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

Karabakh parliament: Artsakh, though shrunken, has statehood, its independence is indisputable

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 28 2021
10:57, 28.12.2021

President Artur Tovmasyan of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) National Assembly has issued a congratulatory message on the 30th anniversary of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Supreme Council of the First Convocation. The message reads as follows: 

30 years ago, on this day, as a result of the elections held on December 28, 1991, the legislative body of the newly created republic was formed – the Supreme Council, which at its first sitting on January 6, 1992, adopted the Declaration of Independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Proceeding from the inalienable right of the people to self-determination, relying on the free will of the people of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

On this occasion, I warmly congratulate the legislative body chairmen, vice-chairmen, chairmen of committees, heads of factions, deputies of all convocations and wish them health, peace and a dignified future.

Azerbaijan responded to the declaration of independence with three wars. During the first Artsakh war 11 deputies of the first convocation of the Supreme Council enlisted in the army and sacrificed their lives. Eternal glory to them, to all the heroes who died for the homeland, I bow to their sacred memory.

On the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the NKR Supreme Council, the Artsakh Parliament intended to convene a special sitting on December 28. However, due to the widespread national quarantine announced in the Republic, no session was convened.

Nowadays, Artsakh, though shrunken, has a statehood, and its independence is indisputable. Next to the final settlement of the conflict is the issue of international recognition of the Artsakh Republic and its borders, and is unconditionally set.

The existence and salvation of the Armenian people who struggled in the crossroads of history was always conditioned by the unity and unanimity of the Armenians.

With our way of life and confidence, we must stand up for our homeland and fight for the protection of our rights. Our will and goals are unshakable, they are not subject to compromise.

We call on all Armenians for unity, mutual understanding and tolerance.

60% of Armenia’s Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine to pass under Russia-registered company control

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 28 2021
14:33, 28.12.2021

About 60 percent of the Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine will pass under the control of an industrial company registered in Russia. Chairman of the Competition Protection Commission (CPC) of Armenia, Gegham Gevorgyan, told this to a press conference Tuesday, summing up the results of the passing year.

“This year this was the biggest [business] deal in the sector of extraction of useful minerals,” Gevorgyan added.

He noted that another such huge business deal was made in Armenia in telecommunications.

“The Rostelecom shares were acquired by Electric Networks of Armenia company, as well as by individuals,” the CPC chairman informed.

Opposition lawmaker: Local producers will face difficult situation if Turkey companies invade Armenia

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 28 2021
16:52, 28.12.2021

Even after the [Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)] war [last year] when [Armenian PM Nikol] Pashinyan started talking about the “era of peace,” we were saying that he was going to start a “flirtation” with Turkey. Artur Khachatryan, a member of the opposition “Armenia” Faction of the National Assembly of Armenia, told this to a press conference Tuesday.

“Turkey’s preconditions [for normalizing relations with Armenia] are known: the acknowledgment of the territorial integrity of Turkey and Azerbaijan; the suspension of work aimed at the [international] recognition of the [Armenian] Genocide. And now they have added the provision of a land route [via Armenia] between Turkey and the Turkic world. From the point of view of the [Armenian] state, the road is not expected to have any positive impact. When we ask the [Armenian] authorities, ‘Have you made any economic assessment [in this regard]?’ They do not answer. They have not even calculated not only the road, but also the Armenian-Turkish trade and economic relations. If Turkish companies invade Armenia, local producers will face a terribly difficult situation—at least in the sector of textiles, primary agriculture,” Khachatryan added.

According to the lawmaker, a broad opposition front is being formed against the Armenian authorities—and in various domains.

“We use all the means available to the parliamentary opposition to inform about Pashinyan’s nation-betraying programs, and offer our alternative programs. Also, we show in the parliament what we would do if we were in power.

We have started the resistance movement, we are mobilizing people on the spot; a vivid proof: the [recent] local elections. Of course, somewhere we have defeat, somewhere—victory. But if we look prior to our running [in these elections], defeat was everywhere. The local elections showed that they [i.e., the Armenian authorities] are losing their [approval] rating. We are ready for broad discussions with our compatriots, too” Artur Khachatryan emphasized.

Armenia’s Cross-Stones: A Symbol of Heroism

Emil Lazarian
Dec 29 2021
By ICC’s Field Correspondent

12/29/2021 Nagorno-Karabakh (International Christian Concern) – On November 14, 2021 three cross-stones (Armenian: Khachqar) found their new place in Yerablur Military Memorial Cemetery. Since 1988 the cemetery has become the burial place for thousands of Armenian soldiers who lost their lives during the Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh) wars.

Khachqar is an Armenian unique cross-stone monument and well-known characteristic of medieval Christian Armenian art. The cross-stone is a carved, memorial slab bearing a cross, often with additional motifs such as rosettes, interlaces, and botanical motifs. The first true khachqars appeared in the 9th century and were erected for the salvation of the soul of either a living or a deceased person. They also were used to commemorate a military victory, the construction of a church, or as a form of protection from natural disasters. The most common location for early khachqars was in a graveyard.

Currently there are hundreds of khachqars worldwide, many of which are memorials to commemorate the victims of the Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire by Turks. They have been placed in various locations, including at the Vatican Museum, Canterbery Cathedral’s memorial garden, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney and many other places. Museums all around the world have acquired or received donations of Armenian khachqars or temporarily represented them at significant exhibitions, including the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Special Exhibition of the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan.

The cultural genocide against Christians, including Armenians, Assyrians and Greeks, by Turkey during the Ottoman genocide and by Azerbaijan during the all three Artsakh wars is a component of the physical genocide of the Armenian people. The persecution of the Christian Armenian community intends to obliterate any vestiges of their existence on their ancestral lands, which they have inhabited for centuries. These two aggressor countries – Turkey and Azerbaijan – lead not only the two worst crimes of the recent centuries against the Armenians but also are responsible for the cultural genocide of these people.

Armenians faced deportation during both, walking the roads carrying heavy, sacred khachqars to their new places to avoid leaving them to a Muslim enemy to be destroyed. The ceasefire agreement that ended the 2020 Artsakh War handed jurisdiction over 75 percent of the Armenian land to Azerbaijan. This territory contains at least 1,456 Armenian historical and cultural sites, including 161 churches and thousands of khachqars.

The village of Chaylu in the Martakert region of Nagorno-Karabakh was quite a large village of almost 3,000 people until the first Artsakh war of the 1990s. After the heavy fight with Azerbaijan, the village, unfortunately, was completely left to the enemy. In the mid-1990s, survivors of the village moved to another location in Artsakh and founded a new village by renaming it Nor Aygestan. Not long after the move, the khachqars with the names of the fallen soldiers were placed in the village in memory of the martyrs.

During the 44-day Artsakh War of 2020 the male population of the village was primarily the children of the generation killed in the war prior. The generation of the first war took up arms for their land and sacrificed their lives in the fight for the homeland against Turkish-Azerbaijani aggressors. Again, the Armenian people fought for their land. Though the military actions did not reach the border of the village of Nor Aygestan, the village was emptied of Armenians and handed to Azerbaijanis by the November 9th agreement. The villagers had only 24 hours to leave their homes and move to the territory of the Republic of Armenia. The village decided to take with them not their personal belongings but instead the most precious artifact – the khachqars which were consecrated in the name and blood of heroic sons of the first Artsakh war. Today those three khachqars are placed in Yerablur military pantheon as the memorial of the history of sacrifice of one Armenian village in Artsakh and its’ heroic inhabitants.

NFT-token of Armenia 10-episode film sold for $8,000

Emil Lazarian
Investing.com
Dec 29 2021

Cryptocurrency

An NFT token was sold for 3.8 million drams (approximately $8,000) by the producers of the Armenian ten-episode film ‘Musk Factor,’ depicting the colonization of Mars. NFT coins were reportedly shown at the OpenSea platform, according to the project’s press release. Musk Factor’s General Producer Raphael Tadevosyan said that NFT coins would be popular in 2022. Artists (illustrators, painters) find them particularly appealing since they can digitize and sell their work.

He went on to say that NFT is a digital asset whose copyrights may be sold since it is an excellent intellectual work. Even a simple tweet may be a kind of NFT. According to Tadevosyan,

“that our community is getting into the NFT game is impressive. We are ecstatic that the NFTs we have developed have attracted so much attention from throughout the world.”

Throughout the 10-episode Musk Factor, virtual reality and artificial intelligence technologies are given prominent roles. In addition, Bitcoin founder Satoshi Nakamoto is shown as Jesus Christ’s second coming in the narrative set in 2032, and the novel’s conclusion entirely refutes Einstein’s theory of relativity.

Read Also: Ferrari’s New Deal with Blockchain Startup Velas Hints at NFTs

Elon Musk had already colonized Mars at that point. To aid with the migration of humanity to Mars, an Armenian engineer has been sent to the red planet. For his father, Adam has a digital clone of him created by his father, an engineer, who passed away a few years ago.

Adam and his buddies launched a social network that employs technology to generate virtual human clones to expand the concept. However, to grow the business, the buddies will have to deal with issues like generating money, fostering a sense of camaraderie among the employees, and spotting potential employees.

Beginning in January 2021, production on the Musk Factor comedic episodes will be completed by summer 2022, according to the show’s current release date. Raphael Tadevosyan, the show’s executive producer and author of the five million-subscriber-strong Luxury Food London blog, is a well-known name in worldwide public relations and media.

As a result of the initiative, Armenian films will be more widely available on the world’s most popular streaming platforms.

Azerbaijan hands over 5 Armenian servicemen with Hungary’s mediation

Emil Lazarian
TASS, Russia
Dec 29 2021
The Armenian Foreign Ministry has confirmed this information

BAKU, December 29. /TASS/. Azerbaijan handed over five Armenian servicemen detained on November 16 back to Armenia with Hungary’s meditation, Azerbaijan’s State Commission for Prisoners of War, Hostages and Missing Persons reported Wednesday.

“Led by the principles of humanism, on December 29, 2021, Azerbaijan handed over five Armenian servicemen to the Armenian side with Hungary’s mediation,” the statement says.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry has already confirmed the return of the five servicemen.

Besides, Baku handed over an Armenian citizen, who got lost and crossed into the Azerbaijani territory.

Previously on December 4 and 19, Azerbaijan also handed over 20 Armenian servicemen, captured during November 16 clashes.

Turkish press: Azerbaijan focuses on Karabakh reconstruction, diplomatic efforts in 2021

Emil Lazarian
Ruslan Rehimov   |29.12.2021


BAKU, Azerbaijan

This year, Azerbaijan focused on reconstruction of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, liberated last year after nearly three decades of Armenian occupation, as well as on diplomatic efforts.

The early days of 2021 witnessed Azerbaijani officials stepping up its diplomacy to consolidate the country’s position following its victory in the conflict with Armenian forces.

On Jan. 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Moscow and signed a trilateral declaration to revitalize the Karabakh region’s economy and transportation infrastructure, both of which had been severely harmed by the Armenian occupation.

A working group of the three countries’ deputy prime ministers was formed to discuss the opening of the Zangezur land corridor connecting Azerbaijan with its autonomous exclave of Nakhchivan, as well as allowing Armenia railway access to Russia and Iran via Azerbaijan.

However, in the face of stiff opposition in Armenia, Pashinyan later backtracked and declared that the government would not allow Azerbaijan to build a transportation corridor through the country.

Owing to Azerbaijan’s persistent diplomatic efforts, Putin, Aliyev, and Pashinyan met again on Nov. 26 and agreed to remove all obstacles before reopening the railway and land routes.

Turkish-Russian Joint Monitoring Center

Another result of the trilateral declaration was the establishment of a joint monitoring center between Turkish and Russian forces that began operations on Jan. 30 in the province of Agdam to observe compliance with the cease-fire.

Baku and Yerevan were embroiled in a 44-day conflict on Karabakh – a region that lies within Azerbaijan but was under occupation of Armenia – last year, which ended with a Russia-brokered cease-fire on Nov. 10, 2020.

During the faceoff that started in September 2020, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for nearly three decades. The peace agreement is celebrated as a triumph in Azerbaijan.

The leaders of the three countries later agreed to develop economic ties and infrastructure for the benefit of the entire Caucasus region.

Karabakh reconstruction

After the conflict ended, Azerbaijan launched a massive reconstruction initiative in the liberated Karabakh region.

The Fuzuli International Airport, which started to be constructed on Jan. 14, 2021, was inaugurated on Oct. 26 with the participation of the presidents of Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Further, nearly the entire liberated region of Karabakh was provided electricity and internet access.

Relations with Turkey

Turkey-Azerbaijan relations were officially updated to the level of strategic partnership through Shusha Declaration signed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his counterpart Ilham Aliyev on June 15.

Furthermore, the two country’s nationals were allowed to travel to each other’s countries without passports, using only smart identification cards instead.

Relations with Iran

Unauthorized movements of Iranian trucks into Armenian-populated areas of Karabakh without official Azerbaijani permission strained Azerbaijan-Iran relations during the conflict.

When the Iranian side refused to back down in the face of growing protests from Baku, border guards and customs officers established checkpoints and imposed duties on incoming Iranian goods.

Tehran responded by claiming that Israel had sent intelligence and military officers to Azerbaijan to survey Iran and initiated military exercises along the border.

Tensions were later de-escalated as a result of Azerbaijan’s successful diplomatic efforts.

Aliyev met with his Iranian counterpart Ebrahim Raisi on the sidelines of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit in Turkmenistan and discussed outstanding issues.

On Nov. 6, Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian announced that Tehran and Baku had resolved their differences.

Russia does not intend to return to “iron curtain”. Maria Zakharova

Emil Lazarian

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 21:41, 28 December, 2021

YEREVAN, 28 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. Russia does not intend to return to “iron curtain’ in the relations with the West, ARMENPRESS reports “RIA Novosti” writes, citing the announcement of the official representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia Federation Maria Zakharova.

Replying to the question if the Russian Federation will return to “iron curtain” in relations with the West, Zakharova answered. “We no”.

As Biden signs NDAA, Congressman Pallone vows accurate documenting of Azeri-Turkish war crimes in Artsakh

Emil Lazarian

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 11:57, 29 December, 2021

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS. The National Defense Authorization Act that United States President Joe Biden signed recently includes important provisions aimed at holding Azerbaijan and Turkey accountable for the war crimes they committed in Artsakh, United States Congressman Frank Pallone said on Twitter.

“The NDAA that President Biden signed yesterday includes important provisions aimed at holding Azerbaijan & Turkey accountable for the war crimes they committed in Artsakh. I will push to ensure the required reports are accurate in documenting these crimes,” Pallone said.

Armenia lifts the ban on import of Turkish goods

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 30 2021
, 22:57

 1 minute read

As a result of interdepartmental discussions, a decision was made not to extend the embargo on Turkish goods, the Ministry of Economy reported.

Over the past year, the ban on Turkish goods has had both positive and negative economic consequences, the Ministry said.

On the positive side it pointed to newly established or expanded production of light industry goods, construction materials, furniture, but the main negative effect of the embargo is the significant impact on inflation, which has been reflected especially in a number of consumer goods.

The Ministry said there have been a number of requests from Armenian businessmen to lift the ban on the import of Turkish goods. It noted that a number of businesses have started to produce goods to replace Turkish ones, and added that they will be consistent in ensuring the viability and competitiveness of such companies in the new conditions, assisting them with additional tools if necessary.

With the lifting of the ban on the import of Turkish goods, the principle of reciprocity is expected to create more favorable conditions for the export of Armenian goods, the Ministry of Economic stated.

Armenia had imposed the ban on January 1, 2021 in response to Turkey’s role in the 44-day war against Artsakh.