Author: Garo Vardanian

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 10-11-20

Garo Vardanian

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 17:41, 10 November, 2020

YEREVAN, 10 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 10 November, USD exchange rate up by 0.38 drams to 494.13 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 2.86 drams to 583.37 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.08 drams to 6.48 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 6.82 drams to 654.92 drams.

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

Gold price down by 1,143.95 drams to 29665.14 drams. Silver price down by 10.41 drams to 398.83 drams. Platinum price down by 703.77 drams to 13757.84 drams.

A Call for Unity and Resilience

Garo Vardanian 
AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Website: 

 
  
PRESS RELEASE
  
Tuesday, 
  


Statement by the Armenian General Benevolent Union

For 44 days our global nation has experienced a myriad of emotions - pride, 
excitement, fear, anger, frustration, sadness. We may be afraid of the future 
and questioning what lies ahead but this is when Armenians show their true 
strength and character. We are survivors. We have learned over millennia of 
existence that no matter what obstacles or powers try to control us, our spirit 
will endure. Our legacy on civilization is marked with achievement after 
achievement. It is in these times when we feel knocked down that we must look at 
our history as the greatest story of existence, endurance and resilience. 
 
For 44 days Armenians from all corners of the earth have merged efforts and 
voices. Strangers have become comrades and partners in collaborations. The 
sudden attack on our lands released the shackles of labels among our communities 
to unite us as never before. It is this story that will write a new chapter in 
which we continue to work together and build bridges to the future. Each of us 
will contribute to the healing and rebuilding that is necessary to support our 
nation and our people.

It is our duty to find peace within ourselves and reemerge ready to come 
together with this same spirit of nation building.

We owe this to our many heroes, those who have lost their lives, those who have 
suffered injury and those with pain in their hearts. Armenia needs us all. 
Artsakh needs us all. We need each other more than ever.

We call upon all devotees of our nation - individuals, humanitarian or social 
organizations, as well as all political parties within or outside Armenia - to 
unite and rise as we confront any challenges in the days ahead. 

AGBU is here and ready to serve. Ready to connect and to rebuild. Ready to 
support our people, our institutions, our government and our church, and lead as 
necessary as we move forward together. 

Now as always, in unity is strength.

The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the world's largest non-profit 
organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational, 
cultural and humanitarian programs. Each year, AGBU is committed to making a 
difference in the lives of 500,000 people across Armenia, Artsakh and the 
Armenian diaspora.  Since 1906, AGBU has remained true to one overarching goal: 
to create a foundation for the prosperity of all Armenians. To learn more visit 

 .

Nagorno-Karabakh reports civilian casualties amid shelling

Garo Vardanian
Deutsche Welle, Germany
Nov 6 2020

Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have said Azerbaijan attacked residential areas in two of their largest cities with rockets and artillery shells. Azerbaijan has denied targeting civilian areas.

At least three civilians in Nagorno-Karabakh's largest city were killed during overnight shelling by Azeri forces as Baku pushed its offensive to gain control over separatist territory for a sixth week.

Local authorities said a woman and her two grandchildren died in the same house in the regional capital, Stepanakert, after rockets and artillery shells hit residential areas.

The strategic city of Shushi, 15 kilometers (9 miles) to the south of Stepanakert and the enclave's second-largest city was also attacked overnight. Several houses were on fire, the territory's Emergency and Rescue Service reported.

"The Azerbaijani-Turkish forces opened intense gunfire at the town of Shushi and the city of Stepanakert during the entire night," Armenian state news agency Armenpress reported.

Independent observers said fighting appeared to be moving deeper into the mountainous enclave.

Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry has denied the reports of targeting civilian areas, calling the allegations "misinformation." Azerbaijan has accused Armenia of targeting the city of Terter and nearby villages in Azerbaijan.

At least 1,000 people have died in and around Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but populated and controlled by ethnic Armenians backed by Armenia since a war ended there in 1994. The latest outbreak of conflict began on September 27.

According to Nagorno-Karabakh officials, 1,177 of their troops and 50 civilians have been killed. Baku has reported at least 92 civilian deaths and more than 400 wounded.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on October 22 that the actual death toll was nearing 5,000.

According to the UN children's agency UNICEF, over 130,000 residents have been displaced since fighting escalated.

The conflict, which also threatens the security of Azeri oil and gas pipelines, has continued despite two Russia-brokered cease-fires and a US-negotiated truce failing instantly after it took effect.

A week ago, France, Russia and the United States called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to make a mutual agreement not to target residential areas, but the accord failed within hours.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that Armenian forces must withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh for the conflict to end.



Armenian Misha Melkumyan died in captivity in Azerbaijan as a result of violence

Garo Vardanian

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 19:04, 5 November, 2020

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. According to the preliminary conclusion of the forensic expert, Misha Melkumyan, 84, died in Azerbaijan while being held captive from traumatic brain injury, ARMENPRESS reports Head of the Department of Criminalistics of the Investigative Committee of Armenia Rafik Vardanyan said.

'' According to the preliminary conclusion of the forensic expert, the death occurred due to brain trauma as a result of violence'', Vardanyan said.

An 84-year-old Armenian man, Misha Melkumyan, who was detained as a civilian captive by the Azerbaijani military, died overnight October 29-30 in Azerbaijani custody, the Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan said on October 30.

“Taking into account all evidence and documented facts on the Azerbaijani military’s inhumane treatment and level of cruelty against Armenian captives, the reasonable and grounded assumption on what could have caused the death of our compatriot becomes obvious,” Tatoyan said.

Earlier on October 29, the Azerbaijani authorities spread disinformation claiming that the Armenian side refused to accept Melkumyan from the Azeris. The Armenian Human Rights Defender investigated and debunked the Azeri allegations. The investigation revealed that according to medical conclusions Melkumyan’s deteriorated health hindered the organization of his transfer and would’ve been unsafe for him, and the Azeri authorities were well aware of the issue. The Armenian authorities had expressed readiness to organize Melkumyan’s transfer as soon as his health condition would allow it.




CivilNet: A British Journalist Recaps His Time on the Karabakh Frontline and His Interview with Pashinyan

Garo Vardanian
CIVILNET.AM

5 November, 2020 19:10

British journalist Ed Ram has returned from covering the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. He has worked in conjunction with Vice and the Telegraph, and has covered wars in Afghanistan and Libya. He spoke about his time on the frontline, his interactions with the locals and how this war compared to other wars he’s covered. 

‘An international criminal network’-Pashinyan on involvement of mercenaries in aggression against NK

Garo Vardanian

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 13:27, 1 November, 2020

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that there is complete and comprehensive evidence that thousands of mercenaries have been recruited in Syria, transported by Turkey to Azerbaijan for fighting against Artsakh.

The PM shared on Facebook the video from the questioning of a mercenary-terrorist by the Investigative Committee of Armenia.

“This is an international criminal network, and its discovery cannot remain without consequence. There will be new evidence in the nearest future”, the PM said.

Syrian militant detained in Armenia says Suleyman-Shah chief Abu Hamsha brought them via Turkey

[see video]
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Resolution on Artsakh’s right to self-determination to be introduced to U.S. Ohio legislature

Garo Vardanian

Resolution on Artsakh's right to self-determination to be introduced to U.S. Ohio legislature

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 23:02, 1 November, 2020

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Ohio State Representative Jay Todd Smith is set to introduce a strongly-worded resolution in the Ohio Legislature condemning Turkey and Azerbaijan's brutal month-long attack on the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh and simultaneously recognizing the Republic of Artsakh’s inalienable right to self-determination, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER).

The Ohio Legislature’s vote on this resolution could take place as early as next week. The measure also underscores the U.S. Administration’s need to work with the co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group and the governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Republic of Artsakh to achieve a lasting and peaceful resolution to the conflict.

“As an Armenian American living and working in Ohio, it was an honor to work alongside Ohio State Representative Jay Todd Smith on this legislation. It’s truly humbling to know that our community has Ohio State Representatives who not only have our best interests at heart here in the district and in Ohio, but they also understand the value that freedom and democracy play around the world,” said David Krikorian, ANC of Ohio activist.

Upon passage, the Ohio legislature will join nine U.S. states and countless cities and counties nationwide in recognizing the Republic of Artsakh’s right to self-determination and independence.

Michigan State Representative Mari Manoogian led passage of similar legislation H.Res.319 on October 14 in the Michigan State House which also condemned the Turkish and Azerbaijan's attacks on Artsakh and Armenia. The New Jersey State Senate is also set to vote on recognizing the Republic of Artsakh thanks to the efforts of New Jersey State Senator Joseph Lagana.

PM Pashinyan holds telephone conversation with Robert O’Brien

Garo Vardanian

PM Pashinyan holds telephone conversation with Robert O'Brien

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 00:27,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan today had a telephone conversation with U.S. President’s National Security Advisor Robert O’Brien on the initiative of the American side.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister, the Premier called his interlocutor’s attention to the fact that in breach of all norms accepted in international relations and ignoring the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ efforts, Azerbaijan violated ceasefire agreements three times in a row, the last of which had been reached in the U.S. capital.

Nikol Pashinyan stressed that Turkey backs Azerbaijan in this matter, and it is impossible to enforce the truce without specifying which side has broken the ceasefire and who is interested in continuing the hostilities.

The American side assured that they will continue their mediation efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire and ruling out the involvement of third parties in the conflict.

Is 2020 Azerbaijan and Armenia’s Favored Year for War?

Garo Vardanian
National Interest
Oct 27 2020

At this point, whether states are optimistic or pessimistic about the outcome of engaging in a conflict is key to understanding it's timing.

by Bekir Ilhan

The most recent clashes between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh started on the morning of September 27, 2020. Armenia and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic—the de facto state backed by Armenia, declared martial law and total military mobilization while Azerbaijan declared martial law and curfew along the border.

The clashes have not yet turned into an all-out war, but both sides employ a wide variety of military equipment, such as long-range artillery, drones, and tanks, and accuse one another of firing the first shot. Regardless of legal and ethical concerns, both sides have strategic incentives to initiate, escalate, and keep fighting a conflict. The bargaining theory of war and the idea of bounded rationality help us better understand why states initiate and fight wars by focusing on states’ prospects for military victory. Bargaining over a territory can be challenging if negotiating parties have incomplete information about each other’s actual military capabilities. In such a situation, perceptions and signaling relevant information matter.

At this point, whether states are optimistic or pessimistic about the outcome of engaging in a conflict is key to understanding it's timing. This logic could apply to the current conflict in Karabakh. For Azerbaijan, there appears to be optimism about victory now. On the Armenian side, it seems there is more pessimism about defeat in a future war. These differing perceptions jointly increase the risk of war by intensifying a syndrome that might be called better-now-than-later.

Armenia estimates that the status quo in Karabakh will change in the near future at the expense of its interests as the balance of military power shifts in favor of Azerbaijan. In other words, events on the ground are moving in favor of Azerbaijan and against Armenia. For this reason, it may be preferable for Armenia to fight a war when it has the least chance of being stuck in a military stalemate with Azerbaijan, rather than fighting at an uncertain future point when Azerbaijan is more likely to win. Therefore, Armenia may want to push Azerbaijan into a confrontation in which no one could claim a decisive military victory, hoping for third-party intervention. In other words, Armenia plays a game in which it will neither win nor lose.

On the other hand, Azerbaijan does not want to fight a war whose time has not yet arrived. Put differently, if Azerbaijan military planners believe that Armenian military capabilities are far from competing with their own, Baku could optimistically calculate that it is high time to initiate a war over Nagorno-Karabakh. Thus, Azerbaijan will have strong incentives to escalate the conflict into a full-blown war.

Military history is replete with numerous examples where warring parties’ prospect of victory affected the timing of conflict. For instance, before the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, the Japanese war planners thought that they had a fifty-fifty chance of victory when they attacked, believing their chances of winning will be decreasing as time passes. Before the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Egypt’s strategic assessment was based on a military stalemate in which it would have a bargaining chance to reclaim the Sinai Peninsula and push the Israeli to withdraw, instead of a decisive military victory. Also, if the Franco-Prussian war in 1870-71 had broken out a year later, the French would not have been defeated so quickly. The French Army’s modernization had not yet been completed at that time. We could have been reading the First World War in history books as the Russo-German War of 1914 or the Russo-Austrian-Hungarian War of 1914. But it turned into a general war between the major powers because of mutual pessimism about defeat in a postponed war. Immediately after the assassination of the Austro-Hungarian crown prince, Germany, fearing growing Russian military power, thought it was the best moment to fight. France wanted to fight because Germany would fight against Russia at the same time. Russia relied on France’s commitment to fighting against Germany.

Regarding the conflict on Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian strategic assessment is not based on an optimistic assessment about victory, but pessimism about losing a potential war in the future. Although the clashes take place between Azerbaijan and Armenia, regional powers like Turkey and Russia have strong incentives to involve themselves in the conflict, increasing the risk of a regional war across the South Caucasus. Turkey has already declared unequivocal support for Azerbaijan. While so far Russia has not sent open and strong political support to Armenia, it has allegedly involved in the conflict through electronic warfare systems. But further escalation could trigger direct Russian involvement in the conflict, turning the region to another confrontation zone between Turkey and Russia.

Donald Trump expresses disappointment for non-fulfillment of NK ceasefire agreements

Garo Vardanian

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 22:22,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he is disappointed for non-fulfillment of the ceasefire agreements between Armenia and Azerbaijan, ARMENPRESS reports Trump told the reporters.

Donald Trump emphasized that the conflict has lasted long years. ''Yes, it's dissapointing to see that. ''This is what happenes when you have countries that have been going at it for a long time. It''ll get beck together'', he said.

Despite the new ceasefire that was supposed to take effect 08:00 October 26, the Azerbaijani forces launched renewed attacks. The Azeri military also bombarded a village, killing 1 civilian and wounding two others.