Author: Liana Toganian

Asbarez: Regional Stability Impossible Without Fair Artsakh Resolution, Says President

Liana Toganian



President Armen Sarkissian holds a joint press conference with his Georgian counterpart Salome Zourabichvili in Tbilisi on April 15

President Armen Sarkissian, who is on an official visit to Georgia, said that complete regional stability would be impossible without an equitable resolution to the Karabakh conflict. He made the remarks during a meeting with his Georgian counterpart Salome Zourabichvili in Tbilisi.

In discussing the Armenia’s current post-war situation and the impact it has had on the region, Sarkissian focused on Azerbaijan’s destructive policy of “violating national dignity” saying, “this policy cannot foster the establishment of an atmosphere for dialogue.’’

He also pointed to the need to preserve Armenian cultural and historical monuments and structures that have fallen under Azerbaijan’s control following the war.

Sarkissian also discussed the issue of Armenian prisoners of war who are still being held captive by Azerbaijan, as well as the colossal humanitarian problems facing Armenians in Artsakh and Armenia.

The president emphasized the need to restore the OSCE Minsk Group peace talks.

Zourabichvili, the Georgian president, said that her country’s proposal to serve as Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement platform remained in force, adding that she remained steadfast in advancing dialogue as a means to de-escalate the situation.

The Georgian leader said that she and her country understand that any conflict in the area impact the entire region, therefore there are no alternatives to peace and cooperation for the development of Caucasus.

“In the context of the importance of stability in the region, we also discussed the situation in Ukraine, destabilization in the Black Sea region and not only. We understand how much de-escalation is important for this region today,” Zourabichvili said.

Canada Bans Drone Technology Sales To Turkey Over Karabakh War

Liana Toganian
April 13, 2021

Nagorno-Karabakh — An Armenian Defense Ministry photo that purportedly shows fragments of a Turkish-manufactured combat drone shot down in Nagorno-Karabakh, October 22, 2020.

Canada has formally banned the export of drone technology to Turkey, citing “credible evidence” that it was used by Azerbaijan during last year’s war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The Canadian government suspended export permits for such technology in early October one week after the outbreak of large-scale fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. It pledged to investigate reports that Turkish-manufactured Bayraktar TB2 combat drones heavily used by the Azerbaijani army are equipped with imaging and targeting systems made by L3Harris Wescam, a Canada-based firm.

“Following this review, which found credible evidence that Canadian technology exported to Turkey was used in Nagorno-Karabakh, today I am announcing the cancellation of permits that were suspended in the fall of 2020,” Canada’s Foreign Minister Marc Garneau said in a statement issued on Monday.

“This use was not consistent with Canadian foreign policy, nor end-use assurances given by Turkey,” Garneau said, adding that he raised his concerns with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu earlier in the day.

Cavusoglu reportedly criticized the embargo and urged Canada to reconsider it.

Nagorno-Karabakh — An Armenian Defense Ministry photo that purportedly shows a Turkish-manufactured combat drone shot down in Nagorno-Karabakh, October 20, 2020.

Armenia did not immediately react to Ottawa’s decision to scrap export permits to Turkey altogether.

Yerevan had welcomed the suspension of such exports in October and urged other Western countries to follow Canada’s example.

Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army claimed to have shot down several Bayraktar drones during the six-week war stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire on November 10.

The Armenian Defense Ministry released in late October photographs of what it described as fragments of such unmanned aerial vehicles. One of the photos purportedly showed a drone’s largely intact camera system.

Nagorno-Karabakh — An Armenian Defense Ministry photo that purportedly shows the camera system of a Turkish-manufactured combat drone shot down in Nagorno-Karabakh, October 20, 2020.

“It was manufactured by the Canadian company Wescam in June 2020 and installed on Bayraktar TB2 in September 2020,” a ministry spokeswoman said at the time.

Canada had first suspended export licenses for such equipment in 2019 during Turkish military activities in Syria. The restrictions were then eased but re-imposed during the Karabakh war.

According to exports data cited by the Reuters news agency, Turkey’s military exports to Azerbaijan rose six-fold last year, with sales of drones and other military equipment rising to $77 million in September 2020 alone. Most of the purchased drones, rocket launchers, ammunition and other weapons were delivered after July.

Military alliance with Russia the axis of Armenia’s external security – PM

Liana Toganian
Public Radio of Armenia
     

The Armenian-Russian military alliance reinforced by several dozen international agreements of a strategic nature and mutual allied obligations is the axis of ensuring the external security of the Republic of Armenia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the National Assembly.

“The Armenian-Russian joint military grouping and the joint Armenian-Russian air defense system in the Caucasus Collective Security Region are of practical importance for Armenia’s security. By the logic of the agreements formed by these two systems, an attack on Armenia means an attack on Russia, the two countries must jointly face external challenges,” the Prime Minister stated.

In this context, he said the large-scale process of reforms in the Armed Forces of Armenia has started, which will include structural and substantive reforms.

“In the strategic perspective, we look to seriously discuss the transition to a professional army, and we should be able to significantly change the structure of military service or conscription.”

“We hope to discuss the issue of enriching the capabilities of the Russian 102nd military base in Armenia. We have quite effective discussions with our Russian counterparts on the establishment of a base in Syunik region. The Minister of Defense has already stated. Russian border guards also take part in the protection of the state border of Armenia in a number of parts of Syunik region,” he said.

“In the strategic perspective, we envisage that the protection of the parts of the state border of Armenia, which are carried out by the Armenian Armed Forces, will be assigned to the border guards, and the army units will deal exclusively with issues of combat readiness and combat effectiveness, “Pashinyan added.

The Prime Minister noted that the Defense Army will continue to protect the security of Artsakh together with the Russian peacekeeping forces, and there will not be much change in this respect.

“The armed forces must be in their permanent locations during non-war situations. They must be engaged exclusively in combat training 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all working days of the month,” Nikol Pashinyan stated.

Armenian lawmakers decry Azeri war "museum" for extreme Armenophobia, “slap to universal values”

Liana Toganian

Save

Share

 10:30,

YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian lawmakers are decrying the opening of a so-called museum by the Azeri authorities in Baku which is dedicated to the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war, where exhibits include seized or destroyed Armenian military equipment, helmets of killed troops, as well as waxwork caricatures of Armenian soldiers in what appears to be a reconstructed barracks.

“This is a slap not only to mankind but also universal values, because the entire world was shown the high level of the state-sanctioned anti-Armenian sentiment in Azerbaijan. Many years of this policy in Azerbaijan has reached its highest level, this is disrespect towards our victims, those missing and the captives. There shouldn’t be any political approaches or opinions in this matter, we must all stand together and show the world that the Armenian people’s dignity is higher and above anything else,” ruling My Step bloc lawmaker Nazeli Baghdasaryan told her colleagues in parliament during the April 13 session.

Another MP, Gor Gevorgyan, said in his speech that the museum opened in Baku is yet another manifestation of a state-sanctioned, coordinated and extreme Armenophobia.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian American Museum Kicks Off Virtual Stakeholder Meetings

Liana Toganian
Press Contact:
Shant Sahakian, Executive Director
Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California
(818) 644-2214
[email protected]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

ARMENIAN AMERICAN MUSEUM KICKS OFF VIRTUAL STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS

Glendale, CA () – The Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California has kicked off a series of virtual stakeholder meetings to provide donors, supporters, and community members with a progress report on the landmark center and historic groundbreaking year.

The series of virtual stakeholder meetings kicked off with the museum’s Benefactors, Legacy Council, and Founder’s Circle members in March 2021.

“It has been a pleasure to meet with our valued stakeholders and have an opportunity to engage in a dialogue on the exciting future of the Armenian American Museum,” stated Executive Chairman Berdj Karapetian. “We look forward to the upcoming stakeholder meetings to connect with our donors, supporters, and community members with the community-wide celebration of the historic groundbreaking on the horizon.”

The initial meetings have covered a wide range of topics including the museum’s collaboration with the City of Glendale, the museum’s refined building design, the selection process for the General Contractor, the formation of the new Board of Governors, the advancement of the permanent exhibition on the Armenian American experience, the formation of the new Exhibition Committee, upcoming donor opportunities for supporters, and the Groundbreaking Ceremony planned for Summer 2021.

The initial meetings featured presentations by the Board of Trustees, Executive leadership, staff, and architects of the project and concluded with Q&A sessions for stakeholders to ask questions and provide feedback on the museum project.

The museum plans to host several virtual meetings and presentations for the greater community throughout Spring 2021.

For more information on the museum, visit https://www.ArmenianAmericanMuseum.org.

The mission of the Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California is to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Armenian American experience. The vision is a cultural campus that enriches the community, educates the public on the Armenian American story, and empowers individuals to embrace cultural diversity and speak out against prejudice.

###

Photo Captions:

First Row:
Board of Trustees Co-Chair Archbishop Hovnan Derderian
Board of Trustees Member Dr. Nazareth E. Darakjian
Board of Trustees Co-Chair Rev. Berdj Djambazian

Second Row:
Board of Trustees Co-Treasurer Talin Yacoubian
Executive Chairman Berdj Karapetian
Executive Vice Chairman Zaven Kazazian
Board of Trustees Co-Chair Avedik Izmirlian

Third Row:
Architect Aram Alajajian
Major Gifts Director Mary Khayat
Executive Director Shant Sahakian

Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California
116 North Artsakh Avenue, Suite 205, Glendale, CA 91206
Office: (818) 351-3554
www.ArmenianAmericanMuseum.org
Confidentiality Notice: This communication and any documents, files, or previous e-mail messages attached to it constitute an electronic communication within the scope of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act, 18 ISCA 2510. This communication may contain non-public, confidential, or legally privileged information intended for the sole use of the designated recipient(s). The unlawful interception, use, or disclosure of such information is strictly prohibited under 18 USCA 2511 and any applicable laws.




Armenian American Museum Virtual Stakeholder Meetings.jpg
JPEG image


Armenian American Museum Virtual Stakeholder Meetings 2.jpg
JPEG image

Russian Prosecutor General departs for Baku from Yerevan

Liana Toganian

Save

Share

 21:31, 8 April, 2021

YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Prosecutor General of Russia Igor Krasnov departed from Yerevan to Baku, where he will meet with president of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prosecutor General of Russia.

Krasnov today held meetings with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan and Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan.

In a meeting with Pashinyan, the Russian Prosecutor General highlighted the full implementation of the 8th point f the November 10, 2020 trilateral declaration, according to which exchange of POWs, hostages and other detainees should take place. Igor Krasnov emphasized that he will spare no efforts for the solution of the issue.




Return of captives delayed – Deputy PM’s Office

Liana Toganian
Public Radio of Armenia
April 8 2021

The return of captives is delayed, Deputy Prime Minister’s Office informs.

The Azerbaijani side fails to fulfill the 8th point of the trilateral statement of November 9, which is a gross violation of the post-war humanitarian process, a spokesperson for the Office told Armenpress.

“Negotiations continue with the mediation of the Russian side, and we hope that the Azerbaijani side will eventually respect the signed statement and implement the humanitarian agreement, thus contributing to the establishment of stability in the region,” the commentary reads.

Turkish press: Baykar CTO Bayraktar receives ‘Karabakh Order’ from Aliyev

Liana Toganian
 ISTANBUL DEFENSE 
APR 01, 2021 3:06 PM GMT+3
Baykar’s CTO Selçuk Bayraktar (L), Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, Baku, Azerbaijan, April 1, 2021. (Photo by the Presidency of Azerbaijan via AA)

Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev Thursday awarded Turkish drone magnate Baykar’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO) Selçuk Bayraktar with the “Karabakh Order.”

Aliyev received Bayraktar and leading Turkish defense company Aselsan General Manager Haluk Görgün on their arrival to Baku and presented the Baykar CTO with the order.

The Karabakh Order is awarded to soldiers and civilians who played a role in regaining control of Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding lands which were under Armenian occupation and recently liberated by Azerbaijan.

Bayraktar shared a statement on his Twitter account, expressing his gratitude to Aliyev, accompanied by a photo of the two men.

“I am, together with my father Özdemir Bayraktar and brother Haluk Bayraktar, is very honored and proud to be awarded the Karabakh Order by the President of Azerbaijan, Mr Ilham Aliyev,” the tweet read.

He also added that they will continue to work for the common future of “one nation, two-state,” a commonly used phrase describing brotherly ties between Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Baykar’s Bayraktar TB2s played a vital role during the recent conflict that erupted between Azerbaijan and the fellow ex-Soviet republic of Armenia.

The combat drones, as expressed by many military specialists and defense experts, gave the Azerbaijani army the upper hand in both detecting and destroying enemy forces and military equipment, including armored vehicles, howitzers and Russian-made air defense systems.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense released several pieces of footage, captured by the state-of-the-art drones showing destroyed tanks, artillery and missiles that the Turkish Bayraktar TB2s demolished with ease.

Several analysts used drone footage to document the Armenian losses, tallying at least 185 battle tanks had been destroyed.

Following the heavy toll on Armenian forces, a Moscow-brokered truce was reached between Armenia and Azerbaijan, after more than six weeks of deadly clashes over Nagorno-Karabakh, a region that lies within Azerbaijan but has been illegally occupied by ethnic Armenian forces backed by Yerevan since a separatist war there ended in 1994. Following the truce Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist leader, Arayik Harutyunyan acknowledged that “had the hostilities continued at the same pace, we would have lost all of Artsakh (an Armenian name for Nagorno-Karabakh) within days.”

Armenia political parties issue statement on settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Armenian Genocide

Liana Toganian
News.am, Armenia
April 2 2021
16:36, 02.04.2021

Leaders of six political parties have issued the following statement:

“The Russian-Turkish tandem, taking advantage of the essence of the serving authorities of Armenia, is rushing to turn the unlawful trilateral statement of November 9, 2020 into an agreement. With this, we sound the alarm and declare the following:

Any option for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will be acceptable only within the scope of the OSCE Minsk Group, and any other document beyond that scope will be unlawful, even if the authorities of Armenia are forced to sign it.

Any option for speculation of unblocking of links, in which case Armenia will not have full jurisdiction over any part of the territory of Armenia or any communication route that will pass through that part, will be unlawful, and the implementation will be prevented by all possible means.

Any Armenian-Turkish agreement denying or questioning the Armenian Genocide will be declared as unlawful, and the treacherous propaganda of the authorities in this direction — renounceable.

We consider unacceptable the anti-national propaganda of the authorities of Armenia according to which a change of image of Turks (the enemy) is being made, so long as Turkey and Azerbaijan haven’t changed their approaches to the image of Armenians through their propaganda machines and in their education systems, and so long as Armenia is considered an enemy in their military doctrines.

We call on the public and political forces to unite in order to overcome the challenges facing statehood and gain more reliable allies for security.

PARUYR HAYRIKYAN (National Self-Determination Union)

PETROS MAKEYAN (Democratic Homeland Party)

ANDRIAS GHUKASYAN (Armenian Constructive Party)

GARNIK MARGARYAN (Homeland and Honor Party)

ARTYOM KHACHIKYAN (Hayk (Haykazunner) Party)

MIKAYEL HAYRAPETYAN (Conservative Party)”

Armenia Special Investigation Service prohibits ARF-D member from leaving country for 3 days

Liana Toganian
News.am, Armenia
April 2 2021
23:35, 02.04.2021

Member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-Dashnaktsutyun political party Ishkhan Saghatelyan posted the following on his Facebook page:

“As you know, since November 2020, I am charged within the scope of a criminal case regarding the organizing of an illegal assembly. They tried to arrest me illegally, and after they failed, they applied another pre-trial measure — signature to not leave the country, and with this, they restricted my right to freedom of movement.

I had to leave for abroad to carry out a major task related to the political party and had addressed the Special Investigation Service of Armenia with the request for permission to leave the country for three days. Yesterday I received the decision on rejection. The investigator substantiated the rejection with the fact that it might be impossible to oversee my proper line of conduct from a distance.

I get the impression that the investigator didn’t even try to give a justification that is well-grounded in the legal sense. Once again, I record the fact that the Special Investigation Service continues to fulfill the illegal orders and decisions of a mad man and are committing illegal acts.”