Author: Parkev Tvankchian

Tigran Abrahamyan: Azerbaijan seeks to remove Armenia from Artsakh-related processes

Parkev Tvankchian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 6 2021

Azerbaijan seeks to remove Armenia from the processes related to Artsakh, according to security expert Tigran Abrahamyan, a lawmaker from the opposition I Have the Honor bloc.

In a Facebook post on Monday, the MP called attention to the latest statement of the Azerbaijani president’s aide Hikmat Hajiyev that Azerbaijan and Russia are discussing additional legal mechanisms related to the mandate of the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Let me remind you that the issue of the mandate of the Russian peacekeeping mission is regulated by the well-known tripartite statement of November 9, 2020 – in the Armenia-Russia-Azerbaijan format.

“If there is actually such a process between Russia and Azerbaijan, it means that an attempt will be made to gradually remove Armenia from the processes concerning Artsakh.

“To put it simply, even the disgraceful November 9 document envisaged that issues related to Artsakh were to be settled in a trilateral format; it is about the establishment of a ceasefire and the steps stemming from it.

“However, the goal of Azerbaijan is to get Armenia out of the game in issues related to Artsakh and continue it in the Russia-Azerbaijan bilateral format,” Abrahamyan said.

Armenia scrambles to rebuild new road away from Azerbaijan border

Parkev Tvankchian
EurasiaNet.org
Sept 7 2021
Ani Mejlumyan Sep 7, 2021
Construction of an alternate road through southern Armenia, away from the border with Azerbaijan, in July 2021. (photo: Facebook, Suren Papikyan)

A recent crisis in which Azerbaijani troops blocked the road connecting two cities in southern Armenia has raised questions about the slow pace of construction of an alternate road that avoids Azerbaijani territory.

The main road connecting the cities of Goris and Kapan in Armenia’s Syunik region runs alongside – and in some cases across – the de facto (though not yet formally delineated) Azerbaijani border, in territory which Baku regained control of as a result of last year’s war. Since early 2021 Azerbaijan has been setting up border guard posts and erecting signs reading “Welcome to Azerbaijan” on their sections of the road, and on August 25 they blocked a 21-kilometer section of it. The blockade lasted for nearly 48 hours and was resolved with the help of Russian border guards, which patrol the Armenian side of the border.

There is an alternative to this route: another road connecting the two cities that runs further to the west, well away from the Azerbaijani border, through the town of Aghvani. But that road, especially the southern section between Aghvani and Kapan, is in dire condition and needs a total reconstruction to be suitable for heavy traffic.

In an address to parliament on August 26, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan referred to the Aghvani route, which he called an “alternative” to the “disputed territory” that the current road passes through, and said it would be finished by the end of the year.

But questions have arisen as to the pace at which that alternative road is being made ready. One member of parliament, Tigran Abramyan of the opposition “I Have Honor” bloc, said that he drove down the alternative road while the main road was blocked. “Construction only began two months ago, and we needed to do this significantly sooner, considering that Azerbaijan had been threatening to block traffic,” he told journalists on August 30.

The road should be finished by the end of 2021, Deputy Minister of Territorial Administration Kristine Ghalechyan confirmed to Eurasianet in an email interview.

Since coming to power in 2018, Pashinyan’s government has placed a high priority on road construction. In 2019, the government constructed and repaired 440 kilometers of roads, and the budget for road construction the following year was doubled. That year a further 460 kilometers was rebuilt and repaired. The budget for 2021 envisaged repairing or constructing another 500 kilometers of roads, but the war and its consequences forced the government to alter its plans.

The new complexities surrounding the existing road were evident as soon as the war ended last year. As part of the ceasefire Armenia agreed to hand back Azerbaijan’s Gubadli region; the road passes through slivers of that territory in some spots and runs very close to it in others. On December 11, Armenia’s Ministry of Defense announced that “the security of the 21-kilometer section of the Goris-Kapan highway that passes through the disputed area will be guaranteed by Russian peacekeepers.”

The state budget approved on December 10 mentioned the construction of only one road: in northern Armenia, connecting the cities of Vanadzor and Alaverdi to the Georgian border.

Contracts for the construction of the Aghvani road were awarded several months later.

On May 16, a tender for the construction of one 12.5-kilometer section between Tatev and Aghvani was awarded to Builder Construction LLC; the company got a contract of 623 million drams (about $1.3 million). Another 17.5-kilometer section is being constructed by Vosmar LLC, which on July 15 was awarded a 2.7 billion dram ($5.5 million) contract without a tender having been issued; the official notice explained that the contract was “urgent.” A 1.2-billion-dram ($2.4 million) contract for the 13-kilometer section between Tatev and Aghvani was awarded to Caravan LLC, also without a tender, on July 6.

At an August 27 sitting, the government took a decision to allocate 7.6 billion drams ($15 million) toward reconstruction and repair works of several additional key road projects, including roads to the Georgian, Iranian, and Turkish borders.

“The 2021 budget was based on inertia and it didn’t take into account the post-war challenges and priorities,” economist Suren Parsyan told Eurasianet. He said it wasn’t clear whether the 7.6 billion drams was new money or was reallocated from other parts of the budget. “We don’t yet have budget execution reports so we don’t know what has already been done,” he said.

 

Ani Mejlumyan is a reporter based in Yerevan.

CivilNet: Insights With Eric Hacopian: How to approach Armenia-Turkey normalization

Parkev Tvankchian
CIVILNET.AM

02 Sep, 2021 06:09

After a short hiatus, Insights With Eric Hacopian returns to CivilNet. Eric discusses Azerbaijan’s latest provocative actions against Armenia, and President Ilham Aliyev regime’s motives for pursuing such a path. Eric also speaks about the recent positive statements coming out of Ankara and Yerevan, and why what is going on in Afghanistan is important for Armenia.

Ararat Mirzoyan invites Sergey Lavrov to Armenia

Parkev Tvankchian

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 18:23,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan invites Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov to Armenia.

”Thank you for warm reception and constructive discussion. We are looking forward to your visit to Yerevan at any time convenient for you”, ARMENPRESS reports Mirzoyan said in a joint press conference with Lavrov.

Artsakh-Armenians’ right to live freely in their own land the most important for Armenia – Ambassador

Parkev Tvankchian

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 12:16,

ROME, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Armenia to Italy Tsovinar Hambardzumyan has participated in the annual Premio Marzani award organized by Europe-Mediterranean Association (Associazione Campania Europa Mediterraneo) in San Giorgio del Sannio.

The Ambassador of Armenia received an award during the event for contribution to the strengthening of peace and friendship between peoples, as well as delivered remarks touching upon the consequences of the 2020 war launched by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, ARMENPRESS correspondent reports.

In her remarks the Ambassador also touched upon Turkey’s role in the Artsakh War. She said Azerbaijan doesn’t return the Armenian captives and continues holding many Armenian POWs in captivity. Azerbaijan destroys the Armenian cultural and religious heritage in the territories which have come under its control, she said. The Ambassador noted that the war, although, has been stopped, the Artsakh issue is not resolved yet.

Ambassador Hambardzumyan said the most important for the Armenian side is the Artsakh-Armenians’ right to live and create freely in their own land, and the only way to exercise this right is to recognize their right to self-determination. The Ambassador also presented the event participants on the Azerbaijani encroachments on the border with Armenia. She presented the dangers from Turkey and its aspirations to unite with Azerbaijan via the territory of Armenia.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenpress: Azerbaijani military blocks Karmrakar-Shurnukh section of Armenian interstate road

Parkev Tvankchian

Azerbaijani military blocks Karmrakar-Shurnukh section of Armenian interstate road

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 08:16, 26 August, 2021

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani military blocked the Karmrakar-Shurnukh section of the Kapan-Goris interstate road around 23:00, August 25, the National Security Service (NSS) said.

“Transportation vehicles that were located in the mentioned section were evacuated. Work is underway in the direction of opening the road and restoring the normal movement of people and transportation vehicles,” the NSS said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Turkish press: Russia: Turkey works for world peace in Syria, Libya, Karabakh

Parkev Tvankchian
 ANKARA DIPLOMACY 
JUL 30, 2021 9:47 AM GMT+3

A Russian soldier is pictured as a Turkish soldier stands behind the border with Syria, during a joint Turkish and Russian patrol of military vehicles (unseen) in the countryside of the town of Derbassiye in Syria’s northeastern Hasakeh province, on the border with Turkey, July 14, 2021. (AFP Photo)

Turkey is working to preserve world peace in crisis areas including Libya, Syria and Nagorno-Karabakh, Dmitry Polyanskiy, first deputy permanent representative of Russia to the United Nations, said Thursday, adding that both countries are cooperating in these areas.

Underlining the importance of Ankara for Moscow, Polyanskiy told reporters at the U.N. headquarters in New York, “Turkey is a neighboring country with which we have relations dating back centuries.”

A Russian-brokered deal on Nov. 10 halted a six-week conflict between Azerbaijani and Armenian forces over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh and its surrounding areas, securing territorial gains for Azerbaijan. Turkey agreed with Russia that its troops would also monitor the cease-fire. Ankara and Moscow signed an agreement to establish a joint observation center in Nagorno-Karabakh.

On the other side, Turkey has frequently voiced that the two countries made significant contributions to the establishment of cease-fires in both Syria and Libya, while further steps need to be taken for Libya to reintegrate the country’s divided institutions.

Book on Iran’s Armenian churches introduced in Ejmiatsin – Tehran Times

Parkev Tvankchian
Tehran Times, Iran
– 18:43

TEHRAN – A book on Armenian churches in Iran has been introduced during a meeting at the Cross of Armenian Unity, a charitable cultural organization in the west-central Armenian city of Ejmiatsin.

The book “Armenian Churches of Iran” has been authored by Sherly Avedian, the Armenian coordinator of Iranian historical churches at Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Tourism and Handicrafts Ministry, Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization announced on Friday.

The bilingual book has been published in Armenian and English by the Zangak Publishing House in Yerevan.

Avedian, the Armenian ambassador to Iran, Artashes Toumanian, the Iranian cultural attaché in Armenia, Hossein Tabatabai, and the chairman of the Armenian National Committee of the International Council on Monuments and Sites, Gagik Gyurjyan, attended the meeting.

Avedian said that she has spent ten years gathering information for writing the book, and said that the book is a clear reflection of the Armenian community’s creative peaceful coexistence in Iran. 

Gyurjyan thanked Avedian for writing the book and also expressed his gratitude to Iranian cultural officials for their care and concern for Armenian historical sites in Iran.

In a short speech, Tabatabai praised Avedian for writing the book, and said that Iranians and Armenians have enjoyed mutually beneficial relationships over their enduring peaceful coexistence.

Due to their attitude for living with respect for others in Iran, the Iranian Armenian community can be considered as a role model for other religious communities in the world, he added.   
   
Toumanian also hailed Iranian Muslims for their understanding of the followers of other religions in Iran and added, “You must live among the Iranians to recognize their empathy for the others.”      

The Iranian churches St. Thaddeus, St. Stephanus, and Dzordzor (Zorzor) in East Azerbaijan Province and West Azerbaijan Province were registered on UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 2008.

The UNESCO website described the monuments as “examples of the outstanding universal value of the Armenian architectural and decorative traditions,” and adding, “They bear testimony to very important interchanges with the other regional cultures, in particular the Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian.”

The St. Thaddeus Church, also known as the Black Church (Qara Kelissa), is probably Iran’s most interesting and notable Christian monument, located near the Chalderan region in Maku, West Azerbaijan.

Christians from all over the world annually gather at the church on July 1 for their annual commemoration of the martyrdom of St. Thaddeus, one of the 12 disciples, also known as St. Jude, (not to be confused with Judas Iscariot), who was martyred while spreading the Gospel.

Located near Marand in East Azerbaijan, the St. Stephanus Church was renovated during the reign of the Safavid king Shah Abbas (1588-1629).

According to Hayk Ajimian, an Armenian scholar and historian, the church was originally built in the ninth century CE, but repeated earthquakes in the region severely damaged the original structure.

The Dzordzor Church, located in the village of Barone in Zangar Valley of the Chalderan region in the northern part of West Azerbaijan Province, was built in 1315 CE.

Photo: A poster for Sherly Avedian’s book “Armenian Churches of Iran”.

MMS/YAW
  

Armenia, Georgia discussing possibility of launching high-speed train between the two countries

Parkev Tvankchian

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 21:32,

YEREVAN, JULY 30, ARMENPRESS. The acting Minister of Economy of Armenia and his Georgian counterpart discussed a number of joint projects in the field of infrastructure, tourism, railway and energy, ARMENPRESS reports acting Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan informed, noting that the possibilities of launching high-speed train between Armenia and Georgia was also discussed. According to him, it will give an opportunity to reach to Tbilisi from Yerevan in 2-3 hours, which will also foster the development of tourism.

”In the sidelines of my visit to Georgia on July 29 I met with Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia Natela Turnava. Our countries have relatively small markets, but they cn become much more attractive in the region together. In this context, we discussed a number of joint projects in the fields of infrastructure, tourism, railways and energy. We talked about the possibility of launching a high-speed train, which will allow reaching Tbilisi from Yerevan in 2-3 hours, as a result of which tourism will develop. We also referred to the prospects for the development of wine tourism between our countries.

In the sidelines of my visit I also met with Deputy Prime MInister- Minister of Environment Protection and Agriculture Levan Davitashvili and Minister of Regional Development and Infrastructure Irakli Karseladze. We discussed issues related to the regional cooperation, transit transportation through Georgia,a s well as referred to the possibilities for cooperation in the sphere of agriculture”, Minister Kerobyan wrote on his Facebook page.

Armenpress: Armenian acting FM, MEP Nathalie Loiseau reaffirm necessity of unconditional and immediate return of Armenian POWs

Parkev Tvankchian

Armenian acting FM, MEP Nathalie Loiseau reaffirm necessity of unconditional and immediate return of Armenian POWs

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 18:16,

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Armen Grigoryan received on July 21 received member of the European Parliament from France, Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Defense and Security at the Commission on Foreign Relations of the European Parliament, head of La République En Marche party delegation to the European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, the sides discussed the works in various directions for the continuous development of cooperation between Armenia and the EU.

The sides highlighted the high-level political dialogue of the recent period, in the sidelines of which President of the European Council Charles Michel and  European Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi visited Yerevan this month. In this context, the interlocutors referred to the investment and economic programs implemented by the EU, which are in line with the priorities of the Government of the Republic of Armenia for economic development, democracy and good governance in Armenia.

The issue of regional security was discussed during the meeting, including the ways of overcoming the humanitarian consequences of the Turkish-Azerbaijani aggression unleashed against Artsakh.

The need for the immediate return of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian hostages kept in Azerbaijan without preconditions was reaffirmed and in this context the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs Armen Grigoryan highlighted the resolution of the European Parliament adopted in that regard on May 20.

Armen Grigoryan presented to his interlocutor the situation created as a result of Azerbaijan's encroachments on the sovereign territory of Armenia, in particular, the incursion of Azerbaijani armed forces into Syunik and Gegharkunik regions, as well as the creation of a new hot spot in the direction of Yeraskh community.

Armen Grigoryan stressed that Armenia is ready to be involved in Nagorno Karabakh peace process based on the approaches proposed by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which reaffirm the principles developed by the Co-Chairs, including the right to self-determination.