Author: Edgar Tavakalian

Armenpress: Armenian PM, U.S. Secretary of State discuss NK issue and Armenian-U.S. cooperation agenda

Edgar Tavakalian

Armenian PM, U.S. Secretary of State discuss NK issue and Armenian-U.S. cooperation agenda

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 00:12, 6 March, 2021

YEREVAN, MARCH 6, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a telephone conversation with U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken. Nikol Pashinyan first congratulated Mr. Blinken on being appointed to such a high state position. Speaking about the bilateral relations, Prime Minister Pashinyan appreciated the U.S. Government’s continued support to Armenia and the role played by the United States within the OSCE Minsk Group, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The parties next referred to the situation established in the region following the war. The need to resume the peace process in the OSCE Minsk Group format was emphasized on both sides. The Armenian Premier called his interlocutor’s attention to the need for Azerbaijan to immediately return the prisoners of war, hostages and people held in captivity. In this context, the U.S. side highlighted the Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ activities and voiced readiness to continue its role in resolving the conflict. The Secretary of State stressed the importance of developing close partnerships with Armenia. He hailed Armenia’s achievements in the field of democracy and assured that the United States will continue to assist Armenia with the ongoing reform process.

Both sides stressed the need for endeavoring towards strengthening the rule of law, fighting corruption and advancing the judiciary and police reforms in Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan thanked the U.S. side for appreciation and readiness to provide assistance in the field of reforms.

Chess: Levon Aronian switches to US as new regime in Armenia cuts support

Edgar Tavakalian
The Guardian, UK
March 5 2021

Leonard Barden on chessChess

Bobby Fischer admirer Rex Sinquefield enlists the world No 5 in team for Moscow 2022

| Chess | The Guardian

Armenia’s world No 5, Levon Aronian, has upped sticks and announced that he will quit his native Yerevan and represent the United States in future. The 38-year-old, who memorably led his national team to Olympiad gold ahead of the Russian and American favourites at Turin 2006, Dresden 2008 and Istanbul 2012, will transfer to the billionaire Rex Sinquefield’s global centre at St Louis, venue of the annual elite Sinquefield Cup which Aronian has already won twice.

Aronian’s neighbours in town will include the world No 2, Fabiano Caruana (ex-Italy), and the world No 15, Leinier Domínguez (ex-Cuba), while his other new teammates will be the world No 7, Wesley So (ex-Philippines), the five-time US champion Hikaru Nakamura, and the rising star Jeffery Xiong, 20.

St Louis’s facilities include its chess club, open every day, and its World Chess Hall of Fame, fronted by a 14-foot tall king, state of the art computer programs, the legendary Garry Kasparov, and strong human trainers to help prepare for major events.

| Chess | The Guardian

The writing has been on the wall for Aronian since 2018, when his friend, chess fan, and at that time national president Serzh Sargsyan, was deposed. Sargsyan had brought the victorious Olympiad teams home on the presidential jet, innovated chess teaching in Armenian schools, and attended Aronian’s wedding to the popular Arianne Caoili, who died in a car crash a year ago in March 2020.

The new regime slashed the chess budget, including support for Aronianhimself such as access to a super computer, and suggested that at 38 his time was past. Ironically, this decision comes just a few months after Aronian defeated Magnus Carlsen and Caruana with the black pieces at Norway’s Stavanger elite tournament.

Criticism has been directed at Sinquefield, 76, for buying up top talent, but international transfers are officially accepted by Fide. For a 2700-rated elite grandmaster like Aronian, the USCF (in practice, Sinquefield) must pay Armenia €50,000.

One question for the future is whether Sinquefield will try to make a compelling offer to Alireza Firouzja, 17. The former Iranian prodigy is widely regarded as heir apparent to Magnus Carlsen for the world crown, and their growing rivalry may well be the major chess story of the next few years. For now, Firouzja is living contentedly in Chartres, France, and is expected to apply for French citizenship.

| Chess | The Guardian

Sinquefied’s chess hero is Bobby Fischer and when he found himself on the same flight as the US legend over the Pacific in the mid-1970s he asked Fischer to “keep on beating those Russians”. Fischer promised, but then withdrew from chess for nearly 20 years. Fischer’s companion was the former Fide president Florencio Campomanes, so it seems likely that they were en route or returning from the abortive Anatoly Karpov-Fischer negotiations for a world title match.

The money was there, but the sticking points were Fischer’s insistence that the series should be for the first to win 10 games, draws not counting, and that the contest should be for the “Professional World Championship”, an unacceptable title for Moscow. It is a pity that the two greats never even took the opportunity to play a few five-minute games together.

Russia v United States contests have often been memorable, starting with the 1945 radio match when the USSR’s crushing 15.5-4.5 margin launched half a century of Soviet supremacy. A year on, over-the-board in Moscow, the US lost but Samuel Reshevsky beat Mikhail Botvinnik on top board.

In New York 1954, watched by 11-year-old Fischer, the US had some good moments in defeat. In 1960, when the US students won gold on Soviet soil, Boris Spassky was blamed and banned from overseas travel.

Fischer’s four Olympiads brought three draws and a loss to Spassky, while his 1962 game sparked Botvinnik’s quip that the American had only spoken three words to him in his life. In 1960 as they were introduced Fischer pointed to himself and said “Fischer”. At Varna 1962 , they sat down to play, bumped heads and Fischer said “Sorry” and at the end of the game he said “Draw”.

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The 21st century Russia v US matches have been less memorable, but the meeting at Moscow 2022, the first Olympiad since lockdown, promises to be significant. The US team, with Aronian likely to be eligible, will be mostly from the world top 10, but Russia’s squad from the top 10-30 will be younger, ambitious and motivated.

Renewed interest in Fischer has been stimulated by John Donaldson’s recent 600-page book Bobby Fischer and His World which delves deeply into little-known areas of his life, and by the availability of videos of Fischer’s 1972 appearances on Carson Tonight and the Bob Hope Show.

Fischer also did a BBC interview (not currently viewable) on the eve of the match – This Little Thing between Me and Spassky. All of them show him good-humoured, articulate, and an evident hit with the audience, which provokes the thought that fans in the 1970s missed out not only on a potential classic Fischer v Karpov match, but also on Fischer as an outgoing television personality, with his 9/11 rant, his antisemitism, and his mental illness all still in the distant future.

3713: 1 Rd2! c6 2 Kf2! Kxf4 3 Ne6 mate.

Armenian Armed Forces fully conduct defense of borders of Homeland – ministry

Edgar Tavakalian

 17:24, 25 February, 2021

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Armed Forces fully conduct the defense of the borders of the Homeland and ensure their security, the defense ministry said in a statement.

“The Army is an apolitical structure, and all attempts of involving the Armed Forces into any political process are impermissible. Each such attempt threatens the stability and security of the Republic of Armenia. The defense ministry will respond to any such action in a worthy manner”, the statement says.

On February 25 the General Staff of the Armenian Forces of Armenia issued a statement, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Cabinet.

In his turn Pashinyan commented on the statement, calling it as a “military coup attempt”.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

US State Department comments on ongoing developments in Armenia, calls for peaceful solution

Edgar Tavakalian

 00:30,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price has commented on the ongoing domestic political developments in Armenia, urging “all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid any escalatory or violent actions”.

During a press briefing Mr. Price said they are aware of recent developments in Armenia and are following the situation very closely. 

“We urge all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid any escalatory or violent actions. We remind all parties of the bedrock democratic principle that states’ armed forces should not intervene in domestic politics. The United States has been a steadfast supporter of the development of democratic processes and institutions in Armenia. We continue to support Armenia’s democracy and its sovereignty, and we urge its leaders to resolve their differences peacefully while respecting the rule of law, Armenia’s democracy, and its institutions”, the State Department spokesman said.

Yerevan.Today: Colonel joins Armenia Armed Forces General Staff’s statement demanding PM’s resignation

Edgar Tavakalian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 26 2021    
Yerevan.Today: Colonel joins Armenia Armed Forces General Staff’s statement demanding PM’s resignation
21:53, 26.02.2021

Head of the Military Communications Division of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Colonel Artur Chatyan has joined the statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces calling on Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to resign.

Yerevan.Today stated the names of the officers of the General Staff who hadn’t joined the statement, and Colonel Chatyan was one of them. Colonel Chatyan told Yerevan.Today that he is currently under quarantine due to the coronavirus and that he would sign under the statement, if he knew about it.

The administration of the General Staff of the Armed Forces issued a statement stating that the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Cabinet are no longer capable of adopting adequate decisions and that the army demands Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.

After this statement was made, Nikol Pashinyan went live on Facebook and said he has signed the decree on dismissing Onik Gasparyan from the position of Chief of the General Staff, and the Staff of the President of Armenia confirmed the news that the President has received the recommendation, but has yet to sign it.

Only three officers of the General Staff haven’t joined the statement.

Pashinyan calls General Staff’s statement a military coup attempt

Edgar Tavakalian

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 12:18,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan has commented on the statement made by the General Staff of the Armed Forces on February 25.

“I consider the statement of the General Staff an attempt of a military coup. I am inviting all our supporters to the Republic Square right now. I will soon address the nation live”, the PM said on Facebook.

The General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces demand the PM’s resignation

Opposition holds rally, march in Yerevan

Edgar Tavakalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 20 2021

The opposition Homeland Salvation Movement held a rally in Yerevan. The parties involved in the movement and their supporters demand Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to step down.

Addressing the rally, Vazgen Manukyan, the Movement’s candidate for the post of Prime Minister, said the day is symbolic, as it marks the 33rd anniversary of the start of the Artsakh movement.

“Artsakh – the the only island left inhabited by its native people, Armenians, after the genocide – applied for unification with Armenia. And all our people stood up. We have come a long way since then. From the very beginning of the Karabakh movement, other issues were raised. We felt very strong. We set bigger goals. We set the task of creating an independent state, an independent state based on national ideas, the idea of freedom, justice, prosperity for the whole nation, protection, role in the world and in this region. And we went forward,” said Manukyan.

Opposition hold a protest action demanding RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation in the streets of Yerevan, Armenia

Opposition hold a protest action demanding RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation in the streets of Yerevan, Armenia

Speaking about plans, he noted that everyday work is needed to achieve change of power. He stressed the need to create committees in different parts of the country.

He called to organize strikes, demonstrations, walk around Armenia in convoys of cars, get people up. “It takes time and work,” he said.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan, coordinator of the Homeland Salvation Movement and representative of the ARF Supreme Body, said that from February 22, disobedience rallies will be held in Yerevan every day to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Participants of the rally then marched in different directions to hold acts of civil disobedience.

Dutch Ambassador considers Armenia’s COVID-19 response successful

Edgar Tavakalian

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 16:14,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Healthcare Anahit Avanesyan met with Ambassador of the Netherlands to Armenia Nico Schermers, the ministry told Armenpress.

The minister congratulated the Ambassador on appointment and thanked for the support provided to Armenia in fighting COVID-19. Analyzing the statistics of the pandemic in Armenia, the Ambassador was interested in Armenia’s secret of making the COVID-19 situation controllable and stable. “I am aware of the situation in Armenia in autumn 2020 caused by both the pandemic and the war. Congratulations on achieving success in the fight against the pandemic. Taking into account the growing rates of the virus globally even during the lockdowns, Armenia managed to achieve the stabilization of the situation”, he said, highly valuing the policy adopted by the Armenian government and ministry of healthcare, the transparency of the work, especially in terms of the number of COVID-19 cases.

“We attach importance to public awareness and transparency of data in the fight against COVID-19. The government and our agency do the utmost to avoid the 3rd wave of the pandemic. We understand that otherwise one more wave can cause a very serious crisis for the economy and the healthcare system”, Minister Avanesyan said.

At the end of the meeting the sides discussed the work of the Armenian Diaspora in the Netherlands, the expected visit of a medical team to Armenia in April and other issues.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenpress: OSCE MG Co-chairs hold video-conference with Armenian, Azerbaijani FMs

Edgar Tavakalian

OSCE MG Co-chairs hold video-conference with Armenian, Azerbaijani FMs

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 21:47,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. 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) released a statement today. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the OSCE, the statement runs as follows,

‘’The Co-Chairs spoke separately by video conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov on 16 February.  The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office (PRCiO) Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in the calls.  

The Co-Chairs engaged with each minister in a lengthy and substantive exchange of views on issues related to the promotion of stability in the region, the modalities of the mediation process, and the role of the Personal Representative of the Chairperson-in-Office’’.