by mass violence and  pogroms of Armenians. This actually formed the essence of the  Karabakh problem: ensuring the security of the people of Artsakh  through the exercise of the right to self-determination outside of  Azerbaijan.  The Sumgayit crime was the first mass crime committed on  the basis of identity on the European continent after the Second  World War, followed by new crimes planned and carried out on a large  scale by Azerbaijan in Baku, Kirovabad and the territories of the  Nagorno-Karabakh Republic-Shaumyan region occupied by Azerbaijan,  separate sections of Martakert and Martuni.

An assessment by the Azerbaijani authorities of the Sumgayit massacre  clearly illustrates the lack of readiness to resolve the  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Over the past three decades, the tactics  of the Azerbaijani authorities have changed from the heroization of  criminals to the prosecution of victims for organizing pogroms. The  unwillingness of the Azerbaijani side to assume any responsibility  for the massive and most serious human rights violations on its  territory and the presence of genocidal intentions regarding the  Armenians remained unchanged.

Today, we honor the memory of the victims of the Sumgayit pogroms,  confirming our determination to prevent the recurrence of such  massacres against the Armenian people. “

Recall that ethnic unrest in the city of Sumgayit in the Azerbaijan  SSR occurred on February 27-29, 1988.  They were accompanied by  massive violence against the Armenian population, robberies,  killings, arson and destruction of property. According to the British  journalist Tom de Waal, these events were “the first outbreak of mass  violence in modern Soviet history.” The Sumgait pogrom was a landmark  event and a turning point in the aggravation of the ethnic conflict  in Transcaucasia, which caused the first flows of Armenian refugees  from Sumgait to Stepanakert and Armenia. According to the official  data of the USSR Prosecutor General’s Office, 26 citizens of Armenian  ethnicity were killed and more than a hundred people were injured in  the riots, while unofficial estimates say that the number of  Armenians killed is hundreds During the clean-up operation, 276  military personnel received injuries of varying severity .. On  February 29, 1988 at a meeting of the Politburo of the CPSU Central  Committee in Moscow, it was officially recognized that the massacres  and killings in Sumgait were carried out on a national basis,  however, as indicated in the materials of the human rights activist  Memorial Center, the lack of a timely investigation into the  circumstances of the pogroms, the establishment and punishment of  those responsible led to a further escalation of the Karabakh  conflict. 

Pashinyan: Samvel Karapetyan`s work against the policy of the destruction of Armenian monuments in Turkey and Azerbaijan is highly appreciated

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 27 2020

ArmInfo. RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sent a telegram of condolences over the death of famous specialist in monuments Samvel Karapetyan.

According to the press service of the government, the telegram in  particular reads:  ”I learned with deep sorrow about the untimely  death of the famous Armenian specialist in monuments, historian,  chairman of the Yerevan Office of the Research on Armenian  Architecture Foundation (RAA) Samvel Karapetyan. The consistent work  of the famous specialist in monuments against the policy of the  destruction of Armenian monuments in Turkey and Azerbaijan is worthy  of appreciation. I express my deepest condolences to the family and  colleagues of Samvel Karapetyan and share their grief”.  Famous  Armenian historian and specialist in architectural monuments Samvel  Karapetyan died at the age of 58. An expert traveled in Armenia,  Turkey, Georgia, and other countries, photographing and mapping  monuments of Armenian architecture for research purposes. 

For many years, he fought against the attempts of the Georgian and  Turkish authorities to appropriate some Armenian historical monuments  by destroying the corresponding inscriptions in the Armenian  language.  In addition, thanks to the help of researchers and  tourists from around the world, he was able to collect and summarize  data on the destruction of Armenian monuments in Azerbaijan. In  particular, on the facts of the destruction by the Azerbaijani  military of the cemetery of Old Dzhugha, he created a documentary  film, which was subsequently marked with a presidential award. He  also presented these egregious facts in the US Congress and the  European Court of Human Rights. Samvel Karapetyan is the author of a  number of books and publications on the Armenian cultural and  architectural heritage.

 

Extra-curricular coding courses start in three schools in Yerevan

Emil Lazarian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 27 2020

ArmInfo. Beeline Armenia and British Council in Armenia are launching “Coding skills: Bridging present and future” program, which has kicked off at Avetik Isahakyan  Yerevan High School N16 yesterday.

As the Company’s press service informs, beneficiaries of the program  will attend extracurricular coding classes, aimed at developing the  students’ digital and other key skills.

Implemented with support of the Armenian Ministry of Education,  Science, Culture and Sport, the program will be introduced in high  schools N170 and N97 next. In all three schools, Micro:bit systems  have been implemented in the score of the program. The schools also  received corresponding resources for the classes.

“In recent years Beeline Armenia has been making efforts to help  young people with quality digital education and career choice. I am  happy to cooperate with the British Council in this program and  receive support from the Ministry of Education. I am certain the  program will be the start of big professional achievements for many  students,” said Naira Nazaryan Head of PR at Beeline Armenia.

To recall, VEON Armenia CJSC is now VEON Armenia Holdings B.V.  (Beeline trademark) is part of the VEON group of companies, which is  one of the world’s largest integrated telecom operators. The group  includes communications companies providing voice and data services  based on a wide range of wireless and fixed-line technologies, as  well as broadband Internet access for subscribers in Russia, Italy,  Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Armenia, Georgia,  Kyrgyzstan, Laos , Algeria, Bangladesh and Pakistan. The companies of  the group provide services under the brands Beeline, Kyivstar, Wind,  Mobilink, Banglalink and Djezzy.

Armenian FM and CSTO Secretary General discussed cooperation within framework of military alliance

Christine Harutyunian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 27 2020

ArmInfo. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, at a meeting with OSCE Secretary General Stanislav Zas, expressed hope that the newly appointed  Secretary General will contribute to the realization of the universal  goals of the Organization.

According to the press service of the RA MFA, the interlocutors  discussed in detail the interaction within the CSTO.

Pointing to the important role of Armenia in the security system  within the framework of the CSTO, Mnatsakanyan noted that close  cooperation between the participating countries plays an important  role in improving the effectiveness of the structure, as well as  jointly solving the challenges facing the Organization.

The parties discussed a wide range of issues on the regional and  international agenda.  During the visit, Zas also visited the  Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex for the victims of the Armenian  Genocide and paid tribute to the memory of the holy martyrs.