16:00,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Skopje.
“Ararat Mirzoyan once again presented to the Russian side the positions of the Armenian side regarding Russia’s policy and steps taken around bilateral and regional agendas,” the foreign ministry said in a readout.
14:41,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has confirmed that Armenia paid Russia for arms supplies but the latter has failed to deliver the armaments.
The matter is being discussed, Pashinyan said.
“Of course, such problems exist. Discussions are taking place on what mechanisms to use to solve the issue. One of the options, for example, could be the reduction of Armenia’s debt to Russia in the size of the paid amount, this is one of the options, not the only option,” Pashinyan said.
17:30,
GYUMRI, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. President of Iraq Abdul Latif Rashid has visited Gyumri as part of his official trip to Armenia.
He was accompanied by Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan.
The Iraqi president visited the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies and then participated in the Connecting Innovations Armenian-Iraqi Tech Initiative which took place in Sev Berd castle.
“We must now look ahead and do everything we can to make Armenia a technologically developed country. I am sure that the further cooperation, also intensification of the political relations, will benefit the development of this area as well,” Khachaturyan said, highlighting the friendship of Armenia and Iraq.
“When there’s an alternative, we become safer, when there isn’t, we are in danger. Let’s use the opportunities that Iraq has. For this, we need to get to know the Iraqi people and Iraqi economy’s demands better,” Khachaturyan added.
President of Iraq Abdul Latif Rashid lauded the new level of cooperation between the two countries.
“Many Armenians are working in various cities in Iraq, in various sectors, we can have the new phase of cooperation not only on the state level, but also in business sectors,” he said.
The Armenian President said that all prerequisites exist for strengthening the age-old friendship between the two countries, and that the IT sector can become a new area for cooperation.
At the invitation of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region in coordination with the Tatoyan Foundation, a delegation of mayors from the Syunik province of Armenia visited California from November 11 to 16.
The visiting officials met with various elected officials and the local Armenian community and provided them with first-hand reports about Azerbaijan’s ongoing threats against Armenia and particularly the border province of Syunik and outlined the conditions on the ground as the region addresses the refugee crisis resulting from the ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.
The Syunik delegation was led by the Kapan Mayor Gevorg Parsyan, Goris Mayor Arushan Arushanyan and Armenia’s former Human Rights Defender Dr. Arman Tatoyan, who is the Founding Director of the Tatoyan Foundation. Tatoyan received the ANCA-WR Human Rights Champion Award in 2011.
Additional delegation members included Irina Yolyan, Deputy Head of Goris County; Zhora Tumanyan, Civil Defense Attache of Goris County; Ruzanna Torozyan and Armen Hovhannisyan, members of the Goris County Board of Supervisors; and Hasmik Harutyunyan, Assistant to the Chief of Kapan County. Joining the delegation in its meetings was Los Angeles-based attorney Garo Ghazarian, CEO of the Tatoyan Foundation USA, as well as representatives of the ANCA Western Region.
The delegation attended the ANCA-WR Annual Awards Gala on November 12 where the Mayors and Dr. Tatoyan were introduced to the crowd and delegation members had the opportunity to interact with public officials, including Congressmembers Adam Schiff and Brad Sherman, as well as hundreds of supporters and activists in our community to discuss issues of concern to Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
During the visit, the Syunik delegation also had separate meetings with California State Senator Anthony Portantino, Los Angeles City Council President Paul Krekorian and Councilmember Nithya Raman, and Glendale City Councilmembers and representatives, where detailed reports about the intricacies of the Second Armenian Genocide in Artsakh and ongoing Azeri aggression were presented by the delegation.
Given the fact that California is a sister-state with Syunik Province, Los Angeles is a sister city with Yerevan, and Glendale is a sister city with Kapan, these meetings were important to set the stage for expanding these relationships and exploring ways in which U.S. government entities can assist in supporting Artsakh refugees.
The Syunik delegation also visited the Western Diocese where they met with Western Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, and subsequently met with representatives of the Pan Armenian Council Western USA to brief them on the situation on the ground.
A highlight of the week was the delegation’s visit to the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School where they held an interactive discussion with upper class students and faculty.
The delegation’s trip concluded with a successful Town Hall event organized by ANCA-WR, where dozens of members of the community listened intently to their reports on topics including continuous Azerbaijani threats against Syunik, and the situation of Artsakh refugees in the towns Kapan & Goris, culminating with a lively question and answer session.
During each meeting, Dr. Tatoyan presented his latest findings on Azerbaijan’s genocidal assault on Artsakh, resulting in the forced deportation of more than 100,000 Armenians from Artsakh into the Republic of Armenia. Furthermore, Dr. Tatoyan shed light on Azerbaijan’s continued aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia, especially in the regions of Syunik, Vayots Dzor, and Gegharkunik. Mayor Parsyan and Mayor Arushanyan reported about Syunik’s security concerns, especially amidst the influx of over 5,000 Armenian refugees from Artsakh into the towns of Kapan and Goris, as well as the impact and threat of the potential establishment of a so-called “Zangezur Corridor” being advocated by Turkey and Azerbaijan.
The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Azerbaijan may be preparing for military aggression against his country as the term "Western Azerbaijan," has become increasingly popular in public discourse in Azerbaijan.
During a Nov. 18 speech at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly in Yerevan, Pashinyan claimed Azerbaijan media, schools, and universities had started calling Armenia this way, warning the rhetoric could signal Baku's desire to start an offensive military operation.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned a select group of lawmakers that Azerbaijan might be planning to invade Armenia in the coming weeks, Politico reported on Oct. 13.
Officials familiar with the discussion told Politico that Blinken spoke about the possibility of an invasion in a conference call on Oct. 3.
The call addressed officials' questions about the U.S. response to Azerbaijan's September offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.
During the call, Blinken reportedly told lawmakers that the State Department will not renew an established agreement that permits the U.S. to offer Azerbaijan military aid. The agreement has been renewed every year since 2002 but lapsed in June.
In the same conversation, Blinken warned that Azerbaijan may invade southern Armenia.
Of particular concern is the southern region of Syunik, which Azerbaijan calls the Zangezur Corridor and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has repeatedly referred to as "Western Azerbaijan."
In mid-September, the Azerbaijani military launched a lightning offensive against the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, an unrecognized Armenian state within the territory of Azerbaijan. Local authorities eventually surrendered in a ceasefire mediated by Russia.
A formal decree was later signed, dissolving all official institutions of the breakaway state from Jan. 1, 2024. Following Azerbaijan's victory, around 100,000 people have left Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia.
12:35,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. In a few days, Yerevan will become the main platform of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the National Assembly of Armenia said.
300 delegates from around 50 countries will arrive in Armenia. The host party is the National Assembly.
The 21st Autumn Meeting of the OSCE PA will be held 18 – 20 November in Yerevan, Armenia.
13:30,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. Israel must stop killing babies and women in Gaza, French President Emmanuel Macron has told the BBC.
While recognising Israel's right to protect itself, "we do urge them to stop this bombing" in Gaza, he said.
''But he also stressed that France "clearly condemns" the "terrorist" actions of Hamas,'' the BBC reports.
21:48, 6 November 2023
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. The United Nations on Monday stressed that 88 staffers have been killed in Gaza, marking the highest toll ever for UN fatalities recorded in a single conflict, The Times of Israel reported.
The 88 staff members from the Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA have been reportedly killed since the beginning of the war, October 7.
A joint statement from the heads of all major UN agencies stated that the figure represents "the highest number of United Nations fatalities ever recorded in a single conflict."
The Armenian Student Association at the University of Minnesota (ASA) aims to educate the student body about a genocide occurring in their home country through their events in hopes of encouraging thought and education on world issues that may not be getting much attention.
More than 13,000 ethnic Armenians crossed into Armenia from the Nagorno-Karabakh region on Sept. 26 after the government of Azerbaijan said they wanted ethnic Armenians to re-integrate as equal citizens, according to the BBC. The genocide has been affecting Armenia since 1915, during World War I.
Nagorno-Karabakh, located in western Azerbaijan, is dealing with ethnic cleansing, which is the expulsion or killing of members of one ethnic or religious group in an area by those of another group. The region is home to over 120,000 ethnic Armenians who have their own de facto government that is not recognized by Armenia or any other country, according to CNN.
This is the second conflict between the Nagorno-Karabakh region and Azerbaijan, with the first occurring from 1988-1994 and a second conflict in 2020 following a ceasefire that lasted 27 years, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Davit Azizian, the president and founder of ASA, said he started ASA to promote Armenian culture and participate in advocacy and humanitarian work related to the Armenian genocide.
“There are about 20 Armenian students here at the U,” Azizian said. “This is the first ASA on campus, there was no ASA before. I’m always telling everyone that we are creating something new that is going to be left after you.”
ASA consists of five board members who all met each other through various events. Stephan Azatian, treasurer of ASA, said he met Azizian through an international student event and was not expecting to meet other Armenian students.
“I was the checking person at the event where I met Stephan, and I was like, ‘Are you Armenian by chance?’ and he was like, ‘Yeah,’” Azizian said. “I found many people like that, by randomly seeing a name and asking if they are Armenian.”
When Armine Utas, social media manager for ASA, was applying for college, she prioritized the campus having an Armenian community. Her best friend’s older brother knew some Armenians on campus and she was put into a group chat, where she first met Azizian.
“We slowly started adding more and more Armenians, and that’s when we found out that there was a bigger Armenian community at the U,” Utas said.
Azizian said ASA has done events where they show documentaries about the Armenian genocide to the general student body and they utilize their social media presence to spread awareness about what is going on in their home country.
Utas said it is tiring to educate others on the genocide, as non-Armenians do not advocate for it, and being in America has made her feel helpless as she reflects on a genocide dating back to her ancestors.
“I remember when I first heard about the conflict re-starting in the region, even though it’s been ongoing, I just sat in silence at HSEC for 45 minutes contemplating everything,” Utas said. “You feel like you can’t do anything, like your voice isn’t heard.”
Azatian has relatives who live in Nagorno-Karabakh and said he has been feeling really nervous about what is unfolding in the region. His number one priority in ASA is spreading awareness about the Armenian genocide, after he said his non-Armenian friends know about the situation but only in passing, such as in class or on the news.
“I have a stronger sense of duty to explain the situation and make sure more and more people are informed,” Azatian said. “In my experience, people are interested, but there’s not enough resources unless you really dig deep to understand what’s going on there.”
Azizian’s firsthand experience witnessing the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict changed his perspective on how social media portrayed the genocide, as he was living in Armenia when the 2020 conflict started and was in the United States when fighting broke out on Sept. 26.
“It kind of helped me see a lot of things that are being missed, and I was looking at the issue from another angle, not just from Armenia,” Azizian said.
Watching the tensions unfold has made it difficult for Azizian to attend classes and do schoolwork, but he said his professors have been very helpful with extensions on assignments and exams.
“Fortunately, I have had really understandable professors that were like, ‘Oh, I’m sorry, what’s happening?’ They were like, ‘I can help you, just let me know how,” Azizian said.
Having an Armenian community helps ASA get through the challenges of watching the conflict unfold in their home country. The board continues to host awareness events and have discussions about the conflict in their weekly meetings, according to Azizian.
“We feel like we only have each other because we are a very tight-knit community,” Utas said. “After the genocide, I feel like you can create Little Armenias everywhere you go and I feel like that’s what we’re trying to do with ASA and I think that’s the beauty of Armenians.”
https://mndaily.com/279821/campus-activities/armenian-student-association-creates-community-through-crisis/