Category: 2021

The U.S. Embassy in yerevan has issued a statement, commending the Armenian people for their participation in municipal elections on October 17, November 14, and December 5, as well as their what it described ‘continued commitment to Armenia’s democratic trajectory.’ 

It is noted that a small number of Embassy staff observed the elections in a visitor capacity and were pleased to see the elections were generally calm, peaceful, and well-administered, the competitive nature of the elections, the vibrancy of Armenia’s democracy, and the significant progress Armenia has achieved over the years. 

“We also note reports of pressure against opposition candidates and encourage authorities to investigate credible allegations of abuse.  As we work to perfect our own democracy, we welcome Armenia’s commitment to its democratic reform agenda and look forward to strengthening our bilateral ties based on shared democratic values.

Hero of the USSR, Honored Test Pilot and Flight Safety Advisor to the General Director of the Russian Helicopters holding company, Gurgen Karapetyan, died at the age of 85, TASS news agency reported. 

Gurgen Karapetyan, an Armenian by nationality, was born in 1936 in Sverdlovsk (currently Yekaterinburg). In 1961 he graduated from the Moscow Aviation Institute, studied at the helicopter department of the Test Pilot School. From 1962 to 1993, he worked at the flight test complex of the Mil Moscow Helicopter Plant. Karapetyan tested the Mi-26 and Mi-28 helicopters, also took part in the tests of the Mi-2, Mi-6, Mi-10, Mi-14, Mi-24 helicopters and their modifications, set ten world aviation records for speed and carrying capacity.

In total, Karapetyan has mastered several dozen types of helicopters, gliders and airplanes. He spent more than 5.5 thousand hours in the air, flew all types of Mi helicopters.

In May 1986, Karapetyan took part in the elimination of the consequences of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. The title of Hero of the Soviet Union with the presentation of the Order of Lenin and the Gold Star medal was awarded to Karapetyan in 1991.

There are numerous hero soldiers in the Armenian army, but unfortunately, there are soldiers, including officers, who failed to fulfill their duties and were taken prisoner, Armenian National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan told reporters in the parliament on Tuesday, commenting on the scandalous video recording of him talking about prisoners of war (POWs).

In the video, which emerged online earlier on Tuesday, he says: “I consider those POWs as non-existent”. According to Simonyan, the servicemen in question laid down their arms, fled and got lost, as a result of which they ended up in Azerbaijani captivity.

The parliament speaker noted that those who did not fulfill their military duties and were taken prisoner must be held to account.

As for the statement that “those POWs are non-existent” for him, Simonyan claimed that the video was edited. He explained that the part of the conversation was about the position of the state in various situations and negotiations. He regretted that some people introduced themselves as supporters, addressed questions to him and secretly recorded the conversation.

“During the conversation I noticed a young woman pointing her phone at me. I asked her not to film as I didn’t want our conversation to be made public. She assured me that she was not recording,” Simonyan said.

The opposition Armenia parliamentary faction is suspending its activities in international organizations and will resume them only if all bans and restrictions imposed on its MPs are lifted, the Armenia alliance said in a statement on Tuesday.

It says that parliamentary delegations involving the Armenian faction MPs, among others, were formed back in August. However, the opposition lawmakers have not taken part in the activities of the delegations to date due to “unlawful” arrests and restrictions on the movement of MPs, including those involved in the delegations.

“In fact, it is an obstacle to the constitutional activity of MPs. All trials have exclusively political overtones and lack any legal grounds. This situation is unprecedented for a member state of the Council of Europe and shows that Armenia is no longer a democratic state, where the rule of law prevails,” reads the statement.

The faction will notify the relevant international organizations of its decision.

MP Hayk Mamijanyan, the secretary of the opposition With Honor parliamentary faction, on Tuesday commented on the cancelled meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers in Stockholm.

The meeting was expected to be held on the sidelines of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Ministerial Council, but Baku called it off following an Armenian parliamentary delegation’s visit to Artsakh.

Speaking to reporters in the parliament, Mamijanyan attributed the decision to cancel the meeting to Armenia’s weak position in negotiations.

The opposition MP noted that Azerbaijan’s long-held dream is to transfer the discussions of the Artsakh issue to a different platform, with the process aimed at questioning the efficiency of the OSCE Minsk Group.

“It can be stated that Azerbaijan torpedoed the process in general. It is also obvious that the Azerbaijani side is taking the negotiation process out of the Minsk Group format, which is unacceptable to Armenia,” the lawmaker said. 

Parents and other relatives of missing and captured Armenian soldiers gathered outside the Armenian government on Tuesday evening to voice their indignation over the statements of National Assembly Speaker Alen Simonyan on prisoners of war (POWs).

A scandalous video recording emerged online earlier on Tuesday, in which the speaker can be heard saying, “I consider these POWs as non-existent”. According to Simonyan, the servicemen in question laid down their arms, fled and got lost, as a result of which they were captured by Azerbaijani forces.

One of the protesters, Arsen Ghukasyan, said that his son had gone missing for over one year.

“We have gathered here today to raise our voice. Who is he calling a deserter, my son? My child fought till the last bullet and it is not known where he is now. He has done more than all of them can do together,” the angry man said.

Ghukasyan noted that they were going to place the photos of 300 missing soldiers near the government building walls.

“These boys sacrificed their lives for the country. If your children don’t come home for a couple of days, what will you do?” he added.