Category: 2017

Armenian troops join NATO exercises in Romania

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
PanArmenian, Armenia

– 16:12 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Some 5,000 troops from NATO and partner countries, including Armenia, are staging exercises in Romania watched by a senior NATO official and Romania’s president, The Associated Press reports.

President Klaus Iohannis and NATO Military Committee head Gen. Petr Pavel, who is on a two-day visit to Romania, were welcomed with military honors ahead of Saturday, July 15’s exercises at the Cincu shooting range in northwest Romania.

Troops from Romania, the U.S., Ukraine, Armenia and Croatia opened gunfire, backed by U.S. and Romanian military aircraft.

The exercises, led by U.S. Army Europe, began this week in Eastern Europe involving 25,000 military personnel from more than 20 allied and partner countries. The U.S. is seeking to reassure NATO’s European allies concerned about Russia since it annexed Crimea in 2014.

The exercises run until July 20.


Azerbaijan used mortars in ceasefire violations over the past week

Emil Lazarian
PanArmenian, Armenia

– 13:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – More than 500 ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan were registered on the contact line with Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) over the past weekend, the Karabakh Defense Army said in a statement.

Azeri troops, in particular, employed various caliber firearms, 82-mm mortars and grenade launchers.

The Artsakh Defense Army units continue controlling the situation on the entire line of contact and protecting their positions.

A Karabakh soldier, Vazgen Poghosyan (b. 1997) was killed in Azerbaijan’s cross-border fire on Monday, July 10.


No Azerbaijani defense complex can down Iskander missiles: Armenia

Khoyetsian Rose
PanArmenian, Armenia

– 13:16 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – No Azerbaijani defense system can down Iskander missiles, spokesman for the Armenian defense ministry Artsrun Hovhannisyan said on Saturday, July 15, according to Panorama.am.

Hovhannisyan was responding to comments made by Azeri defense minister Zakir Hasanov who said Baku possesses such systems.

Hasanov had said that they have “modeled those systems and got positive results.”

“Zakir Hasanov stands out with platoon commander-level knowledge which he has demonstrated on a number of occasions,” Hovhannisyan said.

“To put it mildly, it is impossible to bring the Iskander missiles down with any of Azerbaijan’s complexes.”

He said that Azerbaijan possesses a Barak surface-to-air missile system, and talks about acquiring an Iron Dome system – which is weaker than the Barak – have been emerging every now and then.

“None of these complexes can shoot down an Iskander missile,” Hovhannisyan said, adding that even Americans who possess THAAD or Patriot missile systems aren’t sure whether those weapons can down an Iskander missile.

 

‘The bird flew away’: Turkish Armenian writer Sevan Nisanyan escapes from Prison

Alex Jidarian
Tert, Armenia

09:14 • 15.07.17

Turkish-Armenian writer Sevan Nisanyan, who has been serving a 17-year prison term since 2014 has reportedly escaped from the correctional facility where he was being held and fled Turkey,, Asbarz reports, citing Turkish media.

Nisanyan left the minimum security prison on Friday morning and has not returned.

A message on his Twitter page said: “The bird flew away: Same wishes to the remaining 80 million.”

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Turkish historian and scholar Taner Akcam, reacted to the news by tweeting: “Sevan Nisanyan has escaped by saying ‘the bird flew away.’ With expectations of a free world for all birds….”

Nisanyan was arrested and imprisoned in Turkey for carrying out “illegal” construction in his own garden, charges that were so obviously made up by Turkish authorities who had been seeking ways to silence the outspoken scholar and writer.

Even the Turkish media said that his arrest was an obviously an effort by Turkish authorities to frame him since he was a staunch critic of the Turkish regime.

Azerbaijan hampers Abkhazia railway plan to keep Armenia in isolation – Russian expert

Kalashian Nyrie
Tert, Armenia

10:51 • 15.07.17

The Azerbaijani authorities are intentionally hampering the Abkhazian railway construction plan in an attempt to keep Armenia in isolation, says Stanislav Tarasov, a Russian expert specializing in Middle East and Caucasus Affairs.

According to him, Russia and Georgia are currently in serious talks over accelerating the process, with the Russian foreign minister who recently visited Abkhazia having already given his approval to the project.

“I think the opening of the Azbkhazian railway will re-establish the communication between Russia and Georgia in the nearest future. Baku is hampering the process through Georgia, and so is Turkey in a way, with the official Ankara’s attention being currently focused on the Middle East,” he told Tert.am.

The expert said he thinks the Azerbaijani authorities have serious fears that the plan, if realized, will open up new opportunities to Armenia, expanding its communication network. “It offers us a new opportunity to deepen the ties with Russia. As a member of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Armenia has numerous trade, military and other agreements implying an active cooperation with Russia,” he noted.

As for the official Ankara’s stance, Tarasov said he feels that the Turkish authorities are now preoccupied with absolutely different problems.

“Turkey is playing football on its own court, and playing football on one’s own court implies defeat at times or evening the scores at others and victory in very rare cases. Ankara can exercise influence on Baku to make it adopt a more consistent position on the issue. But Turkey currently doesn’t have the time,” Tarasov added.

In his words, the railway will have real chances to open only after establishing relative peace in the region.

Tigranuhi Martirosyan

We need to end stall in Karabakh talks to rule out tension – expert

Karapet Navasardian
Tert, Armenia

14:35 • 15.07.17

The continuing stall in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace talks is absolutely unacceptable especially in the light of the recent hostilities, an Armenian historian and expert in Azerbaijani studies said today, commenting on the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers’ recent meeting.

“The arrangement of meetings – at least after the recent border tension – aims to rule out military actions to return the parties to the negotiating table,” Tatev Hayrapetyan told reporters.

In her words, the OSCE Minsk Group is doing everything possible to keep the negotiation process alive. Further actions and choices rest with the parties, the expert added.

 

She noted that against the backdrop of many regional stakeholders, the OSCE Minsk Group is doing everything possible to bring to life the Vienna and St Petersburg agreements.

“The Minsk Group’s reaction to Azerbaijan’s blatant efforts to provoke and escalate [tension] has to be clear and tough,” the expert said, highlighting the Azerbaijani authorities’ apparent intention to opt for a military solution.

Armenian troops participate in NATO exercises

Emil Lazarian
news.am, Armenia

Armenian troops participate in NATO exercises
18:56, 15.07.2017

Armenian troops are participating in the exercises of NATO and partner countries at the Cincu shooting range in northwest Romania.

President Klaus Iohannis and NATO Military Committee head Gen. Petr Pavel attended military drills on Saturday.

Troops from Romania, the U.S., Ukraine, Armenia and Croatia opened gunfire, backed by U.S. and Romanian military aircraft, AP reported.

Overall, the exercises involve 25,000 military personnel from more than 20 allied and partner countries.

Economist: Armenia integrates into Eurasian Union to protect its economy

Markos Nalchajian
news.am, Armenia

Economist: Armenia integrates into Eurasian Union to protect its economy
20:48, 15.07.2017

YEREVAN. – Integration processes are intended to ensure growth of welfare, as well as growth of GDP, export, employment, and economic security, professor in Economics Ashot Tavadyan told reporters on Thursday.

In the spring of 2013, corresponding researches have been conducted at the suggestion of the governments of Armenia and Russia.

“Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Union has given a lot. We have received  30% reduction in price of gas. This saves about AMD  1 billion (about $2.1 million) in five years. We have received a push for development of diamond production.  We also received a loan of $ 270 million to repair our nuclear power plant,” the professor explained, adding that about 750 kinds of products will be exempted from tax duties in the next five years.

Stoltenberg urges Germany and Turkey to agree on Konya NATO airbase

Jirair Kafian
news.am, Armenia

Stoltenberg urges Germany and Turkey to agree on Konya NATO airbase
00:25, 16.07.2017

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg about the decision of the Turkish authorities banning  German MPs from visiting the NATO military base in Konya, where the German troops are located, RIA Novosti  reported quoting Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

“We hope that Germany and Turkey will be able to agree on the date of a visit, suitable for both sides,” NATO representative said following the meeting of Stoltenberg and Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu.

NATO’s fears are connected with the possible withdrawal of German troops from the Konya base, which could affect the level of support of the international coalition on fight against the Islamic State terrorist group.

Papazian: Armenian community’s positions strengthened with Macron’s election

Eduard Nalbandian
news.am, Armenia

July 14 2017
Papazian: Armenian community’s positions strengthened with Macron’s election
16:44, 14.07.2017

YEREVAN. – The victory of Emmanuel Macron in the presidential elections in France was marked by the strengthening of the positions of the Armenian community, co-chairman of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France Murad Papazian said.

As Papazian noted, in the struggle against the strengthening of Turkey’s positions in France, as well as for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict in favor of the interests of Armenian people, the community has to confront not only Turkish diplomacy but Azerbaijani diplomacy in the struggle against the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

“Around 100 diplomats are working in the Turkish embassy in France, and there are more than 30 diplomats in the Azerbaijani embassy. However, despite this, the Armenians are leading. The results are visible. For example, the ambassadors of Turkey and Azerbaijan have been recently dismissed in France,” Papazian added.

He emphasized that the bill on criminalization the Armenian Genocide denial is on the agenda again.