Author: Frangulian Shushan

The fastest fixed internet from Ucom is now available in Goris

Frangulian Shushan

 14:01,

YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Ucom has expanded its fixed network to include Goris and has also upgraded the mobile network in this regional city of Armenia. This means that both individual and corporate subscribers in Goris can now enjoy the benefits of the latest fiber optic network technology. Residents of Goris will also have the option to combine their fixed and mobile communication services into a single package, saving up to 45% compared to subscribing to these services separately.

In particular, by selecting the Unity packages, subscribers can provide their entire family with up to 500 Mbps of home internet, access to 210+ TV channels (including those of 4K quality), and a Wi-Fi 6 device that offers faster and smoother internet connectivity at home. Additionally, the package allows for the inclusion of up to 4 Super SIM cards at a special price, ensuring the family can enjoy high-speed mobile communication together.

The first subscriber from Goris, Artyom Ohanjanyan, has joined the largest Unity Super 20000 package. His family will enjoy the mentioned services free of charge for 6 months as part of this comprehensive offer.

“Internet connectivity is crucial everywhere. Whether you reside in a border settlement, Yerevan, or anywhere else in the world, the desire to stay in touch with distant relatives, see their faces, and have conversations remains constant. Fast internet plays a vital role,” stated Artyom Ohanjanyan, the inaugural subscriber of Ucom’s Unity package in the city of Goris.

“Of course, Ucom has a special offer for the residents of Goris. By subscribing to the regional Unity 9000 package for 12 months until October 1, families in Goris can enjoy home internet with speeds of up to 150 Mbps, over 210 TV channels, 20 GB of mobile internet, and the ability to use popular mobile applications without consuming their data bundle. Additionally, the package includes 1000 minutes to call all local networks, Artsakh, USA, and Canada. Notably, these calls will be made through our upgraded mobile network, and all connections will be activated within three days,” stated Ralph Yirikian, Director General of Ucom.

During his visit on July 11, the directors of Goris No. 4 and A. Bakunts High Schools No. 1, as well as “Goris State College” SNPO A. Shegunts, L. Manucharyan, and K. Lazaryan, met with the Director General of Ucom. Immediately, the General Director instructed the teams to provide access to high-speed fixed Internet in these educational institutions, allowing hundreds of students to benefit from the fastest internet in Armenia free of charge.

Let us remind that Ucom has a strategic network expansion plan, which includes the expansion of the fixed network also in Ashtarak, Artashat, Gavar, Sevan, and Ijevan regional cities. The technical works are scheduled to be completed by 2024. Additionally, it is worth mentioning that Ucom has been awarded the “Fastest Fixed Network in Armenia 2021” and “Fastest Fixed Network in Armenia 2022” Speedtest Awards™ by Ookla®, a global leader in fixed and mobile Internet testing and analysis, for two consecutive years. This recognition serves as a testament to the dedication and collaborative efforts of Ucom’s 1400 employees, not only in the Armenian market but also at the regional and CIS levels.

Armenian President receives Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See

Frangulian Shushan

 18:05,

YEREVAN, 12 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan received the Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the President’s Office, Vahagn Khachaturyan highly appreciated Pietro Parolin’s personal contribution to the development of relations between Armenia and the Holy See. The President noted that His Majesty’s blessing and support during this difficult period for our people is really necessary and appreciated.

“We also highly appreciate the relations between the Holy See and Armenia, which have a long history and are developing upward. These relations are based on such values as Christian values, peace, justice, human rights.

We are committed to achieving peace, and we are on that path. I would like to once again thank the Holy See and the Pope for their efforts, exhortations and prayers aimed at establishing lasting peace in our region.

Of course, high-level political meetings are of great importance in the development of our relations, and the numerous mutual visits have led to the establishment of a high-level dialogue. I am sure that your visit will also contribute to the deepening of our relations,” the President said in his welcoming speech.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin thanked the President of Armenia for his hospitality and kind words.

“It is a great honor for me to be in Armenia. My two-day visit started this morning with a visit to Tsitsernakaberd, honoring the memory of the victims. I was able to deepen (of course, I was well aware beforehand) the historical information related to the tragedy that befell the Armenian people.

I would also like to emphasize the excellent relations that exist between the Republic of Armenia and the Holy See. You rightly noticed that there are many mutual visits, and this is a sign that there are good relations, as well as efforts to deepen and develop them,” said the Secretary of State of the Holy See.

At the meeting, the sides referred to the blocking of Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan for more than 7 months. President Khachaturyan noted that the actual isolation of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh has resulted in a humanitarian crisis, which is accompanied by the blocking of gas, electricity and telecommunications.

The Secretary of State of the Holy See emphasized the need to ensure peace and stability in the region, as well as to create an atmosphere of trust between the parties. In this context, the interlocutors emphasized the importance of ensuring the continuity of negotiations, as a result of which it will be possible to achieve peace. Both sides emphasized the need for guarantees for the protection of the rights of Nagorno Karabakh Armenians.

PM Pashinyan attends the opening ceremony of the sports school named after Khoren Hovhannisyan in Yerevan

Frangulian Shushan

 16:42,

YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan attended the opening ceremony of the football school named after the legendary football player Khoren Hovhannisyan in Yerevan, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Gnel Sanosyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Zhanna Andreasyan, Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, Minister of Environment Hakob Simidyan, President of the Football Federation of Armenia Armen Melikbekyan, many representatives of the sports world were also present at the event.

The Prime Minister first toured the sports school, familiarized himself with the implemented works and the conditions created for the children.

The Prime Minister congratulated on the opening of the sports school named after Khoren Hovhannisyan and noted. “There are people who do not belong to themselves, to their family, but to a wider circle, to the country, to the people. Khoren Hovhannisyan is one of those.

On the other hand, of course, it creates many other complications for these people, because such people are almost sanctified, made perfect, especially by the young generation who have been inspired by them, but no person is perfect, and every ordinary human movement can cause a problem in that regard. I am glad that today we are gathered on such an occasion, where we also emphasize that we do not forget values, we do not forget people, their merits and contributions.”

The Prime Minister noted that it is symbolic that there are people present at the opening of the sports school, with whom there will be another oportunity to meet when a sport school named after them will be opened. “The sports school after Arthur Aleksanyan is being built in Gyumri, the construction process of the sports school after Arthur Abraham has started in Yerevan, we are in working discussions with Vik Darchinyan. There is the political decision, it remains to ensure the continuation. The construction works of the school after Simon Martirosyan are in the final stage, and according to the preliminary plan, the opening should take place in August. We have made a very important decision to build the sports school after Roman and Malkhas Amoyans in the enlarged Alagyaz community. This must be done.

But I also want to say that this process is, first of all, an appreciation for the merits of our famous athletes and the fame they have brought to Armenia, on the other hand, this is an important tool for popularizing sports,” said Nikol Pashinyan, expressing his belief that many parents, children, learning about the existence of the “Khoren Hovhannisyan” Academy, they will hurry, especially here, because that name, heritage, atmosphere will bring a lot with it.

“Mr. Hovhannisyan, I congratulate you once again. Of course, the Football Federation implemented this program with the support of the Government, and we will continue this process. I am very happy that I have the opportunity to say such a word of appreciation to you, because I know and remember that your football career was not easy, there were as much complications, difficulties and problems, as glory.

I am very happy that we have come to this milestone after passing that difficult path both during the Soviet period and post-Soviet period. Can you imagine what expectations will be formed from this school, what kind of football players will come out? Of course, stardom aspiration is not such a good thing, because, first of all, it is important that our children have the opportunity to do sports and physical education. First of all, the healthy lifestyle, sports lifestyle should spread as much as possible, but on the other hand, when it has real scale in the country, as it is said, the pleasant will be combined with the useful. The more popular is the sport, the more opportunities to have stars we will have.

And that we have stars, I think there is no need to explain and prove it in this audience, because there are people present here who have proven that they can achieve success with their own work. I am sure, and the people present here are talking about it, that talent, hard work is the biggest sponsor and the biggest promoter. On the contrary, the victory of talent and hard work leads to people standing in line to be useful,” the Prime Minister noted.

Nikol Pashinyan quoted the words of Khoren Hovhannisyan, according to which he never had the opportunity to train in such conditions. “It is very important that this also brings a change in thinking, brings with it a new way of thinking. Fair play, fair competition is the most important thing in football today and it is becoming more and more important in sports. Every now and then there is an attempt to suggest that what we see on the field is not really what is happening. That’s a lie.

In fact, that’s what is happening, it’s another thing that the infrastructural issues, the atmosphere, from the diet, to the training programs and the qualification of the coaches determine the outcome. Because who said that the world dreamed of our champions becoming champions? They decided, they had a goal, they sacrificed a lot to achieve this goal, and they achieved that goal. The glory of these people is seen, glorified and praised and it seems to them that it is that 3 minutes or that 15 minutes. Behind those 15 minutes are tens of years of suffering, starting with limiting contact with friends, family, and so on. You have to be able to do it, but it is a sacrifice that, in my opinion, people make for the sake of the people, for the sake of the state, for the sake of statehood, for the sake of the flag, because we are all eagerly waiting for the moment when the flag of the Republic of Armenia will be raised and the anthem of the Republic of Armenia will be heard.

Mr. Hovhannisyan, thank you again for your work, thank you for your willingness to watch how the children play football here every day. I am sure that it will bring a new quality,” Prime Minister Pashinyan said.

The construction works of the sports school started in spring 2022. This is the first sports school in the history of newly independent Armenia built from scratch in the Kentron community of Yerevan and bearing the name of a legendary football player.

The sports school is designed for 250-300 children, who will have the opportunity to train on a daily basis.

The sports school meets high international standards. It has a high quality artificial grass, the administrative building includes a heating and ventilation system, auditoriums, offices, locker rooms and a gym.

AW: Disney whitewashes genocidal Turkish dictator Kemal Atatürk

Frangulian Shushan
July 7, 2023 Ruby Topalian ANCA News 0

Atatürk to join the Disney family (Artwork courtesy of Vahagn Boudakian)

On October 29, 2023, Disney+ is set to release a mini-series titled Atatürk to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the proclamation of the Turkish Republic. According to IMDb, the series “tells the story of the life of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.”  However, the use of the adjective “Great” in this description paints an overwhelmingly positive image of this highly controversial man. To many in Turkey, he is the ultimate hero and founder of the Turkish Republic; but to Armenians, Kurds, Greeks, progressive Turks, and all those who were subject to his genocidal agenda during and after World War I and the Armenian Genocide, he is nothing short of a mass murderer.

After the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) tweeted about the series on Wednesday, June 29, calling for its cancellation given Atatürk’s role in the death of hundreds of thousands, controversy around the series online has skyrocketed. The ANCA’s initial tweet—the start of what has become the #CancelAtaturk movement on Twitter—has generated over six million views, and upwards of ten media outlets have published articles furthering the conversation around whether Disney should cancel production and abandon this project.

During World War I, Atatürk served as a commander in the Ottoman military and worked closely with Talaat and Enver Pasha—the main orchestrators of the Armenian Genocide. After WWI ended, he continued communication with Enver and eventually rebelled against him to found the Turkish National Movement (also known as the ‘Kemalist’ movement) and create a “Turkey for Turks” in the wake of what he deemed the incompetence of the existing, crumbling Ottoman regime and to quell the rising power of the Empire’s ethnic minorities. As the Entente powers started appropriating Eastern provinces of the Empire to the newly-declared Armenian Republic, Atatürk retaliated in 1920 and declared war on the Armenians leading to the murder of up to 250,000 Armenians in less than three months.

Atatürk furthered his anti-Armenian policies by publishing a book in 1927 titled Nutuk (“the speech”) which he himself admitted to publishing for the purpose of writing (or rewriting) the official modern history of Turkey. In it, he wrote that the British imagined the idea of the Armenian Genocide to provide an excuse for their invasion of Istanbul in 1920. Moreover, he added that the Armenians were carrying out a policy of “extermination” against the Muslims of the Turkish Republic, not the other way around.

Atatürk’s “Turkey for Turks” not only excluded Armenians but also demanded the murder and systemic erasure from memory of every other ethnic minority that stood in the way of his vision. In 1922, Atatürk was responsible for the burning of the Greek city of Smyrna, killing over 600,000 Greek civilians and leaving 300,000 refugees with nowhere to turn. After World War I, Atatürk’s forces continued the Assyrian Genocide (Sayfo) that had killed upwards of 750,000 Assyrians in the Hakkari mountains and beyond, allowing his soldiers to rape young girls and sell others into harem slavery. Under Atatürk’s rule, 8,000 Christians were deported from Mesopotamia into the interior of Turkey, and by 1945, only 20,000 Assyrians lived in Iraq.

Then in 1937, Atatürk led his nationalist militia to the Kurdish-populated region of Dersim—a region occupied by the Kurdish people since the 16th century—and carried out an aggressive military campaign using aerial bombs and poison gas, leading to the murder of up to 45,000 Kurds. Just as Atatürk ensured that Smyrna was given the Turkish name “Izmir,” he renamed Dersim “Tunceli.”

Over the course of his 22-year reign, 28,000 topographic names were changed, as Atatürk made it his mission to “rewrite”  history as president of the new Turkish Republic and erase not only the genocides that he and his predecessors were responsible for from the historical record, but the very cultures and memory of the people they had slaughtered as well. If Atatürk didn’t destroy property formerly owned by ethnic minorities within the Ottoman Empire, he used it to compensate the génocidaires’ families, claiming that the property had been ‘abandoned.’

This policy of denialism continues in Turkey today with the Armenian and Greek genocides carved out of Turkish school history curricula and the very term “Armenian Genocide” banned within Turkish parliament. Atatürk’s complicity in cultural erasure was the consummation of genocide: the attempt to eliminate not only the physical presence of ethnic minorities but every remaining vestige of their existence and memory.

Online, many are arguing that Disney’s decision glorifies a historical villain with some comments comparing Atatürk to Hitler. Looking at the history of Nazism and its ties to Turkey and Atatürk, there is indeed historical basis to these claims. In 2014, historian Stefan Ihrig wrote a book published by Harvard University Press titled Atatürk in the Nazi Imagination outlining this relationship. Ihrig explains that during an interview in 1938 with Turkish politicians, Adolf Hitler said, “Ataturk was a teacher; Mussolini was his first and I his second student.”

While many Turkish Twitter accounts such as Turkish Archives have retaliated by tweeting about the supposedly positive mark that Atatürk left on the world, criticizing the ANCA and others for their condemnation of a figure so beloved by the Turkish people, Disney’s complicity in whitewashing the abuses of genocidal regimes is not without precedent and raises the question of why these seemingly misinformed production decisions continue to be made. In 2020, the corporation landed in hot water after it was discovered that the live-action movie Mulan had been filmed in the Chinese province of Xinjiang, the same region where approximately one to two million Uighur Muslims were forced into internment camps.

Given the negative press Mulan generated, will Disney reconsider the release of Atatürk? Since public disapproval of Disney’s filming in Xinjiang didn’t stop the multi-billion dollar corporation from releasing Mulan, signs are pointing to no. However, Disney’s complacency in conjunction with news that Emma Watson is believed to be starring in the series, is generating more and more online backlash daily. “Disney is known for its fairytales, but this one is beyond the pale,” Richard Ghazal, executive director of In Defense of Christians (IDC), said.

Ancestors of those killed by Atatürk’s policies are not holding back either. “I encourage Disney to do some basic research on the founding of the Turkish state, drenched in the blood of millions of innocent lives. Ethnic minorities like the Kurds are still paying the price of Atatürk’s racist and violent policies in today’s Turkey,” Diliman Abdulkader, president of American Friends of Kurdistan, said. Endy Zemenides, executive director of the Hellenic American Leadership Council added: “Disney’s impact on the American public gives it great responsibilities […] Atatürk is a historically significant figure for many reasons, and one of them is his culpability for Christians becoming an endangered species in Turkey. That HAS to be part of the story.”

In an effort to place direct public pressure on Disney, popular Armenian news outlet 301.am has posted a fully-drafted email for members of the public to send out, calling for the cancellation of the series, complete with the emails of 27 Disney executives on its website. Similarly, the ANCA is calling on Disney employees allied with “Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Kurds, Christians, journalists, rights advocates or other victim groups persecuted by Turkey” to send confidential notes to [email protected].

  •  Bio
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Ruby Topalian was born in a rural town in Wales but has lived in Maryland for the last ten years. She is entering her second year at Trinity College Dublin as part of Columbia University’s Dual Degree program. Her primary professional interest is journalism, and she works as the features editor of Trinity News and the opinion editor of Trinity International Affairs magazine, The Colloquium. She looks forward to a fulfilling journalistic career covering the Middle East with a specific focus on Armenia and the Caucasus. In 2023, she participated in the ANCA Leo Sarkisian Summer Program.


Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 29-06-23

Frangulian Shushan

 17:38,

YEREVAN, 29 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 29 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.21 drams to 386.32 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 1.20 drams to 422.17 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.07 drams to 4.44 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.58 drams to 488.97 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 143.38 drams to 23703.23 drams. Silver price down by 2.95 drams to 280.83 drams.

Letter: Peace in the Caucasus will take two to tango by Ambassador Varuzhan Nersesyan

Frangulian Shushan
Financial Times, UK
From Varuzhan Nersesyan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the UK, London W8, UK
Tony Barber writes of heightened expectations for a long-term peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan (Opinion, June 1). But a closer look suggests that old _expression_ — “it takes two to tango”. Here’s why. 
Azerbaijan not only continues its warmongering rhetoric, but has also imposed an illegal blockade on the Lachin corridor for the past six months, in violation of a ruling by the International Court of Justice. It continues to occupy the sovereign territories of Armenia, abusing the non-delimited nature of the border as a pretext for pressing territorial claims; it carries out provocations on a near-daily basis; and it ultimately insists that any delimitation — and the broader conflict — be settled on its own terms. 
Even following the declaration by Nikol Pashinyan, our prime minister, on Armenia’s official recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Azerbaijan has not publicly reciprocated by recognising Armenia’s territorial integrity. While Armenia and the international community expect the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to be discussed through an international mechanism, Azerbaijan threatens this vulnerable population with punishment and ethnic cleansing, while cynically promising an “amnesty” to those who would put themselves at the mercy of the Azeri central authorities. 
Finally, I would disagree with the author’s conclusion that the “reason why a settlement is within sight is that Azerbaijan has gained the upper hand in its military struggle with Armenia”. 
We need to recognise that the use of force cannot be justified, and that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is not a territorial one, but one concerning the fundamental rights of an entire people. 
Varuzhan Nersesyan
Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the UK, London W8, UK  
https://www.ft.com/content/047b7d27-c4f1-4014-ab20-fd998e262fb8
Tony Barber’s piece to which the Ambassador is responding to can be read at the link below:

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan received the Resident Representative of the UNDP Armenia office

Frangulian Shushan

 18:06,

YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS.  Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan received Natia Natsvlishvili, Resident Representative of the United Nations Development Program in Armenia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Government of Armenia.

Emphasizing the importance of Sustainable Development Goals within the framework of the bilateral cooperation agenda, the parties exchanged ideas on the current and prospective projects implemented in this direction. In particular, the cooperation aimed at increasing the resilience and socio-economic development of the border communities, promoting the “green” economic agenda, as well as the development of health, educational and environmental infrastructures was highlighted by both sides.

During the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Khachatryan emphasized the importance of the involvement of international, including UN, agencies in Nagorno-Karabakh in order to get acquainted with the created situation and address the humanitarian problems of the population. The Resident Representative of the UNDP Armenia office, in turn, expressed concern about the created situation, expressing readiness to continue the provision of assistance aimed at the rehabilitation of border communities of Armenia.

Natia Natsvlishvili reaffirmed her readiness to support Armenia’s current reform agenda, highlighting the need to expand cooperation in the specified directions.

Erdogan pleased with Pashinyan’s statement on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity

Frangulian Shushan
Panorama
Armenia – June 14 2023

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has commended Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s statement on the recognition of Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

“However, there are those who oppose Pashinyan in Armenia. Pashinyan has not yet taken a step back in this matter,” Azerbaijani media quoted him as telling reporters on Wednesday.

Erdogan also highlighted Pashinyan’s participation in his swearing-in ceremony on June 3.

“Pashinyan accepted our invitation by overcoming many obstacles in his country. We could only meet Prime Minister Pashinyan on foot at the ceremony. I expressed my gratitude for his response to this invitation,” he said.

"The shelling of the Lachin checkpoint creates difficulties for the Karabakh Armenians." Review from Baku

Frangulian Shushan
  • JAMnews
  • Baku

Tensions on the Azerbaijani-Armenian border

Armed clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan along the border in different directions, which lasted two days, worried the US State Department. Azerbaijani experts believe that the shelling of the Lachin border crossing “first of all creates difficulties for the Armenians living in Karabakh, so all their claims should be addressed to Armenia.”

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On June 15, shooting took place between the armed forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan in different directions of the state border.

The first tension occurred yesterday at about 9 am in the area of the Lachin border crossing. An Azerbaijani border guard was wounded.

According to the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, on the night of June 16, units of the Armenian Armed Forces periodically fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani army in the direction of the settlement of Galakend in the Gadabay region, as well as in the direction of the Shushi region from illegal armed groups located in Karabakh.

I was indicated that already in the morning, units of the Armenian Armed Forces from the positions of the settlement of Arazdeyan (Yeraskh) fired at the positions of the Azerbaijani army in the direction of the settlement of Heydarabad of the Sadarak region of the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic.

“The units of the Azerbaijani army are taking retaliatory measures,” the information says.

The Armenian Defense Ministry issued a response information that the Azerbaijani side fired at the Armenian positions in the Yeraskh direction.

As always, the sides blame each other for the tension.

Azerbaijani political observer Farhad Mammadov analyzes similarities in the positions of Azerbaijan and Armenia

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan has issued a statement which says:

“This military provocation, along with aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, is aimed at preventing the successful operation of the border checkpoint, the safe, free and unhindered passage of Armenian residents, as well as the movement along the Lachin road.

The military provocation of Armenia, which cannot stomach the free movement of Armenian residents through the checkpoint, is a clear example of the fact that Armenia is not interested in establishing relations with Azerbaijan and in the peace process.”

Pashinyan’s statement – “The territory of Azerbaijan with an area of 86,600 square meters. km includes Nagorno-Karabakh.”

The US State Department also responded:

“We are deeply concerned that the shooting along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border near Lachin has resulted in injuries to personnel,” spokesman Matt Miller told TURAN’s Washington correspondent.

“We reaffirm our statement that the parties must refrain from hostilities along the border and free and open transit through the Lachin corridor must be restored as the parties work towards a lasting and dignified peace agreement. We look forward to meeting the parties soon.”

Russian media, citing a “diplomatic source”, reported that Washington is forcing representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh to agree to a meeting with the Azerbaijani side.

This happened a day after Yerevan reported the incident near the border with Nakhichevan. Two Indian citizens were wounded at a steel plant being built in Armenia with US investment.

“We are deeply concerned that two civilian employees of a US-affiliated company in Armenia were injured as a result of shelling from Azerbaijan,” Matthew Miller wrote on Twitter.

Aykhan Hajizadeh, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, responded on Twitter: “We reject unfounded allegations of harassment of civilians at a metallurgical plant under construction in Armenia. As usual, this is yet another invention of Armenia to mislead and divert attention from their military provocations and the negative cross-border impact of the plant.”

“The violation of the ceasefire in Lachin is aimed precisely at striking a blow to the reintegration process. Because the process of integrating our Armenian citizens into Azerbaijani society is on the agenda. Secondly, on the 14th, the second big stage of the process of returning to Lachin began. They operate on the principle of “it is necessary to scare the returning population.”

This opinion was expressed by the press secretary of the Center for Social Research (CSR), political observer Aziz Alibayli.

“They want to provoke Azerbaijan with this. In this sense, after the shelling of the Lachin border checkpoint, we see that the time has come for an anti-terrorist operation,” he added.

After the ultimatum speech of Ilham Aliyev, events around the part of Karabakh where Russian peacekeepers are stationed are developing rapidly

According to the head of the Atlas research center Elkhan Shahinoglu, the provocation of the Armenian army at the Lachin border crossing caused damage primarily to the Karabakh Armenians:

“Armenians can leave and return from Karabakh through this checkpoint. As a result of the provocation, the checkpoint temporarily stopped its activities. As a result, the Armenians cannot use the crossing. After the checkpoint resumes its work, if there is another provocation, the border will be closed again. This will create difficulties for the Armenians of Karabakh, their patients will not be able to travel to Armenia, and the supply of food will be stopped. Therefore, all the claims of the Karabakh Armenians regarding today’s incident should be addressed to the military of Armenia.”

Former Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Tofik Zulfugarov believes that the events that took place at the Lachin border crossing once again show that Armenia will constantly escalate tension in the region, arranging provocations.

“The Armenian side, as always, sends certain signals to the international community, escalating tension in one way or another. The goal is to get some sort of offer of political support amid tensions. Now they are working on this tactic. Provocations at the border also speak of this. With its response, Azerbaijan wants to show that such provocations will cost dearly, first of all, to Armenia. In order to distance them from these provocations, I think that a strategy of tough steps should be applied there – a kind of Israeli strategy,” Zulfugarov said.

Government will soon submit Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to the National Assembly for ratification

Frangulian Shushan

 18:37,

YEREVAN, JUNE 16, ARMENPRESS. The Government will soon submit the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to the National Assembly for ratification, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Constitutional Court recognized the obligations laid down in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, signed on July 17, 1998, as conforming to the Constitution.

In 2022, the Government appealed to the Constitutional Court on this issue. The government has again returned to the issue of ratifying the Rome Statute, because, according to the substantiation of the bill, they see an opportunity to call Azerbaijan to account.