Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

Russia to revamp Armenia’s nuclear power plant

Emil Lazarian
eurasianet
Dec 21 2023
Lilit Shahverdyan 

On December 15, Armenia and Russia signed a contract on modernizing and extending the lifespan of Armenia's Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) until 2036. 

The renovations will be carried out by Rustatom Service JSC, a subsidiary of Russia's state nuclear energy company Rosatom, and will cost the Armenian government $65 million.

The deal is another reminder of the vast extent of Russia's influence over Armenia's infrastructure and economy amid Yerevan's efforts to politically distance itself from Moscow. 

Metsamor plays a significant role in Armenia's energy landscape, contributing an average of 31 percent of the country's yearly electricity output.

It is the only nuclear power plant in the South Caucasus, located about 30 kilometers west of Yerevan. It consists of two units, Metsamor-1 and Metsamor-2, activated in 1976 and 1980, respectively. In 1989, the plant was shut down due to safety concerns after the devastating earthquake in Spitak in December 1988. In 1995, Unit 2 was reactivated due to energy shortages in Armenia, and since then has been the only nuclear unit in operation.

In 2021, Rosatom repaired and upgraded the NPP to operate until 2026. The modernization was implemented under a loan agreement signed between Armenia and Russia in 2015. 

Under the new agreement, Rosatom will help to extend the lifespan of Unit-2 until 2036, after which it will be decommissioned. 

The upgrading operations will be financed in the form of a "budgetary loan" provided by the Armenian government to the state-owned plant's management, which will subsequently enter into a contract with Rosatom. In 2023-2026, Rosatom will modernize Metsamor NPP in close cooperation with Armenian specialists.

As the reactor will be decommissioned in 2036, the Armenian government intends to build a new nuclear unit at Metsamor. Different estimates assert that the construction of a new nuclear power plant or unit will take 6-10 years, which means that construction works must be started in the next couple years.

It appears those construction works will be implemented by Rosatom, judging by Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexey Overchuk's remark on December 15 that negotiations were underway regarding new nuclear power units. 

Overwhelming energy dependence on Russia 

The new Metsamor deal comes at a complicated time in Armenian-Russian relations. Resentment against Russia is high in Armenia Azerbaijan's military takeover – apparently with Moscow's blessing – of Nagorno-Karabakh in September.

Despite persistent efforts to diversify its political alliances and build closer ties with the West, Armenia's economy remains overwhelmingly dependent on Russia. Russia is Armenia's largest trade partner, and Armenia is a member of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). 

And then there's energy dependence.

Russia supplies 87.5 percent of Armenia's gas (the rest comes from Iran), and Gazprom Armenia, the local subsidiary of the Russian state gas company, owns all of the country's gas distribution infrastructure. 

Armenia says it generates 98 percent of the electricity it needs but that claim hides even more dependence. 

That electricity is generated by hydropower and thermal plants and by the Metsamor NPP. Metsamor is entirely fueled by uranium imported from Russia while thermal power plants depend on (largely Russian) natural gas. 

"Our self-sufficiency depends on the countries from which we import the gas and the uranium that operate our thermal and nuclear power plants. And when our government officials speak about our self-sufficiency, why do they forget to say how we maintain it?" energy expert Armen Manvelyan told the Institute of War and Peace Reporting (IWPR), stressing that over 70 percent of Armenia's electricity depends on Russia.

And Armenia's energy demands keep growing. In 2022, Armenia's imports of Russian natural gas increased by 6.1 percent from the previous year, reaching 2.6 billion cubic meters. 

Iran's ambassador to Armenia, Mehdi Sobhani, recently mused about the possibility of tripling or quadrupling Tehran's gas exports to Armenia. But such a move would require Russia's consent and facilitation, as Gazprom controls the gas pipeline to Iran.

Armenia is exploring the possibility of obtaining small modular nuclear reactors from the United States, France, and South Korea as part of its efforts to diversify its energy sector. But so far concrete progress on this front remains elusive.

Lilit Shahverdyan is a journalist based in Stepanakert. 

Georgian Parliament Speaker discusses relations with Armenian counterpart in informal visit to Armenia

Emil Lazarian
AGENDA, Georgia
Dec 21 2023

Georgian Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili and Alen Simonyan, the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, on Wednesday discussed the existing relations between the countries, including trade and people-to-people ties, as part of the Georgian official’s informal visit to Armenia.

Papuashvili and Simonyan agreed to implement “concrete initiatives” to deepen the parliamentary cooperation between Georgia and Armenia, the Parliament press office said.

Regional peace and security, as well as the role of the parliaments in this regard, were also reviewed by the sides.

The Armenian official congratulated the Georgian Parliament Speaker on obtaining the European Union membership candidate status.

The Georgian parliamentary delegation accompanying Papuashvili includes the Vice Parliament Speaker Gia Volski, Nikoloz Samkharadze, the Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Chair and Anton Obolashvili, a member of the Armenian friendship group in the Georgian Parliament.

ICC Chief Prosecutor’s Second Report on Nagorno-Karabakh Genocide Emphasizes Prevention and Punishment

Emil Lazarian
Dec 20 2023
WASHINGTON, D.C., USA, /EINPresswire.com/ — The renowned first chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno Ocampo, has published his second report on the 2023 genocide of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) people by Azerbaijan. After 9-months-blockade, Azerbaijan made an aggression in September, as a result of which hundreds of people were killed and practically the entire people of Nagorno-Karabakh have been forcibly displaced to Armenia within 6 days. The full report can be found here.

This paper focuses on the Nagorno-Karabakh situation, affirming the urgency to release more than twenty victims of genocide, including three former Nagorno-Karabakh presidents and five other community leaders, incarcerated in Azerbaijan. Their captivity is part of the genocide and a message to their community: if you come back to Nagorno-Karabakh, you will be starved, incarcerated or killed.

The 75th anniversary of the Genocide Convention’s adoption exposes the consistent state parties' position to deny the commission of genocide. In the last months of 2023, the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide alerted about six different situations where there is a risk of genocide against ethnic groups, including the Rohingya, the Nagorno-Karabakh people, the Tigray in Ethiopia, the Israelis and Palestinians, and the Masalit in Darfur, Sudan.
State parties of the Genocide Convention, like the US, France, the UK, Germany, Israel and Russia, ignored information about the serious risk of genocide for the Nagorno-Karabakh people. Instead, they wanted to facilitate an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid new hostilities and to achieve economic and geopolitical national interests. Israel, for instance, benefited from substantial weapons sales to Azerbaijan. State parties of the Convention should not benefit from genocide.

Their obligation to prevent genocide requires to continue assessing President Aliyev's genocidal intention to attack Armenia, ensure reparations for those who have lost their lives and their property in Nagorno-Karabakh, guarantee the rights of the ethnic group to return to their ancestral land safely, and to release the “Armenian prisoners.”

Artak Beglaryan's testimony, the short video version here, is evidence of the serious mental harm suffered by the entire ethnic group as established by the Genocide Convention Article II b).

The report analyzes in detail three topics:

a) the ethnic cleansing against a group of Armenians living for centuries in Nagorno-Karabakh constituting genocide and deportation as a crime against humanity.
b) regarding the prevention of genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh, the consistent state practice was to ignore the information about genocide against the targeted ethnic group.
c) regarding the obligation to punish genocide, the International Criminal Court will obtain jurisdiction at the beginning of February to investigate President Aliyev for crimes committed in Armenia since 10 May 2021.

Artak Beglaryan
Unblock Humanity
email us here


https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/676284640/icc-chief-prosecutor-s-second-report-on-nagorno-karabakh-genocide-emphasizes-prevention-and-punishment
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Armenpress: Armenian Prime Minister, Iranian President hold phone talk

Emil Lazarian

 21:48,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan  had a telephone conversation with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, the PM’s Office said.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the agenda topics of Armenian-Iranian relations. Reference was made to the implementation of bilateral agreements.

They also exchanged ideas on the "3+3" regional platform, and both parties considered the meeting held in Tehran productive.

‘Concrete results,’ PM Garibashvili lauds Georgian mediation between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Emil Lazarian

 12:57,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Monday said his government was interested in establishing “long-term peace and stability” in the South Caucasus region and making a “significant contribution” to the objective, Agenda.ge outlet reported.

Garibashvili highlighted “concrete results” in the Government providing “important mediation” that led to an agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

He noted his office maintained “close, friendly relations” with its partners in the region – Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey.

"I would like to mention some time ago the Prime Minister of Azerbaijan and the Prime Minister of Armenia visited Georgia. We, the leaders of all three countries, had a unique opportunity to hold a meeting together. I think it was a very interesting precedent that we set”, he added.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 19-12-23

Emil Lazarian

 17:04,

YEREVAN, 19 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 19 December, USD exchange rate down by 0.14 drams to 405.81 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.06 drams to 443.87 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 4.49 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.41 drams to 515.42 drams.

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

Gold price down by 118.09 drams to 26406.66 drams. Silver price down by 3.44 drams to 312.28 drams.

Asbarez: TUMO Expands Initiative to Digitally Preserve Armenian Cultural Heritage Sites

Emil Lazarian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Teams at TUMO Center for Creative Technologies have carried out high-resolution 3D scans of 46 historical monuments in Martuni, Martakert, Askeran and Berdzor


The TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is expanding its multi-year initiative to capture detailed 3D scans of hundreds of Armenian heritage sites.

In 2018 and 2019, TUMO students made their first 3D scans of Armenian historical and cultural heritage monuments in a series of special learning labs. They used laser scanning and photogrammetry to document sites including the Matosavank monastery in Dilijan National Park, Amberd Fortress on Mount Aragats, the Dadivank monastery in Karvachar, and Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi. Since then, the number of scanned sites has reached 230, and will now expand to include all of Armenia’s important monuments over the coming years.

A team from TUMO using laser scanning and photogrammetry to document sites

TUMO’s digital preservation initiative includes a large number of important monuments in Artsakh. In the weeks immediately following the 44-Day War in 2020, TUMO teams carried out high-resolution 3D scans of 46 historical monuments in Martuni, Martakert, Askeran and Berdzor. These included archeological sites such as Tigranakert, churches and monasteries such as the Tsitsernavank monastery, and historic monuments such as the Hak bridge. In November of 2022, TUMO scanned over 30 additional heritage sites in Artsakh and on Armenia’s borders.

The resulting high-resolution 3D data sets and visualizations make it possible to document and study cultural monuments in detail, contributing to long term preservation. They also provide material for educational and cultural activities as well as digital media production. Just as importantly, they allow scholars and institutions to monitor cultural heritage sites and eventually carry out preservation and restoration projects as needed.

The initiative is now continuing in Armenia at a rapid pace, with multiple sites being scanned every month, both through laser scanning and photogrammetry. It is expected to cover a total of 300 major monuments over the next two to three years. In parallel, the captured data is being processed to produce high-resolution, full-color 3D renderings that users can interact with, walk through, measure, and examine in detail. These interactive renderings, along with historical overviews and other associated data, will be made available on an open-access online platform to be launched in 2024 and continuously updated thereafter.

“It is very important that this digital archive will be available to the public and that it includes detailed documentation of the sites both in Armenia and Artsakh,” said TUMO CEO Marie Lou Papazian. “This will allow experts in the field to better monitor cultural and historical heritage monuments that are at risk of damage and destruction, and will help them in any future work of restoration and reconstruction.”

TUMO will continue to announce project developments, including updates on the publication of the online platform.

RFE/RL Armenian Service – 12/19/2023

Emil Lazarian 
                                        Tuesday, 


Reporter Banned From Armenian Parliament After Row With Lawmaker

        • Naira Bulghadarian

Armenia - Journalist Knar Manukian speaks to RFE/RL, .


An Armenian journalist has been stripped of her parliamentary accreditation 
after arguing with a senior pro-government deputy who accused her newspaper of 
corruption.

The controversial lawmaker, Artur Hovannisian, attacked the Zhoghovurd newspaper 
and two other media outlets on December 7 as the National Assembly refused to 
reelect Haykuhi Harutiunian as head of an anti-corruption body scrutinizing the 
declared incomes of state officials.

The parliament debate and an ensuing vote came several days after Zhoghovurd 
reported that several deputies from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s Civil 
Contract party held a confidential meeting with Harutiunian to complain about 
the body’s actions taken against them, their relatives or friends.

“For example, somebody may pay the Zhoghovurd daily to commission an article 
saying bad things about somebody else, which is a normal practice for Zhoghovurd 
or, for example, Asekose.am or Hraparak [daily,]” Hovannisian declared on the 
parliament floor.

Following the debate, the paper’s parliamentary correspondent, Knar Manukian, 
approached Hovannisian in the parliament lobby and challenged him to “prove what 
you just said” by submitting a crime report to law-enforcement authorities. The 
lawmaker, who is the number two figure in the ruling party’s parliamentary 
group, refused to do that or answer questions from Manukian during the angry 
exchange.

On December 15, Zhoghovurd posted on its news website, Armlur.am, a video of its 
interviews with journalists and media experts who condemned Hovannisian’s 
allegations and accused the Armenian authorities of seeking to silence 
independent media. A few hours later the paper received a letter from the 
National Assembly saying that Manukian’s press credentials have been revoked 
because she tried to interview Hovannisian in an “unauthorized area” before 
“chasing” him and making “slanderous” claims.

Armenia - Pro-government deputy Artur Hovannisian (left) attends a paliament 
committee meeting, April 4, 2023.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Zhoghovurd condemned the ban and said it is 
preparing a lawsuit against Hovannisian.

Manukian was also unrepentant, saying that she “defended the honor of my media 
outlet” and did not break any rules set for parliamentary correspondents. She 
argued that security guards witnessed her conversation with the parliamentarian 
and did not intervene.

“Many deputies shun journalists who ask them tough questions, and you have no 
choice but to run after them with a microphone in your hand and try to get 
answers to your questions,” the reporter told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

Pashinian’s party seriously restricted journalists’ freedom of movements inside 
the parliament building in 2021, drawing strong condemnation from Armenian media 
groups. A year later, it amended an Armenian law on mass media to allow the 
parliament, the prime minister’s office and other government agencies to revoke 
journalists’ accreditations typically valid for one year. Incidentally, 
Hovannisian was one of the authors of those amendments.

Also, Hovannisian was among pro-government lawmakers who shouted in April this 
year abuse and threats at an outspoken opposition candidate for the then vacant 
post of Armenia’s human rights ombudsman. He pledged to “cut the tongues and 
ears of anyone” who would make disparaging comments about the 2018 “velvet 
revolution” that brought Pashinian to power.




No One Charged Over Azeri Advance Into Armenian Border Area

        • Shoghik Galstian

A new Azerbaijani army position outside the Armenian village of Tegh, March 31, 
2023.


Law-enforcement authorities have not prosecuted any of the officials blamed by 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian for Azerbaijan’s seizure last spring of 
agricultural lands belonging to an Armenian border village.

Azerbaijani army units redeployed on March 30 to more parts of the Lachin 
district sandwiched between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, completing a change in 
the route of the Lachin corridor which began in August 2022. Armenia’s National 
Security Service (NSS) said hours later that they advanced up to 300 meters into 
Armenian territory at five border locations adjacent to the village of Tegh.

As a result, Tegh lost a large part of its agricultural land and pastures, 
according to local government officials and farmers. Tensions around the village 
escalated on April 11 into a skirmish between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces 
which left at least seven soldiers from both sides dead.

The Armenian opposition blamed Pashinian for the fresh territorial gains made by 
Azerbaijan. Opposition leaders said he should have ordered the Armenian army or 
border guards to take up positions along the Armenian side of the Tegh border 
section ahead of the Azerbaijani advance.

Pashinian sought to shift the blame onto other Armenian officials. “Concrete 
individuals were given concrete instructions and they failed to carry out those 
instructions,” he said on April 12.

The premier did not name any of them. He sacked the commander of Armenia’s 
Border Guard Troops, Colonel Arman Maralchian, the same day.

Two days later, military investigators launched an inquiry into possible 
“negligence” by military officers or other security personnel, a crime 
punishable by between four and eight years’ imprisonment.

In a statement to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, the Office of the 
Prosecutor-General said on Tuesday that they have not charged anyone so far. The 
probe is continuing, the office said without giving further details.

Opposition leaders also hold Pashinian responsible for larger swathes of 
Armenian territory occupied by Azerbaijan in September 2022 and May 2021. They 
regularly accuse him of incompetence and failure to rebuild Armenia’s armed 
forces after the 2020 war in Karabakh. Pashinian blames the country’s former 
governments for its continuing security woes.




Pashinian Concerned About ‘Artificial Delay’ In Armenia-Azerbaijan Talks

        • Astghik Bedevian

Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian promotes transport links with 
Azerbaijan and Turkey sought by his goverment during an international forum in 
Yerevan, December 14, 2023.


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian appears to have suggested that Azerbaijan is 
dragging its feet on a peace treaty with Armenia sought by the international 
community.

“We remain committed to our peace agenda within the framework of three 
principles already agreed upon and hope that recent events in the region and 
regional countries will not ultimately mean that the peace process is being 
artificially delayed,” Pashinian said late on Monday.

“If there is more basis to this view, it must be cause for very deep concern,” 
he added during a year-end reception held at the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said late last month that Azerbaijan is “not 
sincerely interested in peace and stability in our region.” He pointed to Baku’s 
threats of military action against Armenia and refusal to attend high-level 
peace talks organized by the European Union and the United States.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev twice cancelled talks with Pashinian which EU 
Council President Charles Michel planned to host in October. Azerbaijani Foreign 
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov similarly withdrew from a November 20 meeting with 
Mirzoyan in Washington. Baku accused the Western powers of pro-Armenian bias and 
proposed direct negotiations with Yerevan.

Meeting with Michel on Monday, Armenia’s new ambassador to the EU, Tigran 
Balayan, claimed that the Azerbaijani side cancelled the October summits as part 
of its “continuous attempts to derail the peace process.” Balayan was also 
reported to urge the EU to help ensure “Baku’s return to the negotiation table.”

James O’Brien, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for Europe and Eurasia, 
visited Baku earlier this month in a bid to convince the Azerbaijani leadership 
to reschedule the cancelled meeting of the foreign ministers. The conflicting 
sides have not yet announce any agreement to that effect.

Armenian officials suggested earlier this year that Aliyev is reluctant to sign 
the kind of peace deal that would preclude Azerbaijani territorial claims to 
Armenia. The Azerbaijani leader said late last month that Yerevan itself is 
“artificially dragging out the process.”



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 Jungle

Emil Lazarian
 Garin Op-Eds 0

Meghri

On October 3, 2023, the Armenian National Assembly passed into law the prohibition of the sale of animals that were not slaughtered in a licensed slaughterhouse. The law went into effect on December 3 of this year. This means that local cattle herders and shepherds must deliver their animals alive to licensed slaughterhouses, and the slaughterhouses then deliver the meat to butcher shops. 

In the United States, this would be a normal law, protecting citizens and guaranteeing the quality and safety of meat purchased. As I dig deeper into what the government of Armenia is trying to achieve with this decision, I remember many years ago when I read Upton Sinclair’s  in school to learn about the evolution of food and drug regulations in the United States. Is our new legislation a means of making safer, cleaner meat a standard in Armenia, or is it a sinister move to force a taxable step into the livestock economy? The Ministry of Health would have to answer this question, by sharing instances of meat-related poisonings in Armenia, broken down by frequency and location. 

Having lived in Meghri for the better part of the past three years, my arguments come from a local perspective on this matter. The closest registered slaughterhouse to Meghri, which is located along Armenia’s southernmost border with Iran, is in the Syunik capital of Ghapan, which is 80 kilometers (about 50 miles) away, a one and a half hour drive from the city of Meghri itself and even farther for some of the surrounding villages. However, since slaughterhouses are private entities, and the slaughterhouse in Ghapan only butchers meat from its own farms, a person from Meghri would have to drive three hours to Goris for the closest slaughterhouse that accepts outside livestock. 

Since the law went into effect on December 3, the local meat that takes advantage of the rich pastures surrounding Meghri is no longer available for sale and has been replaced by lower quality product that is raised on industrial feed. While you may pay top dollar for Whole Foods grass-fed free range organic beef, Armenia’s latest legislation is preventing Meghri from having access to local livestock, raised by farmers who are known to locals and have a reputation that they have upheld proudly for years. In Meghri, we have not seen the sanitation standards of the slaughterhouse and do not have a good impression from witnessing the supplier’s truck, which brings a mix of lamb, beef and pork, mixed together, lying open and exposed on a piece of cardboard for at least the three hours on its journey from Goris to Meghri. Additionally, considering that I have not heard locals recount any instances of poisoning or disease directly related to a local butcher shop, the government’s intent is clear. 

But why not build a slaughterhouse in Meghri? As the American saying goes: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Meghri does not have any issues with local meat and is not seeking regulation on its local markets. However, due to the centralized legislative system in Armenia, this is not a choice. Multiple shepherds and cattle herders met with the Syunik state governor, and the response they received was that the onus is on an individual to open a slaughterhouse in Meghri or to take their livestock to Goris for slaughter, both of which are not economically viable solutions. The Armenian government’s rash geopolitical decisions have caused tensions with Russia, leading to the closure of its fruit import market, Meghri’s largest buyer of local produce. Now with the livestock business freezing in its tracks, how are local villagers supposed to make a living? Worse yet, with the slaughterhouse law, how will the church perform a traditional madagh?

To add salt to the wound, for the last two months the pistol and iPad clad “Baregayin” police have been deployed to Meghri and are wreaking havoc on a once free region of Armenia, where local customs did more to dictate law than official legislation. Some locals have shared with me that, according to unofficial data, more than 150 million drams (350,000 USD) in fines have been issued to the 100,000 residents of the Syunik area since the Baregs’ deployment. From traffic violations and missing paperwork to unlicensed drivers and absurd laws that have no regard for the local infrastructure or way of life, locals now live in fear of being fined every time they leave their homes. There is no DMV equivalent, no smog and brake test centers, and limited public transportation in the Meghri area, giving the Baregs a field day with the poorest of villagers.

The once libertarian lifestyle now feels like the American propagandized version of the Soviet Union, with an authoritarian rule of law that shows no mercy for its citizens.

Since PM Nikol Pashinian’s arrival, the supposed crackdown on corruption has mostly affected the lives of those living farthest from the capital city Yerevan. Before Pashinyan, and particularly before the arrival of the Bareg police force, who are not locals to the areas of their deployment, there was a natural equilibrium through which laws were and were not enforced, based on local customs and available infrastructure. Legislation comes from Yerevan, and there is no representative body to uphold the rights and livelihoods or make decisions for those living in Meghri. The new police, equipped with body cameras, also have no choice but to issue the fines, as a review of the footage could lead to an investigation as to why a fine was not issued for a violation, which can lead to a corruption investigation. I myself have witnessed a 10,000 AMD ($25) fine to a friend for having their driver’s license out of date by three days. The same occurrence in the U.S. would likely end in the officer giving a reminder to get it renewed.

EU-sponsored courthouse placard

Since, according to the World Bank, only 60-percent of Armenian adults have a high school education, with that number being much lower in rural villages, it makes sense that driver’s licenses have traditionally been obtained through bribery. With bribery no longer an option, many are left in a hopeless state, given the difficulty of the driving test. Here are two sample questions from the exam’s official English version:

What are the signs of principal arterial bleeding, and how does first aid for principal arterial bleeding begin? 

  1. Dark blood flows slowly out of the wound. A compression bandage is placed on the wound on which there is a note on the time of holding it on the wound. 
  2. Bright red blood flows from the wound, spouting strongly with intermittent flush or like a fountain. The injured artery should be squeezed with the fingers, then above the wound, as far as possible near the wound, a bleeding cord is placed, on which there is a note about the time for keeping it on. 
  3. Blood flows slowly from the wound. A bleeding cord is placed below the injury, with a note of time for keeping it on.

The answer is number 2.

In what cases should the victim be taken out of the car? 

  1. In the event of a car overturning, ignition, high probability of explosion or loss of consciousness of the victim. 
  2. In case of a car overturning, ignition, high probability of explosion or hyper freezing of the victim, loss of consciousness and breathing, as well as in case of impossibility to provide first aid directly in the cabin. 
  3. In the event of a car overturning, ignition, high probability of explosion or severe bleeding, craniocerebral injury.

The answer is number 2.

Regardless of how one obtained their drivers license, prior to the arrival of the Baregs, residents in the Meghri area had the liberty of driving without a license, which was particularly advantageous to teens who live far from school in a region with no school buses. The closest location to take the driver’s test is in the provincial capital, Ghapan. I would be interested, and also surprised, to see if there is a correlation between accidents in Meghri and unlicensed drivers to justify the strict enforcement in such a rural area.

One of six EU-sponsored Bareg police cars in Meghri

Over the last 50 years, there has been a heavy migration from the surrounding villages of Meghri to the city of Meghri itself, leaving many villages completely empty. The villages of Vank, Galer, Lijk, Guris, Gudemis, Vahravar and Garjevan, once thriving, now only have a handful of residents, if any at all. However, many people with family roots in those villages maintain their relationships to the villages by visiting frequently, hosting celebrations and spending their summers as well as keeping livestock, bees and gardens in the very cottages that they or their parents grew up in. 

The recent strict enforcement of various laws is destroying what was left of any remaining life in these villages, and leaves me increasingly feeling that we are living under foreign rule and not in the homeland we were raised to believe was our home.That may be so, as the Meghri courthouse and the new Bareg police vehicles all feature EU flags, and the similarly foreign-funded red beret contingent is scheduled for deployment to Meghri this January. Jungles are synonymous with being unruly, but in its own twisted way, life in rural Armenia is feeling more and more like a jungle, and less like the civilized society that it was when I first moved here.

  •  Bio
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Garin is an alumnus of the AYF Chicago "Ararat" Chapter. He lives in the town of Meghri in Syunik, Armenia.


Putin Reveals Lack of Communication from Armenia on Nagorno-Karabakh Recognition

Emil Lazarian
bnn
HongKong – Dec 18 2023
By: Momen Zellmi

In an unexpected revelation from the Kremlin, Russian President Vladimir Putin disclosed that Armenia failed to provide Russia with pertinent information preceding its recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijani territory. The lack of communication between Armenia and its ally Russia could potentially impact the diplomatic dynamics concerning the disputed region.

Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Qarabağ in Azerbaijani, has been a contentious area between Armenia and Azerbaijan for decades. Internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, it has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, with Armenia’s backing, since the conclusion of a separatist war in 1994. This ongoing conflict has seen Russia play an instrumental role as a mediator, with a standing peacekeeping force in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The statement by Putin indicates a potential lapse in coordination or communication between Armenia and Russia on a crucial diplomatic stance. This revelation could significantly alter the dynamics in the region and the relationship between Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia. The Russian Foreign Ministry has already voiced criticism towards Yerevan’s politicians for their failure to fully implement trilateral agreements and has pointed out specific actions that obstructed the process.

Reacting to the recent developments, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry has signaled its readiness to recommit to peace negotiations with Azerbaijan. The proposal for direct talks from Baku has been noted positively in Yerevan, hinting at possible diplomatic progression towards resolving the longstanding Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

In another strain of news, Gleb Karakulov, a defector from the Kremlin’s bodyguard agency, has provided intimate details about Putin, labeling him as paranoid and a war criminal. The Kremlin has remained silent on the matter while a desertion case has been opened against Karakulov in Russia. This situation underlines the existing complexities and tensions in Russian politics, which could have far-reaching implications in regional and international affairs.

https://bnnbreaking.com/world/russia/putin-reveals-lack-of-communication-from-armenia-on-nagorno-karabakh-recognition/