Tuesday, January 4, 2022
Armenian Authorities Block Inauguration Of Opposition Mayor
• Susan Badalian
Armenia - Aharon Khachatrian is sworn in as mayor of Vartenis outside the
municipal administration building cordoned off by police, January 4, 2022.
Police cordoned off the municipal administration building in Vartenis on Tuesday
to prevent a local opposition figure from taking over as mayor of the eastern
Armenian town and nearby villages.
The mostly rural community has been in turmoil since the December 5 election of
a local council empowered to appoint its mayor. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian
Civil Contract party garnered most votes but fell short of an overall majority
in the 27-member council, winning only 13 seats there.
The remaining 14 seats were won by two local opposition blocs. They reached a
power-sharing deal and nominated one of their leaders, Aharon Khachatrian, for
the post of community head.
The 14 opposition members of the new Vartenis council elected Khachatrian as
mayor during its inaugural session held on December 30. Civil Contract members
led by Aram Melkonian, Vartenis’s incumbent mayor seeking reelection, tried to
disrupt the session before walking out in protest.
Melkonian went on to ask Armenia’s Administrative Court to annul the appointment
of the new mayor, saying that it was “illegal.” The opposition forces dismissed
the allegation and scheduled Khachatrian’s inauguration for Monday.
Armenia - Vartenis Mayor Aram Melkonian tries to block the first session of the
new local council controlled by opposition groups, December 30, 2021.
Scores of police officers deployed at the entrance to the local government
building did not allow the council majority to enter it to hold the swearing-in
ceremony. Local police chiefs told the oppositionists that Khachatrian cannot
start performing his duties because of the lawsuit filed by the ruling party.
The ban angered Khachatrian’s supporters who gathered outside the building. “One
gets the impression that the Civil Contract party has started a civil war
against residents of Vartenis,” said one of them.
A lawyer representing Khachatrian insisted that council members are legally
allowed to enter the building regardless of the court case. “The police are
overstepping their powers,” he said.
Khachatrian had to take an oath of office in the building’s courtyard. His
loyalists admitted that he will not be able to take office before a court
verdict.
Meanwhile, Melkonian said that the police acted on his orders. “I personally
made sure that this buffoonery doesn’t take place,” the incumbent mayor told
reporters.
Melkonian said that the two opposition forces must not be allowed to run the
community comprising Vartenis and two dozen villages because they “deceived”
voters. He did not elaborate.
On Monday, the ruling party’s candidate called on all newly elected council
members to resign and pave the way for a repeat election.
“The council held a session and elected a community head. What should we annul
after that?” countered Davit Shahnazarian of the United Vartenis bloc allied to
Khachatrian’s alliance.
United Vartenis’s leader was arrested on corruption charges shortly after the
power-sharing deal cut by the two groups. Opposition politicians and human
rights campaigners in Yerevan condemned his arrest, saying that it is part of a
government crackdown on political figures who defeated Pashinian’s party in some
of the three dozen communities across Armenia that elected their local councils
on December 5.
Armenia - Opposition supporters hold pictures of former Vanadzor Mayor Mamikon
Aslanian and other arrested opposition members during a demonstration in
Yerevan, December 17, 2021.
Arman Tatoyan, the country’s human rights ombudsman, charged on December 17 that
opposition groups that did well there are being illegally pressured not to
install their leaders or allies as community heads.
“These practices are fundamentally at odds with democratic norms,” said Tatoyan.
Pashinian’s political allies maintain that neither these nor any other
post-election criminal cases are politically motivated.
Pashinian’s party suffered its biggest election setback in Vanadzor, Armenia’s
third largest city. It won only 25 percent of the vote there, compared with 39
percent polled by a local bloc led by former Vanadzor Mayor Mamikon Aslanian.
Aslanian was thus well-placed to regain his post lost in October. But he was
arrested on December 15 on corruption charges rejected by him as politically
motivated.
The Administrative Court blocked the first session of the new Vanadzor council
slated for December 24. It cited an appeal against the local election results
lodged by another party that fared poorly in the ballot.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Author: Garo Vardanian
Azerbaijani press: Azerbaijan upgrades army creation to fundamentally new development stage – Analysis
25 December 2021 17:30 (UTC+04:00)
1 109
By Trend
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Victorious Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Ilham Aliyev, First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva and their son Heydar Aliyev made a trip to the Hadrut settlement of Azerbaijan’s Khojavand district on December 24, Trend reports.
During the trip they took part in the opening of a military unit where representatives of the new military formation – the commando forces are stationed.
According to military expert Ruslan Imanguliyev, after the liberation of the Azerbaijani lands from the Armenian occupation [in the 2020 second Karabakh war], the president stressed that the Azerbaijani army will be further improved based on the experience of the Turkish army.
“We are already seeing real steps in this direction. Each soldier serving in the commando military units has been trained in Turkey. Opening of such a military unit, particularly, in Hadrut settlement is a message to Armenia and its patrons. The location of this military commando unit indicates that the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan will continue to improve to ensure the security of the country’s territories,” he said.
The expert noted that in the commando military unit, along with officers and warrant officers, soldiers who have undergone special training will serve, which is the main difference between the commando military unit and the special forces.
The personnel undergo special commando courses. The main activity of commando units is the execution of combat missions on terrain with difficult terrain, which means that the units are intended exclusively for participation in operations in hard-to-reach areas where it is impossible to use equipment, Imanguliyev further said.
“For service in the commando, military personnel, along with mastering the technique of hand-to-hand combat, also take courses in parachute jumping, alpine skiing, sniper training, etc. Those who successfully complete the course are included in the commando units. The organization of these units in the Azerbaijani army is extremely important for the conduct of operations,” he added.
Another military expert Adalat Verdiyev said that the newly created commando forces are specially trained units designed to perform special tasks. The commando brigade will also act as a unit in which cadres will be trained for service in the special forces.
“There is also a difference in the combat purpose, staff and duties of the military personnel of the commando units. By the importance of tasks, special forces, commando and reconnaissance can be distinguished. The number of commando-type military units will increase,” Verdiyev noted.
The expert added that the moral, psychological and combat capability of the Azerbaijani army is at the highest level, and serious attention is paid to security and defense issues after the war.
Azerbaijan continues to hold about 200 Armenian POWs, distorting their status – law signed by Biden
18:05,
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2022 signed by US President Joe Biden contains important provisions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, which particularly emphasizes that Azerbaijan continues to hold about 200 Armenian prisoners of war, distorting their status, emphasizing that Azerbaijan should immediately and unconditionally return all captured persons. ARMENPRESS reports the law is published on the official website of the Congress.
The law points out the conclusions of the Congress on the 44-day war, in particular:
(A) On September 27, 2020, Azerbaijan, with support from Turkey and foreign militia groups, launched a military assault on Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh, resulting in the deaths of thousands and displacing tens of thousands of ethnic Armenian residents.
(B) On November 9, 2020, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia signed a tripartite statement to end the conflict.
(C) In signing the November 9 statement, all parties agreed that the “exchange of prisoners of war, hostages and other detainees as well as the remains of the fatalities shall be carried out.”.
(D) The Third Geneva Convention, of which Azerbaijan is a signatory, and customary international law require the release of prisoners of war and captured civilians upon the cessation of hostilities and require that all detainees be treated humanely.
(E) Despite Azerbaijan’s obligations under the Geneva Conventions and their commitments in signing the November 9 statement, long after the end of the conflict, the Government of Azerbaijan continues to detain an estimated 200 Armenian prisoners of war, hostages, and detained persons, misrepresenting their status in an attempt to justify their continued captivity.
(F) Human Rights Watch reported in December 2020, that Azerbaijani military forces had mistreated ethnic Armenian prisoners of war and subjected them to “physical abuse and humiliation”.
(G) Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights issued a report on the conflict that “document[s] crimes against humanity and other atrocities committed by Azerbaijani armed forces and Turkish-backed Islamist fighters against Armenians”, including beheadings, summary executions, and the desecration of human remains.
(H) There is limited reliable information about the condition or treatment of prisoners of war and captured civilians, and there is significant concern that female detainees in particular could be subject to sexual assaults and other mistreatment.
(I) The continued detainment of prisoners of war and captured civilians by Azerbaijan calls into serious question their commitment to human rights and negotiating an equitable, lasting peace settlement.
(J) Armenia has fulfilled its obligations under the November 9 statement and international law by returning Azerbaijani prisoners of war.
(K) The United States is a co-chair, along with France and Russia, of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Minsk Group, which was created to seek a durable and peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Sense of congress.– It is the sense of Congress that– (A) Azerbaijan must immediately and unconditionally return all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians; and (B) the Biden Administration should engage at all levels with Azerbaijani authorities, including through the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe Minsk Group process, to make clear the importance of adhering to their obligations, under the November 9 statement and international law, to immediately release all prisoners of war and captured civilians.
Armenia Security Council Secretary on ‘3+3’ format: If there is opportunity, we will go to Baku and Ankara
News.am, Armenia
Dec 22 2021
Armenia Security Council Secretary on ‘3+3’ format: If there is opportunity, we will go to Baku and Ankara
00:19, 23.12.2021
We will hold more discussions on the Armenian-Turkish relations in the bilateral format, but if there is an opportunity to hold discussions in the ‘3+3’ format, we will also take advantage of that opportunity to have contacts with Turkey and express each other’s positions more clearly and make them more accessible. This is what Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan said in an interview aired on Armenian Public Television today, touching upon Armenia’s participation in the ‘3+3’ or ‘3+2’ regional format being formed and the possible agenda within the scope of that format.
Asked if this means that Armenia’s representatives will go to Ankara since the Turkish foreign minister informed that the next meeting will be held in Turkey and then in Baku and the representatives of Turkey and Azerbaijan will visit Armenia, Grigoryan said the following: “If there is an opportunity, we are ready to go, and we are also ready to host the representatives of those countries to organize discussions on our regional issues.”
The first meeting in this regional format was held on Dec. 10 in Moscow, and Armenia was represented at the level of the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Although the Georgian national flag was seen at the meeting, Georgia didn’t participate in the meeting since it is against participation in this and any platform with Russia’s participation. Nevertheless, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu recently voiced hope that Georgia will participate in the next meeting to be held in Ankara, but Tbilisi hasn’t responded to this yet.
High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs: Fifth Turkish Column is very active in Armenia
News.am, Armenia
Dec 23 2021
00:17, 24.12.2021
The Fifth Turkish Column is very active in Armenia; it intoxicates all spheres of life, including the relations with the Armenian Diaspora. This is what High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs under the Prime Minister of Armenia Zareh Sinanyan said today.
“After the war, unfortunately, for political considerations, certain organizations of the old Diaspora became hostile towards Armenia, and it was very wrong on their part. Those organizations have been monopolists in the relations with Armenia for many years. However, now we are going to renounce this approach and work with all organizations and individuals. We are even ready to work with those who have had a bad attitude towards Armenia after 2018,” he stated.
Sinanyan clarified that President of the Association of Armenian Lawyers of Russia Shahen Petrosyan, who was awarded a medal in the past and which caused the discontent of other Armenians who provided assistance during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, was either at the Embassy of Armenia or was providing assistance every day during the war. Sinanyan added that he and others have made tremendous contributions.
Ruling force MP: Armenia envoy for dialogue with Turkey will have quite representative apparatus
News.am, Armenia
Dec 21 2021
15:57, 21.12.2021
Ruben Rubinyan has other advantages, too, besides age. He is a good vice-speaker of the National Assembly. Andranik Kocharyan, Chair of the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia and an MP of the ruling majority “Civil Contract” Faction in the NA, said this Tuesday to reporters—and commenting on Rubinyan’s appointment as Armenia’s special envoy for dialogue with Turkey.
Besides, as Kocharyan noted, the aforesaid NA deputy speaker from the ruling majority previously held the post of Deputy Foreign Minister.
“The matter is not only in that. I am sure that Rubinyan will have a quite representative apparatus which will enable negotiating on all the issues mentioned earlier,” the ruling force MP emphasized.
But Kocharyan did not mention Rubinyan’s other professional merits.
To note, critics point to young Ruben Rubinyan’s lack of experience in negotiating.
PM Pashinyan participates in the opening of the "Summit For Democracy"
21:07, 9 December, 2021
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan participated in the opening of the virtual “Summit For Democracy”. The Summit is initiated by US President Joe Biden. The two-day event is attended by leaders and representatives of over a hundred countries, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Joe Biden delivered remarks at the opening of the Summit, after which the panel discussions started.
Representatives of non-governmental organizations and the private sector are also taking part in the Summit.
Issues related to countering threats to democracy, fighting corruption and protecting human rights are on the agenda of the two-day debates.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s speech at the “Summit For Democracy” is scheduled on December 10.
We can overcome difficulties if we have clear vision: President Sarkissian meets with Armenians in Qatar
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 11 2021
If we have a clear vision, program, discipline, commitment, we will get out of the difficult situation, President Armen Sarkissian said at a meeting with Armenians of Qatar.
Within the framework of his working visit to the State of Qatar, President Armen Sarkissian met with members of the executive body of the Armenian community of Qatar at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Doha.
The President was welcomed by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the State of Qatar Armen Sargsyan, the Pastor of the Armenian Diocese of Qatar, Archbishop Poghos Tinkjian.
In his speech, the President referred to the Armenian-Qatari relations, as well as the situation in Armenia.
Noting that the Armenian Embassy in the State of Qatar was opened with the active support of the Emir of the State of Qatar, President Sarkissian once again thanked the Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and the friendly people of Qatar for this “special step of friendship.”
“We must do everything to strengthen and expand this friendship, the fraternal relations between the two peoples,” the Armenian President said.
Referring to his working visit, President Sarkissian particularly noted. “During this visit, I met with the Emir, Emir’s father, Sheikha Moza and other officials. They reaffirmed their warm attitude towards our state and people and their readiness to cooperate.”
“We see this cooperation in different directions, first of all in the field of culture and education. I mean the “Qatar Foundation”. We spoke with Sheikha Moza of the Foundation about the cooperation between educational systems and startups in the field of modern technologies, science, artificial intelligence, information technologies. Sheikha Moza was in Armenia for a day years ago, she is very impressed and intends to pay another visit,” Armen Sarkissian said.
“There are programs related to Armenia-Qatar economic relations. They can be, for example, in the field of tourism, where Qatar has a huge potential. The same applies to Armenia. Unfortunately, that potential has not been utilized. Actually, tourism in Armenia can increase several times, it can bring a huge investment to our country. Cooperation between institutions at the state level in the field of energy, new technologies and modern technologies is also essential,” the President said, noting that the interest of Qatar in investing in Armenia is of great importance.
“I have had many visits not only to this country, but also to the UAE, and recently for the first time a high-ranking Armenian state delegation visited Saudi Arabia, a country with which we have not had diplomatic relations for 30 years. And I’m glad to say that during that visit, my meetings with Prince Mohammed bin Salman established a relationship. I saw the same warm attitude there. We have not had diplomatic relations for 30 years, and the head of state says the warmest words about our people,” President Sarkissian noted.
“We must move forward, that is the logic of life. One of the greatest values of Armenians is a very strong sense of survival. If we were able to survive after the Armenian Genocide, we were able to recover in different centers of the world, from Qatar to Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Moscow, to build churches and a schools in distant Siberian cities, to remain Armenian, then we are able to look to the future, recover and move forward,” the President emphasized.
“This defeat is painful, it is tragic, because we lost thousands of young lives, we have boys in captivity, we must do everything to bring them back, because each of them is a member of our family. But we must also think about the future. If we do not think today, we will face even greater difficulties,” he added.
“If we have a clear vision, program, discipline, commitment, and unite nationally, I am sure we will get out of this situation. The past of our people proves that we have all the highest values to get out of this situation, to think about further victories – economic, political and demographic,” Armen Sarkissian concluded.
MoD Armenia denies Azerbaijan’s announcement of firing in the direction of Azerbaijani positions
18:27, 8 December, 2021
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. The statement issued by the Azerbaijani defense ministry that allegedly the Armenian Armed Forces fired in the direction of Azerbaijani military positions in the eastern direction of the border on December 8 is disinformation, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Defense Ministry.
“The Armenian side has not opened fire in the direction of the Azerbaijani armed forces”, says the statement of the Defense Ministry of Armenia.
Friendship group with Montenegro to be established at Armenian Parliament
15:52, 6 December, 2021
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs voted in favor of the draft on establishing an Armenia-Montenegro friendship group.
“Given that the activity of friendship groups is a good impetus for cooperation between parliaments, and that the Armenian foreign ministry also approves creating the Armenia-Montenegro friendship group, I propose to vote in favor of the draft decision”, chairman of the standing committee Eduard Aghajanyan said.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan