Category: 2021

Vazgen Manukyan: Decisive days for Armenia are ahead

Nahapetian Samvel
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 26 2021

Vazgen Manukyan, the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement’s candidate for interim prime minister, believes the coming several days will be decisive in settling the ongoing developments in Armenia. Manukyan’s remarks came at the opposition rally underway in Yerevan. 

“In 2018, Nikol Pashinyan interfered with the Army affairs under the guise of combatting corruption and destroyed it. The army didn’t resist that massacre, while the people applauded. The word ‘general’ became synonym to a curse, and we witnessed the outcome of this during the war. Now, the second step is being made. The dismissal of the Deputy Chief of Staff, the irritation that sparked in the army is being used against the army. The reason is that the Army is independent,” Manukyan said. 

he stressed that the Army todays does not accept Nikol Pashinyan. In his words, Pashinyan resorted to a least measure to dismiss the Chief of the General Staff and if fails to remove him, he would be viewed as defeated in the eyes of all law enforcement structures. “This means, no law enforcement will obey to him which is a factual defeat for him. In case Pashinyan manages to remove the Chief of the General Staff through Constitutional Court, the Army should obviously resist. Those days will be the most decisive for Armenia,” said Manukyan. 

The opposition leader added the future of their struggle is a matter of several days which may have no outcome but Pashinyan’s defeat.  “We should stand strong, be patient and ready for decisive actions,” concluded Manukyan. 

USA State Department Press Briefing – February 25, 2021 – Ned Price, Spokesman – on Armenia

Emil Lazarian
State Department, USA
Feb 25 2021


NED PRICE, DEPARTMENT SPOKESPERSON

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

[Armenian News note: parts of the press conference not pertaining to Armenia are not included here below. Use the link at the end for a complete briefing.]

….

QUESTION: Can I move to Armenia?

MR PRICE: Sure.

QUESTION: Yes. What is your assessment of what’s going on in Armenia, and do you believe, as the prime minister said, that there was an attempted military coup? And do you support him as prime minister?

MR PRICE: Well, we are, of course, aware of recent developments in Armenia. We’re following the situation very closely. We urge all parties to exercise restraint and to avoid any escalatory or violent actions. We remind all parties of the bedrock democratic principle that states’ armed forces should not intervene in domestic politics. The United States has been a steadfast supporter of the development of democratic processes and institutions in Armenia. We continue to support Armenia’s democracy and its sovereignty, and we urge its leaders to resolve their differences peacefully while respecting the rule of law, Armenia’s democracy, and its institutions.

QUESTION: Thank you, Ned. So follow up, so how about the statement from the General Staff of the Armenia Armed Forces? Would you consider it as an incitement or attempt – a coup attempt?

MR PRICE: Well, as you know, the Department of State has a process to determine whether a coup has transpired. We talked about that process in the context of a very different setting, and that was Burma and the coup determination that we arrived at in the aftermath of the military’s overthrow of Burma’s democratic civilian leadership on February 1st. I think I said at the time that there are three criteria that this department looks for in making that determination. Of course, there has been no such determination in this case. We continue to support Armenia’s democracy and its sovereignty, and we’ll continue to watch developments very closely as they unfold.

QUESTION: Go to Saudi Arabia?

….

Union of Armenians of Russia supports statement made by Armenia Armed Forces General Staff demanding PM’s resignation

Hambik Zargarian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 26 2021
Union of Armenians of Russia supports statement made by Armenia Armed Forces General Staff demanding PM’s resignation
14:32, 26.02.2021

The Union of Armenians of Russia has issued a statement expressing its support to the statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia demanding the resignation of Nikol Pashinyan. The statement reads as follows:

“The Armenians of Russia are concerned about the situation created in Armenia due to persistent reluctance of incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign and the destructive actions of his team.

Pashinyan continues his conciliatory policy by failing to solve any social or economic issue, by leading the country to war and capitulation and by not setting up a committee to lead a probe into the causes, course and consequence of the war.

The Union of Armenians of Russia has expressed its position several times, and its position remains unchanged. Pashinyan and his whole team must resign. Every minute of their reign causes irreversible harm to Armenian statehood and the whole Armenian nation. We endorse the statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia demanding Pashinyan’s resignation.

Pashinyan and his team are responsible for Armenia’s defeat in the war, the loss of thousands of lives and the loss of a large part of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). It is noteworthy that the leaders of Turkey, namely Erdogan and Cavusoglu are overtly supporting Pashinyan’s dictatorial regime, and after the war, they continue their Armenophobic rhetoric, humiliating the dignity of our country and people.

The Union of Armenians of Russia is certain that Pashinyan’s resignation, which is the imperative of the time and all patriotic forces of Armenia and the Diaspora, will allow us Armenians to turn this embarrassing page of our history over and will help create conditions for our people to get back on their feet and form an agenda for economic development.”


Armenia’s Pashinyan was initiator of bilateral contacts, says Azerbaijan’s Aliyev

Jagharian Tania
News.am, Armenia
Feb 26 2021


16:49, 26.02.2021

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has stated that there will be no bilateral contacts with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan following his provocative statements on Nagorno-Karabakh [(Artsakh)], Azerbaijani media reported.

“My contacts with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia have stopped after his provocative statements—although he was the initiator of our contacts. He promised to make efforts to resolve the conflict,” Aliyev told a news conference for foreign and local media on Friday.

According to him, the Azerbaijani side agreed to the Armenian PM’s wish.

Armen Sarkissian meets with representatives of Armenian parliamentary factions

Baghdasarian Karlen
News.am, Armenia
Feb 26 2021  
16:51, 26.02.2021

President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian has initiated discussions and has met with representatives of the National Assembly of Armenia, including leaders of the My Step and Bright Armenia factions Lilit Makunts and Edmon Marukyan and secretary of the Prosperous Armenia faction Arman Abovyan.

During the meetings, the interlocutors exchanged views on the crisis in Armenia and discussed the paths to take to ease the tension and achieve a peaceful resolution of the situation.

The representatives of the parliamentary forces shared their views and approaches.

Yerevan.Today: Colonel joins Armenia Armed Forces General Staff’s statement demanding PM’s resignation

Edgar Tavakalian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 26 2021    
Yerevan.Today: Colonel joins Armenia Armed Forces General Staff’s statement demanding PM’s resignation
21:53, 26.02.2021

Head of the Military Communications Division of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Colonel Artur Chatyan has joined the statement by the General Staff of the Armed Forces calling on Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan to resign.

Yerevan.Today stated the names of the officers of the General Staff who hadn’t joined the statement, and Colonel Chatyan was one of them. Colonel Chatyan told Yerevan.Today that he is currently under quarantine due to the coronavirus and that he would sign under the statement, if he knew about it.

The administration of the General Staff of the Armed Forces issued a statement stating that the Prime Minister of Armenia and the Cabinet are no longer capable of adopting adequate decisions and that the army demands Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation.

After this statement was made, Nikol Pashinyan went live on Facebook and said he has signed the decree on dismissing Onik Gasparyan from the position of Chief of the General Staff, and the Staff of the President of Armenia confirmed the news that the President has received the recommendation, but has yet to sign it.

Only three officers of the General Staff haven’t joined the statement.

Mediaport: Armenian army generals present hundreds of facts to Armen Sarkissian, President leaves astounded

Jane Topchian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 26 2021      
23:52, 26.02.2021

The army generals and the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia presented to President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian hundreds of facts about the illogical and treacherous instructions that Nikol Pashinyan had given during the war and declared that their decision remains unchanged, that is, Pashinyan must resign.

According to Mediaport, Armen Sarkissian was literally astounded when he was exiting the building of the General Staff.

Currently, Nikol Pashinyan is secretly visiting the President of Armenia and trying to convince him to sign the order on Onik Gasparyan’s dismissal.

Mediareport will provide details after the meeting.

Sports: Sinquefield says Saint Louis Chess Club welcomes Levon Aronian with open arms

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 26 2021        

Rex Sinquefield, organizer of the Sinquefield Cup, says the US will welcome Armenian chess grandmaster Levon Aronian with open arms.

“Levon played in our first-ever Sinquefield Cup in 2013. I’ve come to know him over the years to be a fierce competitor and true gentleman. He represents the best of our sport,” said Rex Sinquefield, co-founder of the Saint Louis Chess Club. “When he came to us with interest in moving to St. Louis and representing the U.S., I could think of no one better. We welcome him with open arms.”

On Feb. 26, Aronian posted on his Facebook page and confirmed his decision to leave Armenia.

Sports:Kyiv: Artur Aleksanyan defeated during semi-final

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 26 2021        

Leading wrestler of the Armenian national wrestling team, Greco-Roman style wrestler, Olympic champion Artur Aleksanyan was defeated during the semi-final at the International Traditional Wrestling Championship taking place in Kyiv.

During the competition with his Kyrgyz opponent, Artur Aleksanyan was winning 5-0, but he was defeated 5-7, as reported on the Facebook page of the Wrestling Federation of Armenia.

Karapet Chalyan, who was competing in the 82 kg category during this championship, and Malkhas Amoyan (72 kg category), made it to the final.

Armenia Police urge to observe public order, call for restraint

Garo Vardanian

Tweet
Save

Share

 14:44,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. The Police of Armenia released a statement on the ongoing political developments in the country, urging the citizens to observe the public order.

“The Police of Armenia ensure the preservation of public order and security in accordance with its functions.

Due to the current situation the Police urge everyone to strictly observe the public order, show vigilance, restraint and not to give in to provocations”, the statement says.

On February 25 the General Staff of the Armenian Forces of Armenia issued a statement, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his Cabinet.

In his turn Pashinyan commented on the statement, calling it as a “military coup attempt”. He invited all his supporters to the Republic Square to discuss the ongoing developments. Currently Pashinyan is marching across Yerevan with his supporters.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan