Author: Emma Nadirian

President Sarkissian meets with army chief

Emma Nadirian

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 15:53, 3 March, 2021

YEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. President Armen Sarkissian held a meeting today with the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan, the presidency said in a news release.

The president and Gasparyan discussed the “tense situation which resulted from the latest developments.”

“It was noted that regardless of the decisions in this regard, the country’s security and stability are of primary importance. President Sarkissian mentioned that the armed forces should always be under our care and that he will continue keeping the army and its issues under his attention.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

CSTO ex-Secretary General: People who didn’t serve in Armenian army are trying to govern us

Emma Nadirian
news.am, Armenia
March 1 2021
CSTO ex-Secretary General: People who didn’t serve in Armenian army are trying to govern us
20:30, 01.03.2021

People who haven’t served in the army and have thrown dirt at the army are trying to govern us. This is what Colonel-General, former Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization Yuri Khachaturov said during today’s rally held by the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement on Marshal Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan.

“For instance, Pashinyan [Prime Minister of Armenia] says he hasn’t served in the army since his brothers had served before him and he had the opportunity to not serve since he was the third brother. However, Pashinyan is from Yenokavan village and could have come and spent at least a few days at the border checkpoint during vacations. Nobody has seen him. There is someone by the name of Styopik Safaryan. Vazgen Manukyan was serving in office (referring to the position of chairman of the Public Council of Armenia-ed.), but he was replaced by Styopik Safaryan, who says he was 14 when the war broke out. In 1992, he was 19. Why is he lying? He is simply a coward and deserter,” Khachaturov said.

Kremlin refrains from commenting on Pashinyan’s claims of Iskander system inefficiency

Emma Nadirian
TASS, Russia
Feb 25 2021
 
MOSCOW, February 25. /TASS/. Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov refrained from commenting on remarks by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who claimed that Russian-made Iskander tactical missile systems used during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict allegedly “failed to explode or exploded in only 10% of the cases.” According to the spokesman, Russian military equipment has repeatedly proven its efficiency.

We leave this without comments,” Peskov said in regard to Pashinyan’s remark. “Russian [military] equipment repeatedly displayed its efficiency in all kinds of locations in the world.”

On Tuesday, Pashinyan commented on a remark made by ex-president Serzh Sargsyan that Armenia should have used the Iskander missile systems during the early days of the escalation. Pashinyan suggested that Sargsyan explain why “the fired Iskander missiles failed to explode or exploded in only 10% of the cases.”

Later, military experts interviewed by TASS disclosed that Iskander systems were not used during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict at all.

Armenia first announced procurement of Russian Iskander tactical missile systems in September 2016.

CivilNet: Azerbaijan Suspends Search and Rescue Operations in Karabakh

Emma Nadirian
CIVILNET.AM

00:26

Search and rescue operations attempting to locate corpses and missing persons in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) were halted by Azerbaijan on Feb. 15 and have not resumed since, the Artsakh State Service of Emergency Situations reported.

“This is the first time after the ceasefire that the search operations have halted for such a long period,” the agency said in a report.

Azerbaijan suspended the operations for victims of the Second Karabakh War in territories under its control. The Azerbaijani government has not provided any explanation for why they halted the search operations. 

Since the signing of the trilateral agreement that effectively ended the war in November, search and rescue operations have halted several times due to ceasefire violations, explosions of land mines, and poor weather conditions. However, this is the first time since November that search and rescue operations have been halted for such a long period of time.

Thus far, 1,485 bodies of servicemen and civilians have been retrieved according to Artsakh’s State Service for Emergencies.

Armenia celebrates book-giving day on Tumanyan’s birthday

Emma Nadirian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 19 2021

On February 19, Hovhannes Tumanyan’s birthday, Armenia celebrates Book-Giving Day.

The Day was initiated by the late President of the Writers’ Union Levon Ananyan and has been celebrated since 2008, according to a government decision.

Armenian communities worldwide hold a number of events: books are being donated to libraries, orphanages, schools in an attempt to restore the once important meaning of the book.

The day coincides with the 152nd birth anniversary of poet, writer, translator Hovhannes Tumanyan.

Born in the the village of Dsegh in Armenia’s Lori region, Tumanyan moved to Tiflis (now Tbilisi), which was the center of Armenian culture during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Tumanyan started writing when he was 10-11 years old, but only became known as a poet in 1890, when his first poetry collection was published.

Tumanyan’s first collection, Poems, published in Moscow in 1890, was a great success with literary critics.

Subsequently, all his collections would have the same generic title, with the exception of Harmonies, published in Tbilisi in 1896. Each volume included a number of previously published poems, to which new ones were added.

The literary technique, unique to Tumanyan, makes him an outstanding storyteller, who masterfully commands verse and word.

43% of Armenians demand resignation of PM Pashinyan – Gallup

Emma Nadirian
JAM News
Feb 20 2021
    JAMnews, Yerevan

The recently published results of a Gallup International poll claim 38.8 percent of respondents in Armenia believe Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan should remain in the post of head of government, while 43.6% believe that he should resign.

The survey was conducted by MPG (Marketing Professional Group) – the only organization in Armenia that officially represents GALLUP International in the country.

The last such survey was conducted in November 2020. Then, according to the director of MPG Aram Navasardyan, 35% demanded the prime minister’s resignation. At the same time, the prime minister retains the highest rating among other Armenian politicians.

  • Armenia on verge of economic stagnation: what to expect in 2021
  • ‘Sargsyan’s Armenia’ vs ‘Pashinyan’s Armenia’ – which is better?

The PM’s rating is higher than former presidents

The respondents who participated in the poll were asked to rate politicians on a scale of 1 to 5.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had the highest rating with 2.8 points.

After him, incumbent President Armen Sargsyan has the highest rating at 2.3 points.

Former presidents of Armenia received lower scores:

  • first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan – 1.7
  • second president Robert Kocharian – 2
  • third president Serzh Sargsyan – 1.7

Among the oppositionists, the leader was the head of the Prosperous Armenia party, prominent businessman Gagik Tsarukyan – 2.2 points. The leader of Bright Armenia Edmon Marukyan scored 1.8 points, the head of the Motherland party, the former head of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan – 1.5, the representative of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun – 1.6.

Vazgen Manukyan, a candidate for the post of prime minister put forward by the opposition parties united in the Movement for the Salvation of the Motherland also scored 1.6 points.

“The previous authorities are to blame for the defeat in the Karabakh war”

32% of respondents blame the former authorities of Armenia for the defeat in the second Karabakh war. Nikol Pashinyan is considered guilty by 28.8%.

16.1% of the respondents consider the participation of Turkey in the war as the reason for the defeat, and 4.4% blame certain officers of the Armenian Ministry of Defense and the NK Defense Army.

Despite the results of the war, there were also those who believe that the Armenian side did not suffer defeat. This is 10.2% of the respondents.

30.7% of respondents believe that Armenia needs to return Shushi and Hadrut and 7 regions around NK – that is, return to the situation that was before the start of the war in Karabakh in the fall of 2020.

“3.1% noted that it is necessary to recognize the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, surrender Artsakh and end the conflict,” said director of MPG Aram Navasardyan.

Most are in favor of snap elections

At the end of last year, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan suggested that the country’s political forces begin consultations on holding early parliamentary elections in 2021.

This was his vision of a way out of the political crisis that arose in the country after the second Karabakh war.

However, already in February 2021, the ruling parliamentary faction My Step announced that there would be no elections.

The decision was justified by the fact that “the proposal of the Prime Minister to hold early parliamentary elections did not receive a positive reaction from the parliamentary opposition, there is no request for early elections among the general public.”

According to the results of the poll, 37.1% of respondents consider the holding of parliamentary elections to be “unequivocally necessary”, and 21.3% consider it “rather necessary”.

13.6% and 19.7%, respectively, voted for the options “rather not needed” and “not needed at all”.

Respondents also answered a question about the format of early elections. 41.2% of those polled believe that the elections should be held under the leadership of Nikol Pashinyan, while 28.2% are against the idea. 7.9% are for the idea of having the elections be held under the leadership of an interim government proposed by the opposition.

The Nagono-Karabakh conflict can not be considered solved unless the issue of status is regulated – Ararat Mirzoyan

Emma Nadirian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 18 2021

Armenia observes Iran as a friendly country and a reliable partner, Speaker of Armenian parliament Ararat Mirzoyan stated on Thursday at the meeting with Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Iran (in Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri.

Touching upon the Artsakh conflict, Ararat Mirzoyan stated that it is necessary to call into life the affirmed agreements after the tripartite statement signed on November 9 on the ceasefire: to carry out the urgent exchange of prisoners of war and other captive persons as a priority with the principle all-for-all as soon as possible. The Speaker also added that the conflict could not be considered solved eventually, unless the issue of Nagorno Karabakh status would be regulated in the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship – the Artsakh Armenians’ right to self-determination. Ararat Mirzoyan underlined that Iran cannot abstain from expressing its position on Artsakh issue, taking into consideration also the active involvement of other regional states for the benefit of the Azerbaijani side, both in the phase of military actions and during its following period.

Ambassador Zohouri informed that the Iranian side welcomes the reaching of the agreement on ceasefire in Artsakh and reaffirmed the viewpoint voiced by the FM Zarif that the problem of repatriation of prisoners of war shall be speedily solved.

During the meeting the sides discussed a number of issues on more enlivening of the inter-parliamentary ties, the activation of the economic relations between the two countries and developing joint economic activities especially in Syunik, the press department at the parliament reported. 

Pashinyan, Putin highlight speedy return of POWs and other detainees

Emma Nadirian

 19:04,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, the sides discussed the implementation process of the trilateral declaration signed on November 9, 2020. The speedy return of war prisoners and other detainees was particularly highlighted. The Armenian sides raised concerns over the fact that Azerbaijan does not fully implement that particular point of the joint declaration.

The leaders also discussed issues related to the bilateral cooperation agenda between the two countries and the future development of allied relations.

Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan to meet in Baku

Emma Nadirian

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 19:48,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. A trilateral meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Georgia will take place in Baku on February 19. ARMENPRESS reports the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry informs that the Turkish FM will arrive in Baku on February 18, while the Georgian Deputy PM and Foreign Minister will arrive on February 19.

The Azerbaijani FM is also scheduled to hold bilateral meetings with his Turkish and Georgian counterparts.

Russia reports over 15,000 daily COVID-19 cases

Emma Nadirian

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 14:22,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Russia confirmed 15,038 new coronavirus cases in the past day and the total case tally reached 4,027,748, TASS reports citing the anti-coronavirus crisis center.

In relative terms, the growth rate reached 0.37%.

Moscow confirmed 2,040 new COVID-19 cases in the past day. 

Currently, 410,639 people are undergoing treatment for coronavirus in Russia.