1 – Armenians Haven’t Had a Competent Leader
Since Catholicos Khrimian Hyrig
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Mourners Call for Pashinyan’s Resignation During Visit to Yerablur
3 – Armenia continues to fight COVID-19 pandemic
4- Aliyev Praises Putin for Saying ‘Karabakh is Azerbaijan’;
Declares Conflict ‘History’
5- FDA approves Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
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1 – Armenians Haven’t Had a Competent Leader
Since Catholicos Khrimian Hyrig
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Khrimian Hyrig is a highly revered clergyman. But, he is also a great
leader who has given wonderful political advice to the Armenian
nation.
His Holiness was born in Van, Western Armenia, in 1820 and became the
Patriarch of Constantinople in 1869. Due to his nationalistic views,
he was forced to resign by the Ottoman government in 1873. He was then
installed as Catholicos of All Armenians in Etchmiadzin in 1893 and
died in 1907.
Khrimian Hyrig is well-known for his participation in the Berlin
Congress in 1878, hoping to receive from the great powers a decision
to force the Ottoman Empire to establish substantial reforms in the
Armenian provinces. He did not accomplish his objective because
Armenians were powerless. He likened the failed Armenian efforts in
the Berlin Congress to his attempt to eat from a bowl with a “paper
ladle,” while other nations had an “iron ladle.”
The highly nationalistic Khrimian Hyrig exhorted his fellow Armenians
to arm themselves: “People of Armenia, of course you understand well
what the gun could have done and can do. And so, dear and blessed
Armenians, when you return to the Fatherland, to your relatives and
friends, take weapons, take weapons and again weapons. People, above
all, place the hope of your liberation on yourself. Use your brain and
your fist! Man must work for himself in order to be saved.”
Khrimian Hyrig’s wise words are just as valid today, particularly
after the latest disastrous defeat Armenians suffered at the hands of
better armed Azerbaijan and Turkey.
A recently surfaced letter by Khrimian Hyrig, written over a century
ago, is as applicable today as it was back then. It is headlined: “If
You Have an Independent State in the Future, Do Everything You Can to
Never, Ever Lose Your Independence.”
Here is Khrimian Hyrig’s meaningful counsel which I have translated
into English:
In the future, I hope you already have an independent state and you
have realized our centuries-old dream. If so, you are now living in
someone’s dream come true; in the dream of millions. I hope you
realize the power of luck that has befallen you.
I would like to know what that dream is like in reality, but since I
cannot see it with my own eyes, let me express my remarks with this
letter. If you read these lines, I will become a part of your present
and my future.
When I went to the Berlin Congress to raise the rights of our people
around the world, only then did I realize that we must first have the
right to have a right. That right is acquired with weapons.
You’ve probably heard of the “iron ladle”. The civilized nations of
Europe, which seemed to us to be law-abiding and fair, gave us nothing
but pity. Russia, which seemed to be a great friend of our people,
other than sympathy, sees and hears nothing but its own interests.
The Armenian people seemed to be like a hungry child outdoors in the
frosty winter, before whom everyone closed the doors of their homes.
The Armenian people were without a care-taker, but the most important
thing I understood was that we should not look for care-takers from
abroad. There, in the future, I am sure, you will not look for foreign
care-takers and you will not pin your hopes on Europeans, Russians or
other states.
If you have an independent state, your only care-taker must be your
own government. I hope the government will not leave you abandoned,
but if it abandons you, what is the point of your independence?
The greatest misfortune of the people is that its own leaders treat
them in the same way as the foreigners. We lived under the yoke of
foreigners for centuries. They treated us cruelly and unfairly. We
sought justice and did not find it. If you have an independent state,
I hope there is justice there.
The Turks treated Armenians very unfairly. Can an Armenian treat
another Armenian the same way? Here, in the past, one of the greatest
tragedies of our people is its ignorance. How can an uneducated people
find their place in this cunning world? The Turkish authorities will
not allow this, as they see their danger in the education of our
people. The greater the education of the people, the more restrained
the government will be.
I devoted my whole life to spreading enlightenment in the Armenian
provinces, but alone I could not do much. If you have a state, educate
our people, spread enlightenment in the provinces. The uneducated
people choose uneducated masters who oppress them and one day the
uneducated people are obliged to choose foreign masters.
At a time when ordinary people are living in the provinces under the
heavy burden of the situation, wealthy Armenians in Istanbul are
living in sheer luxury. They are indifferent to the situation of the
people, as if they were foreigners. The Turkish authorities even ally
with them to keep the people obedient. I hope that the rich in your
country are not so arrogant and are not allied with the bad government
against the people.
In 1876, when the Ottoman Constitution was adopted, the hope for
salvation awoke in us. We thought that the five-hundred-year-old,
infertile and old mother Turkey brought forth to the old world a new,
young constitution, but our hopes were dashed and time showed that
they were beautiful letters written on paper, while the people
continued to suffer. There, in the future, perhaps you also have a
beautiful constitution and laws. I want your laws not to remain on
paper like the Ottoman constitution.
And finally, I want to give you a message. Have ambassadors who
properly voice the demands of the people to the world, and the clergy
will not engage in diplomacy, leaving aside their flock. Have leaders
who love the people, because the Armenian people have suffered a lot
from the hatred of foreign leaders. And never seek foreign
care-takers. And if you have in the future an independent state, do
everything you can to never, ever lose your independence again.
These wise words are an excellent advice to every leader of Armenia
and to the Armenian people worldwide. They are as appropriate today as
they were back then when Armenia was not an independent country. Not a
single person should aspire to lead Armenia without heeding Khrimian
Hyrig’s prudent counsel. Armenia has numerous problems. But the two
most important problems are:
1) Armenia needs to develop a powerful military to fend for itself
without relying on other countries. A weak nation is always subject to
the dictates of more powerful ones, as we witnessed in the recent
Artsakh War. If you are weak, you have no rights and no one cares to
come to your rescue. Unless Armenia becomes more powerful militarily
and economically, it will always be subjugated, particularly since we
are surrounded by vicious enemies who constantly plot our destruction.
2) The next important requirement for our nation is to have a
competent leader, something we rarely had throughout our long history,
and we do not have it today!
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2- Mourners Call for Pashinyan’s Resignation During Visit to Yerablur
(Combined Sources)—Thousands of Armenians marched through the capital
Yerevan on Saturday, December 19 to commemorate the soldiers killed in
a six-week war waged by Turkey-backed Azerbaijan against Artsakh.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan led the march, held on the first of
three days of mourning, driving up to the Yerablur military cemetery
to light incense on the graves of fallen soldiers along with other
senior officials.
Pashinyan was escorted into Yerablur under the protection of hundreds
of federal and military police, as well as special agents of the
National Security Service.
The cemetery was filled to its brink. Opponents and supporters of
Pashinyan clashed as he attempted to enter the cemetery.
Footage published on Armenian television showed supporters chanting,
“Nikol Varchabed!” and Pashinyan’s critics shouting “Nikol is a
traitor!” as his convoy passed, escorted by heavy security. Police
dispersed the protesters to clear the way for Pashinyan—one protester,
Shant Charshafjian, said he was kicked by a bodyguard—and his security
guards covered him with shields and umbrellas as protesters attempted
to pelt him with eggs.
The opposition has accused Pashinyan of mishandling the conflict by
accepting a Russian-brokered ceasefire last month, and has been
demanding his resignation. Armenia’s opposition has called on its
supporters to join a national strike on December 22, at the end of the
three-day mourning period, to pressure Pashinyan to resign.
Pashinyan, who swept to power in the Velvet Revolution of May 2018,
has rejected calls to resign.
“The entire nation has been through and is going through a nightmare,”
Pashinyan said in a video address before the memorial march.
“Sometimes it seems that all of our dreams have been dashed and our
optimism destroyed.”
Later in the day, about 20,000 opposition supporters marched across
Yerevan for a memorial church service for the victims.
“Today, in essence, he desecrated Yerablur. He again has put the
country into shock for his power, for his seat. It is already clear
for all that, for this person, his seat is more precious than our
homeland—his seat for him is more precious than the domestic stability
and solidarity in our country,” said Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF) Supreme Body Representative Ishkhan Saghatelyan.
The opposition also gathered at Yerablur on the night of Friday, December 18.
The 16-group opposition includes the ARF, the former ruling Republican
Party, Hayrenik (Homeland) Party, as well as parliamentary opposition
parties, Bright Armenia and Prosperous Armenia.
Saghatelyan stressed the necessity to remove Pashinyan for saving the homeland.
“It is necessary to stop the fall of our country, prevent the
destruction of the state institutions, defend the country’s borders
and security, prevent the social-economic collapse and the
humanitarian disaster the country will face,” he said.
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3 – Armenia continues to fight COVID-19 pandemic
The Armenian government has commissioned 600,000 doses of coronavirus
vaccines from World Health Organization-backed COVAX; medical and
social workers, seniors and people suffering from chronic diseases
will be the first to get vaccine shots free of charge, and according
to Gayane Sahakian, the deputy director of the National Center for
Disease Control and Prevention,
COVAX is a global partnership which aims to finance COVID-19 vaccines
to be distributed fairly to more than 180 countries that have joined
it. The Armenian government’s supply contract with COVAX is worth $6
million. The first vaccine which COVAX will make available to the
participating countries is the one produced by the British company
AstraZeneca. It is expected that the manufacturer will deliver it to
COVAX in February or March.
They will be enough to vaccinate 300,000 people (roughly 10 percent of
Armenia’s population). According to the Ministry of Health, there were
18,233 active coronavirus cases in Armenia as of December 21. Armenia
has recorded 154,065 coronavirus cases and 2,656 deaths; 133,176
have recovered.
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4- Aliyev Praises Putin for Saying ‘Karabakh is Azerbaijan’;
Declares Conflict ‘History’
(Asbarez)—Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on December 18 praised
his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, for declaring that “Karabakh
is Azerbaijan.” Aliyev also hailed Putin’s earlier statement that the
Karabakh conflict is over and “part of history.”
He elaborated by saying that with his statements, Putin is cautioning
“foreign circles” aiming to derail the November 9 agreement, adding
that “saboteurs are dissatisfied with Russia’s leading role in the
ceasefire.”
During his annual press conference on Thursday, December 17, Putin
said, “from an international legal perspective, all these territories
are an integral part of the Republic of Azerbaijan.” He added that
Armenia, itself, hasn’t recognized Karabakh’s independence and—based
on international legal standpoint—Nagorno-Karabakh is also Azerbaijan.
The Russian leader also stressed that Karabakh’s status should not
change, saying the issue of its “definition” should be solved in the
future.
“I believe this is a very important statement. It is important for
those revanchist forces in Armenia, which are trying to revise the
conditions of the statement of November 9,” Aliyev said, according to
TASS, on December 18 when addressing a virtual conference of CIS
leaders.
“Unfortunately, there are such forces, and this is a very important
signal to those who are trying to prevent the implementation of that
statement. We saw such attempts both during the war and after the
statement was signed,” Aliyev emphasized.
According to the Azerbaijani president, some “foreign circles” that
are dissatisfied with Russia’s leading role in the ceasefire would
similarly like to revise the terms of the deal.
“They tried to muddy the waters in every possible way, and,
unfortunately, they are pushing ahead with their attempts. This is
especially true of the situation in Armenia. [They are seeking] to use
certain levers, various infrastructure that has been created in
Armenia, including the Soros infrastructure, in order to incite unrest
in Armenian society and essentially to derail that statement,” Aliyev
said.
“I would like to once again thank Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin for
such active participation and [his] enormous contribution to the
resolution of this conflict,” he added.
“I also fully agree with Vladimir Putin that whenever we talk about
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, we must talk about what happened in the
past. This is already history,” Aliyev said during his remarks.
According to Aliyev, the Armenian leadership’s steps and actions were
targeted at escalation of the situation. “As far as the Prime Minister
of Armenia is concerned, while he was in the occupied territories of
Azerbaijan in 2019, he declared that ‘Karabakh is Armenia, period.’
Thus, the Armenian leadership’s steps and actions were targeted at
escalation of the situation and were aimed at inciting the Azerbaijani
party’s response operations and hindering the negotiation process,”
Aliyev stressed.
PM Nikol Pashinyan did not attend the CIS meeting. His office said
that the CIS Council had been informed Pashinyan would be absent as
his father had passed away on December 17.
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5- FDA approves Moderna COVID-19 vaccine
(Combined Sources)—On December 18, the FDA granted an emergency use
authorization to Moderna’s experimental COVID-19 vaccine.
It is the second vaccine to be made available to Americans during the
coronavirus pandemic — and the first-ever authorized product for the
10-year-old biotech.
The regulator on Tuesday, December 14 called mRNA-1273 “highly
effective” in a report published in advance of a FDA advisory
committee meeting scheduled for Thursday that will allow a group of
independent medical experts to discuss the risks and benefits of the
still investigational vaccine. This is the final regulatory step
before the FDA decides whether to authorize the vaccine.
Moderna has said its coronavirus vaccine candidate has an efficacy
rate of about 94%, based on data from clinical trials.
Unlike Pfizer Inc., Moderna has never had one of its investigational
products make it as far along in the regulatory process as it has with
mRNA-1273.
The focus of the company’s research and development pipeline is the
same mRNA, or messenger ribonucleuc acid, technology it is using for
the COVID-19 vaccine. It’s been testing mRNA vaccines for cancers like
melanoma and solid tumors, other infectious diseases like Zika, and
some rare, inherited disorders like methylmalonic acidemia. None of
the experimental vaccines have made it through mid-stage clinical
trials except for its COVID-19 vaccine.
The FDA last week authorized the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine one day after
the advisory committee voted 17-4-1 that the benefits of their vaccine
outweigh the risks. (The FDA isn’t required to follow the advice of
the committee but often does.) The “no” votes from four of the
independent medical experts on the committee were attributed to
concern about allowing the vaccine to be administered to teens who are
at least 16 years old.
The authorization made the BioNTech/Pfizer vaccine the first to be
authorized in the U.S. and marked the first time that regulatory
approval of any kind was granted to a mRNA product.
Because Moderna is seeking authorization for people who are at least
18 years old, some analysts expect a unanimous vote in favor of the
FDA authorizing mRNA-1273. “This should not be an issue for Moderna
given the trial and EUA request,” Raymond James analyst Steven
Seedhouse told investors on Wednesday.
Nearly 6 million doses of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine have been secured
for the United States now that the drug has the OK from the FDA,
health czar Alex Azar said Wednesday.
Azar also said another 2 million doses of Pfizer’s just-approved
vaccine have been allocated for next week.
“As of today, shipments of vaccine will have been delivered to every
delivery site identified by public health jurisdictions for our first
wave of shipments,” the Health and Human Services secretary said at an
Operation Warp Speed press conference.
“I hope that every American has been as heartened as so many of us at
HHS and DOD have been to see heroic health care workers and vulnerable
Americans getting vaccinated this week.”
The government has ordered a total of 200 million Moderna doses to
date, the company said last week, with about 20 million expected to be
delivered by the end of December. The remainder would come in the
first quarter of 2021.
Azar also cheered rising confidence among Americans that the COVID-19
vaccine is safe, citing a new poll from Kaiser Family Foundation that
71 percent will get vaccinated.
“Vaccine confidence is surging,” he said.
On November 14, Moderna’s co-founder Noubar Afeyan spoke to GZero
Media on the growing pushback against a COVID-19 vaccine. “In any
debate, if one side has to offer facts and the other side can offer
doubts and they’re considered of equal value, then the ones who offer
doubts will always have an advantage,” said Afeyan.
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