Author: Alex Nanijanian

ARF Western US to Host Conference on First Armenian Republic

Alex Nanijanian
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5 hours ago

100th Anniversary of Armenian Independence

GLENDALE—To mark the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the first Republic of Armenia, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Western United States, in collaboration with the Cal State Northridge Armenian Studies Program, has organized a two-day academic conference, “Armenian Statehood Reborn: Achievements and Reflections.” The conference will take place on Saturday, May 5, 2018 and Sunday, May 6, 2018 at the Plaza del Sol Hall on the campus of California State University at Northridge.

The ARF-WUS Republic of Armenia 100th Anniversary Steering Committee has assembled an impressive program featuring renowned scholars from across the world. The conference will critically examine new interpretations, paradigms, and narratives about the political, social, economic and cultural factors that shaped the history of the first Armenian Republic.

The ARF-WUS invites the community to take part in this reflection of one of the most pivotal events of modern Armenian history. “The 100th anniversary of the First Republic’s founding presents a significant opportunity for the community to examine those crucial years, while utilizing the different perspectives that have developed over the past hundred years. It is essential now that we mark this occasion by reflecting upon the history of Armenia’s sovereignty in order to understand the challenges of statehood that exists today” said ARF-WUS Chairman Daron Der-Khachadourian.

The conference will feature an in-depth and multifaceted examination of the re-emergence of Armenian statehood in 1918-1920. “We envision the conference as an event that casts a retrospective eye on the far-reaching impact of the First Republic on the Armenian state and the Armenian people. The establishment of the First Republic was truly a momentous occasion. Actualized despite painstaking odds and immense obstacles, this event speaks volumes to the tenacity of the Armenian people and the vision of creating a collective future. The program that the organizing committee has tailored will appeal to scholars and the public alike” said Steering Committee member and University of California, Berkeley History Professor Stephan H. Astourian.

The event will be free and open to the public. Further information about the program and speakers will be presented in the coming months.

No friendship in Armenia’s ‘village of friendship’

Alex Nanijanian
OC Media

Aug 18 2017

by David Stepanyan

You can fetch as much as $1,000 for the materials from a dismantled home (David Stepanyan/OC Media)

Barekamavan, a village on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, regularly comes under fire. Unfortunately for Barekamavan’s besieged residents, this is not their only problem, and with people moving away, the village faces extinction.

Barekamavan means ‘the village of friendship’ in Armenian. This is the name of a village in Tavush Province, north-eastern Armenia, which lies on the border with Azerbaijan. Sometimes people in Tavush call the village by its former name, Dostlu, which means friendship in Azerbaijani. But there is no longer any friendship between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in Barekamavan, and the village itself is on the brink of disappearing. The main reasons are the periodic shelling from Azerbaijan and a bleak economic situation.

Barekamavan is pinned to the side of the mountains; on the other side, lies the Azerbaijani village of Kamarli. The nearest Armenian villages of Koti and Dovegh are about 10 kilometres from Barekamavan. Surrounded by hills and forests to the west, to the east lies a mountain dotted with landmines, military posts, and barbed wire fences. From there, the village lies directly in sight of the Azerbaijani soldiers.

In the centre of the village stands a brand new church, the legacy of one of Barekamavan’s residents who moved to Russia. Nearby stands a memorial to people from the village who died in the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. These are the only new structures in Barekamavan.

In the village centre, a few dilapidated buildings house the village administration, post office, and school. On the surrounding hills half-destroyed houses without roofs can be seen — a reminder of the 1992–1994 war. Embedded in some buildings are the traces — either complete or partial — of shells. Some are no more than gaping holes. Residents know practically by heart which damage was caused in ‘that war’ and which in ‘this one’.

Garik lost his position as head of the village council after Armenia’s 328 councils were amalgamated (David Stepanyan/OC Media)

According to former head of the Barekamavan village council, Garik Abazyan, 393 people were registered as living in the village as of 1 January. In reality, no more than 150 people (around 60 families) are permanent residents, mostly elderly people. Only 20 families have children of school or preschool age. Others have moved to Russia, Yerevan, or Ijevan, the administrative centre of Tavush Province. Some also got to Russia seasonally for work.

For a second year in a row the village school has taken in no new children. Only 19 children attend the school, even though there are 17 teachers and staff. Nevertheless, the village administration displays a USAID poster with the rather ambiguous slogan: ‘Youth — the driving force of the community’ which in the local language could also be translated as ‘Youth — the moving force of the community’.

‘I myself also moved my family to Yerevan — away from the bullets. Before, when I was the head of the village council, my wife and children lived in Barekamavan despite everything. Now the situation is different, it makes no sense to leave them here risking their lives. Just a few days ago the village was fired on again from that peak’, Garik says, pointing to the east towards an Azerbaijani military position.

The 35 year old is convinced that in the event of a repeat of last August’s heavy bombardments, nobody will stay in the village. Back then, the villagers rallied their faith and hope for a better future, which helped them to endure the shells falling on their roofs and the bullets whistling through the streets. Today that faith and hope have all but disappeared.

Just a few days ago the village was fired on again from that peak’, Garik says, pointing to the east towards an Azerbaijani military position (David Stepanyan/OC Media)

Faith in a better future had been placed almost exclusively in former Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan. Through his efforts, the ministry had taken charge of Barekamavan, paying for the residents’ electricity, and providing the village with two high-capacity ZIL 131 lorries, which are necessary for people living in mountainous areas like Barekamavan. The Ministry even obtained a flock of 100 sheep for the villagers, to replace ones that had been taken by Azerbaijan.

According to many of the villagers, Ohanyan didn’t only focus on the welfare of Barekamavan, but other borderline villages in Tavush Province as well.

‘Of course in a country like Armenia, it was not possible for such an honest person [like Ohanyan] to hold onto his position for long. That was why he was removed from his position, and now our benefactor has gone over to the opposition, and nobody has any use for us — especially the government’, says Abazyan.

The villagers own 340 hectares of private land, but since 1991 not a single hectare has been cultivated, because the area regularly comes under fire and parts of it are mined. The villagers can only cultivate 55 hectares of land which lies in their household plots. However, this land is not sufficient to provide them with their livelihoods.

The only other jobs in Barekamavan are the aforementioned school, with a staff of 17, the village council, with its three employees, and the post-master. Three villagers also serve on a contractual basis in the nearby military base.

Several of the men go to Russia for seasonal work. Others survive on state pensions or social welfare payments from the California-based Paros social fund.

Residents know practically by heart which damage was caused in ‘that war’ and which in ‘this one’ (David Stepanyan/OC Media)

By Barekamavan standards, Abazyan’s family is quite well off — his parents keep a herd of 45 cattle in the mountains. And now Garik is preparing cattle feed for the winter. However, having prepared the hay, Garik will return to Yerevan again.

When asked what he does there, the young man shrugs his shoulders, ‘what is there to hide — my parents help us out, my wife’s parents help too. That is how we live. At least in Yerevan they are not shooting at us. There at least I don’t have to fear for the lives of my family. There is some kind of future. It’s better than living here under fire…’

Garik lost his position as head of the village council after Armenia’s 328 councils were amalgamated into 34 territorial units, with eight villages in Tavush incorporated into one administrative unit centred around the town of Noyemberyan.

Under this programme, Berekamavan no longer has a village head, only a municipal representative, who occasionally appears on the village council. However, Garik is convinced that the programme failed in its main objective of saving money, as according to him, the three workers on the village council receive the same salary as before. Only their name and status has changed, but not the cost of maintaining the institution.

In fact, the new system has only added to the problems of this remote borderline village in the Tavush mountains. The municipal representative can only issue certificates of residency to the villagers. For everything else, the people of Barekamavan have to travel to the town of Noyemberyan, 20 kilometres away. That is where they go to receive medical assistance. And as there is no public transport running to and from Barekamavan, the villagers have to find other ways of getting there.

‘Youth — the driving force of the community’ is there only on a poster (David Stepanyan/OC Media)

The next biggest problem after the Azerbaijani bullets and unemployment, is the almost complete lack of irrigation or even drinking water. There are several springs in the vicinity of Barekamavan, but water comes irregularly, particularly in years of drought. This year the villagers have been lucky — there is water in the springs, they just need to carry it to their homes in buckets and canisters.

In terms of the gas supply to the village, a wholly interesting, paradoxical situation has occurred. Under the government-approved programme to bring gas supplies to Barekamavan, the International Fund for Agricultural Development spent ֏10 million ($21,000) extending a pipeline to the village from nearby Koti. However, there is no money for gas meters or pipes to bring the gas from the mains in Barekamavan into people’s homes, and Gazprom-Armenia, which has a monopoly, will not install them at their own expense.

As a result, there is gas in Barekamevan, but none of the villagers can access it in their homes. And this despite the state programme for supplying the borderline villages of Voskepar, Baganis, Voskevan, Koti, and Barekamevan with gas saying that the state itself should be paying for residents’ gas.

Some residents of Barekamavan have begun dismantling their homes with a view to selling the parts as building materials. To find a buyer for a home in a borderline village under fire is impossible. But according to the villagers, you can fetch as much as $1,000 for the materials from a dismantled home…

[Read OC Media’s report from Azerbaijan: Living on the the Armenian–Azerbaijani border: alone and under fire]

[Read OC Media’s report from Nagorno-Karabakh: A year after the war in Nagorno-Karabakh’s frontline village of Talish]

[See Saferworld’s photo report from Azerbaijan: A snapshot of life along the Azerbaijan–Armenia border]

Chess: Russian chess star Kasparov returns to board

Alex Nanijanian
Taipei Times

Aug 13 2017


AFP, ST LOUIS, Missouri

Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov owned the game for 15 years, gaining superstar status among fans before retiring and throwing himself into politics — but he just cannot seem to stay away from the chessboard.

The 54-year-old former world champion is coming out of retirement today to play in an official tournament in St Louis, Missouri, against nine top-notch players.

Kasparov, known for an aggressive, high-energy attacking style, is widely considered one of the game’s greatest.

And the so-called “Beast of Baku” — nicknamed after the capital of his native Azerbaijan — has nothing left to prove.

Still, here he comes, taking on much younger players in a return seen as reflecting a drive to enhance the cult-like status he earned through years of masterful play — and make up for a few setbacks he suffered along the way.

Kasparov was given a wild card entry in the tournament dubbed Rapid and Blitz, and will be the oldest among the field of 10 players when play starts today.

“Ready to see if I remember how to move the pieces! Will I be able to announce my re-retirement afterward if not?!” Kasparov tweeted last month when it was announced that he was coming out of retirement.

Born Garik Weinstein in Azerbaijan to an Armenian mother and Jewish father, Kasparov has been described as “a monster with 100 eyes, who sees all.”

At age 12, he took on his mother’s surname and launched what became one of the longest and most grueling rivalries in the history of chess, against Soviet grandmaster Anatoli Karpov.

The icy, stone-faced Karpov was a symbol of the once mighty, but then crumbling, Soviet Union, while Kasparov was just a young pup from little Azerbaijan.

In 1985, Kasparov beat Karpov and, at just 22, became the youngest world champion ever, establishing an era of unprecedented dominance.

Kasparov held that crown for 15 years and set about breaking molds in the world of chess.

He was a show unto himself — a theatrical bundle of nerves who wanted to win at all costs, shunning draws in games and sometimes even speaking of himself in the third person. Other players feared him. His bigger-than-life style earned him critics, too.

Kasparov took the chess world into a new modern era, with endorsement deals, televised games and high technology.

He pioneered using computer databases as a tool for practicing — a venture that would come back to sting him.

Kasparov had declared haughtily that no machine could ever beat him at chess.

He took on the IBM supercomputer Deep Blue, beating it in 1996, but then losing to the machine a year later. He and the computer were tied at five games each in a match in which the first to reach six won. When Kasparov lost, he cried foul.

Three years later, Kasparov lost his world title to his former student, Vladimir Kramnik, and retired from competitive chess in 2005.

Kasparov never managed to cut ties with the game, even attempting in 2014 to become president of the World Chess Federation by dethroning its wealthy and well-connected leader, Kirsan Ilyumzhinov.

However, Kasparov’s outspoken personality dogged his campaign and he lost after only securing 61 federation delegates’ votes out of 175. Ilyumzhinov, who was close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, prevailed.

The young chess retiree took to politics, becoming fixated on a bid to checkmate Putin.

After leaving the game in 2005, Kasparov founded the anti-Putin opposition movement Other Russia, accusing the president of returning the country to its dictatorial past.

He became a powerful political voice and even tried to win the Kremlin in the 2008 Russian presidential election.

Kasparov took part in unprecedented anti-Putin demonstrations in 2011 and was arrested in 2012 after a rally in favor of the punk rock feminist group Pussy Riot.

In 2013, he opted for life in exile, moving to New York to calculate his political moves at a distance.

Deputy Minister briefs Diaspora Armenian youths on “That is me”and “I have the honor” programs

Alex Nanijanian
News.am, Armenia

Deputy Minister briefs Diaspora Armenian youths on “That is me”and “I have the honor” programs
18:44, 21.07.2017

YEREVAN. – First Deputy Defense Minister Artak Zakaryan on Friday received the Diaspora Armenian youths, who have visited Armenia with the support of the Birthright Foundation.

Welcoming the attendees, Artak Zakaryan presented the internal and external directions of the Armenian defense policy, the course of bilateral and multilateral military cooperation with a number of states and allies, as well as the programs currently being implemented by the Ministry, the press service of the Armenian Defense Ministry informed Armenian News – NEWS.am.

At the meeting, the First Defense Minister also responded to the various questions of interest to the Diaspora Armenian youths, the significant part of which related to the “That is me” and “I have the honor” program, which have given an opportunity of choosing new forms of military service, having become the subject of wide public discussions during the recent months. 

Armenia’s minister of labor and social affairs briefs president on progress in welfare reforms

Alex Nanijanian
Panorama, Armenia

At a working meeting with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Artem Asatryan reported progress in the implementation of President’s instructions, including the work carried out in the field of social protection and the proposed systemic changes in this sphere, the press service of the President’s Office reports.

Regarding the activities carried out in the field of pensions, welfare benefits and other allowances, Minister Asatryan dwelt on the efforts aimed at improving pensioner databases (cleaning up the registers), improving information infrastructures, as well as raising salaries and benefits for servicemen of specific categories and the members of their families. The Minister noted that the terms and procedures for allocation of temporary disability, maternity and childbirth benefits had been revised to make spending more targeted in this area.

The President instructed to speed up work on clarification of the records of length of service, minimize potential mistakes, raise the level of responsibility, and expand the range of online social services provided to citizens.

Artem Asatryan reported that the vulnerability assessment methodology and approaches are subject to fundamental revision, based on the imperative of providing employment to each member of beneficiary families and improving the targeting of social assistance programs.

The Minister’s report also featured the work done in the field of medical and social expertise, which provides for the introduction of a system of documented expertise based on a new model of disability assessment. This implies the use of specific criteria for disaggregating disease from disability in order to provide rehabilitation services to the target groups.

Touching upon the reforms underway in the sphere of child protection, Minister Asatryan advised that by this yearend the Ministry’s round-the-clock care facilities will have been reorganized into day care centers for child and family support.

The Minister further reported that the Labor Code is being amended, with work done to uphold the positive trends in the demographic situation and build up the necessary institutional framework in compliance with the presidential instruction on the implementation of Armenia’s strategy of demographic policy and the relevant action plan (2009-2035) as issued at the National Security Council’s meeting, which was held at the end of last year.

During the meeting, Artem Asatryan presented the programs aimed at increasing the efficiency of welfare programs, which provide for full introduction of state-of-the-art information technologies, automated monitoring and evaluation systems.

Karabakh Defense Army ready to take offensive actions if needed – defense minister

Alex Nanijanian
Panorama, Armenia

Lieutenant-General Levon Mnatsakanyan, Defense Ministry of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh/NKR), Defense Army Commander, on July 12 hosted a group of MPs of Armenia’s Parliament who paid a working visit to the republic, the Artsakh Defense Ministry told Panorama.am.

Welcoming the guests, Mr. Mnatsakanyan touched upon the military operations occurred in April 2016 upon their request, assessing them as a mass offensive launched against the Artsakh Republic by Azerbaijan given the special forces, large quantity of armored units, rocket and artillery systems, modern high-tech military weapons, as well as targeted strikes by the Azerbaijani side.

Afterwards, Levon Mnatsakanyan briefed on the officials the works carried out following the April flare-up, noting that comprehensive analysis has been carried out. Assessing the present-day frontline situation as stable and under control, the top Karabakh military assured that the Defense Army is capable of giving adequate response to Azerbaijan’s provocations and is ready to take offensive actions if needed.

At the end of the meeting, the Defense Army Commander replied to the questions of the Armenian parliamentarians regarding such matters as innovations used in the army, the capacity and efficiency of video surveillance mechanisms and the others.
  

Chess: Levon Aronian to face Azerbaijani Teimour Radjabov at Geneva Grand Prix

Alex Nanijanian
Panorama, Armenia
July 8 2017

At Round 2 of the third tournament of 2017 FIDE World Chess Grand Prix taking place in Geneva, Switzerland, Armenian GM Levon Aronian defeated GM Dmitry Jakovenko (Russia) with black pieces, the Armenian National Olympic Committee told Panorama.am.

After two rounds, Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan) is leading the table. Five chess players, including Armenia’s Aronian, have scored 1.5 points apiece.

The source notes that Aronian is set to face Teimour Radjabov at Round 3 of the tournament on July 8.

BAKU: TEAS director sends letters to world’s famous editions over Armenian atrocities in Fuzuli

Alex Nanijanian
APA, Azerbaijan
July 7 2017
 
 
TEAS director sends letters to world’s famous editions over Armenian atrocities in Fuzuli
 
 
 
The world media has many reports on firing by the Armenian armed forces of the civilian population in the village of Alkhanli of Fuzuli district and killing of Sahiba Guliyeva and her two-year-old granddaughter Zahra Guliyeva.
 
 
 
To inform the international media, Lionel Zetter, director of The European Azerbaijan Society (TEAS), has sent the letters to such famous editions as “The Times”, The Guardian, “The Economist” and “New York Times”. It ran:
 
 
 
“With so many conflicts raging around the world, the ongoing Armenian–Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh receives little coverage. Your newspaper is an honourable exception to that rule.
 
 
 
Armenian armed forces located close to the ‘contact line’ regularly fire on the peaceful Azerbaijani population. On 4 July 2017, two inhabitants of the Alkhanli village of the Fizuli region – two-year-old Zahra Guliyeva and her grandmother, Sahiba Guliyeva – were killed by mortar fire directed from Armenian-occupied land. This was in direct contravention of the Geneva Conventions of 12 August 1949 and other international agreements, which defend the rights of civil society and forbid the targeting of civilians.
 
 
 
The perpetrators of this atrocity should be prosecuted, either by the Aremnian authorities or by the International Criminal Court. It is now 29 years since Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven surrounding regions were occupied by Armenia, and it is time for them to obey the four outstanding UN Security Council Resolutions and withdraw their troops.
 
 
 
In a letter addressed to “The Economist”, it is emphasized that the South Caucasus and Caspian Basin regions have enormous economic potential.
 
 
 
This potential will never be fully realised unless a lasting peace can be negotiated between Azerbaijan and Armenia. A recent atrocity has underlined this fact. Armenian armed forces located close to the ‘contact line’ regularly fire on the peaceful Azerbaijani population. On 4 July 2017, two inhabitants of the Alkhanli village of the Fizuli region – two-year-old Zahra Guliyeva and her grandmother Sahiba Guliyeva – were killed.
 
 
 
The Armenian occupation of Azerbaijani territory has served to destroy the Armenian economy. With no natural resources of its own, it could have benefited from the BP-led Azerbaijani hydrocarbons boom, which has resulted in the country becoming the leading economy in the CIS. However, due to the conflict with Azerbaijan, all pipelines have been forced to detour to avoid Armenian territory and the country remains reliant on the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. This uses a Soviet-era design without a containment vessel that is identical to that at Chernobyl. Furthermore, borders are closed with two of Armenia’s neighbours – Azerbaijan and Turkey – leaving it totally reliant on Russia. It continues to host Russian military bases on its territory.
 
 
 
International institutions should call for the peaceful settlement of the conflict. They should not ignore the fact that Armenia killed members of the Azerbaijani civilian population – children, women and the elderly – and should pressurise Armenia to end its illegal occupation of Azerbaijani territory”.
 
 
 
On July 4 at about 20:40 (GMT+4 hours), the Armenian armed forces, using 82-mm and 120-mm mortars and grenade launchers, shelled the Alkhanli village of Azerbaijan’s Fuzuli district. As a result of this provocation, the residents of the village Sahiba Allahverdiyeva, 50, and Zahra Guliyeva, 2, were killed. Salminaz Guliyeva, 52, was injured.  
 

Lebanese-Armenian figures Mr. and Mrs. Sargis and Zvart Najarian were awarded by the RA Ministry of Diaspora

Alex Nanijanian 
Please find the attached press release of the Ministry of Diaspora.
Sincerely,
Media and PR Department
(+374 10) 585601, internal 805


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BAKU: Bryza: Karabakh conflict resolution possible only within Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity

Alex Nanijanian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
15:31 (UTC+04:00)
223

By Rashid Shirinov

Resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is possible only within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, taking into account the right of peoples to self-determination, Former U.S. ambassador to Azerbaijan Matthew Bryza told reporters in Baku on June 16.

Armenia keeps the Azerbaijani lands under the occupation, said Bryza, adding it is necessary that Armenian troops withdraw from those lands and the parties reach an agreement.

The former ambassador noted that there is no trust between the conflict sides, they do not believe in the sincerity of each other and this hampers settlement of the conflict. Complex compromises are needed for the conflict to be resolved, Bryza said.

“The only way is if the U.S. and Russia, with participation of the EU, are able to provide political support to the leadership of Azerbaijan and Armenia in the conflict resolution,” Bryza said, adding that Nagorno-Karabakh is one of the few issues, on which the U.S. and Russia have a common position and are ready to act together.

The framework agreement [Madrid Principles] has existed for 10 years already, said Bryza, adding it is necessary to complete this process.

Bryza noted that when he served as an OSCE MG co-chair, the co-chairs made progress, because the presidents of the U.S. and Russia – George W. Bush and Dmitry Medvedev – paid more attention to the conflict and directly participated in its settlement.

“At that time, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov creatively approached this issue, and he also encouraged the co-chairs to take a creative approach,” noted Bryza.

Bryza added that neither Azerbaijan, nor Armenia is interested in the resumption of hostilities on the line of contact. At the same time, he noted that the deployment of heavy weapons to the line of contact, such as the OSA missile systems, can contribute to resumption of hostilities.

Bryza said he doesn’t expect progress in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s resolution until the presidents of Russia and the U.S. make their personal contribution to its settlement. “They should put this conflict to the agenda of the Russia-U.S. relations, but now the relations are not at a proper level,” he said.

The Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict hinders the economic development of the South Caucasus and security in the region, he stressed.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan’s territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign state with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.