Category: 2018

A member of the German Parliament—Bundestag–Albert Weiler said that Baku’s decision to deny him entry is “undemocratic.” Weiler, who was to join German Chancellor Angela Merkel on her visit to Baku on Saturday was denied a visa, because of his past travels to Artsakh.

“I have repeatedly expressed willingness to go there and discuss issues, particularly those related to Nagorno Karabakh. But when they respond by barring a democratically elected member of parliament from entering the country and even threaten to detain him if he’s on board, it’s not only anti-democratic, but also distorts the diplomatic relations,” Weiler told Public Radio of Armenia in an exclusive interview.

“it’s not the right way to solve conflicts. I’ve always tried to take steps to ensure that people don’t die on the border any more. I’m not planning a new visit to Nagorno Karabakh at this point. I have a broad agenda of meetings in Armenia and time is scarce, but I will work in that direction,” the lawmaker said.

Speaking about the Karabakh issue, Weiler said: “The question here is not about big politics. The question is about ensuring peace for people living there. People should not be constantly under the threat of being shot at from the other side of the border. These are things that are not acceptable in the 21st century.”

As for Armenian-German relations, Weiler has observed a “positive trend.” He says the relations have deepened over the past years.

“There was a positive vote in the Bundestag on the Armenian Genocide. Discussions on economic issues are also positive. Today we have direct flights, other agreements are being called to life.”

Weiler expects bilateral ties to further strengthen after Chancellor Merke’s visit to Armenia. He did not rule out that German companies would enter the Armenia market, bringing new investments and creating jobs.

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry on Thursday issued a statement condemning Baku’s decision to deny Weiler entry to Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry՛s blacklisting of foreign citizens visiting Artsakh is a gross violation of the peoples’ rights to free movement and to getting reliable information and is an attempt to impose its one-sided and distorted viewpoint on the international community,” Artsakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“We consider such actions of Azerbaijan unacceptable and believe that if they remain without the due assessment by the international community, it will be increasingly difficult to return Baku to a constructive track. The time has come to establish international mechanisms to deter Azerbaijan from destructive steps,” the statement reads.

“In this regard, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh Masis Mayilian has invited Albert Weiler to visit Artsakh again at his convenience to discuss the issues of cooperation with the Germany-South Caucasus Parliamentary Group of the German Bundestag. We are convinced that the visits of MPs and other officials to Artsakh, regardless of Baku՛s ‘black lis,’ will become an important signal on the inadmissibility of using confrontation and isolation as a means for solving regional problems,” the Ministry said.

YEREVAN—A send-off ceremony was held Thursday for Armenia’s Interior Police officers who have been deployed to guard the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Armenia’s National Police Chief Valery Osipyan in attendance.

Several months ago a decision was made to dispatch the interior police force officers, who are mainly deployed during national emergencies, to the Armenian border to effectively guard the border as part of the Armenian military.

“Today the [interior] police troops are assuming a very important mission, and that mission is to provide support to the Armenian Army, the Armed Forces while defending the state borders of the Republic of Armenia,” said Pashinyan during his remarks at the ceremony.

He took the opportunity to urge the public to treat police officers as comrades, in an effort to diminish the hostility and mistrust that existed between the police and citizens. This has been a rallying cry for Pashinyan, who also made reference to this approach last week during a rally where he summed the activities of the his government during the last 100 days.

“Our main objective is to ensure that Armenia’s citizens perceive the police and the police officers as protectors of their security, Armenian statehood and the constitution,” he said, urging citizens to treat the police as their “relatives.”

“I am confident that the police officers will fulfill their responsible duty at a high level, will return to their families with pride after each tour,” added Pashinyan.

GLENDALE—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region announced that it will lead a delegation of prominent California elected officials and business representatives on a legislative trip and trade study project to meet with influential figures across Armenia’s political spectrum and with various IT centers. The visit is scheduled to take place from September 4, 2018 to September 13, 2018.

“An important part of the ANCA’s mission is to promote bilateral political and trade relations between the U.S. and Armenia. As the fifth largest economy in the world and as home to the largest organized community in the worldwide Armenian Diaspora, California plays a unique role in advancing this goal. We are gratified that such a distinguished group of state legislators, local elected officials and influential policy makers from the IT sector have accepted our invitation to join this important delegation, and as the New Armenia opens its doors for input and bilateral relations, we look forward to achieving tangible results which will mutually benefit both sides,” stated Nora Hovsepian, Chair of the ANCA-WR.

In an effort to be better acquainted with one another prior to the trip and to provide the delegation with an opportunity to discuss logistical details, ANCA-WR representatives traveled to Sacramento on August 13 for a pre-trip orientation. The meeting, filled with enthusiasm and excitement, also gave way for participants to review the 160-page packet that outlined a hefty itinerary for the visit filled with meetings with officials and historic site visits as well as background information on Armenia, Artsakh, the Armenian Genocide, current issues within the region, and its growing IT sector.

“I am very excited to be making my second trip to Armenia with the ANC, Glendale City Mayor Sinanyan and a terrific group of high tech business leaders from California. Expanding economic opportunity between California and Armenia is an important goal and starting with the high tech industry holds tremendous promise. It’s going to be a great trip and I am grateful to the ANC for its invitation to help make it happen,” stated Senator Portantino.

“I am thankful for the opportunity to be part of a delegation that will bring together California legislators and Tech companies with those in Armenia. Senator Portantino’s Select Committee on California, Armenia and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art and Cultural Exchange is bearing fruit as is demonstrated by the strong interest in this delegation and closer cooperation between the sides,” noted Glendale City Mayor Zareh Sinanyan.

Delegation Participants include:
Anthony Portantino, California State Senate
Henry Stern, California State Senate
Autumn Burke, California State Assembly
Evan Low, California State Assembly
Zareh Sinanyan, Glendale City Mayor
Ardashes “Ardy” Kassakhian, Glendale City Clerk
Vikrum Aiyer, Vice President of Global Public Policy & Strategic Communications, Postmates
Ann Blackwood, Head of Public Policy, Western United States, Facebook
Andrea Deveau, Senior Vice President, Strategies 360
Merissa Khachigian, Senior Director, State Government Affairs, Oracle
Elen Asatryan, CEO and founder, The Stark Group
Nora Hovsepian, Chair, Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
Hermineh Pakhanians, Treasurer, Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
Berdj Karapetian, Member of Board of Directors, Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
Dickran Khodanian, Communications Coordinator, Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots advocacy organization in the western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian-American community on a broad range of issues.