Author: Kalantarian Kevo

Attack on Armenian school in San Francisco to be investigated as hate crime

Kalantarian Kevo
Public Radio of Armenia

<img width=”576″ height=”384″ src=””https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/xArmenian-School-San-Francisco.jpeg.pagespeed.ic.BCqy17gJWV.jpg” class=”attachment-full size-full wp-post-image” alt=”” srcset=”https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/xArmenian-School-San-Francisco.jpeg.pagespeed.ic.BCqy17gJWV.jpg 576w, 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 576px) 100vw, 576px”/>

The vandalism and attack on San Francisco’s Krouzian-Zekarian Vasbouragan school and the adjacent community center will be investigated as a hate crime, the San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced late Friday, Asbarez reports.

“We are absolutely treating this investigation as a hate crime. It is outrageous. It is an attack on every single one of us in San Francisco. There is no place for intolerance or hate,” Boudin told KTVU 2, the local FOX affiliate in San Francisco.

On Friday, San Francisco Armenian community members woke up to the horrific site of anti-Armenian—pro-Azerbaijani—graffiti spray painted on the walls of the school, which is a pre-K to eight grade school run by the Board of Regents of the Prelacy Armenian Schools. The adjacent community center, on Brotherhood Way, was also vandalized with hate speech.

San Francisco District Attorney Boudin was the first to express outrage at the hate attack.

“Someone vandalized the Armenian school/community center. I’m outraged. This is totally inconsistent with San Francisco values. It is also a CRIME,” said Boudin on Twitter Friday. “We are working with San Francisco Police Department to investigate. We stand with our Armenian brothers and sisters.”

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi said: “Each and every one of us has a duty to stand up to hate wherever it appears. The KZV Armenian School is a part of the beautiful fabric of our San Francisco family. The hateful defacing of this place of community & learning is a disgrace.”

Pelosi was joined by fellow Bay Area Congresswoman Jackie Speier, who also Tweeted Saturday saying, “The vandalism scarring the KZV School and Armenian Community Center must be investigated. It is an act of hate and should be considered a hate crime. My heart goes out to KZV’s students, teachers and parents. The perpetrators must be brought to justice.”

This hate crime follows a pattern of racially-motivated attacks against Armenians, including the mob attacks against Armenians by Azerbaijanis in Russia, an arson attack on an Armenian embassy vehicle in Germany, and the deliberate burning down of an Armenian business in Ukraine. A similar incident involving racially charged anti-Armenian vandalism of Armenian schools in Los Angeles took place last year, forcing these schools to be on high alert to closely monitor the situation.

Asbarez: How to Eliminate Threat of Genocide by Azerbaijan and Turkey

Kalantarian Kevo
July 24,  2020

Retired Lieutenant General Hayk Kotanjian

BY LIEUTENANT GENERAL (RETIRED) HAYK KOTANJIAN

Following the attacks unleashed by Baku on Armenia on July 12, strategic analysts monitoring the dynamics of the “no war, no peace” situation in the volatile and conflict-ridden region, have come across plans for a joint Turkish-Azerbaijani war against the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.

This is evidenced by the statements of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the results of a joint reconfiguration of these plans during the visit of an Azerbaijani Armed Forces delegation to Ankara headed by Lieutenant General Ramiz Tahirov, Commander of the Azerbaijani Air Force.

Erdogan confirmed that the Turkish Army Chief of Staff General Yashar Guler had successfully worked with the Azerbaijani military delegation with the involvement of the commanders of all branches of the Turkish Armed Forces. It can be assumed that the adjustment of the plans of the joint Turkish-Azerbaijani war against Armenia was carried out taking into account the lessons of Azerbaijan’s defeat of in the 2016 April War and the precise and crushing counteraction of the Armenian Armed Forces to an attempt to escalate the Karabakh conflict in the Tavush Province in Armenia.

The end result of the statements by the heads of Turkey and Azerbaijan about their readiness to implement the adjusted military plans for a joint war has made it imperative for the authorities of the Republic of Armenia to speak about the threat of recurrence of the Genocide hanging over the Armenian people.

The relevance of the “Never Again” principle for the Armenian people is due to the genocidal attacks on the Armenian population of Azerbaijan during Perestroika in the USSR, which were in response to peaceful political rallies of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians for the right to self-determination and secession from the Azerbaijani SSR in accordance with the USSR legislation and international law. We are talking about the pogroms in Sumgait and Kirovabad in 1988 and in Baku in 1990, as well as war crimes committed against the civilian population of Armenia during the April war of 2016.

In this regard, it is extremely important to call on the international community, represented by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and the three permanent members of the UN Security Council – Russia, the United States and France to take sequent steps to prevent a new Genocide against the Armenian people.

Wanting to make sense of the lessons of the April War and to ensure a guaranteed peace, the OSCE Minsk Group offered confidence-building measures to the parties to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which were agreed on in Vienna on May 16 and in St. Petersburg on June 20, 2016.

The authorities of the Republic of Armenia must appeal to the Minsk Group Co-Chairs with a proposal to return the issue of confidence-building measures to the agenda, so that all stakeholders can receive reliable information on the escalation of the conflict and the identification of the initiator or the aggressor. As a monitoring tool for ceasefire violations, the use of a space sensing method in the Karabakh conflict zone via satellites employed by the three permanent members of the UN Security Council—Russia Russia, the United States and France—should be considered.

The coordinated satellite signals by the Co-Chairs to determine the concentration of military buildup and threats of deployment will enable Azerbaijan and Armenia, through the mediation of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs, to pursue more substantive steps for a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

Turkish Press: Azerbaijan downs Armenian drone amid border clashes

Kalantarian Kevo
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Azerbaijan downs Armenian drone amid border clashes

Jeyhun Aliyev   | 16.07.2020

ANKARA

Azerbaijani forces shot down an Armenian drone spying on Azerbaijani positions amid clashes across the countries’ mutual northern border area, officials said Thursday.

The Armenian tactical unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) X-55 was detected and destroyed early in the morning, Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry said in a written statement.

Earlier on Sunday, the Armenian army attempted to attack Azerbaijani positions with artillery fire in the direction of the northwestern Tovuz border district, withdrawing after suffering losses following retaliation from the Azerbaijani military.

Recent border clashes with Armenia have resulted in the martyrdom of 11 Azerbaijani soldiers — including a major general and a colonel — and injured four others.

Despite international calls for restraint, Armenian troops opened fire on civilian settlements in the villages of Agdam and Dondar Kuscu. A 76-year-old Azerbaijani citizen lost his life in the attacks by Armenia, which Baku has accused of hiding losses.

Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for the “provocative” actions, with Turkey throwing its weight behind Baku and saying it warning Yerevan that it would not hesitate to stand against any kind of attack on its eastern neighbor.

“This attack goes beyond the diameter of Armenia. The aim is both to block the solution in the Upper Karabakh and to reveal new conflict areas,” President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, has been illegally occupied since 1991 through Armenian military aggression.

Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as decisions by many international organizations, refer to this fact and demand the withdrawal of the occupational Armenian forces from Upper Karabakh and seven other occupied regions of Azerbaijan.






Foreign Ministry: Iran’s stance on Karabakh remains unchanged

Kalantarian Kevo
Panorama, Armenia

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Mousavi said that the country’s stance on the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh concerning Armenia and Azerbaijan has not changed at all, according to the official IRNA news agency.

“Our stance regarding [the settlement of] the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Karabakh region has not changed at all,” he said.

Stressing the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the countries and use the peaceful means to settle disputes, Mousavi added: “We believe these two neighboring countries should resolve their disputes peacefully and the Islamic Republic of Iran has always announced its readiness to help resolve the issue.”

Iran’s balanced position on NK conflict settlement has not changed, says Ambassador

Kalantarian Kevo

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 15:52, 8 July, 2020

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri commented on the contradictory statements of the Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan over the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

In an interview to Armenia’s Public TV, the Iranian Ambassador said Iran’s balanced position on the NK conflict settlement has not changed.

The reporter said the Iranian Ambassador to Azerbaijan sometimes is making such statements which differ from the official position of Iran and asked the Ambassador what is the official position of Iran in this respect.

“We have always expressed the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, no change has taken place in our position. If there are people who express other opinions, they are not official stances, and the balanced position which has been adopted by Iran has remained unchanged. And any change would have been presented by the spokesperson of the Iranian foreign ministry which has not been done”.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia: Japan provides US$3.7m grant for medical equipment

Kalantarian Kevo
Laing Buisson News
July 8 2020
By Adrian Murdoch
–

8th July 2020

The Japanese government has provided a US$3.7m grant to help the Armenian government buy Japanese medical equipment.

This project intends to assist Armenia in its fight against the Covid-19 epidemic, by strengthening its mid- to long-term healthcare and medical systems. The Japanese embassy in Yerevan said that the latest generation of MRI system and other items will considerably upgrade the current level of medical service in the country, alleviating various health-related issues and saving peoples’ lives.

“On behalf of the Japanese government, I would like to highlight the utmost importance and timeliness of this project, particularly in view of the current situation of COVID-19 pandemic in Armenia and the world,” said ambassador Jun Yamada.

“I sincerely hope that the new equipment from Japan will contribute to significantly upgrading capacity of healthcare and medical institutions in the country, thus saving more lives and enhancing the living standard of the Armenian people,” he added.

CivilNet: New Skirmishes Erupt on Armenia-Azerbaijan Line of Contact

Kalantarian Kevo
CIVILNET.AM

04:50

By Emilio Luciano Cricchio

Skirmishes on the Line of Contact between Armenia and Azerbaijan erupted on Sunday, July 12, when Azerbaijani forces attempted to take control of an Armenian border post in the northern region of Tavush. 

In the ensuing fighting, three Azerbaijani servicemen were reportedly killed and five injured.

According to the spokeswoman of the Armenian Defence Ministry Shushan Stepanyan, the Armenian side did not suffer any casualties.

Late Sunday evening, a group of Azerbaijani servicemen in a military vehicle tried to enter Armenian territory and take over a border post.

Armenian forces returned fire and repelled the attack.

The area on the Armenian side was then bombarded with mortars and tank fire, and Armenian forces returned fire.

Stepanyan later stated that flare ups were still occurring “from time to time,” but “all the attempts from enemy positions have been neutralized.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry released a statement pinning the blame on the military and political leadership of Azerbaijan, which triggered the attack despite a call from international mediators to refrain from provocations. 

A number of Armenian domain websites (.am) have also come down after a purported hacking attack.

Hetq.am, an investigative news site, was also attacked by hackers on Sunday, July 12, and remains unreachable as of Monday 6 AM local time. Hetq.am issued a statement of Facebook: “Dear readers, Hetq is not available at the moment, the website has been attacked.”

Some are pointing to a probable connection between the Azerbaijani attack and the hacking of Armenian websites.

Support Armenia Fund and Ministry of Economy will cooperate

Kalantarian Kevo

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 13:58,

YEREVAN, JULY 10, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan had an online discussion with the Support Armenia Fund’s initiative group, the ministry told Armenpress.

The ministry contacted the Fund to express its readiness in assisting them to support the small and medium businesses as a result of the fundraising organized by the Fund.

Minister Khachatryan welcomed the group’s initiative and assured that his team is ready to assist the Fund in effectively organizing the works. He introduced the government’s anti-crisis policy. The minister said on the sidelines of the government’s third anti-crisis measure, assistance has been provided to nearly 900 economic entities. The minister mentioned the fields most affected by COVID-19.

Member of the initiative Olivia Zhamkochyan thanked minister Khachatryan for the readiness to assist and presented the activity and future programs of the Fund. He said they are going to firstly assist small family businesses in tourism field.

The discussion participants praised the fact that American-Armenian reality TV superstar Kim Kardashian also joined the awareness raising campaign on this fundraising.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia property tax reform raises gentrification fears

Kalantarian Kevo
Reuters
July 4 2020
 
 
UPDATE 1-
 
by Umberto Bacchi, Thomson Reuters Foundation
 
July 4 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – A property tax rise in Armenia risks forcing elderly people from homes they have lived in since the Soviet era and which have risen dramatically in value since then, critics have warned.
 
The reform was signed into law this week and will bring thousands of homes that were previously exempt because of low historic valuations into the tax system.
 
But critics including the Armenian president say the hike penalises older people who are not rich but took ownership of apartments in the centre of the capital Yerevan when the country moved from Communism to a private property system.
 
“It’s going to be a huge burden for a lot of elderly people,” said Mark Grigorian, a Yerevan-based journalist who co-authored one of several petitions calling for changes in the law.
 
“These people will be forced out of the places, out the flats where they were born, where they spent all their lives, which is a tragedy.”
 
Vahan Artsruni, a 55-year-old musician who launched a Facebook campaign opposing the bill, said he feared he would have to sell the flat his family inhabited for generations and move to the suburbs.
 
“I’m freelance artist … and I have unstable income,” he said, adding that other artists, intellectuals and scientists might also have to move out, changing the face of a city that has so far largely resisted gentrification.
 
Armenia’s ministry of finance said that criticism of the law was largely based on “emotions” and “incomplete perceptions” of the new tax system, but added that it was open to bring in changes if needed.
 
“Our calculations based on the typical apartments and houses show that the increase in tax is not so big that owners will have to sell their properties and buy new, cheaper ones,” a ministry spokeswoman said in an emailed statement.
 
Under the current system, properties in Armenia are taxed based on their land registry value, which is often much lower than the market price.
 
More than 60% of Armenia’s flats are tax exempt, according to lawmaker Babken Tunyan, who heads a parliamentary committee on economic affairs.
 
The reform, which will be phased in from January, scraps an exemption for low-value homes and introduces a progressive tax based on market value.
 
The owner of a $80,000, 120-square metre flat in central Yerevan who currently pays around $19 a year would owe about $100 after the reform kicks in.
 
The average monthly salary in the country is around $380, according to official estimates.
 
“The idea here is to impose a higher tax on the wealthiest of society, property owners who have gotten away for too long with very, very low property tax,” said Richard Giragosian, director at the Regional Studies Centre, a Yerevan think tank.
 
“(But) a lot of the people who now own the most lucrative property in the city centre are pensioners,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.
 
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has described the move as “untimely” due to the economic woes caused by the coronavirus pandemic, but said he lacked the authority to veto it.
 
Sarhat Petrosyan, an architect who advised the government on the reform as the head of Armenia’s Cadastral Committee up to October last year, said concerns surrounding the bill were “exaggerated”.
 
“I live in the centre of Yerevan and my apartments market value is $150,000 and I pay annually about $50 property tax. (For) my car, which costs maybe $20,000 I pay $70 property tax,” he said. “It’s not normal to have that kind of gap.”
 
The government could amend the legislation to allow people with low incomes to postpone payment of tax due until they sell the property, he added. (Reporting by Umberto Bacchi @UmbertoBacchi, Additional reporting Nvard Hovhannisyan, Editing by Claire Cozens. Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers the lives of people around the world who struggle to live freely or fairly. Visit )

Constitution is a mindset, a work culture, a system of values and morality – Armenian President

Kalantarian Kevo
Public Radio of Armenia
July 5 2020

<img width=”800″ height=”630″ src=””https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/xArmen-Sarkissian-11.jpg.pagespeed.ic.Y5AJc96fi2.jpg” class=”attachment-full size-full wp-post-image” alt=”” srcset=”https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/xArmen-Sarkissian-11.jpg.pagespeed.ic.Y5AJc96fi2.jpg 800w, 300w, 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px”/>

Constitution is not only the right and responsibility but also a mindset, a work culture, a system of values, and morality, President Armen Sarkissian said in an address on the occasion of Constitution Day.

The full text of the address is provided below:

Dear Compatriots,

Distinguished Citizens of the Republic of Armenia,

Today is the Constitution Day, and we also celebrate the State Symbols Day.

We have common state symbols – the state flag, coat of arms, anthem, and one unified Constitution – the Main Law of the land.

History is not only a good teacher but also an undeliberate inspirer. It constantly reminds and prompts us to keep in mind that to achieve success as a society and as a state, we need to work hand in hand, build our country together,

that first and foremost we have common state and national interests, and only after that come personal or private interests,

that the individual is the greatest asset,

and that the Constitution is not only the right and responsibility but also a mindset, a work culture, a system of values, and philosophy.

When over 200 years ago, the Shahamirians created the “Snare of Glory,” we didn’t have statehood yet, but they wrote is as a constitution for the future Armenia, hoping in their hearts that the time would come, the time of the Armenian statehood, statehood void of the snares of glory.

Dear Compatriots,

We need to exercise the utmost efforts and responsibility, discipline and vigilance to overcome challenges with dignity and move forward. We have to be more alert, united, and proactive to have a stable and developed country and to pass it to future generations; we need to have a strong state, a tolerant and unified society, unblemished state symbols – the flag, coat of arms, anthem, and unity based on the Constitution.

I congratulate us all and wish peace, prosperity, and optimism.

God bless our Fatherland and us all.