Author: Christine Harutyunian

Canada congratulates Armenia on concluding successful parliamentary elections

Christine Harutyunian

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 12:53, 22 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. , the Canadian Foreign Ministry said on Twitter.

“We look forward to collaborating with our Armenian partners to continue our efforts to promote democracy in the country as well as a resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict”, the statement says.

Armenia held snap parliamentary elections on June 20.

21 political parties and 4 blocs were running for parliament.

Accordingly, the Civil Contract party led by caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received 53.92% of the votes, the “Armenia” bloc led by 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan – 21.04%, “I Have the Honor” bloc – 5.23%, CEC Chairman Tigran Mukuchyan said at the Committee’s extraordinary session.

1 million 282 thousand 411 citizens or 49.4% of the voters cast their ballot in the early elections.

4682 ballots were declared invalid.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia reports 102 daily coronavirus cases

Christine Harutyunian

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 11:13,

YEREVAN, JUNE 25, ARMENPRESS. 102 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 224,635, the ministry of healthcare reports.

3724 COVID-19 tests were conducted on June 24.

111 patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 216,423.

The death toll stands at 4505 (no death case has been registered in the past one day).

The number of people who have been infected with COVID-19, but died because of another disease has reached 1096.

The number of active cases is 2611.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Azerbaijani armed forces threaten to kill international reporter carrying out his professional work – Armenia Ombudsman

Christine Harutyunian
Aysor, Armenia

The Azerbaijani armed servicemen threatened to kill an international reporter in the immediate vicinity of the Verin Shorzha village. The reporter has applied to Armenia Human Rights Defender.

Today, an international media reporter addressed the RA Human Rights Defender informing that the servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces threatened to kill him with a weapon, including by a sniper, near the village of Verin Shorzha near the RA Gegharkunik region, at the sector toward the RA state border, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan wrote about this on Facebook.

“Based on the report, it was found out that the incident took place on June 15 2021, when the international reporter, toghether with another reporter, were carrying out coverage and other journalistic work at a distance of 2 kilometers from the state border of Armenia – toward the interior territory of the country – in particular, in the place where the Armenian and Azerbaijani armed forces are deployed about 600 meters apart. That is to say, it is about an incident that occurred in the RA territory, while the reporter himself was about 100 meters away from the Azerbaijani positions,” the Ombudsman said.

While carrying out his professional work, the reporter noticed that the servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces were behaving aggressively, heard shouts, and then noticed that they were loading their weapons and holding them in his direction threatening to shoot.

Not having time to respond, he noticed that another Azerbaijani armed serviceman started behaving more aggressively and irregularly, holding a sniper rifle at him and threatening to kill with a shot in the face.

The international reporter stopped working to avoid unpredictable consequences.

The reporter of the international media informed that they had a visible emblem for the Azerbaijani armed forces, that they were are representatives of the press and had observed all the rules of journalistic work. At the same time, the Human Rights Defender found out that the reporter has extensive experience in professional work in conflict and post-conflict zones.

It is obvious that it was clear to the Azerbaijani armed forces that they threaten to kill a reporter doing professional work.

In this way, the servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces obviously aimed to hinder the work of the international reporter and prevent him from spreading the facts confirming the illegal Azerbaijani incursion of the sovereign territory of Armenia.

The reporter has applied to Reporters Without Borders international organization in regard of the incident, which has already made a publication on this fact.

The Human Rights Defender has stated many times that the obviously illegal presence of the Azerbaijani armed servicemen, their openly criminal acts in the immediate vicinity of the villages of RA Gegharkunik and Syunik Provinces, on the roads between the communities of Syunik Province, and since May 12, also in the RA sovereign territory, have grossly violated the rights of the residents of the RA border villages, seriously endangered their lives and health, completely disrupted the normal life of the people.

Tatoyan stressed the that a security zone should be established along all sections of the border with Azerbaijan to protect people from the illegal actions of Azerbaijani servicemen.

“Due to the need for personal protection of the international reporter in connection with this particular incident, the RA Human Rights Defender does not publish information about him, but they will be presented to the relevant international bodies in a joint discussion with the international reporter who presented the report the Defender,” Armenia’s Ombudsman added.

Canadian FM announces new mission to support democracy in Armenia

Christine Harutyunian
News.am, Armenia
20:24, 26.06.2021

Canadian Foreign Minister Mark Garneau stated that the Special Envoy of Canada to the European Union and Europe, Stephane Dion, will take on the mission to explore possibilities for more effective support of Armenian democracy, Canadian Foreign Ministry reported.

“Building on the joint work of recent years and long-standing people-to-people ties between our countries, Canada is committed to cooperating with Armenia to further its democratic progress, which is of critical importance not only for Armenian society but for the region.

Special Envoy Dion will examine options as to how Canada can encourage the ongoing efforts of Armenian civil society, strengthen democratic institutions, grow Armenia’s engagement with multilateral institutions, and promote inclusive economic growth. The goal is that as a result of this mission, the support of Canadian society for the benefit of Armenian democracy is durably consolidated.

His work will take several months and will include virtual consultations with a range of stakeholders in Canada and partners in Armenia.  COVID-19 travel permitting, he will also travel to Armenia to meet with senior members of Armenia’s government and key departments, as well as with partner embassies, civil society groups, international organizations, private sector representatives and local media. He will also meet with Members of Parliament and civil servants involved with the Canadian-funded Parliamentary Centre project.  

This mission underscores the importance Canada attaches to the success of Armenian democracy. The Special Envoy will report his findings to Minister Garneau following the mission. This will include recommendations to guide Canada’s future engagement with Armenia toward further realizing its democratic ambitions,” the MFA said in a statement.

According to Garneu, “a strong democracy in Armenia is one of the building blocks for stability in the region. Special Envoy Dion has always shown a great interest in the democratic success of Armenia, and his profound grasp of democratic development will ensure that he will serve Canadians well in this mission.”

Displaced Students Face Difficult Graduation

Christine Harutyunian
By ICC’s Field Correspondent

06/24/2021 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, accompanied by first lady Emine Erdogan and several Turkish officials, arrived early Tuesday, June 15 in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku.

Upon his arrival, he traveled to the beautiful green but decimated town of Fuzuli (Armenian: Varanda), located to the southeast of Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh). This was the first town that Azerbaijani forces won back during the 44-day war in fall 2020 from ethnic Armenian forces, who have controlled it since the early 1990s.

As part of his official visit, Erdogan’s mission included travel to the city of Shushi in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan’s seizure of this mountain fortress city in early November was a crucial moment in the war. It gave Baku a tactical advantage over the Armenian forces and led to a Russian-brokered cease-fire that ended the fighting.

Turkey’s president was honored in Shushi with an official greeting ceremony. This was a historic day for both countries (Turkey and Azerbaijan). For more than 300 years, the leaders of the Ottoman Empire, and later the Young Turks, sought to conquer the fortress city of Shushi in the heart of the mountainous part of Artsakh to control the entire region. Even in the historical absence of a state, the Armenian forces in Artsakh had previously resisted the attempts of the Turkish armies.

After the greeting ceremony, Erdogan and Azerbaijan’s President Aliyev signed an 11 paged document called the Susa Declaration on Allied Relations between Turkey and Azerbaijan. It is expected that because of this document, a Consulate General of Turkey will soon be opened in Shushi, Azerbaijan will start producing UAVs, and the “Zangezur corridor” connecting Azerbaijan and Turkey will be opened.

While the Turkish and Azerbaijani leaders were busy admiring their occupied territories, the same day not far away from them in Stepanakert (the capital of Artsakh), another beautiful but sad ceremony was ongoing: displaced Armenian high school students from all over the Artsakh region were graduating the school. They had lost everything because of Turkish-Azeri aggression: their homes, their personal belongings, and other types of invaluables. On the faces of the students, one may see dignity and silent resistance. But one could not see happiness. On their ribbons were the names of the villages and towns of Artsakh the students are originally from. These students were supposed to graduate there, but now it is occupied by the enemy. On one giant poster, the students held a written sign, “We’ll win our territories back.”

For more information about the humanitarian implications of the war, see ICC’s recent field trip report: Nagorno-Karabakh: A Humanitarian Perspective.

Armenia, Iran mull launching electronic data exchange system to track international transportation of goods

Christine Harutyunian
Public Radio of Armenia

The delegation headed by the Deputy Chairman of the Armenian State Revenue Committee Ashot Muradyan met with the delegation led by the Deputy Head of the Customs Service of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ibrahim Naghdi at the Norduz border checkpoint.

The parties discussed a number of issues related to the smooth implementation of processes at the Meghri and Norduz checkpoints in order to promote the development of trade between the two countries. The issue of creating mechanisms, platforms for quick, effective solution of the problems arising between the two countries was also considered.

Issues related to the operation of the electronic data exchange system related to the international transportation of goods between Armenia and Iran were discussed during the meeting.

The Armenian and Iranian partners agreed to intensify the cooperation of the relevant subdivisions of the two countries, which will have a positive impact on the process of detecting cases of violation of customs rules and faster resolution of problems. It is planned to discuss in more detail the technical issues of joint work through video conferences of the specialists of the two partner organizations.

The parties also expressed readiness to hold regular high-level meetings in order to provide operative solutions to current issues related to the customs service of the two friendly countries.

Armenian President visits Russian Embassy

Christine Harutyunian

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 11:37,

YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian visited the Embassy of Russia in Yerevan on the eve of the national holiday of Russia – the Russia Day, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

President Sarkissian congratulated Ambassador Sergei Kopyrkin, the Embassy staff and the Russian people on the state holiday.

The Armenian President and the Russian Ambassador also exchanged views on the bilateral cooperation agenda and the regional issues.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 06/13/2021

Christine Harutyunian 
                                        Sunday, 
15 Armenian POWs Freed By Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan -- Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov meets with acting US 
Assistant Secretary of State Philip Reeker, Baku, June 9, 2021
In a deal brokered by the United States and Georgia, Azerbaijan set free 15 
Armenian prisoners of war on Saturday after receiving more information from 
Armenia about minefields around Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced their release as he campaigned 
for snap parliamentary elections slated for June 20.
Pashinian’s press secretary, Mane Gevorgian, said that the POWs were repatriated 
to Armenia via Georgia.
“The process took place with U.S. and Georgian mediation, for which the 
government of Armenia thanks the U.S. administration and the Georgian 
government,” Gevorgian wrote on Facebook.
Azerbaijan said it freed the POWs in exchange for an Armenian military map 
detailing the location of nearly 100,000 land mines in the Aghdam district east 
of Nagorno-Karabakh which was handed back to Baku under the terms of a 
Russian-brokered agreement that stopped last year’s Armenian-Azerbaijani war.
“The 15 Armenian captives were turned over on the Azerbaijani-Georgian border 
with the participation of Georgian representatives,” the Azerbaijani Foreign 
Ministry said in a statement.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hailed their release. “We also welcome 
Armenia’s decision to provide Azerbaijan with important information that will 
facilitate humanitarian demining and avoid future casualties,” he said in a 
statement.
“The United States is pleased to support these steps and hopes they will lay the 
groundwork for additional 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,” added 
Blinken.
The Georgian government reported, meanwhile, that Prime Minister Irakli 
Gharibashvili personally helped to arrange the deal by negotiating with 
Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
The Armenian-Azerbaijani agreement brokered by Russian President Vladimir Putin 
last November calls for the unconditional release of all prisoners held by the 
conflicting sides.
Russian peacekeepers deployed in Karabakh after the six-week war have arranged 
several prisoner swaps in recent months. No Azerbaijani prisoners are known to 
be held in Armenia or Karabakh at present.
A total of 88 Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) and civilians have been freed to 
date. More than 100 others are believed to remain in Azerbaijani captivity. 
Yerevan regularly demands their immediate release.
Baku says that they are not covered by the truce agreement because they were 
captured after it took effect on November 10. Azerbaijani officials have branded 
the remaining Armenian detainees as “terrorists.”
At least 16 of them are facing what the Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned last 
week as “trumped-up criminal charges.”
“It is evident that Azerbaijan is using the captured people as political 
hostages and tools to pursue other goals,” the ministry said in a June 4 
statement. It accused Baku of concealing “the real number of prisoners” and 
“denying the captivity of dozens of Armenian servicemen and civilians.”
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Aram Vardevanyan: The impression is ODIHR observers see a different Armenia

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama, Armenia
June 9 2021

The members of ODIHR election observation mission in Armenia met on Wednesday with representatives of “Armenia” pre-election bloc, the official representative of  the bloc Aram Vardevanyan said. 

“The meeting was attended by president Kocharyan and Mr Georgian, the head of the election campaign headquarters of ‘Armenia’ bloc. During the meeting, president Kocharyan expressed concerns over the ongoing process. The ODIHR observers presented their initial report that has been published,” Vardevanyan said, adding the report, however, lacked information about the real state of affairs in the pre-election reality of Armenia. 

In his words, the observers have not reflected on numerous cases on the misuse of administrative resources by the power and it didn’t covered the propaganda of hate speech which everyone witnesses.  

“The actions of the OSCE/observers ODIHR contain significant risks to characterise their approach as biased at least which is  extremely concerning at this stage,” the representative of the bloc said.  “The impression is OSCE/ODIHR observers see a different Armenia,” Vardevanyan concluded. 

Criminal prosecution of Armenian POWs a malicious violation of international law

Christine Harutyunian
Public Radio of Armenia
June 4 2021
 
 

The criminal cases against 16 Armenian servicemen, as well as the torture and psychological pressure of other Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians set a precedent for a malicious violation of international law, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Official Baku has started criminal prosecution against Lyudvik Mkrtchyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan, captured during the recent aggression of Azerbaijan against Artsakh.

“Continuing to violate the norms of humanitarian law, particularly the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, which explicitly states that prisoners of war are released and repatriated immediately after the cessation of hostilities, Azerbaijan has brought trumped-up criminal charges against 14 captured Armenian servicemen, which also violates the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020,” the Foreign Ministry said.

“The criminal cases against 16 Armenian servicemen, as well as the torture and psychological pressure of other Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians set a precedent for a malicious violation of international law. It is clear that Azerbaijan instrumentalizes the captured people as political hostages and tools to pursue other goals,” it added.

Official Baku also blatantly defies the relevant decisions of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on providing information on Armenian servicemen and civilians held in Azerbaijani captivity.

“Despite numerous calls from the international community, Azerbaijan continues to conceal the true number of the prisoners, denying the captivity of dozens of Armenian servicemen and civilians. Moreover, Azerbaijan denies the detention of those whose captivity in Azerbaijan has been documented both through video coverage and testimonies of repatriated prisoners, which raises suspicions of a number of serious crimes,” the statement reads.

All Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives held in Azerbaijan must be immediately released and repatriated without any preconditions, the Ministry stated.