Author: Kanayan Tamar

ARMENIE
Les écologistes arméniens demandent au président Sarkissian
d’interdire la construction des fermes piscicoles sur le lac Sevan

Les écologistes arméniens ont envoyé une lettre ouverte au président
Serge Sarkissian pour lui demander d’interdire l’augmentation des
rejets d’eau prévus du lac Sevan a déclaré Gagik Tadévossian, un
ancien président d’une commission parlementaire sur les questions
sociales, de la santé et de l’environnement et co-auteur de la loi sur
le lac Sevan.

Le 30 Janvier, le gouvernement arménien a approuvé une augmentation de
la libération d’eau d’irrigation du lac à partir de 170 à 240 million
de mètres cubes par an jusqu’en 2019. Le parlement tiendra des
audiences sur cette question prochainement.

Selon M.Tadévossian, la libération accrue de l’eau peut causer des
dommages considérables au lac. Il a dit que la lettre a été signée par
plusieurs organisations environnementales, y compris l’Union
environnementale et publique et le Centre d’information de
l’environnement (centres Aarhus).

Il a déclaré que les écologistes exigent que le président interdisent
la construction de piscicultures parce que c’est une violation de la
loi sur le lac Sevan qui interdit toute forme d’activité économique
qui aurait un impact négatif sur son écosystème.

dimanche 22 juin 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

france
Adriana n’a pas d’amis mais un nouveau mari

Ne l’appelez plus Adriana Karembeu. Depuis le week-end dernier,
l’ex-femme du footballeur Christian Karembeu est remarié. Celle qui
s’est reconverti dans l’animation télé a épousé à Monaco Aram Ohanian.
Originaire d’Arménie, cet homme d’affaires gé de 59 ans vit entre la
France et Marrakech où il est propriétaire d’une boîte de nuit et d’un
restaurant. Dans le magazine Gala en kiosque cette semaine, elle a
confié vivre une relation fusionnelle avec le nouvel homme de sa vie.
”Pour aimer, j’ai besoin d’admirer. La qualité principale que je
demande à un homme c’est le courage. Aram n’est pas du tout diplomate,
mais il est courageux. Il exprime toujours ses opinions et j’adore
ça”, a-telle avoué dans l’hebdomadaire.

Prochaine étape : un bébé ?

”J’aime être la femme d’un seul homme. Et qu’il soit tout pour moi.
Je n’ai pas d’amis. C’est ma force. La célébrité fausse tout, au
moins, je m’épargne d’être entourée de personnes intéressées”, a
ajouté l’ancienne mannequin de 42 ans qui pense, pour la première
fois, à la maternité. ”Jusque-là, je n’ai jamais eu l’envie de
devenir mère, de donner naissance à quelqu’un qui me ressemble. Là,
j’ai un homme à mes côtés avec qui le faire.” Seule fausse note de la
cérémonie civile : l’absence de son père. Malgré l’invitation, il n’a
pas souhaité y assister. La jeune femme n’a jamais caché que les
relations avec cet homme très sévère ont toujours été compliquées.

Trois ans après sa difficile séparation – ”Tout mon être a été secoué
de fond en comble”, avait-elle raconté à Paris Match -, la belle
Adriana a donc définitivement tourné la page Karembeu et semble avoir
fait la paix avec son passé : ”Ne plus m’appeler Karembeu n’enlève
rien à ce que Christian m’a apporté, mais c’est une autre période de
ma vie.”

!cCzXppzIdY7ks/

dimanche 22 juin 2014,
Stéphane (c)armenews.com

ARMENIE-SECURITE
Le président arménien inaugure les nouveaux locaux de la police

Hier, le président arménien Serge Sarkissian a participé à
l’inauguration des nouveaux locaux de la police à Davidachen
(Yerevan). A l’occasion du 22e anniversaire de la naissance de la
police arménienne, il a également félicité les responsables de la
police. Vladimir Kasparian, le chef de la police de la République
d’Arménie a affirmé aux journalistes présents que les nouveaux locaux
qui furent ainsi inaugurés sont plus pratiques et permettent au
personnel de la police de >.
Les nouveaux btiments de la police à Davidachen s’étendent sur 3 000
mètres carrés avec un équipement moderne, des salles de réception,
d’exposition et d’études. Un espace est également réservé pour le
Musée de la police.

Krikor Amirzayan

dimanche 22 juin 2014,
Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

ANY CASUALTIES ON THE LINE OF CONTACT ARE TRAGIC AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED: US AMBASSADOR

17:37 20.06.2014

The casualties on the line of contact are tragic and emphasize the need
for resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as soon as possible,
U.S. Ambassador to Azerbaijan Richard Morningstar told reporters on
June 20, Trend reports.

“Any casualties on the line of contact are tragic and should be
avoided. They emphasize the need for the resolution of the conflict as
soon as possible. We will continue to work in that direction”, he said.

He stressed that the Minsk Group co-chairs are working hard. “We are
also working with both countries to try to ensure that hostilities
on the line of contact are not escalated and become minimized”,
Morningstar said.

He also added that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry wants to visit
the region, but the terms of the date of the visit is still unclear.

Reporters without borders: Policy of Azerbaijani authorities on
destruction of pluralism in media led to closure of ”Zerkalo”

11:46 21/06/2014 >> REGION

One of Azerbaijan’s leading independent newspapers, the
Russian-language Zerkalo (Mirror), has been forced to stop publishing
because government control of the advertising market and distribution
networks has deprived it of the income it needs to keep operating,
reads the statement of the international organization Reporters
Without Borders.

“Broadcasting was already under complete state control and now the
independent print media are in the process of collapse as a result of
the economic vice that the government is tightening around them,”
reads the document.

It is stated that Editor-in-chief Elchin Shikhly finally announced on
31 May that it would cease to produce a print edition altogether. It
is still publishing online but staff are no longer being paid.

According to the RWB Street vendors were banned in Baku in 2011 on the
grounds that they were obstructing traffic. The distribution network’s
newsstands were gradually eliminated in 2012 or replaced by a new
network of shops from which independent newspapers are for the most
part excluded. Finally, selling newspapers in the metro was banned in
2013.

The economic difficulties that Zerkalo has been facing are the result
of the government’s implementation of an insidious censorship
strategy, believes Johann Bihr, the head of the Reporters Without
Borders Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.

“Government manipulation is now bearing fruit and media pluralism is
all but eradicated in Azerbaijan. We call on the authorities to reform
the distribution system without delay and to stop manipulating the
advertising market so that media diversity is guaranteed,” he
stressed.

According to the statement given the government-orchestrated
destruction of media pluralism, frequent pardons for detainees should
fool no one. Two journalists were among the 171 detainees pardoned on
26 May but at least eight other journalists are still held. The latest
victims include Zerkalo’s well-known Turkey correspondent Rauf
Mirkadyrov, who has been in pre-trial detention on trumped-up spying
charges since 18 April.

The organization also notes that Azerbaijan is 160th out of 180
countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders press freedom index.
Rauf Mirkadirov, columnist of Azerbaijani newspaper “Zerkalo”, was
arrested on April 18 in Ankara on charges of expiration of documents.
On April 19 Mirkadirov was deported to Azerbaijan, where he
immediately was arrested and put in custody by the MNS on suspicion of
treason. On April 21 the court in Baku sanctioned his arrest for three
months. Mirkadirov is accused of the cooperation with special services
of Armenia; specifically he is accused of making the transfers of the
state secret information, including those about the dislocation of
Azerbaijani Armed forces to Armenia during 2008-2009.

Source: Panorama.am

TURKEY’S ERDOGAN ON CAMPAIGN TRAIL – IN VIENNA

World Crunch
June 20 2014

Sure to be the leading candidate in August’s first-ever direct election
of Turkey’s president, the current prime minister is touring Europe
to woo Turks living abroad. Not all are convinced.

VIENNA — Things are quiet in downtown Vienna on this Thursday
afternoon. Catholic Austria is celebrating the Feast of Corpus Christi,
and everybody else is out enjoying the fine weather. But the scheduled
visit of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has the police
lined up on the Ringstrasse because they’re expecting anti-Erdogan
demonstrations.

Some protesters have already gathered near the Praterstern railroad
station. The Turkish and Austrian leftists, Kurds, Alevites and
Armenians form a colorful group, but there are hardly 10,000 of them,
as announced — more like 2,000. They wave national flags, flags
bearing the likenesses of Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan or
Turkish Communists, and carry placards with portraits of victims of
the Gezi Park protests and the Soma mine disaster.

“The sheer breadth of our alliance shows on how many levels Erdogan’s
policies have failed,” a spokeswoman for the democratic alliance
against Erdogan says from the stage. “Erdogan get out of Vienna”
is written in English on a banner behind her. Other speakers call
Erdogan a liar, a criminal, a murderer.

A few kilometers outside the city, in front of an ice rink on the
other side of the Danube, the picture is more homogenous. People
here are waving only one kind of flag: a star and half-moon on a red
background, the national flag of Turkey. A couple of men are prone on
the ground, praying. Near them, picnicking, are some old women wearing
head scarves. T-shirts with a portrait of Erdogan emblazend on them
are being sold out of a stretch limousine. Some of the T-shirts read
“Sultan of the World” under the prime minister’s image.

Inside, in the hall, more people bear more Turkish flags. They are
waving them in time to a pop song with a refrain that repeats the
name of today’s star guest: “Re-cep Tay-yip Er-do-gan.” His impending
appearance also has his supporters breaking out in frenetic cheers
every few minutes. “Erdogan is the only leadership figure we have,”
a floor leader calls from the stage. When he mentions the Gezi Park
protests, the cheers turn to boos.

When the “Sultan of the World” finally walks into the hall, followers
throw roses in his path. Literally. He waves to the crowd, greets
the dignitaries in the first row, then sits down next to his wife,
who is veiled in black.

“Turkey is proud of you,” the 7,000 people in the hall cry out two,
three, four times. First, the moderator greets the guest of honor.

Then Abdurrahman Karayazili, head of the Vienna branch of the
Union of European Turkish Democrats (UETD), takes the floor. His
organization invited “private citizen” Erdogan to participate in
the 10th anniversary of its founding. The UETD is considered the
foreign arm of Erdogan’s Justice and Development Party (AKP), although
Karayazili vehemently denies this. He also denies that Erdogan’s trip
to Vienna — and travels to Cologne in late May and an impending trip
to Lyon — are actually meant to scare up votes among Turks living
abroad for the presidential elections coming up in August.

The “sultan” speaks

Ninety minutes later than scheduled, the Turkish prime minister
appears on stage. He thanks Austria for its hospitality. He condemns
the “campaign” that preceded his appearance in Cologne. He says he
does not interfere with German or Austrian domestic politics. “My
only goal is you!”

He describes how well the “new Turkey” has emerged through the
crisis, and says that nobody should fear Turkey. He mentions the
1914 assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. Then
he invokes Suleiman the Magnificent, sultan of the Ottoman Empire
whose territorial conquests in Europe were checked by the Siege of
Vienna in 1529. “We are all his grandchildren,” Erdogan shouts amid
public cheers.

At the high point of the speech, Erdogan launches into his familiar
credo, “Assimilation no, integration yes!” and then calls on his
audience to vote in August. He closes with the words, “We are all
brothers and sisters.” The crowd waves their flags one last time,
then leaves the hall to cheer the motorcade they assume is driving
Erdogan away.

Foreign minister meetup

Less than 100 meters from here, the bright flags of the anti-Erdogan
protesters come into view. Their numbers reportedly reached 6,000
before they left Praterstern and headed for the ice rink. The march
across the Danube bridge is relatively peaceful. So that things stay
that way, the police have barricaded the street between Erdogan’s
friends and Erdogan’s enemies. The mood turns tense.

By now German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier has arrived
in the inner city. His Austrian counterpart Sebastian Kurz met him
at the airport and intended — while Erdogan was being cheered at
the ice rink — to speak with him about Ukraine and Russia, about
Putin’s visit to Vienna next week, and perhaps too about the German
government’s toll plans.

Steinmeier makes a passing reference to Turkey in the context of Iraq.

“We are interested in knowing if Turkey plays a role in the conflict
and, if so, what role,” he says. He will be meeting the next day with
Turkish counterpart Ahmet Davutoglu. Turkish officials had said they
were examining the requirements for military intervention against
Islamists in Iraq after they took 80 Turkish citizens hostage.

All governments in the region must help deescalate the situation,
Steinmeier warns. Erdogan once perceived Turkey’s role in the Middle
East as the great problem solver, and yet his government tolerated
Islamists in the border area between Syria and Turkey — and in so
doing contributed to strengthening their position.

The two foreign ministers intend to spend their evening at a Heuriger
(wine tavern) in Grinzing, the wine country within city bounds. “Just
the two of them,” as a spokesperson makes clear. “Private citizen”
Erdogan will be meeting with the Austrian foreign minister the next
day and “on neutral ground.”

VLADIMIR KAZIMIROV: TALKS TO CONVENE THE MINSK CONFERENCE IS A CLOSED CHAPTER

by Emmanuil Lazarian

Friday, June 20, 21:34

Talks to convene the Minsk Conference is a closed chapter, said
Vladimir Kazimirov, the former OSCE MG Co-Chair of Russia, commenting
on the views of western analysts in a brief interview with ArmInfo.

Kazimirov said: “We overstepped that thesis long ago, it was unable
to settle the problem.” He is skeptical about the ‘start of a new
constructive negotiation process for the peace agreement,’ unlike the
Swiss Foreign Minister that has made such statement recently. “All
that is in the past. There is nothing new there,” the experienced
diplomat said.

Kazimirov is not less skeptical also about the statements by western
analysts who claim that the Karabakh conflict’s resolution must
be sought in the context of other problems in the South Caucasus,
particularly, the Armenian-Turkish and Georgian-Russian relations.

These issues are too specific to be linked, he said.

The retired ambassador said that he met with the new US Co-Chair
of the OSCE MG James Warlick at the request of the letter. “I said
that there are much things to know to make a breakthrough. Both the
politicians and journalists still know very little on how really
the truce was achieved. Harping on the 4 resolutions of the Security
Council is mere words. We have already failed to work on the basis
of those four resolutions as they were devaluated and discredited
and fully ignored by the parties. Therefore, we were reluctant to
invent an absolutely new basis – it was the statement the CIS Leaders
made on 15 April 1994. The statement was based on the ideas that
the resolutions lacked. It was mentioned there that not only it is
necessary to achieve a truce but also make it strong and reliable.

Without that it is impossible to liquidate the aftermaths of that
tragic confrontation. Unfortunately, after 20 years of the ceasefire,
it is as fragile as before,” Kazimirov said. According to him, the
conflict cannot be settled unless the parties fully refuse from use
of force. The diplomat agreed with the views that the growing tension
of the West-East relations around Ukraine complicates the search for
a final way out of the Karabakh stalemate.

On Monday, 16 June, LINKS Executive Director Dennis Sammut was the
keynote speaker at the opening of the 86th Rose-Roth Seminar organised
by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in the capital of Azerbaijan Baku.

Dennis Sammut spoke on the theme “The South Caucasus at a time of
shifting regional and international security challenges.”

In his speech Sammut said the international community needs to find
a way of keeping the spotlight on the negotiations. One way is to
convene the long awaited Minsk Conference in a time tabled format. The
much desired “political will” is not going to fall from the sky,
and if the international community wants to see it, it needs to help
create it. According to him, the solution to the Karabakh conflict
should be sought in the context of settlement of other important
tasks for the South Caucasus – restoration of the Armenian-Turkish
and Georgian-Russian relations

BERNARD COULIE: SURRENDERING ANY TERRITORIES TO AZERBAIJAN IS NONSENSE!

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

17:42 20/06/2014 >> INTERVIEWS

Panorama.am presents an interview with Dr. Bernard Coulie, a
specialist in European studies and a professor of Armenian studies
(language, culture, history) at UCL (Universite Catholique de Louvain)
in Belgium. Dr. Coulie is currently researching the South Caucasus
region and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. He comments on Russia’s
changing place in the world, the relations between Russia and the
EU, the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and also speaks about Armenian
manuscripts and colophons.

– Dr. Coulie, as a specialist in European history and culture how
would you assess the significance of Russia-led Eurasian Union in
the framework of the contemporary European history? Do you think this
block is going to somehow isolate its member states from Europe?

– First of all there is an important global phenomenon that has to
be considered when speaking about Russia – we are now witnessing
a shift of global influence from the Western world to the Pacific
Ocean: the centre of the world is not the Atlantic Ocean anymore; it
is becoming the Pacific Ocean now – the most significant developments
will be taking place between America and Asia. I think we will have to
redraw all our maps which portray Europe at the centre of the map. An
interesting example demonstrating this trend is for example the fact
that in China the maps in the school textbooks of geography portray
China at the centre of the world. Within this context of this trend
the Eurasian Union is a way to shift Russia more towards the East and
make Russia a more active player in the East rather than in the West.

Europe however has difficulty understanding Russia – the recent events
in Ukraine demonstrated this lack of understanding towards Russia and
its neighboring countries. But Europe has to pay more attention to
this because Europe will end up being isolated in tomorrow’s
world if Russia moves eastward.

– It is interesting that the West is speaking about isolating Russia,
whereas in fact as you say it is Russia that can end up isolating
Europe.

– Yes, absolutely. And one of the vivid examples of this is the
major gas deal recently signed between Russia and China. So if Europe
pushes Russia away it may ultimately isolate itself rather than harm
Russia. This is something that Europe fails to understand. Similarly
Europe also lacks an understanding of the South Caucasus.

– How does Europe fail to understand the South Caucasus? What can you
say particularly about Armenia’s choice to join the Eurasian
Union and Europe’s stance towards Armenia in this regard?

– This has actually been a very important and complicated choice for
Armenia because Armenia has always wanted to be closer to Europe.

Europe is asking these countries like Armenia and Georgia to make
a choice between Europe and Russia and is unable to understand that
these countries must have freedom to make multiple choices. The history
of this part of the world has to be taken into consideration – this
region has historically been in the border between East and West;
that is why you cannot ask a country at crossroads to make such a
choice – by doing so everybody misses great opportunities. Armenia
must be able to enter the Eurasian union and also to have a close
association with Europe. It can be made possible if the EU has a will,
nothing is impossible in this regard.

– Can the EU possibly have a greater involvement in the region within
the current setting?

– For the EU to have a greater role in the South Caucasus the EU
itself has to transform – it has to have one single foreign policy
instead of the 28 foreign policies that it now has. The problem is
with the EU as such. The current European Neighborhood policy in its
turn is not enough and we have to wait and see what the new leadership
of the Union will bring forth.

– You have been researching the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and have
written an article titled “The Quintessential Conflict –
A Cultural and Historical Analysis of Nagorno-Karabakh” in
the book edited by M. Kambeck. How would you say the question of
Nagorno-Karabakh, and the South Caucasus region as such, is important
for the Europeans today? Why should they care?

– The issue of Nagorno-Karabakh is important for Europe because the
South Caucasus region is very close to Europe, in fact much closer
than the Europeans perceive it to be – the region is important in both
civilizational and geopolitical terms. Europe should also learn lessons
from the example of Nagorno-Karabakh, namely regarding how national
identities can evolve and how they can bring to conflict in the 21st
century. There are similarities in the processes of nation building
in Europe and in the South Caucasus. Let’s take the example of
Belgium. Europe has undergone the process of building nation states
in the 19th century and all the European countries except Belgium are
nation states. Belgium was built as an artificial country composed
of two communities – French speaking and Dutch speaking – obliged to
live together in one artificial state and now, 180 years after the
independence they want to split into two different states. So it is
very difficult to resist the trend or the will of the people to be
independent and to live in independent communities. This process is
also ongoing in Europe now (Spain, UK) and there are parallels with
the case of Nagorno-Karabakh in this regard. Nagorno-Karabakh is not
just about Armenians and Azerbaijanis, but this conflict displays
fundamental questions about Europe and the modern world.

– Do you think it is possible to resolve the Karabakh conflict without
addressing the question of the past, as is the case with the Madrid
Principles? Do you think the principles that are currently on the
negotiation table are ever likely to bring to peace?

– No I don’t think the conflict can be resolved ignoring
the past; actually I don’t see any solution to the Karabakh
conflict. As for Madrid Principles, they propose the surrender
of certain territories to Azerbaijan – this is nonsense! If the
territories surrounding the former NKAO were transferred to Azerbaijan
it would be a disaster! This is a major concern as this can never
bring to peace, but will instead only isolate Nagorno-Karabakh and
give it to Azerbaijan, creating the same situation which preceded the
war and which resulted in the war. The best thing that can happen is
that the situation doesn’t change for the coming years. Any
change of any kind would be bad for one of the parties. The most
satisfactory option for all the parties would be to maintain the
status quo; that is just realpolitik. We have to be patient; it is
just a 20-year-old conflict. It is nothing compared to centuries –
history is longer and slower than a human lifetime.

– Dr. Coulie, you specialize in classic Armenian language and Armenian
history. How did you get interested in the Armenian studies and what
are you studying in Armenia at the moment?

– I got interested in Armenian studies when I was studying classics –
ancient Greek and Latin; so I started studying Armenian as another
ancient language and that is how I became interested in present-day
Armenia. Now I am teaching Armenian studies (including Classical
Armenian – grabar and Armenian poetry) to the University students in
Belgium. I am also working with the NGO European Friends of Armenia
in Brussels. My main work in Armenian studies has to do with Armenian
manuscripts and I often come to Armenia to work with the manuscripts
in Matenadaran.

– So far what has been the most interesting discovery for you in
this work?

– What has interested me the most in this are the Armenian colophons
(hishatakaranner): these are inscriptions written by the Armenian
monks who were copying ancient manuscripts and religious writings
in the middle ages. At the end of their work they would add small
personal notes, colophons, which described the circumstances of
everyday life in which they were working. Thus these colophons
give a detailed description of both the historical setting and life
conditions of those times. All the Armenian monasteries like Haghpat,
Sanahin and others have these colophons. They are truly fascinating
and unique and are peculiar only to Armenians – I have studied many
ancient languages but have never come across these kinds of colophons.

– In your work have you come across the Azerbaijani propaganda and
falsifications which lay claim to the Armenian history and culture?

– Yes, I have heard about that. The Azerbaijanis as well as the
Turks falsify history (for instance the part about Armenian Genocide)
because history is a tremendous political leverage. Past is a major
political factor and today all politics is based on the past. Every
state instrumentalizes history for the sake of its own interests,
even in the West and in Europe, but the ways and means of doing this
are different. After all, the way we speak about our past in fact
tells more about ourselves than about our past per se.

– Dr. Coulie, thank you very much for the interview.

Interview by Nvard Chalikyan

Related interviews:

Gerard-Francois Dumont: Neglecting historical facts makes solution
of Karabakh conflict even harder

French expert: Recognition of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is the only
solution that can ensure stability in region

Kataryna Wolczuk: Armenia should be negotiating treaty of Eurasian
Union, not only that of Customs Union

Michael Kambeck: If it hadn’t been for Egypt, Syria, etc.,
we would have seen much stronger EU engagement on Karabakh conflict

UNPROTECTED REAR OF ARMENIAN ARMED FORCES

Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Comments – Friday, 20 June 2014, 15:30

On June 20 information was disseminated that the minister of defense
Seiran Ohanyan visited the border area. Namely, according to razm.info,
the minister visited the new Armenian positions at the border of
Nakhidjevan.

The message says that the Armenian armed forces have taken under
control 100 square kilometers at the border with Nakhidjevan. In
addition, according to earlier non-official information, the Armenian
troops took the territory under control without a single shot, through
a simple maneuver after which the Azerbaijanis simply retreated.

While the informal sources of Armenia inform this, the sad news came
about another Armenian victim at one of the military bases of one of
the military units of Ararat.

In fact, this is the next victim of the Armenian side in the direction
of Nakhidjevan where it is usually peaceful. Peace there was disturbed
a few days ago, in early June when an incident was reported which
killed two Armenian soldiers.

The Armenian MoD responded toughly to this. The personal representative
of the OSCE CiO Andrzej Kasprzyk was invited to the MoD and was urged
to take measures to restore stability. And the minister of defense
of Armenia announced that it is no secret that Nakhidjevan has an
army and there is Turkish presence there.

In fact, it was a hint that Turkey was involved in the incident. By
the way, the incident coincided with the summit of Turkic nations in
the Turkish city of Bodrum.

A few days later the Russian Regnum reported referring to some
Azerbaijani mass media that the Armenian armed forces launched a
counterattack in the direction of Lakadagh village of Nakhidjevan,
and there was a battle there. The information of the Azerbaijani mass
media was refuted but it left a residue, as the saying is. And recently
some non-official Armenian sources informed that the Armenian armed
forces have occupied some positions in the direction of Nakhidjevan
earlier viewed as neutral area without a single shot after which the
Azerbaijanis had to leave the adjacent positions.

This information became known along with Sergey Lavrov’s visit to
Baku. And on June 22 and 23 Lavrov will visit Yerevan. Earlier on
June 12 the Russian ambassador to Armenia announced that he had not
heard anything about the incident in Nakhidjevan.

In an interview on the Public Television on June 17 President Serzh
Sargsyan commented on the developments in Nakhidjevan. He said he does
not think “we are witnessing a new tactics [by Azerbaijan].” Serzh
Sargsyan announced that he believes the processes that existed for
many years are intensifying, and Azerbaijan keeps tension on the
border to demonstrate to the world that the war is not over, and if
the negotiations fail, resumption of military actions is inevitable.

Although Serzh Sargsyan has announced that he cannot see anything
new happening, it is, nevertheless, a fact that the Armenian armed
forces already have three victims on the border with Nakhidjevan
which was believed to be peaceful so far. Besides, the Armenian side
has achieved a significant change of border positions in favor of the
Armenian side, and the Armenian side is announcing about this change
at the level of a visit by the minister of defense.

Isn’t this something new? By the way, is it not accidental that the
Azerbaijani deputy foreign minister announced that Russia must help
Azerbaijan with the settlement of Artsakh, in which case Moscow will
benefit a lot?

Were Azerbaijan’s statements determined by loss of positions in
Nakhidjevan? And is the advancement of the Armenian armed forces in
the direction of Nakhidjevan a means of pressure on Baku to show
that Azerbaijan may have losses if it declines Moscow’s political
strategy and plan the most significant of which is Baku’s membership
to the Eurasian Union or agreement on the “roadmap” of deployment of
Russian troops in Artsakh.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact has become a “double
containment” tool for Moscow which is used upon necessity, such
as against Yerevan before September 3 and against Baku for another
September 3.

Armenian troops pay for Moscow’s political strategy with their lives
because the Armenian “political thought” has surrendered to Moscow,
leaving the rear of the Armenian armed forces unprotected.

– See more at:

BUSINESSMAN ASHOT SUKIASYAN INVOLVED IN OFFSHORE SCANDAL WITH EX-PREMIER OF ARMENIA ARRESTED UPON EXTRADITION TO ARMENIA

by Tatevik Shahunyan

ARMINFO
Friday, June 20, 14:26

Businessman Ashot Sukiasyan involved in the offshore scandal with
ex-premier of Armenia, Tigran Sargsyan, and Archbishop Navasard Kjoyan
– Vicar General of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church, has been arrested upon extradition to Armenia,
Armenia’s Prosecutor General’s Office reported.

To note, the offshore scandal broke out after an Armenian media
outlet wrote that Armenia’s then-PM Tigran Sargsyan, Archbishop
Navasard Kjoyan – Vicar General of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese
of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and “jeweler” Ashot Sukiasyan are
shareholders in an offshore company called Wlispera Holdings Limited,
which is registered in Cyprus. Sargsyan and Kjoyan, however, denied
their involvement in such a company.