Author: Jirair Kafian

Armenia’s economic activity index grows 4.9% in eight months

Jirair Kafian

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 13:07,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 27, ARMENPRESS. The economic activity index in Armenia has increased by 4.9% in January-August 2021 compared to the same period of 2020, the Statistical Committee said in a statement.

The industrial production volume increased by 1% in that period, and the construction volume by 7.3%.

The growth in the trade turnover comprised 7.1%, and the volume of services (without trade) increased by 5.3%.

The consumer price index grew by 6.4%, the index of industrial production prices – 9.8%, however, the electricity production volume decreased by 1.5%.

12.7% growth was registered in the external trade turnover volumes in January-August this year. The export from Armenia grew by 21.8% and the import by 7.7%.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Perspectives | Will international law help resolve the Karabakh conflict? [Azeri Opinion]

Jirair Kafian
EurasiaNet.org
Sept 23 2021
Kamal Makili-Aliyev Sep 23, 2021
Kelbajar last November (Shutterstock)

On September 16, Armenia submitted a complaint to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Azerbaijan, alleging ethnic discrimination of Armenians in breach of Azerbaijan’s obligations under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). Armenia alleges that Azerbaijan discriminated and persecuted Armenians through a variety of methods including hate speech, atrocities that are condoned and rewarded, a policy of ethnic cleansing, and the destruction of their cultural heritage.

This was met with skepticism, and even dismissal, from many commentators, who seemed to see it either as a PR stunt on Armenia’s part or simply an act of spite, an underestimation of the move perhaps grounded in the bitterness that continues to fester following last year’s war. That narrative was only strengthened when Azerbaijan responded that it would file a mirror complaint, with similar allegations, to the same court.

More cautious voices suggested that it may be a tactic aimed at securing provisional measures to protect Armenia’s service members who remain detained in Azerbaijan. The CERD is one of the few treaties to which Armenia and Azerbaijan are both parties, and that also offers the possibility of judicial arbitration and application of provisional measures in certain cases.

Indeed, Armenia’s application does request measures to protect and release the prisoners. But the likelihood of the court approving such measures is low, given the specific obligations laid out in the CERD, and Armenia’s lawyers are no doubt aware of that.

The implications of Armenia’s complaint can in fact become far more wide-reaching and could have implications for the long-term political resolution of the conflict.

The fundamental disagreement between the two sides is that Azerbaijan considers the conflict effectively resolved as a result of last year’s war, and that it has reestablished sovereignty over all of its internationally recognized territory. Armenia, meanwhile, views the status of Nagorno-Karabakh as unresolved and the subject of diplomatic negotiations to come. It is this issue that Armenia seeks to target – albeit indirectly – in its complaint to the ICJ.

How would an alleged ethnic discrimination by Azerbaijan against Armenians be related to the status of Karabakh? At issue is the principle of “responsibility to protect,” or R2P. According to this principle, spearheaded by former United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan, the international community is obliged to intervene in cases of grave human rights violations on a massive scale. While the principle is not yet formally part of international law, it has gained popularity among some international lawyers and human rights activists.

In its own turn, R2P policy is often connected to the notion of “remedial secession” – the theoretical justification for the secession of a minority population from a state in the case that it faces total annihilation if it remains within that state’s borders.

These policies and theories, while not formally part of international law, are gaining support. The case of Kosovo, which broke away from Serbia and is now partially recognized as an independent state, is the most prominent example of a secession justified by this line of thinking.

If the ICJ were to side with Armenia in this case, it would lend credibility to the political claims that the status of the territory should be reconsidered by the international community. That would be a blow to the legal position of Azerbaijan, even if it doesn’t produce direct legal consequences.

Azerbaijan’s mirror complaint, even if also approved by the court, would not produce the same effect as there is no longer an Azerbaijani minority compactly settled in Armenia.

This would create an asymmetric effect wherein twin cases are considered by international arbitration, and both won by the applicants, but the results of which in effect favor only one of the sides. This has already happened before: in the case Chiragov v. Armenia, previously the most significant case related to the conflict in international law. In that 2015 judgment, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Armenia exercised “effective control” over the territory of the conflict and had a military presence there (so-called “boots on the ground”), thus indirectly confirming it as an occupying state. Armenia won its mirror case, Sargsyan v. Azerbaijan, as the European Court found that Azerbaijan had violated inter alia Sargsyan’s property rights. But because Sargsyan lived in Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized territory, it did not have the same implications vis-à-vis occupation.

Azerbaijan could nevertheless still come out the winner in this case. It will be difficult to prove state discrimination against Armenians when Azerbaijan did not exercise effective control over the territory of Karabakh and thus had no jurisdiction over Armenians. Moreover, Armenia would have to prove that the rhetoric of Azerbaijan directed at Armenia and Armenians living outside Azerbaijan has a direct effect on the Armenian community living inside Azerbaijan but outside the territory of the conflict. Furthermore, basing its case on the fact that Azerbaijan by default practice bars (with some rare exceptions) ethnic Armenians from entering the country may be difficult legally, as generally international law gives wide authority to states to decide whom to allow inside their borders. Importantly, an Armenian defeat in the ICJ would further solidify Azerbaijan’s legal case on the conflict in the international  community.

Nonetheless, Armenia’s legal challenge should also be seen in a positive context, as it offers cautious hope that the road to ending this conflict will go through the courtroom and not through the battlefield.

 

Kamal Makili-Aliyev is an associate professor of international law and human rights at Malmö University in Sweden. He is an author of “Contested Territories and International Law: A Comparative Study of the Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict and the Aland Islands Precedent” (Routledge, 2020).

Spanish La Liga congratulates Armenia on Independence Da

Jirair Kafian
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 21 2021


, 13:30

 Less than a minute

The Spanish La Liga has congratulated Armenia on Independence Day. It has shared a video of Armenia international Varazdat Haroyan congratulating Armenia on 30th anniversary of Armenia’s Independence.

Cadiz announced the signing of Haroyan from Astana in May on a two-year contract, with Astana confirming his departure from their club on 24 June 2021. He made his La Liga debut for Cadiz, starting in a 1-1 draw against Levante on 14 August 2021.

Parliament elects Mariam Galstyan member of Corruption Prevention Commission

Jirair Kafian

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 12:23, 14 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Parliament elected Mariam Galstyan as member of the Corruption Prevention Commission during today’s session.

Chairman of the Audit Committee Narek Babayan presented the results of the voting.

67 MPs participated in the voting, and 66 voted in favor of Mrs. Galstyan’s candidacy. Only one lawmaker voted against.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Belarus, Armenia to continue providing mutual legal assistance in criminal cases

Jirair Kafian
Belarus – Sept 9 2021
Photo courtesy of the Investigative Committee

MINSK, 9 September (BelTA) – Chairman of Belarus’ Investigative Committee Dmitry Gora had a working meeting with a delegation of the Armenian Investigative Committee headed by Chairman Argishti Kyaramyan in Minsk on 9 September, BelTA learned from Investigative Committee.

The Armenian delegation arrived at the invitation of the Belarusian colleagues in the run-up to the tenth anniversary of the Investigative Committee.

“Dmitry Gora warmly welcomed the Armenian delegation stressing the importance of face-to-face meetings and also thanked the colleagues for accepting the invitation to visit Belarus,” the committee said.

The parties agreed to maintain working contacts in order to promptly resolve issues regarding the provision of legal assistance in criminal cases.

Lavrov comments on Zelensky’s announcement about possible large-scale war with Russia

Jirair Kafian

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 20:29,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. According to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Sergey Lavrov, the statement of the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky about the danger of starting a war with Russia does not even deserve attention.

՛՛I think that statement is not even worth paying attention to. We are used to those vulgar statements, which are full of anti-Russian sentiment’’, ARMENPRESS reports, citing Ria Novosti, Lavrov said.

The Russian Minister expressed regret that Zelensky, who came to power under completely different slogans and received support also in eastern Ukraine, now declares that anyone who lives in Ukraine but considers himself a Russian, should go to Russia.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that he considered a large-scale war with Russia possible.




California Man Agrees to Plead Guilty in Federal Hate Crime Case for Attacking Family-Owned Restaurant and Making Death Threats

Jirair Kafian
Sept 8 2021
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 8, 2021

A California man has agreed to plead guilty today to federal criminal charges for attacking five victims at a family-owned Turkish restaurant last year while shouting anti-Turkish slurs, hurling chairs at the victims and threatening to kill them, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkison of the Central District of California announced.

William Stepanyan, 23, of Glendale, has agreed to plead to one count of conspiracy and one hate crime charge, according to a plea agreement filed Monday in U.S. District Court. He is expected to enter a guilty plea to the felony charges in the coming weeks.

Turkey and Armenia are two neighboring countries in the Caucasus region of Asia that have historically experienced significant conflict, part of which has stemmed from Turkey’s support of Azerbaijan in its border conflict with Armenia. When a new war broke out between Armenian and Azeri military forces in September 2020, tensions in Turkish and Armenian communities escalated worldwide, including in the United States. Numerous protests and counter-protests, pitting individuals of Armenian and Turkish descent against one another, took place in Los Angeles County.

According to his plea agreement, on Nov. 4, 2020, Stepanyan, who is Armenian-American, sent a text message saying that he planned to go “hunting for [T]urks.” Later that day, Stepanyan met with his co-defendant Harutyun Harry Chalikyan, 24, of Tujunga, and other Armenian-Americans to protest what they considered to be Turkish aggression against Armenians, express their contempt for Turkey and show their support for Armenia.

Stepanyan, Chalikyan and other Armenian-Americans then drove to the family-owned restaurant, where Stepanyan and Chalikyan stormed into the restaurant and attacked the victims inside. Stepanyan and Chalikyan, who were both wearing masks during the attack, flung chairs at the victims while shouting derogatory slurs about Turkish people. Four of the five victims were of Turkish descent. At least one of the defendants threatened to kill the victims, shouting: “We came to kill you! We will kill you!”

During the attack, multiple victims were injured, including one individual who lost feeling in their legs and collapsed multiple times due to the injury. Also during the attack, Stepanyan ripped out the restaurant’s computer terminals and stole a victim’s iPhone.

The restaurant suffered at least $20,000 in damage and had to close temporarily, resulting in thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

After he enters the guilty pleas to the two felony offenses, Stepanyan will face a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

Chalikyan is scheduled to go on trial in this matter on Oct. 26. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and five hate crime charges.

The FBI conducted the investigation in this matter and received substantial assistance from the Beverly Hills Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, and Trial Attorney Michael J. Songer of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

Topic(s): 
Hate Crimes
Component(s): 
Civil Rights Division
Civil Rights – Criminal Section
Press Release Number: 
21-844
  

China supports Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity – FM Mirzoyan receives Ambassador of China

Jirair Kafian

China supports Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity – FM Mirzoyan receives Ambassador of China

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 19:07, 6 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) to Armenia Fan Yong on September 6. During the meeting, the Armenian Foreign Minister presented the provocative actions carried out by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia. The Chinese Ambassador noted that the Chinese side supports Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, Minister Mirzoyan and Ambassador Fan Yong referred to the centuries-old Armenian-Chinese friendly relations and reaffirmed the readiness of both countries to make joint steps for the development of the partnership based on mutual respect and trust.

In the context of the comprehensive settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Minister Mirzoyan highlighted China’s position. Ambassador Yong said that China supports the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which will contribute to the stability of the entire region.

The interlocutors referred to the cooperation between the countries on multilateral platforms, highlighting the idea of combining the Eurasian Economic Union and “One Belt, One Road” initiative.

Ararat Mirzoyan and Fan Yong referred to the measures taken to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. Minister Mirzoyan thanked China for its support in the fight against the pandemic.

The parties also recorded with satisfaction the increasing rates of bilateral trade.

Schools in Armenia open their doors for nearly 37,000 first-graders on August 31

Jirair Kafian

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 09:41, 31 August, 2021

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. This year the Day of Knowledge for the first graders in Armenia starts on August 31.

Such a decision was made to avoid mass gatherings outside schools in order not to further spread the coronavirus pandemic.

The celebrations on the occasion of this Day will be held in open-air format.

Nearly 37,000 children will enter school this year.

Photos by Tatev Duryan, Mkhitar Khachatryan

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenpress: U.S. House passes Pallone Amendment, cutting U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan

Jirair Kafian

U.S. House passes Pallone Amendment, cutting U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan

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 01:26, 29 July, 2021

YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly to restrict U.S. foreign military financing and training assistance to Azerbaijan, passing a bipartisan, ANCA-backed amendment led by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and twenty of his House colleagues.  The vote sends a powerful signal to Azerbaijan’s dictatorial Aliyev regime that their ongoing aggression against Armenia and Artsakh will not be rewarded with U.S. taxpayer-funded military assistance, the Armenian National Committee of America reports.

The Pallone Amendment states, “None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available by this Act [H.R.4373] under ‘International Military Education and Training’ and ‘Foreign Military Financing Program’ may be made available for Azerbaijan.”  The provision does not block discretionary military equipment, which may be transferred by the Department of Defense under U.S. laws Section 333.  The ANCA is working with Senate and House Members of the Armed Services Committee to address those concerns by strengthening Section 907 restrictions on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan.

The House vote on the Pallone amendment was included in a bi-partisan series of amendments voted “en bloc,” and overwhelmingly adopted. The House will vote on the broader Fiscal Year 2022 Foreign Aid Bill (H.R.4373) later Wednesday night. That broader bill is accompanied by a report which calls for not less than $50 million in U.S. assistance to Armenia, “for economic development, private sector productivity, energy independence, democracy and the rule of law, and other purposes.”  It urges not less than $2 million for demining activities in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).  The recommendation for U.S. assistance to Armenia is over twice that requested by President Biden in his FY2022 proposed budget, which remains silent on U.S. assistance to Artsakh.