Month: December 2023

Iran, India promote new trade route through Armenia

Lena Karagyozian
MEHR News Agency, Iran
Dec 6 2023

TEHRAN, Dec. 06 (MNA) – Iran’s and India’s ambassadors in Yerevan on Tuesday stressed the importance of Armenia’s involvement in a new transnational transport corridor planned by their countries.

“We believe that the communication corridor from India to the Iranian port of Chabahar and on to Armenia and further north, the Black Sea, is a reliable route for transporting goods to the north and to Europe,” the Iranian envoy, Mehdi Sobhani, said during an international conference in Yerevan. “The development of this path will protect our countries against external harm.”

India has built and operates two terminals at Chabahar to bypass Pakistan in cargo traffic with Iran, Afghanistan, and central Asian countries, Azatutyun reports.

It has proposed the Gulf of Oman port’s inclusion in the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) project initiated by Russia, Iran, and India in 2000. The project calls for a 7,200-kilometer-long network of maritime and terrestrial routes stretching from Mumbai to Moscow.

The Armenian government suggested in 2021 that Indian companies use Chabahar for cargo shipments to not only Armenia but also neighboring Georgia, Russia, and even Europe.

Senior Armenian, Indian, and Iranian diplomats explored the possibility of creating such a trade route during first-ever trilateral talks held in Yerevan in April this year.

Speaking at the conference organized by the Armenian government, the Indian ambassador to Armenia, Nilakshi Saha Sinha, welcomed the South Caucasus nation’s interest in the INSTC.

“We are ready to work with Armenia to understand how the country can benefit from the opportunities of this corridor,” she said, adding that the Indian side will make it easier for Armenian firms to ship cargo to and from Chabahar.

MNA/PR

Azerbaijan Seeks US Reassurances For More Armenia Talks

Raffi Khondkarian
BARRON'S
Dec 6 2023
  • FROM AFP NEWS

Azerbaijan said Wednesday it wants reassurances from the United States on bilateral ties in order for Washington to continue mediating normalisation talks with arch-foe Armenia.

The Caucasus neighbours have been locked in a decades-long conflict the over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Azerbaijan reclaimed after a lightning offensive against Armenian separatists in September.

Both countries have said a peace agreement could be signed by the end of the year, but peace talks — mediated separately by the European Union, the United States, and Russia — have seen little progress.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said Wednesday that the United States had "nullified" strategic ties between Washington and Baku, adding: "We don't know why".

"If the United States says our relationship will no longer be the same, that means Washington is pulling out from mediating the Azerbaijani-Armenian peace process," he added, saying a change in posture from Washington would mean Baku could "restore" US-led talks.

The comments came as Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien was expected in Baku for talks aimed at "strengthening ties" and "supporting the peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia".

Azerbaijan has refused to participate in talks with Armenia that were planned in the United States on November 20, over what it said was Washington's "biased" position.

O'Brien last month said Azerbaijan's operation to recapture Karabakh, displacing tens of thousands of people, had led Washington to cancel high-level contacts.

In October, Aliyev refused to attend a round of negotiations with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Spain, citing France's "biased position."

French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz had been scheduled to join EU chief Charles Michel as mediators at those talks.

So far, there has been no visible progress in EU efforts to organise a fresh round of negotiations.

Turkish Press: Azerbaijan needs firm guarantees Armenia won’t try to turn back clock in liberated Karabakh: President

Vicken Chmshkian
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Dec 6 2023
Burc Eruygur

ISTANBUL

In the wake of Azerbaijan liberating its sovereign territory of Karabakh, Azerbaijan wants firm guarantees neighboring Armenia will not try to seek “revenge” or retake land, the nation’s president said Wednesday.

“We need firm, verified guarantees that there will be no attempt at revanchism in Armenia. Why we need it, because we know what’s happening in Armenia, and also we know that Armenia has very bad advisers in some European capitals,” Ilham Aliyev said during an international forum in the capital Baku.

Saying that he need not mention the capitals he is referring to, as this is obvious, Aliyev said Armenia has so far received “provocative advice” but that in the future it might even get “destructive advice.”

Aliyev added said that peace on the part of Baku signifies guarantees that there will be no more wars between the two countries, that Armenia “totally agrees” with the current situation in the southern Caucasus region, and that Yerevan means what it says about Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

He also called on Armenia to “forget about the former ‘Nagorno-Karabakh republic’” and be constructive in delimitation talks between the two countries.

The current Armenian government’s ideology, which he said contests Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, remained the same despite Baku’s victory in the 2020 Karabakh war, he said.

He added that the government also understands Azerbaijan will “crush them again no matter who stands behind them” if they continue to do so, in contrast to the Armenian opposition.

Azerbaijan-Armenia peace deal

On a prospective peace deal between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Aliyev said that the agreement being discussed is some 6-7 pages and is made up of less than 20 articles.

The last remarks Baku sent on the document were on Sept. 11 and they got a response from Yerevan on Nov. 21, he said.

“For such a small document, Armenia needed 70 days … to respond to us. And they responded only after Azerbaijan’s foreign minister publicly disclosed that … So this shows that the side which is delaying the process isn’t Azerbaijan, it is Armenia. Why they delay it, I don’t know … I can only suspect,” he added.

He went on to say that the document is currently being evaluated by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, and that once they comment on it, a meeting of the countries’ top diplomats will be “appropriate.”

He also said that he thinks they should not be preoccupied with the formal side of the peace deal based on cases such as Russia-Japanese relations, where he said the formal peace agreement was “not an obstacle for normal interaction.”

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Azerbaijan liberated most of the region during the war in the fall of 2020, which ended with a Russian-brokered peace agreement, opening the door to normalization.

This September, the Azerbaijani army initiated an anti-terrorism operation in Karabakh to establish constitutional order, after which illegal separatist forces in the region surrendered.

https://www.aa.com.tr/en/world/azerbaijan-needs-firm-guarantees-armenia-wont-try-to-turn-back-clock-in-liberated-karabakh-president/3074659

ALSO READ

Villanova University’s Armenian Students Organization Hosts Teach-In

George Mamian
Dec 6 2023
Isabella, Balian
December 6, 2023

As you read this, thousands of ethnic Armenians are fleeing their homes. News reports claim that the Artsakh territory will cease to exist a year from now, as indigenous Armenians leave their homeland. Villanova is home to a respectable Armenian population, filled with students passionate about preserving their culture, history and identity.

In an effort to spread awareness and cultivate a level of knowledge surrounding this ethnic conflict, Villanova’s Armenian Students hosted a teach-in on the happenings in Artsakh. The Teach-In was sponsored by the Department of Global Interdisciplinary Studies, the Center for Peace and Justice Education, the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies and the Student Government Association. Students also spread the word to a variety of academic departments like the Political Science Department and the History Department, as well as reaching out to various academic centers on campus.

Professor Samer Abboud played an influential role in helping the Armenian students organize this teach-in. As an Associate Professor of Global Interdisciplinary Studies and Director of the Center for Arab and Islamic Studies, Abboud has hosted successful educational events and teach-ins in the past that paved the way for the possibility of this one.

“We are hoping that this teach-in helps Villanovans develop a deeper understanding of the crisis through reference to the historical context as well as the immediate on-the-ground situation that many people are experiencing today,” Abboud said. “The teach-in will help Villanovans identify key questions and issues to think about as they pursue a deeper understanding of the crisis in Armenia and Artsakh.”

The teach-in featured three expert panelists specializing in Armenian history, humanitarian development and advocacy. Students coordinated with members of the greater Philadelphia community and beyond to pick advocates who could provide insight on the topic. The speakers included Khatchig Mouradian, Christine Momjian and Dr. Mark Schrad. At the beginning of the event, the leaders of the Armenian Students Organization, Taleen Postian and Isabella Balian, delivered the opening remarks.

Mouradian serves as a lecturer at Columbia University specializing in Middle Eastern, South Asian and Africana Studies. He also serves as an Armenian and Georgian Area Studies Specialist at the Library of Congress. In 2021, Mouradian won an Honorable Mention Award for his book, The Resistance Network: The Armenian Genocide and Humanitarianism in Ottoman Syria, 1915-1918. Other work of Mouradian’s covers civil war, ethnic cleansing, concentration camps, unarmed resistance, the aftermath of mass violence, midwifery in the Middle East and approaches to teaching history.

Momjian, a member of the larger Philadelphia Armenian community, served on the panel to contribute to the real-life experiences of refugees facing displacement. Momjian has served for the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA), whose mission is to serve the physical and spiritual needs of people both at home and overseas. Over the past few years, AMAA has been committed to meeting the humanitarian needs of Armenians in Artsakh. Their programs reach families in Artsakh who choose to remain in their homeland or migrate to Armenia.

The last panelist, Mark Schrad, serves as a professor in Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. Schrad specializes in Comparative Politics & International Relations regarding Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe & Former Soviet Union, International Organizations, International Law, Cold War, Communism and Post-Communism.

From a non-Armenian perspective, Schrad was able to contribute to the panel and describe aspects of history and build-up to the present humanitarian crisis. The organizers aimed to educate the Villanova community on this often-overlooked conflict and bring awareness and empathy to this issue.

“The conflict and humanitarian crisis in Artsakh today have a historical trajectory that is too often ignored in the brief reporting that appears in Western media,” Abboud said. “Like most other crises around the world, the situation in Armenia and Artsakh is presented in mostly sensational terms and appears on our collective radars for a moment before disappearing.”

“Though the teach-in centered on the Artsakh war, ethnic cleansing against Armenian people and their culture, and the resulting current refugee crisis, the conversations and questions covered are relevant to other current and future international conflicts and crises,” Postian said.

Postian also spoke to the importance of listening to perspectives discussing humanitarian aid.

“Listening to the stories of refugees fleeing Artsakh will make you more compassionate towards other struggles of migrants,” Postian said. “These issues are both extremely local and universal and that is why this event was curated for non-Armenians to attend and learn.”

Villanova’s Armenian Students are hopeful that attendees of the teach-in were able to grasp a deeper knowledge of the humanitarian crisis and spread awareness beyond this event.

https://villanovan.com/24330/news/villanova-universitys-armenian-students-organization-hosts-teach-in/

"People’s expectations of justice have not been fully realized" – Pashinyan

George Mamian
Dec 6 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Pashinyan on the justice system in Armenia

“What is not institutionalized cannot be justice,” the Armenian Prime Minister said during a speech in Parliament about the 2018 Velvet Revolution and the expectations of the people of Armenia.

He asked himself the question, “What is the government doing to establish deep institutional justice in Armenia?” In his opinion, this question is answered by the 2024 budget, in which the government has outlined an increase in funding for the judicial system, in particular, an increase in the salaries of prosecutors, judges and investigators.

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Pashinyan compared the current year’s budget with the budget of 2018, when his team first came to power. He said that in 2023 the funding of the judicial system has doubled compared to 2018. In particular, the funding of the Constitutional Court, the Prosecutor General’s Office has increased, the salaries of investigators and judges have increased.

Prime Minister emphasized that these decisions were made by the government and the parliamentary majority, and all of them are of the opinion that reforms in the justice system should have an institutional character:

“We raise the salaries of judges, prosecutors, investigators not so much for their sake, but for the sake of the citizens to whom they provide services.”

In the list of steps already taken, Pashinyan recalled the creation of anti-corruption courts, the Corruption Prevention Commission and the Anti-Corruption Committee, and an increase in the number of judges.

“A citizen must be sure that if an injustice happened to him, he has the opportunity to restore justice through state institutions. This is extremely important from the point of view of the interests of the development of our state.”

Pashinyan said the government is making great efforts, but still people do not have confidence in the inevitability of justice:

“This is a serious problem that has deep and objective reasons. For example, scenes of suspects being arrested with noise and noise, masks and guns, and then the fact that a few days later people see these suspects enjoying a cup of coffee in a cafe, causes cognitive dissonance in the public mind.”

He believes that investigative and operational bodies should rely more on verdicts when reporting on their activities, rather than on preliminary actions, the outcome of which is not yet known.

Pashinyan believes that the people’s greatest expectation from the 2018 revolution was the restoration of justice and the eradication of corruption in Armenia:

“It is painful to state that expectations continue to remain in place, which means that they have not come true, at least not to the fullest extent.”

He went on that that many people expected “revolutionary justice: sentences in the squares, punishment of specific people in specific ways, what was called terror during the French Revolution.”

He explains that his team made “a revolution of love and solidarity” and promised that “there would be no vendetta.” In his view, justice must be done by institutions that are authorized and operate within the framework of laws and the constitution:

“Otherwise, one person can consider it justice to shoot another person in the entryway, another to break someone’s jaw, a third to take a share in someone else’s business, a fourth to take someone’s property.”

The prime minister said that there are no untouchable people in the country, and this is his personal position and the political will of the ruling majority — that all people should be equal before the law:

“In order to realize this political will, it is necessary to create appropriate structures, a system of responsibility, so that the subjective perceptions of the investigator, prosecutor and judge have neither negative nor positive influence on the course and outcome of the criminal case.”

According to Pashinyan, this has not been achieved so far, as the solution of the problem is also connected with “change of thinking”.

The Prime Minister assures that over the past 5 years the government has implemented enough reforms and has gone for serious personnel changes:

“These steps were taken in order to have the right to expect that justice and fairness will become cornerstone institutions in the Republic of Armenia. Now the ball is already on the side of the institutions implementing justice.”

https://jam-news.net/pashinyan-on-the-justice-system-in-armenia/

Sports: Former Ajax Star of Armenian Descent Aras Ozbiliz Applies to Head Armenia’s Football Federation.

Garnik Zakarian
Dec 6 2023

Aras Ozbiliz, the legendary former midfielder of the Dutch Football club Ajax applying to lead the Football Federation of Armenia.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA, December 6, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ – Aras Ozbiliz, the legendary former midfielder of the renowned Dutch Football club Ajax has taken a significant step in his post-football career by applying to lead the Football Federation of Armenia. With a notable career spanning over 200 matches across nine different professional football clubs, Ozbiliz is dedicated to investing his extensive experience to the advancement and success of Armenian football.

“My aim is to elevate Armenian football, achieving remarkable accomplishments on the global stage. These achievements will instill pride in every Armenian for our national teams, local clubs, and for our bright talents involved in the sport. Taking on the presidency of the Federation offers me the chance to utilize all my expertise to foster Armenian football.”

Ozbiliz articulated his comprehensive strategy which includes enhancing youth football, bolstering professional leagues, empowering women's football, advancing coaching education, fostering infrastructure through investment initiatives, and implementing a wide national footballing model.

Despite the severe injuries throughout his career, a talented player of Armenian descent, left a lasting mark during his journey at AFC Ajax notably scoring a memorable goal against Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2012. He spent several brilliant seasons in the Russian Premier League and became one of the best football players in the history of the Armenian National Team. He amassed 42 international appearances, contributing significantly with 6 goals and 10 assists.

His journey continued across various clubs, including Kuban Krasnodar and Spartak Moscow, Turkey's Besiktas, and loan moves at Rayo Vallecano in Spain and Sheriff in Moldova, before moving to the Dutch club Willem II in 2018.

In the next year Ozbiliz joined Armenia’s Pyunik, took the role of team captain, and in 2022 he moved to FC Urartu.

The candidacy of Aras Ozbiliz for the presidency signifies his commitment to the Armenian football landscape. The Federation’s presidential elections are set for December 23, and Ozbiliz is one of two candidates for the position.

Tatevik Simonyan
SPRING PR
[email protected]
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DIGITAIN PROMOTES ANI MKRTCHYAN TO CHIEF SALES OFFICER

Babken Chilingarian
Dec 6 2023

Gaming platform provider Digitain has announced the promotion of Ani Mkrtchyan to chief sales officer.

Mkrtchyan joined the supplier as sales manager in April 2018 and has served as head of strategy for the past three years.

“Digitain is committed to investing in its people and nurturing that talent,” said Digitain founder Vardges Vardanyan. “Over the nearly six years of being part of the Digitain Family and its growth into multiple markets, Ani has demonstrated exemplary attention to detail, insight, and leadership, putting our partners and customers at the heart of everything we do.

“We are delighted to have Ani join our leadership team as we continue expanding as one of the major platform providers to B2C partner operators in regulated markets.”

Commenting on her new role Mkrtchyan said: “I’m immensely grateful to Mr. Vardanyan for his unfaltering vision in Digitain, mentoring and coaching our people.

“When engineering complex sales solutions for today’s multi-jurisdictional operators, we put partners and our people first and strive for the very best versions of ourselves and for our partners in that delivery goal. I look forward to assembling and building a game-changing team over the months and years ahead.”

 

ow, when Azerbaijani man’s controversial video in Armenia was shot?

Zhanna Nahapetian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 6 2023
H
13:05, 06.12.2023

The National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia (RA) issued a statement in connection with an Azerbaijani man’s video alleged to be shot by him in Armenia. The statement reads as follows:

"Regarding the video released on December 5 of this year by Telman Gasimov, a well-known and ‘serious specialist’ representing among Azerbaijan's expert circles as a military expert and Armenologist, the RA National Security Service informs that Telman Gasimov received the said video back in November 2017 from dual citizen ‘A. K.,’ who recorded a video of the building where T. Gasimov was ‘born and raised’ and sent [it] to him.

 “However, 6 years later, T. Gasimov, by editing that video, adding his voice to the video, is attempting, with cheap propaganda, to spread panicky moods in the Armenian society and thereby increase his ‘importance’ among the Azerbaijani audience.”

An excerpt from the 2017 correspondence is presented below. 


Armenian serviceman fatally shot by Azerbaijani fire

Emil Lazarian

 18:07, 4 December 2023

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. On December 4, around 2:35 p.m., the Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire at the Armenian combat position in Bardzruni village of Armenia’s Vayots Dzor Province.

As a result of the incident Armenian military unit serviceman Gerasim Arakelyan sustained a fatal gunshot wound, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

“An investigation is underway to entirely reveal the circumstances of the incident. The Ministry of Defense extends condolences and support to the family, relatives and comrades of the serviceman,” the ministry added.

Armenian Foreign Ministry condemns Baku’s actions aimed at provoking new escalation

Manouk Vasilian

 19:00, 4 December 2023

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia  has issued a statement strongly condemning Azerbaijani actions aimed at provoking a new escalation, delaying the peace process and bringing it to a deadlock.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry noted that the Azerbaijani side, through provocative actions on the border and rejections of proposals constantly made by various international actors to continue negotiations, tries to impede the peace process and lead it into a deadlock.

"We strongly condemn these actions of the Azerbaijani side aimed at inciting a new escalation, delaying the peace process and bringing it to a deadlock," reads the statement.

On December 4, around 2:35 p.m., the Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire at the Armenian combat position in Bardzruni village of Armenia’s Vayots Dzor Province.

As a result of the Azeri provocation, Armenian military unit serviceman Gerasim Arakelyan received a fatal gunshot wound from a shot fired by the enemy sniper.