Author: Ophelia Vardapetian

Asbarez: Armenia’s Rights Defender Debunks Baku’s Case Against Abducted Artsakh Citizen

Ophelia Vardapetian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

Artsakh resident Vagif Khachatryan before being kidnapped by Azerbaijani forces on Jul. 29


The Office of Armenia’s Human Rights Defender on Thursday presented details related to Azerbaijan’s distorted claims against an Artsakh resident who was abducted while being escorted to Armenia by the International Committee of the Red Cross for medical treatment.

Azerbaijani border guards abducted Artsakh resident Vagif Khachatryan on July 29 while the ICRC was transporting him to Armenia for emergency heart surgery. Khachatryan was later remanded into custody and charged with “committing genocide” in 1991, which Azerbaijani prosecutors claiming that he took part in the so-called massacre in Khojaly.

“It is worth noting that Mr. Khachatryan joined the military service on September 1, 1992, only after which he participated in combat operations. Before that Mr. Khachatryan worked as civilian driver in Stepanakert,” a report released by Armenia’s Human Rights Defender on Thursday said.

“Therefore, the statement by Azerbaijan’s Prosecutor General’s office alleging that Mr. Khachatryan ‘committed a crime in Meshali village as part of a group of Armenian armed formations’ on December 22, 1991, does not correspond with reality. This information is substantiated by archival documents, orders issued by commanders, references documenting his military service, and the testimonies of the members of his family,” the rights defender’s office said.

The rights defender’s office said it also verified and confirmed that there were no outstanding international warrants for Khachatryan’s arrests as was claimed by Azerbaijani prosecutors.

“The Human Rights Defender reiterates that Mr. Vagif Khachatryan was being transported to Armenia under the auspices of the ICRC to receive the appropriate and necessary medical assistance, and was a protected person under international humanitarian law. Hence, depriving him of his freedom is a gross violation of international humanitarian law,” said the statement.

The rights also pointed out that immediately after Khachatryan’s abduction, calls for violence against Armenians, as well as hate-filled statements and threats against the Artsakh resident and his family began circulating in the Azerbaijani media.

“This phenomenon is yet another example of Azerbaijan’s policy of Armenophobia and ethnic hatred. Moreover, the Azerbaijani civil society, including public figures, state officials, as well as mass and social media outlets labeled Mr. Khachatryan a criminal,” the human rights defender’s office said in its report.

“When ethnic hatred is being propagated, and the presumption of innocence is violated, the fundamental human rights of Mr. Khachatryan cannot be guaranteed, and the proper examination of the case in correspondence with the requirements of the fair trial, by an impartial and fair court cannot be ensured,” said the human rights defender’s office.

“The aforementioned provides ample reasons to conclude that the unlawful interference with the fundamental human rights of Vagif Khachatryan by Azerbaijan was/is being carried out in a gross violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law, considering that universally recognized international legal guarantees and standards are not ensured,” the rights defender’s office added.

PM Pashinyan personally tries out Yerevan-Kapan flight ahead of official launch

Ophelia Vardapetian

 15:25,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Kapan on Thursday on board the Let L-410 Turbolet twin-engine aircraft which will be used for the regular Yerevan-Kapan passenger flights starting next week. 

“Today I visited Syunik Province on the Yerevan-Kapan flight. I also became acquainted with the conditions at the Syunik airport,” Pashinyan said on Facebook.

[see video]

US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Staff Visit Armenian Village Near Lachin Corridor

Ophelia Vardapetian
UrduPoint
Aug 8 2023

 Fahad Shabbir

Staff members from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday visited the Armenian village of Kornidzor near the Lachin corridor, the only land route linking the country and Nagorno-Karabakh, the administration of the Syunik Region said

YEREVAN (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 08th August, 2023) Staff members from the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday visited the Armenian village of Kornidzor near the Lachin corridor, the only land route linking the country and Nagorno-Karabakh, the administration of the Syunik Region said.

“On the instructions of Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, a delegation headed by committee staff Sarah Arkin and Damian Murphy arrived in Armenia … Today, the delegation, accompanied by Syunik Governor Robert Ghukasyan, visited Kornidzor village,” the administration said on social media.

Ghukasyan also briefed the officials on the situation that developed as a result of the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan. US Senate committee representatives observed stranded Armenian trucks with humanitarian cargo, which are unable to reach the enclave’s residents due to the blockade, the administration said.

On Monday, two UN special rapporteurs and an independent UN expert called on Azerbaijan to immediately lift the blockade of Lachin corridor, saying it has caused a “humanitarian emergency” in the disputed region.

Armenia and Azerbaijan fought wars over Armenian-populated and Azerbaijani-located Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s and 2020, with numerous smaller clashes in between. The 1.5-month war in 2020 ended with a Russia-mediated ceasefire and deployment of Russian peacekeepers to the region. Lachin Corridor runs next to a Russian peacekeeping post.

The lifeline through which food, medical essentials and humanitarian aid get to Nagorno-Karabakh through Armenia was blocked in 2022 by people described by Azerbaijan as climate activists protesting alleged Armenian mining in the region. On July 11, Azerbaijan’s State Border Service suspended the Lachin checkpoint, citing an investigation into alleged smuggling of goods disguised as humanitarian aid.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/us-senate-foreign-relations-committee-staff-v-1735898.html

Azeri border guards threatened to use force against ICRC staff, reveals daughter of kidnapped man

Ophelia Vardapetian

 12:03, 31 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 31, ARMENPRESS. The family of the elderly man who was kidnapped by Azerbaijani border guards on Saturday while being evacuated by the International Committee of the Red Cross said they’ve been unable to contact him.

A 68-year-old medical evacuee from Nagorno-Karabakh, Vagif Khachatryan, was kidnapped by Azerbaijani border guards while being transported to Armenia for treatment by the ICRC. The Armenian foreign ministry said  the Azerbaijani actions amount to a war crime.

Khachatryan’s daughter Vera, along with many other demonstrators, gathered outside the UN Office in Yerevan asking the organization to intervene and bring back her father. 

Vera Khachatryan is from Kashatagh. She’s lost her home in the 2020 war and has been living in Jermuk ever since as a refugee.

“I am all alone here, on the other side of Hakari Bridge. My sisters, brothers, my mother and all other relatives are in Artsakh. Please, dear countrymen, don’t leave me alone. This pain isn’t only mine, Vagif Khachatryan is the personification of the entire Armenian nation,” she said. 

Khachatryan said that her father was being evacuated to Armenia for an urgent heart surgery.

“My sister was accompanying him. Everyone’s passports are checked at the Hakari Bridge checkpoint. When they took my father’s passport, they didn’t return it and told him to go inside to the doctor’s room for examination. Then they told him he had to go to another place for ten minutes. When my sister asked them not to take him, when one of the ICRC representatives tried to intervene so that my father isn’t taken away and instead is questioned on spot, they threatened to use force. And that’s how my dad was taken away to an unknown location. My father has been factually kidnapped,” Vera Khachatryan said.

The family of the kidnapped man have been unable to contact him ever since.

The ICRC called Vera’s sister on the first day to notify her that they’ve visited Vagif Khachatryan and that he was in a Baku hospital.

Vera Khachatryan said the Azeri authorities have been making fake accusations against her father. “Most recently they’ve been saying that my father was once the driver of Samvel Babayan. This is fake news. Everything that’s been said by the Azerbaijani leadership and prosecution is false,” she said.

She called on the UN to provide any help or get information.

“This organization has levers all across the world, doesn’t it? I am asking not only the UN, I am asking everyone to bring back my father. Let everyone use their levers. Let them return him like the way they handed him over to the Azerbaijanis. My father is no criminal, he has led a dignified life, no one has the right to call him a criminal,” Vera Khachatryan said.

[see video]

House of Lavash brings an Armenian staple to Belmont

Ophelia Vardapetian
July 26, 2023 Alexandra O’Neil Community News, Food, Diaspora 0

Lavash, Armenia’s national bread, is a kitchen staple for the Armenian community. For years, there was no local source for fresh lavash—until Arman Manoukian came along.

House of Lavash, located at 7 Cushing Ave, Belmont, Massachusetts, promises its patrons light and delicious bread. Since the store’s opening in 2022, owner Manoukian has sparked a newfound appreciation for fresh lavash that has strengthened the local Armenian community. His bakery pursues one mission: “to make sure our community has access to freshly baked lavash flatbread.”

House of Lavash’s homemade lavash, baked daily with a locally sourced recipe

House of Lavash offers homemade goods baked daily, and Manoukian sees the benefits firsthand. “The production equipment is brought from Armenia, and the recipe is locally developed,” Manoukian told the Weekly during a recent visit. Imported lavash is frozen with yeast and preservatives to prolong shelf life, so it falls apart. Manoukian’s lavash is elastic and long-lasting, with no artificial ingredients. It can be frozen for up to eight months and refrigerated for up to ten days. 

“We started with our own recipe, with no yeast and no preservatives, and it’s been a hit from the get-go. Everyone likes it. Some people say that even in Armenia there is no such lavash,” Manoukian said. 

In addition to lavash, the bakery offers gata, an Armenian sweetbread pastry, and a variety of products “grown in Armenia, dried in Armenia, shipped from Armenia directly.” From this selection, Manoukian featured dried apricot slices, chewy and perfectly sweet. 

Despite its reputation for delicious baked and imported goods, House of Lavash transcends the role of a bakery. “It’s a meeting place at this point. People come and talk,” Manoukian said. 

House of Lavash offers fresh bread, desserts, and imported goods from Armenia.

These community ties are further woven into the store’s operations. The bakery is family-run, which “makes it a pleasure to be in the store,” Manoukian said. “With love and care, when it goes into production, it shows in the product.” 

Surrounded by family and the local Armenian community, Manoukian has found significant support for his mission. He expressed, “It’s not only the family here, but the community that comes and talks to you about the importance of having fresh lavash.” 

At House of Lavash, non-Armenians also have a new way to experience Armenian culture. The store website features information on lavash’s preparation, origin and cultural importance. It details the legend of Armenian king Aram, who hid lavash in his shield to stay strong during an archery competition with his Assyrian counterpart, as well as highlighting lavash’s place on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2014. However, according to Manoukian, the real impact occurs in the store. “Initially, it took a while to introduce what lavash is. Now it has become their go-to bread. Those who have tried it are now regulars,” Manoukian said. 

House of Lavash is a gateway to meeting fellow Armenians or being introduced to Armenian food and culture. However, first and foremost, it’s a place where you can find “the two best things” – quality bread and desserts.

  •  Bio
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Alexandra O’Neil is a rising junior at Boston College majoring in Communications with minors in Journalism, English and Theatre. She is an arts contributor for Boston College’s newspaper The Heights, and she has written for ECHO Magazine, an online music publication based in Boston and Los Angeles. Her work focuses on performing arts coverage as well as film, music and literary reviews, and she is passionate about telling stories bringing attention to people making a difference in their communities.


Armenian FM meets Iranian counterpart in Tehran

Ophelia Vardapetian

 13:09,

YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has met with Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, IRNA news agency reported.

The foreign ministers discussed the development of bilateral cooperation, as well as relevant regional and international issues.

A joint press conference is expected to take place.

Local Armenian author, lecturer laid to rest in Fresno

Ophelia Vardapetian
Fresno, CA –

by: Karen Melrose

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – A prominent figure in the local Armenian community, and someone who dedicated their life to their ancestral homeland and its people, was laid to rest on Saturday in Fresno.

Richard Hovannisian was born in Tulare in 1932 and went on to earn his doctorate degree from UCLA, where he taught for 60 years.

He was granted a national funeral for his dedication to the Armenian community, which was held at the Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in downtown Fresno.

The Armenian flag was draped over his casket before the funeral service.

Throughout his lifetime he authored dozens of books, was a lecturer, and documented the history of the Armenian people while pushing Armenian history to the forefront of the world’s headlines.

Berj Apkarian, the Honorary Consulate of the Republic of Armenia in Fresno, reflected back on the impact of Hovannisian’s life.  “To a giant in history in the Republic of Armenia where he authored so many books, where he forged forward the issue of the Armenian cause.”

Hovannisian received honors from the Armenian church and many organizations. 

His family says his crowning achievement was recording close to 1,000 oral histories from Armenian Genocide survivors, which are housed at the Shoah Foundation at USC.

https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/local-news/local-armenian-author-lecturer-laid-to-rest-in-fresno/

Armenia not to be used to bypass sanctions — top diplomat

Ophelia Vardapetian
 TASS 
Russia –
“We are cooperating very closely and very transparently not only with the relevant bodies in the European Union, but also with the United States and other countries,” Ararat Mirzoyan said

YEREVAN, July 18. /TASS/. Armenia will not let itself be used to bypass sanctions and maintains close cooperation on this matter with the European Union, the United States, and all parties concerned, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said on Tuesday.

“Naturally, the war has impacted Armenia’s economy, both positively and negatively. But since you are talking about sanctions, I would like to once again publicly and loudly assure everyone who is interested in this topic that Armenia is not going to become a space where sanctions could be circumvented. We are cooperating very closely and very transparently not only with the relevant bodies in the European Union, but also with the United States and other countries,” he told a news conference in Vienna.

Asbarez: AMAA – A Message to the Armenian People

Ophelia Vardapetian
by Contributor

 

 July 3, 2023

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Commentary, Latest, Op-Ed, Top Stories

AMAA Executive Director Zavan Khanjian


BY ZAVEN KHANJIAN
AMAA Executive Director

Motivated by my most recent visit to the homeland, I find it necessary to share a few thoughts with you and our people. I am certain that, as always, you will accept them as words from the heart and echoes from the mind of one faithful to the homeland, wrapped in patriotism and a spirit of service, and urged by a concern for the homeland’s safety.

A – The Armenian Diaspora is a multifaceted, diverse, variegated and highly dispersed reality. A high percentage of it is unaware and unconcerned about its heritage and roots. However, there is a portion, not insignificant in numbers and influence, a portion which is self-aware, caring and concerned, and they receive their life and strength from the homeland, and they live and breathe through this sacred remainder of the soil of the Armenian people’s historic homeland, and consider its existence and progress the guarantee of their existence.

An indivisible part of that remaining sliver of land is the homeland of Artsakh and its native people who have lived there for millennia. If today there exists one unifying statement that unbreakably binds the self-aware Diaspora, it is their stance of solidarity regarding the justifiable right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination. I believe that the overwhelming majority of the citizens of the Republic of Armenia stand in agreement with this unifying view, holding fast to the right of self-determination of the people of Artsakh.

We also believe that without peace in the region it is not possible for our people to enjoy a lasting and safe presence on this fragment of the historic homeland. And so that this safety be placed on strong foundations, it is a necessity to hold to these basic rights.

Following the 1967 Arab-Israeli War, the first, extremely important decision of the United Nations Organization’s Security Council, Resolution 242, was taken on November 22, 1967, demanding that Israel withdraw to the pre-June 6 borders. Today, 55 years later, that demand is yet unfulfilled. Our unwavering determination, clear reasoning and willingness to sacrifice are the only guarantees of the preservation of rights. As long as the OSCE Minsk Group is still occupied with the work of resolving the basic issues of Mountainous Karabakh, the solution is unresolved and should not be rushed.

Our people’s collective conviction is that so long as the process of guaranteeing peace is delayed, it is necessary in this regard that our international diplomatic efforts fight unflinchingly to refuse the granting of concessions.

B – The bilateral stance between Church and State has been one of mutual reservation toward each other for a while now. Over the centuries of the history of the Armenian people the church has fulfilled the role of leader and protector, maintaining our faith, national existence, and identity in the absence of a state. And now the state is the basis of our collective identity, and all who comprise the Armenian people must wholeheartedly support and demonstrate cooperation towards it. I am unreservedly certain that the true expectation of the overwhelming majority of our people is to see a harmonious connection between Church and State. In that case all of us will gain strength.

C – Today our people have the need for heroism, for a legendary testimony. As the rightful holders of this land, continually faced by violations of agreements, our longing is to see unreserved, courageous actions to defend our true rights.

This expectation is not evidence of enmity, but rather the pure _expression_ of self-defense, whose actualization will grant moral power to reassert our people’s morale, blend our will, unify our strength, and gather our potential. In these days of urgent crisis, we need a courageous act realized by our own effort, one of which we can be proud.

Now, at the completion of my assignment I depart from the homeland’s soil, leaving my heart and soul behind, and pledging to redouble our collective efforts for the strengthening of the faith of the Armenian people, at the shrine of the continued existence of the Armenian nation.

With unreserved love and respect,

July 1, 2023
Yerevan, Armenia

Zaven Khanjian is the Executive Director of the Armenian Missionary Association of America.