Author: Parkev Tvankchian

Lack of ideology cause of dismantlement of the Third Republic – Hayk Demoyan

Parkev Tvankchian
ARMINFO
Armenia – June 1 2022
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo.It may sound strange, but the process of dismantlement of the Third Republic was perhaps launched when the Republic was actually in the making, Doctor of  History Hayk Demoyan said in an interview with ArmInfo.   

"It was Armenia's first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan who announced  that by stating that Armenia and the Armenian nation did not need a  national ideology. It would not have been so serious if the president  had offered an alternative based on an aim – independent statehood,  free of corruption and stable, with all the conditions for further  strengthening," Mr Demoyan said. 

It is the lack of this tradition that caused Armenian statehood to  follow various trajectories, which ruled out building up a powerful  state with a strong army as its basis. The result was a national  disaster in 2020. And the Armenian people has now reached a  stalemate, including due to misusing its own energy accumulated by  the spring of 2018. That enabled foreign forces to use this energy to  achieve goals far from Armenia's interests. 

According to Mr Demoyan, a group of people came to power in Armenia  in 2018 after a predesigned long- term programme was carried out in  the country, which was possible due to the previous years of  distortion of the historical potential of Armenia and of the Armenian  people by Armenia's political, economic and academic elite and – in a  broader sense – by the Armenian Diaspora.  

"And it was due to that distortion that the good intentions of our  intellectuals, the architects of the 1988 Movement aimed at building  up a powerful Armenian state, led to the formation of a cannibal  state over decades. Human rights protection gave way to capital  accumulation and a string of unsolved murders, which was the result  of transformation of some of the architects of the Third Republic,"  he said. 

From bad to worse, decisions in conflict with state interests were  accompanied by a decision on higher education and intellect not being  necessary as components of social development. As a result, the  decision- makers decided to turn the sensible people into insensible  masses by means of the major degeneration tool, the TV set.  

"And here is the main point. The people that considered the Armenian  Genocide, Tsisternakaberd [the Memorial to the Genocide victims],  Artsakh's independence and Armenia's sovereignty a redline and part  of the system of values only yesterday, are unwilling to discuss the  issues now for the simple reason that they had over three decades  been victims of moral terrorism by decision-makers in Armenia. And  the once impossible has not turned into the possible," Mr Devoyan  said. 

Sports: Armenia’s Rafael Hovhannisyan is in the final

Parkev Tvankchian
NEWS.am
Armenia –

Armenia has the first participant in the final of the European Boxing Championship.

Rafael Hovhannisyan, the first Armenian participant to enter the ring on the 6th day of the European Championships in Yerevan, competed in the 86 kg weight category semifinals with Poland's Tomasz Niedzwiecki and celebrated a brilliant victory, securing at least a silver medal.

In all three rounds, the referees awarded the victory to the representative of Armenia.

FP: Azerbaijan Stands to Win Big in Europe’s Energy Crisis: That spells trouble in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Parkev Tvankchian

By Gabriel Gavin, a British journalist covering Eurasian politics and society.

On March 9, the gas went off in Nagorno-Karabakh. “I remember waking up to find there was no heating and no breakfast,” said Irina Safaryan, a 29-year-old translator living in Stepanakert, the largest city in the disputed region. “We had been celebrating International Women’s Day,” she added sarcastically, “and this was the best present Azerbaijan could come up with for us.”

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh’s majority ethnic Armenian population has effectively governed itself as the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh, despite being inside Azerbaijan’s internationally recognized borders. In 2020, after a brief but bloody war that ended with a Moscow-brokered peace deal, the region’s Yerevan-backed separatists were forced to give up control of a number of towns and cities, but the core of their self-proclaimed state, including Stepanakert, remains under their control.

Although the war has ended, officials in Stepanakert have accused the Azerbaijani government of trying to freeze them out by cutting off their only natural gas pipeline, which runs through Baku’s newly captured territory. As temperatures in the mountain city plummeted below freezing, and without any heating, more than 100,000 people were left to stave off the icy cold as best they could over the two weeks that followed until supplies were restored. Many residents, like Safaryan, collected wood and burned fires in their homes, grilling meat and vegetables over the flames after their stoves stopped working. Others piled into basements to stay warm as the snow fell, their children in tow.

Baku has branded Stepanakert’s claims of turning off the taps as “baseless,” but amid a spate of clashes in recent weeks that have reportedly left Armenian service members dead, it is clear that the decades-long standoff is entering a dangerous new phase where energy could become part of the war of attrition. With the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh increasingly under pressure, Baku seems eager to resolve the issue of the disputed territory once and for all, sparking fears that new fighting could see the separatists lose yet more ground and displace civilians across the border to Armenia.

Now, as much of Europe plans to sanction energy exports from Russia in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine, Azerbaijan has set its sights on exporting more gas to the continent. For decades, the European Union has depended on Russia for cheap gas, even after its 2014 annexation of Crimea. Boasting colossal Caspian Sea gas fields, connected to Italy and Greece via the Southern Gas Corridor pipeline network, Baku is in a prime position to help fill the gap left by Moscow.

Last month, as residents of Stepanakert were thawing out from around a dozen days without heat, Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company SOCAR announced that it planned to increase exports of natural gas to Europe by 30 percent this year and had already delivered 2.6 billion cubic meters in the first quarter alone. “This adds value to Azerbaijan’s economy,” a SOCAR spokesperson said, “at the same time cementing the country’s standing as Europe’s reliable gas supplier.”

Baku is in a prime position to help fill the gap left by Moscow.

For Brussels, the offer could hardly come at a better time. Although negotiations among the 27 EU member states over a ban on all Russian fossil fuels have run aground because countries such as Hungary are holding out for exemptions on cheap crude oil imports, gas is one area in which almost every state agrees it is time to divest. This is in no small part due to the fact there is a wide availability of alternative providers.

On May 18, the European Commission presented its REPowerEU plan to wean its energy network off dependency on Moscow once and for all, admitting that “[h]igh amounts paid for Russia’s fossil fuels are helping Russia sustain its war against Ukraine.” As part of that, Brussels is pushing for a 30 percent reduction in gas consumption by 2030 across member states while also redoubling efforts to secure alternative providers as it phases in renewables.

Meanwhile, disruption has already caused shortages and rising costs for consumers across Europe, driving a wave of populism, protests, and unrest, as well as a burgeoning cost of living crisis. The shortages even became a defining issue in April’s French presidential election, as incumbent Emmanuel Macron faced criticism from far-right challenger Marine Le Pen over the price ordinary people are paying for sanctions on Russia.

Against that tense backdrop, this month at a meeting in Brussels, Elnur Soltanov, Azerbaijan’s deputy energy minister, held talks with Cristina Lobillo Borrero, the EU’s energy policy director. “A dedicated meeting took place to discuss ongoing gas cooperation and prospects for increasing export volumes of Azerbaijani gas to the EU,” the European Commission’s official readout concluded.

The potential benefits for Baku, whose oil and gas revenues made it the fastest-growing economy in the world from 2000 to 2014, are enormous. According to the Finland-based Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air, Moscow has received almost $25 billion in payments by EU nations for gas alone in the months since Russian President Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. That sum, now effectively on offer to other nations that can meet demand, is roughly 10 times Azerbaijan’s total gas revenues in 2019.

The country is unlikely to ever be able to match Russia’s vast total output, according to Gubad Ibadoghlu, an Azerbaijani economist and senior visiting fellow at the London School of Economics. “At best, in five years, the country will be able to transport 20 billion cubic meters of gas to Europe within the second phase of the Southern Gas Corridor,” he said. That’s just an eighth of the 155 billion cubic meters the EU bought from Russia in 2021. Still, Baku’s ability to ramp up production shows it stands to increase its share in the lucrative market.

The energy arrangement may be mutually beneficial for both the EU and Azerbaijan, but it comes just two months after the European Parliament voted in favor of a resolution “strongly condemn[ing] Azerbaijan’s continued policy of erasing and denying the Armenian cultural heritage in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.” According to the motion, which passed in a 635-2 vote, this includes “historical revisionism and hatred towards Armenians promoted by the Azerbaijani authorities, including dehumanisation, the glorification of violence and territorial claims against the Republic of Armenia which threaten peace and security in the South Caucasus.”

Those condemnations, however, were shelved during the most recent round of high-level energy talks this month. In Nagorno-Karabakh—where accusations that Azerbaijan has been using its control over energy to push its political priorities and pressure its opponents have reached a fever pitch in recent months—the idea that Baku could strengthen its influence in the West is cause for consternation.

“We are concerned that Europe is deepening its dependence on authoritarian Azerbaijan, which is perpetrating crimes against humanity,” Artak Beglaryan, the state minister and de facto leader of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh, told Foreign Policy. By failing to take action against Baku over the alleged gas shutoff in Nagorno-Karabakh, he said, “the international community has turned a blind eye to continuous and harsh human rights and humanitarian law violations, just so as not to have difficulties with its own gas and oil supply.”

“If democracy and human rights, as well as regional stability, matter to the West, there should be conditions set as part of gas negotiations with Azerbaijan,” Beglaryan said. He admitted that this may be unlikely given the pressures European nations are facing but believes even outside of energy talks that “a minimum should be having genuine international guarantees on preventing new aggressions and crimes.”

This month, European Council President Charles Michel held renewed talks with both Azerbaijan and Armenia on the prospect of a peace treaty that would finally put an end to the conflict. Writing on Twitter, he said that “[t]angible progress” had been made on issues including the humanitarian situation. Despite that, few in Stepanakert are hopeful that such talks will lead to a lasting settlement.

For the time being, energy exports are enabling Azerbaijan to bankroll its ambitions to become a major regional power. A year on from capturing swaths of territory in Nagorno-Karabakh, Baku has continued to plow funds into its armed forces, allocating around $2.6 billion for defense and national security in 2022. That’s more than 5 percent of its GDP—the fifth-highest figure of any country in the world. It has also become a major buyer of advanced hardware such as Turkey’s Bayraktar TB-2 drones, which have gained a fearsome reputation in Ukraine targeting Russian troops. The spending is matched by increasingly tough rhetoric about the need for Azerbaijan to resolve the status of its border with Armenia and eliminate the “separatist terrorists” in charge in Stepanakert.

“They are increasing the money allocated from the state budget for the military to help with the restoration of liberated territories and strengthen defense capacity,” said Ibadoghlu, the Azerbaijani economist. Yet although the EU is helping to fund this expansion, Ibadoghlu is skeptical that it will become too politically dependent on Azerbaijani gas. “When it comes to alternatives to decrease its dependency on Russian gas, Azerbaijan’s capabilities seem weak compared to the U.S., Qatar, Algeria, and even Iran,” he added.

That list of states that stand to gain from the collapse of Russia’s reputation as a reliable energy provider is growing, and, like Azerbaijan, many have had turbulent relationships with the West in the past.

While the Kremlin has shown it is ready and willing to use energy as a weapon, it is clear that it may not be the only fossil fuel exporter to come up with the strategy of leveraging Western dependency to forestall its critics and drive its military ambitions. As Ukraine can attest, access to cheap energy can go a long way toward helping the world turn a blind eye to territorial ambitions and human rights transgressions. Now, many in Nagorno-Karabakh fear the same mistake is being made once again.

Gabriel Gavin is a British journalist covering Eurasian politics and society. Twitter: @GabrielCSGavin


https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/05/27/azerbaijan-europe-energy-gas-exports-russia-war-ukraine-nagorno-karabakh/

Artsakh parliament speaker’s delegation meets with Catholicos Aram I

Parkev Tvankchian
Panorama
Armenia –

POLITICS 15:16 27/05/2022 NKR

A delegation led by Artsakh National Assembly Speaker Artur Tovmasyan met with His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, in Antelias on Thursday, the parliament’s press office reported.

The meeting was also attended by Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Tehran, His Eminence Archbishop Sepuh Sarkissian.

Tovmasyan and his delegation members briefed Catholicos Aram I on the current situation in Artsakh, presenting the fair and unchanged demands of the Artsakh people and authorities.

In his remarks, Aram I highlighted that the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia is always ready to support the Artsakh people, including the _expression_ of the right to sovereignty.

In this regard, he reaffirmed the full support of the dioceses of the Catholicosate to the Artsakh Armenians.

Police detain ex-Armenian MPs at opposition protests

Parkev Tvankchian
Panorama
Armenia – May 17 2022

Armenia’s riot police used force to detain former MPs Armen Ashotyan and Naira Zohrabyan, among others, during peaceful protests demanding Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation in Yerevan on Tuesday.

Armen Ashotyan, the deputy head of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), wanted to lay flowers at the Genocide Memorial at the intersection of Teryan and Isahakyan Streets in the city center, but officers of a special police unit forced him into a police van.

“Let's continue the action," Ashotyan said, addressing the protesters.

Naira Zohrabyan, who represented the Prosperous Armenia Party in the parliament, was also forcefully detained in the same place. She started chanting “Armenia without Nikol!" from the police car.

Anti-government demonstrations resumed in Yerevan early on Tuesday morning, with opposition activists blocking more than 50 streets in the capital.

Azerbaijani press: Military prosecutor’s office probing criminal case into mine blast that wounded MES officer

Parkev Tvankchian
 17 May 2022 12:53 (UTC+04:00)

The Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor’s office has launched a criminal case into the 13 May mine blast that wounded an officer of the Emergencies Ministry, Azernews reports, citing the prosecutor’s office.

According to the press service of the Military Prosecutor's Office, the Aghdam Military Prosecutor's Office has initiated a criminal case under Article 29, 120.2.12 of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code (attempted murder with intent to incite national, racial, religious hatred or enmity). Witnesses were interrogated, relevant examinations were appointed and other necessary investigative actions were carried out, the report added.

The investigation is underway and all measures will be taken in line with the law.

Capt Suleyman Heydarov, chief of the fortification and pyrotechnic training department of the Special Risk Rescue Service of the Emergencies Ministry, was injured in a mine-clearing operation in Aghdam, the ministry reported on May 13.

The victim is being provided with necessary medical care, the report said.

Although about 18 months have passed since the 44-day war between Azerbaijan and Armenia, mines of different types planted by Armenia in the formerly occupied territories continue to endanger human lives in the liberated lands.

Almost every day, there is news of civilians or military personnel being injured or killed as a result of mine explosions in Azerbaijan's liberated lands.

This once again proves that Armenia continues its mine warfare against Azerbaijan's both civilian and military personnel. Reports coming from official sources indicate that nearly 80 percent of the minefield maps submitted by Armenia to Azerbaijan are wide of the mark. Armenia appears to be committing war crimes by concealing the locations of landmines, allowing more innocent people to die.

Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmat Hajiyev earlier described as accurate only 25 percent of minefield maps provided by Armenia. The Azerbaijani regions liberated from Armenian occupation in the second Karabakh war in 2020 are the most mine-littered region in the world.

In violation of the 1949 Geneva Convention, Armenia deliberately and constantly planted mines on Azerbaijani territories, thereby being a major threat to regional peace, security, and cooperation.

In an address to the 6th Eastern Partnership Summit of the European Union in Brussels on December 15, 2021, President Ilham Aliyev said that about 200 people had been killed or injured in mine explosions to that date. In this regard, he stressed the importance of the European Union and member states providing technical and financial assistance to Azerbaijan in eliminating the mine problem.

Azerbaijani press: Statement by US Ambassador to Armenia – instigatory, says Russian analyst

Parkev Tvankchian
  18:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Statement by US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy has instigatory character, political analyst and editor-in-chief of the Russian National Defense magazine Igor Korotchenko told Trend.

Korotchenko made the remark commenting on an interview with ambassador, in which she said that "the US recognizes the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to determine their future."

"The statement made by a high-level official, since the ambassadors speak on behalf of the state, wasn’t any kind of coincidence or a blooper, but a deliberate warming up of the revisionist sentiments that we are seeing in Armenia,” he said. “This is actually support for the efforts of the opposition, as well as the global Armenian lobby to conduct a 'revision' of the results of the 2020 second Karabakh war.”

“Of course, this statement cannot be made by the ambassador as personal opinion. This is obviously a reflection of the point of view of the US State Department and the Joe Biden administration,” the analyst noted. “We also cannot rule out that this was done under the active influence of the Armenian lobby in the US, which in one way or another has the opportunity to influence the process of making foreign policy decisions.”

He also noted that in any case, this statement requires an unequivocal condemnation.

Korotchenko expressed regret that all this is again imposed on the events that are observed not only in Yerevan, but also, for example, in Russia, when in recent days a number of active Armenian lobbyists have published an opinion in which they actually called Russia to reconsider approaches to the Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement.

"If we compare all these events, statements and opinions, we’ll see that this is an active phase of the efforts of the Armenian lobby to conduct a revision of the results of the second Karabakh war by influencing the government and public opinion," Korotchenko stressed.

According to him, the statement of the US ambassador to Armenia in fact is pushing the region to disrupt the peace agreement.

"At the same time, there are realities that no US position can refute and change: Azerbaijan's military victory in the second Karabakh war actually ended the Karabakh problem. Moreover, in February, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev signed a Declaration on allied cooperation, where Russia reaffirmed its commitment to the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan," said Korotchenko.

“Therefore, the moment is quite tense now. We must carefully monitor and assess the situation, and, of course, respond quickly and promptly so that the plans of Armenian lobbyists to provoke a new conflict fail," he said.

Meeting of Armenian, Russian, Azerbaijani FMs launched in Dushanbe

Parkev Tvankchian

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 17:06,

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. The meeting of Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov kicked off in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the Armenian foreign ministry said.

Earlier today the Armenian and Russian FMs held a private meeting.

The Armenian FM visited Dushanbe to participate in the sitting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers.

Minister Mirzoyan will also hold meetings with CIS partners.

Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan continues to associate with Armenian Genocide deniers

Parkev Tvankchian
 Benjamin Baird Opinion 0

City of Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan

In an act of contrition, City of Irvine Mayor Farrah Khan recently donated campaign contributions she received from a prominent Turkish American businessman who sat on her advisory committee and is known for harboring close ties to the Turkish government. Khan was responding to public outrage over a November 2020 video purportedly showing the mayor and her donor Ergun Kirlikovali joking about making Armenians — or perhaps their historical claims of genocide — “disappear.”

Khan’s political career has been dogged by allegations of favoritism toward Turkey and its allies, often to the detriment of Irvine’s own Armenian American community. However, if she wants to make peace with her Armenian constituents, Khan should take another look at her campaign finance records. 

While running to become California’s first Muslim mayor in 2020, Khan accepted money from a Political Action Committee funded in large part by suspected Turkish government proxies and registered foreign agents. The California branch of the Turkish Coalition of America PAC (TC-USA), which donated $500 to Khan’s campaign, appears to be part of an effort to influence US politicians and encourage support for Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP). 

Under President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Turkey has used subversive methods to interfere in American politics, establishing think tanks, paid publicity agents and English-language media outlets to supplement its traditional lobbying efforts. Alarmingly, Turkey’s propagandists are now funding candidates in small town races to promote Erdogan’s priorities in the United States. 

This includes fighting recognition of the Armenian Genocide: the large scale massacre of around 1.5 million Armenians by Ottoman authorities during World War I. Now that Congress and President Joe Biden have formally recognized the tragedy, groups like TC-USA may be turning to state capitals and municipal governments to challenge Armenians’ historical claims of genocide, for which there is robust scholarly and political consensus. 

TC-USA and its regional PACs, collectively organized under the “Ten Thousand Turks” campaign, claim to represent Turkish American interests and work toward fostering improved US-Turkey relations. Yet, the Armenian Weekly reported on the PACs’ activities and noted that they are “openly committed to Turkey’s aim of rolling back US recognition of the Armenian Genocide.” The newspaper pointed to nine members of Congress out of 11 total who voted against recognizing the Genocide in 2019 and benefitted from Turkish PAC funding. 

“Naturally, Turkish-Americans have the right to contribute to political campaigns in the United States like any other American,” wrote Harut Sassounian, publisher of the California Courier. “The only issue is that they are using their political outreach to spread lies about the Armenian Genocide. [Ten Thousand Turks’] political fundraising website is full of disinformation about the Genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey against Armenians.” 

As deplorable as it may be for TC-USA to fundraise around genocide denial, this is not the “only issue” with the PAC. At least four of its donors were investigated by the FBI for “attempting to infiltrate into the circles of American politicians on behalf of President Erdoğan,” according to a leaked email sent to Erdoğan’s son-in-law. 

In 2015, two additional TC-USA donors caught the attention of presidential campaign advisers to Hillary Clinton, who warned that “the Erdoğan crew also tries to make inroads via donations to Democratic candidates.” Four other donors are so closely intertwined with the Turkish state that they are listed as registered foreign agents of Turkey. 

Following the 2020 election cycle, the Turkish PACs boasted about their success in funding races across the country, highlighting their support for Khan, who they called “a popular friend of Turkish Americans in southern California.” Indeed, as an Irvine City Council member since 2019, Khan quickly established herself as a consistent supporter of Turkey’s anti-Armenian agenda.

In fact, Khan regularly attends and commemorates Turkish and Azerbaijani holidays, and she surrounds herself with diplomatic and community leaders from those countries, which are known as Armenia’s historical adversaries. In 2019, Khan was a guest speaker at the second annual Azerbaijan-Pakistan-Turkey Brotherhood Celebration in Los Angeles.

In 2020, the Fair Political Practices Commission initiated an investigation into Khan after she visited Azerbaijan in 2019 on the country’s dime. Khan, who sat on the Irvine City Council at the time, claimed she visited Azerbaijan as a “private citizen, not in an official capacity.” Ironically, the commission eventually cleared Khan because her trip was “reasonably related to a legislative or government purpose.”

While Khan has praised Turkey and Azerbaijan in proclamations and speeches, she was the only Irvine City Council member to speak out against a November 2020 resolution recognizing Artsakh self-determination, despite unanimous support from Irvine citizens commenting on the bill. The Republic of Artsakh, an Armenian-majority breakaway state, was forced to cede territory to Azerbaijan in 2020 after a Turkish-backed offensive.  

Ultimately, Khan failed to vote on the measure, even though it was revised to simply note that “violence has increased in Artsakh, causing worrying and concern to the Armenian Americans” of Irvine. 

The latest controversy involving Khan occurred at a November 2020 meet-and-greet with members of the Turkish community, including Can Oguz of the Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles. Towards the end of the meeting, which was first shared online by Turkish-language media, Khan received a gift of Turkish Delight candies from a supporter. 

At this point, Kirlikovali interrupted to say that during “Armenians’ occasions,” Khan could eat the candies and “it will disappear.”

“I’ll make sure I eat it in front of them,” Khan responded, laughing. 

Although Kirlikovali later said that he was referring to “Armenian claims” that they invented Turkish Delight, members of Irvine’s Armenian community are skeptical. After all, Kirlikovali, who is known to consult with AKP leaders, has spent a lifetime lobbying to erase any mention of the Armenian Genocide. He is one of two Turkish Americans who, until recently, sat on Khan’s mayoral advisory committee. 

For her part, Khan initially claimed that a video of the exchange shared by the Orange County chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) contained “fake captioning.” Soon after, she had a change of heart and apologized to the Armenian community. 

“I am giving my commitment to cut all ties with those that deny the Armenian Genocide,” the mayor said. 

Khan reaffirmed that commitment during an April 12 City Council hearing discussing “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day” on April 24. “I have made sure that I do not have any member [of the mayoral administration] that is denying the Armenian Genocide,” the mayor said. 

[RELATED From the Desk of the ANCA-Orange County: Armenian community meets with Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan]

“Not only that, I have donated $1,500 dollars to The Genocide Education Project,” she added, referring to Kirlikovali’s contribitions to her campaigns. 

However, if Khan wishes to fully disassociate from genocide deniers, she must also cut ties with TC-USA.

First, Kirlikovali has been one of the PAC’s most generous supporters, donating nearly $23,000 to TC-USA’s California branch, including $1,500 as recently as the 2019-2020 election cycle. Therefore, Khan remains an indirect beneficiary of Kirlikovali’s political contributions. 

Second, taking money from TC-USA creates the perception that Khan is beholden to Turkish foreign agents and suspected proxies. Until the mayor returns or donates the TC-USA money she received, Irvine residents are justified in questioning her impartiality. 

So far, Khan doesn’t seem interested in making amends. The mayor refused to respond in substance to an email describing the Turkish PAC and noting its history of genocide denial.

However, she may be willing to listen to her constituents. To contact Mayor Khan, call 949-724-6233 or email her at [email protected]. Tell the mayor that taking money from the Turkish agents and genocide deniers sows division in the community and prolongs the pain and hardship experienced by the Armenian Diaspora.

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Benjamin Baird is the director of Islamism in Politics, a project of the Middle East Forum.


Armenian government does not clarify how it became recipient of 15% ZCMC shares – Azatutyun

Parkev Tvankchian
Panorama
Armenia – May 3 2022
See also Government's refusal to provide data on suspicious ZCMC deal is baseless and illegal, lawyer says

Azatutyun, RFE/RL's Armenian service, has reflected on the transfer of 15% shares of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) to the Armenian government, saying the latter refuses to clarify how it became the recipient of the stake.

“The government does not clarify whether it became the recipient of 15% of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine due to donation or, as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said a few weeks ago, as a result of recovering the stolen funds,” Azatutyun says.

Earlier in April, Pashinyan said 15 billion drams were paid to the state budget during the investigation of the ZCMC case.

“The Republic of Armenia, the people are the owner of the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine. Doesn’t this mean that we are bringing back what’s been looted? This too is the return of the stolen assets,” Pashinyan said.

However, the government provided a different explanation for several months before Pashinyan's statement. It was officially announced that Armenia's mining giant had been sold and the new owner decided to detonate its 15% stake to the Armenian government immediately after the deal.

Azatutyun submitted an inquiry to the government in a bid to reveal how it gained 15% ZCMC stake – through donation or the recovery of stolen assets as Pashinyan claimed. However, the prime minister's office didn't give a straight answer to the question, only stating that the question is related to the criminal case being investigated by the State Revenue Committee and data on ZCMC is confidential, thus it cannot be shared.

Azatutyun also sent an inquiry to the State Revenue Committee, but no response has been received to date.

Earlier in March, Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Rustam Badasyan announced at the cabinet meeting that unprecedented 15 billion drams were returned to the state budget as part of the case into the mining company’s failure to fulfill its tax obligations. Badasyan, however, said nothing about the return of shares.

On the basis of the evidence obtained during the criminal probe, the former director of ZCMC was charged and the latter confessed to the crime. The company was obliged to pay 15 billion drams, which it made no objections to, he said.

The 15 billion drams were paid by former ZCMC Director Mher Poloskov, after which the criminal case against him was stopped.

“The following question arises: if the issue of tax evasion is settled, what is the criminal case based on which the prime minister's office refers to, refusing to provide data on the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine?” RFE/RL's Armenian service wrote.

“The main question why the new ZCMC owner – Russian billionaire Roman Trotsenko's GeoProMining Armenia – decided to make a lavish donation and transfer 15% of its shares to the Armenian government also remains unanswered,” it added.

Azatutyun also submitted a request to GeoProMining Armenia to find out whether the company has any expectations from the government in exchange for the donation. The company has not yet responded.

CivilNet journalist Mkrtich Karapetyan, who has sent three requests to the prime minister's office to see the donation document, has also been denied access to it. The government has denied his requests, arguing that it is a trade secret. The journalist has sued the government over the case.

"Since everything is confidential and the government has persistently refused to provide any information for six months, this should already raise doubts. Now they say a lot of things, for example, some unconfirmed reports suggest that the state may give up its dividends in the combine or as compensation at all," the journalist told Azatutyun in an interview.

“Nikol Pashinyan promised to act transparency when he came to power in the 2018 “Velvet Revolution. One of the key provisions of the election manifesto of the ruling Civil Agreement party was institutionalization of the fight against corruption, transparency and accountability of the government," Azatutyun noted.