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 Cemetery Destroyed in Turkey

Emil Lazarian

Aug 31 2021


08/31/2021 Turkey (International Christian Concern) –  An Armenian cemetery in Van was destroyed by bulldozers, leaving gravestones and bones upturned and strewn across the site. Someone claiming to be a landowner and desiring to set up apartments came with heavy machinery and began the demolition. The cemetery was located in Kalecik, which was an Armenian neighborhood even prior to the 1915 genocide.

Armenian cemeteries often hold significant meaning for the people group as a way to connect with their heritage and lost family members who died in the 1915 genocide. The destruction of this cemetery robs families of their ability to connect in varied ways to their past.

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) Van MP Murat Sarısaç submitted requests to parliament, questioning the efforts being made to provide adequate security for Armenian sites.

Armenian religious and cultural sites faced increased threats to preservation. Earlier this year, a 19th-century Armenian church was posted for sale to a Turkish real estate website, claiming it was “perfect for a tourist attraction because it is in a UNESCO protected area.” In 2017, a restroom, dressing room, and car park were built on top of another Armenian cemetery in Van province. Other cemeteries also face desecration more recently.  Treasure hunters are also a common issue for historic churches that have been unable to be restored.

Armenia values Russia’s efforts under statement on cessation of hostilities in Karabakh

Emil Lazarian
TASS, Russia
Aug 31 2021
According to the Armenian top diplomat, Azerbaijan “is torpedoing the implementation of this and other provisions of the statement”

MOSCOW, August 31. /TASS/. Armenia highly values Russia’s efforts toward implementing the trilateral statement on the cessation of hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh, visiting Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Tuesday after talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.

“I would like to note with gratitude Russia’s and President Vladimir Putin’s consistent efforts. We highly value Russia’s efforts geared toward implementing the agreements (statement by the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders of November 9, 2020 – TASS) and the most topical of them is the issue of prisoner release. Thanks to these efforts, some of the Armenian prisoners have returned home,” he said.

According to the Armenian top diplomat, Azerbaijan “is torpedoing the implementation of this and other provisions of the statement.”

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, 2020, with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. On November 9, 2020, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh. Under the document, the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides stopped at the positions that they had held and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachinsky corridor that connects Armenia with the enclave to exercise control of the ceasefire observance. Apart from that, a number of districts came over to Baku’s control.

The situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has been tense since May 12, when Armenia’s defense ministry said that Azerbaijani armed forces had tried to carry out “certain works” in a border area in Syunik Province in a bid to “adjust the border. Since then, the sides have been reporting border incidents from time to time.

First doses donated by Belgium through COVAX arrive in Armenia

Emil Lazarian
Relief Web
Sept 6 2021
Format
News and Press Release

 

Source
  • GAVI

    •  

 

Posted
6 Sep 2021

 

Originally published
6 Sep 2021

 

Origin
View original
  • As part of its pledge to deliver 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, the first doses donated by Belgium have been delivered to Armenia.
  • Meryame Kitir, Minister of Development Cooperation and Major Cities Policy: “The only way to defeat this pandemic is through international cooperation. This week, Belgium shares 187,200 AstraZeneca doses with Armenia through COVAX vaccine sharing mechanism. No one is safe until everyone is safe.”
  • Dr Seth Berkley, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance: “Sharing doses with COVAX now represents the single most effective intervention a country can make in terms of halting the circulation of the virus and we are grateful to the Belgian government and the Belgian people for their continued support.”

Geneva, 6 September 2021 – The first deliveries from a pledge of 4 million doses to be donated to COVAX by The Belgian Development Cooperation have arrived, with 187,200 doses of the AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine shipped to Armenia on 5 September. Belgium is donating doses to COVAX on top of the USD 5 million it has pledged to the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (Gavi COVAX AMC).

This donation by Belgium allows COVAX to deliver more vaccines in the third quarter of this year, before supply from COVAX purchase agreements increases in Q4, meaning that more people will be able to access vaccines now, at a time when variants are a major threat to global health and stability.

“Sharing doses with COVAX now represents the single most effective intervention a country can make in terms of halting the circulation of the virus.” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which leads on procurement and delivery at scale for COVAX. “These deliveries to countries enable COVAX to reach some of those in need of protection, and we are grateful to the Belgian government and the Belgian people for their continued support.”

“The only way to defeat this pandemic is through international cooperation. This week, Belgium shares 187,200 AstraZeneca doses with Armenia through COVAX vaccine sharing mechanism. No one is safe until everyone is safe,” said Meryame Kitir, Minister of Development Cooperation and Major Cities Policy.

These doses donated by Belgium are produced by the AstraZeneca manufacturing network. Donating through COVAX helps to increase vaccine coverage, ensures that no dose goes to waste, and helps to bring an end to the acute phase of the pandemic. The design and operationalization of the COVAX dose sharing mechanism is being supported by a contribution of CAD 5 million from Canada.

The donation of doses via COVAX are enabled via tripartite agreements between Gavi, manufacturers, and donating countries. The shipments to countries will be enabled by COVAX delivery partners UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO).

Over 600 million doses have already been pledged to COVAX by a number of countries in response to short-term supply challenges and the rise of new variants. Working with donor governments to operationalise growing numbers of dose-sharing pledges, COVAX expects to see more deliveries of donated doses in the weeks and months to come.

Notes to editors

About COVAX

COVAX, the vaccines pillar of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, is co-led by CEPI, Gavi and WHO – working in partnership with UNICEF and PAHO as delivery partners, developed and developing country vaccine manufacturers, the World Bank, and others. It is the only global initiative that is working with governments and manufacturers to ensure COVID-19 vaccines are available worldwide to both high-income and lower-income countries.

About Gavi’s role in COVAX

Gavi leads on procurement and delivery at scale for COVAX: designing and managing the COVAX Facility and the Gavi COVAX AMC and working with its traditional Alliance partners UNICEF and WHO, along with governments, on country readiness and delivery. As part of this role, Gavi hosts the Office of the COVAX Facility to coordinate the operation and governance of the mechanism as a whole, holds financial and legal relationships with 193 Facility participants, and manages the COVAX Facility deals portfolio: negotiating advance purchase agreements with manufacturers of promising vaccine candidates to secure doses on behalf of all COVAX Facility participants. Gavi also coordinates design, operationalisation and fundraising for the Gavi COVAX AMC, the mechanism that provides access to donor-funded doses of vaccine to 92 lower-income economies. As part of this work, Gavi provides funding and oversight for UNICEF procurement and delivery of vaccines to all AMC participants – operationalising the advance purchase agreements between Gavi and manufacturers – as well as support for partners’ and governments work on readiness and delivery. This includes tailored support to governments, UNICEF, WHO and other partners for cold chain equipment, technical assistance, syringes, vehicles, and other aspects of the vastly complex logistical operation for delivery. Gavi also co-designed, raises funds for and supports the operationalisation of the AMC’s no fault compensation mechanism as well as the COVAX Humanitarian Buffer.

About Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership that helps vaccinate half the world’s children against some of the world’s deadliest diseases. Since its inception in 2000, Gavi has helped to immunise a whole generation – over 822 million children – and prevented more than 14 million deaths, helping to halve child mortality in 73 lower-income countries. Gavi also plays a key role in improving global health security by supporting health systems as well as funding global stockpiles for Ebola, cholera, meningitis and yellow fever vaccines. After two decades of progress, Gavi is now focused on protecting the next generation and reaching the unvaccinated children still being left behind, employing innovative finance and the latest technology – from drones to biometrics – to save millions more lives, prevent outbreaks before they can spread and help countries on the road to self-sufficiency. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. View the full list of donor governments and other leading organizations that fund Gavi’s work here.

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https://reliefweb.int/report/armenia/first-doses-donated-belgium-through-covax-arrive-armenia

Armenia authorizes use of Russia’sSputnik Light vaccine against Covid

Emil Lazarian
Prensa Latina
Sept 6 2021
 

Moscow, Sep 6 (Prensa Latina) The Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF) reported on Monday that the country’s Sputnik Light vaccine against Covid-19 was approved for emergency use by the Ministry of Health of Armenia.

The vaccine is the first component of the Sputnik V drug, the first vaccine registered in the Eurasian nation to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.

According to the RDIF, immunization with the Russian vaccine will curb contagions in Armenia and accelerate the creation of population immunity in the country, where the use of Sputnik V was approved in February.

The RDIF assured that Sputnik Light shows high safety and efficacy rates in different countries. The example is the province of Buenos Aires, in Argentina, where efficacy in older people has reached 78.6 to 83.7 percent, while in Paraguay it was 93.5 percent.

jg/lcr/mem/mml/gdc

https://www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn&id=71402&SEO=armenia-authorizes-use-of-russiassputnik-light-vaccine-against-covid
Also Read
https://www.nasdaq.com/articles/armenia-approves-one-dose-sputnik-light-covid-19-vaccine-for-use-rdif-2021-09-06

​Armenian FM, Russian Co-Chair emphasize the need to resume the Karabakh peace process

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 6 2021

Armenian FM, Russian Co-Chair emphasize the need to resume the Karabakh peace process

 September 6, 2021, 15:19 1 minute read

Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the newly appointed Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Khovayev.

The interlocutors discussed a wide range of issues related to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, emphasizing the importance of resuming the peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Minister Mirzoyan expressed the support of the Armenian side to the joint statements of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs after the 44-day war, where the need for a stable and lasting settlement of the conflict based on well-known principles and elements is emphasized.

Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the urgency of addressing priority humanitarian issues. In this context, the Foreign Minister stressed the need for the unconditional repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages held in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan, Turkey begin joint exercise in Lachin District bordering on Armenia

Emil Lazarian
TASS, Russia
Sept 6 2021
Special attention will be paid to the troops’ ability to use advanced military hardware on rugged terrain

BAKU, September 6. /TASS/. The armed forces of Azerbaijan and Turkey have begun a joint tactical exercise in the Lachin District of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said on Monday.

“The main task of the exercise by Azerbaijani and Turkish military personnel is to practice combat cooperation and coordination in joint operations and to let commanders develop decision-making skills,” the Defense Ministry’s news release runs.

Special attention will be paid to the troops’ ability to use advanced military hardware on rugged terrain.

Tensions over Nagorno-Karabakh soared on September 27, 2020, resulting in a flare-up of hostilities. On November 9, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a trilateral statement that allowed for ending combat operations in the area. The Azerbaijani and Armenian forces stopped at the positions they were holding at the moment. A number of districts was put under Baku’s control. Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the disengagement line and the Lachin corridor.

No negotiations over peace treaty with Azerbaijan at this moment, says Armenian FM

Emil Lazarian

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 16:38, 31 August, 2021

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. If Armenia and Azerbaijan were to start negotiations over a peace treaty, then the agenda of these negotiations must unconditionally include the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh based on the principles stipulated by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during a joint press conference with Russian FM Sergey Lavrov when asked to comment on statements made in Azerbaijan that a potential peace treaty must include Armenia’s recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

“The Azerbaijani government would be better off focusing on the implementation of the agreements that have already been reached under the trilateral statements of 2020 November 9 and 2021 January 11. At this moment there are no negotiations over a peace treaty,” Mirzoyan said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

No plans to deploy troops to Afghanistan – CSTO chief

Emil Lazarian

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 16:53, 31 August, 2021

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) adheres to a defensive policy and doesn’t plan to deploy its troops to Afghanistan, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said on Tuesday, reports TASS.

“These fears are absolutely ungrounded. The CSTO is a purely defensive military-political organization. It can deploy defensive forces only within the zone of its responsibility”, he said in an interview with the Mir 24 television channel when asked whether the organization plans to deploy troops to Afghanistan.

After the Biden administration announced the end of its US military operation in Afghanistan and the launch of its troop pullout, the Taliban embarked on an offensive against Afghan government forces. On August 15, Taliban fighters swept into Kabul without encountering any resistance, and gained full control over the Afghan capital within a few hours. Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani said he had stepped down to prevent any bloodshed and subsequently fled the country.

Russia calls on Azerbaijan to return all Armenian captives without preconditions – Lavrov

Emil Lazarian

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 17:18, 31 August, 2021

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. Russia calls on Azerbaijan to return all Armenian prisoners of war without preconditions, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow.

He stated that there was a talk in the November 9 trilateral statement about those POWs who were in captivity that time.

“At this moment Azerbaijanis hold a large group of Armenian servicemen who have appeared there in late November after when the statement came into force and an agreement was reached to stop any hostile action. The Russian President in contacts with the Azerbaijani leadership, President Aliyev, as well as we in other levels are sending this signal to the Azerbaijani partners, call on to release them without preconditions because it would be an important humanitarian step and action for building trust, which is so needed”, the Russian FM said.

He added that they will continue to act from these positions, but stated that the final decision doesn’t depend on them.

In his turn Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan stated that Armenia has fulfilled its commitment long ago as it has returned all Azerbaijani POWs with “all for all” principle. “We believe that Azerbaijan must return all prisoners of war and other detained persons, not only as a fulfillment of its commitments, but also for creating an atmosphere of mutual trust. In that atmosphere it would already be possible to pass to further discussions and solution of all issues”, Mirzoyan said.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan