Author: Kalashian Nyrie

Ishkhan Saghatelyan: Opposition to go back to parliament in September with its agenda

Kalashian Nyrie
Panorama
Armenia –

Opposition lawmakers will go back to the Armenian parliament in September only with their agenda, ARF Armenia Chair and opposition Hayastan bloc MP Ishkhan Saghatelyan told Yerkir Media on Friday.

He insists the agenda of the ruling Civil Contract faction MPs does not serve the interests of the Armenian people, while all opposition initiatives have been boycotted by the parliament majority.

“There is a parliamentary and political crisis in the country and if they try to strip opposition deputies of their seats illegally, in violation of the Constitution, it will also lead to a full-fledged constitutional crisis,” Saghatelyan said, warning against attempts to blackmail the opposition.

He claims their boycott of parliament sessions are justified. “It is thanks to the resistance movement that the authorities’ rhetoric regarding Artsakh has changed, but it cannot yet be considered an achievement yet. At this point, the resistance movement is at the stage of organizational work and will gain new impetus in September,” the opposition leader said.

Safer, easier, profitable, simplified: Armenia reforming investment sector

Kalashian Nyrie

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 14:56,

YEREVAN, JULY 22, ARMENPRESS. A roadmap for investment reforms aimed at promoting new investments, improving the investment environment and creating favorable climate for foreign investors in Armenia has been developed.

The roadmap was developed based on best international experience. It was presented by the USAID Armenia Business Enabling Environment Project to Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan on July 22.

Photos by Hayk Badalyan

Mission Director of USAID/Armenia John Allelo said that the document embodies “the best international approach and standards” adapted to the conditions of Armenia. It is an action plan.

“This roadmap can serve as a guideline which will direct foreign direct investments to Armenia,” Allelo said, expressing readiness to help Armenia in implementing the initiative.

The document was developed with joint efforts from Armenian and international experts.

Allelo said they’ve seen big progress in Armenia in the area, and that the Armenia Business Enabling Environment Project was launched in 2020 to address any emerging issues.

Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said investment reforms have a very important place in the government’s economic reforms agenda.

“I believe that the presented proposals are really in line with the economic realities of our country and the government’s priorities. The government’s expectations from this document are big. And its successful implementation will give tangible results by ensuring the targeted figures outlined in the government’s 2021-2026 action plan,” Kerobyan said.

He said that Armenian and foreign businesses must be informed that thanks to several serious changes and new approaches doing business in Armenia is becoming easier and safer, procedures are simplified, and making investments here will be justified and profitable, while the legislative framework is regulated and administration is simple and fair.

“Investments and doing business in Armenia is encouraged by the government by all means,” he concluded.

Asbarez: Biden Meets Jerusalem’s Armenian Patriarch During Israel Visit

Kalashian Nyrie
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

President Joe Biden met with Jerusalem’s Armenian Patriarch Archbishop Nourhan Manougian in Bethlehem on July 14


President Joe Biden, who was visiting Israel, toured the Armenian Church of Nativity in Bethlehem, where he met with Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop Nourhan Manougian.

During the meeting, Archbishop Manougian made a presentation about Armenian culture and religion and also discussed the difficulties and conflicts that exist in the Christian community, Koryun Baghdasaryan, a Patriarchate spokesperson News.am.

President Biden received these hand made pottery pieces as a gift from Patriarch

“Biden was with us for about 40 minutes, and the meeting was held in a very good atmosphere,” Baghdasaryan told News.am.

The Patriarch also thanked Biden for recognizing the Armenian Genocide, after which he presented the president the rights of the church, which is located in the temple of Nativity.

According to Baghdasaryan, Biden expressed his desire to meet with all spiritual leader and listen to their concerns.

At the conclusion of the visits, Archbishop Manougian presented Biden with mementoes—a clay pottery plate and one depicting a pomegranate.

Russia confirms first case of monkeypox

Kalashian Nyrie

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YEREVAN, JULY 12, ARMENPRESS. Russia registered its first case of monkeypox, Reuters reports citing the statement of consumer safety watchdog Rospotrebnadzor.

The watchdog said in a statement that the disease was discovered in a young man who had returned from a trip around European countries. The risk of infection to others was limited, it said.

“The disease is proceeding in a mild form. There is no threat to life”, Rospotrebnadzor said.

Monkeypox is a viral disease that causes flu-like symptoms and skin lesions. It is endemic in parts of Africa.

Over 50 countries where monkeypox is not endemic have reported outbreaks of the viral disease as confirmed cases pass 7,600.

AW: Avetik Chalabyan to remain in prison

Kalashian Nyrie
 Guest Contributor News 0

Avetik Chalabyan, activist, politician and a member of the “Unification” movement, will remain under arrest. On Sunday, July 10, the Yerevan Court of Common Jurisdiction, headed by Judge Arusyak Aleksanyan, published its decision, which satisfied the appeal for extension of detention submitted by the investigative body implementing the proceedings.

“How can I hinder the proceedings if you have completed the proceedings? What can I possibly do? If you have completed the proceedings, then you have effectively taken the actions proposed by the prosecutor, and there is no logical action that I can hinder. I have no desire to do so either. The materials of this case are sufficient enough to eventually lead to my acquittal in any reasonable court. These steps will one by one lead to the conclusion that the criminal offense is absent,” Chalabyan said in his closing speech at the open court hearing of the extension of detention dates.

Earlier, a hasty motion was submitted to the court to extend Chalabyan’s detention after the prosecutor in charge of the trial did not confirm the indictment of the case and returned the materials of the proceedings to the preliminary investigative body with an instruction to continue its investigation.

“How do you imagine escape from investigation for a man, who is a member of the board of directors of five companies, a member of the board of trustees of two charitable foundations, a father of a large family, the primary caregiver of four children and two elderly parents. Did you write all this just for the sake of writing? How can I escape? Can I escape from myself? A man who returned to Armenia during the war with his entire family, with three boys. A significant part of the population of our country takes its children out of the country to escape serving in the Army. Did I return to Armenia with three boys to escape from Armenia?” said Chalabyan, adding that this trial would seem ridiculous under the legal practice of any country.

Chalabyan is accused of the act provided for in Article 163, Part 3, Clause 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia without any credible evidence and with gross violations of criminal procedures. The article has been reclassified and softened by the new Criminal Code that came into force on July 1.

“Avetik Chalabyan is a political hostage of the current authorities, and the courts are their executioners. Yesterday, the investigator confirmed that Avetik Chalabyan should remain in custody only so that he and the prosecutor could send the case to the court in a relaxed manner. He admitted that they have no other investigative actions to perform. So to say, Avetik Chalabyan will remain in custody on the basis of sending the case to court,“ Varazdat Harutyunyan and Arthur Harutyunyan, Chalabyan’s defense team, stated earlier.

Public groups and activists have been fighting for Chalabyan’s freedom for months now, calling for his release through mass protests, petitions and all means prescribed by law.

Editor’s Note: This announcement was drafted by the legal team of Avetik Chalabyan.




33rd International Biology Olympiad opens in Armenia

Kalashian Nyrie
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –
, 11:50

 1 minute read

You are all winners, Riochi Matsuda, President of the International Biology Olympiad Association, said in an address to the participants of the 22rd International Biology Olympiad that opened in Armenia Sunday.

“We are proud to see so many participants from all over the world,” he said, congratulating the participants on being recognized as winners of the Biology Olympiad in their countries.

“Your outstanding achievements in the field of biology will be recognized and rewarded today and throughout this week, as a result of your participation in this event,” Riochi Matsuda said.

“On behalf of the association, he expressed gratitude to the Government of Armenia, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports and Yerevan State University for providing support in organizing the International Biology Olympiad (KMO 2022).

Armenia hosts the 33rd International Biology Olympiad on July 10-18. Student teams from 64 countries have arrived in Armenia, with 4 participants in each team. The Olympiad is attended by 3 observer countries, more than 240 members of the international jury, and a total of 500 foreign delegates.

Hurghada receives first flight from Armenia

Kalashian Nyrie
July 4 2022
 Egypt IndependentJuly 4, 2022

On Sunday, Hurghada International Airport received its first flight from the Yerevan airport in Armenia via “Fly Arna” airlines.

Two flights are scheduled from Yerevan airport per week to Hurghada.

The airport staff distributed roses and chocolates to the tourists coming on the flight.

Hurghada International Airport in the Red Sea Governorate received on Sunday 86 regular and charter flights from various European airports, carrying about 12,000 European tourists.

The Red Sea Governorate, specifically Hurghada, has become the most prominent destination for German, British, Polish and Romanian tourists due to the high level of services of its hotels.

Hotels are witnessing a rise in occupancy rates since the beginning of June, as the summer holiday season started.

Confirmed reservations in Hurghada hotels as well indicate great domestic demand from Egyptians.

The tourism sector in Egypt is making unremitting efforts to restore tourist flows from the most important exporting markets for tourism, led by Russia, whose incoming movement has been affected by the war between Russia and Ukraine since February.

https://egyptindependent.com/hurghada-receives-first-flight-from-armenia/

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/08/2022

Kalashian Nyrie 
                                        Friday, July 8, 2022
Power Plant Run By Pashinian’s Brother Since Dubious Selloff
        • Karine Simonian
Armenia - A hydroelectric plant on the Marts river, July 8, 2022
A brother of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is the executive director of a small 
hydroelectric power plant in northern Armenia whose former owners sold it for 
just 50,000 drams ($120) last year, official records show.
The plant located on the mountainous Marts river was co-owned by Samvel 
Darbinian, a former mayor of the nearby city of Vanadzor, and his brother. 
Darbinian has faced a string of corruption charges since the 2018 “velvet 
revolution” that brought Pashinian to power.
Last November, a Vanadzor court found him guilty of one of those charges but 
dropped the case, citing a statute of limitations. The decision came six months 
after the sale of the Marts power plant.
Its official buyer is a 20-year-old nephew of Khachatur Kokobelian, a 
businessman leading a small pro-government party. The new owner named 
Pashinian’s brother Armen to run the plant immediately after the deal.
Armen Pashinian used to live in Russia. He returned to Armenia after the 2018 
regime change. The fact-checking website Fip.am revealed recently that he is 
also the chief executive of three other businesses belonging to the Kokobelian 
family.
Earlier this week, Darbinian dismissed suggestions that he sold the 
hydroelectric facility to avoid imprisonment. Both the ex-mayor, who ran 
Vanadzor from 1999-2016, and his brother Seyran refused to give a clear reason 
for the sale.
“I sold it because I wanted to sell,” Seyran Darbinian said vaguely.
In a written response to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service sent on Friday, the Armenian 
state registry of legal entities revealed that the new owner bought the plant 
for as little as 50,000 drams.
The plant had an authorized capital of 250 million drams ($610,000) as of April 
2021. According to Armenia’s national power distribution network, it produced 
more than $200,000 worth of electricity annually in 2019 and 2020.
Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly claimed to have eliminated “systemic corruption” 
in Armenia. Law-enforcement authorities have launched dozens of high-profile 
corruption investigations during his rule, mostly targeting former top 
government officials and individuals linked to them.
Critics say that Pashinian uses corruption inquiries to crack down on his 
political opponents. They also claim that some members of his entourage are busy 
enriching themselves or their cronies and question the integrity of procurements 
administered by the current government.
Ex-Minister Reticent About Possible Seizure Of U.S. Villa
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian attends a parliament session in 
Yerevan, November 16, 2015.
Gagik Khachatrian, a former Armenian finance minister and tax chief standing 
trial on corruption charges, refused on Friday to comment on U.S. 
law-enforcement authorities’ efforts to confiscate his luxury mansion in 
California.
Khachatrian, who was arrested in August 2020 and freed on bail more than a year 
later, is facing a string of accusations, including abuse of power, forgery and 
bribery.
In particular, he stands accused of receiving more than $20 million to ensure 
privileged treatment of companies owned by Gagik Tsarukian, one of Armenia’s 
richest men. According to the National Security Service (NSS), the bribe was 
paid in 2009 by Sedrak Arustamian, the top manager of those companies, in the 
form of two bogus loans transferred to Khachatrian’s overseas bank accounts.
Both Arustamian and Khachatrian maintain that the massive cash transfer was a 
commercial transaction.
Khachatrian and his family used the money to buy the 3,126 square-meter (33,652 
square-foot) mansion in an exclusive Los Angeles area in 2011. The U.S. 
Department of Justice moved to seize the property in early May weeks after it 
was put up for sale with an asking price of $63.5 million. In a forfeiture 
complaint filed in a California district court, the department alleged that the 
“mega-mansion” was purchased with bribes paid by Arustamian.
“Gagik Khachatrian and his sons are charged in Armenia with receiving bribes in 
violation of the criminal code of the Republic of Armenia,” it noted in a May 5 
statement.
Armenia - Former Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian and one of his nephews go on 
trial, August 26, 2020.
Khachatrian’s legal team rejected the allegations and pledged to fight against 
the asset seizure in the U.S. court. One of the defense lawyers, Yerem Sargsian, 
insisted on Friday that the U.S. authorities lack “factual evidence” in support 
of the allegations.
“Everything was done very transparently,” he said, referring to the purchase of 
the Los Angeles mansion.
According to a spokesman for Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General, U.S. 
law-enforcement officials have assured their Armenian colleagues that proceeds 
from the sale of the property will be given to Yerevan if they succeed in 
confiscating it.
Khachatrian himself was reluctant to comment on the proceedings launched by the 
U.S. Department of Justice. “Only my lawyers can comment on these issues,” he 
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service during the latest session of his ongoing trial in 
Yerevan.
Khachatrian’s two sons and one of his nephews went into hiding in 2020 after 
being also indicted in the high-profile case. Their whereabouts remain unknown.
Khachatrian, 66, headed Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC) from 2008-2014 
and served as finance minister from 2014-2016. He was dogged by corruption 
allegations throughout his tenure, with some media outlets and opposition 
figures accusing him of using his position to enrich himself and his extended 
family.
They pointed to the family’s extensive business interests, which include a major 
telecommunication company, a shopping mall and a car dealership in Yerevan. 
Khachatrian repeatedly denied setting up or supporting these businesses, saying 
that they belong to his sons and other relatives.
Yerevan Deplores Estonian Speaker’s Trip To Azeri-Held Karabakh Town
BELGIUM -- Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas speaks to the press as he arrives 
on the first day of a summit of European Union (EU) leaders at the EU 
headquarters in Brussels, March 22, 2018
Parliament speaker Alen Simonian on Friday criticized his Estonian counterpart 
Juri Ratas for visiting the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Shushi (Shusha) captured by 
the Azerbaijani army during the 2020 war.
Ratas and members of an Estonian parliamentary delegation headed by him 
travelled to Shushi on May 24 during an official visit to Azerbaijan.
Simonian described the trip and pro-Azerbaijani comments made there by Ratas as 
“extremely concerning” during a meeting with Estonia’s Tbilisi-based ambassador 
to Armenia, Riina Kaljurand. He said they run counter to Armenia’s “friendly” 
relations with Estonia and the Baltic state’s stated support for a Karabakh 
settlement sought by the OSCE Minsk Group.
“The president of the National Assembly of Armenia expressed hope that his 
Estonian counterpart will visit Armenia soon, familiarize himself with the 
situation on the ground and also meet with officials representing 
Nagorno-Karabakh,” read a statement released by the Armenian parliament’s press 
office.
Armenia - Parliament speaker Alen Simonian meets Estonian Ambassador Riina 
Kaljurand, July 8, 2022
Earlier this year, the Armenian Foreign Ministry sent a note of protest to the 
United Nations after a senior UN official participated in an event organized by 
the Azerbaijani government in Shushi. Reacting to the event, Karabakh’s ethnic 
Armenian leadership accused Baku of trying to use international bodies for 
“legitimizing the results of its aggression” against Karabakh.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev praised Ratas’s visit to the Azerbaijani-held 
town when he received the latter in Baku on May 25. Aliyev said the Estonian 
speaker had a chance to see evidence of “large-scale destruction committed by 
the Armenians” there.
NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- A view shows Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi (Shusha) 
damaged by recent shelling, October 8, 2020.
Baku itself has been accused of trying to wipe out Shushi’s Armenian heritage. 
It emerged last year that the town’s Holy Savior Cathedral has been stripped of 
its conical dome and cross attached to it.
Yerevan said this was done for “depriving the Shushi Cathedral of its Armenian 
identity.” The Azerbaijani authorities claimed that they are simply renovating 
the 19th century church damaged during the war.
The imposing cathedral, also known as Ghazanchetsots, was twice struck by 
long-range Azerbaijani missiles during the 2020 war.
The authorities in Stepanakert have also accused Azerbaijan of systematically 
destroying another, smaller Armenian church located in Shushi. They say that 
Baku plans to transform it into a Russian Orthodox church under the guise of 
major renovation.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

ANCA Senate testimony shines spotlight on Azerbaijan’s ethnic-cleansing of Artsakh, torture of Armenian POWs

Kalashian Nyrie
July 2, 2022 ANCA ANCA News 0

In ANCA testimony submitted on June 30th, Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan urged Senate appropriators to allocate $50 million in U.S. aid to Artsakh to help its families “rebuild their lives and resettle in safety upon their indigenous Armenian homeland.”

WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Government Affairs director Tereza Yerimyan shared findings from her recent, three-person ANCA fact-finding mission to Artsakh in testimony submitted this week to the US Senate panel drafting the FY23 foreign aid bill. Yerimyan underscored the longstanding calls for to end all US military aid to Azerbaijan and the delivery of an urgently needed $50 million aid package to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh).

“Having recently returned from a fact-finding mission in Artsakh, I can bear witness to the devastating humanitarian impact of Azerbaijan’s aggression against Artsakh’s civilian population,” stated Yerimyan. “As many as 100,000 Armenians were displaced. Many schools and hospitals, destroyed during the war, remain in ruins. Countless homes remain uninhabitable. The maternity ward of the state hospital has been rendered completely unusable. In addition to losing at least 70% of their indigenous lands, the Armenians of Artsakh now live upon a landscape littered with landmines and, especially, unexploded ordinance, posing a threat to the daily lives of children and families.”

Yerimyan continued, “Azerbaijan, for its part, continues to illegally hold and abuse Armenian prisoners of war, in contravention of the ceasefire agreement and Baku’s own commitments under international law. During our recent ANCA visit to Artsakh we interviewed a repatriated POW – an 80-year-old female civilian who was captured in her village home, witnessed the beating of her husband, and was tortured herself.”

Yerimyan made the case that Congress should hold the Aliyev regime accountable for the ethnic-cleansing of Artsakh and Baku’s ongoing occupation of sovereign Armenian territory by cutting off all US military aid to its armed forces. She also pressed for a long-term developmental investment in Artsakh, to help its families “rebuild their lives and resettle in safety upon their indigenous Armenian homeland.”

Speaking to the need for increased aid to Armenia, Yerimyan prioritized US aid programs aimed at materially strengthening Armenia’s security and sovereignty in the face of escalating Turkish and Azerbaijani threats.

Senate appropriators are currently drafting their version of the FY2023 foreign aid bill, to be taken up by the committee, likely over the next month.

In May, Yerimyan, ANCA IT director Nerses Semerjian and ANCA Programs director Alex Manoukian were joined by ANC International’s Gevorg Ghukasyan in a week-long fact-finding mission to Artsakh. While there, they worked closely with the ANC of Artsakh, which was launched in September 2021, to focus on protecting the rights of Artsakh’s citizens, securing international recognition of the Artsakh Republic, and restoring Artsakh’s territorial integrity.

The ANCA team discussed Artsakh’s geopolitical challenges with Foreign Minister David Babayan and learned new details about the plight of the 100,000 Armenian refugees forced from their ancestral homes during the 2020 war from Artsakh Republic Minister of Social Development and Migration Armine Petrosyan. Artsakh Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan discussed the effects of Azerbaijan’s ongoing attacks on border villages and the water and gas challenges facing the Artsakh population. During meetings with Vardan Tadevosyan, the founder and director of the Lady Cox Rehabilitation Center, the ANCA team learned more about the life-changing assistance the center provides for soldiers and civilians injured during the 2020 Artsakh War, while working with children and adults with physical and mental disabilities. The ANCA team also met with representatives of The HALO Trust, whose demining efforts have saved countless lives in Artsakh for over two decades, in part through ANCA-supported US assistance.

The ANCA’s Tereza Yerimyan and ANC Artsakh’s Gev Iskajyan on the field with The HALO Trust Artsakh directors and deminers during the ANCA’s May, 2022 fact-finding mission.

In April, Yerimyan submitted ANCA testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations, sharing similar pro-Artsakh/Armenia funding priorities. Earlier this week, the House Appropriations Committee called for $60 million in US aid to Armenia, $2 million for Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) demining and a special report by the State Department and US Agency for International Development to identify humanitarian needs in the aftermath of the 2020 Artsakh war as part of its version of the Fiscal Year 2023 foreign aid bill.

#####

The Armenian American Community & U.S. Foreign Assistance Policy For Fiscal Year 2023
presented by Tereza Yerimyan, Government Affairs Director
Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA)
for the Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, Committee on Appropriations, of the United States Senate

Thank you, Chairman Coons, for your strong leadership of this Subcommittee and your long history of support for the national and democratic aspirations of the Armenian nation.

In the wake of Azerbaijan’s ethnic-cleansing of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), and amid Baku’s ongoing occupation of sovereign Armenian territory, we ask this Subcommittee to hold the Aliyev regime accountable by cutting off all U.S. military aid to its armed forces and to help meet pressing humanitarian and developmental needs in Artsakh with a robust assistance package.

Having recently returned from a fact finding mission in Artsakh, I can bear witness to the devastating humanitarian impact of Azerbaijan’s aggression against Artsakh’s civilian population. As many as 100,000 Armenians were displaced. Many schools and hospitals, destroyed during the war, remain in ruins. Countless homes remain uninhabitable. The maternity ward of the state hospital has been rendered completely unusable. In addition to losing at least 70 percent of their indigenous lands, the Armenians of Artsakh now live upon a landscape littered with landmines and, especially, unexploded ordinance, posing a threat to the daily lives of children and families. Azerbaijan, for its part, continues to illegally hold and abuse Armenian prisoners of war, in contravention of the ceasefire agreement and Baku’s own commitments under international law. During our recent ANCA visit to Artsakh we interviewed a repatriated POW – an 80-year-old female civilian who was captured in her village home, witnessed the beating of her husband, and was tortured herself.

As members of this panel know, both Artsakh and Armenia continue to endure the brutal consequences of the unprovoked attack launched on September 27th of 2020 by dictatorial Azerbaijan – backed by its ally Turkey – against democratic Artsakh. USAID has estimated that 90,000 Armenians have been displaced from their ancestral homes, describing their situation as an “acute humanitarian crisis.” Azerbaijan has destroyed countless homes, churches, and hospitals. It has targeted civilians, used prohibited cluster munitions and white phosphorus, illegally detained and abused Armenian prisoners of war, and continues to desecrate Armenian Christian holy sites and cemeteries. Shockingly, Azerbaijan has yet to be held to account. Just the opposite, in fact: Azerbaijan’s oil-rich Aliyev regime continues to receive U.S. military aid under President Biden’s reckless waiver of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act.

Sadly, neither the Trump nor the Biden administration investigated Turkey’s role in Azerbaijan’s aggression, including Ankara’s recruitment of jihadist mercenaries from Syria and Libya to fight against Armenians. Nor has either administration investigated reports of Turkish F-16s having been used in Azerbaijan’s attacks. Closer to home, we have yet to see either the Pentagon or Department of State look into potential violations of U.S. arms export laws related to the discovery of U.S. parts and technology in Turkish Bayrakdar drones deployed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh.

Our specific requests related to the FY23 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs bill fall into three categories:

1) Aid to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh):

Through the leadership of this Subcommittee, since Fiscal Year 1998, direct U.S. aid to Artsakh has provided its peaceful inhabitants with maternal health care, clean drinking water, and life-saving demining by the HALO Trust. In the wake of Azerbaijan’s 2020 attack, this aid program must be meaningfully expanded to meet the humanitarian and development needs confronting the families of Artsakh – estimated at well over $250,000,000 – helping them rebuild their lives and resettle in safety upon their indigenous Armenian homeland. In this spirit we ask the Subcommittee to support a long-term investment in Artsakh, and, in order to meet the most urgent needs facing Artsakh, request the following language to be included in the body of this Act:

Of the funds appropriated under this act making appropriations for the Department of State, foreign operations, and related programs not less than $50,000,000 shall be made available for global health, humanitarian, and stabilization assistance for the Armenian population in Artsakh:

Refugee Relief: $20,000,000
Housing: $10,000,000
Food Security: $5,000,000
Water/Sanitation: $5,000,000
Healthcare: $5,000,000
Rehabilitation: $3,000,000
Demining/UXO: $2,000,000

2) Azerbaijan

We remain troubled that the Administration – even in the wake of Azerbaijan’s attack on Artsakh – has chosen, recklessly and irresponsibly, to waive Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act. Compounding this misstep, the Administration has – according to the General Accountability Office – officially confirmed that it has demonstrably failed to meet its statutory reporting obligations under this law.

U.S. military aid to Baku – including Section 333 (Capacity Building), Foreign Military Financing, and International Military Education and Training – should not materially add to Baku’s equipment stores, tactical abilities, and offensive capabilities, or free up its state resources for renewed cross-border action against both Artsakh and Armenia. Moving forward, the Administration should strictly enforce Section 907. Congress, for its part, should rescind the President’s authority to waive this provision of U.S. law, and enact statutory prohibitions on any new U.S. military or security aid to Azerbaijan.

We request the following language to be included in the body of this Act:

No funds appropriated or otherwise made available under this Act may be provided to the Government of Azerbaijan for U.S. military or security programs.

3) Armenia

Armenia – an ancient Christian nation deeply rooted in Western democratic values – has, despite the crushing economic impact of Turkish and Azerbaijani aggression and blockades, stepped forward as an ally and partner for the United States on a broad array of complex regional challenges. Armenia is a member of NATO’s Partnership for Peace and the Armenian military has been among the highest per capita providers of peacekeepers to U.S.-led deployments, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq, Lebanon, Kosovo, and Mali.

Moving forward, the U.S. aid program to Armenia should focus on Armenia’s security and sovereignty. As such, we request the following language to be included in the body of this Act:

Of the funds appropriated by this Act, not less than $100,000,000 shall be made available for assistance for Armenia to support Armenia’s security and sovereignty in the face of regional threats from Turkey and Azerbaijan.

We commend the Subcommittee’s commitment to American Schools and Hospitals Abroad, and encourage continued support through this program for the American University of Armenia and the Armenian American Wellness Center. We also ask the panel to prioritize supporting Armenia’s role as a regional safe haven for at-risk refugees.

In closing, we would like to underscore, once again, our urgent calls for robust aid to the Armenian population of Artsakh and a statutory prohibition on U.S. security or military aid to Azerbaijan.

The ANCA, as always, thanks you for your leadership and looks forward to working with the Subcommittee to help save Artsakh, defend Armenia’s sovereignty, strengthen the U.S.-Armenia alliance, and advance American interests and our shared democratic values.

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


Farmland in Karabakh being given to powerful Azerbaijanis – report

Kalashian Nyrie
Heydar Isayev Jun 28, 2022

Agricultural land in the territories Azerbaijan retook in the 2020 war with Armenia are being developed by companies connected to top government officials, a new investigation has found.

Abzas Media, an independent news outlet, on June 23 published a report detailing which companies have gotten government contracts to farm land in Karabakh. Many of the companies, several of them little-known, are connected to high-ranking officials, including the daughters of President Ilham Aliyev.

Abzas reported that the state Agency for Development of Small and Medium Businesses (KOBIA, in its Azerbaijani acronym) presented, at an October 2021 exhibition called “Rebuild Karabakh,” a short list of companies that had been awarded government deals to carry out agricultural work in various parts of Karabakh.

According to the agency’s figures, which hadn’t been publicly shared elsewhere, a total of 8,376.5 hectares of land had been leased in 2021 to five companies: Agroinkishaf-2017, Agro Fresh, Agro Diary, Azersun, and Kraun Ko.

It’s “no coincidence that these companies popped up in liberated lands in Karabakh,” Abzas said, given the close connections many of them have with the government.

While it wasn’t clear how those 8,000-plus hectares were allocated, KOBIA did identify a small number of specific, separate deals. Azersun, a giant Azerbaijani food monopoly, was awarded 9,000 square meters of land in the Gubadli district, in a project valued at 40 million manats [$23.5 million]. Azersun is owned by Turkish businessman Abdolbari Gozal, who is known to be close to the ruling family.

Agro Dairy was awarded a project worth 851,000 manats [$500,000] on 5.2 hectares in the Aghdam and Fuzuli districts. The company belongs to Pasha Holding, owned by members of the powerful Pashayev family of Aliyev’s wife, Mehriban Aliyeva.

Aliyev has mentioned the role of Azersun and Agro Dairy in Karabakh. In a visit to the Hajigabul district in April 2021, where he was visiting an “agropark,” a large-scale, state-backed agribusiness venture, Aliyev met the director of Agro Diary. Aliyev said that he had “recommended both those managing Agro Diary and Azersun to build agroparks in the liberated lands of Karabakh.”

A previous investigation by the independent news agency Turan found that the majority of the new agroparks established in Karabakh were connected to figures close to the government.

Kraun Ko-R was given a project worth 20 million manats [$12 million], on 2.3 hectares in the Zangilan district, Abzas reported, citing the KOBIA presentation. Kraun Ko-R’s ownership significantly overlaps with those of companies belonging to the family of Ali Naghiyev, the chief of the State Security Service, the Abzas investigation found. And its legal address happens to be the same as those of companies belonging to Baylar Ayyubov, the chief of the presidential security service.

And that is likely the tip of the iceberg, as the KOBIA presentation did not appear to cover all new government contracts for agricultural work in Karabakh. Kraun Ko-R’s director, Sabuhi Abdullayev, has said that his company planted wheat on 24,000 hectares in Gubadli, Zangilan, and Jabrayil districts in 2021 alone. “We plan to expand the land on which we are farming as soon as more territories are cleared of landmines,” he told Public Television.

Since the end of the war, Azerbaijan has undertaken a massive reconstruction campaign in the territories it retook, which were left largely destroyed after 30 years of Armenian occupation. The work so far has consisted mainly of landmine clearance, building infrastructure like airports and roads, and setting up several new, heavily promoted “smart villages” in the Zangilan district. The reconstruction work has focused heavily on the city of Shusha, which has been formally designated as Azerbaijan’s “cultural capital.”

The government hasn’t provided specific information on when the more than 600,000 Azerbaijanis displaced from those territories in the first war between the two sides in the 1990s might be able to return to live. But it appears to be moving ahead with allowing big businesses to start farming work there.

In a February speech, President Aliyev briefly touched upon the agricultural work being undertaken in Karabakh. “Various agricultural projects are now being implemented in the liberated areas. I can say that a sowing campaign is planned on 40,000-50,000 hectares this year. This will contribute to our food security,” he said.

According to an April 2021 presidential order, the Ministry of Agriculture “is temporarily entrusted with the implementation” of new agricultural work “in the the liberated territories of Azerbaijan,” including “leasing of agricultural lands for production and processing of agricultural products” and “exercising control over the use of leased lands.”

The Ministry of Agriculture did not respond to Abzas’s inquiry about to whom land in Karabakh had been leased and on which criteria they were selected. 

Heydar Isayev is a journalist from Baku.