Author: Boris Nahapetian

Nikol Pashinyan: You will sit with all the murderers (video)

Boris Nahapetian
  • 23:45 | August 17,2018 | Politics
  • Armenian:

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan touched upon Robert Kocharyan’s statement that he was a victim of political persecution.

“If you are a victim, what do you do in freedom? Or do you think we do not know the ways of forcing judges to impose this or that illegal decision? But we have abandoned that practice and I want to say that we are proud of our government that we have abandoned that practice.”

Pashinyan stressed that nobody will be allowed to avoid responsibility.

“I exclude that anyone will avoid the responsibility for killing 10 civilians and carrying out state revolution in the Republic of Armenia on March 1. There cannot be such a thing. There cannot be such a thing,” announced Nikol Pashinyan and added, “You will sit with all the murderers. And I am authorized to declare it on behalf of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia.”

Turkey’s Erdogan to make state visit to Germany in late September

Boris Nahapetian
Deutsche Welle, Germany
Aug 7 2018

There are a host of problems and issues for Germany and Turkey to discuss. Some in Germany have criticized giving the authoritarian Turkish leader military honors and a banquet.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will conduct an official state visit to Germany on September 28-29, the German presidency confirmed on Tuesday.

The Turkish president will meet with German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, with military honors and an official state banquet on the agenda. It was unclear if Erdogan would meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel or other officials.

Read more: German politicians wary of pending Erdogan state visit

The two NATO members have witnessed relations plummet in recent years amid German concerns over the deterioration of human rights in Turkey and the country’s authoritarian trajectory. However, Turkey remains an important strategic, military and economic partner for Germany and the European Union.

It will be Erdogan’s first state visit to Germany since he became president in 2014 and moved to cement his control over Turkey through a controversial referendum last year granting him sweeping powers. It also comes months after Erdogan’s enhanced powers and the dismantling of the parliamentary system went into effect following June elections.

German daily Bild first reported in late July that there were plans for Erdogan’s first official visit in four years. The trip is not without controversy, with many German politicians criticizing the idea of rolling out the red carpet for the authoritarian Turkish leader.

Turkish-German relations soured after the German parliament passed a resolution in early 2016 recognizing the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire.

Ties then nosedived in the wake of the July 2016 failed coup attempt against Erdogan. The arrest of tens of thousands of people in a post-coup crackdown and deterioration in the rule of law have caused concern in European capitals

German nationals have been caught up in the arrests, including Die Welt correspondent Deniz Yücel and human rights activist Peter Steudtner.

Read more: Who is Deniz Yücel — and why is the German-Turkish journalist still on trial?

Escalating tensions between the two countries were somewhat eased after the release from prison of Steudtner in October last year followed by that of Yücel in February.   

Much to discuss

Turkey accuses Germany of harboring followers of the Gulen movement, which Ankara blames for the coup attempt. Ankara also accuses Berlin of allowing the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) to operate in Germany. 

Read more: Turkey’s Gulen movement on the rise in Germany

Kurdish groups plan demonstrations in front of Berlin’s Brandenburg Gate during Erdogan’s visit to protest treatment of the Kurdish minority and Turkish military action against Syrian Kurds.  

The planned visit would also come at a critical time in the civil war in Syria as the Assad regime regains control over large swaths of territory.

Turkey has carved out zones of influence in the north of Syria and taken in more than 3.5 million refugees.

That makes Turkey a key to the European Union’s efforts to prevent uncontrolled migration from reaching the bloc.

Separately, the visit would come at a time when Turkey’s economy is under severe pressure, with double-digit inflation, record high bond yields, a widening current account deficit and a nearly 30 percent loss of value of the lira against the dollar since the start of the year.

Germany and Turkey are major trade and investment partners. Erdogan will therefore be looking for signs of an improved relationship with Germany to give a boost to fading international confidence in the beleaguered Turkish economy.

There are some 3 million German-Turks in Germany. It is unclear if Erdogan will hold an event to address his supporters, a move that would be criticized in Germany. 

Why are flights from Yerevan to Europe carried out at night? clarification

Boris Nahapetian
  • 06.08.2018

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  • Armenia:

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The Civil Aviation Committee will from time to time address aviation matters of greatest public interest.


This is stated on the Facebook page of the Civil Aviation Committee. One of the most frequently asked questions is why flights from Yerevan to Europe are carried out mainly at night.


The comment of the Civil Aviation Committee says: “The reason is not the misconception that night flights are affordable, but rather the fact that airlines provide convenient connecting times for transit passengers so that onward passengers do not have to wait long for the continuation of the flight.


And in those destinations where the demand for point-to-point transportation is high, airlines have the opportunity to operate the flight during the day.”

Cavusoglu reaffirms Turkish support for Azerbaijan’s stance on Karabakh

Boris Nahapetian
Interfax – Russia & CIS Military Newswire
Tuesday 7:13 PM MSK
Cavusoglu reaffirms Turkish support for Azerbaijan’s stance on Karabakh
 
BAKU. July 24
 
Ankara’s position on the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains invariable and consists in siding with Azerbaijan, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.
 
“Turkey’s position on Karabakh conflict resolution remains invariable: we support Azerbaijan,” Cavusoglu told a press conference on Tuesday.
 
He said he had an informal meeting with Armenia’s new prime minister and foreign minister in Brussels.
 
“Zohrab Mnatsakanyan was Armenia’s Ambassador to the Council of Europe at a time when I was Turkey’s representative to that organization. I was being polite and congratulated him [on his appointment as foreign minister]. He in turn introduced me to the prime minister of Armenia, whom I also congratulated. But these meetings and congratulations are not changing Turkey’s position on Karabakh,” Cavusoglu said.

Wanted bodyguard of former President Serzh Sargsyan’s nephew surrenders to authorities

Boris Nahapetian
| 12:29 | July 11 2018
Category
Society

The 28 year old bodyguard of Narek Sargsyan, the nephew of former President Serzh Sargsyan, has voluntarily surrendered to authorities after arriving in Armenia on a Krasnodar-Yerevan flight on July 10 days after being declared wanted. The bodyguard, Artem Petrosyan, is charged with illegal possession of firearms and narcotics.

A court had approved a motion to remand Petrosyan into custody pending further proceedings.

Narek Sargsyan is still at large.

Azerbaijani Press: Russia wants Karabakh conflict frozen

Boris Nahapetian
Yeni Musavat, Azerbaijan
July 2 2018
Russia wants Karabakh conflict frozen

[Armenian News note: the below article is translated/summarized from Azeri]

The article, published by the Baku-based opposition newspaper Yeni Musavat, was commenting on statements that Russian figures made at a conference held to discuss bilateral relations in the village of Cocuq Marcanli in Azerbaijan’s Cabrayil District. It also suggested that words of support for Baku voiced by Russian political commentators at the event showed that Moscow would only take sides with Azerbaijan regarding the Karabakh conflict if the two countries became close allies.

The commentary praised the fact that the political commentators, who it said “are believed to be close to President Putin and are able to influence Russian public opinion”, made statements that were “consonant” with Azerbaijan’s position. The article said that those figures were Alexander Dugin, Maksim Shevchenko, Igor Korotchenko, and State Duma members – “overall, people who have good feelings for us”. It said their remarks highlighted Azerbaijan’s growing importance for Russia and were also a warning “red line” for Armenia.

The article said the fact that the village of Cocuq Marcanli – which Azerbaijan regained from Armenians in April 2016 – was chosen to host the conference and the guests went up to the Lalatapa post to meet Azerbaijani soldiers and wish them successes was “an interesting move and, no doubt, should be viewed as a message to the Armenians“. In other words, the article said, it all meant that “if you [Armenians] do not behave… Moscow may once again turn a blind eye to the Azerbaijani army’s advancement”.

However, the article went on, one should not be euphoric about those statements and moves in favour of Azerbaijan. “Because the final say regarding Karabakh is Putin’s,” it said and pointed out that Putin had so far not called Armenia an “occupier” even once. “With all the unique opportunities in his hands, he has not made a real contribution to the resolution of the conflict,” the article said.

It said that even though Azerbaijan had not lost any part of its territory in the course of Putin’s rule, but on the contrary, regained thousands of hectares in Karabakh and in the exclave Naxcivan, the Karabakh conflict had not yet been resolved because Moscow’s traditional approach suggested “continuation of the conflict” and extension of the “occupying regime” in Karabakh.

Unfortunately, Moscow does not seem to be aiming to radically resolve the Karabakh conflict. On the contrary, it looks like “Moscow needs the conflict to stay frozen in order to keep Azerbaijan and Armenia in its orbit”, the commentary suggested.

The article recalled statements made at the conference by Alexey Yezubov, an MP from the ruling United Russia party – “Russia and Azerbaijan are fraternal and allied countries. We should be together, we should be in a union”; “Armenia should give five districts back to Azerbaijan. Putin has said that this is Russia’s unchanged position” and “Karabakh is an inalienable part of Azerbaijan”. The article highlighted that the statements suggested Moscow could give Azerbaijan support in the Karabakh issue in return for Baku being always by Moscow’s side and joining the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organisation. “In brief, Moscow has conditions for Baku,” the article said.

At present, one of the Kremlin’s concerns is to keep Armenia in check following the change of government in Yerevan, the article said. It said the Kremlin opened “volley fire” on Yerevan and did it from Azerbaijani territory. “This is a warning message to the Armenian leadership. Perhaps, it is the last one [warning message],” it said.

It added that Dugin also touched on the topic of NATO ahead of the organisation’s Brussels summit which Pashinyan was preparing to attend. Dugin openly called on Armenia “to be smart”, the article said.

Sports: Armenian sprinter Gayane Chiloyan wins U20 Balkan Championship in Istanbul

Boris Nahapetian
HyeTert, Armenia
 
 
Armenian sprinter Gayane Chiloyan wins U20 Balkan Championship in Istanbul
 
2018-06-22
 
YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian sprinter Gayane Chiloyan has won gold at the Balkan U20 Championship in Istanbul.
 
Chiloyan, the athlte who represented Armenia at the 31st Summer Olympics, won the 400m event with a 55,56 result.
 
More than 400 athletes from 16 countries are taking part in the championship.
 
Silver and bronze medals were captured by Romania and Serbia respectively.
 
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
 

“Hi, is this the Prime Minister?” – Pashinyan hosts 10-year-old after heart-warming call

Boris Nahapetian
| 16:50 | June 20 2018
Category
Society

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has hosted a 10-year-old child who had earlier called the Premier asking for a meeting.

“This is the story. About ten days ago I received a call on my phone, I answered, the caller said: Hello, is this the Prime Minister? I said yes. She said, I am 10-year-old Angelika, I want to meet you.

I told her that I will call her back at a convenient time for invitation. Today our meeting took place. Angelika had brought two paintings made by herself, a cross and a prayer book. She had only one request from me, so that our soldiers never stay hungry, so that they always stay healthy and return home healthy. I told her I will do everything for that to happen,” the PM said on Facebook.

Verelq: We will not allow the name of revolution to be used in mafia wars. Nikol Pashinyan

Boris Nahapetian
  • 15.06.2018

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  • Armenia:

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A little while ago, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan posted on his Facebook page that he considers it unacceptable for criminals to defile the symbols of the revolution of love and solidarity.


“It is unacceptable that criminal elements defile the symbols of the revolution of love and solidarity and use the name of the revolution in mafia wars. We will not allow it,” Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page.


Let’s remind that a protest action was held in Etchmiadzin on June 14 against the mayor of Etchmiadzin. Karen Grigoryan and his father, President of the European Union Manvel Grigoryan:


On the one hand, the participants of the action stated that the action was spontaneous and fits into the logic of the continuation of the “velvet revolution” implemented in RA, and on the other hand, they did not forget to thank Arthur Asatryanto Don Pipo “for organizing this protest”.

Former defense minister questioned in white-collar crime case

Boris Nahapetian
| 17:05 | June 13 2018
Category
Society

Former defense minister Seyran Ohanyan has been questioned as part of an ongoing investigation probed by the investigative department of the State Revenue Committee.

A criminal case has been initiated in the committee regarding suspected abuses in the procurement and army-building branches of the defense ministry.

Two military officials have been charged with misconduct, embezzlement, bribery and fraud.

One of the officials is a former head of a industrial-technical department of the defense ministry, while the other one is a current head of department. The latter has been suspended.

Offices of certain high ranking defense ministry officials have been raided, a few dozen people have been questioned.

Questioned individuals include both former and incumbent officials, including former defense minister Seyran Ohanyan.

The investigation continues.