Author: Arpi Talalian

Nikol’s list

Arpi Talalian
Panorama
Armenia – May 17 2023

Nikol Pashinyan did not find Komitas, Siamanto or Ruben Sevak of our times… The number of the arrests ordered by him has not yet reached 235. But Pashinyan found a way different from that of the Young Turks.

His plans look different, including a “bloody deluge” and white terror.

During the 2020 war, Armenia and Artsakh stood up to fight: the army, volunteers, the Diaspora, aid…

The assistance was stopped at the borders or in warehouses. It remains unclear what happened to the bulletproof vests and other items, which the senders did not announce in line with military secrecy. How many young men were killed by bullets and shells because they did not wear body armor or high-quality helmets on the frontline!

Do you remember how bewildered [Artsakh President] Arayik Harutyunyan was when he went to a combat position wearing a helmet and a bulletproof vest and asked an elderly man why he wasn’t wearing body armor. The man shrugged his shoulders shyly, what was there to say? How was he supposed to answer to a stupid question? He didn’t have one, so he didn’t wear one.

The issue of the volunteers was “solved” in roughly the same way. I know a volunteer who had hardly recovered from his injuries before being taken back to the frontline in poor health condition, and his brothers, who had signed up as volunteers and were waiting for their turn, were never called up.

What was it that Artsrun [Hovhannisyan, the Defense Ministry spokesman in 2020] used to say? There was no need for them, that’s why they were not called into service, right?

I also know a volunteer who tried to lead the trenching work to protect his team against shelling, but came under attack for it after the war.

I know volunteers who were fined for distorted or lost flasks. Strangely, the authorities were “not fined” for our lost homeland.

I know a volunteer who came from abroad to fight for Artsakh and Armenia, and when he was to go back, he went to the Military Registration and Enlistment Office, where he was told, “What payment or a military ticket are you talking about? How do we know, maybe you fought for the enemy…”

The army was no different from volunteers, an army without leadership. Meanwhile, we had a heroic army and selfless soldiers who gave their lives not only for their friends, but also while recovering their bodies from the battlefield. They were 18-year-old soldiers who refused to surrender and sacrificed their lives for it.

Soldiers fighting for days under siege who still believed that the government would send special forces to rescue them. So they died in the blockade, eating only grass and drinking spring water…

And their parents: there were cases when they received last calls for help, and there were hundreds of them. There were parents who dreamed of their sons’ painless death…

Parents who, having lost their sons, dreamt of burying their bodies…

I don’t know, it’s hard to find the right words. Maybe it’s not “dreamed of”, another word would be better, not “sieged”, but abandoned, not “sacrificed their lives”, but “gained immortality”.

And then Nikol announced that the war outcome would have been the same: the lands would have been ceded to Azerbaijan anyway, just without casualties.

“So, why did you sacrifice an entire generation if you would have handed them over anyway…,” people asked him angrily.

Why? So that when ceding more territories to Azerbaijan after the war, he could justify himself, saying, “It’s you who told me to surrender lands without casualties.”

And, so that afterwards there would not be those bright young men who would demand answers from him and make him pay.

So that women without children would be ashamed of those who have them and would not demand fighting for victory. After all, rallies don’t matter to Nikol.

So that after the homeland is sprinkled with the blood of thousands of young Armenian soldiers, he would spread white terror all around and there will be no one who would stop him.

And Nikol’s list, which includes the dead, missing and disabled servicemen and the prisoners of war…remained unpublished, as he didn’t need names at all.

By Anahit Voskanyan


Armenian PM agrees to hold Moscow peace talks with Azeri leader and Putin, Interfax reports [+Links]

Arpi Talalian

MOSCOW : Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Thursday he had agreed to hold peace talks in Moscow on May 25 with Ilham Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, with Russian President Vladimir Putin mediating, the Interfax news agency reported.

“We received a proposal from the Russian side to hold a trilateral meeting mediated by the Russian president on May 25. We accepted this proposal,” Pashinyan was cited as telling a government meeting.

Russia brokered a truce to halt a six-week conflict between the two countries in 2020, but the agreement has not led to lasting peace, tensions remain high, and flare-ups in violence are common.

Moscow has a peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh, internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan, but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.

The United States and the European Union have also undertaken efforts to encourage both sides to agree to a lasting settlement.

(Reporting by Reuters reporters; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/armenian-pm-agrees-hold-moscow-peace-talks-with-azeri-leader-putin-ifax-2023-05-18/
READ ALSO AT
https://www.todayonline.com/world/armenian-pm-agrees-hold-moscow-peace-talks-azeri-leader-and-putin-ifax-2174351
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-05-17/armenia-says-soldier-died-after-azeri-shelling-attack-interfax 
https://globeecho.com/news/middle-east/the-prime-minister-of-armenia-agrees-to-meet-the-president-of-azerbaijan-in-moscow/

Prelate Appoints Deacon Manuk Chulyan As USC Hospital Chaplain

Arpi Talalian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 May 9, 2023

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories
Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan with Deacon Manuk Chulyan


Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan announced that he has appointed Deacon Manuk Chulyan to serve as chaplain at the Los Angeles County University of Southern California Hospital.

The Prelacy explained that the appointment came at the request of Father Chris Pone, a senior spiritual advisor of the Catholic Church hospitals.

Pone had advised Prelate Donoyan about the need for a chaplain to provide spiritual assistance to patients at the USC Hospital and their families.

Prelate Donoyan wished Deacon Chulyan success in his new position and offered his blessing.

Work underway to resume ICRC medical evacuations from Nagorno Karabakh, says healthcare minister

Arpi Talalian

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 13:42,

YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. Work is underway both with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and all international platforms to resume transfers of patients from Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh to Armenia amid the blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan told reporters on May 11.

The ICRC halted patient transfers when Azerbaijan illegally installed a checkpoint.

Doctors from Armenia maintain contact with their colleagues in Nagorno Karabakh for providing required treatment to patients in need.

ECHR rejects request for provisional measures against Armenia because jailed Azeri soldiers’ rights are duly guaranteed

Arpi Talalian

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 12:55,

YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has rejected an application filed by the families of the two Azerbaijani soldiers who are currently jailed in Armenia seeking provisional measures against Armenia.

The family members of the two Azeri servicemen claimed that their relatives are being ill-treated in Armenian detention. However, the Armenian government presented evidence to the ECHR that the rights of the Azeri servicemen envisaged under the convention are guaranteed in Armenia.

The ECHR rejected the request for provisional measures based on the Armenian government’s presented stance, the Office of the Representative of Armenia for International Legal Affairs said in a press release.

Armenpress: Armenian delegation participates in DEFEA 2023 Defense Exhibition in Greece

Arpi Talalian

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 09:19,

YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian delegation has participated in the DEFEA 2023 international defense and security expo in Greece.

The delegation included representatives from the Armenian Ministry of Defense and the Military Industrial Committee, the Armenian Embassy in Greece said in a press release.

DEFEA is a high-profile international defense exhibition where international companies present land, naval, aerospace, national and cyber security defense systems. 

Greek Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos opened the exhibition.

GCC Closes Campus in Honor of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Arpi Talalian
Glendale Community College
May 3 2023

The 108 year long struggle for recognition continues

Sevan Asatryan, Staff Writer
May 2, 2023

On April 24, Glendale Community College’s campus was closed, in honor of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. April 24, 1915 is the date commonly believed to be the beginning of the Armenian genocide, and is subsequently the chosen date for the Armenian genocide remembrance.The genocide began with the deportation and eventual killing of several hundred Armenian intellectuals at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. It’s estimated that up to 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were killed as a result of the genocide. Many of the descendants of Armenian genocide survivors reside right in Glendale, Calif., and many of those same descendants attend GCC.

 Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, serves as a reminder of the millions of Armenian lives lost due to ethnic and religion based hatred, and also as a reminder of the need to prevent similar atrocities from ever happening again. It’s a chance to honor those who were victims and to pay tribute to and celebrate their descendants. Additionally, the day serves as an opportunity for the Armenian diaspora and others around the world to come together and show unity in the fight for recognition of the genocide. Despite overwhelming evidence of the injustices inflicted upon the Armenian people during World War I, the Turkish government, to this day, continues to deny that a genocide ever took place. As of 2023, 34 countries have recognized the Armenian genocide. On April 24, 2021, American President Joe Biden released a statement officially recognizing the events that took place as genocide, becoming the first American president to do so. 

An annual demonstration takes place every 24th of April, in front of the Turkish consulate in Beverly Hills, with demonstrators demanding that the Turkish government take action and finally recognize the genocide. Campus being closed on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day gives students the opportunity to make their voices heard, and is reflective of the values of the community, which is comprised of many Armenian students, staff, and faculty.

Sevan Asatryan can be reached at [email protected].


Armenpress: Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN warns of Azerbaijan’s policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces

Arpi Talalian

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 10:30, 3 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. The Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflicts UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting took place on May 2, organized by the Permanent Missions of France and the United Arab Emirates.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and representatives of several UN member states delivered remarks at the event.

Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Mher Margaryan also delivered remarks.

Margaryan warned that today, the millennia-old Christian Armenian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of total extermination.

Margaryan said that Armenia has consistently requested that a UNESCO fact-finding mission be deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas in order to help preserve the vast and unique cultural heritage of the region, yet, Azerbaijan continues to obstruct efforts of the international organizations for independent and impartial assessment of the facts on the ground, having opted, instead, for the policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces, putting into practice a pseudoscientific theory that denies the historical sites of their Armenian origin.

Below is the full transcript of Margaryan’s speech:

“I thank the Permanent Missions of France and the United Arab Emirates and the cosponsors for convening today’s meeting, as well as the distinguished briefers for their valuable remarks and welcome the participation of Director-General Azoulay. The UNESCO has an important mandate in protecting cultural heritage at risk, and I would like to acknowledge the critical role of the Orgaization in this regard.

Armed conflicts and military actions can have devastating impact on objects of cultural heritage, which are of irreplaceable value to the entire mankind as unique expressions of history, identity and cultural memory. As such, their integrity and preservation must be upheld at all times.

In our region, we have first-hand experience going through the devastating loss of cultural property. The Armenian heritage was under heavy attack during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh launched by Azerbaijan in 2020. The Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Shushi, for example, was deliberately shelled, twice within a few hours, resulting in the partial destruction of the Church.  

Today, the millennia-old Christian Armenian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of total extermination, targeted to promote the distorted narrative that the Armenian people are alien in the region. Armenia’s deep concern in relation to the fate of the cultural property in Nagorno-Karabakh is also based on the previous history of total and intentional eradication of the Armenian heritage by Azerbaijan. In Nakhijevan, for example, thousands of monuments, including 89 medieval churches and more than 5,000 cross-stones were annihilated, in an effort to remove traces of the Armenian civilizational presence.

Azerbaijan is yet to commit, in good faith, to the implementation of the Order on Provisional Measures issued by the International Court of Justice at the request of Armenia in December 2021, according to which Azerbaijan shall “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts”.

Dear Colleagues,

Armenia has consistently requested that a UNESCO fact-finding mission be deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas in order to help preserve the vast and unique cultural heritage of the region, yet, Azerbaijan continues to obstruct efforts of the international organizations for independent and impartial assessment of the facts on the ground, having opted, instead, for the policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces, putting into practice a pseudoscientific theory that denies the historical sites of their Armenian origin. Only today, the chairman of what is called the State Committee for Work with religious Organizations of Azerbaijan went on record saying that the Medieval Armenian Dadivank monastery “belongs to Caucasian Albania” and “sooner or later it will be controlled by the Albanian-Udi religious community”.

Destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage continues to be extensively monitored and reported, including through the use of modern technologies. I would like to recall, in this regard, that on 28 April, last Friday, Armenia hosted a panel discussion at the UN, which looked into the role of new technologies in preventing genocidal acts, such as cultural heritage destruction. The event featured a research project at the Cornell University entitled “Caucasus Heritage Watch”, which relies on digital satellite technologies to monitor and document cultural heritage in the region, revealing large-scale damage and destruction in the territories under Azerbaijan’s control.

I would like to conclude my intervention by encouraging UNESCO to also utilize digital technologies to identify, monitor and act upon  the facts of destruction  of cultural heritage in any part of the world, and in our region in particular.

Thank you.”

AW: Our Samvel

Arpi Talalian
 Talar Keoseyan News 0

Baby Samvel and his sister Mariam

Samvel Vardani Gevorgyan was born on April 27, 1999 in Ararat Marz in the village of Gineved. When Samvel was in the fifth grade, he moved with his family to Russia. Samvel was a bright student who excelled in chess and soccer. 

Samvel Vardani Gevorgyan (1999-2020)

In 2019, Samvel decided that he had to go back to the homeland and serve his nation. He left for Armenia and voluntarily joined Armenia’s Armed Forces. He began his service on January 10, 2019 and served in Mataghis. “The soldier who serves in Mataghis is a king,” he once stated. He had two more months left in service when the Artsakh War began in September of 2020. On the first day of the war, he was instrumental in causing a tank to be dismantled. His mother Hasmik has videos of his actions. His mother was unable to reach him until he finally called. “Mom, don’t cry,” he told her. “You have a hero son. I was able to stop their progression causing havoc to their tank.” 

Final picture of Samvel Vardani Gevorgyan and his comrades on the battlefield

Samvel and his fellow soldiers were barricaded for five days. His friends on the field told his mother of his heroics and how he helped the wounded to safety. Sadly, on October 10, 2020, Samvel entered his eternal rest. He is buried in the village of Gineved. He received many medals, including the Medal of Valor (Ariootian Medal).

Samvel and Mariam

Samvel was the only son of Vardan and Hasmik. His sister Mariam is married. After her brother’s death, Mariam gave birth to a baby boy and named him Samvel in his honor.

Mariam’s son Samvel, named after his hero uncle

Samvel was skilled with a particular style of weapon called Erbegah. He was known as Erbegah Samo. His last phone call to his mother was on October 6, 2020, where he stated, “Mom jan (Dear Mom), stay, darling. I love you very much, tsavet danem (let me take your pain away).” 

Samvel was a hardworking, diligent and responsible student. There was a time when his mother asked him not to work since he was working multiple jobs in Moscow. He responded with, “Mom jan, I won’t allow myself to ask you for money.” He was a kind and vibrant young man with a wonderful sense of humor. He had the utmost respect for the elderly. He had won a big chess tournament and made his city proud.

Samvel Gevorgyan, a chess champion

Hasmik states that he never exhausted her. She stated that she’s not just saying this because he’s her son, but all those around Samvel knew it. Hasmik said that he did everything in his power to make her and the family happy. His friend Aram stated that no matter what, Samvel was always willing to give a helping hand. One day, Samo was very late to come home. He felt so bad for his sleepless mother, that the next day he came home with a bouquet of beautiful flowers and asked for forgiveness.

Hasmik, who organized a special memorial tribute for her son, is unable to retell these stories without getting emotional. Her tears flow as she remembers her patriotic son. She recalls him saying, “Mom jan, I took an oath to serve my nation. I will serve in the Armenian Army only.” Hasmik said that she was very close to her son, and he had so many goals and dreams that won’t come to fruition. She misses his kind spirit of honoring everyone around him, young and old. She asked him once how he had so much compassion and love for people, and he stated that he was raised that way. He’s a peaceful dove, she says. 

Samo was also very attentive to his sister. He purchased a car for her when he started working. He was very close to his grandparents and loved to dream big. He wanted to pursue his education in finance in Moscow. He loved sweets, especially Snickers and Mars Bars. He never smoked, but later confessed that he started smoking in the army. He promised his mother that he would quit. She states that so many promises were left unfinished. 

A family picture: Mariam, Davit, Samvel, Vardan, Hasmik

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Talar Keoseyan is a mother, educator and writer. Talar’s book called Mom and Dad, Why Do I Need to Know My Armenian Heritage? is available on Amazon. Tigran’s Song is available at Abril Bookstore. She has been an educator for 25 years and resides in Los Angeles, CA. She can be reached at


Armenpress: Armenia’s Garik Karapetyan wins gold at European Weightlifting Championships

Arpi Talalian

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 16:44,

YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Garik Karapetyan (102kg) has won gold at the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan.

He successfully lifted 172kg and 178kg in the snatch exercise, and set a new European record among young athletes and won the small gold with the 178kg.

In clean and jerk, the athlete lifted 208kg and then 214kg and was crowned European Champion with a total result of 392kg and also set a new world record. 

Thus far Armenia has won 22 medals – 9 gold, 7 silver, 6 bronze (including both Big (Total result) and Small (Snatch and Clean & Jerk).