Great Britain –
By
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
Armenia says soldier died after Azeri shelling attack -Interfax
Reuters
ALSO READ
https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/05/18/Armenia-says-soldier-died-after-Azeri-shelling-attack-Interfax
https://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2023-05-17/armenia-says-soldier-died-after-azeri-shelling-attack-interfax
Russia hasn’t delivered armaments which Armenia ordered, and paid for
13:22,
YEREVAN, MAY 16, ARMENPRESS. The armaments bought from Russia haven’t been delivered to Armenia, the Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan said on May 16.
Speaking at a press conference, Safaryan was asked to comment on Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan’s recent statement that Armenia has ordered and paid for Russian armaments but Russia is not delivering them.
“Indeed, the armaments didn’t reach Armenia, and the works in this direction continue. I don’t have anything else to add regarding this statement,” Safaryan said.
BREAKING: Azerbaijan bars Red Cross patient transfers from Nagorno Karabakh
15:09, 10 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan has been obstructing the activities of the Red Cross in transferring patients from Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia ever since it illegally set up a checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan said on May 10.
“After setting up a checkpoint, Azerbaijan obstructs the activities of the Red Cross in Artsakh in every possible way. For 11 days now, the ICRC has been unable to transport patients in critical health conditions to medical facilities in Armenia,” Stepanyan tweeted.
Tatoyan: Azerbaijan will not limit itself to Artsakh and has no intention of peace regardless of the Artsakh issue
NEWS.am
Armenia –
23:54, 14.05.2023
Azerbaijan will not limit itself to Artsakh and has no intention of peace regardless of the Artsakh issue. The former Ombudsman of Armenia, President of the Tatoyan Foundation Arman Tatoyan wrote about this on his Facebook page.
“Azerbaijan will not limit itself to Artsakh and has no intention of peace regardless of the Artsakh issue.
The goal of the Azerbaijani government is to numb our vigilance and advance aggression under the veil of false peace, and the destruction of Armenian identity.
Now, one of the fundamental goals of their state policy is to deepen the division and tension in our society, to make us all hostile to the Armenian Diaspora.
We would like to thank international lawyers Garo Ghazarian and Karnig Kerkonian for their invaluable support in the preparation and analysis of evidence.
All of this is proven with uncontroverted evidence”, – he wrote.
Leaders Will Discuss Anti-Armenian Flyers at Town Hall
Glendale News Press, CA
May 2 2023
The Truth And Accountability League, in partnership with the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations’ L.A. vs. Hate, will hold an in-person town hall “Stand TAAL to Hate” on Thursday, May 4, from 6-8 p.m.
This free event with RSVP is open to the public and is being held at the Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard St. in Glendale.
The town hall will feature an open panel discussion with city officials, experts and community leaders, including the L.A. County Commission on Human Relations Executive Director Robin Toma, Glendale Mayor Daniel Brotman, Police Chief Manuel Cid, Chief of Staff Joseph Iniguez from the L.A. County district attorney’s office, State Commissioner Sam Kbushyan and West Hollywood Mayor Sepi Shyne.
Moderated by TAAL’s founder and chair Vic Gerami, the goal of the meeting is to bring awareness, educate the public and discuss solutions to the rising anti-Armenian racism, Armenophobia and propaganda through questions and discussion with participants.
“The recent anti-Armenian flyers posted around L.A. County — home to hundreds of thousands of Armenian Americans — remind us that we must be vigilant about racism, hate acts and propaganda. It’s unfathomable that on the heels of the Armenian Genocide anniversary, Armenians are terrorized by flyers around schools and churches that call for the extermination of Armenians,” Gerami said.
“But we mustn’t allow the hate of a few to create division, pin us against each other and get us stuck in the problem. The Truth And Accountability League is focused on the solution. We want to bring together, not only members of the Armenian community, but everyone to create awareness, educate and find answers. Our panel of leaders and experts will discuss ways to handle malice that aims to victimize, dehumanize and diminish us. Hate acts affect everyone, regardless of ethnic background, race, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. TAAL’s town hall is a forum to empower everyone.”
The two-hour event is a part of TAAL’s comprehensive and integrated Community Outreach Campaign to address the rise in anti-Armenian hate crimes the last three years, including the anti-Armenian flyers posted in Glendale on March 31 and similar ones in Beverly Hills in January that called for the massacre of Armenians.
“The Armenian American community is such an essential part of our L.A. County community, but the amount of discrimination and negative stereotyping they’ve experienced is too often understated because it is underreported,” Toma said. “I look forward to sharing the data we collect on acts of hate in our county, and most importantly, what we are doing with L.A. vs Hate to increase reporting and eradicate hate in all our cities and neighborhoods.”
“Stand TAAL to Hate” is a town hall to benefit every group that has experienced racism, been subject to hate crimes and defamation, along with L.A.’s Armenian community, which has been a target of such acts more frequently in recent years. With its nearly 40% Armenian community, Glendale is the perfect crossroad for such an event.
“I am proud to be the mayor of Glendale, a city rich with diversity, including one of the largest Armenian diaspora communities in the world,” Brotman said. “The Jewel City has zero tolerance for racism, hate acts and defamation. I strongly condemn the recent anti-Armenian flyers and work with Glendale Police and community leaders to find the perpetrator.
“I’m honored to be a panelist for the Truth And Accountability League’s town hall. I applaud Vic Gerami and his team for launching a community outreach campaign to create awareness, educate and empower not only the residents of Glendale but all of L.A. County.”
“As district attorney of Los Angeles County, home to more than 200,000 Armenians, I’m immensely proud to represent the largest Armenian population in the United States and the greatest number outside of Armenia itself,” District Attorney George Gascón said. “Our Armenian community makes tremendous academic, artistic, altruistic and many other contributions to our region.
“These hate-filled flyers that incite violence are abhorrent and must be condemned. My office takes hate crimes very seriously, filing 86% of the hate crime cases referred to us, far above the statewide average of 54%. I commend TAAL for becoming an antidote for the poison that is racism and holding this important town hall to promote equality and protect human rights.”
Cid said he looks forward to participating in the upcoming town hall.
“Coming together to discuss hate, accountability and transparency is a powerful act of solidarity and progress. This will be a great opportunity to educate our community on the efforts law enforcement is making to address these challenges, as well as to learn, share, and work together towards a more equitable future,” Cid said.
Kbushyan, an Armenian American, believes in tackling the problem head-on. The state commissioner has been a longtime community organizer and member of Mayor Karen Bass’ transition team.
“It’s been shocking to see anti-Armenian flyers advocating genocide against Armenians in Glendale and across L.A. County,” Kbushyan said. “We must all condemn this bigotry in the strongest terms. While our families and loved ones in Armenia and Artsakh are under assault by Azerbaijan, L.A. County’s Armenian community is being terrorized by hate, defamation and propaganda.
“Vic Gerami and his team at the Truth And Accountability League have taken a proactive step in organizing a town hall in Glendale to create a safe place for the community to address this ongoing matter. I look forward to being on the panel and serving the greater L.A. community.”
The audience will have a chance to submit questions in writing before the start of the town hall. Guests must RSVP through Eventbrite: TAALTownHall.Eventbrite.com.
Elected officials who would like to attend and have special requests and members of the media interested in interviews should contact Gerami at (310) 880-8563 or [email protected].
For additional information, visit TruthAndAccountabilityLeague.org.
First published in the April 29 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.
PM Pashinyan hopes that the EU will speed up the process of providing support of 2.6 billion euros
17:38,
YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS. The reputation of the European Union has significantly improved after the Union decided to send an observation mission to Armenia, ARMENPRESS reports, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in an interview with the Czech “Respekt” magazine, answering the question whether Armenia’s perception of the EU has changed over the past year.
“It has changed significantly, but it has nothing to do with the events taking place in Ukraine. The reputation of the EU significantly improved after it decided to send an observation mission to Armenia. It made the people understand that the Union cares about the security of Armenia. In an emotional and political sense, it improved the reputation of the EU, although it was never perceived negatively,” Pashinyan noted.
According to the Prime Minister, the EU is Armenia’s main partner in implementing democratic reforms.
According to the Prime Minister, the EU is Armenia’s main partner in implementing democratic reforms.
“If you were to ask citizens what are the biggest visible changes in Armenia, they would probably mention the creation of the patrol police. We are doing this in cooperation with the EU, and this year we are expecting the arrival of a new batch of “Skoda” cars in Armenia, so we have a very broad agenda in relations with the EU.
After the 2021 elections, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, visited Armenia and promised 2.6 billion euros of support within the framework of the Eastern Partnership. We would like that process to go a little faster,” said the Prime Minister.
Armenpress: EU leadership continues to ignore the legitimate rights and interests of the people of Artsakh. Artsakh MFA
21:35,
YEREVAN, MAY 15 ARMENPRESS. The Artsakh Foreign Ministry issued a statement regarding Charles Michel’s remarks following the tripartite meeting held in Brussels on May 14, noting that both the content of the statement as a whole, as well as a number of points contained there indicate that the EU leadership continues to ignore the legitimate rights and interests of the people of Artsakh and is guided solely by their own geopolitical and short-term interests in the region to the detriment of the values of democracy and human rights declared by the European Union. As ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Artsakh, the statement reads as follows,
“On 14 May, President of the European Council Charles Michel made a press statement following a trilateral meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. The content of the statement as a whole, as well as a number of points contained there indicate that the EU leadership continues to ignore the legitimate rights and interests of the people of Artsakh and is guided solely by their own geopolitical and short-term interests in the region to the detriment of the values of democracy and human rights declared by the European Union.
This is evidenced in particular by the absence in the statement of any mention of more than 5-months blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the establishment of an illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entrance to the corridor and the factual siege of the 120,000 population of Artsakh with all the ensuing humanitarian consequences. This is an indication of the fact that the President of the European Council not only does not prevent, but in fact indulges Azerbaijan in using the suffering of the people of Artsakh as a political tool.
However, if the intentions and visible actions of Azerbaijan to provoke a humanitarian catastrophe and carry out ethnic cleansing in Artsakh are not a matter of concern for the President of the European Council, we still had the right to expect that the organisation he represents would show direct interest in Azerbaijan’s strict compliance with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice, as one of the pillars of contemporary international legal order. In this regard, the European Council President’s defiant disregard for Azerbaijan’s consistent non-compliance with the legally binding Order of the principal judicial organ of the UN and its systematic violations of international law, in particular the non-use or threat of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes, is puzzling.
It is only the effective measures on the part of the international community aimed at forcing Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally implement its obligations under the Trilateral Statement of 9 November 2020 and the Order of the International Court of Justice of 22 February 2023, that may testify that those acting as mediators are sincerely interested in lasting peace and stability in the region. We believe that those international actors who either by their action or inaction are encouraging Baku in their aggressive, expansionist policies and internationally wrongful acts, not only bear responsibility for their grave consequences, but also justify the recurrence of such policies and violations in other parts of the world.
We recall once again that in 1991, the people of Artsakh, in full compliance with international law and domestic legislation in force at that time, exercised their inalienable right to self-determination and established their statehood on the same basis as Azerbaijan and Armenia. The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have consistently defended and will continue to defend the legitimate choice and _expression_ of the free will of their people.
Representatives of individual countries and international organisations have no right to decide the fate of the people of Artsakh. Moreover, any attempt to impose on the people of Artsakh an agenda based on the legitimisation of the illegal use of force and ongoing terror is tantamount to complicity in the implementation of Azerbaijan’s criminal plans of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and maintaining a permanent source of tension in the region, as well as encouraging Baku’s territorial ambitions and aggressive policies.
In this connection, we reiterate the determination of the people and authorities of the Republic of Artsakh to continue the struggle for their inalienable rights in accordance with the norms and principles of international law. We are convinced that only the recognition of the right to self-determination exercised by the people of Artsakh can become the basis for a sustainable settlement of the conflict and the establishment of just and lasting peace and stability in the region.
We also recall that the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have always advocated a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict through negotiations. The Republic of Artsakh remains open to discussing all components of the conflict and reasonable proposals aimed at a peaceful settlement, in an agreed and internationally recognised negotiation format, based on the equal rights of the parties and in the presence of strong international guarantees for the implementation of their obligations”.
Artsakh Accuses EU’s Leadership of Ignoring its Legitimate Rights and Interests
President of the European Council Charles Michel
The Artsakh Foreign Ministry on Monday accused the European Union of solely acting on its short term geopolitical interests and accused the bloc of ignoring the legitimate rights and interests of the people of Artsakh.
Stepanakert’s harsh response to the EU came a day after the European Council President Charles Michel hosted a meeting in Brussels between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan.
Following the talks on Sunday, Michel issued a statement summing up the meeting and said that he had urged Aliyev to ensure the security of “Armenians living in the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast,” the area Artsakh was known as during the Soviet Union and before it declared independence in 1991. A referendum held in December, 1992 verified that independence by an overwhelming majority.
Furthermore, in his statement Michel announced that Pashinyan had accepted the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, which he said was 86,600 square kilometers, essentially recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan.
“The content of the statement as a whole, as well as a number of points contained there indicate that the EU leadership continues to ignore the legitimate rights and interests of the people of Artsakh and is guided solely by their own geopolitical and short-term interests in the region to the detriment of the values of democracy and human rights declared by the European Union,” said the Artsakh Foreign Ministry in its statement.
“This is evidenced in particular by the absence in the statement of any mention of more than five-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the establishment of an illegal Azerbaijani checkpoint at the entrance to the corridor and the factual siege of the 120,000 population of Artsakh with all the ensuing humanitarian consequences,” explained the statement.
“This is an indication of the fact that the President of the European Council not only does not prevent, but in fact indulges Azerbaijan in using the suffering of the people of Artsakh as a political tool,” emphasized Stepanakert.
“However, if the intentions and visible actions of Azerbaijan to provoke a humanitarian catastrophe and carry out ethnic cleansing in Artsakh are not a matter of concern for the President of the European Council, we still had the right to expect that the organization he represents would show direct interest in Azerbaijan’s strict compliance with the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights and the International Court of Justice, as one of the pillars of contemporary international legal order,” said the statement.
“In this regard, the European Council President’s defiant disregard for Azerbaijan’s consistent non-compliance with the legally binding Order of the principal judicial organ of the UN and its systematic violations of international law, in particular the non-use or threat of force and the peaceful settlement of disputes, is puzzling,” stressed the Artsakh foreign ministry.
“It is only the effective measures on the part of the international community aimed at forcing Azerbaijan to immediately and unconditionally implement its obligations under the Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020 and the Order of the International Court of Justice of February 22, 2023, that may testify that those acting as mediators are sincerely interested in lasting peace and stability in the region,” added Stepanakert.
“We believe that those international actors who either by their action or inaction are encouraging Baku in their aggressive, expansionist policies and internationally wrongful acts, not only bear responsibility for their grave consequences, but also justify the recurrence of such policies and violations in other parts of the world,” the foreign ministry explained.
Michel was one of the foreign leaders who had urged Baku to end the blockade. Several EU representatives, as well as leaders of EU-member countries had called on Azerbaijan to comply with the ICJ’s order to ensure “unimpeded access” on the Lachin Corridor.
“We would like to recall once again that in 1991, the people of Artsakh, in full compliance with international law and domestic legislation in force at that time, exercised their inalienable right to self-determination and established their statehood on the same basis as Azerbaijan and Armenia. The authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have consistently defended and will continue to defend the legitimate choice and _expression_ of the free will of their people,” said Stepanakert.
“Representatives of individual countries and international organizations have no right to decide the fate of the people of Artsakh. Furthermore, any attempt to impose on the people of Artsakh an agenda legitimizes the illegal use of force and ongoing terror is tantamount to complicity in the implementation of Azerbaijan’s criminal plans of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh and maintaining a permanent source of tension in the region, as well as encouraging Baku’s territorial ambitions and aggressive policies,” the Artsakh foreign ministry emphasized.
“To this end, we reiterate the determination of the people and authorities of the Republic of Artsakh to continue the struggle for their inalienable rights in accordance with the norms and principles of international law. We are convinced that only the recognition of the right to self-determination exercised by the people of Artsakh can become the basis for a sustainable settlement of the conflict and the establishment of just and lasting peace and stability in the region,” added Stepanakert.
“We would like to also recall that the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh have always advocated a comprehensive settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict through negotiations. The Republic of Artsakh remains open to discussing all components of the conflict and reasonable proposals aimed at a peaceful settlement, in an agreed and internationally recognized negotiation format, based on the equal rights of the parties and in the presence of strong international guarantees for the implementation of their obligations,” the statement concluded.
Unknown Rembrandt portraits unearthed after 200 years
11:01,
YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS. Two rare portraits by Rembrandt, unknown to art scholars and never placed on public display, have been unearthed after 200 years in a UK family’s private art collection, Financial Times reports.
Experts at auction house Christie’s came upon the paintings while carrying out a routine valuation.
The eight-inch-high portraits will now go up for sale at Christie’s showrooms in London on July 6, after going on display in New York and Amsterdam, with an estimated value of £5mn-£8mn for the pair.
Ancestors of the family, whose identity was not disclosed by Christie’s, bought the pair of small-scale oil paintings in 1824, at a Christie’s auction.
Painted just as Rembrandt was establishing a reputation as a sought-after artist, the portraits depict Jan Willemsz van der Pluym and his wife Jaapgen Carels, a couple with family connections to the artist.