Month: February 2020

A draft resolution on honoring memory of Armenian genocide victims has been submitted to Ukrainian Parliament

Emil Lazarian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 18 2020

ArmInfo. A draft resolution on honoring the memory of the Armenian genocide victims has been submitted to the Ukrainian Parliament

According to AnalitikaUA.net, the legislative initiative of the  People’s Deputy of Ukraine from “Servants of the People” faction  Daria Volodina on honoring the memory of the victims of the Armenian  Genocide was registered on February 14.

Head of the Union of Armenians of Ukraine Vilen Shatvoryanhas called  the initiative “an important step demonstrating a consistent  commitment to the ideas of humanism, truth and justice.”

Three similar initiatives have been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada  over the past 10 years.

In May 2019 Anton Polyakov from the  “Servants of the People” faction   had submitted a draft resolution on Recognition of the Armenian  Genocide.  On June 6, 2013, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered  the Draft Resolution on the Recognition of the Armenian Genocide in  the Ottoman Empire in 1915.  On April 3, 2015, the Parliament  re-registered the draft resolution on the recognition of the genocide  of the Armenians by MP Vitaly Barvinenko.. Dozens of people’s  deputies joined the initiative of the parliamentarian.

There are no fundamental disagreements between Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces of Armenia and Minister of Defense

Emil Lazarian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 18 2020

ArmInfo. There are no fundamental disagreements between Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia Artak Davtyan and  Minister of Defense David  Tonoyan. This was announced on February 18 in an interview with  reporters by Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of  Armenia Artak Davtyan.

Davtyan emphasized that the Chief of the General Staff is subordinate  to the Minister of Defense. “Often, some minor disagreements on the  job are presented as serious disagreements. However, I can assure  you, in case of serious disagreements, I would resign as a  subordinate,” the head of the General Staff assured. He also noted  that in everyday matters the minister always listens to advice. “I,  as the Chief of the General Staff, present my approaches that may  affect the adoption of a decision. This is quite natural, since the  Minister of Defense is responsible for making these or those  decisions,” Davtyan emphasized.

The Chief of the General Staff also touched on the situation  associated with elite military units. According to the latter, they  should not be in Armenia. “The army is working to prevent the  emergence of such military units. But at the moment I would not want  to disclose the details of these works,” Davtyan summed up the line.   It should be noted that in recent days information has been  circulating in the media that relations between the Chief of the  General Staff and the Minister of Defense of Armenia have aggravated.  According to media reports, they appeared in connection with the  story of a tender for the supply of Russian weapons.

Aleksandr Iskandaryan: After the change of elites in the executive and legislative branches, it`s now the turn of the judicial branch

Emil Karabekian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 18 2020

ArmInfo. The change of elites in such a state as Armenia always takes place according to a “soft” scenario. This was announced on February 18 at a press conference by  the head of the Caucasus Institute, political scientist Alexander  Iskandaryan.

He noted that the change of elites in the country began in April  2018. “It also took place in the judicial field, which, in fact, fits  perfectly into the logic of any revolution. Thus, what is happening  in the country is not a surprise, it was predictable. First, the  executive branch changed, then the legislative and the turn of the  courts came, “the expert emphasized.

Iskandaryan emphasized that a process is now taking place when the  government, through various methods, is trying to change the  composition of the judiciary, including through transitional justice,  and then a referendum. “But such a” soft “scenario is not possible  everywhere, I mean countries with harsh regimes, such as Azerbaijan  or North Korea,” the political scientist said.

It should be noted that on February 6, the parliament adopted a  referendum decision at which Armenian citizens will decide whether  they agree to amend the Constitution of the country. On April 5, a  constitutional referendum will be held in Armenia, at which the issue  of judges of the Constitutional Court will be decided. Many deputies  and human rights activists said that this decision is  unconstitutional, since initially the deputies had to send their  proposal to the Constitutional Court. After that, two campaign  headquarters were formed, which campaign to vote “for” these  Constitutional amendments and “against” them. According to the  decision adopted on February 11 at the CEC meeting, the campaign will  be held from February 17 to April 3.

Constitutional Court Judge: Accuse me for a reason, and not based on fabricated facts

Hagop Kamalian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 18 2020

ArmInfo. Judge of the Constitutional Court Feliks Tokhyan refutes information about the  political pressure against him. Tokhyan said this on February 18 in an interview with reporters.

The judge confirmed the information that he met with the speaker of  the parliament Ararat Mirzoyan, emphasizing that the latter is his  former student. “Ararat Mirzoyan and I drank a cup of coffee, but  there was no pressure on me. We discussed some issues and our meeting  was held in a normal friendly environment,” said the judge of the  Constitutional Court.

Tokhyan also said that he had met with another judge of the  Constitutional Court Vahe Grigoryan and gave him advice, however, he  did not mentioned details of the talk.

The judge of the Constitutional Court refused to answer questions  related to the upcoming referendum on amendments to the Constitution,  since after the referendum a complaint can be sent to the court and  then he will not be able to participate in the proceedings. Tokhyan  also stated that he was in the Investigative Committee in connection  with the charge against former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan.   In conclusion, the judge called on the media and the public to stop  accusing the Constitutional Court of wrong decisions, recommended  reading the archive of the court, and if evidence is found, publish  it. “The biggest mistake I consider is that we did not work publicly  and did not spread about the decisions made.  Accuse me of the case,  and not on the basis of fabricated facts,” said Tokhyan.

It should be noted that on February 6, the parliament adopted a  referendum decision at which Armenian citizens will decide whether  they agree to amend the Constitution of the country. On April 5, a  constitutional referendum will be held in Armenia, at which the issue  of judges of the Constitutional Court will be decided. Many MPs and  human rights activists said that this decision is unconstitutional,  since initially the MPs had to send their proposal to the  Constitutional Court. After that, two campaign headquarters were  formed, which campaign to vote “for” these Constitutional amendments  and “against” them.

According to the decision adopted on February 11 at the meeting of  the CEC, the campaign will be held from February 17 to April 3.

Ilham Aliyev lies, claims reporter who interviewed former Azerbaijani president on Khojaly events

Greg Madatian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 18 2020
Politics 11:57 18/02/2020 Armenia

Reporter Dana Mazalova who interviewed former President of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov and published the article in “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” reaffirms that irrespective of the efforts of the incumbent President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to distort the reality, her article is in full compliance with what former Azerbaijani President Ayaz Mutalibov said during the interview which took place in April, 1992.

The reporter regrets that she was unable to preserve the recording due to technical reasons. 

“There was no internet, there were no computers, but I reaffirm that what I wrote back then are what Ayaz Mutalibov said, I have not added anything. Now he can deny it as he wants, but he said it the way it is printed in “Nezavisimaya Gazeta” newspaper. I have the copy of that newspaper and its available on the net, Ayaz Mutalibov has said it”, Dana Mazalova said in an exclusive interview with Armenpress. Mutalibov gave an interview to Dana Mazalova after one month following his resignation.

Mazalova heard about the tragic events of Khojaly from the video recordings of cameraman Chingiz Mustafayev, who had personally made exclusive records. “Chingiz, whom I met in Kislovodsk, told me in his apartment how those people were killed, they were hurting their knees so they couldn’t go. The knees… the most vulnerable place on human’s body. I was scheduled to take an interview from Ayaz Mutalibov the next day. I could not help asking him what I had seen in the records made by Chingiz. Of course, I did not say the name of my friend Chingiz not to harm him. After 2 months Chingiz was killed”, the reporter recalls with grief.

Dana Mazalova told also about another recording of Chingiz Mustafayev. The bodies of the victims of Khojaly events were seen in a video recording done on February 28 in front of the military positions of the “Popular Front” of Azerbaijani troops. According to Muslim traditions, the bodies should have been buried within two days, but Chingiz Mustafayev could record them also on March 2, but this time the bodies were taken to another place and were vandalized. In the video recording of February 28 it could be seen that Azerbaijani soldiers were walking near the bodies.

“I feel very guilty for not taking and copying those recordings. I feel so sorry up till now. I think you understand that my interview with Mutalibov was the result of those video recordings and my conversations with Chingiz”, Mazalova said.

To the remark of the reporter of Armenpress that President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev used the public platform of Munich Security Conference on February 15 to deny the words of Mutalibov, Mazalova emphasized, “I will put this way. We know that Turkey denies the Armenian Genocide up till now”.

One month after the Khojaly tragedy Ayaz Mutalibov was interviewed by Czech reporter Dana Mazalova.

– What would you say about the Khojaly events, after which you resigned? At the time, bodies of people from Khojaly were discovered not far from Aghdam. Someone had shot them in the legs beforehand to prevent them from running away. Afterwards they were axed. On February 29th my colleagues filmed them. When we next filmed on March 2 these corpses had been scalped. What kind of strange game was that?

– As the rescued residents of Khojaly say, all that was organized to create grounds for my resignation. I don’t think that the Armenians, who had manifested a clear and knowledgeable approach to such situations, would have allowed Azerbaijanis to obtain evidence that tied them to fascist acts. If I declare that it was the fault of the Azerbaijani opposition I could be blamed for slander. But the overall picture of the conclusions is as follows: the Armenians had, in any case, provided a corridor to let the civilians escape. Why then would they shoot? As soon as Khojaly was surrounded by tanks it was necessary to immediately lead the civilians out. Earlier I had given similar orders regarding Shushi – to evacuate women and children and to leave only men in the city. It’s one of the laws of war – civilians must be rescued. My conduct was appropriate and unambiguous – I gave such orders, but why they weren’t followed in Khojaly is not clear to me.

Lawyer: Political persecution against Kocharyan becoming increasingly obvious

Boshkezenian Garik
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 18 2020

“Those people who accuse us of protracting court hearings simply do not want to face the reality,” Hayk Alumyan, a member of Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan’s defense team, told reporters after a court hearing on Tuesday.

The court hearing in the trial of the ex-president and three other former senior officials had to be postponed shortly after it started on Tuesday amid the absence of the interpreter.

Alumyan reiterated that his client is remanded in custody in a completely unjustified and unlawful manner.

The lawyer did not rule out that the reports that Chancellor Angela Merkel was interested in Robert Kocharyan’s case and its legality during a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Germany are true.

According to Alumyan, he is not aware of the details, but does not rule out the possibility that such questions will be addressed to the Armenian authorities more and more often.

“It is becoming increasingly apparent to everyone that there is political persecution here,” he said. 

Walls in Armenia’s frontline village of Berdavan fortified

Kalashian Nyrie
Aravot, Armenia
Feb 18 2020

                                                       
February 18,2020 14:40 59

THE TRIANGLE. The frontier village of Berdavan in Armenia’s Tavush province will now be safer, as the walls of the schools, the kindergarten and the health post have been fortified, Public Radio of Armenia reports.

The project of installation of protective walls in the village started on February 15, Tavush Governor’s Office reports.

The program is being implemented at the initiative of the Pahapan foundation and supported by the family of philanthropist Grigor Avagyan.

Attending the event were Adviser to the Governor of Tavush Inga Harutyunyan, Adviser to the Governor Nikolay Grigoryan, MPs Shirak Torosyan, Sargis Aleksanyan and Sofya Hpvsepyan.


‘The Pashinyan-Aliyev debate proved that negotiations have not taken place in 22 years’: Vahram Atanesyan

Tambiyan Samvel
Aravot, Armenia
Feb 18 2020

                                                       
February 18,2020 19:00 25

The former chair of the Artsakh Parliament Foreign Relations Committee, Vahram Atanesyan, considers it to be monumental that the Nikol Pashinyan-Ilham Aliyev debate took place in February, which is 22 years after Levon Ter-Petrossian resigned.

In an interview with Aravot Daily, Vahram Atanesyan gave a history lesson, speaking about how the mediators presented a suggestion for the Artsakh resolution in 1997, which is known by the “phase” name. The purpose was so that the sides- Artsakh, Azerbaijan, and Armenia- would sign a peace agreement in the initial phase to allow the Artsakh conflict to be resolved in future negotiations. The agreement was supposed to be that the Aghdam (Akna), Fizuli (Varanda), Jebrayil (Jrakan), Zangelan (Kovsakan), Qubadli (Vorotan), and Kelbajar (Karvachar) regions be returned to Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan needed to remove its troops from the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Republic administrative borders. So, the parts of the Martakert and Martuni regions that were being controlled by Azerbaijan needed to be returned to Armenia.

The issue of internal displacement was based on the principle of parity; if Azeris were returning to Shushi, then Armenians were to return to Shahumyan. The political advantage of this agreement was that Azerbaijan would accept Artsakh’s sovereignty and would sign the agreement with Artsakh as an equal. Azerbaijan was supposed to agree to leave the entire Lachin (Berdzor) region under Armenian control. This would have not only created a separation, but also a buffer zone, which would have remained heavily armed and not suitable for habitation. The size of the buffer zone was to be agreed upon until troops left the region. This suggestion was rejected by the authorities of Artsakh and by three main figures in Armenian politics: Prime Minister Robert Kocharyan, Minister of Defense Vazgen Sargsyan, and Minister of the Interior and National Security Serzh Sargsyan. President Levon Ter-Petrossian resigned.

“Why did the mediators, who frequently call upon us to keep the contents of the negotiations private, organize an open discussion?” Atanesyan said, and he responded to his own question. “It seems like they want to tell Armenians and Azeris that there is no secret process in place. They want to show people the approaches of both leaders and allow people to come to their own conclusions. There is no topic of discussion, nor are there any similar perspectives or approaches. So, the last 22 years have been a waste of time. The sides did not even make half a step towards any mutual goal. There was a goal in 1997 to bring an end to the armed portion of the conflict and reduce tensions, which would create a tolerable atmosphere. This would allow the sides to discuss the Artsakh issue without emotions, and Artsakh would also participate in this discussion. The mediators, through publicizing the Pashinyan-Aliyev debate, seem to be hinting that their opportunities and imaginations are running out.”

According to Vahram Atanesyan, the sides need to come up with their own suggestions. Aliyev presented his perspective and Prime Minister Pashinyan presented his “Munich principles.” But they are on two different ends of the spectrum and they do not even have any parallels. What remains is for the co-chair nations to keep the situation under control until it becomes possible to establish a new negotiations agenda,” Atanesyan said.

Nelly Grigoryan


Sports: Five-strong women’s team to represent Armenia in European C’ship

Baghdasarian Karlen
MediaMax, Armenia
Feb 18 2020
 
 
Five-strong women’s team to represent Armenia in European C’ship
 
Armenia women’s weightlifting team kicks off a training camp in Tsaghkadzor tomorrow.
 
Head coach of the team Artashes Nersisyan has told Mediamax Sport that the weightlifters will be getting ready for the European Championship in Tsaghkadzor until March 8.
 
Afterwards, the team will train in Abovyan or Yerevan.
 
In the European Championship, due to take place on April 2-12, Armenia will be represented by in the women’s competition by 5 athletes: Izabella Yaylyan (59kg), Milena Khachatryan (71kg), Liana Gyurjyan (81kg), Tatev Hakobyan (87kg) and Arpine Dalalyan (+87kg).