21:34, 3 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Different intensity skirmishes between positions takes place at the moment along the contact line, ARMENPRESS reports spokesperson of MoD Armenia Shushan Stepanyan wrote on her Facebook page.
‘’Defense Army units confidently keep control of the situation’’, she wrote.
Stepanyan also reminded that at 20:26 Azerbaijan also fired missiles against Stepanakert.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
22:43, 3 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 3, ARMENPRESS. As a result of the Azerbaijani strikes against Artsakh’s capital Stepanakert, the electricity network building has been damaged. The correspondent of ARMENPRESS reports from Stepanakert that at the moment the city is out of electricity.
At this moment the situation in Stepanakert is calm.
Starting from September 27, Azerbaijan, backed by Turkey and thousands of terrorists unleashed military operations against Artsakh, using its entire arsenal and targeting even civilian population both in Artsakh and the Republic of Armenia.International reporters have also been targeted, including the reporters of French Le-Monde.
Turkey has deployed mercenaries from the northern parts of Syria to Azerbaijan to fight against Artsakh and Armenia. The number of mercenaries ranges between 3.000-4.000, who according to international media reports are paid 1500-2000USD monthly to fight against Armenia and Artsakh.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
Nagorno-Karabakh is back in the news. The largely forgotten Soviet-era ‘frozen conflict’ is anything but frozen these days. No one really knows who fired the first shot, nor is this important anymore. The fact of the matter is that fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan spiraled out of control literally overnight.
Just across the Black Sea and the Balkan Mountains, Bosnians are preparing to mark the 25th anniversary of the US-brokered Dayton Accords. The times are uneasy and some wonder whether their own ‘frozen conflict’ might flare up like the one in Nagorno-Karabakh. After all, the two conflicts are very similar.
Bosnia and Serbia on one side, and Armenia and Azerbaijan on the other, were all member states within larger communist supranational states (Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, respectively). Historical antagonism existed between Serbs and Bosniak Muslims (Bosnia’s majority population) and between Armenians and Azeris. Both Orthodox Christian populations perceived their Muslim neighbours as the physical remnants of an oppressive Ottoman Empire. This antagonism was kept under the lid during communist rule, only to explode in the late 1980s when both communist regimes were in freefall. In both cases, the Orthodox Christian population living in a Muslim-majority country wanted to secede and territorially adjoin their neighbouring Orthodox Christian brethren. Ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh wanted to break away from Azerbaijan and join neighbouring Armenia, while ethnic Serbs from Bosnia wanted to secede and join neighboring Serbia.
In both cases, a referendum on independence was held which was boycotted by the opposing side: ethnic Azeris boycotted the Nagorno-Karabakh referendum in 1991, while Bosnian Serbs boycotted Bosnia’s referendum in 1992. Bloody wars soon erupted. During them, Armenia preferred to keep Nagorno-Karabakh as a nominally independent republic – the Republic of Artsakh. Serbia also preferred to keep the Republic of Srpska nominally independent during the war, instead of incorporating it outright into its territory. This was done to avoid allegations of aggression and maintain a stronger negotiating position. Today, Nagorno-Karabakh is a self-declared republic and supported by neighbouring Armenia, just like the Republic of Srpska is – though part of Bosnia – highly autonomous and financially and politically backed by Serbia.
The same foreign actors have been involved in both examples. While Turkey backs Azerbaijan due to its old ‘one nation, two states’ policy and its century-old grudge against Armenia, Russia maintains tight links with Armenia, including two military bases stationing 5,000 troops. In the case of the Balkans, Turkey backs Bosniak Muslims and a unified Bosnia, while Russia backs Serbia and Bosnian Serb secessionists. Russia has sent military advisors to both Serbia and the Republic of Srpska, and sells military hardware to both.
Today, Bosnia is more vulnerable to malign foreign influence than ever before. Namely, after the US diplomatically ended the Bosnian War, 60,000 NATO soldiers were sent to Bosnia and tasked with keeping the peace. The peacekeeping mission was eventually outsourced to the EU which has been reducing its military footprint to just a few hundred. The EU’s force today, known as EUFOR, is a watered-down version of what NATO’s peacekeeping force was and does not seem to instill much confidence in the general public. On the other side, the EU’s diplomatic approach towards Bosnia and the region wrongly assumed that offering Balkan countries a distant prospect of joining the Union would neutralise nationalism and inter-ethnic animosities. Its overemphasis on the normative harmonisation of Balkan legal frameworks with that of the EU was not very enticing to the region’s political leaders. A vacuum was formed after the American retreat from the Balkans and the EU’s diplomatic inertia. In turn, Russia and China interpreted this as an opportunity to make inroads with their bureaucracy-free, top-down approach and personal relations with local strongmen.
Despite simmering social frustration, rising authoritarianism and superpowers vying for influence, the EU does not seem to be changing course. The international community’s high representative in Bosnia, Austrian-born Valentin Inzko – despite having the ‘Bonn Powers’ to sack uncooperative and obstructive politicians – has at most only expressed his ‘concern’ over deteriorating security developments in the country. As such, he is subject to much mockery among Bosnians.
At present, Bosnia’s political and security situation is so precarious that the country is not even able to handle a relatively small presence of migrants and refugees. The Republic of Srpska, run by Serb nationalists and emboldened by neighbouring Belgrade and Moscow, acts like a state of its own and refuses to align its policies with the capital, Sarajevo. Take the migrant crisis for example: Milorad Dodik, the hardline Serb member of the presidency, refuses to join the other two members and deploy Bosnia’s armed forces along the country’s eastern border to help stem the illegal crossings of migrants from Serbia. Then, on a local level, the Republic of Srpska – which is ruled by Dodik’s party – refuses to house any migrants on its territory and instead pushes them across the invisible border to the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Both Bosnian and Western analysts point the finger at Russia. Administratively, Bosnia is divided into two entities: the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Bosniak Muslims are a majority, and the Republic of Srpska, where Orthodox Christians dominate. The country’s convoluted ethnic makeup and government composition gives significant autonomy to both political entities, governing 51% and 49% of the country respectively. This means that secessionist Serbs who run the Republic of Srpska not only have large autonomy, but a militarised police force and political leverage to block state institutions – since a consensus within the tripartite presidency is needed for any foreign policy moves or state-level decisions.
Such a structure is ideally suited for foreign meddling, particularly when a foreign actor favours one specific side and wants to bring the entire country to a halt. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been openly backing Dodik, who in turn does not shy from making it known that his ultimate goal is for the Republic of Srpska to join neighbouring Serbia.
Russia’s influence in Bosnia is further strengthened through the work of non-governmental organisations and friendship associations, Serbian and Russian Orthodox churches, motorbike gangs such as the ‘Night Wolves’ and various murky businessmen linked to the Kremlin. In a way, Putin sees Dodik as a guarantee that Bosnia will not join NATO or the EU. By supporting a war-mongering secessionist, Moscow knows it can extract concessions from the West regarding Ukraine, Georgia and even Belarus. It is also a tit-for-tat move aimed to take revenge on the EU and NATO for their perceived ‘intrusion’ into Russia’s neighborhood. It is very telling that over the past five years, Russia has supported a highly divisive referendum in the Republic of Srpska on its national day (deemed illegal by Bosnia’s constitutional court). It is also blamed for a failed coup d’état in Montenegro just before its NATO accession, and it has sought to derail the name-change agreement between North Macedonia and Greece (which, again, paved the way for North Macedonia to join NATO).
Pre-existing frozen conflicts have become an important instrument of Russia’s increasingly revisionist foreign policy. Meddling in Bosnia strengthens Russia’s hand in Europe should it want to create chaos in the EU’s soft underbelly. Judging from examples of similar frozen conflicts, such as Transnistria, Ossetia, Abkhazia and Donbass, Russia’s approach seems to be tactically adapted to the conflict nature of each particular country, having the sole aim of keeping the affected states in a perpetual state of controlled instability.
Balkan analysts have been warning that Moscow’s malign influence in Bosnia and Herzegovina could only aggravate the situation after the recent elections in Montenegro, where pro-Serbian and pro-Russian political parties gained the most seats to the detriment of pro-Western forces.
Bosnia’s early post-war optimism and a robust NATO military presence created an opening that breathed life into the fragile peace among warring factions inside Bosnia and across the region. The Dayton Accords have not atrophied as some claim; rather, the country’s power-sharing arrangements seem to have proved easy to abuse. Additionally, Bosnia has become victim to a declining ‘Pax Americana’ and a deepening crisis of the European security order.
The West needs to aggressively respond to this new Russian posture. A fast-tracked membership to NATO’s security umbrella and greater Western involvement, both of a political and military nature, would spell stability for Bosnia and the entire region.
Harun Karčić is a journalist and political analyst based in Sarajevo covering foreign influences in the Balkans.
The views expressed in this Commentary are the author’s, and do not represent those of RUSI or any other institution.
BANNER IMAGE: Courtesy of legio09
Macron says has facts about Turkey-backed Syrian Islamists fighting in Karabakh
16:56, 1 October, 2020
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 1, ARMENPRESS. French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that he has facts about Syrian Islamists from Turkey participating in the military operations against Artsakh, TASS reports.
Multiple evidence has surfaced about Syrian mercenaries, including jihadists, being transported from Turkey to Azerbaijan to fight against Armenians in recent days.
“Today, we have information, with certainty, that indicates that Syrian militants have left the field of combat … to re-join the field of combat in Karabakh”, he said, according to Sputnik.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
Monday saw Azeri and Armenian forces exchange heavy artillery fire, with each accusing the other of starting the hostilities Sunday. Observers called the latest fighting over Nargono Karabakh, an enclave inside Azerbaijan but run by ethnic Armenians, the worst since the 1990s.
Witness reports put the number of dead, including civilians, at more than 20 and at least 100 wounded.
People watch TV in a bomb shelter in Stepanakert, the capital of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region, in this picture released Sept. 28, 2020. (Foreign Ministry of Armenia/Handout via Reuters)
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was quick to voice support for Azerbaijan, labeling Armenia “the biggest threat to peace in the region.” The Turkish leader called on “the entire world to stand with Azerbaijan in their battle against invasion and cruelty.”
The Armenian foreign ministry on Monday said Turkish military “experts” were “fighting side by side with Azerbaijan.” Turkish government officials declined to comment on the accusations.
“Turkey troops will not be on the front line, Azeri forces don’t need them,” said Turkish analyst Ilhan Uzgel. But Uzgel says Ankara remains Baku’s key military ally.
“Turkey is already supporting Azerbaijan militarily,” he said, “through technical assistance through arms sales, providing critical military support, especially in terms of armed drones and technical expertise. The line for Turkey’s involvement, is Russia’s involvement; actually, that is a red line for Turkey. Turkey doesn’t want a direct confrontation with Moscow.”
An image from a video made available on the website of the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry on Sept. 28, 2020, allegedly shows Azeri troops conducting a combat operation during clashes between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Moscow is a vital supporter of Yerevan, and maintains a military base in Armenia.
The Russian foreign ministry on Monday called for Armenia and Azerbaijan to exercise restraint.
“Armenian-Russian relations are firm and solid,” said Dr. Zaur Gasimov, a Russian affairs expert at Germany’s Bonn University. “Now, having faced with casualties on the front line, Yerevan would search for more support from Moscow.”
Ahead of Sunday’s outbreak of fighting, Baku had accused Moscow of emboldening Yerevan with significant arms shipments since July.
“500 tonnes of military cargo has been delivered to Armenia. Let us be clear, from Russia,” said Hikmat Hajiyev, head of Azerbaijan department of foreign affairs, in a briefing to foreign journalists in Turkey earlier this month.
Hajiyev highlighted the significance of Turkey’s military assistance. “We have seen firm and strong support of Turkey to Azerbaijan. Annually, we have 10 joint military exercises covering land troops, anti-terror special forces operations, and air force exercises.”
In what observers interpreted as a message to Armenia, Turkish fighter jets carried out an exercise in Azerbaijan shortly after Armenian and Azeri forces clashed in July.
Energy interests
July’s fighting in Azerbaijan’s Tovuz region was close to crucial energy pipelines that serve Turkey, causing alarm in Ankara.
“This is a very core security issue for Turkey for energy security,” said a senior Turkish energy ministry official speaking to journalists on the condition of anonymity. The official said Turkey “will take any relevant measures” to continue receiving energy deliveries from Azerbaijan.
Ankara has long supported Baku in its efforts to retake Nagorno-Karabakh, and Erdogan on Monday asserted that if Armenia immediately leaves the territory that he said it is occupying, the region will return to peace and harmony.
A view of a house said to have been damaged in recent shelling during clashes between Armenian separatists and Azerbaijan over the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region, Sept. 28, 2020. (Handout Photo from Armenian Foreign Ministry)
Restoring Azeri control over Nagorno-Karabakh has the strong support of Turkish nationalists, a critical political base for Erdogan.
“Two nations, one people” is a popular mantra used by Baku and Ankara to describe the countries’ relationship.
Armenian separatists seized Nargono Karabakh from Azerbaijan in a bloody 1990s war that killed an estimated 30,000 people.
Turkey appears poised to deepen its cooperation with Azerbaijan, analysts say.
“But it’s quite a risky area. The Caucasus, it’s one of Russia’s near abroad, the Caucuses is part of Russian area of influence. They may not tolerate Turkish Azerbaijani military action against Armenia that results in heavy Armenian losses. If Turkey and Azerbaijan are planning to have a huge success through military means, that could put Turkish Russian relations at serious risk.”
In recent years, Ankara and Moscow have deepened their relationship, cooperating in Syria and building trade ties that even extend to the purchase of sophisticated Russian military hardware.
16:40,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia has been officially informed that former Member of Parliament Artur Gevorgyan has been arrested in the United States within the scope of circumstances connected with the violation of the US legislation.
“Despite this, the Office of the Prosecutor General of Armenia, by exercising its powers, is already preparing necessary documents to apply to the US respective authorities for his transfer to the competent authorities of Armenia within the scope of the search declared against the former lawmaker. However, we need to note that in regards to the transfer of persons under criminal cases, the absence of a bilateral international agreement on transfer of persons between Armenia and the US dictates certain peculiarities from the perspective of further complication of the process”, the statement of the Prosecutor’s Office says.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
19:46,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 18, ARMENPRESS. Structural divisions of the foreign ministries of Armenia and Artsakh held today sectoral consultations at the Artsakh foreign ministry.
The Armenian MFA was led by secretary general Vahagn Melikyan, whereas the Artsakh MFA by secretary general Semyon Afiyan, the Armenian MFA told Armenpress.
The sides thoroughly discussed issues relating to strengthening and deepening the sectoral cooperation between the two ministries.
Artsakh Foreign Minister Masis Mailyan received the Armenian MFA’s delegation. In his remarks the minister highly valued such kind of consultations between the two ministries which allows to outline the cooperation prospects between the two structures.
President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan also received the Armenian MFA’s delegation. He also highly appreciated the existing close cooperation between Armenia and Artsakh.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
17:42,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan states that with the election of judges of the Constitutional Court by the Parliament the crisis around the Court is over.
“I think that what has taken place in the Parliament is very important. It put an end to, closed the crisis around the Constitutional Court. At least we should record with this that something very important has taken place. Does this mean that an ideal Constitutional Court has been formed? No”, the PM said during a Q&A session in the Parliament, in response to the question of the ruling My Step faction MP Viktor Yengibaryan.
Commenting on the question that public has some questions regarding the elected CC judge candidates, in particular with what principle the government nominated Edgar Shatiryan for the CC judge, Pashinyan said: “When you say the public has questions, it is necessary to check out the addresses of the public’s representatives, phone numbers in order to understand whom they are representing. During the election process of the CC judges there were people and circles who constantly wanted to talk about the values of the Revolution and were trying to compare the situation with the values of the Revolution. And there was an impression that the political team which governed or led the Revolution during the Revolution doesn’t have any idea about the values of the Revolution, and people, who knew about the Revolution a week later from May 8, have become warm supporters of the Revolution values. But is it so? No. I want to state that it isn’t so, because in any situation there are groups or forces, be it political or not, who want to place their agenda, their interests in some places on behalf of their people, candidates, supporters, to say so, on behalf of the public”, Pashinyan added.
The PM added that the government made the decision about the candidate for the Court judge within its powers.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative announced on Tuesday that Project Teams from UWC East Africa in Tanzania, UWC Mahindra College in India and UWC South East Asia in Singapore have been selected as the three finalist teams to proceed to the final of Young Aurora 2020.
“We congratulate all three teams as they prepare to present their projects to the final jury on November 3. We are so proud of all students who, despite all changes and disruptions to their educational journeys due to Covid-19, did not let this stop them from putting their humanitarian ideas into action, in this year where they are especially needed,} the Initiative said in a statement.
Reflecting on the importance of Young Aurora, Juliana Bitarabeho, member of the Global Shapers Community Kampala Hub and of the Young Aurora 2020 Pre-Selection Panel, shares: “The Young Aurora Initiative is special because it teaches young people to look outside of themselves and their life bubble to impact others. Empathy is most effective when it transitions from a feeling into an action and I believe this initiative allows the student to participate in that process in a practical way. The project proposals this year were impressive and community centered. They touched on a range of issues — some even opened my eyes to a few social issues that are not as widely spoken of. Young changemakers really are the future of the world — I wish each of the teams of young humanitarians the very best.”
The three finalist teams from UWC East Africa in Tanzania, UWC Mahindra College in India and UWC South East Asia in Singapore are now busy preparing to present their projects to the final jury for a chance to win a grant of $4,000 to help them further develop their project. In previous years this event was held in Armenia, however due to ongoing Covid-19 restrictions it will be held online this year. You can read more about each of the finalist projects, and watch their project videos, below.
The Three Finalist Teams:
UWC East Africa with Beehive Divide
Beehive Divide is a project that aims to establish peaceful co-existence between the elephants and villagers in Sanya Hoyee village in Siha District, Tanzania. Due to its location, Sanya Hoyee encounters a human-elephant conflict where lives are lost and crops are destroyed. The team intends to build two protective, elephant-repelling barriers between the fields and elephant corridors – a beehive fence and a chili fence. The beehives will be built by UWC East Africa students in their design rooms out of both wood and recycled plastic. This project will ensure the protection of the endangered elephant species while enabling the Chagga community to thrive in both crop farming and beekeeping to increase food security and reduce poverty. Reflecting on their involvement in the project so far, team member Mariam Jusabani from Tanzania says: “We started off with a very small plan and had never imagined getting to this stage, I have learned that with determination, even a small initiative can prove to positively impact countless lives.”
UWC Mahindra College with MedRangers
The MedRangers project started when a woman from Sadhana village told the team about her challenges in receiving medical assistance in rural areas. Further inquiry, through surveys and local mentors, revealed that medical malpractice in Mulshi-Taluka, caused by a lack of health education and medical assistance was worsened by socioeconomic, cultural, and infrastructural factors: Despite housing 68.4% of India’s citizens, rural areas receive only 25% of India’s health infrastructure. MedRangers aims to improve health outcomes in rural Mulshi-Taluka through preventive and diagnostic approaches. Primarily, this is achieved by conducting educational workshops on the science, symptoms, and treatments of prevalent diseases, basic first-aid skill training, and health-insurance schemes for school staff and villagers, and by facilitating further medical training for Accredited Social Health Workers (ASHA). For diagnosis, the team will organize health camps in Mulshi-Taluka to further increase access to medical assistance. Their aim is clear: “We aspire to empower the local population to make independent and informed decisions about their health.”
Speaking about what the team have learnt so far with the project, team member Priyanka Chahahria shares: “While working on this project, I had the realization that my will to contribute back to the community is not enough. We must work for what is desired by our stakeholders and not what we deem fit for them. We have to remain mindful that, when needed, sometimes the best thing we can do is to let our ideas go.”
UWC South East Asia with HER Journey
The HER Journey initiative aims to advocate for and empower Foreign Domestic Workers (FDWs) from Singaporean households. FDWs often face linguistic and cultural barriers, employment conflicts and labour rights violations. The team hopes to achieve this aim through a three-pronged approach: (1) In collaboration with local NGOs, they are developing educational videos titled ‘Know Your Rights’ for FDWs that feature solutions to common labor rights disputes. (2) In their efforts to educate the public (especially employers), they designed the Empathy Challenge card game, where players roleplay as FDWs and employers, and negotiate solutions to challenges in their employment process. (3) The team has also created podcasts based on interviews with FDWs, where they share their personal migration stories and advice for fellow workers. Looking back at the journey the project has been on so far, team member Xinchang Liu (Karen) writes: “Our project has come a long way since the first liaison with the Migrant Workers’ Center and the Center for Domestic Employees in May 2019. We set clear goals for ourselves and are open to adjustments according to our limitations. We go over feedback and constantly make revisions. Although we’ve been scattered around the world over the COVID-19 outbreak, we persist to operate remotely.”
Photo: Teams from left to right: UWC South East Asia; UWC East Africa; UWC Mahindra College
The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, is transforming this experience into a global movement based on the universal concept of Gratitude in Action.
Armenian News Network / Armenian News
Armenian News: Week in Review
ANN/Armenian News
Asbed Kotchikian
Emil Sanamyan
Alen Zamanyan
Hovik Manucharyan
Asbed Bedrossian
Hello, and welcome to Armenian News Network, Armenian News, Week in Review.
Before we begin, we always appreciate your help in reaching a wider audience, so please don’t forget to subscribe and Like us on whatever platform you listen to us on, and help spread the word by sharing this podcast on your social media channels. Thanks in advance!
I’m Hovik Manucharyan and today, along with Asbed Bedrossian and our panel, we’re going to talk about the following major topics:
Electoral Reforms In Armenia
Journalist Dana Mazalová passes away
The ANSEF Reorganizes
My Step MP Arsen Julfalakyan’s resignation from Parliament
Russian Opposition leader Navalny’s poisoning and recovery
And finally we’ll spend a little time on – what’s going on in Baku.
We have with us:
Asbed Kotchikian, who is a senior lecturer of political science and international relations at Bentley University in Massachusetts, where he teaches courses on the Middle East and former Soviet space.
Emil Sanamyan a senior research fellow at USC’s Institute of Armenian Studies specializing in politics in the Caucasus, with a special focus on Azerbaijan.
And
Alen Zamanyan who is a software engineer in Los Angeles, who follows and has analyzed Armenian affairs for over a decade.
Hello and welcome everyone!
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The parliament is working on changes to the electoral code and process with the announced intent of making elections more reliable. One example is the proposal to lower the electoral threshold for a party to get into the parliament from 5 to 4% (and from 7 to 6% for “Blocs”). Another example discussed recently is the effort to clean up Armenia’s notoriously problematic voter lists by removing people whose identity documents are expired. This might remove up to 200,000 people from the electoral lists in the next election.
What does Armenia need in order to build trust in its elections and therefore its democracy?
Gor Hakobyan, a political analyst and consultant, in a discussion on Civilnet, emphasized the importance of political consensus while instituting such foundational reforms to ensure that all sides trust the results of future elections.
Given that My Step (Im Qayl) has an absolute majority in parliament and therefore the ability to unilaterally pass any of these measures, how has the parliamentary and extra-parliamentary opposition reacted to some of these proposals to date?
This past week Czech journalist Dana Mazalová passed away. She covered the Nagorno Karabakh war extensively, and President Sarkissian, the HR Ombudsman of Artsakh, prime minister Pashinyan, and also the foreign minister of Armenia all extended condolences over her death.
While Armenians hold Mazalová in high esteem, Mutalibov and Azerbaijani authorities today deny the accuracy of Mazalová’s interview with Mutalibov and some even claim that she was engaging in war crime denial.
What should we think about all this?
Last week The Armenian National Science and Education Fund (ANSEF) announced a reorganization. First it has renamed itself after its founding father so they’re now the Yervant Terzian Armenian National Science and Education Fund; and they’ve also established an Advisory Board to their Executive Board, to allow their organization greater agility and depth of focus.
How much do we know about the ANSEF?
Former wrestling champ and My Step MP Arsen Julfalakyan has resigned from his seat in Parliament, citing irreconcilable differences with the Minister of Education. The 29-year-old acting mayor of Kapan, Narek Ghahramanyan, will replace Julfalakyan.
Do we know anything about these “fundamental” differences that caused Julfalakyan to part ways with the ruling party? What do we know about Ghahramanyan?
Check out this interesting interview with Julfalakian back in July that touches a bit on Julfalakian’s relationship with Gagik Tsarukyan and his decision to represent Prosperous Armenia (Bargavach Hayastan) and his subsequent decision to jump ship to My Step (Im Qayl).
The German government said last week that it knows the origin of the poison that was used on Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny but will not disclose it, expecting that Russia will come clean. Navalny came out of a medically induced coma on September 7 and has regained consciousness. Reportedly he speaks and remembers the day of poisoning, and is expected to physically recover at least 90%.
This is not the first time Russian opposition figures drink bad tea or have poison for breakfast. How important is Navalny, especially for the EU? How did Navalny get whisked away to Germany for detox and revival, does the EU have some latent interest in him?
Outside of the obvious human factor here, how much do we care about this incident from an Armenian political standpoint? What are Armenia’s ties to Navalny?
During the July war, Ilham Aliyev replaced his foreign minister and instructed the new one to take an aggressive stance in making progress towards Karabakh. Aliyev and his ministers have since upped the level of friction with countries who have anything to do with the supply arms to Armenia, for example: Serbia, Iran, Russia and so on. After talking with Putin, Aliyev recently Rebuked Putin about it. Of course, all the time Azerbaijan outspends Armenia 10 to 1 in defense spending and has been meeting constantly with Turkey and Israel over its own arms supplies and technology.
Why is so much effort spent by Azerbaijan on countries associated with supplying Arms to Armenia, especially such harsh rhetoric towards Russia? Is there a qualitative change in Azerbaijan’s foreign policy or is this a reactive tactic for their domestic consumption after a poor military performance in July?
Should Armenia spend some minimal effort on PR and talk about Turkey and Israel arming Azerbaijan, and say that Armenia has a right to defend itself?
Azerbaijan arrested Musavat party leader Tofig Yagublu in March; last month they arrested Eldar Hasanov, their ambassador to Serbia on corruption charges; Azerbaijan has seen an intensification of a domestic political struggle between Ramiz Mehdiyev, Ali Hasanov, and other long-serving officials under the father and son Aliyevs on one hand, and a cadre of younger, rising officials associated with Ilham Aliyev’s wife, Mehriban Aliyeva.
The picture is even more complicated because some of Aliyev’s own people, for example Mehdiyev, who was sacked last year from his position as Aliyev’s right-hand man, are suspected of being pro-Russian and possibly working against Aliyev, but not being in Aliyeva’s camp.
What are the dynamics driving Baku’s domestic politics?
Finally: Armenia will join Russia, China, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan and some other countries for the Caucasus 2020 joint military exercises scheduled to take place September 21-26 in Russia. India and Azerbaijan have opted out, citing COVID-19 concerns.
What are the real reasons for their non-participation?
Parliament has approved the ratification of the three Implementing Protocols of the Armenia-EU Readmission Agreement.
Ukraine has green-listed Armenia for travel, due to the declining numbers of COVID-19 infections in Armenia.
50 children were provided with computers in the frames of “The power of 1 dram” initiative.
The families of the 2008 March 1 victims have announced that they will boycott the court proceedings which were re-opened in 2018 after the revolution.
PM Pashinyan and his wife Anna Hakobyan visited the border towns in the Province of Tavush on Monday. The PM met with the residents of Movses and discussed road constructions in the region and was introduced to the renovation works of homes destroyed by Azerbaijani shelling in Aygepar in July.
The 7th Byurakan International Summer School (7BISS) for Young Astronomers in the Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory (BAO) in Armenia began September 7 and will last until September 12th themed “Astronomy and Data Science.”
A bill on setting stricter liability for insult and defamation passed a parliamentary committee. The Union of Journalists of Armenia has come out against this legislative initiative.
Former Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan went on trial on charges of abuse of power and official falsifications. Babloyan was allowed to temporarily leave Armenia for a short trip to Belgium related to work as head of Armenia’s largest children’s hospital.
Armenia became the 47th state to complete the ratification of the CoE’s Convention on Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (“Lanzarote Convention”).
The Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Sahak Mashalyan conducted the annual service at Akhtamar Church in Van on Sept. 6, 2020. The roughly two-hour mass ceremony aired live. A team of 25 people came from Istanbul to perform the ritual.
President of the Armenian Chess Federation, former Pres. Serge Sargsyan wrote to FIDE president Dvorkovich. Two weeks ago, the Armenian Chess team withdrew from the semi-finals. Later in the finals there were similar Internet connectivity problems, and the FIDE was inconsistent in its decision-making:
During the final of the FIDE Online Olympiad between Russia and India, the internet connection was not always stable, which affected the outcome of some games. FIDE President Arkady Dvorkovich intervened in a solomonic way and declared both teams, Russia and India, as winners of the event. At the semi-final between India and Armenia there had been similar problems, but the verdict had been different, and Armenia withdrew under protest.
Róbert Ragnar Spanó, president of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) is facing criticism for having accepted an honorary degree from Istanbul University and for having met with Turkish President Recep Erdoğan.
Finally 364 people returned to Russia from Armenia.
The RA Investigative Committee addressed the victims of “Beauty of Armenia” charity.
Two people have been charged with large-scale embezzlement in the FFA.
In Turkey, the HDP led tributes to Greeks, Armenians and Jews massacred in Istanbul pogrom.
Russian and Armenian army generals met in Moscow over the weekend as troops from the two countries began a joint military exercise near the Armenian-Turkish border.
Health authorities continued to hospitalize people at the weekend as a result of Armenia’s worst-ever alcohol poisoning which has left 17 people dead and nearly 30 others seriously ill.
The Iranian embassy in Azerbaijan has denied that Iran transfers Russian weapons to Armenia through its land border.
Cal Poly Pomona’s ASA fundraised for the Armenian Wounded Heroes Fund over this summer.
Georgia’s leading opposition party, the United National Movement (UNM), has nominated former president Mikheil Saakashvili, as its candidate for prime minister in elections next month.
CBA chairman Martin Galstan says that The financial system in Armenia is stable, but there are risks due to problems in loan repayments due to COVID.
Top Turkish, Azerbaijani officials met in Istanbul, and agreed to establish Turkish-Azerbaijani media platform. Tigran Abrahamyan, the head of the Yerevan-based Henaket think tank thinks that this opens up a wide information war front for the Armenians worldwide, to consolidate our information space in case the war renews.
My Step has proposed to remove 200,000 people whose identity documents are expired, in an effort to clean up Armenia’s notoriously problematic voter lists.
The President and the HR Ombudsman or Artsakh, and the president, prime minister and also the foreign minister of Armenia all have extended condolences over the death of Czech journalist Dana Mazalová, who covered the Nagorno Karabakh war extensively.
Prime Minister of Belarus Roman Golovchenko has received the Russian-made vaccination against Coronavirus after negotiating with his Russian counterpart Mikhail Mishustin.
Artsakh lifted entry and exit restrictions as COVID-19 numbers have dropped in Armenia.
The Army’s Son – book honoring the life and legacy of Captain Armenak Urfanyan published.
The ECHR judgment in Mukuchyan and Minasyan v. Azerbaijan and Hungary has been appealed to the Grand Chamber. This is regarding the #RamilSafarov case. The Artsakh president’s spokesman, Davit Babayan, slammed the ECHR decision.
The Yerevan City Council approved the installation of a memorial in honor of the 2008 March 1 victims.
Gyumri City will provide AMD 1 million in aid to Lebanon’s Armenian community affected from the recent explosion in Beirut.
Convicted criminal Tatul Mirzoyan, serving a life sentence, at the Nubarashen Correctional Facility, has set a national record for the most kettlebell reps.
3rd President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan has tested negative for Coronavirus.
The EU and WHO handed over 100 oxygen concentrators, 20 electrocardiographs and 10,000 PCR tests for COVID-19 to the Ministry of Health.
Director of the National Archive of Armenia SNCO Amatuni Virabyan has been relieved from his position by a decree of Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan, citing tax accounting irregularities for this decision. Amatuni pledged to challenge his dismissal in court.
The Armenian National Science and Education Fund (ANSEF) has announced a reorganization of its board of directors.
The NA approved the ratification of the “Meghri Border Checkpoint Program” Loan Agreement with the EBRD for 10.6 million Euros.
The special service of Azerbaijan may have hacked the social networks of the citizens of Artsakh.
Relatives of nine people killed in the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan have decided to boycott the ongoing trial of former President Robert Kocharian and three other former officials because it has become a “farce.”
A law-enforcement agency brought corruption charges against Mher Sedrakian, aka “Tokhmakhi Mher,” an influential member of former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK).
French Armenian politician and businesswoman Astrid Panosyan has been honored with a rank of the Knight of the National Order of Merit.
Armenia’s national soccer team beat Estonia 2 to 0 in the 2nd round of the European League of Nations Division C matchup.
The German government says it knows the origin of the poison that poisoned Navalny, but will not disclose it expecting that Russia will come clean. The Navalny case is undermining Nord Stream 2.
The activities of over 5000 organizations have been suspended for violating the guidelines of the State of Emergency.
My Step Foundation awarded scholarships to Armenian students to study in the world’s top universities.
A live RPG-7 projectile was found in a canal in Yerevan.
Armenia continues mafia clampdown as more suspects face “thief-in-law” charges.
Healthcare authorities have significantly ramped up COVID-19 testing since Monday because teachers are being tested ahead of the planned school re-opening on September 15. Over 3500 were tested on Monday.
Meanwhile, Chief of Staff of the Constitutional Court of Armenia, former Armenian Ambassador to Poland Edgar Ghazaryan has called on parents not to send their children back to school on 15 September, questioning the efficiency of the coronavirus safety rules set by the education ministry.
Kim Kardashian has announced that Keeping Up With The Kardashians will air its last episode in early 2021. Meanwhile Ryanair announced on Twitter that the final season of Keeping Up will be about a big family trip to Armenia in 2021.
The full report on the April 2016 war is expected to be delivered to Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan before the end of September.
There is a report by Bright Armenia (LHK) MP Gevorg Gorgisyan that the report had leaked into the hands of a person without appropriate clearance to see it, and had in turn leaked portions of it to the public.
The Hayastan All Armenian Fund transferred around $70,000 to the Embassy in Damascus on Wednesday, earmarked for mitigating the COVID-19-related healthcare and socio-economic situation of the Syrian-Armenians.
Remittances from Russia to Armenia decreased by 28.2%, and from the United States increased by 22.1% in the first half of 2020, compared to 2019.
DM Tonoyan met with the Polish Ambassador to Armenia and the military attaché. They discussed defense cooperation projects already in progress and the security developments in the region. Meanwhile, Azerbaijani FM Jayhun Bairamov met with the Polish ambassador to Azerbaijan, as well as the Italian ambassador.
First president Levon Ter-Petrosyan met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kopirkin at his private house. Issues relating to the development of the Armenian-Russian relations, the regional security and the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict were discussed.
My Step MP Arsen Julfalakyan has resigned from his seat in Parliament, citing irreconcilable differences with the Minister of Education. The 29-year-old acting mayor of Kapan, Narek Ghahramanyan, will replace Julfalakyan.
Armenia’s total public debt at the end of July 2020 stood at AMD $7.94 billion, an increase of AMD $220.7 million from the previous month.
FM Mnatsakanyan spoke at a UN Security Council open debate on the role of La Francophonie (OIF) in the context of cooperation between the UN and regional and sub-regional organizations. Armenia is chairing the Summit of the International Organization of OIF.
‘We Are Gyumri’ Announced its 2020 Mina Shirvanian Scholarship Recipients.
Deputy Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan and her husband own a dozen properties. Her husband Petros Mkryan has declared an annual salary of AMD 6M, yet in 2019 he bought two apartments in the center of Yerevan, one of which costs AMD 206M, the other AMD 117M.
Zvartnots Airport will have 20 Coronavirus testing points.
A second wave of coronavirus has started in Georgia, Prime Minister Gakharia said. As a result the government banned weddings and other ceremonies as virus cases rise.
A massive fire has broken out at Beirut’s devastated port close to the epicentre of the blast a month ago. It happened in a warehouse which contained oil and tires and was damaged by the August 4 explosion. Traumatised residents feared there would be another large blast. Thankfully no injuries were reported in the aftermath of this fire.
Russian opposition figure Alexei Navalny has come out of a medically induced coma on September 7 and has regained consciousness. He speaks and remembers the day of poisoning and is expected to physically recover at least 90%.
PM Pashinyan chaired a consultation today discussing the 2020-2025 draft development strategy for HayPost.
DM Tonoyan met with UK’s Chargé d’Affaires ad interim in Armenia Helen Fazey, focusing on bilateral military-political discussions aimed at exchanging positions over international and regional security issues.
The MFA continues to work towards opening the Consulate General of Armenia in Erbil, in Iraq.
The Armenian government plans to donate 10 medical vehicles to the Republic of Artsakh.
Former president of the EC, Head of the European People’s Party (EPP) Donald Tusk proposed to nominate Belarussian opposition leader Svetlana Tikhanovsky and her husband Sergei for the Nobel Peace Prize.
Many airlines are expected to re-launch flights to Armenia in September.
The government approved a 3-bill package of reforms in the public services sector, allowing various government services to be offered online, reducing time to service, as well as fees.
Armenia will join Russia, China, Belarus, Iran, Myanmar, Pakistan and several other countries for the Caucasus 2020 joint military exercises scheduled to take place September 21-26 in Russia. India and Azerbaijan have opted out, citing COVID-19 concerns.
Armenia has proposed common regulations and conditions for restoring regular passenger transportations within the Eurasian Economic Union.
Georgian Authorities Seek to Block Azerbaijani Investment in Telecommunications Infrastructure.
Georgia has launched joint maneuvers with NATO as part of its longstanding bid to join the alliance. The Noble Partner drill has triggered further tensions with Moscow.
Azerbaijan has sent a request to put two Armenian officers on the international wanted list: Vazgen Vartanyan, Armen Jamalyant, whom POW Gurgen Alaverdyan has allegedly implicated as his team mates.
The government approved a list of six structural subdivisions of the Corruption Prevention Commission.
The Digital Initiatives Fund of the Eurasian Development Bank has announced a competition presented on its website. To fill out the applications you need to go to the link by October 4.
The Armenian Academy at Blair High School opened its doors to the first 50 students this August. The Armenian Dual-Language Program was approved on March 20 by the Pasadena Unified School District (PUSD) Board of Education.
Niagara Falls to be lit up with the colors of the Armenian flag on Independence Day.
The Armenian army has reaffirmed its ban on visits and free leaves in order to control the spread of Coronavirus to servicemen.
Two separate groups of people staged a protest outside the Armenian government building on Thursday: Armenian citizens who demand to be able to travel back to Russia; and Clothing and footwear traders who complain about the government’s new customs clearance pricing policy and rules.
Azerbaijan has seen an intensification of a domestic political struggle between between Ramiz Mehdiyev, Ali Hasanov, and other long-serving officials under the Aliyevs on one hand, and a cadre of younger, rising officials associated with Ilham Aliyev’s wife, Mehriban Aliyeva.
Turkey’s state-controlled missile maker, Roketsan, has set out to an ambitious program to produce the country’s first surface-to-surface, laser-guided missile, the 230mm TRGL-230.
Artsakh Security Council Secretary Samvel Babayan’s assertion that President Arayik Harutyunyan transferred part of his powers to him have ignited a constitutional controversy.
President Armen Sarkissian met with UK Minister for European Neighborhood and the Americas Wendy Morton, and discussed a range of bilateral issues, and international topics such as climate change, Artificial Intelligence and more.
MPs propose new assistance programs for residents of bordering communities.
Seven CIS countries are testing the combat readiness of the Joint CIS Air Defense System on Sept. 11.
FM Mnatsakanyan will travel to Egypt on an official visit from September 12th to 15th.
The US State Department says in its 2020 Investment Climate Statements: Armenia report that progress in fighting corruption after the 2018 revolution and improvements in several sectors have increased the country’s appeal for foreign investments.
The Republic of Artsakh has extended its state of emergency over coronavirus by one month.
Armenia lifted the state of emergency after 6 months and replaced it with quarantine measures which would allow the authorities to continue enforcing safety rules and restrictions. The quarantine regime will be effective until January 11, 2021.
Air France will resume Paris-Yerevan regular flights on Sep. 13. All Airlines previously granted permits for regular flights to Armenia can restart operating.
US policy and Erdogan
US eyes Greek island as alternative to Turkish base due to ‘disturbing’ Erdogan actions, senior senator claims.
Abraham Tovmasyan, a member of the Armenian Secret Liberation Army (ASALA), died in a car accident in Lebanon on September 5. On September 14, at 14:00, a requiem service will be held in his memory at the Yerablur Pantheon in Yerevan.
Many employees of Gazprom Armenia have been laid off and the salaries of other employees have been cut by 20%. Bright Armenia (LHK) leader Edmon Marukyan has sent inquiries to understand the reasons for these moves.
Prosperous Armenia (BHK) MP and Chair of the Standing Committee on Regional and Eurasian Integration Mikael Melkumyan met today with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kopirkin to discuss facilitating many Russian Armenians who have been stuck in Armenia during COVID, to leave for the Russia.
“My Step” MPs Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, Andranik Kocharyan, and independent MP Arman Babajanyan authored a bill by which citizens over 27 years of age who have not completed compulsory military service and are criminally charged, may opt to pay a two-year salary of a contract serviceman which would release them from criminal prosecution.
Catholicos Garegin II said that the Ministry of Education has not made “sufficient efforts” to cooperate with the Armenian Apostolic Church on matters of education, and that the reforms should be based on “the opinions and proposals of the professional community.” He noted: “We are confident that the History of the Armenian Church should be taught separately.”
GM Levon Aronian is participating in the Chess 9LX tournament which started on Friday.
Two female MPs representing the BHK have announced plans to introduce legislation that would ban abortions except in cases of medical emergency.
Ilham Aliyev Rebuked Putin Over Russian Military Arms Deliveries to Armenia.
Baroness Caroline Cox Slammed Baku’s Warmongering, after she and many British lawmakers received letters from Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the UK Tahir Taghizade, threatening them to fall in line with Baku’s propaganda.
An outdoor reception was held at the Armenian Consulate in LA honoring prominent artists Harout Pamboukjian and Razmik Mansourian.
Remains Dating to Urartu Kingdom Unearthed in Van.
US, Kosovo’s and Serbia’s governments nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
Yerevan mayor Hayk Marutyan met with Ambassador of Turkmenistan Mohammetgeldi Ayazov, and discussed the potential furthering of friendship and cooperation between the capitals of the two countries.
PM Pashinyan and DM Tonoyan participated in Sparapet Day events, paying tribute to the memory of heroes fallen at the Great Patriotic War and the Artsakh Liberation War in Khndzoresk, in Syunik province. Later the PM visited Goris where he got acquainted with the town’s tourism infrastructure, in particular the restoration of Old Goris.
A 40th day (Karasounk) requiem mass was held at St. Sargis in Yerevan in memory of the victims of the August 4 explosion in Beirut.
President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan attended the re-opening of a school building in the Jivani community of Martuni region.
The EEC Council will expand the exchange of information between the EAEU country customs to limit the imports of personal cars from Armenia and Kyrgyzstan at lower rates of duties than those in other EAEU member states.
A court in Armenia has ordered police to reinvestigate a 2018 case in which 30 homophobes brutally assaulted nine LGBT+ activists.
POW Gurgen Alaverdyan’s captivity by Azerbaijan continues. One expert has warned of growing pressure on him as Red Cross officials have now failed to visit him after 20 days of captivity.
Egypt’s FM Sameh Shoukry and Armenia’s Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held talks in Cairo aiming at bolstering bilateral relations and regional and international developments of common interest.
GM Levon Aronian shared a point with Garry Kasparov (Croatia) in the 7th round of the Chess 9LX Champions Showdown. Aronian then became the sole leader after winning all three games on the second day of the tournament.
The Greece vs. Turkey animosity has been escalating in the past weeks. We will dedicate a section here to the headlines we’ve seen building:
Turkey’s Muscle Flexing in the Med Isn’t Just About Gas.
Turkey’s strongman, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, takes to the world stage
One Way the Kurdish Insurgency Could Lead to the Collapse of Turkey
Erdoğan warns Macron: ‘Don’t mess with Turkey’
A new message resounds in the Arab world: Get Ankara
Is The US About To Move Its 50 Nuclear Bombs From Turkey To A Greek Island? – Greek City Times
French Armenian politician and businesswoman Astrid Panosyan has been honored with a rank of the Knight of the National Order of Merit. President Emmanuel Macron handed over the Order during a ceremony at the Elysee Palace.
That concludes our Armenian News Week in Review. We hope it has helped your understanding of some of the issues from the previous week. We look forward to your feedback, and suggestions for issues to cover in greater depth.
Contact us on our website, at Armenian News.org, or on our Facebook Page “ANN – Armenian News”, or in our Facebook Group “Armenian News – Armenian News Network”.
Special thanks to Laura Osborn for providing the music for our podcast. I’m Hovik Manucharyan, and on behalf of everyone in this episode, I wish you a good week. Thank you for listening, and talk to you next week.
Karabakh Negotiations, Madrid Principles, Covid19, State of Emergency,repatriation
Additional: Emil Sanamyan, David Sandukhchyan, Asbed Kotchikian, Sergey Lavrov, Arayik Harutyunyan, Masis Mayilian, Pashinyan, Gurgen Alaverdyan, Babayan, Marutyan, Aronyan, Kasparov, ANSEF, Minsk Group, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Artsakh, Quarantine, Karantin, Alexei Navalny, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Belarus, France, Paris, Georgia, Greece, Egypt, Shoukry, Macron, Saakashvili, Kopyrkin, Erdogan, Aliyev, Mehdiyev, Hasanov, Nobel Peace Prize, Requiem, Gazprom, Tikhanovsky, Gyumri, Blair High School, Beirut, Erbil, Iraq, Niagara Falls, Tonoyan, Kim Kardashian, #KUWTK, Caucasus, Francophonie, Byurakan, Ombudsman, Ragnar, Spanó, Iran, ASA, Golovchenko, Astrid Panosyan