Author: Karakhanian Suren

Defense ministry denies reports claiming 40 Armenian servicemen crossed Azerbaijan’s border

Karakhanian Suren

Save

Share

 15:57, 2 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. The Defense Ministry of Armenia has denied the statement of the Azerbaijani defense ministry according to which in the evening of June 1, 40 Armenian servicemen crossed Azerbaijan’s border after which the Azerbaijani armed forces “forced them to return to their initial positions”.

“It’s obvious that the Azerbaijani military-political leadership is circulating such disinformation for creating an impression within the international community that the Armenian Armed Forces are attempting to escalate the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as well as for counterbalancing the provocation on infiltrating into Armenia’s territory by the Azerbaijani armed forces on May 12 and 13.

Armenia’s defense ministry announces that the Armenian Armed Forces have not crossed Azerbaijan’s border neither on June 1 nor in the days preceding it, and all claims over this are disinformation spread by that country’s defense ministry, the scale of which has greatly increased in the recent period. In particular, recently the Azerbaijani defense ministry was claiming that the Armenian side has opened fire both on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and towards the Azerbaijani positions deployed in the direction of Shushi, which was denied respectively by the Armenian Defense Ministry and the command of the Russian troops who carry out peacekeeping mission in the Republic of Artsakh”, the statement says.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Tigran Abrahamyan: Nikol Pashinyan’s statement reveals how he ‘destroyed’ Armenian statehood

Karakhanian Suren
Panorama, Armenia

Armenian military expert Tigran Abrahamyan, the head of the analytical center Henaket, reacted to caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s latest statement, stating it pointed to how he “destroyed” the Armenian statehood.

“Over the past three decades, the Armenian troops have been deployed in almost all areas of the Artsakh-Armenian border, where it was possible to ensure control over the enemy [Azerbaijan], its military, civil infrastructure and movements in the rear,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

“Since 1994, there have been constant positional fights with Azerbaijan for taking important heights and obtaining a tactical and strategic advantage,” he said, adding the key purpose was to carry out an effective process of deterring Azerbaijan and, if necessary, taking punitive action.

“In carrying out this hard and extremely responsible task, our armed forces have passed a difficult path, literally setting up fortifications in rocks, mountains, sometimes even in mountains higher than 3,000 meters.

“Nikol Pashinyan’s statement, “Why do we need to deploy soldiers on the top of the mountain, which is snow-covered for half a year?” not only points to the fact that he does not have a basic idea of the land, homeland and the mission of the military, but also reveals what principles he was guided by in the recent 3 years and how he destroyed our statehood.

“In the conditions of the rule of a leader with such a mentality and system of values, we could not have had a chance to win [the war with Azerbaijan]. Naturally, in the conditions of the border crisis unfolding today, the current authorities are leading the country to a guaranteed destruction.

“People who know me are aware that there was no combat position in the Artsakh area, there was no military unit from Araks to Mount Gomshasar (Gamish), where, due to the nature of my service, I did not visit and did not carry out activities,” the expert said, praising the dedication and responsibility of Armenian soldiers carrying out military service in the most difficult sections of the frontline.

“Those who do not realize it all and the forces behind them, as well as those deliberately pursuing such a policy, have brought the country to this tragic point and continue to justify their steps,” Abrahamyan noted.

He also shared a photo of servicemen on top of Gomshasar (3,724 meters) located in the northern part of the Republic of Artsakh.

“On one of its peaks, strong defensive structures and a military post were set up, and Artsakh forces gained a huge advantage over the enemy. Many know in what difficult and adverse weather conditions our forces were deployed there and perfectly performed their combat mission,” he added. 

ARF-D member on Nikol Pashinyan: 103 years ago Armenia’s founding fathers would have executed him for treason

Karakhanian Suren
News.am, Armenia
ARF-D member on Nikol Pashinyan: 103 years ago Armenia’s founding fathers would have executed him for treason
21:29, 28.05.2021

Those who crushed the dreams of our people, the person who is leading our state to the brink of elimination and the person claiming himself as head of state dares to blame Aram Manukyan, Hovhannes Kajaznuni, Dro and Nzhdeh for delivering our lands and treason. This is what representative of the Supreme Body of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun political party Ishkhan Saghatelyan stated near the statue of Aram Manukyan in Yerevan today.

“On this day 103 years ago, after a century-long interval, there was a light of hope in the darkness, the people who were saved from Armenian Genocide, stood up again and battled for survival, and they not only lived and were saved, but also established statehood. We Armenians established a parliament, ministries, a university, schools and an army. We also had a national anthem, a national flag and a coat-of-arms. Famine, an epidemic and the constantly advancing enemy were threatening to eliminate the new statehood, but we established a state, and 70 years later, our country regained independence. The new and brilliant generation of Armenians added to the heritage of the founding fathers, and our people became closer to their dream. Those who crushed the dreams of our people, the person who is leading our state to the brink of elimination and the person claiming himself as head of state dares to blame Aram Manukyan, Hovhannes Kajaznuni, Dro and Nzhdeh for delivering our lands and treason. He [Nikol Pashinyan] dares to blame those who established statehood. This is the worst type of a person who has come to power and whom our founding fathers would have executed or imprisoned 103 years ago for desertion and treason. This person is currently doing away with our achievements. He talks about peace, yet imposes capitulation on us Armenians. He talks about the future, yet he is destroying the future of the Armenians and is trying to kill us and our dreams,” Saghatelyan stated, adding that the Armenian nation didn’t die, contrary to the enemy’s plan.

“Just like we gathered here on September 27, 2020 and swore to go to the border and defended our homeland, here, in front of the statue of Aram Manukyan, we must promise to protect our statehood, our country and drive out the government of evil through combined efforts,” he said.

Putin, Biden to meet in Geneva on June 15-16, sources say

Karakhanian Suren

Save

Share

 17:04,

YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. A meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart Joe Biden is expected to take place on June 15-16 in Geneva, Switzerland, CNN said citing sources in the Biden administration on Tuesday, reports TASS.

“The officials said Geneva has emerged as the final contender as a host city for the long-discussed meeting between the two leaders, who are expected to come together on June 15-16 at the conclusion of Biden’s first international trip since taking office”, the TV channel reported.

Armenian Catholic Catholicos-Patriarch passes away

Karakhanian Suren
News.am, Armenia
17:36, 25.05.2021

Krikor Bedros XX Gabroyan the Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholic Church,  passed away Tuesday morning in Beirut, Lebanon, as reported on the Facebook page of the Levonian Pontifical Armenian College.

Gabroyan was born on November 15, 1934 in Aleppo, Syria.

Bishop Gabroyan became the Catholicos-Patriarch of Cilicia of the Armenian Catholic Church on July 25, 2015, replacing the dear departed Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni.

SADA Opens Global Delivery Center in Armenia

Karakhanian Suren
Street Insider
May 20 2021
Article
A first of its kind for SADA, the Center will provide professional services to SADA’s global customer base while advancing the technical skills of workers in the region

May 20, 2021 8:00 AM EDT

LOS ANGELES, Calif., May 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — SADA, a leading global business and technology consultancy, announces the opening of a Global Delivery Center (GDC) in Yerevan, Armenia. This is the first such facility established by SADA, whose international presence currently includes wholly owned subsidiaries in Canada and Ireland. The goal of the SADA GDC in Armenia is twofold: to provide additional delivery and support services to companies around the world that are adopting Google Cloud, and to develop the technical capabilities of aspiring IT workers in a region that is rapidly becoming a popular European technology hub.

According to a recent Forbes article, “Tech is now the largest foreign investment in Armenia and many of the world’s most powerful technology firms—including Intel, Microsoft, Google, IBM, Synopsys and Cisco—all have a physical presence there, as the country’s tech sector grew 33% in 2018 to become a $250 million a year industry.” Meanwhile, a recent LinkedIn article highlighted the need to develop Armenia’s IT workforce to support its burgeoning tech community.

SADA, whose co-founders Hovig and Annie Safoian, as well as CEO Tony Safoian, were born and raised in Armenia, has taken these messages to heart. Under the leadership of Hovig, who is Chairman of SADA’s Board of Directors, and Naira Khurshudyan, who is Managing Director of the GDC, SADA is aggressively recruiting workers with a background in technology. SADA is working closely with the Armenian government and local universities, and plans to hire at least 50 people at the GDC in Armenia within two years.

New GDC employees will participate in SADA’s novel training program, which includes guidance from certified cloud engineers and the opportunity to work alongside SADA’s U.S.-based teams in support of current customer projects. The SADA GDC is located at The Hub at Lovers Park in Yerevan.

“The GDC’s primary function will be as an engineering center of excellence for all SADA customers,” said Khurshudyan. “Our customers need ‘follow-the-sun’ capabilities to enhance our professional services in the areas of infrastructure modernization, Anthos and data engineering/analytics. The GDC will also provide key back-office support functions to assist in scaling our rapid growth.”

“SADA’s growth in the cloud market is demanding that we create new offerings to streamline setup and activation of Google Cloud,” said Tony Safoian, CEO of SADA, who has spoken about his excitement and vision for pursuing the GDC in Armenia. “With that in mind, the GDC will also serve as a ‘Technical Onboarding Center’ for all our customers, offering streamlined services that accelerate the initial steps for adopting Google Cloud Platform.”

About SADA

SADA is a leading global provider of business and technology services empowering people to transform their work, their organizations and the world. SADA teams have helped enterprise clients in healthcare, media, entertainment, retail, manufacturing and the public sector achieve their boldest ambitions and solve their most complex problems. A Google Cloud Partner with multiple Specializations, SADA delivers continuous innovation, strong partnerships and service excellence. This has led to numerous accolades and awards, including the Google Cloud Global Reseller Partner of the Year for 2018 and 2019, the Inc. 5000 Honoree list of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies for 14 straight years, and the 2021 Inc. list of America’s Top 50 Workplaces. More info at www.sada.com.

Media contact:Kevin [email protected]

Source: SADA Systems Inc. 

Azeris Instigate Brawl in Syunik, Fire Shots at Armenians in Artsakh and Gegharkunik

Karakhanian Suren



Azerbaijani forces opened fire at a civilian and a group of soldiers in Artsakh’s Shosh, damaging a truck

Azerbaijani forces continued to provoke violence against Armenians during three separate incidents on Thursday by firing shots at a civilian and a group of soldiers in Artsakh, discharging weapons in the Kut village in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province and instigating a brawl near the Sev Lidj region of Syunik.

Near the Sev Lidj (Black Lake) region of Armenia’s Syunik Province, which has become the epicenter of a more than a week-long standoff at the border, Azerbaijani forces instigated a brawl with local Armenian residents that resulted in 11 people being injured.

Syunik Governor Melikset Poghosyan said that about three dozen Azerbaijani soldiers advanced on Thursday toward the Armenian village of Khoznavar located just east of that Sev Lidj area.

Khoznavar residents confirmed the information to Azatutyun.am, adding that children and elderly persons living in the village were evacuated for security reasons.

The Khoznavar village in Armenia’s Syunik Province

Local shepherds said they were the first to notice the Azerbaijani servicemen while grazing cattle on nearby hills.

“We approached them, thinking that they are our guys,” one of them told Azatutyun’s Armenian Service. “We then saw that they are not wearing [Armenian] uniforms and not saying anything. One them signaled me to go away.”

The locals said that Khoznavar, which has about 400 inhabitants and is heavily dependent on animal husbandry, now risks losing most of its pastures.

Armenia’s Investigative Committee said on Friday that the Azerbaijani troops were forced to retreat from those pastures late on Thursday after brawling with Armenian soldiers guarding Khoznavar. Eleven Armenians were injured in that clash, the law-enforcement agency said, adding that it occurred on the Armenian side of the local border section.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry confirmed the incidents, saying it was caused by videos circulating in Armenian and Azerbaijani news sites and social media platforms. The ministry also said on Friday that the situation in Syunik remains largely unchanged but “stable.”

Artsakh officials have launched a criminal case into the shooting incident where Azerbaijani forces fired their weapons at a civilian and a group of servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army near the village of Shosh. The civilian and the Artsakh servicemen were working at a military position when they came under fire.

Artsakh prosecutor general’s advisor Gor Abrahamyan said that the Azerbaijani forces opened fire for seven minutes in Shosh “with intent to kill and destroy property motivated by ethnic hatred.”

The civilian who was operating a truck and the Artsakh soldiers survived by taking cover, while the truck was damaged.

Azerbaijanis forces fired shots in the Kut village of Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province

In the Kut village in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province, Azerbaijani forces who had breached Armenia’s border began firing shots to provoke the local residents.

“At around 3 p.m., several dozens shots were fired, presumably in the air, after which Armenian forces fired warning shots,” reported Armenia’s Defense Ministry. “The commander of the Azerbaijani troops contacted the Armenian unit commander, asked to cease fire, apologized and claimed that the shooting was a result of an accident.”

“The Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia warn that a repeat of such incidents will be viewed as a deliberate attempt to provoke clashes and will lead to relevant actions by the Armenian side,” added the defense ministry.

Armenia ex-PM: Azerbaijan has advanced deeper into Gegharkunik Province sector

Karakhanian Suren
News.am, Armenia
22:28, 17.05.2021

The Azerbaijanis aren’t going to let us Armenians freely use Sev Lake. This is what ex-Prime Minister of Armenia Hrant Bagratyan told reporters at Freedom Square today.

“You’ll see that they will build a water pipeline so that they can build a settlement later,” he added.

Touching upon the process of forming a militia, Bagratyan said the following: “We’ll come here every day to enlist people, and I will submit the list to the government. I was a member of a movement in the early 1990s, after which I became Prime Minister and went to war. The other army generals are nothing today. I am certain that the Azerbaijanis had advanced deeper into Gegharkunik Province because they heard that there will be negotiations in two days and want to go deeper now so that they can cede half later.”

Bagratyan also said he and other citizens will address the government with the request for weapons. Touching upon the question about weapons being collected from the residents of borderline villages, Bagratyan said the chief of the army’s General Staff is in favor of that.

CivilNet: Tensions Escalate in Syunik as Armenia Tries to Pressure Azerbaijan to Retreat

Karakhanian Suren
CIVILNET.AM

05:05

By Syuzanna Petrosyan

[This is a developing story and will be updated as more information comes in.] 

Armenia’s government has confirmed that Azerbaijani forces have encroached into Armenian territory by about 3.5 kilometers in the southern region of Syunik. As of yet, Azerbaijani forces have not retreated from their positions, negotiations are underway. 

On the early morning of May 12, Azerbaijani Armed Forces crossed the Armenia-Azerbaijan border located on Syunik’s Sev Lake, and moved their positions 3.5 kilometers inside Armenia. Villagers in nearby Verishen reported the Azerbaijani incursion to CivilNet in the morning. In a late-night meeting with the Security Council, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan confirmed the Azerbaijani advance. 

In a government session today, Pashinyan said։ “I want to say that we must take this situation very seriously, because we are dealing with a crisis that may have several scenarios for further development. Our task is that the sovereign territory of Armenia must remain inviolable. And our task is that the Azerbaijani armed forces must withdraw to their starting positions, that is, the positions from which they started advancing, the positions where they were as of May 10.”

Pashinyan held another Security Council meeting on the same day. Few hours later he announced that Armenia has officially appealed to the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Armenia is a member of the Eurasian military alliance together with Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Since the end of the Second Karabakh War, Syunik has had new borders drawn with Azerbaijan in its eastern part. Following the fall of the Soviet Union, there was no border between Armenia-Azerbaijan as the territories adjacent to Syunik were controlled by Armenians in Karabakh

Ararat Ordyan, head of the nearby Verishen village, told Civilnet that community leaders have been negotiating with the Azerbaijani side since the takeover of the lake. Those talks are continuing through May 13 with the presence of Russian military personnel. At the moment, no agreement has been reached, local residents tell CivilNet report Gevorg Tosunyan.

Lake Sev, which is the area in question, is 30% in Azerbaijan while the remaining 70% is on the Armenian side of the state border. According to locals, no Armenian forces were stationed at the lake at the time of the incursion and no clashes occurred.

CivilNet tried to go near the lake, but was stopped by Armenian military police on duty. 

“These actions are intolerable because they are an encroachment on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia,” stated acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Stanislav Zas, the CSTO Secretary General, discussed the current situation by phone with Acting Defense Minister of the Republic of Armenia Vagharshak Harutyunyan and Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Ara Ayvazyan.

“The CSTO is closely monitoring the development of the situation in the border areas of the Syunik region of Armenia. As the situation develops, if necessary, actions will be taken in accordance with the provisions of the Collective Security Treaty and the CSTO Charter,” the statement read.

No battles in Syunik, advancement of Azerbaijani forces prevented – Armenia MoD

Karakhanian Suren
Public Radio of Armenia

In the early morning of May 12, the Azerbaijani armed forces tried to carry out activity in one of the border areas of Syunik province under the pretext of “border adjustments,” the Ministry of Defense reports.

The Azerbaijani military stopped the activity after measures were taken by the Armenian side. Negotiations are underway to resolve the situation, the Ministry said.

The Defense Ministry refuted media reports on battles in the direction of the village of Ishkhanasar.

“In case of such developments, the Ministry of Defense would be the first to make a statement. We urge to refrain from publishing unverified, especially panic-spreading information,” the press service said.

The Deputy Mayor of Goris said earlier that the Azerbaijani forces had advanced in the direction of Sev Lich (Black Lake). Negotiations are under way to ensure that they return to the positions envisaged by the map, Menua Hovsepyan told Public Radio of Armenia.