Author: Chalian Meline

Turkish Press: Armenian premier declares army chief dismissed

Chalian Meline
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
March 10 2021
Ali Cura   | 10.03.2021
Armenian premier declares army chief dismissed

YEREVAN, Armenia

Armenia’s prime minister on Wednesday nominated a replacement for the country’s sitting chief of general staff, who he earlier declared to be officially dismissed.

According to a statement from premier Nikol Pashinyan’s office, a Feb. 25 decree dismissing Chief of General Staff Onik Gasparyan became legally effective on Wednesday as President Armen Sargsyan had neither signed nor appealed it at the Constitutional Court on time.

“As such, Onik Gasparyan is legally dismissed from his post from March 10,” the statement asserted. Gasparyan, along with other senior commanders, released a statement on Feb 25 calling for Pashinyan’s resignation.

Separately, Pashinyan’s spokesman Mane Gevorkyan on Wednesday announced that the prime minister proposed former Chief of General Staff Artak Davtyan returns to the post.

The official proposal was forwarded to the president, the statement noted.

President Sargsyan on Wednesday appealed to the Constitutional Court to review the legality of Gasparyan’s dismissal, his office said in another statement.

Gasparyan accused Pashinyan of violating the constitution with his dismissal and said on social media he would continue to serve the country and nation.

Coup attempt and unrest in Armenia

Pashinyan had blasted the military’s call for his resignation as a coup attempt and urged his supporters to take to the streets to resist.

He later announced Gasparyan’s dismissal on Facebook.

The unrest follows the end of a military conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan last fall, widely seen as a victory for the latter.

Relations between the former Soviet republics have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

During the six week-conflict, which ended with a Russian-brokered truce, Azerbaijan liberated several strategic cities and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from Armenian occupation.

Before this, about 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory had been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades.

* Writing by Ahmet Gencturk

Sports: Youri Djorkaeff in Armenia to promote FIFA Foundation’s programs

Chalian Meline
Public Radio of Armenia
March 11 2021

Youri Djorkaeff, the CEO of FIFA foundation is visited the FFA Technical Center/Football academy in Yerevan.

The perspectives of development of Armenian football were discussed during the meeting with Football Federation President Armen Melikbekyan.

Youri Djorkaeff also met with Joaquin Caparros and other members of Armenian national team coaching staff.

“This is my first visit to Armenia as head of the FIFA Foundation. At FIFA we have developed a program that helps understand the demands of the football community and promote football among the youth and children around the world,” Djorkaeff said.

“With my friend Armen Melikbekyan we are trying to implement the Football for School program in Armenia. During my stay we’ll try to understand how the capacities of the FIFA Foundation can help the Armenian people,” he added.

Menendez collecting Senate signatures on letter asking President Biden to recognize Armenian Genocide

Chalian Meline

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 11:34, 9 March, 2021

WASHINGTON, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. US Senator Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, is collecting Senate signatures on a bipartisan letter calling on President Biden to follow the lead of Congress in fully and formally recognizing the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

The Senate letter cites President Biden’s April 2020 Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day statement, in which he pledged “to support a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide,” noting that, since “Congress has already made its position clear. It is time for the executive branch to do so as well.”

The Vatican hails Russia’s role in Karabakh conflict settlement process

Chalian Meline
Public Radio of Armenia
March 5 2021

The Vatican recognizes the important role of Russia in finding a way out of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, secretary for relations with foreign states of the Vatican Paul Richard Gallagher told TASS on Friday.

Gallagher noted that the Vatican would like to see more progress in resolving “frozen conflicts” in the post-Soviet space.

Paul Richard Gallagher is a member of the official Vatican delegation accompanying Pope Francis on his apostolic trip to Iraq, where the pontiff arrived on Friday.

FM Aivazian informs Russia’s Lavrov about latest developments in Armenia

Chalian Meline

 15:45, 25 February, 2021

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Aivazian held a telephone conversation today with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign ministry reports.

FM Aivazian informed Mr. Lavrov about the latest developments in Armenia.

The Russian side said they consider the current situation Armenia’s internal affair and hope that it will be solved peacefully.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Western-Armenian language “on verge of destruction” in Turkey – warns Garo Paylan

Chalian Meline

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 11:39,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. A prominent Turkish lawmaker has warned that the Western-Armenian language is threatened in his country.

Garo Paylan, an ethnic Armenian Member of Parliament of Turkey, says that Western Armenian is “on the verge of destruction” in Turkey.

“My Mother Language – Western Armenian, and numerous other languages are on the verge of destruction,” he said on social media on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day. “On the occasion of International Mother Language Day, I wish for languages to live brotherly in our country.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Azerbaijan unhappy with Armenia’s plans to exhibit carpets from Shushi Museum, seeks UNESCO support

Chalian Meline
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 18 2021

Azerbaijan has urged UNESCO to react to Armenia’s plans to hold an exhibition of carpets from the Shushi Carpet Museum.

The country’s Culture Ministry says the carpets were “illegally taken out of Shushi on November 1.”

The Ministry claims Armenians have not been historically engaged in carpet weaving and describes the exhibition as “a manifestation of misappropriation.”

Carpets made in Artsakh will go on display at the National Museum-Institute of Architecture after Alexander Tamanyan on February 20.  

The carpets are from the private collection of Vardan Astsatryan, founder of the Shushi Carpet Museum and were taken out of the city on November 1, 2020. 

The oldest of the items to be exhibited is 350 years old.

The Shushi Carpet Museum was founded by Vardan Astsatryan in 2011 and opened its doors to public in 2013.

Ex-minister of agriculture Sergo Karapetyan dies from COVID-19 complications

Chalian Meline

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 10:46,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. A former minister of agriculture Sergo Karapetyan passed away at the age of 72 Thursday morning, the hospital where he was being treated said.

“Sergo Karapetyan died this morning,” Nairi Medical Center director Anatoli Gnuni told ARMENPRESS. “Karapetyan had complications after having the coronavirus.”

Karapetyan served as minister of agriculture from 2013 to 2016.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Putin, Pashinyan discuss implementation of agreements on Karabakh

Chalian Meline
TASS, Russia
Feb 17 2021
The Kremlin pointed out that the talks touched upon a range of pressing bilateral issues

MOSCOW, February 17. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the implementation of agreements on Nagorno-Karabakh, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.

“[They] discussed practical issues of the implementation of the statement of the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan on Nagorno-Karabakh of November 9, 2020, along with the agreements reached at the trilateral summit in Moscow on January 11, 2021,” the statement says.

The Kremlin pointed out that the talks touched upon a range of pressing bilateral issues.

“It was agreed to continue contacts at various levels,” the Kremlin added.

In the meantime, the Armenian government’s press service said that the leaders touched upon the return of prisoners of war.

“In particular, the need for early repatriation of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees was stressed on both sides,” the Armenian cabinet’s press service said in a statement, adding that the two leaders also focused on bilateral cooperation and further development of allied cooperation.

 

Karabakh agreements

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.

On November 9, 2020 Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. Under the deal, Azerbaijan and Armenia maintained the positions that they had held, Baku took control of some of the districts, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the contact line and to the Lachin corridor, which links Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

After Russian peacemakers had been deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh, the situation stabilized, as just one ceasefire violation has been reported since. Tens of thousands of Karabakh residents, who fled their homes over fighting, have come back assisted by the peacekeeping contingent.

On January 11, Putin, Aliyev and Pashinyan held talks in Moscow, initiated by the Russian leader. After the four-hour summit, they signed a joint statement establishing a working group chaired by deputy prime ministers of the three countries, which should focus on mending the transport and economic ties in the region.