In recent days, the Armenian propaganda has been making enormous efforts to put out a wave of fear of a possible war with Azerbaijan. This war, thanks to the irresponsible statements of the new Armenian authorities, has really ceased to be a ghost and has taken on real shape. Pashinyan made it clear that he would not continue negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict. He hopes for his alleged “democratic image” and expects to use it to pressure the West from Baku. Such stupid hopes and frivolous calculations indicate to unprofessionalism, the lack of strategic thinking and the complete unfitness of Premier Pashinyan in big politics, as well as the fact that the war turns into the only way to achieve justice for Azerbaijan.
Official Baku has repeatedly stated and warned Armenia that it will never agree with the existing status quo. In response to the military provocations of Armenia and in order to prevent diversion and ensure the security of its citizens, the Azerbaijani army carried out a crushing military blow to the Armenian armed forces in early April 2016 and forced them to withdraw. Today, Azerbaijan is the country with the strongest and most powerful army in the South Caucasus, which has responded to the provocation from Armenia and demonstrated the strength and power of its army.
Delusional statements by the military and political leadership of the Republic of Armenia and representatives of the puppet separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh prove that they are seriously worried, in fear, hysteria and panic. The Azerbaijani army is ready for any development of events on the front line. Azerbaijan armed forces and the most powerful weapons systems capable of crushing power are capable of destroying all important military targets and strategic communications of Armenia in a short time. In order to achieve a political solution to the conflict, the occupation must be stopped first and the status quo changed. If Armenia is interested in resolving the conflict, which is important for the development of Armenia itself, it must stop the occupation, follow, and respect the resolutions of the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The majority of the Armenian population do not live, they just exist. However, for some reasons they compare themselves to the French and Dutch and not to residents of Eritrea or Somalia. It seems that some kind of economic growth is starting now, but it should take at least 10 years to feel it. The population is dissatisfied with authorities, and no one directs their protest.
Do they in Armenia understand that the collapse of the economy and the mass outflow of the population are only consequences, and not the cause of the troubles? Armenia needs to fight not only consequences, but also the underlying causes of problems. Armenia today is like a sick person. This is equivalent to a doctor treating the consequences of the disease, and not the cause. Moreover, the reason lies in Armenian aggressive foreign policy and territorial claims to almost all neighboring states (excluding fundamentalist Iran, with which Armenia has very close, strategic and friendly relations) and in the unsettled Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. After all, these factors led to the economic isolation of Armenia in the region: today the borders of Armenia are closed not only with Azerbaijan, but also with such a large market as Turkey that supports Azerbaijan’s position in its conflict with Armenia.
The latest statements of Nikola Pashinyan and his political behavior is the bluff of the Armenian separatists as their goal is to justify their own aggression and occupation against Azerbaijan. It is obvious that the current leadership of Armenia is striving to declare itself as a supporter of “democracy” and hiding behind “democracy” to maintain the status quo that was established during the truce or even worse, to recognize the separatist puppet regime in Nagorno-Karabakh. Then the question automatically arises: “Can a democratic state be an advocate of occupation?
However, recent events in the region once again proved that official Baku will never agree with the existing status quo in the region and that Armenia should realize that Azerbaijan’s patience has limits. There is a red line and it is impossible to go back once you cross it. According to international law, Baku has the right to not only defend itself, but also to liberate the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia.
Tank Biathlon: Armenian tankmen finish first in their group
PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia‘s team came in the first in its group at the Tank Biathlon event of the International Army Games, Defense Ministry spokesman Artsrun Hovhannisyan said.
Armenian tankmen, in particular, showed the best results by hitting all the five targets.
Conscript soldiers Arman Arustamyan, Levon Hovhannisyan and Zohrab Zohrabyan represent Armenia in the Tank Biathlon competition.
“The Armenian servicemen outperformed the teams of Kyrgyzstan, Vietnam and Myanmar in the first individual race,” Artsrun Hovhannisyan says.
This year, 23 teams from a host of countries are taking part in the event held in Alabino in the Moscow region.
In CIS space, Armenians most often denied a Schengen visa by Germany
PanARMENIAN.Net – In the CIS space, citizens of Armenia are most often denied a Schengen visa by Germany, Deutsche Welle reports.
Between 2008 and 2017, Armenian citizens filed 120,490 applications for German tourist visas, with 8.4% of all the applicants receiving rejections.
Things are going pretty much the same way in neighboring Azerbaijan, as well as in Central Asian countries of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. At the same time, the report says, the statistics of rejections in the Schengen visa have practically remained unchanged in the last decade.
The German Foreign Ministry failed to provide specific reasons for refusals, limiting themselves to general wording.
The Ministry explained that the decision to issue a visa is made by the German Embassy in a specific country on the basis of objective criteria.
For example, an applicant must prove that they have enough money to travel to Germany, or have friends or relatives there who are ready to bear all the costs.
Allegations that the decision to issue a visa often depends on the applicant’s citizenship was refuted in the ministry.
Woman Asked Husband For A Basement. He Dug A "Heaven-Guided" Maze
When Tosya Gharibyan asked her husband to dig a basement under their house to store potatoes, she had little idea the underground labyrinth he would eventually produce would prove to be one of Armenia’s major tourist draws.
Their one-storey house in the village of Arinj outside the capital Yerevan may not look like much but today it brings in visitors from all over the globe after a 23-year labour of love by Tosya’s late husband, Levon Arakelyan.
They come to see a twisting network of subterranean caves and tunnels known as “Levon’s divine underground.”
In the cold and quiet, Tosya leads tourists through corridors that connect seven chambers adorned with Romanesque columns and ornaments like those on the facades of medieval Armenian churches.
“Once he started digging, it was impossible to stop him,” she said of the project that began in 1985. “I wrangled with him a lot, but he became obsessed with his plan.”
A builder by training, Levon would toil for 18 hours a day — only pausing to take a quick nap and then rush back to the cave, confident that he was being guided “by heaven”.
“He never drew up plans and used to tell us that he sees in his dreams what to do next,” his widow told AFP.
Over more than two decades he hammered out the 280-square-metre (3,000 square-foot) space, 21 metres deep into strata of volcanic rocks — only using hand tools.
“My primary childhood recollection is the loud knock of my father’s hammer heard at night from the cave,” said his 44-year-old daughter Araksya.
At the start he had to break through a surface layer of black basalt, but at the depth of a few metres Levon reached much softer tufa stone and the work progressed.
https://www.ndtv.com/world-news/tosya-gharibyan-asked-levon-arakelyan-for-a-basement-he-dug-levons-divine-underground-1892434
He pulled out 600 truckloads of rocks and earth, using only hand-held buckets.
Levon died in 2008 at the age of 67 from a heart attack after destroying the last wall that separated two tunnels.
‘Amazing Place’
A decade on from the project’s completion, Tosya also runs a small museum commemorating her husband’s work in the village of some 6,000 people.
The underground complex has several analogues in the world.
An eccentric man named William Henry “Burro” Schmidt spent more than three decades digging a half-a-mile tunnel to transport gold through a granite mountain in California, beginning his work in the early 1900s during the state’s gold rush.
In Ethiopia a man named Aba Defar began carving churches on a mountainside after claiming divine inspiration from years of dreams.
Today the Armenian cave features prominently in travel brochures, regularly drawing busloads of visitors.
Milad, a 29-year-old Iranian tourist, called the maze an “amazing place”.
He said it made him realise just “how boundless the spiritual and physical capabilities of a person can be”.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
Adajian’s Restaurant: After 20 Years In Storage, Murals Still Captivate
Armenia’s first PM: The country has become a one-man show
“Our party and I personally were in firm opposition to Robert Kocharyan in the ten years of his presidency. We blamed the government for many problems and spoke against many of its decisions. However, I categorically disagree with the charges brought against Robert Kocharyan and Yuri Khachaturov, because I consider them unfounded and I believe that decision is dangerous and threatening for the national security of Armenia,” reads Manukyan’s statement, published on his website.
Vazgen Manukyan also found it troubling that “Armenia has become a one-man show, where the balancing forces in the face of opposition parties, NGOs and the press do next to nothing”.
“It seems like everyone is waiting, scared. This path will take us to the situation Armenia endured in 1937, the unlawful arrests, the war and isolation from the world,” said Manukyan.
Italian President is visiting Armenia
The Italian delegation headed by President Mattarella also includes Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Enzo Moavero Milanesi and other Italian officials.
Lydian and PM at the Crossroads of Old and New Armenias
Director of Mediamax
Azerbaijani press: Azerbaijani defense minister, EU special rep. discuss Karabakh conflict
- A
- A+
- A-
Azerbaijani Defense Minister Colonel General Zakir Hasanov on Monday met with a delegation led by EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar.
During the meeting the sides discussed the current situation on the frontline.
Minister Hasanov stressed that Armenia’s destructive positions remains a major obstacle to achieving progress in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Klaar, in turn, underlined the importance of an early and peaceful solution to the conflict in order to ensure stability in the South Caucasus region. The EU special representative expressed hope that the policy pursued by Armenia’s new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is aimed at a peaceful settlement of the conflict. The diplomat also noted that the EU supports continuing peace talks.
Minister Hasanov emphasized that the new Armenian leadership’s military rhetoric directed against Azerbaijan, especially the Armenian Prime Minister and Defense Minister sending their own children to military service in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, prove that Yerevan is not interested in a peaceful solution to the conflict.
In order to resolve the conflict soon, Armenia, in line with the norms and principles of international law, must immediately and unconditionally withdraw its troops from the occupation Azerbaijani territories, the defense minister added.
Turkish press: Historic church in Turkey’s Şanlıurfa undergoing restoration
The historical Germuş Church in southeastern Turkey’s Şanlıurfa, which is believed to be the birthplace of the Prophet Abraham, will soon be opened to tourism after some extensive renovation.
Located 10 kilometers northeast of the city center and on the edge of Germuş Mountain, the historical church has stood the test of time. The date of its construction date is not precisely known, as there are no inscriptions, but the church is estimated to be built at the beginning of the 19th century. The structure has a facade that rises on three pointed arches.
The historical church partly lost its original character due to alterations carried out at different times. It is only 5 kilometers away from Göbeklitepe, which is often described as “the cradle of human civilization.” The area where the church is located stands out with various old buildings and tunnels.
The Haliliye District Governorship is carrying out a thorough restoration as part of its “Hidden History: Germuş” project, which falls under the “Tourism Routes and Smart Cities Financial Support Program” and is approved by Karacadağ Development Agency.
A new look
Haliliye District Governor Ali Yılmaz Told Anadolu Agency (AA) that they want to open Germuş Church for tourism and are working to that end.
Yılmaz added that they are working to give the church a beautiful appearance. “The renovation, cleaning, lighting and environmental management of the church will be carried out within the scope of the project. Hopefully, Germuş Church will gain a new look and make some contribution to the tourism sector. I congratulate those who worked for the success of this project,” he said.
The Chairman of the Regional Tourist Guides Chamber, Müslüm Çoban noted that Armenians used to live in the surrounding area of the church. “The old houses and underground structures in the region should also be opened to tourism,” he said.
Attractive for tourists
Çoban said that they believe that Germuş Church will especially draw the attention of foreign tourists. “Unfortunately, the building, which has not undergone maintenance in years, is badly damaged. In this respect, the renovation of the church is very important. It is a very good decision to open the church to tourism after the renovation. This region and its churches are important for Christians.
“There are two churches in the village but the smaller one is almost completely destroyed. The Armenian Church is still standing. If there is more than one church in one place, this indicates its importance. The opening of the church to tourism will attract the attention of many foreign tourists. More foreign tourists started to come here after Göbeklitepe was included in the UNESCO list. They will also visit Germuş Church. This means that tourists spend more time in the city. The region close to Göbeklitepe on the Mardin route will contribute a great deal to tourism. The history of the Region will come forth with more excavations carried out in the future,” he added.
Göbeklitepe visitors
Casım Acar, who is the guardian of historical sites and Germuş Church, noted that they have been fighting people who tried to carry out illegal excavations in the region.
The plan to open the region for tourism was great news according to Acar. “Legends have it that the church was built in seven years with stones from these mountains. Our elders tell us that this village had an important place in the past. There are underground bazaars, tunnels and various structures here. Tourists, mostly foreigners, who come to Göbeklitepe come here first, but its state of disrepair is unfortunate. Hopefully, the restoration will revive its historical and cultural value,” he said