Author: Badalian Vardan

Armenian Ombudsman’s Office sends notice to prosecuting body over Ara Saghatelyan’s case

Badalian Vardan
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 24 2021


The Armenian Human Rights Defender’s (Ombudsman) Office has sent a notice to the body conducting criminal proceedings in connection with the arrest of Ara Saghatelyan, a former chief of staff of the National Assembly, the office told Panorama.am on Wednesday.

It said that immediately after the arrests made by the law enforcement authorities as part of a criminal case concerning a fake Facebook page, the Human Rights Defender’s Office received an alarm from a lawyer.

“As a result of the monitoring of social media and news outlets, records were made by the lawyers in connection with the launch of the criminal case and the arrests. A visit was paid to those involved in the case, including Ara Saghatelyan.

“After the visit, the lawyers also submitted a written application to the ombudsman.

“Based on the outcomes of the visit and the complaints made, a notice has been sent to the prosecuting body,” the office said.

Earlier on Monday, lawyer Robert Hayrapetyan stated that Ara Saghatelyan is a political prisoner “under all the criteria established by the PACE”.

Armenia’s former Ambassador to the Holy See Mikayel Minasyan also denounced the charges brought against him as “politically motivated.”

The lawyers also stated that the court ruled to arrest Saghatelyan for two months in the wake of political pressure. 

CivilNet: Culture, Branding and the Importance of Negative Identities

Badalian Vardan
CIVILNET.AM

11:08

Where Do We Come From? What Are We? Where Are We Going?

Paul Gauguin

Our culture is grounded in its history, comfortable in its identity, and one in which its relative peacefulness comes from a thousand unwritten norms of acceptable behavior and not from legal mandates or laws. 

Culture is the most functional part of our country and the collective Armenian nation. It is also the glue that kept this county functional despite all her other failings over the past 30 years. 

In this historic moment we need to weaponize our culture to build a competent state, a functional economy and a modern military. In order to make our culture usable for these purposes, we need to learn to brand our culture in a way that will redefine what it means to be Armenian both for our purposes and on how the country and culture are viewed internationally. 

Cultures like ours, precisely because of their groundedness are at a great disadvantage in branding themselves.  The primary feature of the world we live in is “Liquid Modernity”, a concept developed by the great Polish Philosopher Zygmunt Bauman, which argued that endless change and disintegration are the primary features of modern cultures, economies and societies.  

If we are going to brand ourselves internationally it is important to understand how the world sees us. 

The reality is that very few people in the world think about us or have any opinion of us. We currently don’t matter in any meaningful way to the world. Secondly, to the extent that the world knows about us, it is only because of the Genocide and the unresolved Artsakh issue. 

On the first issue, regardless of what they say publicly, it either proves their stereotypes of Turks as Asiatic savages, or of us as another group of small and irrelevant people too obsessed with history from which more “sophisticated” people like themselves have moved on from. 

The Artsakh issue is for the most part viewed as another “ancient” dispute between two groups of small brown people. No one cares about the specifics, the rightness of any one’s cause, or what some local Soviet committee decided in the 1920s. 

For all practical purposes as far as the world is concerned we are a blank slate, so what should be the brand of a new Armenia? 

Internationally, our brand should be freedom. In fact, it is more so our willingness to fight for freedom and not to accept tyrannies of any kind, and for being a small island of freedom in a sea of tyrannies all around us. We need to define ourselves as much with who and what we are against as who and what we are for.

These are not hyperbolic points; you can draw a straight line between Armenia and South Korea and not show another country that enjoys the freedoms we enjoy here. And as far as our willingness to fight for freedom, at a time in which most Europeans have literally become the Nietzchean last man, willing to sacrifice their history and freedoms for today’s peace and comfort, we are still a people willing to fight for the ashes of our fathers and the temples of our Gods. We are the ghosts of their own past, ghosts that they both admire and despise at the same time, thereby explaining their ambivalence towards us. 

If we are to brand ourselves with who our enemies are, we could not be blessed with a better antagonist than Azerbaijan – an oriental despotism and the longest-running family dictatorship outside of North Korea. A country of literal slaves owned by two families, a state in which the first lady is also the Vice President, where “election results” are announced a day before the “election” by mistake on national television, and a state where the official national hero is an axe murderer.  

A successful branding effort for our purposes is essentially an act of public relations jiu-jitsu, in which we utilize the negative realities of our region, and our heroic defiance of those realities, as our narrative to the world. We, unlike most peoples around us, have never accepted geography as an excuse for either tyranny or subservience. We have paid a terrible price for this, a price only a few are willing to pay. 

If we are marketing ourselves to the world as a stronghold of freedom we need to comprehend what that word really means. The universal concept of freedom now is a Western one, defined by individual rights and structured, well-established and fair legal systems. There is much that is admirable about the Western notion of freedom, which has become the ideal for so many people in the world.

However, that concept which is based on the idea of freedom “from” things is different from our cultural norms and experiences. We need to put our stamp on what freedom means. Yes, individual rights are important as are solid legal systems protecting those rights, but those are starting points and not the endpoint. Freedom in our culture is also one that is enjoyed in solidarity and community and one in which lonely alienation is not mistaken for freedom. 

Our approach to this concept could be our greatest contribution to the world around us. Because our culture is one that is as Asian as it is European, social and family-oriented yet almost anarchistically individualistic. We have threaded the needle between an un-free yet socially coherent East and a free and socially incoherent West; on this front, we are an example for others to follow. In our region where freedom is the exception, we must open our doors to dissidents, free thinkers and everyone willing to be constructive members of a free society. We should become what Amsterdam represented to dissidents in the 17th Century, an island of freedom in a sea of tyrannies.  

What should be the culture of the new Armenian man? The ideal new Armenian man is competent, despises mediocrity, excels in science, business, culture and warfare. The new Armenian man is more PicsArt, TUMO and KRISP and other such future centers of excellence rather than one who wallows in our painful history. In short, the new Armenian is a winner and a stoic figure who above all despises being pitied.

We have failed in telling our story in the post Genocide period because we have not acknowledged that the crucifixion of unimportant peoples is the way of the world. Crucifixions happen every day, only resurrections are miracles, and we are that miracle. 

Expert: US sanctions against Armenia not ruled out due to Boeing 737-related issue

Badalian Vardan
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 23 2021

Expert in international studies Suren Sargsyan says the U.S. may impose sanctions on Armenia after U.S.-made Boeing 737 aircraft, which was bound for Yerevan, ended up in Iran under yet unclear circumstances.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Civil Aviation Committee of Armenia said it has not received any confirmed information that the aircraft registered in Armenia “has been hijacked halfway”, as some reports suggest.

“The aircraft may have been hijacked but the committee is not aware of it,” Sargsyan wrote on Facebook, adding a probe into the circumstance of the incident is underway.

“Clear actions by the U.S. against Armenia, including sanctions, are not ruled out in the wake of the incident,” he said.

Sargsyan suggested returning the plane to Armenia and holding those responsible to account to avoid the possible negative consequences.

“In general, we should not interfere in confrontations of the superpowers at all and should maintain neutrality, especially when both are friendly states,” the expert said. 

Australian FM calls for observing Helsinki Final Act in NK settlement process

Badalian Vardan

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 11:47,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. Minister for Foreign Affairs of Australia Marise Payne has reaffirmed the Government’s support for the OSCE Minsk Group process, highlighting “equal rights and self-determination of people” as one of the three equal principles that must guide Nagorno Karabakh to permanent peace following the bloody war of 2020, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia.

Minister Payne welcomed the break to hostilities as a result of the November 9, 2020 agreement while highlighting the need for both sides to observe the Helsinki Final Act, which calls for respect of the “principles of the non-use of force, territorial integrity, and equal rights and self-determination of people”.

Minister Payne further called on both Armenia and Azerbaijan to support the efforts of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group to achieve peace in the region. 

The Armenian-Australian community’s peak public affairs body welcomed the Australian Government’s position as “a major step in the right direction”.

100 U.S. Representatives call on Biden Administration to stand with Artsakh Republic and Armenia

Badalian Vardan
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 19 2021

One hundred Members of Congress – from more than twenty U.S. states – have called upon the Biden Administration to undertake concrete steps for Artsakh’s survival and Armenia’s security, in a bipartisan Armenian Caucus letter strongly supported by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“The strong Congressional participation in the Armenian Caucus letter to the Biden Administration reflects and also powerfully reinforces growing bipartisan support for Artsakh among legislators from across America,” said ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan. “We look forward to working with the leadership of the Caucus and each of our legislative friends to translate these pro-Armenian, pro-peace policy priorities into action.”

The letter, addressed to the Secretaries of State and Defense, underscoring the severity of the regional crisis caused by six weeks of unrelenting Azerbaijani and Turkish aggression last fall, proposes urgent action on the following U.S. policy priorities:

— U.S. emergency assistance that provides the people of Artsakh with the ability to reconstruct their communities and rebuild their lives without fear of further bloodshed.

— U.S. re-engagement in the search for an enduring regional settlement – based on the fundamental right of self-determination – that protects the security of Artsakh and helps to ensure another war does not break out.

— U.S. recognition of the right to self-determination for the people of Artsakh and their role as a legitimate negotiating party in resolving this conflict.

— U.S. leadership in securing the immediate release of Armenian prisoners

— U.S. accountability, including sanctions against high-ranking Azerbaijani and Turkish leaders, the withholding of U.S. aid to Baku, and ending the waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act.

— U.S. support for Armenia’s economic development and assistance to Armenians displaced by Azerbaijani aggression

— U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide by President Biden

The Armenian Caucus letter was spearheaded by its leadership, Reps. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), David Valadao (R-CA), and Adam Schiff (D-CA). Joining them in co-signing this bipartisan appeal were Representatives Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Jim Banks (R-IN), Nanette Barragan (D-CA), Karen Bass (D-CA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), Ken Calvert (R-CA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Jason Crow (D-CO), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Veronica Escobar (D-TX), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), Mike Garcia (R-CA), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Josh Harder (D-CA), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Hank Johnson (D-GA), David Joyce (R-OH), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Dan Kildee (D-MI), Young Kim (R-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Doug LaMalfa (R-CA), James Langevin (D-RI), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Susie Lee (D-NV), Andy Levin (D-MI), Mike Levin (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Brian Mast (R-FL), Tom McClintock (R-CA), Betty McCollum (D-MN), James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Richard Neal (D-MA), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), John Rutherford (R-FL), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), David Schweikert (R-AZ), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Michelle Steel (R-CA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Mike Thompson (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), David Trone (D-MD), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Maxine Waters (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Susan Wild (D-PA).

The full text of the letter is provided below:

Dear Secretaries Blinken and Austin,

As bipartisan Members of Congress who are engaged in the US-Armenia relationship and interested in strengthening it, we write to offer our congratulations on your recent confirmations and to share a list of our bipartisan priorities we hope to work together on during the 117th Congress.

One of the most pressing issues for the Caucus and for the future of American foreign policy in the South Caucasus region is the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh). As you are aware, Azerbaijani and Turkish forces initiated an unprovoked attack on September 27, 2020, leading to six weeks of devastating fighting that killed an estimated 5,000 people and forced more than 100,000 ethnic Armenians to flee from the Karabakh region.

Azerbaijani forces were able to make rapid advances into the region with the aid of Turkish-backed foreign mercenaries, many alleged to have ties to internationally recognized terrorist groups, Bayraktar drones that utilize American components and technology, and heavy weaponry including the illegal use of cluster and white phosphorus munitions.

With the rising risk of a mass atrocity against thousands of Armenian civilians, Armenia agreed to a peace agreement brokered by Russia on November 10. This agreement brought an end to the fierce combat, but it has done little to address the immediate and significant problems of feeding, sheltering, and ensuring the safety of thousands of displaced families during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In violation of the ceasefire, Azerbaijan also refuses to free dozens of Armenian prisoners of war and apprehended civilians, which illustrates how this agreement fails to address the structural issues that have caused uncertainty and fueled the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict for decades. There remain several important issues that must be resolved and many critical questions that must be answered before a binding and durable peace settlement can be reached.

First, the terms laid out in the current ceasefire are untenable for Artsakh’s long-term security and stability in the region. The United States cannot allow Russia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan to solely dictate and dominate the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. While we have seen some reengagement in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group process, we believe more must be done to pursue an enduring settlement based on the fundamental right to self-determination. We appreciate the response Secretary Blinken gave during his confirmation hearing to this end, stating that he will “reinvigorate U.S. engagement to find a permanent settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that protects the security of Nagorno-Karabakh and helps to ensure another war does not break out.”

In negotiations, our diplomats must insist that any future settlement supported by the United States will provide the people of Artsakh with the ability to reconstruct their communities and rebuild their lives without fear of further bloodshed. This should include significant U.S. commitments to provide an urgently needed humanitarian aid and assistance package for the people of Artsakh. The international community, including the United States, also has an important role to play by finally recognizing the right to self-determination for the people of Artsakh and their role as a legitimate negotiating party in resolving this conflict. Absent this recognition, they will continue to face the threat of displacement by Azerbaijani and Turkish forces without any option for formal redress.

Another important component of ensuring lasting peace in the region is to hold destabilizing actors accountable. There is significant evidence that Azerbaijani and Turkish forces planned the invasion in the buildup to the September 27 assault on Nagorno-Karabakh. This evidence includes the stockpiling of armaments, including drones that killed many innocent civilians during the conflict, the July 2020 provocations by Azerbaijani troops in Armenia’s Tavush province, and several instances of large-scale joint military exercises near the Armenian border that foreshadowed the coming attacks. The United States and other international actors failed to acknowledge these warning signs and take necessary steps to prevent the sharp and unprovoked escalation of violence.

Actions that could have been taken at the time to halt Azerbaijani and Turkish aggressions included threatening sanctions on high-ranking officials from those countries and withholding aid, including ending the waiver of Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and ceasing further military assistance through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity program. We are encouraged by Secretary Blinken’s response during the confirmation process on this subject as well.

Similarly, the United States must reassess our policy toward Turkey. Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s regime reaps the rewards of the chaos he has sown in the Eastern Mediterranean, Libya, the Middle East, and the South Caucasus. His deliberate destabilizing behavior, which includes the installation of Russian made anti-aircraft missiles over the threat of sanction by the United States, demands a swift and decisive correction. We must learn from the failures of an appeasement policy used by past administrations toward Turkey and use every available diplomatic and economic tool to penalize these bad actors for their aggressions and abhorrent human rights abuses. If we do not act, we risk the likelihood that the Erdogan regime will trigger an ever-expanding zone of conflict.

Finally, the United States should seek to strengthen our strategic relationship with Armenia, a young democracy that has been shaken by last year’s events and the resulting uncertainty they have caused. We urge you to identify ways we can provide additional economic assistance to Armenia to support its democracy and development as well as respond to the significant number of displaced people who have fled the conflict in Artsakh.

We also request that your Administration identify ways in which our economic, cultural, and other ties to Armenia can be improved to benefit Armenia and the large Armenian American diaspora in the United States. Those steps should include the formal recognition of the Armenian Genocide by President Biden on April 24, following in the footsteps of both the House and Senate who passed resolutions recognizing the fact of the Genocide during the 116th Congress.

Thank you for attention to these important matters. We stand ready to work with you to craft a policy in the South Caucasus region that is consistent with U.S. national security, universal principles of human rights, and our democratic values. Our hope is to further discuss these issues with you and your teams at the earliest convenience.

Over 184 tons of various humanitarian aid arrived in Armenia with support of Hayastan Fund

Badalian Vardan

 10:28,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Since the very beginning of the war, through the efforts of the Diaspora and with the support of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund, large-scale humanitarian aid has been sent to Armenia by different Diaspora communities. To date, approximately 184,345 kg (more than 184 tons) of various humanitarian aid has arrived in Armenia, the Fund told Armenpress.

The assistance received includes modern medical equipment, first aid supplies, wound treatment and skin recovery products, warm winter clothes, shoes, sleeping bags, tents, beds, food, gift packages for Artsakh schoolchildren and so on.

During the war, starting on October 10th, through the efforts of Armenians living in the Diaspora and Armenian organizations from different communities, approximately 87,941 kg of humanitarian aid had been collected in the USA and Europe and transported to Armenia with the efforts of the All Armenian Fund. Cargo shipments were received from Los Angeles on October 10th, 15th, 16th, 19th, 22nd, 30th and 31st, with a total weight of approximately 61,549 kg, and 10,415 kg from the Netherlands on October 11th and 12th. Two planes arrived in Armenia from France and Belgium on October 23rd and October 26th, respectively, which delivered approximately 15,977 kg of humanitarian aid donated by different Armenian communities around Europe.

To ensure the swift and efficient delivery of aid to those most in need during the state of emergency, the Hayastan All Armenian Fund waived its right to these shipment during the 44 days of the war in favor of the Ministries of Emergency Situations, Health and Defense, which enabled the humanitarian aid to be directed to meet the needs of each institution immediately.

After the end of military actions, 33,389 kg of humanitarian aid arrived and was distributed directly by the Fund. Most of the aid received during this period originated from Los Angeles and France. Cargo shipments were received on November 19th, 20th, December 6th, 7th, 14th, 18th, 21st, 24th, 26th, 28th, 29th and January 14th, 2021.

The assistance received during this period was distributed to a number of health and community structures, including Kanaker-Zeytun Medical Center and Maternity Hospital, Institute of Hematology, Central Military Hospital, Martuni Medical Center, Kapan Medical Center, the regional administration of Tavush, Ararat and Gegharqunik, the Homeland Defender’s Rehabilitation Center, Noyemberyan Medical Center, Surb Astvacamayr Medical Center, Vardenis Hospital, Erebuni Medical Center, Surb Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center, Goris Medical Center. Significant assistance was also provided to the Artsakh Ministry of Health.

Humanitarian aid continues to arrive in 2021 with approximately 63,015 kg of aid currently awaiting customs clearance, processing, and classification prior to distribution.

Senators Portantino, Wilk Introduce Bill Allowing Local Agencies to Divest From the Republic of Turkey

Badalian Vardan
Pasadena Now, CA
Feb 17 2021

Tuesday, Senator Anthony J. Portantino was joined by Senator Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita in introducing SB 457, a measure that requires the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) and the State Teachers’ Retirement System (STRS) Boards of Administration to allow school districts and cities to opt out of investment vehicles issued or owned by the Republic of Turkey.

“It’s critical that we send a strong message to the Republic of Turkey that California does not support its ongoing and aggressive denial of the Armenian Genocide and its unprovoked attacks on Artsakh,” Portantino said.

“The State of California is home to the largest Armenian diaspora population in the United States and we stand in solidarity with Armenian Americans living in California, most of whom are direct descendants of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide,” he said. “We must take this opportunity to make a strong statement and create a pragmatic approach to divestment.”

The State of California has a long history of divesting from countries that violate human rights. In 1986, Governor George Deukmejian condemned South Africa’s apartheid policy by signing California’s divestiture law, aimed at pressuring the government to end its system of racial segregation. In 2008, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a Sudan divestment bill due to the ongoing genocide in the Darfur.

In agreeing with Portantino,  Wilk said it is important to “take a principled stand against Turkey’s shameful denial of the Armenian Genocide and it’s aggression against the Republic of Artsakh. Silence is not an option, as it will embolden the government of Turkey to commit further crimes against humanity.”

Portantino drafted SB 457 after discussing with Glendale City Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian the initiative he brought forth to the Glendale City Council to divest investment dollars from the Republic of Turkey.

“In addition to its well-funded campaign of Armenian Genocide denial, the government of Turkey continues to supports terrorist groups, using them to expand their influence in the region. Californians should be able to divest their dollars from such dictatorial regimes,” Kassakhian said.

Legislators who have signed on in support of SB 457 include Senators Bob Archuleta (D – Pico Rivera) and Andreas Borgeas (R – Fresno) as co-authors.

Portantino said he he will continue to work closely with the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region and other Armenian American organizations as the bill moves through the legislative process.

 

ANCA-WR Board of Directors Meets with State Sen. Scott Wilk

Badalian Vardan

February 11,  2021



The ANCA–Western Region Board of Directors, Staff, as well as local ANCA chapter leaders held a productive meeting this week with California State Senator Scott Wilk

The Armenian National Committee of America–Western Region Board of Directors, Staff, as well as local ANCA chapter leaders held a productive meeting this week with California State Senator Scott Wilk (R-21) to discuss ongoing issues related to the Armenian Cause and the further strengthening of relations between the State and Armenia and Artsakh.

Earlier in January, the ANCA-WR Board had addressed a congratulatory letter to Sen. Wilk on being unanimously voted in as the new Minority Leader of the California State Senate Republican Caucus.

“Staying true to our mission, the ANCA Western Region continues its regular and robust bipartisan outreach to federal, state, and local officials,” remarked organization’s Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq. “We appreciate Senator Wilk’s leadership in the CA state legislature on matters of critical importance to our community and look forward to building on this strong foundation moving into a new legislative session.”

Endorsed by the ANCA-WR for the 2020 and prior elections, Senator Wilk traveled to Armenia and Artsakh as part of the ANCA-WR’s delegation in 2013. He is also a member of the bipartisan State Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art and Cultural Exchange chaired by Senator Anthony Portantino (D-25), as well as being a founding member of the California Legislative Caucus on Armenian Issues.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

Armenpress: Delegation led by PM Pashinyan arrives in Kazakhstan

Badalian Vardan

Delegation led by PM Pashinyan arrives in Kazakhstan

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 21:45, 4 February, 2021

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 4, ARMENPRESS. The delegation led by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Kazakhstan to participate in the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council session on February 5.

The correspondent of ARMENPRESS reports from Almaty that Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Deputy Foreign Minister Armen Gevondyan, Deputy Minister of Economy Varos Simonyan, SRC Deputy Chairman Ashot Muradyan and others are included in the Armenian delegation.

Starting from January 1, 2021 Kazakhstan assumed the chairmanship over the EAEU.

UN provides 2 million USD to war-affected cities of Nagorno Karabakh

Badalian Vardan

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 20:25, 2 February, 2021

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. The UN has provided 2 million USD financial assistance to people displaced from in and around Nagorno-Karabakh and affected communities in Armenia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the UN Armenia.

”The UN in Armenia quickly mobilized a response and from early October began complementing Government humanitarian support provided by ten priority municipalities as well as the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to those displaced. The UN system put in place a structure with five thematic working groups under the overall lead of the Resident Coordinator’s Office and with support from UNHCR, to coordinate efforts of the UN and humanitarian partners, working closely with Government and municipal authorities. The UN Armenia country team discussed the UN’s support programme with Deputy Prime Minister Grigoryan and Foreign Minister Ayvazyan on 9 and 21 December respectively, noting the close partnership with the Government and the municipalities.

The UN together with its donor partners has provided support across a range of critical needs for those displaced and host communities’’, reads the statement.