Ekmekjian Janet – Page 11 – Armenian Directory & News

Three Jews in Yerevan

May 29, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

The Times of Israel

When a Jewish community that can’t make a minyan for prayers is flooded with refugees, its members are glad they’re there to welcome the newcomers

by Dan Perry

The history of the Jews among the nations of the earth is filled with delicate moments. And so it is today for the Jews of Yerevan.

Armenia, a young democracy that is also the oldest Christian civilization in the world, grapples with the post-Soviet sordidness. Students of the genre will know this includes not only a legacy of corruption and a problematic housing stock but also border disputes: the USSR’s internal borders mangled the ethnic map so thoroughly as to guaranteed conflicts should its republics one day become independent states. It was a feature, not a bug.

So it is, famously, between Russia and Ukraine – and so it is, no less passionately, between Armenia and Azerbaijan. There was a terrible war in 2020, instigated by the latter, there are border skirmishes now and then, and about 120,000 ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region since December have been under a blockade by what is technically their own government in Baku.

And whereas Israel has labored (not always very elegantly) to stay away from the Ukraine war, it is implicated to the hilt in the latter – on the side of Azerbaijan, a petro-kleptocracy that makes Armenia’s other neighboring nemesis, Turkey, look like a model of democracy and reasonable governance.

Israel is a major weapons supplier to and oil importer from the government of Ilham Aliyev and reputedly uses the country as a sort-of forward base for its own imbroglios with Iran. It is one of the world’s prime exemplars of realpolitik in action, and it is not making Israel very popular at all in Yerevan.

Spare a moment, then, for the handful of Armenian Jews who soldier on, as Jews have done for millennia in all kinds of situations, yielding all kinds of results.

* * *

Rabbi Gershon Burstein seems like a man out of space and time. Bearded and berobed, intelligent eyes sparking beneath his shtreimel, he presides over a makeshift synagogue in a ramshackle neighborhood, where he labors to pull together a minyan as part of his project to keep the flame of Judaism alive in Yerevan. Surrounded by Shavuot pastries, we reflect on how there is also an Armenian diaspora in Israel – indeed an entire quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City.

I asked the 63-year-old chief (and probably only) rabbi what kept him in his place of birth when he so clearly belongs in Jerusalem or Bnei Brak. He answered with a story (which may come as no surprise): in 2011 at a Chabad conference he was asked the same question by a Jerusalem-based rabbi more learned than myself. The man asked Rabbi Burstein how many yeshivas there were in Yerevan (there are none) and how many minyans (they are rare). “What are you doing there then?” the other rabbi asked. Burstein replied by asking how many yeshivas there were in Jerusalem. “Oh, many,” the man proudly replied. “And how many minyans?” “More than I can count.” So Gershom asked: “What are you, then, doing there?”

Burstein denies that there is nationalism in this idea of keeping Jewishness alive in far-flung corners of the Earth. In his version of Judaism, there is ahavat hinam (unconditional love) for all mankind, and all the world is as one. The Holy Land stands apart, but it, too, is meant for all. He concedes that this is not really the animating sentiment among the religious establishment in Israel. That will have to wait, he hypothesized, until yemot meshiach (the arrival of the Messiah). Until then, we must suffice with ahavat Yisrael (love among Jews).

Burstein believes Armenia has a role in this future utopia, because of Mount Ararat, its national symbol. This is the reputed resting place after the great biblical flood of Noah’s Ark, which he notes carried representatives of all creatures and thus stood for global unity as well.

“There is a link between Mount Moriah in the Holy Land and Armenia’s Mount Ararat,” he said. “We are connected in this mission.”

Ararat visibly looms over Yerevan like a snowy, jagged specter, not 20 kilometers away – but across a sealed border. Lenin gifted “Western Armenia” on behalf of the Soviet Union to Turkey in 1923, shortly after the Ottoman massacre of 1.5 million Armenians. Turkey’s refusal to even recognize the genocide is behind the continued tensions to this day. Alas, “Armenia’s Mount Ararat” may have to await yemot meshiach as well.

The exodus of tens of thousands of Jews from or via Armenia to Israel since the fall of Communism appeared to doom efforts to preserve the community, which had dwindled to scarcely over 1,000 – many of them in mixed families, and almost none of them religious. Then, in one of history’s little tricks of the light, came Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Tens of thousands of mostly young and educated Russians fleeing the draft have alighted in the surprisingly vibrant and bustling Armenian capital of Yerevan, sending the price of everything from rentals to coffee skyrocketing, and giving a huge boost to the buzzing local IT sector.

And at least 2,000 of them are Jews, said Odessa-born Rimma Varzhapetyan-Feller, president of the Jewish community. Many of them register with the Jewish Agency via her office, meaning they may be intending to move on to Israel. Every six months, the Israeli consul responsible for Armenia, who is based in Tashkent, comes over “to stamp the papers,” she says.

With this, she proudly collaborates; indeed, her own children and family have mostly dispersed to Israel and the United States. But as with the rabbi, her goal appears to be keeping a flame alive in Yerevan.

I asked her whether the unpleasantness with Azerbaijan was not fueling antisemitism. Her answer was somewhat complex: yes, during outbreaks of violence there were some security threats, and a Holocaust monument in the city was defiled with red paint. But no, there is no particular antisemitism as such – if for no other reason that the Jews here are too few.

Our Jewish guide, Abel Simonyan, had a related but different take: Jews in Armenia are actually much appreciated because of the notion that their tribe wields magnificent global influence. That is, of course, widely considered an antisemitic trope, but it has its useful consequences: For a small, landlocked country of barely 3 million, beset from all sides by enemies and despots, it is an association too valuable to squander for the dubious joys of antisemitism.

But sometimes, when there is a flareup of violence with Azerbaijan, or when the Azeris cause particular damage with Israeli attack drones and the like, he does feel a certain “antagonistic feeling toward Israel.” Indeed, in recent days all Yerevan was abuzz with reports of infiltrations by Pegasus spyware produced by NSO, whose Israeli provenance never failed to be noted.

Simonyan, a 34-year-old whose family hails from Russia and Saloniki, is married to a non-Jewish Armenian and has two small children, a daughter and a boy. His future, he thinks, is here.

He enters the Cathedral of St Gregory the Illuminator and lights a series of liturgical candles, same as his fellow Armenians. It is Last Bell Day, a national commemoration of graduation, and the place is filled with students – as befits the main cathedral in a country that was the first, in 301 AD, to adopt Christianity. He crosses himself carefully as he exits the structure.

“I must visit Tel Aviv one day.”

Armenia, Azerbaijan Optimistic on Normalization at Moscow Talks

May 26, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

By AFP

Arch foes Armenia and Azerbaijan are advancing toward normalizing ties following mutual recognition of territorial integrity, the two countries’ leaders said Thursday as they held talks in Moscow.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met separately with Russian President Vladimir Putin before the three held joint negotiations late on Thursday.

The talks were held following recent deadly border clashes between the two Caucasus neighbors, which have been locked in a decades-long conflict for control of Azerbaijan’s predominantly Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“There is a possibility of coming to a peace agreement, considering that Armenia has formally recognized Karabakh as part of Azerbaijan,” Aliyev said ahead of talks.

“Azerbaijan has no territorial claims to Armenia,” he added.

Pashinyan said the two countries were “making good progress in normalizing relationships, based on mutual recognition of territorial integrity.”

He said Yerevan was ready “to unblock all the transport links in the region that pass through Armenian territory.”

Putin said that “despite all the difficulties and problems that still remain, the situation is developing toward the settlement” of the Karabakh conflict.

He said the three countries’ deputy prime ministers will meet in a week’s time in Moscow “to resolve the remaining issues” regarding the reopening of transport links between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Caucasus neighbors have been seeking to negotiate a peace agreement with the help of the European Union and United States.

On May 14, they agreed at a meeting hosted in Brussels by the European Council President Charles Michel on mutual recognition of territorial integrity.

But the West’s diplomatic engagement in the Caucasus has irked Moscow, the traditional power broker in the region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought two wars — in 2020 and in the 1990s — for control of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Six weeks of hostilities in the fall of 2020 ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire that saw Armenia cede swathes of territory it had controlled for decades.

Armenia, which has relied on Russia for military and economic support since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has accused Moscow of failing to fulfil its peacekeeping role in Karabakh.

Yerevan’s concerns have grown after Azerbaijani activists blocked in December Karabakh’s only land link to Armenia. In April, Azerbaijan set up a checkpoint manned by border guards along the route.

Last year, Yerevan also accused Azerbaijan of occupying a pocket of its land, in what it has said amounted to military aggression and demanded military help from Russia, which has never materialized.

With Russia bogged down in Ukraine and unwilling to strain ties with Azerbaijan’s key ally Turkey, the United States and European Union have sought to repair ties between the Caucasus rivals.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ethnic Armenian separatists in Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan. The ensuing conflict claimed some 30,000 lives.

https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2023/05/26/armenia-azerbaijan-optimistic-on-normalization-at-moscow-talks-a81290

Putin reports progress in talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, saying only technical issues remain

May 26, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

The Associated Press

5:14 pm

MOSCOW (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that “strictly technical” issues remain in resolving one of the main disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan, neighbors that fought a war over a contested territory.

Putin met in Moscow with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, discussing a dispute over a winding road called the Lachin Corridor. That’s the only authorized connection between Armenia and the contested territory, Nagorno-Karabakh, and it’s a lifeline for supplies to the region’s approximately 120,000 people.

Aliyev and Pashinyan, in a broader regional summit meeting Putin hosted in Moscow, lashed out at each other for their positions regarding the land corridor. But Putin said that on the “principal issues, there is an agreement,” and later said all that remained were “surmountable obstacles,” calling them differences in terminology and “strictly technical.” He said representatives of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan would meet in a week to try to resolve the differences.

According to the Russian state news agency Tass, Pashinyan said last Wednesday that Armenia and Azerbaijan recognize each other’s territorial integrity within Soviet administrative borders. It added that on Monday, Pashinyan said the territory of Azerbaijan that his government is ready to recognize includes Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinyan said Thursday: “I want to confirm that Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed on mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity, and on this basis we can say that we are moving quite well towards settlement of our relations.”

For his part, Aliyev said Thursday that the Armenian leader’s statements ensure that “the issue of agreeing on other points of the peace treaty will go much easier, because it was the main factor on which we could not come to an agreement.”

Putin told the leaders a key sign of progress is “an agreement on the fundamental issue of territorial integrity.” He added: “And this is in fact the basis for agreeing on other issues of a secondary nature.”

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a war over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 that killed more than 6,000 people. The war ended in a Russia-brokered armistice under which Armenia relinquished territories surrounding the region. Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan, but ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia had controlled the region and surrounding territories since 1994.

The agreement to end the war left the Lachin Corridor as the only authorized connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia. Russia sent a peacekeeping force of 2,000 troops to maintain order, including ensuring that the Lachin Corridor road remains open. However last December, Azeris claiming to be environmental activists began blocking the road, saying they were protesting illegitimate mining by Armenians. Armenia contends Azerbaijan orchestrated the protests.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly alleged that Armenians have used the Lachin Corridor to bring weapons and ammunition into Nagorno-Karabakh in violation of the armistice terms.

https://federalnewsnetwork.com/world-news/2023/05/putin-reports-progress-in-talks-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan-saying-only-technical-issues-remain/

Also at

https://thepublicsradio.org/article/putin-reports-progress-in-talks-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan-saying-only-technical-issues-remain

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/putin-reports-progress-in-talks-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan-saying-only-technical-issues-remain-1.6413518

https://www.bgdailynews.com/news/international/putin-reports-progress-in-talks-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan-saying-only-technical-issues-remain/article_9e445182-5504-5f60-88c0-e18cc82e77f7.html

https://www.thederrick.com/ap/world/putin-reports-progress-in-talks-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan-saying-only-technical-issues-remain/article_df3c2df8-62b6-55ed-9ba3-46ab53b1a774.html

AW: Goverou Bardez: Saving the Oldest Armenian Diaspora in the World

May 26, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

Kegham Balian The Empty Barrel, Columns 1

Armenian community gathered outside the entrance of the Patriarchate (Photo: Hagop Djernazian)

On May 10, the Holy Synod of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem convened and unanimously declared Fr. Baret Yeretzian defrocked. The former real estate director of the Patriarchate was accused for his alleged role in leasing Goverou Bardez (The Garden of Cows) for a duration of 99 years to Jewish Australian businessman Danny Rubinstein. A few weeks later, he was decreed to vacate his residence within the Armenian Convent.

Upon hearing this news, a large swath of the Armenian community of Jerusalem gathered outside his home, demanding answers while shouting “Tavajan! Tavajan!” Being a cynic, I didn’t think this would amount to anything of value, but upon arriving on the scene, I was happily proven wrong. There were no Tashnags, Ramgavars, Homenetmenagans, Hoyetchmenagans, children, men or women — only the people, united in their clamor, for a change, with a protest that lasted for hours until nightfall, emboldened by patriotic chants.

Armenian community outside Khatchig Yeretzian’s residence (Photo: Hagop Djernazian)

At this point, the Israeli police and their enforcing division, the magavniks as we call them, entered the Armenian Convent, allegedly at the behest of the disgraced priest, in order to escort him out safely to his taxi. The crowd had increased in size, and as he exited his residence, mayhem ensued — shrieks of outrage, spitting, slapping, punching and a tussle with the Israeli forces in an attempt to grab hold of the former priest, now merely Khatchig Yeretzian. I don’t condone this kind behavior, especially toward a man who had been stripped of his power, excommunicated, and at his weakest point. It was easy, far too easy. But, the people needed answers. The people deserved answers, and the Patriarchate for the past three years had not been transparent about this issue. Yeretzian seemed like a sacrificial lamb at the mercy of a justified frenzy.

There was a need for accountability, and this wasn’t enough. After all, only the Patriarch’s signature alone holds any legal value as far as the state of Israel is concerned. If His Beatitude Archbishop Nourhan Manougian was deceived, it only highlighted his incompetence; if he had knowingly signed the lease, he was guilty of betraying the Armenian people. Only allegations for now, but irrespective of both possibilities, our backbone in the Holy Land had been shattered. A few members from our community, galvanized by the fervor of the crowd, organized a protest the following week which was to take place in the Medz Pag [the main courtyard]. And again, the cynic in me, cultivated by decades of communal complacency, said no, meguh chi kar (no one will come). And again, proudly so, I was humbled. Community leaders across the political divide gave speeches which stressed the importance of this patch of land that had been bought, bit by bit, by hokevoragans and ashkharagans since the 14th century, eventually developing into a source of sustenance and sanctuary by the St. James Brotherhood: livestock and dairy produce in abundance, a pond for the laundering of clothes, and if need be, given our historical predicament to displacement, a place for refugees from every corner of our fractured diaspora. The invigorated youth then proceeded to engage in folkloric dance, most notably the Yarkhushta, a battle dance dating back to the Middle Ages, referenced in the works of Movses Khorenatsi.

Armenian refugees camping in the Goveroun Bardez following the 1927 earthquake (Photo provided by Eli Kahvedjian)

The partially satiated ensemble, led by activists Hagop Djernazian and Setrag Balian, then marched toward the entrance of the Armenian Patriarchate, adjacent to St. James Church. With respect to its sanctity and holiness, the megaphone was eventually put aside following the plight of the people. In unison, the event culminated with a prayer — Der Voghormia — imbued, as it always has been, in pain and in memory of those who had sacrificed their lives fighting for our lands.

Setrag Balian speaking at a recent protest against the land sale

This effort, this naturally knit grassroots activism was not to be equated with the new age astro-turfed mutation that exists only in the hollowness of so-called online or international communities (the 120,000 Armenians for over 160 days in Artsakh can attest to that futility). No. This was born out of pure commonality. The Saghimahays knew one another, not virtually. We knew our walls. We knew our home. Blindfold any one of us, place us at the entrance of the convent, in front of the coarsely asphalted gate — our Vunkin Toor — and watch as our fingertips trace the rugged walls of the hallway leading to the Medz Pag, as the cobblestones beneath our feet move us toward the pricking, yet holy walls of St. James Church, before turning us toward the stairs leading to the Bezdig Pag, all the way up the labyrinth-like alleys which divide the pathways to the different households of the different families that have been for more than a century raising the next generation of Armenians within the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem: the Kahkedjians, Kahvedjians, Manougians, Kasparians, Panossians, Toumayans, Hindoyans, Djernazians, Alemians, Nassarians, Kalaydjians, Kopoushians, Kassabians, Deldelians, Krikorians, Bedrossians, Nakashians, Hagopians, Gejekoushians, Dikatanians, Yezegelians, Karagozians, Baghamians, Antreassians, Nalbandians, Lepedjians, Koutoujians, Melidossians, Tateosians, Sandrounis, Karakashians, Balians, Der Mateossians, Odabashians, Sahagians, Torossians, Baghdassarians, Dikbikians, Jansezians, Boyadjians, Avedissians, Avakians, Shahinians, Bakerdjians, Marshalians and more.

We knew one another. We knew our walls. We knew our home.

This movement, this uproar, wasn’t an attack on the Patriarchate, for by that reasoning, the equally concerned 17 members of the St. James Brotherhood who condemned the leasing of the Goverou Bardez on the 15th of November 2021, also attacked the Patriarchate, and that is simply not the case. It was a desperate plea for communication in lieu of an indifference, a societal chasm that had plagued our community for far too long. We were all in the same proverbial boat, in harm’s way, yet forsaken to anonymity without a voice.

Following the second protest which took place a few days ago, in an unprecedented collaboration which hadn’t occurred in over half a century, a joint statement was released by three clubs — Homenetmen, Hoyetchmen, Pari Siradz:

In the past several weeks, many peaceful protests have been held by the Armenian community of Jerusalem against the fraudulent leasing of Armenian real estate properties, in particular ‘Cows’ Garden’ (Goveroun Bardez). It had become public knowledge that the said real estate had been covertly given away in an illegal 99-year lease to the XANA GARDES organization.

The impact of the illegal lease on the Armenian Quarter would be immeasurably detrimental to the presence and the national ethos of the Armenian presence in the Holy Land. The Armenian community utterly rejects the illegal 99-year lease of the historical “Cows’ Garden” and its environs. The illegal lease poses a great threat to the ubiquitous mosaic of the Holy City.

Consequently, we urge the Patriarch to revoke the contract and rescind all other promised contractual deals regarding the Cows’ Garden and the Armenian properties in general because the Armenian Quarter is the natural link to other Quarters in Jerusalem. The Armenian community is ready to submit any assistance to the Patriarch to revoke the contract.

The Armenian Community at large expresses and acknowledges with gratitude the efforts exerted by His Majesty King Abdullah the Second of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and His Excellency the President of Palestine, Dr. Mahmoud Abbas, who reaffirmed their commitments to the integrity of the Armenian Quarter, as well as maintaining the Armenian and Christian presence in Jerusalem.

We also call upon the relevant stakeholders and in particular, the Republic of Armenia and the Catholicos of all Armenians, Karekin II and to the Armenian communities worldwide to reach out to help and support the struggle of the Armenian Community in Jerusalem for transparency and justice.

We, Armenians, must unite and fight to protect our presence in the Holy Land which goes back to the 4th century C.E. As a united community, we demand answers and transparency of all illegal contracts in order to revoke them, and to protect Armenian properties against all attempts of illegal sales. This will create an enhanced environment for Jerusalem Armenians to flourish, prosper and develop against all attempts of illegal seizure of Armenian properties. Furthermore, it is imperative to note that the Holy Synod and General Assembly of the St. James Brotherhood never ratified this lease.

Many supportive statements have been issued by Jerusalem heads of Churches stressing the fact that the very presence of Christianity in the Holy City is being targeted and jeopardized by extremists. Finally, the contract isn’t just a real estate matter: it is politics at the highest level. The agreement makes a mockery of international law because it violates relevant covenants and decisions, which aim to preserve the status quo, governing Jerusalem. This international covenant protects the rights of the Armenian Church and Community. The main questions to be asked of Patriarch Manougian are these: why was the land leased and to whom?

Finally, the illegal sale/lease contract should be revoked and presented to the Armenian public.

On behalf of the Armenian clubs in Jerusalem,

Homenetmen
Hoyetchmen
Paresiradz (JABU)

The ever-present lackluster mantra of Khalas tskeh inch bidnes, yeghadzeh yeghav within our Saghimahay consciousness, to the delight of the sycophants who sought favoritism from the Patriarchate, had finally succumbed to the ire of a deep-rooted transnational beckoning.

However, the issue was far from over. The central tenet remained. “Why was the land leased and to whom?”

In his article, “The Risk of Leasing out Armenian Patriarchate land in Jerusalem,” Professor Z.S. Andrew Demirdjian stated, “The risk of losing this property through eminent domain is real. When a private piece of real estate has present or future benefit for the society, there is a real risk to lose it. The government steps in to buy it in the name of public good by invoking the law known as Eminent Domain.”

He continues: “In the Israeli case, Armenians will be one social group vs. Jewish group. The Superior Court would have the tendency to favor the latter over the former. The whole intention of Israel is to convert the country into a purely Jewish state regardless how long a minority has been living there. Armenians are already considered as second-class citizens. The prospects of Armenians in Israel seem dim, but we need to continue with our millennia-old tradition of having a piece of the Holy Land as the first nation in the world to have accepted Christianity as its state religion.”

It is important to note that today, in Jerusalem, and especially in the Old City, due to scarcity of public spaces, parking lots essentially are gold. In March 2021, the opening of the parking in the Goverou Bardez, following a 10-year lease agreement with the Jerusalem Municipality, was held with the attendance of Mayor Moshe Lion, with a few dozen Israeli flags covering the entire area, along with a meager Armenian flag, akin to a vassal state bowing down to its new occupiers. Mr. Lion was all smiles next to Fr. Yeretzian. Tell me, dear reader. When was the last time you saw a parking lot opening with flags flanking state dignitaries? Make no mistake, this is no ordinary parking lot. It is a plot of land on Mount Zion, a few hundred meters away from the Wailing Wall. Its significance, if it was forgotten to us, was never in doubt to the state of Israel.

In a recent article published by the Jerusalem Post, Mr. Lion granted an interview to journalist Peggy Cidor, who asked the following question: “According to news published this week, a large plot of land in the Armenian Quarter was purchased by an organization representing Jews, which has caused great concern among the city’s Armenian community. What is your position on that?”

Mr. Lion replied, “That is a private transaction; I have nothing to say about it.”

As the mayor of Jerusalem, of which Armenians are a historic part of its social fabric, pre-dating the state of Israel itself by at least 1,000 years; instead of reassuring us, instead of calming our fears, he opted to hide behind legal semantics.

From a state like Israel that has, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), “accounted for 69 percent of Azerbaijan’s arms import,” which more likely than not aided in the extinguishing of 5,000 souls, mostly young boys, more accountability ought to be demanded.

From a state like Israel, that has continuously denied the Armenian Genocide, in order to monopolize their suffering and maintain diplomatic ties with their Turkish and Azeri brothers in arms, at the expense of Armenian lives, nothing ought to be surprising anymore.

The message is clear, from their side, not ours: Israel will never be a friend of Armenia, and by extension, of the Armenian Diaspora.

I hope to God that Archbishop Manougian is doing everything in his power to prevent this cataclysm.

If we fail to void this deal, this encroachment warfare on our livelihood, on this plot of land of 11,500 meters squared so vital to our perpetuity, the next generation of Jerusalemite Armenians will be effectively murdered — not by physical weapons, not by mutilation, not by deportation, not by rape, all of which we, by now, have taken an involuntary historical familiarity to. This time, it will be the genocide of our souls. That is, if we remain silent.

—

Translations

Der Voghormia: An Armenian church hymn, “Lord, have mercy”
Tavajan: Armenian word for traitor
Homenetmen: Local Armenian club
Hoyetchmen: Local Armenian club
Pari Siradz: Local Armenian club
Ashkharagans: Armenian term used to describe civilians, general population
Hokevoragans: Armenian term used to describe members of the clergy
Saghimahays: Armenians of Jerusalem
Bezdig Pag: small courtyard
Medz Pag: main courtyard
Khalas tskeh inch bidnes, yeghadzeh yeghav: It’s over. Let it be. What can you do? Whatever happened, happened.
Vunkin Toor: The convent gate

Bio
Latest Posts

Kegham Balian is the production and marketing manager at Balian – Armenian Ceramics of Jerusalem, more than a century old family-business. He also writes for This Week in Palestine and additionally translates Armenian literature into English, hoping to extract and display pertinent lores that seek to highlight the depth of our 5000 year old culture.

Armenia Security Council Secretary to visit Russia

May 23, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

10:56,

YEREVAN, MAY 22, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan will visit Russia on May 23-25 at the invitation of his Russian counterpart Nikolay Patrushev.

In Moscow, Grigoryan will participate in the 11^th International Meeting of High Representatives Coordinating Security Affairs, Grigoryan’s office said in a statement.

Armenia ready to recognize Azerbaijan’s 86,600 km2 territorial integrity which includes Nagorno Karabakh – Pashinyan

May 23, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

14:00,

YEREVAN, MAY 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is ready to recognize Azerbaijan’s 86,600 km2 territorial integrity which includes Nagorno Karabakh, but the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh must be discussed through Baku-Stepanakert dialogue, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on May 22.

“The 86,600 km2 includes Nagorno Karabakh. But we must note that we are saying that the issue of the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh must be discussed in the Baku-Stepanakert format,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan noted that all administrations before him have recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

“Armenia is ready to recognize the 86,600 km2 territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. And it is our understanding that Azerbaijan is ready to recognize the 29,800 km2 territorial integrity of Armenia. If we understand each other correctly with Azerbaijan in this matter, Armenia, indeed, recognizes Azerbaijan’s 86,600 km2 territorial integrity, with the understanding that Azerbaijan recognizes Armenia’s 29,800 km2 territorial integrity,” PM Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said it is highly important to create international guarantees for the direct talks between Stepanakert and Baku over the rights and security of Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. “We mean, for example, that the issue of the rights and security of Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh could get forgotten and Azerbaijan could continue its policy of ethnic cleansing and genocide against Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh through force,” Pashinyan said, highlighting the need for guarantees to prevent this policy.

During Brussels-hosted talks earlier in May, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev confirmed their unequivocal commitment to the 1991 Almaty Declaration and the respective territorial integrity of Armenia (29,800 km2) and Azerbaijan (86,600 km2).

The 29,800 km2 territorial integrity of Armenia includes enclaves, including Artsvashen.

86,600 km2 territorial integrity of Azerbaijan also includes enclaves. “This is a political stance, but the legal part of the issue must still be looked into,” the PM said.

Armenia, UK attach importance to signing comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement

May 23, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

16:50,

YEREVAN, MAY 22, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty during their May 22 meeting in Yerevan expressed readiness to take practical steps for fully utilizing the potential in the economic, scientific and cultural areas.

Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Docherty that they attached importance to the existing partnership between Armenia and the UK and are hopeful that they will be able to intensify cooperation in areas of mutual interest through joint efforts.

“We attach importance to the launch of the strategic dialogue between Armenia and the United Kingdom. We hope for it to be reflected in our partnership in multilateral platforms as well,” Mirzoyan said.

Although trade has increased, FM Mirzoyan said he hopes the trade turnover will have increased a lot more when they meet again in the future.

“We both attached importance to the strengthening of the legal-contractual framework of relations between Armenia and the UK, namely in terms of signing a comprehensive and enhanced partnership agreement. We believe that conducting mutual high-level visits will promote this direction,” he added.

The Armenian Foreign Minister added that during the meeting they also discussed the reforms agenda aimed at strengthening the democratic institutions and the rule of law, human rights, unwavering fight against corruption and ensuring effective governance.

“In this context we appreciate the UK’s continuous support to Armenia’s democratic reforms,” Mirzoyan said.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/19/2023

May 22, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

                                        Friday, May 19, 2023
Russia Sounds Caution On Armenian-Azeri Peace Deal
May 19, 2023
Russia - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov hosts talks between his Armenian 
and Azerbaijani counterparts, Moscow, May 19, 2023.
The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan have narrowed their differences 
on a bilateral peace treaty, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on 
Friday after hosting fresh talks between them in Moscow.
But he suggested that the two sides need to restore Armenian-Azerbaijani 
transport links, start delimiting their long border and bolster the ceasefire 
regime in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone before they can finalize such a 
treaty.
Lavrov held separate talks with Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun 
Bayramov of Azerbaijan before sitting down with them in a trilateral format.
“Work on the peace treaty is undoubtedly fundamental,” he told the press after 
the trilateral meeting. “But our partners confirmed today that without solving 
the issues of delimitation, unblocking transport and economic links and an 
overall improvement of the security situation in both Karabakh and on the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border it’s very hard to make progress on concrete aspects 
of the peace treaty. We discussed all this together.”
Lavrov said in that regard that a Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani task force 
dealing with practical modalities of the transport links will meet next week 
after a long pause.
“We hope that a positive result will be achieved as a result. The parties are 
already very, very close to a final agreement,” he said without elaborating.
Lavrov further announced that a separate Armenian-Azerbaijani group working on 
the border delimitation and demarcation with Russian assistance will also resume 
its activities soon.
“Regarding the peace treaty, I think that on a number of articles which we 
discussed today we managed to bring the two sides’ understandings closer to a 
common vision,” added the top Russian diplomat.
As Lavrov spoke Bayramov and Mirzoyan continued their negotiations in his 
absence. Mirzoyan’s press office said afterwards that the two ministers had a 
“constructive exchange of views on issues on which the parties have 
differences.” It did not disclose those issues.
U.S. - Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosts talks between the Armenian and 
Azerbaijani foreign minsters in Arlington, Virginia, May 4, 2023.
According to the U.S. State Department, Bayramov and Mirzoyan made “tangible 
progress” towards the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal during their four-day 
talks held outside Washington earlier this month.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev 
tried to build on that progress when they met in Brussels on May 14. Pashinian 
afterwards reaffirmed Armenia’s readiness to recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial 
integrity through the document currently discussed by the two sides.
The two leaders are due to meet again in Moscow on May 25 at Russian President 
Vladimir Putin’s invitation.
Another Armenian-Azerbaijani summit is slated for June 1. Aliyev and Pashinian 
will be joined by French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf 
Scholz and European Union chief Charles Michel. Analysts believe that the United 
States and the EU are pressing the parties to sign the far-reaching deal.
Moscow has repeatedly accused the West of trying to use the Karabakh conflict to 
drive Russia out of the South Caucasus. It maintains that Armenian-Azerbaijani 
agreements brokered by Putin are the only viable blueprint for settling the 
conflict.
Yerevan Elections Slated For September 17
May 19, 2023
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - A view of the Victory Bridge in Yerevan, February 28, 2023.
The next municipal elections in Yerevan will take place on September 17, 
according to Armenia’s Central Election Commission (CEC).
Speaking to state television, the CEC chairman, Vahagn Hovakimian, said the 
election date, which has to be confirmed by the Armenian government, is mandated 
by an Armenian law on local self-governance.
Yerevan residents will to go the polls to elect a new municipal assembly that 
will in turn appoint the city’s mayor.
Yerevan’s last mayor, Hrachya Sargsian, stepped down on March 17 after only 15 
months in office. The Armenian capital has since been effectively run by Tigran 
Avinian, a deputy mayor nominated by the ruling Civil Contract party for the 
vacant post.
Sargsian’s resignation is believed to have been designed to boost the party’s 
and Avinian’s chances in the upcoming polls.
Avinian has kept a high profile for the last two months, chairing meetings with 
municipal officials, issuing instructions to them and talking to ordinary 
citizens. Critics accuse him of abusing his position to prematurely conduct his 
election campaign.
The 34-year-old vice-mayor allied to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian dismissed 
these claims as he chaired a recent session of the current city council.
Unlike several fringe parties, none of Armenia’s leading opposition groups has 
nominated a mayoral candidate so far. Artsvik Minasian, a senior member of the 
main opposition Hayastan alliance, said on Friday that it clarify its intentions 
later this month.
The last Yerevan elections were held in September 2018. Pashinian’s bloc won the 
overwhelming majority of seats in the city council and installed TV comedian 
Hayk Marutian as mayor. The council ousted Marutian in December 2021 after he 
fell out with Pashinian.
French Firm To Halt Armenian Brandy Exports To Russia
May 19, 2023
        • Robert Zargarian
Armenia - Grapes delivered to a Yerevan Brandy Company facility in Ararat 
province, 7Sep2015.
Armenia’s leading brandy producer heavily dependent on the Russian market may 
face an uncertain future after its French parent company’s decision to stop 
exports of all its international brands to Russia.
The Pernod Ricard giant announced the decision, clearly linked to Western 
sanctions against Moscow, late last week.
“We will also cease the distribution of our portfolio in Russia, a process that 
we anticipate will take some months to complete,” it said in a statement.
Pernod Ricard’s worldwide subsidiaries include the Yerevan Brandy Company (YBC), 
Armenia’s largest brandy maker and wholesale buyer of grapes. The YBC could not 
be reached for comment on Friday.
The Russian news agency TASS quoted an unnamed YBC source as saying that the 
company is continuing brandy shipments to Russia for now. The source did not 
elaborate.
“I have not yet received official information, but it seems official: the 
Yerevan Brandy Company will stop its exports to Russia,” Armenian Economy 
Minister Vahan Kerobian told lawmakers on Thursday.
Most of the brandy produced by YBC and other Armenian firms is exported to 
Russia. These exports reportedly totaled $180 million in 2021.
Armenia - Export-bound brandy stored at the Yerevan Brandy Company.
According to Avag Harutiunian, the head of the Armenian Union of Winemakers, YBC 
has accounted for roughly one-third of grapes grown in the South Caucasus 
country and purchased by local producers of wines and spirits.
“There will now be very serious tensions in our market,” Harutiunian told 
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
“We have to wait and see what the situation will be,” Kerobian said in this 
regard. He acknowledged that Pernod Ricard’s decision will have an adverse 
impact on Armenian grape farmers.
The minister promised that the Armenian government will mitigate the anticipate 
fallout. But he did not specify concrete steps that could be taken by the 
government.
Other Armenian brandy makers already cut back on grape purchases last year, 
sparking protests by their suppliers. Some of those grape farmers said last fall 
that they will have to cut down their vineyards.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

The President of Armenia: A leader well-versed in diplomatic tightroping

May 22, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

UK –

His Excellency Vahagn Khachaturyan says his country does ‘not have any right to take any part’ in Ukraine

Logan Green

Interviews
CAMBRIDGE

His Excellency Vahagn Khachaturyan has not been the President of the Republic of Armenia for a single day without war raging in neighbouring Ukrainian territory. In fact, more than one conflict has permeated Khachaturyan’s time in office, including Armenia’s ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan, over the contested Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The Tab sat down with the President after he addressed members of the Cambridge Union Society on domestic and foreign Armenian politics. Khachaturyan has been in office since March 2022, after a controversial election where main opposition parties boycotted the parliamentary vote.

The President addresses Cambridge Union Members (Image Credits: Jakob Schoser)

In March 2022, Armenia was one of 35 countries that abstained from the UN General Assembly resolution which condemned the Russian invasion of Ukraine and demanded a full withdrawal of Russian troops. On this abstention list, Armenia was in the company of China, India, South Africa, and Vietnam.

I first asked the President to explain Armenia’s rationale for abstaining in this particular vote. Interestingly, one of the first phrases his translator relayed to me described Armenia’s situation as ‘unique’. Considering there were 34 other UN member states who chose to abstain from this particular resolution, what exactly about Armenia’s situation is ‘unique’?

Khachaturyan proceeded to put forward a number of justifications for their neutrality on the war in Ukraine. One of the most convincing regarded Armenian expatriates in both Russia and Ukraine. The President described that “two million Armenians live in Russia [and] half a million live in Ukraine, therefore, we do not have a right to take any part.” This is surely a consideration most can sympathise with, especially when one considers the domestic population of Armenia is only roughly three million. The President argued that the Armenian government is “also responsible for our compatriots who live outside.”

The President had a seemingly genuine concern for Armenian citizens living in both nations involved in the war, and the possible repercussions of Armenia declaring support for either Russia or Ukraine. This, however, is not the only factor influencing the President’s ongoing diplomatic tight-roping.

Khachaturyan acknowledged Armenia’s “strategic relations” in Russia, adding that “Russia is the guarantor of our security.” Here he is referring to Armenia’s membership of the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), which has a similar mutual protection clause in its treaty to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty (the founding treaty of NATO). If Armenia was ever to be attacked by another state, Russia would be obliged under the treaty to provide military support. Thus, on security matters at least, Armenia is cautious to not bite the hand that feeds her.

The President touring Trinity College after his talk (Image Credits: Jakob Schoser)

According to the President, Armenia also has “friendly relations” with both Russia and Ukraine, which influences their position that they are “for anybody, but we are ready to help any party for the peaceful settlement and resolution of this issue.”

The President finished his answer to my question with what seemed an honest and genuine reflection of the situation Armenia finds itself in with regard to Ukraine: “Please believe me that it is not easy for us. In words, I might be presenting it smoothly, but in reality it brings a lot of problems and complications for us.”

As a historical ally of Russia, Armenia’s neutrality on the war has seemed to frustrate Moscow. Russia has recently enacted a ban on a number of Armenian dairy products, citing food safety concerns. However, these regulations have been widely interpreted as a subtle condemnation of Armenia’s neutral position. The President acknowledged that “[Russia] may be using these tools for political purposes as well.”

Adding fuel to the fire, Armenia has recently edged closer to ratifying the Rome Statute, which would result in it being a fully-fledged member of the International Criminal Court (ICC). This ratification would mean Armenia could prosecute its neighbour Azerbaijan over alleged crimes committed in the ongoing conflict on the border.

However, ratifying the Rome Statute could result in an awkward situation if Putin wanted to visit Armenia in the near future. Armenian authorities would technically have an obligation to arrest Putin, after the ICC issued an arrest warrant for the Russian President. In response, the Kremlin warned of “serious consequences” if Armenia were to fully confirm their ICC membership.

There is no doubt Armenia’s relationship with Moscow has soured since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, despite trade with Russia becoming “a lot more active”, according to the President. Trade with Russia is yet another factor influencing Khachaturyan’s diplomatic tightroping.

The Tab spoke to the President just days before he attended King Charles III’s coronation in London, an event he saw as an opportunity to develop Armenia’s relationship with the United Kingdom.

The President acknowledged that “the UK is a high-tech developed country” and that Armenia “need[s] to make use of these opportunities.” Beyond the focus of technological development, he would like to “use more opportunities in other sectors to improve our relations”.

Khachaturyan specifically mentioned the culture sector, referencing an exhibition at the British Museum which opened the day he visited Cambridge. The exhibition focuses on Greek and Persian history, but has “exhibits from the Armenian History Museum presented there.” The President thinks it is “very important” to share Armenian culture, and that “Armenia has a great potential to the world with its culture that we are not using enough.”

Ultimately, Armenia’s position on the war collapses the false dichotomy so often presented to us; that states are either wholeheartedly for or against Russia’s actions. There is no doubt we should continue to condemn Russia’s unprovoked, full-scale, illegal invasion of Ukraine, and support Ukraine to defend its sovereign territory. However, there is no harm in acknowledging the reality of the “complex situation” countries like Armenia find themselves in – a situation Khachaturyan clearly articulated to me.

In addition, we should not underestimate the symbolic power of Moscow’s traditional allies taking a neutral stance on the war. Their neutrality can play a valuable role in undermining the Kremlin’s war efforts.

EU continues engagement towards lasting peace and security in the South Caucasus – Josep Borrell

May 16, 2023March 12, 2026 Ekmekjian Janet

11:45,

YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell has met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov in Brussels.

In a tweet, Borrell said he welcomed the resumption of the trilateral meetings between Armenia and Azerbaijan hosted by President of the European Council Charles Michel.

“Good exchange with FM Jeyhun Bayramov. Welcomed resumption of trilateral meetings hosted by President of the European Council, discussed its outcomes & way forward and exchanged views on EU-Azerbaijan relations. The EU continues engagement towards lasting peace and security in the South Caucasus,” Borrell tweeted.