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Author: Mary Lazarian

Turkish press: Turkish navy receives first Aksungur UAV

Mary Lazarian
 ISTANBUL DEFENSE 
OCT 20, 2021 1:03 PM GMT+3

Aksungur UAV performs a demonstration flight alongside training aircraft Hürkuş during Teknofest, Istanbul, Turkey, Sept. 25, 2021. (AA Photo)

The Turkish military on Wednesday received the first Aksungur, a domestically produced medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the top defense body head said.

In a Twitter statement, the head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), Ismail Demir said the Aksungur had been delivered to the Turkish Naval Forces.

The UAV is the latest combat drone of the Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI).

It can fly 50 hours, can carry up to 750 kilograms (1,654 pounds) of payload and is capable of long-endurance operations at an altitude of up to 40,000 feet.

Aksungur can perform uninterrupted multi-role intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and attack missions with its high payload capacity and provide operational flexibility beyond the line of sight with its SATCOM payload.

The UAV, which embarked on its maiden flight in 2019, has been integrated with three different EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infra-Red) cameras, two different SATCOM Teber laser guidance products by Roketsan, locally developed Precision Guidance Kit-82s (HGK-82) and the domestic engine PD170. The drone previously carried and test-fired MK-82 ammunition with a Teber guidance kit weighing around 250 kilograms. It was the first drone to use Teber.

The Aksungur marked an important milestone in August when it reached 1,000 flight hours.

The development was a first for a Turkish-made MALE class drone.

Aksungur was developed following the manufacturing of TAI’s Anka MALE UAV.

The Turkish navy already has the Anka in its inventory.

In February this year, the navy received two more Anka UAVs whose ranges were increased according to the needs.

The SSB at the time said that the UAVs will maintain their duty of securing the seas surrounding Turkey, also known as the “Blue Homeland.” The drones recently delivered to the navy were equipped with an automatic identification system and synthetic aperture radar (SAR).

Armenia reports 2074 daily COVID-19 cases

Mary Lazarian

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 11:30,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. 2074 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 300,143, the ministry of healthcare reports.

13,696 COVID-19 tests were conducted on October 26.

714 patients have recovered in one day. The total number of recoveries has reached 263,716.

The death toll has risen to 6151 (39 death cases have been registered in the past one day).

The number of active cases is 29,007.

The number of people who have been infected with COVID-19 but died from other disease has reached 1269 (6 new such cases).

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Pastinfo newspaper: Zurabov sues Armenia PM, claim is known

Mary Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Oct 23 2021
01:00, 23.10.2021

Former Minister of Health and Social Development of Russia Mikhail Zurabov, who owns 12.5% of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, has demanded to terminate the deal to sell 60% of the Combine’s shares to Russian billionaire Roman Trotsenko, Pastinfo newspaper writes.

According to Datalex system, Zangezur Mining LLC filed a lawsuit in the court of general jurisdiction of Syunik Province against Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, the Industrial Company CJSC (registered in Russia) and the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia.

After obtaining 60% of the shares of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine, Geoproming, represented by Russian billionaire Trotsenko, donated 15 %of the shares to the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia.

Earlier, Zurabov had information that the alienation of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine was underway and, as a 12% shareholder, appealed to the court with a request to give preference to the obtainment.

The court of general jurisdiction of Yerevan not only satisfied the claim, but also imposed a ban on the shares.

The court decision of August 11, 2021 states that Zangezur Mining LLC filed a lawsuit against Amp Holding LLC, Star Dust CJSC, Mher Poloskov, Karen Hakobyan, Gurgen Abrahamyan in order to prevent the defendants from violating the plaintiff’s rights. The decision enters into force from the moment of its adoption and is subject to immediate execution in accordance with the procedure established by the Law of Armenia on Compulsory Enforcement of Judicial Acts.

New meeting between Armenian and Azeri FMs to be organized

Mary Lazarian

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 13:24, 13 October, 2021

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan announced that there is an agreement to hold a new meeting with his Azerbaijani counterpart to continue negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

Speaking about the latest OSCE Minsk Group-mediated meeting with Azeri FM Jeyhun Bayramov in New York during the 76th UNGA , Mirzoyan said that during these talks an agreement was reached to solve humanitarian issues and return of the Armenian POWs.

He said that Armenia welcomes the resumption of the peace talks within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, stressing that Yerevan sees the settlement of the NK conflict only in this format.

“We’ve reached concrete agreements during the meeting, first of all to discuss and try to solve humanitarian issues such as the release of Armenian prisoners of war, further determination of the fate of missing soldiers and civilians, works in this direction, accessibility of Armenian cultural monuments that have appeared under Azerbaijani control and several other issues, and then to engage in the main component of the co-chairmanship mandate – discussions over the NK status,” Mirzoyan said.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ preparations of a regional visit were also discussed in New York, and clarifications over this matter will take place soon, he said.

Asked whether or not a new OSCE Minsk Group-mediated meeting with the Azeri FM is expected, Mirzoyan said they have at least reached an agreement to continue the process and organize a new meeting.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Azerbaijani army opens fire at village in Armenia’s Ararat Province

Mary Lazarian

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 17:26,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military opened fire at the village of Yeraskh in the province of Ararat, Armenia. The shooting occurred around 15:00, October 15, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said.

An Armenian military position located nearby was also targeted in the shooting.

The Ministry of Defense said that the villagers were unharmed. Armenian servicemen on-duty weren’t injured either.

The only damage was inflicted to a farmer’s barn and grass piles, which were set ablaze from the shooting.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Artsakh denies Azerbaijani misinformation – Defense Army strictly respects ceasefire regime

Mary Lazarian

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 21:48,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 14, ARMENPRESS.  Another “information” spread by the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, according to which a serviceman of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces was killed by a shot fired by the units of the Artsakh Defense Army at around 18:15 on October 14, is false and does not correspond to reality, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Defense Minsitry of Artsakh.

“The border units of the Defense Army heard the voices of hot quarrel  and fighting in the eastern part of the Artsakh Republic (Norshen village) during the mentioned period, which were followed by shootings’’, reads the statement issued by the Defense Minsitry of Artsakh.

Expecting an impartial investigation, the Artsakh’s Defense Army Command also stated that it respects the agreements reached and strictly adhers to the ceasefire regime.

Alvina Aghababyan: Re-liberation as a national goal

Mary Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 14 2021

Alvina Aghababyan, the head of the Center for Strategic Studies, reflected on the history of Artsakh’s Handaberd fortress which fell under Azerbaijan’s control as a result of the 2020 war, stating, “you can’t beg for peace, you have you impose it.”

“Handaberd was one of the most important defense structures of Artsakh. The oldest structures were built back in the 5th century. Each subsequent local prince expanded and strengthened the fortress with new and even more powerful walls and fortification constructions,” she wrote on Facebook on Thursday.

“In the first half of the 9th century, during the reign of Prince Atrnerseh Smbatian Handaberd was a powerful defense center, which had accompanying fortresses – observation points on the neighboring mountain peaks.

“Artsakh princes didn’t beg for peace, they strongly defended their land, moreover, they imposed peace on those who wanted to invade our country. That’s why when we lost our statehood in almost all parts of Greater Armenia (Mets Hayk), the Armenian statehood in Artsakh was preserved in the form of melikdoms up to the 19th century.

“Handaberd, Shahumyan region, Artsakh. Since 2020 it has been occupied by Azerbaijani forces,” Aghababyan said, adding the hashtag “re-liberation as a national goal”.

Karabakh Agreement To Be Discussed By Russia And Armenia; Meeting Scheduled For Oct 12

Mary Lazarian
Republic World
Oct 11 2021
Written By

Rohit Ranjan

Image: AP


The execution of the trilateral accords on Nagorno-Karabakh will be discussed by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan during their talks in Moscow on Tuesday, according to the Kremlin. Putin and Pashinyan will discuss bilateral relations as well as collaboration within international alliances.

On Monday, the Kremlin issued a statement, “On October 12, Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will hold negotiations in Moscow. They plan to discuss the implementation of the statements on Nagorno-Karabakh, which Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders made on November 9, 2020, and January 11, 2021, and further steps to strengthen regional stability and maintain economic ties.”

Relevant concerns about the development of bilateral ties and collaboration within the Eurasian integration associations are slated to be discussed, according to the Kremlin’s press service and the press office of the Armenian Cabinet of Ministers.

A meeting between Putin and Pashinyan is planned for October 12 in Moscow, according to TASS. On September 27, 2020, a series of violent hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia started, with severe fighting in the disputed area of Nagorno-Karabakh.

READ | Armenia wants UNESCO to record destruction of Christian heritage sites under Azerbaijan

President Vladimir Putin of Russia, President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan, and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh on November 9, 2020.

The Azerbaijani and Armenian sides kept their previous positions, but since Baku had control of various regions, Russian soldiers were posted along the contact line and the Lachin corridor, according to TASS. 

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said after signing the deal, said that Armenia would never consider itself defeated, and that the deal shall become a fresh start of an era of their national unity and regeneration.

Though Russia has been a significant player in Armenia since the early 19th century, bilateral relations between modern-day Armenia and the Russian Federation were formed on April 3, 1992. The Russian Empire and Qajar Persia fought a war from 1826 to 1828 in which Eastern Armenia surrendered to Russia. Furthermore, Russia was seen as a protector of the Ottoman Empire’s Christian subjects, particularly the Armenians.

The Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU) joins the University Network on Cultural Routes Studies

Mary Lazarian
Council of Europe
Oct 11 2021

SEPTEMBER

The Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU) has just joined the University Network for Cultural Routes Studies. A General Framework Agreement for Collaboration between the European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR) and the Armenian National Agrarian University was signed by Mr. Stefano DOMINIONI, Executive Secretary of the Enlarged Partial Agreement on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe (EPA) and EICR Director, and Mr. Vardan Urutyan, Rector of the Armenian National Agrarian University.

The Armenian National Agrarian University (ANAU), founded in 1930, is the only agrarian university in Armenia. The ANAU offers a number of courses aimed at the development of agrotourism and wine tourism, including Bachelor and Master degree educational programs in Fermentation Technology, Winemaking, wine marketing, wine tourism, and a special “Enology and Wine Business Programme”, first of its kind in Armenia. ANAU is known for a modern agrarian education with a student-centered learning and teaching environment and its high-level international cooperations.With the new incorporation of the Armenian National Agrarian University, the University Network for Cultural Routes Studies now counts 19 members.

The University Network for Cultural Routes Studies is a network of Universities interested in the study of Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe. The Network aims to encourage the conduct of research on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe related issues, encourage students to undertake their academic research on Cultural Routes, jointly apply for European Grants with the EICR, participate in the annual programme of activities of the EICR and offer scientific advice where required.