Khoyetsian Rose – Page 31 – Armenian Directory & News

Turkish press: Russia offers 3+3 format Caucasus regional platform

October 11, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

ISTANBUL DIPLOMACY

OCT 06, 2021 5:53 PM GMT+3

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian (L) attend a joint news conference following their talks in Moscow, Russia, Oct. 6, 2021. (EPA Photo)

Russia has suggested the establishment of a new format in the Caucasus, comprising three Caucasian states – Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia – and their three “big neighbors” – Russia, Turkey, and Iran, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov announced Wednesday.

The format will address the issues of security, unblocking economic and transport ties, Lavrov said at a news conference following a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Moscow.

“The joint statement (by Russian, Armenian, and Azerbaijani leaders that put an end to the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh) contained the principles that define joint steps to advance the settlement, including work on unblocking all transport communications, unblocking all economic ties in this region, from which not only Armenia and Azerbaijan but also Georgia will benefit.

“Iran, Russia, and Turkey, as the closest neighbors of these three republics, will also benefit from this,” the minister said.

According to Lavrov, Iran had already expressed its positive attitude toward the initiative. Turkey and Azerbaijan also responded in affirmative.

“We work with our Armenian colleagues. We hope that Georgia, despite all problems it is experiencing, will be able to see its fundamental interest in creating such a mechanism for consultations and coordination of solutions for the accelerated development of this region, which has been holding back its development for a long time due to the ongoing conflicts here,” he said.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan last week said after his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Sochi that Russia was ready to create a six-nation platform.

Erdoğan has frequently called for a six-nation platform comprising Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus.

Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.

1,000-year-old Islamic coins discovered in Sharjah (UAE)

October 6, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

The National, UAE

Sept 29 2021

Georgia TolleySep 29, 2021

Ancient silver dirham coins minted one millennium ago in Morocco, Persia, Al-Rai, the Khorasan region, Armenia and Transoxiana have been discovered in Sharjah.

A team from Sharjah Archaeology Authority made the discovery in the central region of the emirate.

The Islamic coins were stored in an Abbasid-style pot dating back to the 9th or 10th century AD.

This proves the early presence of the Abbasid dynasty in the region, said Dr Sabah Aboud Jasim, director general of the Sharjah Archaeology Authority.

he Abbasid Caliphate was the third such to succeed the Prophet Mohammed.

The rare coins bear the iconography of five caliphs, who were the chief Muslim leaders from the period, including Abu Jaafar Al Mansour, Mohamed Al Mahdi, Haroun Al Rashid, Mohamed Al Amin and Abu Jaafar Abdullah Al Maamoun.

The haul includes a silver dirham-link coin of Lady Zubaida, also known as Umm Jaafar, the wife of Caliph Haroun Al Rashid, as well as a copper Abbasid fils coin was also found.

The coins were minted in several geographical and administrative areas in the late 8th to early 9th century AD, or 154-199 AH of the Hijri period in the Islamic calendar.

The discovery documents a pivotal period in the history of Sharjah and the UAE during the Abbasid dynasty, and highlights the commercial activity taking place in the UAE and in Sharjah’s central region.

This find is one of many made in recent months in the area. In February, archaeologists at Sharjah Archaeology Authority unearthed a treasure trove of 409 coins in Mleiha.The coins, which travelled along several important trade routes to the Arabian Gulf and the UAE, confirm that the region was an important trading centre during that period.

Many discoveries made in the area are now on display in the Mleiha Archaeological Centre, which opened to visitors in 2016 and charts the region’s history back to the Stone Age.

Turkish press: Macron’s words ‘unacceptable attack’ on legacy of martyrs: Algeria

October 5, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

ISTANBUL EUROPE

OCT 03, 2021 4:58 PM GMT+3

French President Emmanuel Macron meets residents in Algiers, Algeria, Dec. 6, 2017. (AFP Photo)

Algeria on Saturday issued a statement that condemned remarks by French President Emmanuel Macron on the colonial past.

The statement by the Algerian Presidency broadcast on state television said, “Macron’s statements constitute an unacceptable attack on the memory of 5.63 million martyrs who made the supreme sacrifice, through courageous resistance against French colonization between 1830-1962″.

According to Anadolu Agency (AA) it said the numerous colonial crimes committed by France were a genocide against the Algerian people and noted statements attributed to Macron were not officially denied.

“The countless crimes of colonial France and the genocide against the Algerian people – which is not recognized by France – cannot be the object of offensive maneuvers,” the statement continued.

The Presidency noted that “Algeria categorically rejects any interference in its internal affairs as contained in its statements and President Abdelmedjid Tebboune has decided to immediately recall, for consultation, the Algerian ambassador to France, Mohamed Antar Daoud.”

Macron made a remark about Algeria on Thursday and blamed the country for hatred against France. He also disputed the existence of the Algerian nation before the arrival of French colonization in 1830, asking the question, “Was there an Algerian nation before French colonization?”

Macron claimed that “there was a colonization before the French colonization” of Algeria, alluding to the Ottoman presence in the country between 1514 and 1830.

“I am fascinated to see the capacity that Turkey has to make Algeria completely forget the role that it played in the country and the domination that it exerted,” he quipped.

Throughout their 300-years of influence in Algeria, Ottoman Turks greatly shaped the Algerian society and culture. Following decades of French support for Armenian claims and recognition of 1915 events as “genocide,” Turkey became more vocal about the French humanitarian record in history, accusing Paris of genocidal acts throughout its colonial rule.

Ankara and Paris are at odds over a number of issues, including Libya and Syria, French backing in initiatives targeting Turkey in the Mediterranean, active French support for Greece and the Greek Cypriot administration, and Macron’s policies accused of being Islamophobic.

Echourouk, the Algerian newspaper described Macron’s statements as “provocative”. It underlined that they “put Algerian-French relations back to square one and reveal the extent of the fragility of bilateral relations enameled by several poisoned files”.

“It was notorious in the words of the French president that he was looking for a subcontractor of the Interior to stand up against the Algerian-Turkish rapprochement, which is growing to the detriment of the deteriorated French heritage and this sub-treating can only be the Algerians themselves, a hope which remains a chimera since Algeria knows how to distinguish clearly between friend and enemy and does not wait for advice from anyone,” it said.

The tensions between two countries have also been fueled by Paris’ decision to reduce the number of entry visas granted to its Algerians.

Galatasaray fan violence after Marseille supporters display Greek & Armenian flags

October 4, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

Oct 2 2021

by ATHENS BUREAU

Karabakh representative to Armenia: Azerbaijanis killed 80 Artsakh civilians during 44-day war

October 1, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

News.am, Armenia

Sept 29 2021

13:14, 29.09.2021

Azerbaijanis killed 80 civilians of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) during the 44-day war last fall. The representative of Artsakh to Armenia, Sergey Ghazaryan, stated about this during a working meeting at the National Assembly of Armenia.

He added that 45 Armenian servicemen are still considered missing.

“Eighty civilians were killed, including 42—as a result of targeted strikes. Another 38 people died in [Azerbaijani] captivity. In addition, 42,000 people were forced to flee their homes, 38,154 people were deprived of their homes. Currently, there are 15,000 mandatorily displaced in [Artsakh capital] Stepanakert, another 5,000—in various regions of Artsakh,” he said.

Also, Ghazaryan noted that 3,000 rent agreements have already been signed, but 1,960 people continue to stay in hotels.

Secretary Blinken, Turkey’s Cavusoglu discuss Nagorno Karabakh

September 24, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

10:58,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the situation in Nagorno Karabakh during their meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, a senior official of the State Department told reporters.

The meeting lasted for about an hour.

“They discussed Afghanistan at length. They also talked about Syria, and they had a relatively long conversation about the Caucasus – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno Karabakh”, the State Department official said.

“The U.S. has tried to be helpful in supporting a peace and reconciliation conversation between the two of them. We participated in a swap of – we midwifed a swap of some demining maps that the Armenians turned over to the Azerbaijanis in the disputed territory for the release of some detainees.

So the question now becomes whether, with U.S. support, with other Minsk Group countries’ support, with Turkey’s support, we can do more to facilitate a de-escalation of tensions between the two, both along the border, with regard to remaining detainees, with regard to remaining mines, and then take some – see them – help them take some small steps which might lay the path towards a larger peace and reconciliation process.

So the Secretary made clear to Turkey, which has been very much involved in this and is a neighbor, that we are prepared to be helpful if we can be. We are also at a level below the Secretary having bilateral meetings with the Armenians and the Azerbaijanis this week and making the same offer there”, he said.

EU & Armenia, Qatar, Tunisia & Ukraine Reach Common Agreement to Ease Flight Operations

September 24, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

Sept 23 2021

The European Union Member States authorities, together with the leaders of Armenia, Qatar, Tunisia and Ukraine, have reached a Euro-Mediterranean Aviation Agreement that aims to facilitate flight operations between the EU and these countries.

Such an announcement has been confirmed through a statement issued by Latvia’s government on September 21, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

“These agreements will ensure reciprocal access to the air transport markets of the European Union and the countries concerned on equal terms and with uniform rules, including flight safety, aviation security, air traffic management, social aspects and the environment,” the statement published by Latvia’s government reads.

Earlier this year, authorities in the European Union have made known their attempts to reach a common agreement with the Armenian government in order to ease commercial flights between both the EU countries and Armenia.

In a bid to make such a thing happen, the Council also approved separate draft agreements with Ukraine and Tunisia for the same purpose, in order to facilitate the travel process between both territories.

“The three neighbourhood agreements will remove market restrictions in relation to the EU’ s neighbouring countries and associate these countries with the EU’s internal aviation market, as they will adopt EU aviation standards and implement EU aviation rules,” the statement pointed out back then.

At the same time, the Council of the EU had previously announced that a similar agreement would soon be reached with Qatar.

Authorities in the EU back then stressed that the four agreements would be finalized in autumn 2021 while clarifying that they would have to be ratified by the authorities in all 27 EU Member States.

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In 2019, the Commission of the EU announced that Qatar and the EU reached the first agreement regarding the aviation rules. The Commission back then stressed that regulations and standards for flights between both territories would be updated through such a deal.

The Coronavirus situation has made the travel process more complicated, especially due to the entry bans and travel restrictions imposed in order to stop the virus’ further spread.

Due to COVID-19 situation, air traffic in European countries marked a 61 per cent decrease in May 2021, compared to the same period in 2019, the European Organization for Safety of Air Navigation, EUROCONTROL reports.

However, the Organization back then stressed that the situation could ameliorate, even though the COVID-19 situation continues to affect other countries.

In this regard, the Airports Council International Europe (ACI) stressed that air passenger traffic was suffering a deep crisis due to the COVID-19 situation.

According to the press release published previously by ACI, air passenger traffic decreased by 87.7 per cent in the European airport network, during the first quarter of this year, compared to the same period, in 2019.

Armenpress: Armenian, Serbian FMs discuss current situation caused by Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh

September 24, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

Armenian, Serbian FMs discuss current situation caused by Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh

10:18,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met on September 22 with Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia Nikola Selaković in New York on the sidelines of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, the Armenian MFA reports.

The two FMs discussed the cooperation on bilateral and multilateral platforms. The opening of the Serbian diplomatic representation in Armenia was emphasized in terms of further deepening the cooperation.

Regarding the promotion of economic cooperation, the officials stressed the importance of establishing an Armenian-Serbian intergovernmental commission. Issues on EAEU-Serbia cooperation were also discussed.

Touching upon the situation resulting from the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stressed the urgency of the unconditional repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians held in Azerbaijan.

In the context of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the need for resumption of the peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship was emphasized.

Newspaper: Azerbaijanis demand taking down Artsakh flag placed on Amaras Monastery

September 23, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

News.am, Armenia

Sept 22 2021

09:06, 22.09.2021

YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: Yesterday, the Azerbaijanis advanced their position in Machkalashen community of Artsakh’s Martuni region, and deployed in the neutral zone.

As a result of the steps taken by the residents and the head of the community, the Russian peacekeepers arrived at the scene, who, after negotiations with the Azerbaijanis, managed to send the latter back to the starting position. But they [i.e., the Azerbaijanis] posited a condition that the Artsakh flag placed on Amaras Monastery contiguous to the community be taken down.

The head of community of Machkalashen, Lernik Avanesyan, confirmed the information that they [i.e., the Azerbaijanis] advanced the position. And regarding the flag, he said that he had heard yesterday that the Russian general had told our military to take down the flag of Artsakh, put that of Armenia [instead]. “I have not gone [there] yet, I do not know if they did or not. I, too, heard that the Russian general had said such a thing,” said the head of community.

Secretary of Security Council of Armenia discusses return of POWs from Azerbaijan with Russian counterpart

September 17, 2021March 12, 2026 Khoyetsian Rose

16:50,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan met with Secretary of the Security Council of Russia Nikolai Patrushev in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on the sidelines of the joint session of the CSTO foreign, defense ministers and secretaries of the Security Council, Mr. Grigoryan’s Office told Armenpress.

Armen Grigoryan told his Russian counterpart that such frequency of bilateral meetings shows both countries’ interest in deepening the partnership between the two Security Councils, as well as developing the ties between Armenia and Russia in the security sector.

Thereafter, the officials discussed the current situation in the South Caucasus. In this context Armen Grigoryan introduced his Russian counterpart on the current situation caused by the recent illegal incursion of the Azerbaijani armed forces into Armenia’s sovereign territory, stating that any encroachment against the territory of Armenia is unacceptable. He added that Armenia is ready to start the border demarcation and delimitation process as soon as possible.

Talking about the possibility of establishing long-term peace in the region, Armen Grigoryan said the government of Armenia has announced “the era of peace” which would bring peace and development opportunity to the South Caucasian region, highlighting on this path the opportunity of unblocking all infrastructure.

Nikolai Patrushev also emphasized the importance of continuing the works on unblocking process, stating that it will enable to ensure stable peace in the region.

The talk specifically focused on the issue relating to the Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other persons held in Azerbaijan. Armen Grigoryan once again stated that according to the November 9, 2020 statement, all prisoners of war, hostages and other persons held must be returned to the homeland. Meanwhile, he said, the Azerbaijani side does not fulfill its commitment. Mr. Grigoryan expressed hope that the quick return of all Armenian POWs would become possible thanks to the efforts of the Russian side.

Touching upon the efforts on solving the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the Russian Secretary of the Security Council highlighted activating the process within the Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan