Author: Arsine Chaltikian

Analysts treat Nagorno-Karabakh’s status as reason for conflict escalation

Arsine Chaltikian
Caucasian Knot
Aug 7 2022
Analysts treat Nagorno-Karabakh’s status as reason for conflict escalation
By its military actions, Azerbaijan is trying to speed up the implementation of the tripartite declaration on ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh in order to prevent discussion of its status, the analysts interviewed by the “Caucasian Knot” believe.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on August 3, Azerbaijan announced a “Retribution” operation in Nagorno-Karabakh in response to the murder of an Azerbaijani serviceman. The MoD also reported that the Azerbaijani Army had captured a number of dominant heights. Baku demanded an immediate removal of Armenian militaries from Nagorno-Karabakh and threatened “even more destructive countermeasures” in case of provocations on the contact line. The authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh called for the world community to respond to Baku’s actions. In the evening on August 4, the Russian MoD announced that the peacemakers registered four violations of the ceasefire regime in Nagorno-Karabakh during the day.

Naira Airumyan, a political observer, believes that Russia and Azerbaijan are speeding up the implementation of the tripartite statement. “Such haste suggests that they have fears of a possible change in the negotiations format. Any such format involves discussing the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and its territorial borders, which is absent in the tripartite Moscow-Baku-Yerevan format,” Ms Airumyan has explained.

She is sure that Armenia has real leverage to prevent such a course of events by insisting on changing the negotiations format. “There is another option, as many political forces assert: Pashinyan should resign and nullify at least his oral agreements,” Naira Airumyan has concluded.

Tigran Grigoryan, a political analyst, also agrees that Azerbaijan is trying to speed up the implementation of the agreements reached earlier by means of military operations. “The latest escalation only aims to speed up the process that had already been agreed,” he told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on August 6, 2022 at 07:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:
Azerbaijan claims capture of strategic height in Nagorno-Karabakh, Residents of Karabakh villages outraged by demand to leave their homes, Azerbaijani MoD did not confirm information about withdrawal of troops from heights in Karabakh.

Author: Tigran Petrosyan Source: CK correspondent
Source:
© Caucasian Knot

Chess Olympics: Armenia’s women’s team stronger than Israel

Arsine Chaltikian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 5 2022
In the 7th round of the World Chess Olympiad taking place in Chennai, India, the Armenian women’s team met the Israeli team and won with a score of 2.5:1.5.

Elina Danielian, Lilit Mkrtchyan and Anna Sargsyan ended their games in a draw, Susanna Gaboyan won. 

In the previous rounds, the Armenian women’s team defeated the teams of Botswana (4:0), Norway (4:0), Ireland (4:0), Indonesia (3:1), and England (3.5:0.5), lost to Estonia (1.5:2.5), and with 12 points are sharing 2-4 places with Ukraine and Georgia.  


Asbarez: Western Prelacy Allocates $10 Million to Prelacy Armenian Schools

Arsine Chaltikian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 August 4, 2022

 

in Community, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan is flanked by the Prelacy Executive Council members


Through the tireless efforts of Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan, and the meticulous work of the Prelacy Executive Council, various benefactors and foundations, the Western Prelacy has allocated $10 million toward the advancement of the Prelacy Armenian schools.

The donation is part of the decision by His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia to declare 2022 as the “Year of the Diaspora,” as a result of which he called on Diaspora communities to the imperative task of carrying out the revitalization of the Diaspora.

“Hereby, we are pleased to announce that due to the Pontifical declaration of the ‘Year of the Diaspora,’ the 2021-2022 academic year of the Western Prelacy schools will be transformed into jubilation, through the above-mentioned unprecedented achievement,” said a statement issued by the Prelacy.

For many centuries the Armenian school has occupied a unique place in the life of the Armenian Church, because the Armenian school is a progeny of the Armenian Church.

The Holy See of Cilicia, as a flourishing center of education, knowledge and culture, through its prelacies, keeps alive the vision of the spread of the first Armenian school founded by Mesrob Mashdots, bringing to life many programs and the development of Armenian studies.

On this occasion, Bishop Donoyan applauded all the benefactors supporting Armenian schools, in hopes of greater triumphs for the Western Prelacy.

In 2022 Armenia hosted tourists mainly from Russia, Iran and Germany

Arsine Chaltikian

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 15:50, 3 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS. 590,000 tourists visited Armenia in the first half of 2022, Sisian Boghossian, the Chair of the Tourism Committee, told a press conference in Armenpress, adding that this figure has significantly increased compared to the same period of the previous year.

“Most tourists visit Armenia from our targeted markets – Russia (around 56%). Then, it is followed by Iran, Germany, Georgia and the United States. We are trying to activate both our traditional targeted markets and attract new directions with different tourism products and offers”, she said.

Sisian Boghossian said that tourism figures in Armenia have greatly declined because of COVID-19, but the activeness of this year shows that the rates are gradually restoring. She stated that they have targeted France and the United Arab Emirates as new directions in terms of attracting tourists to Armenia. Active works are expected on this direction. The procedure of obtaining visa has already been facilitated for the UAE citizens. Recently, Armenia has also facilitated visa procedures for the citizens of Egypt. Mutual cognitive visits for tour operators are expected soon.

From the perspective of attracting tourists, importance is attached to the diversification of a tourism result and the holding of major events, tournaments and concerts.

Graduates of the Diplomatic School have become the basis of Armenia’s foreign political service. FM Mirzoyan

Arsine Chaltikian

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 19:33,

YEREVAN, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan gave a speech at the ceremony of handing over diplomas to graduates of the Diplomatic School, noting that the Diplomatic School of Armenia has had about two hundred graduates during its 13 years of operation, most of whom became diplomats and became the basis of our foreign political service today.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, Ararat Mirzoyan said in his speech,

“Dear President of the United Nations General Assembly,

Dear Ambassador Gabrielyan,

Dear graduates,

Mr. Shahid,  before the main part of my speech, I would like to once again welcome your visit to the Republic of Armenia. During the 3 quite heavy days, you had important meetings with my colleagues from the executive and legislative bodies, as well as with representatives of the civil society. And I am very glad that you also accepted my invitation to participate in the ceremony of handing certificates to graduates of the “International Relations and Diplomacy” course of the School of Diplomacy. 

Referring to the main actors of the day- dear graduates,

I warmly congratulate all of you on the occasion of successfully completing the “International Relations and Diplomacy” course of the School of Diplomacy. Indeed, you have achieved another important height in your life. And  whether some of you will soon join the ranks of the diplomats of the Republic of Armenia or will continue their journey in a different direction, contributing to the promotion of various spheres of public life, today everyone has succeeded.

Why? Because the knowledge, experience and community of the like-minded that you have acquired during a year of the School will serve you and will be with you for the rest of your lives. As much as the current world is changing and full of surprises, one thing remains unchanged: a person armed with leading knowledge, skills and abilities is behind the success of any initiative and work. And at the Diplomatic School of Armenia, you have had the opportunity to keep in pace with the achievements of the world’s scientific thought and professional skills. From international relations theory to real negotiations, from foreign policy analysis to the ability to navigate difficult  situations –  all of these are solid foundations for succeeding in any field.

Dear attendees, 

During the 13 years of its activity, the Diplomatic School of Armenia had about two hundred graduates, most of whom became diplomats and managed to become the basis of our foreign political service today. Here I would like to express my special gratitude to Mr. Gabrielyan, director of the Diplomatic School, for his contribution to the generational change of diplomats and for promoting the development of human and professional potential in the diplomatic system.

I would like to emphasize that perhaps there is no better time to become a diplomat. The ongoing revolutionary changes in the world, the situation in our region, of course, create great challenges, but at the same time, they also create great opportunities for a diplomat with a flexible mind, innovative approach and an indomitable will to express, bring real changes in his field and create additional value for his people.

Under these conditions, the diplomatic service of the Republic of Armenia has become much more important, much more responsible and requires much greater self-sacrifice. And despite the great demands and small resources, I am sure that we will accept the challenge and carry out our mission, for the benefit of the Armenian people and the advancement of all humanity.

Dear Graduates,

Once again I congratulate you and wish you good luck in your future professional career. I hope to meet many of you here soon in daily work”.

Azerbaijan is Turkey’s “red line” in its normalization talks with Armenia

Arsine Chaltikian
 Lillian Avedian News 0

Turkey is coordinating with Azerbaijan on negotiations to normalize its relations with Armenia, Turkish authorities said this week. 

“Azerbaijan has been our red line from the beginning. We have said that we will open our doors after problems with Azerbaijan are solved,” Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told Turkish state television on July 25. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Turkish state television broadcast (Presidency of the Republic of Turkey, July 25)

Talks between Turkey and Armenia to establish bilateral relations have been ongoing since December 2021. On July 1, 2022, special envoys appointed for the normalization process announced the first major breakthrough in negotiations. The envoys agreed to “enable the crossing of the land border between Armenia and Turkey by third-country citizens.” They also agreed to commence direct air cargo trade between the two countries. 

Turkey-Armenia border near Yereruyk (Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Yerevantsi/April 2016)

The Armenia-Turkey border has been closed since 1993, when Turkey closed the border in solidarity with Azerbaijan during the first Artsakh War. In the course of the current negotiations, Armenian authorities have been insistent that the normalization process must remain separate from ongoing talks with Azerbaijan on a resolution of the Artsakh conflict. 

On July 11, in another breakthrough, Erdogan and Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan held their first ever phone conversation, during which they “expressed their expectation for the early implementation” of the agreement to partially reopen the border. 

In his comments this week, Erdogan echoed Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu, who several days earlier said that talks on normalizing relations between Turkey and Armenia take place in a “tripartite format” with Azerbaijan.

“We coordinate every step with Azerbaijan. Whether Armenia likes it or not, this is the reality. We are one nation and two states. That is why if there is to be peace in the region, everybody needs to take steps, including Georgia and Central Asian countries,” Cavusoglu told Turkish state television on July 21. 

Erdogan and Cavusoglu also both suggested that Armenia has not taken “concrete steps” toward normalization of relations with Turkey.

“I am glad Pashinyan shares our view on regional peace and partnership. We now expect that apart from making statements Yerevan will take concrete steps in the settlement process,” Erdogan said. “We have the goal of full normalization and establishing good neighborly relations.”  

Cavusoglu blamed the lack of “concrete steps” from Armenia on pressure from the Armenian diaspora and domestic factions.

“We want to see in practice how sincere Armenia is. So far there are messages, and there are explanations. There’s also pressure, it’s true. The diaspora from the outside, fanatic groups from the inside,” Cavusoglu said.

“We don’t yet see clear steps from Armenia on the Zangezur and other projects or the peace treaty,” the Turkish foreign minister added. 

Turkish leaders have reiterated Azerbaijan’s demand for the creation of a Zangezur corridor. The route would connect Azerbaijan to its exclave the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic through Syunik, the southernmost province of Armenia that also borders Iran. 

Civil Contract Party MP and chairman of the parliamentary committee on foreign relations Eduard Aghajanyan said Cavusoglu’s statement did not amount to a precondition to the normalization process.

“I think that statement was not a precondition. Turkey has always come out with this position, which obviously had never been acceptable to us,” Aghajanyan told reporters. 

Iranian leaders have been vocal in their opposition to the creation of a Zangezur corridor.

While Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei “expressed his satisfaction with Nagorno-Karabakh’s return to Azerbaijan” as a consequence of the 2020 Artsakh War during a meeting with Erdogan in Tehran on July 19, he also warned the Turkish president against blocking the historically significant Armenia-Iran border. 

“If there is an effort to block the border between Iran and Armenia, the Islamic Republic will oppose it because this border has been a communication route for thousands of years,” Khamenei said. 

Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran Ali Shamkhani previously affirmed Iran’s support of Armenian sovereignty over a route connecting Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan through Syunik during a meeting with Pashinyan in Yerevan on July 7. 

“Ali Shamkhani emphasized that Iran considers any attempt to change the geopolitical situation in the region unacceptable and noted that his country also supports the process of unblocking infrastructure within the framework of preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states,” a statement released by the Armenian prime minister’s office reads. 

The United States has expressed strong support for the ongoing talks between Armenia and Turkey. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken “welcomed the telephone conversation” between Pashinyan and Erdogan and “expressed the readiness of the US to support the normalization of relations between the two countries” during a phone call with Pashinyan on July 25. 

Meanwhile, Turkish diplomat and special envoy appointed for Armenia-Turkey normalization process Serdar Kılıç visited the Armenia-Turkey border on July 24. Kılıç, accompanied by a delegation of Turkish leaders, visited the city of Kars, the Doğu Kapı border checkpoint and the ruins of Ani. An Israeli company has been conducting demining on the Turkish side of the border, according to Turkish media reports. The Armenian Defense Ministry said that Armenia has not been conducting demining on its side of the border. 

According to a recent report from the International Crisis Group, Armenian authorities want to “press ahead as fast as possible” with the negotiation process, “for fear that history may repeat itself and normalization grind to a halt.” 

“If Ankara can move quicker carrying out its final part of the first agreements on border crossings and air cargo, it will reassure Yerevan that there is more to come,” senior South Caucasus analyst Olesya Vartanyan wrote.

Yet Vartanyan added that Armenia should be patient, considering that even “small agreements on air cargo and border crossings for foreigners are significant” considering the current geopolitical context.

“The Armenian representatives are right to say that they need to seize the moment, as a lack of concrete steps now could doom to failure their hopes for eventual normalization at a time of rising conflict around the world,” Vartanyan wrote. “But a ‘small step’ strategy seems to be the only one possible at the moment.”

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Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in Journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian’s first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.


Political strategist: The course of the Armenian-Turkish normalization is predetermined by geopolitics

Arsine Chaltikian
ARMINFO
Armenia – July 18 2022
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo.By and large, the further course of the Armenian-Turkish normalization is predetermined by geopolitics, and more precisely, by serious, regional geopolitical  players.  Political strategist Vigen Hakobyan expressed a similar  opinion to ArmInfo.

“In this sense, I would not focus on the content of certain  statements of the Armenian authorities. One way or another, our  authorities are not the main players in this process. Rather, they  are in the role of being led by the main beneficiaries and interested  parties of the Armenian-Turkish normalization. Negotiations are  ongoing – that’s the main thing. Often contradictory statements from  Yerevan are also part of the technology of negotiation,” he said.

According to the political strategist, the need to use such  technologies arises, in particular, in periods of need to appease  certain passions in society, as well as to distract some people’s  attention from some internal processes. According to Hakobyan, as a  result of all this processes, the essence of what happened does not  change. The Armenian-Turkish processes are proceeding along a  pre-prepared geopolitical course.

Noting the scenario of the formalization of Armenian-Turkish  relations as predetermined by the main external players, the  political strategist, referring to a recent statement by  representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova,  points to the fact that the process was initially supervised by  Moscow.  Against this background, Hakobyan sees the existence of an  initially stipulated or accidental geopolitical consensus between the  main centers of power. It is in this light that he notes the lack of  counteraction to the Armenian-Turkish normalization by Russia, the  US, the UK and EU countries.  

The expert expressed the assumption that the only country that does  not like the Armenian-Turkish normalization is Iran. “Tehran is well  aware that relations with Turkey can be an alternative to relations  with Iran for Armenia, and, accordingly, there is a possibility that  the border with them may be closed if necessary. As Trump’s national  security adviser John Bolton suggested to Pashinyan in 2018,” the  political strategist summed up. 

Iran’s export to Armenia increases 21% in 3 months on year

Arsine Chaltikian
TEHRAN TIMES
July 19 2022
  1. Economy
July 19, 2022 – 10:25

TEHRAN- The value of Iran’s export to Armenia increased 21 percent in the first quarter of the current Iranian calendar year (March 21-June 21), from the first quarter of the previous year, the spokesman of Islamic Republic of Iran Customs Administration (IRICA) announced.

Ruhollah Latifi said that Iran exported commodities worth $74 million to Armenia in the three-month period.

Iran and Armenia signed a memorandum of understanding at the end of the two countries’ 17th meeting of Joint Economic Committee in Yerevan in mid-May.

The MOU, which covers cooperation in areas of transit, transportation, facilitation of exchange of goods, energy, development of environmental cooperation in Aras area and removal of pollution from border rivers, as well as medical tourism, was signed by Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian and Armenian Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, who are the chairmen of the two countries’ Joint Economic Committee.

In that meeting, which was attended by a large number of deputy ministers, senior officials, ambassadors, and members of parliament of the two countries, the main issues that play a key role in the development of relations between the two countries were discussed.

According to the officials, the purpose of holding the 17th meeting of Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Committee was the real and tangible development of relations between the two countries.

In late April, Iranian Finance and Economic Affairs Minister Ehsan Khandouzi headed a delegation on a visit to Armenia to hold talks with the country’s senior officials with the aim of expanding economic ties between the two nations.

During the visit, Khandouzi met with Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Herbert Grigoryan, the country’s Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan, and Minister of Finance Tigran Khachatryan.

MA/MA

New app digitizing work of tour guides and making life easier for tourists being developed in Armenia

Arsine Chaltikian

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 10:01,

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. In line with developing tourism sector and IT industry, Armenia is also creating a new app that will enable to digitize the work of tour guides and will allow tourists to easily find the place they want to visit.

In an interview to Armenpress, Memopin startup co-founder Karen Vardazaryan said that domestic tourism, as well as IT industry, are actively developing in Armenia, and the new app involving both could further increase the development opportunities.

He said that the idea arose when he and his friend noticed during a travel that they spend a lot of time for understanding where to go and how. They have started generating and implementing different ideas, and as a result the idea of the startup was born.

“I dreamed of visiting London, the home of rock, mostly for the Pink Floyd rock band. I wanted to go to Amsterdam and Milan for football. The most painful thing is that a person visits there and starts using Google map, in other words, he/she sees standard, non-personal offers. Thus, we started thinking of having a map where you can save any place you want, see how you get to your destination from the nearest hotel, even have an opportunity to save all the places you plan to visit before arriving at the place you want”, he said.

Memopin startup has broad opportunities, with three main functions:

  • a platform where “storytellers”, tour guides can practically help independent tourism via blog posts, audio or video options
  • it allows hotels, guest houses and restaurants to appear on the platform
  • the app could be useful for tourists who are looking for activities, a hotel, a guest house, a restaurant, a museum, etc, in a specific place

Karen Vardazaryan attaches importance to the digitization of the tour guides’ knowledge, experience and useful advice. If a tour guide can serve 10 tourists daily, with digitization of knowledge, he/she could provide them or sell it to 100s of tourists. The platform allows to be branded, get a separate page and a logo.

The co-founder of Memopin said they are working with different bloggers who use their services, and they are automatically advertised at the YouTube channel or other platforms of that particular blogger.

“If a blogger does not have our platform, he /she will use the Google map and will earn some money from that restaurants. But if a blogger uses our app, it’s highly likely that the followers will be more interested in that restaurants, and the blogger will earn much more money. We will ensure the connection between business and a “storyteller”. We must be paid 7-10$ for this service”, he said.

At Memopin, different hotels, restaurants, guest houses and cafes can create their marketing strategy. The platform enables to present yourself and the nearby entertainment places. This service costs 10-15$ per month.

“Very often people visit a hotel, try to understand what interesting museums or restaurants there are in the territory. And they mostly get the answers from the receptionists of the hotel. But in the 21st century people must not have this problem. And with our app we are trying to give the answers of all the questions that a tourist may have. The map doesn’t require money for this service”, Karen Vardazaryan said.

Currently, they were working on the 6 versions of Memopin, it will soon be available for Android and iOS. Memopin is the main sponsor of Extraordinary Travel Festival. It will take place in October. Karen Vardazaryan said that people will have a chance to get acquainted with the opportunities of the app during this event.

He said that the Tourism Committee approved their idea. Vardazaryan added that their product has great opportunities to enter a global market.

 

Interview by Karine Terteryan




Armenia and Iran do not need advice from Turkey – Iranian parliamentarian

Arsine Chaltikian

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 20:43,

YEREVAN, JULY 22, ARMENPRESS. Shahriar Heydari, deputy head of the Iranian Parliament’s National Security and Foreign Policy Committee, made a statement regarding the Armenian-Iranian border, stressing that Iran and Armenia do not need the advice of any third party, including Turkey, in this regard, ARMENPRESS reports the Iranian IRIB television and radio company reports.

Shahriar Heydari said this in the context of the words of the Supreme Spiritual leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ali Khamenei, addressed to the President of Turkey.

“As stated by the spiritual leader, the Islamic Republic of Iran will not allow the border between Iran and Armenia to be blocked,” Heydari emphasized.

Pointing to the strategic position of the Republic of Armenia, the Iranian parliamentarian said that it created many problems for Armenia, one of which was the conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh. However, according to Shahriar Heydari, the problem should be solved seriously and through diplomacy.

“Iran has always believed that the two countries should settle the issue politically. Some extra-regional forces want to create a corridor leading to Nakhijevan through the territory of Armenia in order to push Iran to the margin, but Armenia and Iran emphasize that the territorial integrity of the countries of the region must be preserved. We have a shared border of 47 km with Armenia, part of which is the border of the Aras River, and we will not allow any damage to those borders. The border of Iran and Armenia has always been safe, both countries strive for its security and prevent any illegal traffic and border encroachment, and we do not need the advice of any third party, including Turkey,” Shahriar Heydari stated.

On July 19, Iran’s Spiritual Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei received Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who arrived in Tehran for a tripartite meeting with the presidents of Iran and Russia, stressing that the Islamic Republic of Iran will oppose the policy of blocking the border between Iran and Armenia. In the meeting with the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, Iran’s Supreme Spiritual Leader also emphasized that Iran will not tolerate the policies and programs that lead to the closing of the border between Iran and Armenia.