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

Turkish Press: Baku accuses Armenia of ‘illegal activities’ in Azerbaijani borders

Emil Lazarian
DAILY SABAH

Azerbaijan on Thursday accused Armenia of intending to continue “illegal activities” on its territory over Yerevan’s rejection of a road into the disputed Karabakh region proposed by Azerbaijan.

“The fact that Armenia … rejects this road (Aghdam-Khankendi) by any means possible proves that the claim of a ‘tense humanitarian situation’ in the region is groundless and that Armenia intends to continue illegal activities on the territory of Azerbaijan,” a statement by the country’s Foreign Ministry said.

The statement came in response to comments made by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian during a government meeting earlier in the day.

It said Yerevan’s repeated claims on the Lachin road over the past eight months show the country’s intention to “use the issue for its political purposes and to obstruct the peace treaty negotiations that have been progressing recently.”

It further said Armenia’s claim that Azerbaijan is taking steps to carry out “ethnic cleansing” in the Karabakh region is “quite wrong and dangerous.”

The statement defined Pashinian’s conditions on the form of dialogue between Baku and Armenian residents in Karabakh as “unacceptable” and a direct challenge to Azerbaijan’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

It also said Armenia is clearly trying to make the process of border delimitation between the two countries fail, given that Yerevan “does not fulfill its obligation to withdraw the Armenian armed forces from the territory of Azerbaijan, continues to provide financial support to the territory, and emphasizes its territorial claims in various letters, statements and speeches.”

“Azerbaijan, as the initiator of the peace process with Armenia in the aforementioned areas, is interested in establishing peace, stability and security in the region and is an active party in the negotiation process. If Armenia is interested in peace, it should stop efforts that hinder the peace process,” it concluded.

Karabakh has been at the center of a decadeslong territorial dispute between the two countries.

Azerbaijan in April set up the border point at the entrance to the Lachin corridor, exacerbating allegations from Armenia of a Karabakh “blockade.” Tensions soaring over the move left another half a dozen people killed from both sides since December.

Baku fervently denied the claims, saying the checkpoint was created in response to security threats from Armenia and citing the transfer of weapons and ammunition to the Karabakh region.

Earlier this month, it temporarily halted the checkpoint pending an investigation into the Armenian branch of the Red Cross for alleged smuggling.

The latest developments followed a monthslong protest by Azerbaijani environmental activists, which Yerevan claims spurred a humanitarian crisis and food and fuel shortages.

Azerbaijan insisted at the time that civilian transport could go unimpeded through the Lachin corridor.

In February, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – the U.N.’s top judicial body – had ordered Azerbaijan to ensure free movement on the road.

The two former Soviet republics fought two wars to control the mountainous region of Karabakh in the 1990s and again in 2020.

Six weeks of fighting in autumn 2020 ended with a Russian-sponsored cease-fire that saw Armenia cede swathes of territories it had controlled for decades.

There have been frequent clashes at the two countries’ shared border despite the ongoing peace talks between Baku and Yerevan under mediation from the European Union and the United States.

When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ethnic Armenian separatists in Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan. The ensuing conflict claimed some 30,000 lives.

With major regional power Russia struggling to maintain its decisive influence because of the fallout from its war on Ukraine, the conflict has also drawn Western mediation efforts. Washington has been sponsoring peace talks, hosting ministers from both sides to hammer out an agreement twice this year alone, while the European Union has been mediating at the level of leaders between the former Soviet republics.

Baku and Yerevan say “tangible progress” was made at these talks but emphasize “more work” is needed.

Patient transfers halted from Nagorno-Karabakh as Azerbaijan ‘demands medical examinations’

Emil Lazarian
 

ByAni Avetisyan

Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have accused Azerbaijan of attempting to force patients being transferred to Armenia for treatment to be examined by their own doctors.

In an interview with Armenian Public TV on Thursday, the State Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh, Gurgen Nersisyan, said transfers had been halted as a result. He said that Azerbaijan was demanding that Red Cross vehicles be stopped to examine patients at the Azerbaijani checkpoint on the Lachin Corridor.

Nersisyan warned the process could involve stripping patients, while expressing concerns that this may be filmed by the Azerbaijani side.

‘These are conditions that are directed against the dignity of our citizens, putting them in an uncomfortable situation. And how do you imagine our citizens undergoing a medical examination by the Azerbaijanis under these conditions?’. 

Nersisyan argued that Azerbaijan’s actions aimed to make the Red Cross’s mission to transfer patients requiring urgent treatment and bringing in medical supplies ‘impossible’.

Since an Azerbaijani checkpoint was installed on the Lachin Corridor in April, and before that, as the corridor was blocked by Azerbaijani-government-backed protesters from December, only the Red Cross and Russian peacekeeping force have been able to enter the region from Armenia.

Access for the Red Cross has been halted twice since 15 June, being restored for the second time on 14 July.

The Russian peacekeeping mission, which had been bringing in crucial supplies including food and fuel to Nagorno-Karabakh since December, has also been barred by Azerbaijan from using the Lachin Corridor since 15 June. 

According to the 2020 ceasefire agreement, the corridor, the only route connecting Nagrono-Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, was meant to be controlled by the Russian peacekeeping mission.

During his interview, the State Minister said that problems with healthcare and medical and food shortages were becoming more critical every day due to the Corridor’s closure. 

‘Over 90% of pregnant women have anemia’, he said, adding that the number of miscarriages had doubled since the blockade began.

Before December 2022, Nagorno-Karabakh received over 90% of its supplies from Armenia. 

Nersisyan said that the Azerbaijani side was also hindering agricultural production with ceasefire violations.

Azerbaijan has denied that there is a humanitarian crisis in the region. However, the country has offered to supply Nagorno-Karabakh from Azerbaijani-controlled Aghdam,  an offer rejected by Nagorno-Karabakh. 

[Read more: Backlash in Armenia as EU backs Nagorno-Karabakh aid via Azerbaijan]

Along with the ongoing energy and food crisis, the authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have also warned of an imminent sanitary crisis, as the lack of fuel has resulted in the suspension of waste collection.


“Armenian universities provide outdated knowledge” – education expert

Emil Lazarian
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Entrance exams to universities in Armenia

The Ministry of Education of Armenia summed up the results of the main stage of entrance examinations to universities. Of the 15,984 paid places allocated to universities this year, 7,242 applicants matriculated, that is, 45.3 percent. According to the Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports, the figure is very low, but “this is no longer new.” The 2023 result is comparable to the low performance of the previous two years.

According to Atom Mkhitaryan, an expert in the field of education, the decline in the number of applicants is due both to a reduction in the population and to a “decline in quality” in the field of education.

“Many applicants simply do not meet the requirements of universities, they cannot pass the entrance exams, they are not able to score even the minimum eight points,” he says.

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This was stated by the Minister of Education Zhanna Andreasyan. She said that more than 3,700 places were allocated to non-state universities, and the acceptance rate was about 3%.

According to the minister, the acceptance rate of 45.3% covers all universities, both state and non-state:

“The number of free places was 2,128, but 1,782 applicants entered these places, which is 83.7%.”

13, 314 applicants applied for admission to universities. 10,966 people passed the unified exams. The number of applicants after the main stage of admission to universities was 9,147 people.

The second round of admission to universities has already started, that is, an additional round for the remaining vacant places. All those applicants who did not pass the competition during the main stage, but scored positive points, can apply for participation in it.

The excitement, apparently, was caused by the statements of the Prime Minister of Armenia that “the time will come when there will be no teachers in schools who have not passed the certification”

“The government comes up with initiatives, tries to arouse interest and fill vacancies in those professions that are of paramount, strategic importance,” said Lusine Grigoryan, head of the department of higher and postgraduate vocational education.

In particular, along with the right to deferment from military service, places were allocated for mathematical and engineering specialties, as well as in the field of natural sciences. According to Grigoryan, replenishment in these areas is already on the face.

“In chemistry, there is only one vacant place left for free education, in all other specialties, namely: physics, physics of nuclear reactors, dual-use physics, nuclear energy, mechanical engineering, materials processing, flying machines and aviation technology – all places are already filled. Even for paid education, we have very few free places left,” Grigoryan told reporters.

Graduates will have the opportunity to take exams twice. Education experts say this practice exists in many countries around the world

According to education expert Atom Mkhitaryan, speaking about the reduction in the number of applicants, one should take into account that the number of graduates “is decreasing every year”, while the number of places allocated by the ministry for entering universities remains the same. He focuses on the fact that the quality of education is in decline.

At the same time, applicants mainly compete for places in state universities. The reason, he says, is that “the rating of private universities is practically zero”:

“As a result, private universities do not withstand competition at all. The number of their students will decrease and eventually they will close.”

The expert believes that the opportunities of private universities will narrow even more, as public universities will be interested in replenishing their vacancies with applicants who have received a low but positive grade.

He says that in the current situation, the universities that operate in Armenia on the basis of interstate agreements, for example, the American University, the French University, win out:

“They have more opportunities. Students spend part of their study or practice abroad and can even get two diplomas if they study well.”

According to Mkhitaryan, “the link in choosing a profession” in the field of education is very weak. Emphasizes that the state should make more efforts so that future applicants are determined with a profession at an earlier age, and not after graduation. At this stage, in his opinion, they already choose only those professions that have a high rating, for example, law, medicine, IT, etc.

According to the expert, it is necessary to create highly paid jobs in accordance with the requirements of the market and in areas that do not have a high rating.

“Knowledge and education that universities provide in industries that have become uncompetitive are, in fact, outdated. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage programs that meet the requirements of the times,” he said.

‘Love of people’: The legacy of this Armenian historian

Emil Lazarian


by: Stefani Booroojian



FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE) – He was born in the Central Valley but left a legacy worldwide.

Richard Gable Hovannisian:  A writer of books, a lecturer, and a documenter of the history of the Armenian people.

“He basically then from the ground up developed the study of Armenian history as we know it in the United States,” said Barlow Der Mugrdechian, the director of Fresno State’s Armenian Studies Program.

Born in Tulare in 1932, Hovannisian’s educational journey took him from Fresno State to Cal State Berkeley and eventually to UCLA where he received his doctorate and taught for 60 years. Der Mugrdechian was his student.

“I loved his classes; we all loved his classes. It was just entertaining in the sense of being able to draw you into history,” he said.

Mugrdechian says Hovannisian devoted his life to writing Armenia’s history when he discovered no such writings existed.  He was instrumental in the creation of Armenian Studies programs at universities including Fresno State, and courageously spoke out at international conferences demanding the recognition of the 1915 Armenian Genocide where one and a half million Armenian lives were lost at the hands of Ottoman Turks.  

“There, American scholars who were taking the Turkish side would be talking and saying this wasn’t a genocide and everything and he would be standing up and challenging them,” Der Mugrdechian said.

Nazik Messerlian of Fresno was Hovannisian’s sister-in-law. She and her sister, who later became his wife, first met him in college. She describes him as kind, loving, and passionate about the Armenian cause.

“His love of people was I think the foundation to all of this,” she said.

Hovannisian received honors from the Armenian Church and many organizations. A crowning achievement:  recording close to a thousand oral histories from Armenian Genocide survivors– the collection is now housed at the Shoah Foundation at USC.

While retired from teaching, Hovannisian never stopped working. His most recent work was published just last year.

His legacy lives on in the generations impacted by Armenian studies in schools teaching a history documented extensively by the lifetime of work of Richard Hovannisian.

Hovannisian had family in Fresno, and they say he always loved his local ties. A national funeral will be held for him on Saturday, July 22 at Holy Trinity Apostolic Church in Fresno at 11:00 a.m.  


Armenia PM Accuses Azerbaijan of Karabakh ‘Genocide’, Warns of New War (+Links)

Emil Lazarian

Published By: Pritha Mallick

AFP

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned Friday of the risk of a new war with Azerbaijan, accusing Baku of “genocide” in the breakaway Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Baku and Yerevan have fought two wars over the mountainous enclave and the signature of a peace treaty remains a distant prospect.

Talks under the mediation of the European Union, United States, and Russia have brought about little progress.

“So long as a peace treaty has not been signed and such a treaty has not been ratified by the parliaments of the two countries, of course, a (new) war (with Azerbaijan) is very likely,” Pashinyan told AFP.

Tensions escalated earlier in July when Azerbaijan temporarily shut the Lachin corridor, the sole road linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.

The closure sparked concerns over a humanitarian crisis in the region, which experiences shortages of food, medicines, and energy.

“We’re talking not about a preparation of genocide, but an ongoing process of genocide,” Pashinyan told AFP in an interview, referring to the Karabakh crisis.

The growing diplomatic engagement of the European Union and United States in the Caucasus has irked traditional regional power broker Russia.

As the latest round of peace talks on July 15 in Brussels failed to bring about a breakthrough, Pashinyan said that both the West and Russia needed to increase pressure on Baku to lift its blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“If, according to the logic of some circles in the West, Russia is not meeting all of our expectations because it is not fulfilling its obligations, similarly Russia also tells us (the same) about the West,” he said.

Nagorno-Karabakh has been at the centre of a decades-long dispute between the two countries, which have fought two wars over the mountainous territory –- in the 1990s and in 2020.

In autumn 2020, a Russian-brokered ceasefire deal saw Armenia cede swathes of territories it had controlled for decades, while Moscow deployed peacekeepers to the Lachin Corridor to ensure free passage between Armenia and Karabakh.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)

https://www.news18.com/world/armenia-pm-accuses-azerbaijan-of-karabakh-genocide-warns-of-new-war-8395849.html

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https://www.barrons.com/news/armenia-pm-accuses-azerbaijan-of-karabakh-genocide-8a25743


Artsakh calls for tribunal for Azeri regime, international recognition based on Remedial Secession to prevent genocide

Emil Lazarian

 13:39,

YEREVAN, JULY 19, ARMENPRESS. The Speaker of Parliament of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Artur Tovmasyan has called on the international community to launch a special criminal tribunal for the leadership of Azerbaijan regarding their unprecedented violence and crimes against humanity in Nagorno Karabakh.

“By creating the most sophisticated concentration camp in a territory of nearly 3000 square kilometers, Azerbaijan has been testing the latest achievements of science on the citizens of the Artsakh (NKR) Republic since 12 December 2022, aimed at dehumanizing an entire nation, the population of the Republic of Artsakh,” Tovmasyan said in a statement.

“The population of 120+30 (forcefully displaced) thousand of a freedom-loving country is being subjected to humiliation, famine and threats of physical extermination every day for eight months, living without electricity, gas, fuel and medication. After WWII, when the international community condemned and stipulated provisions in international law ruling out the Nazi Germany’s crimes in the future, it was difficult to imagine that our people would face the threat of physical extermination in the 21st century with new methods, and that it wouldn’t even receive an intervention by the international community to prevent a great human tragedy,” reads the statement addressed to the international community.

“At the same time, taking into account the provisions of international law related to violence and aggression by an aggressor country against self-proclaimed independent countries, we call on responsible and relevant international intergovernmental institutions to launch the process of international recognition of the Artsakh Republic, as the most practical way to prevent genocide and the forced displacement of our people from our homeland,” he added.

Tovmasyan called on international intergovernmental institutions to launch a special criminal tribunal to try the Azerbaijani leadership for creating a modern concentration camp in the territory of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and regularly destroying the indigenous people of Nagorno Karabakh.

The Speaker expressed hope that his statement will receive a response and that the international community and intergovernmental organizations will not surrender to aggressors and murderers, but will support the people of Nagorno Karabakh. The only way to avoid the abovementioned dangers is through the recognition of Artsakh’s independence based on the principle of Remedial Secession, Tovmasyan said.

Lyle Shelton of ADH TV Interviews Armenian National Committee of Australia Executive Director on Artsakh Blockade

Emil Lazarian
     
Thursday,

SYDNEY: On Friday, 14th July 2023, ADH TV, co-hosted by renowned Australian radio broadcaster Alan Jones and high-profile Christian advocate Lyle Shelton, covered Azerbaijan’s over 200-day siege of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) in an interview with the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) Executive Director, Michael Kolokossian.

Shelton interviewed Kolokossian in a 12-minute segment covering the Australian-Armenian community’s disappointment over the Australian Government’s harrowing silence as 120,000 Christian Armenians remain trapped and under siege at the hands of brutal petro-dictatorship Azerbaijan.

Shelton, the National Director of Family First, also shared to his audience the details of ANC-AU’s Parliamentary Petition calling on the Albanese Government to speak out against Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh.

Following a brief background to the roots of the conflict, Kolokossian praised the people of Artsakh for their commitment to upholding their human right to self-determination.

“The people of Artsakh have lived on this land for so many centuries, and they refuse to leave their homes and property… no matter what the Azerbaijani regime tries to throw at them… the people of Artsakh remain committed to that right to self-determination which is upheld under Article 1 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights,” Kolokossian said.

“They fundamentally believe that they have the right to live in their land, to live in a democracy and are not willing to allow a regime like Azerbaijan, which has been run by the same family for three decades now, to threaten them with an iron fist.”

In response to queries over the Albanese Government’s reluctance to speak out against the crisis, Kolokossian spoke out against Canberra’s silence, saying: “The reasons for that [the government silence] are not justifiable, you said it, it’s a humanitarian crisis, we’re not asking for the Australian Government to comment on the territorial dispute between the Republic of Artsakh and the dictatorship of Azerbaijan.”

Kolokossian added, “We’re asking the Australian Government to do one simple thing, stand with the International Court of Justice, the top judicial organ of the United Nations, which has ordered provisional measures on Azerabaijan to open the corridor. It’s as simple as that.”

Kolokossian urged viewers to join the Armenian-Australian community in signing the Parliamentary Petition, calling on the House of Representatives to urge the Australian Government to stand in line with the ICJ and prevent a second Armenian Genocide.

The full interview can be viewed by clicking here.


https://www.anc.org.au/news/Media-Releases/Lyle-Shelton-of-ADH-TV-Interviews-Armenian-National-Committee-of-Australia-Executive-Director-on-Artsakh-Blockade

Role of Russian peacekeepers paramount amid tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh — diplomat

Emil Lazarian
 TASS 
Russia –
Commenting on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement that Russian peacekeepers must leave Nagorno-Karabakh by 2025, Maria Zakharova noted that Ankara is not a party to the November 9, 2020, joint statement from the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan

MOSCOW, July 20. /TASS/. The work of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Nagorno-Karabakh is of the utmost importance amid the continued tensions in the region, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said during a briefing Thursday.

“Russian peacekeepers continue to play an important stabilizing role in Nagorno-Karabakh; their main function is to uphold the ceasefire regime,” she said. “Considering the persisting tense situation in the region, their work is as important as ever.”

Commenting on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s statement that Russian peacekeepers must leave Nagorno-Karabakh by 2025, Zakharova noted that Ankara is not a party to the November 9, 2020, joint statement from the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. The diplomat pointed out that the Russian peacekeeping contingent was deployed in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict area based specifically on this document, and it was this document that outlined the terms of the contingent’s stay in the region and the parameters for its potential five-year extension.

“The upholding of peace in the South Caucasus meets the interests of both Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as regional [powers], including Turkey. In this regard, we note the important cooperation with our Turkish partners within the joint Russian-Turkish Center in the Aghdam District,” the diplomat added.

https://tass.com/world/1649699

WATCH: Nagorno Karabakh struggles to survive disastrous humanitarian consequences as grocery store shelves go empty

Emil Lazarian

 10:16,

STEPANAKERT, JULY 20, ARMENPRESS. A video filmed in Stepanakert city’s largest supermarket shows the disastrous humanitarian consequences of the Azerbaijani blockade of Nagorno Karabakh – all shelves are empty.

The video was released by Human Rights Defender of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Gegham Stepanyan’s office.

In a statement released on Thursday, Stepanyan called for an immediate international intervention to help stop the suffering of the people of Nagorno Karabakh.

“Humanitarian situation in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) is deteriorating hour by hour. All shops and groceries are empty. Complete absence of food and basic necessities inflict sufferings on 120,000 people, including 30,000 children. The Ombudsman’s Office reports from the ground, documenting the disastrous humanitarian consequences and asking for immediate international intervention,” Stepanyan said in a statement.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations and the Red Cross has been facilitating the medical evacuations of patients.

[see video]

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 20-07-23

Emil Lazarian

 17:26,

YEREVAN, 20 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 20 July, USD exchange rate down by 0.99 drams to 386.29 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.65 drams to 432.76 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 4.26 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.09 drams to 498.16 drams.

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

Gold price down by 58.52 drams to 24532.88 drams. Silver price up by 0.82 drams to 310.67 drams.