California Courier Online, June 29, 2026

Karakhanian Suren News
California
Courier Online, June 29, 2026

1- Aliyev Escalated to the UN, His Demand

To Resettle 300,000 Azeris in Armenia

By Harut
Sassounian

TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- European Union report Freezes Turkey’s Membership Bid, Citing Authoritarianism

3- Armenia Hires Tricuro PR Firm for $40,000
4- Melonpan: A Japanese Bun with Armenian Roots
5- Iraq names Krikor Der-Hagopian as first Armenian Christian ambassador to US
6- Houses Are Being Built on the Armenian Cemetery in Kharpert
7- Azeri employee stole $128,000 from US Embassy in Baku

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1- Aliyev Escalated to the UN, His Demand

To Resettle 300,000 Azeris in Armenia
By Harut Sassounian
TheCaliforniaCourier.com

With each passing day, the Government of Azerbaijan is tightening the screws on Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an effort to extort more concessions from Armenia.

Pashinyan and Aliyev have two different reasons for raising the issue of the so-called peace plan.

Pashinyan’s goal was to secure Armenians’ votes in the June 7 parliamentary elections and hold on to power by misleading them into thinking that he had achieved peace.

Aliyev, on the other hand, has a completely different objective. He is in no rush to finalize a peace deal with Armenia. Seeing that Pashinyan is eagerly accepting all of his demands, Aliyev is pressing for additional concessions, such as the return of the former Azeri enclaves within Armenia, the acquisition of new Armenian territories under the guise of “delimiting and demarcating” the border between the two countries, changing Armenia’s constitution, and securing the resettlement of 300,000 Azeris in Armenia.

To carry out the resettlement of Azeris, Aliyev has taken several important steps:

1. Formed and funded an organization called the “Community of Western Azerbaijan”.

2. Insisted that Armenia has no choice but to accept the return of 300,000 Azeris.

3. Promoted the resettlement plan by arranging for visiting foreign officials to meet with the “Community of Western Azerbaijan” Board.

4. Organized conferences around the world, including one held last week in the halls of the U.S. Congress.

However, most Armenians are not aware that Aliyev has initiated a much more significant effort by circulating two “Community of Western Azerbaijan” appeals to all members of the United Nations on January 17, 2023 (three pages) and March 14, 2023 (nine pages), seeking the support of the international community for his resettlement plan.

In the January 17 appeal, Azerbaijan asked the UN General Assembly and Security Council to pressure “the Government of Armenia to enable, within an international process, the safe and dignified return of ethnic Azerbaijanis to their homes in Armenia,” and to guarantee “their collective and individual rights after their return.”

Azerbaijan’s appeal accused Armenia of committing “violence, massacres, and other crimes against humanity and human rights violations,” claiming that “this process was especially violent and cruel in 1905–06, 1918–21, 1948–53, and 1988–91.”

How can Azerbaijan accuse Armenia of committing mass violence against ethnic Azeris in 1905-06, since the Republic of Armenia did not exist at that time. The other listed periods are also based on false claims, as Azerbaijan is accusing Armenia of atrocities that were, in fact, committed by Azeris against Armenians in Baku, Nakhichevan, Sumgait, and Artsakh. Azeris living in Soviet Armenia between 1988 and 1991 left the country voluntarily after selling their houses and belongings. The Azeri appeal also accuses Armenia of demolishing mosques and graveyards. Azerbaijan itself destroyed thousands of ancient khachkars, churches and other Armenian monuments in Nakhichevan, as well as dozens of religious and cultural monuments in Artsakh.

However, instead of criticizing the government of Azerbaijan for its hostile “Western Azerbaijan” agenda, Pashinyan has claimed that the Armenian opposition provoked Aliyev to raise the issue of the resettlement of Azeris in Armenia by talking about the right of Armenian refugees to return to Artsakh. Pashinyan is wrong because Azerbaijan confirmed in its UN appeal that the “Community of Western Azerbaijan” was initiated in 1989 as “Society of Azerbaijani Refugees,” long before the expulsion of Artsakh Armenians in 2023.

Incredibly, Pashinyan dismissed Aliyev’s plan to bring 300,000 Azeris to Armenia. However, it is hard to trust the words of someone who once declared, “Artsakh is Armenia, period,” and later stated, “Artsakh is Azerbaijan.”

Moving 300,000 Azeris to Armenia would be a total disaster for the Republic of Armenia. Here is why:

1. Any minor altercation between a resettled Azeri and a local Armenian could be used as a pretext for Azerbaijan to send its troops into Armenia under the guise of protecting its own people. The appeal to the UN stated that the Azeri “Community does not trust this State [Armenia] in security matters.” It seeks protection for Azeri settlers from Azerbaijan’s military or other foreign troops, possibly including Turkey.

2. The Azeri appeal to the UN also stated that, after the Azeris settle in Armenia, they must “have equal rights [to] enable them to study in their mother tongue and use the Azerbaijani language in the legislative, executive and judicial branches of the Government.” They would demand their own schools, mosques, community centers, and police force. As a result, a large number of Azeri language teachers and imams would be brought to Armenia. The UN appeal added that “Azerbaijanis shall be entitled to form local security forces and take an appropriate role in courts.”

3. The resettled Azeris would have the right to vote and elect their own representatives to the Armenian Parliament, resulting in laws that would protect their interests.

4. Armenian history books would be altered so as “not to offend” the sensitivities of Azeri students regarding the history of Artsakh and Christianity.

5. The UN appeal demanded that “the Government of Armenia ensure the return of property and community lands belonging to Azerbaijanis and pay compensation for property damage and losses caused by preventing the use of such property.”

6. The Azeri appeal also demanded that “Armenia cease its policy and practice of instilling hatred and discrimination against Azerbaijanis, hand over those who have committed crimes against Azerbaijanis to the court of justice, immediately cease glorifying them, demolish monuments to military and political figures and terrorists who took part in crimes against Azerbaijanis, and reverse the changes to toponyms.”

No one should be surprised if Aliyev soon adds the return of 300,000 Azeris to his long list of preconditions for signing a peace agreement.

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2- European Union report Freezes Turkey’s Membership Bid, Citing Authoritarianism 

A new European Union report has delivered a harsh assessment of Turkey’s long-stalled accession process, concluding that Ankara’s path toward EU membership should remain frozen. According to the report, Turkey has moved further away from European democratic standards, raising serious concerns over the rule of law, human rights, and democratic institutions.
When Recep Tayyip Erdoğan first came to power in 2003, many in Europe—including Greece—believed that he would transform Turkey into a modern, secular, and democratic state capable of integrating into the European family. More than two decades later, those expectations have largely faded.
European officials increasingly argue that Turkey is not only drifting away from the values on which the European Union is built, but also shows little genuine interest in pursuing the reforms required for membership. Concerns over restrictions on freedom of _expression_, judicial independence, and political pluralism continue to dominate EU assessments.
For many policymakers in both Athens and Brussels, Turkey’s current political trajectory is fundamentally incompatible with the principles and standards expected of EU member states. As a result, Turkey’s accession negotiations remain effectively frozen, with no clear prospect of progress in the foreseeable future.

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3- Armenia Hires Tricuro PR Firm for $40,000

By Kevin McCauley

odwyerpr.com

Armenia’s US embassy has hired Tricuro LLC for strategic communications, PR, media relations and assorted advisory services.

According to its letter to ambassador Narek Mkrtchyan, Tricuro will assist the embassy in strengthening the country’s international communications and raising its visibility among investors, media and other influential audiences.

Tricuro will get involved in strategic messaging; pitch Tier 1 media outlets in the US and where appropriate in Europe, Middle East and Asia; prepare opinion articles; forge a podcast strategy; handle social activities; and support events.

The contract, which runs from May 13 to August 12, carries a $40K fee. At the expiration of the pact, both parties will discuss whether to continue the relationship..

Tricuro principal David Sowells handles the effort. He was a senior executive at Bell Pottinger and FleishmanHillard; served as PA director at CNN International and AOL Time Warner Europe; and was VP of the UK Satellite and Cable Broadcasters Group.

Earlier this month, Armenia and the US signed the framework for the Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity, which is supposed to promote peace and trade in the South Caucasus region.

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By KHATUNA KONJARIA
sovanews.tv

According to a well-known conspiracy theory, Armenians invented everything in the world. This opinion is also frequently voiced under our videos. And since parliamentary elections recently concluded in Armenia and Yerevan is on everyone’s lips these days, I decided to share an unexpected fact with you. So, make yourself comfortable, open up your piggy bank of Caucasian achievements, and get ready to add a new treasure to it.

“Oh, East is East, and West is West, and never the twain shall meet” — many know this iconic line by Rudyard Kipling. And yet, in the 1910s, the refined Japanese culture and the culinary genius of an Armenian baker met in Tokyo. A former baker to the House of Romanov left a Russia torn apart by revolution and brought the secrets of European pastry to the Land of the Rising Sun. And then, magic happened: Ivan Sagoyan created the ultimate confectionery symbol of modern Japan.

Melonpan, or melon bun, is the ultimate hit of Japanese street food and a part of the Japanese DNA. It constantly pops up in anime, manga, and J-dramas. The pastry is made from soft sweet dough covered with a crispy, cookie-like top layer. The bun got its “melon” name from its grid-like pattern, which resembles the rind of a melon.

Today, you can buy it literally anywhere in Japan, with different prefectures offering their own variations. But if you are a traditionalist and ever find yourself in Tokyo, visit a bakery called Monsieur Ivan in the Tachikawa area. Its current owner is a disciple of a master who, in turn, was a devoted apprentice of Sagoyan.

Born Hovhannes Gavenian, he was originally from Erzurum in Turkey. From an early age, he worked as a baker, then emigrated to the Russian Empire and found employment with the Romanovs, from where he moved to Harbin, China, and began working at one of the local prestigious hotels. It was there that fate brought Gavenian together with the Japanese industrialist and businessman Baron Okura Kihachiro. He helped the talented baker move to Tokyo and get a job at the Imperial Hotel. Thus, Hovhannes Gavenian began a new life under a new name — Ivan Sagoyan.

Soon, Sagoyan married a woman from an ancient samurai family whose ancestors had faithfully served the Date clan for centuries. He combined his work at the Imperial with running his own bakery. It was then that our protagonist came up with the legendary melonpan.

Ivan and his wife had three daughters: Anna, Evgenia, and Lily. In general, the fate of this family would become intricately intertwined with the upheavals of the 20th century. In those years, Japan had a strict law under which a child’s citizenship was determined solely by the father. Since the independent Republic of Armenia fell in 1920 to the Soviet regime, Sagoyan’s international passport lost all validity. As a result, the girls, born in Tokyo to a Japanese mother, found themselves in a legal dead end — they could not inherit their mother’s citizenship, could not obtain citizenship from their father whose country no longer existed, and remained stateless persons for decades.

Nevertheless, the family lived well. During World War II, when many foreigners and even descendants of Armenian diplomats in Japan were sent to camps, the Sagoyans were left untouched. Ivan continued to bake bread at the Imperial Hotel, while the grown-up Lily got a job at Radio Tokyo. She worked there as a typist, translator, and announcer on the “Zero Hour” program. Without knowing it, she became one of the female voices that American soldiers in the Pacific collectively dubbed “Tokyo Rose.” These were English-speaking female announcers who broadcast propaganda. They played popular American jazz, cracked jokes, and, in between, shared fabricated news about US military defeats, unfaithful wives back home, and how their command was sending soldiers to certain death.

In August 1945, Japan signed the instrument of surrender, and the war ended. Allied forces (mostly American) led by General Douglas MacArthur entered the islands; incidentally, Lily Sagoyan would later get a job in his administration.

Ivan, meanwhile, developed a touching tradition: as it turned out, he would invite any American serviceman of Armenian descent to his home and welcome him like a son. Thanks to this tradition, the story of the Sagoyan family would be published in Ararat magazine, albeit two decades after the baker’s death in 1952.

Ivan Sagoyan is buried at the Yokohama Foreign General Cemetery. On his modest headstone, beneath his name, is an epitaph carved in Armenian: “With longing for the Homeland and in the Armenian spirit.” Today, decades later, millions of Japanese people buying melon buns have no idea that the crispy crust of their favorite treat hides the knowledge of how, having lost one home, one can build an entire world.

5- Iraq names Krikor Der-Hagopian as first Armenian Christian ambassador to US 

Baghdad’s pick of a US-educated Armenian Christian adviser as envoy to Washington underscores a bid to reset US-Iraq ties and broaden the country’s diplomatic profile.

Amberin Zaman
Al-monitor

Krikor Der-Hagopian at the 9th Sulaimani Forum, in Sulaimaniyah, Iraq, on April 16, 2025. — AUI Sulaimani

    Iraq has nominated Krikor Der-Hagopian, an Armenian Christian adviser to Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, as ambassador to Washington. Regional diplomats confirmed the nomination to Al-Monitor, describing it as part of a broader effort by Baghdad to recalibrate relations with the United States.

    Der-Hagopian, a US-educated Iraqi official who has served in numerous roles, including as an adviser to former President Barham Saleh and to the last prime minister, Mohamed Shia al-Sudani, is awaiting formal consent from the Trump administration before taking up his post. If confirmed, the Armenian Christian would become Iraq’s first non-Shiite ambassador to Washington in decades.

    Hopes are that he will get the green light in time for Zaidi’s meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington that is due to take place in the third week of July.

    The 49-year-old father of three, who earned a master’s in international relations at the University of Denver’s Josef Korbel School of International Studies, is widely seen as a shoo-in. Well-placed sources familiar with Der-Hagopian say he has an established track record of maintaining smooth relations with successive US administrations. 

    “I view his appointment as an extremely positive signal that the prime minister has decided to send probably the most qualified member of his own team, the person with the most insights on how Washington works,” Victoria Taylor, a former deputy assistant secretary of state for Iraq and Iran, who left the post in May 2025 to join the Atlantic Council, told Al-Monitor.

    “He has been excellent in bilateral relations and worked with international companies,” one of the sources said. This aligns with efforts to refocus the United States’ fraught relationship with Iraq away from a purely security focus toward what is being billed as a “business first” agenda.

    Der-Hagopian will be replacing Iraq’s former deputy foreign minister, Nizar al-Khairallah, who is the current Iraqi ambassador in Washington. In a related development, a seasoned State Department Middle East hand, Peter Shea, is expected to replace another State Department professional, Joshua Harris, as interim head of mission in Baghdad until — and if — a permanent ambassador is named. 

    Promoting Iraqi-US commercial ties has been a big priority of President Trump’s newly anointed Iraq envoy, Tom Barrack, who was in Baghdad last week on his first official visit since assuming the title. In his meeting with the Iraqi premier, energy projects were a top agenda item, sources familiar with the talks said. These projects include multi-billion dollar negotiations with US major Chevron to develop oil in fields in southern Iraq, the licensing of Elon Musk’s Starlink for high-speed internet connectivity, the floating liquefied natural gas terminals with another US company, Texas-based Excelerate Energy, and the rehabilitation of an oil pipeline connecting oil fields in Kirkuk with export terminals in Syria’s Baniyas, a readout of the meeting posted by the US embassy in Iraq stated.

    The readout said Zaidi and Barrack had “discussed the shared aspirational vision for the Iraqi government…to implement Iraqi plans for the complete disarmament and disbandment of all armed groups and formations operating outside the authority and control of the Iraqi state.” This was an overt reference to Iran-backed Shiite militias that wield outsize power in Iraq. Successive US administrations have pressed Baghdad to disarm and dismantle the militias and to cut off their revenue streams, so far to little effect. 

    Iran is widely seen as having emerged emboldened from its war with Israel and the United States. If anything, experts say it will likely double down on its alliance with Shiite militias in Iraq that targeted US bases and US-operated oil fields in Iraq throughout the four-month-old conflict. 

    The Iraqi government has set a September deadline for the militias originally formed to fight ISIS to disarm.  

    Barrack’s support to Der-Hagopian is expected to prove key during his tenure in Washington “where Iraq’s importance has really declined on the agenda,” Taylor noted. “Therefore the positive for Iraq is to have someone paying attention to the file who is so close to the president,” Taylor observed. Barrack is a longtime friend of Trump. 

    Barrack, who is triple hatted as the Syria envoy and ambassador to Turkey, has good relations with Der-Hagopian, a regional official speaking on background told Al-Monitor. 

    Still, Der-Hagopian will have his work cut out for him. The narrative that Iran fully controls Iraq persists in Congress. Massive corruption that continues to blight Iraq has not helped its image among US lawmakers either. “Der-Hagopian is an excellent salesman but he is stuck with a damaged product,” an Iraq-based source who knows the new envoy personally told Al-Monitor.

    Iraqi-US ties have been largely anchored in security since the United States overthrew Saddam Hussein and occupied Iraq in 2003. However, those ties have unraveled amid persistent calls by successive Iraqi leaders with much alleged prodding from Tehran for US troops to leave the country. The bulk had pulled out by the start of 2026 with several hundred redeploying to bases in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq where they have faced drone attacks by Shiite militias even before the start of the Iran war in February 2026.

    The Pentagon’s funding for Iraqi forces has also dipped as it pivots away from its mentorship role as the leader of the global coalition to fight the Islamic State known as Operation Inherent Resolve towards a bilateral format with the Iraqi military. The nature and degree of the US military’s involvement in the bilateral security relationship after the coalition folds up its flag remains to be discussed by the two sides, as does the future presence of US troops in the country, a well-placed source briefed on the status of the diplomatic track told Al-Monitor.

    “The nature of the US Iraq security partnership is going to be changing with the end of Operation Inherent Resolve and I think the new Iraqi ambassador can play a really pivotal role in helping to define what the future of that partnership will look like,” Taylor concluded.

    6- Houses Are Being Built on the Armenian Cemetery in Kharpert

    According to reports circulating in the Turkish media, the Armenian cemetery located in the village of Garpeork (Kharapuk) in the Elazig (Kharpert) province in Turkey has been completely demolished, and two houses have been built on the site by the Turkish government’s Housing and Urban Development Department.

    According to local sources, the cemetery has been completely destroyed due to the construction of these houses, which were completed in 2023. The bones and skulls of the deceased have been scattered throughout the cemetery as a result of the construction work. The villagers say that the area used to be a cemetery and, despite their objections, the graves were demolished during the works. They are dissatisfied that the housing department is building houses on the graves instead of using the free areas of the village.

    The memorials made by Armenians in the village have also been demolished. It is noted that the stones of the village church and cemetery have been stolen or destroyed over the years. The village’s mud (kavas) houses have also been demolished by the state, with the excuse that “we have built new houses, there is no need for mud houses anymore.”

    The Turkish press had a telephone conversation with one of the village residents, Hasan Yildirim. He confirmed the rumors and noted: “We heard that there was construction there. I said, “Isn’t it shameful that you built houses on the graves of these poor people?” The bones were thrown here and there. By the way, before you reach the cemetery, there is an area near the fig trees, which is the treasury area. Why didn’t they build there?”

    He also confirmed that the cemetery had previously been looted and dug up many times by treasure hunters. There were 80-90 tombstones there, but they were also stolen. The Turkish press reports that in official archival records, the name of the village was mentioned as “Varapuk” in 1912. The Armenians of that village were massacred during the Armenian Genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire in 1915. A few children survived from the generations of the families of Maso, Toro, Elo, Melik, Manu, Atto, and Sevan. Now, only Alevis and Sunnis live in the village.

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    7- Azeri employee stole $128,000 from US Embassy in Baku

    COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA — A former employee of the United States Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, has paid the United States $128,000 to resolve allegations that he stole money from the State Department while employed at the embassy.

    Rafiq Goyushov, a citizen of Azerbaijan, was employed by the State Department at the United States Embassy in Baku, Azerbaijan, for approximately 20 years. The settlement agreement resolves allegations that Goyushov, in his role as Housing Assistant with the General Services Office, made fraudulent payments on behalf of the Embassy to Azer Samedov, who then returned money to Goyushov.  These payments were for Goyushov’s benefit and were disguised as building operating and parking expenses for multiple residential units leased by Embassy Baku.  In reality, there was no valid contract between the State Department and Samedov. 

    “The District of South Carolina was proud to partner with the Department of State in the worthwhile endeavor of holding accountable public servants who use their position to steal from taxpayers, even those who reside overseas,” stated Adair F. Boroughs, United States Attorney for the District of South Carolina. 

    “Due to the persistent effort of our special agents, Embassy Baku’s Regional Security Office and DOJ, a former locally employed staff member of Embassy Baku was held accountable for his nefarious actions. This is a clear demonstration of how the State Department’s Office of Inspector General not be deterred by the complexities involved with holding fraudsters accountable internationally,” stated Elisabeth Kaminsky, Special Agent in Charge, Department of State, Office of Inspector General.

    The settlement was the result of a coordinated effort between the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina and the Department of State Office of Inspector General. The matter was handled by Assistant United States Attorney Beth C. Warren in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Carolina, along with State Department OIG special agents.

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    Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Karakhanian Suren. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.

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