Month: March 2021

Armenian President will forward draft decree on dismissing Army Chief to Constitutional Court

Manouk Vasilian
Public Radio of Armenia
March 2 2021

President Armen Sarkissian has decided not to sign the draft decree on dismissing Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Onik Gaspayan, President’s Press Office informs.

The President of the Republic considers it urgent to resolve of the political crisis over the issue of dismissal of the Chief of the General Staff of the RA Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan.

For that purpose, meetings were held with the Prime Minister, Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan and the highest command staff of the Armed Forces. The Prime Minister’s reasons for not accepting the President’s objections to the draft dismissal decree were examined.

“It is obvious that the current situation is the result of disagreements among political and military figures in the post-war and post-war period, sometimes with highly personalized approaches. The legally problematic interpretations, legal practice, and possible gaps in the law, which are the basis for objecting to the signing of the decree, cannot be ignored,” the President’s Office said.

In his previous statements, the President of the Republic had stressed that the soonest settlement of the issue within the framework of the Constitution was of primary importance for the security and stability of Armenia and Artsakh, and is an absolute necessity for preserving the statehood, preventing further division of society, restoring public unity and public solidarity.

The President of the Republic decided not to sign the draft decree.

At the same time, guided by Article 169, Part 1, Clause 4 of the Constitution, the President of the Republic will apply to the Constitutional Court with a separate application with a request to determine the issue of compliance with the Constitution of the RA Law of November 15, 2017 on Military Status.

Adhering to his commitment, the President of the Republic will continue the steps aimed at further stabilization of the situation, calling on everyone, using the institution of the President as a platform, to negotiate to find a comprehensive solution to all existing problems.

Armenian teen stuns the jury at Russian TV show

Arpi Talalian
Public Radio of Armenia
March 2 2021

Armenian Garik Zabelyan, 16, stunned the jury at the Russian TV show “Ну-ка, все вместе!” 

The teenager received an overwhelming majority of 100 jury votes after the stunning performance of Whitney Houston’s Run to You.

“During the first broadcast, 16-year-old Garik Zabelian made all one hundred experts stand up with his amazing voice and incredible performance of the Whitney Houston song,” jury member Sergey Lazarev captioned the video of the performance on Facebook.

Philipp Kirkorov could not hold back tears.

Rep. Pallone commemorates the 33rd anniversary of Sumgayit pogroms

Vicken Chmshkian
Public Radio of Armenia
March 2 2021

His full statement in the Congressional Record below.

On February 27, 1988, hundreds of Armenian civilians living in the city of Sumgait in Azerbaijan were indiscriminately killed, raped, maimed, and even burned alive because of their ethnicity. Hostile, anti-Armenian rhetoric from Azerbaijani citizens and officials instigated this tragedy.

Similarly, on January 12, 1990, a seven-day pogrom broke out against the Armenian population in Baku during which Armenians were beaten, murdered, and expelled from the city. Over 90 Armenian civilians were killed, over 700 were injured, and countless others were permanently displaced by the ethnic violence that ensued.

For over three decades, Azerbaijan has taken steps to cover up these crimes against humanity and dismiss the atrocities at Sumgait and Baku.

Even more disturbing, the Azeri government lauded the perpetrators of this event and similar violent attacks.

Tragically, the Azerbaijani government’s approach toward Armenians has changed little since the Sumgait and Baku pogroms. We saw similar rhetoric right before Azerbaijan’s attacks on Artsakh last fall. Azeri forces, Turkish drones, and Turkish-backed mercenaries conducted an indiscriminate bombing campaign against large population centers that killed thousands of Armenians and displaced tens of thousands more civilians. It also included appalling war crimes against Armenians at the hands of Azerbaijani forces and foreign mercenaries that included beheadings, torture, and other abhorrent acts of violence.

I continue to stand with the Armenian people in condemning the horrific pogroms and in mourning the loss of those who were senselessly killed in the recent Artsakh attacks. It is critical for the United States to recognize and denounce violent assaults against any civilians. If we do not condemn or punish crimes against humanity and ethnic violence, we become passive bystanders, failing to live up to the lessons of the 20th Century and the rights of all human to live free from violence and persecution based on race, ethnicity, or religion. These lessons are especially important as we prepare to commemorate the 106th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in April.

I will continue to work with my colleagues on the Congressional Armenian Issues Caucus to honor the victims of the Baku and Sumgait pogroms and the recent victims of Azerbaijani aggressions in Artsakh. I will continue to condemn all acts of violence against people who are targeted simply because of who they are. I hope my colleagues will join me in rejecting violent rhetoric and intimidation. In doing so, we renew our commitment to achieving a lasting peace in the Caucasus.

Armen Sarkissian’s applying to the Constitutional Court is a mere eyewash – Varuzhan Avetikyan

Mike Maghakian
Panorama, Armenia
March 2 2021

Managing partner at TK & Partners CJSC Varuzhan Avetikyan believes Armenian President Armen Sarkissian's decision to apply to the Constitutional Court of Armenia to determine the constitutionality of the 2017 law “On the Status of Military Service and Servicemen” is a mere eyewash. 

"If you have not got this thus far, let me say everything is clear. Armen Sarkissian in fact relieved Onik Gasparyan of his duties as Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan. Turning to the Court to determine the compliance of the 2017 law “On the Status of Military Service and Servicemen” with the Constitution is a mere eyewash," said Avetikyan. 

  

Armenian president again rejects PM’s motion to sack army chief, applies to Constitutional Court

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
March 2 2021

Armenia's President Armen Sarkissian has again rejected Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s motion to dismiss Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan.

In a statement on Tuesday, the president said he attaches importance to the urgent settlement of the political crisis created over the issue of Onik Gasparyan’s dismissal.

“For that purpose meetings were held with the prime minister, Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan and the military’s top brass. The prime minister’s arguments for not accepting the president’s objections to the draft decree on the dismissal were also examined. It is obvious that the current situation is the result of the existing disagreements, sometimes with highly personalized approaches, among the political and military figures during the war and in the post-war period,” the statement reads.

The president made a decision not to sign the draft decree and will apply to the Constitutional Court with a request to determine the compliance of the 2017 law “On the Status of Military Service and Servicemen” with the Constitution.

Earlier on Thursday, Pashinyan dismissed Gasparyan, accusing him of “attempting a military coup” after the military’s top brass demanded his and his cabinet’s resignation. The prime minister's order needed an approval from the presidency.

Remains of an Armenian serviceman found near one of military bases in Martakert town

Zhanna Nahapetian
Panorama, Armenia
March 2 2021

Artsakh search and rescue squads found no bodies during their operations in the Azerbaijani-held territories on Tuesday, Artsakh’s State Service of Emergency Situations reported.

According to the source, at midday, remains of a serviceman was found by rescuers near one of the military bases in Martakert town.  The identity of the soldier is yet to be identified through a forensic DNA analysis. As the Service, said, the search operations will continue tomorrow. 

To note, since the start of the ceasefire, a total of 1,486 bodies of fallen troops and civilians have been retrieved from the former combat zones during the operations.

Members of Homeland Salvation Movement demand urgent meeting with president

Varazdat Torgomian
Panorama, Armenia
March 2 2021

The members of opposition Homeland Salvation Movement demand an urgent meeting with the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian. As the Movement said in a released statement, they consider the president's position on the Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan quite concerning. 

"In the released statement  by the President's Office the president bypasses the issue to determine the constitutionality of the Nikol Pashinyan's respective decree," the Movement said, adding they demand an urgent meeting with the president. 

To remind, earlier the President's office said that the president made a decision not to sign the draft decree and will apply to the Constitutional Court with a request to determine the compliance of the 2017 law “On the Status of Military Service and Servicemen” with the Constitution.

From fake accounts to edited video: How Ara Saghatelyan became a political prisoner

Vanyan Gary
Panorama, Armenia
March 2 2021

“Political persecution on fabricated charges: a play in 4 acts”: this is how the story begins, with Ara Saghatelyan, a former head of the Public Relations and Information Center SNCO of the President's Office, becoming a political prisoner.

A video report of Tert.am tells how Ara Saghatelyan became the next target of the current authorities for over a year. In the hottest phase of the war, when the fate of the homeland was being decided, a Facebook user named Taron Chakhoyan accused Saghatelyan of ordering the spread of defamatory statements about the authorities. Moreover, the act was linked to Armenia’s former Ambassador to the Holy See Mikayel Minasyan.

It is noted that Chakhoyan's post immediately began to be shared by representatives of the authorities, but when information security experts intervened in the case and showed that Chakhoyan's post was false, the latter had to delete it.

Ara Saghatelyan was eventually accused of being connected with a fake Facebook account named “Gagik Soghomonyan” and was arrested.

Cybersecurity expert Alexey Chalabyan was the first to reveal that the video released by Taron Chakhoyan was fake.

Details regarding the development of events in the video are presented by Ara Saghatelyan's lawyer, information security experts and others.

Russian peacekeepers accompany Armenian pilgrims to Amaras Monastery

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
March 2 2021

Russian peacekeepers ensured the safety of 30 Armenian pilgrims, who were escorted from Artsakh’s (Nagorno-Karabakh) capital Stepanakert to the Amaras Monastery and back.

As part of the implementation of the trilateral statement of the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia of November 9, 2020, Russian peacekeepers continue to assist in the restoration of peaceful life in Artsakh, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.

As a result of the agreements reached, the Christian monastery is now in close proximity to the line of demarcation of the parties in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Opposition MP says he has accepted invitation to meet with Pashinyan

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
Panorama, Armenia
March 2 2021

The leader of the opposition Bright Armenia faction says he has accepted an invitation for political debates with Prime Minister Nikol Pashiyan.

Speaking to reporters at the parliament on Tuesday, Edmon Marukyan said Pashiyan contacted him in the morning and invited him to a meeting, which is supposed to take place on Wednesday.

The lawmaker said he is going to demand that the premier substantiate his recent statement that the army’s General Staff chief “complied with third President Serzh Sargsyan’s order” by demanding his and his cabinet’s resignation.

“As the head of the parliamentary faction, I am going to demand evidence from Nikol Pashinyan regarding his statement that Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan allegedly fulfilled Serzh Sargsyan's orders. I insist that the evidence be published," he said.