Author: Elizabeth Jabejian

Armenian Athlete Performs 32 Pull-ups From Helicopter, Sets Guinness World Record

Elizabeth Jabejian
March 14 2023
Written By

Vidit Baya

A new Guinness World Record has been set by an Armenian athelete by completing 32 pull-ups in one minute while clinging to a helicopter’s skids. In Yerevan, the countries capital, Hamazasp Hloyan set a record by performing the most pull-ups in a minute while hanging from a helicopter.

Hloyan, who prepared for the record attempt alongside fellow Armenian Guinness World Record holder Roman Sahradyan, now holds the Guinness World Record for the most pull-ups in a minute. 

In a statement, Guinness World Records said “The most pull ups from a helicopter in one minute is 32, achieved by Hamazasp Hloyan (Armenia) in Yerevan, Armenia, on 5 November 2022. Hamazasp was trained by multiple Guinness World Records title holder Roman Sahradyan (Armenia).”

The official Facebook handle of Guinness World Record posted a video clip of the successful attempt by Hloyan. 

Previously, YouTubers and fitness fanatics Stan Browney and Arjen Albers broke the record for doing the most pull-ups in a minute while hanging out of a helicopter in a video that Guinness World Records published in August of last year.

An official adjudicator was present when Stan Bruininck and Arjen Albers staged their bid for the world record title at Hoevenen Airfield in Antwerp, Belgium, according to a video posted on YouTube by Guinness World Records. Albers broke the previous record of 23, established by Armenian record breaker Roman Sahradyan, by clocking 24 pull-ups from helicopter treads.

READ | US: Florida woman breaks Guinness World Record; completes ultra-marathon in 23 days

The influencer’s record time, however, only lasted as long as his attempt, as Bruininck soon after completed 25 pull-ups while dangling from the aircraft. After preparing for weeks, the two aced the challenge. A slick PVC tube suspended from ropes was utilised by the two sportsmen to mimic the movements of a helicopter. They also made the decision to raise the bar and train on a tube that had a diameter thicker than the bar they would use on the day as part of the Guinness World Records in order to be better prepared for the occasion.

https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/europe/armenian-athlete-performs-32-pull-ups-from-helicopter-sets-guinness-world-record-articleshow.html

ALSO READ
https://indianexpress.com/article/trending/trending-in-india/armenian-man-breaks-world-record-for-most-pull-ups-from-a-helicopter-8496933/
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Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 16-03-23

Elizabeth Jabejian

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 17:06,

YEREVAN, 16 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 16 March, USD exchange rate up by 0.23 drams to 388.63 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.22 drams to 412.53 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.02 drams to 5.10 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 0.54 drams to 468.10 drams.

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

Gold price up by 212.15 drams to 24032.39 drams. Silver price up by 5.84 drams to 276.07 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

The California Courier Online, March 16, 2023

Elizabeth Jabejian

The California
Courier Online, March 16, 2023

 

1-         Truth is
Stranger Than Fiction: Israel’s

            Ambassador
to Azerbaijan
is an Armenian

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Mexican
Armenians Express Gratitude for Senate Recognition of Genocide

3-         Storica
Wines, Carnival Cruise Line Partner to Bring Armenian Wine to Travelers

4-         Armenian
Patriarch congratulates Pope on 10th anniversary

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1-         Truth is
Stranger Than Fiction: Israel’s

            Ambassador
to Azerbaijan
is an Armenian

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

When I first heard that Israel’s
Ambassador to Azerbaijan,
George Deek, is an Armenian, I thought that it can’t be true. However, I was
astonished to find out that it was correct. As Mark Twain said: “Truth is
stranger than fiction!”

Long before he became Israel’s
Ambassador to Baku,
Deek tweeted: “My father’s grandmother’s name was Antaraan Hambarian, an
Armenian. She is a survivor of the Armenian tragedy of… 8:43 AM. Apr 12, 2015.”

The Facebook link Deek included in his tweet was significant
because it referred to an April 12, 2015 article titled: “Turkey angry at
pope after ‘genocide’ remarks.” So Deek was aware that there was an Armenian
Genocide, his father’s grandmother was a survivor of that Genocide, and her
name was Antaraan Hamparian, even though he misspelled her first name which was
most probably Antaram.

After Deek became Israel’s
Ambassador to Azerbaijan
in 2019, several Armenians angrily criticized him for referring to the Armenian
Genocide as a ‘tragedy’ in his 2015 tweet. Here are some of the disparaging
replies: “Will you survive betrayal of your ancestors?” “She would be proud of
you… serving two countries actively denying the very thing that robbed her of
her own family,” “Probably she would be greatly ashamed of you,” “Your poor
grandmother is turning in her grave, sorry you condone ethnic cleansing, war
crimes, and genocide,” “I can’t believe you have Armenian roots! SHAME ON YOU
1,500,000 times then, for SUPPORTING TERRORISTS Azerbaijan
and Turkey!
IT’S A SHAME FOR US THAT YOU HAVE ARMENIAN BLOOD IN YOUR VEINS!” and “Your
great grandmother will spit on your face if she would hear what you say!”

On Sept. 30, 2021, the ANCA (Armenian National Committee of
America) posted on its Facebook page: “Most shameful diplomatic appointment in
the history of diplomacy. Genocide survivor state Israel
sending George Deek (a self-described ethnic Armenian descendant of Armenian
Genocide survivors) as its ambassador to Azerbaijan, a country openly working
to complete this crime.”

In July 2021, Deek angered Armenians again by tweeting:
“Together with the diplomatic corps in Azerbaijan,
I had the historic privilege of being the first Israeli Ambassador to visit the
remarkable city of Shusha,” a noteworthy
Armenian town captured by Azerbaijan
during the 2020 war.

In an interview with The Times of Israel on January 13,
2023, Amb. Deek described himself as ‘an Arab and an Israeli.’ His father was
an Orthodox Christian of mixed Armenian and Palestinian roots. Here is an
excerpt from that interview:

The Times of Israel:
“When you meet Azeris and they discover you’re an Arab Christian, what kind of
reactions do you get?”

Amb. Deek: “Naturally, it’s surprising and confusing for
most Azeris. The sense of surprise is great for helping me explain about the
diversity of Israeli society. But frankly, at this point, I’ve stopped
correcting them because it gets tiring. It’s still funny when on December 24,
they still wish me a Happy Hanukkah rather than Merry Christmas.”

The Times of Israel:
“As an Israeli Christian, what’s your perspective on the Armenian community —
which consists mainly of fellow Israeli Christians — and the challenges they
face in Israel,
both in connection with the Jerusalem-Baku relationship and with other
non-related issues?”

Amb. Deek: “I have deep sympathy for the Armenian community
in Israel, and specifically
in Jaffa, where
I grew up. We share the same faith and many cultural traditions. Many of my
friends from school and from youth movements are Armenian. I had teachers who
influenced me immensely who are Armenian, and I consider them as close
friends.”

On January 5, 2023, the Azeri Caliber.az website quoted Amb.
Deek as declaring: “Israel
is proposing its assistance to Azerbaijan
in the setting up of ‘smart cities’ in Armenian districts occupied by Azerbaijan.”

On January 12, 2023, Amb. Deek was interviewed by Caliber.az
on video which was titled, “Beyond the visible: Excavating the depths of
Israeli-Azerbaijani ties with Ambassador George Deek.”

In that interview, Amb. Deek made the following alarming
statement: “The most important event is when Azerbaijan
entered the second Karabakh war and we [Israel]
have been here standing shoulder to shoulder with our partner and friend Azerbaijan. Our
strategic cooperation continued and intensified during that period but also on
the humanitarian field. The fact that I took the risk to go to Ganja in the
middle of the attacks on the city and to talk to the local community, to meet
them, to provide humanitarian support with equipment like basic things from
blankets and heaters and so on to people who lost their homes and everything
they could. And I think that created also the connection in the hearts, not
just in the minds, so I think the second Karabakh war showed Azerbaijan what
we mean when we say friend, what we mean when we say partner. For us these are
not empty words of diplomats…. These are things that come from the heart and
they actually have a strong meaning for us…. Israel’s position has been clear
about the Karabakh issue for a long time. Israel
supports Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity. It has done so in words and in deeds before the second
Karabakh war and after the second Karabakh war.”

He also wrongly added that “practically, the Arab-Israeli
conflict is basically over.” Amb. Deek not only does not have respect for his
Armenian heritage, he also has no respect for his Palestinian heritage. He must
have sold his soul to the devil for his job.

The most astounding aspect of Amb. Deek’s appointment is
that Israel’s Foreign
Ministry officials sent an envoy with an Armenian background to Azerbaijan!
Despite Amb. Deek’s effusive words about Azerbaijan,
I doubt whether Pres. Aliyev and the people of Azerbaijan fully trust him. In Azerbaijan,
they have nothing but hatred and contempt for any Armenian, even those who are
partly Armenian.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
2-         Mexican Armenians Express
Gratitude for Senate Recognition of Genocide

 

By Carlos Antaramián

 

MEXICO CITY (The Armenian Mirror-Spectator)—On February 18,
members of the Armenian community in Mexico gathered at the “Armenian Clock” in
Mexico City to pay tribute to the martyrs of 1915, and also to give thanks for
the recognition by the Senate of Mexico of this genocide.

With Armenians from France,
Venezuela, Cyprus, Armenia
and also with the participation of Peter Balakian, Pulitzer Prize winning poet
and professor at Colgate University in the United
States, the assembled remembered their ancestors
massacred by the government of the young Turks in the Ottoman
Empire between 1915 and 1918. In Mexico,
although the Armenians can trace their origins in this country back to the 18th
century, the vast majority arrived as refugees as a result of the genocide and
settled between 1923 and 1928 in Mexico City or Tijuana and rebuilt their
lives, establishing a small but thriving community.

Mexican Armenians have sought for many years for the Mexican
government to recognize the Armenian Genocide, as Uruguay
did in 1965 and recently the president of the United States in 2021. The
architect of this new initiative was Armen Yeritsian and the senator for the
northern state of Baja California Alejandra León Gastelum (currently of the
“Citizen Movement” Party), who since April 2022 together with the “Plural
Group” presented a Point of Agreement in the Senate of Mexico to recognize the
Genocide. This proposal was passed to the plenary session of the Senate for its
vote on February 8, 2023 and that same day it was voted on unanimously.

After the offering deposited in the fountain of the Armenian
Clock, the group participated in a toast at the Sahaguian family’s house, where
the community thanked Yeritsian for his work in pursuit of the
recognition.  There, Peter Balakian
emphasized the role that educating US legislators has had on the issue of
genocide and how, little by little, this worked. Meanwhile, congressmen have
lost their fear of confronting the powerful Turkish lobby that denies the
Armenian genocide. The same process, without a doubt, has also happened in Mexico. Mexican
society itself has changed, with, for example, the Mexican president
apologizing in 2021 for a massacre of Chinese and Japanese conducted in 1911 in
the northern Mexican city of Torreón. Legislators are no longer afraid to raise
their voices in pursuit of the truth and against the denialist campaign of the
Turkish state. This is what these commemorations and recognitions are for—to
prevent these atrocities from happening again.

At the conclusion of the gathering, Balakian reading his
poem “After the Survivors Are Gone.”

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
3-         Storica Wines, Carnival Cruise
Line Partner to Bring Armenian Wine to Travelers

 

BOSTON—Carnival Cruise Line, known as America’s Cruise Line,
has selected three wines from Storica Wines’ award-winning portfolio—Keush
Origins Brut NV, Shofer Areni Rose, and Voskevaz Karasi Haghtanak—for its
2023-2024 wine program. This marks the first time that an Armenian wine has
been carried on a major cruise line operators’ fleet.

All three wines will be listed by-the-bottle across all 24
ships in Carnival’s North American fleet in the ships’ main dining rooms and
steakhouse. Keush Origins NV will be listed by-the-glass in the steakhouses,
along with Shofer Areni Rose by-the-glass in the main dining rooms.
Additionally, Carnival Celebration, Carnival’s newest and most innovative ship,
will serve both Keush Origins Brut
NV and Shofer Areni Rose
by-the-glass at its Latitudes Bar.

“This partnership marks a major milestone for our company
and for the wine region of Armenia.
We are thrilled to be a part of Carnival’s wine program and are humbled by the
way their team has embraced our wines and the story of Armenia’s rich
ancient heritage in winemaking and its present-day renaissance,” said Zack
Armen, co-Founder and President of Storica Wines.

“Working with Storica to bring these quality wines on board
for our guests will enrich our wine offering overall. The story of Armenia’s
6,100-year tradition in winemaking brings our guests who love wine a
fascinating and deep history that I know they will appreciate along with these
fresh flavors,” said Zachary Sulkes, Senior Director of Beverage Operations for
Carnival Cruise Line.

Keush Origins Brut NV, a champagne-method sparkling wine
made from two grapes from Armenia’s
Vayots Dzor region, has garnered significant accolades from wine critics,
including a 91-point rating from Jeb Dunnuck. Shofer, a “made-by-Storica”
private label brand, is led by its 90+ rated Areni Rose, made from Armenia’s
leading Areni red grape. Voskevaz Winery’s Karasi collection features the rare,
ancient clay pot, or “karas,” fermentation method. Its Haghtanak, meaning
“victory” in Armenian, is a bold red wine that pairs well with red meats.

All three wines are currently being sold across Carnival
Cruise Line’s North American fleet, which operates from 14 homeports.

 

**********************************************************************************************************************************************
4-         Armenian Patriarch
congratulates Pope on 10th anniversary

By Joseph Tulloch

 

Exactly ten years ago, Jorge Maria Bergoglio became Pope
Francis. Over the past few days, congratulations from religious leaders, both
inside and outside the Catholic Church, have been pouring in from all over the
world. On March 13, they were joined by the Council of European Bishops
Conferences, the Patriarch of the Armenian Catholic Church, and the Presidency
of the Italian Bishops Conference.

Patriarch Raphaël Bedros XXI Minassian, head of the Armenian
Catholic Church, recalled the gestures of friendship Pope Francis has made
toward the West Asian country.

The Patriarch emphasized, in particular, his visit to Armenia, his
proclamation of the Armenian Saint Gregory Narek as a Doctor of the Church, and
his remembrance of the victims of the Armenian genocide.

The ten years of Pope Francis’ pontificate, he said, “have
been ten years in which the Armenian people—not just Catholics, but Orthodox
and Protestants too—have felt closer to the heart of the successor of Peter.”
The Holy Father’s visit to Armenia
in 2016, Patriarch Minassian said, was thus “pastoral and ecumenical at the
same time.”

 

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California Courier Online provides readers of the Armenian News News Service with a
few of the articles in this week’s issue of The California Courier. Letters to
the editor are encouraged through our e-mail address, .
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emailing .

Artsakh president replaces three ministers

Elizabeth Jabejian
Panorama
Armenia – March 9 2023

President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan on Wednesday signed a number of decrees to replace cabinet members.

According to the decrees, Hrant Safaryan was dismissed as Minister of Agriculture and Georgi Hayriyan was named his replacement, the presidential office said.

Armen Mangasaryan was sacked as Minister of Social Development and Migration to be replaced by Vahram Arakelyan.

Aram Sargsyan was dismissed from the position of Minister of Urban Development. The performance of the minister’s duties was temporarily entrusted to Deputy Minister Azat Hambardzumyan.

According to the government decisions approved earlier by Harutyunyan, Georgi Hayriyan was dismissed from the position of the Chairman of the Water Committee of the Artsakh Republic, the duties were temporarily assigned to First Deputy Chairman of the Committee Ararat Khachatryan. Vahram Arakelyan was dismissed as Deputy Minister of Social Development and Migration of the Artsakh Republic.

Armenia, Azerbaijan: Armenian and Azerbaijani security forces clash near Shusha, Azerbaijan, March 5

Elizabeth Jabejian
Crisis 24
March 4 2023

Azerbaijani and Armenian security services engaged in armed clashes on a road near Shusha during the morning of March 5. Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defence claims the clashes erupted after Azerbaijani security forces discovered weapons and ammunition in a vehicle during a stop and search; Armenian officials claim Azeri security forces opened fire on a local police vehicle without provocation. Three Armenian police officers are confirmed to have been killed during the skirmish. The two countries have long-standing tensions over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh; Russian forces are currently deployed to the area as peacekeeping forces.

Authorities are likely to increase security measures in the area following the incident prompting related transport disruptions. Further clashes are possible in the coming days. Protests relating to the incident are also possible in the coming days.

Exercise heightened caution if operating in the border area between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Allow additional time for travel in the affected area. Carry relevant identification documents; heed all instructions from local security personnel. Leave the area at the first sign of a confrontation.

​92 Flights From Israeli Base Reveal Arms Exports to Azerbaijan

Elizabeth Jabejian
Ha’aretz, Israel
March 5 2023

92 Flights From Israeli Base Reveal Arms Exports to Azerbaijan

Haaretz investigation reveals dozens of cargo flights from Baku to Israeli airstrip used for export of explosives ■ Israel sells Azerbaijan weaponry worth billions – and, per sources, receives oil and access to Iran ■ Tensions between Azerbaijan and both Iran and Armenia have ratcheted up recently

Avi Scharf 

Oded Yaron

An Azerbaijani cargo plane landed last Thursday at the Ovda Israeli air force base north of Eilat. After two hours on the ground, as usual, the old Ilyushin-76 airlifter took off, flew over central Israel, continued north over Turkey and then to the east – returning to its home field in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

An investigation by Haaretz, based on publicly available aviation data, reveals that over the past seven years, 92 cargo flights flown by Azerbaijani Silk Way Airlines have landed at the Ovda airbase, the only airfield in Israel through which explosives may be flown into and out of the country.

Israel has had a strategic alliance with Azerbaijan for the past two decades, and Israel sells the large Shi’ite-majority country weapons worth billions of dollars – and in return, Azerbaijan, per sources, supplies Israel with oil and access to Iran.

According to foreign media reports, Azerbaijan has allowed the Mossad to set up a forward branch to monitor what is happening in Iran, Azerbaijan’s neighbor to the south, and has even prepared an airfield intended to aid Israel in case it decides to attack Iranian nuclear sites. Reports from two years ago stated that the Mossad agents who stole the Iranian nuclear archive smuggled it to Israel via Azerbaijan. According to official reports from Azerbaijan, over the years Israel has sold it the most advanced weapons systems, including ballistic missiles, air defense and electronic warfare systems, kamikaze drones and more.

Silk Way is one of the largest cargo airlines in Asia, and according to official documents it serves as a subcontractor for various defense ministries around the world. The company operates three weekly flights between Baku and Ben-Gurion International Airport with Boeing 747 cargo freighters, and last year it was the third-largest foreign cargo carrier in terms of volume at Ben-Gurion.

But the figures revealed here for the first time show that since 2016, the company’s IL-76 planes have landed at least 92 times at the Ovda airport, an unusual destination for civilian cargo planes. Silk Way is one of the very few airlines that lands at Ovda; over the years only a handful of Eastern European airlines that have carried explosives have landed and taken off from there. Silk Way was even at the center of an investigative report in the Czech media in 2018, which stated that weapons banned for sale to Azerbaijan were flown there in spite of the arms embargo – in a circular deal through Israel.

Israeli aviation law forbids the routine transport of explosives from Ben-Gurion Airport, because it is located in the heart of a densely populated area, said sources in the aviation industry. The only airport from which it is permitted to import and export explosives is the Israel Air Force base in Ovda, the sources said. In October 2013, the head of the Israel Civil Aviation Authority, Giora Romm, signed an exemption permitting Silk Way planes to fly shipments of explosives – “classified as dangerous materials banned to fly” – from Ovda to a military airfield on the outskirts of Baku. This exemption, which was posted at the time on the Civil Aviation Authority’s website, requires strict safety conditions, and includes a list of the Azerbaijani aircraft allowed to transport explosives from Ovda to Azerbaijan.
These Silk Way aircraft (and others) have landed at Ovda almost 100 times since the permit was issued. The data expose an increasing pace of flights to Baku especially in the middle of 2016, in late 2020 and at the end of 2021 – which coincide with periods of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan and Armenia have waged war over this disputed region between them many times since the beginning of the 20th century – and all the more so since both countries gained independence after the Soviet Union collapsed.

Some of these flights landed at Ovda with the official call sign of Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry. In 2016, Silk Way was granted another exemption and allowed to continue to land here – even though its planes did not meet the Israeli aviation noise standards – just so they could continue flying to Ovda.

A shared enemy, a strategic alliance

Nagorno-Karabakh is the most famous of a number of enclaves that has led to the troubled relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia throughout their history. The Soviet regime was relatively successful in reducing the tensions between the Christian Armenian population and the Shi’ite Azeris, but in 1988 the parliament of the Nagorno-Karabakh region called a referendum on leaving Azerbaijan and uniting with Armenia. This step led to violence and what became, in practice, massacres of Armenians in Baku and other Azerbaijani cities – and similar acts against the Azeri population.

When the Soviet Union collapsed, the conflict turned into an open and bloody war, which ended in 1994 in a clear victory for Armenia, which took control of large areas surrounding the enclave. Hundreds of thousands of refugees from both sides were expelled or forced to flee for their lives.

The harsh conflict left both sides under sanctions and severe export restrictions in Europe and the United States. President Ilham Aliyev, after inheriting the position from his father Heydar Aliyev, has ruled Azerbaijan with a firm hand – and his regime has a long history of repressing civil rights and arrests of opposition activists. In 2017, the U.S. State Department released a report condemning the state of the LGBT community in the country, which suffers from persecution, discrimination, disappearances and arrests, torture and murder.

The sanctions provided a business and strategic opportunity for an unexpected partner: Israel. The fact that the two countries both see Iran as a direct threat only strengthened the ties. Azerbaijan declared its independence in October 1991, and Israel – which was one of the first countries to recognize the new nation – opened an embassy in Baku in 1993.

“Azerbaijan’s relations with Israel are discreet but close,” wrote Rob Garverick, the head of the political and economic department in the U.S. Embassy in Baku, in a 2009 telegram that was published as part of the Wikileaks documents. “Each country finds it easy to identify with the other’s geopolitical difficulties and both rank Iran as an existential security threat. Israel’s world-class defense industry with its relaxed attitude about its customer base is a perfect match for Azerbaijan’s substantial defense needs that are largely left unmet by the United States, Europe and Russia for various reasons tied to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Aptly described by Azerbaijani President Aliyev as being like an iceberg, nine-tenths of it is below the surface, this relationship is also marked by a pragmatic recognition by Israel of Azerbaijan’s political need to hew publicly and in international forums to the [Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s] general line.”

Azerbaijan’s economy is based primarily on oil and gas, and as part of its strategic alliance it has become Israel’s largest supplier of oil. According to estimates, about half of the oil imported by Israel comes from Azerbaijan.

During their first years of independence, both Armenia and Azerbaijan relied on the Soviet arsenal of weapons, but according to the Stockholm International Peace Institute, since 2016 the situation has changed and Israel is now responsible for almost 70 percent of Azerbaijan’s weapons.

Numerous official reports, statements and videos from Azerbaijan show Israel has exported a very wide range of weapons to the country – starting with Tavor assault rifles all the way to the most sophisticated systems such as radar, air defense, antitank missiles, ballistic missiles, ships and a wide range of drones, both for intelligence and attack purposes. Israeli companies have also supplied advanced spy tech, such as communications monitoring systems from Verint and the Pegasus spyware from the NSO Group – tools that were used against journalists, the LGBT community and human rights activists in Azerbaijan, too.

Israeli weapons played an important role when the fighting against Armenia restarted in the Four-Day War between the two countries in April 2016, and especially during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, as well as in the battles during 2022. “The skillful use by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan of high technology and high-precision weapons, including those produced in Israel, in particular drones, played an important role in achieving military victory. I am confident that our bilateral ties will be further strengthened and deepened in various fields after the Patriotic War”, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov told the Israel Hayom newspaper in an interview in April 2021.

The Stockholm International Peace Institute says Israel’s defense exports to Azerbaijan began in 2005 with the sale of the Lynx multiple launch rocket systems by Israel Military Industries (IMI Systems), which has a range of 150 kilometers (92 miles). IMI, which was acquired by Elbit Systems in 2018, also supplied LAR-160 light artillery rockets with a range of 45 kilometers, which, according to a report from Human Rights Watch, were used by Azerbaijan to fire banned cluster munitions at residential areas in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenia also fired cluster munitions manufactured by Russia, and a great deal of unexploded ordnance remained in civilian areas. Israel, the United States, Russia and China are among the opponents of the 2008 international Convention on Cluster Munitions banning the development and use of cluster munitions, which has been signed by 123 countries.

In 2007, Azerbaijan signed a contract to buy four intelligence-gathering drones from Aeronautics Defense Systems. It was the first deal of many. In 2008 it purchased 10 Hermes 450 drones from Elbit Systems and 100 Spike antitank missiles produced by Rafael Advanced Defense Systems and in 2010 it bought another 10 intelligence-gathering drones.

Soltam Systems, owned by Elbit, sold it ATMOS self-propelled guns and 120-millimeter Cardom mortars, and in 2017 Azerbaijan’s arsenal was supplemented with the more advanced Hanit mortars. According to the telegram leaked in Wikileaks, a sale of advanced communications equipment from Tadiran was also signed in 2008.

Open gallery view
Azeri President Aliyev with Israeli Spike missiles and Hanit artilleryCredit: president.az

Israel and Azerbaijan took their relationship up a level in 2011 with a huge $1.6 billion deal that included a battery of Barak missiles for intercepting aircraft and missiles, as well as Searcher and Heron drones from Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). It was reported that near the end of the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, a Barak battery shot down an Iskander ballistic missile launched by Armenia.

Aeronautics Defense Systems also began cooperating with the local arms industry in Azerbaijan, where some of the 100 Orbiter kamikaze (loitering munitions) drones were produced – drones that Azerbaijan’s defense minister called “a nightmare for the Armenian army.” In 2021, an indictment was filed against Aeronautics Defense Systems for violating the law regulating defense exports in its dealing with one of its most prominent clients. A court-imposed gag order prevents the publication of further details.

A project to modernize the Azerbaijani army’s tanks began in the early 2010s. Elbit Systems upgraded and equipped the old Soviet T-72 models with new protective gear to enhance the tanks’ and their crews’ survivability, as well as fast and precise target acquisition and fire control systems. The upgraded tanks, known as Aslan (Lion), starred in the 2013 military parade.

Azerbaijan’s navy was reinforced in 2013 with six patrol ships based on the Israel Navy’s Sa’ar 4.5-class missile boats, produced by Israel Shipyards and carrying the naval version of the Spike missiles, along with six Shaldag MK V patrol boats with Rafael’s Typhoon gun mounts and Spike missile systems. Azerbaijan’s navy also bought 100 Lahat antitank guided missiles.

In 2014, Azerbaijan ordered the first 100 Harop kamikaze drones from IAI, which were a critical tool in later rounds of fighting. Azerbaijan also purchased two advanced radar systems for aerial warning and defense from IAI subsidiary Elta that same year

Open gallery view
Azeri President Aliyev with an Israeli Harop kamikaze droneCredit: president.az

“We have purchased the most modern air defense installations. Our army has the most powerful artillery … The weaponry and ammunition we have acquired in recent years suggest we can accomplish any task … Just as we have beaten the Armenians on the political and economic fronts, we are able to defeat them on the battlefield,” declared Aliyev during a visit to the battlefield – and also on his Twitter account.

Two years later, Azerbaijan bought another 250 SkyStriker kamikaze drones from Elbit Systems. Many videos from the areas of fighting showed Israeli drones attacking Armenian forces.

Azerbaijani strike with Israeli Harop on an Armenian S-300

In 2016, during Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Baku, Aliyev revealed that contracts had already been signed between the two countries for the purchase of some $5 billion in “defensive equipment.”

In 2017, Azerbaijan purchased advanced Hermes 900 drones from Elbit Systems and LORA ballistic missiles from IAI, with a range 430 kilometers. In 2018, Aliyev inaugurated the base where the LORA missiles are deployed, at a distance of about 430 kilometers from Yerevan, Armenia’s capital. During the war in 2020, at least one LORA missile was launched, and according to reports it hit a bridge that Armenia used to supply arms and equipment to its forces in Nagorno-Karabakh.

More advanced Spike missiles were sent in 2019 and 2020. Along with the Israeli weapons systems, Turkey – Azerbaijan’s ally and Armenia’s enemy – supplied its Bayraktar TB2 drones, which played a major role in destroying Armenian targets.

An official visit – and an embassy

In October 2022, Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz visited Azerbaijan and met with Aliyev. In an official statement, Gantz said his visit concerned security and policy issues and deepening the cooperation between the two countries. What was not made public at the time was that a month before Gantz’s visit, Yair Kulas, the head of Israel’s defense exports directorate (SIBAT), made his own visit to Azerbaijan and met with the minister in charge of Azerbaijan’s defense industries.

The Azeri ministry said the two discussed expanding business with Israeli defense industries. A short time later Azerbaijan officially announced that it would soon open an embassy in Israel for the first time, calling it a “historic step” and adding that the “sky is the limit for the relations between the two countries and peoples.”

Since the visit, tensions have flared between Azerbaijan and its neighbor Iran. And based on testimony from Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s relations with Armenia have reached the boiling point again, and another violent conflict may be looming.

In the meantime, seven more Azeri flights have landed at the Ovda airbase. After two hours on the ground, with their cargo loaded, they departed – back to Baku.

AW: Armenian Center at Columbia grants $85,000 in research funding

Elizabeth Jabejian
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NEW YORK, NY—The Armenian Center at Columbia University has granted $85,000 in research funding to seven scholars and one artist, for projects exploring cultural-heritage loss, ethnic cleansing, architectural site location and medieval literature, among other topics.

The Center first issued a call for applications two years ago, at a time when the pandemic was disrupting many academic opportunities. Although Armenian-related scholarship at Columbia was a primary focus, applications from academics at other institutions, as well as independent artists, were also considered. All grants were issued in 2021 and in 2022.

The awardees and their projects are:

Ararat Sekeryan, PhD candidate, Columbia University, Department of Slavic Languages 

Project: “Literary Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians in Soviet and Post-Soviet Azerbaijani Literature.”

In 2004, the Republic of Azerbaijan launched an effort to transliterate Soviet-era Azerbaijani literature from the Cyrillic alphabet into the Latin script. More than two thousand works of fiction have been transliterated so far, Sekeryan notes in his proposal, but they are also being edited to remove or alter references to Armenia and Armenians. His research will examine these changes.

Whitney A. Kite, PhD candidate, Columbia University, Art History and Archaeology

Project: “The Lay of the Land: Armenian Monasteries in their Local Landscapes.”

Focusing on three monasteries—Horomos, Geghard and Tatev—Kite’s dissertation will explore the relationship between Armenian monasteries and their landscapes, seeking to discover “how medieval monks encountered their natural surroundings, and how those encounters are a reflection of or reflected in their theology.”

Christina Mehranbod, PhD candidate, Columbia University, Epidemiology

Project: “Alcohol Use Environment in Armenia”

Mehranbod will conduct field work in Armenia to study how alcohol is distributed and promoted, as a step toward developing “preventative intervention to reduce alcohol use and related harms.” Research assistance will be provided by student interns from the American University of Armenia, who will be mentored in data-collection techniques and GIS technology. 

Ares Edvart Zerunyan, MA candidate, Columbia University, International and World History

Project: “The Lost and the ‘Dammed’: The Social, Ecological, and Political Implications of the Southeast Anatolia Project.”

Zerunyan will be exploring dam construction in Anatolia and how it “forcibly imposes state planning” on the population “yet fails to account for the actual desires and needs of the local people.”

Simon Maghakyan, PhD candidate, Cranfield University, Defense and Security Studies

Project: “The Application of Remote-Sensing Technologies to Detect and Deter Heritage Crime.”

The grant will be used to further Maghakyan’s ongoing geospatial studies into the erasure of Armenian heritage in the South Caucasus and support “an academic article on innovative applications of satellite and other technology for early detection and deterrence of heritage crimes in the Nagorno-Karabakh zone.”

Aram Ghoogasian, PhD candidate, Princeton University, Near Eastern Studies

Project: “The Second Printing Revolution: How the Industrialization of Print Transformed a Diasporic Culture.”

Ghoogasian will examine the impact of the “second printing revolution” on Armenian culture in the nineteenth century.

Rachel Goshgarian, Associate Professor, Lafayette College, History

Project: “Armeno-Turkish and the Space of Language in the Late Medieval and Early Modern Worlds: Manuscript Production and the Circulation of Ideas, Literature, and People.”

Goshgarian is investigating the role that Armenian authors played the Turkish “linguistic and literary world in the late medieval and early modern periods.”

Kirill Gerstein, Pianist

Project: “Debussy/Komitas Project.” 

Funding will support “a substantial booklet containing four long essays: one each on Debussy’s late music, Komitas’ compositions and ethnomusicological work, WW1, and the Armenian Genocide.” The booklet will be produced in conjunction with a double album featuring works by both composers.

The Armenian Center at Columbia University is not taking applications for research grants at this time.




Luxembourg ready to contribute to establishment of peace in region – Vice Speaker Djuna Bernard

Elizabeth Jabejian

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YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 28, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan held a meeting with the parliamentary delegation from Luxembourg led by MP Djuna Bernard, Vice Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies/ Vice President of the Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg.

Grigoryan said that Armenia attaches importance to the development of the multi-sector partnership with Luxembourg, the Office of the Secretary of the Security Council said in a read-out. Grigoryan expressed confidence that the Armenian-Luxembourgish bilateral relations will continue getting stronger.

Bernard underscored Luxembourg’s readiness to contribute to the establishment of peace in the region and mentioned the recent ICJ ruling ordering Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded movement of people and vehicles in the Lachin corridor.

The developments taking place in the region and the activities of the EU civilian mission in Armenia were also discussed.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice – ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.

The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.

Turkey’s last Armenian village fears for its future

Elizabeth Jabejian
Reuters
Feb 25 2023
Ece Toksabay



VAKIFLI, Turkey, Feb 25 (Reuters) – In Turkey’s only remaining ethnic Armenian village, Vakifli, the elderly population thank God that not one of them died during the devastating earthquakes that struck the region. But they fear for the future of their cherished home.

Thirty of the village’s 40 stone houses, which are single or double storey and surrounded by orange and lemon orchards, are heavily damaged, and since a third huge earthquake hit, the 130 villagers are without power. They gather at the tea house for shelter and warmth.

“Vakifli is all we have, the only Armenian village in Turkey. It is our home. Seeing it like this is breaking my heart,” said Masis, a 67-year-old retired jeweller, who moved back to his hometown after spending 17 years in Istanbul.

“This village is tiny and our children mostly prefer to live in Istanbul… This is the only home we’ve ever known. After this disaster, I don’t know how long it will take for the village to be rebuilt. I get really scared that most people will leave and the village will be abandoned,” he added.

Masis, who gave only his first name, vowed to stay as long as it takes to reconstruct.

Vakifli sits on Moses mountain in the province of Hatay, overlooking Samandag, a city on the western edge of Turkey’s long border with Syria. Villagers speak to each other in a local Armenian dialect, known as Moses Mountain Armenian, which is diluted with Arabic and Turkish words.

Turkey is overwhelmingly Muslim but hosts some ancient Christian communities – dwindling remnants of sizeable populations that lived in the Muslim-led but multi-ethnic, multi-faith Ottoman Empire, predecessor to modern Turkey.

Today, Turkey and Armenia are at odds primarily over the 1.5 million people Armenia says were killed in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire. Armenia says this constitutes genocide.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during World War One, but contests the figures and denies it was systematic.

Last week Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said humanitarian aid sent by Armenia for quake victims could boost efforts to normalise their relations.

Berc Kartun, the village head of Vakifli, said his two-storey house had been split open sideways and he was waiting for building inspectors. He had nowhere to store his valuables from the house, he added, sipping Turkish coffee in a paper cup outside the teahouse.

Armen Hergel, 64, said she has got used to living in the teahouse, which has a small generator and which she dubbed ‘the Hilton’, but the power outage in the village was a real problem.

“We need heating. We are trying to stay warm by drinking tea but the nights are cold and really scary in pitch darkness, with constant aftershocks.”

She was visiting her daughter in Istanbul when the first two quakes struck. She returned to Vakifli to tidy up.

“We thought the earthquakes had stopped… Then the third one hit on Monday evening and the damage was so much worse. Now our house is uninhabitable and we live half the time in the tea house and half the time in the tent.”

Women and men work together in the small kitchen, making soup and rice.

Close to the edge of the village stands the Holy Mother of God Armenian church.

Pastor Avedis Tabasyan said the third quake had caused the most damage. The church’s stone walls had fallen down and the baptismal font was broken. An altar cloth with embroidered pictures of Mary and Jesus was strewn with pieces of paint from the ceiling. Since the Feb. 6 quake, no Mass has been said.

“We were planning to renovate… God has shown us a different way to fix and renew our beloved place,” he said.

Can, a 26-year-old man, makes wine in the village, which is mostly sold to tourists.

“I studied winemaking in northern Turkey to spend my life here. Now that everything has to be demolished and rebuilt, I have no idea when we will get back on our feet,” he said.

Reporting by Ece Toksabay, Editing by Alexandra Hudson and Andrew Heavens

https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/turkeys-last-armenian-village-fears-its-future-after-quake-2023-02-25/ 

Women at the forefront of science in Armenia: the story of Shoghik and Hasmik

Elizabeth Jabejian
Feb 23 2023

Can you imagine that women in Armenia play an important role in science? We are Hasmik and Shoghik, young scientists from Armenia and we believe that women are the engines of science in our country. We study and work in an environment where women are involved in scientific initiatives on an equal footing with men, holding senior positions. Democracy increases gender equality in various fields, making Armenia one of the few countries where the involvement of women in science is significant. In this article, we speak about our professional path as young biologists, and how EU-funded programmes have contributed to our professional development.

Shoghik

I am from the cultural capital of Armenia, Gyumri. Although I am inspired by art and music, I chose to follow the path of science. Now I am a 4th-year student at Yerevan State University, in the faculty of Biology. My every experiment is something new that I create, as artists do. As a biologist, my current fields of interest are bioinformatics, genomics, entomology and ecology of species. In my third year of studies, I had the opportunity to participate in an Erasmus+ credit mobility exchange programme at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw. In the process of learning new methods in entomology and genetics, and doing fieldwork, I found what I really wanted to do in science after returning home to Armenia. The cooperation with European scientists had an enormous impact on my path as a professional, and more importantly, even after the programme, this cooperation continues. Currently, I am working on my diploma studies, which are mainly focused on the investigation of invasive ladybird species, what impact they have on the ecosystem and how the dynamics will change. At the same time, I am working in bioinformatics, and I am proud to have the opportunity to work in a field that is in the developing stage in my country.

Hasmik

I was born in Yerevan. My love for science began at a young age when I watched various programmes on TV about scientists and their unique research. As I grew up, my interests expanded to various professional fields, ranging from urbanism to political science, but my dream of doing science and contributing to this field was unchanged. I believe that science is also a part of art since the planning and implementation of experiments are very creative processes. Studying the diversity of life and organisms makes me enthusiastic about the world, and studying the environment and identifying its problems reveals the role of balance in the world. Currently, I am in the process of creating maps, and analysing the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem change due to climate change. The identification and investigation of scientific methods of environmental protection and study have allowed me to use resources and products more consciously in daily life and activities to propagate these ideas among family and friends.

I am studying in the 4th year of my bachelor’s degree, and in the summer semester of the 3rd year, I participated in the Erasmus+ credit mobility, I was a student at the Humboldt University of Berlin, where I studied global climate change and its impact on ecosystems and biodiversity. After returning to Armenia, I continued to work in the same direction, but this time paying attention to the change and loss of local flora and fauna. Currently, I am engaged in the study of endemic endangered species, mapping their habitats and the dynamics of their ranges.

The EU and the EU-funded programmes in which we participated had an important role in the development of our professional path. The main driving force was the Erasmus+ mobility programme, which played a crucial role in narrowing our professional orientation. The programmes and grants implemented with the support of the EU are an incentive for the development of science in Armenia and, in particular, for the active involvement of women in STEM, since regular international conferences create active ties between local and foreign partners. The involvement of various EU structures in local scientific processes provides an opportunity for young women scientists, like us, to actively develop in their field and already have small achievements. 

For centuries it was thought that science was a field only for men, but now we feel confident in an environment where women are involved in scientific processes and where there are no stereotypes that science is not for women. The best examples of that are our women scientific heads, who are an enormous inspiration for us.