Author: Kanayan Tamar

Schedule for Armenia-Azerbaijan agreement slipping into the future

Kanayan Tamar
Joshua Kucera Jun 15, 2023

The schedule for the signing of a peace agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan appears to have again slipped, as Azerbaijan – not long ago regularly complaining about Armenian “delays” in the process – is now expressing a newfound patience for the process to take all the time it needs.

At a May 28 speech in Lachin, Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev said that Baku was not in a hurry to sign an agreement. “We are the stronger side, we are the ones who have a strong position at the negotiating table, we are the ones who have a strong position on the border,” he said. “Even if the peace treaty is not signed, we will live comfortably and safely.”

This was a notable change of tone from Aliyev’s usual rhetoric, which regularly featured accusations that Armenia was dragging its feet and veiled threats in case the Armenians did not step it up. Just over three weeks earlier, Aliyev had repeated that warning, arguing that delaying a final resolution of the conflict has been Armenians’ longtime practice.

“They can delay; they can use a negotiation format, which already has been established not to come to an agreement, but to make the process endless, waiting for something, waiting for a miracle, waiting for changes. And they will miss the opportunity because almost thirty years of occupation did not give them any advantage,” Aliyev said on May 3. 

Two key, interrelated changes took place in between those two speeches that changed the Azerbaijani government’s approach, said Zaur Shiriyev, a Baku-based analyst for the think tank Crisis Group.

One, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan won reelection, ensuring that Azerbaijan’s key international patron would remain in office for another five-year term. Second, Azerbaijan managed to erect a border post on the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Karabakh to Armenia. The post is Azerbaijan’s most concrete step yet towards reasserting its control over the territory, which it lost to Armenians in the first war between the two sides in the 1990s.

“Simply put, Baku controls the Lachin road, meaning everything is in their hands, and while it remains a priority, it seems that there is no immediate urgency to reaching a peace agreement,” Shiriyev told Eurasianet. Azerbaijan hastened the establishment of the border checkpoint in part because of uncertainty over the election’s outcome, he said. 

“Had Erdogan not been elected and, hypothetically, if [main opposition candidate Kemal] Kilicdaroglu were in his place, Baku would likely have pressed for a more forceful signing of the peace agreement, considering it a non-negotiable priority,” Shiriyev said.

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan had been scheduled to meet in Washington starting on June 12, but Azerbaijan postponed the meeting because Erdogan scheduled a trip to Baku for the same time. (Turkish diplomatic tradition has it that a newly elected leader’s first foreign trip is to Northern Cyprus and the second is to Azerbaijan.)

That meeting has not been rescheduled, but a State Department spokesperson said on June 13 that “we look forward to rescheduling it as soon as we can.”

The postponement of the Washington talks notwithstanding, the pace of diplomacy between the two sides has been brisk. The two foreign ministers met for several days in Washington at the beginning of May; U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said at their conclusion that “an agreement is within reach.”

Aliyev met Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Moscow on May 25 and in Chisinau on June 1, and ahead of the Moldova meeting there were some expectations that an agreement could be signed there. Asked in parliament a month ahead of the Moldova event about media reports that an agreement could be signed, Pashinyan said he would be happy for it to happen. Less than a week before that meeting, Azerbaijan’s ambassador to France said she hoped an agreement would be signed there. 

In the end that meeting was short and produced no breakthrough. But the fact that negotiations are being conducted steadily and that progress is being made on an agreement has reinforced Azerbaijan’s patience, Shiriyev said.

Baku remains interested in signing a peace agreement as soon as possible, a senior Azerbaijani diplomat told Eurasianet on condition of anonymity. “Azerbaijan is interested in speedy progress” in the various tracks of negotiations including the delimitation of the mutual border, establishment of new transport routes, and the relationship between Baku and Karabakh’s Armenian population. 

But, the diplomat added, Baku feels that time is on its side: “At the end of the day, in the worst-case scenario Azerbaijan could afford the luxury of keeping everything untouched as it is: lack of land connectivity from the outside to Armenia, impediments for dialogue with the Armenian community in Azerbaijan, undelimited borders, and finally a missed opportunity to sign an overwhelming peace treaty with Azerbaijan.”

The history of Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations is littered with expectations for breakthroughs that always broke down before an agreement could be signed. 

Low-level fighting has ticked up in recent weeks, and Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned in a June 13 statement that Azerbaijan might be preparing the ground for “another aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

But even as the fighting continues, and the diplomatic process has downshifted, both sides are continuing to express optimism that a deal could be signed within months.

In Baku, the expectation is now that an agreement could be signed by August or September, Shiriyev said.

In Armenia, the expected date is somewhat later. Armen Grigoryan, the chair of Armenia’s National Security Council, said on June 4 that “the negotiations are being conducted very intensively. If we are able to maintain this intensity, and there is also strong assistance from the international community, then there is a possibility to reach a peace agreement at the end of the year.”

By the end of the year is a “likely” target, said Richard Giragosian, head of the Yerevan think tank Regional Studies Center.

“The outlook for the two sides to conclude a comprehensive peace treaty seems increasingly positive,” Giragosian said. “Such optimism does not include any realistic expectation for a sudden mature breakthrough and is based on a more gradual timetable, with a peace treaty likely by the end of 2023, but not sooner, despite the rhetoric.”

Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet’s former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.

EU Leader Calls Azerbaijani Checkpoint at Lachin Corridor Counterproductive

Kanayan Tamar
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

The EU’s foreign affairs chief speaks at the European Parliament on June 13


The European Union’s foreign affairs chief, Josep Borrell, said Azerbaijan’s checkpoint installed at the Lachin Corridor runs counter to efforts to build trust between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijan’s unilateral decision to install this checkpoint completely contradicts efforts to build trust between the parties,” said Borrell, who was asked on Tuesday by a European Parliament Member Francois Xavier Bellamy about the EU inability to condemn Baku for its action, Armenpress reported.

“The Court of Justice has condemned the blockade by Azerbaijan, but this state terrorism has not led to any sanctions by the Council, and the Commission seems unable to properly condemn this very serious violation of the fundamental rights of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Bellamy said during a discussion in the European Parliament entitled “Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and the Lachin Corridor.”

“There are territories, border areas with Armenia, from where it can be seen what is happening in the Lachin Corridor, but the corridor itself is outside the jurisdiction of the mission and their area of responsibility. Now we are trying to find a solution for this specific problem,” Borrell said.

According to Borrell, the current situation in the Lachin Corridor certainly raises the concern of the international community, but the EU does not have access to the checkpoint located in the corridor, therefore it is deprived of the opportunity to carry out a full observation.

“The EU is interested in the establishment of peace in the South Caucasus, and for this purpose it implements initiatives of a humanitarian nature, as well as contributes directly to the negotiations aimed at peace. We are also involved in finding missing persons during the conflict and keeping the conflicting parties away from new clashes,” Borrell said.

In response to Bellamy’s question, Borrell said that efforts are underway to resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict and the parties have also expressed readiness to continue negotiations.

Borrell emphasized that a very important meeting between the French President, the German Chancellor, the President of the European Council and leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan took place in Moldova recently.

The meeting mentioned by Borrell did not result in a condemnation by EU leaders of Azerbaijan for its illegal breach of agreements and threats to the lives of Armenians in Artsakh.

Yet the EU’s foreign policy chief invoked statements made following recent meetings between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan as signs of progress.

Borrell referred to announcement by Pashinyan and Aliyev to recognize each other’s territorial integrity, as well as Pashinyan’s later remarks where he said that Armenia has accepted Artsakh as a constituent part of Azerbaijan as a signal to Azerbaijan to pay more attention to the rights and security issues of the people of Karabakh.

“We hope that the message of the Armenian side will be an incentive, pushing the negotiation process to a positive direction,” Borrell said.

The EU’s top diplomat also said that the EU mission in Armenia is part of the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but it cannot completely replace the process. The only solution, he said, is within the diplomatic sphere.

“The conflicting parties have expressed their desire to continue the negotiations, and the next meeting will be held in Brussels, from which the EU has high expectations,” Borrell said.

He noted that the socio-economic situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is quite serious, which is why the EU has implemented various initiatives in the last two years to provide humanitarian support to the local residents, explaining that 70 million euros have already been allocated for this purpose.

Borrell said that the humanitarian support was aimed at solving health problems, including providing medical equipment and providing social support to people affected by the conflict. Borrell emphasized that there is still a lot to be done in that area.

States invest in nuclear arsenals as geopolitical relations deteriorate—SIPRI

Kanayan Tamar

 11:35,

YEREVAN, JUNE 12, ARMENPRESS. The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) has launched its annual assessment of the state of armaments, disarmament and international security. A key finding of SIPRI Yearbook 2023 is that the number of operational nuclear weapons started to rise as countries’ long-term force modernization and expansion plans progressed.

The nine nuclear-armed states—the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) and Israel—continue to modernize their nuclear arsenals and several deployed new nuclear-armed or nuclear-capable weapon systems in 2022.

Of the total global inventory of an estimated 12,512 warheads in January 2023, about 9,576 were in military stockpiles for potential use—86 more than in January 2022.

Of those, an estimated 3,844 warheads were deployed with missiles and aircraft, and around 2,000—nearly all of which belonged to Russia or the USA—were kept in a state of high operational alert, meaning that they were fitted to missiles or held at airbases hosting nuclear bombers.

Russia and the USA together possess almost 90 per cent of all nuclear weapons. The sizes of their respective nuclear arsenals (i.e. useable warheads) seem to have remained relatively stable in 2022,

In addition to their useable nuclear weapons, Russia and the USA each hold more than 1,000 warheads previously retired from military service, which they are gradually dismantling.

SIPRI’s estimate of the size of China’s nuclear arsenal increased from 350 warheads in January 2022 to 410 in January 2023, and it is expected to keep growing.

‘We are drifting into one of the most dangerous periods in human history,’ says Dan Smith, SIPRI Director. ‘It is imperative that the world’s governments find ways to cooperate in order to calm geopolitical tensions, slow arms races and deal with the worsening consequences of environmental breakdown and rising world hunger.’

People have faith and optimism in Armenia’s future, says PM citing home construction data

Kanayan Tamar

 11:24,

YEREVAN, MAY 29, ARMENPRESS. 55,000 apartments are currently under construction in Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on May 29.

“Today, fifty five thousand apartments are in the most various stages of construction in the Republic of Armenia,” Pashinyan told lawmakers at a joint committee session for preliminary debates of the 2022 government budget report.

“I believe this to be a highly important social, economic and even political indicator. This means that people have faith and optimism in Armenia’s future, otherwise the investments of this many billions in apartment construction doesn’t have any other interpretation,” he added.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/22/2023

Kanayan Tamar 
                                        Monday, 
U.S. Sanctions Another Armenian Firm
        • Robert Zargarian
U.S. -- Department of Commerce sign seal emblem at headquarters building in 
Washington, January12, 2019.
The United States has added an Armenian trading company to its long list of 
entities accused of helping Russia evade U.S. sanctions imposed since the 
Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The U.S. Department of Commerce blacklisted the company, Medisar, along with 69 
Russian entities on May 19. It accused them of supporting Russia’s military and 
defense industry.
Founded in 2001, Medisar is based in Yerevan. It owns a large warehouse located 
there.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, a company executive, who did not want to 
be identified, acknowledged that Medisar has imported chemicals and laboratory 
equipment from the United States and the European Union and re-exported them to 
Russia. He insisted that company has not violated any Armenian laws and that the 
Armenian authorities have been aware of its operations.
Company representatives said they do not know yet the likely impact of the U.S. 
sanctions on Medisar’s continued activities. It was not clear whether they will 
stop doing business with Russia.
Medisar, which paid over $1 million in taxes last year, is the second 
Armenian-registered entity blacklisted by the United States. The other firm, 
TAKO, was sanctioned by the U.S. Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets 
Control (OFAC) in April.
TAKO was registered in May last year about three months after the outbreak of 
the war in Ukraine. According to the Armenian state registry, it is fully owned 
by a Russian national and specializes in wholesale trade in electronic and 
telecommunications equipment and parts.
U.S. officials apparently pressed the Armenian government to comply with the 
sanctions during a series of meetings held earlier this year.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian admitted on Monday that the issue is on the 
agenda of his government’s dealings with the U.S. and the EU. He said that 
despite its “strategic” relations with Russia and membership in the Russian-led 
Eurasian Economic Union, Armenia “cannot afford to be placed under Western 
sanctions.”
“Therefore, in our relations with Russia we will act on a scale that allows us 
to avoid Western sanctions,” he said, adding that Yerevan is “in constant 
communication with our Western partners.”
In a joint “compliance note” issued in March, the U.S. departments of Justice, 
Treasury and Commerce said that third-party intermediaries have commonly used 
China, Armenia, Turkey and Uzbekistan as “transshipment points” to Russia as 
well as Belarus.
Russian-Armenian trade skyrocketed last year, with Armenian exports to Russia 
nearly tripling to $2.4 billion. Goods manufactured in third countries and 
re-exported from Armenia to Russia are believed to have accounted for most of 
that gain.
Pashinian Defends Arrest Of Fallen Soldier’s Mother
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - Protesters demand the release of Gayane Hakobian outside the prime 
minister's office in Yerevan, .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian sought to justify on Monday the arrest of a 
grief-stricken woman accused of attempting to “kidnap” his son which has sparked 
street protests and widespread condemnation in Armenia.
Gayane Hakobian, whose son Zhora Martirosian was killed during the 2020 war in 
Nagorno-Karabakh, was detained last Wednesday after an argument with Ashot 
Pashinian. Citing the latter’s testimony, Armenia’s Investigative Committee said 
that Hakobian tricked the young man into getting in her car after she ran into 
him outside a court building in Yerevan.
Pashinian Jr. jumped out of the car shortly after Hakobian drove it towards the 
Yerablur Military Pantheon, according to the law-enforcement agency.
Hakobian strongly denies the accusations carrying between four and eight years 
in prison. Her lawyers say she simply wanted to talk to the 23-year-old.
A Yerevan court approved her pre-trial detention on Saturday, triggering an 
angry demonstration attended by several dozen other parents of fallen soldiers 
and hundreds of their sympathizers. The parents announced afterwards a nonstop 
sit-in outside the prime minister’s office in the city’s central Republic Square.
Armenia - Protesters stand outside a court building in Yerevan during a hearing 
on Gayane Hakobian's arrest, May 20, 2023.
The protest continued on Monday as Nikol Pashinian held a news conference amid 
tightened security in and around the building.
The prime minister made clear that he will not tell his son to withdraw the 
complaint lodged against Hakobian because they both believe that “in Armenia all 
issues must be solved in a legal way.”
“If there was no crime, let them close the case,” he told a news conference. “If 
there was a crime, let them finish the investigation and send the case to court 
and let the court make a decision.”
Pashinian did not comment on why Hakobian has to be kept under arrest pending 
the outcome of her trial.
He also declined to answer a question from the protesters which was put to him 
by a reporter. They wanted to know “what you felt when ordering the arrest.”
“Gayane is not guilty and the accusation brought against her is fabricated,” one 
of the protesting parents told journalists. “I consider her a political 
prisoner.”
“So his son cannot be told to sit in a car so that we just talk to him and they 
consider that kidnapping. But who will be held accountable for the deaths of my 
and Gayane’s sons and the 5,000 other boys?” said another.
Armenia - People demonstrate in support of Gayane Hakobian, May 20, 2023.
Armenian opposition leaders and other critics of the government claim that 
Pashinian ordered Hakobian’s arrest in a bid to muzzle the families of deceased 
soldiers who have staged demonstrations over the past year to demand his 
prosecution on war-related charges. Several female opposition parliamentarians 
visited the woman in custody at the weekend.
Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian also condemned the woman’s arrest, saying 
that it is an “even greater disgrace” than a recent incident during which 
Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonian spat at a heckler in Yerevan. 
Ter-Petrosian said that the Armenian authorities are only heightening political 
tensions in the country with their “impudent and short-sighted actions.”
“If things continue like this, a much sadder, if not explosive, prospect awaits 
our country,” he warned in a statement.
The Armenian Apostolic Church likewise expressed “deep concern” at Hakobian’s 
prosecution and called for her release from custody.
Armenian PM, Church Trade Fresh Barbs
Armenia – Catholicos Garegin II leads Easter mass at St. Gregory the Illuminator 
Cathedral, Yerevan, April 9, 2023.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has accused the Armenian Apostolic Church of 
meddling in politics, prompting a scathing response from the office of its 
supreme head, Catholicos Garegin II.
“Nothing prevents them [the church] from setting up a party and embarking on 
political activities through that party,” Pashinian said during a visit to 
Armenia’s Tavush province. “That would be more honest towards voters, and they 
would be on the same plane with other political rivals.”
“When the state and the church mix together there is nothing more dangerous than 
that. The state must mind its own business, the church must mind its own 
business,” he told a group of local schoolchildren in remarks publicized on 
Saturday.
The church was quick to hit back at Pashinian, underlining its strained 
relationship with the Armenian government.
“If some people want to practice ecclesiology, they can try to get admitted to 
the Theological Seminary; of course, if they overcome the educational threshold 
set for admission and present convincing arguments about their good health,” 
said Archbishop Arshak Khachatrian, the chancellor of the church’s Mother See in 
Echmiadzin.
Pashinian’s relationship with the ancient church, to which the vast majority of 
Armenians belong, has increasingly deteriorated in recent years and especially 
since the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. Garegin and other senior clergymen 
joined the Armenian opposition in calling for Pashinian’s resignation following 
Armenia’s defeat in the six-week war.
The Catholicos last month defended those calls and deplored the prime minister’s 
statements on the Karabakh conflict condemned by the opposition as 
pro-Azerbaijani.
A pro-government parliamentarian responded by accusing the Armenian Church of 
interfering in political processes. She also denounced Garegin’s homily read out 
during the Easter mass at Yerevan’s Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral on 
April 9.
“When justice and truth cease to be the core of our undertakings and activities 
in state and public life, we will continue to face manifestations of pilatism,” 
Garegin told hundreds of worshippers during the mass.
Pashinian Confirms Readiness To Accept Azeri Control Of Karabakh
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks during a news conference in 
Yerevan, .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Monday gave the clearest indication yet that 
he has agreed to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Nagorno-Karabakh through 
a peace treaty currently discussed by Yerevan and Baku.
“If we and Azerbaijan correctly understand each other, Armenia recognizes 
Azerbaijan’s 86,600-square-kilometer territorial integrity, assuming that 
Azerbaijan recognizes Armenia’s 29,800-square-kilometer territory,” Pashinian 
said, repeating statements made following his May 14 meeting with Azerbaijani 
President Ilham Aliyev.
“The 86,600 square kilometers include Nagorno-Karabakh,” he told a news 
conference. “But it must also be noted that we are saying the issue of the 
rights and security of Karabakh’s Armenians must be discussed in a 
Baku-Stepanakert format.”
Pashinian again stressed the need for the “creation of international mechanisms” 
for such talks between the Azerbaijani government and Karabakh’s leadership. 
Yerevan, he explained, is specifically seeking international guarantees against 
“ethnic cleansing” in the Armenian-populated region which he said is planned by 
Baku.
While expressing readiness for dialogue with Baku, the authorities in 
Stepanakert have repeatedly rejected any settlement that would restore 
Azerbaijani control over Karabakh.
Armenia - Armenian opposition activists rally outside the border village of 
Kordnidzor in support of Nagorno-Karabakh, May 20, 2023.
In a joint statement with Armenia’s leading opposition groups issued last week, 
the five political parties represented in the Karabakh parliament warned 
Pashinian against formally recognizing Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan. They 
said that such a deal would be “devoid of legal basis.”
Despite this warning, Pashinian made clear that he hopes to sign the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty “as soon as possible.” He said that Yerevan 
presented Baku with fresh proposals regarding the remaining sticking points 
after marathon talks held by the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers 
outside Washington earlier in May.
“We are now waiting for their reaction,” added the Armenian premier. He did not 
disclose those proposals.
Pashinian and Aliyev are scheduled to meet again in Moscow on Thursday. They 
will hold on June 1 another meeting in Moldova which will be attended by 
European Union chief Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German 
Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Body armor saves Armenian servicemen from Azerbaijani fire

Kanayan Tamar

Save

Share

 19:38, 19 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. On May 19, around 5:00 p.m., a soldier of the Azerbaijani armed forces fired a targeted single shot at a soldier of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, who was on duty in a combat position located in the southwestern part of the border zone.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from MoD Armenia, the serviceman of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia was not injured, since he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

According to MoD Armenia, as of 19:00, the situation on the frontline is relatively stable.

The Ministry of Defense of Armenia emphasized that wearing a body armor and a helmet on the front line is mandatory, because they save lives.

Hematologist Trains at Moffitt, Hoping to Benefit Armenians

Kanayan Tamar
May 15 2023

By Steve Blanchard – May 15, 2023

Navigating the intricacies of allogeneic transplants is a specialty of Dr. Nelli Bejanyan. The program leader of Blood and Marrow Transplant and the head of the Leukemia/Myeloid Section of the Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy at Moffitt Cancer Center is renowned for her expertise in transplanting healthy donor (allogeneic) stem cells into patients with blood cancers such as acute leukemia.

It’s a skill and an expertise that isn’t available everywhere around the globe. But with the specialized BMT training program at Moffitt, Bejanyan hopes to change that. She wants to start with her home country of Armenia.

This year, Bejanyan invited hematologist Dr. Nerses Ghahramanyan from Yeolyan Hematology Center in Yerevan, Armenia, to learn as much as he can about allogenic transplantation at Moffitt. The goal is to take that knowledge and experience back to Armenia, where adult patients have no access to curative allogeneic bone marrow transplants.

“In my country I treat blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma,” Ghahramanyan said. “I am here to gain expertise in BMT, specifically allogeneic transplants. In Armenia, there are challenges also with research and clinical trials. It’s part of my dream to establish a strong allogeneic BMT program and develop research in that field in my country.”

“It’s part of my dream to establish a strong allogeneic BMT program and develop research in that field in my country,” says Dr. Nerses Ghahramanyan, who will bring his knowledge back to Armenia later this summer.

Gaining Guidance and Education

Access to clinical trials in allogeneic BMT and broad exposure to transplant cases are big advantages for Ghahramanyan while visiting Moffitt. The guidance provided by Bejanyan is also crucial to his education and his ability to relay what he learns to fellow doctors in Armenia when he returns home later this summer.

Bejanyan and Ghahramanyan met in 2019 at the 5th International Medical Congress of Armenia. In 2021, Bejanyan spoke with Moffitt leadership about offering a training program to Armenia, and since then every week, she has been mentoring Ghahramanyan online.

Leadership at Moffitt was supportive of a hands-on training program, and Ghahramanyan was on the short list of physicians considered for the opportunity. He accepted immediately.

Bejanyan has personal experience with the importance of having access to lifesaving allogeneic transplants. It was the lack of that option that led to the passing of her cousin in the early 1990s and inspired her to pursue a career in blood and marrow transplant, Bejanyan said.

“My cousin was 28 and had acute myeloid leukemia,” Bejanyan said. “She had two kids, one of those children was only 40 days old when she died.”

Her cousin did not have access to the appropriate care such as leukemia chemotherapy and allogeneic transplant.

“This was in the early 1990s and I always thought, ‘Maybe I should learn this,’” she said. “I would hear heartbreaking stories like hers and it was just too expensive to move patients elsewhere for transplants.”

Since moving to and pursuing post-graduate education in the United States more than 20 years ago, Bejanyan has worked to hone her expertise, as well as teach other physicians the techniques that can save the lives of leukemia patients.

Learning All He Can

Ghahramanyan, 28, has already established himself in the blood and marrow transplant community of Armenia. He spends 90% of his time in the clinic, he said, because there are not many opportunities to conduct research.

“So, I really haven’t done much research in my home country,” Ghahramanyan said. “I am really surprised and impressed with the number of clinical trials going on here in the United States. Part of my dream is to develop research in hematology and BMT in my country. It’s an essential part of developing successful treatment.”

Bejanyan is not only giving Ghahramanyan a chance to see how research is conducted at Moffitt, she’s also giving him an opportunity to see all aspects of patient care, from the clinicians, nurses and pharmacists on the floor to the researchers in the lab.

According to Bejanyan, Moffitt performs 450 transplants a year on average, and she is working to expand the cancer center’s program.

“We provide excellent care, and we have the experience,” she said. “Our one-year survival exceeds the expected national requirements.”

“We provide excellent care, and we have the experience. Our one-year survival exceeds the expected national requirements.”

– Dr. Nelli Bejanyan, Department of Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cellular Immunotherapy

Moffitt’s one-year survival rate for patients who undergo allogeneic transplant is at 78%, she said.

“If we look at the entire patient population receiving allogeneic transplant, we can cure 50 to 60%,” she said. “There is still a risk of recurrence for disease and a risk for mortality from the transplant. But in many cases, if you don’t do the transplant, you won’t survive.”

And that is exactly why Ghahramanyan wants to take what he is learning at Moffitt and make it available in Armenia. Providing an option that is unavailable will save countless lives.

“For Armenia, my team there is well-equipped,” Ghahramanyan said. “I hope to get back to my team, start performing allogeneic transplants for blood cancers and transfer the knowledge I’ve gained here to my colleagues.”

Ghahramanyan said he doesn’t know of any other cancer treatment plan that is more complex than allogeneic transplants.

“My hope is that my experience will change lives — change patient care — for my whole country,” he said.

https://moffitt.org/endeavor/archive/hematologist-trains-at-moffitt-hoping-to-benefit-armenians/

Gurgen Khachatryan: The future of Armenia is undoubtedly digital and green

Kanayan Tamar
Armenia – May 17 2023
On the occasion of the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, Gurgen Khachatryan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ucom, released a message today, in which he shared how he and his brother delved into the world of telecommunications, how his grandfather inspired him and how the company was created.

The message reads:

“Children might perceive telecommunications as a mundane subject, involving intricate networks of slender wires, radio waves, and transmitters. However, this only scratches the surface of its vast complexities. My brother and I hold indelible memories from our school years, dashing through the corridors of the telephone exchange after school hours. This building housed a solitary, analog rack with blinking lights that occupied an entire floor. The most exhilarating aspect was undoubtedly the ability to facilitate people’s conversations, albeit with the occasional misconnection and getting caught by our grandfather during our mischiefs.

Today, we commemorate the World Telecommunication and Information Society Day, a day that celebrates our dedicated team at Ucom, industry experts, and my 92-year-old grandfather, Gurgen. Gurgen Tadevos Khachatryan, a veteran in the field, was among the first “communicators” in Soviet Armenia to attain the highest qualification. He led the Nairi regional communication hub for an impressive 25 consecutive years and is the only person in the field with a half-century of leadership experience.

It was my grandpa Gurgen who inspired my brother and I to delve into the world of telecommunications, to establish our own company, and ultimately, to celebrate the milestone of our 10,000th subscriber at Ucom about a decade ago. Grandfather Gurgen is the catalyst for my desire to discuss, on this World Telecommunication Day, the responsibility we bear in constructing robust, future-proof networks and passing them down to ensuing generations.

The transition from one generation to the next, from analog to digital, has resulted in the telecommunications of today and the future being vastly different in terms of technology, bandwidth, and scalability compared to the networks of pasts, with their nostalgic “switch” memories. Modern telecommunications, as a unified service provider, seamlessly connects infrastructures, corporations, systems, and smart devices, equipping them with data and artificial intelligence capabilities. However, how prepared are Armenian businesses for these transformations? According to our data, only a minuscule percentage of entrepreneurs seem ready. And what about our urban infrastructure’s readiness for a mobile future?

Today, nations with a keen focus on technological adaptation are witnessing exponential growth, while countries like ours are struggling with a comparatively slow pace of progress. This is not just currently inadequate, but it also poses substantial challenges for the coming decade.

The telecommunications industry, by necessity, requires digitization of operators and infrastructure to reap the financial benefits from investments in fifth-generation networks. For developing economies, particularly that of Armenia, digitization is crucial to prevent further widening of the chasm in business competitiveness that runs parallel with the evolution of contemporary technologies.

We firmly believe that cutting-edge telecommunication infrastructures will stimulate economic growth and open up novel opportunities for both seasoned and aspiring entrepreneurs. Yesterday’s announcement of the next phase of the Ucom-Ericsson partnership signifies the initiation of fifth-generation technological solutions with unparalleled technological and environmental support. It also marks the advent of our new green social responsibility strategy aimed at infrastructure and environmental protection.

As a company founded on Armenian capital and steered by Armenian experts, we understand the cost of missed opportunities and the vital mission to empower the younger generation. Consequently, we extend an invitation for collaboration to all Armenian businesses that align with this vision and have faith in the digital future of our nation. However, our commitment goes beyond this. Moving forward, all new technologies from Ucom will be equally accessible in the capital city as well as the most secluded settlements of Armenia. We perceive it as our responsibility and mission to ensure the essential green “connection” for our compatriots in their respective localities.

Lastly, Ucom embarks on a new stage of evolution under the proficient guidance and the vast experience within the telecommunications sector of CEO Ralph Yirikian. We are confident that the new strategy will yield exemplary outcomes and build a sustainable network for both Armenian entrepreneurs and all our compatriots, regardless of their location. At Ucom, we pride ourselves on our mastery of our craft. The best is yet to come.


Addressing Concerns for the Homeland with ARF Bureau Chairman Hagop Der Khatchadurian

Kanayan Tamar
 Pauline Getzoyan Interviews 0

ARF Bureau chairman Hagop Der Khatchadurian

Editor’s Note: Today, the Armenian nation is at a critical juncture, surrounded by enemies and facing diplomatic and military setbacks, all of which require renewed vigor and dedication to restoring the security of the homeland. 

The Armenian Weekly posed a series of questions regarding these concerns to Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Bureau chairman Hagop Der Khatchadurian on the eve of his visit to Watertown, Massachusetts. Der Khatchadurian addressed these questions and the ARF’s priorities, as the global Armenian nation continues to diligently work toward a free, independent and united homeland.

Der Khatchadurian will be the featured speaker at an event hosted by the ARF Boston “Sardarabad” Gomideh on Friday, , celebrating the 105th anniversary of the independence of the First Republic of Armenia.

Armenian Weekly (AW): Please tell us your thoughts about the continuing blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, particularly since the addition of the security checkpoint and the conditions under which the Armenians of Artsakh are forced to live.

Hagop Der Khatchadurian (HDK): Azerbaijan has launched a challenge to the world by blockading Artsakh, establishing the illegal checkpoint despite the assurances of the 2020 November 10 agreement that guarantee the free flow of people and goods under Russian supervision, and by ignoring calls for the right to self-determination of the Artsakh people who have lived on their ancestral homeland for millennia. This has not only created an untenable politico-military aggression, but a humanitarian crisis as well. Azerbaijan is not even hiding its intentions of ethnic cleansing anymore. Aliyev’s aim is to create an atmosphere of fear and panic to empty Artsakh of its Armenian population.

Yet the world response has been inadequate. From the early meek calls for both sides to solve the conflict in a peaceful way – thus equating the victim with the aggressor – to more recent half-hearted condemnations, even decisions by world judicial bodies and fervent discussions in world forums have not deterred Azerbaijan. This is because such measures lack “teeth” for execution, and no mechanism is being applied to punish the perpetrator of aggression and atrocities.

This has resulted in an unprecedented humanitarian crisis that needs to be addressed at all levels. We’re organizing convoys of food and medication for the Artsakh population, encouraging world leaders to act and impose sanctions on Azerbaijan for its crimes against humanity and creating a hope-inducing environment for our Artsakh brothers and sisters to survive this crisis and continue to entrench their roots on the Armenian soil of Artsakh.

We urge Russia to be more forceful in its duty of assuring safe passage between Armenia and Artsakh and we expect the West to send a clear signal to Azerbaijan that its aggression and defiance of international law will not be tolerated. In parallel, we need to intensify our Hai Tahd efforts of denouncing the Azeri aggression worldwide, of insisting on the imposition of sanctions on Azerbaijan and of continuing to promote the right to self-determination of the population of Artsakh.

AW: How does the Armenian administration’s response to the blockade of Artsakh impact the Republic of Armenia and its security?

HDK: The Armenian authorities have not been forceful in denouncing the blockade and the addition of a security checkpoint, nor have they been adequately seeking immediate remedies. We are witnessing a tendency by the Armenian government to withdraw its security guarantees of Artsakh and to distance itself from promoting Artsakh’s right to self-determination. These are unacceptable policies.

The Armenian regime’s weakness in security matters and its unwillingness to directly confront Azerbaijan on its genocidal policies in Artsakh also is a national security threat for Armenia. Our enemy has now targeted the borders of Armenia itself and is trying to create faits accomplis by occupying as much Armenian land as possible to gain strategic advantage for future aggression against our homeland.

The Armenian authorities led us to a national disaster during the war of 2020 that should have been avoided at all costs given Armenia’s unpreparedness to confront the enemy. We all realize now that the defeat made Armenia’s borders more vulnerable. Furthermore, in its haste to secure Armenia’s current territory of 29,800 square kilometers, the Armenian Prime Minister has announced his willingness to acknowledge the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, thus seriously impeding the people of Artsakh’s often-repeated conviction that Artsakh will never come under Azerbaijan rule.

AW: What policies does the ARF plan to institute or already have in place as the homeland faces an existential crisis?

HDK: We are convinced that the current Armenian authorities, under the autocratic leadership of Nikol Pashinyan, have neither the capacity nor the will to solve Armenia’s myriad of problems and to address Artsakh’s needs. Hence, they should leave the stage before leading our homeland to new disasters.

The ARF has and will continue to emphasize that Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora need to reestablish their unity of purpose and willingness to meet the challenges facing our homeland and nation in a coordinated fashion. In order to accomplish that objective, we firmly believe that:

  • Armenians should understand that their power lies within, and we should rely only on ourselves to confront our enemies and establish our goals. Neither the East, nor the West, nor any country will come to our aid if we can’t help ourselves or fight our battles ourselves. We need a common ideal, a national agenda, a strong army, the reawakening of our legendary courage to defend what is rightfully ours and our unwavering support for Artsakh as the cornerstone of our Cause.
  • National values should be reinvigorated in Armenia – we have only seen organized attacks on them by the authorities; the retreat from those values, instigated by this regime, can indeed deepen our existential crisis.

These core values should include the universally accepted vision of a free, independent and united Armenia; the defense of Artsakh on all fronts; the modernization and appropriate funding of the Armenian army and improving the morale of its commanders, officers and the troops; the appropriate emphasis on the teaching of the Armenian language, literature and history; educating the youth to value serving the nation with utmost dedication; the proper evaluation of and respect for the role of the Armenian church; abandoning the authorities’ “divide to conquer” policies that weaken the fabric of the nation and the reestablishment of the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora unity.

  • The Armenian authorities should abandon their defeatist attitude and stop all unilateral concessions to Turkey and Azerbaijan. They should abandon the idea of begging for a false comprehensive “peace” in the region that cannot be obtained through pleading or useless negotiations. A defeated country cannot aspire to an honorable peace from enemies like Azerbaijan and Turkey who have shown repeatedly that once concessions are extracted from Armenia, they’ll ask for more. On the contrary, Armenia should concentrate on and maximize the potential of the Armenian nation by gathering all forces around an Armenian national agenda centered on the declaration made during the Genocide centennial.
  • Armenia should mend and strengthen its relations with traditional allies and countries whose interests truly coincide with those of Armenia and whose influences in the region are palpable and long lasting. They should also reestablish professional cadres of diplomats and not rely on amateur partisan Civil Contract party operatives to fill vital diplomatic posts.

AW: As the Diaspora has no direct influence in the governmental affairs of the homeland, how can our communities, particularly in the US, offer assistance in the most meaningful ways, besides monetarily?

HDK: Besides help in fundraising for worthy projects, the Diaspora is already helping Armenia and Artsakh through its Hai Tahd activities. Our ANCs have never ceased to lobby for Armenia and for the right to self-determination for Artsakh. We’ll always find novel ways to maximize Armenia’s and Artsakh’s standing on the international stage and help advance the cause for Armenia’s security and Artsakh’s survival in these trying times. 

We have also advocated for the Diaspora to have a direct input into Armenia’s political, economic and social affairs. Despite some lip service, the RA authorities have not initiated any meaningful debate nor proposed acceptable approaches.

Armenia should also pay particular attention to the cultural, linguistic and educational requirements of the Armenian community of Javakhk, which justifiably looks to Armenia to provide for its needs in those spheres.

In the US, we should consistently lobby the US government to have a balanced policy towards the Southern Caucasus region and engage in truly friendly relations with Armenia. The US should abandon its biased preferential treatment of Azerbaijan, condemn the latter’s aggression and crimes, impose sanctions and clearly signal that the Azeri genocidal policies will have serious consequences on the international stage. The US should also stop relying on its NATO “ally” Turkey to further its influence in the region; Turkey is neither a reliable ally of the US nor a benevolent force promoting peace and coexistence. Our ANCA and its chapters, as well as any other Armenian groups, should double their efforts in this regard.

AW: What are the priorities for Hai Tahd in this tumultuous and polarized environment?

HDK: Besides the lobbying activities already mentioned before and the Genocide recognition and reparations efforts, Hai Tahd priorities should be based upon:

  • Countering the Azeri-Turkish offensive on Artsakh, Armenia and the Armenian nation, fighting their falsifications and propaganda, proactively exposing the dictatorial nature and destabilizing influence of both Turkey and Azerbaijan, explaining their true pan-Turkic intentions and expansionist aggression and unmasking their false pretenses for regional peace.
  • Defending the rights of Armenians everywhere as official or ethnic minorities, as community groups or as indigenous populations, as the case may be in any given country or region.
  • Politicizing the Armenian youth and promoting their participation in the political life of their country.

AW: Any final thoughts as we approach the May 28th anniversary of the First Republic?

HDK: Now that we’re celebrating the 105th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Republic, I would like to use the opportunity to emphasize in these trying times that the ARF firmly believes in rekindling the legendary Armenian courage, commitment and dedication to protecting our homeland from any existential threats, regardless of the cost and the seemingly impossible odds. After all, that is the ultimate message of May 28: that hopeless situations do not exist and even the most difficult national problem can be overcome through the selfless dedication of the sons and daughters of the nation.

  •  Bio
  •  Latest Posts
Editor
Pauline Getzoyan is editor of the Armenian Weekly and an active member of the Rhode Island Armenian community. A longtime member of the Providence ARF and ARS, she also is a former member of the ARS Central Executive Board. A longtime advocate for genocide education through her work with the ANC of RI, Pauline is co-chair of the RI branch of The Genocide Education Project. In addition, she has been an adjunct instructor of developmental reading and writing in the English department at the Community College of Rhode Island since 2005.


Moscow to host Armenia-Azerbaijan summit

Kanayan Tamar

Save

Share

 15:23,

YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS. A trilateral meeting between the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia is planned to take place on May 25 in Moscow, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Thursday.

“We received a proposal from the Russian side on holding a trilateral summit in Moscow under the mediation of the Russian President on May 25. And we have accepted the offer,” Pashinyan said.

Another round of foreign ministerial talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan is scheduled to take place on May 19 in Moscow as well.