Author: Maghakian Mike

Art: Armenian artist Jean Boghossian’s works take over Monte Carlo to highlight ocean pollution

Maghakian Mike
UAE –
Armenian artist Jean Boghossian’s work in Monte Carlo’s Jardins des Boulingrins. Photo: Studio Jean Boghossian
Maghie Ghali
Mar 28, 2023

When you think of Monaco, the azure Mediterranean Sea might be the first thing that comes to mind — sparkling along the French Riviera, with its glamorous holiday hotspots with sandy beaches, yacht-filled marinas and fresh sea air.

This year, the Monte Carlo Societe des Bains de Mer, which operates Monaco’s most distinctive cultural outlets, is seeking to raise awareness about climate change and marine conservation with The Sea is Green, a series of artistic initiatives to highlight the need to protect our seas.

The programme was launched earlier this month by giving Armenian artist Jean Boghossian free reign to fill Monte Carlo with several public art installations, all with a nautical flair — from detailed ceramic seashells to recycled sail cloth adorned with paintings.

Boghossian spent his childhood years living in Lebanon, then in Belgium, where he took a step back from his family’s jewellery-making business to study art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. He recently moved to Monaco, and having now lived by the sea in three different countries, the sight of it has become intrinsic to his daily life.

“I know the Mediterranean in Beirut, where all the plastics are polluting the water. People don’t respect it,” Boghossian tells The National. “And, of course, I have seen the sea in Belgium. In Belgium, the sea is brown, so we are very lucky to have the Mediterranean where the sea is blue, like in Monaco.

“I love the climate here, and I also love the fact that they are very drawn towards the ecology, to making the world a better place and to taking care that our garbage doesn’t end up in the sea,” he adds. “It so happens that my work is a kind of recycling, whether it is the sails I bought [to paint on], or the ceramics I’m showing here.”

From his balcony in Monaco, Boghossian would watch sailboats go out to sea three times a week. This became the inspiration for his first installation, combined with his trademark practice of working with paint, smoke and blowtorches — a remnant from his jewellery-designing days.

At the Jardins des Boulingrins, recycled galvanised steel plates from the Atomium in Brussels — a monument built for the 1958 World’s Fair — have been repurposed to form a regatta. The 30 triangular metal sheets, resembling sailboats, have been painted and burned, causing the paint to bubble and take on new forms and colours.

“It represents various periods of my artwork. I work with fire, so a lot of it has to do with flame and smoke pigment, as well as mixed media: liquids, paints, brushes and various techniques,” Boghossian says. “I received them as a gift in 2010 from Diane Hennebert, who at the time was the director of the Atomium, before taking over the Boghossian Foundation, which I created with my father and brother.

“At first I didn’t really know what to do with them, but since they were in my studio, I started painting them over the year,” he adds. “I already had about 12 of them, and when I told the Societe des Bains de Mer about the idea, I wanted to do more and make a whole regatta.”

A short walk away lies the Hotel Hermitage Monte Carlo — an Art Deco grandiosity with seashell motifs hidden in the ceiling plasterwork and mosaic floors, making it a fitting backdrop for Boghossian’s Shellfish series.

The sculptures feature ceramic sea snakes, bright coral — both real and ceramic — the remains of sea urchins and pastel-hued shells, like imagined reefs teeming with marine life.

Spread through the hotel, 30 ceramics evocative of seashells, waves and marine life can be seen. The works were inspired by the collection of the Seashell Museum in the nearby town of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which Boghossian bought in 2016 — when the museum closed — to preserve it.

“I bought that collection in from the owner as he was leaving to go to Madagascar. The museum is small, but the mayor was so happy that now we decided to make the museum a bigger one, and to find some donors to reopen it this year,” Boghossian says. “Before [the museum owner’s] departure he invited me to his apartment. One of the rooms was full of cases of rocks, shells and various things of the sea, but also books about shells.

“He gave me all of it as it was too costly to ship and I saw so many beautiful shells that are not in the museum, which I have now used in my sculptures,” he adds. “I used to go to the museum and I saw that shells are like precious stones; they are the beauties of the seas, while precious stones are the beauties of the earth. And they interact together very well, so I places some semi-precious stones on my sculptures too.”

The third element of Boghossian’s public installations takes viewers to the promenade behind the Monte Carlo Casino, where 18 painted flags fly five-metres-high along the corniche.

As the installations are all about ecology, the use of recycled materials was at the forefront of Boghossian’s mind. The flags are made of declassified sail cloth, reused as a canvas for his artworks and made using natural pigments, soot, smoke, ink and water to create rippling shapes and merging colour.

A similar technique can be seen up close on some displayed works on paper the Hotel Hermitage Monte Carlo.

“When the sails get old and develop holes, there are controls in place that decide that they are no longer valid for use,” he says. “They are made of plastic and various materials which they don’t know how to throw away, so I bought some to paint on them.”

Boghossian hopes that, as visitors flock to Monte Carlo for various touristic events such as the Monaco Grand Prix or the Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament in the coming months, they’ll take a moment to peruse his public artworks and think about how they can help to preserve the Mediterranean Sea.

Boghossian’s public installations will be on display in Monte Carlo until May 10

https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2023/03/28/armenian-artist-jean-boghossians-works-take-over-monte-carlo-to-highlight-ocean-pollution/

Rasmussen warns of serious risk of imminent ethnic cleansing in Nagorno Karabakh, new Azeri offensive against Armenia

Maghakian Mike

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 12:13,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Former NATO secretary-general (2009-14) and former prime minister of Denmark Anders Fogh Rasmussen, the founder of Rasmussen Global international political consultancy firm, has warned that in clear violation of the 2020 trilateral statement, Azerbaijan is fueling a humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and once again threatening neighboring Armenia with military aggression.

In an article for Project Syndicate, Rasmussen warned that a new Azerbaijani offensive against Armenia in the coming months cannot be ruled out.

Below is the full article published by Project Syndicate.

“All eyes are rightly fixated on Russia’s war in Ukraine. But that is no excuse for ignoring another crisis that is brewing on Europe’s doorstep. Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan are rising again, raising the prospect of another war.

Last week, I visited the Lachin corridor, the only road linking the ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world. Since December, access to the corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijanis under the pretext of an environmental protest. This is clearly happening with the backing of the regime in Baku.

With the “protesters” blocking all civilian or commercial traffic into Nagorno-Karabakh, Amnesty International warns that some 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents are being deprived of essential goods and services, including life-saving medicines and health care.

Under the ceasefire agreement that ended the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Azerbaijan pledged to ensure free movement along the road in both directions. Recognizing that Azerbaijan is violating its commitment by refusing to lift the blockade, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued an order on February 22 demanding that Azerbaijan take all steps necessary to do so. But a month has passed, and nothing has changed.

Although Russian peacekeeping forces stationed along the corridor are supposed to protect the route, they have failed to act. Unless Europe and the wider international community pressure Azerbaijan to lift the blockade, the current humanitarian crisis could become a humanitarian catastrophe.

Azerbaijan is using the blockade and other measures to strangle Nagorno-Karabakh. Residents are often prevented from returning to their homes, and gas and electricity are regularly cut off without warning or explanation. The intent, clearly, is to make life as difficult as possible for the Armenian population, and there is a serious risk of imminent ethnic cleansing. We must not divert our gaze from what is happening.

For its part, the Azerbaijani regime (and its online trolls) have continued to downplay the effects of the blockade – or even its existence. Yet they also refuse to grant international observers access to assess the situation. The first priority for the international community, then, is to send a fact-finding mission to the corridor under the auspices of the United Nations or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe. We must make clear that Azerbaijan’s president, Ilham Aliyev, will face consequences if he continues to flout the ICJ’s binding order.

The 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War made clear that Azerbaijan has a significant military advantage over Armenia, owing to the weapons that it has bought from Russia, Turkey, and Israel. This fact was reiterated last September, when Azerbaijan took territory within Armenia itself – including strategic positions above the city of Jermuk – after just two days of renewed fighting.

Although Armenia is still a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the regional alliance linking Russia with five nearby former Soviet states, no support was forthcoming when it requested assistance following this attack on its sovereign territory. It was left vulnerable and alone.

Making matters worse, Azerbaijan has kept its troops on Armenian territory and refused to return Armenian prisoners of war. With peace talks having stalled, there are clear warning signs that Azerbaijan believes it can achieve more through military means than through peaceful negotiations. A renewed offensive against Armenia in the coming months cannot be ruled out.

With Armenia’s traditional security provider, Russia, unable or unwilling to help, the European Union must play a greater role to preserve peace and stability in the region. Both European Council President Charles Michel and French President Emmanuel Macron have recognized this and devoted significant political capital to the issue. Following the renewed outbreak of hostilities in September, the EU dispatched a civilian mission to Armenia to monitor the border with Azerbaijan.

But much more still needs to be done. The EU mission, which is currently deployed only on Armenian territory, should be rapidly scaled up to monitor the full length of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border. European leaders need to press Aliyev’s government to allow EU personnel on to Azerbaijani territory. Of course, an unarmed EU mission would not be able to stop hostilities; but scaling up its presence would put further pressure on Azerbaijan to choose negotiation over military confrontation.

Over the last year, the EU has built increasingly close economic ties with Azerbaijan, owing to its rapid shift away from Russian gas and oil. But EU leaders need to be clear with Aliyev that he will not be allowed to act with impunity, and that Europe’s short-term commercial interests will not outweigh its values or its long-term interests in maintaining peace and stability in the South Caucasus. If Azerbaijan continues to flout its international commitments and legally binding court orders from the ICJ, it must face political and economic consequences.

Armenia is an emerging democracy in an immensely challenging neighborhood. With Russia’s influence waning, Europe must play a bigger role in the region. This is not a form of charity. Acting now to prevent another significant conflict – or even ethnic cleansing – in our backyard is in everyone’s interest.”

Armenia’s Constitutional Court rules that ICC obligations in line with national constitution

Maghakian Mike



03:02 PM,

The Armenian Constitutional Court has recognised that the country’s International Criminal Court (ICC) obligations enshrined in the Rome Statute do not contradict the national constitution, News.am reports.

The ruling was read out by the court’s President Arman Dilanyan. It enters into force immediately.

The move means that Russian President Vladimir Putin and Commissioner for children’s rights Maria Lvova-Belova will not be able to enter the country as Armenian authorities will be required to detain them following the ICC’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Putin and Lvova-Belova.

News.am notes that the Armenian government appealed to the Constitutional Court to ratify the Rome Statute in late 2022 in order to hold Azerbaijan accountable for the crimes committed in unrecognised Nagorno-Karabakh.

The country signed the statute back in 1998 but failed to ratify the document after the Constitutional Court ruled in 2004 that several provisions were not in line with the national constitution that was active at the time.

The International Criminal Court headquartered in The Hague issued an arrest warrant against Putin and Lvova-Belova on 17 March. Putin “is allegedly responsible for the war crime of unlawful deportation of population (children) and that of unlawful transfer of population (children) from occupied areas of Ukraine to the Russian Federation”, the ICC press release reads. Lvova-Belova is suspected of the same crimes.

Hungarian authorities noted that they would not arrest Putin under the ICC order if he sets foot in the country. Hungary signed and ratified the Rome Statute that lays foundations for the ICC but the document “was not built into Hungary’s legal system”, the Hungarian prime minister’s office stressed.



SIOP Asia XV Annual Congress in Yerevan to bring together leading researchers and doctors from around the world

Maghakian Mike

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 10:41,

YEREVAN, MARCH 20, ARMENPRESS. Leading researchers and doctors from around the world will gather in Yerevan, Armenia on May 19-21 for the SIOP (International Society for Pediatric Oncology) Asia XV Annual Congress.

The SIOP Asia XV Annual Congress in Yerevan will be the second time the event is taking place in the post-Soviet region, after Moscow 2016.

Professor Gevorg Tamamyan, the Head of Pediatric Cancer and Blood Disorders Center of Armenia, Chairman and Professor at Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology of Yerevan State Medical University, CEO of the Immune Oncology Research Institute told ARMENPRESS that he believes the congress will become one of the most important medical science events for Armenia.

“We expect pediatric oncologists from Europe, Asia, America and elsewhere to arrive. The presidents of the international pediatric oncology union, the Asian, European and Latin American unions have already confirmed their participation. Over 120 leading experts have also confirmed participation as speakers,” Tamamyan said.

Experts from the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Harvard University, and other institutions from Vienna, Italy, Belgium, Spain, China, Japan, Taiwan, India and the Middle East are expected to arrive to Armenia for the event.

Tamamyan said the congress will be “unprecedented.”

“85% of children with cancer fully recover in developed countries such as Germany, the US, Switzerland, Spain, Austria, Italy, while in developing countries the figures are from 0 to 60%. Don’t be surprised about the zero, there are really countries where the recoveries stand at zero percent. Although we are a developing country, averagely 75% of our patients recover. Right now our goal is to reach the level of developed countries through everyday work,” Tamamyan said.

The Mkhitar Heratsi State Medical University in Yerevan will serve as the venue for the congress.

3 Armenian PoW’s are still being held in Azerbaijan

Maghakian Mike
March 13 2023

by ATHENS BUREAU

There are 33 Armenian prisoners of war currently held in Azerbaijan that have been confirmed and identified, Hsmik Samvelyan, press secretary of Armenian Representative for International Legal Affairs, Yeghishe Kirakosyan, presented to the Zhokhovurd newspaper.

The number presented by Samvelyan is also confirmed by the representative of Armenian prisoners of war at the European Court of Human Rights, human rights activist Siranush Sahakyan.

Sahakyan noted that besides the 33 prisoners of war, who are in the focus of the Red Cross, there are 80 “unconfirmed”, according to Azerbaijan, but actually proven cases.

“Our fact-finding was able to substantiate at least 80 additional cases of captivity, and we do not exclude that there were other cases of captivity, just by our activities we were able to substantiate it,” she noted, adding, “unfortunately, there were about 40 cases where they were killed or shot after captivity.”

“We have evidence to support that. As for the 80 mentioned, their fate is not clear.

“They may be alive, but this will be taken out of the legal field and become forcibly disappeared or killed as Azerbaijan does not confirm their captivity and does not return their bodies so as not to acknowledge the crimes committed.”

Meanwhile, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Tuesday that he had complained to President Vladimir Putin about “problems” with Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh, warning of an escalation.

Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars for control of the ethnically and historically Armenian region and the latest conflict in 2020, with many war crimes by Azerbaijani troops recorded, ended with the deployment of Moscow’s forces.

“In a phone conversation with Putin yesterday, I spoke of a possible escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh and said that there are problems in the zone where Russian peacekeepers are responsible,” Pashinyan said during a press conference.

“Azerbaijan’s rhetoric is becoming more and more aggressive every day,” he said, denouncing a blockade of the Lachin corridor, which is Karabakh’s sole land link with the Republic of Armenia.

Since mid-December, a group of self-styled Azerbaijani environmental activists, often comprising of military personnel, has barred traffic in the Lachin corridor to protest what they say is illegal mining.

However, as Pashinyan highlighted on Tuesday, the disruptions along the route are a “preparation for ethnic cleansing of Armenians.”

Yerevan says that the blockade has led to a humanitarian crisis and was aimed at driving Armenians from Karabakh, something that Baku denies despite finding by human rights groups and international courts.

Armenia, which hosts a permanent Russian military base on its territory, is a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) that includes several pro-Moscow ex-Soviet republics — but not Azerbaijan.

Last week Yerevan refused to assume the rotating top post in the security bloc — partly in a show of frustration over the peacekeepers’ failure to prevent Karabakh’s blockade.

“It is not that Armenia is leaving the CSTO, the CSTO is leaving Armenia, which is of a great concern to us,” Pashinyan said.

At least three Armenians died in the latest border clashes instigated by Azerbaijan at the beginning of March.

“I want to underline that this happened in the zone of responsibility of Russian peacekeeping forces. This worries us,” Pashinyan said Tuesday.

Pashinyan also said that Armenia recently received Baku’s response to proposals for a full peace treaty, which Yerevan submitted in mid-February.

He noted some progress in the peace process, but said “fundamental problems” remain because “Azerbaijan is trying to put forward territorial claims, which is a red line to Armenia.”

Azerbaijanii soldiers currently occupy some 150 square kilometres of territory part of the Republic of Armenia, along the countries’ shared border.

On February 20, the European Union deployed an expanded monitoring mission to Armenia’s volatile border area as Western engagement grows in the region seen by the Kremlin as its geopolitical backyard.

Armenians largely disbelieve Pashinyan’s claims about military barracks fire, survey finds

Maghakian Mike
Panorama
Armenia –

SOCIETY 13:09 11/03/2023 ARMENIA

Some 70% of Armenian adults surveyed by the Gallup International Association distrust Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s claims about the deadly fire in an Armenian military barracks in January.

Fifteen Armenian servicemen were killed and three others were severely injured in the fire that broke out in the barracks of an engineer and sapper company in a military unit in Azat, a village in Armenia’s eastern Gegharkunik Province, on January 19.

Pashinyan said at a cabinet meeting that the fire erupted because an officer with the rank of captain used gasoline to fuel the woodstove in the barracks.

Just 6.5% of Armenians have “a great deal” of trust in Pashinyan’s version of the fire outbreak and 12.3% have “a fair amount”, Gallup said on Friday.

18․8% of Armenian adults say they do not have much confidence and 51․7% have none at all in his claims.

Sports: Shooting European Championships: Armenia’s Elmira Karapetyan becomes bronze medalist

Maghakian Mike
News.am
Armenia –

Armenia’s representative Elmira Karapetyan won a bronze medal in the Women’s 10m Air Pistol competition at the 2023

Shooting European Championships being held in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia.

In the competition with 60 shots, Karapetyan scored 577 points and placed third among 59 participants.

The Team Armenia is competing at  the Shooting European Championships with eight athletes.

Armenia to leave the CSTO Russian military bloc? Opinion from Yerevan

Maghakian Mike
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Armenia-CSTO relations

In the CSTO military bloc, which allows members to assume leadership posts under a quota system, Armenia has abandoned its own quota for the post of Deputy Secretary General. This was confirmed by Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahan Hunanyan, who did not comment on the reasons for this decision by Yerevan.

This is the second controversial decision by Armenia concerning the bloc operating under the leadership of Russia this year. On January 10, the Prime Minister of Armenia announced that the country was refusing to conduct CSTO military exercises on its territory.

Political commentator Hakob Badalyan believes it is important to understand whether this decision is “the result of existing or new grievances.” He believes it is possible that in this way Armenia is making it clear that it does not want to take sides in the Russian-Ukrainian war.

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In the context of a collapsing world order, security systems are changing significantly, Badalyan believes, and the CSTO was not a “strong, ideological alliance based on common interests.”

“Most of the states that are members of this bloc have no desire to take sides in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Here internal problems and aggravations also arise, which are expressed in different ways, including in the context of Armenia-CSTO relations,” he told JAMnews.

In addition to being involved in the ongoing war in Ukraine, Armenia has another rhetorical question for the CSTO — how ready are the members of the organization to take practical responsibility for Armenia, which of course means “against Azerbaijan”?

The members of the CSTO are Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. The majority of Armenian society is disappointed that both Russia and the entire bloc operating under its auspices did not provide military assistance to the country, despite numerous appeals.

The country’s authorities have more than once openly expressed their claims that the CSTO is not ready to defend “the sovereign territory of Armenia from occupation by the armed forces of Azerbaijan”, to which the President of Belarus said that the members of the CSTO “have very strong ties with the Muslim state of Azerbaijan.” Ilham Aliyev himself said that in this organization “Azerbaijan has more friends than Armenia.”

Badalyan does not believe that Armenia will have to “pay dearly” for the decision to abandon the post of the Deputy Secretary General, despite the “touchiness of Moscow.” In his opinion, it should be understood whether this issue is of great importance for other CSTO member countries or whether it has “little weight compared to deep issues.”

Badalyan believes that Armenia must find out “what prospects of security architecture we are creating for ourselves.”

About the meeting with the participation of Putin in Yerevan and the protest taking place in parallel with the CSTO summit

Badalyan recalls that a few weeks ago, Alexander Lukashenko, at a meeting with the CSTO Secretary General, said that the members of the organization should develop a common position on the issue of Ukraine, as they would not be able to “sit quietly” and endlessly evade a decision.

In his view, Russia considers Belarus a “resource of possible war scenarios.” And Lukashenko, who has no desire to get involved in a war, is trying to achieve “collective resistance” through the CSTO countries, to form a “field for maneuver”:

“Perhaps, in this situation, Yerevan is simply trying not to be represented in such discussions, even at the level of deputy secretary general, in order to avoid direct or indirect responsibility. Of course, it will not be possible to completely move away from all this, because we are a member of the CSTO. And if the issue reaches the organization, it will affect us one way or another.”

According to political scientist Surenyants, Russia and the CSTO are unscrupulous partners, but failing a major upset, Armenia will not leave the Russian military bloc.

According to Badalyan, despite all the discontent, Armenia declares that it is not going to leave the CSTO.

In his opinion, the possibility of such an extreme measure as Armenia’s withdrawal from the CSTO or, what amounts to the same, a break in relations with Russia, is doubtful:

“If we are not able to withstand the challenges and risks in the status of a member of the CSTO, then by refusing this status, we are unlikely to get the opportunity to solve any significant problem.”

Badalyan considers allegations that Armenia will receive military support from the West if it leaves the CSTO a “delusion or deliberately manipulative assessment”:

“In the issue of our security, the West has set a very clear bar of responsibility — to regulate relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey. Due to the existing risk factors, no one will take responsibility on our behalf. It will not provide the protection.”

Nor does he count on the active participation of the CSTO in ensuring the security of Armenia. He says that these illusions have long been dispelled.

A day before the CSTO summit in Yerevan, the political scientist presented his view on Armenian-Russian relations, the expediency of membership in the CSTO, Armenia’s to reform the army and establish new military partnerships.

According to Badalyan, in the current situation Armenia and Russia manage to resolve some issues, some being postponed. He says that this is not about behind-the-scenes agreements, but about “tacit consensus”:

“Yerevan expresses its dissatisfaction and is pleased with it. Russia does not interfere, does not use the CSTO as a tool, and it has no problems with Azerbaijan. Other CSTO member states are also satisfied, who, again, do not get involved in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, because it is not in their interests.”

Behind the scenes, according to Badalyan, lies the crisis of the world order that existed before and the collapse of security systems, which is also observed in the CSTO — a bloc that has never been an integral, stable security system.

https://jam-news.net/armenia-csto-relations/

1% increase in Armenia’s GDP is predicted with the operation of the Amulsar mine. MoU was signed

Maghakian Mike

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 18:18, 22 February 2023

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. There is no legal prohibition for exploiting the Amulsar mine, “Lydian Armenia” company has all the necessary permits to resume operations, ARMENPRESS reports Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said after the signing ceremony of the tripartite memorandum of understanding between the Armenian government, Eurasian Development Bank and “Lydian Armenia” company.

“The parties aim to invest 150 million dollars under this contract and another 100 million dollars outside of this contract for the resumption of the Amulsar mine owned by the Lydian Armenia company. The money will be used to complete the construction works and purchase the necessary technical equipment. The government will receive 12.5 percent of Amulsar’s shares and will not pay anything in return, but instead will insure certain risks of the transaction, also as a shareholder,” Kerobyan said.

Photos by Hayk Manukyan

According to him, the affected communities will receive 7 million dollars of support from the company every year.

“We have held long discussions related to the management of the company, negotiated with various investors and secured the highest quality investors. We have successfully completed this process, which is the beginning of practical work,” Kerobyan emphasized.

The minister noted that “Lydian Armenia” will create hundreds of jobs in the affected communities and will ensure significant economic growth and activity not only for the region, but also for the entire Republic of Armenia.

“It is estimated that Armenia’s GDP will increase by 1 percent with the operation of the Amulsar mine. That is quite a high indicator. We have no right to refuse such opportunities,” Kerobyan emphasized.

Referring to the environmental problems in the case of Amulsar mine operation, the minister noted that all studies have been carried out in accordance with the legislation of the Republic of Armenia, and the “Lydian Armenia” company currently has all the necessary permits to start the work.

“In other words, there is no legal barrier for the company to carry out its activities,” concluded the minister.

Artsakh Calls for International Acknowledgement of its Independence

Maghakian Mike
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

Scenes from a protest organized by thousands of Artsakh residents demanding an end to the Lachin Corridor blockade


In welcoming this week’s ruling by the International Court of Justice, which compelled Azerbaijan to take immediate steps to ensure the opening of the Lachin Corridor, the Artsakh foreign ministry also called on the international community to acknowledge Artsakh’s independence.

“We are convinced that in their approaches to resolving the conflict between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, the international community, as an effective remedy, should acknowledge the legitimacy of the Artsakh people’s choice for independence. Any discussion of the possibility of recognizing Azerbaijani jurisdiction and control over Artsakh and its people is tantamount to encouraging Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing,” the Artsakh foreign ministry said in a statement on Friday.

“We welcome the order by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) dated 22 February on the indication of a provisional measure to Azerbaijan, obliging the latter to ‘take all measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.’ This court order is a logical continuation of previous provisional measures indicated by the ICJ on 7 December 2021, and obliging Azerbaijan to “prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination, including by its officials and public institutions, targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin,” the Artsakh foreign ministry said.
“We deem it important that when considering the case, the ICJ noted that the blockade may constitute a violation by Azerbaijan of the rights of the people of Artsakh protected under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. The ICJ order allows to define the ongoing blockade of Artsakh as a manifestation of discriminatory actions deliberately carried out by the Azerbaijani authorities,” explained the foreign ministry.

“Of particular importance is also the Court’s conclusion that the ongoing blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan entails a real and imminent risk that irreparable harm will be caused to the rights of the people of Artsakh. Thus, while indicating a provisional measure to Azerbaijan, the International Court of Justice used the tools available within their competence to protect the people of Artsakh from racial discrimination by Azerbaijan,” emphasized the statement.

“The Court’s decision is an objective confirmation of the repeatedly voiced position of Artsakh that the blockade is just another episode of Azerbaijan’s decades-long discriminatory policies aimed at expelling the people of Artsakh from their historical homeland,” the statement added.

“Azerbaijan’s criminal policy, carried out against the people of Artsakh and bearing a large-scale and systematic character, is defined by international law as a crime against humanity. The international community in general and the UN member states in particular have legal and political obligations to take effective steps to prevent such massive human rights violations, as well as restore the violated rights,” said the Artsakh foreign ministry.

“In this context, we call on the international community to take effective measures to ensure the immediate and unconditional implementation by Azerbaijan of the order of the principal judicial organ of the United Nations. At the same time, we deem it necessary to systematically and thoroughly consider at the international level the issue of the legal protection of the people of Artsakh from the Azerbaijani policy of massive violations of their rights,” added the statement.

Artsakh’s Foreign Minister Sergey Ghazaryan echoed the announcement when speaking at a seminar on Friday.

He said the legal, political and historical grounds for an international recognition are more than sufficient.

“Artsakh’s path of self-determination and independence is fully in line with international law and the legal norms of the USSR. 32 years ago, declaring independence was the only way to ensure the existence of the people of Artsakh. And on December 10, in 1991, the people of Artsakh exercised their right to self-determination. Afterwards, Azerbaijan resorted to attempting to solve the conflict by force for three times, trying to forcefully suppress the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, in violation of requirements of international law and the UN charter,” Ghazaryan said.

“Even in times of relative peace Azerbaijan consistently engaged in a policy of aggravating ethnic hatred and discrimination,” he added.
“At the same time, for 30 years Baku continuously sabotaged all attempts by international mediators aimed at settling the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict based on international norms, namely of the OSCE Minks Group Co-chairing countries, every time abandoning in the last moment the agreements on compromise solution which were achieved earlier,” Ghazaryan said.

The current blockade of the Lachin corridor, which began over 70 days ago, is another example of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing, he added.

Commenting on the ICJ order, Ghazaryan said the ruling also confirms that Azerbaijan is engaged in discriminatory policy and recorded that it is inciting racial hate against Armenians.

“The court’s conclusions allow to describe Azerbaijan’s policy, including the blockade of Artsakh, as a manifestation of deliberate discriminatory actions by the Azerbaijani authorities. The recognition of the independence of Artsakh by the international community is a means to stop the mass and regular violations of the rights of the people of Artsakh,” the Artsakh foreign minister said.