Author: Jane Topchian

Serzh Sargsyan receives Second All-Armenian Scientific Conference participants

Jane Topchian
  • 19:01 | November 8,2017 | Official
  • Armenian:

Today, Serzh Sargsyan received a group of participants of the 2nd All-Armenian Scientific Conference held in Yerevan on November 5-8. The delegation consisted of prominent Armenian scientists and scholars from the United States, Russia, France, Ireland, Denmark and other countries.

Welcoming the scientists to Homeland, Serzh Sargsyan highlighted the holding of this already traditional conference in capital Yerevan.

“It is crucial for young people to have the opportunity of communicating with individuals who have already achieved great success in science and technology, but I believe that this forum is also important from another perspective: it is not only a chance for young people to get familiar with new scientific ideas, but it is also a good opportunity to see how successful people can be of service to our country. We have no other way but to build a knowledge-based economy,” Mr. Sargsyan emphasized, presenting Armenia’s consistent policy of encouraging and promoting successful scientists and the individuals with great aspirations amid the financial constraints faced in the country.

The scientists in attendance talked about their impressions of the President-supported All-Armenian Scientific Conference, dwelling on the achievements recorded since the first forum. They evoked those substantive discussions held with many young Armenian researchers that are supposed to combine the scientific potential of Armenia and the Diaspora, exchange know-how, as well as to discuss issues relevant research and education and the ways of dealing with them in a bid to promote Armenia’s development.

The guests exchanged ideas with Mr. Sargsyan on further cooperation for the promotion of science and education in Armenia. During the meeting, Serzh Sargsyan answered the scientists’ questions.

Syrian army retakes IS-held city as Iraqis also advance

Jane Topchian
  • 17:45 | November 3,2017 | Politics
  • Armenian:
  • Rus

The Syrian army has retaken Deir al-Zour, the last major stronghold of so-called Islamic State (IS) in Syria, state TV says.

Other reports said the Syrian army and its allies were clearing the last pockets of resistance from IS.

IS had held most of the city since 2014. It was important because of its proximity to the border with Iraq.

Meanwhile Iraqi forces have entered one of the last towns under IS control on the other side of the border.

Some 350,000 civilians in Syria’s Deir al-Zour province have been forced to flee their homes during weeks of fighting.

Azerbaijani press: MP: Discussion of Karabakh issue at Tehran meeting was important for Azerbaijan

Jane Topchian
3 November 2017 15:47 (UTC+04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 3

By Elchin Mehdiyev – Trend:

Exchange of views on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict’s settlement at the Tehran meeting was important for Azerbaijan, MP Hikmat Babaoglu told Trend Nov. 3.

“One of the most important things for Azerbaijan at the trilateral meeting of the Azerbaijani, Iranian and Russian presidents, held Nov. 1 in Tehran, was the exchange of views on the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and, most importantly, the reflection of this issue in the final declaration of the meeting,” Babaoglu said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts. The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

“The Tehran declaration says the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh issue is an obstacle to regional integration,” the MP noted. “It is also stressed that the issue should be resolved based on the decisions made so far on international level. This is an extremely important detail, as the resolutions adopted by the UN Security Council regarding the conflict’s settlement call for the withdrawal of Armenian occupation forces from Azerbaijan.”

The MP added that a number of important issues related to economy, transportation, combating terrorism and drug trafficking, and others were also discussed at the meeting.

Azerbaijani Press: Pakistan doesn’t recognize Armenia as a state, says ambassador

Jane Topchian
APA, Armenia
Oct 27 2017

Pakistan does not recognize Armenia as a state, Ambassador of Pakistan to Azerbaijan Saeed Khan Mohmand told a press conference in Baku on Friday, APA reported.

 

Pakistan supports Azerbaijan in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the ambassador said, adding. “I think that the OSCE Minks Group co-chairs should intensify their efforts towards the resolution of the conflict.”

 

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict entered its modern phase when the Armenian SRR made territorial claims against the Azerbaijani SSR in 1988.

 

A fierce war broke out between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. As a result of the war, Armenian armed forces occupied some 20 percent of Azerbaijani territory which includes Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent districts (Lachin, Kalbajar, Aghdam, Fuzuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan), and over a million Azerbaijanis became refugees and internally displaced people.

 

The military operations finally came to an end when Azerbaijan and Armenia signed a ceasefire agreement in Bishkek in 1994.

 

Dealing with the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is the OSCE Minsk Group, which was created after the meeting of the CSCE (OSCE after the Budapest summit held in December 1994) Ministerial Council in Helsinki on 24 March 1992. The Group’s members include Azerbaijan, Armenia, Russia, the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Belarus, Finland and Sweden.

 

Besides, the OSCE Minsk Group has a co-chairmanship institution, comprised of Russian, the US and French co-chairs, which began operating in 1996.  

 

Resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 of the UN Security Council, which were passed in short intervals in 1993, and other resolutions adopted by the UN General Assembly, PACE, OSCE, OIC, and other organizations require Armenia to unconditionally withdraw its troops from Nagorno-Karabakh.

 

Tigran Balayan: Azeri President envies exemplary relations between Armenia and Muslim countries

Jane Topchian 
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Saturday
Tigran Balayan: Azeri President envies exemplary relations between
Armenia and Muslim countries
Yerevan October 21
Tatevik Shahunyan. The President of Azerbaijan envies the exemplary
relations of Armenia with the Muslim countries, so he gives the
desired for the valid. So in his biker blog on Twitter responded the
spokesman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Tigran Balayan
to the statement of the head of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev that "Armenia,
which destroys mosques, can never be a friend of Muslim countries."
Aliyev in Istanbul, speaking at the IX summit of the Economic
Cooperation Organization D-8, once again complained about "Armenia's
occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent territories," reported
"about a million Azerbaijani refugees and hundreds of victims",
demanded the unconditional implementation of a number of international
resolutions, which, according to the Azerbaijani leader, allegedly
requires the Armenian side to "liberate the occupied territories".
Further, the President of Azerbaijan again tried to attach a religious
implication to the Karabakh conflict: "Azerbaijan is seriously
fighting against one of the most serious threats in the world today -
Islamophobia." But Armenia, which tries to impersonate itself as a
friend of Muslim countries, destroyed mosques and religious monuments
in Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding areas. "The country that is
destroying the mosque will never be able to become a friend of Muslim
states."
The program of restoration of the Upper Mosque Goar Aga is being
carried out within the framework of the "Development Initiatives of
Armenia" Fund (IDeA Foundation), the Government of the Republic of
Artsakh and the "Revival of the Eastern Historical Heritage"
Foundation in the city of Shushi in Artsakh. Under the program, it is
planned to completely restore the mosque, retaining its original
appearance, to equip the adjacent territory and to carry out works on
the capital strengthening of the madrassa building located next to the
mosque in order to prevent collapse of the structure. The program will
preserve this architectural monument and further use it as a cultural
and tourist center. Part of the work on the restoration of the
monument involved the Iranian architectural company Part Saman Jahan
and specialists from the Islamic Republic of Iran. Let's remind that
in 1995 the restored Blue Mosque began to operate in Yerevan - one of
the most remarkable monuments of Yerevan in the second half of the
18th century.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 10/20/2017

Jane Topchian 
                                        Friday, 
Russian Gas Cheaper Than Iranian, Says Armenian Minister
 . Astghik Bedevian
A gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is
seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Gulf
Armenia imports the bulk of its natural gas from Russia because it is
cheaper than gas supplied by neighboring Iran, Energy Infrastructures
Minister Ashot Manukian insisted on Friday.
Russia gas, which currently costs Armenia $150 per thousand cubic
meters, meets more than 80 percent of the country's annual demand. The
remaining gas imports come from Iran under a swap arrangement
involving supplies of Armenian electricity to the Islamic Republic.
"If a lower price is offered to us, we will definitely buy [more
Iranian gas,]" Manukian told a news conference.
Manukian said Prime Minister Karen Karapetian made this clear during
an official visit to Tehran last week. In his words, Karapetian told
Iran's Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh: "If you can give us gas at a lower
price, we are ready to directly buy gas from you and partly abandon
this [swap] deal."
Iran - Iran's First Vice-President Eshaq Jahangiri (R) meets with
Armenian Minister for Energy Infrastructures Ashot Manukian in Tehran,
5Dec2016.
The gas-for-electricity exchange is due to be significantly expanded
after the ongoing construction of a third power transmission line that
will connect Armenia to Iran.
A senior executive of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) claimed
in August that Armenia would like to more than double Iranian gas
imports even before the high-voltage line goes on stream in 2019. He
made clear that the Armenian side would have to pay for extra supplies
in cash and that they would cost Yerevan more than Russian gas does.
Iranian media last week quoted the country's Deputy Oil Minister
Amir-Hossein Zamaninia as saying that Karapetian also discussed in
Tehran the possibility of Armenian imports of gas from Turkmenistan
via Iran. Yerevan is interested in Turkmen gas because it would
presumably be cheaper for Armenian than Iranian gas.
Karapetian, who managed Armenia's Russian-owned gas distribution
network from 2001-2010, declined to elaborate on his gas talks with
Iranian leaders when he spoke to reporters in Gyumri on Wednesday. He
said only that he returned from Iran with "very good and very
promising projects."
Yerevan `Still Committed' To Karabakh Talks Despite Truce Violation
 . Hovannes Movsisian
Armenia - Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian (R) and his Polish
counterpart Witold Waszczykowski at a joint news briefing in Yerevan,
20Oct2017
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said on Friday that Armenia will
not avoid further peace talks with Azerbaijan despite continuing
ceasefire violations in Nagorno-Karabakh that left an Armenian soldier
dead.
The 19-year-old soldier, Tigran Khachatrian, was reportedly killed by
Azerbaijani sniper fire on Thursday just three days after the latest
meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents held in Geneva.
Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev pledged to intensify the peace
process and bolster the ceasefire regime in the Karabakh conflict
zone. "We agreed to take measures to further ease tensions so that we
have no casualties on the frontlines," the Armenian president said
after the talks.
The U.S., Russian and French mediators said in that regard that they
will soon hold follow-up "working sessions" with Nalbandian and
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov.
Reacting to the Armenian soldier's death later on Thursday,
Sarkisian's Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) accused Baku of "trying
to walk away" from the Geneva understandings. Nalbandian also deplored
the Azerbaijani truce violation when he spoke after talks in Yerevan
with Poland's Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski.
"Unfortunately, after the summit held in Geneva there have been
various speculations by Baku, and ceasefire violations in the conflict
zone are continuing, as a result of which an [Armenian] soldier was
killed yesterday," Nalbandian told a joint news briefing.
"My Polish counterpart and I agree that there is no alternative to a
solely peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict based on
principles of international law," he added.
Nalbandian did not say when he and Mammadyarov will hold the planned
meetings with the three mediators leading the Minsk Group of the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Karapetian Again Discusses Anti-Graft Measures With U.S. Envoy
Armenia - Prime Minister Karen Karapetian (L) and U.S. Ambassador
Richard Mills attend a celebration organized by the USAID mission in
Yerevan, 12Oct2017.
The U.S. ambassador in Yerevan, Richard Mills, met with Prime Minister
Karen Karapetian on Friday for further discussions on the Armenian
government's stated efforts to combat endemic corruption in Armenia.
Karapetian was reported to brief Mills on the government's "consistent
policy" of reducing "corruption risks" through the enactment of
relevant legislation and the "active work" of its Anti-Corruption
Council. A government statement also cited him as calling for
U.S. assistance to the council and his broader reform agenda.
According to the statement, Mills praised the Armenia government's
efforts to strengthen the rule of law and improve the business
environment, saying that they have already increased U.S. investors'
interests in Armenia. "He said that over the past 8-10 months he has
received positive signals from American companies operating in Armenia
especially with regard to ongoing reforms in the customs sector,"
added the statement.
Mills urged the authorities in Yerevan to tackle corruption in earnest
in a speech delivered in February. He said they should send a "clear
message from on high that corruption will not be tolerated and that no
one # is above the law." In that regard, the envoy suggested that the
government set up a "fully independent anti-corruption body that can
both investigate and prosecute cases."
The authorities decided instead to form a different anti-graft body
that will start functioning early next year. The Commission on
Preventing Corruption is to scrutinize income and asset declarations
to be submitted by over 2,000 senior state officials and investigate
possible conflicts of interest among them. Under a government bill
passed by the Armenian parliament in June, it will be empowered to ask
law-enforcement bodies to prosecute officials suspected of graft.
The separate Anti-Corruption Council was previously overseen by
Karapetian's predecessor, Hovik Abrahamian. It approved in 2015 a
three-year plan of actions against various corrupt practices.
Despite skepticism voiced by many Armenian civil society members, the
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) pledged in February
2016 to support the program's implementation with a $750,000
grant. Mills said in February that the USAID has since allocated less
than 2.5 percent of that money because of a lack of "concrete
progress" in the work of that body.
The USAID's current country director for Armenia, Deborah Grieser, was
also present at Mills' latest meeting with Karapetian.
Armenia ranked, together with Bolivia and Vietnam, 113th out of 176
countries evaluated in Transparency International's most recent
Corruption Perceptions Index released in January.
Press Review
"Zhoghovurd" notes that an Armenian soldier was shot and killed by
Azerbaijani forces in Nagorno-Karabakh on Thursday just three days
after the Armenian-Azerbaijani presidential meeting in Geneva. The
paper says that Baku continues to violate the ceasefire despite
President Ilham Aliyev's reported pledge to ease tensions on the
frontlines. "The incident must first and foremost be a cause for
concern for the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group," it says. "They
must explicitly demand that Azerbaijan put an end to its
unconstructive actions and attempts to torpedo the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement process."
"Zhamanak" urges Armenia and the European Union to issue "clear
statements" to the effect that they will sign their Comprehensive and
Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) next month. "In case of its
non-signing, it won't matter at all by how much it will be delayed and
who is to blame for that," writes the paper.
"Haykakan Zhamanak" scoffs at Prime Minister Karen Karapetian's remark
that Armenians should "treat with patience" the latest rise in the
prices of some foodstuffs and gasoline. The paper is unconvinced by
Karapetian's and other officials' assurances that the price hikes were
caused by external market factors. It argues that in September the
price of sugar plummeted by more than 30 percent year on year in the
international markets but rose by 3.4 percent in Armenia. Sugar
imports to the country are controlled by Samvel Aleksanian, a
pro-government wealthy businessman.
"Chorrord Ishkhanutyun" comments on the resignation of Portugal's
interior minister which followed a series of deadly wildfires in the
country. The paper suggests with sarcasm that he should have "followed
his Armenian counterparts' example" and listed the quantity of
equipment used for extinguishing the fires.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

Russia wants to create its own cryptocurrency. World Forex:

Jane Topchian
  • 20.10.2017

    •  

  • Armenia:

    •  

  • arm

    •  

  • rus

1
 363

Interest in cryptocurrencies and Bitcoin is growing so much that it is not bypassing even the heads of states. Russia wants to create its own cryptocurrency, the initiative of which is Russian President Vladimir Putin. And the name of the Russian cryptocurrency will be cryptorouble.


As reported by World Forex, the emergence of the cryptorouble, however, does not mean that Russia wants to legalize Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies.


Before the publication of that decision, the vice-president of the Bank of Russia stated that, on the initiative of the Central Bank of Russia, efforts are being made to close all those websites that provide an opportunity to purchase cryptocurrencies, because, according to them, cryptocurrencies are a pyramid, and they can be bought by unclassified investors as well.


The Russian authorities will make sure that the cryptoruble cannot be bought in the same way as Bitcoin, as it will be a closed model with its corresponding volume of circulation.


Bitcoin is a decentralized currency and cannot be controlled, and the Russian side is trying to create a cryptocurrency that can control and manage its circulating volumes.

Armenian Assembly Submits Testimony to Helsinki Commission Briefing on Peace in Artsakh

Jane Topchian

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:

Contact: Danielle Saroyan

Telephone: (202) 393-3434

Web: www.aaainc.org

 

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY SUBMITS TESTIMONY TO
HELSINKI COMMISSION BRIEFING ON PEACE IN ARTSAKH

 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) submitted testimony
today to the Helsinki Commission Briefing titled, “Averting All-Out War in
Nagorno-Karabakh: The Role of the U.S. and OSCE.” The panelists featured
were former OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair (1999-2001) Ambassador Carey Cavanaugh,
former OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair (2013-2016) Ambassador James B. Warlick, and
International Crisis Group’s Europe and Central Asia Program Director Magdalena
Grono.

 

“President
Aliyev has plainly not abided by what he and his country agreed and we are
grateful that this year the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in two statements
already have begun to identify Azerbaijan as the cause for the loss of innocent
lives. The false equivalency that so many observers and actors try to apply to
this conflict does not square with effective conflict resolution or American
values,” the Assembly stated in its testimony.

 

During the
Commission Briefing, Amb. Warlick stressed the importance of peace in the
region, and noted that all the points of the Madrid Principles are
interrelated, of which the entire panel agreed there needs to be respect for
the principles of self-determination, territorial integrity, and the non-use of
force.

 

“The
Assembly also highlighted Azerbaijan’s cease-fire violations along the Line of
Contact, which, since 2014, have occurred more than 77,000 times, with over 1.4
million shots fired. Azerbaijan continues to fire at several kindergartens,
targeting young children in Armenia’s Tavush region.

 

“Instead
of negotiating in good faith, Azerbaijan’s president has made it clear that he
intends to continue to escalate hostilities in order to force
concessions,” the Assembly continued. “The breadth and scope of the
violations demonstrate a systematic pattern that must be addressed, and that is
the reason why the Assembly strongly supports the agreements brokered by the
Minsk Group Co-Chairs and reached by the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan
to reinforce respect for the 1994 cease fire agreement signed by the
governments of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh.”

 

In its
testimony, the Assembly called for confidence building measures (CBMs) to help
reduce tensions and build a path toward a just and peaceful resolution, which
was supported by all of the panelists during the briefing.

 

“While
Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) have repeatedly agreed to confidence
building measures, Azerbaijan has consistently rejected such initiatives.
Earlier this year, despite U.S. objections, Azerbaijan unilaterally forced the
closure of the OSCE office in Yerevan, Armenia because of its humanitarian
de-mining activities,” the Assembly said.

 

Amb.
Cavanaugh mentioned the exceptional work that The Halo Trust continues to do
clearing land mines in Artsakh, and commended them for their efforts. He
pointed out that it is in the best interests for Azerbaijan to cooperate with
this organization for mine clearance, which would ultimately benefit everyone
in the region.

 

Established
in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based
nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of
Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt
membership organization.

 

###

 

NR#: 2017-070

Azerbaijani Press: Azerbaijan: Armenia can use BTK railway only after it leaves occupied lands

Jane Topchian
Trend, Azerbaijan
Oct 13 2017
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 13

Trend:

Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that after Armenian troops withdraw from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, Armenia will be able to benefit from regional integration opportunities, Hikmat Hajiyev, spokesman for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, told Trend.

Hajiyev was commenting on the recent discussions in the Armenian society over Armenia’s using the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway.

“Sometimes it is very difficult to understand what Armenia wants. As a result of Armenia’s aggression against Azerbaijan and its claims to Turkey, the Mehri-Julfa and Gyumri-Kars railway lines became inoperative and a landlocked Armenia found itself in a complete isolation,” he said.

“Azerbaijan has repeatedly stated that after Armenia takes its troops out of the occupied Azerbaijani territories, it will be able to benefit from regional integration opportunities, including such an opportunity of successful regional cooperation as the BTK railway,” Hajiyev said.

He added that Azerbaijan plays a stabilizing role in the region, promoting regional cooperation and prosperity thanks to such projects as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan, TANAP, TAP, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars, North-South, and South-West.

He said the constructed BTK railway promises great prospects from the point of view of regional cooperation, transit opportunities, turnover growth and, as a result, creation of additional opportunities for the economies of Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey.

The BTK railway has been constructed on the basis a Georgian-Azerbaijani-Turkish intergovernmental agreement. The railway’s peak capacity will be 17 million tons of cargo per year. At an initial stage, this figure will be one million passengers and 6.5 million tons of cargo.

An official opening ceremony of the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railway will be held in Baku Oct. 30.

Andrias Ghukasyan petitioned to apply a pledge to him

Jane Topchian
  • 15:58 | October 10,2017 | Politics
  • Armenian:
  • Rus

Today, opposition activist Andrias Ghukasyan petitioned for being released on of 1.5 million drams bail. Andrias Ghukasyan mentioned that he would not violate the conditions of the pledge; he had a juvenile girl, a mother with a health problem. He stated that he is a politician, and a graduate of two universities, and his detention was connected only with his activities.

Prosecutor Petros Petrosyan noted that the risks are high in improper conduct. Karen Mezhlumyan, an advocate of Andrias Ghukasyan, informed the court that there was no actual fact that he would commit a crime, would have an effect on the interrogated people and would avoid the case study.

At this point, Vardan Grigoryan, the judge of the Court of General Jurisdiction of the Erebuni and Nubarashen administrative districts, has left the conference room to make a decision. He also noted that he had to make a justified decision because if the mediation was satisfied, the prosecutor would appeal, and if he declined, the defense party would.