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

"Immortal Regiment" march dedicated to the heroes participating the Great Patriotic War held in Yerevan

Emil Lazarian

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 13:12, 9 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. The silent “Immortal Regiment” march dedicated to the heroes who took part in the Great Patriotic War was held in Yerevan’s Victory Park, ARMENPRESS reports the participants of the march took with them the photos of the heroes of the Great Patriotic War. Vahram Karapetyan, Director General of the Dom Moscow Cultural and Business Center, congratulated all the veterans who did their best to win the bloody war that killed 27 million people.

“Glory to the veterans who died, who survived. We remember the participants of the Great Patriotic War, we honor their memory. Today we want our veterans to live longer so that they can tell the true story. We will do our best to pass on the memory of the war from generation to generation so that it is not forgotten. This is our history that we must respect,” Karapetyan said.

According to the director general of the Moscow House Cultural and Business Center, since the first days of the Patriotic War, the heroes have written with their blood, “We will die, but we will not surrender.”

“How can we forget those words? That is why today is a glorious day, Victory Day. The Victory was shaped by the peoples of all the countries of the Soviet Union. The Armenian people, of course, played a significant role in this victory. We can say with pride that the role of the Armenian people in the victory in the Patriotic War is great, because more than 600 thousand Armenians took part in that war, of which 300 thousand died, more than 100 Armenians were awarded the title of Hero of the USSR. It is a great achievement for the Armenian people. We are proud of our heroes, we respect their memory,” Karapetyan concluded.

Photos by Hayk Badalyan, Gevorg Perkuperkyan




Armenpress: Iranian Minister of Energy will arrive in Armenia

Emil Lazarian

Iranian Minister of Energy will arrive in Armenia

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 16:47, 9 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. Iranian Minister of Energy Ali Akbar Mehrabian will arrive in Yerevan to take part in the sitting of the Armenian-Iranian Joint Commission on Economic Cooperation, which will take place on May 10-11, ARMENPRESS reports, the Mehr News informs.

The Commission will discuss a number of topics, including trade and offsetting, investment, transit and transportation, electricity, oil and gas, banking and finance, standards, tourism, healthcare, and more.

Within the framework of the sitting of the Commission, a trade conference will be held with the participation of the representatives of the private sector of the two countries.

Mehrabian will also discuss with Armenian officials the developing relations between the two countries and the volume of mutual trade.

The Iranian Minister of Energy will arrive in Armenia with the Deputy Minister of Petroleum of Iran, the Director of the National Iranian Gas Company, the Deputy Minister of Roads and several other Iranian officials.

Asbarez: Editorial: Shushi’s Liberation 30 Years Ago Must Serve as Call to Action Today

Emil Lazarian
by Editor

 

 May 9, 2022

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, Top Stories

The Shushi Fortress

May 9 marks the 30th anniversary of the liberation of Shushi—Armenia’s ancient capital and the symbol of freedom and victory for all Armenians.

The battle to liberate Shushi was not only a turning point in the Karabakh Liberation Movement but has been also considered as one of the most unique military operations of modern times. During this battle the Nagorno-Karabakh Self Defense Forces flawlessly enacted a plan that ousted Azerbaijanis from the city, from where they were incessantly and savagely bombing civilian targets in the capital of Stepanakert.

The liberation of Shushi on May 9, 1992 also paved the way for the heroic forces of Artsakh to liberate the strategically important region of Lachin—which became known as Berdzor—creating the critically vital corridor between Artsakh and Armenia and later ushering in Artsakh’s victory in the war.

Almost 30 years later, Shushi again is again occupied. It’s historic, religious and cultural landmarks are under threat of extinction as Azerbaijan is systematically destroying and erasing any trace of Armenians from what was once a storied capital of Armenia perched high up in the Artsakh mountains.

In the fall of 2020, the world sat idly and watched as Azerbaijani forces—brazenly aided by Turkey—used the most inhumane and vile methods to cause as much destruction as possible in the city, first targeting the Holy Savior Cathedral—Sourp Ghazanchetsots—and later cutting off all transit roads to and from the city.

The world was silent as Azerbaijan used some of the same military tactics, for which Russia is being condemned today for unleashing on Ukraine, violating international and human rights laws.

Today, Azerbaijan and its president, Ilham Aliyev, are using Shushi as a symbol of their victory. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also visited the sacred Armenian city, where the two leaders signed a security pact with Armenian ethnic cleansing at its core.

Thus, the current efforts by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his government to advance and engage in peace talks with Azerbaijan becomes even more unacceptable and condemnable because Azerbaijan continues to attack the Armenian of Artsakh and is making every effort to isolate and rob the Armenians of their dignity and humanity. Pashinyan claims that the international community has forced Yerevan’s hand into submission. The reality, however, is more complex and signals that Artsakh has fallen in Yerevan’s rearview.

As the people of Artsakh, who spilled their sacred blood for its liberation and independence, assert and emphasize any settlement that places Artsakh under Azerbaijani rule is unacceptable and official Yerevan must act accordingly to guarantee that Artsakh’s hard-won independence is not squandered for quick political fixes that will rob Armenians of their identity and freedom.

The liberation of Shushi must serve as a call to action for the entire Armenian Nation and remind us all that what was possible 30 years ago can again become a reality if our nation united around the common cause of salvaging our homeland and recouping our losses—de-occupying Artsakh one territory at at time.

Asbarez: Azerbaijan Continues to Desecrate Dadivank Monastery

Emil Lazarian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 May 9, 2022

 

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

Armenian pilgrims visit Dadivank soon after its occupation by Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani authorities have been sponsoring tours to the Dadivank Monastery by people claiming to be part of the obscure Albanian-Udi religious community.

Dadivank, which is located in Artsakh’s now occupied Karvachar region, also plays host to Armenian religious pilgrims who visit the sacred site accompanied by Russian peacekeepers.

In its continuing effort to appropriate Armenian cultural, historic and religious landmarks, the Dadivank Monastery, which dates back to the 4th Century, also was given a new name for the so-called Albanian visitors—“Khudavang.”

According to a news item reported by the Azerbaijani APA news agency, a religious ceremony was performed at the monastery. The visit took place through the Azerbaijan State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, APA reported.

The cross was removed from the Armenian Church in the Togh village in occupied Artsakah

On Monday, it was reported that the cross on the dome of the Armenian church in the Togh village in Artsakh was also removed.

The cross has been removed from the Holy Resurrection Church in occupied Hadrut

Late last month, Azerbaijani media reported on the “Easter celebrations in Hadrut,” posting photos of the Holy Resurrection (Surp Harutyun) Church in that occupied city.

Upon close examination of photos, it becomes evident that the cross has been removed from the done and the Armenian inscription at the entrance of the church has been erased.

The Holy Resurrection Church was not damaged during the 2020 War and was a functioning church until the area was surrendered to Azerbaijan.

Armenia’s Security Council Secretary meets Georgian counterpart in Tbilisi

Emil Lazarian

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 14:38, 4 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan met with Georgia’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Secretary of the National Security Council Vakhtang Gomelauri in Tbilisi, Grigoryan’s office said.

During the meeting the sides highly appreciated the centuries-old bilateral friendship and highlighted the necessity of further deepening these relations, particularly attaching importance to the expansion of sectoral cooperation between the Security Councils of the two countries.

Armen Grigoryan presented the security situation around Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia’s position to overcome these challenges. He also introduced his Georgian counterpart on the ongoing reforms plan in security sector, in the context of which the Georgian side shared its respective experience. The sides continued discussing a number of issues relating to security sector.

Vakhtang Gomelauri introduced Armen Grigoryan on the Georgian national security architecture and the mandate of the National Security Council.

Armenia’s Security Council Secretary, Georgian Prime Minister discuss regional security

Emil Lazarian

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 16:25, 4 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan met with Prime Minister of Georgia Irakli Garibashvili in Tbilisi on the sidelines of his working visit, Grigoryan’s office said.

Armen Grigoryan conveyed the warm greetings of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to the Georgian PM. Both sides highly valued the warm relations between the Armenian and Georgian PMs, expressing hope that such a positive quality of relations will be transferred to the Armenian-Georgian cooperation in other levels.

The Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia presented the processes of the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and the normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations.

The officials also discussed a number of issues relating to the security situation in the region, during which Armen Grigoryan presented Armenia’s vision on the solution of the security problems in South Caucasus and the maintenance of stability in the region.  

The prospects of Georgia’s mediation to regional economic and humanitarian affairs were discussed. The conversation also focused on the current situation in Ukraine and its impact on the region.

Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Committee meeting slated for May 10

Emil Lazarian
IRNA – Islamic Republic News Agency (Iran)
May 9 2022

Tehran, IRNA – Iran’s Deputy Iranian Foreign Minister for Economic Diplomacy Mehdi Safari said on Monday that the 17th Joint Ira-Armenia Economic Committee meeting of the two countries will be held on May 10-11, 2022 in Yerevan.

Safari said on Monday that Iranian Energy Minister Ali-Akbar Mehrabian and  Armenian Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources will co-chair Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Committee meeting.

According to IRNA, the 16th Iran-Armenia Joint Economic Committee meeting was held in Tehran during June 30-July 2, 2019.

Iran and Armenia have been taking serious measures to boost their economic ties in line with the two countries’ positive political relations.

Iran and Armenia, which have been in friendly relations for decades, began a new chapter in bilateral relations in 2018, as the two countries are taking steps in the direction of a strategic relationship. Iran was named as Armenia’s 6th most important trading partner in 2017, but in 2018 Iran was promoted to Yerevan’s fifth most important trading partner.

The 15th Joint Economic Committee meeting between Iran and Armenia was held in the Armenian capital city of Yerevan in February 2018.

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Opinion from Baku: "Armenia’s 6 responses to 5 proposals of Azerbaijan – what to expect next?"

Emil Lazarian

May 5 2022


  • JAMnews
  • Baku

Armenia adds six principles for peace talks

Yerevan responded to the five principles proposed by Baku for the start of peace negotiations with six of its own. Armenia agrees with the principles put forward by Azerbaijan, but considered it necessary to add to them the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, which was not mentioned in the proposals from Baku. What to expect in such a scenario? According to political observer Agshin Kerimov, Armenia’s response is not fundamentally directed against the interests of Azerbaijan.

  • Opinion from Baku: “Moscow is against bilateral negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia”
  • “Peace agenda is not an agenda of defeat” – position of Armenian authorities on status of NK
  • Legendary city 30 years later: a trip to Karabakh

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan stated that Armenia added a six more principles to the five that have already been put forward by Azerbaijan for the start of peace negotiations and adopted by official Yerevan. One of the points concerns the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Aliyev’s remarks on peace negotiations with Armenia : “If Yerevan does not accept the five principles proposed by Baku, Azerbaijan will not recognize territorial integrity of Armenia”

According to Azerbaijani political observer Agshin Kerimov, Armenia’s response is not fundamentally directed against the interests of Azerbaijan.

“Apparently, the maps referred to by Azerbaijan in connection with the start of the process of delimitation and demarcation of the borders between the two states were accepted by Yerevan. Because Grigoryan noted in his speech that all the maps and historical facts are known and Azerbaijan can also get acquainted with them.

Of course, Grigoryan may be referring to distorted maps that are a product of the Armenian propaganda, but the fact that he used the word “everything” gives Azerbaijan great room for maneuvering during the negotiations.

Armenia announces that it recognizes the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan. Armen Grigoryan himself refers to the mutual recognition of the territorial integrity of the two countries within the framework of the CIS in 1992”, Kerimov says.

The political observer notes that one cannot but notice the efforts of Yerevan to put the issue of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh on the agenda, but “this time this issue is presented in a slightly different form”:

“Grigoryan speaks about the need to ensure the rights and security of the Armenians living in Karabakh, and sort of takes the issue of status to the background. But such a setting gives reason to say that Yerevan is still trying to catch fish in troubled waters. In fact, these statements can also be regarded as a method of playing on the internal audience. Under the current conditions, reassuring the people in the country is also on the agenda of the Armenian government.

Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that it recognizes all the rights of the Karabakh Armenians under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan, and Grigoryan’s statement can in no way be reclassified as a thesis directed against the interests of Baku.

A possible signing, or at least the start of negotiations on the Armenian-Azerbaijani peace agreement is actively discussed both in Yerevan and Baku

Despite all this, the Armenian proposal seems more like a question in the context of rights and security than a question of territorial conflict. This clearly shows that the authorities in Armenia began to adequately assess the existing realities.

Everyone, including Armenia, is well aware that Azerbaijan will not return to discussing the issue of status. Moreover, the entire territory of Karabakh has already found its reflection in the legal system of the country – it is divided into East Zangezur and Karabakh economic regions.

This, by the way, is based on international law, which recognizes the territorial-administrative system under the jurisdiction of the country that owns the same territory. In other words, such a territorial division does not contradict the principles of international law.

On the other hand, the balance of power in the region is far from parity, and any manifestation of revanchism is inappropriate.

There remains the issue of enclaves between the countries, which will become relevant in the course of peace negotiations, and will be resolved on the basis of their principles”.

Restored 16th-century Armenian church reopens in Diyarbakir

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 8 2022

16th-century St. Giragos Armenian church in Turkey’s southeastern Diyarbakir (historic Tigranakert) province heavily damaged in 2015 officially reopened on Saturday after restoration.

The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Sahak Mashalyan, president over the first Sunday mass at the church today.

The Patriarch called the opening of the church a lifeline for Diyarbakır’s Christian population, which has been on the decline.

Protests in Armenia continue – what will happen next?

Emil Lazarian

May 5 2022


  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Anti-government protests in Armenia

The parliamentary opposition of Armenia continues a series of protests in the capital and regions demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The reason for the start of an active street struggle of the opposition was the Prime Minister’s statement that the international community expects Armenia to “lower the bar on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh“. The opposition says that this means agreeing to the status of NK within Azerbaijan, and consequently, to the expulsion of all local Armenians.

After this statement, Nikol Pashinyan made assurances that he did not intend to agree on anything and would not sign any document without the consent of the society, “behind the backs of the Karabakh Armenians”. The leadership of the unrecognized republic confirmed the words of the Armenian prime minister, but the movement of the opposition to remove Pashinyan from the post of prime minister continues.

The protests are gaining momentum, sometimes involving more than tens of thousands of people, but so far the opposition movement is not gaining a critical number of supporters. Experts attribute this to the fact that behind both parliamentary factions, which call on the people to take to the streets, are politicians from the former government. These are ex-presidents of Armenia Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, who are considered by society as politicians with a pro-Russian orientation.

  • “Opposition’s struggle enters a decisive stage” – peaceful protests in Yerevan continue
  • “Peace agenda is not an agenda of defeat” – position of Armenian authorities on status of NK
  • Armenian villagers living near the Azerbaijani border demand a security zone

On May 4, opposition deputies, who have not been participating in parliamentary sessions for a long time and took to the streets demanding the resignation of the prime minister, returned to their jobs. The National Assembly hosted the traditional “Government Hour”, during which deputies asked questions to the Prime Minister and members of the Cabinet.

The oppositionists came to demand the resignation of Pashinyan personally. They read out a text with accusations, claiming, in particular, that the prime minister:

  • failed to protect Armenian interests in the negotiations on the Karabakh conflict,
  • led to the country to war, and then lost in it,
  • could have prevented the war and avoided thousands of victims, but did not,
  • promised to return the prisoners from Azerbaijan within one or two months, but failed to do so and they remain in Azerbaijan to this day.

In his response, Pashinyan traditionally spoke about the “legacy” he received from the previous government, in particular, from ex-president Serzh Sargsyan. He still managed to promise a loud exposure, but the opposition did not wait for him and left the meeting room.

Later, the opposition explained their departure by the fact that they did not want to listen to “another batch of lies from the prime minister”.

Nagorno-Karabakh issue and the signing of a peace treaty. Despite the war in Ukraine and the attention of world centers being diverted to it, certain processes are still ongoing

According to political scientist Suren Surenyants, the protests are well organized but lack political content.

“We don’t hear from the activists of the platform what they think, what ideas they have about solving the internal and external problems facing Armenia”, the political scientist told JAMnews.

He believes that the protests may lead to a deepening of the domestic political crisis, but they “do not yet have a revolutionary potential” – and the reason is the lack of alternative political content, as well as public consolidation:

“If the opposition can say an alternative political word, present a new political context, it can succeed, because people are extremely disappointed with the authorities. But if we listen to the same primitive slogans that have been voiced up to this point, then there will be no great social consolidation, the movement will not lead to a revolution. Another thing is that the government’s resources may run out”.

The political scientist does not exclude the possibility of the influence of external forces on the protest movement, but he is sure that without the consolidation of society around the opposition, this will not play a role and will not lead to success.

As for the role of Russia in the movement launched by the opposition, the expert does not believe that in the current situation, the Kremlin will make special efforts to change the government in Armenia:

“Russia is deeply convinced that the main political forces of Armenia do not question the Armenian-Russian strategic partnership. Therefore, whether it is the government of Pashinyan, Kocharyan or any other, this partnership will not be questioned. I do not think that Russia in this situation would make special efforts to bring about a change of power”.

Armenian opposition demands the prime minister’s resignation and continues a series of indefinite street protests aimed at ‘waking up’ Armenian society

According to political scientist Benyamin Poghosyan, the people who took to the streets have only one message:

“Most of the politically active society does not intend to agree to the signing of a peace treaty with Azerbaijan, in which Nagorno-Karabakh will be fixed as part of Azerbaijan – with any status.

If the danger of signing such an agreement goes from theory to reality, the number of people involved in protests will increase significantly. This will seriously destabilize the internal political situation in Armenia and may lead to a change of power”.

However, the political scientist does not predict “tectonic internal political changes” in the near future. According to him, the negotiations are a lengthy process, and it is unlikely that a peace agreement will be signed before the end of the year. Moreover, Russia, according to him, is also not interested in this scenario:

“The Russian Federation is in no way interested in signing a peace agreement if it fixes Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, as it believes that this will open the way for the withdrawal of Russian troops from NK in November 2025 [the Russian peacekeeping contingent has been deployed in NK since November 2020 for a period of 5 years – JAMnews]. And the Russians want one thing – to stay in Artsakh as long as possible”.

According to the expert, elements of political struggle are obvious in the actions of the opposition, but not all protesters are members of one or another political team:

“I don’t think that all those who are protesting now just want a second or third president [Kocharyan is the second president of Armenia, Sargsyan is the third] or people associated with them. There are a significant number of people who send a signal to both the Armenian authorities and foreign partners that any scenario in which Artsakh will be part of Azerbaijan is unacceptable for them”.

Armenia continues to discuss the future of the OSCE Minsk Group. Armenian expert comments on the possible fate of the format which has been mediating the Karabakh conflict settlement for 30 years

The processes taking place in Armenia may be connected with “different circles of the Russian elite”, political observer Hakob Badalyan believes. He says that relations within the elite are quite complicated due to the events in Ukraine and tough sanctions imposed on Russia:

“Even before the start of the active stage of the struggle in Armenia, I warned that the complex relationships and competitive motives within the Russian elite would also affect the internal political life of Armenia. What is happening on the street today is one of the manifestations of this process”.

The expert believes that the return of the former authorities is unacceptable for society. He says that people have good reasons for this, which are connected not only with the past, but also with the behavior of the former authorities after the change of power:

“Even after a difficult war, military defeat, human and territorial losses, the public did not consider such a political situation, the possibility of changing the status quo, seeing that this change would be taken advantage of by forces representing the former ruling system”.