Author: Hambardsumian Paul

Armenia’s Pashinyan congratulates Russia’s Putin on birthday

Hambardsumian Paul

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 12:57, 7 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a congratulatory letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin on birthday, the PM’s Office said today.

“Dear Mr. President,

Accept my sincere congratulations on your birthday.

The rich experience of state and political activity aimed at implementing the goals deriving from the interests of development of Russia, as well as your consistent efforts aimed at further strengthening the country’s role in the global field, have ensured worthy respect to you in the homeland and abroad.

Your personal contribution to the strengthening of the allied relations between Russia and Armenia is indisputable. We are grateful for your efforts on establishing lasting and stable peace in South Caucasus.

I sincerely value our mutual understanding and reliable relations.

Dear Mr. President, I wish you good health, happiness and new achievements in your responsible position”, reads the PM’s letter.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenian Ombudsman presents to Pope Francis torture of Armenian captives and border violations by Azerbaijanis

Hambardsumian Paul

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 18:36, 7 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 7, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan presented to Pope Francis the torture of Armenian captives by Azerbaijanis.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, before the meeting the protocoal service of the Holy See had informed that during the hand-shaking with the Pope, private conversations nearly never take place. It’s possible to greet him for maximum 1-2 minutes.

“When Pope Francis approached the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, the Catholicos of All Armenians introduced him and said that Arman Tatoyan has soemthing special to say. Tatoyan first expressed gratitude to Pope Francis for the statements urging to end the aggression against Artsakh and releasing the Armenian POWs kept in Azerbaijan.

Afterwards, Arman Tatoyan noted that some of the Armenian captives are held illegally in Azerbaijan facing threat to their lives, and spoke about Azerbaijani violations against the border population of Armenia.

He also informed that he has brought reports proving that and handed them to the Pope”, the Ombudsman’s office said.

Pope Francis took the reports, looked through and saw the photos of Azerbaijani cruelty.

“Pope Francis thanked for the important reports and said that they also discussed that issue with Catholicos of All Armenians. Afterwards, during the personal greeting again specially thanked for the important work and for handing the reports. Pope Francis also instructed his assitants to examine them and present to him’’, the Ombudsman’s Office said, adding that three reports have been handed to Pope Francis, one of which is about the so-called “tropy park”, which is a museum of human suffereings under open sky, based on hatred against Armenians.

The second reports is about the torture of Armenian captives by Azerbaijanis and the third is about the ban of using the testimonies of captives during trials on criminal cases. The report alleges that the Azerbaijani authorities instituted illegal criminal proceedings against the Armenian captives on the basis of their testimony, which they received through torture and inhuman treatment.

AW: Members of Congress press Biden to send COVID-19 vaccines to Armenia

Hambardsumian Paul
October 1, 2021 ANCA ANCA News 0

WASHINGTON, DC – A bipartisan group of US Representatives led by Central Valley California Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA) has called on President Biden to send five million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to Armenia through the global access (COVAX) program, citing the country’s low vaccination rate and inadequate supply, an initiative strongly supported by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a September 22nd letter to President Biden, Representatives Costa, Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA), wrote “Armenia, a country of less than three million people, is struggling to vaccinate its citizens. Only about five percent of the population is fully-vaccinated due to lack of adequate supply. . . The estimated five million doses needed to vaccinate the remainder of the country are but a small fraction of the doses the United States pledged will be donated to other countries through COVAX.”

“Our US government – spending our American tax dollars – is on target to share a billion COVID-19 vaccine doses globally – but has yet to prioritize Armenia – a landlocked genocide-survivor state facing a health emergency, a refugee crisis and ongoing attacks and occupation by Azerbaijan,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “Instead of sending military aid to the Aliyev dictatorship, the Biden administration should prioritize humanitarian aid in the form of vaccines to Armenia and assistance for the 100,000 Artsakh Armenians displaced due to Azerbaijani aggression.”

The ANCA has – since the first weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic – advocated for robust US funding to help Armenia deal with this health crisis.

The full text of the Congressional letter to President Biden is below.

#####

September 22, 2021

The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington, D.C. 20050

Dear Mr. President:

We write in support of your pledge for the United States to donate 500 million additional COVID- 19 vaccine doses to lower-income countries around the world. In keeping with this pledge, we urge you to specifically ensure that adequate vaccination doses reach the Republic of Armenia for the country to vaccinate its population.

Armenia, a country of less than 3 million people, is struggling to vaccinate its citizens. Only about 5 percent of the population is fully-vaccinated due to lack of adequate supply. Vaccination procurement assistance for Armenia is in keeping with the goals of the Covid-19 Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) program. The estimated 5 million doses needed to vaccinate the remainder of the country are but a small fraction of the doses the United States pledged will be donated to other countries through COVAX.

As supply for vaccines continues to meet domestic demand, the United States must step up our global vaccine distribution efforts to ensure our allies and partners around the world also have access to adequate supplies of vaccines. As you know, vaccinating the world is a key to ending this pandemic, and the United States should be a leader in supplying vaccines to the world and ensuring countries like Armenia get the assistance they need to reach widespread vaccination for COVID-19. Again, thank you for your commitment to ensuing lower-income countries receive adequate vaccines to finally end this global pandemic.

Sincerely,

Jim Costa
Member of Congress

David G. Valadao
Member of Congress

Jackie Speier
Member of Congress

Anna Eshoo
Member of Congress

Frank Pallone Jr.
Member of Congress

Coronavirus: 772 new cases in Armenia

Hambardsumian Paul

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 11:13, 28 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. 772 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed over the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total number of confirmed cases to 259,779, the Armenian Ministry of Healthcare said.

4988 tests were administered.

425 people recovered, raising the number of total recoveries to 240,730.

13 patients died, bringing the death toll to 5277. This number doesn’t include the deaths of 1205 other individuals infected with the virus (2 in the last 24 hours) who succumbed to co-morbidities.

As of September 28 the number of active cases stood at 12,567.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Music: French-Armenian tenor Ruben Elbakyan awarded with Gold Medal of prestigious initiative

Hambardsumian Paul
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 29 2021

French-Armenian tenor Ruben Elbakyan received the Grand Prix Humanitaire de France 2021 Gold Medal, The solemn ceremony took place on September 25 in the Senate of France with number of high-level officials and public figures in attendance. 

The Grand Prix Humanitaire, which was founded in 1892, honors those who provide help to people in distress free of charge with their unendowed awards. Among recipients of the prestigious award in different years have been Princess Diana  of Orléans (1990) and Prince of Monaco Albert II (2007)

Elbakyan has received this acknowledgement for his work and charity concerts.

To note, Elbakyan has studied at Yerevan State Conservatory in the classes of Gohar Gasparyan and Tatevik Sazandaryan, then continued his education in France, performing series of charity concerts. 

 

Parents, Beware of Misleading Petition about School Covid Guidelines

Hambardsumian Paul
by Ara Khachatourian

 

 

 

in Commentary, Community, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

Several parents of students enrolled in Prelacy Armenian Schools were asked to sign a misleading petition urging the schools to abandon federal, state and county guidelines in place to prevent the spread of Covid-19 that ensure a healthy environment for children.

An iteration of the brazen petition even bore the letterhead of the Board of Regents of the Prelacy Armenian Schools, creating confusion and anger among parents, who appealed to the Board’s office with complaints.

“It’s fraud,” Sarkis Ourfalian, Esq., the chair of the Board of Regents told Asbarez in a telephone interview on Wednesday. “This is not a Board of Regents action and someone is using our name illegally and fraudulently.”

Saying that the board has received an overwhelming positive response for the safety protocols in place at Prelacy schools, Ourfalian added that the petition was devised “to intentionally mislead the recipients to think that it comes to the Board of Regents.”

“While we cannot stop people from circulating petitions, but the health, well-being of our students, staff and teachers far outweighs anything else,” said Ourfalian who explained that the board has worked long and hard to put in place the guidelines and enforce them. He added that if these guidelines are not enforced, the schools will close.

Ourfalian also said that an investigation has been launched to find out the source of the anonymous petition, adding that the Board already has leads and intends to take all steps to mitigate further disruption of school safety.

In a letter sent to parents of Rose and Alex Pilibos students obtained by Asbarez, the Board of Regents emphasizes that the Covid-19 “guidelines and protocols are not optional nor negotiable.”

“Please be advised that the letterhead is being used illegally without the knowledge and consent of the Board of Regents, in an attempt to mislead our parents. The Board of Regents is taking the necessary measures to address the illegal use of our letterhead,” said the letter.

“We want to reassure you that the Board of Regents remains steadfast in enforcing all local, State, and Federal regulations pertaining to COVID‐19, to ensure the safety of our students, staff and parents. These guidelines and protocols are not optional nor negotiable,” emphasized the letter.

Ourfalian also said that the 2021-2022 academic year has seen the highest enrollment in Prelacy Armenian Schools, boasting a total of 3,141 pre-K to 12th grade students.

Since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, this newspaper has highlighted the success the Prelacy Schools enjoyed in their virtual and distance learning efforts.

The fact that the hundreds of school administrators, teachers and staff worked diligently for countless hours to ensure the continuation of the education of our community’s children and the toll it has taken on them to not only fulfill academic requirements but also to ensure the well-being of the students, this petition and other such efforts hurt and destabilize an already tenuous situation that we are all confronting.

The individual(s) who started this destructive and malicious drive are only advancing the personal agenda of a few, who think that their beliefs supersede the collective well-being of our students and their educators.

North Korea announces successful test fire of new hypersonic missile

Hambardsumian Paul

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 11:48,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS North Korea has claimed that it successfully tested a new hypersonic missile called Hwasong-8 on Tuesday.

State media said the new missile was one of the “five most important” new weapons systems laid out in its five-year military development plan.

They called the missile a “strategic weapon”.

“The development of this weapons system…[has increased] the nation’s capabilities for self-defence in every way,” North Korean state news outlet KCNA said.

Azerbaijan systematically fighting against Armenian cultural values in Artsakh – Ombudsman

Hambardsumian Paul
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 24 2021

“The fierce struggle waged by Azerbaijan against the state symbols of the Artsakh Republic is another manifestation of the xenophobic behavior of the Azerbaijani authorities towards the Armenians,” the Human Rights Ombudsman of Artsakh Gegham Stepanyan said in statement on Friday. 

The Ombudsman referred to the case of clearing the symbols of Artsakh statehood with knives from a bus  and  demands to remove the Artsakh flag from various  buildings of Artsakh, naming them “vivid examples of the complete lack of tolerance of Azerbaijanis towards Armenians living in Artsakh.” 

“We must keep in mind that the symbols of Artsakh statehood are an integral part of our cultural values, so intolerance towards them is another proof that Azerbaijan is systematically fighting against Armenian cultural values in Artsakh. The symbols of statehood are the symbols of the right of the people of Artsakh to live in their homeland, to preserve their identity, to self-determination, against which any encroachment is directed against the dignity of our people and the general system of rights,” added Stepanyan. 

Armenian FM highlights entry opportunity of intl. organizations to Artsakh in a meeting with CoE Secretary-General

Hambardsumian Paul

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 20:04,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić within the framework of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the MFA Armenia, welcoming the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Minister Mirzoyan expressed satisfaction with the multi-layered cooperation with the organization, noting that the Council of Europe remains one of Armenia’s most important partners in the process of democratic reforms, rule of law and protection of human rights. Marija Pejčinović Burić congratulated Armenia on holding parliamentary elections in accordance with democratic standards.

Touching upon the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh and the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, the Minister praised the statements and calls made by various bodies of the Council of Europe, including the Secretary General, for ending hostilities and eliminating the humanitarian consequences of the war.

Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized that Azerbaijan still holds Armenian prisoners of war in captivity, which is a violation of international humanitarian law, as well as its obligations under the trilateral declaration.

Minister Mirzoyan also stressed the need for ensuring the smooth entry of international organizations, in particular the competent bodies of the Council of Europe, to Artsakh.

During the meeting, issues related to the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022 were also discussed.

Raisi Presidency Challenged to Tackle Three Major Problems Between Iran and Azerbaijan

Hambardsumian Paul
Jamestown Foundation
Sept 15 2021

September 15, 2021 08:46 PM Age: 4 days


A number of other endemic and fresh troubles also exist in Azerbaijan’s relations with Iran, including Tehran’s concerns about Baku’s influence over ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Iran as well as Iranian meddling in Azerbaijan’s internal affairs (see EDM July 12). Yet the three main problematic aspects of their bilateral relationship, discussed above, can be expected to determine the trajectory of Azerbaijani-Iranian ties in the coming years under the Raisi presidency.As new Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi forms his government, Baku and Tehran are expected to enter the next uneasy and uncertain phase in their bilateral relations. In particular, issues relating to the unfinished railway segment of the North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC) and the controversial hydropower projects on the Azerbaijani-Iranian border remain unresolved. On top of those, the augmenting Azerbaijani-Israeli partnership is a major factor that continues to complicate Tehran’s perspective on Azerbaijan.

In 2018, Baku formally approved the allocation of a $500 million loan for the construction of the missing 211-kilometer Rasht–Astara segment (inside Iran) of the railway component of the NSTC (a transcontinental, multimodal route extending from India and the Gulf to Russia and Europe via Azerbaijan and Iran) (see EDM November 9, 2017). But Baku has yet to disburse the loan to Tehran. The Iranian ambassador to Azerbaijan, Seyid Abbas Musevi, has said that the loan issue “has been discussed in our recent meeting with [Azerbaijani] President Ilham Aliyev. Currently, there are some technical problems in that direction and we are trying to tackle them” (Report.az, June 22, 2021). According to Iranian expert Dr. Vali Kaleji, Iran is “concerned that a revival of [a] Soviet-era railway [in the South Caucasus] will sideline the Rasht–Astara railway project” (Cacianalyst.org, July 8).

The troubles for the Rasht–Astara railway segment are specifically related to the possible reactivation of the Soviet-built Armenian-Azerbaijani transport connections as per the Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian trilateral declaration that ended the 2020 Second Karabakh War (see EDM January 25, February 22). Baku’s purported change of mind regarding the financing of the Rasht–Astara rail line is connected to disagreements with Tehran over the reactivation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani transport links (Inss.org.il, July 2021). Tehran wants to siphon off at least some of the traffic from the Azerbaijani railway route of the NSTC to the moribund Iranian-Armenian railway line, via Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan exclave, that is to be restored after 30 years. Iran will use the NSTC’s Azerbaijani route solely for direct railway connections with Azerbaijan and Russia as well as to ease the heavy traffic on its domestic motorways. Baku’s intention, on the other hand, is to redirect the traffic from it to what Baku describes as the “Zangezur corridor” (the transit lines that are to connect mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan via southern Armenia) in order to bolster that corridor and raise its strategic value. President Aliyev hinted that it “could be part of the north-south transportation corridor from Iran to Russia, because […] Astara–Rasht, is not built.” But “[t]his [Zangezur corridor] for sure will be built,” he added (President.az, April 13). As such, Baku and Tehran will likely have to settle these inter-connected issues as a package rather than separately.

Another bone of contention between Baku and Tehran is the issue concerning the controversial Khudaferin and Qiz Qalasi hydroelectric power projects. A package approach is particularly relevant in this context since their prior agreements on both the NSTC and those hydropower plant projects had been reached as part of wider diplomatic processes (see EDM, June 24, 2020).

Baku and Tehran need to settle the financing of the planned Khudafarin and Qiz Qalasi dams on the Aras River, between Azerbaijan and Iran. The Azerbaijani part of the area was under Armenian control when Iran actually carried out initial construction, without the former’s permission, only managing to reach a formal agreement with Azerbaijan years later. President Aliyev said, on April 13, that they have “agreed on the methodologies to repay Azerbaijan’s share in the investments” made for the construction of the project (President.az, April 13). The first problem is that construction work had been ongoing for years without any involvement from Baku, and therefore, a final calculation of the project costs and expenditures is a complicated task, at least technically. Second, a failure to settle the financing issue hinders any practical sharing of the benefits, such as the generated electricity and water. Third, Baku has also forwarded claims to Tehran over “damages incurred” during the construction, according to a statement by Azerbaijani Energy Minister Parviz Shahbazov (Azerforum.com, May 31).

As regards the Israeli topic, it is a serious problem for Tehran. Azerbaijan definitely intends to maintain its partnership with Israel, since Baku regards it as a strategic direction of its foreign policy. That is especially true now that Baku feels more emboldened following the full restoration of its control over the Azerbaijani border with Iran and the de-occupation of most of its territories from Armenian forces. Moreover, wide popular support exists among Azerbaijanis for safeguarding the partnership with Israel in the wake of the Second Karabakh War (see EDM October 13, 2020 and November 10, 2020).

Indeed, an Israeli media outlet, Israel Hayom, reported in August 2021 that Azerbaijan and Israel are in talks over a $2 billion weapons sale to Baku (Israel Hayom, August 12; Asbarez.com, August 13). This news is a source of worry for Tehran, especially when combined with Azerbaijan’s recent inauguration of its trade representative office with diplomatic status in Tel Aviv, Israel. The move is seen as foreshadowing Azerbaijan’s potential opening of a full embassy in the latter country (Jta.org, August 2). If so, Azerbaijan would be the second Shia-majority state, after Bahrain, that has opened an embassy in Israel. And considering that Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Iran and Iraq are the only four Shia-majority nations in the world, the symbolic and psychological effects of such a move on Tehran would presumably be considerable. While air flights remain closed between Iran and Azerbaijan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Azerbaijan and Israel have resumed Baku–Tel Aviv flights. In addition to Azerbaijan’s flag carrier Azal, two Israeli airlines have now obtained permission to operate two flights between Baku and Tel-Aviv a week each; together this would mean almost daily flights between the two countries (Azertag, August 10). Even more dramatically, Israeli involvement in the reconstruction of the de-occupied Azerbaijani territories along the Iranian border is additionally taking shape (Azertag.az, April 27; News.az, June 7).