Author: Arsine Chaltikian

Armenian military denies Azerbaijani accusations on border shelling

Arsine Chaltikian

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 11:45, 2 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian military denies Azerbaijani accusations on opening fire at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

“The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense has again released a false statement accusing the Armenian military units in opening fire from small arms and grenade launchers on May 1 in the direction of Azerbaijani military positions deployed in the eastern part of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said, adding that the situation at the border is relatively stable and is under the Armenian military’s control.

Balanced position should be cornerstone: experts comment on Pashinyan’s latest Russia visit

Arsine Chaltikian

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 16:16, 27 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent visit to Russia, the documents signed, are positive. In this difficult period they give an opportunity to get some security guarantees and work on this direction on the one hand, and to boost the economic cooperation, on the other hand, Expert at Orbeli information-analytical center Jony Melikyan told a press conference in Armenpress.

“During the visit documents have been signed which relate to the future cooperation formats, outline inter-state visits and a cooperation between different ministries. On the background of these complex geopolitical processes it is very important to assess soberly the situation, work with partners in order to reduce all possible risks”, Melikyan said.

Political analyst Hakob Badalyan thinks that the statement of the Armenian PM and the Russian President is balanced. According to him, in such complex geopolitical situation getting a document which reflects the targeted directions that are important for Russia from security perspective and also contains important formulations for Armenia. “Besides, in this difficult situation they have avoided wording, content that would be associated, say, with any positioning in the Ukrainian war. My description is the following, it is a balanced document that actually covers all areas. It is a working base on which the future activity should be built”, Hakob Badalyan said.

Another expert of the Orbeli center Artak Khachatryan believes that one of the key foreign political cornerstones of Armenia should be the balanced policy. He says they see these steps in the efforts directed to Nagorno Karabakh or Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

“In the current geopolitical race, such step of Armenia’s foreign policy is welcome, trying to align and make closer the interests of the sides and the corners of the Armenian interests”, he said. He said that it was not a coincidence that the Brussels meeting was followed by a visit to Moscow. And in both cases the main focus was on security issues.

Taron Hovhannisyan, an expert of the Orbeli center, outlined point 24th of the statement of the Armenian PM and the Russian President, which pointed out Nagorno Karabakh and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“It was stated that the conflict is not settled, which is very important in a sense that after the war Azerbaijan is constantly trying to claim that the conflict is over, there is no Nagorno Karabakh. This remark could have been stayed as a remark if we haven’t heard at least statements by internationally involved actors that the Artsakh issue exists and is not solved yet. Here the opinion of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries comes to the fore. Russia not only is a Co-Chair country, we all understand quite well that it is a country having a serious influence and presence in the region”, Taron Hovhannisyan said.

President Khachaturyan receives Armenian Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia

Arsine Chaltikian

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 15:34,

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan received Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church, His Beatitude Raphaël Bedros Minassian, the Presidential Office said.

Raphaël Bedros Minassian thanked the President for the welcome and congratulated the latter on assuming office, wishing a productive activity.

President Khachaturyan highly appreciated the role of the Armenian Church especially in the preservation of the nation’s identity.

“Your work is of great importance for our people. Historically it has always pursued one goal – to preserve our type and help our people get out of difficulties”, the President said.

The Armenian Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia agreed with the President, stating that it was possible to move forward with joint efforts and by helping each other.

The meeting also touched upon the national-church issues, as well as the role and significance of the Armenian church in Diaspora.

Artsakh FM: The priority task of the foreign policy agenda of Stepanakert is the international recognition of the independence of Artsakh

Arsine Chaltikian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. On April 26, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh David Babayan met with heads of parliamentary factions in the National Assembly of the  Republic of Artsakh., the press service of the Artsak mfa reports.

A wide range of issues related to the recent regional developments,  the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict and the foreign  policy of Artsakh were discussed.

David Babayan stressed that the priority issues of the foreign policy  agenda of Artsakh remained unchanged; the international recognition  of the independence of Artsakh, comprehensive settlement of the  Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict with the full-fledged participation of  official Stepanakert, as well as the expansion and consolidation of  bilateral relations and  preservation of the status of Artsakh as a  geopolitical actor.  

The Minister noted the importance of maintaining the  Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity and the perception of Artsakh as a  supreme value by the Armenian people in the context of providing  effective solutions to the aforementioned issues.  

Minister Babayan also highly appreciated the role of parliamentary  diplomacy as an effective means of achieving  foreign policy goals.  

Are Azerbaijan And Armenia Ready To Sign A Peace Treaty? – [Azeri] OpEd

Arsine Chaltikian
April 22 2022
 April 22, 2022  Shahmar Hajiyev* 

The former conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the South Caucasus was a major threat to stability and economic integration in the region. However, the 44-Day War between the two South Caucasus countries changed the geopolitical landscape as Azerbaijan put an end to nearly 30 years of the Armenian occupation. With the signing of the 2020 November Statement between the Russian Federation, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, official Baku and Yerevan have, in practice, opened a new page for diplomatic talks and economic integration.

Today Azerbaijan is focused on issues such as the opening of transportation links, economic integration, and the signing of a peace agreement; nevertheless, the post-conflict period has been characterized by persistent challenges to stability and security between these two countries. During the post-conflict period, peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan were mainly convened under the auspices of Moscow. One of the key trilateral meetings between Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was held on January 11, 2021, in Moscow, where the heads of state discussed the implementation of the November Agreement, underlining the importance of the unblocking of all economic and transport communications in the region. The parties also agreed to establish a trilateral working group co-chaired by the Deputy Prime Ministers of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Armenia and the Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation.

Analyzing all the meetings between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia, it is worth noting that the parties could not achieve groundbreaking results or even agree on the main issues, such as the opening of the Zangezur Corridor, border delimitation and demarcation, and signing a peace treaty based on mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity. Despite negative developments and challenges to security in the region, Azerbaijan has already, during the post-conflict period, started the reconstruction process in the Karabakh region. In light of this, it is high time that Armenia thinks of a final peace treaty with Azerbaijan based on the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity is key to sustainable peace and regional economic integration.

Meanwhile, 2022 is a year of key new developments in relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. It should be specifically underlined that the war between Russia and Ukraine is forming new geopolitical realities. The war in Ukraine has raised concerns over European energy security and how to address future challenges in this direction. Azerbaijan has proved itself to be a reliable energy partner that supports European energy security. Together with Qatar, the United States, Nigeria and Egypt, Azerbaijan is among the major countries that EU officials have addressed regarding increasing natural gas supplies in case of an urgent gas crisis.

Against the background of recent events, there are important developments in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. As the Ukrainian war reshapes the geopolitical landscape in Europe, France and the USA are refusing to cooperate with Russia in the OSCE Minsk Group on Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process. This means that the Minsk Group format might be dead, and the two South Caucasus countries will use mainly European platforms for future negotiations. The EU has therefore intensified its efforts to achieve a long-term and durable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. On April 6, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev met with President of the European Council Charles Michel and Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Brussels. This meeting, the first since Brussels in December 2021 and a videoconference together with President Macron in February 2022, was very productive. European Council President Charles Michel noted “both President Aliyev’s and Prime Minister Pashinyan’s stated desire to move rapidly towards a peace agreement between their countries.”

It is very important to highlight the five proposals that Azerbaijan has put to Armenia for normalizing relations. These proposals concern the mutual recognition of each other’s sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of international borders, and political independence; mutual confirmation of the absence of territorial claims of states against each other and the legal obligation not to file such a claim in the future; refraining from threatening each other’s security in interstate relations, from using threats and force against political independence and territorial integrity, as well as from other circumstances incompatible with the purposes of the UN Charter; delimitation and demarcation of the state border and the establishment of diplomatic relations; and opening of transport and communications links, the establishment of other relevant communications, and cooperation in other areas of mutual interest, as was also set out in the November Agreement. 

If Armenia agrees to sign a peace treaty with Azerbaijan on the basis of the above-mentioned principles, it will create a backbone for the establishment of diplomatic ties and cooperation between the two states. It is worth underlining that the signals regarding an agreement for bringing sustainable peace to the region became very positive when Azerbaijan and Armenia agreed to instruct their ministers of foreign affairs to work on the preparation of a future peace treaty that would address all necessary issues. In a continuation of positive gestures, on April 11, 2022, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov had a telephone conversation with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan. The two ministers had an exchange of views about the work on the preparation of a future peace treaty, the convening of a Joint Border Commission, and humanitarian issues. This was the first official direct phone call between the two ministers.

Despite all positive gestures, Armenia’s leading radical opposition parties led by opposition leader Artur Vanetsyan started again the campaign to hinder peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan. They began a nonstop sit-in Yerevan’s Liberty Square, and the main aim is to stage coordinated street protests in an attempt to topple Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and thus prevent what they see as unacceptable concessions to Azerbaijan planned by Prime Minister. Such developments show again that tangible steps are needed for supporting a future peace treaty. 

To sum up, 2022 might be a remarkable year as Armenia and Azerbaijan may take a giant step toward long-awaited peace in the region. The peace process under the auspices of the EU is crucial and, after the April meeting in Brussels, the two South Caucasus countries have agreed on the main principles of the normalization process. During a meeting on Azerbaijan’s results for the first quarter of 2022, President Ilham Aliyev again emphasized that Armenia accepts Azerbaijan’s five principles for normalizing relations. Last but not least, we are today witnessing positive developments in the negotiations. Nevertheless, both Armenia and Azerbaijan should consider that the peace process is fragile, and perhaps we now need more engagement and willingness to compromise for peace if the final peace treaty is to be signed. 

*Shahmar Hajiyev, Leading advisor at Center of Analysis of International Relations 

https://www.eurasiareview.com/22042022-are-azerbaijan-and-armenia-ready-to-sign-a-peace-treaty-oped/


After 2020 November 9 there hasn’t been any draft or blueprint on NK settlement – Pashinyan

Arsine Chaltikian

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 15:50,

YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. After the 2020, November 9 trilateral statement there hasn’t been any blueprint or draft on the resolution of Nagorno Karabakh to be on the table or otherwise in circulation, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said referring to rumors.

“After November 9, 2020 ahead of my every foreign trip rumors have circulated through all possible resources claiming that I am going to sign some document regarding the Nagorno Karabakh resolution that would surrender Artsakh to Azerbaijan,” Pashinyan said, noting that these are fake news.

Speaking further on the accusations alleging that his administration is planning to surrender Artsakh, Pashinyan rejected it and said that those wanting to surrender Artsakh wouldn’t have done anything after the war and essentially the surrender would have taken place. “Forgive me but I have to say this, Artsakh is not a thing, it is not an object for it to be surrendered or not surrendered. First of all Artsakh are the people living there. If we were to surrender Artsakh we wouldn’t have spent tens of billions of drams after the 44-day war to ensure the return of Artsakhis to their homes. We are carrying out unprecedented investments in Artsakh, because keeping Artsakh means keeping Artsakhis in Artsakh, keeping Armenia means keeping the residents of Armenia in Armenia and moreover returning those who’ve left,” Pashinyan said.

Armenian Genocide: Several events planned around LA to commemorate 107th Anniversary

Arsine Chaltikian
    FOX 11
    Los Angeles
   
By Alexi Chidbachian
Published  3:49PM


LOS ANGELES – Every year on April 24, hundreds of thousands of Armenian-Americans and supporters rally throughout Los Angeles and around the world to bring awareness and attention to the Armenian Genocide. 

In 1915, 1.5 million Armenians were killed at the hands of the Ottoman Empire, which is now modern Turkey. Since then Turkey has denied their actions of committing genocide, and it wasn’t until 2021 that President Joe Biden became the first US president to formally recognize the genocide. 

His recognition came on the heals of an intense war between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh. 

The community says the purpose of the annual protests are to bring awareness and demand recognition. Even though the US government has recognized the genocide, this year the Armenian-American community is calling on Biden to “match his words with actions, and take tangible steps to hold Turkey and Azerbaijan accountable for their ongoing aggression against the Armenian people nearly two years on from the invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“We will still be marching in front of the Turkish Consulate; we are still calling on the Turkish government to accept responsibility for the genocide and pay reparations and deliver some justice to the Armenia people. There failure to do so and refusal to do so this far to accept that responsibility and their ongoing denial campaign in that regard is just further reason for us to continue our struggle and march each year and year round to voice these demands,” Nora Hovsepian, Chair of the Armenian National Committee of America Western Region, told FOX 11.  

Sunday, April 24th marks the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Several events will be held throughout Los Angeles. 

Below is a list of commemoration events.

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April 22 at 7PM
Armenian Genocide 107th Anniversary Commemoration
Ferrahian High School (Avedissian Hall) – 5300 White Oak Ave., Encino CA 91316

April 23 9AM-3PM 
Community Blood Drive
2495 E. Mountain St. Pasadena, CA 91104

April 23 at 10:30AM 
Religious Ceremony & Placement of Flowers
Montebello Martyr’s Monument – 901 Via San Clemente, Montebello CA 90640

April 23 at 7PM
Armenian Genocide 107th Anniversary Commemoration
Montebello Marty’s Monument – 901 Via San Clemente, Montebello CA 90640

April 24 at 3PM
Protest: Resist Genocide Denial 
Turkish Consulate of LA – 8500 Wilshire Blvd. Beverly Hills, CA 90211

April 24 at 7PM
Concert Dedicated to the Martyr’s of the Armenian Genocide and 44-Day War in Artsakh
St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church – 500 S Central Ave, Glendale, CA 91204

April 24 at 7PM
City of Glendale’s Commemorative Event
Alex Theatre – 216 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale CA 91203

April 30 10:30AM-4:30PM
Community Blood Drive
1060 N. Allen Ave. Pasadena CA 91104

https://www.foxla.com/news/armenian-genocide-several-events-planned-around-la-to-commemorate-107th-anniversary

Armenia, Russia agree to speed up establishment of Armenia-Azerbaijan commission on border demarcation and security

Arsine Chaltikian

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 21:48,

YEREVAN, APRIL 19, ARMENPRESS. According to the bilateral statement adopted based on the results of the meeting of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin in Moscow, the parties agreed in accordance with the November 26, 2021 agreement, to speed up the establishment of a bilateral commission on demarcation and security in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border area with the consultative assistance of the Russian Federation at the request of the Parties.

“The Parties agreed to speed up the establishment of a bilateral commission on demarcation and security in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border area in accordance with the trilateral agreement of November 26, 2021 with the consultative assistance of the Russian Federation at the request of the Parties.

The leaders were united in their assessment of the high usefulness of contacts between Azerbaijani and Armenian religious figures and representatives of the societies with the support of Russia, which contributes to the “construction of bridges” between the peoples of the two countries. This practice will continue.

The Parties agreed to intensify the trilateral cooperation between Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan aimed at supporting the normalization of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia and in the region in general”, reads the statement.

Georgian delegation Prosecutor General visits Armenia

Arsine Chaltikian
Jason Miller

A Georgian delegation led by Prosecutor General Irakli Shotadze is visiting in Armenia .The meeting of the prosecutors general of the two countries took place Tuesday at the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia.

Prosecutor General of Armenia Artur Davtyan stressed that the high level of trust between the prosecutor general’s offices of the two countries enables to resolve urgent matters related to mutual legal assistance and extradition processes.

The contribution of the Georgian side in the solution of humanitarian issues was especially stressed amid the consequences of the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) and Armenia in the fall of 2020.

Georgia’s Prosecutor General Irakli Shotadze noted that the brotherhood of the Armenian and Georgian peoples has a history of centuries, trade between and mutual visits of the citizens of the two countries are growing dynamically, and Georgia is viewing Armenia as an important pillar in the region.

Also, Shotadze invited Davtyan to Georgia to participate in the international conference of prosecutors to be held in the capital of Tbilisi in September.

In particular, issues related to increasing the effectiveness of protection of the rights of citizens of the two countries in each other’s countries—especially at border checkpoints—were discussed during the meeting.

As a result of the meeting, Artur Davtyan and Irakli Shotadze signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation between the prosecutor’s offices of Armenia and Georgia.

https://mrenquirer.com/georgian-delegation-prosecutor-general-visits-armenia/

AW: Celebrating Palm Sunday in Aghavno: A Rebellious Act of Existence

Arsine Chaltikian
 The Armenian Weekly News, Culture 0

A house in the village of Aghavno (Photo: Irina Safaryan)

Have you ever been to Artsakh? If yes, you probably remember the first village of small, cozy houses with red rooftops. That’s the border village of Aghavno, connecting Artsakh with Armenia. It’s one of the cradles of hope and revival located in the Lachin corridor (the tiny pass controlled by Russian peacekeepers to help Armenians living in Artsakh freely and safely travel to and from Armenia) where several hundred people defended their right to live and didn’t flee the village even when it was deprived of electricity, water and other utilities. To this day, there is no gas in Aghavno; residents use electricity and wood-fired ovens to heat their homes. 

The village recently celebrated Palm Sunday (Tsaghkazard in Armenian). The celebration was organized by locals and members of an initiative known as Mshakutamet (literally translates to “close to the culture”). There was so much happiness and joy in this small village that I couldn’t resist sharing my experiences from the day. 

Mshakutamet team

Mshakutamet is an educational, cultural initiative founded in 2020 during the Artsakh War. Its goal is to spread Armenian culture, traditions and rich heritage especially in the border villages of Armenia and Artsakh. There are about 50 teachers, young and talented professionals who, by the way, are all volunteers. They started their initiative in Tavush and hosted classes in Eraskh. Now, they are at the “Gate of Artsakh’’—Aghavno. Young people from all over Armenia are giving classes on embroidery, reading, guitar, national songs and dances, piano, theater and the history of art to help raise a generation of patriots who know their history, culture and traditions and are able to stand strong on their motherland knowing the value of every inch of it. 

During an inspiring conversation with the co-founders of Mshakutamet, we were introduced to three volunteers who moved to Aghavno to reveal the best in Aghavno’s school children and organize the event. Arusyak Mkrtchyan teaches piano, history of art and theatrical art. Naira Ter-Asatryan is a guitar coach who teaches national songs and dance. Shushan Babayan leads reading and embroidery classes. 

“We are delighted to have this opportunity to teach the young generation as the village itself is amazing, and village children as always are very talented and very smart,” commented Mkrtchyan. “There was no fear before coming to Aghavno despite the fact that we are surrounded by the Azerbaijani army, and there is only a small corridor which connects Artsakh to Armenia.”

Ahead of the Lenten season, organizers celebrated Barekendan in the border village of Aygedzor in Tavush. “I think that we have taken a step away from our traditional values and traditional holidays,” said Mkrtchyan. “This is why it’s so important to bring them back to life and show our people how amazing they are.”

Mkrtchyan said a Palm Sunday celebration in Aghavno was a dream of a community member. “Tsaghkazard is children’s blessing day, and we wished to have a pastor and bless all the children living in Aghavno as there is a church, but there is no working pastor. Another main reason to celebrate Tsaghkazard in Aghavno was to keep an eye on the borderline villages and to make people living here feel that we care that we are here for them. There were obviously difficulties while organizing this event, but the whole village and the mayor and even a young child supported us to make Tsaghkazard happen.”

A son of Aghavno, Palm Sunday 2022

Mkrtchyan is hoping more young people will join the mission Mshkutamet to spread Armenian culture throughout the homeland. “The Mshakutamet initiative has helped school children of Aghavno discover their inner talents, and they are really happy for this opportunity. We are planning to have classes in all borderline villages of Artsakh in future.”

Another outstanding participant and organizer of the celebration is Nina Shahverdyan from Stepanakert. She is an English language teacher working in Aghavno. She graduated from the American University of Armenia and moved to Aghavno to teach and inspire children with her own experience and bright personality.

Nina Shahverdyan

‘’Villagers are happy to see this joy and all the people coming to Aghavno to celebrate Tsaghkazard here,” said Shahverdyan. “Mshakutamet is doing a great job here and bringing new colors to Aghavno’s everyday life. Children are happy to have them and spend quality time with them. They explore themselves from different angles, and in general every kind of activity in Aghavno is always welcomed by the mayor and the fearless habitants.”

Alison Tahmizian Meuse

There were many guests from Yerevan and other parts of Armenia and Artsakh including Alison Tahmizian Meuse, a journalist who moved to Armenia from the US a year ago and believes in the protection of Armenian statehood. She commented, “Being here in Aghavno, I feel a great sense of purpose, determination and optimism, especially while seeing the activism and smiles of not only the kids, but young people and adults living in this community. It was wonderful to see many people come from Yerevan and Stepanakert and join them. I emphasize that every Armenian anywhere in the world should stand and speak loudly in support of the Republic of Artsakh.”  

Children were seen playing Armenian games, dancing the Tamzara and Kochari and helping themselves to delicious food, including traditional Zhengyalov hats (bread with herbs) and homemade halva. 

Hope and a firm claim to this land are keeping these brave people here despite all the obstacles that have occurred after the November 9 trilateral agreement between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. Villagers in Aghavno exemplify once again that it’s the people living on the soil who decide their own fate, and only with their unconditional determination does a territory for someone else become a homeland for them.  

Tsaghkazard in Aghavno was a declaration of people that they are here, and they continue to live and create. The whole world should recognize their natural right to live and their right to self-determination.

Palm Sunday in Aghavno, 2022