Month: November 2023

Armenia buys Zen Anti-Drone System from India – EurAsian Times

Albert Nalbandian

 13:44, 8 November 2023

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has contracted to buy the India-developed Zen Anti-Drone System (ZADS), a Counter Unmanned Aerial System (CUAS) designed to provide comprehensive security against drone attacks, EurAsian Times reported citing sources familiar with the deal.

Officials who did not wish to be identified confirmed to the EurAsian Times that Armenia has contracted the Hyderabad-based Zen Technologies for US$41.5 million for the anti-drone system order that includes both training solutions and an anti-drone system.

The anti-drone system from Zen Technologies works on drone detection, classification, and tracking of passive surveillance, camera sensors, and threat neutralization through jamming drone communication.

Zen Technologies Limited announced that at the board meeting held on October 28, 2023, it approved the establishment of a Branch office in Armenia to tap the business opportunity, including providing sales, support, and service.

The article mentioned that in 2022 India signed a contract to supply PINAKA multi-barrel rocket launchers (MBRL), anti-tank munitions, and ammunition worth US$250 million to Armenia.

The Haunting 100-year Parallel Between Greeks and Armenians

Emil Karabekian
Nov 7 2023
The destruction of Smyrna and the haunting parallels with the erasing of the entire 
120,000-plus Armenian community of Karabakh. Public Domain

2023 marks the centennial of the Treaty of Lausanne, which efficiently ended the last traces of Greeks in Asia Minor and the Armenians in Artsakh.

By Julian McBride

2023 marks the centennial of the Treaty of Lausanne, which efficiently ended the last traces of Greek civilization and Hellenism in Eastern Thrace and Asia Minor. This centennial has brought trauma for many descendants of the Eastern Thrace and Asia Minor Greek communities who suffered from a genocide overlooked by the entire world.

Today, another ancient civilization has ended as Azerbaijan completed its mission with the erasing of the entire 120,000-plus Armenian community of Karabakh along with the few handfuls of Greeks that lived there in Mehmana.

Much to the ire of the international community, Azerbaijan recently conducted a lightning campaign to finish off the remaining Armenian militias in the Karabakh region. The military campaign forced 120,000 plus Armenians to flee, fearing massacres such as sexual assaults and beheadings documented by global NGOs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and various media organizations.

The fall of Armenian civilization in the Nagorno-Karabakh region marks the end of 3,000 plus years of history in which Armenians endured various empires that often passed through the area from the Assyrians, Greek Macedonians, Romans, Persians, Arabs, Mongols, Ottomans, and Russians.

2023 brings scars to Armenians and Greeks, as the descendants of Hellenes from Eastern Thrace and Asia Minor commemorate a hundred years of forced population transfer under the Lausanne Treaty. In the aftermath of the disastrous Asia Minor campaign, the majority of Greeks in Asia Minor fled in lieu of massacres, which culminated in the Great Fire of Smyrna, known as the final act of the Greek genocide.

The remaining Greeks of Nicomedia, Cappadocia, Smyrna, Adrianople, Caesarea, and other places were transferred to the Hellenic Kingdom in return for the Turks of Crete. Only the Greeks of Constantinople were spared until the Istanbul pogrom of 1955.

Despite claiming to ‘keep the peace,’ the international community and great powers ultimately failed the Karabakh Armenians and Anatolian Greeks.

Russia’s hybrid warfare tactics and disassociating their obligations as ‘peacekeepers’ left the Armenians vulnerable to attack by Azerbaijan with no other true allies coming to aid. As British military support waned, Vladimir Lenin would fuel the Kemalists with Russian weaponry in the Greco-Turkish War.

Western nations have placated Azerbaijan’s genocidal ambitions with gas deals, with examples including the European Union. Likewise, great powers who won WWI, such as the UK, France, Italy, and the US, watched as hundreds of thousands of Greeks were slaughtered in

Smyrna and refused to intervene on their ships to save them because they saw Mustafa Kemal as a new partner in the Western fold.

The Treaty of Lausanne, which replaced the Treaty of Sevres, not only consolidated the Kemalist gains and formed the Turkish Republic, but Greeks were forced to leave regions that weren’t won in the war, such as Eastern Thrace and Northern Epirus.

The trilateral treaty between Armenia, Russia, and Azerbaijan also sealed the fate of Karabakh Armenians. Armenia was forced to cede districts in Karabakh that weren’t lost in 2020, such as Hadrut, and ultimately, the Artsakh Armenians were left at the mercy of a failing Russian peacekeeping mission and the brutal Azerbaijani state.

Smyrna’s destruction and tragedy represented the cataclysmic end of the Greco-Turkish War and the nail in the coffin of 3,000 years of Hellenism in Asia Minor. Smyrna was one of the starting points of Mycenean migration post Bronze Age Collapse, which started millennia of Greek heritage throughout Anatolia.

The ethnic cleansing of Artsakh also represents millennia of Armenian history in the region. Azerbaijan, internationally condemned for cultural genocide in Nakhichevan, will most likely replicate the despicable acts of heritage erasure in Karabakh.

Turkification and forcible assimilation have played a role in the region, and with Erdogan and Aliyev having a greater geopolitical agenda for pan-Turkism, Armenia is now the sole factor in their way of achieving the final goal.

Akin to the Greek Genocide and destruction of Hellenism in Asia Minor and Eastern Thrace, the world has also glossed over the plight of Armenians in Artsakh, who only wanted to live in self-determination away from a genocidal dictatorship akin to the Anatolian Greeks. Today, we say farewell to Anatolia and Artsakh—two ancient civilizations the world glossed over.

Guardians of the Land: Understanding the Genocide Against Armenians in Artsakh

Garnik Tadevosian
ATMOS.EARTH
Nov 7 2023

WORDS BY PATRICIA ONONIWU KAISHIAN

After months of blockade that deprived the predominantly Armenian population of Artsakh of food, medicine, and fuel for eight months, Azerbaijan launched its most recent military incursion 49 days ago. In the last month, 120,000 Armenians have been forced to flee their homes and homelands to escape a second genocide.

The West Asian country of Armenia is the mountainous homeland to one of the longest continuous civilizations on Earth. Following the Miocene epoch around five million years ago, volcanic and tectonic activity birthed high massifs and expansive valleys. Today, the variable topography holds both deserts and myceliated broadleaf forests of oak, beech, and hornbeam. Persian leopards stalk the mountain steppes and arid shrublands of oleander, juniper and yew. Fruit trees—especially pomegranate, apricot, and grape—sugar the landscape. 

 

The landscape is also characterized by a rich Armenian tradition of stonework and architecture, particularly expressed through the construction of elaborate sites of worship, some persisting since the 13th century. Volcanic tuff and basalt, materials derived from the region’s active geological history, are formed into domed basilica and radially segmented cupolas. Pointed domes have been rendered as an ode to the sacred mountain, Ararat, and many mesopotamic botanicals are chiseled into the frescoes that adorn the inner sancta. Sacred carved effigies, called khachkars, are found dating as early as the 9th century. Though Armenia was the first country to formally adopt Christianity, in 301 A.D., the Zoroastrian and otherwise pagan devotion to the Earth is an enduring element of Armenian culture.  

 

There is another component to these ancient constructions, one that is easily overlooked: lichens. Though they cover between 7% and 8% of terrestrial surface area, lichens often go unregistered to the human eye—their quiet ubiquity and often gentle color palettes are the habitat as much as they are themselves in the habitat. Lichens are slow growing and long living and can reveal complex stories about the landscapes around us—about the air, the rain, the lime content of stone, and the longevity of enduring architecture. They are a symbiosis of fungus and algae, of sun and stone; a symbiosis of domed basalt, mountain exaltation, and biological companionship. They adorn these sacred sites dutifully, sometimes the few surviving witnesses to the destructive acts that have shaped the history of Armenia.

 

The Armenian Genocide, orchestrated by the Ottoman Turks (which later morphed into the present day nation state of Turkey), reached a horrific crescendo between 1915 and 1923. About 1.5 million Armenian people were murdered, and many thousands more exiled into Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Russia, and the U.S. Less than 400,000 Armenians survived and remained within Armenia, and the present population in Armenia hovers under three million, with a GDP about the size of Vermont’s. As an American descendent of refugees of this genocide, my relationship to Armenia is one of exile, fragmentation, and longing. But with more than half of the world’s Armenian population living in diaspora, this is a common Armenian experience.

[Lichens] adorn these sacred sites dutifully, sometimes the few surviving witnesses to the destructive acts that have shaped the history of Armenia.

Turkey has never been held to account for the genocide, and genocide denialism is the norm in Turkish society. To speak publicly against the violences committed against not only the Armenians but also the Assyrians, Yezidis, Pontiac Greeks, and, more recently, the Kurds, is to risk assassination or imprisonment in Turkey. The relatively few people in the west who are familiar with the Armenian genocide often regard it as a fixed historical date, some geographically and temporally distant tragedy, an event as visceral and urgent as a grainy photograph. Not only does this fail to account for the world-shifting properties that ripple out generationally, chattering continuously interstitially in our bodies—psychological traumas in family units, poverty, land and language loss, cultural assimilation—but the genocidal agenda of Turkey and its vassal state Azerbaijan is an ongoing project. 

 

[“Who, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?” -Adolf Hitler, 1939]

 

In the century since the height of violence, the cartographies of West Asia and the Caucasus have shifted considerably. Most notably with the emergence of the Soviet Union which enveloped large swaths of West and Central Asia, and then again with its dissolution. What Armenian homelands were already reduced by Turkish colonization became further asphyxiated when, in 1923, Joseph Stalin administered the Armenian region of Artsakh (named Nagorno-Karabakh by Stalin) to the fledgling nation state of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan immediately sought to diminish the indigenous Armenian majority through settlements, creating conflict. Armenians declared independence from Azerbaijan in 1988, forming instead the democratic Republic of Artsakh, a sister republic to Armenia proper. Since the late 1980s, the indigenous Armenian majority population has endeavored to protect their right to self-determination, often through armed struggle in the face of Azerbaijan’s repeated attempts at invasion.

 

Embittered by his failed colonial aspirations to create a pan-Turkic state, Azerbaijan’s kleptocratic president Ilham Aliyev has stoked genocidal, anti-Armenian sentiment in his discontented and heavily repressed populace for decades. This has led to numerous bloody pogroms of the minority Armenian populations within Azerbaijani borders, and ethnic Armenians, no matter their national citizenship, are barred from entering Azerbaijan. Any of the legitimate grievances the Azerbaijani population experiences is scapegoated onto Armenians, as Aliyev fattens his assets and oligarchical power with oil and mining industries. As is true with most genocidal projects, material resources, land, and power are behind the ambition, but the foot soldiers are mobilized psychologically through the construction of a maligned other.

 

[“Our goal is the complete elimination of Armenians. You, Nazis, already eliminated the Jews in the 1930s and 1940s, right? You should be able to understand us.” -Mayor of Baku, Azerbaijan, to German delegation, 2005]

 

In the fall of 2020, this long-stewing animosity boiled over, and Azerbaijan launched a devastating offensive on the Armenians of Artsakh. With 70% of their weapons supplied from Israel, and with the full backing of Turkey, Azerbaijan laid siege to Artsakh with high-tech drones, internationally banned cluster munitions, and white phosphorus, all against Armenia’s largely Soviet-era weaponry. They bombed civilian centers indiscriminately, including a hospital maternity ward. They took both civilian and military hostages and mutilated their bodies, sometimes forcing them to say “Artsakh is Azerbaijan!” and other brutal and degrading acts. They burned 1,815 hectares of forest—to which Armenians are deeply connected—and desecrated burial grounds and holy sites. 

 

For 44 days Armenians resisted vigorously, but ultimately about 4,000 Armenians and 3,000 Azerbaijanis were killed before Azerbaijan forced a ceasefire and the military surrender of the Republic of Artsakh. Collectively, Azerbaijan and their military allies of Turkey and Israel outnumber Armenians almost 100:1. And without vast natural resources or capital, western nations were unwilling to contort themselves into supporting a miniscule ethnic minority group in perennially destabilized West Asia. Most people did not notice, and those who noticed mostly did not act.

I think of colonized and violently displaced people the world over, how not only do we miss the land (even when we have been born into exile), but the land misses us in return.

Following Azerbaijan’s “successful” colonization of Artsakh, Aliyev built a victory park in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, replete with the helmets of dead Armenian resistance fighters, and life-sized caricatures of Armenian soldiers for Azerbaijani children to play with. Turkish President Recep Erdoğan attended a military parade where he proclaimed, “May the soul of Enver Pasha be blessed.”  Enver Pasha is a primary architect of the Armenian Genocide. 

 

[“We will continue to fulfill the mission our grandfathers have carried out for centuries in the Caucasus” – Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 2022]

 

For two years Artsakh existed in limbo. While tens of thousands fled the war, another 120,000 or so Armenians remained, unwilling to leave their homes, their ancestral lands. Azerbaijan made the hollow offer of assimilation into their society, but Armenians rightfully recognize that assimilation is a death sentence. In December of 2022, Azerbaijan grew impatient with the stubbornness of Artsakhis, perhaps having underestimated the depth of their indigenous relationship to place, something colonizers the world over fail to grasp. They initiated a blockade on Artsakh, cutting the enclave off from the rest of the world, depriving the population of food, medicine, and fuel for eight months. Once the population was sufficiently weakened and desperate, Azerbaijan launched its most recent military incursion on September 19, 2023. 

 

The majority of the population of Artsakh—some 100,000 people—fled in a matter of days into Armenia proper and are now living in makeshift refugee shelters. Officially, the Republic of Artsakh will cease to exist on January 1st, 2024. As I write this, Azerbaijani settlers are ransacking Armenian homes, drinking their wine, and burning their family photographs, digging up graves, and sandblasting ancient Armenian inscriptions in the stonework. Aliyev posed with a pomegranate tree in the de-populated city of Martakert, a particularly painful symbol given that an Armenian resident and civilian, Aram Tepnants, had been shot by an Azeribaijani sniper while tending to his pomegranate trees. On October 31st, 2023 The Lemkin Institute for Genocide prevention just released a “Red Flag Alert,” stating a high risk for genocide in Armenia. Emboldened by the world’s limp reaction, Azerbaijan continues to threaten more violence. He calls the entirety of Armenia “Western Azerbaijan.”

 

I think of the now landscape of Artsakh, totally devoid of Armenian inhabitants for the first time in perhaps 5,000 years. What do the companion species feel? What do lichens make of this great emptying? Will they keep witnessing just the same? I like to think of each lichen on these holy sites—trees and stone alike—as nazar, the blue eye-like amulets that protect you from չար աչք (char akht or “evil eyes”). I think of them quietly witnessing, warding, documenting these changes in their tissues. I think of colonized and violently displaced people the world over, how not only do we miss the land (even when we have been born into exile), but the land misses us in return. We are our mountains.



Africa, Armenia new export destinations for Iranian wires and cables

Shushan Frangulian
 TEHRAN TIMES 
Nov 7 2023

TEHRAN – Tabriz Wire and Cable Company – the only producer of wires and cables in Iran – has found new export destinations for its products in Africa and Armenia.

Known as SIMCAT, the company’s exports surged by 410 percent in the first six months of the current Iranian calendar year that started on March 21, compared to the same period last year.

SIMCAT exported 1,348,796 meters of wires and cables worth 1,499,449 million rials in the first half of the past year, but the exports surged to 5,536,739 meters valued at 3,548,428 million rials in the current year.

Along with Africa and Armenia, Turkey, Iraq, Afghanistan, Georgia, and Azerbaijan are among the destinations for SIMCAT exports.

The company has an annual capacity for producing 35,000 tons of wires and cables meeting the world’s standards.

The products are used in mining, cement, steel, chemicals, oil, gas, petrochemicals, maritime, water, and electricity, as well as food and agriculture industries.

https://www.tehrantimes.com/news/491071/Africa-Armenia-new-export-destinations-for-Iranian-wires-and

Armed Israeli settlers attempt to seize Armenian Patriarchate property in Jerusalem’s Armenian Quarter

Shushan Frangulian
Nov 7 2023
Armed Israeli settlers attempt to seize Armenian Patriarchate property in Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter
Ibrahim Husseini
Jerusalem

Armed Israeli settlers stormed the Armenian Quarter in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, 5 November, in an effort to lay a hand on a piece of land following the signing of a murky deal between the Jerusalem Arminian Patriarchate and Xana Capital, owned by Jewish Australian investor Danny Rubenstein. 

Rubenstein carries an Israeli passport and also goes by the name Danny Rothman. 

News of the deal first emerged in 2021. It was contested by a group of Armenian priests who alleged it was done illegally without ratification by the Synod and the General Assembly.

Hagop Djernazian, a resident of the Armenian community and a leading activist against the land deal in question, told The New Arab, "We are fighting for our existence, for the status quo of Jerusalem, we have to maintain a Christian Armenian presence in Jerusalem". 

The deal reportedly pertains to 11.5 dunams in the Armenian Quarter, which amounts to 25 per cent of the total size of the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem's Old City. It includes a vast tract of land currently used as a parking lot, a seminary, and five residential homes. 

Last month, the Armenian Patriarchate informed Xana Capital it was withdrawing from the deal. The deal's cancellation came following pressure from the local Armenian community and Areminians worldwide. 

In May of this year, the Petra news agency reported that the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Jordan suspended Nourhan Manougian from his role as the Patriarch of the Armenian Church in Jerusalem because he "mishandl[ed] culturally and historically significant Christian properties in Jerusalem's Armenian Quarter". 

Under a long-established tradition that has been upheld for centuries, senior church appointments in the Holy Land usually necessitate the approval of the authorities governing the land. Presently, these authorities are Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan.

In a statement released on 6 November, the Armenian Patriarchate said that the party with whom it had signed the contract responded to the cancellation of the deal with "demolition of walls, demolition of the parking lot and scrapping of asphalt pavements". 

According to Hagop Djernazian, following the deal cancellation, about 15 armed settlers broke into the Armenian Quarter and proceeded to knock parts of a stone wall. They also partially destroyed asphalt ground. 

Soon after, several Armenian community members assembled and prevented the settlers from carrying out further damage to the property. 

Activists Hagop Djernazian (L) and Setrag Balian (R) are challenging a real estate deal in a sensitive area in occupied East Jerusalem between the Armenian Patriarch and an Israeli settler.
[Ibrahim Husseini/TNA]

Videos and images show the settlers armed with rifles accompanied by attack dogs rowing with the local community members.

"Danny hired the settlers from the Jewish Quarter", Djernazian told The New Arab. 

After several hours of tense arguments, the settlers dispersed.

Djernazian told TNA that community members had organised to guard the property. 

Djernazian estimates that around 1,000 people of Armenian descent reside in occupied East Jerusalem. 

The Arminian Jerusalem Patriarchate isn't the only Christian Church to become embroiled in questionable real estate deals with Israeli settlers in occupied East Jerusalem. 

The New Imperial Hotel, located in Jaffa Gate and long owned by the Greek Orthodox Church, was sold in 2004 to a right-wing Israeli group known as Ateret Cohanim. The Greek Orthodox Church claims the purchase of the properties was fraudulent and has challenged the deal's legality. However, the courts have ruled in favour of the settlers. 

The New Imperial Hotel is a minute's walk from the property leased to Rubnestein in the Armenian Quarter. Both properties are within a minute's walk of the Holy Sepulchre, the Christian Quarter. 

Where is the most beautiful town in Armenia?

Ani Basmajian
EnergyPortal.eu
Nov 7 2023

Armenia, a small but picturesque country nestled in the South Caucasus region, is known for its stunning landscapes, rich history, and vibrant culture. Within this captivating country, there are numerous towns that boast their own unique charm and beauty. However, one town stands out among the rest as the epitome of Armenian beauty – Dilijan.

The Enchanting Town of Dilijan

Located in the Tavush Province, Dilijan is often referred to as the “Switzerland of Armenia” due to its lush green forests, pristine lakes, and refreshing mountain air. This enchanting town is renowned for its breathtaking natural beauty, making it a haven for nature lovers and adventure enthusiasts.

Dilijan is characterized by its well-preserved traditional architecture, with charming wooden houses and cobblestone streets that transport visitors back in time. The town’s historic center, known as the Old Dilijan, is a maze of narrow alleys lined with quaint cafes, art galleries, and craft shops, where visitors can immerse themselves in the local culture and traditions.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How can I reach Dilijan?
A: Dilijan is easily accessible by road from the capital city of Yerevan, which is approximately 100 kilometers away. Regular bus services and taxis are available for transportation.

Q: What are the must-visit attractions in Dilijan?
A: Dilijan offers a plethora of attractions, including the Dilijan National Park, Haghartsin Monastery, Goshavank Monastery, and the picturesque Lake Parz.

Q: Are there accommodation options in Dilijan?
A: Yes, Dilijan offers a range of accommodation options, including hotels, guesthouses, and vacation rentals, catering to different budgets and preferences.

Q: What activities can I enjoy in Dilijan?
A: Dilijan is a paradise for outdoor activities, such as hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and birdwatching. The town also offers opportunities for cultural experiences, such as visiting local museums and participating in traditional craft workshops.

Conclusion

In the heart of Armenia, Dilijan stands as a testament to the country’s natural beauty and cultural heritage. With its stunning landscapes, charming architecture, and warm hospitality, this town captures the essence of Armenia and leaves visitors in awe. Whether you are seeking tranquility in nature or a glimpse into the country’s rich history, Dilijan is undoubtedly the most beautiful town in Armenia.

What is the oldest town in Armenia?

Andranik Taslakhchian
EnergyPortal.eu
Nov 7 2023

Armenia, a country rich in history and culture, boasts several ancient towns that have stood the test of time. Among these, the title of the oldest town in Armenia goes to the ancient settlement of Gyumri. Located in the Shirak Province, Gyumri has a fascinating history that dates back over 5,000 years.

Gyumri, formerly known as Kumayri, has witnessed the rise and fall of various civilizations throughout its long existence. It was initially established as a small village during the Bronze Age and gradually developed into a bustling town over the centuries. The town’s strategic location along important trade routes contributed to its growth and prosperity.

Throughout its history, Gyumri has faced numerous challenges, including invasions, earthquakes, and political upheavals. However, it has managed to preserve its unique architectural heritage, with many buildings reflecting the influence of different periods and cultures. The town’s historic center is a treasure trove of traditional Armenian architecture, characterized by stone buildings, narrow streets, and ornate facades.

FAQ:

Q: What does “ancient settlement” mean?
A: An ancient settlement refers to a place where people lived in ancient times. These settlements often predate modern cities and towns and provide valuable insights into the past.

Q: How old is Gyumri?
A: Gyumri is over 5,000 years old, making it the oldest town in Armenia.

Q: Why is Gyumri considered the oldest town?
A: Gyumri holds the title of the oldest town in Armenia due to its continuous habitation for thousands of years, dating back to the Bronze Age.

Q: What is the significance of Gyumri’s location?
A: Gyumri’s strategic location along important trade routes contributed to its growth and prosperity throughout history.

Q: What is the architectural heritage of Gyumri?
A: Gyumri’s historic center showcases traditional Armenian architecture, characterized by stone buildings, narrow streets, and ornate facades.

Gyumri’s status as the oldest town in Armenia is a testament to the country’s rich historical legacy. As visitors explore its ancient streets and marvel at its architectural wonders, they can’t help but feel a deep connection to the past. Gyumri stands as a living testament to the resilience and endurance of the Armenian people throughout the ages.

https://www.energyportal.eu/news/what-is-the-oldest-town-in-armenia/453211/

Another New War? Azerbaijan’s Heroes: Soldiers who behead Armenians – Analysis

Maral Takmazian
Protothema, Greece
Nov 7 2023
Author: Newsroom  | Published: November 7, 2023

After Azerbaijan besieged & starved 120,000 Armenians in Artsakh for nine months they bombed their communities – Will the US finally hold the government of Azerbaijan to account?

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on October 13 that in the coming weeks, Azerbaijan could invade Armenia. Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev has threatened Armenia with war multiple times.

Meanwhile, pro-Erdogan media outlets in Turkey are also playing their war drums against Armenians. The headline news in the pro-Erdogan newspaper Türkiye on October 3 refers to Armenians in Armenia’s Syunik (Zangezur) province as “snakes”, “gangs” and “terrorists”. One headline reads: “The new nest of the snake is Zangezur”. It claims that the Armenians displaced from Artsakh (also known as Nagorno-Karabakh) are receiving military training in “terror camps in Zangezur”.

When the Turkish media uses such words, its intent is to prepare the public for an upcoming war against an “enemy”.

See Also:

It’s not just the F-16s, Turkey shouldn’t get any weapons – Analysis

On November 1, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention issued a Red Flag Alert “due to the alarming potential for an invasion of Armenia by Azerbaijan in the coming days and weeks”.

The US government also knows that the next step for Azerbaijan and Turkey is to attack the Republic of Armenia.

Continue here: Gatestone Institute

How Wine Will Put Armenia On The Map, According To Vahe Keushguerian And Jason Wise – Exclusive Story

Meline Chalian
MSN
Nov 7 2023
Story by Jenessa Abrams
When filmmaker Jason Wise sought to make a new film in his SOMM documentary series, he traveled throughout Europe and South America, visiting different wine regions and learning about the unique wines they produce. On a trip to Armenia, he met winemaker Vahe Keushguerian and quickly decided to scrap the project he was working on — instead dedicating a film to Keushguerian's pursuit of bringing Armenian wines into the contemporary wine scene and a larger mission to inspire the world to view Aremnia differently. 

During an exclusive interview with Food Republic, Wise shared that he first learned about Armenia in grade school when he was studying ancient peoples. The memory of his teacher describing the Armenian genocide — but not elaborating on any other aspect of Armenian history or culture — stayed with him. Wise has a bigger vision for the country than one being known for a history of tragic violence. "If Armenia can be known for the wines that are being produced there … it could make people look at Armenia as a tourist destination, a place for food, a gastronomic, cultural depository of history," he told us. Keushguerian shares Wise's belief that bringing attention to the quality of Armenian grapes and the singular flavor of Armenian wine will transform the way people think about the country.

Historically, countries that produce quality food and wine tend to be better known for their gastronomy rather than their political history. That's the goal Jason Wise and Vahe Keushguerian share for using Armenian wine to bring renewed interest, tourism, and global positivity into the region. Keushguerian observed the transformation of Napa Valley in California after Mondavi constructed a now-famous winery and compared it to the transformation of Las Vegas.

"If I take [Napa and Vegas] as, let's say, an indication of how wine can be a catalyst for the changes that follow, Armenia is on the right track," he reflected. "Two hotels are being built, and my winery will be built next year. All of a sudden, there will be people going to the wine country … There is a cultural shift."

Wise envisions that shift as similar to the blossoming interest in Argentina after the success of Malbec. "Argentina has had as much political upheaval and tragedy as any other country, but you think of food and wine when you think of Argentina. Why is that? Argentina has wine and food, and they do it well," he said.

There is great beauty in transforming the narrative around a country from one embroiled in politics into one celebrating its cultural achievements and the culinary elements of its soil. According to Keushguerian, "Now, [Armenians] have their own places, their own cultures of wine … only positives will come out of it, because wine brings out the best in us." 

For more about Armenian wine, check your local listings for a screening of "SOMM: Cups of Salvation."

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/tripideas/how-wine-will-put-armenia-on-the-map-according-to-vahe-keushguerian-and-jason-wise–exclusive/ar-AA1jtdmH?ocid=sapphireappshare&fbclid=IwAR0wgXz0jP8rxylcEm0oRdYxnZW7KdCbTUPF1b3yD6IxDoi4C-7lEx5oLtI





What to eat in Armenia: 6 authentic dishes and where to try them

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
CNTraveller
Nov 6 2023

Traditions in Caucasus kitchens stretch back centuries – so grab a lavash and get stuck in

BY EMMA PEARSON


Eating is more than just sustenance in Armenia; it’s vital to the warm hospitality for which the nation is known. Get talking to any Armenian and there’s a good chance you’ll be invited to dinner and presented with any number of regionally grown and lovingly prepared dishes to savour. To say no would not only be futile but also be deeply foolish.

Armenian cuisine has much in common with Persian and Arab cooking. A typical Armenian dinner table will be laden with a variety of complementing tastes and textures, from smoky barbecued meats and salty baneer cheese to crunchy raw veg destined to be stuffed into folds of traditional leavened lavash bread and enjoyed over the course of several hours. Presented with modest simplicity, Armenian food is a lesson not only in flavour but culture, history and humanity – and there’s no better way to learn than to pull up a chair. Here are six dishes you should not miss.

A staple at every table, lavash is a traditional soft flatbread that resembles a colossal Mexican tortilla. The dough is made from a simple combination of flour, salt and water, though it’s in the centuries-old technique that the magic really lies. The tonir, or oven, is a deep circular cavern that is sunken into the ground with a blistering hot fire at its base. After being rolled and cut on a baking board, the dough is hand-spun like a pizza base before being stretched out over a padded batat, which resembles a mini ironing board. Bakers then vigorously slap the stretchy dough onto the side of the oven where it crisps up in a matter of minutes. Once the bread is ready, it is typically removed by the most senior baker before being frisbeed onto a rapidly building pile. Amateur bakers can roll up their sleeves at Sergey’s Place, a traditional restaurant nestled in a leafy garden in Garni, just minutes from the Greco-Roman Garni Temple and 27km east of Yerevan. Under the guidance of wisened lavash makers Noyem and Nariné, visitors can swirl and slap to their heart’s content, before sampling the finished product with a spread of local delicacies.

Gata is to Armenians what crepes are to the French; fresh, doughy and available everywhere. Devoured morning, noon and night by sweet-toothed locals, the dense, bready cake is a mixture of butter, flour and sugar with various nut and fruit fillings on offer. For a true gata education, look no further than Haghartsin Gata in the grounds of Dilijan’s Haghartsin Monastery, 100km north of Yerevan. Here, sisters Lusaber and Susana run a tight ship, communicating through a series of expressive grunts, which leave little room for misinterpretation. We’re told, via our guide, that we will be shown the technique for making gata once and once only, though the tough masks soon begin to slip as the sisters hoot with laughter and dish out grandmotherly hugs when the cakes emerge hot and golden from the wood-fired oven. Enjoy your handiwork fresh out of the pan while wandering around the impressive 13th-century monastery. The Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, was so impressed during his 2005 visit that he funded an entire refurbishment, though his opinions on its gata remain a mystery.

Armenia’s famously loaded vine and cabbage leaves are packed full of minced meat and rice, stewed slowly in a light sauce and served up tapas style, ready to be thrown back in gluttonous abandon. If you opt to eat in a homestay (which you absolutely should), the range of dolma on offer can be overwhelming, featuring a pick ‘n’ mix of bulghur, nuts, spices, veg and dried fruits. In restaurants, common dolma tends to comprise minced meat and rice with an increasing number of vegetarian options available. For a stimulating way to sample dolma, head to Sherep Restaurant just steps away from Yerevan’s Republic Square. From the open kitchen and live music to the chic industrial décor, the lively space is brimming with character for a tantalising night on the tiles.

Khurjin is a dish you will eat once and dream about for all eternity. The lamb parcel is wrapped in lavash dough to the effect of a clay jar, which is ceremoniously snipped open at the table using silver tongs and kitchen scissors. The outpouring of tomatoes, onions and succulent morsels of buttery lamb is an eruption of gastronomic bliss, creating a molten cascade of flavours unlike anything else in the Caucases or beyond. For five-star khurjin, head to Lavash Restaurant in Yerevan for farm-to-table fare served up in a bright and airy dining room that spills out onto the street. Don’t leave without a wedge of the famous milfey, a towering dessert of crispy layered pastry and silky cream.

Khorovats – or barbecued meats – are served everywhere from fine-dining restaurants to roadside stalls. Seasoned skewers of pork, chicken, lamb and beef are typically barbecued over wood coals and dished up with a parcel of lavash. The Armenian word for “life lived to the fullest”, khorovats  are served at every Armenian gathering, be it a wedding celebration or a birthday party, with waiters regularly dancing as they serve the sizzling skewers. To enjoy a similar jovial atmosphere, few places compare to Tavern Yerevan Riverside in the capital. Here, live theatrical performances are staged regularly, complete with an all-singing, all-dancing cast – though the waiters remain suitably stationary between services.

Though it may seem gratuitous to add fruits and vegetables to a list of iconic dishes, the garden crudités in Armenia really are a highlight of any meal. Outside of Yerevan, the most popular occupation is agriculture, and the quality of locally grown produce is notable and rare. Armenians grow what the climate favours. Food is seasonal and hasn’t crossed continents to make it to your plate. The country is perhaps best known for its apricots, though peaches, pomegranates, plums, cherries and grapes all flourish in Armenian soil. Salads – or aughtsan – are remarkably fresh, with both mixed dishes and raw platters usually served early on in a meal. Perhaps most unusual to a foreign palate is red ruben basil, a highly fragrant herb with a distinctive dark purple hue and strong notes of aniseed. Though served in almost every restaurant, local fruits, veg and herbs are best enjoyed with a view. Zarni Parni Restaurant in Haghpat is 170km north of Yerevan, teetering on a cliffside with rolling green mountains and picturesque valleys as far as the eye can see. Overlooked by an accessible cave fortress and museum, it’s a tremendous way to combine culture and cuisine and a fitting end to your Armenian culinary schooling.

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