11:05,
YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s Brunette will perform second in the second semi-final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 in Liverpool.
Organizers announced the running order on March 23.
The semi-finals are due on Tuesday 9 and Thursday 11 May respectively.
Brunette’s Future Lover already garnered over 2,6 million views on YouTube since its release on March 15.
13:38,
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS. The visiting CSTO Secretary General Imangali Tasmagambetov has concurred during a meeting with a top Armenian official that the latest speech by the Azerbaijani leader “contradicts the Prague and Sochi statements”.
Tasmagambetov, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), who is now in Armenia on a two-day trip, met with the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan on March 17 in Yerevan.
“Armen Grigoryan presented the current situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The sides also discussed the recent statement made by the Azerbaijani President, noting that it contradicts the Prague and Sochi statements,” Grigoryan’s office said in a readout.
Grigoryan also congratulated Tasmagambetov on his appointment as CSTO Secretary General. They discussed the situation in the CSTO area of responsibility, and the Secretary General reported on the situation regarding the delimitation between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on March 16 made false claims and bellicose statements against Armenia during the Organization of Turkic States summit.
Aliyev referred to the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia under the fictitious name “Western Azerbaijan”.
In a statement on Friday, the Armenian Foreign Ministry warned that Aliyev’s speech was “a clear manifestation of territorial claims against the Republic of Armenia and preparation of another aggression.”
The ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenians would be a “red line” for the West, said former NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen during a meeting with Armenian reporters and policy experts Monday, including CivilNet Editor-in-Chief Karen Harutyunyan. After holding high-level talks with Armenia’s prime minister and other senior officials, Rasmussen visited the entrance of the Lachin corridor, the only overland route between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, which Azerbaijan has blockaded for more than 90 days.
Credits: Ruptly
17:59, 1 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. The fight against corruption is a matter of fundamental importance for Armenia, there cannot be any case of corruption, the investigation of which does not take place properly, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the parliament-Cabinet Q&A session.
“The fight against corruption is a matter of fundamental importance for Armenia. And we will not weaken our efforts in this fight in any way,” said Pashinyan.
As for the facts published by the opposition, which refer to corruption cases, the Prime Minister assured that the law enforcement bodies are also interested in these facts.
“I must assure that there cannot be any case of corruption that will not be properly investigated. It is excluded that there will be any corruption case and that case will not be investigated at a proper level,” said Pashinyan.
The Prime Minister noted that corruption, first of all, is connected with state administration, local self-government bodies, judicial and other systems. The Prime Minister emphasized that his position remains very clear: in the field of public administration, in the judicial system there should be a significant increase in salaries.
“It is not possible to say on the one hand: let’s fight against corruption, let the state bodies provide quality services and say that, for example, there should be a specialist working in the ministries for 90 or 110 thousand drams, and on the other hand, let’s expect things to go quickly and with good quality. In this regard, we implemented the anti-corruption strategy adopted in 2018 and now we are in the process of developing a new strategy,” said Pashinyan.
According to the Prime Minister, the biggest problem is criminal mentality, there is simply no more fertile ground for corruption and criminality than criminal mentality. “We have to make a transition from the criminal mindset to relations based on the law,” concluded the Prime Minister.
ISTANBUL
Azerbaijan on Wednesday discussed with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) ways to support refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs).
“During the meeting, satisfaction was expressed with the current level of cooperation between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the International Organization for Migration, issues on the international migration agenda and prospects for future development of cooperation in this field were exchanged,” a statement by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry read, following a meeting between Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and IOM Director-General Antonio Vitorino in the capital Baku.
Bayramov emphasized that migration issues are “effectively regulated in Azerbaijan as a result of the country’s successful migration policy and institutional reforms in this field.”
He also gave detailed information on the restoration and reconstruction works carried out in the Karabakh region, adding that ensuring the stable settlement of IDPs in their homeland is a priority in state policy.
The Karabakh region was liberated from nearly three decades of Armenian occupation following a 44-day conflict between Baku and Yerevan in the fall of 2020.
For his part, Vitorino welcomed the work done in Azerbaijan in the field of migration management, and expressed that the IOM is ready to continue supporting the Azerbaijani government in the future.
“In this context, it was emphasized that the establishment of the regional training center of the organization is an important step,” the statement added.
Vitorino arrived in Azerbaijan to take part in the Non-Aligned Movement’s Contact Group Summit on the fight against COVID-19, which will take place on March 2.
Armen Mazloumian is a medical doctor who was born in Egypt after his grandparents came to the country in the wake of the 1915 Armenian genocide.
The Mazloumians and thousands of others joined an existing Armenian community in Egypt, one that flourished over the centuries as skilled craftspeople, traders, and cultivators of crops including tobacco and oranges.
“Living in Egypt gave us the freedom to learn our language, and build churches and clubs,” Mazloumian says.
The Armenian community was famous for its abilities in goldsmithing, jewellery making, watchmaking, photography, zinc graphs, and in the fur industry.
“Egypt embraced Armenians, now it’s time for us to preserve our identity and traditions,” he adds.
Long history
Armenians have a long history in Egypt that dates back to the time of the Fatimid dynasty in the 11th century.
Over the centuries, the Armenian community has made significant contributions to Egyptian society, from crafts to cuisine and various other industries.
Egypt saw a particularly large influx of Armenian refugees following the 1915 Armenian genocide, in the final years of the Ottoman Empire in World War 1.
Juice pedlars stand with their carts outside the Bab al-Nasr (Gate of Victory), which was built in 1087 during the reign of the Fatimid Caliph al-Mustansir (AFP)
Around 1.5 million Armenians were killed at this time, in what historians established, and many countries accept, was a genocide.
Louis Dartige du Fournet, a French admiral, was responsible for organising the evacuation of over 4,000 Armenians who were resisting the genocide and defending Musa Dagh, meaning “Moses Mountain”, in what is now the Hatay province of Turkey.
The French transported the Armenians to Egypt’s Port Said on six vessels. Here they established a refugee camp where Armenians were able to get access to food, medical care, and education.
Although the camp was dismantled by 1919 and many of the people returned back to Musa Dagh, in the Hatay province of Turkey, some remained in Egypt.
The influence of Egypt’s Armenian community can be seen across Egypt.
“The number of Armenians in Egypt during [the 11th century] was around 30,000,” explains Mohamed Refaat Imam, professor of modern and contemporary history at Egypt’s Damanhour University.
“Six of them held high positions, from viziers and provincial governors. Badr al-Jamali was the most famous Armenian vizier at the time,” he tells Middle East Eye.
Armenian refugees in the Port Said camp in 1915 (Public domain)
Jamali was responsible for the refortification of Cairo in the 1080s, which was intended to protect the city from a possible attack from the Seljuk Turks.
He replaced old brick walls with stone walls, which can still be seen today. Bab al-Fatuh, Bab al-Nasr, and Bab Zuweila are the three remaining gates in the city wall of the old city of Cairo, which all feature elegant stonework and engravings.
The Armenian community also flourished under Mohamed Ali Pasha, who was the Ottoman governor of Egypt and its de factor ruler from 1805 to 1848.
“The era of Mohamed Ali is considered a golden age for Armenians. Although their population did not exceed 2,000 people, they were able to contribute to building modern Egypt economically, socially, politically, and administratively,” Imam says.
Armenians were able to establish links with Indian, Ottoman, and European markets, and paved the way for a number of trades to thrive in the country.
“The Armenians contributed to the cultivation of indigo, a coloured dye, for export to Europe, as well as opium, which Egypt used to export to pharmaceutical factories in Europe,” Imam says.
Armenians were also responsible for introducing mandarin orange cultivation to Egypt.
An Armenian merchant, Yusuf Effendi al-Armani, brought mandarin bushes from Malta and planted them in Mohamed Ali Pasha’s orchard. Today, Egyptians still call the mandarin orange ‘Yousfi’ or ‘Yusuf effendi’, in honour of the merchant.
Mandarin oranges in Egypt are named after the Armenian merchant Yusuf Effendi (Supplied/Mohamed Refaat Imam)
Van Leo, an Armenian-Egyptian photographer born in 1921, became famous for his ability to manipulate light and shadows, and as a result, was asked to photograph many film stars and other well-known figures during his 50-year-long career.
Prior to WW1, Armenians also ran much of Egypt’s tobacco industry. Brands such as Coutarelli and Sarkissian had thousands of employees and the cigarettes and tobacco they produced were sold at an affordable price around Egypt and in Sudan.
Today, the Armenian community in Egypt is working hard to preserve their ancestors’ legacy.
According to Mazloumian, around 8,000 Armenians remain in Egypt today and they have been preserving their heritage in three main ways. “Through schools, clubs, and the church,” he exclaims.
Egyptian Armenians take part in Christmas mass in the Armenian Catholic Church of the Assumption in Cairo (AFP)
The clubs run various activities for young Armenians, from football to basketball and scouts. There are also sessions on Armenian folklore and workshops on Armenian embroidery.
In Cairo at the Kalousdian-Nubarian Armenian school, which was established in 1854, students have the opportunity to learn the Armenian language, religion, and history alongside the traditional Egyptian school curriculum.
“We usually hold events to introduce Armenian culture to the public. They aren’t frequent, but we hold it whenever we can,” says Mazloumian.
“Through blood and tears, the Armenian people have managed to not only hold on to their heritage but to strengthen their resolve and values,” he added.
“Preserving the Armenian language, family life and rituals has a powerful role in helping Armenians around the world uphold a strong sense of identity and heritage.”
The Azerbaijani military shelled a car with law enforcement officers of Nagorno-Karabakh on March 5, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 06th March, 2023) The Azerbaijani military shelled a car with law enforcement officers of Nagorno-Karabakh on March 5, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Monday.
“A car with law enforcement officers of Nagorno-Karabakh was shelled by servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces near the settlement of Dukanlar,” the statement said.
As a result of the incident three people from Nagorno-Karabakh were killed and one person was injured, and from the Azerbaijani side � two were killed and one was wounded. Russian peacekeepers have put an end to the clash in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, the ministry added.
https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/azerbaijani-military-shelled-car-of-nagorno-k-1654434.html
Azerbaijani forces ambushed a vehicle in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) Sunday morning, leaving three Armenian police officers dead and one seriously injured. Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry later reported two dead on its side. CivilNet host and analyst Eric Hacopian and Emilio Cricchio discuss recent developments on the international stage and the state of the negotiation process with the Armenian side that may have led to this attack.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (right) during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Berlin on March 2
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Thursday expressed his country’s support for the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh during a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who emphasized the need to deploy international monitors to the Lachin Corridor as it continues to remain blockaded by Azerbaijan.
During a joint press conference with Pashinyan, who is visiting Berlin, Scholz said that Germany is concerned about the unstable situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the working humanitarian crisis in Artsakh.
For Germany, Scholz said, it is important to reach a peaceful settlement with an emphasis on the respect for the territorial integrity of both countries and the right to self-determination of the people of Artsakh, saying these “principles are equal.”
Scholz said Germany supports the mediation efforts of the President of the European Council Charles Michel and emphasized that his country has sent personnel as part of the EU civilian mission, which is also headed by a German federal police officer.
The German chancellor also referenced Pashinyan’s meeting with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Munich last month, saying that such opportunities to exchange ideas is an encouraging step for the resolution of the conflict.
During his remarks, Pashinyan said sending an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh would be important for the international community in terms of getting more comprehensive information about the situation there.
“We think it could be very important to send an international fact-finding mission to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh for the international community to get a more comprehensive understanding of the situation,” Pashinyan said.
He also referenced the February 22 ruling by the International Court of Justice, which obligated Azerbaijan to take steps to ensure “unimpeded movement” along the Lachin Corridor.
“We call on our international partners to take active steps to ensure the immediate implementation of the court’s decision by Azerbaijan,” said Pashinyan. “The position voiced by Germany, a democratic country that protects human rights and universal values, is important and will support Armenia’s efforts toward stability and peace in the South Caucasus.”
One of the key topics of the discussions between Pashinyan and Scholz was the security situation in the South Caucasus and the challenges facing Armenia.
“After the signing of the declaration on November 9, 2020, Armenia spared no effort to achieve the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and ensure the rights and security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh,” said Pashinyan. “Unfortunately, instead of participating in negotiations in good faith, the Azerbaijani side is continuing its non-constructive policy, is threatening Armenia’s democracy, undermining our government’s efforts to establish peace, stability and security in the South Caucasus.”
“Today, the most urgent problem is that since December 12, 2022 the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world, the Lachin Corridor, has been closed by Azerbaijan, as a result of which 120,000 residents have found themselves in a blockade,” said Pashinyan, who emphasized Azerbaijan’s actions are a gross violation of the obligations assumed through the tripartite declaration of November 9, 2020.
“This is a part of the large-scale and systematic policy of Azerbaijan aimed at the ethnic cleansing of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Pashinyan said.
In thanking Germany for its participation in the European Union mission to Armenia, Pashinyan expressed confidence that the effort will play a significant role in establishing peace and security in the region.
The Armenian leader said that an agreement regulating the presence of the EU civil mission in Armenia will be signed in the near future.
“I am very proud of the EU mission in Armenia, it will make a great contribution. We’ll develop that mission and see,” Scholz emphasized.
The German chancellor said that during the meeting with Pashinyan, they exchanged ideas regarding the deepening of bilateral relations, adding that Germany will continue to assist Armenia in continuing reforms and advancing economic relations.
13:28, 3 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell met on March 3 in New Delhi, India.
Mirzoyan and Borrell “exchanged ideas around the Armenia-EU partnership agenda,” according to a readout issued by the foreign ministry. “Both sides attached importance to the deployment of the EU civilian monitoring mission in Armenia which was officially launched on February 20.”
Regional and international security issues were also discussed. FM Mirzoyan presented the latest developments in the Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement process.
Speaking about the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the blockade of Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan, the Armenian foreign minister underscored the imperative of lifting the blockade without preconditions in accordance with the terms of the 9 November 2020 statement. In this context the international community’s hands-on involvement was highlighted in order for Azerbaijan to comply with the February 22 binding ruling by the International Court of Justice.
The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice – ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.