Month: July 2022

CivilNet: UN official deletes Armenian Genocide post after Turkish outcry

Babken Chilingarian
CIVILNET.AM

28 Jul, 2022 10:07

  • Azerbaijani forces opened fire on Armenian positions along the eastern section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, as well as on Nagorno-Karabakh’s Taghavard and Karmir Shuka communities.
  • Opposition activist Avetik Chalabyan was released from detention.
  • United Nations General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid deleted a tweet about visiting the Armenian Genocide memorial in Yerevan after complaints from Turkey.

Credits: Ruptly

ECOS launches 60MW cryptomine at Armenian power plant

Badalian Vardan
DATA CENTER DYNAMICS

Company can expand up to 200MW at Hrazdan natural gas plant

 

By

 

Dan Swinhoe

Cryptomining firm ECOS has launched a new cryptomine data center at a power plant in Armenia.

The company said this week that a 60MW mining center has been launched at the Hrazdan Power Plant across a 22,000 sqm (236,800 sq ft) site. According to ECOS’ website the mining facility consists of 12 mining containers alongside a main ECOS building.


Founded in 2017, ECOS has permission from the Armenian government to create and manage a Free Economic Zone to support the development of a blockchain industry in the country. The FEZ zone offers a number of tax benefits for mining activities.

The Hrazdan site, located in central Armenia in Kotayk Province, can reportedly accommodate more than 20,000 mining devices, with the potential to expand to an additional 200MW.

“We have come a long way from legalizing mining in Armenia to launching our own energy infrastructure that is ready for scaling. We want to offer our partners simplicity in everything: from launching your mining business on our data center to daily monitoring of the result in the application without leaving your home,” said Ilya Goldberg, managing partner of ECOS.

Hrazdan Power Plant is a natural gas-fired power plant. Built between 1963–1974, and the first unit became operational in 1966. A new unit was added in 2013. Four older units of the plant are owned and operated by the Hrazdan Power Company, a subsidiary of Tashir Capital. The new fifth unit is owned and operated by Gazprom Armenia. The four original units have a total capacity of 1,110MW, while the fifth unit offers 480MW.

Report on Azerbaijani Crimes Submitted to the UN

Tatoyan Vazgen




07/26/2022 Azerbaijan (International Christian Concern) – This month, a report submitted to the United Nations by a nonprofit human rights organization indicted Azerbaijan for crimes against historically Christian Armenians. The report documented recent Azerbaijani violations of an international treaty against racial discrimination. The Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ), which assembled and submitted the report, compiled the testimonies of returned Armenian prisoners of war, provocative comments by top Azerbaijani officials, accounts of forceable Armenian displacement, and other violations. Miriam Nazaretyan, a lawyer and board member for CFTJ, told CivilNet that the evidence demonstrates that Azerbaijan has continued “to treat Armenian detainees in the most depraved and inhuman ways, incite racial hatred against Armenians, and destroy, demolish, and vandalize Armenian cultural sites including churches and cemeteries.” These human rights abuses are direct breaches of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, a treaty to which Azerbaijan is a signatory. The UN committee in charge of overseeing the implementation of the treaty will review Azerbaijan’s compliance next month.

These ongoing concerns over human rights abuses come as Azerbaijan and Armenia approach the two-year anniversary of skirmishes that escalated into the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, fought between the two beginning in September of that year. Unfortunately, in the post-war period, levels of animosity between the two sides have remained high, and human rights violations have continued. The International Court of Justice already explicitly mandated Azerbaijan’s compliance with international law in a December 2021 ruling, but no enforcement mechanism exists to ensure Azerbaijan commits to change. Despite the lack of practical international enforcement, CFTJ hopes that reports like the one it submitted this month will serve to establish an impactful public record of human rights abuses. Haig Ter-Ghevondian, head of CFTJ’s translation team, explained their goals to CivilNet, “It’s like throwing pebbles in a pond. It’s not noticeable at first, but at some point, you’re going to notice that there’s a mound in the middle of the lake, and that’s what this is about.” While change is slow in coming, the efforts of organizations like CFTJ are indeed critical to bringing ongoing violations of human rights into the light.


 

ERO Los Angeles removes an Armenian with multiple prior removals

Babken Chilingarian

LOS ANGELES — U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Los Angeles field office removed an Armenian citizen with two prior removals. Deportation officers transferred custody of Vigen Patatanyan, 59, to Armenian authorities at the Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, Armenia, without incident, May 7.

Patatanyan, who was unlawfully present, first entered the U.S. Feb. 19, 2000, at a Los Angeles airport on a nonimmigrant visa with authorization to remain in the United States for six months. An immigration judge in San Francisco ordered Patatanyan removed from the U.S. in April 2001.

Patatanyan filed a motion to reopen his case with the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). His motion was denied and Patatanyan was removed from the U.S. to Armenia in March 2004.

On Sept. 15, 2004, Patatanyan applied for admission into the U.S. at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry in Otay Mesa. An immigration judge in San Diego ordered the Armenian removed in February 2005. Patatanyan exercised his due process and filed another appeal with the BIA March 16, 2005. The appeal was dismissed June 20, 2005, and he was removed a second time from the U.S. to Armenia Oct. 5, 2005.

Patatanyan was again encountered by U.S. Border Patrol agents Feb. 9, 2016 in San Diego and he was referred for prosecution for illegal reentry to the U.S. The U.S. District Court, Southern District of California convicted Patatanyan of illegal entry into the U.S. on Feb. 23. On May 12, he filed a third appeal with the BIA and was denied the motion on the same day. He filed a fourth appeal to the BIA and was denied June 20, 2016.

Patatanyan filed a petition with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and was denied Feb. 19, 2019.

ERO Los Angeles deportation officers arrested Patatanyan in the community March 29, 2022, and placed him in custody until his removal to Armenia could be completed.

Regardless of nationality, ICE makes custody determinations on a case-by-case basis, in accordance with U.S. law and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) policy.

Members of the public who have information about foreign fugitives are urged to contact ICE by calling the ICE Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or internationally at 001-1802-872-6199. They can also file a tip online by completing ICE’s online tip form.

 

What is the United States after from Azerbaijan and Armenia?

Khondkarian Raffi

  • Jul 27 2022 12:58 Gmt+3
  • Last Updated On: Jul 27 2022 01:01 Gmt+3

The U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the phone with Azeri President İlham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan separately on Monday.

U.S. top diplomat’s holding phone calls with both leaders on the same day is “noteworthy,” according to Azeri political scientist Turan Rzayev.

Washington is aiming to provide Azeri gas for Europe and to pull Armenia out of Russia’s orbit to integrate it with the West, Rzayev told Jam News on Tuesday.

Blinken discussed “Azerbaijan and Armenia’s historic opportunity to achieve peace in the region,” reiterating Washington’s offer of assistance in helping to facilitate the opening of regional transportation and communication linkages, U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in two separate statements released after the phone conversations on Monday.

Encouraging continued bilateral dialogue between the two countries that have fought a war over disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region in late 2020, Blinken also reaffirmed that the United States

“stands ready to engage bilaterally and with likeminded partners to help Armenia and Azerbaijan find a long-term comprehensive peace,” Price said.

Urging Aliyev to release all remaining Armenian detainees, Blinken also praised Pashinyan for the bilateral efforts have been made with Turkey to normalise relations, Price said.

The United States is currently interested in normalising ties between Yerevan and Ankara, “in the context of providing Europe with energy from Azerbaijan,” according to Rzayev. “Washington understands that Azerbaijan is Ankara’s red line,” the analyst said.

Now the United States is trying to pull Armenia out of Russia’s orbit and integrate it with the West, and for this reason, “the normalisation of relations between Yerevan and Ankara is of utmost importance,” he said.

Turkish and Armenian officials held four rounds of exploratory talks since January, aimed at normalising diplomatic relations, frozen for almost three decades, amid Armenia’s conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenia handed back territories in the region to Azerbaijan as part of a truce agreement signed by the warring sides in November 2020, after six-weeks of clashes. Turkey sided with Azerbaijan in the conflict.

Sports: Otubanjo fires Armenian club ahead in UEFA Champions League qualifiers

Emil Lazarian
Nigeria –
 by Olusola Alao

 

  6:54 am


Former Nigeria U17 international Yusuf Otubanjo scored twice for Armenian club Pyunik to beat F91 Dudelarge 4-1 to qualify them to the next round of UEFA Champions League qualifiers 4-2 on aggregate.

Otubanjo equalised for his side 1-1 in the 24th minute.

He then made it 3-1 in the 76th minute.

Otubanjo lasted for 87 minutes when he was replaced with Gevorg Najaryan.

The forward has played in Austria for LASK, Red Bull Salzburg, FC Blau WieB Linz and Rheinorf Altach.

He also played for Atletico Madrid (Spain), MSK Zilina (Slovakia) and Ararat Armenia (Armenia).

https://scorenigeria.com.ng/otubanjo-fires-armenian-club-ahead-in-uefa-champions-league-qualifiers/

Turkish Press: Türkiye-Armenia normalization: People of border city of Kars want crossings to reopen

Maghakian Mike
Turkey –


Türkiye-Armenia normalization: People of border city of Kars want crossings to reopen

“Mine clearance is of course valuable, but the people don’t use the mined area and don’t pass through the mine area, anyway. Border crossings, the railway and the airways should be opened as soon as possible,” says the former mayor of Kars.
Ruken Tuncelİstanbul – BIA News Desk, Wednesday 

The normalization process between Türkiye and Ermenistan has led to concrete steps.

On July 11, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke over the phone.

After consultations between the two countries, mine clearance work started on July 14 in the countryside of the İbiş village district on the border with Armenia in the Akyaka district of the eastern Kars province.

What does this mean and what will its contribution to Kars be?

Naif Alibeyoğlu, who served as the mayor of Kars between 1999 and 2009, commented on the normalization process for bianet.

The most important gain was the reopening of the border crossings, he said, adding, “Mine clearance is a bit of formality.”

Recalling that they had launched a petition for the reopening of the border crossings in 2001, when he was the mayor, Alibeyoğlu said they had collected 50,000 signatures and nearly all the people in the city wanted the crossings to open.

“Today, the people expect with great hope the opening of the border crossings as well,” he said.

“It shouldn’t be viewed only as a trade issue, the purpose should be to ensure regional peace. The people need peace now. Activities in many fields, such as trade, culture, and sports, will be steps taken towards the establishment of peace. Effort is needed to take these steps.

“Mine clearance is of course valuable, but the people don’t use the mined area and don’t pass through the mine area, anyway. Border crossings, the railway and the airways should be opened for use as soon as possible. These steps must be taken to demonstrate the seriousness of the normalization.”

Kars has been a migrant-sending province for many years due to tensions with Armenia, Alibeyoğlu said, adding, “The population of Kars was 325,000 until 1999. Today, the population of Kars dropped to 225,000. The number drops despite fertility. It’s sending migrants because nothing but animal husbandry can be done in the region.”

“However, if the problem with Armenia were to be resolved, Kars, and thus Türkiye, will make a huge economic gain. Factories left because border crossings and the railway are closed. If the ‘Doğukapı’ and ‘Alican’ border crossings are reopened, the economy will revive again.”

Peoples of Armenia and Kars want peace, Alibeyoğlu underlined, recalling a memory from 1999: “A delegation from Armenia’s Gümrü city had come to Kars and they had invited us to Gümrü. As a delegation from Erzurum, Kars and Iğdır, we went to Gümrü. They showed great interest in us.

“We attended a live broadcast on a TV channel and the Armenian officials had told us that we should look to the future and build a common future.

“When we went out on the street, the people told us that the suffering should be left behind and peace should be established. So, the people want peace but the status quos on both sides don’t want peace because they benefit from this situation and the people pay the price.”

There are many disagreements between the two countries, most notably the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

Armenia describes what happened in 1915 as a genocide and says one and a half million Armenians were massacred, whereas Türkiye says the Armenians died in the conflict during the World War I.

Türkiye also opposes the figures stated by Armenia, saying that the exodus order was not systematically implemented and its intention was not to commit a genocide.

The two countries decided to normalize the relations after Azerbaijan won the Nagorno-Karabakh war in 2020.

Special envoys of Türkiye and Armenia, which had not had diplomatic and commercial relations for nearly 30 years, met in February for the first time since 2009, when the two countries initiated a normalization process that was eventually terminated.

The border crossings between Türkiye and Armenia were closed following the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1993.

Before the closure of the border crossings, the railway between the countries was open for both travel and commerce. (RT/VK)

Russia sends monkeypox test kits to Armenia

Boris Nahapetian
PanARMENIAN
Armenia –
– 15:51 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russia has transferred test kits for the detection of monkeypox to Armenia and several other countries, the press service of Rospotrebnadzor reports.

The department revealed earlier that the State Research Center of Virology and Biotechnology VECTOR had developed test kits to identify cases of the disease, and that testing was available throughout Russia.

“Russian test kits were transferred by Rospotrebnadzor to Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan. In addition, the specialists of Rospotrebnadzor organize special seminars for colleagues from partner countries on methods of laboratory diagnosis of monkeypox,” the agency said Wednesday, July 27.

On Saturday, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus declared the spread of the virus to be a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC), the organization’s highest level of alert. WHO assessed the risk posed to public health by Monkeypox in the European region as high, but at the global level as moderate.

Attacks on journalists on the rise in Armenia

Chatinian Lara


  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Eleven journalists in Armenia were victims of physical violence from April to June 2022. During the same period, 24 cases of violation of the right to information were recorded. Ashot Melikyan, Chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Freedom of Speech, gave these figures while presenting a new report on violations of freedom of speech and the rights of journalists. He also pointed out that no one had been held accountable for any of these violations.

  • International Freedom House group appeals to Armenian PM to hold in-person press talks
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Melikyan further said that from January to March, one case of physical violence against journalists was on record, while in April—June of last year there had been eight.

In Melikyan’s view, these attacks arise from the tense socio-political situation in the country. He believes it no coincidence that the number of attacks on journalists increased sharply in the second quarter of 2022, for it was during those months the opposition and its supporters took to the streets demanding the resignation of the prime minister:

“The period from April to June 2022 was quite busy. The radical opposition organized agitation. And ten out of eleven attacks on journalists were committed during this period. Another incident occurred in the country’s parliament.”

According to Melikyan, during scuffles between protesters and the police, both journalists and cameramen had been injured. Yet there were cases of targeted attacks against representatives of media.

He also elaborated on incidents of non-physical pressure on media and their employees. From January to March of this year twelve such incidents had occurred, and eleven from April to May. In the same period last year, 44 cases of pressure on journalists were filed.

“When the number of attacks rises, other types of pressure decrease,” the expert observed.

Freedom House report on Armenia: Armenia is still far from democracy, despite the fact that “it has taken steps to strengthen it”

According to the committee, from April to June of this year, 24 violations of the right to information had occurred, but a court case was opened for just one of them.

Ashot Melikyan explains that media consider going to court a waste of time.

Furthermore, from January to March 2022, there were 45 violations of the right to information. Melikyan acknowledges that this indicator is thus going down, but emphasizes that the situation remains alarming, as it is still difficult for journalists to receive information from government agencies:

“The situation is really very bad. There are times when the answer is delayed, so they refuse to provide information without any justification or with strange justifications. Not to mention vague answers that do not correspond to the issues.”

Ashot Melikyan brought up an amendment made in early June to the law “On Freedom of Information”. According to this amendment, state bodies that unreasonably refuse to provide information subject to publication face administrative punishment, a fine of 30 to 70 thousand drams (approximately $75-170).

He believes that if even a few of those committing these offenses are punished, it will have a chilling effect.

Regarding the spread of disinformation, the chairman of the Committee for the Protection of Freedom of Speech stated:

“If the authorities deal with the issue of disinformation, there will be much less of it in the media. Very often it is the lack of official information that makes some journalists or the media publish something based on assumptions or rumors. True, often this is done on purpose.”

https://jam-news.net/attacks-on-journalists-on-the-rise-in-armenia/







Hard Rock Cafe to open in Yerevan soon

Karagyozian Lena
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –
, 13:26

 1 minute read

Hard Rock Cafe will open in Yerevan in the near soon. Hard Rock® announced the opening of the brand’s first cafe in Armenia in December 2021.

Hard Rock Cafe Yerevan is located in the historical and touristic center of the city: The Republic Square with the History Museum, Government buildings and many hotels, as well as Northern Avenue – a chic promenade with multiple shops, cocktail bars and clubs – are just a few minutes away. This contemporary restaurant and bar is the first of its kind to have a flair of modern interior design featuring a classy, sleek and uncluttered set up with Instagram-worthy spots for fans.

New Hard Rock Cafe Yerevan is located on Pushkin street, 3-1. The 1000-square meter outlet accommodates up to 290 guests, which consists of both indoor and outdoor dining spaces across two floors and a stage for live entertainment. The upper floor holds the  indoor area and the rock shop. Local guests and visitors to Yerevan can enjoy the one-of-a-kind live music and entertainment from the indoor dining space located on the lower ground floor of the cafe. The highlight of the cafe, is building renowned not only for its unique architecture and location, but also for its history.

Guests at the Hard Rock Cafe Yerevan get to take a walk through the memorabilia walls, of which displays a series of iconic memorabilia from legendary musicians around the globe. Over the years, the memorabilia has become a signature feature of Hard Rock Cafes celebrating unique pieces donated by or bought from popular rock stars from different eras.

Hard Rock Cafe is a chain of theme restaurants founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and roll memorabilia, a tradition which expanded to others in the chain.

Hard Rock destinations are located in international gateway cities, including its two most successful flagship properties in Florida and home to the world’s first Guitar Hotel in South Florida, Global Gaming’s 2020 Property of the Year.