Author: Ara Felekian

Rabbis protest Armenian usage of the Holocaust as a foreign propaganda tool

Ara Felekian
i24, Israel
Sept 8 2023

Ariel Kogan

A group of 50 leading European rabbis sign a joint letter condemning the Armenian leadership for using Holocaust rhetoric in a campaign against Azerbaijan

Protests erupted this week across the European Union, the United States, and Muslim countries against the constant use of the Holocaust as a propaganda tool by the Armenian government. 

A group of 50 leading European rabbis (RCE) signed a joint letter on Wednesday condemning the Armenian leadership for using Holocaust rhetoric in a campaign against its neighbor, Azerbaijan.

“Expressions such as ‘ghetto,’ ‘genocide,’ ‘Holocaust,’ and others are… inappropriate to be part of the jargon used in any kind of political disagreement,” read the rabbis’ letter addressed to Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Vahagn Garniki Khachaturyan.

This joint letter by European rabbis was in response to an article written by Rabbi Zamir Isayev, head of the Sepharadi-Georgian community in Baku. He cited shocking examples of Armenian officials’ use of terms such as “Holocaust” and “ghetto,” and who published a video comparing Nazi atrocities to the current social media photos of Armenians in the separatist enclave in Azerbaijani Karabakh.

Rabbi Isayev explained to i24NEWS how the ethnic Armenians are “claiming that they are ‘dying like Jews in the ghettos from starvation.’” 

But the Rabbi said, “They also post Instagram stories of weddings with huge cakes, seek to hire extra staff for restaurants, and advertise discounted shish-kebabs.”

“Officials in the enclave, who have blocked the road used by the Azerbaijani government to bring all the necessary products, claim that it is better to die than to accept ‘Hitler’s handouts’,” Rabbi Isayev continued, adding that Armenian claims of “famine” in the enclave echo the “Palestinian genocide” narrative of which Israel is falsely accused.

Isayev, who is an Israeli citizen and served in the IDF, noted that “Iran has been pushing the ‘genocide’ theme with all its might, spreading lies and fabricated images, accusing us of ‘starving millions of Palestinians in Gaza.'” 

“The Iranians have gone to international organizations with delusional demands for sanctions on Israel, which has fought such lies for decades, publishing photos of the gap in the quality of life in between the majority of the population in Gaza and its wealthy local leadership. Today, Azerbaijan is in the exact same situation: not a single piece of unbiased media emerges from the enclave. Social media, though, reveals a completely different picture.” 

Isayev’s article received the support of 30 rabbis around the world, including Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag, head of the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada; Rabbi Abraham Weill of Strasbourg and the Rhineland in France; Rabbi of the Caucasian community in the world Yaniv Naftaliev; Rabbi of Poland Mordechai Schudrich; Chief Rabbi of the Jewish Community of Vienna Jaron Engelmayer; Rabbi Eliyahu Hamara, founder of the Latin American Rabbinical Conference and president of the Argentine Israelite Mutual Association (AMIA); Zsolt Balla, the state Rabbi of Saxony and Federal Military Rabbi of Bundeswehr; Chief Rabbi at Geneva Izhak Dayan; Senior Rabbi of the S&P Sephardi Community of the UK Joseph Dweck; Chief Rabbi of Belgium Avraham Gigi, and many others.

Two more letters condemning the use of the Holocaust by Armenian officials were written by rabbis from Muslim countries and the American “Israel Heritage Foundation,” established by Holocaust survivors.

It should be noted that 500 rabbis from the EU are planning to visit Baku in November 2023 for the biennial congress of the Conference of European Rabbis, which will be held at the invitation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who will act as the honorary host.

Azerbaijan is now considered a key ally of Israel in the fight against Iran. It has no history of anti-Semitism, and for nearly a millennium Azerbaijanis have protected their Jewish community. At least twice it hosted tens of thousands of Jewish refugees – during the pogroms in the Pale of Settlement and the Holocaust.

https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/analysis-opinion/1694183792-rabbis-protest-armenian-usage-of-the-holocaust-as-a-foreign-propaganda-tool

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 06-09-23

Ara Felekian

 17:40, 6 September 2023

YEREVAN, 6 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 6 September, USD exchange rate up by 0.02 drams to 385.83 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.06 drams to 414.38 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 3.94 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.21 drams to 484.14 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 136.45 drams to 23892.73 drams. Silver price down by 6.06 drams to 292.07 drams.

Russia cannot ‘turn back on’ South Caucasus region, no such plans envisioned — Kremlin

Ara Felekian
 TASS 
Russia – Sept 5 2023
Dmitry Peskov noted with confidence that Russia would continue acting as a guarantor of security and stability in the region, particularly in Nagorno-Karabakh

MOSCOW, September 5. /TASS/. Moscow disagrees with remarks by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who accused Russia of distancing itself from the South Caucasus region, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

“We cannot agree with these statements by Mr. Prime Minister [of Armenia Pashinyan]. Russia is an inseparable part of this region, so it simply cannot turn its back and walk away from anywhere in the region. Russia simply cannot walk away from Armenia,” he emphasized.

“There are more [ethnic] Armenians in Russia than there are in Armenia itself, and the majority of them are absolutely model citizens and patriots of our country,” Peskov added. He noted with confidence that Russia would continue acting as a guarantor of security and stability in the region, particularly in Nagorno-Karabakh, and that Moscow would keep working toward aiding the process of deconflicting the tense situation there.

Earlier, Pashinyan said in an interview with Italy’s La Repubblica newspaper that Russia had become estranged from the South Caucasus. According to the Armenian premier, Russian peacekeepers are either reluctant to or incapable of controlling the disputed Lachin Corridor.

The Armenian Defense Ministry accused the Azerbaijani Armed Forces of shelling positions on the border.

Ara Felekian
Sept 2 2023
EDWARD SWENSSON

On Saturday, the Armenian Defense Ministry accused the Azerbaijani side of shelling the positions of the Armenian army located in the direction of the settlement of Norabak (Gegharkunik region of Armenia), the Azerbaijani defense ministry denied this information.

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Earlier on Friday, Yerevan announced four dead soldiers due to shelling on the border, Baku – two wounded. Later, the Armenian Defense Ministry reported that it had received a new medical opinion, according to which, as a result of intensive resuscitation, one of the four servicemen who were considered dead, Narek Poghosyan, had a heartbeat restored. The Ministry of Defense removed him from the list of the dead.

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“On September 2, from 16:00 to 16:10, units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces opened fire from small arms on Armenian positions located in the Norabak region,” the press service of the Armenian Defense Ministry said.

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In turn, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry denied this information.

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“The information spread by the Armenian side about the alleged shelling of the units of the Armenian armed forces on the border by the units of the Azerbaijani army on September 2 from 16:00 to 16:10 does not correspond to reality. We categorically refute the information spread by the Armenian Ministry of Defense,” the press service of Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reports.

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Skirmishes periodically take place on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The last serious aggravation occurred on the night of September 13, 2022.

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Last year, Yerevan and Baku, mediated by Russia, the United States and the European Union, began discussing a future peace treaty. At the end of May 2023, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that his country would recognize the sovereignty of Azerbaijan along with the territory of Karabakh, on a total area of 86.6 thousand square kilometers. Azerbaijani leader Ilham Aliyev said that Azerbaijan and Armenia may sign a peace treaty in the near future if Yerevan does not change its position.

https://www.politicallore.com/the-armenian-defense-ministry-accused-the-azerbaijani-armed-forces-of-shelling-positions-on-the-border/37364

10 patients evacuated from Nagorno-Karabakh by ICRC

Ara Felekian

 16:39,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) facilitated on August 31 the transfer of 10 patients from blockaded Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia for treatment, the Ministry of Healthcare of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) said in a press release.

The ICRC plans to transfer 1 patient, who’s completed treatment in Armenia, back to Nagorno-Karabakh later today. All patients are accompanied by their attendants.

34 children remain hospitalized in the Arevik clinic in Nagorno-Karabakh. 8 are in neonatal and intensive care.

Another 94 patients are hospitalized at the Republican Medical Center in Stepanakert. 7 are in intensive care (3 are critically-ill).

The Center for Truth and Justice Highlights its Groundbreaking Achievements and Features the Extraordinary Garo Paylan.

Ara Felekian
GAGRULE
Aug 22 2023

AUGUST 22, 2023 BY ADMINISTRATOR LEAVE A COMMENT

Documenting Atrocities and Saluting Heroes,

By Vic Gerami,

If you think that no one is keeping a record of Azerbaijan’s crimes against humanity, violations of international law, and war crimes, then you are in for a surprise.

The Center for Truth and Justice was established in November 2020 in response to the invasion of Artsakh (formerly Nagorno-Karabakh) to do just that. They are a group of lawyers overseeing the collection of firsthand testimonial evidence from war survivors via in-depth, recorded interviews. The attorneys run two law clinics, one in Armenia and one in Artsakh, which are the first of their kind. Through their clinics, they train Armenian law students and young lawyers to interview survivors of the war and record their testimonies. They have conducted hundreds of interviews and trained nearly one-hundred current or future lawyers. By being a permanent home for the testimonials, CFTJ is a resource for academic and legal practitioners who seek to use the evidence for education and/or legal action.

On October 13, 2023, the Center for Truth and Justice (CFTJ) will hold its third annual gala titled ‘Raise Their Voices: Break the Blockade’ in Los Angeles, with guest of honor Garo Paylan. In no uncertain terms, the CFTJ and Paylan do God’s work, making this union and the event much more significant.

The recognition of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 was possible due to the overwhelming evidence collected by experts, including testimonies, photographs, interviews, and other sources. Given Azerbaijan’s track record of practicing revisionist history, disinformation, and propaganda, the evidence that the CFTJ collects is invaluable.

The mission of the CFTJ is to be a living memorial to crimes against humanity. By being a permanent home for testimonials, the Center makes eyewitness accounts available for study, education, and legal action to foster education, empathy, justice, and change. They preserve evidence and make it accessible for current or future proceedings in Armenia or abroad.

Garo Paylan, An Armenian born in Turkey, was among the few Armenians elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey and served for two consecutive terms in 2015-2018 and 2018-2023, representing Istanbul and Diyarbakir. Though a politician, Paylan is also a leading democracy activist in Turkey. He is a founding member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) and, since 2016, was the first Armenian in the history of the Republic of Turkey to publicly discuss the Armenian genocide of 1915 from the podium of the Turkish parliament. Paylan is recognized for his activism on human rights and minority rights in Turkey. He has received several awards, including the Grand Vermeil Medal, and has twice been nominated for the Nobel peace prize.

Artsakh is finally getting some attention after nearly three years of deafening silence from the international community and the media, following the report by the founding prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, who classified the situation in Artsakh as Genocide. Meanwhile, Armenia requested an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council to address the ‘deterioration of the humanitarian situation’ in Artsakh due to Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting the Republic of Artsakh to Armenia and the rest of the world.

The attendance of Paylan at the CFTJ’s event is significant and a rare occurrence for a public servant who isn’t about self-promotion and rarely travels to the United States. In addition to Paylan’s speech and the Center presenting their last year’s achievements, their new initiatives will be announced at the gala. The event aims to collect funds for the CFTJ’s initiatives of collecting evidence of war crimes, preparing public reports and confidential filings, and offering the facts that international law experts need to hold Azerbaijan accountable.

To learn more about the gala and the CFTJ and to purchase tickets, please visit cftjustice.org

BIO: Vic Gerami

Vic Gerami is an award-winning journalist and the editor + publisher of The Blunt Post. Gerami is also the host and co-producer of the national headline news + politics program, THE BLUNT POST with VIC on KPFK 90.7 FM (Pacifica Network). 

Azerbaijan releases more disinformation, warns Armenian defense ministry

Ara Felekian

 13:32,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 22, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has once again falsely accused the Armenian military of opening fire on the border, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia said in a statement Tuesday.

“The statement of the MoD of Azerbaijan that the units of the Republic of Armenia Armed Forces opened fire on the Azerbaijani combat positions, in the wake of which a serviceman of Azerbaijani Armed Forces was wounded, does not correspond to reality,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said.

Outgoing EU Ambassador awarded Medal of Honor by Speaker of Parliament

Ara Felekian

 13:12, 15 August 2023

YEREVAN, AUGUST 15, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan awarded outgoing EU Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin with the Medal of Honor of the National Assembly during a farewell meeting on August 15.

Simonyan thanked the Head of the Delegation of the European Union for her great contribution to the strengthening and deepening of relations between Armenia and the EU and Armenia’s sustainable development.

“Knowing you and seeing your caring work for the development of democratic institutions, I reiterate our commitment to democratic values and readiness to not spare any effort,” Simonyan said during the meeting.

He highlighted the ambassador’s direct participation in the projects that are aimed at supporting the development and strengthening of resilience of Armenia’s southern regions. 

Wiktorin said that the EU continues to be the primary partner supporting the Armenian government’s reforms agenda.

During the meeting the parties also discussed the deployment of the EU monitoring mission in Armenia and the upcoming UN Security Council meeting on the humanitarian situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Simonyan presented the Medal of Honor of the National Assembly to Wiktorin for “significant contribution in strengthening the interparliamentary friendly ties and development of democracy’, the parliament’s press service said.

Russia: Armenian Deputy Defence Minister visits DRDO stall at Army 2023 exhibition

Ara Felekian
The Print
India – Aug 16 2023

Moscow [Russia], August 16 (ANI): Armenian Deputy Defence Minister Karen Brutyan on Tuesday, visited Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) stall at Army 2023 military exhibition in Russia and held a discussion on the defence system being showcased there, DRDO said in a statement.

Earlier on Monday, Russian Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu also interacted with BrahMos Aerospace officials about the developments in BrahMos missile during the Army 2023 defence exhibition.

India’s Ambassador to Russia Pavan Kapoor inaugurated the India Pavilion at the International Military Technical Forum on Monday.

The Army 2023 international military-technical forum is being held at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center, the Alabino training ground and the Kubinka airfield outside Moscow from August 14-20, TASS reported.

Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu inspected various products made by the domestic defence industry which are exhibited at the Army-2023 International Military-Technical Forum which started in Kubinka outside Moscow on Monday.

Shoigu examined the Drok 82 mm self-propelled mortar, Kornet-D1 self-propelled anti-tank missile system, the Lotos 120 mm self-propelled artillery system, the Zavet-D automated control system managing airborne mortar teams and the Aistyonok portable radar reconnaissance station, TASS reported

The exhibition stands also included the Oryol round-the-clock, optical-electronic, multifunctional device, Orlan-30 and Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the Kub system equipped with guided munitions, the Lancet system equipped with small and medium-sized loitering munitions, the Supercam-S350 drone, the Malva 152 mm self-propelled artillery system, and the Tornado-G 122 mm multiple launch missile system.

The BrahMos missile is a type of supersonic cruise missile that can be launched from various platforms like submarines, ships, aeroplanes, or land. It is currently the fastest supersonic missile in the world and was developed by a partnership between India’s Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and Russia’s NPO Mashinostroyeniya, forming BrahMos Aerospace. The missile is named after two rivers, the Brahmaputra in India and the Moskva in Russia.

Recently, the Indian Navy successfully test-fired the ship-launched version of the BrahMos missile. The missile test was conducted using an indigenous seeker and booster in the Arabian Sea. Notably, its anti-ship version was jointly test-fired by the Andaman and Nicobar Command and the Navy in April 2022. (ANI)

This report is auto-generated from ANI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.

https://theprint.in/world/russia-armenian-deputy-defence-minister-visits-drdo-stall-at-army-2023-exhibition/1716127/



Armenian military releases video debunking Azerbaijani fake news on sabotage infiltration attempt

Ara Felekian

 16:04,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Defense has released a video showing the moment when Azerbaijani troops approached a lost Armenian reservist to detain him, debunking Baku’s false accusations of sabotage. 

[SEE VIDEO]

The reservist, identified by his initials G.V., went AWOL and got lost in the terrain before accidentally crossing into Azerbaijan. But Azerbaijan falsely accused Armenia of attempting what it described as a “sabotage infiltration attempt.” This was denied by the Armenian authorities.

“The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia presents video footage showing how a group of servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces approaches the reservist G. V., who appeared on the Azerbaijani side in yet unclarified circumstances, first, talks to, then apprehends him and takes by car to an unknown direction,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in a statement. “This video footage refutes the falsehood of the MoD of Azerbaijan as if the group of the Armed Forces of Armenia attempted a sabotage infiltration in the eastern part of the frontier zone, whose “actions were stopped by shooting.” All the circumstances of G.V. disorienting in the terrain and appearing on the Azerbaijani side are being investigated,” the ministry added.