Author: Emil Lazarian

Esthetic Joys Embassy / ПЭУ, Yerevan

Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili on Saturday wished the Armenian Apostolic Church and its congregation in Georgia and abroad “peace, health and welfare” on their Christmas and Epiphany celebrations. 

In her social media post, Zourabichvili “heartily” congratulated the Armenian people, while also extending her congratulations to the representatives of the denominations who are celebrating the Annunciation of the Lord today.

Earlier today, Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili and Parliament Speaker Shalva Papuashvili also congratulated Armenian compatriots, as well as Armenians “all over the world”, on the holidays.

The ‘100 Ideas for Armenia’ project has hatched an innovative ballistic vest designed by military veterans Davit Davtyan, Raman Mnatsakanyan, and Artur Aghoyan. Their personal experience with bulletproof vests during the 2020 war spurred them to conceive a more effective and comfortable alternative.

Their design employs ultrafine nanoparticles to construct composite bulletproof vests, offering enhanced endurance and lighter weight. This innovative approach to protective gear promises a lifespan of over 10 years, doubling the current market standard of approximately 5 years. A full-coverage vest weighs only 2kg, significantly less than the typical 5kg vest.

Additionally, these vests are waterproof and meet international Level 4 standards, ensuring maximum protection for military and law enforcement personnel. Despite their advanced technology and superior performance, the vests are priced cost-effectively at up to $400, a fraction of the cost of existing vests that can run into a few thousand dollars.

The project has garnered positive feedback from international partners, marking a significant milestone in Armenia’s technological advancement. Furthermore, this initiative is part of a broader effort to establish a science-industry-university cooperative chain. This model, championed by team member Artur Aghoyan, aligns with global practices and has the potential to strengthen Armenia’s technological and scientific sectors.

Armenian veterans’ innovative approach to ballistic vests could revolutionize protective gear for security forces not only in Armenia but also around the world, setting a new benchmark for durability, comfort, and cost-effectiveness.

Armenia’s leading broadband and telecommunications provider, Team Telecom Armenia, has marked a year of significant accomplishments in network expansion and technological advancements. The company’s success is highlighted by a historic initial public offering (IPO) that raised 8.2 billion Armenian Dram (AMD). This event saw the sale of approximately 40 million shares, increasing the shareholder base by a thousandfold and making Team Telecom Armenia the first Armenian telecom company to list its shares on the stock exchange via primary placement.

The company has ambitious plans for the raised capital. Key among them is the expansion of its fiber optic Next Generation Network (NGN) throughout Armenia and the launch of 5G mobile networks. These initiatives are part of the company’s broader vision to enhance Armenia’s digital infrastructure and catapult the nation into a new era of technological development.

Team Telecom Armenia has already made significant strides in this direction. It has completed the construction of the NGN network in major cities of the Syunik region, extending coverage to over 21,000 premises. This expansion has resulted in a high-speed network that now reaches 223,000 households in Armenia, offering an impressive bandwidth of 25,000 Mbps. The company has also reequipped 34 mobile stations to support these technological advancements and improve service quality.

As part of its commitment to enhance the reliability and quality of internet services, Team Telecom Armenia has established new representative points in data centers located in Frankfurt and Amsterdam. These strategic locations serve as hubs for digital traffic, facilitating faster and more reliable connections for Armenian internet users.

Apart from its core telecom operations, Team Telecom Armenia has also launched several innovative projects. This includes the Team Energy fast charging stations for electric vehicles and the introduction of the GeoForce Games Cloud service. These initiatives, along with various corporate social responsibility projects, underscore the company’s commitment to driving innovation and sustainable development in Armenia.

https://bnnbreaking.com/finance-nav/business/team-telecom-armenia-a-year-of-milestones-in-network-expansion-and-technological-advancements/

In a matter of days, homes were vacated, shops closed down, and churches heard their last prayers. The ethnic cleansing of Armenians from their ancestral homelands planned by the Azeri government came to fruition. On September 19, 2023, Azerbaijan launched full scale military attacks on Nagorno-Karabakh (“Artsakh”), an ethnic enclave previously home to 120,000 Armenians. Overnight, they were able to seize the region by force, ending centuries of Armenian existence on the land and a 30-year contention over the region. While many international organizations were shocked by the swiftness of this ethnic cleansing to be carried out in such a methodical manner, members of the Armenian diaspora, like myself, who had been calling for attention in the region, were not. We lamented the fact that our year-long urging for humanitarian aid for the Armenian population in Artsakh fell on deaf ears to which the international community  never responded. More disturbing was the aggression from the Azeri government that transpired unchecked due to the failure of international institutions to properly address ethnic cleansing.

International law is intended to be above the status of states’ interests and be abided by all participating actors on the international stage. More specifically, international humanitarian law has been developed by the international community to protect the lives of noncombatants and set clear definitions of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Surprisingly, under international law, ethnic cleansing has not been recognized as an independent crime and lacks a formal definition. The absence of clear and concise definitions provides far too much wiggle room for interpretation and abuse when it comes to acts of ethnic cleansing. The UN Commission of Experts that was tasked to look into violations of international humanitarian law in the former Yugoslavia stated that ethnic cleansing could be contextualized with specific war crimes or could fall under the Geneva Conventions, without using strong conclusive wording. In so doing, when acts of ethnic cleansing are carried out, obstruction of the law is unable to be enforced for a crime that is not officially recognized.

What distinguishes ethnic cleansing from other war crimes is the intention of removing a specific ethnic group from a given territory through force. The collapse of the Soviet Union led to the reincarnation of pre-Stalinist state ideals amongst many of the former republics. In the case of Azerbaijan, it found itself in contest with the awakened autonomous region Artsakh – a 95% Christian Armenian enclave – within its borders, which had quickly sought to reclaim its independence and rejoin with Armenia. Azerbaijan’s preference was to gain control over the land and  to eliminate the Armenian presence from within its borders. Armenian history is deeply rooted in the region, with its presence there dating back to 1st century BC – 20 centuries before the founding of Azerbaijan – establishing Armenians indigenous to the land that they continued to live in right to the present. On the surface the battles may have seemed an issue over territorial conquest, but had underlying intentions of ridding Azerbaijan of its Armenian presence entirely and wiping away centuries of an entrenched identity. These actions are linked to the pan-Turkism movements of the 19th and 20th centuries, which had goals to unify the Turkic speaking nations. In the South Caucasus region, Armenia stands as the sole Christian entity between Azerbaijan and Turkey, providing a barrier between the unification of the two Turkic nations. Armenia is consequently a very vulnerable country in the South Caucasus, with very little allyship and defense from its direct neighbors.

The situation in Artsakh can be distinguished as ethnic cleansing due to the actions Azerbaijan took leading up to the September 2023 attacks. Starting on December 12, 2022, Azerbaijani protesters began blockading the Lachin corridor, a long narrow passage as well as the sole connection between Artsakh and mainland Armenia, leaving residents without essentials such as food and medication. Russian peacekeepers, who had been assigned to monitor the region, did not fulfill their obligation of protecting the integrity of the road, leading to massive food and fuel shortages, closures of institutions and critical services, and even depravity of medical care that caused upticks in miscarriages for pregnant women. Azeri authorities in the region did not heed pleas from the limited number of international humanitarian organizations to open the routes. Without their necessary support from mainland Armenia, citizens in Artsakh were unable to sustain livelihood. Human rights watch groups such as Amnesty International and the Council on Foreign Relations called for attention to end the blockade, as “severe deprivation of liberty” is a crime against humanity as outlined by the Rome Statute; but democratic states, who in spirit promote recognition of international law, did not step in. Though ethnic cleansing falls into the umbrella of a crime against humanity, it has no legal definition in international criminal law. Azerbaijan openly performed the violent acts  of September 2023, as well as the preceding blockade, leaving the region devoid of 120,000 Armenians in the span of less than a week.

Since agreeing to the dissolution of Artsakh, Armenia has taken steps to protect its sovereignty and prevent further encroachment. In October 2023, Armenia ratified the Rome Statute and agreed to join the International Criminal Court (ICC). The implications are varied, as Armenia should now have further protection from an international institution that is committed to multilateral peace and security; however, this solidifies the strain in the relationship between Armenia and Russia. Members of the ICC are committed to the arrest warrant of President Vladimir Putin for his abduction of Ukrainian children, meaning that Putin will no longer be allowed to visit Armenia. Ultimately, joining the ICC strengthens Armenia’s chances of having a law case against Azerbaijan, who is not a member of the ICC. Perhaps this will also shift the procedural norms in the region, to believing that decisions should be made through international institutions such as the ICC instead of direct dealings with Russia or Turkey – two third-party countries with influence and other motives. For us as diasporan Armenians, we can only hope that this will also lead to a shift in regulative norms for Armenia and Azerbaijan that leads to peace and stability in the region.

International law does matter and is a necessary tool to protect weaker states from abuses deployed by more powerful states. In a world dictated by anarchy, the institution of international law maintains order and prevents discourse. It is imperative for stronger states to comply with international law and uphold it in order to encourage smaller states to do the same.  The problems arise when crimes are not clearly defined and not formally ratified into law. With vagueness comes the ability for crimes to be committed and swept under the rug. Believing in the power of international law is important, but it can only be sustained when we see international law truly working to protect those that need additional protection. Language that spells out the harmful effects of targeting specific people groups may further their ability to maintain autonomy and sovereignty from stronger threats.

On the grand stage of the Global Armenian Summit in Yerevan, Hayk Chobanyan, the Executive Director of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE), unveiled an inspiring vision of a scientifically advanced and technologically integrated Armenia. As an influential figure within Armenia’s technology sector, Chobanyan’s words reverberated across a nation eager to establish itself on the global scientific and technological map.

During his keynote speech, Chobanyan emphasized the pivotal role of science and technology in steering the country’s progress. He underscored the importance of the IT and high-tech industry in propelling Armenia’s economic growth and development. He addressed the audience, which comprised both local and international participants, shedding light on how the nation stands to gain from elevating its scientific and technological capabilities.

In the backdrop of the current geopolitical tensions, Chobanyan pointed out the strategic significance of the Global Armenian Summit, not just for Armenia, but for the Armenian people worldwide. He articulated the necessity of using this platform to discuss and strategize ways to advance the scientific and technological prowess of the nation.

Chobanyan expressed concern that Armenia has yet to fully harness the potential of the Armenian Diaspora for the nation’s advancement. Referring to the Armenian Diaspora as a resource, he implored that this collective strength should be utilized to bolster the country’s development. He envisioned a future where the knowledge and expertise of the Armenian Diaspora are channelled towards the enhancement of the nation’s scientific and technological landscape.

Chobanyan concluded his speech by emphasizing the need for unity among pan-Armenian efforts. He advocated for the integration of scientific and technological organizations across Armenia and the Diaspora. He believed that such a collaboration would not only strengthen the country’s scientific community but also serve as a catalyst for Armenia’s development in the age of digital transformation.

Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili on Saturday congratulated Georgian nationals of Armenian ethnic background, as well as citizens of Armenia, on the Orthodox Christmas and Epiphany celebrations.

The Head of the Government extended his message both to his compatriots and the “brotherly Armenian people”, the Government Administration said.

May this day bring joy and happiness to all who celebrate this great holiday with their heart and soul”, Garibashvili noted.

He wished “peace and prosperity” to those who are celebrating the holidays today.