Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Lebanese-Armenians settling in Artsakh to be provided with jobs, housing, president says

Kalantarian Kevo
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 2 2020

“Each of us must do our best to successfully resolve even the seemingly unsolvable problems. We have the necessary will, potential and determination for it, “Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan told a news conference on Wednesday, summing up his first 100 days in office.

The president opened the press conference by extending congratulations on the Artsakh Republic Day. He wished peaceful and fruitful work to all for the benefit of the homeland and the Armenian people.

According to the Artsakh leader, much work has been done in different spheres during his tenure. But, he stressed, the primary work has been carried out in the defense sphere.

“In the defense sector, we have adopted the principle of ‘strong border, strong rear and protected homeland’ principle, which is enshrined in the action plan for 2020-2025. In order to implement this principle, necessary work is being done to strengthen the defense of our country, to increase the level of combat readiness of the army, and to continuously improve the service and social conditions of servicemen,” he said.

In Harutyunyan’s words, all reserve officers, freedom fighters of the Artsakh Liberation War and veterans of the Great Patriotic War have free access to the services of Artsakh and Armenian medical centers from September 1.

“The weaponry upgraded by experts of the Armenian military industry are already successfully used in the Armed Forces. Local agricultural products have been added to the food supply of the Defense Army,” the Artsakh leader said, stressing peace can be imposed only by strengthening the country’s army.

Harutyunyan stressed that the employees of all law enforcement agencies – Police, NSS, Rescue Service – must master the skills of using different types of military equipment and join the military in case of necessity.

As for domestic security, the Artsakh leader noted that the police and the Department of Emergency Situations are also involved in the military service to protect the Artsakh borders. “Since September 1, the salaries of police officers have increased. It was very low, now it has risen significantly. In that sense, the status of a police officer is important for our internal security. The issue of food security is being resolved at the moment,” he said.

Reflecting on the country’s foreign policy, Arayik Harutyunyan said that Artsakh pursues a multi-vector, balanced and constructive foreign policy, continuing to establish friendly, mutually beneficial, equitable political and economic relations with foreign states as much as possible.

“We stay focused on the international recognition of the Artsakh Republic and the development of centralized cooperation. Preparations are underway to expand the geography of international cooperation of Artsakh. The political leadership of the two Armenian states regularly hold consultations on the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict,” the president said. “We can express satisfaction over the fact that the visions of the two Armenian states on establishing lasting peace in the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict zone coincide.”

He informed that the Artsakh-Diaspora ties are also being strengthened, as evidenced by the creation of a working group to organize and coordinate the process of providing financial assistance to the Armenian community of Lebanon in the wake of the deadly Beirut blast.

He recalled that Artsakh has rendered humanitarian assistance, mostly food, to Beirut and the Artsakh government has allocated 35 million drams to the Armenian community of Lebanon.

Harutyunyan said that the transfer of a number of Lebanese-Armenian families wishing to settle in Artsakh is in progress. According to the president, they will be provided with jobs and housing. Several Lebanese-Armenian families already live in Artsakh, he added.

“Artsakh will continue to support our brothers and sisters living in various corners of the world,” he assured.



Armenian military launches planned command-staff exercises

Kalantarian Kevo

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 10:21, 24 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Armed Forces army corps and military bases stationed in the south-eastern direction of the country are holding command-staff exercises.

The drill began at 05:00, August 24 in accordance to the 2020 Readiness Plan of the military, and are led by the Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces.

“The purpose of the exercises is to check the combat readiness of the troops and take measures to reduce the timeframes of executing actions, check and perfect the commanding bodies’ abilities in preparing and executing operations, implement tactical-strategic drill scenarios of countering enemy aggression and eliminating enemy strike teams, as well as agree the partnership issues of the army corps and the backup forces designated for this direction,” Defense Ministry spokesperson Shushan Stepanyan said on social media.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs: Over 800 Lebanese-Armenians have arrived in Armenia to date

Kalantarian Kevo
News.am, Armenia
Aug 28 2020

Until now, more than 800 Lebanese-Armenians have arrived in Armenia. This is what High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of Armenia Zareh Sinanyan told reporters in parliament today.

“Some of them arrived before the blast in Beirut, that is, when the first plane arrived in Yerevan. Currently, there are two flights from Beirut to Armenia every week, and all the planes are full of passengers. The Lebanese-Armenians have various problems, and the Office of the High Commissioner is constantly in contact with them. We’re still working on a package of actions to take, but some of the Lebanese-Armenians don’t need state support.

At this moment, Armenian society is very kind towards the Armenians devastated by the economic crisis and blast in Lebanon and is willing to help. Therefore, you would be surprised to know how many people are offering to host Lebanese-Armenians in their homes. There are people who are offering Lebanese-Armenians to stay in their resorts. In other words, we can take care of everyone’s needs,” he said, adding that the package of actions will be placed into circulation on September 1.


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Artsakh president got acquainted with the implementation of programs in Karvachar

Kalantarian Kevo
Panorama, Armenia
Aug 29 2020
Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan visited the town of Karvachar on Friday and got acquainted to the programs being carried out in the regional center.
 
As the Information department at the President’s Offie reported, the president the activities of capital reconstruction of a 17,5 km long road from Vardenis-Martakert highway to the regional center, inquired about the schedule of the asphalting activities. The responsible officials of the contractor company “Dorozhnik” LLC assured the President that the activities will be launched in the first half of September. The project includes activities of fortifying the bridges at that part of the road as well as fully asphalting the central road of Karvachar.
 
Thereafter the President walked around the regional center, got acquainted to the activities of 15 apartment houses construction by means provided by the Armenian community of Australia, two dwelling districts with 48 apartments being built by state funding, a new building of the regional center hospital – by joint state and charitable funding, as well as works of paving and dismantling of old ruins.
The Head of the State considered important the programs being realized underlining that they have vital significance for Karvachar.
 
During the visit President Harutyunyan convoked a working consultation with heads of the region’s communities. A range of important issues including those of drinking water, nighttime illumination as well as provision of building materials for reconstructing the apartment houses of the families in need were discussed.

Hayastan All Armenian Fund organizes special fundraising concert for Lebanon

Kalantarian Kevo
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 27 2020

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The Hayastan All Armenian Fund, in close cooperation with the Public Television of Armenia, has organized a special concert entitled “For You Lebanon” to be aired on Saturday August 29th at 10:30pm local time on H1TV. The event will also be livestreamed on the Fund’s Facebook page.

This special event will have performances by renowned artists, special reports from Lebanon and calls to action by Armen Sarkissian, the RA President and Chairman of the Fund’s Board of Trustees, as well as Atom Egoyan, Arsinee Khanjian, Serj Tankian and many others.

Anyone can join this critical relief effort by donating through the Fund’s online platform or directly to the Fund’s dedicated Central Bank accounts and stand in support and solidarity with our compatriots in Lebanon.

“The Armenian community in Lebanon has for decades supported both the Homeland and Diaspora Communities and it is now our turn to stand with our brothers and sisters in their time of need,” the Fund says.

Following the call to action by Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and Trustee of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund, Nikol Pashinyan, the Fund launched the “Urgent Support to Lebanese-Armenians” fundraising campaign with all funds directed to Armenian educational institutions affected by the devastating explosion in Beirut.



Armenia closely following procedures for sale of 49% of Caucasus Online’s shares to Azerbaijani company

Kalantarian Kevo
News.am, Armenia
Aug 26 2020
Armenia closely following procedures for sale of 49% of Caucasus Online’s shares to Azerbaijani company Armenia closely following procedures for sale of 49% of Caucasus Online’s shares to Azerbaijani company

17:48, 26.08.2020
                  

Asbarez: Moscow Again Urges Baku, Yerevan to Observe Ceasefire

Kalantarian Kevo
August 26,  2020


A medic checks the temperature of Azerbaijani Foreign Jeyhun Bayramov (left) who met with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on August 26

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to prevent further ceasefire violations, saying that is essential for kick-starting the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

Lavrov expressed Russia’s readiness to help create the “necessary atmosphere” for resuming Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations during a meeting with his visiting Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov. He also discussed the Karabakh conflict in a phone call with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

“I understand that our common intent is to continue the negotiation process,” Lavrov told a joint news conference with Bayramov held after the talks. “In this regard, it is important to ensure the necessary atmosphere for setting up a steady negotiating process.”
“We will do our best to foster the creation of such conditions both in the national capacity and as one of the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,” he said.

Lavrov said that he specifically discussed with Bayramov the Russian, U.S. and French mediators’ plans to visit the conflict zone and organize talks between the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers. He stressed that the plans are contingent on preventing the kind of deadly ceasefire violations that broke out on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on July 12.

“We very much hope that what happened in July will not be repeated,” added the chief Russian diplomat.

The weeklong border clashes involving artillery and attack drones left at least 17 soldiers from both sides dead. Lavrov said last week that “active Russian mediation” helped to stop them.
Speaking at the news conference in Moscow, Bayramov, who was appointed as Azerbaijan’s foreign minister on July 16, blamed Armenia for the flare-up of violence and accused it of obstructing a Karabakh settlement. He also said that the talks planned by the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the Minsk Group must be “substantive.”

It was not immediately clear whether Lavrov’s phone conversation with Mnatsakanyan took place just before or after his meeting with Bayramov. The Armenian Foreign Ministry released no details of the conversation.

Immediately after the border fighting Yerevan called on Baku to agree to confidence-building measures that would bolster the ceasefire regime. It referred to concrete agreements to that effect that had been reached by Azerbaijani President Aliyev and his former Armenian counterpart President Serzh Sarkisian in 2016.

The agreements called for the deployment of more OSCE field observers in the conflict zone and international investigations of armed incidents occurring there. Baku subsequently refused to implement them, saying that they would cement the status quo.

Armenia, Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation sign deal on modernization of SU-25s

Kalantarian Kevo

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 14:40,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 24, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Ministry of Defense and Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation signed a contract on the modernization and renovation of SU-25 aircraft of the Armenian Air Force.

The Defense Ministry said the deal was inked at the Army 2020 International Military-Technical Conference between Armenian Deputy Minister of Defense Makar Ghambaryan and United Aircraft Corporation Deputy Director Ilya Tarasenko.

United Aircraft Corporation will assume the modernization and lifecycle maintenance of the mentioned planes, as well as aircraft issued earlier.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Environmental Activists Renew Protests Over Amulsar

Kalantarian Kevo
RFE/RL – Azatutyun
Aug 20 2020
August 20, 2020
  • Artak Khulian

A group of residents of the resort town of Jermuk joined scores of environmental activists in Yerevan on Thursday to stage a protest in front of the central government offices in the Armenian capital against the construction of a gold mine at Amulsar that they claim will jeopardize the country’s eco-system.

In 2016, the Armenian government issued a British-American mining company, Lydian International, a license to develop a mine in Armenia’s central Vayots Dzor province. But the site has been blockaded by environmental activists and local residents since May 2018 when a new government was formed in Armenia following the ‘Velvet Revolution.’

Activists claim that the project will affect Armenia’s waters, including Lake Sevan, the largest body of fresh water in the country. They demand that a new environmental impact study be conducted and that Lydian’s license be revoked. In March 2019, Lydian notified the Armenian government of a potential international arbitration.

Armenian Environmental Front activist Levon Galstian said that residents of Jermuk have been left out of the decision-making mechanisms and want to have their violated rights restored. “Here the matter concerns rights and not some laws, especially those written under the previous corrupt government,” he said during today’s protest.

Protests over Amulsar rekindled earlier this month when Lydian security workers dismantled wagon houses of activists blockading the roads leading to the site and placed their own instead.

As a result of a standoff that lasted for several days and was accompanied by clashes between protesters and police officers environmentalists managed to get the authorities to remove Lydian wagons from the area.

Lydian says its license for mining at Amulsar remains valid and calls the blockade of its site illegal. The company says that it has suffered serious financial losses as a result of the blockade, accusing the Armenian government of failing to curtail the “illegal activities.”

It became known earlier this month that the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development had ended its investment in the project. A Lydian representative stressed, however, that this circumstance will not affect the activities of the company or the quality of its work.




The victorious battles in July evidenced that there is no military solution to the Karabakh issue – Pashinyan

Kalantarian Kevo
Panorama, Armenia
Aug 21 2020
A regular session of the Security Council is being held in Yerevan, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. As the press department at the government reported, the Prime Minister addressed the meeting with opening remarks,
 
In his words, Armenia adopted a new national security strategy at the previous session and It is noteworthy that shortly after that landmark decision we witnessed the expediency and viability of that document. “It was recorded that in general, we had accurately assessed the security threats facing our country: the strategic assessment of our security environment was of high quality,” said the PM, adding: “The well-known events – the victorious battles of Tavush – took place in the wake of the previous Security Council session. The following is to be stated in this connection: All the way throughout the previous period, Azerbaijan had adopted a stance which implied that their failure to launch an offensive and resolve the Karabakh conflict by force should be perceived as a concession to both Armenia and the international community. During all this time, we had been urging the Azerbaijani leadership to refrain from speaking to Armenia from the position of strength and to give up their bellicose rhetoric.
 
In fact, the victorious battles in July came to demonstrate that there is no military solution to the Karabakh issue. I think the time has come for the Azerbaijani leadership to acknowledge this fact, since as I have mentioned on several occasions, if the Karabakh issue were to have a military solution, then the people of Artsakh might state that they had resolved it long ago.”
 
Pashinyan noted that Armenia continues with its constructive stance on the Karabakh issue and its position is that the conflict should be settled through peaceful talks.
 
The PM next pointed to the next factor specified in the National Security Strategy which is Turkey’s non-constructive policy in the region and in the world, in general. “I think that Turkey’s destabilizing and destructive approaches are causing serious concerns to our partners in the Middle East, the Eurasian region and the European region. This is an agenda that has already been formed, and our future action should be the subject of substantive discussions in the Security Council, the Government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and today’s session will address this issue among other agenda items,” said Pashinyan
 
Summing up his speech, Pashinyan stressed that the most important record is that the Republic of Armenia is in a position to meet the emerging security challenges and set the task of improving the country’s security environment every week, every month and every year.