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

Baku’s reaction to UN court ruling: Azerbaijan will continue to do so after relevant Court order as well

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Feb 23 2023
Baku’s reaction to UN court ruling: Azerbaijan will continue to do so after relevant Court order as well
12:34, 23.02.2023

Head of the Press Service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Aykhan Hajizada commented in his Twitter account on the decision of the UN International Court of Justice on on the application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, Azerbaijani media reported.

As might be expected, the essence of the commentary boils down to the fact that Azerbaijan is not going to do anything.

The International Court ruled on the second request for interim measures on the applications filed by Azerbaijan and Armenia on the application of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (the rulings are not a decision on the merits of the case).

“The Court has rejected 2 out of 3 provisional measures request by Armenia, concerning allegations on Azerbaijan orchestration and support of protests’” and on “immediate full restoration and refraining from disrupting the provision of natural gas”…

On 3rd measure, contrary to Armenia claims, the Court didn’t order what Armenia wanted: 1) Court excluded wordings “free” and “all” and 2) Added two important wording such as “pending the final decision in the case” & “take all measures at its disposal.

Since Azerbaijan never blocked or impeded the Lachin road, and took all measures within its power to ensure safe movement along the road, it will continue to do so after relevant Court order as well.

The Court has reaffirmed its call for Armenia to refrain from any action, which might aggravate or extend the dispute between 2 nations. Per Dec 2021 Order, Armenia remains obligated to take urgent action to prevent the incitement & promotion of racial hatred agns Azerbaijanis.

Azerbaijan will continue to hold Armenia to account for its ongoing and historic grave violations of human rights of Azerbaijanis.” Hajizada wrote.

President of Artsakh: Integration with neighboring Azerbaijan is out of the question

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Feb 23 2023
17:43, 23.02.2023

The people of Artsakh must live a sovereign, secure and decent life, we must have a guaranteed right to self-determination and to control our own destiny in the homeland, the status quo must be preserved until a comprehensive and final settlement of the conflict, and the violators must be subjected to the strongest international censure and brought to justice, said President Araik Harutyunyan at a meeting of the Artsakh government.

According to him, public authority should be exercised in the manner prescribed by the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Artsakh.

“We are ready for dialogue and conflict resolution with Azerbaijan, but we have clear principles and red lines stemming from the fundamental rights, vital interests and demands of the people of Artsakh. In this context, the following main circumstances must be taken into account:

– First of all, it is necessary to provide a stable and mutually trustworthy environment, excluding provocations, cases of the use of force and psychological violence, so that we can discuss the issues of concern to both sides. Moreover, if the most narrow and everyday issues can be discussed and solutions found through simple contacts, then I think the involvement of the international community is important for the discussion of more global issues;

– The blockade should be lifted, and Artsakh should have continuous and unrestricted land communication with Armenia, without any involvement of the Azerbaijani side;

– The security and normal functioning of vital infrastructures running from Armenia to Artsakh, which are under Azerbaijani control, should also be guaranteed by fully restoring gas and electricity supply and excluding new cases of their disruption.

It is important to stress that because of the failure of these infrastructures, as I have already mentioned, the water resources of the Sarsang reservoir have sharply decreased, which in spring and summer will create a serious crisis for Azerbaijani farmers, because there will not be enough water resources to irrigate tens of thousands of hectares of land;

– Our official dialogue can take place within an appropriate international format, which should be based on mutually acceptable principles, the norms of international law;

– The composition of the negotiating delegations must be determined exclusively by the sides, which means that Azerbaijan cannot interfere in the issue of forming the Artsakh delegation, and the same logic must be applied to the process of forming the Azerbaijani delegation;

– The proper involvement of Artsakh in the international community processes, including the presence of UN structures in Artsakh, must be ensured, which will provide important guarantees of security and development for the people of Artsakh;

– For both the dialogue itself and the comprehensive resolution of the conflict, the use of force and the threat of force must be excluded, which must be guaranteed by international security guarantees;

– The right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination and to control their own destiny is non-negotiable. It is the natural and fundamental right of our people, which is also enshrined in well-known international documents;

– Artsakh will never renounce its sovereignty, and integration with neighboring Azerbaijan is out of the question;

– International recognition of the realization of the right of the people of the Republic of Artsakh to self-determination and any other process or decision that goes beyond the logic of protection is unacceptable from our side, as it will surely lead to the ethnic destruction of the population of the Republic of Artsakh by Azerbaijan,” Harutyunyan said.

UPDATED: Artsakh President Dismisses State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, who Blamed ‘Outside Pressures’

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan was dismissed on Feb. 23


Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan dismissed State Minister Ruben Vardanyan on Thursday, announcing his decision during a meeting of his cabinet.

In a statement issued Thursday, Vardanyan blamed “immense outside pressure” for this outcome, which was continuously denied by him and the Harutyunyan administration for weeks.

“We have the outside world and an internal world,” Vardanyan said Thursday. “Evidently, the external pressure does not help us to have a domestic situation where we feel that we are able to fight against this pressure more strongly.” The now former state minister said that he plans to remain in Artsakh and work through his “We are Our Mountains” foundation.

“I am aware that there are external pressures related to my remaining in Artsakh, but I should mention that not only will I not go, but I can’t imagine myself without Artsakh,” Vardanyan said.

Voicing support for Harutyunyan, in his parting words Vardanyan also emphasized the need to strengthen the system of governance.

“Your responsibility is extremely hard, as the president, who was elected four months before the war, you are in a very difficult situation. You have been carrying that burden for so long. I confidently say that in order to become successful, we must create a systemic approach. If we do not create a system, if we do not introduce transparent, consistently created mechanisms, it is very difficult to achieve success,” Vardanyan said.

Azerbaijan authorities, specifically President Ilham Aliyev, made Vardanyan’s dismissal a pre-condition for talks with Artsakh authorities over a resolution to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, which has been closed since December 12. Aliyev reportedly reiterated the demand when he met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday in Munich.

Harutyunyan rejected Aliyev’s demand with his spokeswoman saying on Monday that Vardanyan’s current role is “Artsakh’s internal affair” and “can in no way be a topic of discussion for the government of Azerbaijan.”

A close ally of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday essentially echoed Aliyev’s demands and called for Vardanyan’s removal from office, saying that he was sent to Artsakh by Russia, a claim widely made by the Azerbaijani president.

Earlier this month, the Harutyunyan’s and Vardanyan’s press spokespeople did not confirm or deny reports that the two leaders had secretly traveled to Moscow to hold negotiations. Sources speculated that the two met with separate circles in Moscow and were anticipating that Vardanyan would return with “resignation in hand,” Azatutyun.am reported on February 9.

“Ruben Vardanyan and I have been together during this entire time, following the events and developments happening both in Artsakh and in the outer world on a daily basis, we have constantly exchanged ideas about finding solutions to the current situation,” Harutyunyan said in announcing his decision to fire the Russian-Armenian businessman, who denounced his Russia citizenship late last summer and moved to Artsakh.

“I am grateful to Mr. Vardanyan for his willingness to always share the responsibility with me to the fullest extent as a friend and partner and did not try hold the constitution over my head. On the other hand, he approached the extent of my personal responsibility for the situation created in Artsakh and all future problems with awareness and understanding,” Harutyunyan said, according to a statement his office released on Thursday.

The Artsakh president also said that he greatly appreciated Vardanyan’s efforts both in raising international awareness about Artsakh and solving numerous domestic problems during the blockade.

Harutyunyan said that he has asked Artsakh Prosecutor General Gurgen Nersisyan to assume the responsibilities of the State Minister, taking into consideration his professional and personal qualities, professionalism, fairness, principled stance and his commitment to statehood.

He added that all state bodies will coordinate their activities with the new state minister, with the exception of law enforcement agencies and the foreign ministry.

World Court orders Azerbaijan to ensure free passage through Lachin corridor (+Links)

Emil Lazarian
Al Arabiya News
UAE – Feb 22 2023
REUTERS

The World Court ordered Azerbaijan on Wednesday to ensure Armenia free passage through the Lachin corridor to and from the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Lachin corridor, the only land route giving Armenia direct access to Nagorno-Karabakh, has been blocked since Dec. 12, when protesters claiming to be environmental activists stopped traffic by setting up tents.

For all the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Armenia last month told judges at the World Court, formally known as the International Court of Justice, that neighboring Azerbaijan’s blockade was designed to allow “ethnic cleansing,” a claim rejected by Baku.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but its 120,000 inhabitants are predominantly ethnic Armenians and it broke away from Baku in the first of several wars in the early 1990s.

The court said on Wednesday it had evidence that traffic through the corridor was still disrupted, causing “shortages of food, medicines and other lifesaving medical supplies,” and depriving Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh of critical medical care.

It therefore ordered Azerbaijan to “take all measures at its disposal to ensure the unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions.”

Azerbaijan has denied any blockade, saying the activists are staging a legitimate protest against what it characterized as illegal mining activity.

The court rejected a plea for provisional measures by Azerbaijan that would order Armenia to help remove land mines from areas it previously controlled, and to stop planting explosive devices which prevent Azeri nationals from returning to their former homes.

It instead referred to the emergency measures it had issued in the tit-for-tat cases brought by the feuding South Caucasus neighbors in 2021, which ordered both countries to not do anything that would make the conflict worse and to prevent the incitement of racial hatred against each other’s nationals.

The World Court in The Hague is the UN court for resolving disputes between countries.

Its rulings are binding, but it has no direct means of enforcing them.

https://english.alarabiya.net/News/world/2023/02/22/World-Court-orders-Azerbaijan-to-ensure-free-passage-through-Lachin-corridor
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UN court orders Azerbaijan to end Nagorno-Karabakh roadblock | News | Al Jazeera
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/2/22/un-court-orders-azerbaijan-to-end-nagorno-karabakh-roadblock
UN court calls for end to Nagorno-Karabakh roadblock – KTVZ
https://ktvz.com/news/ap-national-news/2023/02/22/un-court-calls-for-end-to-nagorno-karabakh-roadblock/
UN’s top court orders Azerbaijan to end Armenia road block – Barron’s

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 02/22/2023

Emil Lazarian 
                                        Wednesday, 
UN Court Rules Against Karabakh Road Blockade
        • Anush Mkrtchian
NETHERLANDS - General view of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The 
Hague, January 23, 2020.
The United Nations’ top court on Wednesday ordered Azerbaijan to restore 
“unimpeded” traffic through the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.
Armenia asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to take this and other 
“provisional measures” two weeks after Azerbaijani government-backed protesters 
blocked the road on December 12. Lawyers representing Azerbaijan’s government 
denied the closure of the Lachin corridor during court hearings in January.
The ICJ concluded that “connection between Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia via the 
Lachin Corridor has been disrupted.”
“The information available to the Court indicates that the disruption on the 
Lachin Corridor has impeded the transfer of persons of Armenian national or 
ethnic origin hospitalized in Nagorno-Karabakh to medical facilities in Armenia 
for urgent medical care,” it said. “The evidence also indicates that there have 
been hindrances to the importation into Nagorno-Karabakh of essential goods, 
causing shortages of food, medicine and other life-saving medical supplies.”
The court based in The Hague pointed out that a Russian-brokered agreement that 
stopped the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh commits Azerbaijan to guaranteeing safe 
passage through the region’s sole land link with the outside world. It said Baku 
should therefore “take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement 
of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”
At the same time, the panel of 15 ICJ judges rejected Armenia’s request for a 
separate injunction against the disruption of Armenian electricity and gas 
supplies to Karabakh carried out through Azerbaijani territory.
“The Court considers that Armenia has not placed before it sufficient evidence 
that Azerbaijan is disrupting the supply of natural gas and other utilities to 
the residents of Nagorno-Karabakh,” it said.
The ICJ also threw out Azerbaijan’s request to make Armenia stop laying land 
mines in the Lachin corridor. Yerevan has repeatedly denied the Azerbaijani 
allegations, saying that they are a pretext for blocking the vital road.
The two warring nations have sought injunctions against each other as part of 
their mutual lawsuits brought before the UN court in 2021. The legal dispute 
could take years to resolve. Also, analysts believe that the ICJ judges have no 
real means of enforcing their interim orders.
Yeghishe Kirakosian, a lawyer representing the Armenian government in 
international tribunals, said Yerevan will keep ICJ posted about Baku’s 
compliance with its latest order.
Armenia Revives Major Gold Mining Project
Armenia - Gold mining facilities constructed by Lydian International company at 
Amulsar deposit, 18 May 2018.
The Armenian government and a Canadian-based company formally agreed on 
Wednesday to restart a multimillion-dollar gold mining project in Armenia that 
was disrupted by protesters shortly after the 2018 “velvet revolution.”
The country’s former government had granted the company, now called Lydian 
Canada Ventures, a license to develop a massive gold deposit at Amulsar in 2016. 
Lydian planned to start mining operations there in late 2018 and produce 210,000 
ounces of gold, worth $385 million at current international prices, annually.
However, those plans were put on hold after several dozen environmental 
protesters started blocking all roads leading to Amulsar in June 2018. They said 
that the project would wreak havoc on the environment.
Lydian dismissed those claims, saying that it would use modern technology that 
would prevent such damage.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian made conflicting statements about the Amulsar 
project. His administration did not revoke Lydian’s mining licenses. But it also 
refrained from using force to end the blockade.
The company, which claimed to have invested $370 million in the project before 
the blockade, filed for bankruptcy protection in Canada in late 2019 before 
being restructured. It is now owned by two U.S. and Canadian equity firms 
specializing in mining.
Armenia - Economy Minister Vahan Kerobian (center) shakes hands with 
representatives of Lydian Canada Ventures and the Eurasian Development Bank, 
.
Following the disastrous 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh, Pashinian’s government 
signaled plans to revive the Amulsar project and started negotiating with Lydian 
for that purpose.
The talks resulted in the signing in Yerevan on Wednesday of a memorandum of 
understanding by Economy Minister Vahan Kerobian, Lydian board member Jeffrey 
Coach, and a senior executive of the Kazakhstan-based Eurasian Development Bank 
(EDB).
Kerobian said at the signing ceremony that the three sides aim to raise $250 
million for finishing the construction of mining and smelting facilities at 
Amulsar and installing other equipment there. In particular, he said, Lydian 
will borrow $100 million from the EDB and another $50 million from an unnamed 
Armenian bank.
Kerobian also announced that the U.S. and Canadian investors have granted the 
Armenian government a 12.5 percent stake in the project in return for its pledge 
to manage their risks.
“This is a very important project for us,” Kerobian told reporters.
Armenia -- Protesters block a road leading to Amulsar mine, July 2, 2018
“It is estimated that operations at Amulsar will increase Armenia’s GDP by 
approximately 1 percent … and we just cannot miss such an opportunity,” he said, 
adding that Lydian will be paying between 30 and 40 billion drams ($75-$100 
million) in various taxes each year.
“It’s an incredibly dynamic project for the economy of the country,” Coach said, 
for his part. “It will employ hundreds of Armenians.”
He also said that Amulsar will be “one of the most sophisticated operating mines 
in the world.”
“We will have complied with every environmental standard,” added the Lydian 
executive.
Neither man gave any dates for the planned start of open-pit mining at Amulsar. 
Nor did Kerobian clarify what the government will do if the mining site is again 
blocked by protesters. He said only that that the government “will do 
everything” to protect Lydian’s investments.
Mining has for decades been a key export-oriented sector of the Armenian 
economy. The country’s largest mining enterprise, the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum 
Combine (ZCMC), is also its leading corporate taxpayer.
Yerevan Opposes Azeri Checkpoint At Lachin Corridor
Armenia - Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan speaks during a news conference in 
Yerevan, .
The Armenian government denounced on Wednesday Azerbaijan’s apparent attempts to 
set up a permanent checkpoint on the sole road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to 
Armenia which was blocked by Baku more than two months ago.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev admitted such a desire after his weekend 
talks in Munich with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian mediated by U.S. 
Secretary of State Antony Blinken. Aliyev said he suggested during the 
trilateral meeting that checkpoints be set up on that road as well as a would-be 
corridor to Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave.
“The idea of setting up checkpoints on Armenia’s border and at the starting 
point of the Lachin corridor was really floated [at Munich],” said Foreign 
Minister Ararat Mirzoyan. “But our response was explicit.”
“Our position was expressed shortly after the blockage of the Lachin corridor 
and it remains the same: regulations for the Lachin corridor were already 
negotiated and signed, including by the president of Azerbaijan … And 
renegotiating them under the threat of another use of force is unacceptable to 
us,” he told a joint news conference with Luxembourg’s visiting Foreign Minister 
Jean Asselborn.
Russian military vehicles roll along a road towards Nagorno-Karabakh, November 
13, 2020.
Mirzoyan referred to the Russian-brokered agreement that stopped the 2020 war in 
Karabakh. The agreement placed the Lachin corridor under the control of Russian 
peacekeeping forces and committed Azerbaijan to guaranteeing safe passage 
through it.
Yerevan maintains that the continuing Azerbaijani blockade is a gross violation 
of this arrangement. Russia, the United States and the European Union have cited 
it in their repeated statements urging Baku to unblock Karabakh’s land link with 
Armenia and the outside world.
Speaking in Munich, Aliyev again defended Azerbaijani government-backed 
protesters blocking the Lachin corridor on ostensibly environmental grounds.
Mirzoyan said that in return for reopening the vital Karabakh road Baku hopes to 
force the Armenian side to agree to an extraterritorial corridor to Nakhichevan 
that would pass through Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province. He ruled out 
such a concession while reaffirming Yerevan’s readiness for conventional 
Armenian-Azerbaijani transport links.
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.

Security Council Secretary, U.S. Ambassador discuss development of Armenian-American bilateral agenda

Emil Lazarian

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 14:03,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan held a meeting with the new United States Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien.

Grigoryan congratulated Ambassador Kvien on assuming office and wished productive work for the benefit of the development of Armenian-American relations, Grigoryan’s office said in a read-out. 

Ambassador Kvien attached importance to strengthening bilateral relations in the economic sector. 

Secretary Grigoryan and Ambassador Kvien exchanged views around the development of the Armenian-American bilateral agenda, attaching importance to democracy as a factor fostering cooperation in various directions.

Surmalu trade center director arrested in investigation into deadly blast

Emil Lazarian

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 14:33,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. The director of the Surmalu trade center of Yerevan has been arrested in the ongoing criminal investigation into the August 14, 2022 deadly explosion at the trade center’s warehouse.

Surmalu director Irina Madatova has been taken into custody, the Office of the Prosecutor-General told ARMENPRESS.

4 people, including the trade center’s deputy director are facing criminal charges in the investigation.

Authorities had earlier said that fire safety violations and illegal storage of pyrotechnics were the cause of the fire and subsequent explosion.

The August 14, 2022 explosion in Surmalu trade center killed 16 people and injured over 60 others.

Armenpress: Russian Deputy FM says the decision of Brussels about the EU mission in Armenia has a geopolitical context

Emil Lazarian

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 21:40,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. According to the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Galuzin, the decision of Brussels to launch an EU civilian mission in Armenia has a clear geopolitical context, which does not contribute to real stabilization in Transcaucasia, ARMENPRESS reports the Russian Foreign Ministry said, noting that the Russian diplomat announced this during a telephone conversation with Toivo Klaar, the EU’s special representative in the South Caucasus.

On the initiative of the EU side, on February 21, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Galuzin, and the Co-Chair of the International Geneva Discussions on Security and Stability in the Transcaucasia, the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus Toivo Klaar, held a telephone conversation.

While discussing the topic of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, Mikhail Galuzin noted that Brussels’ decision to launch an EU civilian mission in Armenia has a clear geopolitical context, which does not contribute to real stabilization in Transcaucasia. The lack of consensus between Baku and Yerevan on this initiative was emphasized.

AMAA responds to earthquake stricken community in Aleppo

Emil Lazarian
 Armenian Missionary Association of America Nonprofit News 0

Rev. Dr. Haroutune Selimian gazes at a collapsed building

Barely recovered from the acts of war and completely overwhelmed by the unprecedented economic crisis, Syria is faced with a new disaster – a deadly earthquake. On February 6, 2023, at 4:17 a.m. local time, residents within the greater Aleppo provinces were rocked by a 7.8 magnitude earthquake. Later, it was followed by two more earthquakes, one with a 7.5 tremor and continuing aftershocks. 

In addition to human losses, churches, buildings and institutions suffered extensive structural damage, some even flattened. Soon after becoming aware of the extent of damage in the city of Aleppo, the Armenian Evangelical Bethel Church in Aleppo, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Haroutune Selimian, president of the Armenian Evangelical Community of Syria, immediately acted to help the community. People, gripped by fear and left homeless, rushed to the streets and tried to find shelter in churches, schools and other centers. More than 350 families found shelter in the halls and courtyard of Bethel Church. The Armenian Evangelical Community of Syria, with the financial support of the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) and the encouragement of the Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, was one of the first respondents to the disaster with direct material support and taking care of immediate and basic needs, along with moral support, counseling and prayers. The church has also been organizing special programs for the children in its playground to keep them preoccupied and encouraged.

Consul General of Republic of Armenia, Papken Badalyan, visits people sheltered at Bethel Church

On Thursday, February 10, Consul General of the Republic of Armenia Papken Badalyan visited Bethel Church and spent time with the people.

“Armenia and Artsakh, with their own challenges and hardship, are always with us and share our pain and sorrow,” said Rev. Dr. Selimian. “And, instead of us extending our hands to Armenia, Armenia is now extending its helping hands to us by sending special aid to Syria and officially handing it over to the Syrian government.”  

As the death toll and the number injured are rising every hour and day, Bethel Church, under the leadership of Rev. Dr. Selimian, continues to serve, encourage and inject hope to all those who are affected by this devastating earthquake. The number of those who are sheltered in Bethel Church and other churches and centers is decreasing, as some are slowly returning home or finding alternate residences. “We continue to serve them in the same way,” said Rev. Dr. Selimian. “Feeding them, counseling and encouraging them. At the same time, we are recording all the collapsed and damaged buildings. We are sending special surveyors to evaluate and give us direction on how and when the repairs can start. We are also in the process of repairing the damage to the schools and plan to resume classes on Monday, February 20. On one hand, we try to reduce the pressure on them, and on the other hand, we give them signs of normal life as a psychological transition for them to return from the state of shock to normal life.”

Rev. Dr. Selimian also reports that the condition of many affected buildings remains dangerous. The authorities have marked approximately 40,000 buildings in Syria as dangerous and uninhabitable and must be evacuated immediately, of which approximately 13,000 are in Aleppo and its regions. “Now we are facing another alarm,” said Rev. Dr. Selimian, “because people who thought that they would be able to return to their homes, it appears that they are not allowed to. And this puts another pressure and obligation on us – to find and rent houses to accommodate them. This is certainly not a natural process, because in three-room houses, five to six people are accommodated in each room, and this creates an unpleasant living situation.”

“We pray that the resilient spirit of the community in Syria will once again prevail rising up from the depth of this latest calamity,” said Zaven Khanjian, AMAA executive director and CEO.

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The Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) was founded in 1918, in Worcester, MA, and incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization in 1920 in the State of New York. We are a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Our purpose is to serve the physical and spiritual needs of people everywhere, both at home and overseas. To fulfill this worldwide mission, we maintain a range of educational, evangelistic, relief, social service, church and child care ministries in 24 countries around the world.


CivilNet: Iran ‘ready’ to organize 3+3 summit in region

Emil Lazarian
CIVILNET.AM

21 Feb, 2023 10:02

  • Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has again accused the West of attempting to oust Russia from its leading role in the South Caucasus.
  • Iranian Foreign Minister Amir Hossein Abdollahian has announced his readiness to organize a meeting in Tehran in the “3+3 format,” referring to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Russia, and Turkey. .
  • The United States’ new ambassador to Armenia, Kristina Kvien, has presented her credentials to Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan.