Author: Parkev Tvankchian

Expert: Refusal of cooperation with EAEU will be tantamount to economic suicide for Armenia

Parkev Tvankchian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 26 2022
17:41, 26.08.2022

Armenia left the GSP+ system last year because it became a middle-income country. This means that it was deprived of exports to the EU, the USA and Japan on favorable terms, said Tatul Manaseryan, Director of Alternative Research Center, Member of Eurasia Expert Club, at the press conference of Eurasia Expert Club in Yerevan, today, when summing up the results of the seventh economic survey.

According to him, this has already affected the indicators of Armenian exports. In particular, it has especially decreased on the European continent.

“In this situation, the EAEU market has become a kind of safety cushion, providing Armenia with ample export opportunities. To all the critics who have a negative attitude toward Armenia’s membership in the EEU, I would like to ask a counter question. Let them kindly name an alternative: what market can replace EEU market, whether there is any malice in their propaganda, and whether we are not pushed into an economic abyss when they say “give up Russian, Belarusian and Kazakh markets”,” Manaseryan said.

He is convinced that refusal of cooperation with the EEU would be tantamount to economic suicide for Armenia.

The Economist noticed that even at the stage of Western restrictions a number of European countries, including some banks, don’t refuse the Russian market and, having broken through the sanctions, continue cooperating with Russia.

Stuck Between Conspiracy Theories and Negligence

Parkev Tvankchian
 by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Commentary, Latest, Op-Ed, Top Stories
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Avo Boghossian

BY AVO BOGHOSSIAN

Days after the powerful blast that occurred in the Surmalu shopping center in Yerevan, as a result of which 16 people were killed and 60 others were injured, the rescue operations are still ongoing, and the search for missing people presumed to be trapped under the rubbles have not ceased.

The Urban Planning, Technical and Fire Safety Inspection Body said it had found over a dozen fire safety violations at the stricken site during an inspection last March. The Prosecutor General’s office has opened a criminal investigation into the explosion, citing possible breaches of fire safety regulations.

Naturally, the blast has reminded some of the powerful earthquake that struck Gyumri—the second biggest city in Armenia—34 years ago and revived the trauma that they had lived then. 

Accidents happen anywhere in the world and will keep on occurring in the future, because errors and mistakes, miscalculations and mishaps are human, but the more advanced the society is and the more organized communities, nations and cities are, the less likely it is for such mistakes to occur. 

Rescue workers are searching the rubble for possible survivors

In Armenia’s case, in addition to human error, accidents may happen more frequently as a consequence of other factors as well, namely negligence, indifference, superficiality, corruption and other shortcomings. All of these aspects are mainly due to the absence of relevant laws and surveillance apparatuses. 

It’s a fact that the Gyumri earthquake and the high death toll it left behind, was mainly the result of shoddy construction.

In the shopping center blast case, apparently it was the lack of—or flexible and loose—regulatory rules, concerning the ownership of explosive materials, fireworks and other flammable paraphernalia, and their storage, production and use. Was there any certificate requirements for the storage of those highly inflammable material in the neighborhood of residential areas, let alone inside the premises of a shopping center bustled by multitudes of customers and passers by in the narrow alleyways between the shops and stores?

It is essential to ratify and create adequate laws and rules for every aspect of life in the country, before trying to cling to conspiracy theories whenever an accident happens, because that will alleviate the responsibilities of the authorities in charge. 

Eventually we are obligated to behave like all developed nations organizing ourselves, especially because we are living in a region and in times full of uncertainties and challenges. It is time for serious action. Enough with populistic shows and enough blaming past authorities.

Another Karabakh resident burns home ahead of displacement

Parkev Tvankchian
PanARMENIAN
Armenia – Aug 18 2022
– 12:47 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – A second resident of the Nagorno-Karabakh village of Aghavno has burned down his house so that it is not left to the Azerbaijanis.

Authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh have ordered the residents of Berdzor, Aghavno and Nerkin Sus – all three situated within the Lachin corridor connecting Kaabakh to Armenia – to leave their homes by the end of August. The ceasefire statement of 2020 calls for the construction of a new highway within three years.

Azerbaijan, however, has demanded the closure of the existing corridor and suggested that the Armenian side use a bypass road which has yet to be constructed. Two Armenian soldiers were killed and 19 others wounded on Wednesday when Azerbaijan attacked Karabakh on August 3.

Following the order, a resident of the village and veteran of the Second Karabakh War, burned down his house to prevent it from getting into the hands of the Azerbaijanis.

This time, Arman Hayrapetyan, the brother of Mher Hayrapetyan, who died in the 44-day war in the fall of 2020, burned his house in Aghavno. His eldest son, Rudik, also participated in the war, while his youngest son is currently serving in the army.

Armenpress: Moscow warns about contacts with "unfriendly" countries

Parkev Tvankchian

Moscow warns about contacts with “unfriendly” countries

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 19:41,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 18, ARMENPRESS. Contacts between Russia’s allies and countries “unfriendly” towards Russia should not harm the strategic partnership with Moscow, ARMENPRESS reports Deputy Director of Information and Press Department of Russian Foreign Ministry Ivan Nechaev said during the weekly briefing, answering the question about the about the participation of the Central Asian countries in the exercises taking place in the capital of Tajikistan under the auspices of the USA.

“We think that contacts with countries not friendly to Russia should not harm the strategic partnership with our country and contradict the obligations undertaken within the framework of common unions, including CSTO and EAEU, CIS and SCO” – said Nechaev.

Several metro stations, airport searched after apparent hoax bomb threat

Parkev Tvankchian

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 13:28,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. Bomb threats targeting all metro stations in Yerevan as well as the Zvartnots airport were called in August 16.

Search teams and K9 units searched the airport and the Barekamutyun, Charbakh, Shengavir and Marshal Baghramyan metro stations and no explosives were found, the emergencies ministry said. 

The search in the remaining metro stations continues.

Iranian national presumed missing in Yerevan blast found safe

Parkev Tvankchian

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 16:01,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. The number of those unaccounted for following the market explosion stands at 4. Earlier the authorities were reporting 6 missing people which included an Iranian national.

“The number of missing people was brought down from 6 to 4 because the Iranian Embassy in Armenia said that the Iranian national who was presumed missing is now in Georgia. And another person who was presumed missing personally told authorities that they weren’t in the market area at the time of the explosion,” Ministry of Emergency Situations spokesperson Hayk Kostanyan said.

The following people are still unaccounted for:

Gagik Karapetyan

Artavazd Hayrapetyan

Vanik Amirkhanyan

Kseniya Badalyan

“In case of pressure on Armenia, Iran will intervene”: opinion

Parkev Tvankchian

Aug 12 2022

  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Telephone call between Pashinyan and Raisi

“In case of pressure on Armenia, Iran will intervene, not excluding even military intervention,” Iranian expert Emma Begijanyan believes. In her opinion, this is exactly what the President of Iran was trying to say in a conversation with the Prime Minister of Armenia by telephone.

Recently, Armenian-Iranian relations have become more active. On August 11, information appeared that Tehran had appointed a consul general in the city of Kapan in the Syunik region of southern Armenia. On the same day the leaders of Armenia and Iran spoke by phone.

Referring to tension in the South Caucasus, Iranian President Ibrahim Raisi once again stated: “Iran is attentive to the issue of its borders and will oppose any attempts to change them.” Armenian experts believe that these words were addressed to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

On July 19, Iran’s spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, also discussed the issue in Tehran. During meetings with the presidents of Turkey and Russia, who arrived to discuss the Syrian crisis, he stressed that Iran will not tolerate policies and programs that could lead to blocking the border between Iran and Armenia.

  • Peacekeepers or border guards? Russian checkpoints on the roads of Armenia
  • Opinion: “Cooperation between Armenia and Iran in the military sphere is unlikely”
  • Regional processes without taking into account Armenian interests? Opinion

According to official information, the leaders of Armenia and Iran

  • discussed the latest developments and issues related to regional security,
  • touched upon bilateral relations, emphasizing the need for their rapprochement.

Nikol Pashinyan gave Ibrahim Raisi details of recent border incidents between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

It was in connection therewith that the President of Iran said that his country “will oppose any attempts to change its borders.”

Raisi described Armenian-Iranian relations as historical and deep, emphasizing the need to increase the level of stable economic cooperation.

According to the prime minister’s office, Nikol Pashinyan vowed that “Armenia is ready to increase the transit of goods between the two countries and develop cooperation in the field of infrastructure, including in transport, energy and other areas.”

It was revealsed yesterday that Abedin Varamin was appointed Consul General of Iran in the city of Kapan in the Syunik region of Armenia. The Iranian embassy in Armenia has given no further details.

Last year the Iranian Foreign Ministry made a proposal to open a consulate general in Kapan. The Armenian government approved this proposal at the end of December 2021.

The consulate has not yet officially opened, which is expected later this year.

Who is Ebrahim Raisi, what is the influence of Iran in the South Caucasus? The context and prospects were commented on for JAMnews by experts in Baku, Yerevan and Tbilisi

According to Iran scholar Emma Begijanyan, President Raisi’s statement has to do with Iran’s refusal to brook a “corridor” encroaching on Iranian territory. She believes that the change of borders, the so-called “corridor”, is a red line for Iran.

“Iran will oppose this at any cost, not excluding even military intervention. The Lachin corridor in Nagorno-Karabakh is being replaced by another, which is of course undesirable for Iran, but it did not intervene. However, if there is pressure on Armenia, then Iran will intervene.”

Azerbaijan and Turkey continue to insist on a corridor with Nakhichevan through the territory of Armenia. According to the Armenian Prime Minister, Yerevan is ready to provide this today, but within the framework of the country’s legislation.

The Armenian authorities have repeatedly stated that “corridor logic” is unacceptable for Armenia in the process of unblocking regional transport routes. It has always been emphasized that in all three statements signed by the presidents of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, a “corridor” through the territory of Armenia is not provided.

According to Emma Begijanyan, Iran has access to roads through Turkey and Azerbaijan, but does not consider them reliable. Therefore Armenia is an indispensable partner to the Islamic Republic. The expert believes that Yerevan and Tehran should cooperate closely in all key areas:

“Our interests, especially strategic and national security interests coincide. Whatever step Iran takes in the field of security is in our interests. We don’t have to pay attention to what others have to say.”

https://jam-news.net/in-case-of-pressure-on-armenia-iran-will-intervene-opinion/

Turkish press: Ancient Kahta Castle reopens for visitors after 17 years

Parkev Tvankchian
 ADIYAMAN, TÜRKIYE AUG 11, 2022 – 1:04 PM GMT+3

A view from the Kahta Castle, Adıyaman, southeastern Türkiye, Aug. 8, 2022. (AA)

Located in the Kahta district of Türkiye’s southeastern Adıyaman province, the Kahta Castle has been reopened to visitors following a 17-year comprehensive restoration.

The history of the Kahta district dates back to prehistoric times due to its proximity to Mesopotamia, the birthplace of numerous civilizations. Thanks to its geographical location, the settlement has hosted countless civilizations from ancient times to date. Hittites, Mitanni Kingdom, Assyrians, Late Hittites, Persians, and Alexander the Great of Macedonia, the Kingdom of Commagene and the Eastern Roman Empire are among the civilizations that ruled over Kahta.

A view from the Kahta Castle, Adıyaman, southeastern Türkiye, Aug. 8, 2022. (AA)

Founded by Mithridates I Callinicus, the Kingdom of Commagene dominated Mesopotamia and the great Euphrates between 109 B.C. and 72 A.D. Mithridates I Callinicus is claimed to share ancestry with Alexander the Great and Darius the Great, King of Persia. Commagene became a personification of the marriage of East and West, which can be seen in its culture. Although its people have traditions of the Greek and Persian cultures blended into one, the rulers of this kingdom did not hide their admiration for the Persian, Assyrian and Armenian cultures.

Gigantic statues of gods on Mount Nemrut have been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987 and are one of the well-known archaeological pieces left by the Kingdom of Commagene in Adıyaman. The colossal sculptures are part of the temple-tomb commissioned around 49 B.C. by King Antiochos I of Commagene (69-34 B.C.) as a shrine to himself. Another important architectural wonder from the Kingdom of Commagene in the city is the Kahta Castle. Built by the Commagene people as an important headquarter together with Arsameia, which was a royal seat for the civilization, the castle bears the traces of three important civilizations. During the Roman period, the castle maintained its importance and was much developed. With the Mamluks dominating the region in the 1260s, the castle was restored and given its current shape.

Kahta Castle fascinates visitors with its bazaar, mosque, dungeon, and waterways. The castle, on the route to Mount Nemrut, was closed to visitors in 2005 for security reasons, and a comprehensive restoration process began. After intense work completed in three stages, the castle welcomes visitors with its former grandeur again.

Providing information about the long restoration period at the castle, Mahmut Çuhadar, governor of Adıyaman, told the Anadolu Agency (AA) that a glass terrace was built inside the castle as part of the “Revitalization of the Tourism Sector in Adıyaman” project. “Security strips of the walkways were also completed. The castle is now waiting for visitors,” the governor added.

Noting that Kahta Castle is one of the best preserved historical castles in Türkiye, Çuhadar continued: “The castle is worth seeing. Our visitors will not regret it, we welcome domestic and foreign tourists here.”

He also reminded that Adıyaman is a hidden paradise for tourists with great potential as it has various underground and surface resources.

Visitors walk towards the Kahta Castle, Adıyaman, southeastern Türkiye, Aug. 8, 2022. (AA)

Museum Director Mehmet Alkan said the castle has a magnificent appearance with its bastions, inner palace structure, a prayer room, and a dungeon.

“We have taken all security measures. We are waiting for our local and foreign visitors here,” Alkan said.

Susanne Kalla, a visitor from Austria to the Kahta Castle, said she could not visit the castle three years ago because it was closed to visitors.

“I am one of the luckiest people in the world to see this magnificent castle … I have seen many castles, but this place is very well preserved, I was very impressed,” she said.

A French visitor, Emmanuel Juste, said he is a travel guide in his hometown and would add his impressions of the castle to his travel book and update it.

Azerbaijan hasn’t abandoned corridor aspirations despite building new road through Iran to Nakhijevan, experts warn

Parkev Tvankchian

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 10:05,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov’s statement on connecting Azerbaijan with Nakhijevan through Iranian territory doesn’t at all mean that Azerbaijan is abandoning its aspirations to get a corridor through Armenian territory, warns expert on Azerbaijan Taron Hovhannisyan.

“Azerbaijan anyhow has a road to Nakhijevan through Iranian territory, now Azerbaijan is trying to build a shortcut from the southern regions of Artsakh it occupied during the war. The Azerbaijani authorities had announced about this very early on, there is simply another issue here, that they are trying to use this to exert additional pressure on Armenia by saying that the transit road will pass through Iranian territory and Armenia will be sidelined from regional projects, and they are attempting to exert additional pressure on Armenia to agree in the issue of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor”,” Hovhannisyan said.

Hovhannisyan reminded that the Azerbaijani FM Bayramov threatened Armenia in one of his recent interviews to the Turkish Anadolu news agency, saying that “the corridor will be opened whether Armenia wants it or not”.

“The Azerbaijani side hasn’t abandoned this idea, and this is first of all a political goal for them, and also for Turkey. It is another matter that they are trying to make diversification and gain a shorter road through Iranian territory and another road through Armenia’s territory,” Hovhannisyan added.

Historian and Orientalist Armen Petrosyan told ARMENPRESS that Azerbaijan had and still has the only connection with Nakhijevan through Iranian territory, while the recent agreements are simply about the construction of a new road from territories of Artsakh that are now under Azerbaijani control after the war.

“There is nothing new here, they are simply trying to develop more affordable and beneficial connections. And they are trying to use this to blackmail and pressure Armenia. Meaning, they say that if Armenia doesn’t provide the corridor-logic road to Azerbaijan then it will be sidelined from the process of unblocking of regional connections and will remain isolated and Azerbaijan will continue its connection with the Iranian road. There is no change in Azerbaijan’s rhetoric and they still continue to demand from Armenia unblocking in the logic of corridor,” Petrosyan said.

Greek media: It is time for Greece to finally sanction Aliyev

Parkev Tvankchian
NEWS.am
Aug 10 2022
13:07, 10.08.2022

The leader of the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, met with the genocidal dictator of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in Konya, Turkey, reported Greek City Times.

According to the Turkish-Cypriot leader’s written statement, Tatar traveled to Konya to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 5th Islamic Solidarity at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Tatar had a meeting with Aliyev, which lasted about 40 minutes. During the meeting, Tatar informed Aliyev about Cyprus, and said that they follow a harmonious policy with Turkey.

Noting that the meeting took place in a very frank atmosphere, Tatar emphasized that assessments were made on the development of mutual relations between the two countries.

Simply put, the dictator, murderous and corrupt Aliyev, legitimized the pseudo-state.

It is time for Greece to finally sanction this murderer, who has seared Western consciences by handing out at least three billion dollars in bribes to Western politicians and officials, according to News Break, Greek City Times added.