Category: 2018

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
President of Lebanon: Both our people are victims of the idea of
destruction - the Armenian people were killed by the sword, the
Lebanese by the hunger
February 23
Yerevan
Marianna Mkrtchyan. In honor of the Lebanese President Michel Aoun,
who was in Lebanon on an official visit, an official dinner was given
on behalf of the Armenian leader Serzh Sargsyan. The press service of
the RA leader told ArmInfo.
In his speech, the Armenian President noted that the Armenian-Lebanese
friendship stretches from the streets of Beirut to the streets of
Beirut in the heart of Yerevan, and the bust of the world-famous
Lebanese writer, philosopher and cultural figure Gibran Khalil Gibran,
located in the heart of Yerevan.
"Undoubtedly, with all this, the Armenian community of Lebanon, with
its peaceful and creative life, with undivided devotion to Lebanon and
filial love to Armenia, is intertwined in the best way.The Armenian
spirit is present everywhere in the Beirut streets: I am filled with a
feeling of great pride that our compatriots were able to prove
themselves in the best way as worthy and law-abiding citizens in all
spheres of public life, contributing to the development and prosperity
of Lebanon, and I am filled with a feeling of great gratitude to the
people of Li Ana, the leadership of Lebanon, that the Armenians are
given the opportunity to express themselves, "- said the Armenian
leader.
Sargsyan expressed gratitude to the friendly Lebanon for the fact that
in the tragic moments of the history they were close to the Armenian
people, because they hospitably accepted part of the Armenian people
who had escaped from the Genocide. "Unfortunately, today the Middle
East continues to experience all the new tragedies that confirm that
the mindset in the 21st century that reigns during the Armenian
Genocide is still preserved, therefore, our struggle aimed at
overcoming this has not been completed. Armenia to support Lebanon and
express hope that the bearer of the eternal wisdom and patriotic
values of the Lebanese people will overcome all challenges with honor
and cohesion peculiar to it, "Sargsyan said.
At the same time, the Armenian leader expressed confidence that the
issues that were discussed during the visit of the Lebanese President
and the agreements reached in the near future will be implemented in a
new way, enriching the substantive agenda of the Armenian-Lebanese
cooperation. "The well-known Arab wisdom says that a true friend is
one soul in two bodies, I think this best describes the
Armenian-Lebanese relations, where there are no insoluble issues,
where mutual understanding of the parties best serves the well-being
and sustainable development of the two peoples," the Armenian
President summed up. In turn, Lebanon's President Michel Aoun noted
that the encumbered such historical faith and sacrifice the past can
not be traditional and traditional. "We have chosen two memorials,
which are witnesses of this history - visited the Cathedral of
Echmiadzin - one of the oldest churches in the world, where this
feeling of the strength of faith manifests itself in the decorated
walls of the church and the worship of the spirit. This faith made the
Armenian people the leader of nations and nations, officially
proclaiming their identity and faith in the course of the first
centuries. This required courage and sacrifice when Roman persecutions
reached their climax.
The second is a memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide,
where before the eternal fire and cruel images of children, women and
men, reflecting heroism, suffering and wounds of the whole people, the
heart begins to beat faster. These horrible pictures reveal the
existence of the idea of destruction, which at the beginning of the
last century engulfed all of our East. This way of thinking in
everyone who is different, saw the enemy to be killed, destroyed his
culture and civilization, and this gave rise to the most terrible
massacres, leaving behind millions of victims. Both our people are
victims of this idea: the Armenian people were killed by the sword,
the Lebanese people - by hunger. Unfortunately, the same way of
thinking emerged in recent years, taking away hundreds of thousands of
victims. I am sure, not to recognize the mass murders of the past and
the lack of an account for them, stimulate the current rout, "the
Lebanese President said.

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
Nalbandian: Baku`s attempts to distort the situation around the
Karabakh conflict settlement are regarded as a perversion
Yerevan February 23
Marianna Mkrtchyan. The European Union has repeatedly expressed its
full support for the efforts and approaches of the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian stated this at a joint
press conference with Foreign Minister of Madagascar Henri
Rabari-Ndzak on February 23 in Yerevan, referring to Baku's statements
that there are no provisions in the Brussels Declaration that are
important for the Karabakh settlement.
"You know a well-known character from a fairy tale who, being alone,
starts screaming out of fear, maybe Azerbaijan does the same for a
long time, since the approach of the OSCE Minsk Group on the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict enjoys full EU support, ,
including on the margins of the Brussels summit during my meeting with
Federica Mogherini, "the Armenian minister said.
At the same time, he added that the approach of the co-chairs, which
repeatedly stated, including after the last visit to the region, was
also known, the conflict should be resolved through peaceful
negotiations on the basis of three well-known principles. According to
the Armenian Minister, the European Union not only expressed its full
support for the efforts and approaches of the mediators, but also
repeatedly stated that these principles are the basis for the
settlement of the conflict. "I detailed the provisions of the Brussels
Declaration and Baku's attempts to distort the situation, I would like
to say that the attempts of the Azerbaijani side that have become
chronic have been described as a perversion." Armenia also shares this
belief, "Nalbandian concluded.

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
Nalbandian: Attempts by Azerbaijan to avoid responsibility for the
pogroms of the Armenian population in Sumgait are in vain
Yerevan February 23
Marianna Mkrtchyan. Attempts by Azerbaijan to avoid responsibility for
the pogroms of the Armenian population in Sumgait are in vain. This
February 23 in Yerevan at a joint press conference with Madagascar
Minister of Foreign Affairs Henri Rabari-Ndzak, Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian said, referring to the statements of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan
regarding pogroms in Sumgait.
"In today's reality, a strange tandem - the General Prosecutor's
Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs - reminds me a little of
the times of Vyshinsky, who in Stalin's times was a prominent
prosecutor, then became Foreign Minister." The same style has been
observed since the beginning of the Sumgait pogroms. , what remains to
be done is to blame the victim for committing the crime, I think,
obviously, with whom they are taking the example, "Nalbandian said,
and in this context added that the non-recognition of this kind of
crime th, their denial and accusation of victims in crimes - create
that fertile ground for new crimes that took place after the pogroms
in Sumgait - Kirovabad, Baku, Maraga.
According to him, the international community witnessed such actions
quite recently, during the Azeri aggression in 2016 year, at that time
brutal crimes were committed that violated international humanitarian
law, and carried out, including in the handwriting, to the militants
of the DAISH. "Attempts by Azerbaijan to avoid responsibility are
futile: sooner or later they will be held responsible," Nalbandian
said.

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
Antananarivo: Madagascar is delighted with Armenia's economic achievements
 Yerevan February 23
Marianna Mkrtchyan. Madagascar is delighted with the economic
achievements of Armenia. This February 23 in Yerevan at a joint press
conference with Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, the
Minister of Foreign Affairs of Madagascar Henri Rabari-Ndzaka said.
"Yesterday during the meeting with the Prime Minister of Armenia, I
expressed my admiration for the achievements recorded by the Armenian
economy after the crisis of 1996. I believe that Armenia's economic
opportunities are in tune with the theme of the business forum that
Yerevan plans to hold in the margins of the 17th OIF Summit in October
this year, "the minister said.
Rabari-Nzaka also added that Armenia is a member of the integration
project with 180 million market (Eurasian Economic Union-Ed.), Which
opens new opportunities for Madagascar.
At the same time, he believes that Armenia and Madagascar can actively
interact in the sphere of tourism. According to him, Madagascar's 5000
km coast, rich flora and fauna, and the Armenian side could contribute
to increasing Madagascar's recognition for its citizens. According to
him, Armenia and Madagascar have a serious potential for implementing
joint projects.
Rabari-Ndzak also informed that in May this year the President of
Madagascar Eri Radzanarimampianina will pay a state visit to Armenia,
and the details of the visit are already being worked out.
In turn, Nalbandian stated that the data on the volume of mutual trade
turnover between Armenia and Madagascar are disappointing. "This is
one of the reasons for our decision to make active efforts to
stimulate cooperation." Relations between our countries were
established back in Soviet times, then we actively interacted, so the
current level of cooperation can not satisfy us. "We need to take
active steps to give a new impetus to our cooperation ", the Armenian
Foreign Minister said.
Speaking about the forthcoming summit of Francophonie in Yerevan,
Nalbandian informed that the event will be held under the motto "To
live together." According to him, in Armenia they know firsthand what
it means to live together, because by coincidence of historical
circumstances, today Armenians live in more than 100 countries of the
world, create and develop. He also expressed the hope that an
important document will be signed at the summit of the International
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Yerevan Pact,
if its members are approved by the organization, which will become one
of the fundamental documents of the organization. "It is also planned
to hold a business forum that will promote the promotion of trade and
economic relations within the framework of the MOF and create a
network for businessmen of the member countries of the Francophonie,"
Nalbandian said.

Armenpress News Agency, Armenia
 Friday
'Justice requires accepting that Nagorno Karabakh will never return to
be part of Azerbaijan', Senior Russian lawmaker
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy
Chairman of the State Duma (lower house of Russian parliament)
Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with
Compatriots, Head of the Institute of CIS Countries, opposes a
military solution for the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
In an interview with ARMENPRESS, Mr. Zatulin said Armenia and
Azerbaijan must reach agreement and compromise, which will be
realistic and most importantly fair.
“I’ve said many times that justice requires to accept that Nagorno
Karabakh will never return to be part of Azerbaijan. Recently I even
talked about the fact that actually Azerbaijan was declared an
independent state after the collapse of the Soviet Union and nobody
paid proper attention to the fact that at that time, factually, the
territory of Nagorno Karabakh was not under its control, meaning it
wasn’t de facto ruled from Baku. It didn’t receive attention in Baku,
which allows them now to announce that this territory belongs to them,
however Nagorno Karabakh has not been part of independent Azerbaijan
not even for a single day. And the justifications under which
Azerbaijan is claiming the territories are vulnerable and unrealistic
from the point of view of real politics”, Mr. Zatulin said.
At a February 19 meeting with EU Special Representative for the South
Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar, Azeri defense minister
Zakir Hasanov didn’t rule out the resumption of war at any moment.
Asked whether the absence of necessary counter-responses from the
international community to Azerbaijani statements doesn’t encourage
sparking a new war, the Russian politician said:
“I believe that perhaps the international community is guilty for
overlooking the endless statements of Azerbaijan, and in many
statements depreciates what it’s saying, nevertheless I believe the
2016 events received an adequate assessment from the OSCE Minsk Group
Co-Chairs. It is another issue that there was no clear public
condemnation, it is a fact, but I think the Co-Chairs thought that by
doing so they would’ve appeared in a quite difficult situation in the
future negotiations process. I think they were guided by this when
they gave a more equal response and didn’t directly accuse Azerbaijan
for restarting military operations. However the fact is that there was
no such clear statement from the co-chairs, including from the Russian
[co-chair]”, he stressed.
According to Mr. Zatulin, the statements were mostly limited with
calls on the non use of force, which can factually be considered to be
a condemnation of Azeri actions.
“Statements were about the conflict being unresolved for many years,
and that the use of force is unacceptable. Indeed, they didn’t openly
accuse Azerbaijan, including because discussions over the principles
of the Karabakh conflict settlement are continuing till now. We know,
that Azerbaijan is participating in the negotiations process, at the
same time making statements everywhere claiming that Nagorno Karabakh
is part of Azerbaijan. And probably, taking into account such
difficult circumstances which were accumulated during the negotiations
of so many years, one can conclude that it was this that refrained
official circles from addressed assessment. Regarding the civil
society, the opinions of independent people who aren’t tied with
mediating duties, they were very clear in Russia. For us, it was
understandable who launched these military operations. Recently we
even found out with interest about president Aliyev’s historic views”,
Konstantin Zatulin said, adding that he has numerously stated his
opinion as an MP, who doesn’t depend on any mediating activity, and
which enables him to call things by their names.
Article by Syuzi Muradyan