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

Armenian Minister, Indian Ambassador discuss cooperation opportunities in the sidelines of North-South project

Emil Lazarian

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 15:11, 9 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan received Ambassador of India to Armenia Kishan Dan Dewal.

ARMENPRESS reports the Minister thanked the Ambassador for the opportunity to discuss issues related to the Armenian-Indian cooperation.

During the meeting, the Ambassador stressed that the Indian side is interested in infrastructure development programs in Armenia and will be glad to discuss cooperation opportunities in that direction.

According to the Ambassador, there are quite large companies in India that have succeeded in this direction, which can participate in the implementation of programs in Armenia.

Gnel Sanosyan highlighted the active work with the Indian side and the strengthening of the Armenian-Indian cooperation, emphasizing that the Armenian-Indian friendly relations have deep historical roots. During the conversation, the sides also referred to the investment program of the North-South road corridor, the opportunities provided by the port of Chabahar for Armenia.

An agreement was reached to exchange information and to discuss the opportunities for cooperation within the framework of the North-South Road Corridor investment program.

Georgian PM pays working visit to Armenia

Emil Lazarian

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 20:21, 9 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Georian PM Irakli Garibashvili, who is in Armenia on a working visit.

Welcoming his Georgian counterpart, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia once again offered condolences on the tragic incident in Batumi and expressed solidarity with the Government of Georgia and the Georgian people. Nikol Pashinyan thanked Irakli Garibashvili for not canceling his visit to Armenia despite that emergency situation.

The Prime Minister of Georgia thanked the Armenian PM for his words of support.

Nikol Pashinyan and Irakli Garibashvili stated that the high-level intensive bilateral contacts testify to the dynamic development of the Armenian-Georgian relations and the high level of political dialogue.

The interlocutors discussed the agenda and prospects of Armenia-Georgia cooperation. The sides exchanged views on the regional situation and developments. The parties reaffirmed their readiness to further deepen friendly ties and agreed to continue the active dialogue.

Armenia premier, his staff conceal fact of ‘operative link’ with Azerbaijan’s Aliyev

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Oct 9 2021
Armenia premier, his staff conceal fact of ‘operative link’ with Azerbaijan’s Aliyev
10:39, 09.10.2021

After the war unleashed against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) in the fall of 2020 and the signing of the shameful agreement on November 9 of the same year, the government of Armenia and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan became as inaccessible to the media as possible. According to Armenian News-NEWS.am’s information, Pashinyan has instructed his staff not to bother him with both oral and written questions of the media.

Proof of that is the ridiculous response sent to Armenian News-NEWS.am on behalf of Armen Khachatryan, the head of the Information and Public Relations Department of the Prime Minister’s Office.

Back on September 2, Armenian News-NEWS.am, referring to Armenia’s Constitution and the relevant articles of the Freedom of Information Law, had addressed a written request to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to find out whether according to the agreement reached in 2018 between him and the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, the operative connection with the ceasefire violations established between the two countries was restored after November 9, 2020. If so, what is its frequency?

After not receiving a response to the request for information within the timeframe set by law, Armenian News-NEWS.am in mid-September tried to contact Armen Khachatryan, the head of the department, but he left our phone calls unanswered.

At the urging of an employee of the Information and Public Relations Department, we sent the same request again on September 15. Not receiving an answer 24 days after the second attempt, Armenian News-NEWS.am called the department again and reminded about the existence of this inquiry.

Hours after our reminder, we received a letter on behalf of the head of the department, Armen Khachatryan, where it is literally noted: ” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan reflected on the mentioned question during the question and answer session between the National Assembly and the Government on October 6, and we have nothing to add to the answer voiced by the Prime Minister.”

It turns out that the head of the government’s information and public relations department, who is authorized to liaise the prime minister and his staff with the media, did not want to disturb the prime minister, and waited until the prime minister will use the term “operative link” on one occasion to present it as a response to the media, considering that he has fulfilled his duties.

We have to disappoint Mr. Khachatryan because during the October 6 question and answer session, no MP addressed the question of our concern to the Prime Minister, and the Prime Minister did not address that question either.

At the October 6 sitting, Anna Mkrtchyan, a member of the opposition “With Honor” faction of the National Assembly, only spoke about the fact that Nikol Pashinyan had conceded from Armenia and Artsakh more than one could have imagined on the basis of verbal agreements, and according to the MP, the mentioned operative link serves exclusively for agreements, promises, maybe also for not publishing the information Turks have about him as the blackmailed version.

In response, the prime minister mocked the MP, noting: “That operative link is the head of your faction now. Go to the room with the faction, interrogate him, torture him, let him confess what he agreed upon and with whom. The operative link is absent today, but he is the head of your faction, I want to remind… And be careful, if you go consistently with that persistence, it may turn out that you are in a treacherous circle. Maybe you should leave the faction or remove him from the faction…”

It is at least ridiculous to think that by the wording “operative link is absent today” the Prime Minister meant that there is no operative link between him and Aliyev today. It was not difficult to guess that we are talking about Artur Vanetsyan, the former director of the National Security Service, the current leader of the opposition “With Honor” bloc faction, who was not present that day at the parliament’s question and answer session with the government.

Anyway, we hope that after all this, the head of the department will have the courage to go to the Prime Minister and finally report on the “unpleasant” inquiry addressed to him. Otherwise, it remains to state that the Prime Minister and his staff are in violation of Article 51 of Armenia’s Constitution and Articles 6 and 9 of the Law on Freedom of Information..

It should be noted that according to the Law on Freedom of Information, if the information holder does not have the requested information, or its provision is beyond his/her powers, he/she is obliged to inform the petitioner about it in writing within five days after receiving the written request.

In this case, the information holder not only did not inform that he did not have the information being sought, but by violating the terms of providing the information, he distorted the question raised by us and gave it a meaningless answer. Thus, it should be noted that the attempt of the Prime Minister’s Office to bypass the issue of “operative link” has failed, and this suggests that the Prime Minister and his staff are concealing the fact of an “operative link” with Aliyev.

By the way, today throughout the day Armenian News-NEWS.am did not manage to contact Armen Khachatryan and get clarification on the issue.

UK House of Lords member thanks opposition ‘Armenia’ Faction in parliament

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Oct 9 2021
14:23, 09.10.2021

Baroness Caroline Cox, a member of the House of Lords of the United Kingdom, has thanked the opposition “Armenia” Faction of the National Assembly for transferring to the Lady Cox Rehabilitation Centre in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) their portion of the bonuses paid to the MPs of Armenia, reported the “Armenia” bloc.

Accordingly, the members of the “Armenia” Faction have donated 10,740,000 drams (approx. US$22,500) to this center.

“Let us remind that the ‘Armenia’ faction considers unacceptable the vicious practice of bonuses to be given to officials in the current dire moral, psychological, socioeconomic conditions, and has petitioned to the CC [(Constitutional Court)] on this matter,” the “Armenia” bloc added in its respective statement.

Armenian Vice Speaker of Parliament, Russian Ambassador highlight developing bilateral ties

Emil Lazarian

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 17:07, 8 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Vice Speaker of Parliament Ruben Rubinyan received today Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin, the Parliament reports.

The Ambassador assured that he will continue making efforts to expand the allied relations of Russia and Armenia.

The officials highlighted developing the Armenian-Russian friendly relations, talked about deepening the partnership at inter-parliamentary platforms.

The sides also exchanged views on the development of ties in economic and atomic energy sectors.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Wrestler Malkhas Amoyan conquers title of world champion

Emil Lazarian

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 21:08, 8 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Malkhas Amoyan, a member of the Armenian Greco-Roman wrestling team, has become the world champion.

ARMENPRESS reports Malkhas Amoyan competed with Russia’s representative Sergey Kutuzov at 72 kg weight category for the gold medal at the Greco-Roman Wrestling World Championships in Oslo, Norway. The Armenian wrestler won 3: 1.

Earlier, Arsen Harutyunyan (61 kg) became a bronze medalist of the freestyle wrestling.

CivilNet: Baku does not rule out the possibility of another meeting between its and Armenia’s foreign ministers

Emil Lazarian
CIVILNET.AM

07 Oct, 2021 10:10

  • Baku does not rule out the possibility of another meeting between the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia.
  • Only 179 Covid-19 new cases out of the 14,000 cases in Armenia have been vaccinated but need hospital treatment, stated Anahit Avanesyan, Armenia’s Health Minister.
  • The bust of the Armenian poet Hovhannes Tumanyan will be installed in Rome.

“Dialogue inside my mind” with a brother killed in the war. Video from Armenia

Emil Lazarian

Oct 8 2021



    Hrant Marinosyan, Yerevan


Sister tells about her brother who was killed in the war. Video from Armenia

Sargis Saribekyan volunteered to go to the front immediately after the second Karabakh war started. His sister Arpine continues to talk to him, calling these conversations a “dialogue in her mind”. In this video, she talks about her borther’s last days and unfulfilled dreams.

During the 44 days of war, 3 788 military and civilians were killed on the Armenian side.

Watch the video at 

Followers of Armenian Church should have unimpeded access to Shushi Cathedral: One year after the attack

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Oct 8 2021
October 8, 2021, 17:01

 2 minutes read

The Cathedral of Shushi is one of the most important centers of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Artsakh, and the servants and followers of the Armenian Church should have an unimpeded access to this sanctuary, Spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Vahan Hunanyan said in a statement on the anniversary of the strikes on the place of worship by Azerbaijan during the aggression unleashed against Artsakh in the fall 2020.

On October 8, 2020, during the military aggression unleashed against Artsakh and its people, the Azerbaijani armed forces launched double air strikes on the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi with high-precision weapons, causing significant damage to the latter. A few days after the Trilateral Statement of November 9, the same church was vandalized and desecrated. Along with the physical damage of the Shushi Cathedral, Azerbaijan continues the attempts of distorting the Armenian identity of the church by changing the architectural appearance of the church under the pretext of renovation.

“The repeated deliberate strikes on a place of worship is not only a condemnable crime under international law, in particular the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954) and its Second Protocol (1999), but also as a symbolic demonstration of the intent. It is a clear manifestation of Azerbaijan’s policy aimed at annihilating any trace of the Armenian presence in Artsakh,” the Spokesperson said.

He noted that a year after the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, the fate of around 1,500 historical and cultural heritage sites and places of worship, as well as thousands of museum specimens in the territories of Artsakh fallen under the control of Azerbaijan, remains uncertain and endangered.

“There are many documented cases of deliberate destruction and vandalism of Armenian churches, other cultural and religious monuments by the Azerbaijani armed forces. Besides, along with their physical destruction, we are observing the falsification of historical facts and distortion of the identity of Armenian monuments by Azerbaijan,” Hunanyan added.

“In this context, apparently, it’s no coincidence that Azerbaijan continues blocking or, as far as possible, restricting the access of the UNESCO expert mission to the endangered Armenian cultural heritage sites, attempting to conceal its war crimes,” he noted.

The Spokesperson stressed that the vandalism against historic-cultural monuments and places of worship representing people’s cultural and spiritual heritage, are flagrant violations of international law, contradict universal values and are strongly condemnable.

“The Cathedral of Shushi is one of the most important centers of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Artsakh, and the servants and followers of the Armenian Church should have an unimpeded access to this sanctuary,” he concluded.

 

Armenia delivers statement on protection of humanitarian law in armed conflicts at UN Human Rights Council

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Oct 8 2021
October 8, 2021, 23:39

 1 minute read

In the framework of the 48th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council taking place in Geneva, the Republic of Armenia delivered a joint statement dedicated to the protection of international humanitarian law and international human rights law during armed conflicts. The cross regional group of nineteen countries joined the statement.

Referring to the UN Charter basic principles of the settlement of disputes by peaceful means and refraining from the threat or use of force the statement strongly condemns gross violations and abuses of human rights and serious violations of international humanitarian law during armed conflicts and urges States to hold accountable the perpetrators of such crimes.

It particularly states that the unlawful use of force is often preceded or accompanied by hate speech, large-scale propaganda of war, statements by political leaders and public figures that express support for the affirmation of the superiority of a race or an ethnic group, disseminating hostility and prejudice against ethnic, religious or racial groups, or condone or justify violence against them.

The States reaffirm the right of the victims to be assisted by humanitarian organizations, as set forth in the Geneva Conventions of 1949 and other relevant instruments of international humanitarian law, and call for safe and timely access for such assistance.

The countries reiterate that prisoners of war and internees must be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law and must be released and repatriated without delay after the cessation of active hostilities. The hostage-taking, prolonged detention of prisoners and internees for bargaining purposes, is prohibited under international humanitarian law.

The Joint statement encourages the implementation of effective legislative, administrative, judicial, or other measures to prevent, terminate and punish acts of enforced disappearance.

The States call upon the UN’s appropriate bodies to assume a more active role in the promotion and protection of human rights in ensuring full respect for international humanitarian law and international human rights law in all situations of armed conflict, in accordance with the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations.