Author: Bedik Zaminian

MP Naira Zohrabyan says she will take part in Armenia bloc’s rally on Friday evening

Bedik Zaminian
Panorama, Armenia

MP Naira Zohrabyan from the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party on Friday urged people not to support Nikol Pashinyan in Sunday’s snap parliamentary elections

“We have no right to lose to the Turk for the second time,” she wrote on Facebook, stating Armenia’s sovereignty, security, dignity and economic situation depend heavily on the outcome of the early elections.

“Armenia will never be a Turkish vilayet. There is only one way – not to vote for Nikol. Don’t kill Armenia!” the MP said.

Zohrabyan also announced her intention to take part in a rally of the Armenia bloc to be held at the Republic Square in Yerevan on Friday evening.

“I will be at the Republic Square at 7pm today,” she said.

COVID-19: Belarus eases entry restrictions for Armenian citizens

Bedik Zaminian

Save

Share

 13:09,

YEREVAN, JUNE 15, ARMENPRESS/BelTA. Belarus has updated the red list of countries.

Nine states will be removed from the red list on June 16. These are North Macedonia, San Marino, Monaco, Armenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Moldova and Serbia.

The Healthcare Ministry recalled that people coming from the red list countries (that are included in the Healthcare Ministry’s list of countries where the largest number of COVID-19 cases is reported), must enter a 10-day self-isolation period on arrival.

“Arrivals from the green list countries do not need to observe self-isolation,” the ministry said.

Asbarez: COAF Provides First Set of Homes to Displaced Families from Artsakh

Bedik Zaminian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Latest, News, Top Stories


  • The new house of the Chirkinyans from outside

YEREVAN—The Children of Armenia Fund has secured permanent housing for 13 families from Artsakh who were displaced because of the attack on Artsakh last year. Two of these families, the Margaryans and Chirkinyans, moved into their new homes located in the villages of Debet and Dsegh (Lori region of Armenia) on June 11. The implementation of the initial phase of the project meets the housing needs of over 100 people from Artsakh.

COAF’s “Moving Mountains” fundraiser held last December was partially devoted to building houses for displaced families in the immediate aftermath of the conflict. The organization aims at building and renovating a total of 10,000 square feet of housing area at the cost of $430 per square foot, adding up to 13 homes with an average living space of 750 square feet. The homes are fully furnished with running water, heating, electricity, internet and appliances such as refrigerators, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, televisions, and kitchenware.

“COAF’s response to the crisis has been swift in terms of mobilizing resources and providing displaced compatriots from Artsakh with shelter and humanitarian aid,” stated Korioun Khatchadourian, Managing Director of COAF. The organization’s founder Garo Armen has also stressed the urgency of providing housing in Armenia proper so that the tragedy of a community of Armenians living in trailers (domiks) for decades like they have since the 1988 earthquake is avoided.

In addition to providing housing, COAF is actively taking steps to ensure displaced families from Artsakh are smoothly integrating into their newfound communities. Access to COAF’s education, healthcare, social and economic programs has been a major component of the services being provided to youth and adults alike.

“A variety of criteria were assessed and brought into our final choice of families to receive housing. But providing homes to those who had intentions to leave Armenia and Artsakh played a decisive role in our decision-making process because it allowed us to keep them in the country,” says Project Manager Ovsanna Yeghoyan.

The Children of Armenia Fund is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that employs community-led approaches aimed at improving the quality of life in rural Armenia, with a particular focus on children and youth. COAF’s target development areas are education, healthcare, social and economic development. COAF launched its programs in 2004, starting in one village and expanding to 64 villages in Armavir, Aragatsotn, Lori, Gegharkunik, Shirak, and Tavush regions, impacting more than 107,000 beneficiaries.

Since 2015, COAF has developed and started implementing the SMART Initiative. COAF SMART is designed to advance a generation across the rural world through education that will benefit individuals, societies, and the environment. As an exemplary model of development, COAF SMART will be replicated in other regions and communities throughout Armenia. The first COAF SMART Center was inaugurated on May 27, 2018, near the village of Debet, Lori Region.

https://asbarez.com/coaf-provides-first-set-of-homes-to-displaced-families-from-artsakh/?fbclid=IwAR22YI0CiNkxQZCbtHPTNxFgHFieMsH2-PY90NFTGza4FUWWQB6VMcrRc6A

Armenia Central Electoral Commission makes decisions on registration of acting PM and ruling party

Bedik Zaminian
News.am, Armenia
23:26, 13.06.2021

During its session today, the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) examined the applications submitted by Edgar Ghazaryan and Naira Zohrabyan.

Based on the first application, the request was to annul the registration of candidate of Civil Contract Party for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and institute administrative proceedings. Zohrabyan had applied to the CEC with the request that the CEC apply to the Administrative Court to annul the registration of the electoral list of Civil Contract Party. The reasoning was that the members of Civil Contract Party make offensive remarks.

With 5 “in favor” and 0 “against”, under the chairmanship of Chairman of the CEC Tigran Mukuchyan, the CEC rejected Edgar Ghazaryan’s application which, according to the CEC, was submitted by a non-competent body and should have been submitted by a political party or bloc running in the elections.

The CEC also rejected Zohrabyan’s application with the same justification and with the same number of votes.

Mukuchyan informed that the decisions on the rejection may be appealed to the Administrative Court in the course of three days.

    

CivilNet: A Sydney Family’s Story of Repatriation to Armenia

Bedik Zaminian
CIVILNET.AM

12 Jun, 2021 08:06

The Chahrozians repatriated to Armenia from Australia in early 2020. Shortly after their arrival, the pandemic started and by the end of 2020, Azerbaijan invaded Karabakh. Despite this, the family from Sydney, Australia are determined to set even deeper foundations in Armenia. CivilNet’s team visited them to find out more about their expectations, hopes, and realities. 

Azerbaijan swaps 15 Armenian prisoners for map showing landmines

Bedik Zaminian
EuroNews
By Reuters  •  Updated: 12/06/2021 – 20:15

MOSCOW -Azerbaijan said on Saturday it had handed over 15 Armenian prisoners in exchange for a map detailing the location of landmines in Agdam, a region relinquished by ethnic Armenian forces as a part of a deal to end a six-week war last year.

A Russian-brokered ceasefire halted fighting that saw the Azeri army drive ethnic Armenian forces out of swathes of territory they had controlled since the 1990s in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Irregular skirmishes continue, highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken welcomed the news and said he hoped it would lay the groundwork for more cooperation.

“We continue to call for the return of all detainees and stand ready to assist the countries of the region in their efforts to continue cooperation and resolve outstanding issues between them,” Blinken said in a statement.

The prisoner exchange deal, the first agreement of its kind between the two countries, was announced by the Azeri Foreign Ministry.

Prisoners of war are a key issue for Armenia, while landmines continue to inflict casualties in Azerbaijan.

Two journalists and a local official were killed on June 4 when a landmine exploded in Azerbaijan’s Kalbajar district on territory that was vacated by ethnic Armenian forces in November.

Civil Contract Party abused administrative resources during election campaign – watchdog

Bedik Zaminian
Panorama, Armenia
Politics 16:31 12/06/2021Armenia

The Electoral Rights Watch has recorded an “evident abuse” of the administrative resources by Nikol Pashinyan’s Civil Contract Party during the campaigning for the June 20 snap parliamentary elections.

“The official Facebook page of the Armavir Kindergarten N 2 carries out an electoral campaign in favor of the Civil Contract Party,” the watchdog said in a Facebook post on Saturday.

Pashinyan releases details from meeting with France’s Macron and phone talk with Russia’s Putin

Bedik Zaminian

Save

Share

 09:49, 2 June, 2021

PARIS, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. During the meeting with the Armenian community of France at the Embassy of Armenia, caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented details from his June 1 meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron, Armenpress correspondent reports from Paris.

According to Pashinyan, France is inclined to carry out an initiating policy for ensuring stability in the region.

“During today’s discussion I have recorded that President Macron is interested in and is inclined to carry out an active initiating policy so that the international organizations, including the OSCE Minsk Group, are more engaged in ensuring stability and security in our region. And several days ago I have made a concrete proposal during the session of the Security Council about overcoming the current situation, and today I have recorded that that this approach is acceptable for France”, Pashinyan said.

The caretaker PM informed that he has also discussed with President Macron what actions need to be taken to resume the settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

As for Russia, Pashinyan said Russia is Armenia’s number one partner in the security field and is its strategic ally.

“We are in constant touch with our Russian partners. I had a phone talk with the Russian President yesterday [May 31] and can state that we, in fact, share the same approach over the solution of the situation that the Azerbaijani armed forces must pull back from Armenia’s border, and what is the border of Armenia. It is known to all, it is the administrative border of Soviet Armenia. And the administrative border of the Soviet Union in this case is the state border of Armenia. Moreover, in that section the state border in the Soviet times is demarcated and delimitated”, Pashinyan said.

He said Armenia’s position is clear – Azerbaijan must pull back its troops. Armenia expects that Russia will clearly formulate this position.

“Moreover, we do this by clearly recording that the maps we have, which were ratified by the seals of the Soviet Armenia and Soviet Azerbaijan, are identical to the maps existing in the Russian archives, and when this fact is recorded, Azerbaijan must pull back its troops from that sections. If they do not pull back after the recording of this fact it means that Article 4th of the CSTO must enter into force which calls that action as an aggression against its member state. And as a first step we expect that both Russia and the CSTO will clearly and publicly express a position over the matter. Our perception is that this situation must be solved through diplomatic means, we see this opportunity at this moment and will continue the efforts on this direction. There are CSTO working documents which have formulated the timetables and the procedures. And we hope that these procedures will launch in proper timeframes and will reach their logical solution”, Nikol Pashinyan said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

OSCE Secretary General expresses full support to ongoing efforts of Minsk Group Co-Chairs

Bedik Zaminian

Save

Share

 12:54, 3 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 3, ARMENPRESS. OSCE Secretary General Helga Maria Schmid has met with the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group – Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America, as well as the Personal Representative of the Chairperson in Office (PRCiO) Andrzej Kasprzyk.

“Pleased to meet with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and Personal Representative Kasprzyk in person for first time. Full support for their ongoing efforts and engagement”, Helga Maria Schmid said on Twitter.

 

Editing by Aneta Harutyunyan

Artur Vanetsyan: What debate should I possibly have with the capitulator?

Bedik Zaminian
Panorama, Armenia
June 2 2021

On the International Day for Protection of Children celebrated on June 1, Homeland Party Chairman Artur Vanetsyan, the leader of the I Have the Honor bloc running in the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, visited Charentsavan community of Armenia’s Kotayk Province.

In Charentsavan City Park, he congratulated the children and extended them his best wishes.

The Homeland Party leader also answered a question of one of the journalists about whether he was going to debate caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

“What debate should I possibly have with the capitulator?” Vanetsyan said.

Armenia’s first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan also turned down Pashinyan’s proposal for a debate on Tuesday.

The spokesman of Ter-Petrosyan’s Armenian National Congress party, Arman Musinyan, said in a Facebook post that the former president has nothing to talk about with the “nation-destroying scourge.”

Earlier on Monday, second President Robert Kocharyan also rejected such an offer through the official representative of his Armenia bloc’s election campaign headquarters, Aram Vardevanyan.

“The second president of Armenia and the first president of Artsakh who has liberated lands should under no circumstances hold a debate with a person who has handed over lands, with even the foreign minister appointed by him openly announcing that he does not take into account the interests of Armenia. Not taking into account the interests of Armenia means going against them. I think it makes no sense and there is no expediency to debate such a person,” Vardevanyan told reporters.