Author: Lilit Nahapetian

‘Nagorno Karabakh has never been part of independent Azerbaijan’ – Pashinyan tells Aliyev in Munich

Lilit Nahapetian

‘Nagorno Karabakh has never been part of independent Azerbaijan’ – Pashinyan tells Aliyev in Munich

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 21:37,

MUNICH, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan once again reaffirmed that Nagorno Karabakh has never been a part of independent state of Azerbaijan.

Participating at a panel discussion on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict together with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Armenian PM said he sees a necessity for new ideas for the negotiations of resolving the conflict.

Commenting on Aliyev’s “overview” of history, Pashinyan said there was no need to go so far into the history. “I would ask President Aliyev not to go so far into the history because when Armenian King Tigran the Great was negotiating with Pompey, a Roman military leader, there wasn’t any country in the South Caucasus and around the world in general named Azerbaijan. So I don’t think that it is right to go so far because I can go even further and start from for example 400 BC, but I wouldn’t do that because I don’t think that it is right way to go”, he said.

Pashinyan said that the Caucasian Bureau decided for Karabakh to be a part of Armenia and this was totally a lawful decision. “And after that, according to the personal initiative of Joseph Stalin this decision changed in Moscow. It was like a plot between Stalin, Lenin and Ataturk. Karabakh has never been a part of independent state of Azerbaijan. Karabakh was put into Azerbaijan only in the process of forming the Soviet Union. And when we are speaking about territorial integrity, we should decide about which country territorial integrity we are speaking. My question is that if Azerbaijan respected territorial integrity of the Soviet Union, becoming independent country, as Azerbaijan left the Soviet Union in the same way as Nagorno Karabakh left the Soviet Union. You can say that I am now speaking about the country that doesn’t exist, meaning the Soviet Union, but the Soviet Republic which contained Nagorno Karabakh, also doesn’t exist, there is no Soviet Republic, Soviet Socialist Republic of Azerbaijan, and that is truth. And like Azerbaijan gained independence from the Soviet Union, in the same way Nagorno Karabakh gained independence both from the Soviet Union and from Soviet Azerbaijan”, Pashinyan said.

Commenting on Aliyev’s statements on Khojaly events, the Armenian PM reminded that in the mid-90s former president of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov in one of his interviews to a Russian newspaper stated that the provocation in Khojaly was organized by the Azerbaijani opposition to withdraw him from power. “And this happened actually because as a result of that event Ayaz Mutalibov was removed from the post of President of Azerbaijan”, Pashinyan said.

As for the UN Security Council resolutions, Pashinyan said the general meaning of these documents was to unconditionally and immediately establish ceasefire, stop any violence and military actions. “And if we will look at the UN Security Council Resolution 884, we will see that it is written there that Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire and as a result Azerbaijan lost territories. And first of all it is Azerbaijan that didn’t keep the conditions of the UN Security Council document. And this is very important to state”, Nikol Pashinyan said.

But according to him, it’s not good for the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders every time to repeat the same thing. “But unfortunately, within the past 25, 30 years we are repeating every time the same things. And I am afraid, international community maybe somehow is tired hearing the same things. And I think that we need to bring some new ideas. And when I became the Prime Minister of Armenia through the peaceful, Velvet, democratic Revolution, I understood that it isn’t possible to solve 30 years lasting conflict with one or two steps. And I thought that in order to solve this conflict we need revolutions. And I started the process of micro-revolutions”, he said.

Armenian President congratulates Serbian counterpart on Statehood Day

Lilit Nahapetian

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 11:22,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a congratulatory letter to President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić on the country’s national day – the Statehood Day, the Armenian President’s Office told Armenpress.

The letter says: “I remember with warmth my official visit to Serbia in October 2019 which was a wonderful opportunity for expanding and strengthening the cooperation between our friendly countries.

I am confident that the opening of an embassy of Serbia in Armenia, the decision to abolish visa regime between our countries, as well as the fields of food safety, tourism, high technologies, innovation and artificial intelligence create new prospects for further boosting and developing the existing ties for the benefit of our peoples”.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Bashar al-Assad regretted trusting Erdogan, reveals opposition LHK leader Edmon Marukyan

Lilit Nahapetian

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 11:22,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Head of the opposition Bright Armenia (LHK) faction of parliament Edmon Marukyan has commended the Syrian parliament for passing a resolution on recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.

“I salute our colleagues at the Syrian parliament, who adopted yesterday an important decision regarding the recognition of the Armenian Genocide,” lawmaker Edmon Marukyan told reporters in parliament on February 14.

“I remember how we went to Latakia with a parliamentary group during the capture of Kessab. We’ve talked about this topic that time also. I believe that the Armenian Genocide issue should not become an issue to remember during tensions with Turkey, this should’ve been done earlier. I remember our meeting with President Assad, when he had said “I was being told in Armenia that I shouldn’t trust Erdogan so much, I didn’t listen to you””.

On February 13th, the Syrian parliament unanimously adopted a resolution on recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Will there be direct air communication between Armenia and Jordan?

Lilit Nahapetian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 13 2020

ArmInfo. It is planned to establish direct air communication between Armenia and Jordan. At the February 13 meeting, the RA National Assembly ratified the agreement  between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the Government  of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan on air traffic.

According to the Chairperson of the Civil Aviation Committee of the  Republic of Armenia Tatevik Revazyan, the agreement was signed on  November 1, 2018 in Aman. The document provides for equal rights for  air carriers of the two countries, while liberalizing issues such as  the appointment by the parties of their air carriers, price  regulation, frequency of flights, and service destinations. At the  same time, the parties commit themselves to ensuring the safety of  air transportation, ensuring equal competitive conditions. The Head  of the Committee emphasized that the ratification of the agreement  would enhance bilateral relations, increase tourism flow and  positively affect the country’s economy.

At the same time, she admitted that at this stage, airlines operating  in Jordan and Armenia have no interest in organizing direct flights  between the two countries to increase tourist flow, however, this  does not mean that this issue does not need to be regulated. “Today,  new directions began to develop very quickly, and it turned out that  there were countries with which we did not have any agreements at  all, and this would create obstacles if we did not resolve this  situation,” Tatevik Revazyan added. She found it difficult to say  whether it is possible in principle to organize flights to Jordan,  since, as she admitted, today there are many different kinds of  obstacles, including visa ones, however, through transit, with  certain restrictions, it is possible. The head of the Committee also  said that similar agreements are currently in effect with 49  countries, and the next step is to conclude an agreement with the  European Union.

From electric cars to banning plastic bags and restoring nature: Armenia eyes greener future

Lilit Nahapetian

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 09:18,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenia was planning to implement the Global Electric Mobility program in 2019, but the project on switching the government fleet to electric vehicles has been delayed, Minister of Environment Erik Grigoryan told ARMENPRESS in an interview.

“This is a global process and not only Armenia is involved, and due to certain procedural delays of other countries the program got delayed. The Government of Armenia will switch to using electric vehicles in the nearest future. The project will be implemented through environmental grant funds provided by the Global Environment Fund. The legislation related to electric vehicles came into effect in the second quarter of 2019. Comparing the import figures of electric vehicles of the same period of 2018 we see a huge difference. In 2018 only 1 electric vehicle was imported to Armenia, while in 2019 nearly 150. Today there are already dealers who are officially importing only electric vehicles. The manufacturing of these cars contains more innovation and technology than machinery. We hope that Armenia will also be able to become a country with the capacity of assembling, and at a certain stage also manufacturing electric vehicles. We also plan to have a greater number of EV charging stations not only in Yerevan but in other cities, in order for motorists driving electric vehicles not to have problems”, Grigoryan said.

Asked about another environmental project on limiting the use of plastic bags, Grigoryan said the draft legislation that was approved by the Cabinet was debated for a very long time. “There were procedural obstacles, but it got finally adopted. It will soon be debated in parliament, and if passed the sale of up to 50 micron single-use plastic bags will be banned from January 1, 2020.  This is the de jure dividing range, we expect that by 2022 the use of plastic bags will significantly drop as a result of the public’s change of behavior,” he said, noting that the ban features certain exceptions, such as recycled trash bags, bags used for food packing and weighing. The alternative will be paper and other reusable fabric bags, the minister said.

“There are 44 plastic producing companies in Armenia, and 27 of them are manufacturing only polyethylene bags. The law allows them on one hand to sell their stock within two years, and on the other hand to change their profile and start making biodegradable plastic. The producers will gain great market advantage and can further expand and export their products to EEU countries,” Grigoryan said when asked about the businesses in the area and what effect the law will have on them.

Minister Grigoryan also highlighted other programs currently under implementation. He pointed out the groundwater saving project in the Ararat Plain that began in 2019.  He said they were able to save nearly 100 million cubic meters of groundwater as a result of conservation and dissolving of abandoned wells, as well as reduction of volumes of active wells in the Ararat Plain in 2019. “This saving is greater than the water used in Yerevan in an entire year”, he said.

“We seek to maximally reduce the non-efficient use of water. Last year important work was done also in terms of inventorizing abandoned tailings and waste. Under my orders a list of 10 territories subject to primary recultivation was created. At this moment we have applied to the Cabinet and in the event of relevant funding we will begin the physical recultivation work. There are a number of implemented works in the forestry area also, but these works are continuous”.

In terms of international cooperation, Grigoryan said there are numerous examples. He pointed out the recently opened Environmental Monitoring and Information Center, a laboratory opened as a result of cooperation between the Armenian Government and the European Union.

He said they plan to acquire two mobile labs for air and water quality control.  “In 2020 the EU has provided 5 million Euros in funding and we plan to implement certain actions for the restoration of Lake Sevan”, he said.

“Multiple projects are underway under the climate programs, and there are two major initiatives: As part of a 1,5 million dollar grant by the Adaptation Fund it is the recultivation program of the abandoned quarries in Artik, as a result of which a park will be created and the dust emissions will significantly decrease. 2,5 million dollar has been allocated for the second project, as a result of which a number of social-economic programs will be implemented in the nearby communities of Khosrov Forest Reserve and the Dilijan National Park,” Grigoryan said.

Other programs include the construction of an agricultural market in Meghri by KfW grants, the installation of solar power stations in two villages, again in Meghri region.

The Minister of Environment also highlighted the fight against illegal fishing in Lake Sevan.

 

The full interview is available in the Armenian version.

 

Interview by Lilit Demuryan

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




RA Prime Minister calls on Armenian citizens abroad to take part in referendum on constitutional amendments

Lilit Nahapetian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 10 2020

ArmInfo.RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on Armenian citizens who, for objective and subjective reasons are abroad, to come by April 5 and  participate in  the referendum on constitutional amendments.

In his address posted on Facebook, the head of government noted that  there is an opportunity for return, bearing in mind the appearance of  low-cost carriers such as Ryanair and Wizz Air in the Armenian  market.  “Say yes to the revolution, say yes to the rule of law, say  yes to the present and future of Armenia,” Nikol Pashinyan said.

It should be noted that on February 6, the Armenian parliament  decided to submit draft amendments to the Constitution to the  referendum. 88 MPs voted for this decision, 15 MPs – against, and  abstained -0. Many deputies and human rights activists said that this  decision is unconstitutional, since initially the deputies had to  send their proposal to the Constitutional Court. To recall, even  before the vote, the Prosperous Armenia faction stated that it would  not take part in the vote.

Asbarez: Birthright Armenia’s AYOlingo among ‘Top Apps to Download’

Lilit Nahapetian
February 5, 2020


Birthright Armenia’s AYOlingo language app has been voted as the number one app to learn Armenian

Birthright Armenia launched a language app to teach Eastern Armenian last year with its first 30 modules, and already it is getting recognized as the go-to app to learn Armenian. AYOlingo found a place on the top apps to download before traveling to Armenia by Absolute Armenia. If you have not yet downloaded the app, you can do so here.

AYOlingo now has 10 new modules focusing on topics like art, travel, shopping, tourism, nature, health, communications, entertainment, and more. The app brings you the easiest way to learn the Eastern Armenian language. With this free app, you can learn how to read, write, listen and speak Eastern Armenian with as little as 10 minutes a day. Working through the lessons and modules, your Armenian will improve by using this language learning app. AYOlingo covers the basics all the way to conversations.

Armenpress: US issues ‘Level 4: Do Not Travel’ highest alert advisory for China as coronavirus spreads

Lilit Nahapetian

US issues ‘Level 4: Do Not Travel’ highest alert advisory for China as coronavirus spreads

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 10:36, 31 January, 2020

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS. The US State Department has advised against all travel to China amid the coronavirus outbreak, and raised its travel warning to Level 4, the highest alert level.

“Do not travel to China due to novel coronavirus first identified in Wuhan, China. On January 30, the World Health Organization has determined the rapidly spreading outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. Travelers should be prepared for travel restrictions to be put into effect with little or no advance notice.  Commercial carriers have reduced or suspended routes to and from China.

Those currently in China should consider departing using commercial means. The Department of State has requested that all non-essential U.S. government personnel defer travel to China in light of the novel coronavirus. 

In an effort to contain the novel coronavirus, the Chinese authorities have suspended air, road, and rail travel in the area around Wuhan and placed restrictions on travel and other activities throughout the country. On January 23, 2020, the Department of State ordered the departure of all non-emergency U.S. personnel and their family members from Wuhan. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Hubei province”, the US State Department said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Music: Armenian composer to return for Baroque Masters concerts in Augusta, Aiken

Lilit Nahapetian
The Augusta Chronicle
Feb 2 2020
Armenian composer to return for Baroque Masters concerts in Augusta, Aiken
By Charmain Z. Brackett Correspondent                                                     

Armenian composer and conductor Grigor Arakelian returns to the area to conduct the Augusta Virtuosi in two concerts in February.

“He’s an artist of the highest caliber,” said Adam DePriest, director of the Aiken Civic Orchestra, who has brought together a select group of professional musicians for the Baroque Masters concerts.

The free concerts will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 8 at St. Paul’s Church in Augusta and at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 15 at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Aiken. Donations will be accepted.

The concert will include works by J.S. Bach, Antonio Vivaldi, Georg Phillipp Telemann and Georg Friedrich Handel as well as the Armenian composer Komitas, a musician and priest, known as the founder of Armenian classical music.

Not only will Arakelian conduct the group, but he will play the Armenian viola, an instrument he helped create, in several selections, according to DePriest.

The Armenian viola is played in a similar fashion as a cello, he said.

Made from the Armenian apricot tree, Arakelian’s instrument has a “wonderful resonant sound” and has almost a spiritual quality to it, DePriest said.


Although usually a conductor and violinist, DePriest will also play with the ensemble, but he will be on double bass.

This is the second time Arakelian has played with a group through DePriest and the Aiken Civic Orchestra. He was in the area about two years ago, and DePriest said it was a wonderful experience.

“When we did a program with him two years ago, it was the best success we’d had musically speaking so far,” he said.

DePriest said he’s excited to have concerts on both sides of the Savannah River. On Arakelian’s last visit, there was only an Aiken concert. He said this will give more opportunities for area audiences.

Other performers joining the Augusta Virtuosi for the Baroque Masters concerts are Richard Thomas, cello; Sho Ane Seaton, soprano; Jennifer Parker-Harley, flute; Levon Ambartsumian, violin; Laura Tomlin, violin; Carl Purdy, viola; and Ken Courtney, harpsichord.


PACE concerned about tension between two Armenian institutions

Lilit Nahapetian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Feb 1 2020
February 1, 2020 – 11:16 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has expressed concern over “the high level of tension” between the Armenian Prime Minister’s Office and the Presidency of the Constitutional Court.

“We are very concerned by the high level of tension between two State institutions in Armenia, the Prime Minister’s Office and the Presidency of the Constitutional Court,” said the co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe for the monitoring of Armenia, Andrej Šircelj (Slovenia, EPP/CD) and Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland, SOC).

“Checks and balances are essential in any democratic system. This implies that all institutional powers must act according to the rule of law, and respect it in their deeds and words, including with regard to the principle of the presumption of innocence. If they fail to interact according to these principles, they undermine and damage each other. We are therefore worried about the long-term damage these tensions, that have reached an unprecedented level, could inflict on the judiciary as a whole, in which trust is already very low,” they said.

“So far, the Government and the Parliament have respected legal procedures to resolve the situation. Moreover, the authorities have requested the opinion of the Venice Commission on the mechanism for early retirement of judges of the Constitutional Court. According to European standards, the Venice Commission underlined that early retirements should be strictly voluntarily and that this principle needs to be observed. As co-rapporteurs, we will closely monitor that the Armenian authorities continue to act in this way, even if the objective of this mechanism, to uphold the spirit of the constitutional amendments of 2015, seems valid,” they added.

http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/277495/PACE_concerned_about_tension_between_two_Armenian_institutions

“We have already emphasised the need for political players to refrain from actions and statements that could be perceived as exerting pressure on the judiciary. In addition, we call on all parties to lower tension,” said the co-rapporteurs.

“Finally, these tensions should not overshadow the need for reforms in Armenia, whether it be those in preparation or those that have already been launched in many areas of interest for the Council of Europe,” they concluded.