Author: Emma Nadirian

Canada’s Alberta Province recognizes Armenian Genocide

Emma Nadirian

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 16:14,

YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Canada’s Alberta Province has unanimously adopted a law on recognition of the Armenian Genocide and other genocides, ARMENPRESS reports the Armenian National Committee of Canada informs.

According to the law, April has been declared in the province Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month.

The Armenian National Committee of Canada expressed gratitude to Alberta’s premier Jason Kenney and all the members of the legislative for the principled position and their unwavering commitment to justice and truth.

Law-makers of Canadian Alberta Province recognize Armenian Genocide

Emma Nadirian
Caucasian Knot

Members of the Canadian Alberta Provincial Legislature have adopted a resolution in which they recognized and condemned the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Turkey.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that more than 20 countries, including Russia, have recognized the Armenian Genocide committed in the Ottoman Empire. However, most of the world countries have not officially recognized the Armenian Genocide. Earlier, on February 14, 2020, a similar resolution was approved by the Syrian Parliament.

The members of the Legislature of the Canadian Province of Alberta have unanimously adopted a resolution that recognized the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, including the events of 1915. The document also proclaims April as a month of remembrance, condemnation and prevention of genocides, the Armenian Embassy to Canada has reported on its Facebook page today.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on at 01:45 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

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© Caucasian Knot


Techno Party Held In 11th Century Armenian Monastery In Occupied Northern Cyprus

Emma Nadirian
Greek City Times
April 9 2021
by GCT P

Although Turkish desecration of Christian holy sites in occupied northern Cyprus is well established, occupying authorities escalated their provocations by allowing a techno party to be held in an 11th century Armenian monastery.

The Sourp Magar is an 11th century Monastery founded by the Coptic Orthodox Church in memory of Saint Makarios, the hermit of Alexandria, Zartonk reported.

The Monastery was transferred to the Armenian Community in Cyprus during the 15th century and has belonged to and has been intrinsically linked to the community ever since.

– Greek City Times

Although the event was recorded and uploaded on YouTube on April 7, the event actually occurred on March 20.

The Religious Leaders of Cyprus condemned the event and reiterated their request that all places of worship and cemeteries, in use or not, are protected against vandalism, misuse and desecration.

“Disrespecting places of worship and cemeteries creates pain, nurtures mistrust and becomes an obstacle to peaceful coexistence”, the statement says.

The US Embassy in Cyprus strongly condemned the misuse of the Armenian Monastery in Cyprus.

“Freedom of worship is a fundamental value, and we echo the call from religious leaders that all places of worship, in use or not, be protected against misuse, vandalism, and desecration,” Ambassador Judith Garber said in a Twitter post.

Turkish destruction in occupied northern Cyprus has a long history, with the Cypriot Foreign Ministry providing a detailed report on the destruction of churches and other acts of vandalism.

People aged 27 and having evaded military service by Karabakh war to be pardoned in Armenia

Emma Nadirian
Aysor, Armenia
April 8 2021

Armenia’s government decided to pardon the people who evaded the military draft.

Justice minister Rustam Badasyan said the decision is based on humanitarian and solidarity principle.

“The bill spreads on persons reached age 27 for rank-and-file and age 35 for officer staff till 2020 September 26, suspects, defendants and convicts persecuted only under Article 327 of Armenia’s Criminal Code,” Badasyan said at the cabinet sitting today.

He said the amnesty will spread on the people on who the punishment in the form of imprisonment was not conditionally applied, on wanted persons.

According to April 5 data, the number of such people stands at 5,131.

However, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that about 90% are wanted under Article 327.

“Taking into account the process of substantive reforms in the army we considered right to make such political decision,” Pashinyan said.

Armen Gregorian Brings High Fashion To Cannabis With MAE

Emma Nadirian
Candid Chronicle, San Diego, CA
April 7 2021
By

 Benjie Cooper

 –

 March 25, 2021 

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( Image courtesy of MAE )

A pipe is a pipe, except when it has years of fashion industry experience behind it.

The world of fashion has met the world of cannabis, and they go well together.

Fashion industry veteran Armen Gregorian is bringing his experience to cannabis consumers with his stylish Mind At Ease (MAE) brand.

With more than a decade and a half of experience in the fashion industry, Armen Gregorian is also co-owner of Twelfth Street by Cynthia Vincent and CEO of the A.L.C. clothing company.

In November, Gregorian released MAE’s initial line of fashion-infused cannabis accessories, created by award-winning designer Joe Doucet.

Doucet’s past works have been on exhibit at the Design Museum in London and the International Design Biennial in Saint-Etienne.

In 2017, Doucet received the prestigious Smithsonian Cooper-Hewitt National Design Award for product design.

At the core of MAE’s collection is a stylish selection of cannabis accessory essentials, including a grinder, a pipe, a humidor/stash, a clip, a water pipe.

The MAE ashtray stylizes your sesh.

The line also includes a sleek and shiny ashtray that instantly classes up a room, and a selection of CBD vape pens and cartridges.

To power the carts, MAE has “The Palm” battery which comes in two distinctly-fashionable styles; solid and engraved.

There’s also the brass Juul/Puffbar necklace, which fuses fashion and function in Rose Gold and Silver finishes.

MAE will soon offer boxes of CBD-infused artisanal chocolates as well.

According to the company, MAE products are discreet and take an elevated approach to cannabis.

MAE’s discreet and elevated approach includes making its vape products odorless.

I recently had the opportunity to ask Gregorian a few questions about the MAE brand, Joe Doucet, and their fanciful fusion of fashion and cannabis.

BC: I understand your daughter suggested cannabis as an alternative to wine. Was this your first experience with cannabis, or had you and Mary Jane previously met?

AG: From 1975 to 1979, I was an avid supporter and user of Mary Jane, as many were at that time. Looking back fondly at that era, I always think of the icons Bob Marley and Jimi Hendrix, which gives me a sense of nostalgia. As I got older, I transitioned into being a wine drinker, to which my daughter suggested I try cannabis instead. After trying a bit of today’s flower, I couldn’t believe how much it had changed from the 70s. This sparked the creation of MAE.

BC: How did you come to choose Joe Doucet as the designer of the MAE product line?

AG: I’ve been a long-time fan of Joe Doucet’s recognizable work. His sleek design concepts create a luxurious feel, and that’s exactly what I wanted for MAE. He is one of the most prolific designers with deep-rooted experience working with big-name brands like Mont Blanc, Nike, and BMW, and is also the recipient of a National Design Award from Cooper Hewitt and the Smithsonian Design Museum. I knew that if I was going to bring world-class cannabis accessories into the market, I had to enlist the right person to design them.

BC: With MAE, you are bringing high fashion into the cannabis world. What have you seen that cannabis legalization has brought to the fashion industry?

AG: Because of the green rush in the U.S. market, we are seeing more and more fashion gatekeepers include cannabis in their latest collections, ranging from embroidered cannabis leaves on skirts and trousers to small odes to marijuana on dangle earrings. The beautiful thing about fashion is that it will always reflect what is happening in our culture and society. I believe fashion can help make the cannabis industry trendy and more widely accepted, influencing increased legalization throughout the country and better perceptions altogether.

AG: Additionally, celebrities and influencers always help. Fashion trendsetters like Miley Cyrus and Rihanna have contributed to making cannabis cool again, as they wear the plant on their everyday clothes and openly use it in their social media posts.

BC: Without giving away any proprietary secrets, how are terpenes used to make the THC and CBD oils in MAE cartridges odorless? That is an impressive feat.

AG: I wanted to create something that would give people an enjoyable but discreet high. In the essence of being discreet, I knew MAE’s cannabis couldn’t smell like cannabis. Without diving into the specifics too much, we removed the terpenes from our cannabis that give off the scent we’re all too familiar with.

BC: Where do you see MAE in the next few years? What goals do you have for the brand?

AG: As the legalization of marijuana continues to become a reality throughout the country, I hope to see MAE products in people’s homes everywhere. I have plans to produce more cannabis-related products and accessories, keeping up with the luxurious feel and design. We will be debuting our pre-rolls soon as well as our edibles and a new pipe. A lot of exciting things are on the horizon for MAE. I also think artisanal hemp CBD has massive potential – it’s already completely legalized, so I’m excited to see even more upward trajectory in this category and how we will incorporate it into the MAE brand.

 

What to expect from Armenia’s snap election

Emma Nadirian
Emerging Europe
March 31 2021
March 31, 2021
Christian Mamo
Christian Mamo

The decision to hold a snap parliamentary election in June has calmed nerves in Armenia, for now.

The announcement on March 18 by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan that a snap parliamentary election would be held in June has presented some hope for a peaceful resolution to the country’s months-long political crisis.

Pashinyan also announced that he would be stepping down in April to fulfill the parliamentary and constitutional requirements for holding snap elections, but would continue to rule as interim prime minister until the elections are over.

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Pashinyan and his My Step party have been under considerable pressure since a disastrous defeat to Azerbaijan in the most recent fighting over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The prime minister has been accused of mishandling the conflict and failing to adequately prepare the Armenian military for war.

A November 9 ceasefire, under the terms of which Armenia handed was forced to cede to Azerbaijan most of the territory it had occupied since 1994, has also sparked fierce criticism from the Armenian public and opposition parties.

Protesters from the Homeland Salvation Movement, a political alliance led by elements of previous Armenian governments, have been occupying the streets leading to the Armenian parliament since January. They have been calling for the government to step down and to be replaced by an interim government led by Vazgen Manukyan, the first prime minister of Armenia after it declared independence from the Soviet union.

In February, following the dismissal of the deputy chief of staff of the military, more than 40 high-ranking military officers sent an open letter demanding the Mr Pashinyan resign.

The decision to hold snap elections – set for June 20 – was made after talks between Pashinyan and the leaders of the two main opposition parties, Gagik Tsarukyan and Edmon Marukyan.

Although holding the election falls short of the demands of the Homeland Salvation Movement, it was welcomed by civil society as an opportunity to finally put the paralysing political crisis to bed through modern, diplomatic and democratic means.

The election will be the third parliamentary vote held in Armenia in just four years.

Pashinyan came to power on the coattails of 2018’s Velvet Revolution which forced former prime minister Serzh Sargsyan and his government to resign. Initially hailed for his liberal outlook, commitment to dialogue and overtures towards the West (at the expense of Russia), Pashinyan and his My Step party have seen much goodwill evaporate since then.

Ever since the Velvet Revolution, the Kremlin has seen its previously strong influence in Yerevan wane as the ruling party pursued a more pro-European foreign policy. However, the complete inaction of European Union nations during the Nagorno-Karabakh War – particularly countries like France, who Armenia had been building particularly close relations with – shattered faith in the ability of the western world to effectively protect democratising Armenia from conflict with autocratic Azerbaijan.

Armenia’s precarious geopolitical situation, and the fact that it simply cannot defend itself from hostile neighbours by itself, means Russia’s position in the country is more or less assured, regardless of the outcome of this summer’s elections.

The recent war showed that Armenia cannot rely on the goodwill of the West to protect itself. As such, there has been increasing consensus among the Armenian public that Russia is the only country with the will and the political capital to effectively protect Armenia. This means that the Kremlin doesn’t even have to heavily interfere in the upcoming elections: Armenia’s vulnerability forces it into Russia’s sphere of influence. There have been escalating talks about deepening Armenia’s integration with the Commonwealth of Independent States, dominated by Russia. Some have even broached the prospect of a union state with Russia.

Even previously pro-European parties have begun calling for closer ties to Russia.

Since December, Edmon Marukyan, the western-educated leader of the moderate Bright Armenia party has advocated for creating a new Russian military base in the southern province of Syunik. Armenia’s Shirak province already hosts a Russian military base. Furthermore, Russia brokered the November 9 ceasefire, under which 2,000 Russian peacekeepers were deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Gagik Tsarukyan, leader of Prosperous Armenia, the largest opposition group currently in parliament, has espoused openly pro-Russia and eurosceptic views. An oligarch and arm wrestling world champion, Tsarukyan has been under investigation since 2019 for vote buying, fraud and illegal land appropriation. This, however, is not going to prevent him and his party from running in the election.

Robert Kocharyan meanwhile, a former president who was ousted following the Velvet Revolution, has since January expressed his intention to run in the next elections. On March 23, Armenia’s top court dropped charges against Kocharyan for his role in the deaths of 10 protesters during the Velvet Revolution, thus paving the way for him to run. However, it is unclear on which party’s ticket he will run.

Another issue which has been raised ahead of the vote is that of electoral reform.

Since March 23, Pashinyan and his My Step party have floated the possibility of changing the open proportional system which critics say gives too much power to individual personalities within parties. Other amendments include lowering the five per cent threshold for entering parliament, banning covert vote-buying though PR stunts and criminalising forcing employees to attend political rallies.

The fact that the Armenian government is demonstrating its intentions to resolve the political deadlock through peaceful, amicable and democratic means is certainly reason for optimism amidst the negativity which has engulfed the country since the defeat to Azerbaijan.

Although Pashinyan has failed to live up to much of what was expected of him back in 2018, paving the way for a peaceful transition of power bodes well for the country’s democratic future, if the elections pass without major controversies.

And although Armenia and its people still remain powerless in the face of geopolitical machinations – closer ties with Russia seem inevitable, for example – the elections could consolidate the work done since 2018 to create a vibrant democratic culture.

At the very least, this would be an upgrade on the pre-Velvet Revolution days.

Armenia Civic Council member Tatul Manaseryan: Re-liberation of Shushi is fully realistic

Emma Nadirian
News.am, Armenia
April 1 2021
22:14, 01.04.2021

More and more people are joining the Civic Council established by Arkady Ter-Tadevosyan (Komandos), and this will be ongoing. This is what member of the Civic Council, economist Tatul Manaseryan told reporters today.

He cited the ‘political testament’ of Komandos in which the latter had stated the following: “In order to get out of the difficult situation created at this fatal moment, it is necessary to set up a civic council, the members of which will be Armenian intellectuals and public and political figures trusted by the Armenian people. It is necessary to build a viable and powerful Nation-State through all viable and efficient forces.”

According to Manaseryan, the Civic Council is already in action and supports the consolidation of other forces. “We are certain that the re-liberation of Shushi is fully realistic. I must say that it can be liberated through the military and in other ways, but for that, Armenians need to unite as one. In this sense, the Civic Council has twelve committees, each of which has mobilized its resources, and this will be ongoing,” Manaseryan said.

Armenian PoWs suffer torture and mistreatment at the hands of Azerbaijan

Emma Nadirian
The Barnabas Fund
March 23 2021
23 March 2021

Azerbaijani forces have been accused of inflicting horrifying torture and mistreatment on Armenian prisoners of war (PoWs) during the recent conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to Human Rights Watch captured soldiers were beaten, tortured with heated metal rods and electric shocks, denied medical attention, prevented from sleeping, and deprived of food and water.

Ghazanchetsots Cathedral (Cathedral of Christ the Holy Saviour) is an Armenian church in Shushi, Nagorno-Karabakh

Azerbaijani troops began their invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh, an ethnic-Armenian enclave within the Muslim-majority Republic of Azerbaijan, at the end of September 2020. The conflict ended with a tripartite ceasefire agreement in November 2020, with Azerbaijan having taken significant territories which had formerly been held by the Armenian community.

Nagorno-Karabakh (mountainous Karabakh) is part of the historic homeland of the Armenian people, who around 301 AD became the first Christian nation, and the region still contains many ancient churches and monasteries. Karabakh was placed within Azerbaijan by the USSR in 1923.

The conflict and subsequent accounts of Azerbaijani brutality and abuse have raised fears about the possibility of a new Armenian genocide.

PoWs beaten and abused after being captured

Accounts of degrading treatment were given by prisoners who were captured between 15 October and 20 November 2020. They were among the 44 Armenians who were returned as part of a prisoner exchange conducted under Russian supervision on 14 December.

“Davit” (not his real name), 19 years old, was captured on 15 October. At first he was treated humanely by Azerbaijani officers who prevented him from being abused. However, when he was transferred to a military police centre in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, Davit was handcuffed and forced to lie on his front in the back of a car. An Azerbaijani soldier burned his hands with a lighter, then poked him in the back with a heated metal pole until he fainted from the pain.

After this Davit spent four to five days on a hospital ward. Even here he was handcuffed to a bed while guards would punch him in the head.

Another Armenian solider, Tigran, 20 years old, recounted that the abuse began as soon as he was captured along with eight others on 20 October. Officers gave orders not to mistreat captured Armenians, but these orders were disregarded when officers were absent. Tigran was among a group of PoWs who were subjected to three hours of physical beatings, including with a metal rod, and psychological torture.

“They gave a spade to one of ours and told him to go dig his grave,” Tigran recalled. “He was so frightened he started digging.”

Deprived of food and sleep for days

Tigran, Davit and other PoWs were held at a military police station in Baku. Here the prisoners were kept handcuffed to radiators to prevent them from lying down and ensure that they remained in a constant state of discomfort. They would be taken by guards to use the toilet only once a day. This was also their only opportunity to drink some water; they were not given any food.

The prisoners were beaten at all hours of the day and night to keep them from being able to sleep. “At first, I would doze off”, said Davit, “but they would come and beat me up so badly that I would not sleep out of fear again.”

“They came in groups of two to four. One of them broke his wooden rod on me, hitting me so badly that I lost the use of my arm for a while. On my fourth day there, they beat me so badly that they actually broke two ribs.”

Another Armenian prisoner, Hovhanness, 45 years old, had been captured on 19 October. He was held at the military police station for three days, during which he was not given any food and was woken every time he fell asleep. Hovhanness described how the guards would force him to perform exercises during the night, then beat him for not performing them well enough.

Levon, 31, captured 22 October, believed that the torture and abuse was given as a punishment for perceived crimes against Azerbaijan. He described guards, “beat[ing] us nonstop for one-and-a-half to two hours, pushing us to the ground, punching, and kicking us, two or three of them working on each of us.” This would happen several times a day.

Tortured and forced to make statements against Armenia

PoWs were transferred to the National Security Ministry detention facility, also in Baku, where they were interrogated for several weeks. Although food and minimal healthcare were provided the prisoners were still subjected to torture.

Tigran described being tortured with electric shocks on two occasions, the first time for 40 minutes and the second time for ten minutes. Each time he passed out from the pain his captors would revive him and begin torturing him again.

Prisoners were also forced to make filmed statements in which they declared that they did not want to fight, that the conflict was the fault of Armenia, and that Nagorno-Karabakh was the property of Azerbaijan. These statements were scripted; Davit recalled being threatened with electric shocks if he did not repeat properly the lines he had been given.

Azerbaijan’s actions “abhorrent and a war crime”

Hugh Williamson of Human Rights Watch described the abuse and torture of PoWs as “abhorrent and a war crime”.

“We heard accounts and viewed images of prolonged and repeated beatings of Armenian prisoners of war, designed, it seems, solely to humiliate and punish them,” Williamson added. “Torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war constitute war crimes for which accountability is urgently needed.”

The alleged mistreatment of prisoners by Azerbaijan violates the third Geneva Convention which prohibits the use of “acts of violence” or “intimidation” against PoWs, as well as violating the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Armenia’s Representative Office at the European Court of Human Rights has raised the cases of at least 240 alleged prisoners of war (PoWs) and civilian detainees. Other Armenian sources had estimated in January as many as 1450 Armenian people missing, of whom 150 were at that time known to be alive and held prisoner in Azerbaijan.

In December it was reported that eleven Armenian PoWs had been killed by their Azerbaijani captors amidst other Azerbaijani ceasefire violations.

The UK and other Western nations appear to be unwilling to hold Azerbaijan to account for these abuses or to facilitate the release of the Armenian PoWs.

Azerbaijan has also been accused of war crimes, including torture and extrajudicial killing, inflicted upon Armenian civilians during and after the conflict.

Armenia’s parliament votes to lift martial law ahead of June elections

Emma Nadirian
EuroNews
March 24 2021
Comments
By AFP with Euronews   •  Updated: 24/03/2021 – 12:58
Opposition demonstrators with Armenian national flags rally to pressure Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign in Yerevan, Armenia, Wednesday, March 10, 2021.   –   Copyright  Hrant Khachatryan/PAN Photo via AP

Armenia has moved to lift martial law, introduced at the end of September at the start of the war with Azerbaijan for control of the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

This decision, approved by 118 of the 132 deputies in parliament, is part of an agreement between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the opposition to defuse the political crisis caused by the Armenian defeat in the conflict.

Under pressure from opponents who regularly hold demonstrations to demand his resignation, the prime minister announced last week that early parliamentary elections would be held in June.

However, Armenian law stipulates that a sitting prime minister cannot be removed from office if martial law is in force.

Ararat Mirzoyan, President of the National Assembly, said on Tuesday that the ruling political alliance would support the move in the light of the agreement to defuse political tensions by holding early elections.

The debacle in the autumn conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno Karabakh deeply affected the Armenians, who were victorious in the initial war that followed the fall of the USSR.

The cease-fire, negotiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin after six weeks of fighting that left more than 6,000 dead, involves significant territorial losses for Armenia and the deployment of Russian peacekeeping forces.

While Armenia keeps most of Nagorno-Karabakh, it had to cede the symbolic city of Shusha/Shushi as well as a buffer zone of Azerbaijani territories surrounding the region.

Armenpress: Export from Armenia to EAEU states grows 19.3% in the beginning of 2021

Emma Nadirian

Export from Armenia to EAEU states grows 19.3% in the beginning of 2021

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 09:27,

YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. The export from Armenia to the member states of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) grew by 19.3% in January 2021 compared to January 2020. The largest share of export belongs to Russia, comprising 43 million 651 thousand USD, the Statistical Committee of Armenia reports.

Export worth 156 million 697.2 thousand USD has been conducted from Armenia in January 2021. Meanwhile last year this number was 176 million 623.6 thousand USD. Thus, the export declined by 11.3% in the first month of the year.

The export to the EAEU countries comprised 44 million 794.0 thousand USD. The export to Belarus declined by 27.4%, whereas to Kazakhstan it increased by 24.8%.

In January 2021 the export from Armenia to Ukraine has greatly declined by 68.7%, comprising 458.2 thousand USD.

The export to the EU states has declined by 36%, comprising 27 million 773.5 thousand USD. However, the export to some member states of the EU has registered a major increase in January. For instance, the export to France has increased by 69.7% compared to January 2020, comprising 562.4 thousand USD, to Germany – by 18.7%, comprising 5 million 331.3 thousand USD.

The export to China increased by 2.6 times.

The export declined to the following countries: Japan (97.7%), Switzerland (51.1%), Iran (36.3%), Georgia (13%).

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan