Vanyan Gary – Page 41 – Armenian Directory & News

Armenian PM discusses Karabakh with military top brass and foreign minister

November 16, 2020November 16, 2020 Vanyan Gary

15:08,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting with Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan, Tactical General Department Director and Deputy Chief of General Staff Karen Abrahamyan and Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan.

The PM’s spokesperson Mane Gevorgyan said the meeting focused on the situation around Nagorno Karabakh and upcoming works.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Azerbaijan, Armenia exchange bodies of servicemen

November 14, 2020November 14, 2020 Vanyan Gary

Xinhua, China

Nov 14 2020

Source: Xinhua| 2020-11-14 22:41:40|Editor: huaxia

Video PlayerClose

BAKU, Nov. 14 (Xinhua) — Azerbaijan and Armenia on Saturday exchanged the bodies of a number of servicemen who were killed during the fighting around the city of Shusha in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, according to the defense authorities of Azerbaijan.

An unspecified number of bodies of the Armenian armed forces were handed over, while the bodies of six Azerbaijani servicemen were returned, according to the authorities.

The Russian peacekeeping force stationed in the Nagorno-Karabakh region also took part in the event, Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the search and retrieval of the conflict victims are underway with the involvement of the Russian peacekeepers and the Red Cross, according to the Defense Ministry of Armenia.

The exchange was organized in accordance with article 8 of a joint statement by Azerbaijani president, Armenian prime minister and Russian president, which was signed earlier this week to cease the hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

A new round of armed conflict between the two countries broke out on Sept. 27, causing heavy casualties and property losses on both sides. Enditem

Armenian President continues political consultations with parliamentary, extra-parliamentary forces

November 12, 2020November 12, 2020 Vanyan Gary

14:06,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian continues holding political consultations with parliamentary and extra-parliamentary forces, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

On November 11 President Sarkissian received One Armenia party chairman Artur Ghazinyan and member of the political council Vladimir Martirosyan.

The meeting participants exchanged views on the current situation in the country, as well as discussed the document signed by the leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

One Armenia party representatives expressed concern over the ongoing situation, as well as presented their views and approaches.

At the meeting the officials highlighted the importance of maintaining domestic political stability, public solidarity and unity in the country.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

System Of a Down reunite after 15-year hiatus with two songs raising awareness on Artsakh

November 7, 2020November 7, 2020 Vanyan Gary

10:34, 6 November, 2020

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 6, ARMENPRESS. System Of a Down have returned with their first new recordings in 15 years, “Protect the Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz”, to raise awareness on the ongoing Turkish-Azeri aggression against Artsakh and Armenia.

“We as System Of A Down have just released new music for the first time in 15 years. The time to do this is now, as together, the four of us have something extremely important to say as a unified voice. These two songs, “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz,” both speak of a dire and serious war being perpetrated upon our cultural homelands of Artsakh and Armenia,” the band said in a statement.

“The current corrupt regimes of Aliyev in Azerbaijan and Erdogan in Turkey not only want to claim Artsakh and Armenia as their own, but are committing genocidal acts with impunity on humanity and wildlife to achieve their mission. They are banking on the world being too distracted with COVID, elections and civil unrest to call out their atrocities. They have the bankroll, the resources and have recruited massive public relations firms to spin the truth and conceal their barbaric objective of genocide. Between these two dictatorships, there’s a lot of disinformation and silencing of voices within their own countries. Freedom of speech is not something that is enjoyed by everyone, but it is enjoyed here, so part of that responsibility is getting the truth out there whenever possible. We’re here to protect our land, to protect our culture, and to protect our nation. This is not the time to turn a blind eye.

As SOAD, this has been an incredible occasion to put everything aside and speak out for our nation, as one, as four Armenian guys. “Protect The Land” and “Genocidal Humanoidz” are now available for purchase on our official Bandcamp page: SystemOfADown.bandcamp.com - where band proceeds go toward the ArmeniaFund. The funds from Bandcamp + pre-orders of our new merch collection will be used to provide crucial, desperately needed aid and basic supplies for those affected by these hideous acts. Please consider the opportunity to download these songs as an act of charity irrespective of how you choose to listen to them today, tomorrow and for years to come.

The music and lyrics speak for themselves. We need you to speak for Artsakh.”

[see video]

Editing by Stepan Kocharyan

How Russia is winning at its own game

October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 Vanyan Gary

ECFR, EU

Oct 29 2020

War and revolution are not inimical to Moscow if they follow paths Russian policymakers understand and even support.

Kadri Liik

Senior Policy Fellow

Commentary

The current unrest in different parts of the former Soviet Union may make it tempting to conclude that Russia is losing control over its neighbourhood. And it is true that over some areas its hold has weakened – Russia’s loss of Ukraine is undeniable and serious. However, the current ructions do not mark a decline, but demonstrate rather the opposite: Russia is working on settlements for Nagorno-Karabakh and Belarus, and doing so according to its own principles. Meanwhile, the West lacks workable leverage over either issue.

Russia may appear on the back foot if one misunderstands its aims, by assuming that in Nagorno-Karabakh it stands unconditionally behind Armenia – its Collective Security Treaty Organisation ally whose control of Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan relies on Russia’s military support. It is also wrong to assume that, in Belarus, Moscow stands fully behind Alyaksandr Lukashenka – the authoritarian leader who has long declared his friendship towards Russia, though not always lived up to it. In fact, Moscow is quite tired of Lukashenka’s two-faced behaviour, and would like to see a change in Minsk. It might also accept some change in Nagorno-Karabakh – as long as it happens on Moscow’s terms, or at least on terms understandable to Moscow.

Russia’s true aim in these neighbourhood conflicts is not to back particular sides or personalities, but to defend the principles it values. It wants to delegitimise bottom-up revolutions as a means of transferring power; it also wants to signal that Western interventionism with its promotion of democracy and normative approach are unfruitful in general, and unwelcome around Russia in particular. What is playing out is essentially the same philosophy that guided Russia’s intervention in Syria – and if judged against these criteria, Moscow is doing well enough, at least at the moment.

Moscow wants to delegitimise bottom-up revolutions as a means to arrange transfers of power

In Belarus, for instance, Moscow might be backing Lukashenka for now, but in reality it is already working on his replacement. This process will take some time; Lukashenka will have some say over the terms of his exit. A recent meeting he held with opposition figures in jail was probably part of this process. Svitlana Tsikhanouskaya, though – the opposition leader now based in Lithuania and the likely real winner of the rigged election – has probably been prescribed the role of bystander by Moscow. And so has Europe. From the start, Moscow has shunned all European calls for due procedure, respect for human rights, and mediation by the OSCE. Vladimir Putin last week encapsulated his country’s position, though somewhat hypocritically, when he said: “Russia did not interfere in what was happening [in Belarus]. And we expect no one else to interfere either. No one should be stirring up this conflict to promote their own interests and impose any decisions on the Belarusian people.”

Nagorno-Karabakh is a different type of conflict, of an ethnic-territorial kind, and the new onslaught of fighting – with an Azerbaijan emboldened by Turkish support – might suggest that Russia is facing a rival power in its neighbourhood. But for many in Moscow the advantage of having the West out still outweighs the nuisance of having Turkey in. Moscow knows Ankara and has learned to work with it. The two capitals are far from being allies: their goals in the Middle East often stand in direct opposition to each other. But both realise they need each other, as they cannot achieve their aims without some acquiescence from the other. And most importantly, the Turkish government is motivated by goals that in the Kremlin’s eyes are rational: strengthening its power at home, enhancing its leverage abroad, and pursuing economic and security interests. It lacks any Western-style rule-centric approach and instead subscribes to a worldview that Moscow understands.

Azerbaijan, too, has pursued its foreign policy without challenging Russia’s philosophical standpoint or historical narratives even though at times it has been at odds with Moscow. This is why Russia might be more relaxed than expected, even though its Armenian ally is in trouble: “Russia may have reasons to help its ally Armenia, but it has no reason at all to punish Azerbaijan, which has been an example of model behavior among the former Soviet states, as far as Russia is concerned”, notes Carnegie scholar Alexander Baunov. In Nagorno-Karabakh, it is again Moscow that has brought the warring sides together and arranged for a ceasefire, though an admittedly shaky one. The Western members of the contact group have largely been left on the sidelines.

Europeans have tried different ways to influence the situation in Belarus. Lithuania, for instance, has positioned itself on the moral high ground, arranged public shows of solidarity with the Belarusian opposition, and called for harsh sanctions against the regime. France has bet on dialogue with Putin, trying to get the latter to accept OSCE mediation. Collectively, EU leaders made great efforts in August to signal to Moscow their restraint and desire not to ‘geopoliticise’ the conflict – in the hope that Moscow would mirror the position, thus allowing for an ‘Armenian-style’ political transition with no geopolitical contest around it.

All to no avail. After adopting a wait-and-see position for around two weeks after the election, Moscow made up its mind and embarked on a strategy of transition – one that saves some face for Lukashenka; deepens Russia’s leverage in the country; brings to power a leader acceptable to Moscow; keeps both the West and the OSCE at arm’s length; and, most importantly, demonstrates that popular revolution is not an effective way to transfer power. One can imagine scenarios under which Moscow could reconsider its approach, change strategy, and even reach out to the Lithuania-based opposition. But all these would stem from developments inside Belarus itself – such as strikes that paralyse the country, or the regime splitting and crumbling – rather than something the West does or says.

The lesson for the West is clear enough: to influence post-Soviet – or any – crises, one needs to have true leverage: either on the regional level, or on the global level that it can convert to regional influence. If one relies solely on good principles and the moral high ground, it is very easy to be outmanoeuvred in the face of a determined opponent.

The European Council on Foreign Relations does not take collective positions. This paper, like all publications of the European Council on Foreign Relations, represents only the views of its authors.

Asbarez: ANCA Announces Congressional Endorsements

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 Vanyan Gary

October 28, 2020

The ANCA announced its Congressional endorsements and report cards

Releases Final 2020 Congressional Report Cards

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America on Tuesday announced its Congressional endorsements and shared final Congressional Report Cards rating each sitting U.S. Senator and Representative on a broad array of Armenian American policy priorities.

“The ANCA stands by those who stand with Artsakh and Armenia,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Our merit-based endorsements are earned through strong and steady support for Artsakh, robust U.S-Armenia relations, and justice for the Armenian Genocide – all core elements of our ANCA360 pro-Armenian advocacy agenda.”

Each ANCA endorsement is backed up by detailed Report Cards documenting the track-record of every incumbent Senator and Representative across a broad array of Armenian American issues – with a heavy focus on Artsakh’s security and the ongoing threats that Turkey and Azerbaijan present to the survival of the Armenian nation. This year’s Report Cards cover an unprecedented range of legislative, community, social media activities – including resolutions, letters, events, and public statements in support of the ANCA’s advocacy priorities.

ANCA Report Cards include a point by point overview of the Senator’s / Representative’s support on legislation, Congressional letters, and participation in Capitol Hill events advancing Armenian American priorities. The overview also includes “Congressional Notes” and “Social Media Posts” spotlighting additional statements, social media posts, and community outreach efforts on issues of Armenian American concern.

ANCA Report Cards also include previous grades and links to previous Report Cards for each Senator and Representative, offering constituents the opportunity to review their progress on Armenian American concerns. A “Congressional Bio” link offers information about the elected official’s background, education, prior occupation, committees they serve on, and methods to contact their Senate/House offices.

ANCA Report Cards are prepared in close consultation with ANCA regional offices and local chapters across the country. The ANCA Eastern Region and ANCA Western Region are in the process of announcing state and local candidate endorsements.

ANCA Western Region announced its endorsements for federal, state and local elections last week.

Genocide emergency alert issued for Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by global monitoring group

October 29, 2020October 29, 2020 Vanyan Gary

CTV Canada

Oct 28 2020

Jackie Dunham CTVNews.ca Writer

@JaclynLDunham Contact

Published Wednesday, 3:30PM EDT

TORONTO — As fighting rages on between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh with civilian casualties on both sides, a genocide emergency alert has been issued for the conflict by a non-profit organization that tracks genocides around the world.

Last week, Genocide Watch first issued the alert and said it was “due to Azerbaijan’s aggression against the Armenian Republic of Artsakh, usually called by its Soviet name, Nagorno-Karabakh.”

According to the Washington-based organization, which works with global partners to predict and prevent genocides, the Armenian population living in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region are at risk of genocide by Azerbaijani forces.

Gregory Stanton, the founding president and chairman of Genocide Watch, explained that the organization considers Azerbaijan to be at the “Stage 9: Extermination” and “Stage 10: Denial” levels of their “Ten Stages of Genocide.”

“What we’ve got here is a genocide emergency because we’ve got actual attacks by Azerbaijan and we’ve got a persecution of the group in a very real way in that you’ve got forced displacement in a sense because a lot of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh has fled,” he told CTVNews.ca during a telephone interview from Northern Virginia on Wednesday.

Up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed during a First World War-era genocide during the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. While Turkey still refuses to recognize the event as a genocide more than a century later, some 30 countries have recognized it as such, including Canada. Both the US Senate and House of Representatives have passed resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide, but the executive branch has not.

While Stanton said they have evidence that most of the war crimes are being committed by the Azerbaijanis, he said that no side is innocent in this conflict. He said the current prime minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, is responsible for setting off some of the conflict by claiming that Nagorno-Karabakh is part of Armenia.

Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, but the area has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since the 1988-94 war between the two sides ended.

Although a ceasefire was declared in 1994, the two countries have been locked in a stalemate over the territory. The latest fighting, which began in late September, has been the most intense since the war ended with hundreds and possibly thousands of people killed, according to The Associated Press.

“The fact that, you know, that [Prime Minister] Pashinyan of Armenia made these, I think, unwise claims… well it was like poking the Azerbaijanis in the eye,” Stanton said.

"This is something that really needs to be resolved peacefully.”

Frank Chalk, a history professor at Concordia University in Montreal and a board member of Genocide Watch, said that both sides of the conflict have been targeting civilians.

“The civilians are suffering more than soldiers from all the reports that we’ve received. So the genocide warning that was issued actually speaks more of crimes against humanity at the moment and that includes principally the targeting of civilians,” he said during a telephone interview with CTVNews.ca on Tuesday.

Chalk believes he sees the “early warning signs” of a genocide in Nagorno-Karabakh, but he doesn’t think there is one at the moment.

“A genocide may be over the horizon and the world needs to pay much more attention to stopping the fighting and to bringing about a peaceful resolution of the dispute,” he said. “But I don’t think we’re at the stage of extermination.”

As for the peaceful resolution that both Stanton and Chalk have called for, Neil Hauer, a Canadian journalist stationed in Armenia who has been covering the conflict since it began, said that there needs to be some international “buy in” to happen before the fighting will stop.

“Not just, you know, bring these guys to the table and have them agree to something with no international monitors or anything present,” he told CTVNews.ca during a telephone interview from Armenia on Wednesday.

Hauer said he thinks Russia will have a key role in establishing peace in the region because he said they are the only international actor with assets in place on the ground to enforce a ceasefire at the moment.

“They could enter in immediately into [Nagorno-Karabakh] with some sort of observers or peacekeepers and hold the fighting and hold the Azerbaijani offensive and this will have to, of course, come with some sort of political deal,” he explained.

There have been two attempts at a ceasefire over the past month by Russia and a third attempt brokered by the U.S. over the weekend. All of the agreements have broken soon after their conceptions after reports of violations on both sides.

Hauer said if the fighting continues and Azerbaijan captures Nagorno-Karabakh militarily, he believes there will be mass ethnic cleansing of Armenians there. He said that is why it’s so important for the international community to become involved to help enforce a lasting peace agreement on the ground.

“There needs to be some hard international action taken to bring the both bring both sides of the table,” he said. “This will grind on for months yet if there's no international action on it.”

Stanton agrees that international intervention is necessary, which is why he said Genocide Watch is calling for Russia and the U.S. to broker a peace agreement with Armenia and Azerbaijan and for the creation of a United Nations peacekeeping force to be positioned in the disputed territory.

“What it takes is political will,” he said.

With files from The Associated Press and AFP

Armenia ready for compromise with Azerbaijan, not terrorists – PM Pashinyan

October 23, 2020October 23, 2020 Vanyan Gary

Armenia ready for compromise with Azerbaijan, not terrorists – PM Pashinyan

22:03,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 22, ARMENPRESS. When military operations are underway, it’s not proper to discuss issues about concessions, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan said in an interview with Interfax, answering the question what kind of concessions Armenia is ready for and can it be about surrendering the 7 Azerbaijani regions or withdrawing troops from those regions.

‘’The self defense units of Nagorno Karabakh are right now in the trenches and right now the terrorist groups that have been sent to Azerbaijan by Turkey are attacking the self-defense units of Nagorno Karabakh. Can you realize the situation of those who are right now struggling? By the way, not against Azerbaijan, not the Azerbaijani army, but terrorists. And can you imagine their reaction if I now say that yes, we are ready for mutual concessions with terrorists? I said we are ready for mutual concessions with Azerbaijan’’, the PM said.

Nikol Pashinyan added that the issue of the status of Nagorno Karabakh is fundamental for the Armenian side. ‘’But now all this process has gone beyond the context of Nagorno Karabakh conflict. The first thing we have to do is returning the process to the negotiation context of Nagorno Karabah issue. The presence of the terrorists will lead not only our region to concrete consequences, but also for the countries near the region. Unfortunately, though the regional countries have officially admitted the presence of terrorist groups in Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone, they have not initiated any anti-terrorism measures so far. This is the main point, the main obstacle that prevents the diplomatic solution.

First, it’s necessary to solve the issue of the terrorists, because if they succeed here, they will go north and south, because it’s their professional job, to terrorize, destabilize, and there is no great difference for them where they will do that’’, the PM said.

By promising to send its army, Turkey trying to encourage Azerbaijan to continue fighting – expert

October 22, 2020October 22, 2020 Vanyan Gary

23:35,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Commenting on the announcement of the vice president of Turkey Fuat Oktay, saying that they are ready to send their troops to Azerbaijan if Baku applies, Director of Institute of Oriental Studies of Armenian National Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan says it’s a method of encouraging Azerbaijan to continue fighting, Safrastyan told ARMENPRESS.

‘’In fact, Azerbaijan is using its last reserves, the army of which is receiving serious blows, particularly during the last days. Virtually, by that Turkey tries to encourage Azerbaijan to continue fighting. I am confident that if there was not the Turkish factor, Azerbaijan would embrace ceasefire long ago and would start negotiations. I had predicted long ago that Turkey is ready to send troops to Azerbaijan, because if Turkey does not want to see Azerbaijan totally crushed, it has to send its troops. Turkey has involvement right now, but sending troops is the last thing Turkey can do to be involved in the war’’, Safrastyan said.

According to him, one can ask what will be the reaction of Russia and Turkey’s NATO allies to such a development.

‘’Russia can take tougher measures, using all its opportunities. I think this possible development will deserve the very negative attitude of its NATO allies. If Turkey sees that Azerbaijan is losing, no other option will remain for Turkey. Will they allow Azerbaijan to lose? I think we should take this announcement serious’’, the turkologist said.

According to Ruben Safrastyan, Turkey can stand back from the idea of sending troops to Azerbaijan only in case of very powerful pressures from Russia, the USA and its NATO allies.

Azerbaijan unleashed full-fledged war against Artsakh on September 27. It’s directly supported by Turkey, which has sent thousands of Syrian and Libyan terrorists to the conflict zone to fight against Armenians. Turkey also has F-16 fighter jets in Azerbaijan, which Turkey and Azerbaijan denied for a long time, but later Azerbaijani president Aliyev admitted it, saying that they are on the ground and do not participate in any military operation.

The Armenian side has provided proofs that a Turkish F-16 fighter jet downed an Armenian SU-25 jet in the Armenian air space on September 29.

Turkey violated US legislation by using F-16s in Azerbaijan, says expert on American studies

October 18, 2020October 18, 2020 Vanyan Gary

16:28,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Turkey has violated the US legislation by using the American-made F-16 fighter jets in the territory of Azerbaijan during the war against Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), Expert on American studies Suren Sargsyan told Armenpress, adding that the F-16s could be deployed in Azerbaijan’s territory only by the permission of the US President, which, however, didn’t take place.

“The weapons and ammunition produced by the United States are always under the strong monitoring of the US government. The talk is about the types of arms sold to the partner states. The law says if the US weapon, which has been purchased by a partner state, should be used in the territory of another state, there should be the permit of the US President. In this case that consent didn’t exist”, he said.

The expert noted that the F-16s were not only deployed in the Ganja airport, but also participated in the military operations, moreover, one of them has shot down the military aircraft of Armenia’s Armed Forces. The expert, however, stated that this is not the first case Turkey is violating the US legislation.

“It’s not the first time Turkey is violating the US legislation and contract-based obligations because just several years ago Turkey started to use the US-made fighter jets in the territory of Syria, which created a big scandal because the US President has not given a respective permit”, Suren Sargsyan added.

He expressed confidence that the US side is conducting examinations over the case, but noted that this violation will not have a major consequence for Turkey.

“No statement has been made yet by the US side, because, I am sure, currently examination stage is underway. Here the problem is that there is a factory of F-16s in Turkey as well which is working with a US license, but in any case the US legislation bans the use of any kind of US-made weapon in the territory of another state without the President’s consent”, he said.

Turkish air force F-16s have been deployed against Armenia and shot down an Armenian military aircraft amid the Azeri attack on Artsakh on September 29, 2020.

Interview by Norayr Shoghikyan

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan