Author: Vanyan Gary

Artsakh is on the Brink of a Second Genocide

Vanyan Gary
 Sophia Papazian ANCA News 1

A scene from the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing on Artsakh security held on June 21

Former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback, former US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans, American Enterprise Institute Senior Fellow Michael Rubin and Columbia University Director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights David Phillips all delivered one clear message to lawmakers leading the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission hearing last week: Artsakh is on the brink of a second Armenian Genocide.

During the two-hour hearing, chaired by Rep. Chris Smith and Rep. James McGovern, with the participation of Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chairs Frank Pallone and Gus Bilirakis, the experts discussed risks that Armenians in Artsakh face in light of a nearly 200-day blockade by Azeri forces along the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor—the only strip of land connecting Artsakh to Armenia. The blockade has left 120,000 indigenous Armenians without food, energy and medicine for seven months. On April 23, Azerbaijan opened a military checkpoint at the corridor—a breach of the November 2020 ceasefire agreement. Fears of a second Armenian Genocide are heightened, and tensions are again rising two and a half years after the six-week war that ended in Armenia’s defeat.

When speaking of President Erdogan of Turkey, Ambassador Brownback stated, “He’s got this pan-Turkic idea of a corridor and the one…sliver of land that stands between him and this pan-Turkic corridor is Armenia.” Thus, the only way to complete his pan-Turkic dream is to eradicate the Armenian people. Chairman Smith later added that creating a pan-Turkey requires the destruction or alteration of cultural legacies. Phillips entreated that America’s values on human rights and genocide prevention “not be traded for hydrocarbons or other concessions to authoritarian leaders.” He highlighted that Azerbaijan’s motivation has been and still is the “cultural erasure of Armenians in violation of the trilateral ceasefire statement.”

Both Amb. Brownback and Rubin had the opportunity to visit Armenia from June 14-16 with the Philos Project, observing firsthand the living conditions of its people. The Philos Project is a nonprofit organization that strives to encourage positive Christian engagement in the Middle East. Led by Philos Project president Robert Nicholson and former Amb. Brownback and attended by Rubin, the trip informed Christian and Jewish leaders of Armenia’s rich history and the threats it faces today. Participants visited various monasteries, spoke with Jermuk residents affected by Azerbaijan’s violence and met with Armenia’s President Vahagn Khachaturyan.

During the hearing, Amb. Brownback said that in Jermuk, “you could see the Azeri forces on the other hill from where we were and the ability of them to just lob artillery into that town at any time […] really reminded me of Sarajevo.” The Philos Project trip also struck a chord with Rubin, who at the hearing declared, “It’s unconscionable to take a democracy like Artsakh and subordinate it to a country that, according to Freedom House, is not only not free, but is actually less democratic than Burma and Russia.” Philos Project president Nicholson emphasized the very real threat of a second genocide, saying that “[Armenia] is the oldest Christian nation facing again for the second time in only about a century the possibility of a genocide.”

During the hearing, Amb. Brownback emphasized that if the United States doesn’t intervene, yet another indigenous Christian population will be forced out of its homeland. He called on Congress to pass the “Nagorno-Karabakh Human Rights Act,” which would identify the minimum standards to safeguard the security of Armenians in Artsakh. Brownback stated that although Christians in the Middle East have fallen victim to similar attacks in the past, this time the US is supplying Azerbaijan with weaponry that is being used for ethnic cleansing in Artsakh. Azerbaijan’s actions are backed by Turkey, a member of NATO.

Furthermore, Rubin also spoke of the geopolitical history of Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia to emphasize the threat Armenians face today. He said, “What Russia is doing right now…is symbolically showing that if you choose democracy—as Azerbaijan flirted with in the 1990s, as Georgia embraced in 2008, and as Armenia embraced in 2018— […] you’re going to lose a third of your territory.” He said the US should reward democracies rather than serve as a puppet for dictatorships like Azerbaijan.

Speaking of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, Rep. Frank Pallone said, “He is clearly taking premeditated steps to remove the indigenous Armenian population from Artsakh and depriving them of the opportunity to live freely, democratically, and with dignity in the land of their ancestors, which is a clear sign of…ethnic cleansing.”

Rep. Gus Bilirakis emphasized the importance of heeding lessons from the past and taking action to prevent a second genocide. Various legislation pushed by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) has informed members of the US Congress about this crisis, urging them to take action. For example, Rep. Barbara Lee’s letter, signed by 54 Representatives, called on Secretary of State Antony Blinken to enforce restrictions on military assistance to Azerbaijan (Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act). Since 2002, Section 907 has been waived, and in the fiscal years 2002-2020, $808 million has been provided to Azerbaijan by the Departments of State, Defense and Energy, as well as the US Agency for International Development. In the hearing, Rep. Bilirakis stated, “While we can’t change the past, we must act now to stop another Armenian Genocide…There’s no justifiable reason to continue this waiver when Azerbaijan has clearly used this equipment to wage an aggressive war against Armenia, commit war crimes against innocent Armenians and enforce the current blockade.”

In the midst of this nearly seven-month blockade of the Berdzor Corridor and ongoing Azeri aggression, we must remain united, strong and resilient. Amb. Brownback spoke of the Armenian people’s resiliency, recounting our history as the first Christian nation that has “been persecuted by multiple empires, over thousands of years (the Persians, the Ottomans, Russians, others), and yet they’re still there. They’re still fighting. And it just inspires you with their tenacity, with their courage, their pluck. Armenia to me…is really kind of the Israel of Christendom, where it stood there so long, and we should stand with them, and we should not allow them to be driven out of this ancient homeland with the use…of US weaponry… we should stand up policy-wise here, and we should stand up compassionately.”  

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Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sophia is a rising sophomore at the University of California, Berkeley. She is majoring in Political Economy and minoring in Public Policy and plans on pursuing a career in international relations. She is also interested in exploring the world of journalism, research and consulting. With a passion for serving our global community, she is currently participating in the 2023 ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship. Sophia is also an active member of the ASUC Student Union, Global Research and Consulting, Cal’s Armenian Student Association, and the “Ararat” chapter of Homenetmen Hrashq.


No change of foreign policy vector discussed – PM

Vanyan Gary

 12:02,

YEREVAN, JUNE 27, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that at no point did his administration consider changing the foreign policy vector of the country before the 2020 war.

“We didn’t discuss a change of foreign policy vector,” Pashinyan said when asked whether or not his administration considered changing the foreign policy vector of Armenia during the period leading up to the 2020 war. “On the contrary, we believed that a foreign policy vector change could have had grave consequences in the context of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict itself,” Pashinyan said.

Yerevan Underscores Imperative of Response by CSTO to Baku’s Aggression

Vanyan Gary
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Foreign ministers of CSTO member-states meet in Minsk, Belarus on June 20


Belarus President Says Armenia’s CSTO Criticism is Justified

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Tuesday emphasized the imperative of the CSTO to respond to Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression against Armenia and Artsakh.

Speaking at the Collective Security Treaty Organization’s summit of foreign minister in Minsk, the Belarus capital, Mirzoyan spoke extensively about Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenians on Artsakh as well as its continued breach of Armenia’s borders through attacks on Armenian military positions.

He said that in light of Azerbaijan’s continued use of force, the CSTO must unconditionally fulfill its obligations and prove a clear assessment of the violations being committed against Armenia’s sovereign borders.

Yerevan and the CSTO, of which Armenia is a member, have been at odds since the organization did not properly condemn Azerbaijan’s attack and invasion of Armenia in September of last year. On several occasions, Armenia has appealed to the CSTO for assistance when Azerbaijan has breached its sovereign borders beginning in May, 2021. However, according to Yerevan, the organization has not responded according to the group’s charter.

Armenia has claimed that a lack of response by the CSTO prevented it from signing an agreement in November to allow the group to deploy a mission to the Armenian-Azerbaijan border.

President Alexander Lukashenko of Belarus told the CSTO summit on Tuesday that Armenia’s criticism of the security bloc is “justified.”

Lukashenko said that Armenia is making justified claims, while another member, Kyrgyzstan, has been asking for support in resolving a border dispute with Tajikistan.

“I would say there are problems, very serious problems,” Lukashenko told the summit.

“If we do not resolve these problems, we will constantly rebuke each other and express discontent regarding the activities of the entire organization. Problems are there to be resolved. Thus, regardless of anything, we must dive into these issues that CSTO member Armenia and CSTO members Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan are addressing today,” Lukashenko added.

“If we can help resolve the conflict on the Tajik-Kyrgyz border; if we start solving this issue, they will be grateful. People will stop dying, and these countries will always be grateful to us. The same goes for the most difficult problem of Azerbaijan and Armenia,” the Belarus leader said.

Ahead of the summit, Lukashenko met privately with Mirzoyan, who provided a briefing on the latest violations and attacks by Azerbaijan against Armenia and Artsakh.

After recalling Azerbaijan’s ongoing occupation of Armenia’s sovereign territory, Mirzoyan addressed Azerbaijan’s continuous aggressive actions against Armenia’s sovereign territory and internationally recognized borders, the targeting of Armenian positions and civilian infrastructure in recent days, and emphasized their destabilizing effect on regional stability and security. In this context, Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the imperative of CSTO’s response.

Mirzoyan also referred to the tense situation in Nagorno-Karabakh and around Nagorno-Karabakh, including the provocations of Azerbaijan in the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping troops.

The Armenian foreign minister told Lukashenko that Azerbaijan’s actions are not only hindering efforts to establish peace with Armenia, but also damage efforts by “all parties interested in ensuring stability and predictability in the South Caucasus.”

Sports: Wales 2-4 Armenia: Hosts condemned to embarrassing defeat on dark night for Rob Page

Vanyan Gary
Wales online
UK –

Wales fell to a chastening home defeat to Armenia at Cardiff City Stadium on Friday night

Wales suffered arguably one of their lowest days of the Rob Page era after going down to a shock 4-2 defeat at the hands of Armenia at Cardiff City Stadium – their first home defeat in a European Championship qualifying campaign for 12 years.

A well-taken goal from Daniel James after 10 minutes, his sixth in a Wales shirt, looked to have set the hosts up nicely in front of a sell-out crowd, but they were pegged back just a few moments later when Lucas Zelarayan turned home.

And the Red Wall was silenced just after the half-hour mark, as Grant-Leon Ranos ghosted his way into the box to power a header past Danny Ward.

READ MORE: Wales player ratings vs Armenia as defenders have shockers and Moore sees red on horrible night

Ranos was on hand again to fire home just after the break as things skipped bad, worse, and straight to disastrous for Wales.

Harry Wilson did offer some glimmer of hope by stabbing home a few moments later, but any slither of a comeback was quickly extinguished when Zelarayan curled home his second of the night, after Ranos had previously struck the post.

It’s the first time Wales have tasted defeat in a home European Championship qualifier since going down at the hands of England in 2011, and the shocked expressions on the Wales bench told all you needed to know about what was, in the end, an utterly wretched performance.

As too did Kieffer Moore’s late red card. The striker was dismissed late on for kicking out at Ognjen Chancharevich

Wales will know they have to offer up an acceptable response when they travel to Turkey on Monday, but this performance will undoubtedly go down as a damaging one in terms of their Euro 2024 hopes, although it’s important not to take too much away from Armenia, who in contrast were excellent.

Page made two changes from the side that triumphed over Latvia last time out, with Brennan Johnson drafted in as part of a hugely attacking line-up against a side many would, to be frank, have expected to beat comfortably.

It initially looked like a long night for the visitors, as Moore had an early header deflected wide, and at first Armenia couldn’t live with the towering Bournemouth striker.

But it was James, so often Moore’s supporting artist, who put Wales in front.

Armenia were convinced they should have had a free-kick following Joe Rodon’s admittedly robust challenge in the middle of the park, but their protests fell on deaf ears as Ethan Ampadu’s perfectly weighted pass found Johnson, and he cut back a low ball for the onrushing James to sweep home.

Delight for the Red Wall, but the visitors showed little sign of rolling over at Cardiff City Stadium.

Eduard Spertsyan sent a stooping header just wide as his side came close to an almost instant response, and Wales failed to heed that warning.

A nicely worked move saw Nair Tiknizyan gallop away down the left, and found Zelarayan inside what felt like a chasm of space inside the Wales box, with the resulting near-post finish leaving Danny Ward with no chance.

Wales showed frustratingly little interest in pressing a lively Armenian front three during what would turn out to be one of the most horrific opening 45 minutes of football of the Page era.

Zelarayan, 10 minutes after restoring parity, was once again afforded too much time in the edge of the box after Rodon had been dispossessed, and curled in an inviting cross between Ben Davies and Chris Mepham for Ranos to head home.

Another defensive horror show, but at the other end, Wales did cause problems, with the palms of visiting goalkeeper Ognjen Chancharevich enough to keep out Johnson’s rasping drive on the edge of the box.

But defensively, Wales remained alarmingly shaky. Connor Roberts, not for the first time, was turned inside out by Tiknizyan on the left, who teed up for Ranos to feed Barseghyan on the edge of the box.

Thankfully, his effort curled wide.

Moore then warmed the palms of the keeper with a low drive at the other end, before Rodon glanced a header agonisingly wide.

Rodon missed the target with his head again five minutes after the break, failing to keep his effort down following Wilson’s teasing free-kick.

Artak Dashyan then went up the other end to drill a low effort wide moments later, but the visitors would soon increase their advantage, and deservedly so it has to be said.

Another defensive mishap saw Ranos latch onto a simple ball over the top of the back line, and he then applied a smart finish.

The introduction of Brooks from the bench, his first appearance since his recovery from cancer, provided a brief moment of positivity, and when Wilson stabbed home, some may have felt a comeback was on the cards.

Ranos had other ideas, mind. Indeed, he would have had a hat-trick were it not for the post, but Armenia would eventually put the game to bed 15 minutes from time.

Joe Morrell was dispossessed too easily by Ugocgukwu Iwu, who then fed Zelarayan, and he curled an impressive effort into the top corner.

Moore was then dismissed for kicking out at the keeper during a scramble in the box just moments later.

A miserable night for Page, who will understandably face criticism for this performance, most notably for being too slow to change a system that clearly wasn’t working. How he responds will now be the most important thing.

The boos at full time mean Monday’s clash in Turkey just got much, much bigger.

Wales: Ward; Roberts, Rodon, Mepham, Davies; Ampadu, Ramsey (c) (Morrell 67); James (Broadhead 82), Wilson (Bradshaw 83), Johnson (Brooks 71); Moore

Subs n/u: Hennessey, A. Davies, Fox, N.Williams, Harris, J.James, Cabango, Cullen

Armenia: Chancharevich; Dashyan, Calisir (Haroyan 62), Arutiunian, Mkrtchyan; Iwu, Spertsyan (c), Tiknizyan; Barseghyan (Bichakhchyan 63), Zelarayan (Briasco 76), Ranos (Serobyan 88)

Subs: Buchnev, Beglaryan, Shaghoyan, Davidyan, Margaryan, Harutyunyan, Wbeymar, Piloyan

Our Flag Still Flies

Vanyan Gary
 Raffi G. Kutnerian Memoir, Diaspora 0

The author pictured near the flagpole at his home

It is 1917, and on the docks in many US east coast port cities the flags are flying and the bands are playing. The doughboys are going “over there” to end the war. Unnoticed, an illiterate 14-year-old peasant boy – he had never seen the inside of a schoolroom, not one day – stepped ashore from the ship on which he had stowed away. He had no family, no friends, no money.  His beginning here gave real meaning to the word “underprivileged.”

At the beginning, he slept in the backrooms of the places where he found work.  Later, in rooming houses, and then, when he had learned a trade and could afford it, in apartments.

The years passed into decades: the “Roaring Twenties,” the Crash of ‘29, the Great Depression and World War II.  It was not until I was eleven years old that he was able to buy his family our first house. It was an old frame building with a postage-stamp sized yard in front and back. The roof leaked, the electrical and plumbing needed to be replaced, and the furnace was an antique.  But it was home.

One day, two weeks after we moved in, I came walking down the street after school. As I neared, there were two men working in our front yard – they were digging a large hole in the ground.

Running into the house I called, “Mommy, what are those men doing?”

She turned from the stove with an odd smile on her face, “They are putting up your father’s flagpole.”

For the first time since the beginning of his life, as an American, this man would be able to fly the flag that had become the symbol of his salvation.

The leaky roof, faulty wiring and pipes, and the smelly furnace would have to wait.

Since my father always left for work well before sunrise and did not return until well after sunset, it became one of my household chores to raise the flag “respectfully” in the morning and lower it “slowly” at dusk. In later years, when his working hours became shorter, he happily assumed the duty. He didn’t actually salute the flag when it reached the top, he just grew a little.

That was many years ago. And he and my mother are long since gone. But at the cemetery, over his grave, our flag still flies.

To read more about the author’s father and mother, see “Odyssey to the Open Door,” and “Magnificent Vision.”

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Raffi G. Kutnerian was born (1936) and raised in NYC where he attended the city’s public schools and NYS Community College. Kutnerian joined the Army National Guard at age 17 ½ with the written permission of his parents. He was awarded a four-year scholarship to Columbia University School of Painting and Sculpture, from which he graduated in 1959. Kutnerian married his childhood sweetheart Louise Spodick at age 21; they were married for 62 years until her passing on September 17, 2020. After a career as a photo engraver, Kutnerian entered the court reporting business and retired after 25 years. He still resides in the home he shared with Louise in the Village of Rye Brook for the last 53 years and is learning to “play solo after playing duet for a lifetime.”


U.S. senators call on Biden Administration to sanction Azerbaijani officials responsible for Artsakh blockade

Vanyan Gary

 13:25, 9 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. United States Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) have teamed up to introduce Anti-Blockade legislation, backed by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), and supported by a wide array of American civil society coalition partners, calling for U.S. sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for the Artsakh blockade and ongoing anti-Armenian human rights violations and urging the Biden Administration to stop all military aid to Azerbaijan by fully enforcing Section 907 sanctions.

The measure is similar to H.Res.108, a bipartisan resolution spearheaded by Congressional Armenian Caucus co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and the Armenian Caucus leadership, which currently has 88 cosponsors, ANCA reported. 

The Senate introduction – which is supported by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ), who is an original cosponsor of the measure – is timed with the next round of U.S.-mediated Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks that was scheduled as early as next week in Washington DC but was postponed by Azerbaijan.

The measure specifically calls for U.S. sanctions against Azerbaijani officials responsible for the Artsakh blockade and ongoing anti-Armenian human rights violations and urges the Biden Administration to stop all military aid to Azerbaijan by fully enforcing Section 907 sanctions.

“Armenian and allied Americans thank Senators Padilla, Rubio, and Menendez for enforcing concrete costs and real-world consequences on Azerbaijan over its six-month long blockade of Artsakh – starting with the immediate cut-off of all U.S. military aid to Baku,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “American tax payers should not be asked to subsidize the armed forces of an authoritarian regime that neither needs nor deserves U.S. support.”

Armenians and allied Americans can voice support for the Padilla-Rubio Anti-Blockade measure by visiting anca.org/resolution.

“Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor—the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) to Armenia—is inhumane and unacceptable,” said Senator Padilla, upon introduction of the measure. “This blockade has created a humanitarian crisis, rendering the 120,000 Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh without access to food, medicine, and other basic necessities. Our resolution would make it clear that the United States must take action to hold Azerbaijan accountable.”

Rep. Pallone welcomed the Senate introduction of the measure, stating, “I stand with my colleagues today in condemning Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockade of Artsakh. It’s clear that Azerbaijan’s blockage of the Lachin Corridor is coordinated and intended to shut off the only supply route for much of Artsakh’s food, medical supplies and transport, and other essential goods. We stand united in telling Azerbaijan to end this intentional humanitarian crisis.”

In addition to clearly and unequivocally condemning Azerbaijan’s six-month blockade, the resolution would place the U.S. Senate on record in favor of five practical remedies to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Artsakh caused by Azerbaijan’s blockade of food, medicine, and other vital necessities:

(1) Encourages the United States Government and international community to petition the United Nations Security Council, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and other appropriate international bodies to investigate any and all war crimes committed by Azerbaijani forces against Armenian civilians;

(2) Calls for the deployment of international observers to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh to explore opportunities for more effective and sustainable guarantees of security and peaceful development.

(3) calls on the President to immediately suspend any U.S. new, current, or pending military or security assistance to Azerbaijan, and to fully enforce Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act;

(4) supports U.S. sanctions under existing statutory authority against Azerbaijani officials responsible for the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh and other well-documented human rights violations committed against Armenians in the region such as the targeting of civilian infrastructure and the destruction of historic, cultural, and places of worship of great significance to Armenians;

(5) supports efforts by the United States, the European Union, and the international community to provide humanitarian assistance to victims of Azerbaijani aggression in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The full text of the resolution is.

Music: Mayrig. To Armenian Mothers

Vanyan Gary
UK – June 9 2023
 View record and artist details


Author: Mark Pullinger

Who was Komitas? He was an Armenian priest, composer, choirmaster and ethnomusicologist, born Soghomon Soghomonian (1869-1935), and is widely considered the founder of the Armenian national school of music. In 1906, after a concert and lecture in Paris, Claude Debussy, no less, knelt before him, kissed his hand and exclaimed: ‘I bow before your genius, Reverend Father.’ During the Armenian genocide in 1915, Komitas was deported to a prison camp by the Ottoman government, from which he emerged mentally scarred.

Komitas’s music has made a few appearances in Gramophone’s pages, notably an album of music for violin and piano by Sergey and Lusine Khachatryan (Naïve, 1/16). It has an appealing, folk-like quality and his music forms the basis of this attractive album from French mezzo-soprano Eva Zaïcik, pianist Xénia Maliarevitch and Armenian violinist David Haroutunian.

‘Komitas is the voice of the land of Armenia, of its churches and stones, which for thousands of years have remained silent’, writes Haroutunian in the booklet note. Their album pays tribute to Komitas, along with his heir, the French-Armenian composer Garbis Aprikian, a pupil of Olivier Messiaen, now 97 years old. Aprikian’s Petite suite nuptiale, composed for his son’s wedding, makes use of melodies his emigrant father sang to him when he was a child in Alexandria.

Titled ‘Mayrig: To Armenian Mothers’, the album has a haunting, nostalgic quality, the songs mainly lullabies (three are titled as such) or folk melodies, many in arrangements for the chamber forces here. It includes a short work each by Parsegh Ganatchian and Hakob Aghabab.

Zaïcik has a lovely, light mezzo, with beautiful cantabile lines. In his booklet note, Aprikian praises her meticulous pronunciation. Even Komitas’s dances for piano have an elegiac quality, played felicitously by Maliarevitch. Haroutunian’s violin tone is silky without being saccharine. This album was obviously a labour of love, which comes across in both the performances and the presentation (song texts printed in beautiful Armenian script along with French and English translations). It should appeal to anyone curious to discover more about the roots of the Armenian musical tradition.

2 Ukrainian-Armenians affected in Kakhovka Dam collapse

Vanyan Gary

 14:41, 8 June 2023

YEREVAN, JUNE 8, ARMENPRESS. Two Ukrainian-Armenians from Kherson are among those affected as a result of the collapse of the Kakhovka Dam, Ukrainian-Armenian political analyst Marat Hakobyan told ARMENPRESS.

Hakobyan earlier told AnalitikaUA that the Union of Armenians of Ukraine is actively involved in providing aid to those affected in Kherson.

“Naturally we help not only Armenians, but everyone in Kherson who needs help,” Hakobyan said.

Union of Armenians of Ukraine Kherson regional director Tigran Mkrtchyan told AnalitikaUA that the community is actively cooperating with the military-civil administrations of Kherson in evacuating and accommodating the victims of the floods. Several Armenian communities have already offered to accommodate those affected.