Author: Ani Tigranian

Azerbaijanis give people in 12 buildings near gardening company in Armenia’s Goris 1 hour to leave

Ani Tigranian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 28 2020
 
 
 
Azerbaijanis give people in 12 buildings near gardening company in Armenia’s Goris 1 hour to leave
17:30, 28.12.2020
 
Azerbaijanis have given an hour to leave the premises of 12 buildings and structures located in the premises of a gardening company in the Armenian city of Goris, Deputy Mayor of Goris Irina Yolyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.
 
Yolyan added that there are also homes in that building and that citizens are living in those homes. “Besides those 12 buildings, there are also the most fertile lands that are of major significance for agriculture. They are certified by the State Committee of Real Estate Cadastre. The people say they have all the documents stating that the buildings are on within the state boundary, but in essence, the Azerbaijanis have the opportunity to negotiate and tell the people to leave the premises,” she said.
 
The deputy mayor said the citizens had asked for at least three hours, but the Azerbaijanis disagreed. She added that the deputy mayor of Goris is negotiating at this moment.
 
“We claim that these are our lands and have never been a part of Azerbaijan, but Azerbaijan is the one calling the shots,” Yolyan stated.
 
 
 

Why residents of south Armenia block PM’s entrance into region

Ani Tigranian
JAM News
Dec 21 2020
Why residents of south Armenia block PM’s entrance into region

    JAMnews, Yerevan

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was unable to visit major cities in the south of the country earlier today after residents of Syunik region blocked roads, in particular, the Yerevan-Goris highway, and did not let the prime minister into the region.

He literally had to fly over closed roads in a helicopter.

The day before, Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page that he was going to spend Monday working day in Syunik, visit the cities of Meghri, Kapan, Goris, Sisian, and meet with residents and representatives of local self-government.

However, the prime minister’s visit was limited only to the city of Sisian and the village of Sarnakunk. He did not go further.

What is happening in Syunik, why the prime minister decided to interrupt the trip, and who is the priest who refused to shake hands with him.

  • Armenia: mourning procession for Karabakh dead – march, protest, statements
  • Candlelight procession in Yerevan in memory of victims of second Karabakh war

Situation in Syunik

As a result of the second Karabakh war, the Zangelan region of Karabakh bordering on the Syunik region of Armenia, was transferred to Azerbaijan.

Now demarcation and delimitation is taking place in the area, along the administrative boundaries of the Soviet era.

As a result, the road between Goris and Kapan, Syunik region, crosses Azerbaijani territory in several places. Moreover, part of the airport in the city of Kapan, along the new borders, is also located on the territory of Azerbaijan.

The protests in the region began from the moment when the mayor of Kapan, Gevorg Parsyan, announced the order of the Armenian Ministry of Defense to vacate military posts near the city, located at “favorable heights”, by the evening of December 18.

The mayor said that at the same time the Azerbaijani Armed Forces will approach the borders of Armenia and will be at a distance of less than a kilometer, and the road from Kapan to the four nearest villages: Khdrants, Kapan, Yeghvard and Uzhanis “will fall into enemy territory”.

On the evening of December 20, the Mayor of Goris, Arush Arushanyan, called on the residents of Syunik “not to allow the person who is giving up Armenian lands to enter the region.”

“This is not a question of political orientation and not an initiative of any party, this is the struggle of the people of Syunik for dignity, security and physical existence, a manifestation of pan-Armenian disobedience,” the mayor wrote on his Facebook page.

How events developed

On the morning of December 21, it became known that the mayor of Goris had been detained, and information also appeared that criminal proceedings were instituted against Arusha Arushanyan.

At the same time, Deputy Mayor Irina Yolyan stated that Arushanyan’s lawyers are unable to obtain any information about him from the police.

Meanwhile, Nikol Pashinyan, on his way to Syunik, spoke live on his Facebook page and said that he was going to pay tribute to the residents of the region and talk openly with them:

“I intend to answer your questions, not to salt the wounds. I have fulfilled and are fulfilling my obligations to you in full. […] I want to emphasize that not a single millimeter will be given away from the territory of Syunik.”

But the words of the prime minister did not affect the residents of Syunik, and the road remained closed. More than a dozen buses with policemen were pulled into Syunik. From time to time there were clashes between the residents who blocked the road and the police.

As a result, the head of government “overcame the barrier” by helicopter.

Where did the PM visit and what he said

Nikol Pashinyan first drove to the village of Sarnakunk and talked with local residents about the processes taking place on the border with Azerbaijan:

“It so happened that the Goris-Kapan road passes through the Soviet borders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Now our border troops are stationed there, the security and operation of the road will also be ensured by Russian border guards.”

In Sisian, Pashinyan laid flowers on the graves of soldiers killed in the war. Here he also communicated with residents and explained the situation with the borders.

According to him, the demarcation of borders is being carried out now in accordance with the law of Armenia on administrative-territorial division, which was adopted by the previous authorities – back in 2010.

Some of the residents of the city of Sisian welcomed the prime minister warmly. In conversation with them, he said that he had decided to interrupt his trip to Syunik region. The head of the cabinet explained his decision by the fact that he did not intend to succumb to provocations, especially taking into account the mourning announced in the country from 19 to 21 December.

Priest incident

However, not everyone in Sisian was happy with the premier.

The rector of the church Surb Grigor Lusavorich (Saint Gregory the Illuminator) Pargev Zeynalyan did not shake hands with the Prime Minister and with his eyes made it clear that he should leave the temple. A video of this incident appeared online.


Asbarez: After Disparaging Opposition, Pashinyan Invites All Political Forces to Plan Snap Elections

Ani Tigranian

December 25,  2020



Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Friday announced that he would begin consultations with parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces to hold snap elections in 2021. His announcement, however, disparaged those very extra-parliamentary parties, which have been calling for his resignation since he signed the November 9 agreement that ended the Karabakh War, but forced the surrender of territories in Artsakh and Armenia to Azerbaijan.

He made the announcement in a Facebook post, the translation of which is presented below.

Fellow Armenians, Dear Compatriots.

It has now become evident that the opposition efforts of demanding the resignation of the prime minister did not receive the people’s support.

The opposition had all the opportunities to generate popular support around its demand. It has huge financial, media and organizational resources. It had ample opportunities to organize rallies and protests, but not only could it not garner popular support for its demands, but also the number of its supporters was reduced to a minimum. The processes in the squares have been vanquished.

No one can say that we have stayed power by using brute force. On the contrary, we are being faulted for unnecessary mildness.

All of this, however, does not in any way change our political team’s and my personal commitment to stand before the people and answer to the people. I am not clinging on to the prime minister’s position, but I also cannot have an uncaring attitude toward the government—the position prime minister—that was handed to me by the people.

The future fate of that position and the political leadership of the country must be decided by the people through the _expression_ of their free will, and I, as the Prime Minister of Armenia, consider myself the guarantor of that free _expression_.

I am also ready to leave the position of prime minister based on the people’s decision. And I can leave the post of the prime minister only by the decision of the people.

I am also ready to continue leading the Republic of Armenia during these difficult times in the event that the people’s trust is re-established.

There is only one way to get the answer to all these questions: to hold extraordinary parliamentary elections.

Based on the above, I invite the parliamentary and interested extra-parliamentary forces to consultations on holding special parliamentary elections in 2021.

Many anti-Pashinyan protesters spend night in Yerevan’s Republic Square

Ani Tigranian
Panorama, Armenia

Dec 24 2020

Numerous protesters spent the night in the Republic Square in Yerevan, demanding the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who signed a deal to cede Artsakh territories to Azerbaijan last month.

Opposition Dashnaktsutyun party member Ishkhan Saghatelyan, the coordinator of the Homeland Salvation Movement, posted photos from the square on his Facebook page at night, noting that they were taken by Hrant Sarafyan.







Artak Beglaryan steps down as Artsakh ombudsman

Ani Tigranian
Panorama, Armenia

Dec 22 2020

Artsakh Human Rights Ombudsman Artak Beglaryan on Tuesday submitted resignation to the speaker of the country’s National Assembly, the Ombudsman’s Office reported.

His resignation is conditioned by an offer to hold another position in the government system, based on the existing challenges and needs.

Artak Beglaryan is set to hold a news conference at the small sessions hall of the National Assembly at 11am Wednesday. 


France to continue providing humanitarian aid to Artsakh

Ani Tigranian

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 15:14, 15 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. France will continue to provide humanitarian aid to Artsakh and its displaced residents caused by the recent war launched by Azerbaijan, the Office of Armenia’s High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs said in a statement.

High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan met with French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacôte to discuss the assistance provided by the French-Armenian community to Artsakh and the displaced families.

“During the meeting they touched upon the solidarity demonstrated by the French people to Artsakh and the Armenian people during the whole period of the war. The Ambassador reaffirmed that France will continue to provide humanitarian aid, and touched upon the further deepening of the bilateral relations”, the statement says.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

CivilNet: Media Coverage of the Karabakh War

Ani Tigranian
CIVILNET.AM

06:07

Artak Beglaryan and Arman Tatoyan, human rights ombudsmen for Artsakh and Armenia, respectively, have issued a report on foreign media coverage of the Karabakh fighting between September 27 and November 10, 2020.

According to the report 390 reporters from 90 different countries covered the fighting from the Armenian side. Some of these reporters came under attack from the Azerbaijani side, with seven seriously injured and one local fixer killed. Azerbaijani authorities also filed criminal charges against Russian war correspondent Semyon Pegov, who was embedded with Armenian forces through most of the war. Other journalists were blacklisted for visiting Artsakh without Azerbaijan’s permission, as has been Azerbaijan’s policy for years.

Some of the more serious incidents with media included:

On October 1, a group of international and Armenian media were shelled in the town of Martuni. As a result, two French journalists for Le Monde, a journalist for 24News.am and a cameraman for Armenia TV were injured, and a local fixer was killed. Journalists for Agence France Presse and Russia’s Dozhd TV also came under attacked, but avoided injuries. The injured journalists were evacuated to Yerevan, and the French government subsequently sent a plane to take the Le Monde journalists back to France.

On October 2, a media van was shelled near the town of Mardakert, in Karabakh’s northeast. While the van was seriously damaged, the attack did not cause injuries.

On October 4, as a result of repeat attacks on journalists, Artsakh authorities relocated the foreign media center to Goris, in the Republic of Armenia. Journalists who chose to stay in Artsakh were free to do so.

On October 8, Turkish and/or Azerbaijani air forces launched precision-guided missiles at the Armenian cathedral of Shushi causing significant damage to the building. During the second attack, two Russian journalists were injured. One of the journalists Yuri Kotenok remains hospitalized in Yerevan for over two months.

According to the report the attacks were conducted with the help of reconnaissance drones and were part of the deliberate effort to keep foreign media out of Artsakh. At the same time, Azerbaijani authorities largely forbid foreign media access to its side of the frontline, making exceptions for a few Turkish journalists. Foreign journalists allowed into Azerbaijan were restricted in their coverage by government minders accompanying them.

This piece originally appeared in Focus on Karabakh. 

TURKISH press: Putin explains Russia’s position on Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire, says region integral part of Azerbaijan

Ani Tigranian
 EUROPE 
DEC 17, 2020 10:05 PM GMT+3
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks via video call during a news conference in Moscow, Russia, Dec. 17, 2020. (AP Photo)

Russian President Vladimir Putin explained Russia’s position on the Nagorno-Karabakh cease-fire on Thursday and said that the region is an integral part of Azerbaijan according to international law.

“From the international legal point of view, all these territories are an integral part of the Republic of Azerbaijan. This is how our position was built in the Minsk Group, where Russia, the United States, and France are co-chairs. For many years, we have always assumed that the seven held areas around Nagorno-Karabakh should be returned to Azerbaijan,” he said at an annual news conference in Moscow.

The current status of Nagorno-Karabakh should remain unchanged under an obligatory condition of creating a communication channel between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, he said, adding that the Lachin corridor, connecting Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia, was established for this purpose.

Putin stressed that the status of Nagorno-Karabakh “should be transferred to the future,” noting: “The status quo in Nagorno-Karabakh should be fixed.”

Asked about Turkey’s position in the conflict, Putin said: “Turkey defended, as they believe, the just cause of Azerbaijan, namely, the return of the territories that were occupied during the clashes in the 1990s.”

He refused to speculate about external reasons for the latest outbreak in Karabakh, saying: “The tension lasted for many years.”

“I don’t think it was due to any outside interference. Many times, there were tensions, clashes, and small shootouts. As a result, it developed into a conflict,” he said.

Putin noted that the trilateral agreement between Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan secured the positions of the parties to the conflict at their locations when the agreement on the cease-fire was reached.

“This agreement on the cessation of hostilities is very important. Because it stopped the bloodshed, the civilians have stopped dying, this is an extremely important thing, this is fundamental. Everything else is secondary. Saving people’s lives and health is the most important task that we have solved,” he said.

Commenting on the recent violation of the cease-fire, Putin expressed hope that it would never happen again.

As for a possible rise in the number of Russian peacekeeping troops in the region, he said it can be done only with the approval of all parties because its size was negotiated and agreed upon at the stage of drafting the cease-fire agreement.

“If everyone comes to the conclusion that this is necessary (to increase the number of peacekeepers), we will do it, if not, then we will not do it,” he said.

Relations between the ex-Soviet republics of Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

When new clashes erupted on Sept. 27, the Armenian army launched attacks on civilians and Azerbaijani forces and violated several humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

During the 44-day conflict, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenian occupation.

On Nov. 10, the two countries signed a Russian-brokered agreement to end fighting and work toward a comprehensive resolution.

The truce is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces have been withdrawing in line with the agreement.

Caucasian leopard caught on tape in southern Armenia

Ani Tigranian

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 10:41, 1 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The monitoring cameras of the ministry of environment and the WWF Armenia Office have once again caught on tape a Caucasian leopard in the Arevik National Park in Syunik Province.

The Caucasian leopard is currently listed as “critical” in Armenia’s Red Book – the list of the country’s endangered, vulnerable or threatened animals.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

[see video]