In recent days, the Armenian propaganda has been making enormous efforts to put out a wave of fear of a possible war with Azerbaijan. This war, thanks to the irresponsible statements of the new Armenian authorities, has really ceased to be a ghost and has taken on real shape. Pashinyan made it clear that he would not continue negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict. He hopes for his alleged “democratic image” and expects to use it to pressure the West from Baku. Such stupid hopes and frivolous calculations indicate to unprofessionalism, the lack of strategic thinking and the complete unfitness of Premier Pashinyan in big politics, as well as the fact that the war turns into the only way to achieve justice for Azerbaijan.
Official Baku has repeatedly stated and warned Armenia that it will never agree with the existing status quo. In response to the military provocations of Armenia and in order to prevent diversion and ensure the security of its citizens, the Azerbaijani army carried out a crushing military blow to the Armenian armed forces in early April 2016 and forced them to withdraw. Today, Azerbaijan is the country with the strongest and most powerful army in the South Caucasus, which has responded to the provocation from Armenia and demonstrated the strength and power of its army.
Delusional statements by the military and political leadership of the Republic of Armenia and representatives of the puppet separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh prove that they are seriously worried, in fear, hysteria and panic. The Azerbaijani army is ready for any development of events on the front line. Azerbaijan armed forces and the most powerful weapons systems capable of crushing power are capable of destroying all important military targets and strategic communications of Armenia in a short time. In order to achieve a political solution to the conflict, the occupation must be stopped first and the status quo changed. If Armenia is interested in resolving the conflict, which is important for the development of Armenia itself, it must stop the occupation, follow, and respect the resolutions of the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The majority of the Armenian population do not live, they just exist. However, for some reasons they compare themselves to the French and Dutch and not to residents of Eritrea or Somalia. It seems that some kind of economic growth is starting now, but it should take at least 10 years to feel it. The population is dissatisfied with authorities, and no one directs their protest.
Do they in Armenia understand that the collapse of the economy and the mass outflow of the population are only consequences, and not the cause of the troubles? Armenia needs to fight not only consequences, but also the underlying causes of problems. Armenia today is like a sick person. This is equivalent to a doctor treating the consequences of the disease, and not the cause. Moreover, the reason lies in Armenian aggressive foreign policy and territorial claims to almost all neighboring states (excluding fundamentalist Iran, with which Armenia has very close, strategic and friendly relations) and in the unsettled Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. After all, these factors led to the economic isolation of Armenia in the region: today the borders of Armenia are closed not only with Azerbaijan, but also with such a large market as Turkey that supports Azerbaijan’s position in its conflict with Armenia.
The latest statements of Nikola Pashinyan and his political behavior is the bluff of the Armenian separatists as their goal is to justify their own aggression and occupation against Azerbaijan. It is obvious that the current leadership of Armenia is striving to declare itself as a supporter of “democracy” and hiding behind “democracy” to maintain the status quo that was established during the truce or even worse, to recognize the separatist puppet regime in Nagorno-Karabakh. Then the question automatically arises: “Can a democratic state be an advocate of occupation?
However, recent events in the region once again proved that official Baku will never agree with the existing status quo in the region and that Armenia should realize that Azerbaijan’s patience has limits. There is a red line and it is impossible to go back once you cross it. According to international law, Baku has the right to not only defend itself, but also to liberate the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia.
State Dept. Rep. Calls for Return of Religious Minority Properties
Kate Nahapetian, Executive Director of the ALC, emphasizes the need to return properties as a means of preventing religious persecution and genocide at State Department’s first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom.
WASHINGTON—Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC) Executive Director Kate Nahapetian emphasized the importance of property rights in the protection of religious freedom and genocide prevention during the State Department’s first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, which convened on June Tuesday.
“If we are able to work to return properties, we eliminate the profit motive for persecution and genocide,” stated Nahapetian during the meeting plenary session, where she applauded the State Department’s recent successful efforts to return properties to religious minorities in Iraq.
Pat Davis, Director of Office of Global Programming at the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor agreed that the return of properties to religious minorities needs to be a focus in addressing religious persecution and atrocity crime prevention. “That is something we have started doing more and more of… as recognition of that exact same phenomenon that you talked about.”
The Armenian Legal Center has been collecting information related to religious and personal properties stolen or confiscated during the Armenian Genocide as part of a process for their eventual return or compensation. It is the only community organization to do so, understanding the importance of consolidating this information in one place as a means towards redress and accountability for the genocide. To submit documentation concerning stolen or lost properties from the Armenian Genocide, please visit: st1yle=”margin:0px 0px 10px”>More than 300 religious freedom leaders from 80 countries around the world — including Armenia – gathered in Washington DC for the Ministerial. Individual testimonies from religious minorities across the globe punctuated the program. In his opening remarks, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback highlighted the case of imprisoned American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who has spent nearly two years in a Turkish jail on baseless charges. Following White House and State Department pressure, and a Senate threat to block international financial corporation assistance for Turkey, the Erdogan regime moved Brunson from jail to house arrest on Wednesday.
Clark and Durbin Introduce Haiti and Armenia Reforestation Bill
Asbarez: ‘With Our Soldiers’ Delivers Emergency Medical Kits to Artsakh Defense Ministry
GLENDALE—In early June, members of Armenian Youth Federation Western U.S.’s “With Our Soldiers” Committee traveled to Artsakh with trained professionals of Code 3 Angels and donated 500 emergency medical kits to Artsakh’s Ministry of Defense. The kits, which included emergency bandages and tourniquets, were prepared by members of the committee beforehand in Pasadena.
These members also travelled to the military base in Tonashen and provided a review of First Aid/CPR training to some of the soldiers. The “With Our Soldiers” Committee had taken on this project with Code 3 Angels, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency medical services skills and training to people across the U.S. and in developing nations, as a part of its ongoing work to provide direct aid to Artsakh with the engagement of the Armenian Youth Federation membership.
In addition to preparing over 500 kits, members of the AYF also received the necessary training and became certified in order to assist the trained professionals of Code 3 Angels on their training sessions. This project will serve as just one of the next several steps that the “With Our Soldiers” committee plans to take on as a part of their consistent efforts in supporting our troops in the homeland.
As an update, the “With Our Soldiers” 2.0 campaign recently concluded a few months ago when our members completed dispersing funds to the 7 remaining families of fallen soldiers as a part of 2.0. The campaign provided each of these families with $1000, making the total amount delivered to the families of fallen soldiers of the 2016 Four Day War and the following months over $150,000.
Here is the information about these 7 soldiers:
Vardan Sargsyan (b. 1997) was a tall and extremely strong physically amongst his peers growing up and as a result spend his youth playing sports. Positionally, a defender during soccer, Vardan’s ability to excel in sports would transcend to other spheres of life including his ability to play instruments. Enjoying many wind instruments, among his favorite were the duduk and the zurna which he would often take to as a hobby and pastime. Vardan was killed on June 16, 2017 by Azerbaijani fire.
Vigen Petrosyan (b. 1997) was serving on the frontlines of Talish & Martuni and was at the frontlines during the April 2016 4-day war without the knowledge of his parents. The only person aware of the extent of Vigen’s involvement was his brother Vahe. Vigen was only 20 years old and one month shy of finishing his service when he was killed, alongside 2 of his fellow soldiers as a result of an Azerbaijani missile that hit a tree the soldiers were sitting under and detonated. He was killed on June 16, 2017.
Arayik Matinyan (b. 1998) was a sniper in the Artsakh Armed Forces. He was generally a hard worker and learned to survive off the land he lived on from his father. He was the oldest of three brothers and also had one sister. He was killed along with Vardan Sargsyan and Vigen Petrosyan on June 16, 2017 by Azerbaijan fire.
Vazgen Poghosyan (b. 1997) was serving in the eastern direction of the Line of Contact. He lived with his family in the town of Horbategh in the province of Vayots Dzor. Vazgen was posthumously awarded the “For Service in Battle” medal for bravery shown during his defense of the Artsakh border. He was killed on July 10, 2017 by Azerbaijani fire.
Narek Gasparyan (b. 1998) was a participant of the 2016 April War serving in Talish. According to family members, Gasparyan had one month before he was to be discharged from the Artsakh Armed Forces. Gasparyan’s brother also served last year and was recently discharged. Narek was known for being a very talented dhol player. Gasparyan was killed on June 17, 2017 by Azerbaijani aggression.
Arman Movsisyan (b. 1998) was a very active child growing up and liked to finish things fast and first. He was the only son in the family and had one sister. Arman enjoyed building things on his own and working on various projects. When he passed away, he left behind a bicycle that he was building as well as a garage he was building for his family. Arman was killed by Azerbaijani fire on August 14, 2017.
Artak Bisharyan (b.1991) was posthumously awarded the “For Service in Battle” medal for bravery and courage shown during his defense of his fatherland. Although he had finished his mandatory service he decided to remain and continue to carry out his duties for his nation and his people. Furthermore his brother is a police officer and thus for the Bisharyan family service to the state plays an integral role in their framework. Artak will be remembered as a kind-hearted individual who would always perform tasks and do things so that his friends would not have to and that is exactly how he spent his last few breaths. The Armenian military had a task to be fulfilled near the neutral zone and it was exactly then when the enemy infantry took aim, killing Artak. He was killed on August 27, 2017.
The AYF’s “With Our Soldiers” campaign, originally launched in 2012, provided medical services and assistance to more than 80 veterans of the Artsakh Liberation Movement. To learn more about the WOS campaign or to make a donation today, you can visit withoursoldiers.com.
Founded in 1933 with organizational structures in over 17 regions around the world and a legacy of over eighty years of community involvement, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian-American youth organization in the world, working to advance the social, political, educational, and cultural awareness of Armenian youth.
Telma’s Crew
See attached- NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release contact-Garen Yegparian 818/563-3918 [email protected] Telma’s Crew Northridge, CA – Telma Ghazarian Altoon is competing in the world’s toughest footrace in about one month. But no one achieves success in such events alone. All the racers are backed up by crews of three or four (the maximum allowed) people. Telma’s crew will consist of four, and is very international. Currently, one slot is open because two people who had planned on filling it were sidelined by health issues. The search is on for a replacement. Meanwhile, the other three are busily preparing for the big two-days in July the Badwater 135 race spans. The crew’s sole purpose for those days will be to see to the racer’s, Telma’s, needs. They will support her by running beside her not only to hand her water and food, but also to keep her from running too fast! They will spray her with water to cool down in the 120-130°F heat of the desert, make sure all supplies are immediately available (e.g fresh socks), keep the support van close for the brief naps she may take, etc. In short, they are there to make sure all Telma does is focus on the grueling task of running 135 miles and 14,600 feet of gain in the desert. Valod Shaverdian, an engineer born in Iran, is the crew chief, and responsible for making sure all the nitty-gritty arrangements are made and a tight schedule adhered to. He is the first Armenian to serve in that position in this three-decade old race. He is most proud of being his daughter, Audrey’s, dad. But he also brings a dozen years’ worth of hiking/mountaineering/running experience. Before seeing the documentary "Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135" in 2006, Valod had never been involved in any organized sports and claims “I couldn’t run to save my life”. But the film’s presentation of the human spirit and the extremes human bodies can endure fascinated him and he started running. Since then, he has finished eleven half marathons, four marathons, and two 50 kilometer races. His current passion is hiking. Besides summiting most of the major peaks in Southern California, he has climbed Mt. Ararat in 2014 and Mt. Elbrus (in Russia near Georgia, the highest mountain in Europe) in 2017, both dormant volcanoes. He aspires to complete a 50-mile event and climb South America’s highest peak, Aconcagua, in Argentina. Balmore Flores has been running since he was 13 in El Salvador where he was born. Immigrating to the USA at age 17, he ran the mile and two-mile for his high school track and cross-country teams for one season. After graduating, Balmore joined the US Navy and kept running for fun, but stayed away from competitive events except for a few marathons here and there. Like Valod, a film inspired him. In March 2013, seeing the film “Indulgence: 1,000 Miles Under the Colorado Sky” made him realize that running 100 miles or more is possible. After that, there was no stopping him. He has completed the LA and San Diego Marathons multiple times, along with the Santa Clarita, Mountains to Beach, and Boston Marathons. Among his “short” races are the Valley Crest Trail 1/2 Marathon and Xterra Trail 21K (“K” is commonly used in racing circles for kilometer). He has six 50K (33 mile) Ultra-Trail races under his belt – Bulldog (twice), Speedgoat (twice), Bandit, and Holcom Valley. He has the Leona Divide and Avalon Ultra-Trail 50 milers under his belt as well. Finally, in the 100 mile Ultra-Trail category, the Chimera (twice), Angeles Crest (twice), Bryce, Wasatch, and Born to Run (twice) have all seen the underside of his feet! He hopes to return to Central America upon retirement and is already signed up to run the Ultra-Trail Guatemala. However, he’s concerned that “it might not happen because the volcano Fuego has erupted twice already this year, and the race course goes up that volcano. I am looking into running Ulta-Trail Fuego Y Agua in Nicaragua in 2019.” Hakoop Abnoos, like Valod, was born in Iran and currently resides in Burbank. He is a black belt in karate. He was been passionate about track and field in his teenage years when he participated in multiple 400m, 1600m and 10k races in Iran’s Hamahaykakan (pan-Armenian) games, continuing into young adulthood. One of Hakoop's life-long dreams was to climb Mount Ararat. After achieving this goal in 2014, he got passionate about hiking and mountaineering and went on to climb Mount Orizaba – Mexico highest, and Chimborazo, Cayambe, Illiniza Norte, Pichincha, and Pasochoa in Ecuador. In 2015, he completed the LA marathon which reignited his passion for the sport of running. He has since completed four additional marathons, two 50Ks, two 50 milers, and several half marathons and 10k runs. He placed first for his age group in two of those competitions. His biggest goals are to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and participate in a 100-miler. All this running and training is necessary since the crew will also have to endure the same conditions as Telma, but will be taking turns in running with her. #####
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
NR 05- Telma's Crew- pic.png
JPEG image
PM Pashinyan assures all those who didn’t properly implement their tasks in military units will be held accountable (photos)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan assures that all those who didn’t properly implement their tasks in the military units will be held accountable.
“We have received different information. In some military units the situation is good, but some face problems. Discussions are underway in connection with several military units, and there will be personnel solutions. All those who didn’t properly fulfill their tasks, will be held accountable”, PM Pashinyan said during the visit to Yerevan’s Central military commissariat, commenting on the clothing and other issues during the military service.
He said from the very first day the General Staff reported him that there are no problems with the delivery. And as there are no delivery problems, therefore, the issue is at the implementation stage.
US Must Counter Russia’s ‘Malign’ Activity in Armenia – Senator Menendez
Sputnik News Service Friday 6:45 PM UTC US Must Counter Russia's 'Malign' Activity in Armenia - Senator Menendez WASHINGTON, June 29 (Sputnik) – The United States should resist Russia’s activities in Armenia, US Senator Robert Menendez said on Friday. “The Kremlin has made no secret of its agenda to undermine democracies across the world, and we must work together to counter such malign Russian influence in Armenia,” Menendez said in a statement after meeting with Armenian President Armen Sarkissian. Menendez acknowledged the multiple challenges Yerevan faces. In particular, he condemned the “Turkish aggression from the Eastern Mediterranean to northern Syria” as "unacceptable." The senator also called for an end to Azerbaijan's "bellicose behavior" in Nagorno-Karabakh. He praised the peaceful protests in Armenia in recent months, calling the demonstrations “a powerful and inspiring example of citizens making their voices heard.” Armenia experienced a political crisis after ex-President Serzh Sargsyan was nominated as country’s prime minister. The situation led to massive protests led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which finally resulted in Sargsyan's resignation on April 23, followed by Pashinyan's election as the Armenian prime minister on May 8. Following Pashinyan’s election, the formerly ruling Republican Party of Armenia, which still has the majority of seats in the parliament, declared itself an opposition party.
168: PM Pashinyan approves National Security Service’s charter and structure
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a decision on approving the charter and structure of the National Security Service in accordance with the Law on Public Administration System Authorities.
Aghasi Yenokyan: The authors of the Constitution, perhaps, were looking at the ceiling, it does not correspond to our public life, it must also be changed (video)
Political scientist Aghasi Yenokyan says minority governance in Armenia is anti-constitutional.
“The authors of the Constitution, perhaps, were looking at the ceiling, it does not correspond to our public life, it must also be changed.”
According to him, the Constitution of Armenia demands the policy to be based on parties, but the party system has not been formed in Armenia.
“At one time seemingly the most powerful impressive party is collapsing.”
Aghasi Yenokyan thinks that the Republican Party (RPA) may face major changes ahead of snap parliamentary elections.
“The RPA will be an absolutely different party, maybe it will come up with another ideology.”
According to the political scientist, it is impossible to make predictions about the results of the upcoming elections, as it is not known when and how to conduct them.
“We still do not have a new Electoral Code.”
He does not exclude that former Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan will form a new team and participate in the elections, the politician believes the participation of the founding parliament members is likely.
ANCA’s Hamparian Meets With Artsakh Leaders
ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian (left) meets with Artsakh President Bako Sahakian on Monday in Stepanakert
STEPANAKERT—The Chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America on Monday met with Artsakh President Bako Sahakian and Artsakh Foreign Minister Masis Mayilian and discussed important issue regarding the republic’s foreign and domestic priorities and relations with the Diaspora.
President Sahakian thanked the ANCA for its continued leadership in advancing issues related to Artsakh’s security and international recognition with American government structures.
Hamparian discussed a broad range of U.S. aid and Artsakh security issues including the recent ANCA inquiry to key Congressional panels about reports of Bell helicopter sales to Azerbaijan; last week’s Senate Appropriations Committee vote to support aid to regional rehabilitation centers, such as the Caroline Cox Center in Stepanakert; continue assistance for Artsakh demining efforts; and effort to implement the Royce-Engel peace proposals, including the placement of gun-fire locators along the line of contact with Azerbaijan.
Each of these is part of the “ANCA 360” approach to pro-Artsakh advocacy, generating U.S. support – in policy, practice, and principle— for the Artsakh Republic’s independence and security, supporting the OSCE Minsk Group platform, challenging Azerbaijani aggression by promoting accountability for attacks along the line of contact, and fostering broader, pro-peace dialogue between the U.S. and Artsakh.