Author: Edgar Tavakalian

Armenian lawmaker applies to int’l structures over Azerbaijani violations of human rights in Syunik

Edgar Tavakalian

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 15:06, 26 August, 2021

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Chairwoman of the Armenian parliamentary standing committee on protection of human rights and public affairs Taguhi Tovmasyan has applied to international organizations over the violations of human rights by Azerbaijan in Armenia’s Syunik province.

“Dear compatriots, as you know, 50 or more Azerbaijani armed servicemen have blocked the inter-state road leading from Goris to Kapan near the village of Davit Bek in Syunik province and refuse to unblock it. Today we were also informed that the Azerbaijani servicemen blocked the road from Goris to Vorotan.

I have sent reports over this impressible behavior of Azerbaijan, the violations of the rights of our civilian population, including women, children and elderly, to the offices of international structures dealing with human rights.

These actions of Azerbaijan restrict person’s internationally recognized fundamental rights and should be viewed by the international structures as a hostile action and hostility against the Armenian civilian population”, the lawmaker said in a statement on social media.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Election of the new patriarch: Armenian Catholic bishops will meet in the Vatican from September 20th

Edgar Tavakalian
Aug 28 2021
Saturday,
Aleppo (Agenzia Fides) – The Armenian Catholic Bishops of the dioceses in the Middle East and in the countries of the Armenian Diaspora will meet in Rome from September 20th to elect their new Patriarch. This was confirmed to Fides by the Armenian Catholic Archbishop of Aleppo, Boutros Marayati, current Administrator of the Armenian Catholic Patriarchate of the Church. “The Holy Synod Synod, which opened on June 22nd in the Lebanese Convent of Our Mother of Bzommar, was unsuccessful”, recalls Archbishop Marayati.

In fifteen days, no candidate obtained two thirds of the votes of the twelve bishops participating in the Synod, the threshold required to be elected successor of Patriarch Krikor Bedros XXI Ghabroyan, who died last May 25 (in the photo, during the Eucharistic concelebration with Pope Francis, ed). Therefore the meetings of the electoral synod had been interrupted in accordance with the canon of the Eastern Churches and the matter had been referred to the Pope. “Now we will meet again on September 20th at the Pontifical Armenian College in Rome for a two-day spiritual retreat. From September 22nd, the Synodal Assembly for the election of the new Patriarch will begin. It will be chaired by Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches”, explains Archbishop Marayati.

As for the procedure for electing the Patriarchs, the first paragraph of Canon 72 of the Canonical Code of the Eastern Churches states: “He is elected who obtains two-thirds of the votes, unless particular law establishes that after an appropriate number of ballots, at least three, an absolute majority of the votes suffices, and the election is to be conducted according the norms of can. 183, §§3-4”. The second paragraph of the same canon 72 makes it clear: “If an election is not successful within fifteen days from the opening of the synod of bishops of the patriarchal Church, the matter devolves to the Roman Pontiff”.

Should the Synod of Bishops of the Armenian Catholic Church not end with a clear election again, the positive result of the electoral assembly would, however, be guaranteed by a series of exceptions, which would make it possible, after a certain number of unsuccessful votes, to elect the candidate as Patriarch who achieves an absolute majority (half plus one) of the votes cast. If there is no election, the candidate who receives the relative majority of the votes cast will be elected Patriarch. Finally, when two candidates get the same number of votes, the most senior bishop by priestly ordination will become Patriarch. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 28/8/2021)

Azerbaijan violates ceasefire, again opens fire at Armenian positions in Gegharkunik – Defense Ministry

Edgar Tavakalian
Panorama, Armenia
July 29 2021

On Thursday, July 29, at around 3am, the Azerbaijani troops, violating the ceasefire agreement reached the day before, again resorted to provocation opening fire from firearms at the Armenian positions in the Gegharkunik section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, in the direction of Karvachar.

In an official statement, the Defense Ministry of Armenia said after the retaliatory actions of the Armenian side, the fire stopped.

As of 7am, the situation was calm, there were no shootings.

An agreement on restoring the ceasefire on the north-eastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijan border was reached at the mediation of the command of Russian peacekeeping forces on Wednesday. The ceasefire went into effect at 10am local time.

Three Armenian servicemen were killed and four others were injured as a result of the military operations launched by the Azerbaijani forces. One of the injured soldiers is said to be in critical condition.

Turkish press: Azerbaijan hands over 15 Armenian detainees in exchange for 92,000 mine maps

Edgar Tavakalian
Jeyhun Aliyev   |04.07.2021

Ankara

Azerbaijan handed over 15 Armenian detainees in exchange for maps of 92,000 anti-tank and anti-personnel mines planted during the occupation in the Fizuli and Zangilan regions, the country’s Foreign Ministry announced Saturday.

The maps were submitted by Armenia to Azerbaijan because of an initiative by Russia, said the written statement.

“We express our gratitude to Rustam Muradov, Commander of the Russian peacekeeping contingent temporarily deployed in the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan, for his mediation services in the implementation of the humanitarian initiative to obtain mine maps,” it said.

The ministry also emphasized that obtaining the mine maps will save the lives of tens of thousands of Azerbaijanis, including those involved in mine clearance, and will accelerate the implementation of reconstruction and rehabilitation projects initiated by President Ilham Aliyev in the liberated territories, as well as the process of returning internally displaced persons.

“As a humanistic step, the Azerbaijani side handed over to Armenia 15 people of Armenian origin, who were imprisoned by the court’s verdict and the term of the imposed sentence has expired,” according to the statement.

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

New clashes erupted last September and ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire on Nov. 10, 2020.

During a subsequent 44-day conflict which ended under a deal signed Nov. 10, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages from Armenian nearly three-decade occupation.

The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces withdrew in line with the agreement.

A joint Turkish-Russian center was established to monitor the truce. Russian peacekeeping troops have also been deployed in the region.

Azeris do not know how to present Tigranakert – Hamlet Poghosyan

Edgar Tavakalian
Panorama, Armenia
July 2 2021
 

Culture 14:44 02/07/2021NKR

“Azeris have launched a campaign on media, alleging the Armenians have armenized the Shahbulag Castle built by Khan Panaha and developed the ‘myth of Tigranakert’ for that reason,”  the head of Artsakh archeological group of Institute of Ethnography Hamlet Petrosyan told Panorama.am, adding the Azeri’s attempts are nothing but stupidity. 

“They do not conceive the essence of Tigranakert  and even have complexes about speaking of it. They have no idea what to accuse us of in case with Tigranakert and have not a defined approach to it, if not present the site as an Albanian ,” Petrosyan said. 

The archeologist stressed that Tigranakert had been built, according to the best standards of Anatolian Hellenic traditions. “It couldn’t  be built by one born in Artsakh or Albania but only an imperator who could mobilize the architectural resources of Asia Minor. Apparently, the Azeris have no answer to this question,” said Petrosyan. 

The head of the  archaeological expedition in Tigranakert added that the scale of discoveries made by his group further complicates the arguments and claims brought by the Azerbaijani side. 

Petrosyan said that he closely follows the Azerbaijani publications about the archeological site, and except visits, no information about works carried out in the area are reported. 

To note, excavations at Tigranakert began in March 2005, when it was first discovered, and until 2020 were ongoing under the directorship of Hamlet L. Petrosyan of the  Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography. Archaeologists have uncovered two of the main walls of the city, as well as Hellenistic-style towers and an Armenian basilica church dating to the fifth to seventh centuries. During the excavations of 2008–2010, silver coins of the Parthian monarchs Mithridates IV (r. 57–54 BC) and Orodes II (r. 57–37 BC) were found.

In June 2010, a museum dedicated to the study and preservation of artefacts unearthed from Tigranakert was opened in the adjacent Shahbulag Castle.

According to the November 9 Karabakh armistice of the Armenian PM, Russian and Azerbaijani presidents, the area was handed  handed over to Azerbaijan. 

Armenia President holds phone conversation with "I Have the Honor" bloc candidate Artur Vanetsyan

Edgar Tavakalian
Aysor, Armenia
June 22 2021

President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian held today a phone conversation with candidate of “I Have the Honor” bloc Artur Vanetsyan.

This was reported by the press service of the President of Armenia.

President Sarkissian congratulated Vanetsyan on his bloc’s entry into parliament as a result of the snap parliamentary elections and wished him effectove work for the benefit of the Republic of Armenia.

Coronavirus reproduction number grows in Armenia: increase in new cases is expected in future

Edgar Tavakalian

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 14:12, 22 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. The coronavirus-related situation in Armenia is stable at the moment, however with negative projections, Deputy Director General of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Gayane Sahakyan, said at a press conference in Armenpress, stating that rise in the virus reproduction number is being noticed.

“We had a moment when the virus reproduction number was 0.4%, but over the last 14 days we see that this figure is growing slowly. Over the past 7 days this number has reached 1.1%”, she said, stating that this figure shows that there will soon be an increase in new cases. “The increase is expected to be slow at the beginning, but then will be at drastic rate. Specialists are expecting 600 new cases weekly. Usually, the 30% is being hospitalized, which means that we will have 180 cases seeking hospitalization”.

The coronavirus situation globally continues to remain tense. Virus mutations, changes continue, and it’s becoming a new evil for the countries of the world. The Indian strain of the virus has already reached Russia. At this period many tourists visit Armenia and the appearance of this new strain in Armenia is not ruled out.

Gayane Sahakyan says the infectivity of this new strain is more active, the intensity of virus spread is about twice as high.

She noted that the restrictions continue globally, even during the vaccination process.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Early parliamentary elections in Armenia: UK [Gov’t] statement

Edgar Tavakalian
The Government of the United Kingdom
Speech

Ambassador Neil Bush congratulates the Armenian people on the successful conduct of their early parliamentary elections and thanks ODIHR’s election observation mission.

From:
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and Neil Bush
Published
      Early parliamentary elections in Armenia: UK statement – GOV.UK

Thank you Madam Chair. I would like to thank the esteemed Armenian Ambassador, for updating the Permanent Council on the early parliamentary elections held in Armenia on 20 June. The UK congratulates the Armenian people on the successful conduct of these elections.

We are very grateful to ODIHR for all the work of the Election Observation Mission for these elections and for their reports, including their statement of preliminary findings and conclusions.

We were pleased to read in the statement that the elections were competitive and generally well managed within the short time-frame. Voters were provided with a broad range of options, and fundamental rights and freedoms were generally respected, with contestants being able to campaign freely.

We share concerns that the campaign period was characterised by intense polarisation and marred by increasingly inflammatory rhetoric, and that women were side-lined throughout the campaign.

We look forward to the Election Observation Mission’s final report which will contain valuable recommendations on how to make further improvements to the electoral process and address issues identified. These objective observations and recommendations from ODIHR are invaluable tools and we encourage the Government of Armenia to make full use of them, including by implementing these and previous OSCE/ODIHR recommendations.

The UK will continue our close partnership with Armenia, including through cooperation on democratic and economic reforms.

Thank you Chair.

Caucasian Knot | Analysts treat Yerevan’s influence on Azerbaijani border as minimal

Edgar Tavakalian
The Caucasian Knot
June 24 2021
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The Armenian party discussed the deployment of Russian peacemakers on the border with Azerbaijan even before the parliamentary elections in Armenia, but the main negotiations on this issue are underway between Moscow and Baku, analysts in Yerevan believe.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that Armenian authorities offered to deploy Russian peacemakers in the questionable sections of the border located in the Gegarkunik Region.

The conflict on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is ongoing since mid-May. Armenia claims that since May 13, Azerbaijani militaries have been present in the territory of the Syunik and Gegarkunik Regions. In their turn, Azerbaijani authorities insist that border guards had just changed their deployment, staying within the Lachin and Kelbadjar Districts.

The Pashinyan’s government had discussed the issue of deployment of Russian military personnel in the Gegarkunik Region with the command of the Russian Army well before the elections, Alexander Iskandaryan, a political analyst and the director of the Caucasus Institute, told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

The political analyst believes that Armenia has no resources to defend its national interests in negotiations with Azerbaijan.

Andrias Gukasyan, a deputy head of the Association of Political Analysts of Armenia, believes that negotiations, in fact, are conducted between Russia and Azerbaijan, while Pashinyan only plays the role of an executor. “From the viewpoint of the negotiation format, neither the elections, nor subsequent events in this regard have any significance. Decisions on the demarcation and delimitation of the border had been made well before the elections. Pashinyan needed the elections in order to shift the responsibility onto the voters. And all those who voted for Pashinyan had signed with him the last year’s November 9 trilateral agreement. This was the main task that the Kremlin was facing at these elections, which is why they used the factor of Robert Kocharyan. They intimidated the voters with external and internal threats, forcing them to vote for surrender,” Mr Gukasyan has emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 24, 2021 at 04:30 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:

Armenia relies on deployment of peacemakers in Gegarkunik Region, Peacemakers escort columns of Azerbaijani militaries to Nagorno-Karabakh, MoD reports on end of building of peacemakers’ base in Karabakh.

Author: Tigran Petrosyan, Faik Medzhid; Source: CK correspondents

Source:
© Caucasian Knot


French police detain members of Georgian-Armenian mafia

Edgar Tavakalian
Panorama, Armenia

French police put an end to Georgian-Armenian criminal gang activities, Report.ge reported. Law enforcement officers have reportedly detained 12 criminal gang members led by a Georgian mafia boss and the head of the Armenian unit.

The police have seized four vehicles, a motorcycle, five pistols, EUR 17,000, jewelry, and leather products. Police officers say that the detainees are international criminal gang members.