Author: Liana Toganian

Recognition of Armenian Genocide by U.S. President was a direct reaction to the 44-day war – Pashinyan

Liana Toganian

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 21:15,

YEREVAN, JUNE 15, ARMENPRESS.  Turkey’s policy towards Armenia has not changed during the last 150 years, it remains aggressive and genocidal, ARMENPRESS reports head of ‘’Civil Contract’’ Party, caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said in a meeting with the residents of Kapan in Syunik Province, referring to the aggressive and destabilizing announcements by Azerbaijan and Turkey.

‘’There are many legends of how it happened that the U.S. President recognized the Armenian Genocide. It was the direct reaction of the USA to the 44-day war, because we always forget that we were not fighting against only Azerbaijan, but against the Turkish-Azerbaijani-Pakistani alliance.

But I want to tell you that we should oppose the aggressive policy of Azerbaijan by international restraint tools, of course, seriously reforming our armed forces during this period, deepening our strategic relations with the Russian Federation and continuing the strategic dialogue with the USA, ensuring the involvement of the OSCE Mink Group Co-chairs in the security issues of our region”, Pashinyan said.

Nikol Pashinyan attempting to suppress the freedom of speech and neutralize news outlets – Media Advocate

Liana Toganian
Panorama, Armenia

Media Advocate initiative has issued a statement on the recent statement made by acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the work of reporters in Armenia. 

To remind, Pashinyan suggested the media sector in Armenia has turned into ‘a real garbage dump’ and promised to introduce legal mechanisms and rules of conduct to regulate the sector. 

“During the campaign Pashinyan is widely using hate speech and threats recorded on numerous occasions. Apart from targeting politicians, Nikol Pashinyan also threatens and insults reporters and media outlets,” the initiative said in a statement on Friday.

“Media Advocate condemns this statement. These authorities in the face of Deputy Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan planned to adopt legislation outlawing the use of hate speech, while every speech made by Nikol Pashinyan contains elements of hate speech and threats. This practice is so obvious that it has received condemnation even from the Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II,” the statement said. 

According to the source, with his behaviors, Pashinyan dishonor his colleagues, does not respect his own specialty, attempts to suppress the freedom of speech and neutralize the news outlets.

“Armenian Eagles: United Armenia” party will not participate in June 20 snap parliamentary elections

Liana Toganian

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 11:27, 8 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. “Armenian Eagles: United Armenia” party has announced that it will not participate in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections.

In a statement the party said their demand is to “cancel those elections, liberate Armenia from the occupation of the Azerbaijani armed forces and hold the elections only after the restoration of Armenia’s territorial integrity”.

Thus, the number of political forces participating in the elections turned from 26 to 25.

The electoral campaign for the snap parliamentary elections launched on June 7.

The campaign will last until June 18.

The snap parliamentary elections will take place on June 20, but the electronic voting will kick off on June 11 until June 13.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Pashinyan convinced on June 20 Armenian citizens will re-establish their power

Liana Toganian

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 12:20, 7 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. The most important motivation of the Civil Contract party’s participation to the June 20 snap parliamentary elections is that the people do not lose their sense of being the owner of the country, Caretaker Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who is leading the Civil Contract party’s electoral list, said during the meeting with the residents of Parakar community on the sidelines of the pre-election campaign.

“We even will not say “people, vote in favor of us”, we will say “people, vote in favor of you””, Pashinyan said.

He said he has revealed two positions during the campaign – that there are political forces which announce that they are coming to take power, and their party, which announces that people will decide.

“I want you to fix the difference because some people say that on June 20 and after that they “will win”, but we say that “we will bear your punishment after June 20”. I state once again, the political feature is the following: we say – “you decide, and we do””, Pashinyan stated, adding: “If you decide that we should continue leading the country, we will do that. If you decide that we should not lead the country, we will do that.

The electoral campaign for the snap parliamentary elections officially launched in Armenia on June 7.

The campaign will last until June 18.

The snap parliamentary elections will take place on June 20, but the electronic voting will kick off on June 11 until June 13.

26 political forces – 22 parties and 4 blocs, are participating in the elections.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Azerbaijan attempts to carry out engineering works at border – Armenia defense ministry

Liana Toganian

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 14:44, 7 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. In the morning of June 7, the Azerbaijani armed forces have once again attempted to carry out engineering works on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in the border area of Verin Shorzha village of Gegharkunik province, the Armenian defense ministry said in a statement.

“The Armenian units undertook actions, demanding to immediately stop these works and remove the engineering equipment, after which these works have stopped and the equipment was removed to the Azerbaijani part of the border”, the statement says.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Asbarez: Nevada Governor Signs Holocaust and Genocide Education Bill into Law

Liana Toganian

June 1, 2021



Nevada Governor Sisolak

CARSON CITY, Nevada—A bill strengthening and mandating Holocaust and Armenian Genocide education in Nevada, which passed both houses of the state legislature with unanimous support, was signed into law by Nevada Governor Sisolak on May 31. Assembly Bill (AB) 231’s passing is timely with U.S. President Joe Biden’s unprecedented acknowledgement, affirmation and unequivocal use of the term “Armenian Genocide” after the 2019 passage by the U.S. Congress.

AB 231 is a bipartisan piece of legislation sponsored by Assemblywoman Lesley Cohen and Lisa Krasner and supported by Lieutenant Governor Kate Marshall. Armenian National Committee of America Nevada Co-Chair Lenna Hovanessian, Esq. spearheaded the bill with the Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN) and the sponsorship of Lt. Governor Marshall, a strong proponent for inclusion of the Armenian Genocide, with relentless advocacy by Hovanessian, local and regional, ANCA, and the Nevada Armenian-American community.

“Education about the Armenian Genocide is central to the Armenian community’s identity and teaching about the Genocide in a historically accurate way in Nevada’s high school classrooms through this legislation ensures that our history will not be forgotten. Through this legislation we will combat denialism, hate and bigotry by raising a generation of global citizens in Nevada who are aware of the world around them,” remarked Hovanessian.

“In the context of the last 106 years since the Armenian Genocide and the 2020 genocidal War on Artsakh by Azerbaijan and Turkey- the self-proclaimed ‘one nation, two states’ – and recent invasion into Armenia’s borders, it is imperative to educate the next generation of students who will be leaders to understand history and empower them with accurate, comprehensive and worldly knowledge to promote zero-tolerance for hate and bigotry,” concluded Hovanessian.

The new law establishes an education committee within the Nevada Department of Education to evaluate curriculum standards, inventory classroom materials, and assess instructor training needs. In addition to education relating to the Holocaust, the bill also includes teaching of the Armenian Genocide, as well as Cambodian, Darfur, Guatemalan, and Rwandan genocides.

A coalition of Nevada organizations including ANCA-Nevada, local Anti-Defamation League, ICAN, and Jewish Nevada partnered to bring and advocate for this important legislation. Additional support for the bill was provided by ANCA Western Region Director Armen Sahakyan and Community Outreach Director Simon Maghakyan, as well as by the Genocide Education Project’s Director Roxanne Makasdjian and Honorary Consul Adroushan Armenian of Nevada.

ANCA-Nevada is a chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region, which is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

Armenian Defense Ministry Refutes Baku’s Accusation of Illegal Border Crossing

Liana Toganian
Sputnik, Russia
June 2 2021
World

12:15 GMT 02.06.2021 

YEREVAN (Sputnik) – The Armenian Defense Ministry refuted on Wednesday as disinformation Baku’s claims about illegal border crossing by the Armenian military.

“The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spread another piece of disinformation, claiming that 40 Armenian servicemen crossed the border with Azerbaijan on the evening of 1 June, after which units of the Azerbaijani armed forces ‘made them return to the original positions.’ The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia states that the Armenian armed forces did not cross the border of the Republic of Azerbaijan either on 1 June or earlier,” the Armenian Defense Ministry said in a statement, seen by Sputnik.

In May, Yerevan accused Baku of staging provocations on the border, saying the Azerbaijani military attempted to move their posts deeper inside Armenian territory in the provinces of Syunik and Gegharkunik.

Armenia previously discussed the escalating tension in the region with the Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO), as ties between Baku and Yerevan remain tense after a new round in the Karabakh conflict last year.