09:16, 11 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. The situation in the direction of Sotk was unchanged as of 09:00, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in an update.
The Armenian positions in Sotk are under Azerbaijani artillery and mortar fire since 06:00, May 11.
As of 09:00, the situation in the other parts of the border was relatively stable, the ministry added.
In autumn 2020, as soon as the military actions between Armenia and Azerbaijan were over, Russia deployed 2000 troops there, supposedly for “peacekeeping”.
This allowed Russian President Vladimir Putin to demonstrate that he had influence in the South Caucasus and to manipulate Armenian separatists to a greater extent for his own purposes.
The Kremlin has projected itself as the major mediator in the Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict since 1994 when the first Karabakh war was over.
In fact, Russia had initially been interested in freezing the conflict – that is the only way it could maintain influence in the South Caucasus and its military bases in Armenia.
Moreover, calling itself “the only guarantor of security in Karabakh”, Moscow was the largest exporter of weapons into both countries in 2011-2020.
According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), Russia accounted for 94 per cent of arms imported into Armenia and 60 per cent into Azerbaijan.
It is the freezing of the negotiation process for 30 years and Russia’s massive deliveries of weaponry into the region that created the preconditions for the resumption of full-scale hostilities in autumn 2020.
For the last three years, Moscow has been carrying on with the same tactic of delaying the negotiation process.
Besides maintaining the influence and military bases in South Caucasus, having leverage in Baku is now becoming especially important for the Kremlin. The reason is that in 2021-2023 Azerbaijan became one of the major suppliers of energy resources into the EU and could act as an alternative to Russia in this capacity. Together with Tehran, Moscow is seeking to prevent Yerevan’s ultimate reorientation toward the West, which happened to Georgia.
Putin is taking advantage of Armenian puppet-separatists in Karabakh. And he has done the same before with Ossetians and Abkhazians in Georgia as well as the supporters of “the Russian World” in Crimea and Donbas. This allows Moscow to maintain the military presence in South Caucasus in the same way as in the Georgian separatist region of South Ossetia or in the Eastern region of Moldova, that is, Transnistria. Prior to the full-scale aggression of 2022 the same had been happening in the pro-Russian enclave in the east of Ukraine.
Ousting Russia from the relations settlement process
Given Russia’s destructive role, the West became more involved in the negotiation process between Azerbaijan and Armenia after the 2020 Karabakh war.
For the past three years, the EU in the form of European Council President Charles Michel, and the US represented by the US secretary of State Antony Blinken, have been the initiators of most meetings between the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The most recent meeting was that of Blinken with the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia in Washington DC on May 1.
While in the past the representative of Washington, Blinken, only used to encourage the parties’ direct communication, he now admits that without the active engagement of the USA the peace process will be undermined by Russia, Iran and Armenia in every possible way. According to the US news outlet The Wall Street Journal “the influential friends of the Armenian-American community such as Senator Menendez and member of the House of Representatives, Schiff, are eager to punish any American officials who cover the cooperation between Armenia, Russia and Iran.”
In this context, according to EUreporter and the major media sources of Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria andLithuania,Armenia serves as virtually the largest hub for supplies of sanctioned goods, including military equipment for Russia, and it is also the largest logistic link between Russia and Iran. Using Armenia for delivery of Iranian attack drones and missiles for attacks on Ukrainian cities is also reported.
https://sofiaglobe.com/2023/05/08/russia-main-obstacle-in-negotiations-between-armenia-and-azerbaijan/
19:09, 3 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan disclosed some details of the ongoing negotiations with Azerbaijan in Washington. ARMENPRESS reports, during the parliament-Cabinet Q&A session, Pashinyan said that what is being discussed in Washington is exactly what he presented from the podium of the National Assembly last week.
“Yes, there is a document on the negotiation table and this is that document. You won’t find anything new in that document, because I said about that document publicly from this rostrum. In other words, I have talked about the theses, as for details, you can get acquainted with what Azerbaijan presented, and get acquainted with our reaction,” said Pashinyan, answering the question of Gegham Manukyan, MP from “Hayastan” faction, about what is being discussed in Washington.
To another question of Gegham Manukyan whether it is possible to sign a document in the near future as a result of the negotiations in Washington, for example, on June 1 in Chisinau, the Prime Minister answered that he would be very happy for it to happen.
“If it turns out that there is a document that is under consideration whether to sign it or not, it is not bad news, it is good news,” Pashinyan said.
The Prime Minister also detailed about the instructions he gave to the negotiating team in Washington.
“I told the negotiating team in Washington that it’s me who will sign the document they are negotiating on. Talk freely within the framework of our publicly expressed opinions, but there is a trap here too. The negotiation process is a living process. In the process, new ideas may be born, new components may emerge,” the Prime Minister noted.
Armenia’s Parliament Speaker Alen Simonyan is in Ankara for the Parliamentary Assembly of BSEC
A representative of Armenia said on Friday that it was “unfortunate” that Ankara reacted to the unveiling of a monument dedicated to the heroes of Operation Nemesis in a negative manner.
Speaker of Armenia’s Parliament Alen Simonyan, who is representing Armenia at the Black Sea Economic Council’s parliamentary assembly being held in Ankara, told reporters that the installation of the monument should not be “perceived as foreign policy or unfriendly step” by Ankara.
Turkey closed its airspace to overflights by FlyOne Armenia airlines on April 29. This week Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu cited the unveiling of the monument as the reason for Ankara’s decision.
The State Department voiced concern over the Turkey’s decision to close its airspace, saying it contradicted the agreements reached between Ankara and Yerevan, as the two are in the midst of normalization talks.
“I regret that the installation of the monument received such a reaction in Turkey. I’ve discussed this issue with my Turkish colleague. The decision [on installing the monument] was made in the local self-government body. And I wouldn’t want the installation of the monument to be perceived here as a display of Armenia’s state, foreign policy or an unfriendly step,” Simonyan told Turkish media.
He stressed that foreign policy is conducted by the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister in Armenia, and everyone has witnessed the decisions made on these levels in the past months.
“We must realize that reasons or occasions for deteriorating relations can always be found, if desired. I could have found a thousand different reasons for not traveling to Turkey. But I am here to tell the Turkish public that Armenia is ready for peace and normalization of relations without preconditions,” Simonyan said.
He said that Armenia is absolutely sincere in its aspirations and desires for normalizing relations. “If there is political will, a decision to establish relations, we must understand that this won’t be an easy road. But nevertheless, let’s move forward. I hope that our Turkish colleagues will also move forward and we will use this historic opportunity to open a new chapter for us and the region,” Simonyan said.
Simonyan is leading a delegation of Armenian lawmakers to Ankara to attend the 30th sitting of the Parliamentary Assembly of BSEC.
During his presentation to the assembly on Thursday, Simonyan said Azerbaijan continued its provocations and aggressive policy toward Armenia and Karabakh, citing the more than four-month-old blockade of Artsakh as an example.
“At this moment, it has already been five months that Azerbaijan has grossly violating the provisions of Trilateral Statement of November 9, 2020. It has blockaded the Lachin Corridor, the only life road of Nagorno Karabakh, which under the direct control the peacekeepers from the Russian Federation. This has resulted in a humanitarian crisis. On April 23, Azerbaijan set up an illegal checkpoint at the starting point of the Lachin Corridor. Though the Azerbaijani side insists that the Corridor is open, but actually it continues to remain closed for free flow of traffic,” Simonyan said.
“The crisis has had a wide international response. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the UN International Court of Justice made decisions on unblocking of the Lachin Corridor, which were despised by officials is Baku,” added Simonyan who also addressed the fact that Azerbaijan continues to hold Armenian prisoners of war captive.
11:19, 4 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government is introducing a medical licensing procedure for health workers.
The bill was approved at the Cabinet meeting on May 4 and will be submitted to parliament.
Healthcare Minister Anahit Avanesyan said that they seek to introduce an individual licensing mechanism for health workers.
Two types of licensing mechanisms will be introduced, one for students in residency and one for medical practitioners who have completed full education. The systems will be put into effect from 2024 and 2026 respectively if adopted by parliament.
Health workers will have to successfully pass a test to obtain the license to practice medicine. The license will be issued for 5 years.
Doctors could face revocation of the license for medical errors, violation of ethics, failure to comply with terms of the certification and others.
13:12, 4 May 2023
PRAGUE, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. The official welcoming ceremony for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan took place in Prague at the Czech Prime Minister’s official residence, the Kramář’s Villa on May 4.
Czech PM Petr Fiala welcomed the Armenian PM on his two-day official visit.
After the official welcoming ceremony, PM Fiala will host an official dinner in honor of PM Pashinyan. After holding talks, the prime ministers will deliver a joint press conference.
Prime Minister Pashinyan will also have meetings with the President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel, the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament, Markéta Pekarová Adamová, and the President of the Senate, Miloš Vystrčil.
BOSTON, Mass.—On April 17, the Boston International Film Festival (BIFF) officially announced the winners of this year’s awards at the closing night gala event. Alexander Khachatryan, producer and lead actor in the film “It’s Spring…,” accepted the Best Picture award. Best Original Screenplay was presented to writer Harout Ghukassian. Representatives from more than 30 countries participated in the 21st BIFF with 80 short and feature films which were screened from April 13 until April 17 at the AMC Theatres Boston Common on Tremont Street.
“It’s Spring…,” directed by Roman Musheghyan, is based on the events of the four-day war in April of 2016, when Azerbaijan’s attempts to invade and unprovoked attacks on the Republic of Artsakh were repelled by the Armenian forces.
Khachatryan, with his masterful performance, plays the role of Aram Amatuni, a retired special forces commander who has devoted his entire life to defending his country. The years of his service to his country have taken their toll on Aram’s family life, and especially on his relationship with his son, Gnel (played by Armen Margaryan) who is now a successful businessman. Levon Hakhverdyan plays the grandson, a talented violinist who has been accepted to a prestigious music school in Europe when the war at the front confronts him with choices which will change the course of his life. The director subtly places elements of Armenian culture throughout the movie, which magically serve as a pedestal for the role of the mother, depicted by the incredibly beautiful performance of Mardjan Avetisyan.
The BIFF Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture Awards for “It’s Spring…”
While the movie is centered on patriotism and the struggle of the Armenian people for defending statehood and freedom, it also sheds light on an age-old human dilemma – since the times of Abraham. How can one be ready to sacrifice what is most valuable when the time comes?
As an Armenian watching this powerful movie, I was stirred by how real these existential questions are for us as a nation today. The faces of our heroes who sacrificed their lives defending our homeland came to my mind – brave young men and women, such as Anush Apetyan, Avetis Booloozian, Albert Hovannisyan, Alen Margaryan and thousands of others who not only gave their lives, but their families who gave what is most valuable to them.
Members of the Armenian community in Boston at the second screening of the movie “It’s Spring…” at the BIFF
On the morning of April 18, my wife Isabella and I met with Khachatryan and Ani Simonian, who offered her assistance in promoting the movie in the US. We had the privilege of giving them a little tour of our community in Boston and the Hairenik Building where they met Armenian Weekly editor Pauline Getzoyan and Hairenik Weekly editor Zaven Torigian, as well as ARF Archives director George Aghjayan.
Alexander Khachatryan (right) holding the original May 28, 1918 Declaration of Independence of the First Republic of Armenia housed in the ARF Archives after receiving a tour from ARF Archives director George Aghjayan (left). Also pictured (l. to r.) are Ani Simonian and Isabella and Harmik Avedian
While discussing the festival and the reception of the movie by its audience, Simonian showed us a recorded video of the full house standing ovation after the premiere screening in Boston. Khachatryan was pleasantly surprised with the movie’s ability to connect with the non-Armenian audience.
I asked Khachatryan what sparked the idea of this movie in him, and how long did it take to make? “This movie is the debt that my soul deeply felt the need to pay,” he replied. Then, he went on to say that during Soviet times many good movies were made in Armenia, but because of the oppressive political censorship and communist ideology, none of the movies were allowed to reflect the patriotic feelings of our nation. In early 2016, Khachatryan and Ghukassian, one of the best playwrights in Armenia, were discussing creating a movie about our nation’s victory in the first Artsakh war, while keeping in mind that with public sentiment regarding conditions in the country being low, the willingness of the young generation to enlist to defend the country might have been declining. It was not long before the spring of 2016 arrived and the enemy attacked our homeland. When they saw how countless young men, many of them college students, lined up next to the veterans from the first war at the military commissariat to volunteer as soldiers, they realized this is the story that needs to be told, and the direction of the movie became clear.
Khachatryan shared the challenges of making “It’s Spring…” Some of the production coincided with the pandemic and the 2020 Artsakh War. Despite the near-impossible situation, the production team continued the work. Khachatryan’s decision not to compromise the quality in the making of this motion picture has turned “It’s Spring…” into an homage to fallen soldiers and their families who have set the bar for what it means to love one’s country. I believe this masterpiece will inspire generations to come, much like the works by the great novelist Raffi in the 19th century.
“It’s Spring…” is the winner of multiple awards at 11 international film festivals. There are plans underway for a screening in the community.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WPRI) — Several local leaders gathered in Providence Sunday to commemorate the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
It’s estimated that around 1.5 million Armenians were killed in the genocide, which began in 1915 and ended in the early 1920’s.
Sunday’s event featured speeches from dignitaries, a performance by an Armenian youth chorus and a service of remembrance.
Governor Dan McKee, Senator Jack Reed and Providence Mayor Brett Smiley were among those in attendance.
13:43,
YEREVAN, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS. Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia Major-general Edward Asryan said Friday that the situation in the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is “relatively stable”, but ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan are taking place in the direction of Syunik and Gegharkunik.
“The goal behind these ceasefire violations is to keep the situation constantly tense, but the situation is under our control,” the Major-general told reporters.
Asked on cooperation with the EU observers, Major-general Edward Asryan said he highly appreciates the cooperation and that all issues are being resolved properly. “First of all, we ensure their military security, both during their work on the ground as well as during their transit. We also cooperate around other issues set before us, I highly appreciate the cooperation. I can also say that they are fulfilling their objectives,” Asryan said.
Speaking about the situation in the section of the Tegh village, the Chief of the General Staff said the Armenian troops there already have a frontline and the positions are being improved. “Every day we are carrying out the relevant work to gain advantage over the adversary in some directions. In all other parts the military is fulfilling its objectives too,” he said.
14:28,
YEREVAN, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS. On 27 April, at the Permanent Representation of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) in the Republic of Armenia, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh Sergey Ghazaryan received a group of journalists from leading Brazilian media who arrived in Armenia on an exploratory visit.
The Foreign Minister presented the situation around Artsakh, touched upon the challenges facing the Artsakh Armenians, as well as answered questions raised by the journalists, the Artsakh foreign ministry said in a press release.
Sergey Ghazaryan thanked the media representatives for their interest for Artsakh and emphasised that such meetings are of great importance in raising international awareness of besieged Artsakh.