5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
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1- Aliyev Accuses Armenians of Barbarism
While Talking about Making Peace
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Pres. Ilham Aliyev held an international conference titled, “South
Caucasus: Development and Cooperation,” on April 29, 2022 in Baku,
Azerbaijan, with 40 participants from 23 countries. The conference
lasted over three hours, with a short introductory speech by Pres.
Aliyev, followed by lengthy replies to a dozen questions from the
fawning foreign guests.
The welcoming remarks were made by Hafiz Pashayev, former Deputy
Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan and Rector of the ADA University, which
hosted the conference. He said that the conference was “dedicated to
the Great Victory and liberation of Azerbaijani lands.” The day before
the conference, the participants were taken on a tour of Fizuli and
Shushi. Pashayev said: “our guests were also able to see some parts of
the barbarian destruction which have been left after the Armenian
occupation.”
Aliyev stated in his remarks that after “capitulating” in the 2020
war, Armenia recently accepted the “five basic principles for peace
that Azerbaijan put forward.” He said that Azerbaijan lost the
opportunity for peace “for thirty years because of separatism, and
because of Armenian aggression…. Personally, I will never forget the
atrocities and barbarism.”
Aliyev urged Armenians to “put an end to their territorial claims from
Azerbaijan and Turkey…. It is important that the Armenian government
and the country’s political spectrum fully understand this and stop
trying to take revenge once and for all…. It is unproductive, because
it will be more painful for Armenia than before…. It is absolutely
irrational to put territorial claims to Turkey, which is one of the
leading economies and one of the very few leading armies in the
world.” Armenians must “put down all illusions.”
Aliyev even dared to warn Armenians to “put down all attempts to
rebuild the army, become stronger, to have five million population
which they announced as their state program, and then to take back
their territories. That would be the end of their statehood
officially.”
Aliyev accused Armenia of destroying “Azerbaijan’s cultural heritage
and renaming all our cities, including Aghdam and Shusha.”
Aliyev disclosed how Azerbaijan blocked the delivery of weapons to
Armenia during the 2020 war: “We publicly said many times that arms
during the 44-day war regularly — they have several a day cargo
planes carrying weapons from Russia to Armenia. We traced all the
routes from Rostov and Mozdok. We asked our Georgian friends to block
the airspace, and they did. Also, we asked our Georgian friends to
block the land route from Russia to Georgia to transport weapons to
Armenia, and they did it also, and we are grateful. We sent letters to
all Caspian littoral states not to allow Russian cargo planes carrying
weapons to Armenia. We sent [letters] to Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and
Iran. But unfortunately, these planes were using the territory of
these countries entering Armenia.”
Aliyev also ridiculed Armenia and the Diaspora for thinking “that the
whole world owes them everything, and someone will come and defend
them, someone will come and fight for them, someone will come and give
them money and everything, and they will sit and exploit their
questionable and doubtful so-called tragedy.”
Pres. Aliyev accused Armenians of planting mines right before
evacuating the territories they had lost to Azerbaijan in the war,
after Armenia “signed the act of capitulation” on Nov. 10, 2020: “We
gave them 10-20 days to leave the territories they had to leave based
on the agreement signed on November 10. But, they used it to plant
mines, burn houses they did not build but settled in, cut trees, and
[cause] other ecological disasters.” He said that during that same
period, Armenians “destroyed 30 hydroelectric power plants.”
Aliyev falsely claimed that Azerbaijan is a tolerant, multicultural
country. He cited as an example the existence of an Armenian Church in
the center of Baku. “There are five thousand Armenian books” in the
Church, he said, hiding the fact that the Church no longer functions
as a house of worship, but a library.
Aliyev assured his guests that “Armenians who live in Karabagh, we
consider them our citizens. We hope that they will also soon
understand that living as citizens of Azerbaijan, they will have all
rights, and their security will be protected. Azerbaijan, unlike
Armenia, is a multi-ethnic country. All ethnic groups who live here,
including Armenians, live in peace and dignity. We have an Armenian
minority and they never had any issue in that respect.” Aliyev is
hoping that everyone forgot about the repeated massacres of thousands
of Armenians in Azerbaijan.
Aliyev claimed that Azerbaijan “is already getting some messages from
Armenians in Karabagh—very positive messages. We already started some
preliminary contacts on different levels. Don’t want to go into much
details, but it already started, and this once again demonstrates our
intention. They can be part of the rapid economic development, they
can feel themselves much more safe, secure and comfortable within the
unified Azerbaijani state, but they need to put down their separatist
trends and separatist aspirations.”
Regarding the upcoming negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan to
delimit and demarcate their mutual border, Aliyev claimed that there
are maps that show Yerevan and Zangezur were “part of Azerbaijan.”
During his remarks, Aliyev also antagonized Russia when responding to
a question about Ukraine. “We support the territorial integrity of
Ukraine…. The most important [thing] is never agree to the
occupation,” he said.
Finally, taking a dig at Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan,
Aliyev recalled him saying, “‘Karabagh is Armenia.’ Now what [do] they
say? Now they say that ‘Karabagh is Azerbaijan.’ And who says that?
The same people who said ‘Karabagh is Armenia’ in 2019.”
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2- Ara Abrahamyan Helps Release American Prisoner from Moscow Jail
The president of Union of Armenians in Russia, Ara Abrahamyan, “helped
support the efforts” the release of American prisoner Trevor Reed, who
was being held in Russia since 2019.
Former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, who was also the U.S.
Ambassador to the U.N., mediated the release when he secretly traveled
to Moscow hours before the Russian military offensive against Ukraine
began in February.
Richardson, through his Richardson Center in New Mexico, has been
working behind the scenes to secure Reed’s release.
Richardson personally thanked Abrahamyan “for his help in support of
the efforts to release Trevor and others.” He also referred to “Ara
Abrahamyan, an Armenian,” during an interview with CNN on Thursday,
April 28.
It was announced on Wednesday that Reed was being released through a
prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington, which exchanged convicted
Russian drug dealer Konstantin Yaroshenko.
Richardson told CBS News that he is also working on the release of
Paul Whelan, another American being held prisoner in Russia and said
Whelan and WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was detained in Moscow
shortly after the Ukraine offensive should be released.
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3- ‘Timeless’: Black & White Portraits of Joan Agajanian Quinn
The Athenaeum Arts & Music Library brings together portraits of
journalist and Los Angeles art collector Joan Agajanian Quinn spanning
five decades, all by different artists and united in the medium of
black and white. Luminaries including Andy Warhol, Ed Ruscha and
Helmut Newton will be exhibited. Quinn’s collection of portraits
consists of over 300 artworks gifted by artist friends who have
painted, sculpted, and photographed her image in their style. She is
the co-host of Beverly Hills View and has produced and hosted the Joan
Quinn Profiles for over 35 years. The Los Angeles native was West
Coast Editor of Andy Warhol’s Interview and the founding West Coast
Editor of Condé Nast Traveler. The opening reception of Timeless will
take place on May 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.; the exhibit will be on
view through June 4.
Quinn currently serves on the executive committee of the Armenian
International Women’s Association and as a trustee for the Armenian
Museum of America in Boston.
The Athenaeum is located at 1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA .
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4- Camp Zavarian: A Summer of Activities and Lasting Love of
Armenian Culture
Camp Zavarian, perched in the foothills of the Crescenta Valley, has been a second home for scores of local Armenian kids. Children take part in a wide range of activities, and leave with a new sense of nationalism and self-confidence. The 8-week day camp for children ages 5 to 12, was established by the ARF Zavarian Gomideh in 2008.
Each day starts with a prayer and the national anthems of the United
States and Armenia.
In addition to swimming and playing games, the campers learn to cook
Armenian dishes, practice arts and crafts, do yoga and zumba, and act
in traditional Armenian plays. Every Friday, special guests from the
community visit the camp to speak to the kids about various issues,
such as Armenian history and culture, to life growing up as an
Armenian in America. One special guest from Summer 2021 was Dikran the
Gampr, a breed of dog native to Armenia. He signed “paw-tographs” on a
book about his life. Psychotherapist Nora Chitiian helps campers in
developing their social skills. Friendships are strengthened through
campers inspiring each other during arts and crafts, learning together
while they do scientific activities, and are introduced through games
and teamwork exercises.
“Parents had often asked that we create a program to educate and
entertain children in the summer months,” said Mike Keleshian, the
camp’s executive director. “Camp Zavarian with its rich cultural and
educational program is a fulfillment of our community’s requests. As
an organization this is just one of the ways with which we cater to
the needs of our community.”
The day camp, which offers extended hours for working parents, is open
every weekday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., under the direction of Arpi
Dabbaghian, an experienced and skilled educator with decades of
experience working with children. The camp accepts 65 campers each
week. The pool is monitored by a licensed lifeguard and the camp has
its own cook, who includes Armenian dishes in the menu.
“As parents, we want our children to have an exciting summer, and
their love for Armenian culture to be fostered,” said Roza
Baghdassarian, whose two daughters attended camp last year. “Camp
Zavarian offers every activity that kids enjoy—board games, swimming,
dancing, yoga, and cooking—and also instills Armenian traditions in
our children. We are so grateful that the camp started again last year
when pandemic restrictions were eased. It gave our children the sense
of normalcy and comfort that the lockdown and social distancing had
eroded.”
“We have tried to make learning fun for the kids by teaching them
about our culture through the various activities they enjoy doing
during the day,” Dabbaghian said. “They are indirectly being
acquainted with Armenian culture when they sing Armenian songs, act
out Armenian plays, learn to cook Armenian food, and make Armenian
related symbols during arts and crafts.”
As these children grow, they, too, get the chance to volunteer and
guide the campers themselves. Volunteers, who are usually in high
school, give back to the Armenian community through their meaningful
service to Camp Zavarian.
“I joined Camp Zavarian when I was young, and many of my close friends
were campers with me throughout the years,” said Megheti
Baghdassarian, who was a camp volunteer in 2021. “Our counselors and
volunteers were always kind and loving. We were like a big family. My
younger sister started attending camp last year, and I’m excited for
her to spend her summers at Camp Zavarian making friends and enjoying
all that camp offers.”
Camp Zavarian begins this year on June 20. For information, visit
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5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
Armenia continues the fight against COVID-19. For the second week in a
row, since the start of the pandemic there have been no new deaths
recorded. The government continues to promote vaccinations. There were
2,249 active COVID-19 cases in Armenia as of May 2. Armenia has
recorded 422,784 coronavirus cases and 8,622 deaths; 412,003 have
recovered.
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