Author: Ani Kharatian

Armenia 2nd President: I see possibility of restoring borders of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast

Ani Kharatian
News.am, Armenia
18:14, 28.05.2021

The territorial losses are such that we Armenians need to set real objectives for ourselves. Robert Kocharyan, the second President and leader of the “Armenia” bloc—which will run in the snap parliamentary elections on June 20—, stated this during a meeting with the residents and this bloc’s active members at three administrative districts of the capital Yerevan.

“As far as the former borders of Armenia are concerned, there simply couldn’t have been any conversation at all. As far as Nagorno-Karabakh is concerned, we need to be able to maintain at least what exists today and try to solve the issue of restoration of the borders of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast during future discussions on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. I can envision this, and I see an opportunity in the next few years. This will be extremely difficult because, first and foremost, we suffered major losses in the process of negotiations as well. First, we need to move the issue to the domain of the right to self-determination,” he said, adding that this will be possible, if Armenia restores the capacity of the armed forces very quickly because if it doesn’t, the negotiations will be eternal and ineffective.

Russia’s Shoigu discusses situation in Karabakh with Armenia’s Harutiunyan

Ani Kharatian
TASS, Russia
May 20 2021
Earlier, the Russian Defense Ministry disclosed that a similar conversation took place on May 19 and earlier on May 17

MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu discussed the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh with Action Defense Minister of Armenia Vagharshak Harutiunyan, Russian Defense Ministry disclosed Thursday.

“The sides discussed pressing issues of bilateral cooperation, the situation in the region and in the areas of operation of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh,” the statement says.

Earlier, the Ministry disclosed that a similar conversation took place on May 19 and earlier on May 17.

Turkish press: ‘Timeless’: In the middle of past and future in historical Karaköy

Ani Kharatian
 ISTANBUL EVENTS 
MAY 20, 2021 11:19 AM GMT+3
An exhibition from “Timeless”

Galeri 77 invites culture enthusiasts to experience the joy of art once again with a new solo exhibition by artist Kirkor Sahakoğlu. “Timeless” will be launched on May 25 and can be visited until June 11 at the gallery’s space in Istanbul’s Karaköy district.

Sahakoğlu is an Armenian-Turkish artist who attended the Getronagan High School and then laid the foundations for his career in arts with the education he received from the State School of Applied Fine Arts’ advertising and graphics department. After receiving his master’s degree at the Istituto Europeo Di Design in Milan, he started to teach in the graphic design department at the Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts in 2000.

The Istanbul-based artist’s first solo exhibition “Absent” was opened at the Depo gallery in the Tophane quarter, in a former tobacco warehouse known as Tütün Deposu, in 2015. The exhibition, comprising of 39 paintings and one video, was followed by many solo and group shows, like “Utopia,” which was a work of 79 paintings presented at the historical Galata Greek High School, and “A4” at Republic Museum and Art Gallery in Sultanahmet square in Istanbul, which showcased works from fellow faculty members of the Marmara University Faculty of Fine Arts in May 2017.

Kirkor Sahakoğlu, untitled, mix media on canvas, 60 by 60 centimeters.

Sahakoğlu’s latest show “Timeless” will host its visitors in Galeri 77, which will soon be renovated. While the exhibition presents works standing in the middle of the past and the future, the gallery space also contributes to the show’s questioning of time and space with its historical background and veteran existence in the present

“Timeless” brings together more than 35 works by Sahakoğlu, including his most recent works in which he questions the relationship between time and space. The exhibition seeks an answer to the question: “Does time have a reality that is independent of the human mind?” It also questions whether space is a fundamental phenomenon that reinforces the concept of human beings’ belonging.

Sahakoğlu connects with more than one perception of time and space for his latest show. The artist uses the motto: “The only truth that does not change through generations is that we are the least familiar with our own reflection in all of the surfaces we look at,” to encourage the audience to ask itself different questions.

In the extraordinary exhibition environment, where the history, memories and resonances of the space are blended with the works, Sahakoğlu succeeds in focusing on the life dynamics of the individual within heterotopias. The concept of heterotopia can be explained as the subject’s inability to infer the usual meaning from the objects around him and feeling uncomfortable or somehow “other” in the space or place he occupies. Heterotopias are worlds within worlds, mirroring and yet upsetting what is outside.

According to researchers, in the past, there was a wine port in the area of Galeri 77. Greek sailors transported wine from all over the Aegean Peninsula and docked at the port. The building hosting the gallery was used as a store back then and was also home to a Greek family bakery, which filled the structure with the smell of vanilla and violet candy aromas for years.

This rich past brings the 200-year-old abandoned building of the gallery into the discussion and questionings of the show, as it is filled with experiences and memories. It is also significant that the building will be completely renovated following the exhibition. After the work is complete, it will open its doors to art lovers with its new, renovated space.

The opening of “Timeless” can also be simultaneously watched online on May 25 on the Youtube channel of Galeri 77.

India calls on Azerbaijan to pull back forces amid border incursion into Armenia

Ani Kharatian

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 14:51,

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. India follows, with concern, the situation along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, the spokesperson of the Indian ministry of external affairs said in response to media queries.

“Border incursions through military movements can destabilize the situation and lead to renewed hostilities. We call upon the transgressing side to pull back forces immediately and cease any further provocation.

India has always stood for peaceful resolution of bilateral disputes through political and diplomatic means. Peace and stability in the South Caucasus region is important from the regional security perspective”, the spokesperson said.

Recently, on May 12, the Azerbaijani armed forces have illegally crossed into Armenia’s territory, in particular the Sev Lake in Syunik province. Thanks to the actions of the Armenian side, some of the Azerbaijani forces have returned back to their initial positions, but some Azeri troops still remain in some border sections of Armenia’s Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces. Negotiations over the withdrawal of the Azerbaijani forces are taking place.

 

Editing by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenian Cemeteries Destroyed in Iran

Ani Kharatian

05/16/2021 Iran (International Christian Concern) –  Looters have destroyed Armenian cemeteries in Iran, seeking to find antiques and other valuables. The destruction of historical Christian sites is made worse as no government intervention seeks to preserve the sites, only giving looters more freedom to survey potential targets.

An Armenian cemetery in Abadan was registered in 2002 with the National Monuments List of Iran. Yet rumors of wealth hidden among the tombs have brought looters and destruction of property.  Up until a few years ago, the cemetery was protected by guards. However, repeated clashes and raids of the cemetery caused the police to refuse to intervene. Now, the Armenian cemetery lies in ruins. Another Armenian cemetery in Hadan recently was videoed showing the widespread destruction that looters have had on the historical Christian site.

The Iranian government, including the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Tourism, has not intervened or indicated that they seek to preserve the Christian minority sites.




Armenian leader accuses Azerbaijan of fresh ‘infiltration’

Ani Kharatian
Yahoo! News – Source: Agence France Presse

, 4:30 pm
Armenian leader accuses Azerbaijan of fresh ‘infiltration’

Armenia’s leader on Thursday accused Azerbaijani troops of crossing the southern border and trying to stake claim to territory in a new escalation of tensions between the arch foes.

Last year Armenia and Azerbaijan went to war over the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The six-week conflict claimed some 6,000 lives and ended after Armenia ceded swathes of territory it had controlled for decades.

In the early hours of Thursday, Armenia’s acting prime minister Nikol Pashinyan accused Azerbaijan of new transgressions as he convened an emergency meeting of his security council.

Pashinyan said Azerbaijan’s troops had advanced more than three kilometres (two miles) into southern Armenia and were trying to “lay siege” to Lake Sev Lich that is shared by the two countries.

“It is an encroachment on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan said. “This is an act of subversive infiltration.”

He said Armenian soldiers had responded with “appropriate tactical manoeuvres” but stressed that the latest tensions should be settled through negotiations.

Approached by AFP, Azerbaijan’s defence and foreign ministries refused to comment on the claims.

The United States — one of the three nations in the so-called Minsk Group that leads diplomacy on Nagorno-Karabakh — said it was “closely following” the rising tensions.

“We understand communication between the parties is ongoing and urge restraint in de-escalating the situation peacefully,” State Department spokesman Ned Price wrote on Twitter.

Pashinyan has been under huge pressure over his handling of the conflict. He resigned in April while staying on in a caretaker capacity, setting the stage for a June 20 parliamentary election aimed at defusing the political crisis at home.

Moscow brokered a peace deal between Armenia and Azerbaijan but tensions persist.

Last month, Yerevan and Baku traded accusations of opening fire in Karabakh and along their shared border.

Ethnic Armenian separatists declared independence for Azerbaijan’s Nagorno-Karabakh region and seized control of the mountainous enclave in a brutal war in the 1990s that left tens of thousands dead and forced hundreds of thousands from their homes.

mkh-im/as-sct/bp

Situation in Syunik explosive: Armenia to apply to CSTO

Ani Kharatian 
Public Radio of Armenia
The situation in the area of Sev Lich (Black Lake) in Syunik has been
explosive for two days, Armenia’s acting Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan said at the meeting of the Security Council today.
“The reason is that groups of Azerbaijani armed forces have crossed
the border of the Republic of Armenia and have taken steps to surround
the lake. The Armenian Armed Forces have taken strategic
counteractions. Azerbaijanis deployed in nearby areas have retreated
as a result of countersyeps,” the Prime Minister said.
The Prime Minister stressed that no firearms or other weapons have
been used either by the Armenian, or the Azerbaijani side.
Nevertheless, he added, about 250 representatives of the Armed Forces
of Azerbaijan still remain inside the state borders of Armenia in some
sections of Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces.
“The deep and comprehensive analysis of the situation makes it
apparent that the actions of the Azerbaijani side are provocation that
can pursue wider military-political goals. I mean the Azerbaijani
forces have crossed the border to provoke military clashes rather than
than solve local issues,” the acting PM said.
Nikol Pashinyan stressed that the situation fully corresponds to the
Article 2, paragraph 2 of the Collectives Security Treaty, which “In
case of menace to safety, stability, territorial integrity and
sovereignty of one or several Member States or menace to international
peace and safety of the Member States shall immediately launch the
mechanism of joint consultations for the purpose of coordination of
their positions, develop and take measures for assistance to such
Member States for the purpose of elimination of the arisen menace.”
Based on the above, Pashinyan instructed acting Foreign Minister Ara
Aivazian and acting Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutyunyan and
Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan to take measures to
start consultations in line with Article 2, Paragraph 2 of the
Collectives Security Treaty.
He stressed that while no exchange of fire has been reported so far,
taking measures envisaged by the Collective Security Treaty will help
avoid further escalation and protect the territorial integrity,
stability and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia.

Iranian Red Crescent Society provides humanitarian assistance to displaced people from Artsakh

Ani Kharatian
Panorama, Armenia

Iranian Red Crescent Society has provided humanitarian assistance to the Armenian Red Cross to respond to the most urgent and pressing needs of people displaced from Nagorno Karabakh. The aid was handed on May 12 when Deputy Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Ali Mohammad Mottaghi visited the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) and was hosted by ARCS Secretary General Anna Yeghiazaryan. 

The assistance included  cloths, personal basic items and beddings, 400 units of kitchen items, 15,000 units of medical equipment which will be donated to the National Burn Center. 

Anna Yeghiazaryan has expressed gratitude to the government of the Islamic Republic for the cooperation and the assistance. “We have been partnering with the Iranian Red Crescent Society for many years and I am confident our cooperation will continue in the future for the benefit of all vulnerable groups,” Yeghizaryan said in her remarks. 

To note, the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) has been providing humanitarian assistance to people who arrived in Armenia in search of safety since the very first days of the escalation of the Nagorno – Karabakh conflict.

Joint Statment on Recognition and Remembrance of Armenian Genocide

Ani Kharatian
YAZDA.org
April 28 2021

Updated: 2 days ago

To commemorate genocide, we must give voice to the Armenians, Assyrians, Syriacs, Yazidis, Chaldeans, and Greeks

Joint communities’ statement on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

April 27, 2021

On the eve of the first official United States presidential recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as community organizations representing Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Yazidis, and other organizations who are advocating for victims, we wish to share a recognition of our own.

April 24, 1915, marked the day intellectuals and leaders of the Armenian community were killed, initiating a program against the Armenian people. On this day, we must remember the lives lost to genocide. An estimated 1.5 million Armenians were killed.

We must also remember that genocide creates a culture of impunity setting a fertile ground for future atrocities and crimes against humanity. Precedence is legitimized when justice is not promptly and fully realized. This is true in the case of the Armenians, as it is true in the cases of other genocides, including the Da’esh genocide against the Yazidis, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, and others.

As genocide by Da’esh continues in Sinjar, safety and security are also under severe threat as military airstrikes by the Turkish Air Forces continue to bomb villages inhabited by Yazidis. Insecurity is now a chronic ailment, giving no capacity to initiate policies to rebuild Sinjar and return the more than 300,000 people displaced since the start of the genocide. The destruction by Da’esh of Mosul, home to Armenian, Chaldean, and Syriac communities, as well as villages in the Nineveh Plains inhabited by Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, and Yazidis, have made safe return deeply challenging. The Yazidis, Christian communities, and other religious minorities continue to face the threats of further atrocities and even community extermination. Our communities are evidence of how humanity pays the most severe of consequences when justice is not served.

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the President of the United States Joseph Biden, following that of U.S. Congress, is a critical milestone. On the occasion of this commemoration, we call for the full, all-inclusive recognition of all acts of genocide that deserve equal honor. However, it cannot stop at words. It is indispensable that policies and actions preventing and responding to genocide be grounded in comprehensive approaches that ensure accountability and justice for all survivors, families of victims, and communities.


List of co-signatories:

Yazda- Yazidi Global Organization (USA)

The Zovighian Partnership (Lebanon)

Shams Humanitarian NGO (Armenia)

Coalition for Genocide Response (U.K)

Nadia’s Initiative (USA)

Emma Organization for Human Development

Eyzidi Organization for Documentation (Iraq)

Hammurabi Human Rights Organization (Iraq)

Assyrian Policy Institute (USA)

Masarat MCMD (Iraq)

Ghasin Al-Zaiton Organization (Iraq)

Methra Organization for Yarsan Cultural and Development (Iraq)

Justice Organization for Minorities Rights (Iraq)

Jiyan Foundation (Iraq)

Harikar Organization (Kurdistan Region)


For Arabic Version Click Here

For Armenian Version Click Here
 

Stories of Armenian carpets from Shushi

Ani Kharatian
JAM News
May 2 2021
    Sona Martirosyan, Yerevan

More than a hundred exhibits of the Shushi Carpet Museum have been exhibited in Yerevan for several months. Each carpet tells a story with the help of symbolic patterns.

The city of Shushi [Shusha in Azerbaijaini] came under the control of Azerbaijan following the second Karabakh war. It has always been considered the cultural center of Nagorno-Karabakh. Here, in five museums and exhibition halls, thousands of works of art have been exhibited in recent decades.

But the carpet museum is the only one that managed to have at least a portion of its exhibits evacuated during the war.

One of the exhibits of the museum. Photo by JAMnews

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The founder of the Shushi Carpet Museum Vardan Astsatryan tells about all the exhibits to each visitor of the exhibition in Yerevan.

Vardan Astsatryan explains to the visitors the meaning of the patterns. Photo by JAMnews

“The carpets, of course, are very beautiful, but it is important for me that every visitor not only sees their beauty, but also gets to know the meaning and content that are summarized in them. These are man-made chronicles of the history of Artsakh, our history. We have lost our homeland, and I want to preserve these stories so that we do not lose our culture and memory as well,” he says.

Vardan Astsatryan. Photo by JAMnews

The museum contains carpets from all regions of Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover, the founder of the museum found some of them somewhere abroad, where their owners, immigrants from NK, left.

“For me, a prerequisite for buying a carpet is meeting with the family to which it belonged. This is necessary in order to learn not only the history of the carpet, but also the history of the family. I believe that it is important to know the exact place of creation of each work,” says Vardan Astsatryan.

A carpet on which the tree of life is woven. Photo by JAMnews

The idea to create a carpet museum was born after the first Karabakh war – in the 90s, but it came true only in 2011:

“In Soviet times, it often happened that Azerbaijanis went to villages and bought carpets from Armenians. Everyone knew about it. Sometimes this was done through Armenian traders. Artsakh left priceless treasures, erasing the most important episodes of history.

Exhibits exhibited in Yerevan. Photo by JAMnews

In order to save the cultural heritage of his homeland, from a young age he went to the villages and collected these carpets. Almost 20 years after the start of the search, they managed to exhibit them under one roof – in the Carpet Museum.

“There were almost 300 exhibits in the museum. During the war, on October 31, with great difficulty, it was possible to evacuate part of the carpets – about half. Then we did not know that Shushi would fall, but I already had a presentiment of a catastrophe and decided to save what I could. There were two soldiers at the entrance to the museum, they helped me to take out the carpets. The carpets left Shushi, but the soldiers did not, ”recalls Astsatryan.

Some of the works exhibited in Yerevan are woven based on biblical motives.

Fragment of a carpet woven according to biblical motives. Photo by JAMnews

They depict the first man created by God, the first woman, the tree of life, the fruit of which became the reason for their expulsion from paradise.

Another fragment of a carpet woven according to biblical motives. Photo by JAMnews

There is also a carpet, which depicts the steps to hell and scorpions protecting the gates to hell.

A carpet called the Underworld. Photo by JAMnews

And the exhibit “Day and Night” tells about the Silk Road, which also passed through the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Day and night”. Photo by JAMnews

“There are a lot of symbolism and mythical episodes in Armenian and, in particular, Artsakh carpets. For example, there are a lot of works with patterns depicting bees. And the bee is a symbol of the Mother of God, a symbol of respect for the mother in Armenian families, a special attitude towards them, ”says Vardan Astsatryan.

Carpet with a picture of a bee. Photo by JAMnews

The masters put a symbolic load into their works, but created them for practical use. It was customary to collect dowry for girls in carpets; salt was kept in special bags called “aghaksak”. And during travels, all the necessary things were packed in tote bags – khurjins.

Salt bag. Photo by JAMnews

Among the exhibits you can also find carpets consisting of two parts. At one time, they were divided into pieces, which were reunited in the museum. Astsatryan explains that sometimes poor families would divide the carpets into a dowry for several daughters.

Khurjin. Photo by JAMnews

“There was such a case with one of the split carpets. When I found one part, I asked the family where the other was. They said that my great-grandmother’s sister was in a neighboring village. I followed her. It turned out that they had arrived from Yerevan just the day before and bought a carpet.

I’ve been looking for the second part for over a year. It turned out she was sold to a collector from Sweden. I convinced the owners to tell me the price and paid more just to get the second part. So, a year later, the halves of the carpet found each other, ”says the founder of the museum.

Divided carpet. Photo by JAMnews

He claims that there are crosses on all carpets woven by Armenian craftsmen, even if you don’t notice them at first glance.
More about this source textSource text required for additional translation information.

Crosses on the carpet. Photo by JAMnews

In Yerevan, the carpets will be exhibited until the interest of visitors fades away, but Vardan Astsatryan has no doubts that someday they will return home:

“I do not hope to return to Shushi, I intend to return to Shushi.”

He concludes the show with a work adorned with stars:

“The colors of this carpet tell us that dawn comes after the darkest night.”

Photo by JAMnews