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

Residents of Akhavno and Berdzor reproach authorities for demanding urgent evacuation

Emil Lazarian
Caucasian Knot
Aug 11 2022
After being resettled from the Lachin corridor, residents of the communities of Akhavno and Berdzor will receive apartments in Nagorno-Karabakh or certificates for housing in Armenia, the authorities promise. Residents themselves are dissatisfied with the requirement to evacuate in a short time.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that on August 5, residents of the communities of Akhavno, Sous, and the city of Berdzor (the Azerbaijani name is Lachin, – note of the “Caucasian Knot”) were required to leave their houses by August 25, since the Lachin corridor would be handed over to Azerbaijan. The residents of the community of Akhavno opposed the resettlement.

Aida Avakyan, a mother of many children from Akhavno, hopes that the authorities will fulfil their promise and issue compensation on time, and her family will not be huddled in rented apartments for a long time.

“During the war, we did not run away, as many did, but lived here with pride in order to save our village, the place where our children were born. And now our authorities are rushing us, evicting us, instead of fighting for us,” the mother of many children said.

Similar opinions were expressed by other residents of Akhavno. “I don’t understand why there is such a rush, why no one defends our rights to a peaceful life in their home?” Rita Smbatyan expresses her bewilderment.

Anush Gogchyan, a resident of the village, expressed her indignation at being forced to leave her house and land. The woman said that her family would go to Armenia and try to use the financial assistance promised by the authorities to settle there and start a farm.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on at 03:58 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:
Demand to resettle outrages Akhavno villagers, Baku analysts assess prospects for return of Lachin under Azerbaijan's control, Forced migrants from Nagorno-Karabakh call for easier allocation of housing in Armenia.
Источник: https://www.eng.kavkaz-uzel.eu/articles/60998/
© Кавказский Узел

Football fans warned against pitch-invading, brawling as Republican stadium could get disqualified

Emil Lazarian

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 11:54,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. The Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) and the Pyunik FC issued a joint statement on the latest incidents that took place during international matches hosted in Armenia, when fans invaded the pitch and brawls took place between spectators in the stadium.

The statement warned that such incidents could have very serious consequences for Armenian football.

“Dozens of spectators at the matches, mostly teenagers, invaded the pitch, there were fights in the stands regularly, and a number of political demonstrations were held,” the statement said, at the same time admitting that the security personnel of the stadium also did a poor job.

“The FFA and Pyunik FC are working with security organizations to rule out such situations in the future. At the same time, even in case of having the largest number of security presence it is simply not possible to avoid such undesired events if we don’t have support from everyone, including from the football community, fans, especially the media. Such incidents took place during and after virtually all international matches hosted this year in Armenia, for which the FFA and Armenian clubs took heavy penalties. We’d like to emphasize, however, that the penalties are temporary. But in case of not ruling out such cases, the only European high-standard stadium in Armenia, the Republican Stadium, could get disqualified, and in that case the Armenian national team and the clubs will have no other choice but to host matches in neutral stadiums in other countries.”

The statement called on everyone concerned to prevent such incidents given the fact that Pyunik FC will participate this year in a group round of a European tournament and that at least 4 matches will be hosted in Armenia, and on September 24 the Armenia-Ukraine match between national teams will take place in Yerevan.

Armenia names first ambassador to Australia

Emil Lazarian

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 17:33,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. At the advice of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, President Vahagn Khachaturyan signed a decree appointing Areg Hovhannisyan as Ambassador of Armenia to Australia.

Ambassador Hovhannisyan will be serving concurrently in his current capacity as Ambassador to Japan.

After the appointment, Hovhannisyan said in a statement that serious efforts are needed to utilize the huge untapped potential. “It is a great honor to be the first accredited ambassador of Armenia to Australia,” he said.

Azerbaijani hackers attack Greek City Times after the latter published an article about Aliyev’s regime

Emil Lazarian

Azerbaijani hackers attack Greek City Times after the latter published an article about Aliyev's regime

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 20:37,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. The website of the Greek newspaper Greek City Times was attacked by Azerbaijani hackers for publishing an article about the repression of independent journalists in Azerbaijan, which did not please the authoritarian regime of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, ARMENPRESS reports Greek City Times journalist Paul Antonopoulos wrote on his Twitter.

Paul Antonopoulos tweeted that the Greek City Times was hacked for an hour by Azerbaijani hackers after publishing an article titled " Attacks against Azerbaijani journalists continue unabated in 2022."

"Dictator Aliyev, who controls the operations, is unhappy," wrote Antonopoulos.

Earlier, the Greek newspaper Greek City Times published an extensive article regarding repression of independent journalists in Azerbaijan. The journalist of Greek City Times presented the attacks on journalists in 2022 and their murders outside the borders of Azerbaijan.

International Youth Day to be celebrated in Gyumri

Emil Lazarian

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 11:27,

GYUMRI, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. Gyumri city is inviting everyone to join in celebrating International Youth Day on August 12.

The Center of Youth Initiatives of Gyumri will organize various public events on this occasion.

The program features a seminar at the Gyumri Technological Center, followed by an EXPO-fair and other events.

The Center of Youth Initiatives of Gyumri is organizing public events on International Youth Day since 2015.

This year the center is carrying out the programs jointly with the UNFPA Armenia, Erasmus+ Youth and European Solidarity Corps programs information center, the Enterprise Incubator Foundation and the Gyumri Technological Center.

Construction companies seriously overloaded, says PM

Emil Lazarian

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 12:30,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting that road construction companies have problems in completing government contracts. The PM said the problem is related to the state procurement system.

“When we were discussing previously the reforms of the procurement system , an idea was voiced to take into account the overload of road construction companies in the given phase as a factor. Unfortunately, in some parts we see a situation where the companies are vigorously taking part in tenders, winning the contracts, and then having problems in completing the government orders within the deadlines. Of course, if they fail to meet the deadlines, we have mechanisms, blacklisting, bank guarantees, penalties, but we aren’t consoled by this. We don’t need to pull the bank guarantee or impose penalties, we need the road,” the PM said, adding that there is a construction boom in Armenia now and therefore construction companies are seriously overloaded.

Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan said they are trying to make several changes in the procurement system.

He said the companies bidding the lowest must be subjected to higher supervision to understand at what expense they are able to make quality work at such low prices. “The other problem is that the capacity of our country’s construction companies doesn’t meet what the government wants to do. Last year, 33 billion drams was allocated for reconstruction, but our construction companies were able to carry out only 21 billion drams of work. This year, we’ve already allocated 60 billion, but prior to doing so we’ve notified them that we are building 500 kilometers of roads and this implies that construction companies must increase their capacities all the time,’ Sanosyan said.

Armenian ferry service in Russian and Georgian Black Sea ports to release timetable soon

Emil Lazarian

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 13:00,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. Works continue over launching the Armenian ferry boat service for cargo shipment from Georgia’s Port of Poti in the Black Sea to Russia’s Port Kavkaz in Kerch Strait, the Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said.

“We are now finalizing the work, soon the timetables will be released,” he said, adding that the option of using Port of Poti is being considered.

“This is not an easy matter, especially when it was being accompanied by heavy geopolitical changes and pressure, but nevertheless, we hope our work will give results soon,” he said.

Kerobyan earlier said that they are ready to launch the ferry service in August.

Earlier in March, the government said it will subsidize Poti-Port Kavkaz regular ferry connection for imports or exports.

Latvian Parliament declares Russia a state sponsor of terrorism

Emil Lazarian

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 14:28,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. The Parliament of Latvia (the Saeima) has declared Russia a state sponsor of terrorism, TASS reported citing a statement published on the Saeima’s official website on Thursday.

On August 11, the Saeima adopted a statement, which recognizes activities of Russian troops in Ukraine as terrorism and declares "Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism."

"The Saeima's statement calls on EU countries to immediately suspend the issuance of tourist and entry visas to Russian and Belarusian citizens," the statement reads.

Members of the Latvian Parliament state that Russia allegedly "has for many years supported and financed terrorist regimes and organizations in various ways — directly and indirectly."

The statement also reads that "the MPs strongly condemn the military aggression and large-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation with the support and involvement of the Belarusian regime and call on the Euro-Atlantic community and its partners to urgently intensify and implement comprehensive sanctions against Russia."

Armenian Assembly’s Working Trip to Artsakh Highlights Needs

Emil Lazarian
A photo of downtown Stepanakert

Washington, D.C. – Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Congressional Relations Director, Mariam Khaloyan, traveled to Artsakh last month on a working trip, where she assessed the region's needs and conditions in the aftermath of the 2020 war launched on Artsakh that resulted in devastating consequences for the Armenian people. Khaloyan held meetings directly with several governmental and humanitarian organizations addressing these challenges.
Khaloyan met in Stepanakert with International Christian Concern (ICC), a human rights organization that is helping families amidst the current humanitarian crisis.

During the meeting, Khaloyan and ICC representatives discussed the importance of therapy for those who are trying to adjust after the brutal war that claimed the lives of soldiers and civilians, destroyed infrastructure, and displaced thousands of residents.

The Assembly had also connected with ICC in person in December 2020, when Khaloyan traveled to Artsakh during her fact-finding trip following the signing of the November 9, 2020 trilateral ceasefire statement. Since then, ICC has conducted extensive research, participated in the Assembly's online Advocacy Panels, and published several articles raising awareness and expressing concerns regarding Azerbaijan's continued existential threats and violence against the Armenian people in Artsakh.

The HALO Trust's field workers focus on demining and clearing contaminated areas in Artsakh

During Khaloyan's meeting with The HALO Trust, she was briefed on current conditions of post-ceasefire challenges relative to unexploded ordnance and demining clearance operations in the remaining areas of Artsakh. Khaloyan also participated in a field visit by The HALO Trust in Martuni province's Nengi village, where she saw demining efforts firsthand alongside HALO team members.

The HALO Trust is focused on clearing cluster munitions and other unexploded ordnance from densely populated areas such as Stepanakert, Martakert and Martuni, which will ensure the safety of the remaining population and returning displaced families in the coming weeks and months.

Most of the current contamination is due to the 2020 war on Artsakh, where cluster munitions continue to be found in civilian areas, including in fields, schools, and homes. HALO's team surveyed areas for threats to the civilian population and found three types of cluster bombs: a Russian-manufactured bomb delivered by Smerch carrier rockets which carries over 70 submunitions; a 9N235 bomb with a self-destruct mechanism that often fails to function; and an Israeli-manufactured M095 cluster bomb, delivered by long artillery ranged rockets (LAR-160). HALO's diligent team works in the field in groups of eight. They are accompanied by trained medics, who are on hand for the clearance team.
Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan receives an update from a member of The HALO Trust team

"As one can imagine, the work is very dangerous. These teams put themselves in harm's way everyday to ensure the safety and well-being of civilian lives," said Khaloyan. "This critically important work saves lives and we very much appreciate continued U.S. assistance in this regard," Khaloyan added.

Since 2000, HALO has cleared almost 500 minefields in Artsakh, making the land safe and transforming the lives of more than 130,000 people. They visit schools and communities to teach individuals, especially children, on how to stay safe until all landmines are cleared.
Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan with Artsakh Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan
In her meeting with Artsakh's Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan, a variety of ongoing issues that are priorities for the well-being of Armenians living in Artsakh were discussed. They included the humanitarian crisis on hand, including the lack of proper housing for approximately 40,000 internally displaced persons. Currently, funding for housing and help with the displaced is coming from the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund and other diasporan organizations. Additionally, challenges facing school-aged children were also emphasized.

"There is not enough space for students or educators, as students are crammed in one classroom," said Khaloyan. "There is also a concern of language preservation as there are many dialects throughout Artsakh. To ensure the preservation of these dialects, children are taking second shifts in school. To help solve this issue, additional schools are needed to protect the language and help preserve the culture of the different areas of Artsakh now under occupation," added Khaloyan.

Alternate road construction along the Berdzor/Lachin Corridor
The November 2020 statement required that Armenia and Azerbaijan "exchange prisoners of war, hostages and other detained persons." Despite this, and along with strong calls from Congress, the Administration, and a number of humanitarian organizations, Azerbaijan still has not released all prisoners of war and captured civilians. Just last month, the U.S. House of Representatives reiterated the importance of the immediate release and repatriation of Armenian POWs – still unjustly held captive and subjected to torture and abuse by Azerbaijan – via passage of an amendment strongly supported by the Assembly to the FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The Assembly remains deeply troubled by Azerbaijan's ongoing ceasefire violations, including last week's unprovoked attack against the Armenian people in Yeghtsahogh – a region along the Lachin/Berdzor Corridor monitored by Russian peacekeepers – with the use of mortars, launching grenades, and strike drones aimed at defense posts, resulting in 2 killed, 19 wounded, and 4 seriously wounded.

The Assembly urges Congress to hold the Aliyev regime accountable for its ongoing ceasefire violations and renewed hostilities against the Armenian people. The importance of enforcing Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act is clear. "It is imperative for Armenian Americans to make their voices heard and press Congress to stop Turkey and Azerbaijan from succeeding in their plans to remove the surviving Armenians from Artsakh and infringe further on Armenia's border," stated Khaloyan. "Armenia and Artsakh stand as leading democracies in the region and efforts to maintain its security are tantamount," added Khaloyan.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
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NR# 2020-35

Turkish official says slow pace of Armenia normalization designed to avert disappointment

Emil Lazarian
Aug 11 2022
by Amberin Zaman

Ankara has broken its official silence and provided details on ongoing reconciliation talks with its historic foe, Armenia. In a lengthy background briefing, a senior Turkish diplomat described the substance of the talks, what their goal was and the multiple challenges that lie ahead. Speaking on the sidelines of the annual ambassadors’ huddle organized by the Turkish Foreign Ministry in the Mediterranean resort of Antalya, the official stressed that in order to avert “big disappointments,” the sides were focused on confidence-building steps to be taken “one at a time.” The official was addressing critics’ claims that Turkey is deliberately keeping the pace of the talks slow in order to allow its regional ally Azerbaijan to pressure Armenia into further concessions on the disputed enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Turkey played a key role in helping Azerbaijan wrest back huge chunks of territory from Armenia in a brief and bloody war in the fall of 2020.

The official said that Serdar Kilic, Turkey’s special envoy for normalization with Armenia, was ready to travel to Yerevan for the fifth round of talks and insisted that these be held either in Turkey or Armenia. The previous rounds were held initially in Moscow, then in Vienna. Armenia is reluctant to accede to the Turkish demand until the land border between the two sides is fully opened.

Turkey was the first country to recognize Armenia when it declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1992. But diplomatic relations were never established as Armenia and Azerbaijan slid into conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

The official acknowledged that the current picture was far from what was desired and that both sides needed to try harder. The first concrete measures agreed upon so far since the sides began meeting in January were to commence commercial cargo flights between the two countries and open their long-sealed land border to third-country nationals.

The Turkish official said that launching the cargo flights involved “a host” of technical steps and details. The next step would therefore be for the sides to do their respective “homework” and meet in September to hash out a strategy. The aim is to commence the flights as soon as possible, the official said.

As for opening the land border, the official said that a delegation from the Turkish Foreign Ministry had toured the area and it was clear that the current infrastructure would not support travel between the two sides. It was unclear whether the bridge in the border province of Igdir that was built in 1940 was robust enough to carry buses. The official also mentioned the historic bridge that is among the ruins of the Armenian kingdom of Ani on the Turkish side. All that remains of the stone bridge that connects the two sides over the Akhurian river are two stubs. Work to restore the bridge would take a long time, the official noted. Repairing the bridge that was destroyed by the Russians in the Russo-Turkish war of 1807 would constitute “a very strong confidence-building step,” the official added.

The official noted that expectations among the people “were very high,” and that following the decision to open the land border to third-party nationals, those on the Armenian side had started converting their homes into restaurants and boutique hotels. “We must not dash their expectations,” he said.

The official said that trade between the two countries was currently conducted via Georgia. The volume of trade between Armenia and Turkey stands at around $230 million per year. Some 15,000 trucks are used for the trade. Should direct trade commence, this would benefit Armenia far more than it would Turkey. Bearing this fact in mind, said the official, Armenia “needs to be more constructive" and turn the situation into a “win-win for all.” He did not elaborate.

However, he was clearly referring to concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh and the so-called Zangezur corridor that would give Azerbaijan direct access to Nakhichevan, the tiny Azerbaijani exclave on the Turkish border. Viewed from Yerevan and particularly through the eyes of the Armenian opposition, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has been more than accommodating; he is capitulating, they would say, in ongoing talks with Azerbaijan. Pashinyan is sticking with the process as he views it as the best guarantee for economic prosperity and against a renewed war that would leave Armenia in an even frailer state.

In a recent interview with Turkey state-run Anadolu news agency, Azerbaijan’s foreign minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, said the corridor would be established whether “Armenia wants it or not.”

Azerbaijan is also demanding that Armenia relinquish all claims over Nagorno-Karabakh. Violence between the sides has flared up again along the lines of contact in the majority Armenian enclave, leaving three people dead.

The official kept the tone upbeat, noting that the fact that Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had spoken to Pashinyan over the telephone for the first time last month was “important in and of itself.” But the underlying message of the briefing was clear: The onus is on Armenia to expedite peace.

https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/08/turkish-official-says-slow-pace-armenia-normalization-designed-avert