Author: Jagharian Tania

Secretary General says CSTO takes all necessary measures to ensure security of member states

Jagharian Tania

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 13:07,

YEREVAN, JUNE 17, ARMENPRESS. The Secretaries of the Security Councils of the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) analyzed in detail the military-political situation at a globe during their today’s session in Yerevan, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas said following the session, regretting over the current crisis in the global security system.

“Agreements existing for decades actually stop operating, and the level of mistrust between a number of leading players is approaching a critical juncture. Moreover, the security challenges and threats not only have not lost their sharpness, but also are showing trends of escalation due to the growing global uncertainty”, he said.

He said that the CSTO principled position on these issues remains the same that all disagreements and conflicts must be solved through political means. The organization addresses all powers with this call.

In line with this, Mr. Zas said, the CSTO is taking all necessary measures to strengthen peace and stability in its member states and is ready for the protection of its interests.

“The development of capacities of collective security forces and means, as well as the mutual partnership of special services and law enforcement agencies is one of the main tools to ensure the security of the member states and resist the challenges and threats”, the CSTO chief said.

He thanked the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan and his staff for creating wonderful conditions for holding the session.

Sports: IFA President attends Football Federation of Armenia anniversary celebration

Jagharian Tania

June 15 2022


Wednesday, 15 June 2022, 22:00 (local time)

  • The FFA was commemorating its 30th anniversary with a series of events in Yerevan

  • Mr Infantino addressed dignitaries and delegates attending the gala dinner

  • The FIFA President also participated in a small-sided match, which took place at a pitch built through the FIFA Forward Programme

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has personally congratulated the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA), as it gathered in Yerevan to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Speaking at a gala dinner attended by dignitaries including Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and FFA President Armen Melikbeyan, the FIFA President praised the FFA for the football development work it has championed since its establishment in 1992.

Mr Infantino singled the expansive development work carried out by the FFA to reinvest in grassroots football facilities across the country, via the FIFA Forward Programme.

“I would like to congratulate Armen and the whole Federation in Armenia for the fantastic work they are doing for our children in particular,” the FIFA President said. “The project we put together with the mini-fields in the different villages of the country is a project that looks into the future, that gives emotions, smiles and hope to thousands and thousands of children all over Armenia.”

“I would like to thank you dear Prime Minister – as well as the President of Armenia who was also with us earlier – and all of the municipalities of Armenia for helping us, along with the Federation, to mobilise the fans and to promote football.”

Earlier in the day, in the presence of President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, President Infantino joined local and international legends for a game of football at Tsovagyugh Village – on one the pitches built through the FIFA Forward Programme.

At the evening event, the FIFA President also took the opportunity to look ahead to what promises to be a bright future for football in Armenia – from grassroots to national team level, and the prospect of a new national stadium on the horizon.

“Football brings people together, creates the team spirit that is needed – not only in Armenia but all over the world – and has this magic that makes our hearts beat,” President Infantino continued. “I’m very happy dear Prime Minister and dear friends that the next big project in Armenia is the building of a big brand new state-of-the-art national stadium.”

“FIFA will be on your side in this exciting project, which will be much more than just a stadium – it will be a landmark of the country, it will be a place that shows to the entire world how beautiful, how modern, how future-orientated Armenia is. A project to be proud of.”


Forget France: Armenia is the hub of winemaking history

Jagharian Tania
June 8 2022
By Jonny Walfisz  with AP  •  Updated: 08/06/2022 – 10:39

A new museum is delving into the history books of Armenia’s rich wine culture.

When you think of wine, there are always a few classic nations that spring to mind. Maybe it’s the lush valleys of France, the sumptuous vineyards of Italy, or a newer location like California or New Zealand.

But you’d be missing out on one of the oldest wine-making regions of the lot. With a history stretching back over 8,000 years, Armenia has wine-cred by the bottle-load.

Some of the earliest evidence for today’s winemaking industry has been found from pieces of broken pottery that were discovered in the South Caucasus region, where neighbouring country Georgia now is.

A new Armenian wine museum is jumping headfirst into wine’s long history, and showing its deep connection to the religion and culture of the region.

Just 30 kilometres from Armenian capital Yerevan is the heart of the country’s winemaking territory. The museum here is built deep into the surrounding basalt rock and as you go underground, you feel as if you’re entering a giant wine cellar.

There you can find fragments of a myth revolving around the tipple.

Around 800 BC, King Menua, the fifth king of the ancient Urartu region supposedly gifted vineyards to a woman he was besotted with named Tariri.

The ancient myth can be seen on a stone inscription in the museum.

“We passed through a mysterious tunnel and ended up in the 9th century BC in the Urartian Chamber,” says chief specialist Narine Melikyan.

“From here, you see how our King Menua gives vineyards, which he himself planted by an artificial canal, which he himself built, and now he gives these vineyards to this mysterious, beautiful woman, whose name is Tariri.”

Other ancient exhibits show how wine would accompany Armenians from cradle to grave.

A wine jug dated back to the 1st century BC was discovered by archaeologists to have the remains of a woman in it.

Upon further research, the jug – called a karas – was found to be an integral part of an ancient Armenian’s lifetime.

“When a person was born, there was a karas intended for him, during his lifetime, it was used to age wine. And after death, a person was buried in the karas, in the foetal position.”

Wine has long held connections with religion. Jesus’s first miracle after all, was converting water to wine, and the museum has centuries-old Armenian bibles to demonstrate that.

The museum also holds phallic-shaped stones, which were idols in ancient times. During rituals, ancient Armenians poured wine over the idols as a sacrifice to higher powers. 

In 2011, a 6,000-year-old Copper Age wine factory was discovered in southern Armenia. And the 8,000-year-old broken bits of pottery found to the north in Georgia are thought to be the earliest known evidence for the origins of today’s winemaking industry.

Watch the video at the link below
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2022/06/08/forget-france-armenia-is-the-hub-of-winemaking-history 

Newspaper: International organizations were alarmed by Armenia ex-President Kocharyan’s possible victory

Jagharian Tania
News.am
Armenia –
Newspaper: International organizations were alarmed by Armenia ex-President Kocharyan’s possible victory
09:50, 10.06.2022

YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: One of the older coworkers of the MFA system told noteworthy details in connection with the 2021 snap parliamentary elections.

He was in contact with international organizations and foreign ministries of European countries due to his work, and says that during that time there was a lot of attention toward Armenia. They were interested—around the clock—in the outcome of the elections, asked for information from them, did studies, and did not hide their concern in connection with the rise of the opposition, especially with [second President] Robert Kocharyan’s [election] campaign.

Our interlocutor says that he will never forget the joy that the European partners experienced after the publicizing of the results of June 21. They openly congratulated each other; the impression was that it seemed they were the ones who achieved victory, not [PM] Nikol Pashinyan.

Cancellation ceremony of postage stamp dedicated to Armenia’s chairmanship at CSTO held in Yerevan

Jagharian Tania

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 17:35,

YEREVAN, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS. A ceremony of cancelling a postage stamp and envelope dedicated to the CSTO jubilee year and Armenia’s presidency at the CSTO was held today in Yerevan following the session of the Council of the CSTO Foreign Ministers.

The postage stamps were cancelled by Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas and HayPost CJSC CEO Hayk Karapetyan.

The stamp has been printed in France with a print-run of 20 000 pcs.

The author of the stamp’s design is David Dovlatyan.

After the ceremony the CSTO Secretary General reminded that 2022 is a jubilee year for the CSTO as this year marks the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Collective Security Treaty and the 20th anniversary of the CSTO. He thanked the Armenian side for all the initiatives on this occasion.

Armenia assumed the CSTO presidency on September 16, 2021 for a one-year term.

‘Amended’ statement of Russian Foreign Minister: what happened during Lavrov’s visit to Armenia?

Jagharian Tania



  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov’s visit to Yerevan

In Armenia, special attention was paid not to the meeting of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the CSTO member countries, which took place in Yerevan on June 10, but to the statements of Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. He arrived in Armenia on a two-day working visit. During a joint press conference with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, he made two statements that are still actively discussed in Armenia.

One concerns the unblocking of communications by Armenia and Azerbaijan, and the other concerns the situation around the village of Parukh in Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijanis call this village Farukh).

In particular, Lavrov announced a “simplified regime” of control during the resumption of road communication between Armenia and Azerbaijan, which “will be completely based on the sovereignty of the territory of Armenia”. This statement corresponds to the position of the Armenian side, but the _expression_ “simplified regime” raised questions.

Answering the question about the village of Parukh, Lavrov said that the issue would be resolved “within the framework of the upcoming substantive work on the delimitation” of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. This raised a question in Baku: what do NK territories have to do with the Armenian-Azerbaijani border?

  • CSTO military bloc celebrates 30th anniversary: how leaders view the alliance
  • Opinion from Baku: “Moscow is against bilateral negotiations between Azerbaijan and Armenia”
  • “CSTO military contingent went to Kazakhstan, but never came to Armenia”

During a press conference, Sergey Lavrov spoke about the resumption of transport links between Armenia and Azerbaijan:

“The railway route has already been agreed, now the agreement on the land route is ending, as well as the agreement on the regime that will be introduced. It will be completely based on the sovereignty of the territory of Armenia. There can be no ambiguity here”.

After the second Karabakh war, the Azerbaijani side repeatedly demanded the provision of a “corridor” through the territory of Armenia to its Nakhichevan exclave. The Armenian side constantly repeated that it was in favor of unblocking regional communications, but was categorically against providing routes with “corridor logic”. According to the explanation of the Armenian authorities, the term “corridor” implies the loss of sovereignty over this territory, which is out of the question.

According to Lavrov, the process of unblocking roads is connected with practical actions, “which are associated with the creation of infrastructure for many years, so it’s better to look before leaping”.

After the meeting of the Deputy Prime Ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, which took place in Moscow on June 3, Russia reported that the parties had found closer approaches to issues of border, customs and other types of control of roads and railways. Yerevan said that the approaches of the parties were clarified. But it remains unclear what these approaches are.

During the press conference, the ministers did not explain what is meant by the “simplified regime” of control. It is this issue that has become the most discussed in the expert community of Armenia.

The new CRRC Armenia survey has determined what worries the Armenian people the most: the need to strengthen the army, poverty, and the peace agreement with Azerbaijan

Answering a question about the situation around the village of Parukh in Nagorno-Karabakh, Lavrov stressed that it is a priority for Russian peacekeepers:

“There are certain results already in terms of the de-escalation of this situation. We have an understanding that within the framework of the forthcoming substantive work on delimitation, these issues will be considered and resolved without fail”.

In March 2022, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces advanced in Nagorno-Karabakh to the territory under the control of Russian peacekeepers. This refers to the village of Parukh in the Askeran region and part of the strategically important height of Karaglukh. So far, the Russian peacekeepers have failed to return the Azerbaijanis to their original positions and the inhabitants of Parukh still cannot return to their homes.

Armenia reports tensions in Nagorno-Karabakh – statement of the Security Council of Armenia, position of the command of the Russian peacekeeping forces stationed in NK, as well as a comment by a political scientist here

Official Baku reacted to Lavrov’s comment about the village of Parukh (Farukh) in Nagorno-Karabakh. The head of the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, Leyla Abdullayeva, stated that it is located in the Khojaly region and has nothing to do with the issue of delimitation of the border with Armenia:

“The activities of the commissions on delimitation established by Azerbaijan and Armenia, as was foreseen in advance, pursue the goal of delimiting the state border of the two countries. Within the framework of this process, no issue is expected to be considered outside the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border”.

After that, the Russian Foreign Ministry released the transcript of the press conference between Lavrov and Mirzoyan, editing Lavrov’s statement as follows:

“We hope that the launch of the process of delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border will help increase confidence between Baku and Yerevan and prevent incidents like Parukh in the zone of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping contingent”.

Political scientist Armen Grigoryan calls for urgent revision of Armenia’s foreign policy to replace the ongoing “pseudo-diversification” of the country’s foreign affairs

Political observer Hakob Badalyan is sure that the parties have not agreed on the regime of control of roads that will be unblocked.

Hakob Badalyan emphasizes that the starting point should be the trilateral statement of November 9, signed by the heads of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. It clearly states that Armenia undertakes to ensure unhindered communication between Nakhichevan and Azerbaijan, and the FSB of Russia will control the road.

According to the expert, Azerbaijan is trying to present this in the corridor logic, since for Baku there is also the issue of domestic consumption. And Yerevan, according to him, should rule out such a development.

“Lavrov’s statements that sovereignty cannot be questioned are an important starting point. So far, Yerevan manages to keep this bar in the perception of the main players”, Badalyan believes.

Referring to Lavrov’s statement about the situation in Parukha, the observer eliminates confusion. Given the fact that this is an extremely experienced diplomat, Badalyan believes that this was most likely a deliberate hint. It came after “not so smooth” talks with the Turkish president in Ankara.

The political observer does not rule out that Lavrov’s statement was intended for Ankara or Baku.

“Lavrov made a hint in some direction, then, making sure that the addressee received it, he decided to stop the process at the public level. And the Russian Foreign Ministry presented a transcript with different content so that there would be no more noise on this topic. Over time, it will become clear how this process will continue behind the scenes”.

https://jam-news.net/amended-statement-of-russian-foreign-minister-what-happened-during-lavrovs-visit-to-armenia/

Iran attaches importance to neighborliness with Armenia

Jagharian Tania
Mehr News Agency, Iran
June 2 2022

TEHRAN, Jun. 02 (MNA) – Iranian President Ebrahim Raeisi told his Armenian counterpart that Iran considers Armenia a friendly and close country and attaches importance to its neighborliness with Armenia.

Speaking in a phone call with the President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan on Thursday, Raeisi described Iran-Armenia’s continuous consultations as a sign of the importance and depth of friendly relations between the two countries.

“Protecting the geopolitics of the region, including international borders, respecting the national sovereignty of countries, and strengthening communication infrastructure between the regions is the principle of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” the Iranian president added.

He also called for expanding Iran-Armenia’s bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the fields of energy and transportation, saying that these ties will strengthen peace, stability and economic and trade prosperity in the region.

“Iran supports the progress in the peace talks between Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan,” he also pointed out, expressing hope that that the remaining issues in this regard will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the principles of international law and respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries.

President of Armenia, for his part, presented a report on the implemented agreements and appreciated the principled positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the developments in the region, describing Iran’s role in the region as important and effective.

Expressing his country’s interest in expanding economic, trade, political, and cultural cooperation with Iran, Khachaturyan said that the continuous holding of a joint commission on economic cooperation between the two countries will definitely facilitate and accelerate the expanding process of relations between Iran and Armenia.

He also welcomed the holding of the 3+3 summit in Tehran as soon as possible.

MP

Azerbaijan`s regime is not seeking peace, but it is engaged in hybrid warfare against Armenia – scholar

Jagharian Tania
ARMINFO
Armenia – June 2 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. Azerbaijan’s regime is not seeking peace, but it is engaged in hybrid warfare against Armenia, and the statements by Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Defense are  evidence thereof, says Vardan Voskanyan, Head of the Chair of Iranian  Studies, Yerevan State University. 

Striking evidence is the fact that numerous place names in Armenia’s  sovereign territory are distorted in the statements by Azerbaijan’s  defense office. 

“In a recent statement, the Berd district in Tavush province and the  village of Movses, as well as Vardenis district of Gegharkunik  province and the village of Verin Shorzha are named as Azerbaijani.   And this is one more proof of toponymic warfare against us to exert  psychological pressure,” he said.   

Armenia has an advantage in the region in terms of toponymy, as the  Armenian historical and geographic tradition enables the Armenian  side to use Armenian place names in most of Azerbaijan’s territory,  Mr Voskanyan said. 

In Baku, participants of second Karabakh war break down doors of Ministry

Jagharian Tania
NEWS.am
Armenia – June 2 2022
17:09, 02.06.2022

A group of participants of the second Karabakh war, about 10 people, held a protest in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Protection of Population in Baku today.

According to “Turan”, their complaints were related to getting disability and social benefits. The veterans demanded that Minister Sahil Babayev came out to them and solved their problems.

Having been refused, the veterans stormed into the reception room, where there was confusion.

In turn, the Department of Public Relations of the Ministry of Labor confirmed that the veterans’ demand was related to the evaluation of disability.

“Each appeal is registered and will be reviewed, and measures will be taken in accordance with the results,” the Labor Ministry said. The same source indicated that some veterans “committed unlawful acts in the emergency room, broke computer equipment, the front door, the turnstile, and damaged state property.” “Measures will also be taken in connection with this,” the Labor Ministry said in a statement, the publication reported.