Author: George Mamian

AW: Most Armenian residents support diplomatic relations with Turkey, according to new poll

George Mamian
February 9, 2022 Lillian Avedian News 13

Yerevan, February 2021 (Photo: Government of Armenia/Facebook)

A majority of residents of Armenia support restoration of diplomatic relations with Turkey, as long as critical national interests are not conceded, according to a recent poll.

The US-based International Republican Institute (IRI) published the results of its latest public opinion survey on January 31, 2022. The poll was conducted between November 22 and December 5, 2021 through phone interviews with 1,512 Armenian citizens. 

According to the results of the survey, 73-percent of Armenians believe that Armenia should simultaneously pursue a dialogue with Turkey while seeking its recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Seventy-percent support preconditions to the normalization of bilateral relations, including Turkey’s non-interference in the Artsakh peace process. 

While 44-percent of respondents feel that Armenia should not pursue normalization of relations with Turkey under any circumstances, 53-percent disagree with this statement. 

“History shows that these countries have had difficult bilateral relations throughout the years,” said Stephen Nix, director of IRI’s Eurasia Division. “A desire among the Armenian people to strengthen ties with Turkey is a very positive development.” 

Armenian and Turkish officials have taken several concrete steps in the past months to restoring diplomatic ties. On January 14, special envoys appointed by each country held an initial round of talks, during which they “agreed to continue negotiations without preconditions aiming at full normalization.” Deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament Ruben Rubinyan and Turkish ambassador Serdar Kılıç will meet for the second time on February 24 in Vienna, Austria. 

According to the IRI poll, 90-percent of Armenians identified Turkey as the country posing the greatest political threat to Armenia, while 77-percent chose Azerbaijan. Turkey and Azerbaijan are also perceived as the greatest security threats to Armenia among 88-percent and 81-percent of respondents, respectively. 

The greatest share of respondents (25-percent) said that Armenia should not start the process of delimiting and demarcating the Armenia-Azerbaijan border until after the final resolution of the Artsakh conflict and the signing of a peace agreement with Azerbaijan. Public opinion on this question among the remainder of participants was split evenly. While 16-percent said it is not currently in the interest of Armenia and Artsakh to launch the demarcation and delimitation process, 15-percent said Armenia should start the process as soon as possible. Others supported preconditions to initiating the process, including the restoration of the armed forces (16-percent) and clarification of the principles guiding the process (14-percent). 

Armenia and Azerbaijan have seemingly reached a deadlock on negotiations to delimit and demarcate their shared border. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev agreed to “push the process of establishment of a bilateral commission with the advisory participation of the Russian Federation” on border delimitation and demarcation, in a statement signed at a November 26 trilateral summit in Sochi. During a meeting on December 14 with European Council President Charles Michel, the leaders agreed to take “further tangible steps” to “reduce tensions on the ground to ensure a conducive atmosphere for the talks” on delimitation and demarcation.  

In January, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) of Armenia Vahan Hunanyan said that Pashinyan and Aliyev had agreed on the mutual withdrawal of Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers from their border posts during the meeting in Brussels. Hunanyan was responding to a statement by Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov that Baku would not accept any “preconditions” to the start of the border demarcation and delimitation process. 

On February 3, Bayramov reiterated that Armenia has set “certain conditions for the beginning of the work of the commission on the delimitation and demarcation process,” which are unacceptable to Azerbaijan.

“Armenia, which held Azerbaijan’s lands under occupation for 30 years, has no legal, political or moral right to impose any conditions on the delimitation of borders,” he said during a joint press conference with his Hungarian counterpart. 

In response, Hunanyan said that the full implementation of the agreements reached in Sochi and Brussels requires concrete steps to increase the level of security on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. 

“It is also logical amid the fact that it is difficult to imagine the implementation of delimitation in the borders where ceasefire violations are observed every day,” he told Armenpress news agency.

The largest percentage of participants (28-percent) in the IRI poll said that territorial and border issues are the most important problems facing the country, followed by national security (15-percent). Ninety-six percent said that the resolution of the Artsakh conflict is important for the future of Armenia. While 35-percent said that recognition of the Republic of Artsakh as an independent state would be an acceptable solution to the Artsakh conflict, 34-percent supported unification of Artsakh with Armenia, and 11-percent, the establishment of the status of Artsakh within Russia. 

“With the recent Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and a history of military confrontation in the region, Armenians are understandably concerned about national security and threats along the border,” said Nix. “They would like to see a resolution to these long-standing territorial issues.”

European Council President Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev meet via video conference (European Council, February 4)

French President Emmanuel Macron praised the results of a virtual February 4 meeting with Pashinyan, Aliyev and Michel. The leaders discussed “recent releases of detainees, ongoing joint efforts to search for missing persons, as well as the upcoming restoration of railway tracks,” according to a joint statement from Macron and Michel. Pashinyan’s office added that the parties exchanged views on the “reduction of tensions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border” and “access of international organizations to Nagorno-Karabakh.” 

Three days after the meeting, eight more Armenian prisoners of war were released from Azerbaijan. The MoFA of Armenia said that the repatriation took place “with the mediation of the French government and European Union.” 

“We are going forward!” Macron tweeted about the return of the POWs. 

French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin attend a joint press conference in Moscow, February 8, 2022 (Photo: Kremlin)

Macron and Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed a number of issues regarding the Artsakh conflict, including “missing persons, refugees, borders and the communications infrastructure,” during a February 8 meeting in Moscow. The leaders expressed “coinciding views on a number of matters,” according to Macron.

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Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in Journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian’s first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.


Ex-Transport Minister: benefits and drawbacks of Armenian-Azerbaijani railway are yet to be seen

George Mamian

Feb 16 2022



  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Armenian-Azerbaijani railway

It will takes time to evaluate the effectiveness of the Yeraskh-Julfa-Meghri-Horadiz railway connecting Armenia with Azerbaijan, and those who characterize it in advance as profitable or unprofitable are mistaken – this is the opinion of the former Minister of Transport Henrik Kochinyan. He is one of 10 members of a special working group, which is entrusted with assessing the situation and starting work on the restoration of the railway. The group is headed by Advisor to the Prime Minister, former Armenian Ambassador to Iran Artashes Tumanyan.

If this railway line is restored, it will not only connect Armenia and Azerbaijan – Armenia will also receive a railway connection with Russia and Iran, and Azerbaijan with its exclave Nakhichevan. At the same time, experts explain that the Yeraskh-Julfa-Meghri-Horadiz railway is not considered as a route for exporting goods to Azerbaijan, but as a transit road, in particular, for exporting products to other countries.

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According to the former Minister of Transport Henrik Kochinyan, there are enough specialists in Armenia who can participate in the work on the restoration of the railway on the Armenian side. According to him, both experienced Soviet-era specialists and young people will be involved in the work.

The Yeraskh-Julfa-Meghri-Horadiz railway ceased to operate after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The agreement on the restoration of the railway was reached during a trilateral meeting of the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia at the end of last year in Sochi and was reaffirmed at the Pashinyan-Aliyev talks in Brussels.

In order to restore the railway connection with Azerbaijan, Armenia must build an approximately 45-kilometer section of the road in the southern, Syunik region. According to various estimates, the construction will cost at least $200 million.

It is still unknown when the construction on the Armenian side will begin. It is only reported that in the coming days, detailed studies will be carried out on the ground, at the Yeraskh and Meghri sites, on the basis of which a project will be developed.

Specialists of the Russian Railways company are also involved in these works. Until 2038, this particular company will have the rights to the concession management of the Armenian railways.

The Armenian authorities have repeatedly stated that the opening of railway lines will open up new economic opportunities for the country. However, according to working group member Henrik Kochinyan, it takes time to assess the effectiveness of the project. The volume of freight traffic will change if other states also consider this railway safe and efficient.

“One can say that it is profitable, and the other can say that it is not, but, in my opinion, both are mistaken. It takes time, this is not a formula, which we can take, write on a piece of paper and say, “Look, I proved that this is good” or “I proved that this is bad”, Henrik Kochinyan said.

The Azerbaijani side began construction work in February 2021. The Azerbaijani authorities plan to complete the construction of their part of the road in the first quarter of 2023.

According to Prime Minister Pashinyan’s adviser, head of the working group Artashes Tumanyan, the construction of the railway will begin if the agreements are documented – in a bilateral agreement. He says that this is a necessary condition, because “infrastructures must come together, work together”:

“It is acceptable for the Armenian side to start such large-scale works if they are recorded in the format of any document. It can be either a bilateral agreement or an agreement involving a third party”.

According to Tumanyan, especially in the Meghri area, there is a need for a detailed “instrumental” study. The group will have such an opportunity during the upcoming business trip, it is planned in the next 10 days.

Tumanyan, an adviser to the prime minister, said that the restoration of the Yeraskh section of the railway, which is just over a kilometer long, will take months. The Meghri section, which is approximately 45 km long, will take three years.

Referring to the funds required for the construction, Artashes Tumanyan noted that it is not clear what amount will be required and where it will be raised from. At the same time, he emphasizes that funds will also be needed for the construction of adjacent structures, for example, customs points, otherwise “there will not be a working infrastructure”.

The building of the railway station in Meghri. Photo: JAMnews

Opposition MP: How foreign intelligence services managed to penetrate deep into Armenian military?

George Mamian
panorama.am
Armenia – Feb 12 2022

Armenia MP Tigran Abrahamyan, who represents the opposition With Honor faction, on Saturday reflected on the exposure of a foreign spy ring involving dozens of Armenian military personnel by the National Security Service (NSS).

In a statement on Thursday, the NSS said over 20 servicemen joined the espionage network created by foreign intelligence agencies and received payments for sending classified data on the Armenian army to them. 19 suspects were detained as part of the criminal investigation.

“I would refrain from any assessments for now not to violate the presumption of innocence, but there is a big issue up in the air: how did foreign intelligence services manage to penetrate so deeply into the Armenian armed forces?” Abrahamyan wrote on Facebook.

“The key task of our relevant services is to suppress activities of foreign intelligence services, substantially reduce their opportunities to reach and influence the military.

“Simply put, we still need to understand how such favorable conditions were created for the enemy and why the army and military personnel were so vulnerable. The task should not be simply to eliminate the consequences, but to thoroughly examine the case and its causes.

“Regardless of the details of the proceedings, the authorities benefit from the involvement of the military in such cases, because their pre-selected method of self-justification is to shift the blame onto the army, reserve forces and volunteers, on the principle of ‘what could poor Nikol have done?’,” the MP noted.

Asbarez: Baku is Inciting ‘Religious Enmity at State Level,’ Says Human Rights Defender

George Mamian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 February 7, 2022

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

The Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi is being dismantled by Azerbaijanis

Reports that Azerbaijan has set up a government commission to erase all Armenian traces from cultural monuments in Artsakh has elicited strong reaction from non-governmental circles in Armenia, with the country’s human rights defender, Arman Tatoyan, accusing Baku of inciting religious enmity on the state level by accusing Armenians of Islamophobia.

More than two dozen Armenia-based non-governmental organizations also reacted to the commission announced, saying in a statement that Baku’s actions are aimed at eliminating the Armenian cultural heritage in Artsakh.

Explaining that Armenians have lived and thrived in many Islamic countries, Tatoyan said on Monday Azerbaijan’s policies also are aimed at inciting hostility toward Armenians living in those countries. He went as far as to cite an Islamic decree from prophet Muhammed who in 626 pledged to protect the Holy Tomb of Christ in Jerusalem, as well as churches and monasteries in “Jerusalem, Damascus and Arab region,” including St. Hakobyants Monastery in Jerusalem, educational institutions and property. Islam’s prophet made the decree after visiting the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

“In Artsakh, for example, the Upper and Inner Mosques of Shushi remained standing and were preserved. the Upper Mosque and the building of the madrasa—a school—were completely renovated, and a park was built. There is a functioning mosque in Yerevan,” said Tatoyan to illustrate the respect Armenians have shown toward Islamic structures and facilities.

“Instead, the Azerbaijani armed forces destroyed and desecrated the Ghazanchetsots and Kanach Zham churches in Shushi, destroyed the Zoravor Surb Astvatsatsin Church in Mekhakavan in Artsakh, or desecrated the St. Yeghishe Church in Mataghis, destroyed Armenian khachkars in Shush, Hadrut,” said Tatoyan adding that the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Church in Baku has been desecrated, turned into a library archive. “The cross has been lowered from the dome, there is no tabernacle, the tombstones that were adjacent to the church have been destroyed,” said Tatoyan.

The human rights defender warned that Azerbaijan’s decision are politically motivated and pose succinct threat to effort to achieve peace in the region. He accused official Baku of deliberately erasing all Armenian traces from churches and monasteries, adding that this hatred is manifested by the manner in which Armenian captives have been tortured due to their religious affiliation.

The more that two dozen organizations called on the Armenia’s prime minister and authorities to take decisive action against Azerbaijan’s “policy of ethnic cleansing by destroying traces of Armenians.”

“Unfortunately, the Armenian authorities do not give an adequate response to the policy of ethnic cleansing and cultural genocide committed by Aliyev,” said the organizations, urging the Armenia government to report that Azerbaijan is not complying with special measures applied by International Court of Justice “in order to prevent the irreversible loss of the Armenian cultural heritage.” They also called on Armenia’s authorities to urge the United Nations to visit Artsakh and document the current state of Armenian monuments.

“On December 7, 2021, the International Court of Justice demanded that Azerbaijan take the necessary measures to prevent all acts of vandalism committed against the Armenian cultural heritage and punish those responsible,” said the NGOs in their statement.

What problems are facing children with disabilities and their parents. Videoblog from Armenia

George Mamian

Feb 4 2022


  • Angela Harutyunyan
  • Yerevan

What problems do children with disabilities and their parents face in Armenia? JAMnews spoke with the family of Narek – one of more than 8,000 children with disabilities living in Armenia. According to his mother, some of the numerous problems their family is facing are simply impossible to solve.

Watch the video report at 

Russia contributes to peaceful settlement of crisis situations, including in Nagorno Karabakh – FM Lavrov

George Mamian

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 16:15,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says Russia is actively contributing to the peaceful, diplomatic solution of crisis situations in various regions, including in Nagorno Karabakh, Syria and elsewhere.

“We are actively contributing to the peaceful, political and diplomatic settlement of crisis situations in different regions, be it Nagorno Karabakh, Syria, Libya, Afghanistan, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the situation in Korean Peninsula and around the Iran nuclear deal”, Lavrov said in his remarks at the plenary session of the State Duma dedicated to the relevant issues of Russia’s foreign policy.

According to the minister, such efforts contribute to the overall improvement of the situation in the world, reaffirm the Russian side’s reputation as a reliable international partner.

Armenian PM self-isolating after positive Covid test

George Mamian
Macau Business
Jan 26 2022
By

 AFP

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is self-isolating after testing positive for the coronavirus, his government said on Wednesday.

“The prime minister of Armenia took a coronavirus test, which came back positive,” the Armenian government said in a statement.

It said Pashinyan was asymptomatic and self-isolating as required, and would continue to work remotely.

Pashinyan and his family also had coronavirus in June 2020.

The ex-Soviet republic with a population of around three million people has registered 355,662 coronavirus cases and 8,033 deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Armenia has faced a period of instability after accepting defeat and suffering territorial losses in late 2020 in a war with arch-foe Azerbaijan over the exclave of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Pashinyan faced pressure at home over the controversial truce with Baku as protesters staged rallies and demanded his resignation.

In the summer, Pashinyan called for snap parliamentary polls that were won by his party but discontent over the war continues to simmer. 

Last week, Armenia’s President Armen Sarkisian announced that was resigning from his post — a largely ceremonial role — over a lack of influence during times of national crisis. 

Armenian Prime Minister holds meeting with EU Special Representative Toivo Klaar, Isabelle Dumont

George Mamian

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YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar and the French presidency’s representative at the Council of the European Union, advisor to the French presidential office Isabelle Dumont.

“The meeting addressed the situation in the South Caucasus region after the 44-day war, the steps aimed at de-escalating the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and ensuring stability. In particular, views were exchanged regarding the implementation of agreements and results of meetings held in mediation of the President of the Russian Federation in Sochi, as well as the President of the European Council and President of France in Brussels. The necessity for the full launch of the peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and intensifying the activity of the Co-Chairs in the direction of a lasting resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict was underscored,” the Armenian Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.

Pashinyan congratulates Petkov on 30th anniversary of Armenian-Bulgarian diplomatic relations

George Mamian

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YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory message to the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Bulgaria, Pashinyan’s Office said.

The message reads:

“Your Excellency

I extend my warmest congratulations on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Bulgaria. The Protocol signed in 1992 officially recorded the centuries-old historical and cultural interactions between our two peoples.

Over the past three decades, our bilateral interstate relations have been marked by the continuous development of sincere and effective cooperation based on mutual respect, trust. Today we have a rich bilateral agenda, which covers many areas, including partnership in international organizations, political dialogue, inter-parliamentary cooperation, as well as active cooperation in the fields of education, culture, trade and economy.

I am convinced that the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, in its turn, will best contribute to the further strengthening and deepening of the wide range of our bilateral cooperation.

Once again congratulating you on the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, please accept, Your Excellency, the assurances of my highest consideration”.

Waltham resident, Armenian American veteran turns 100

George Mamian
January 12, 2022 Leeza Arakelian Community News, Local Spotlight 2

Harry Keshishian’s 100th birthday celebration at the Oakley Country Club, December 29, 2021 (Photo provided by Albert D. Parseghian)

WATERTOWN, Mass. — Harry Keshishian, a member of the Armenian American Veterans of Greater Boston (Amvets), has turned 100 years old.

The new centenarian, who was drafted to the US Army in October 1942 at the start of World War II, was the guest of honor at a small celebration hosted by Amvets at the Oakley Country Club on December 29, 2021.

“I said to myself, how long can this go on?” he chuckled, when asked what he wished for upon blowing out his candles. “I take it as it comes,” he sighed, referencing a well-known Yogi-ism: “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!”

Born on December 30, 1921 in the Bronx, Keshishian moved to Watertown, Massachusetts with his family at a very young age. He attended Watertown High School, where he fondly recalled building scale models of flyable airplanes with three close friends, who have since passed. He later attended Wentworth Institute of Technology, where he studied to become a machinist. During the war, he served in cities across the US, working hard at aircraft factories. He says he never experienced battle and was ultimately discharged in 1946.

In the years that followed, Keshishian worked with his father at a Boston-based photo engraving company. He raised three children with his wife Osnif, who he lovingly cared for during her long battle with multiple sclerosis. She passed away in 2007. That same year, Keshishian joined the local Amvets.

A self-proclaimed “fierce American,” Keshishan is an all-around history buff. “I love this country. There’s no other country like it,” he told the Weekly. 

But his heart also beats for his homeland. Keshishian, who said his maternal grandfather was the prolific author and educator Tavit Khachgonts, was pained to witness from afar the tragedy of the 2020 Artsakh War. “It bothers me very much that Armenia is always suffering from these turmoils,” he expressed, “Being such a small country, there’s very little friendship around Armenia except maybe Russia. It seems no one pays attention to Armenia. I just hope that they can keep the peace because it’s so small and powerless that they can’t do very much.”

Keshishian, who now lives in Waltham, Massachusetts, says he values the friendships he’s built over the years. “When I reminisce, it’s strange how life starts and ends,” he shared, “It’s nowhere near what you’d expect. You just have to do the best you can.”

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Assistant Editor
Leeza Arakelian is the assistant editor of the Armenian Weekly. She is a graduate of UCLA and Emerson College. Leeza has written and produced for local and network television news including Boston 25 and Al Jazeera America.