Month: March 2021

Turkish press: If not against coups, then when?

Babken Chilingarian
 COLUMNS 
MAR 02, 2021 12:05 AM GMT+3
Protesters run while holding homemade shields after tear gas was fired during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon, Myanmar, March 1, 2021. (AFP Photo)

Military intervention in politics is constituted one of the most significant threats for democracies around the world. Although many around the world forget the extent of this threat for the democratic regimes around the world, the coups and military interventions remind themselves for many through its presence.

This week is the 24th anniversary of the Feb. 28 military intervention in Turkish politics, when the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) organized a “post-modern coup” against the democratically elected Turkish government.

Later, the coup perpetrators stated that the coup was a post-modern one because the military mobilized some other institutions, including the media, against the government.

Today, this intervention is remembered as one of the darkest moments of the history of Turkish democracy. Although the generals, who organized the coup, once said that the Feb. 28 process would continue for the next "1,000 years," the Turkish public reacted to the coup during the elections and ended the process.

In the last month alone in two different countries, we have seen military intervention in politics. In the first days of February in Myanmar, known in recent years for its egregious human rights violations against Rohingya Muslims, the military overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi.

The deposed prime minister was put on house arrest, and the military declared a yearlong state of emergency in the country.

Later the military also declared the previous election that brought Suu Kyi to power was invalid. This was not the first time the military intervened in politics in Myanmar; however, this time the intervention generated huge public reactions from the people in Myanmar.

Since the military intervention, it has been almost a month of widespread demonstrations in the country. Last weekend, these demonstrations spread to different cities across Myanmar, and different societal groups also started to join the demonstrations.

Despite the heavy-handed police response against the demonstrators, there is no sign of stopping these demonstrations.

While the discussion on the military intervention in Myanmar is still fresh in the international community, news broke that in Armenia as there was an attempt by the military to overthrow the government.

Although initially there was confusion about the developments in the country, it was soon revealed that the military in the country asked for the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Pashinian made a statement through his Facebook account and said that he considers the statement of the general staff as an attempt at a military coup. He also asked his supporters to join him in the main square of the Armenian capital in order to respond to the calls from the military.

In both countries, the situation is still unstable. There is a fear of increasing military crackdown in Myanmar due to the rising number of protests in the country.

In Armenia, there is still a lot of uncertainty about the potential developments in the next few days.

However, the developments in both countries demonstrated that the coups are not a page from history. Some elements within the military continue to violate the norms of active civilian control of the military and attempt to gain control of the government by overthrowing the democratically elected governments.

The international community has so far failed to respond to these military interventions from a principled position.

In 2013, the U.S. failed to call the coup in Egypt a coup, and then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called it a “restoration of democracy” by the military.

In the Myanmar coup, we again see an inconsistent attitude. This time, China and Russia blocked a U.N. resolution condemning the coup at the U.N. Security Council (UNSC).

This pattern in reaction to the coup will not bring any good for the nascent democracies and will be interpreted as a green light by some ambitious generals in the world.

If this position will continue, we will continue to see coups not as part of history but in the current news of the newspapers.

Turkish press: Turkey: Party head calls for democracy in Armenia

Babken Chilingarian
Emin Avundukluoglu   |02.03.2021

ANKARA 

The leader of a major party in Turkey called for democracy and common sense in Armenia on Tuesday.

"Even if the subject is Armenia, we want democracy to prevail. We insistently recommend common and good sense," Devlet Bahceli, the leader of the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), told his party's parliamentary group.

Bahceli urged Armenia to steer clear of coups and stay with democracy.

Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan, along with other senior commanders, released a statement last week calling for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's resignation.

Pashinyan blasted the military's call as a coup attempt and urged his supporters to take to the streets to resist.

He later announced Gasparyan’s dismissal on Facebook.

The unrest follows the end of a military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan last fall which was widely seen as a victory for the latter.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

During the six week-conflict, which ended with a Russian-brokered truce, Azerbaijan liberated several strategic cities and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from Armenian occupation.

Before this, about 20% of Azerbaijan's territory had been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

S-400 missile defense systems

MHP chief Bahceli also said Turkey should respond according to its own interests to US calls not to use Russian-made S-400 missile defense systems it had purchased.

Underlining that Ankara should not hesitate to use the S-400 systems if faced with a threat, he said: "In our opinion, Ankara's criteria should be valid for the S-400s, not the formulas served by others.

"Moreover, we did not bear all the costs to relegate these weapons to rust in warehouses," he added

Last December, the US imposed sanctions on Turkey over the acquisition of the Russian S-400 missile defense system.

US officials have voiced opposition to the deal, claiming the S-400s would be incompatible with NATO systems and expose F-35 jets to possible Russian subterfuge.

Turkey, however, stressed that the S-400s would not be integrated into NATO systems, and pose no threat to the alliance or its armaments.

Turkish officials have repeatedly proposed a working group to examine the technical compatibility issue.

Turkish press: ‘Embargoes are targeting Turkish defense industry’

Maral Chavushian
Gökhan Ergöçün   |02.03.2021

ISTANBUL 

The Turkish defense industry is being targeted with embargoes both overt and covert, Turkey's Defense Industries Presidency said in a written statement on Tuesday.

Turkey will continue towards its goal of a fully independent defense industry with its determination to design, develop, and produce national and indigenous systems and technologies, the statement stressed after a meeting of the Defense Industry Executive Committee.

The meeting, chaired by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, discussed new military systems for the country's armed forces.

"As part of this, various projects on communication and information systems, ammunition and missiles, various platforms, modernization, and new technologies were decided on," the statement said.

In recent years, Turkey's defense and aviation companies made significant strides in research and development, as well as production and exports. Turkey is among six countries in the world that can produce its own UAVs.

After certain foreign suppliers started to impose embargoes due to Turkey's support for Azerbaijan in last year's Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkish firms began focusing more on local production.

Last October, Canada suspended exports of some defense products to Turkey over allegations that its technology was being used in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Karabakh conflict

In 1991, the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh (Upper Karabakh), internationally recognized as Azerbaijani territory, and seven adjacent regions.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, 2020, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and even violated humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the six-week conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages, while at least 2,802 of its soldiers were martyred.

The two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement on Nov. 10 to end the fighting and work towards a comprehensive resolution.

On Jan. 11, the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia signed a pact to develop economic ties and infrastructure to benefit the entire region. It included the establishment of a trilateral working group on Karabakh.

The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have withdrawn in line with the agreement.

CivilNet: HyeHopes – Taking an Educational Project From California to Syunik

Emil Lazarian
CIVILNET.AM

2 March, 2021 21:00

Member of the Glendale Board of Education Greg Krikorian and a group of other US Armenians have started a new project called Hyehopes. The project is aiming to provide resources and other needs for several schools in the region of Syunik. Greg spoke to CivilNet to see what the project is exactly, how’s progress and how people can get involved.

Asbarez: ‘Unexploded’ Russian Missiles in Artsakh Cause a Political Explosion in Armenia

Emma Jilavian

March 2,  2021


Harut Sassounian

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN

Words have meanings and consequences as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan found out when he told a journalist last week that the powerful Russian Iskander missiles, supposedly fired by Armenia during the Artsakh War last November, “did not explode or exploded 10 percent.” This surprising statement was in response to an interview by previous President Serzh Sargsyan in which he asked why Pashinyan had not ordered the use of the Iskander missiles during the early part of the Artsakh War.

Several days after the Prime Minister’s highly controversial statement, his spokeswoman announced that Pashinyan “was not briefed correctly regarding the Russian missiles.” But it was too late. The damage was done.

No one could have predicted the chain of unexpected events that followed Pashinyan’s words questioning the merits of the Iskander missiles that Russia had exported exclusively to Armenia. A large number of Russian military experts and political leaders reacted very harshly to Pashinyan’s statement viewing it as disparaging of the prized missiles of Russia and the prestige of its defense industry.

However, the reaction within Armenia was no less devastating. When First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Tiran Khachatryan, a Lieutenant General, was asked to comment on Pashinyan’s statement about the Iskander missiles not exploding, he responded with a chuckle that it was not possible and not serious.

Upon hearing of this slight, Prime Minister Pashinyan immediately ordered the firing of the Deputy General Staff. His dismissal was endorsed by Pres. Armen Sarkissian, according to the process outlined in the constitution. The Prime Minister had surely overreacted to Khachatryan’s snub, particularly since Pashinyan himself had appointed him in June 2020 and awarded him the prestigious “National Hero” medal for his outstanding role during the Artsakh War.

An Iskander missile at a military exercise in St. Petersburg, Russia in 2017 (Russian Defense Ministry photo)

In retaliation, dozens of top Armenian military leaders released a joint statement on Feb. 25, 2021, demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister and his government. The statement was signed by Onik Gasparyan, Chief of the General Staff and 40 other high-ranking military Officers, including 17 generals and Commanders of all five Army Corps. Later, several other military and police officials added their signatures.

The military’s statement expressed its “resolute protest” against the “short-sighted and baseless” dismissal of the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff “without taking into account the national and state interests of the Republic of Armenia, solely based on personal and pretentious sentiments.” The statement added that “in such difficult conditions for the country, such a decision is an anti-state and irresponsible step. The Prime Minister and his government are no longer able to make adequate decisions in this critical and fateful situation for the Armenian people. The Armed Forces, for a long time, patiently tolerated the ‘attacks’ by the incumbent authorities to discredit the Armed Forces, but everything has its limits…. The current authorities’ unproductive governing and the most serious errors exhibited in foreign policy have brought the country to the brink of collapse. Based on the created situation, the Armed Forces demand the resignation of the Prime Minister and the government….”

Pashinyan immediately announced on his Facebook page the firing of the Chief of the General Staff. The Prime Minister called the military’s statement “an attempted military coup,” urging his supporters to gather at the Republic Square where he joined them and marched in Yerevan streets holding a megaphone. This was a highly irresponsible act on the part of Pashinyan, venturing to the streets during what he described as an attempted military coup, which could have led to tragic consequences for the country had anyone harmed him.

After Pashinyan ordered the firing of Onik Gasparyan, Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Pres. Sarkissian, having consulting all sides of the political spectrum, refused to sign the Prime Minister’s order, calling it unconstitutional. The Prime Minister then submitted a second dismissal request to the President. Should the President refuse to sign the order for a second time, then the issue will be submitted to the constitutional court for its final decision. It is curious as to why the President endorsed the Prime Minister’s earlier order to sack the First Deputy of the General Staff but refused to sign the order to dismiss the Chief of the General Staff. After all, the First Deputy Chief of the General Staff’s wrongdoing was simply chuckling at the Prime Minister’s statement about the Russian missiles, whereas his boss, the Chief of the General Staff, demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation.

In the meantime, the Armenian military took no further steps beyond its call for the resignation of the Prime Minister which the Prime Minister wrongly described as an attempted coup. However, the statement could be viewed as interference in political affairs which violates the constitution. It is clear that the military’s intent is having the Prime Minister resign without taking any military actions.

Turning to the unconstitutionality of the military’s statement, there are counter points to this argument. The military stated that they could no longer remain quiet while the country is on the brink of collapse. The national interest of Armenia has to be of paramount importance. After all, the military is the guardian of the nation’s security. Furthermore, Pashinyan and his supporters cannot all of a sudden claim to be defenders of the constitution, when they have been violating many of its provisions in the past three years. The Prime Minister has repeatedly pressured the courts and has stacked the Constitutional Court with his allies to get verdicts desired by the government. Pashinyan and his supporters similarly pressured Pres. Sarkissian to force him to sign the Prime Minister’s order. Ironically, the democratic principles endorsed by Pashinyan when coming to power have dissipated turning the country into a one-man rule, a dictatorship. Given the Prime Minister’s partisans’ overwhelming majority in Parliament, other voices have been mostly muzzled. All suggestions to form a government of competent experts have been ignored, leaving Pashinyan with a mediocre and incompetent cadre of officials and advisors.
Pashinyan’s only important attribute is that he is not corrupt — which is very positive, but that alone is not enough to lead the state through such turbulent waters. After all, Armenians are not looking for a saint, but a competent leader who can solve the country’s complex problems.
Furthermore, Pashinyan and his followers did not always practice what they are preaching now. Back in 2018, when there were widespread street protests by Pashinyan and his supporters, a large number of Armenian soldiers illegally left their barracks and marched with the demonstrators. Even though this was a violation of military rules and interference in politics, Pashinyan did not take any action against these soldiers. In a similar situation occurred in 1998, when Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsyan forced then President Levon Ter-Petrosian to resign. No one complained that it was unconstitutional.

Shortly after this new crisis in Armenia, leaders in Azerbaijan and Turkey issued self-serving statements on the situation in Armenia. In my opinion, both of these countries, led by dictators, are in no position to comment on developments in Armenia, let alone give Armenians lectures about democracy. They should look at themselves in the mirror and keep their mouths shut.
Having suffered a devastating defeat at the hands of our enemies in the Artsakh War, Armenians cannot afford now to attack each other. We need to place the national interest above all else. Having lost most of Artsakh and thousands of soldiers, let’s not risk losing Armenia itself.

Pashinyan, the leader of the ‘Velvet Revolution,’ should not have told his followers last week that there will be no more ‘velvet’ which could be interpreted as a threat to anyone who disagrees with him. Should the military also adopt a no velvet approach, the outcome would be tragic for the entire Armenian nation. The best solution would be for the Prime Minister, having lost territories and thousands of soldiers, to resign by his own volition without facing any threats or protests. Otherwise, having demanded Pashinyan’s resignation, the military leaders may carry out their demand by force, to ensure that they themselves are not arrested. Such a group arrest would deprive Armenia of its entire military leadership. Months from now, under calmer conditions, new parliamentary elections should take place with a clean slate, hopefully excluding Pashinyan and the other former leaders. The people have the right to decide by a majority vote who their new leader should be.

Pashinyan Blames ‘Wrong’ Information for Iskander Claims

Emil Lazarian

March 2,  2021



Aside from Russia, Armenia is the only country in the region to posses the Iskander missile system

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan effectively retracted on Monday his claim that the Armenian army’s most advanced Russian-made missiles seriously malfunctioned during the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinyan said last week that the Iskander missiles “did not explode or exploded by 10 percent.” He also suggested that the sophisticated missile system might be outdated.
Pashinyan’s remarks provoked a storm of criticism from Russian pro-government lawmakers and pundits. They accused him of incompetence and deceit.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Thursday that it was “bewildered and surprised” by the remarks. The ministry spokesman, Igor Konashenkov, said the Armenian army did not fire any Iskander missiles during the six-week hostilities stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire on November 10.

“In all likelihood, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was misled,” Konashenkov said.
Pashinyan’s press secretary, Mane Gevorgyan, gave the same explanation on Monday.

“An analysis of available facts and data has led the Armenian prime minister to conclude that he did not receive correct reports about this matter,” she said, adding that Pashinyan and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed it in a February 25 phone call.

Gevorgian went on to stress that “Russian weapons are one of the best in the world” and that Armenia intends to deepen military ties with Russia.

The Kremlin publicly accepted the explanation. “It is very important that the truth about this issue has been restored,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Several Armenia media outlets quoted on February 24 the first deputy chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff, Tiran Khachatryan, as also refuting Pashinyan’s claim. Khachatryan was sacked hours later.

In a statement issued the following morning, the army’s top brass strongly condemned the sacking, accused Pashinyan’s government of incompetence and misrule and demanded its resignation. The prime minister responded by accusing the military of attempting to stage a coup d’etat and moving to fire the chief of the General Staff, Onik Gasparyan.

The Female Hostage Forgotten By The Free World

Diana Dabaghian

March 2,  2021



Maral Najarian was captured by Azerbaijani forces on Nov. 10 from Berdzor, Artsakh

BY JASMINE H. SEYMOUR

It is hard to imagine what this friendly face with a Mona Lisa smile might look like now, in captivity for almost four months. The ordeal of Maral Najarian and her distressed family is inconceivable for those who have not been through wars, captivity, and brutal exploitation.

The international media and decision makers of the free world once again display double standards dealing with humanitarian disasters. While the disappearance (voluntarily) of the daughter of Dubai’s ruler was treated as major international calamity, the destiny of hundreds of Armenian POWs, including women and civilians, tortured, and abused in Azerbaijani prisons, does not concern the leading international media.

Since the trilateral Ceasefire Statement between Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenian ending the war over the control of Nagorno-Karabakh, over 230 POWs are still unlawfully held by Azerbaijan. This violates article 8 of the above Statement, as well as the III Geneva Convention on Prisoners of war. The Convention establishes the principle that prisoners of war must be released and repatriated without delay after the cessation of active hostilities (Article 118). Not only existing POWs have only partially been returned (total of 64), but new hostages – civilians and soldiers – have been taken by the Azeri forces, who gained the control over 75 percent of Nagorno-Karabakh after the 44-day-war in autumn 2020. Evidence of inhuman abuse and torture of Armenian POWs, has been reported across international media, including ISIS-style beheadings by the Azeri militants of an elderly civilian and soldiers.

A few weeks ago, a petition to release all Armenian Prisoners of war and captives, was initiated by the British Armenian humanitarian group, which has already amassed over 16.500 signatures, and the number is increasing daily. Amid the political and social chaos reigning in Armenia since the Ceasefire of 9 November, it is unclear for distressed families of POWs where to turn for help. 

Maral Najarian’s sister, Annie, has been campaigning tirelessly for her sister’s release since her capture on 10 November 2020. After the Beirut blasts of the last summer, the sisters decided to move permanently to Armenia on 24 August for a peaceful life. The reality for them turned out anything but peaceful, with Maral in captivity in Baku, and Annie alone in Yerevan, trying to survive and to fight for her sister’s release. Jasmine Seymour, is one of the founding members of the group, who held an exclusive interview with Annie Najarian this week, that we bring to your attention.

JASMINE SEYMOUR: Can you please give some background about your family and your life back in Lebanon?

ANNIE NAJARIAN: We are Armenians from Lebanon, born and bred in Beirut, we are a large extended family – I have 6 siblings.  My grandparents were from Kilis and Aintab in Western Armenian, now part of modern Turkey. After the Armenian Genocide of 1915-1923, they escaped their homeland via Syria and settled in Beirut, Lebanon.  My sister Maral is in her 40s, the second eldest among siblings.  She has two children in their twenties and lost her husband three year ago.  

J.S.: Why did Maral decide to move to Armenia?

A.N: Maral came to Armenia a year ago together with her two children to settle down but returned to Lebanon because of the pandemic.  When I made the decision to move to Armenia, she told me she would also repatriate.  We decided to arrange everything and then bring our children.  We came on 25 August without our children. We went to Nagorno-Karabakh in mid-September, then unexpectedly, Azerbaijan started a wide-scale military assault on Karabakh. Our lives were shattered once again.

J.S.: Did you have any idea of the threat of war?

A.N: We had no idea about that.  When we moved to Karabakh, there were 4 other Lebanese-Armenian families with us, more families arrived by mid-September. We were placed in hotels in Karabakh.  As far as I know, everyone went back to Yerevan because of the war.

Sisters Maral and Annie Najarian in Stepanakert before the war

J.S.: What did the Armenian government offer to Lebanese Armenians?

A.N.: We learnt there was a scheme to help people to repatriate from the diaspora to Karabakh. They promised us housing and work permit.  We are hardworking people and we decided to make our home in Karabagh.  We wanted to open a small restaurant or a hairdressing salon, since Maral is a hairdresser.

J.S.: What happened next?

A.N.: On 26 September we left the town of Shushi, as we both suffered from hypertension.  We could not adapt to Shushi’s high altitude, so we decided to settle in Berdzor (Lachin).  We stayed in a hotel in Berdzor, when the war started the next day, on September 27.  

J.S.: Where were you during the war?

A.N.: We stayed for a week or 10 days after the start of the war, but when the bombing of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijani forces started, we decided to go back to Yerevan to stay with our maternal aunt.  Afterwards, we rented a house near Yerevan, but after Maral was taken captive, I have moved back with my aunt.

J.S.: What happened to Maral?

A.N.: We read on Facebook that Ceasefire Statement had been signed, so we called the hotel employee to ask whether we could go back to retrieve our luggage.  Maral went to Karabakh with Vicken Euljekjian, a Lebanese-Armenian friend of ours, a driver.  I didn’t know that Maral and Vicken would also go to Shushi.  Our luggage was in Lachin, but Vicken’s stuff was in Shushi.  

J.S.: When did you hear that they had been detained?

A.N.: We learnt from Facebook posts that Shushi had been taken.  We did not yet know they were taken hostage.  Only a fortnight later we received messages via Maral’s messenger.  Maral’s Facebook account showed she was online, so when we messaged her, Azerbaijanis replied.  They gave contradictory messages, once they said they had killed her, then they said she was alive, they were agonizing us with those messages which lasted for days.

J.S.: What about Vicken?

The Surp Ghazanchetsots–Holy Savior–Cathedral in Shushi after it was bombed by Azerbaijani forces

A.N.: Whatever has been published on YouTube, that he has been charged with terrorism, that’s all we know.  His family still lives in Lebanon and they are looking for him, my family have been more vociferous and actively campaigning for Maral.  We’ve been told to stay away from social media, but I believe if we get media attention, hopefully, they would be more watchful and not torture her.  We were desperate because we didn’t know how she was.  We believe that they have mistreated and abused Maral, that is why the Azerbaijani authorities did not allow the Red Cross to visit Maral until now.

I believe there are good and bad people in every country.  There are people who have a conscience and there are cruel people.  I just hope Maral is in the hands of more considerate Azerbaijanis, but we don’t really know.

J.S.: What about the International Red Cross in charge of repatriating prisoners or war?

A.N.: Following our pleas, the Lebanese government interfered, and the International Red Cross was allowed to visit Maral and Vicken on the same day on 12 February for the first time in three months!  They are kept in the same prison but in different sections.  They reported they are both ok.  We must wait until they release Maral.  After that we will see what steps we need to take.  I am very upset with the fake news being spread, how dare people speak about my sister’s situation without checking their sources?  I am not only speaking for my sister, but for all POW’s, every single one of them must come home.  There are over 230 Armenian POW’s.

J.S.: Do you know if the POW’s are held in the same prison or different prisons?  

A.N.: All I have heard is that all the Armenian POW’s are held in a prison in Gobustan, some 70 kilometers (43 miles) from Baku.  But I have also heard that after being interrogated, some may have been taken to Baku.  

J.S.: Why do you think Maral and the other civilians are being held? 

A.N.: The only reason is that they are Armenian. The more people they hold captive, the more they manipulate the negotiations and get more concessions from the Armenian side.

 ***

After our interview, Annie Najarian confirmed that after ten days, the Red Cross has finally handed over Maral’s letter to her children in Beirut and her sister in Yerevan, where Maral wrote that she was doing well, but had no idea when she would be released. 

A change.org petition has been launched calling on Azerbaijan to release of all Armenian POWs

Following Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s announcement of February 26 that Azerbaijan had returned all Armenian POWs already (total of 64), and that everyone captured after the Ceasefire was a terrorist, the human rights lawyer Siranush Sahakyan representing families of 95 POWs at the European Human Rights Court (ECtHR), and Human Rights Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan condemned Aliyev’s distortion of facts and evidence. In her interview to the Armenian TV H1, Miss Sahakyan confirmed that Azerbaijan was still holding Armenian POWs taken before the Ceasefire of 9 November, that Azerbaijan has previously acknowledged to the European Court. Human Rights Defender, in his turn, strongly condemned Aliyev’s deceitful statement, ‘’I emphasize once again that, regardless of the date of captivity, all servicemen of the Armenian side detained in Azerbaijan, as well as civilians, are prisoners of war by their status’’ . 

The group British Armenian continues to campaign for the families of victims urging world leaders and international organizations to take immediate action to release all Armenian POWs and civilians. Maral is one of them, an innocent casualty, who, dreaming of a peaceful life, happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Notes

[1] http://en.kremlin.ru/events/president/news/64384

[2] https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/applic/ihl/ihl.nsf/COM/375-590006?OpenDocument

[3] https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/12/02/azerbaijan-armenian-prisoners-war-badly-mistreated

[4] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/10/human-rights-groups-detail-war-crimes-in-nagorno-karabakh

[5] https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100017676420633




Hacob and Mina Shirvanian’s Family Continues Legacy By Supporting Gyumri Youth Center

Raffi Khondkarian

March 2,  2021



Mr. and Mrs. Vahik and Alice Petrossian and their son, Chris flank Mina and Hacob Shirvanian during the opening of the Shirvanian Youth Center in Gyumri in July 2016

This summer will mark the fifth anniversary of the opening of the Shirvanian Youth Center in Gyumri, which was made possible by a generous contribution and lifetime of dedication to empowering youth by the late Hacob and Mina Shirvanian.

Since the youth center opened its doors in July, 2016, through the efforts of the “We Are Gyumri” initiative, it has offered after school programs, arts and culture classes, as well as computer and IT training to the youth of Gyumri. One of its signature programs has become the annual scholarships that awarded to local youth. This program was named for Mina Shirvanian after she passed away in 2017.

“We Are Gyumri” is an initiative of the ARF Western U.S. Central Committee

The Shirvanian Youth Center also became a hub during the Artsakh War last fall, when local youth gathered to provide assistance to those displaced by the war and the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh that claimed so many innocent lives.
The center’s activities, as well as the scholarship program, are funded through generous donations to the “We Are Gyumri” committee from supporters and community activists. Hacob and Mina Shirvanian’s family members have been pivotal in ensuring the continued advancement of the center.

The Shirvanians’ daughter, Alice Petrossian and her husband, Vahik, continued this legacy with their most recent donation of $8,000 to the “We Are Gyumri” committee, which will be allocated toward the continued operation of the Shirvanian Youth Center and help young Gyumri residents advance their education through the Mina Shirvanian Scholarship Fund.

In September, the “We Are Gyumri” committee announced the names of the 12 recipients of the 2020 Mina Shirvanian Scholarship, nine of whom were awarded for the first time, while three were continuing scholars. Since the scholarship program was launched in 2015, there have been 34 scholarship recipients, of whom 22 have graduated.

The “We Are Gyumri” committee, which is an initiative of the ARF Western U.S. Central Committee, extended its heartfelt gratitude to Mr. and Mrs. Vahik and Alice Petrossian, as well as to the other dedicated community members who have supported the initiative and made the 2020-2021 scholarships possible.

“We thank you for always supporting our efforts,” said the “We Are Gyumri” committee chairman Shant Baboujian. “Your unwavering dedication also allows us to provide valuable scholarships through the Mina Shirvanian Scholarship Fund.”

The following are the 2020-2021 Scholarship Sponsors:
Carlo & Azniv Bozoghlian
Pierre & Kathy Chraghchian
Viken & Nora Hovsepian
Shant & Tamar Baboujian
4211 Nogales Dr., LLC
Garo & Sossy Eshgian
Angelo & Lori Ghailian
Arto Keuleyan
Hampar & Garine Melkonian
Oshin & Iren Peroomian
Sarkis & Seta Kargodorian
Koko Topalian

The Scholarship Fund, strictly available for residents of Shirak, is designed to encourage the youth in Gyumri to further their education without having to leave their homeland. The annual tuition is $750 per student. To sponsor a student or donate to the Mina Shirvanian Scholarship Fund, please click “We Are Gyumri” or send a check payable to “ACF” to ACF Shirak Youth Center, 104 N Belmont Avenue, Suite 300, Glendale, CA 91206.

The mission of the “We Are Gyumri” committee is to create a positive and lasting impact on youth in Gyumri, Armenia. The campaign restructured and renovated the Shirvanian Youth Center in Gyumri that had been destroyed during the 1988 earthquake. A year-round functional program was created at the center to teach youth in Gyumri everyday skills, to provide them with the essentials they need for a brighter future, and to serve as a bridge between youth in Gyumri and their peers in the Diaspora. As another component of the campaign, the “We Are Gyumri” Mina Shirvanian Scholarship Fund is intended for residents of the Shirak Province to pursue their undergraduate education in their native region.

President to Refer Army Chief Firing Matter to High Court

Samvel Nahapetian

March 2,  2021



President Armen Sarkissian (left) and Armenia’s Armed Forces Chief of Staff Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan

President Armen Sarkissian on Tuesday again did not sign a request by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan firing the Chief of Staff of Armenia’s Armed Forces Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan, who on Thursday called for Pashinyan’s resignation. Instead, the president’s office said that he would refer the matter to Armenia’s Constitutional Court.

Soon after Gasparyan and 40 other high-ranking military officials called for Pashinyan’s resignation last week, the prime minister sent a decree to Sarkissian relieving Gasparyan from his duties.
On Saturday, Sarkissian refused to sign the decree questioning its constitutionality and drive Armenia deeper into a domestic crisis, which has been brewing since Pashinyan signed the November 9 agreement that ended military actions in Karabakh, but surrendered territories in Artsakh and Armenia to Azerbaijan.

Sarkissian instead met with the Armed Forces staff, as well as Gasparyan to discuss the situation. He also held meetings with political factions, including the Homeland Salvation Movement, which welcomed the military brass’ statement.

On Monday, Pashinyan met with Sarkissian at this residence, after which he submitted another decree firing Gasparyan. During a rally with his supporters on Monday, Pashinyan called on the president to sign the Gasparyan’s dismissal.

On Tuesday, according to a statement from his office, President Sarkissian did not sign the latest request and announced that he will refer the matter to the Constitutional Court. He has until Thursday to submit that request.

“The Prime Minister’s substantiations regarding not accepting the President’s objections on the draft decree on the dismissal were studied. Clearly, this situation is a result of existing disagreements – at times with highly personal approaches – among the political and military figures in the war and post-war period,” the president’ office said Tuesday, noting that the president’s objections were also based on problematic interpretations of the law, the practice of applying the law and the potential loopholes in the law.

“In his previous statements the President stressed that a speedy and constitutional resolution of the issue is of primary importance for the security and stability of Armenia and Artsakh and is an absolute necessity for preservation of statehood, for preventing a further division of society, for restoring national unity and public solidarity, overcoming the uncertain situation and reaching a final solution,” said the president’s office in a statement on Tuesday.

“By remaining faithful to his commitment, the President will continue steps aimed at further stabilizing the situation, and, by serving the institute of the president as a platform, is calling on everyone to negotiate to find a comprehensive solution to all existing problems,” added the statement on Tuesday.

Since the president’s actions on Tuesday were not a flat-out rejection of the dismissal request by Pashinyan, the Homeland Salvation Movement called for an immediate meeting with the Sarkissian to address the matter.

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of Armenia member Artsvik Minasyan, in an interview with tert.am called on Sarkissian to reject Pashinyan’s firing of the Armed Forces chief of staff.