Author: Babken Chilingarian

Head of the Defense Policy Department of the Armenian Ministry of Defense Levon Ayvazyan visited Lebanon November 25-28. He had meetings with Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Lebanon Calid Salmen, Deputy Chief of Staff, Brigade General Manuel Kirejyan, other officials.

Issues related to the development and deepening of cooperation between Armenia and Lebanon were discussed. Reference was made to the situation in the region and other issues of reciprocal interest.

The military cooperation plan between the Armed Forces of the two countries was signed within the framework of the visit.

Photo: AP

Turkey shot down Russia’s bomber as revenge for the destruction of oil smuggling business that belongs to Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s son, a Syrian minister stated, reports. 

The presidency of the Assembly of Armenian Refugees from Azerbaijan held a round-table discussion on “Artsakh issue: The problems and perspectives of Armenian diplomacy.” Discussions mostly focused on the issue of Armenian refugees, which, the participants said, is often ignored in the negotiation process.

About 660 Armenian refugees fled Azerbaijan between 1988 and1992 as a result of massacres organized by the Azeri leadership. The topic is completely ignored in the negotiation process, while Azerbaijan has made the issue of refugees a serious lever in the talks.

Another issue on the agenda was Turkey’s blockade of Armenia. “The question of return of so-called “occupied territories” is often raised on different international platforms. Why doesn’t anyone ask Turkey why it keeps blockade of Armenia, which poses no threat to its security,” ethnographer Hranush Kharatyan said. According to her, the two issues are serious failures of the Armenian diplomacy.

According to David Shahnazaryan, Armenia has the potential to work not only in PACE but also other international organizations, and it’s the task of the authorities to make an effective use of this potential.

“It’s time to refuse from the defensive policy and take the initiative,” Shahnazaryan said.

Head of the Regional Studies Center Richard Giragosian described the current situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border as “undeclared war.” He has no expectations from the upcoming meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Director of the Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan sees no threat of resumption of large-scale war, but does not expect anything crucial from diplomatic meetings, either.

According to him, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs are not tasked with solving the Karabakh conflict at this point. “Anyone involved in the settlement of this issue understands that the resolution of the issue is impossible in the foreseeable future.

Photo: Lucian Coman/Lucara

The world’s second-largest gem quality diamond has been discovered in Botswana, the Lucara Diamond firm says, the BBC reports.

The 1,111-carat stone was recovered from its Karowe mine, about 500km (300 miles) north of the capital, Gaborone.

It is the biggest diamond to be discovered in Botswana and the largest find in more than a century.

The 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond was found in South Africa in 1905 and cut into nine separate stones, many of which are in the British Crown Jewels.

“The significance of the recovery of a gem quality stone larger than 1,000 carats, the largest for more than a century… cannot be overstated,” William Lamb, the CEO of Lucara Diamond, a Canadian diamond producer, said in a statement.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has issued a statement, welcoming the adoption of a mandate to launch new talks with Armenia.

“We attach importance to the decision of the EU Council to provide the European Commission with a mandate to open negotiations with Armenia on the creation of a new legal basis,” Minister Nalbandian said.

“We are hopeful that the documents to be worked out as a result of the negotiations will  best express the depth of Armenia-EU mutually beneficial cooperation, reflect the joint commitment to raise our relations to a new level and outline the comprehensive partnership in all areas of mutual interest,” the Minister stated.

The Catholic Church of the Holy Spirit in Prague was handed over to the parish of St. Gregory the Illuminator of the Armenian Apostolic Church, reports.

This historic event held on October 11 was attended by the Primate of the Czech Catholic Church, Cardinal Dominique Duka, whose efforts made the transfer possible.

Armenia’s Ambassador Tigran Seyranyan expressed gratitude to the Czech people and Cardinal Duka and conveyed the congratulations of the Armenian government. He said “the collective efforts of the Czech Armenian community, the church and the state finally yielded positive results,” he said.

Speaking at the event, Cardinal Duka referred to the Christian legacy of the Armenian Church and people, to the tragedy that befell the Armenian nation in 1915. The cardinal handed the symbolic key of the Church to the head of the Armenian church in the Czech Republic Barsegh Pilavchian
Note that Armenians have never had their church in Prague, but have held all religious services in a Catholic church.

The Islamic State (IS) group is the prime suspect in the Ankara bombings that killed nearly 100 on Saturday, Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu has said, the BBC reports.

No group has said it carried out the attack, but the government believes that two male suicide bombers caused the explosions, hitting a peace rally.

The official death toll is 97, but one of the main groups at the march put the number of dead at 128.

The funerals of more of the victims are taking place on Monday.

Saturday’s twin explosions ripped through a crowd of activists gathering outside the main railway station in the Turkish capital.

They were due to take part in a rally calling for an end to the violence between Turkish government forces and the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister David Tonoyan received today Ambassador Pierre Andrieu, French Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Issues related to the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the line of contact were discussed.

David Tonoyan briefed Ambassador Andrieu on the details of the increased tensions at the line of contact and the consequences of ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan.

The parties stressed the inadmissibility of further tension at the frontline and emphasized the importance of demonstrating a constructive approach in the negotiation process.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the establishment of an atmosphere of trust and the perspectives of maintenance of the ceasefire regime.

In a letter addressed the Canadian Foreign Minister Robert Nicholson, Dr. Girair Basmadjian, President of the Armenian National Committee of Canada, has called attention to the recent aggression by Azerbaijan at the Armenian border and the line of contact with Karabakh, Horizon Weekly reports.

The letter reads:

Dear Minister:

 I am writing to you on behalf of the Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) in regards to the recent escalation of tensions perpetrated by the Republic of Azerbaijan along its borders with the Republic of Armenia and the Nagorn-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

In late September, the Azerbaijani army shelled civilian targets in Armenian villages in the border region of Tavush in the north-east of Armenia.  These unprovoked attacks killed three civilian women, two of whom were elderly.  Azerbaijan also fired in the direction of the town of Noyemberyan in the same region for the first time in ten years.  These artillery attacks led to shelling on both sides of the border which in turn resulted in the deaths of several Armenian service members.  All of this activity was in violation of a ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan and contrary to all norms of international law.

These attacks were timed to coincide with meetings of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers and international negotiators from the OSCE Minsk Group.  The attacks are an attempt by the Azerbaijani government to improve its bargaining position by involving Armenia in the ongoing conflict between Azerbaijan and the people of NKR.  Armenian civilians and military personnel are paying with their lives to prop up the corrupt and dictatorial Aliyev regime and Armenian border villages are under constant threat so that Azerbaijan gains concessions in what is meant to be a peaceful bargaining process.

Following these attacks, the OSCE Minsk Group proposed various measures to monitor ceasefire violations and to reduce tensions along the contact lines between Armenia and Azerbaijan and NKR and Azerbaijan.  All measures were rejected by Azerbaijan.

Canada’s government cannot sit silently while this conflict escalates. Prime Minister Harper has said in other instances that Canada cannot afford to sit by the sidelines while there are civilians being killed by a brutal dictatorship which does not seek peace.  Yet Canada has not raised its peaceful voice in this case. Many of Canada’s allies have already delivered forceful responses to these attacks.  The ANCC calls upon Canada to reiterate its support for the OSCE Minsk Group peace process and to condemn these attacks by Azerbaijan.

The recent clashes between the Turks and Kurds in Sur administrative district of Diyarbakir (historic Tigranakert) have caused great harm to the historic monuments of the city.

The walls of ancient Diyarbakir Fortress, the Armenian St. Giragos and the Armenian Catholic Church have been damaged, Ermeenihaber.am reports, quoting Turkish evrensel.net website.

The Diyarbakir Fortress was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List on July 4, 2015.