Author: Mary Lazarian

Divine Liturgy to be celebrated at Armenian Gallery of Church of Holy Sepulcher

Mary Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 4 2020

<img width=”960″ height=”720″ src=””https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/xAremnian-Gallery.jpg.pagespeed.ic.S9E4kGYycg.jpg” class=”attachment-full size-full wp-post-image” alt=”” srcset=”https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/xAremnian-Gallery.jpg.pagespeed.ic.S9E4kGYycg.jpg 960w, 300w, 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px”/>

Coming Sunday Divine Liturgy will be celebrated in the Holy Sepulcher, at the so-called Armenian Gallery or Second Golgotha, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem informs.

One week after the celebration of the Ascension of Virgin Mary, Divine Liturgy is celebrated at the Chapel of the Intercession of the Holy Virgin.

According to the Armenian tradition in Jerusalem, the Superior of the Holy Sepulcher, the very Reverend Father Samuel Aghoyan, is the celebrant. As the very Reverend Father Samuel cannot be present, the very Reverend Father Theodorus, Dean of the Theological Seminary, will celebrate the Divine Liturgy.

After the destruction of a large part of the Holy Sepulcher, St. John the Patriarch had sent people and material to rebuild the Church, which included also this part building. In the Armenian tradition this is called “second Golgotha”, as a compensation for the loss of many Armenian rights on Golgotha; this area is restored around 1439.

The Altar on which Mass this Sunday will be celebrated, is called the Intercession of St. Mary.

Virgin Mary has a distinctive role in Christianity, chosen by God for her purity and faith to be the mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. Christian faith holds reverence for Virgin Mary, and beseeches her intercession.

Early Christian tradition, written down by St. Sophronius (560-638 AD), tells us about St. Mary the Egyptian.

St. Mary was born in Egypt and led in her youth a sinful life. In the city of Alexandria she joined a group of pilgrims going to the Holy City of Jerusalem for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. She did not cease sinning while traveling to Jerusalem. Interested to see the relic of the true Cross at the Feast in the Church of the Holy Sepulcher with the crowds, she could not get into the Church, as an unseen force kept her from entering the Church.

Then she realized that she was not allowed to get in the Holy Place because of her manifold sins. She looked to an icon of Virgin Mary and beseeched her intercession, promising to repent and not sin again, and to renounce her worldly desires. Then she could enter the Church and participate in the Liturgy. When leaving the Church, a stranger gave her three coins, for which she bought three breads. After this change of heart and true conversion, St. Mary of Egypt lived in the desert as a hermit.

St. Sophronius tells us that the priest St. Zosima lived an ascetic life in a monastery in the desert of Judea. Towards the end of the Great Lent, the monks went out to the desert to live in solitude, and return to celebrate together Palm Easter, Holy Week and the Feast of the Resurrection of our Lord.

St. Zosima did thus, and encountered in the desert the humble St. Mary of Egypt, who told him her history, her sinful life, her conversion after beseeching Virgin Mary’s intercession, and her decision to live as a hermit.

She asked him to return next year on Maundy Thursday, and bring her some of the Holy Communion, because she did not participate in celebrating Holy Communion during her 47 years in the desert. The following year, St. Zosima went into the desert, near the banks of the River Jordan. St. Mary of Egypt was on the other side of the river, and crossed it by walking on the surface of the water. After taking Holy Communion, St. Mary of Egypt asked St. Zosima to bring her also next year Holy Communion.

The following year however, St. Zosima arrived at the meeting place and did not find her. There lay the body of St. Mary of Egypt, with a note requesting to bury her. St. Zosima understood that she died on Good Friday, immediately after taking Holy Communion in the previous year.
St. Zosima started to dig in the dried out ground, when a lion appeared. The lion was gentle and helped him to dig a grave for St. Mary of Egypt. After the burial, St. Zosima returned to the monastery and told the monks what had happened.

Paintings depicting St. Mary of Egypt show her as an old lady with grey hair, covered with an old garment, sometimes with three breads in her hands.


Azerbaijani press: Criminal case filed in Azerbaijan against captured Armenian commander

Mary Lazarian
POLITICS25 August 2020 20:15 (UTC+04:00)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Aug. 25

Trend:

As a result of the measures carried out by the Azerbaijani army, the commander of the sabotage and reconnaissance group of the Armenian Armed Forces, senior lieutenant Gurgen Alaverdyan, born in 1989, was identified and detained on August 23 at 06:00 in the direction of the Goranboy region of the front line, Trend reports on Aug. 25 referring to the joint information disseminated by the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Security Service.

There were solid suspicions that Gurgen Alaverdyan, having taken part in illegal armed formations in the territory of the Kalbajar region, occupied as a result of the wars of aggression initiated by the Armenian armed forces, attacked the military personnel, military enterprises, departments, organizations of Azerbaijan or individuals, causing harm to their health, causing significant property damage or other socially dangerous consequences, as well as committed actions classified as illegal acquisition, storage, transportation and carrying of firearms, their parts and ammunition. There were also solid suspicions that Alaverdyan, on behalf of the Armenian special services, in order to collect and transfer to this country information constituting a state secret for their use to the detriment of the security of Azerbaijan, crossed the state border on August 23, 2020 for espionage purposes.

On the fact, the General Prosecutor of Azerbaijan opened a criminal case under Articles 100.2 (waging an aggressive war), 276 (espionage), 279.1 (creation of armed formations or groups not provided for by law), 228.1 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation or carrying of weapons, component parts for it, ammunition, explosives and explosive devices) and 318.1 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan).

In order to conduct a thorough, complete and objective preliminary investigation within the framework of a criminal case, a joint operational-investigative group was created, consisting of employees of the Prosecutor General’s Office, the State Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the State Border Service.

Given the nature and complexity of the crime committed, the Prosecutor General has instructed the Investigation Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office to conduct a criminal investigation, and proper investigative actions and operational-search measures are currently being carried out.

Armenia is not a fully reliable ally, says Russian expert

Mary Lazarian
MediaMax, Armenia
Aug 27 2020

The political scientist makes that statement in the article “Russia’s alliance policy: What should be done and what should be changed?” which is a review of the book “Allies”.

 

“Historically, Armenia was Russia’s vanguard toward Near and Middle East. Now, Armenia hosts the 102nd military base of the Russian Armed Forces. However, this vanguard is geographically isolated from Russia; it is a strategic exclave and thus carries the factor of vulnerability. Military presence in Armenia is not particularly valuable for Russia in terms of defense: Russia’s strategic border in the region passes on the Greater Caucasus Mountain Range, with positions in South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Neither is Armenia a base for promoting Russia’s interests in the South Caucasus, in Turkish and Iranian directions. The economic value of relations with Armenia is quite low for Russia. The main value of the position in Armenia is the possibility to maintain relative stability in the South Caucasus and the balance between Azerbaijan and Armenia, as well as to restrain Turkey’s ambitions,” writes Trenin.

 

“For Armenia, on the contrary, allied relations with Russia are vital. In this regard, Russia cannot ignore the feelings of over 1.2 million Armenian Russians. Nevertheless, the Yerevan elite, which is mainly gravitating towards the parts of Diaspora outside of Russia (in USA, France and other countries), is often dismissive to Russia and treats Russia with a consumerist approach.

 

The change of power that occurred in Armenia in 2018 did not lead to a change in the country’s geopolitical vector: lack of alternative to Russian support is obvious even for those who is not in Russia’s favor. However, Armenia is not a fully reliable ally for Russia now. If the situation does not change in the future, the role of relations with Russia will grow smaller and the nature of ties with Armenia can be reviewed and corrected with damage to Russia’s interests,” concludes Trenin.


Survivors of deadly domestic violence incident in Armenian town to be taken to children’s care home

Mary Lazarian

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 10:58, 27 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. A 4-year-old child who was among the seven children to be severely beaten in a shocking domestic violence incident in the village of Khashtarak of Tavush province has recovered from the sustained injuries and will discharged from a Yerevan hospital.

The Surb Astvatsamayr Medical Center said the 6 children will be transferred to a children’s care home, according to preliminary information. 5 of the children were hospitalized with acute exogenous poisoning. The other two had severe traumas.

One of the 7 victims, a six year-old child, had died earlier from multiple traumas.

A 28-year-old woman from the village of Khashtarak, Tavush was arrested last week on suspicion of severely beating her five children. The woman’s father, 57, was also detained and charged. A preliminary investigation has revealed that the woman has also regularly battered her two nephews. The 7 children have been recognized as victims in the criminal case.

The incident prompted a reaction from the government, with Tavush Governor Hayk Chobanyan convening an emergency meeting.

Later, the Pashinyan Administration called for heightened and stronger measures to prevent domestic violence incidents.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Azerbaijan Accuses Moscow Of Arming Armenia Since July Clashes

Mary Lazarian
News18
Aug 29 2020
 
 
 
An Azeri presidential aide said on Saturday that Russia has been supplying Armenia with weapons since a clash between the two former Soviet republics in July.
 
MOSCOW: An Azeri presidential aide said on Saturday that Russia has been supplying Armenia with weapons since a clash between the two former Soviet republics in July.
 
    More than a dozen Armenian and Azeri soldiers were killed in July at the border between the two, which have long been at odds over Azerbaijan’s breakaway, mainly ethnic Armenian region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
 
Russia has called the conflict is a highly sensitive matter.
 
Hikmet Hajiyev, a senior adviser to Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, said Russia has been “intensively arming Armenia” right after the July conflict, with Russian Il-76 strategic airlifters flying towards Armenia after July 17.
 
The Russian foreign ministry did not immediately reply to a Reuters request for comment.
 
    Russia has a military base in Armenia and considers it to be a strategic partner in the South Caucasus region and supplies it with weapons.
 
    Russia told Azerbaijan that those Il-76 planes were carrying building materials, Hajiyev said, adding that Baku was not satisfied with this answer.
 
    “Construction materials are usually not supplied in aeroplanes, there are other tools for that,” Hajiyev said.
 
     “Based on observations we also have information that arms are being shipped to the Syrian territory via the Armenia territory,” he added.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Asbarez: Veteran ARF Member, Educator Haigaz Terterian Passes Away

Mary Lazarian
August 26,  2020


Haigaz Terterian

The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Central Committee of Western United States announced the passing of veteran party member, activist, educator and leader Haigaz Terterian. He passed away on Sunday, August 23 in Los Angeles.

Throughout his storied career spanning Kessab, the community in Syria and Lebanon, as well as the Western U.S. Unger Terterian will mostly be remembered as a dedicated educator to countless generation of Armenians. He was a long-time teacher at the Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School in Hollywood. While he held several leadership positions in the organization, Unger Terterian was true believer in advancing the ARF’s ideology as a key to its mission in serving the Nation.

The Central Committee extends its deepest condolences to his family, relatives, friends and all his fellow ARF members.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 08/26/2020

Mary Lazarian 
                                        Wednesday, 
Jailed Ex-Minister Goes On Trial
        • Narine Ghalechian
Armenia -- Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian attends a parliament session in 
Yerevan, November 16, 2015.
Gagik Khachatrian, a former Armenian finance minister, and his nephew went on 
trial on Wednesday one year after being arrested on corruption charges denied by 
them.
The two men were initially charged with a large-scale “waste” of government 
funds. The National Security Service (NSS) claimed that Khachatrian hired and 
registered employees who never reported for work when he headed the State 
Revenue Committee (SRC) from 2008-2014. His indicted nephew Karen held another 
senior position in the government agency comprising Armenia’s tax and customs 
services.
Law-enforcement authorities brought several more criminal charges against 
Khachatrian earlier this year. They accused him of abuse of power, forgery and 
bribery. The crimes allegedly committed by him cost the state more than 20 
billion drams ($41 million) in financial damage, according to them.
Khachatrian, who served as finance minister in former President Serzh 
Sarkisian’s administration from 2014-2016, rejected the fresh accusations as 
well.
Over the past year Armenian courts have repeatedly refused to release him from 
custody despite his apparent health problems. The 64-year-old spent three months 
in a Yerevan hospital earlier this year.
Khachatrian was absent from the opening session of his trial. In a letter to the 
presiding judge read out by one of his lawyers, he said that he is too frail to 
attend the court hearing.
One of the lawyers, Yerem Sargsian, said that his client now has trouble 
standing on his feet and moving because of spinal cord problems. Sargsian 
renewed his demands for the ex-minister’s release from jail.
One of the trial prosecutors countered, however, that Khachatrian should remain 
under arrest because he could obstruct justice if set free. The prosecutor noted 
in that regard that Khachatrian’s two sons went into hiding in early May after 
being also indicted by the NSS.
Armenia -- Gurgen Khachatrian.
One of the sons, Gurgen Khachatrian, is the chairman of Ucom, a leading Armenian 
telecommunication operator controlled by the ex-minister’s extended family. In 
an April 28 statement, he claimed that “high-ranking” officials have threatened 
to arrest him if the family refuses to sell its 77 percent stake in Ucom at a 
knockdown price.
Responding to that claim, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said through a 
spokeswoman that Gagik Khachatrian and his relatives must return hundreds of 
millions dollars “stolen from the people.” She said authorities will allow the 
Khachatrians to sell Ucom only if the latter agree to transfer all proceeds from 
such a deal to the government.
Khachatrian was dogged by corruption allegations throughout his tenure, with 
some Armenian media outlets and opposition figures accusing him of using his 
position to become one of the country’s richest men. They pointed to his 
family’s extensive business interests, which include not only Ucom but also a 
shopping mall, a car dealership and a luxury watch store in Yerevan.
Khachatrian repeatedly denied ownership of these and other businesses, saying 
that they belong to his two sons and other relatives.
Baku, Yerevan Again Urged To Respect Karabakh Truce
RUSSIA -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov greets his Azeri counterpart 
Ceyhun Bayramov, as a COVID-19 medic is ready to measure temperature, in Moscow, 
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday urged Armenia and Azerbaijan 
to prevent further ceasefire violations, saying that is essential for 
kick-starting the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.
Lavrov expressed Russia’s readiness to help create the “necessary atmosphere” 
for resuming Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations during a meeting with his 
visiting Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov. He also discussed the Karabakh 
conflict in a phone call with Armenia’s Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian.
“I understand that our common intent is to continue the negotiation process,” 
Lavrov told a joint news conference with Bayramov held after the talks. “In this 
regard, it is important to ensure the necessary atmosphere for setting up a 
steady negotiating process.”
“We will do our best to foster the creation of such conditions both in the 
national capacity and as one of the three co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group,” he 
said.
Lavrov said that he specifically discussed with Bayramov the Russian, U.S. and 
French mediators’ plans to visit the conflict zone and organize talks between 
the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers. He stressed that the plans are 
contingent on preventing the kind of deadly ceasefire violations that broke out 
on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on July 12.
“We very much hope that what happened in July will not be repeated,” added the 
chief Russian diplomat.
The weeklong border clashes involving artillery and attack drones left at least 
17 soldiers from both sides dead. Lavrov said last week that “active Russian 
mediation” helped to stop them.
Speaking at the news conference in Moscow, Bayramov, who was appointed as 
Azerbaijan’s foreign minister on July 16, blamed Armenia for the flare-up of 
violence and accused it of obstructing a Karabakh settlement. He also said that 
the talks planned by the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the Minsk Group 
must be “substantive.”
It was not immediately clear whether Lavrov’s phone conversation with 
Mnatsakanian took place just before or after his meeting with Bayramov. The 
Armenian Foreign Ministry released no details of the conversation.
Immediately after the border fighting Yerevan called on Baku to agree to 
confidence-building measures that would bolster the ceasefire regime. It 
referred to concrete agreements to that effect that had been reached by 
Azerbaijani President Aliyev and his former Armenian counterpart President Serzh 
Sarkisian in 2016.
The agreements called for the deployment of more OSCE field observers in the 
conflict zone and international investigations of armed incidents occurring 
there. Baku subsequently refused to implement them, saying that they would 
cement the status quo.
Yerevan Apartment Block Hit By Deadly Blast
        • Artak Khulian
Armenian -- A rescuer and a sniffer dog search through the rubble of an 
apartment building severely damaged by an explosion, Yerevan, .
One person was killed and two others injured in an explosion that partly 
destroyed an apartment building in Yerevan early on Wednesday.
Both injured residents of the four-story building were rushed to hospital. One 
of them, a 40-year-old man, was reportedly in a critical condition.
Armenia’s Minister for Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakian suggested that a gas 
leak was the likely cause of the blast as he oversaw a search and rescue 
operation conducted by his subordinates.
The rescuers needed more than five hours to find and recover the body of the 
deceased victim buried under the rubble of the building’s destroyed section. 
Tsolakian said that the 58-year-old man was found lying on his bed. “He was 
probably asleep,” the minister told journalists at the scene.
Authorities also evacuated 21 other residents of the building located in 
Yerevan’s northern Kanaker-Zeytun district. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
pledged to provide them with temporary housing when he inspected the site of the 
explosion in the morning.
According to Tsolakian, the blast destroyed or seriously damaged 12 apartments. 
It also blew out windows in adjacent apartment blocks.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee was quick to launch a criminal inquiry into 
the deadly accident. The law-enforcement agency said in the afternoon that its 
officers are questioning local residents and taking other “investigative 
actions.”
Armenian Military Proposes New Auxiliary Force
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- An Armenian army reservist takes a selfie with Defense Minister Davit 
Tonoyan (R) during a military exercise, September 30, 2019.
The Armenian Defense Ministry has called for the creation of a nationwide 
militia that would reinforce Armenia’s armed forces in times of war.
A bill drafted by the ministry cites the need to expand Armenians’ involvement 
in national defense, which has until now mainly taken the form of compulsory 
military service performed by male citizens and call-ups of army reservists.
Under the bill, the new auxiliary force would be formed on a territorial basis 
in Yerevan and towns and villages across the country and consist of units 
commanded by deputy heads of relevant local governments. It would be subordinate 
to the Armenian army command.
One of the proposed amendments to several Armenian laws lists the tasks to be 
performed by the militia. In particular, the latter would have to “confront, 
neutralize and destroy” enemy special forces trying to strike key military and 
civilian facilities “deep inside the country’s territory.” The auxiliaries could 
also be deployed at “endangered sections” of Armenia’s borders or “line of 
contact with the adversary.”
The Defense Ministry bill posted on a government website on Tuesday has not yet 
been discussed and approved by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s cabinet. Defense 
Minister Davit Tonoyan and other military officials have not publicly commented 
on it so far.
The bill was praised and endorsed on Wednesday by Sasun Mikaelian, an 
influential lawmaker affiliated with Pashinian’s My Step bloc and a prominent 
veteran of the 1991-1994 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia -- Volunteers are handed uniforms, weapons and ammunition at a military 
base in Yerevan before their departure to Nagorno-Karabakh, April 3, 2016.
Mikaelian said the Armenian military needs such a volunteer militia because “we 
are surrounded by enemies.” He also spoke of an increased threat of Turkey’s 
direct military intervention in the Karabakh conflict on Azerbaijan’s side.
“The militia must have at least 100,000 members,” Mikaelian told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian service. “There could be a sudden enemy attack at any moment and we 
must be prepared for it.”
The proposed volunteer force would not be a substitute for a possible wartime 
mobilization of Armenian army reservists. The army called up tens of thousands 
of such reservists during what it described as “strategic” military exercises 
held in Armenia and Karabakh in September 2019.
Mikaelian also heads the Yerkrapah Union of Karabakh war veterans. Many of its 
members as well as thousands of other Armenian volunteers joined Karabakh’s 
Armenian-backed army in April 2016 during large-scale hostilities that nearly 
escalated into an all-out Armenian-Azerbaijani war.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Arsen Torosyan did not resign: He is going on vacation

Mary Lazarian
Arminfo, Armenia
Aug 25 2020

ArmInfo.The rumors that the Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan has resigned are untrue. Press secretary of the Ministry of Health of Armenia Alina Nikoghosyan  stated this in an interview with ArmInfo correspondent.

To note, these rumors were also denied by press secretary of  Prime  Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan Mane Gevorgyan. According to the  press service of the government, from August 21 to September 18  inclusive, Torosyan goes on vacation. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol  Pashinyan signed this decision on August 25. “During the vacation,  Arsen Torosyan will be replaced by First Deputy Anahit Avanesyan,”  the government’s decision emphasizes.

It should be noted that a number of Armenian media outlets reported  that Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan had resigned. This assumption,  in particular, is based on the fact that the Minister, such an active  user of social networks, for some reason deleted his accounts on the  Facebook, both official and personal.

Also, some media outlets disseminated information that Torosyan  decided to resign, but the Armenian Prime Minister does not intend to  sign the statement, as he instructed law enforcement officers to  check the rumors about the embezzlement of state funds by the  Minister during the coronavirus pandemic. To note, the public also  accused the Minister of distributing government orders among his  relatives and close friends.



Turkey pulls fight with Armenia, as more countries voice East Med concerns

Mary Lazarian
The Arab Weekly
Aug 17 2020

Armenia reaffirmed on Saturday “its unconditional support” to Greece and Cyprus.
Monday 17/08/2020

ANKARA –Turkey on Monday slammed Armenia’s remarks on the Eastern Mediterranean, two days after Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan held talks with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Cypriot Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides.

During the talks, held via phone, Armenia reaffirmed “its unconditional support” to Greece and Cyprus, expressing concerns over Turkey’s activities in the Aegean-Eastern Mediterranean region.

Armenia also said it was “closely following the latest developments and naval mobilisation in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean caused by the Turkish illegal and provocative actions.”

Tensions between NATO members Greece and Turkey have risen over the past week after Turkey sent the Oruc Reis survey vessel, escorted by warships, to map out possible oil and gas drilling in territory both countries claim jurisdiction over.

The Oruc Reis, which is between Cyprus and the Greek island of Crete, will continue work until August 23, Turkey said.

The vessel has been shadowed by Greek frigates and on Wednesday warships from the two sides were involved in a mild collision.

“This destabilising posturing in the Eastern Mediterranean manifests continued aggressive and expansionist policy that Turkey has been pursuing in its neighbouring regions,” the Armenian foreign ministry said in a statement.

“We reiterate Armenia’s unequivocal support and solidarity with Greece and Cyprus and call on Turkey to de-escalate the situation, respect the International Law and cease all actions within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Greece and Cyprus,” the ministry added.

In 1920, Armenia and Turkey signed the landmark peace accord to restore ties and open their shared border after a century of hostility stemming from the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman forces during the first world war.

The deal needed parliamentary approval in both countries, but was never ratified, and the Armenian and Turkish governments have since accused each other of trying to change the deal.

Turkey accepts that many Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire were killed in clashes with Ottoman forces during the first world war, but contests the figures and denies that the killings were systematically orchestrated and constitute a genocide.

Saturday’s Armenian statements drew the ire of Turkey, prompting Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Hami Aksoy to condemn what he called “a new example of irresponsibility.”

“After Armenia’s provocative statement about the Treaty of Sevres, its opinion on the Eastern Mediterranean is “a new example of irresponsibility and without limits,” Aksoy said.

“We see that Armenia, which attempts to present an opinion on the Eastern Mediterranean, is in fundamental error about world geography and its place in this geography. The issue here is not Lake Sevan, but the Eastern Mediterranean,” he added.

The Turkish foreign ministry spokesman also said that Turkey will defend its “rights,” likely escalating tensions that could have far-reaching strategic consequences for the entire European Union, well beyond the Eastern Mediterranean.

“No matter what happens, Turkey will defend its rights and the rights of Turkish Cypriots in the eastern Mediterranean stemming from international law. No alliance of evil can afford to prevent that. Those who think otherwise have not learned anything from history,” Aksoy said.

Earlier on Saturday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said his country will not back down to threats of sanctions nor to incursions on its claimed territory in the Mediterranean Sea, where it is in a standoff with EU member Greece over oil and gas exploration rights.

European Union foreign ministers on Friday said Ankara’s actions were antagonistic and dangerous after a meeting requested by Athens.

“We will never bow to banditry on our continental shelf. We will not back down against the language of sanctions and threats,” Erdogan said in the north-eastern city of Rize.

EU foreign ministers met via video conference on Friday and said Turkey’s naval movements would lead to a “heightened risk of dangerous incidents.”

Relations between Greece and Turkey have long been fraught with tension. Disputes have ranged from boundaries of offshore continental shelves and airspace to the ethnically split island of Cyprus. In 1996 they almost went to war over ownership of uninhabited islets in the Aegean Sea.


More Armenians return home from Beirut

Mary Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 19 2020

<img width=”828″ height=”622″ src=””https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Beirut-ARmenians.jpg” class=”attachment-full size-full wp-post-image” alt=”” srcset=”https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Beirut-ARmenians.jpg 828w, 300w, 768w” sizes=”(max-width: 828px) 100vw, 828px” data-pagespeed-url-hash=”3754271840″/>

About 100 Armenians, including 21 children, returned from Beirut on a charter flight Tuesday night, Head of Repatriation/Strategy Development Division of the Diaspora High Commissioner’s Office Hovhannes Aleksanyan informs.

Armenians from Syria and United Arab Emirates also repatriated on the same flight.

Today, around 100 compatriots, including 21 children, returned to their homeland from Beirut. We also had returnees from Syria and the United Emirates on this flight.

Gepostet von Hovhannes Aleksanyan am Dienstag, 18. August 2020

About 100 Armenians had returned on the three relief flights that delivered humanitarian aid to Beirut that was left devastated after a massive blast. Thirteen Armenians were confirmed dead in the explosion.