Author: Ani Basmajian

Armenia’s opposition 5165 Movement leader: Pashinyan is professional liar deceiving the people to carry out orders

Ani Basmajian
News.am, Armenia
Armenia’s opposition 5165 Movement leader: Pashinyan is professional liar deceiving the people to carry out orders
00:33, 22.05.2021

If any political force continues to carry out activities for political dividends and fails to support the claim to annul the document to be signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan at this moment, that political force will deprive itself of the right to defend Armenia tomorrow. This is what founding director of “Armenian Knight” Charitable Foundation for Education and Upbringing Karin Tonoyan said during a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“It doesn’t matter to me who will come to power, but what will they rule over, if there is no land? Once again, we Armenians are dealing with a professional liar who is carrying out all the instructed programs with blurred politics and by deceiving the people. It’s clear that his goal is to collaborate with Aliyev. Is there anyone who doesn’t understand that Aiyev is the chief of staff of Nikol Pashinyan? The reason why is because Nikol Pashinyan is more than favorable for the Azerbaijanis and their leadership. Whoever the next leader will be and no matter how much he loves the Azerbaijanis, he will have to carry out other activities in order to maintain his position. I’m more than certain that Nikol Pashinyan has an agreement with Aliyev, and the trespassing of the border was an agreement according to which the Azerbaijanis will cross the border, exert psychological pressure on the people, and Armenia will be forced to give consent to all agreements since the people will be afraid of war. Otherwise, why has Nikol Pashinyan ordered not to open fire? The people are to blame more than Nikol Pashinyan because if you are deceived, you are to blame. I want the people to understand that the fate of Armenia depends on them. What else needs to happen for the people to stand up?” she said.

According to Tonoyan, the process of demarcation of the borders between Armenia and Azerbaijan that the authorities of Armenia are planning to launch, will pose serious dangers for Armenia. According to her, as a result of demarcation, Armenia might be deprived of strategic roads and even water resources.

“They lowered the level of education of the people to the degree that people don’t understand what the authorities are doing to them. The people listen and say, it’s ok, things will be clear after a few years, we’ve been adjusting borders with Georgia for 30 years, we’ll live with the Azerbaijanis too, the authorities say Armenia will retrieve Artsvashen. However, in exchange of Artsvashen, Armenia will transfer a few villages. Armenia will transfer the main villages of Tavush Provinces, along with lakes, reservoirs, forests, and half of Tavush Province, not to mention Tigranashen village of Ararat Province, which is on a strategic road that will cut Armenia from Vayots Dzor and Syunik. The only road left will be the road to Vedi, and we know what it means to have only one road, especially in a country that is doomed to be in a war constantly,” she stated.

According to Karin Tonoyan, the newly established “5165” Movement that she is leading is aimed at awakening citizens and making them realize that Armenians are losing their homeland.

“We will guide the people and reach a point where the document will not be signed. In addition, we have set up a border protection committee, which has been joined by various initiatives. We have developed a clear-cut plan that shows how we will help soldiers on the border and how we will demand the Ministry of Defense to perform its functions. We will also find solutions through which we can liberate our country from the incumbent authorities,” she added.

The Movement will hold a rally at Charles Aznavour Square in Yerevan tomorrow.

Turkish press: Turkey rejects European Parliament’s ‘by no means objective’ report

Ani Basmajian
Jeyhun Aliyev   |19.05.2021

ANKARA

Turkey on Wednesday rejected the European Parliament’s “unilateral and by no means objective” 2019-2020 report on Turkey, a resolution it passed earlier in the day.

Passing such a resolution at a time when efforts are being made to revive Turkish-EU relations on the basis of its EU membership perspective within the framework of a positive agenda “is

unacceptable,” said a Foreign Ministry statement.

“We reject this biased text which not only includes false allegations regarding human rights, democracy, the rule of law, our governmental system and political parties; and views Turkey’s effective, solution-oriented, humanitarian and enterprising foreign policy as a threat; but also reflects the completely unfair and biased Greek and Greek Cypriot arguments regarding the

Aegean, the Eastern Mediterranean and Cyprus issue and supports the one-sided and inconsistent Armenian narratives regarding the 1915 events,” it said.

The ministry stressed that it considers that the wording of the report, as it tries to call Turkey’s accession negotiations into question, to reflect “a lack of vision and an effort to deviate from

the principle of pacta sunt servanda,” meaning agreements must be kept.

“It is well known by the EU institutions and the EP members that the standstill in Turkey’s accession negotiations is not due to Turkey’s lack of will for reforms or any shortcoming in

assuming the EU acquis, but, rather, to the fact that certain circles have exploited the membership process as an opportunity for political gains against Turkey since the beginning of this

process,” it added.

The ministry also underlined that the EU membership is a strategic goal for Ankara and would benefit all of Europe and beyond, adding that Turkey will “decisively” continue its efforts in line

with this objective.

“While the EU expresses its appreciation for our efforts, particularly with regard to migration issue, within the scope of the Turkey-EU Statement of 18 March 2016, for which we have fulfilled

our commitments, the EU should get out of the vicious circle of not taking any concrete step to fulfil its own commitments in the 18 March Statement, ranging from Turkey’s EU accession

process to cooperation on migration,” it said.

It also highlighted that as a candidate country, Turkey expects the European Parliament to carry out “constructive efforts” about how relations can be improved with Ankara and how it can

contribute to Turkey’s EU integration process, rather than “being a platform for baseless allegations and blind accusations against Turkey.”

An official candidate for bloc membership since 1999, Turkey’s EU accession talks began in 2005, but have stalled in recent years, a development Turkey blames on political moves by the

Greek Cypriot administration and others. 

Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic later answered a question regarding the European Parliament’s report which also suggested a EU-wide ban for Turkish associations, non-governmental organizations and foundations associated with Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) in Turkey, among other things.

Underlining the fact that some associations which are clearly affiliated with the PKK/YPG terror group and the FETO terrorist organization, responsible for July 15 defeated coup in Turkey, which operate in some EU countries under the guise of freedom of _expression_ and assembly, Bilgic said: “Suggesting a ban and incorporation into the bloc’s terror list for organizations affiliated with one of our country’s long-established legal party can be understood only through an abdication of reason.”

FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016, which left 251 people martyred and 2,734 injured.

Turkey also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police and judiciary.

In its more than 35-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK — listed as a terror organization by Turkey, US and the EU — has been responsible for the deaths of at least 40,000 people, including women, children, and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.

He stressed that racism and fascism belong to western political terminology and should not be confused with understanding nationalism in Turkey.

Such slander, which fabricated by the anti-Turkish Armenian diaspora, PKK and FETO circles and utilized by European politicians for internal policy purposes, are unacceptable, Bilgic remarked.

He also emphasized that such actions, which would amount to limitations on basic rights and freedoms, are indicating that the European Parliament has lost a sense of reality, and essentially differed from European values.

Armenian delegation to participate in EAEU member states-Egypt negotiations in Moscow

Ani Basmajian

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 20:32,

YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS.  The Armenian Governmental delegation will participate in the 4th stage of negotiations between the EAEU member states and Egypt on free trade agreement, ARMENPRESS reports caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan signed the relevent decision.

The delegation will be led by Minister of Economy Varos Simonyan. The visit will take place from May 25-27.


Armenian acting PM, Kazakh President discuss situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border

Ani Basmajian
Public Radio of Armenia


Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with Kasim-Jomart Tokayev, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan , a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.

The interlocutors discussed the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Nikol Pashinyan considered inadmissible Azerbaijan’s encroachment on the sovereign territory of Armenia and attached importance to coordinating the positions of the CSTO partners to resolve the issue.

French ambassador to Armenia: ‘We were peaceful like our mountains, you invaded like ferocious winds’

Ani Basmajian
Panorama, Armenia

French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacôte took to Facebook on Saturday to share a poem entitled “Impromptu” by renowned Armenian poet Hovhannes Shiraz in the French and Armenian languages.

Below is the English version of the poem.

“We were peaceful like our mountains,
You invaded like ferocious winds,
We confronted you like our mountains,
You growled fiercely like ferocious winds,
But we are eternal like our mountains,
You will die out like ferocious winds.” 

UN would like to have unhindered access to Nagorno‑Karabakh

Ani Basmajian 
Public Radio of Armenia
The UN would like to have unhindered humanitarian access in
Nagorno‑Karabakh, Stéphane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the UN Secretary
General, told a daily briefing.
“To date, this has not been possible because we’ve not received the
necessary authorization from the Azerbaijani authorities.  However, we
are hopeful that we’ll see progress on this soon,”   Dujarric said.

Homeland Party calls for consolidation of national forces amid security challenges in Syunik

Ani Basmajian
Panorama, Armenia

The council of the Homeland Party expressed concerns over the latest developments in Armenia’s Syunik Province, as a result of which the Azerbaijani military advanced some 3.5 kilometers into the sovereign territory of Armenia, violating the territorial integrity of the country.

“Such developments are a result of the defeatist policy of the incompetent and treacherous regime still considering itself to be the authorities of Armenia, which regularly leads to public administration and security crises, disrupting the domestic stability of the country and creating new foreign policy challenges,” the party said in a statement on Thursday.

“In order to confront the security challenges in Syunik and other border regions of Armenia, we attach great importance to the consolidation of national and healthy forces, the soonest recovery and reinforcement of our army, as well as the establishment of a new level of dignified relations with strategic allies and friendly states.

“Given that this weak and incompetent regime is in no way capable of pursuing a policy that will ensure the vital interests and sovereignty of our state, we reiterate our conviction that the treacherous regime, which has no future in Armenia, must be removed immediately,” the statement read. 

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2021/05/13/Homeland-Party/2501493

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Yerevan City Council member Tehmina Vardanyan, who formerly represented the Luys faction, has joined the opposition Homeland Party, she said in a Facebook post on Thursday.

“As a result of deliberations, thorough study of the political sector and sober assessment of the domestic political situation, I have finally come to the conclusion that the removal of the current authorities is of vital importance for the survival of our nation, statehood and homeland,” she wrote.

“Therefore, I am honored to announce that from today I will be part of the team of the Homeland Party united around idea of bringing real change in Armenia and building a strong and modern state. There is no alternative to a safe and united Armenia,” Vardanyan said.  

Government has no overdue debt to businesses: number of jobs increased by over 85,000 – Pashinyan

Ani Basmajian

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 12:56,

YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government has no overdue debt to businesses as of May 1, 2021, Caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the special session in the Parliament, added that the government has returned around 500 million USD to businesses within 3 years.

Pashinyan noted that in 2018, when he assumed the office of the Prime Minister, the government had 274 billion drams in debt to businesses. He stated that this debt problem has been solved within those three years not only de facto, in the form of factual payments, but also from institutional terms.

Pashinyan also highlighted the institutional change made by the government in income tax. Starting from 2018 a three-degree income tax – 36%, 28% and 23% has started to operate. The caretaker PM reminded that they have set a flat income tax 23%, and according to the legislation, the income tax will reduce by 1% every year, and as a result the flat income tax will be 20% starting from January 1, 2023. At the same time, the government has also lowered the profit tax from 20% to 18%.

Then, Pashinyan presented the results of all those changes. “In fact, we have solved and continue to solve from institutional terms the issues of shadow workplaces and shadow wages. And as of March 2021, compared to March 2018, the jobs increased by 85,038 or by 15.5%. Those are the workplaces which receive a concrete salary”, he said.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Turkish-Armenian lawmaker threatened over genocide remarks

Ani Basmajian
April 28 2021
A criminal complaint was filed against Turkish lawmaker Umit Ozdag after he threatened Garo Paylan, an Armenian deputy with the Peoples’ Democratic Party, over remarks regarding the Armenian genocide.


Diego Cupolo


April 28, 2021

ISTANBUL — Turkey’s Human Rights Association (IHD) filed a criminal complaint Tuesday against independent lawmaker Umit Ozdag over threats toward Garo Paylan, an Armenian deputy with the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), following remarks Paylan shared on Twitter regarding the Armenian genocide.

The news comes as tensions remain high in Turkey following Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day on April 24, during which US President Joe Biden broke with his predecessors and recognized the 1915 mass killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians by Ottomans as genocide in a statement, putting further strain on US-Turkey relations.

On Saturday, Paylan shared a tweet criticizing the fact that streets and schools in Turkey are currently named after Talaat Pasha, a leading architect of the Armenian genocide who served as the Ottoman Empire’s interior minister at the time of the events, comparing the situation to schools being named after Adolf Hitler in Germany.

The message drew anger from Turkish nationalists. Ozdag quoted the tweet Tuesday, calling Paylan a “shameless, provocative man” and threatening him with the same fate met by Armenians at the end of the Ottoman era.

“If you are not content, go to hell,” Ozdag wrote in the tweet. “Talaat Pasha did not expel the patriotic Armenians but expelled the ones like you who stabbed us in the back. When the time comes, you will and should also have a Talaat Pasha experience.”

In a separate tweet, Ozdag also referred to Paylan as a “vicious enemy of the Turkish nation.” Paylan responded by calling Ozdag a “fascist” in a social media spat that stirred controversy among observers and commentators. Both Ozdag and Paylan did not respond immediately to requests for comment.

Ozdag’s remarks were condemned as “racism” by Eren Keskin, a prominent lawyer and co-chair of the IHD, who Tuesday announced the organization would file a complaint against the lawmaker. The complaint accuses Ozdag of making threats and “provoking public hatred and hostility” under Turkish law, as well as discrimination under the European Convention of Human Rights.

“He threatened to do what Talaat did,” Keskin told Al-Monitor. “Ozdag made a death threat toward Garo Paylan. That threat was an extension of the genocide.”

Keskin added, “Our main expectation is to take this complaint to international platforms. We did our duty by filing this complaint in order to make sure such genocidal remarks do not go unpunished.”

Paylan also filed a criminal complaint Wednesday alleging Ozdag committed the crimes of “incitement to commit a crime,” “incitement to public hatred and enmity,” and “insult and threat.”

The developments come after Paylan submitted a law proposal to the Turkish parliament last week for the recognition of the Armenian genocide. The Turkish government rejects definitions of the 1915 mass killings as genocide, with most lawmakers arguing Armenian casualties were part of a greater World War I era conflict, in contradiction to conclusions reached by most historians.

On Wednesday, the Turkish parliament approved a declaration condemning and rejecting Biden’s genocide remarks with support from most opposition parties, though the HDP voted against it as a party known to focus on minority rights in Turkey.

In the fallout from Biden’s genocide recognition, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday his US counterpart’s remarks were “baseless, unjust and untrue.” While some Turkey analysts told Al-Monitor they did not expect harsh responses beyond rhetorical statements regarding Biden’s declaration, many Turkish politicians condemned the move and called for more action from leaders in Ankara.

Erdogan ally and ultra-right Nationalist Movement Party Chair Devlet Bahceli said US-Turkey ties were at a “historical crossroads” Tuesday, adding Ankara should activate the Russian-made S-400 missile systems it acquired in 2019 and retrieve lost investments in NATO’s F-35 fighter jet program, from which Turkey was expelled following the purchase.

In addition, IYI Party Chair Meral Aksener criticized Erdogan Wednesday for not taking a harsher stance against the United States.

“The Turkish nation is waiting for a step from you,” Aksener said, going on to suggest Ankara should restrict US access to air force bases used to launch operations in the region.

Meanwhile, groups and organizations that made statements sympathizing with Armenians or supporting Biden’s remarks have faced backlash in Turkey. Among several cases, Turkish prosecutors launched an investigation Monday into the Diyarbakir Bar Association over its statements made on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day.

“The Turkish republic’s official ideology is based on the denial of the genocide, and the legal system has been designed accordingly,” Keskin told Al-Monitor.


 

Asbarez: DSCC Member Elen Asatryan Introduces Resolution Urging Release of Armenian POWs;

Ani Basmajian

May 1, 2021



California Democratic Party meeting

Calls for Divesting from, Condemning, and Sanctioning Turkey and Azerbaijan.

LOS ANGELES—LACDP Elected Member and DSCC Member Elen Asatryan has introduced a resolution, which will be considered at the California Democratic Convention taking place from April 29 through May 2, condemning Turkey and Azerbaijan for the war crimes they committed over the course of 44 days after their attack on the Republic of Artsakh and Armenia, which began on September 27, 2020.

The resolution also urges Congress and the Biden Administration to sanction Turkey and Azerbaijan and demand that Azerbaijani authorities immediately release all Armenian POWS and captured civilians. Furthermore, it also calls on the California Public Employees’ Retirement System and the State Teachers’ Retirement System to take socially responsible steps and divest all public employee retirement funds from investment vehicles issued by Turkey and Azerbaijan until Turkey recognizes the Armenian Genocide of 1915 – 1923, and until the people of Artsakh are afforded the opportunity of self-determination on their indigenous lands.

LACDP Elected Member and DSCC Member Elen Asatryan

“Authoring this resolution is deeply personal because Armenian-Americans are among the diverse constituents I am proud to represent in my capacity as an elected member of Los Angeles County’s Democratic Party and Democratic State Central Committee. It is our duty and our moral responsibility as an organization to take a firm stand against human rights violations, to show solidarity in this moment of pain, to amplify the voices of our minority communities against the voices of oppression, and to uphold the basic values of life, liberty, and pursuit of a dignified existence. This is a humanitarian crisis that demands bold leadership and our immediate attention,” emphasized Asatryan.

The situation is dire, lives are at stake with Armenian POWs and civilian hostages still being held captive and continuous threats from the Dictators Erdogan and Alliev to finish their mission of annihilating the Armenian people. Turkey and Azerbaijan must be held accountable not only for the war crimes they continue to commit to date, but for the inappropriate allocation of our American tax dollars towards these war crimes.”

“If we don’t take a strong stance now, then nothing sets us apart from the international community in 1915 who stood by and watched the Armenian Genocide unfold- and did nothing to stop it.  I am hopeful that my peers and fellow leaders within the Democratic Party will reflect on the critical importance of this time-sensitive resolution and will shepherd its passage at the state convention, and thank all the elected officials, sponsors, and organizations who have helped bring the resolution to this point,” she added.

“Because genocide is not some relic of the past, it’s happening right now in places around the world. Only months ago, Turkey and Azerbaijan made war against the Armenians in Artsakh, and many Armenians fear that another genocide could take place at any time. Speaking this simple truth can help deter other crimes against humanity by demonstrating that those who engage in mass murder will be held accountable,” stated Congressman Adam Schiff who is a sponsor on the resolution.

“As the grandchild of four genocide survivors and as a third generation refugee of the genocide, I see the recent offensive by the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments as the continuation of the legacy of genocide, the uprooting of my indigenous Armenian community from our ancestral lands and the destruction of our cultural heritage. This resolution is timely and essential because it calls for holding the Azerbaijani and Turkish governments accountable for their ongoing human rights violations against my people. Our tax dollars can no longer support the war crimes of these governments,” stated LACDP Elected Member and DSCC Members Suzie Abajian who also stands as a sponsor to the CDP resolution.

The original resolution was submitted with the maximum 35 DSCC sponsors allowed and includes Congressman Adam Schiff and DSCC Members Suzie Abajian, Hans Johnson, Vanuhi Vartanian, Cindy Montoya, Ellen Finkelpearl, John Harabedian, Josue Barnes, Drexel Heard, Koreen Cea, Todd Jones, Jessica Craven, Linda Perez, Malcolm Johnson, Kev Abazajian, Gina Clayton-Tarvin, Sean Abajian, Melissa Taylor, Rebecca Wolfersberger, Luis Lopez, Mia Livas Porter, Marco Flores, Tina Fredericks, Steven Fisher, Karen Suarez, Mary Ann Lutz, Kathleen Patterson, Angelica Duenas, Tim Wendler, Mindy Pfeiffer, Jacinta Lincke, Kenneth Armstrong, Jason Small, and Thom O’Shaughnessy. Letters of support were sent to the committee members from over 125 organizations, leaders, delegates and fellow democrats urging passage of the resolution, including the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region, Armenian Assembly of America, Southern California Armenian Democrats, Pan Armenian Council of the Western United States and its 24 regional and national Armenian-American religious, political and civil organizations, the Glendale Teachers Association, East Area Progressive Democrats, Los Angeles Councilmember Paul Krekorian, and others.

The California Democratic Party’s resolutions committee has the authority to amend language of any resolution it receives. It also has authority to combine resolutions, should there be multiple resolutions submitted that are similar in topic, without needing prior approval from those who have authored the resolutions. Though there were two resolutions similar in topic, and the other resolution’s author has been added to the referenced resolution, the committee chose to use the language of Asatryan’s resolution exclusively, worked with Asatryan exclusively on amendments, and agreed to keep the language of her original resolution mainly in place. The other resolution in its entirety was considered both outdated and not in line with CDP guidelines. In addition, it included a list of sponsors, which at least two were verified as unauthorized for use, and one unauthorized sponsor which was also not a DSCC member.

This resolution comes on the heels of President Biden formally recognizing the Armenian Genocide as genocide and another unanimously-passed resolution by the LA County Democratic Party in October 2020 authored by Asatryan, which condemned Azerbaijan and Turkey for committing war crimes during their 2020 attacks on the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia and called on the U.S. to immediately impose sanctions and halt military aid to Azerbaijan and Turkey.

California is home to over one million Armenian Americans, a large majority of whom are directly impacted by the current threats and are descendants of Armenian genocide survivors, who have been tirelessly advocating for global assistance and intervention as they witnessed the unimaginable sufferings of their family members overseas, inflicted by Turkey and Azerbaijan.

The California Democratic party is the dominant political party in the state.  Representing over 10.3 million democrats, it is also the largest democratic entity in the United States.