Month: December 2020

Armenia’s DM is in Syunik, border troops deployment works underway there – Vice PM

Maral Chavushian
Aysor, Armenia
Dec 17 2020

Armenia’s Vice Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan stated at the cabinet sitting today that works on clarifying the data of captives are underway.
He said the steps are taken for further exchange of the captives.

“Negotiations are being held with the Azerbaijani side with the involvement of the Red Cross and the Russian side,” Avinyan stressed.

The Vice PM noted that the data on persons captured from Khtsaberd is being clarified, adding that head of the Chief of Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan is in Artsakh.

“Negotiations are being held with the Azerbaijani side, we expect resolution [of the situation],” Avinyan said.

He stressed about some tension in Hin Shen, adding that there is an intermediate communication as of now but the issue is not completely settled.

“But Russian peacekeeping troops have been deployed in the sector and we expect to reach final resolution. Minister of Defense is in Syunik, deployment works of our border troops along our border in Syunik are being carried out,” he stressed.



Head of Armenia’s Vorotan town: If we give Syunik Province, the Turks will want Yerevan as well

Tatoyan Vazgen
News.am, Armenia
Dec 17 2020
Head of Armenia's Vorotan town: If we give Syunik Province, the Turks will want Yerevan as well
17:38, 17.12.2020


Head of Vorotan town of Armenia’s Syunik Province Surik Ohanjanyan has joined the demonstrators who have shut down the road to Goris.

“We all demand that the Turks don’t reach our borders. Even if the authorities are giving a territory to them, it should be a neutral zone. The issue of Kubatlu and Zangelan wasn’t stated in the joint statement signed on November 9. The sides to the conflict had to stop at their positions,” Ohanjanyan stated, adding that if Armenia gives one territory, it will have to give more territories.

“It’s easy for people living in Yerevan. If Armenia gives away Syunik Province, the Turks will want Yerevan as well. What we’re saying is that there should be a neutral zone that is far away from Syunik Province,” Ohanjanyan said.

According to Mayor of Kapan Gevorg Parsyan, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia has issued an order according to which all the positions of the city of Kapan of Syunik Province will be transferred to Azerbaijan by 5 p.m. tomorrow.


 

Armenia Ombudsman: Azerbaijani soldiers have maps showing major part of Armenia as historical territory of Azerbaijan

Bedik Zaminian
News.am, Armenia

Dec 17 2020
23:35, 17.12.2020

Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan posted on his Facebook page maps of Azerbaijani soldiers presenting a major part of the Republic of Armenia as historical territory of Azerbaijan, adding the following:

“The maps also feature texts that clearly don’t correspond to reality and directly underlie the Armenophobic and enmity propaganda of the Azerbaijani authorities. All this is directly linked to the jurisdiction of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia since it concerns the guaranteeing of the life, properties and all other rights of the population of Armenia and the Armenian people and their protection from tortures and inhuman treatment.

The examination by the Human Rights Defender shows that these are among the main reasons why the Azerbaijani Armed Forces committed war crimes and crimes against humanity and cruelties during the Four-Day Artsakh War in April 2016 and during the war in September-November 2020 and still commit them (beheadings, executions, tortures, etc.).

All this is enshrined in the real and concrete proofs obtained by the Human Rights Defender of Armenia.

The international community and especially international organizations with the mandate to protect human rights must take resolute steps to help prevent the condemnable propaganda of hatred and enmity against the Armenians on the ground of ethnic belonging.

After an analysis, the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia will sum up all this and send it to international bodies and will provide the information to the relevant organizations in Armenia.”




Artsakh Defense Army: Bodies of 9 Armenian soldiers found in area near Hin Tagher-Khtsaberd military posts

Varazdat Torgomian
News.am, Armenia

Dec 17 2020
19:22, 17.12.2020

The Defense Army of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) reports the following:

“On , according to preliminary information, the Russian peacekeeping contingent deployed in Artsakh transferred to the Defense Army of Artsakh the bodies of 9 Armenian servicemen found in the area near the Armenian military posts stationed in the direction of Hin Tagher-Khtsaberd (the circumstances behind the deaths of those servicemen remain unknown).

Necessary operations are currently being carried out to find out the circumstances behind the deaths of the servicemen and to identify them.”




Armenian NGO president: Nothing mentioned about handover of Syunik Province in statement signed by Nikol Pashinyan

Andranik Taslakhchian
News.am, Armenia

Dec 17 2020
19:07, 17.12.2020

An extremely major event is taking place in Syunik Province right now, and it completely contradicts the capitulation act that Nikol Pashinyan since the capitulation act doesn’t mention anything about Kapan and the remaining territories of Syunik Province. This is what President of Legal Education and Oversight NGO Arpine Hovhannisyan said during the “Armenia Without Nikol” march today.

“Nikol Pashinyan is staying in power so that he can complete his treacherous plan. What he is trying to say is that either he will be Prime Minister or Armenia won’t exist. We have gathered here to tell the traitor that Armenia will exist without him. Pashinyan is leading Armenia closer to a larger precipice every time,” she stated.

According to Arpine Hovhannisyan, since there is nothing mentioned about the handover of the territories of Syunik Province in the trilateral statement, Armenia’s law-enforcement authorities must launch a criminal case against Nikol Pashinyan to find out why the territories of Syunik Province are being handed over.

“What is this treacherous act? Within the scope of this act, I am asking the Prosecutor General of Armenia if he is a citizen of Armenia and a defender of law and order. He has to follow the example of the honorable prosecutors who are resigning because they don’t want to serve the traitor. It is the duty of the Prosecutor General to immediately find out why the traitor is handing over Armenia to the Turks," she said.



Advantageous positions in Armenia’s Kapan to be handed over to Azerbaijan, mayor confirms

Tambiyan Samvel
Panorama, Armenia

Dec 17 2020

Advantageous defense positions of the town of Kapan in Armenia’s Syunik Province will be handed over to Azerbaijan by 5 p.m. Friday, Kapan Mayor Gevorg Parsyan confirmed to Aysor.am on Thursday.

“It is correct information. It is a painful order for us. Today in the morning we were ordered to leave by tomorrow 5 p.m. our favorable positions we were holding by November 9 ensuring security zone for Kapan,” he said, adding that they have been ordered to retreat along the borderline.

Asked whether it has been envisaged by the signed trilateral statement, Parsyan said he has not seen anything about Zangelan and Kubatlu regions in it.

“The territory near us is Zangelan, the territory near Goris is Kubatlu. This agreement makes no mention of Kubatlu and Zangelan regions,” he said.

The mayor stressed that he has repeatedly warned against making any decisions without local self-governmental bodies’ involvement.

“They did not listen. I was afraid of it. That’s why I was raising the security issue so many times,” he stressed.

He said that the situation in Kapan is tense now and protests are being held in the town, adding that he has joined demonstrators too.


Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography joins call for Pashinyan’s resignation

Garnik Tadevosian
Panorama, Armenia

Dec 17 2020

The Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography has joined the call of the Yerevan State University Academic Council and the National Academy of Sciences demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation.

“Realizing that our homeland is in a deep crisis today and this situation is fraught with fatal consequences, the administrative and teaching staff of the Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography, including doctors of science, professors and honored artists of Armenia (120 citizens in total), join the call of YSU and National Academy of Sciences demanding the resignation of the prime minister,” the institute said in a statement on Thursday.

"We also call for election of new prime minister by the National Assembly and formation of a government composed of exclusively professionals," the statement read.


Armenian opposition ends Thursday’s anti-Pashinyan rally, calls for general strike, class boycott on Tuesday

Emil Karabekian
Panorama, Armenia

Dec 17 2020

Armenian opposition forces making up the Homeland Salvation Movement called for a general strike and class boycott on Tuesday, December 22, at the end of Thursday’s “march of dignity” demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“A nationwide strike and boycott of classes are declared starting from 12pm Tuesday,” Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Supreme Council member Gegham Manukyan told demonstrators.

He said that Tuesday will a “decisive day” to remove Pashinyan from office.

“Tomorrow, at 6:30pm – 7pm, we will gather at Garegin Nzhdeh Square with torches and candles and will head to Yerablur Military Pantheon where we will pay tribute to our heroes,” the opposition figure said.

Also, he said a short rally will be held at Liberty Square on Saturday afternoon, after which a requiem service will be offered in memory of fallen soldiers of the Artsakh war at St. Gregory the Illuminator Church in Yerevan. 


Artur Vanetsyan: We are losing villages, people are dying every single day

Maral Chavushian
Panorama, Armenia

Dec 17 2020

“For us, the entire Armenian people is the elite. [Nikol] Pashinyan once again resorted to manipulation and tried to split up the society,” opposition Homeland Party leader Artur Vanetsyan told reporters at a “march of dignity” demanding the Armenian prime minister’s resignation in Yerevan on Thursday, referring to Pashinyan’s remarks that “the elite wants to seize power” in Armenia.

He stressed that Pashinyan cannot remain in power through manipulation and another split in society.

“No one says that it’s not for people to form a government. It’s true, the government should be formed by free _expression_ of the will of people, but over two and a half years, especially since the beginning of the war, Pashinyan has proved that he is not able to ensure the security of our country and people. Therefore, we urge Pashinyan to leave and to give way to those who can ensure the security of our people and country, who can deal with all the unresolved issues that have piled up,” the opposition leader said.

“You see, every single day we are losing villages, people are dying, citizens are being captured. We say that Nikol should leave so that we can handle the existing challenges,” Vanetsyan said.

He stressed the need for criminal proceedings to find out all circumstances of the Artsakh war, including of its start, course and outcome.