Author: Alex Jidarian

Armenpress: Armenia to hit record high air passenger traffic by yearend

Alex Jidarian

 09:58,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Aviation authorities expect Armenia’s passenger traffic to exceed 5 million by yearend and set a new record. 

The passenger traffic was 3,7 million in 2022.

“We’ve had rather intensive growth in terms of both flights and passenger traffic in the past two years,” Deputy Chairman of the Civil Aviation Committee Stepan Payaslyan told Armenpress.

The passenger flow stood at 4,7 million as of October 31, 2023.

The growth has several reasons, according to aviation authorities.

“The first reason has to do with the people’s desire to travel in the post-Covid period. The other reason is the situation in our region. Particularly, there’s been a big inflow associated with the Russian-Ukrainian issue. Several airlines from that countries have come down to the south, including to Armenia. In this context we’ve become a hub. Armenia isn’t just viewed as a separate destination, but also a platform for traveling to other countries,” Payaslyan said.

The airline regulations in Armenia, particularly the privileges pertaining to air ticket taxes and various navigation services offered to airlines for new destinations, has also contributed to the growth in passenger traffic.

“Another factor contributing to the intensification of passenger flow is the active operations of Armenian airlines. Never before in Armenia’s history have six Armenian airlines operated flights from Yerevan. And the competitive conditions in the area lead to the reduction of ticket prices,” the aviation official said.

Seven new airlines entered the Armenian market this year alone.

Airlines based in Armenia are focused on the possibility of launching flights to India, China, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and other countries.

Film Review: ‘Amerikatsi’ Celebrates Much More than Armenian Culture

Alex Jidarian
Awards Radar
Nov 27 2023

by  Kendall Tinston

Connecting to your roots can be difficult, if not impossible, to achieve. Personally, being from Germany, Ireland, Norway, and other European countries that I have yet to visit, it can feel impossible. For others in this position, the United States undoubtedly becomes home. But what if we explored ourselves further, and visited our homelands to feel a sense of self? And what if when we did, the worst possible outcome occurred? A new film channels this idea and so much more on the big screen.

Amerikatsi follows Charlie, an adult Armenian American who returns to Armenia to tap into his cultural roots and brief history in the country. What follows is an unfortunate misunderstanding that lands Charlie in an Armenian jail. Charlie takes a roundabout way to connect to his heritage when he begins observing a young couple in their home from his cell. The plot is loosely based on director Michael A. Goorjian’s grandfather’s real life story involving him fleeing Armenia for the United States at the turn of the century.

A directorial debut for actor Goorjian, Amerikatsi is a film the talent should be proud of in numerous aspects. Goorjian wrote, directed, produced, and portrayed lead Charlie. Off screen, the film has a very fluid and clear plot formation. The writing is painfully human, emotive, and memorable. Visually, the movie is beautiful, capturing vast Armenian landscapes, animals, and cultural aspects. Even pieces filmed in Charlie’s cell are whimsical and fun, which is a testament to the picture itself. The shots are edited together concisely, with a clear idea of what viewers should see and when. What this communicates to audiences is that Goorjian has a directorial eye that should not be overlooked. On screen, Goorjian is extremely likeable. Viewers will cheer from their seats for Charlie as well as tear up for his misfortunes. Furthermore, to succeed in every role he took on to craft this picture while also connecting it to a storyline that is personal to Goorjian is admirable. The sky is the limit for the well known talent turned new director, and this endeavor feels very different from Goorjian’s past acting roles. 

Actor Hovik Keuchkerian and actress Narine Grigoryan take on the roles of Tigran and Ruzan, the couple that lives across from Charlie’s cell window. Throughout the film—with the exception of a few moments with Tigran—the two are acting strictly from a wide view of their home with windows between them and the cameras. This means very little to no smothered dialogue can be heard, forcing the talents to rely on their body language and a more theatrical acting style to get their storyline across. However, they do this wonderfully. The duo shows the flaws and joys of being human without those watching ever questioning what they are trying to show us. It’s nearly impossible to not become invested in their lives, just as Charlie does. Keuchkerian is given a short amount of time on screen from another perspective for one of the more emotional sequences of the entire picture and shows off his acting chops as well.

With a 116 minute runtime that doesn’t feel nearly that long, Amerikatsi is enjoyable from start to finish. Some moments may feel less enticing than others, but those are very short lived and viewers are thrown back into the heart of the storyline once again. The important thing to note about this piece is that it has a very compassionate feel to it, highlighting exactly what it means to be human and all that comes with that. A roller coaster of emotions in the best way, Goorjian shines a spotlight on the lowest point in one’s life and finds beauty in it.

All in all, Amerikatsi is a triumph whichever way you look at it. To see a film such as this receive acclaim would be justified. Regardless of whether or not it achieves this, Goorjian is one to watch, both on and off screen. Keep an eye out for Amerikatsi and leave a comment with your thoughts on the film.

https://awardsradar.com/2023/11/27/film-review-amerikatsi-celebrates-much-more-than-armenian-culture/

Ukraine hopes Baltic Black Sea Defense Alliance’s doors will be open for Armenia

Alex Jidarian

 11:21, 20 November 2023

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Ukraine has signalled support for Armenia’s possible participation in the Baltic Black Sea Defence Alliance.

In an interview with AnalitikaUA, Mykhail Podoliak, the adviser to the chief of staff of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Office, said that Armenian politicians ought to engage in dialogue.

Asked on the possibility of Armenia participating in the Baltic Black Sea Defence Alliance, Podolyak expressed hope that the doors of the alliance will be open. He said that legal and logistic formulas must be found.  “Armenian politicians must engage in dialogue,” he said.

The Ukrainian official expressed conviction that Armenia will overcome the many difficulties it is facing, stressing that Armenians around the world must have faith in their own country.

Podolyak said that Armenia is on the right track.

“The strategy that I now clearly see in Armenia’s stance is the intensive dialogue with NATO countries UK, US, and France, with whom historically there’s always been good dialogue,” he said.




Armenian police ‘forced Ingush domestic abuse victim to meet family’

Alex Jidarian
Nov 17 2023
 

ByArshaluys BarseghyanandLuiza Mchedlishvili

An Ingush domestic abuse victim seeking asylum in Armenia was allegedly temporarily placed in police custody after being reported missing by her uncle, who rights groups claim was allowed to meet her at the police station.

On Tuesday, the Armenian police found Fatima Zurabova, 21, in Ashtarak, a town northwest of Yerevan, and took her into their custody in Yerevan.

Armenia’s Investigative Committee said that a friend of her relatives had reported her missing to the Armenian authorities on 10 November.

Before being taken into police custody, Zurabova published a video stating that she had left Russia voluntarily after being subjected to abuse by her family. She added that she taken nothing valuable from her home, and asked her family not to look for her. 

On the day that Zurabova was taken to Yerevan, her uncle, Yusup Zurabov, who is an Ingush MP, flew to Armenia’s capital and went to the police station where his niece was being held. Marem, a North Caucasus women’s rights group that facilitated her escape, claim that the police confiscated Zurabova’s phone and locked her in a room with her uncle.

Zurabov also served as Ingushetia’s minister of economy and is an active member of United Russia, a party that supports Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A spokesperson for the head of Armenia’s Investigative Committee stated on Thursday that Zurabova was not under arrest, and did not meet with any relatives during her time in Armenia’s investigation department. 

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Armenia’s Human Rights Defender’s Office added that police reported that Zurabova had been transferred to a ‘safe space’. 

On Wednesday, Marem told Holod Media that Zurabova had approached them for help in late September, saying that since she was 15, she had been frequently beaten by her family for ‘preventative purposes’.

‘They beat her with a belt for being insufficiently religious because of suspicions that at some point she might behave in a way that was inappropriate for Ingush society’, said Marem.

They also said that after each beating, the family would confiscate her phone so that she could not record evidence of her abuse.

Zurabova’s mother reportedly told her that her family planned to marry her off, while her brother pressured her into quitting her job.

Cherta Media quoted Zurabova as saying that her family would kill her if she returned to Ingushetia.

Marem added that Zurabova’s uncle had told the group that he had contacted his connections at ‘the top of Armenia’s Interior Ministry’, and had gained access to Zurabova’s phone, correspondence, and contacts.

He also demanded that Zurabova return to Ingushetia accompanied by lawyers, where she could declare ‘in front of all her relatives’ that she left Ingushetia of her own volition. He stated that he would subsequently ‘disown her because he does not need such a niece’.

He threatened to otherwise ‘deal with’ everyone who helped Zurabova, including the taxi driver who had taken her to the airport in Mineralnye Vody.

In an interview with RFE/RL, Marem said that Zurabov appeared to be ‘well-connected’, and that he had threatened to do ‘everything within his capabilities and character to those who organised it all’.

Marem’s founder, Svetlana Anokhina, added that Zurabov had threatened to accuse his niece of theft. Women fleeing domestic abuse in the North Caucasus are frequently detained on charges of theft and later returned to their abusers.

[Read more: Chechen domestic abuse victim ‘abducted and sent to Grozny’]

According to Marem, Zurabova has sought protection from the police in Armenia, who reportedly said that they could not assist her since she was subjected to abuse in Russia. The police also reportedly told her that she needed to apply for refugee status from the migration service in order to be eligible for state protection.

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender’s office told epress.am that their rapid response team had visited Zurabova on Wednesday. 

RFE/RL also stated that Zurabova’s mother had flown to Armenia to see her daughter. Mamikon Hovsepyan, a human rights activist, criticised the police for letting Zurabova’s family see her in the police station.

‘Firstly, the support of the police and law enforcement officers was needed, which is not there’, Hovsepyan told RFE/RL. ‘They say if the abuser is the brother, and he is not in Armenia, then she is not in danger. They do not take into account that the whole family is in the police, that she is threatened, and they are just ready to let her go.’


The Prime Minister attends the funeral service of Christian Ter-Stepanyan

Alex Jidarian

 19:57,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister’s Staff Arayik Harutyunyan attended the funeral service of Christian Ter-Stepanyan, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to UNESCO, Personal Representative of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia to the International Organization of Francophonie, at the Komitas Chamber Music House in Yerevan, the PM's Office said in a readout.




Turkish Press: Convicted killer of Turkish-Armenian journalist released on parole

Alex Jidarian
Turkish Minute
Nov 15 2023
ByTurkish Minute

Ogün Samast, the convicted murderer of Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, was released on parole on Wednesday.

The 52-year-old Dink, editor-in-chief of the Turkish-Armenian bilingual Agos weekly, was shot dead with two bullets to the head outside the newspaper’s headquarters in central İstanbul on Jan. 19, 2007 by Samast, then a-17-year-old jobless high school dropout.

Samast was arrested the following day.

After serving 16 years, 10 months, Samast was released from Turkey’s western Bolu province’s F Type Prison.

In June Turkey’s Supreme Court of Appeals upheld certain acquittals while overturning other verdicts in the trial of 76 defendants, primarily public officials, in connection with Dink’s assassination.

The verdict handed down on March 26, 2021 by the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court included 33 acquittals and 27 convictions.

Engin Dinç, former director of the Trabzon police intelligence unit; Reşat Altay, former Trabzon police chief; and Ahmet İlhan Güler, former director of the İstanbul intelligence unit, were acquitted of “negligent homicide.”

Ramazan Akyürek and Ali Fuat Yılmazer, two of the jailed defendants and former police chiefs, were given aggravated life sentences by the Turkish court for “premeditated murder,” while four defendants, including former gendarmerie members Muharrem Demirkale and Yavuz Karakaya, received life sentences.

Samast had confessed to the murder and was sentenced to almost 23 years in prison in 2011.

Ali Öz, a former gendarmerie commander of the Black Sea region of Trabzon, where the gunman came from, was sentenced to 28 years in prison on charges of “premeditated murder” and “forgery of official documents.”

The İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court in 2021 separated the files of 13 fugitive suspects, including Fethullah Gülen, on the grounds that their defense statements were not delivered, also ruling that Dink’s murder was committed “in line with the objectives of FETÖ” – a derogatory term used by the Turkish government to refer to the faith-based movement inspired by Gülen as a terrorist organization.

For years, prosecutors have looked into alleged links between the suspects and Gülen, who is accused of masterminding a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in 2016, although he strongly denies the charges.

The Turkish government’s ongoing crackdown on the Gülen movement was launched following corruption investigations in late 2013 that implicated Erdoğan’s close circle and intensified in the aftermath of the failed coup on July 15, 2016.

Rep. Schiff introduces resolution urging Azerbaijan to release all prisoners of war & captured civilians

Alex Jidarian
Nov 9 2023

Washington, D.C.— Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.)  introduced a resolution calling on Azerbaijan to immediately release all prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians currently detained in the years-long attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh.

In September 2020, Azerbaijan launched a military assault on Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), resulting in thousands killed, tens of thousands displaced, and the detention of an estimated 200 ethnic Armenian POWs, hostages, and others by Azerbaijan. In a ceasefire statement dated November 9, 2020, all parties agreed to the “exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons.” Three years later, Azerbaijan still has not released all POWs and instead continues to imprison ever more POWs, hostages, and other detained persons. This includes taking additional POWs and hostages during Azerbaijan’s unprovoked, large-scale military attack on Artsakh in September 2023, after systemically starving the people of Artsakh with a 10-month-long blockade.

“Azerbaijan is already guilty of grave atrocities committed during the recent war, and the continued illegal detention of Armenians compounds the problem. Azerbaijan’s treatment of these prisoners, including torture and killings, are heartbreaking and a direct threat to international law and order,” said Rep. Schiff. “My resolution urges the American government and international community to stand up to these gross human rights violations being perpetuated against the Armenian community by the Aliyev regime and return these prisoners back to their families.”

“Azerbaijan must immediately release all illegally held Artsakh officials, prisoners of war, and other detainees, not in barter – as part of Baku's cruel commodification of human suffering – but rather in compliance with its own obligations under international law,” said ANCA in Washington, Executive Director, Aram Hamparian. “We thank Congressman Schiff and his colleagues for introducing this measure and look forward to working on a bipartisan basis to see this measure adopted on an urgent basis by the full House of Representatives.”

“In the face of Azerbaijan's ongoing disregard for human rights and international laws, the Armenian National Committee of America Western Region stands firmly behind Representative Adam Schiff's resolution. We call upon the international community to unite in support of justice and the immediate release of all prisoners of war and captured civilians. It is time for Azerbaijan to honor its commitments and end the suffering inflicted upon innocent individuals,” said the Armenian National Committee of America Western Region Chair, Nora Hovsepian. 

Azerbaijan continues to detain at least 55 POWs today, though the true number is unknown and likely much higher, as many are still missing and Azerbaijan provides limited reliable information on the condition and treatment of POWs and captured civilians in its custody. There is widespread credible reporting on the cruel and degrading treatment, torture, extrajudicial killing, and other violations committed against Armenian POWs and detainees in Azerbaijani custody, including from the State Department, Human Rights Watch, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and others. 

Specifically, the resolution will:

  • Call upon Azerbaijan to immediately return all Armenian POWs, hostages, and other detained persons, and provide information on the status of those still be detained and those missing;
  • Call for the implementation of Global Magnitsky sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for abuses against POWs and credible investigations and prosecutions of the perpetrators in these cases;
  • Call for the suspension of U.S. assistance to Azerbaijan and full implementation of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act in light of Azerbaijan’s ongoing violations of human rights;
  • Urge the Secretary of State to engage with Azerbaijani authorities to make clear the importance of adhering to their obligations to immediately release and treat humanely all POWs, hostages, and other detained persons; and
  • Urge the Secretary of State to regularly provide substantive updates to Congress on engagement with Azerbaijan on the status of POWs, hostages, and other detained persons.

This resolution is cosponsored by Representatives Frank Pallone (D-N.J.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), and David Valadao (R-Calif.).

Read the full resolution HERE.

https://schiff.house.gov/news/press-releases/rep-schiff-introduces-resolution-urging-azerbaijan-to-release-all-prisoners-of-war-and-captured-civilians

Armenia Enhances Defense Capabilities with the Indrajaal Anti-Drone System

Alex Jidarian
The 1014, New Zealand
Nov 8 2023

In an effort to strengthen its defense capabilities, Armenia has recently acquired the cutting-edge Indrajaal anti-drone system from India. This move comes on the heels of previous imports of rocket launchers and missiles from the country, signaling Armenia’s commitment to bolster its military arsenal.

The Indrajaal system, powered by artificial intelligence (AI), represents India’s first foray into the realm of AI-powered anti-drone technology. Designed to counter the increasing threat of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones, the Indrajaal system provides Armenia with an advanced and comprehensive defense solution.

Unlike traditional anti-drone systems, the Indrajaal system employs a multi-layered, multi-sensor architecture known as Zen Anti-Drone System (ZADS). This innovative system leverages passive surveillance, camera sensors, and jamming techniques to detect, classify, and track drones, effectively neutralizing any potential threat they pose.

At the core of the ZADS is its Counter Unmanned Aerial System (CUAS) called RF Based Drone detector (RFDD). This component utilizes radio frequency (RF) sensors to passively monitor frequencies ranging from 70 MHz to 6 GHz, enabling it to detect and monitor the communication link between the drone and its pilot.

The procurement of the Indrajaal anti-drone system is a significant step forward for Armenia in safeguarding its national security. With the integration of this state-of-the-art technology, Armenia is poised to effectively counter emerging threats from UAVs, ensuring the protection of its airspace and critical infrastructure.

FAQ:

Q: What is the Indrajaal anti-drone system?
A: The Indrajaal system is an AI-powered anti-drone technology acquired by Armenia to counter the increasing threat from unmanned aerial vehicles (drones).

Q: How does the Zen Anti-Drone System (ZADS) work?
A: ZADS utilizes a multi-layered, multi-sensor architecture that combines passive surveillance, camera sensors, and jamming techniques to detect, classify, and track drones.

Q: What is the RF Based Drone detector (RFDD)?
A: The RFDD is a component of the ZADS that employs radio frequency sensors to passively monitor the communication link between the drone and its pilot.

Q: How will the Indrajaal anti-drone system benefit Armenia?
A: The Indrajaal system will enhance Armenia’s defense capabilities by providing advanced protection against UAVs, safeguarding its airspace and critical infrastructure.

https://the1014.co.nz/uncategorized/armenia-buying-anti-drone-system-from-india/212872/



NK Armenians face choice of Armenian citizenship or refugee status

Alex Jidarian
Nov 1 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Status of Karabakh Armenians in Armenia

The government decision according to which the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh are granted temporary protection equal to refugee status is being discussed in Armenia. They are also invited to apply for citizenship of the Republic of Armenia.

Karabakh Armenians cannot understand why they need new passports when they already have the blue passports of Armenian citizens. The government says that residents of the former NKR are not considered citizens of the Republic of Armenia. The passport issued to them at that time is just a “travel document” with which they could travel abroad. Accordingly, the Cabinet considers it necessary to “clarify the status of those displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh”.

International law specialist Ara Khzmalyan considers statements about “travel document” unserious. According to him, all MK residents are citizens of the Republic of Armenia, except for those who have citizenship of another country.

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This is the position of the Armenian government. According to Artyom Sujyan, Advisor to the Minister of Justice of Armenia, this is the same position Armenia took before the European Court of Human Rights, arguing that “that the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh were issued with RA passports does not mean that they are considered citizens of Armenia”.

“There was an agreement on the basis of which these passports [with the code “070”] were issued to the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh as a travel document, i.e. a document with which it would be possible to leave the country, to travel,” Sujyan said.

Karabakh Armenians are faced with the question of whether to remain in refugee status or obtain citizenship of the Republic of Armenia. They are already considered as persons with refugee status in Armenia because they are registered as residents of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Those who left NK during and after the 44-day war in 2020 are also considered refugees.

To obtain a document confirming this status, they should apply to the Migration Service. Obtaining a certificate is not urgent at the moment. But according to the government’s decision, should they leave the country and return after three months, it will have to be presented together with their existing passport with the code “070”.

If Karabakh Armenians settled in Armenia decide to remain in refugee status, they will lose a number of rights, such as the right to vote and be elected, enter civil service, and form or join parties.

As for obtaining RA citizenship, the law envisages a simplified procedure for them. There will be no requirements for them that are imposed on other applicants. These are three years of permanent residence in the country, knowledge of the Armenian language or familiarity with the Constitution.

The Cabinet of Ministers has expanded the list of those who will be able to receive a one-time financial aid of $250. The government will also compensate the rent and utility costs of the newcomers

A day before the government’s decision to grant temporary protection status to Karabakh Armenians, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in parliament that it was being adopted “as a result of discussions with fellow lawyers”.

Justice Minister Grigor Minasyan, presenting the draft to the Cabinet, explained that the status would enable more effective protection of the rights and legitimate interests of Armenians living in NK:

“Those taken under temporary protection become refugees by virtue of the law and enjoy the rights provided for refugees by the law and international conventions, including the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees.”

Margarita Karamyan, a resident of NK and head of the “Return to Dizak” NGO, says that obtaining Armenian citizenship means renouncing one’s former life, even one’s biography:

“By becoming a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, a citizen of Artsakh may lose the ability to appeal to international courts and tribunals and demand compensation for his or her lost home and property. We will also lose our rights to the Republic of Artsakh. And in a few years we will have no opportunity to prove that we lived on the land of our ancestors.”

In the event of receiving refugee status, according to her, former NK residents will still have the opportunity to receive compensation, they will receive the benefits and privileges that refugees are entitled to, but will be deprived of pensions.

Karamyan suggests that this status may contain other, “hidden threats.”

“Won’t it happen that tomorrow the RA government will insist that Azerbaijan guarantees the return of Artsakh Armenians to NK, and all those people who have refugee status must return to Artsakh? In case of the policy of the current RA authorities nothing can be excluded.”

According to Karen Mirzoyan, former foreign minister of the unrecognized NKR, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan wants to “destroy the collective image of the people of Artsakh.”

“Having become citizens of the Republic of Armenia, the citizens of Artsakh give up their rights, do not demand return to Artsakh, and the issue of Artsakh becomes solely a territorial issue, although it has never been a territorial issue.”

People of all ages and professions, including students and even schoolchildren, can be found among the voluntary helpers to compatriots who arrived from Nagorno-Karabakh

“The so-called status is just a fiction. And, if I understand correctly, it is a consequence of the demand of part of the Artsakh people themselves to grant them a special status,” he told JAMnews.

He does not understand the noisy discussion on this issue and claims that no one can deprive a citizen of citizenship. When asked whether registration at a new address in Armenia can affect the future realization of the rights of those from Nagorno-Karabakh, including the claim for property compensation, the expert said:

“From the point of view of international law, it will not have any impact.”

According to him, only changes in the legislation inside the state and in the social assistance programs implemented by the Armenian government are possible.

“The work on the protection of the rights of these people should be built on all necessary grounds, one of which is probably the refugee status,” he said in a conversation with JAMnews.

The expert believes that the protection of rights is a fundamental and, at the same time a complex, long-term process. Therefore, in his opinion, in parallel with this work it is necessary to create for all Karabakhis “an opportunity to build their lives” in Armenia.

“The problem is what exactly is offered to people. If the offer meets their needs and creates a predictable prospect for them, no one will complain, it is not an end in itself. If problem-solving is effective, grievances will go off the agenda. The problems are not insoluble.”

The expert suggests involving legal, social and other workers for explanations and, if necessary, initiating legislative changes.

https://jam-news.net/status-of-karabakh-armenians-in-armenia-citizens-or-refugees/

Restoring relations after 10 years: Hungarian Foreign Minister’s visit to Yerevan

Alex Jidarian
Oct 27 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs in Armenia

“I asked [the Armenian Foreign Minister] to allow us to open a Hungarian consulate in Yerevan,” Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said after a meeting with his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan.

This is the first visit of the Hungarian Foreign Minister to Armenia after the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Szijjártó said that his visit is intended to “put an end to a whole decade when there were no diplomatic ties between the two countries.”

Diplomatic relations with Hungary were interrupted on August 31, 2012 by the decision of the National Security Council of Armenia over Budapest’s decision to extradite Ramil Safarov, convicted for life for the murder of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan, to Baku. In 2004, Safarov killed a sleeping Margaryan, with whom he had participated in a NATO Partnership for Peace program course in Budapest.

In late December 2021, through Hungarian mediation, Azerbaijan agreed to return five Armenian captives to their homeland. On December 1, 2022, within the framework of the OSCE Ministerial Conference in Lodz, the foreign ministers of Armenia and Hungary met and agreed to restore diplomatic relations.

It is reported that in Yerevan the ministers agreed to take practical steps to intensify political dialogue, potential cooperation in economy, promote possible investments.

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The Hungarian Foreign Minister considers it expedient to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan as soon as possible:

“This will guarantee that people in the region will live peacefully and calmly in the years to come. All inhabitants of the region deserve peace and tranquility after decades of suffering”.

According to Péter Szijjártó, Hungary is a supporter of peaceful resolution of conflicts, so it is in favor of a peaceful settlement in the Caucasus region as well.

The Hungarian minister assured that his country intends to maximize relations with Armenia from now on:

“As a manifestation, a confirmation of this, we will provide another 40 million forints [more than 110 thousand dollars] to support families who moved to Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh. If necessary, Hungary is ready to participate in the treatment of these people. Both Hungarian medical institutions and children’s camps will receive children from Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The Cabinet of Ministers has expanded the list of those who will be able to receive a one-time financial aid of $250. The government will also compensate the rent and utility costs of the newcomers

The Armenian Foreign Minister stated Budapest’s readiness to support the protection of Armenian cultural and historical monuments in NK. Ararat Mirzoyan thanked his colleague for this:

“He sincerely expressed his willingness to intervene and contribute to this important endeavor by ensuring the preservation of Armenian cultural and spiritual heritage. After the forced deportation of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, the issue of the Armenian cultural and spiritual heritage became even more acute.”

Mirzoyan recalled that Armenia had previously applied to UNESCO and there was even a decision to send the organization’s mission to NK:

“But due to numerous obstacles from Azerbaijan, this visit has not yet taken place. Now this mission is even more needed. The work on organizing the visit continues”.

Does Hungary support Armenia’s participation in the Black Sea Submarine Electric Cable project? Answering this question, the Hungarian Foreign Minister expressed hope that the European Union’s Eastern Partnership program will accelerate Armenia’s involvement in the EU projects and strengthen cooperation.

A joint statement by the Armenian Prime Minister and the President of the European Commission on October 5 said that the Commission will support Armenia’s participation in regional projects such as the Black Sea Submarine Electric Cable.

https://jam-news.net/hungarian-minister-of-foreign-affairs-in-armenia/