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

One more body found in Artsakh search operations on Nov 24

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Nov 24 2021

Artsakh rescuers on Wednesday found the body of another fallen soldier as a result of their search operations for the 2020 war casualties in the Azerbaijani-occupied areas. His remains were retrieved in Mataghis direction, the State Service of Emergency Situations of Artsakh’s Interior Ministry reported. The body is yet to be identified through a forensic medical examination.

Since the end of hostilities, a total of 1,701 bodies have been found and recovered from the Azerbaijani-occupied territories of Artsakh.

The State Service of Emergency Situations will provide further information on the upcoming search operations.

Pashinyan-Putin-Aliyev trilateral talks to be held Nov. 26 in Russia

Emil Lazarian

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 16:26,

MOSCOW, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will hold trilateral talks in the Russian resort town of Sochi on November 26, the Kremlin reported. 

According to the report, the three leaders will outline the further steps for strengthening stability and establishing peaceful life in Nagorno Karabakh.

Issues related to the restoration of trade-economic and transport connections will be in the focus.

Aside from the trilateral talks, President Putin will also hold separate meetings with PM Pashinyan and President Aliyev.

 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian, Azerbaijani leaders to discuss POWs issue in Brussels

Emil Lazarian

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 20:30,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev will discuss humanitarian issues, including the issue of war prisoners during the December 15 meeting in Brussels, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in an online press conference, answering the question what expectations Armenia has from the Brussels meeting.

“The important nuance is that we will try not to mix the agendas discussed in different formats. I think, yes, one of the issues to be discussed in Brussels will be humanitarian issues, including the issue of war prisoners. And within the framework of the EU’s Eastern Partnership, issues of our relations will be discussed. There will also be a general contextual discussion. And I do not think it is good to form expectations from any specific meeting, either negative or positive, one should not expect such rapid results”, Pashinyan said.

There are tensions in the region, and in order to overcome those tensions, Pashinyan attached great importance to negotiations and use the opportunities for negotiations. He also highlighted that exaggerated expectations or apocalyptic moods should not be shaped over those negotiations.

The Prime Minister reminded that a meeting will be held in Sochi on November 26 through the mediation of the Russian President. “By the way, the talks about that meeting did not start yesterday, they had started earlier. Such meetings and agreements should be positively reacted”, the Prime Minister said.

Pashinyan presents reason for refusing to meet with Putin, Aliyev on November 9

Emil Lazarian

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 20:39,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian side was ready to meet online with the Azerbaijani side on November 9, if that meeting would solve a specific problem, for example, the return of the POWs. If not, it was suggested to change the day of the meeting, taking into account the painful perception of the Armenian side related to that day, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in an online press conference, answering the question if there had been a preliminary agreement to hold a trilateral meeting between Pashinyan, Putin and Aliyev during the period of November 9-17, if yes, who refused it and why.

“There was an idea to hold a trilateral online meeting on November 9. I said that the idea of that meeting can be discussed but it’s problematic for us. I clearly stated, I sincerely stated our position, that November 9 is a hard, unpleasant day for us, but if it turns out that we can agree on a clear outcome based on the results of the November 9 meeting, for example, to resolve the issue of prisoners, I’m ready to take the bitter with the sweet and participate in that online conference. Later, when it turned out that unfortunately we cannot reach such an agreement because of the different positions, we just recorded that the symbolism of November 9 is not pleasant for us and I asked and proposed to postpone the meeting until November 15”, PM Pashinyan said.

He stressed that before November 15 there was an offer to meet on November 26. And then the idea arose to meet face to face, not online. “I supported that idea, it turned out that it is acceptable for the President of Russia and the President of Azerbaijan, an agreement was reached,” Pashinyan said.

He reiterated that Armenia is ready to negotiate, work, make efforts and find mutually acceptable solutions. “But sometimes, through symbolism or other means, Azerbaijan tries to pursue a policy of aggressive coercion and blackmail against Armenia. And I said at the latest meeting of the Security Council that Armenia will not give in to this policy of blackmail, no matter how much we understand the vulnerability of our situation, because Azerbaijan, with the encouragement of other countries, already targets Armenia’s independence, sovereignty, statehood and democracy. And I said that one should not speak to Armenia in the language of coercion,” Pashinyan stated.

Azerbaijan is trying to make a jungle of the region – Pashinyan

Emil Lazarian

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 21:57,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan emphasizes that Armenia should use Azerbaijan’s aggressive policy against that country itself, Pashinyan said during an online press conference, answering the question of ARMENPRESS.

“Azerbaijan pursues an aggressive policy. Azerbaijan has always pursued an aggressive policy, our task is to stop Azerbaijan’s aggressive policy by using all international levers. By and large, nothing has changed in Azerbaijan’s policy in the last 15 years, and it has become more aggressive after the war. We must use Azerbaijan’s aggression against itself,” Pashinyan said.

Referring to the statements made by the Azerbaijani leadership that “they have returned to Zangezur”, “Zangezur is theirs”, “Armenia is theirs”, Pashinyan noted that it all resembles international hooliganism. “Azerbaijan is trying to make jungle of the region. And we must show that this is an attack on Armenia, sovereignty, independence, statehood, and democracy.

At the Democracy Summit, I will show that there are forces in the region, in the face of Azerbaijan, that want to turn the region into a jungle. International mechanisms must be used against Azerbaijan”, the Armenian PM said.

According to him, this is also a reason why Armenia went to the Hague Court, where the lawsuit against Azerbaijan was quite successful. “Now we are waiting for the preliminary decision of the court. This judicial process is very important, which can create a new basis for Armenia and Artsakh in terms of conflict settlement,” Nikol Pashinyan concluded.

Armenpress: PM Pashinyan sees no need to declare martial law in Armenia

Emil Lazarian

PM Pashinyan sees no need to declare martial law in Armenia

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 22:14,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Armenia assesses that there is no need to declare martial law in Armenia at this moment, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in an online press conference, answering the question why martial law and mobilization is not declared.

“As long as it is not declared, it means that the Government assesses there is no need for that. Whenever there is such a necessity, the Government will do it, but we hope there will be no such a necessity. Yes, we severely criticize Azerbaijan in this situation, but this does not mean we are seeking escalation”, Pashinyan emphasized, adding that Armenia will not miss any opportunity to speak with Azerbaijan directly.

Yerevan seeks Moscow’s mediation in Armenia-Turkey rapprochement

Emil Lazarian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Nov 23 2021
– 19:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Yerevan has asked for Moscow’s mediation in the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said on Tuesday, November 23, RFE/RL Armenian Service reports.

Hunanyan said many of Armenia’s partners, including Russia, have expressed willingness to act as a mediator in the Armenian-Turkish rapprochement, and the Armenian side has decided to ask the Kremlin for assistance.

“A number of international partners, including Russia, noted that they are ready to assist in the process of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations. And we informed Russia that we are ready to start the process of Armenian-Turkish normalization without preconditions. When and if such a process starts, we will naturally provide information about it,” Hunanyan said.

Until now, according to the diplomat, there have been no direct negotiations between Ankara and Yerevan.

Hunanyan also reiterated the Armenian side’s stance about a “corridor” connecting Azerbaijan to the Nakhijevan Autonomous Republic. “No such thing can happen,” he said.

The Azerbaijani side has on multiple occasions spoken about a so-called “corridor” through the southern Armenian province of Syunik that would connect Nakhijevan to the rest of Azerbaijan. The Armenian side, however, has repeatedly denied being involved in negotiations for the provision of a corridor to Azerbaijan, stressing that they have only agreed to unblock transport communications in the region.

Azerbaijan’s territorial claims on Armenia should be a subject of wider international discussion, PM Pashinyan says

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Nov 23 2021
, 23:03

 2 minutes read

Azerbaijan has adopted a policy of continuous aggression against Armenia and the issue should be in the focus of discussions of the international community, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at an online press conference today.

“In a post-war euphoria, Azerbaijan is actually trying to exercise the right of the “winner of the war,” something that does not exist in the modern world,” the Prime Minister said,

He added that Armenia, in turn, is trying to make every constructive effort to calm the situation in the region. The Prime Minister stressed that a member of the international community should have certain boundaries, and the international community should keep an eye on those boundaries, because otherwise, “we are witnessing a process of decay of international relations.”

“Azerbaijan is apparently laying territorial claims on Armenia. What does “Zangezur corridor “mean? What does “Eastern Zangezur” mean? Who has coined these terms and what does this mean? What does the “corridor logic” mean? We have declared on many occasions and reiterate that we are not going to discuss any issue within that logic,” PM Pashinyan said.

He added, however, that this does not mean Armenia is refusing from the agenda of opening of regional communications.

“On the contrary, Armenia is perhaps more interested in the opening of regional communications. And in my opinion Azerbaijan is developing the “corridor logic” to abort the process,” the Prime Minister said, adding that the Armenian side will do its best not to allow it.

“This situation must go more international, because this is not an issue of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations only, this is an issue of international law and world order. The President of Azerbaijan says “we will stand wherever we want.” What does this mean? We need to understand whether there is a new world order where anyone can stand wherever they want. In other words, does this mean that a third country will stand wherever it wants in the territory of Azerbaijan, or does Azerbaijan indicate to all neighbors that it will stand wherever it wants? Does it mean that a new page of international law opens? This should be the subject of serious international discussion. Is the involvement of mercenaries becoming a new right?” the Prime Minister stressed.

According to him, this is the reason why Armenia is taking the issue to several international platforms, including the International Court of Justice.

“We believe that Azerbaijan’s behavior should be discussed more and more widely, not only in the trilateral format, not only in the CSTO, not only in the UN, not only in The Hague, not only in the ECHR. I am going to take part in the Democracy Summit, which will take place online, and I am going to raise this issue there as well. What Baku is doing is an attack on Armenia’s sovereignty, statehood, independence and democracy by Azerbaijan and the  countries that encourage it. We are going to pursue this issue on all possible international platforms. We will not limit ourselves,” Pashinyan concluded.

Opposition MP: According to unconfirmed reports, bribes and incentives are given through bookmakers

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Nov 23 2021

MP Anna Mkrtchyan from the opposition With Honor faction on Tuesday denounced the bribery charges against Armenia’s third President Serzh Sargsyan as an attempt by the authorities to crack down on their opponents.

Earlier on Monday, Sargsyan’s lawyer, Amram Makinyan, said the ex-president had been formally charged with taking a large amount of bribe. The charges stem from the testimony of businesswoman Silva Hambardzumyan, who also said she bribed second President Robert Kocharyan and other officials.

“It turns out that these irreplaceable and multifunctional Silvas always appear when there is a need to crack down on the people who are devoted to the homeland, are able to resist and after the destruction of the two counters, to build a victorious state again from what has been left by Nikol Pashinyan,” the lawmaker stated.

Mkrtchyan underscored that the circumstances of the case, in which Serzh Sargsyan was involved as a witness, have not changed for three years, adding simply the “orders of those people, who think that Serzh Sargsyan should be involved not as a witness, but as a defendant, have now changed.”

One of the journalists quoted the media as saying that a family member of Hrachya Musheghyan, head of a department of the Anti-Corruption Committee dealing with Serzh Sargsyan’s case, has declared $5,400 income though gambling winnings, and it is assumed that the income was received through contacts with a bookmaker.

Anna Mkrtchyan stated that Nikol Pashinyan’s 2018 statements on the end of corruption were yet another “myth”.

“According to unconfirmed reports, bribes and incentives are now given not only in the form of bonuses, but also through bookmakers, making “winnings” there and possibly receiving sums for their services,” the MP noted.

Turkish press: Top name of Armenian patriarchate in Turkey passes away

Emil Lazarian
 ISTANBUL MINORITIES 
NOV 15, 2021 2:05 PM GMT+3

Tatoul Anoushian poses in front of a church in Van, eastern Turkey, Sept. 8, 2012. (AA Photo)

Tatul Anoushian, a senior member of the Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey, passed away at the age of 55 on Sunday evening due to a previous disease. Anoushian was serving both as general secretary and president of the Spiritual Council of the Armenian Patriarchate in Turkey. He had been recently hospitalized for an unspecified disease, a stomach illness, according to the Agos newspaper.

In a telephone call to Anoushian’s family and Armenian Patriarch Sahak Maşalyan, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan extended his condolences to the family and the Armenian community. Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu released a message of condolence on Twitter over Anoushian’s death, expressing “great sadness.” “I convey my condolences and wish patience to his family, relatives and the Armenian Community,” he added.

Istanbul-born Anoushian, an English literature graduate, worked in the tourism business until 1992 when he devoted himself to church duties. He rose to the rank of subdeacon at a church in Istanbul’s Kınalıada island, shortly before rising to the rank of deacon at Samatya Surp Kevork Church. After stints at a clergy school in Lebanon as a lecturer and doctoral student, Anoushian returned to Turkey and worked at several Armenian churches in Istanbul. He was elected to the Spiritual Council in 2010. He was later chosen as head of the assembly but resigned from the post amid a row within the Armenian community over the successor of late Patriarch Mesrob II. He was elected again to head the assembly in 2019.

A funeral ceremony for Anoushian is scheduled for Thursday, according to the Agos newspaper.