Author: Jane Topchian

In a flagrant effort to undermine the work of the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly), a group of computer hackers, calling themselves “TheConficker,” attacked the Assembly’s site and replaced it with Azeri propaganda. They are linked to an Azerbaijan hacker group known as “Anti-Armenia Team.” The Assembly took prompt action and reclaimed control of its website.

Shortly after the cyber attack by Azeri nationals, Assembly Executive Director sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Internet Crime Complaint Center. The Assembly brought this act of cyber terrorism to the FBI’s attention, citing instances of previous attacks by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the Armenian National Institute (ANI) – a non-political, non-profit organized dedicated to the study, research, and affirmation of the Armenian Genocide – in 2016 and 2000. ANI is a sister organization of the Assembly.

Earlier this year, the Assembly informed the Senate and House Select Committees on Intelligence expressing concern regarding the undue influence of both Azerbaijan and Turkey on America’s democratic institutions. According to a recent report in The New Yorker magazine, Azerbaijan has ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) through the Mammadov family and the highest levels of the Azeri government, all of which have conducted business with American companies. Azerbaijan also continues to shell out hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Podesta Group, flaunting its caviar diplomacy.

The Assembly previously urged the Department of Justice to investigate the foreign trips illegally funded by Azerbaijan. “We respectfully request a full and thorough investigation by the Department of Justice into these groups and the full application of the law. The reported activities constitute plainly illegal behavior and strikes at the core of our Constitutional government through blatant foreign influence peddling,” the Assembly said in its letter to then Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

Statement by Edward Nalbandian at the Eastern Partnership and Visegrad 4 Foreign Ministers’ Meeting

Dear colleagues,

I would like to thank the Visegrad 4 Polish Presidency for hosting this ministerial meeting.

Approaching the upcoming Summit in Brussels with tangible achievements will be important for the future of the endeavors within the Eastern Partnership. In this regard we appreciate the initiative to give a political push to our sectoral cooperation and focus the debate on infrastructure connections, since it is one of the priorities of the Eastern Partnership enshrined in the Riga joint declaration.

On March 21st Armenia and the EU  initialed the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement that will reflect the depth and essence of our relations and set new guidelines for enhanced partnership.

Interconnectivity occupies a solid place in the Framework Agreement, as well as in the Armenia-EU Partnership Priorities for 2017-2020, underlining its importance not only for the bilateral relations, but also in the context of the regional cooperation.

Dear Colleagues,

Together with the EU and other partners, we are involved in different interconnectivity projects. We welcome the decision to extend the Trans-European Transport Network to the Eastern Partners. Last year, Armenian and Georgian principal highways were included as core connections on the comprehensive network of TEN-T maps.

Another good example is the Armenia-EU negotiations that started a month ago to conclude the Common Aviation Area Agreement.

The European Union, through the European Investment Bank, contributes to the realization of the one of Armenia’s strategic projects – the construction of the North-South road corridor that crosses the country with 556 km-long modern highway.

The recent modernization of Armenia-Georgia border crossing points with the support of the European Union is a practical step towards implementation of the Eastern Partnership Integrated Border Management Initiative. It provides more efficient capacities for increased volumes of transit and trade.

Interconnectivity does not limit only to transport communications. The European Union through the Neighborhood Investment Facility has contributed to the construction of a new Armenia-Georgia high-voltage transmission lines.

Ensuring mobility and people-to-people contacts are essential for enhancing the connections between our societies. This was one of the core principles set into the foundations of the Eastern Partnership. One of the ways to realize this commitment and to bring our societies closer is the visa free regime. Armenia and the EU for the past three years have been actively implementing the Visa Facilitation and Readmission Agreements. The next step is the visa liberalization dialogue as targeted in the Riga Summit Declaration.

Dear Colleagues,

Through connectivity and economic cooperation we can effectively foster growth and stability in the region at large. It is essential that we consider the notion of connectivity in a broader context, not only among EU and EaP countries but also between different integration formats.

The links between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union should be a matter of pragmatic and result oriented dialogue. Armenia as a member state of the EAEU and one of the Eastern Partnership countries is ready to contribute to this end.

Promoting the connectivity and strengthening economic cooperation can help to forge common interests and joint projects that bring mutual benefits. In this regard they should also be viewed as confidence building measures and should be considered as a strong tool within the context of the efforts of agreed formats of the conflict resolutions.

Dear Colleagues,

I would like to use this opportunity to thank the European Union for significant financial and technical assistance in support of organising a free and fair parliamentary elections in Armenia in the beginning of April. After the elections the European Union stated that they were well administered, fundamental freedoms were generally respected, and that the result reflected the overall will of the Armenian people. The EU further stressed its willingness to work with the democratically elected new Parliament and Government.

Armenia is also looking forward to continue its close cooperation with the European Union.

Thank you.

Photo: Reuters

 

Turkey says it has “successfully” ended its seven-month Euphrates Shield military campaign in northern Syria, the BBC reports.

But Prime Minister Binali Yildirim did not rule out new military operations and did not say whether Turkish troops would now leave Syria.

Turkey launched the offensive last August to push Islamic State militants away from its border and also to stop the advance of local Kurdish fighters.

“Operation Euphrates Shield has been successful and is finished. Any operation following this one will have a different name,” Mr Yildirim said after Wednesday’s meeting of the country’s security council.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is due to visit Turkey.

Asbarez – The Los Angeles premiere of “The Last Inhabitant,” filmed in the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Republic, will take place on April 7 at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California.

The screening is presented by the Artskah Arts and Cultural Foundation.

Inspired by true events, The Last Inhabitant is an Art House film with English subtitles filmed in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). It was considered for the 2017 Golden Globe Awards.

Evicted as a result of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, Abgar stays behind alone in a gradually shrinking enemy ring. He is waiting for his daughter, who has become a witness to her husband’s murder by an angry mob and was hospitalized with a trauma disorder. An Azerbaijani named Ibrahim, in exchange for finding and bringing Abgar’s daughter, suggests that Abgar work on the construction of a mosque. A few days later, Ibrahim finds the girl, named Yurga, in one of the psychiatric hospitals of Baku and brings her to Abgar.

“The Kurdish Voice of Radio Yerevan” – a book by Zeri Inanc has been published in Turkey, reports.

The book tells about the role of Public Radio of Armenia (or Radio Yerevan as the Kurds call it) in the preservation of the Kurdish language and culture.

“The Public Radio has played an immense role in the preservation of the Kurdish identity and cultural legacy,” author Zeri Inanc said in an interview with “Agos.” His studies reveal that over 10.000 recordings of Kurdish folk songs, once prohibited in Turkey, are kept in he archives of the Public Radio.

“Every Kurd who has been listening to Kurdish programs thanks to Radio Yerevan has much to tell,” Zeri Inanc said.

According to him, Radio Yerevan is a common memory for Kurds deprived of the opportunity to get education in their native language.

Photo: TASS

 

Russia continues to follow he fate of blogger Alexander Lapshin extradited to Azerbaijan, Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova told reporters today.

“We’ll keep following the fate of the Russian citizen,” Zakharova said, reminding that the Foreign Ministry had earlier expressed its stance on the extradition in a statement.

“This issue and all other issues in bilateral relations should be solved in due course no matter which countries we are talking about,” Zakharova said.

“All issues connected with the fate of Russian nationals are a priority for the Russian Federation,” she stressed.

Alexander Lapshin, who holds Russian, Israeli and Ukrainian citizenship, was handed over to Baku on February 7 and escorted out of the airport by law enforcement agents.

On December 15, 2016, police in Belarus detained Alexander Lapshin, a popular travel blogger, for his prior visits to Nagorno Karabakh and for his criticism of the Aliyev regime.

On 20 January 2017 the General Prosecutor’s Office of Belarus decided to have Lapshin extradited to Azerbaijan.  An appeal to the ruling was denied by Minsk City Court.

The Supreme Court of Belarus ruled to leave the decision of the Prosecutor General’s office on Lapshin’s extradition to Azerbaijan in force.