Author: Janet Ekmekjian

Tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia explode on the battlefield and around the world

Janet Ekmekjian
We Are the Mighty

Vancouver Armenians unite to confront Azerbaijani demonstrators

Janet Ekmekjian
Public Radio of Armenia

TorontoHye – Around 100 Vancouver Armenian community members showed up in downtown Vancouver on July 25 to confront a smaller number of Azerbaijanis who came out chanting anti-Armenian slogans and holding posters.

Armenian community members were joined by St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church pastor Very Rev. Karekin Shekherdemian and St. Vartan Armenian Apostolic church priest Rev. Father Keghart Garabedian. The standoff in the heart of downtown in front of the Vancouver Art Gallery started off with singing of the Armenian National anthem followed by speeches and Armenian shoorjbar and lasted over two hours.

ANCC Western Region representatives Hagop Agopian and Palig Kochkarian read speeches condemning Azerbaijan’s recent attack against Davush province and called on the dictatorship in Baku to stop its continued aggression against Armenia and Artsakh. All the while, the Armenian protesters were chanting “Armenia wants peace, Azerbaijan wants war”, “Artsakh belongs to Armenia” and other pro-peace and anti hate slogans.

Meanwhile, around 50 counter protesters holding up Azerbaijani and Turkish flags kept shouting “Karabakh belongs to Azerbaijan”, “Azerbaijan”.

The demonstration wrapped up with Hayr Karekin Shkherdemian leading the protesters in Lord’s Prayer and the singing of “Giligia.”

‘Turkey is a destabilizing factor in the region’: Armenian Ambassador tells Polish magazine

Janet Ekmekjian

 

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YEREVAN, JULY 22, ARMENPRESS. It is abundantly clear that Turkey is a destabilizing factor in the region and a serious challenge to Armenia’s security, Armenia’s Ambassador to Poland Samvel Mkrtchyan said in an interview to the Warsaw Institute Review. Moreover, according to the Ambassador, Turkey’s attempts to intervene in the conflicts in its neighboring regions have already undermined the security and stability thereon.

Armenpress presents the Ambassador’s interview:

– Why has the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia re-ignited in the recent days?

– There is enough clear evidence that the most recent escalation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the Northern Tavush region is the logical outcome of pugnacious policies of Azerbaijan. If one follows the warmongering rhetoric of the President of Azerbaijan, the Defense Minister and other high ranking officials pronounced during last weeks and months advocating for a military solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, you see that the provocation which triggered the developments starting July 12th was not out of the blue. The Armenian side has been continuously warning its international partners that this type of situation is of high probability and, preventive and restraining political and diplomatic steps should be taken to tame the Azerbaijani ill-intentioned fervor. To our disappointment, our warnings have been somewhat overlooked.

– Are the reasons behind the recent altercations similar to the original causes of the 1988 Nagorno-Karabakh War?

– There could be certain similarities. In 1988 the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh started with the Azerbaijani attempt to suppress by brutal military force the peaceful self-determination movement of the people of NK. They spectacularly failed then. Instead of learning lessons, unfortunately, now the Azeri leadership is bringing false historic territorial claims also against Armenia itself. It is in line with the long sustained Azeri narrative that the conflict has always been between Armenia and Azerbaijan and, Nagorno Karabakh with its legally elected authorities has no distinct role to play. Such kind of approach and behavior are not justified whatsoever, and further push away the chances of a peaceful and negotiated solution to NK conflict which is the solely viable option for the Armenian sides and the international community.

– What is the role of Turkey and Russia in the Caucasus and how does it affect the recent conflict?

– The two countries are acting completely differently. Turkish Defence Minister, Foreign Minister, the President and other officials in the course of the last week have already made several statements and comments voicing their unequivocal support to Azerbaijan, also in terms of possible military involvement. This is extremely unhelpful and not only encourages and emboldens Azerbaijan to continue along the dangerous path of escalation, but also raises profound questions on whether that country can play any credible and positive role in the South Caucasus. At this point it is abundantly clear that Turkey is a destabilizing factor in our region and a serious challenge to Armenia’s security. Moreover, Turkey’s attempts to intervene in the conflicts in its neighboring regions have already undermined the security and stability thereon.

These facts make even more impossible for Turkey to play any role in the issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, within international, and particularly the OSCE framework. Armenia will continue to consistently work towards maintaining and strengthening the international and regional security, while closely cooperating with international partners to this end.

To the contrary, Russia, though being an ally to Armenia and being bound by military security agreements, opted a balanced approach offering its mediation services not only as the co-chairman of the OSCE Minsk Group, but in its national capacity as well.

– What kind of actions should both countries undertake to fix Baku-Yerevan relations?

– The situation we are currently in, necessitates as quick as possible to engage in negotiations in good faith. Azerbaijan should eventually comprehend that we live in the same region and we need to build a common security space. To achieve that goal, in the first place, the right of Nagorno Karabakh people to self-determination should be unconditionally respected, international legally binding mechanisms should be utilized to exercise it and define the status of NK. By doing so the full potential of the South Caucasus will be unblocked and we all will equally benefit.

– Would you like to see the involvement of international organizations in the peace process building?

– We, as well as the majority of international community, stated that the OSCE’s Minsk Group Co-chairmanship – comprising France, United States and Russia, is the only internationally recognized format to mediate peaceful negotiations for a lasting settlement to the NK conflict. And any supportive involvement of other international organizations should be closely coordinated and consulted with Co-chairs. Unfortunately, we have witnessed in the past that when another approach is taken by those international organizations, often, if not intentionally but even inadvertently, it could bring more harm than good to the peace process.

– Since 2016 both sides reported numerous cyber-attacks on its infrastructure – Do you think that this still remains a danger to Armenian security? How Armenians protect from cyber-attacks? Is cybersecurity an important priority for the current government?

– Armenia is not alone. Almost all countries have become vulnerable to cyber-threats and actual cyber-attacks. New definitions have been coined like cyber warfare, hybrid warfare. It is extremely worrisome that cyber-threats will be increasing in the future and so will be the destructive power of such attacks. The main source of such attacks on Armenia comes from our neighbour Azerbaijan. They employ special groups of hackers for that purpose and openly present breaches of Armenian websites. Of course we do a lot to protect ourselves in the cyber-space through building firewalls and sophisticated computer networks. At the same time we believe that we should get together as the international community and elaborate a kind of code of conduct for cyber-space. Otherwise it is going be a very dangerous and incrementally unpredictable world we will be living in.

– Has Armenia been a victim of disinformation campaigns both domestically and abroad? What exactly happened? How to combat this threat?

-Disinformation, fake news, misinformation – in a broader term infodemia, has become part of our daily lives, like it or not. It has always been out there, but with the new reality of digital age, social networks that phenomenon and its corrosive impact has grown exponentially. Quite naturally, we are also affected by it. What can be done to counter and to minimize the damage? Obviously, the most effective course of action is to vigorously and tirelessly offer the true and objective information, to reveal the real motivation of those who stand behind the disinformation, educate the public to be more “media literate” and proficient in discerning the truth from lie.

Mask cuts COVID-19 spread risk by 65%, experts say

Janet Ekmekjian

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YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Social distancing and wearing a mask prevent you from spreading COVID-19, but they also protect you from getting it, two experts explain in a discussion of coronavirus transmission, Armenpress reports citing the World Economic Forum website.

Dean Blumberg, chief of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of California and William Ristenpart, a professor of chemical engineering, have recently spoken out about the importance of masks.

The exports said wearing a mask helps to protect you and others from the spread of COVID-19, which is primarily transmitted by droplets.

“On the issue of masks, I’d like to restart—because we’ve learned a lot,” Blumberg says. “We’ve learned more due to research and additional scientific evidence. What we know now is that masks work and are very important.”

A range of new research on face coverings shows that the risk of infection to the wearer decreases by 65%, said Dean Blumberg.

There are two primary methods of coronavirus transmission, Blumberg and Ristenpart explain.

The first is via droplets a carrier expels, which are about one-third the size of a human hair but still large enough that we can see them. Masks create an effective barrier against droplets.

“Everyone should wear a mask,” Blumberg says. “People who say, ‘I don’t believe masks work,’ are ignoring scientific evidence. 

“People who don’t wear a mask increase the risk of transmission to everyone, not just the people they come into contact with. It’s all the people those people will have contact with. You’re being an irresponsible member of the community if you’re not wearing a mask”.

The second major coronavirus transmission method is via the aerosol particles we expel when we talk. Those are about 1/100th the size of a human hair and are more difficult to defend against. Social distancing and staying outdoors, where there is more air flow, are helpful, Blumberg and Ristenpart say.

In their comments and answers to questions from viewers, Blumberg and Ristenpart repeatedly made the point that research continues to support the fundamental methods to prevent spreading COVID-19: Wear masks, maintain social distance, and keep social interactions outdoors whenever possible.


Asbarez: ARF Western U.S. Central Committee Announcement

Janet Ekmekjian
July 14,  2020

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western U.S.

Azerbaijan, only weeks after being warned by the United States Department of State about conducting large scale military exercises with its new multi billion dollar advanced weaponry near the border of Armenia, on Sunday launched large scale attacks on Armenia’s peaceful civilian rural population in its northern Tavush region. This attack also comes as the United Nations has called for a global ceasefire during the deadly coronavirus crisis.

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western United States Central Committee calls for the universal condemnation of Azerbaijan’s violation of international law and attack on Armenia and calls on nations of the world to institute a moratorium on the sale of military equipment to a corrupt dictatorship in Aliyev, which has proven to be belligerent, reckless and unwilling to peacefully resolve its differences around a negotiation table rather than at the end of a gun.

The ARF Western U.S. stands with the people of Armenia and condemns the vicious attack on Armenian civilians and unequivocally supports Armenia’s right to self defense and the protection of its citizens against such aggression which is reminiscent to the ethnic hatred which was utilized by Ottoman Turkey a little over a century ago which led to the loss of three quarters of the Armenian homeland and the destruction of more than two thirds of our people.

This hatred was mirrored by Azerbaijan during the pogroms it implemented against its own peaceful Armenian population in Sumgait in 1988 and Baku in 1990, during the indiscriminate shelling of the Armenian civilian population throughout Nagorno Karabakh in the 1990’s, and full scale attack on the Republic of Artsakh in April of 2016.

It is not a coincidence that Turkey’s Erdogan this last weekend announced the rebranding of Christendom’s largest and oldest church—the Hagia Sophia—into a mosque, and soon after Baku’s unprovoked attack on Armenia, Turkey pledged its support for its ethnic brethren in Azerbaijan and warned Armenia not to respond in self defense. We remember, and the world cannot forget that Turkey till today still hasn’t atoned for its genocidal past against the Armenian nation.

We stand by Armenia’s heroic Armed Forces who demonstrated resolve and precision in battle and their sacred mission of defending our Nation. It is incumbent upon all of us to band together and do our part as activists both socially and politically. As such, the region’s decade-old “With Our Soldiers” campaign initiated by the Armenian Youth Federation will, once again, be on the frontlines here to ensure that our soldiers and their families are supported during the current situation. In addition the ANCA supports placing limits on Azerbaijan’s use of US defense assistance.

We call on all Armenian Americans regardless of political affiliation to join us in the defense of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh through these and other upcoming campaigns

Asbarez: Russia, Minsk Group Co-Chairs, CSTO All Fail to Condemn Azerbaijan

Janet Ekmekjian

A scene from a recent meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers with the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairman

In the aftermath of Azerbaijan’s brazen attempt to breach the borders of the Republic of Armenia on Sunday, regional players have voiced their “concern” about the unrest, but as has been the case throughout the Karabakh conflict process, failed to condemn Azerbaijan for putting into practice its threats of war and efforts to resolve the issue through military force.

The Russian Foreign Ministry, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs, as well as the leadership of the Collective Security Treaty Organization—the CSTO—all expressed concern about the attacks, but failed to distinguish that it was Azerbaijan that once again violated the ceasefire agreement. The false-parity exercised by the international community does little to quell conflict and hinders progress in the Karabakh settlement process.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held phone conversations with his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov, with Moscow expressing “serious concern” and calling for an immediate end to the fighting along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

“We find a further escalation threatening the security of the region inadmissible,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We are calling on the conflicting sides to show restraint and strictly adhere to the ceasefire regime.”

“For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry is ready to provide necessary support for stabilizing the situation,” added the statement.

For its part, the CSTO, which is a Russia-led security alliance of which Armenia is a member, reached out to Armenian authorities to discuss the matter. The organization’s Secretary General, Stanislav Zas, spoke to Mnatsakanyan and called an emergency meeting of its Permanent Council. That meeting, however, was later postponed indefinitely, with Zas’ spokesperson telling Azatutyun.am that the CSTO Secretariat and member states need to ascertain the “format” of the discussion beforehand. The spokesperson did not say who initiated the postponement of the meeting.

In April, Zas directly addressed another Azerbaijani attack on military and civilian targets in Armenia’s Tavush Province, expressing concern “regarding this kind of an incident in the CSTO zone of responsibility—at the border of a member country of the organization.”

The CSTO had pledged that it would take necessary action in the event of military provocation against one its member states.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov of Russia, Stéphane Visconti of France and Andrew Schofer of the U.S. released a statement Monday condemning the ceasefire violations at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

“The sides have accused each other of initiating the fighting,” said the co-chars. “The Minsk Group Co‑Chairs condemn the recent ceasefire violations and call upon the sides to take all necessary measures to prevent any further escalation, including by use of the existing direct communication channels between them.”

“The Minsk Group Co-Chairs also call on the sides to resume substantive negotiations as soon as possible and emphasize the importance of returning OSCE monitors to the region as soon as circumstances allow,” the Co-Chairs said in the statement.

The co-chairs statement comes a week after President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, in a nationally-televised interview, slammed  the co-chairs, calling their efforts for a peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict “meaningless,” and challenged their position on the inadmissibility of use of military force to settle the conflict.

Almost two weeks ago, the co-chairs stressed that there is no military solution to the conflict. They urged the sides to take additional steps to strengthen the ceasefire and to “prepare the populations for peace.”

While these entities have condemned the unrest, they have failed to properly condemn Azerbaijan for initiating the attacks. Furthermore, neither party addressed Ankara’s efforts to insert itself in the conflict by unequivocally defending Azerbaijan.

Turkey’s foreign ministry on Monday issued a statement decrying what it called“yet another manifestation of Armenia’s aggressive nationalism.”

“Turkey will continue, with all its capacity, to stand by Azerbaijan in its struggle to protect its territorial integrity,” said the Turkish foreign ministry statement.

Sports: Huge match-fixing scheme uncovered in Armenian soccer

Janet Ekmekjian
EurasiaNet.org
July 8 2020
Ani Mejlumyan Jul 8, 2020

Armenian soccer club FC Lokomotiv Yerevan in action against Pyunik 2 in June 2019. Lokomotiv was one of several Armenian clubs implicated in a match-fixing scandal. (photo: Facebook, FC Lokomotiv Yerevan)

A lengthy international investigation into Armenian soccer has exposed a massive match-fixing conspiracy.

The investigation was conducted by Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) and Interpol and implicated 54 people and five clubs in Armenia’s First League (which is in fact the second division in Armenia; the top is the Premiere League). Forty-five people have received a lifetime ban from international soccer and the five clubs have been disqualified for two years.

“The decisions were made after the Football Federation of Armenian (FFA) received undeniable evidence from international organizations and law enforcement agencies,” FFA President Armen Melikbekyan said in a July 2 statement announcing the investigation’s results.

Melikbekyan was elected president of federation in December following the departure of his predecessor, Artur Vanetsyan, who was head of both the NSS and FFA during the time that the matches were fixed but then fell out with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The investigation began during Vanetsyan’s tenure at the FFA; he has since become a prominent government critic, but the soccer investigation seems not to have a political tinge to it.

Evidence for the scheme was gathered over a year and a half, Artur Azaryan, the general secretary of FFA told local website vnews.am. “UEFA has provided us with a detailed report on each team's games for the season, as well as the individual actions of all the players and their chances of participating in the match-fixing.”

Many of the implicated players were foreign, in particular Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Latvian. Several of them had had previous records of match fixing.

Kirilis Grigorovs, a Latvian national, was involved in match-fixing controversies in Latvia, Ireland, the Czech Republic, and Cyprus before signing on with FC Yerevan in September 2019.

Midfielders and goalkeepers were disproportionately represented among the named players, as match fixing typically depends on defensive “lapses.”

“If we look closely, you see that none of the goalkeepers were locals and the central midfielders also mostly were foreign,” said Rafael Khalatyan, the editor of armfootball.com, in an interview with Eurasianet. “These people were exposed in match fixing scandals in other countries, like Egor Lugavoy from Torpedo, Yuri Okul, a coach from Ukraine who was disqualified in Ukraine and now has been disqualified with FC Aragats, Vitali Ridlevich from Belarus also played for Aragats. In other words, they were people who knew how the process of match fixing worked.”

It's not clear who organized the scheme, and the NSS and FFA have not given any clues. Second-tier soccer in the former Soviet Union is widely susceptible to match fixing, as the teams have few fans, the matches aren’t televised, and the outcomes are of interest mainly to bettors. Neighboring Georgia also has been the subject of several match-fixing scandals and investigations.

“In this particular case there were a suspicious number of bets [on the fixed matches] in Asia, especially China,” said one source with an Armenian bookmaker, speaking to Eurasianet on condition of anonymity.

As a result of the investigation, the FFA has tightened the restrictions for licensing a club for the First League. The people implicated in the scheme will not face charges as match fixing isn’t a crime under Armenian law, but the FFA is trying to change that. “We have applied to the Ministry of Justice to come up with a legislative initiative and to define a relevant article in the Criminal Code,” Azaryan said.

 

Ani Mejlumyan is a reporter based in Yerevan.

Monument at Colorado Capitol Memorialized at White House

Janet Ekmekjian
WestWord
July 9 2020
Patricia Calhoun | July 9, 2020 | 6:00am

   

For decades, troops of children marched past them on school field trips; lawmakers and lobbyists rushed by as they headed into the Colorado State Capitol. But over the past six weeks, the odd collection of monuments, statues and other memorials on the Capitol grounds have received an unprecedented amount of attention, as they became popular targets of graffiti artists during protests.

Not only was the Civil War Monument vandalized (and later toppled), but the Armenian Genocide Memorial was damaged on May 28, on the very first night of the Denver demonstrations over the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

That act rated a mention at a press conference this week at the White House — and stirred up a quick controversy, because "genocide," while part of the memorial's official name, hasn't been mentioned at the White House in connection with the Armenians killed by Turks, today an important American ally, a century ago.

Until now. (In contrast, note this careful statement by Donald Trump on Armenian Remembrance Day in April.)

On July 6, while talking about statues and monuments across the country that had been damaged in protests, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany made a direct reference to the Colorado memorial — by its proper name:

But, look, we’ve got a real problem in this country. When you have rioters who — I have listed off some of the examples of abolitionists — there seems to be zero understanding of history when you’re defacing the statue of Matthias Baldwin and John Whittier and Ulysses S. Grant.

There seems to be a lack of understanding and historical knowledge when the Armenian Genocide Memorial, remembering victims of all crimes against humanity, including slavery, is vandalized.

Meanwhile, here in Denver on July 8, Governor Jared Polis made sure that Colorado will continue to share understanding and historical knowledge when he signed into law House Bill 1336, Holocaust And Genocide Studies in Public Schools. That measure guarantees that Colorado students will continue to learn about such horrors as the Holocaust in Europe during World War II, the Armenian Genocide…and the Sand Creek Massacre, which one day could have its own memorial on the Capitol grounds, where it is currently remembered with a plaque.

For the record, here are the other monuments at the Capitol, both directly around the building and in Lincoln Park below (which is also the home of a major encampment today), with descriptions from the official state site:

Armenian Khachkar: Armenian Genocide Memorial
East Lawn
This khachkar, crafted in Armenia, is a monument dedicated to the victims of genocide. It was dedicated in 2015, on the 100th anniversary of the start of the genocide.

Armenian Garden and Pine
East Lawn
This garden area was planted in memory of the between 1 and 1.5 million Armenian victims of the first genocide of the twentieth century, which occurred in Turkey beginning on April 24, 1915, and continued to 1923.

Cannons
West Portico
The 1,250-pound brass cannons were manufactured by the Revere Copper Company in 1852-’63 and 1864-’65. “No one knows for certain how the cannons arrived in Colorado.”

Colorado Symbols and Emblems Fence
Lincoln Avenue
This fence was placed along the sidewalk at the bottom of the west steps in 1999.

Cornerstone
Northeast Corner of the Capitol
Members of the Grand Masonic Lodges of Colorado dedicated and laid the inscribed granite cornerstone of the Capitol on July 4, 1890. In its rough state, the cornerstone weighed twenty tons and required sixty mules to haul it into place.

Time Capsule
Northeast Corner of the Capitol
This concrete slab with inscription is embedded in the lawn. Dedicated on August 4, 1990, the time capsule commemorates the passing of 100 years since the laying of the Capitol cornerstone.

Pearl Harbor Memorial
East Lawn
This stone bench and marker were dedicated in 1983 by the Colorado members of the Pearl Harbor Survivors Association. The inscriptions say “Keep America Alert” and “Remember Pearl Harbor.”

“Closing Era”
East Lawn
This bronze statue of a Native American hunter examining his prey, a buffalo, represents the end of the traditional lifestyle of Native Americans in Colorado. At a meeting of the Capitol Building Advisory Committee, Metropolitan State University history professor Derek Everett noted that back in 1893, the initial proposal for the piece called for placing it on the west side of the Capitol, so that the future would be looking at the Rocky Mountains — and at a way of life that had passed. "There was a massive outcry from the aging pioneer community about former competitors getting the front door of the Capitol," he told the committee. The statue wound up on the east side.

USS Colorado Memorial
East Lawn
Dedicated in 1997, this stone bench and marker are dedicated to the men who served aboard the USS Colorado.

Volunteers of the Spanish-American War Flagpole
Lincoln Park
This flagpole is dedicated to the Colorado volunteers of the Spanish-American War of 1898. The flagpole has a red sandstone base, and it flies the American and POW-MIA flags.

Liberty Bell
Lincoln Park
This full-sized replica of the Liberty Bell was one of the 53 replicas cast in France in 1950 and donated to the U.S. government by “American industry and free enterprise.” One went to each state, plus the District of Columbia.

Colorado Tribute to Veterans Monument
Lincoln Park
Dedicated on November 10, 1990, the Colorado Tribute to Veterans Monument is both a memorial to the dead and a tribute to veterans of the past, present and future: World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf and peace-time.

Joseph P. Martinez Statue
Lincoln Park
This twenty-foot-tall bronze statue honors Joseph P. Martinez, who was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor in 1943 for acts of conspicuous bravery in the Aleutian Islands; he was the first hispanic Coloradan to receive the Medal of Honor.

Ten Commandments Tablet
Lincoln Park
“The origin, dedication, and permission for placing this four-foot granite tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments are somewhat unclear,” says the Capitol’s website. “Written records regarding the tablet seem to have been lost.” But the tablets themselves have not been forgotten, and periodically inspire lively discussions of the separation of church and state.

Sadie M. Likens Drinking Fountain
Lincoln Park
Unveiled on July 7, 1923, this bronze drinking fountain with plaque commemorates Sadie M. Likens for her constant care and treatment of war veterans. Upon her death on July 20, 1920, a group of veterans from the Grand Army of the Republic began raising funds for a monument to Likens. The fountain was completed and dedicated on July 7, 1923.

Memorial Pods, South: Amache Camp Plaque
Southeast Lawn
The south pod is designated for plaques recognizing individuals and groups that have been influential to Colorado's heritage. The south pod contains two plaques, one commemorating former governor Ralph Carr and the other in remembrance of the Amache internment camp in southeastern Colorado, where Japanese-Americans were held during World War II.

Memorial Pods, North
Northeast Lawn
The north pod is designated as the location for plaques recognizing significant events in Colorado's history, and houses one donated by the Daughters of the American Revolution to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the founding of their organization.

Space Shuttle Challenger Aspen Grove
East Lawn
This grove of aspen trees commemorates the seven astronauts who lost their lives when the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded on January 28, 1986.

Civil War Monument (currently in storage, but the stand remains)
West Portico
The statue of a Civil War cavalryman, dismounted with rifle in hand, honors the Colorado soldiers who fought and died in the Civil War. The statue was designed by Captain Jack Howland, a member of the First Colorado Cavalry; it was erected in 1907, and the names of Coloradans reportedly killed in the service were added in the ’20s (though one was actually shot escaping a brawl in Denver).

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/12/2020

Janet Ekmekjian 
                                        Sunday, 

Deadly Fighting Reported On Armenian-Azeri Border (UPDATED)


Armenia -- Soldiers pictured during a military exercise in Tavush, March 26, 
2019.

At least three Azerbaijani soldiers were reportedly killed and several others 
wounded in heavy fighting that broke out at a section of the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border on Sunday.

The spokeswoman for Armenia’s Defense Ministry, Shushan Stepanian, said 
Azerbaijani forces shelled an Armenian army outpost in the northern Tavush 
province during a failed attempt to seize it. Stepanian said they suffered 
casualties while being repelled by Armenian soldiers stationed there.

“There are no casualties on the Armenian side,” she wrote on Facebook.

According to Stepanian, earlier in the afternoon a military vehicle carrying 
Azerbaijani soldiers tried to cross into Tavush “for reasons unclear to us.” The 
soldiers fled and left the vehicle behind after warning shots fired from the 
Armenian side, said the official.

For its part, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said that Armenian forces backed 
by artillery fire attacked its border posts in Azerbaijan’s western Tovuz 
district bordering Tavush. It said two Azerbaijani servicemen died and five 
others were wounded as a result.

The ministry reported a third Azerbaijani combat death later on Sunday.

The fighting reportedly continued into the early hours of Monday. The Defense 
Ministry in Yerevan said Azerbaijani troops are using a battle tank and mortars 
to continue shelling the same Armenian army post.

“Gunfire is periodically continuing with various intensity,” Stepanian, the 
ministry spokeswoman, said shortly after midnight. No Armenian soldier has been 
killed or wounded, she added.

The Azerbaijani military claimed, meanwhile, that Armenian forces are firing 
mortars on not only at Azerbaijani border positions but also a nearby 
Azerbaijani village.

Stepanian insisted in another overnight Facebook post that Armenian army units 
are targeting only Azerbaijani military facilities.


Armenia -- A view of the Tavush province bordering Azerbaijan, November 6, 2018.

Each side blamed the other for the escalation. Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry 
accused Yerevan of heightening tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone 
and seeking to “seize more territory.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian, insisted that the 
fighting was sparked by the Azerbaijani “attempts to infiltrate into Armenian 
positions.”

Naghdalian also tweeted that Armenia’s foreign and defense ministers are “in 
constant contact” with the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the 
OSCE Minsk Group over the latest escalation.

The mediators urged the conflicting parties to strengthen the ceasefire regime 
during a June 30 video conference with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign 
ministers. In a joint statement, they reiterated that “there is no military 
solution to the conflict.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev rejected that assertion and lambasted the 
Minsk Group co-chairs last week. He also threatened to pull out of “pointless 
negotiations” with Yerevan.

Both conflicting parties had reported deadly ceasefire violations in the same 
border area early this year. In March, the Armenian military claimed to have 
thwarted two incursions attempted by troops from Azerbaijan’s State Border Guard 
Service. No major incidents were reported there in the following months.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Azerbaijani press: Korotchenko: Pashinyan is clinging to power, realizing that in case of resignation he will go to jail

Janet Ekmekjian
  • 09 Jul 2020 20:35

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  • 133

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  • ANALYTICS

What is happening in Armenia is not a political struggle. It is a struggle against the opposition in the most open and obvious form.

The due statement came from Russian political scientist, editor-in-chief of "National Defense" magazine Igor Korotchenko while commenting to News.az on the political persecution of opposition members in Armenia, in particular, the arrest of former "Tsarukyan" faction MP Vanik Asatryan. 

He recalled that when Nikol Pashinyan came to power, he proclaimed the need to take into account the opinion of the minority, the opposition and respect for opposition rights.

"But after he became Prime Minister, we see a systematic attack on the fundamental democratic rights and freedoms of Armenian citizens. In fact, there is a usurpation of power and its retention, cleansing of the political field. The deputies from Gagik Tsarukyan's party are also under this attack. All accusations against him are farfetched and aimed at taking away his business and distributing it among Armenian oligarchic groups loyal to Pashinyan," Korotchenko said.

The expert is sure that Pashinyan is acting under the logic of the previous Armenian authorities: "What he accused them of, he is doing today himself. In fact, Pashinyan is a typical usurper of power and it has already become obvious for the Armenian society. That's why there is a consolidation of opposition forces, parties, obviously, some temporary and wide anti-Pashinyan alliance of the opposition will be formed, the purpose of which will be to remove him from power. Pashinyan may resort to a rigid form of suppression of the opposition, which includes the introduction of a state of emergency and the use of army units. In fact, he is clinging to power, realizing that in case of his resignation, he will go to jail, where his political opponents are today.

The expert also stressed that Tsarukyan's guilt is that he defied Pashinyan by calling things happening in Armenia they way he seeing and that he is not some marginal political figure, but a politician with his party and finances. Therefore, the charges against him are absolutely politicized accusations in the spirit of 1937, the well-known events that took place in Moscow.

Speaking about how the "allied" state in Moscow reacts to these violations, the expert noted that Russia does not interfere in Armenia's internal affairs, but Pashinyan and his government cause "the Kremlin's strongest irritation".

"He is just not an ally to us, but a person connected with the Americans and playing his own political game. Pashinyan has allowed a number of anti-Russian actions. This is the arrest of Robert Kocharian, despite the clearly expressed position of Vladimir Putin not to do this, this is the arrest of the former CSTO Secretary-General, what Pashinyan hit the organization’s reputation with, this is the persecution of Russian business in Armenia, it’s also an attempt to impose unfavorable conditions to Russian companies for gas supplies to Armenia. In a word, Pashinyan is very irritating in Russia, but we do not interfere in Armenia's internal affairs. And the fate of Pashinyan and his ruling group will be decided by the Armenian people,” summed up the Russian political scientist.