Author: Edgar Tavakalian

Catholicos Garegin II personally visits ARF’s Gegham Manukyan and convinces to stop hunger strike

Edgar Tavakalian

Catholicos Garegin II personally visits ARF’s Gegham Manukyan and convinces to stop hunger strike

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 12:08, 1 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The ARF official Gegham Manukyan and several of his supporters demanding the resignation of the Prime Minister have stopped their hunger strike after the Catholicos Garegin II personally visited them outside the government headquarters and asked them to do so, a spokesperson for the Armenian church said.

Manukyan, who declared an indefinite hunger strike on November 23 in demand of the resignation of PM Pashinyan, said it was “hard to refuse the Catholicos”.  He said he would continue “the struggle.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Exchange of PoWs and bodies of the dead is a priority, Armenian PM says at CSTO summit

Edgar Tavakalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 2 2020

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan participated in the on-line session of the Collective Security Treaty Organization. The event was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin, President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus, President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan, President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of Kazakhstan, Acting President of Kyrgyzstan Talant Mamitov, and the CSTO Secretary General.

Prime Minister Pashinyan delivered a speech, in which he stated:
“Dear Chairman,
Dear Colleagues,
Dear CSTO Secretary General,

It is my pleasure to greet you to today’s meeting, which summarizes the presidency of the Russian Federation in our organization. The priorities of the Russian presidency sought to address urgent problems related to CSTO development and improve cooperation, and we are grateful for the work done during this difficult period for all of us.

I would also like to thank Stanislav Vasilyevich Zas and the CSTO secretariat for organizing today’s meeting in the on-line format and, in general, for the work being done against the backdrop of COVID-19. And, of course, taking this opportunity, I would like to welcome Acting President of the Kyrgyz Republic Talant Mamytov, who is participating in a meeting of our organization for the first time.

Dear friends,

The Armenian people faced aggression over the past two months. Backed by Turkey and mercenary terrorists recruited in the Middle East, Azerbaijan launched an offensive against the Armenian people.

As you may know, through the mediation efforts of the Russian Federation it was possible to stop the hostilities and agree on measures to de-escalate the situation. More than three weeks have passed since the hostilities ended. Russian peacekeepers have been stationed in the conflict zone. Yet today we are facing a number of urgent tasks.

Firstly, it is the question of the exchange of prisoners of war, hostages, other detainees, as well as the exchange of bodies of killed servicemen and the clarification of the fate of the missing. These are urgent questions.

The Armenian side is ready to speed up this process and increase its efficiency. At the same time, we need to rule out any violence against the prisoners of war and detainees and the humiliation of their dignity.

Secondly, conditions have to be provided for Artsakh residents to return to their homes and restore normal life in Nagorno-Karabakh. People need to be sure that they are safe and can continue to live on their land.

Several tens of thousands of Artsakh people have already returned to their homes, and we are making every effort to help and support our compatriots. Besides, measures need to be taken to protect the Armenian cultural and religious monuments located in the territories under Azerbaijan’s control.

Finally, we need to ensure the safe functioning of transport communications. It is necessary to rule out any provocation and establish normal conditions for the functioning of lifeline infrastructure in Artsakh.

The aforementioned measures, including the unblocking of all economic and transport links in the region, are necessary to lay a firm foundation for long-term peace in the region.

Dear colleagues,

Deployed along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin corridor, which connects Artsakh and Armenia, the Russian peacekeeping force is the guarantor of peace and security in the region.

In this regard, I would like to highlight the exceptional role played by Russian President Vladimir Putin. We kept in close touch throughout the 44 days of hostilities and discussed the necessary measures to stop the bloodshed and save human lives. We are still working very closely with Vladimir Vladimirovich to solve such problems as the search for missing people, the exchange of prisoners of war and dead bodies.

In conclusion, I wish to congratulate Tajikistan on assuming the CSTO chairmanship. I would like to assure you that Armenia remains committed to close interaction with a view to implementing the priorities of Tajikistan’s presidency. Thank you.”

A number of issues related to allied cooperation within the framework of the Organization and the continued improvement of CSTO efficiency were discussed during the meeting. Views were exchanged on topical issues of regional and international security.


Armenian PM explains “what could have been different” and calls for unity to solve urgent issues

Edgar Tavakalian
Public Radio of Armenia

Nov 29 2020

In a lengthy post on Facebook, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has explained what could be an alternative to the current situation and outlined the urgent issues to be solved now:

Of course, it makes a lot of sense to go back and answer the question, what would have been different if it had not been this way.

So, the Armenian side stated at the highest level and publicly that in 2011 in Kazan Armenia was ready to hand over the 7 regions in exchange for an interim status and a further referendum on the status of Karabakh, but Azerbaijan did not agree and put forward new demands.

There is a video proving this, it is available on the Internet. In other words, back in 2011 Armenia undertook to hand over the 7 regions and was ready to sign an agreement on that, but Azerbaijan put forward new demands.

What demand scould have been put forward by Azerbaijan? For example, to remove the status of Karabakh from the agenda altogether, not to grant the Lachin corridor a special status. The issue of Shushi, by the way, is not in not among these new demands, because it is also resolved by the Madrid principles, which the Armenian side accepted in 2007 as a basis for negotiations. It clearly states that the population of Nagorno-Karabakh must have the same proportion as in 1988. In other words, there should be 90% and more of Azeri population in Shushi.

So, we have had this situation since 2011, and since 2013 Azerbaijan has been going to military escalation. In 2013-2015, the escalation with the logic of subversive actions reached its peak, leading to the four-day war in April 2016.

Azerbaijan formulated its above-mentioned demands, regardless of the document put on the table by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs. The demands of Azerbaijan and their fulfillment by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs became a priority because the alternative was war.

Assuming the post of the Prime Minister of Armenia in 2018, I have naturally took note of this. And in this situation, let’s understand what was the alternative to what happened?

The alternative was to address the people and say we either have to hand over the 7 regions without the status of Karabakh, or there will be а war. What вould people say? They вould have said ‘no, we will stand up and fight for our homeland.’ And the war would start and it would turn out that Armenia started a war.

Had I said no, we have to surrender, people would have said “Nikol is traitor” and another war would have started.

At any stage, including during the Turkish-Azerbaijani military exercises, I could go to the Turks and say, “Let’s solve the issue without war.” They would have said “give a specific schedule when you hand over the territories.” If I signed, people would have said “Nicole the traitor”, if I didn’t signed, war would have started.

As of 2018, the Karabakh issue was a deadlock, from which there was only one way out – unconditional handover of territories, without guaranteeing that Azerbaijan would not make new demands. And in the context of these new demands, increasing the likelihood of war again.

Many now say that we needed to work more closely with our friends. But who said that the friends had a different vision of resolving the issue? Isn’t it obvious now that that vision completely coincides with the one described above?

What have we done? We have prepared for war as much as possible. Now it turned out that we were badly prepared. But what are we badly prepared for? The July battles showed that we were not poorly prepared to fight against Azerbaijan. But Turkey, mercenaries, this is another story that will still be talked about.

They say we had to stop the war sooner. The price to stop the war sooner was the same. Handover of 7 districts. If handing over 3 districts in the conditions of a deadly threat to the loss of Shushi and Stepanakert is a betrayal, how could the handing over of 7 districts in relatively better conditions not be a betrayal?

Well, what should we do now? We must stabilize the situation and not make it worse. The most important issue now is the issue of captives, missing persons and those who have possibly sheltered somewhere, which must be resolved very quickly.

But let’s look at this issue through the eyes of the opposite side. He sees that the delay in this issue allows the conflict to deepen inside Armenia, even to start clashes inside, the mini-manifestations of which have already taken place.

Relatives of our soldiers, dear ones, will they accelerate the solution of the issue of prisoners and missing people in these conditions? Of course not: On the contrary, they will prolong it as long as possible, rubbing their hands and waiting for what new disasters this will lead to inside us.

You will ask a very right question: what should we do, not fight? Definitely fight, fight stronger, but not against each other, but together. For the solution of the issue. The solution of the issue will accelerate only in one case. if everyone understands that there will be no internal conflicts over this issue.

Who is guilty of what and what responsibility he will have to bear will definitely be established. But now we need to focus on solving the problem together, not fighting each other. I am convinced of this.

https://en.armradio.am/2020/11/29/armenian-pm-explains-what-could-have-been-different-and-calls-for-unity-to-solve-urgent-issues/

A team of doctors from the UK is in Armenia to support the fight against COVID-19

Edgar Tavakalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Nov 28 2020

Deputy Minister of Health Lena Nanushyan had a meeting with the members of the UK Emergency Medical Team  to discuss medical and organizational issues related to their activities in Armenia.

It should be noted that the team is in Armenia in response to a request to the WHO for assistance with the WHO’s ability to manage severe, extremely severe cases of COVID-19 and will stay here for 5 weeks. The team aims to assist the Armenian Ministry of Health in strengthening and developing the capacity of health services to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“From the first day of the pandemic, our government has been doing every possible thing to overcome the coronavirus disease, to provide medical centers with the necessary human resources, equipment and medicines,”  said the deputy minister, adding that international cooperation in this area is very important.

The group of medical staff and international experts will conduct trainings and exchange experiences within the framework of its mission. The UK Government’s Emergency Medical Team will assist the Ministry of Health of Armenia in strengthening and developing the capacity of health services under COVID-19.

Lena Nanushyan thanked the members of the medical team for their readiness to stand by the Armenian doctors, to work together, and expressed hope that the cooperation would be continuous.


Artsakh authorities continue searching for bodies of killed troops in Martuni, Martakert

Edgar Tavakalian

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 09:08,

STEPANAKERT, NOVEMBER 26, ARMENPRESS. The State Service of Emergency Situations of Artsakh continues search operations of bodies of killed servicemen in the Martuni and Martakert regions, as well as in the Mataghis-Talish directions, the agency’s spokesperson Hunan Tadevosyan told ARMENPRESS.

Tadevosyan said they have completed the search operations around Shushi.

After completing the work in the abovementioned directions, the rescuers will start searching in Fizuli and Hadrut. “The International Committee of the Red Cross is conducting negotiations, we will start search operations as soon as we receive permission,” Tadevosyan said, adding that search operations are also underway both by the Armenian and Azeri sides in territories that are under Azeri control.

The Russian peacekeepers are participating in the operations.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenia’s Ombudsman presents more evidence of Azerbaijan’s geocidal policy

Edgar Tavakalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Nov 18 2020

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has shared a video showing the Azerbaijani soldiers humiliating an elderly man, an ethnic Armenian, and subjecting him to overtly inhumane treatment with exceptional cynicism.

“They do it just because this person is an ethnic Armenian. Hatred in Azerbaijan is so systematic and is so highly encouraged by the state that these servicemen do not care that the person is helpless, that he is old, or has human dignity,” the Ombudsman said.

On the contrary, he said, they treat people this way and then largely spread videos or photos of this treatment through social networks to earn public praise and imaginary “heroism” in their own society.

“One important fact: this act is not a separate crime committed by a group of soldiers, but an integral part of the system of large-scale torture and atrocities, cruelties during the September-November 2020 war being encouraged at high levels in Azerbaijan,” Arman Tatoyan said.

According to him “this is another evidence of Azerbaijani systematic policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide through terroristic methods in Artsakh.”

“Such acts are not only absolutely forbidden under all internationally requirements known to humanity, but they do not even fit into the human imagination,” the Ombudsman noted.

The Human Rights Defenders of Armenia and Artsakh will duly document this evidence and present it to the international bodies.

TURKISH press: Is there any hope for Turkey-US ties to get back on track?

Edgar Tavakalian
 OP-ED 
NOV 13, 2020 12:05 AM GMT+3

Joe Biden, by any credible measure, has become the president-elect of the United States. Though it looks like President Donald Trump will not concede easily and will surely attempt some form of legal or constitutional acrobatics to challenge the result, the margin is far too great for any real prospect of another Trump presidency.

The world has already heralded Biden as the next U.S. president, as congratulations have been made to the president-elect from numerous American allies in Europe and the Middle East.

The latest addition to the list of congratulations comes from President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who in two separate messages thanked incumbent President Trump for his contributions to Turkish-U.S. ties and commended President-elect Biden for his success.

Erdoğan’s message comes at a time when some have anticipated that Biden’s presidency could adversely impact Turkish-American ties. This is largely due to comments by Biden that surfaced this summer, in which he used eerie language on supporting Erdoğan’s adversaries by possibly intervening in Turkish politics. I too had argued in an earlier piece that what I saw was the consolidation of anti-Turkish sentiment among the Democratic Party and Biden’s flawed view on Turkey’s regional role.

Now, however, the cards have been dealt, and Biden will almost certainly become the next president. The conciliatory tone of Erdoğan’s congratulatory message to Biden, in which the Turkish president remarks on the strategic nature of Turkish-American ties and the time he spent with Biden as vice president, suggests that he has allowed for politics to simply be politics.

Erdoğan in this instance has chosen to disregard whatever Biden might have said on the campaign trail. American presidential candidates have a history of talking big in the heat of electoral politics, and relations with Turkey have largely transformed into a point of political contention in the U.S., exacerbated by the fact that Erdoğan and Trump are friendly with one another.

Biden’s earlier gaffes on Turkey thus appear to have been put aside for now, as Erdoğan has highlighted the institutional links that bring the two countries together.

A similar sentiment was expressed earlier by one of Biden’s foreign policy aides, signaling that there is an impetus on both sides to engage in meaningful dialogue. Biden’s actions will now be more important than his words, as Washington and Ankara carefully steer one of the most vital relationships in the transatlantic world.

President-elect Biden is a rational and predictable man who is a veteran of statecraft. He has worked with Turkish officials from his earliest days in Senate. Before his absurd comments on Turkey, he also enjoyed a good relationship with Erdoğan.

Surely, if common sense is to prevail, he’ll work to reengage with Turkey as an ally and in doing so address Turkey’s concerns regarding certain U.S. policies in the region.

The sanctions issue

The president-elect faces several key issues with regard to Turkey. Most pressing at the moment is the possibility of the Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) sanctions coming Turkey’s way.

Trump has long evaded congressional pressure to sanction Turkey regarding the purchase of the S-400 missile system from Russia. As the system is en route to becoming fully operational in Turkey, Biden, once president, will likely face similar pressure.

Democrat members of the Senate and Congress are already vehemently opposed to Turkish interests. The likes of Bob Menendez, ranking member of the Senate’s foreign relations committee, have been on a consistent anti-Turkey crusade for several years now.

Most recently, Menendez, among others, proposed that Turkey should be confronted for aiding Azerbaijan in the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh against Armenian occupation. Biden should be wary of surrounding himself with people like Menendez, whose ideas that border idiocy can only harm the relationship between Turkey and the U.S.

In this regard, Biden’s soon-to-be-formed foreign policy team will be one to watch out for. If he opts for hawkish, interventionist elements in the Democratic Party, who will likely want to confront Turkey’s growing regional role, the conflict will continue. On the other hand, picks from the bureaucracy and military establishment would likely work in Turkey’s favor, in the spirit of maintaining institutional links between the two countries.

Obama 2.0?

Another issue of contention will be Syria, and the matter of the U.S. relationship with the YPG – the Syrian branch of the PKK. Biden here runs the risk of repeating the policies of the Obama era, in which the transactional relationship between the YPG and the U.S. military establishment was fostered. Biden has the opportunity to distance himself from this policy, and instead opt to work with Turkey regarding the Syrian debacle.

A re-engagement on Syria would serve U.S. interests as well, as by virtue of Trump’s policies, the U.S. has unilaterally left the region. Turkey’s hand in Syria is strong, with the presence of Turkish forces in the area and by the extent of the popular support that Turkey enjoys among the Syrian population, millions of which now call Turkey home. If the U.S. is serious about engaging with the world again, then there is no better ally than Turkey in the region.

Realistically, the U.S. has two goals in Syria. The first is to eliminate the threat of Daesh, which despite suffering heavy losses may resurge. Turkey is the only country in the region that is willing to provide active support in such a mission, extending even to ground forces, as it has already done in previous cross-border operations in Syria.

The second American goal vis-a-vis Syria will be the urgency of limiting Iranian and Russian influence. By virtue of the Astana process, Turkey already sits as a balancing force in Syria, and by extension represents not simply Turkish interests but the interests of NATO and the U.S. as well.

A silver lining

Even if Biden’s term doesn’t yield favorable results for Turkish-American ties and results in the misgivings that some have speculated, there is a silver lining to his presidency. Trump gave free rein to countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in pursuing their regional aspirations.

The decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, the Abraham Accords and, most recently, the decision to equip the UAE with F-35 fighters all stem from Trump’s negligence regarding these countries’ destabilizing ambitions.

Biden is far more a proponent of orthodox American foreign policy to allow such endeavors to continue, especially since he will likely seek a more assertive role for the U.S. in the Middle East. His campaign has already voiced concern about the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen, and it was no secret that Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not get along, a legacy that might continue with Biden.

Turkey’s regional adversaries will find it hard to operate under far stricter American scrutiny under Biden’s watch. All the while, Turkey will continue to be able to pursue a proactive regional agenda by virtue of its role in NATO and other institutionalized regional security structures that have come to play in Libya, Syria and the Caucasus.

Irrespective of further speculation, Biden should appreciate Erdoğan’s magnanimity in congratulating him and should work to overcome the challenges that face Turkish-American relations.

*Master of Science comparative politics candidate at the London School of Economics

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
*MSc Comparative Politics Candidate at the London School of Economics

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 10-11-20

Edgar Tavakalian

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 17:41, 10 November, 2020

YEREVAN, 10 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 10 November, USD exchange rate up by 0.38 drams to 494.13 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.86 drams to 583.37 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.08 drams to 6.48 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 6.82 drams to 654.92 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 1,143.95 drams to 29665.14 drams. Silver price down by 10.41 drams to 398.83 drams. Platinum price down by 703.77 drams to 13757.84 drams.

Reports on Turkish drone breaching Yerevan airspace is fake news, says Armenian military

Edgar Tavakalian

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 11:17,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. The news reports purporting that a Turkish Bayraktar drone had breached into Yerevan airspace is fake news, Armenian Defense Ministry spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan said.

“The Armenian Defense Ministry has requested the National Security Service to reveal the source and generators of this fake news,” Stepanyan said. “The Air Defense Forces of the Armed Forces of Armenia, jointly with the Russian Aerospace Forces, have covered the airspaces of Armenia and Artsakh, it is a no-fly zone, with the exception of military and scheduled civilian aviation.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

COVID-19 Armenia: 1861 new cases

Edgar Tavakalian

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 10:55,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. 1861 new cases of COVID-19 were recorded over the last 24 hours, the Armenian healthcare authorities said. The cumulative total number of confirmed cases reached 110687.

4226 tests were conducted in 24 hours.

1501 recoveries over the past day brought the total number of recovered patients to 68336, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention said.

27 patients died from COVID-19 complications, bringing the total death toll to 1636. This number doesn’t include the deaths of 419 other individuals (7 in the last 24 hours) infected with the virus who died from other pre-existing illnesses, according to authorities.

The number of active cases as of November 11, 11:00 stood at 40157.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan