May 2021 – Page 77 – Armenian Directory & News

Turkish press: Peace in Nagorno-Karabakh can unlock region’s economic potential: Lavrov

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 Boris Nahapetian

Elena Teslova |12.05.2021

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov (L) and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov (R) hold joint press conference after their meeting in Baku, Azerbaijan on . ( Resul Rehimov – Anadolu Agency )

MOSCOW

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Tuesday that the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will allow the unlocking of the region’s high transit and economic potential, which had been blocked for years.

Speaking at a news conference in the capital Baku following a meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov, Lavrov said Russia will further undertake comprehensive steps aimed at supporting the cease-fire in the region.

"We spoke in detail about the progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement. We have a shared opinion that the key to further normalization in the region is adherence in full to the agreements reached by the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia on Nov. 9 last year and Jan. 11 this year.

“These agreements provide all the necessary mechanisms to support the cessation of all hostilities and are aimed at unblocking transport and other links. This situation has been hampering the high transit and economic potential of this geopolitically important region for years,” he said.

For his part, Bayramov slammed Armenia’s unwillingness to share mine maps, saying 22 Azerbaijanis were killed by explosives planted during the occupational period.

"We see this trend as dangerous and we are watching it carefully. We're ready to turn the current page. Since the occupation situation is over, we can talk about normalizing relations with Armenia. Azerbaijan is taking steps in this direction," he said.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan 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.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27 last year, Armenia launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and even violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

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

A joint Turkish-Russian center was established to monitor the truce. Russian peacekeeping troops have also been deployed in the region.

Russia, US cannot agree on agenda of Putin-Biden meeting

Asked about a possible meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden, Lavrov said there is no news about it and even the agenda of such a meeting has not been drafted yet.

According to Lavrov, the Russian side suggested giving top priority to issues of global security because Russia and the US bear particular responsibility for maintaining stability as the two biggest nuclear powers.

However, the US side does not seem interested, he said.

"They first said that the presidents should meet without any preparation and determine the main directions of our further work. Then they mentioned that it might be better for the experts to meet before the summit. In general, there is a lot of uncertainty here, and with a generally positive attitude to this initiative, we are studying all aspects related to it," he added.

Asbarez: Baku Admits Killing Armenian Captives, POWs

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 John Hovhannisian

Armenian soldiers

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov admitted that the country’s forces killed Armenians after the November 9 agreement, claiming that the Armenians who were killed or arrested entered Azerbaijani territory “illegally.”

“The incidents related to the illegal entry of Armenian servicemen into the territory of Azerbaijan at the end of November last year, the death and wounding of Azerbaijani servicemen in December are a war crime committed against Azerbaijan. As a result of the operations carried out by the Azerbaijani special services, some of the Armenian servicemen who carried out provocative and subversive operations were killed and some were arrested. Investigations into the incidents are under way,” Bayramov said Tuesday.

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan on Wednesday said that Bayramov’s statement grossly violate of international law.

“The reality is that there is an ongoing, open armed conflict. From the point of view of international [humanitarian] law, this means that regardless of whether or not they were taken captive (prisoners of war) after the November 9, 2020 tripartite declaration, they are prisoners of war, captives by legal status; they should be released immediately, without preconditions,” Tatoyan said.

“Azerbaijan is artificially delaying the issue by openly abusing legal processes, presenting them as terrorists and using detention as punishment, in violation of international rules,” added Tatoyan, who emphasized that among the international requirements being ignored by Azerbaijan was the 1949 Geneva Convention.

Tatoyan’s own monitoring efforts, as well as the results of the investigation of the complaints received continuously confirm that the Azerbaijani authorities, in gross violation of international requirements, artificially delay the release of the Armenian captives, and deliberately does not disclose the actual number of prisoners.

“The absolute urgency with respect to the issue of the release and return of captives must be considered in the context of the policy of hate speech and Armenophobia by Azerbaijani authorities,” the Human Rights Defender said.

Freedom House Urges Baku to Allow Investigation in Armenian POW Torture Claims

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 Lara Antonian

Freedom House has ranked Azerbaijan as a “Not Free” country in 2020 and 2021

The fate of nearly 200 Armenians reportedly in Azerbaijani custody remains unclear amid reports of abuse and humiliation, months after their return was mandated in a cease-fire ending the two countries’ armed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, Freedom House said in a statement on Wednesday.

The statement issued by Freedom House came in response to reports of abuse of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives detained by Azerbaijan.

“We are deeply concerned by the reports of dehumanizing treatment and abuse, including torture, of Armenians captured and detained by Azerbaijan after the recent armed conflict,” said Marc Behrendt, director of Europe and Eurasia programs at Freedom House.

“We urge the Azerbaijani authorities to fully cooperate with the efforts of the European Court of Human Rights to investigate the validity of reports of dehumanizing treatment of Armenian detainees regardless of their status and ensure those still in custody are provided with all protections required under international human rights and humanitarian law, including freedom from torture and inhuman treatment, and that details of their repatriation are provided,” added Behrendt.

“As a signatory of the European Convention on Human Rights, Azerbaijan is obligated to fully cooperate with the court and provide all requested information to facilitate a transparent investigation of these serious issues,” explained Behrendt.

By the end of February 2021, Armenia’s Representative Office at the European Court of Human Rights had asked the court to intervene with Azerbaijan regarding 240 cases of alleged prisoners of war and civilian detainees. In approximately 90 percent of those cases, the office said, they had provided photo and/or video evidence confirming that Azerbaijani forces had taken these people into custody.

Official Baku insists that Armenians that are currently being held captive in Azerbaijan were arrested following the November 9 agreement and are being treated as terrorists.

In its 2021 and 2020 annual reports, Freedom House rated Azerbaijan as “not free” state and this year also categorized Azerbaijan as “Consolidated Authoritarian Regime.”

Armenpress: Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 11-05-21

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 Vanyan Gary

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 11-05-21

17:34,

YEREVAN, 11 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 11 May, USD exchange rate down by 0.27 drams to 522.10 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.23 drams to 635.08 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 7.06 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.81 drams to 737.78 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 49.53 drams to 30893.62 drams. Silver price up by 5.81 drams to 465.56 drams. Platinum price up by 375.28 drams to 21267.74 drams.

Armen Sarkissian sends condolence letter to Vladimir Putin over Kazan tragedy

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 Zhanna Nahapetian

18:51,

YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a condolence letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of the tragic incident in Kazan.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President's Office, President Sarkissian expressed deep condolences over the horrifying tragedy that took place in one of the schools of Kazan, addressed words of sympathy to the relatives of the victims and wished speedy recovery to the injured.

Death toll in Israel’s strikes on Gaza rises to 35

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 David Nargizian

10:14,

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. The number of people killed by Israeli missile strikes in the Gaza Strip since Monday has risen to 35, TASS reports citing the Al Mamlaka TV channel.

According to the coastal enclave’s health ministry, Israeli strikes killed three Palestinians on Wednesday night. Earlier, 15 people were killed on Tuesday. The overall death toll since Monday stands at 35, including one woman and 12 children.

The number of injured Gaza residents has reached 233.

Israeli missiles struck the coastal enclave in response to rocket launches by Palestinian radicals. The Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades (the military wing of the radical Hamas movement that controls the Gaza Strip) said it had launched over 200 rockets at Israel’s Tel Aviv and Beersheba late on Tuesday and early on Wednesday. Five Israelis are said to have been killed.

An exchange of missile strikes between Israel and Palestinian radicals from the Gaza Strip followed an outburst of unrest near the Al-Aqsa mosque in Jerusalem’s Old City in early May. More than 700 people have been hurt in riots in recent days. Clashes between the Palestinians and the Israeli police were triggered by an Israeli court ruling to seize dwelling houses in the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood from Arab families who have been living there for more than 50 years in favor of Jewish resettlers who had reportedly owned these buildings before 1948. The houses allocated by Jordan as the custodian of Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem are located some 500 meters from Al-Aqsa.

Armenia’s caretaker PM sends congratulatory messages on Eid al-Fitr religious holiday

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 Greg Madatian

10:48,

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. On the occasion of Eid al-Fitr ("Festival of Breaking the Fast") religious holiday, Armenia’s caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has sent congratulatory messages to the King of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the President and the Prime Minister of the Arab Republic of Egypt, the Syrian President, the Vice President of the United Arab Emirates, the Prime Minister of Tunisia, the Iraqi Prime Minister, the Prime Minister of Lebanon, the Emir and the Prime Minister of Kuwait and the Sultan of Oman, wishing them good health and success, Pashinyan’s Office told Armenpress.

Nikol Pashinyan wished peace and welfare to the friendly nations of all those countries and highlighted the development of the bilateral cooperation.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia receives new batch of Sputnik V vaccine

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 Vanyan Gary

10:52,

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. The second batch consisting of 14000 doses of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine against COVID-19 was brought to Armenia, the health ministry said.

Armenia is using Sputnik V to inoculate under 54 health workers and other at-risk persons, while the AstraZeneca vaccine is available to all adults willing to take it.

Vaccinations are carried out every day in all polyclinics. Mobile vaccination sites have been deployed to public areas, such as the Northern Avenue, the Dalma Garden Mall and Megamall shopping centers in Yerevan, the Vardanants Plaza in Gyumri, the Hayk Plaza in Vanadzor and nearby the Dilijan City Hall.

Foreign nationals are also eligible to get the vaccine.

The vaccination is free of charge.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Global COVID-19 case count down 4% in past week — WHO

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 Vardan Badalian

11:17,

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Over 5.5 million novel coronavirus cases and over 90,000 deaths were registered worldwide in the past week, which is 4% less than during the previous seven-day period, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a weekly bulletin released in Geneva early on Wednesday, reports TASS news agency.

“The number of new COVID-19 cases and deaths globally decreased slightly this week, with over 5.5 million cases and over 90 000 deaths”, the organization said in its COVID-19 Weekly Epidemiological Update. “Case and death incidence, however, remains at the highest level since the beginning of the pandemic”.

On May 3-9, the global organization was informed about 5,517,602 new cases all over the world, and 90,242 COVID-related deaths. As of May 9, a total of 157,362,408 cases of the infection and 3,277,834 COVID-related fatalities were reported worldwide.

The most noticeable growth in cases (up 6%) was registered in Southeast Asia, which, according to the WHO classification also includes India. Cases declined by 23% in Europe, by 13% in Eastern Mediterranean, by 5% in Africa, by 4% in North and South America.

Mortality spiked in Western Pacific (up 34%) and Southeast Asia (up 15%), but declined in Europe (down 18%), Eastern Mediterranean (down 13%), North and South America (down 4%) and Africa (down 3%).

In the past seven days, over 919,000 people contracted the infection in Europe, over 19,000 patients died. The number of cases in North and South America increased by over 1.2 million in the reported period, while fatalities grew by 33,000. In Southeast Asia, doctors registered over 2.8 million new cases of the novel coronavirus, over 28,000 patients died.

India accounts for the majority of cases registered on May 3 – May 9 (2.7 million new cases), followed by Brazil (over 423,000 new cases), the United States (over 334,000), Turkey (over 160,000), Argentina (over 140,000), Iran (over 124,000), France (over 122,000), Colombia (over 108,000), Germany (over 103,000), Italy (over 67,000) and Russia (over 57,000).

2022 Aurora Prize nominations are open

May 13, 2021May 13, 2021 Garik Boshkezenian

11:50,

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative announced the opening of the nomination period for the 2022 Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity and called for putting forward inspiring humanitarians from across the globe. The announcement was made during a special event at the Matenadaran, where the names of 2021 Aurora Humanitarians were also revealed in accordance with the tradition, the IDeA Foundation told Armenpress.

The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is a global humanitarian award, whose mission is to recognize and support those who risk their own lives, health or freedom to save the lives, health or freedom of others suffering as a result of violent conflict, atrocity crimes or other major human rights violations. On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, an Aurora Prize Laureate receives a US $1,000,000 award and a unique opportunity to continue the cycle of giving by supporting the organizations that help people in need. “Being named the 2020 Aurora Prize Laureates has helped us immensely – it added value to our efforts and opened so many doors for us to further increase our impact. In our line of work, support means so much. That is why we encourage everyone, wherever they may live, to nominate the people who inspire them for this award. You never know, it might just be the help your hero or heroine needs right now,” said Ilwad Elman who leads the Elman Peace and Human Rights Centre in Somalia together with her mother Fartuun Adan. Fartuun Adan and Ilwad Elman became the Aurora Prize Laureates in 2020, after being chosen among other 585 unique candidates nominated for the Prize.

Until October 31, 2021, any person can submit a nomination for candidates they believe have overcome great personal challenges to help others. Each nomination is reviewed by a panel of professionals and experts in the humanitarian field. The Aurora Humanitarians and the Prize Laureate are then chosen from the shortlisted nominees by the Aurora Prize Selection Committee comprised of Noble Prize Laureates, former high officials and global human rights activists. A more detailed description of the Aurora Prize criteria and selection process is available here.

The 2022 Aurora Humanitarians (Finalists) will be announced on April 24, 2022.

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About the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is a foundation that seeks to address on-the-ground humanitarian challenges around the world with the focus on helping the most destitute. Its mission is rooted in the Armenian history as the Initiative was founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors and strives to transform this experience into a global movement.

All Aurora’s activities are based on the universal concept of Gratitude in Action. It implies that countless people around the world who have received aid in time of crisis can best express their gratitude by offering similar assistance to someone else. By involving Aurora supporters around the world, this will become a global endeavor that will snowball to expand the circle of saviors and most importantly – the number of those saved.

Addressing urgent humanitarian challenges, the Initiative provides a second chance to those who need it the most. True to its vision – “We believe that even in the darkest times, a brighter future is in the hands of those who are committed to giving others help and hope” – Aurora welcomes all who embrace this philosophy.

This eight-year commitment (2015 to 2023, in remembrance of the eight years of the Armenian Genocide 1915-1923) aims to promote action-based philanthropy focused on tangible results. This is achieved through the Initiative’s various programs: Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity, Aurora for Artsakh, #AraratChallenge movement, Aurora Dialogues, Aurora Grants, Aurora Community, Aurora Index, and the 100 LIVES Initiative.

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is the vision of philanthropists Vartan Gregorian (1934-2021), Noubar Afeyan and Ruben Vardanyan who have been joined by thousands of supporters and partners. Aurora’s Chair, Dr. Tom Catena, draws on his experience as a surgeon, veteran, humanitarian and the 2017 Aurora Prize laureate to spread the message of Gratitude in Action to a global audience.

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative is represented by three organizations – the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Foundation, Inc. (New York, USA), the 100 Lives Foundation (Geneva, Switzerland) and the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative Charitable Foundation (Yerevan, Armenia).

About the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity

The Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity is a global humanitarian award. Its mission is to recognize and support those who risk their own lives, health or freedom to save the lives, health or freedom of others suffering as a result of violent conflict, atrocity crimes or other major human rights violations. The Aurora Prize Laureate is selected based on the nominee’s demonstration of courage, commitment and impact.

On behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, an Aurora Prize Laureate is honored each year between 2015 and 2023 (in remembrance of the eight years of the Armenian Genocide 1915-1923) with a US $1,000,000 award, which gives the Laureate a unique opportunity to continue the cycle of giving and to support the organizations that have inspired their humanitarian action.

The Aurora Prize Selection Committee is comprised of Nobel Laureates Shirin Ebadi and Leymah Gbowee; former president of Ireland Mary Robinson; human rights activist Hina Jilani; former president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo; Médecins Sans Frontières Co-founder and former foreign minister of France Bernard Kouchner; former CEO of Unilever and Co-founder and Chair of IMAGINE Paul Polman; human rights activist and Co-founder of The Sentry John Prendergast and President of the Carnegie Corporation of New York Vartan Gregorian (1934 – 2021). The Committee is chaired by the Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London Lord Ara Darzi.

World famous peace and human rights activist Benjamin Ferencz and Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian George Clooney are the Committee’s Honorary Co-Chairs, and its honorary members include two-time President of Costa Rica and Nobel Laureate Oscar Arias; Artistic and General Director of Mariinsky Theatre and Principal Conductor of the Munich Philharmoniker Valery Gergiev and former foreign minister of Australia and President Emeritus of the International Crisis Group Gareth Evans.

We honor the memory of Elie Wiesel (1928-2016), inaugural Selection Committee Co-Chair, President of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity; Nobel Laureate.