2021 – Page 1254 – Armenian Directory & News

Armenpress: SOAD organizes online fund-raising for assisting soldiers wounded in Artsakh war

January 26, 2021January 26, 2021 Manouk Vasilian

SOAD organizes online fund-raising for assisting soldiers wounded in Artsakh war

21:47,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. World famous System of a Down rock group organizes an online fund-raising on January 30 to assist the soldiers wounded in Artsakh war, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Facebook page of the SOAD.

‘’In the tragic aftermath of the most egregious violence to affect the area since 1994, soldiers for the Defense Army of Artsakh and Armenia (many of them volunteers) suffered war crimes at the hands of the invaders – Azerbaijan abetted by Turkey and their Syrian mercenaries. Even after the ceasefire signed on November 10, 2020, those heroes wounded in the recent conflict remain in dire need of prosthetics, advanced treatment, and medical care. We are hosting a fundraising livestream event in order to raise money to rehabilitate and outfit the hundreds soldiers who have lost arms and legs with life-changing prosthetic limbs. The funding will also benefit the introduction of groundbreaking laser therapy for the treatment of white phosphorous chemical burns and the reduction of scarring and agonizing pain. All proceeds from the livestream will be donated to this cause.

We welcome you, along with our list of special guests, to join us this Saturday, January 30, at 9AM Pacific / 12PM Eastern to support our efforts – exclusively on our YouTube channel. The official video premiere for “Genocidal Humanoidz” will immediately follow the live event. Subscribe to our channel now at YouTube.com/SystemOfADown to stay updated. We look forward to seeing you this weekend'', reads the statement.

The California Courier Online, January 28, 2021

January 26, 2021January 26, 2021 Adrine Hakobian

The California
Courier Online, January 28, 2021

1 – Azerbaijan Exploits Everything

For
Propaganda, Including Art

By Harut
Sassounian

Publisher,
The California
Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2- Armenian
Americans Congratulate 46th President Joe Biden

3- Armenia continues to fight COVID-19
pandemic

4- COMMENTARY:

AUA:
Apolitical University
of Armenia?

5- COMMENTARY:

Almassian:
‘Dear Americans, Stop acting as if you’ve finally defeated fascism, because you have not’

6- City of West Hollywood Unanimously
Adopts Resolution Recognizing Artsakh

7- Correction

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1 – Azerbaijan Exploits Everything

For
Propaganda, Including Art

By Harut
Sassounian

Publisher,
The California
Courier

www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

The Calvert Journal published last week an article by Lucía
de la Torre titled, “The Aliyev influence: how nepotism and self-censorship
rule Azerbaijan’s art scene.”

On October 2, 2020, two days after the start of the Artsakh
war, a giant Azerbaijani flag was placed on the façade of Baku’s
YARAT Contemporary Art Space gallery with a giant message: “Karabakh is Azerbaijan.”

This did not sit well with the Turkish-born Kurdish artist
Ahmet Ogut whose exhibition “No Poem Loves Its Poet” had been displayed in the
gallery since May 2020. Ogut requested that the propaganda banner be taken down
and boldly declared: “I refuse to allow my work to fall prey to political
instrumentalization.”

The gallery refused to remove the banner and closed down
Ogut’s exhibit on October 29, 2020, three weeks earlier than scheduled.

According to The Calvert Journal’s article, “This is one
example of how Azerbaijan’s
apparently thriving art scene conceals something darker: a deeply nepotistic
environment which routinely suppresses dissident voices while crafting an
international image of Azerbaijan
as a free, art-loving nation.”

Artists like Ogut, who refuse to go along with Azerbaijan’s
political propaganda, are quickly ostracized and lose all artistic privileges.

Artists worldwide were alarmed by Azerbaijan’s abuse of power,
trampling on the rights and independence of an artist. However, this came as no
surprise to those who have followed many other violations by the country’s
despotic leader. Ruled “by President Ilham Aliyev and Vice-President and First
Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, the Azerbaijani government has been repeatedly
criticized by human rights’ groups for ongoing censorship, a poor human rights
record, and rampant corruption. And, like many nearby authoritarian regimes,
members of the President’s family are known to own most of the country’s major
businesses, earning them millions of dollars since the fall of the USSR and
situating Aliyev amongst the world’s richest oil billionaires,” The Calvert
Journal reported.

The YARAT gallery was founded by Aida Mahmudova, an artist,
curator, and Vice President Mehriban Aliyeva’s niece. The Marriott Hotel in
Baku, “which is allegedly connected to Aliyev’s daughters Leyla and Arzu
Aliyeva according to reporters for the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting
Project, is one of YARAT’s main partners,” The Calvert Journal wrote.

“Mahmudova is also the director of another of Azerbaijan’s main contemporary art galleries: Baku’s Museum
of Modern Art (MoMa). The
museum was founded by Mehriban Aliyeva in 2009, and is funded by the Heydar
Aliyev Foundation (of which Mehriban Aliyeva is the President and Leyla Aliyeva
the Vice-President), a charitable organization created in memory of the former
president of Azerbaijan and father of current president Ilham Aliyev. Elsewhere
in Baku, another star venue on Azerbaijan’s cultural scene is the Heydar Aliyev
Center. The current
director of the Heydar
Aliyev Center
is Anar Alakbarov, a former assistant to the Vice President of Azerbaijan and
current assistant to the President,” The Calvert Journal reported.

Baku has several other
smaller art galleries which are controlled by Azerbaijan’s government. “The Qiz
Qalasi Gallery, an art venue in Baku with a
branch in Berlin,
is headed by Emin Mammadov, who also works as Art Curator for the Heydar Aliyev
Foundation. ‘Modern Art of Azerbaijan’ is a travelling exhibition supported by
the Heydar Aliyev Center
that toured European capitals, where Mehriban and Leila Aliyeva hosted lavish
inaugurations attended by European government officials and diplomats. In
November 2020, the gallery launched ‘Armed with the Arts,’ an exhibition
allegedly meant to promote peace after the Second Nagorno-Karabakh war, while,
similarly to YARAT, openly supported the position of the Azerbaijani government
and used politically-charged, bellicose language. Kicik QalArt Gallery, a
project of the ‘Art ex East Foundation’ and another important smaller-scale
venue in the capital, although now closed, used to be owned by Olivier
Mestelan, a Swiss art collector and financier. Mestelan used to sit on the
board of Ataholding, an open joint-stock company that managed Atabank, one of
the biggest commercial banks in Azerbaijan,
now bankrupt and owned by the Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF).
According to an investigation carried out in 2011 by Radio Free Europe’s
Azerbaijani Service, Mestelan was also claimed to be the treasurer of three
offshore Panama-based companies linked to Azerfon, a Baku-based
telecommunications company with links to Arzu and Leyla Aliyeva,” The Calvert
Journal wrote.

Lesley Gray, a scholar researching the development of the
contemporary art scene in the Arab Gulf and Caspian Sea region, explained that Azerbaijan and
other countries use contemporary art as a tool to reshape the country’s
international image.

Azerbaijan’s
leaders are not interested in art for art’s sake. “They hope to use art as a
tool to attract international attention for something other than imprisoned
journalists and crackdowns on free speech,” The Calvert Journal reported.

The Azerbaijani government has also used its investments in
contemporary art around the world to project power and establish goodwill.
“Mehriban Aliyeva, through the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, has shelled out
generous sums for cultural institutions such as The Palace of Versailles,
Paris’ Louvre Museum, and the Vatican Museums, while the Friends of Azerbaijani
Culture Foundation, a non-governmental charity which she founded in 1995,
routinely organizes art exhibits abroad,” according to The Calvert Journal.

As a result, “in 2004 Mehriban Aliyeva was designated UNESCO
Goodwill Ambassador, a laurel given in recognition of her actions to promote
international cultural exchanges. Later, in 2010, Aliyeva received a gold medal
from UNESCO for her ‘efforts in establishing an intercultural dialogue.’ Over
the years, Azerbaijan has had a particularly favorable relationship with the UN
body — in October 2015, at the petition of Mehriban Aliyeva, UNESCO hosted an
exhibition ironically called ‘Azerbaijan — Land of Tolerance’ at its Paris
headquarters. At the opening, when a journalist asked Aliyeva whether the title
of the exhibition lived up to the reality in Azerbaijan, considering the country
has ‘many political prisoners in jail,’ Aliyeva denied this and turned her back
while security guards pushed the journalist away. The relationship was
particularly favorable between Mehriban Aliyeva and Irina Bokova,
Director-General of UNESCO, 2009-2017. Their relationship came under scrutiny
in 2017, when Kalin Mitrev, Bokova’s husband, was investigated by the Bulgarian
Chief Prosecutor in relation to media publications about payments made by
Azerbaijani companies to his [bank] accounts. Bokova then wrote a letter to The
Guardian [newspaper] defending the rightfulness of her relationship with Azerbaijan,
but never spoke openly about the money allegedly received by her husband or her
stance towards Azerbaijan’s human rights abuses,” The Calvert Journal reported.

However, Azerbaijan’s devious use of the arts was exposed in
2011, when “Azerbaijan censored its own entry to the Venice Biennale, the
world’s most high-profile showcase of contemporary art, by hiding the work of
one of its own artists under a piece of cloth. Moscow-based artist Aidan
Salakhova’s work Waiting Bride, which showed a woman in a black veil from head
to foot, and another sculpture, which showed the Black Stone of Mecca contained
in a vagina-shaped marble frame, were hidden under a white cloth. The [Azeri]
government later claimed that the artworks were ‘damaged during transport’, while
senior sources at the exhibition clarified that the works were censored for
being considered offensive to Islam,” according to The Calvert Journal.

Nothing is surprising about the exploitation of art by Azerbaijan. A
government, whose soldiers cut off the heads and ears of captured Armenians,
can easily abuse art to cover up its corruption and gross human rights
violations.

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2- Armenian
Americans Congratulate 46th President Joe Biden

WASHINGTON, D.C.—On
January 20, Joe Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States of America.
Varuzhan Nersesyan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the United States
of America, attended the Oath of Office Ceremony informed the Embassy of
Armenia to the United States.

A number of Armenian-American organizations congratulated
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on the occasion.

“We join with our community, coalition partners, and
Congressional allies in encouraging the Administration to engage constructively
and cooperatively on U.S.
policy priorities impacting Armenia,
Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), Eurasia, Eastern Mediterranean,
and the Greater Middle East,” said the Armenian National Committee of America
in a statement. “In light of the past Administration’s passivity and the
aggressive intervention of hostile regional powers, the United States must now
pivot toward a pro-active approach that protects and promotes the Artsakh
Republic’s security; holds Baku and Ankara responsible for their war crimes and
ongoing hostility; strengthens the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Partnership, and;
locks-in permanent U.S. Executive Branch remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.”

The ANCA said urgent Biden Administration attention in its
first days in office is required to restore stability, promote peace, and check
Aliyev and Erdogan’s genocidal pan-Turkish plans in the form of: an emergency
$250 million humanitarian assistance package to meet humanitarian needs and
safely and sustainably return Armenian refugees to their homes in Artsakh, and
a new Millennium Challenge compact to support high-tech education in Armenia;
full enforcement of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act; suspension of all
U.S. military and security assistance to Azerbaijan and Turkey, and the denial
of all new arms-export licenses to both Azerbaijan and Turkey; Global Magnitsky
and other statutory sanctions against the Aliyev and Erdogan regimes for the
serious human rights abuses they committed during Azerbaijan’s aggression
against Artsakh, including the use of Foreign Terrorist Fighters recruited by
Turkey; a joint State Department, Pentagon, and Department of Justice investigation
into U.S. parts discovered in Turkish drones used by Azerbaijan to attack
Artsakh; U.S. leadership in securing Azerbaijan’s release of Armenian civilians
and soldiers, many of whom have been tortured, mutilated, and murdered on
social media; a high-profile U.S. role in documenting, monitoring, protecting,
and preserving Armenian churches and other holy and cultural sites in areas
currently under Azerbaijani military control; U.S. recognition of the Artsakh
Republic’s independence as an urgent remedial action required for the very
survival of the Christian Armenian population of this ancient Armenian land;
and an upgraded strategic partnership focused on concrete economic and military
cooperation that supports and sustains the security of both Armenia and
Artsakh.

Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Co-Chairs Anthony
Barsamian and Van Krikorian issued the following statement: “President Joe
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris take office during a particularly
perilous time for our country and across the globe. President Biden’s message
of healing at home and pursuing a principled U.S. foreign policy supported by
American values have our heartfelt welcome. The President has a remarkably
strong record on issues that matter to Armenian Americans, as does Vice
President Harris. We look forward to assisting our country in the healing and
in advancing a better world. We are confident that the growing number of
Armenian-Americans appointed to this Administration will serve with honor. As
the victims of the first Genocide of the twentieth century, we know that
supporting efforts to address racial injustice, persecution, genocide
prevention are critical, and if left unattended, lead to disaster. It is clear
that the same countries and forces which tried to use the January mob attack on
Congress to weaken the United
States are threats to democracy, the rule of
law, human rights, respect for Christians, and religious freedom.”

The Armenian Council of America (ACA) congratulated Biden on
his inauguration. “On foreign policy, we are hopeful that this administration
will reengage in the OSCE Minsk group and lead the efforts toward a lasting
peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict based on the right
to self-determination. We are optimistic on the Biden administration’s stance
toward Turkey and Azerbaijan and
will continue to advocate for economic sanctions against the Erdogan and Aliyev
regimes. Both countries have systematically violated international laws,
committed war-crimes, and supported domestic extremism/suppressing democratic
efforts. ACA looks forward to contributing its part in the Biden
administration’s pledge to unite America. We will continue to
advocate on behalf of Armenian-Americans and engage with elected officials on
the issues important to our greater American communities. We wish President
Biden and his administration success,” said the ACA in a statement.

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3 – Armenia continues to fight COVID-19
pandemic

The Armenian government has commissioned 600,000 doses of
coronavirus vaccines from World Health Organization-backed COVAX; medical and
social workers, seniors and people suffering from chronic diseases will be the
first to get vaccine shots free of charge, and according to Gayane Sahakian,
the deputy director of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention,

The first vaccine which COVAX will make available to the
participating countries is the one produced by AstraZeneca, which will deliver
it to COVAX in February or March.

They will be enough to vaccinate 300,000 people. According
to the Ministry of Health, there were 8,115 active coronavirus cases in Armenia as of
January 25. Armenia
has recorded 166,094 coronavirus cases and 3,047deaths; 154,932 have recovered.

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4-
COMMENTARY:

AUA:
Apolitical University
of Armenia?

By Zaruhi Dilanyan

Recently, 168.am referred to an commentary in The California
Courier published on January 14, written by an anonymous American
University of Armenia (AUA) lecturer
titled “Censorship and Corruption at the American
University of Armenia.” The
events described in the commentary came after the dissemination of a letter on
December 16 by 45 professors of AUA.

“A disturbing incident has taken place at AUA against the
backdrop of a calamitous time in our nation’s history. Even AUA is not exempt
from the Pashinyan propaganda machine. Recently, under the disingenuous title
‘Diversity of Opinion’, the AUA President and Interim Provost launched an
attack on freedom of speech. In an unprecedented warning to the entire faculty,
staff and student body, the AUA administration warned everyone against expressing
any opinion that anyone at the university might disagree with on the fake
grounds that it may reflect poorly on their colleagues or the university’s
reputation. Failure to do so could lead to reprimand or termination of
employment: in other words, either self-censor or risk your job,” wrote the
anonymous author. The author also described an intra-university corruption
episode, noting that the provost’s wife was hired as a result of a “package
deal,” and the current provost was appointed dean of the Faculty of Humanities
and Social Sciences, and then hastily assumed the position of provost—having
worked as a dean for less than 6 months.

This commentary became the subject of wide discussions, and
the university responded to the commentary with a short post on its Facebook
page, describing it as “just an _expression_ of an individual perception or
opinion that does not correspond to reality.”

168.am asked the university for further comment and sent
questions to AUA President Karin Markides.

In response to a question about whether she or the Vice
President for Academic Affairs warned professors not to express dissenting or
political opinions, Markides said: “No, the university never gives a warning
when a person expresses an opinion with which others may disagree. In fact, the
American University of Armenia (AUA) encourages
the _expression_ of individual opinions, as well as the exchange of different
opinions. The open discussion and the atmosphere promoting academic freedom in
AUA are clearly reflected in our transparent policy, which was the main message
of the AUA President’s letter to the AUA community on December 23, 2020.”

“As an educational institution, AUA has a broad and diverse
constituency, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, and the administration
and trustees. Each member of this institution will have his/her own political
opinion, and we encourage them to discuss, elaborate, and communicate their
views in a respectful manner. However, while respecting the diversity of
opinions among our constituency, as an institution we do not align with any
particular political view. It should be widely understood that AUA does not
take or condone any particular political positions, and it will continue its
mission of supporting the welfare of Armenia and the education of its
students,” the aforementioned letter reads.

Markides also denied the article writer’s claim that the
professors were summoned to her office to be questioned. “We are aware that
there were correspondences, exchanges of ideas, bilateral emotional outbursts
between the two groups of lecturers, who had different political views. After
that, on December 23, in order to confirm the position of the University, I
sent an e-mail to the entire AUA community, in which it was once stated that
the American University of Armenia is an apolitical structure, and it was
clearly emphasized that AUA encourages free _expression_, if, of course, they are
expressed by the lecturer, employee or student as an individual, without acting
on behalf of the University,” said Markides.

In 2018, around the time when Serzh Sargsyan’s political
future was being contested, members of the law and political science (among
other) faculties of AUA sent a letter on behalf of AUA. At the time, the AUA
president did not send similar letters to its community. Second, not only did
the president not send such a letter to the community, the letter by the
professors was posted on on AUA's official news page, newsroom.aua.am.

When asked about the accusations of nepotism, Markides
explained: “Dr. Brian Ellison was admitted to the AUA in July 2019 as Dean of
the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. He now continues to hold the
same position. Before being appointed Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and
Social Sciences, Dr. Ellison had 20 years of leadership experience in higher
education at Missouri State University,
Charleston College,
Appalachian State University, and the University of Idaho.”

“An internal competition for the acting Vice President for
Academic Affairs was announced when the former Vice President Dr. Randall
Rhodes announced his intention to leave his job at AUA on September 1, 2020. At
that time Dr. Ellison had been Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social
Sciences for a year. He was the only internal applicant for the position of
Acting Vice President. He currently works jointly as the Dean of the Faculty of
Humanities and Social Sciences and Vice-President for Academic Affairs. It
should be noted that the Acting Vice-President performs his duties temporarily,
within a clearly defined period, in this case, one year. The search for
candidates for the post of Vice President of the AUA is underway, it will be
completed by the end of the spring semester of 2021,” said Markides.

“As for the vice-president’s wife, let us mention that in
AUA we have full-time and part-time visiting lecturers, we are very glad that
Dr. Elitza Kotseva has joined the AUA faculty as an associate professor of
English, as it is in the University’s best interest to have a specialist like
her. She received her Ph.D. in 2019 from Washington State
University. Kotseva has
filled the vacancy with the approval of the lecturers of the Chair of English
Communication. The process was conducted by the former Vice President for
Academic Affairs Dr. Rhodes. Kotseva has the appropriate qualifications and was
hired in accordance with AUA policy. AUA is always looking for highly qualified
professors such as Kotseva to join its teaching staff.

Markides explained that Rhodes
had served as dean for a total of 17 months. “He had been in that position for
12 months when he was appointed Acting Vice President for Academic Affairs.”

This article appeared in 168.am on January 18, 2020

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5- COMMENTARY:

Almassian:
‘Dear Americans, Stop acting as if you’ve finally defeated fascism, because you have not’

Independent journalist and geopolitical analyst Kevork
Almassian of Syriana Analysis had a number of observations following the
January 21 inauguration of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the United States.

His remarks stemmed from the participation of “three former
two-term U.S.
Presidents—George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton—who sent well wishes
to Joe Biden, and promised to help him in any way needed. The three also spoke
of the importance of a peaceful transition of power and establishing unity
across the nation.”

“I see war criminals who have killed hundreds of thousands
of people in the Middle East and North Africa.
Any person with a minimum level of sanity or logic or ability to just Google
will find that these three presidents have killed or participated in the
killing of thousands of people in the Middle East and North Africa,” said
Almassian, in a scathing Instagram video posted on January 22.

Almassian noted that some people agreed with him. Yet others
said to him, “You have to see the bigger picture.”

“Please tell me what’s the bigger picture?” Almassian
retorted. “George W. Bush lied to the entire world—to the UN Security
Council—and convinced people through the media and through indoctrination and
lies that Iraq
has ‘weapons of mass destruction.’ He prepared people for such a war that
killed up to a million Iraqis. The war in 2003 has never ended!” said
Almassian, who noted that he is not defending Saddam Hussein, whom he called
“the most ignorant person in the balance of power and geopolitics.”

Almassian asked rhetorically again, “Tell me more about the
full picture when Obama in 2011 decided through a CIA program to arm radical
jihadists in Syria.
Why? In order to overthrow his enemy who is Bashar al-Assad.”

Almassian acknowledged, “Again, we know we have a lot of
troubles in the Middle East and we have to
work harder to eradicate radicalism. But what the Americans are doing increases
radicalism. When you increase war, mayhem, unemployment—then radical terrorist
groups come and attract these people. This is not a ‘failure’ of American
foreign policy—they do it on purpose.”

Almassian also touched on Afghanistan, which he said that
before 1979 was a “civil state, a modern state, where people were much more
progressive and very secular.” He said, “What did Americans do? They supported
and funded and armed the Mujaheddin. They invited them into Afghanistan in order to fight the Soviet Union. Americans found in these radical groups a
geopolitical weapon against a government—against enemies such as the Soviet Union—and used the same terrorist groups against
Hafez Assad and then his son Bashar al-Assad.”

Almassian explained that in 2012, the defense intelligence
of the United States
warned President Barack Obama that the forces uniting against Assad were
al-Qaeda. “He didn’t mind. He sent training and weapons to so-called moderate
rebels—an idea that exists only in the imagination of politicians. These
weapons were transferred to al-Qaeda and Isis.”

Almassian said that until 2011, there had been no attacks in
Syria.
“The intervention of the United
States created a deteriorating situation and
pushed people into starvation and radicalism. And now, all of a sudden, Joe
Biden came to power and people are crying on social media because, ‘finally
fascism has been defeated in the United States.’”

Almassian continued, “I mean, for decades, the U.S. foreign
policy has been based on fascism. The U.S. is an empire. And when you are
an empire, you need to exercise your power—hard or soft power. What Clinton,
Bush and Obama did was hard power—and it hurt the people in the Middle East. Trump may not have started any wars. But he
continued the wars his predecessors started. He stopped the CIA funding to
radical jihadists, but diverted the funding to separatist forces in Syria. He
burned the wheat, and occupied oil refineries. He imposed draconian standards
such that now there are queues to fill fuel and get bread.” Almassian explained
that before 2011, Syria
used to export oil and wheat.

He admonished, “So please stop acting as if all of a sudden
Trump brought fascism to the United
States. No, the U.S. is an empire and it is
exercising its power over the world to keep its hegemony. Since China and Russia
are increasing their powers now around the world, the United States
has to increase its military, financial and political capabilities in order to
cope with the rivalries.”

As for Biden, Almassian closed his message sardonically
wiping away invisible tears from his cheeks. “It really annoys me and irritates
me to see all these people celebrating Biden’s inauguration and his
appointment. He’s a warmonger and maniac. He is a war criminal. He participated
with Obama in all this mayhem in the Middle East and North
Africa, and voted for every war in the region. So, please stop
acting as if you defeated fascism. Because you simply replaced one fascist with
another one. You really need to know this information from someone who is a
Syrian, of Armenian origins—a Christian. The foreign policy of the United States
has ruined our lives, our businesses and our future.”

—Transcribed by J.Y.

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6- City of West Hollywood
Unanimously Adopts Resolution Recognizing Artsakh

LOS ANGELES—The City of West Hollywood unanimously adopted a
resolution recognizing the Independent Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh)

With the request and assistance of Armenian-American
journalist, radio host, and activist, Vic Gerami (third column, lower photo,
right), the resolution was sponsored by Councilmember Sepi Shyne (third column,
lower photo, left) and co-sponsored by Mayor Lindsey P. Horvath (second column,
right). The other members of the council
who voted were Mayor Pro Tempore Lauren Meister (second column, left);
Councilmember John D'Amico (third column, top photo, left); and Councilmember
John M. Erickson (third column, top photo, right).

Last year, on October 19, 2020, the West Hollywood City
Council unanimously adopted a resolution (NO. 20-5338) condemning Azerbaijan’s
military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh and in support of a peaceful resolution
to the conflict.

“As a gay Armenian-American, this is one of the most
important and meaningful moments of my life. I can take a minute and exhale
after witnessing Azerbaijan
and Turkey’s
genocidal assault and ethnic cleansing against Armenians of Artsakh since
September 27, 2020,” said Vic Gerami, the host of THE BLUNT POST with VIC on
KPFK 90.7 FM.

He continued, “West Hollywood
is a trailblazer, so I hope that other cities and towns across the country will
follow and stand in solidarity with Artsakh Armenians and their right for
self-determination. I am grateful for Councilmember Shyne and Mayor Horvath and
the three other Councilmembers for passing this monumentally important
resolution unanimously.”

“I want to thank Mayor Horvath for co-sponsoring this very
important Resolution with me and proud of my colleagues for voting in support!
The City of West Hollywood has historically
stood for justice and we did it once again this evening by recognizing the Independence of the Republic of Artsakh.
As an Iranian American, I am proud to stand with and be an ally to the Armenian
community,” said West Hollywood Councilmember Sepi Shyne.

West Hollywood Mayor Lindsey Horvath expressed her
enthusiasm by saying, “This issue has been very important to me personally and
to our City for quite some time. I have previously participated in marches to
commemorate the Armenian genocide. In my first term as Mayor, I introduced an
item directing our City to lower all flags in recognition of Armenian Genocide
Day on its 100th anniversary – a tradition we now continue every year. Last
year, the West Hollywood City Council unanimously adopted a resolution
condemning Azerbaijan’s
military operation in Artsakh and supporting a peaceful resolution to the
conflict.”

She continued, “This year, we are building on the City’s
legacy of respect and support for all people, with special acknowledgment of
the unique atrocities that Armenian people have faced, by calling for formal
recognition of the independence of the Republic of Artsakh. It is my deepest
desire that our Council’s action gives further strength and support to bringing
peace and stability to the region. We must demonstrate our commitment to
standing with people of Armenian descent in our greater Los Angeles region who continue the fight for
freedom. I remain an ally in this struggle and am glad to lead our City in this
important act of solidarity.”

Ten (10) states across the US have recognized the Independent
Republic of Artsakh so far. They are CA, CO, GA, HI, LA, MA, ME, MI, MN, RI.
Cities that have recognized Artsakh include Los Angeles,
Glendale, Fresno
County, Highland,
Gardena, Fort Lee Borough, Fowler, Englewood
Cliffs, Clark County,
Ridgefield, Cliffside Park, and Orange County.

In addition to dozens of cities across the US, hundreds of cities and principalities in France and Italy
have recognized Artsakh, as well as cities in the United
Kingdom, Spain,
Uruguay, and Guatemala.

On November 25, 2020, the French Senate voted 305-1
recognizing the independence of the Republic
of Artsakh, calling upon the US
administration and Congressional leaders to take similar action.

Following the Senate’s vote, on December 3, 2020, France’s
National Assembly approved a resolution calling on the government to recognize
Artsakh as a “republic.” The resolution was adopted in the Assembly with 188
“yes” votes against three “no” votes, while 16 deputies abstained from voting.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************

7- Correction

Correction: In the January 21 issue of The California
Courier, the article "Renowned Humanitarian, Educator Garbis Der-Yeghiayan
Passes Away," it should have stated that Der-Yeghiayan passed away on
January 11; he was born in Aleppo,
Syria.

***********************************************************************************************************************************************

California Courier Online provides viewers of the Armenian News
News Service with a few of the articles in this week's issue of The California
Courier. Letters to the editor are
encouraged through our e-mail address, .
However, authors are requested to provide their names, addresses, and/or
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RFE/RL Armenian Report – 01/25/2021

January 26, 2021January 26, 2021 Mike Maghakian

                                        Monday, 

Armenian Opposition Discussing ‘New Tactic’ For Regime Change

        • Narine Ghalechian

Armenia - Opposition parties hold an anti-government rally in Liberty Square, 
Yerevan, November 18, 2020.

Opposition parties jointly trying to oust Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian are 
discussing ways of reinvigorating their campaign, one of their leaders said on 
Monday.

Ishkhan Saghatelian, who coordinates the work of their Homeland Salvation Front 
alliance, acknowledged that they failed to attract large crowds during 
anti-government demonstrations staged in November and December.

“It is evident that the demand for Nikol Pashinian’s resignation is a popular 
demand,” Saghatelian said. “But so far we have not managed to convert that 
popular demand into a popular struggle.”

“We certainly need a new tactic and are now actively discussing making our 
activities more effective,” he added, answering questions from Facebook users at 
the RFE/RL studio in Yerevan.

Saghatelian dismissed suggestions that many disgruntled Armenians did not take 
part in the recent protests because they feel that the opposition movement is 
led by former Presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Robert Kocharian.

“The movement is not led by individuals and the former presidents in 
particular,” he said, adding that Sarkisian’s Republican Party is only one of 
the more than a dozen opposition groups making up the alliance.


Armenia -- Oposition leaders Ishkhan Saghatelian (L) and Vazgen Manukian (C) 
attend a demonstration outside the prime minister's office in Yerevan, December 
24, 2020.

Among those groups are Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party and the 
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun). Saghatelian heads 
Dashnaktsutyun’s governing body in Armenia.

The alliance blames Pashinian for Armenia’s defeat in the recent war with 
Azerbaijan and wants him to resign and hand over power to an interim government.

The prime minister has rejected the opposition demands, dismissing the 
anti-government rallies as an “elite revolt” not backed by most Armenians. He 
has offered instead to hold fresh parliamentary elections.

Saghatelian reiterated the Homeland Salvation Front’s rejection of the offer. He 
claimed that snap polls held by Pashinian would be “the most disgraceful in 
Armenia’s history.”

“It is clear to [Pashinian] that when a new government takes over in Armenia he 
will stand trial on treason charges. So … he would do everything to rig those 
elections,” said Saghatelian.



Armenian Tax Revenue Down In 2020

        • Robert Zargarian

Armenia -- The entrance to the State Revenue Committee headquarters in Yerevan, 
November 29, 2018.

The Armenian government’s tax revenues fell by 8 percent last year due to an 
economic recession caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the State Revenue 
Committee (SRC) said on Monday.

A senior SRC official, Karen Tamazian, said the government agency collected 
about 1.39 trillion drams ($2.7 billion) in taxes and customs duties, down from 
1.5 trillion drams collected in 2019.

The agency comprising the Armenian tax and customs services thus fell well short 
of its 2020 revenue target of 1.6 trillion drams, which had been set by the 
state budget approved by the parliament in late 2019.

The government anticipated the shortfall in tax revenues already in April as 
Armenia’s economy plunged into recession following the onset of the pandemic. 
The economic crisis was compounded by the six-week war in Nagorno-Karabakh that 
broke out in late September.

Economy Minister Vahan Kerobian said earlier this month that the economy 
contracted by an estimated 8.5 percent in 2020.

The government offset the shortfall with fresh loans obtained from the 
International Monetary Fund and other international lenders. The country’s 
public debt rose by $533 million, to about $7.9 billion, in January-September 
2020. The debt is projected to reach $9.2 billion by the end of this year.

SRC data released last week shows that 72 percent of the government’s 2020 tax 
revenues were generated by Armenia’s 1,000 leading businesses. One of them, the 
Grand Tobacco company, remained the number one taxpayer, paying 50.7 billion 
drams ($97.5 million) in various taxes.

The national gas distribution company owned by Russia’s Gazprom giant was the 
second most important contributor to the state budget, followed by the country’s 
largest mining company, the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC). The SRC 
collected 45.5 billion drams and 41.7 billion drams respectively from these 
companies.



Pro-Government Lawmakers Skeptical About COVID-19 Probe

        • Marine Khachatrian

Armenia - A parliamentary commission tasked with investigating the Armenian 
government's response to the coronavirus pandemic holds its first meeting in 
Yerevan, January 25 ,2021.

Pro-government lawmakers questioned on Monday the need for a parliamentary 
inquiry into the Armenian government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic 
initiated by the opposition.

The two parliamentary opposition parties, Prosperous Armenia (BHK) and Bright 
Armenia (LHK), called for such an inquiry in June as they accused the government 
of mishandling the coronavirus crisis.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s My Step bloc initially opposed the move. But it 
reluctantly agreed afterwards to the creation of an ad hoc parliamentary 
commission tasked with assessing the effectiveness of government efforts to 
contain the spread of COVID-19.

The 12-member commission was formed earlier this month. Although the commission 
is headed by the LHK’s Arkadi Khachatrian, eight of its members are affiliated 
with My Step.

Some of those members voiced skepticism about the probe during the first meeting 
of the panel held on Monday. They said it will not be possible to objectively 
assess the effectiveness of the Armenian authorities’ response to the pandemic 
as long as it has not been irreversibly contained by any country in the world.

“We are being drawn into a process the effectiveness of which has not been 
evaluated in the world,” said one of them, Artak Manukian. “There is no 
[COVID-19] containment model that can be replicated.”

Naira Zohrabian, a commission member representing the opposition BHK, dismissed 
these misgivings, saying that there are many unanswered questions regarding the 
government’s fight against the deadly disease.

“We don’t know what the money from the [government’s] COVID-19 fund has been 
spent on,” said Zohrabian. “We don’t know why ambulances did not react to [calls 
for help,] why people were dying in their homes, why the former health minister 
drew up a list of privileged medical centers and only those centers received 
coronavirus-related government funding.”

Khachatrian reiterated, for his part, that the commission should also look into 
the government’s efforts to alleviate the socioeconomic impact of the pandemic 
and restrictions on civil liberties imposed during and after last spring’s 
nationwide lockdown.

Armenia has been hit hard by the pandemic, with over 166,000 coronavirus cases 
officially confirmed in the country of about 3 million so far. The real number 
of cases is believed to be much higher.

The Armenian Ministry of Health says that more than 3,000 people have died from 
COVID-19. The figure does not include the deaths of 753 other Armenians infected 
with the virus. According to the ministry, they were primarily caused by other 
diseases.

Opposition politicians and other critics of the government say that many of 
these deaths were avoidable.

Pashinian insisted on January 19 that the government has done a good job dealing 
with the coronavirus crisis. He described the Ministry of Health as “one of our 
most efficient agencies.”



Opposition Slams Pashinian’s Reported Choice For Armenian Envoy To U.S.

        • Artak Khulian
        • Harry Tamrazian

Armenia -- Lilit Makunts, the parliamentary leader of the ruling My Step bloc, 
at a news conference in Yerevan, May 6, 2019.

Opposition leaders denounced on Monday Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s reported 
plans to appoint a senior but politically inexperienced lawmaker as Armenia’s 
new ambassador to the United States.

Lilit Makunts, who leads the ruling My Step bloc’s group in the Armenian 
parliament, did not deny media reports about her impending appointment when she 
spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Sunday.

“There is such an issue on the agenda but it is still under discussion,” she 
said.

Makunts, 37, taught English at Russian-Armenian University in Yerevan and did 
not engage in political activities before being appointed as Armenia’s culture 
minister in the wake of the “Velvet Revolution” of April-May 2018 that brought 
Pashinian to power. She held that post until being elected to the parliament on 
My Step’s ticket in December 2018.

The current Armenian ambassador in Washington, Varuzhan Nersesyan, is a career 
diplomat who was handpicked for the post by Pashinian. Nersesyan handed his 
credentials to then President Donald Trump in January 2019.

It is not clear why Pashinian may have decided to replace Nersesyan. The prime 
minister’s office did not comment on Monday on the reports about Makunts’s 
appointment.

Pashinian’s apparent choice of the new ambassador was strongly criticized by 
senior lawmakers from the two opposition parties represented in the parliament.

“I think he is simply trying to get his people out of the country. I mean his 
key loyalists who would definitely be prosecuted [after regime change in 
Armenia,]” claimed Naira Zohrabian of the Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK).

Zohrabian dismissed Makunts as “a woman who only speaks good English.” “Let’s 
hold a contest for the best English speaker and appoint the winner as ambassador 
to the U.S.,” she suggested tartly.

“She is not a diplomat. I don’t know what she will be doing there [in 
Washington,]” said Gevorg Gorgisian of the Bright Armenia Party.

“This is a continuation of the bad old traditions,” Gorgisian complained, 
referring to politically motivated ambassadorial appointments made by Armenia’s 
former leaders.

Pashinian’s reported decision appears to have also prompted criticism from one 
of the two main Armenian-American lobby groups.

“With the stakes so high and the need for serious, seasoned professionals so 
very clear, we cannot afford on-the-job-training, political sinecures, or 
anything other than our very best in high level diplomatic postings,” Aram 
Hamparian, the executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, 
wrote on Facebook.

In her interview with RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, Makunts downplayed her lack of 
diplomatic experience and argued that “political appointments” of ambassadors is 
common practice around the world.

“Experience is certainly very important, but in some cases it does not play a 
central role,” she said.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Nakhchivan Corridor: Implications for Georgia and Iran

January 26, 2021January 26, 2021 Emil Lazarian

Jamestown Foundation

Jan 25 2021

05:21 PM Age: 12 hours

The January 11 trilateral meeting, in Moscow, of Russian President Vladimir Putin, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev focused on the unblocking and development of regional transport corridors in accordance with the Russia-brokered November 9/10 truce accord that ended the 44-day war between Armenia and Azerbaijan (see EDM January 12, 2021; Kremlin.ru, January 11, 2021). In particular, a land route connecting Azerbaijan to its Nakhchivan exclave (wedged between Armenia, Iran and Turkey) is central to the activation of the various underdeveloped or long-abandoned regional transport links. The route in question passes through the Meghri district of the Republic of Armenia and is regularly referred to as the Megri or Nakhchivan corridor. During the Soviet era, the route saw significant regional and international railway and motorway transportation to and from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, as well as Iran and Turkey. However, the outbreak of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict at the turn of the 1990s made those transportation lines largely unusable for three decades (see EDM December 3, 2020).

The reactivation of the Nakhchivan corridor, thus, promises to shake up the transit map of the entire region (Kremlin.ru, November 10, 2020): Armenia will obtain a railway link with Russia via Azerbaijan, which in turn will be linked to Turkey via Armenia, and therefore, Russia and Turkey will eventually be joined by rail. But the Nakhchivan corridor will negatively affect Georgia and Iran, which have for years benefited as important regional transit countries.

The rehabilitation of the route will benefit Russia commercially, militarily and geopolitically. Namely, the state-owned Russian Railways company, which fully took over Armenian railways in 2008 for 30 years, now stands to further gain from that earlier investment. Under the trilateral accord, Russian border troops will control the Nakhchivan corridor. Therefore, Moscow will be motivated to entice freight forwarders to use the Nakhchivan route instead of the recently-launched Azerbaijani-Georgian-Turkish Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railway (Report.az, May 6, 2019). Armenian-Russian transit via Georgia will also be rerouted via the Nakhchivan corridor. Moreover, the resumption of the shorter Armenian-Azerbaijani transit air corridor to replace the Georgian route is another a possibility.

All these developments undermine or reverse the advantages Georgia has enjoyed as the region’s accidental beneficiary of the Karabakh conflict (Ekho Kavkaza, November 10, 2020). Georgian expert Emil Avdaliani voices cautious optimism that the BTK and Nakhchivan corridor could be “more complementary in nature than in opposition to each other” (Daily Sabah, December 9, 2020). However, the reality looks different. In 2019, Georgia objected to Russia’s intentions to influence the BTK railway in two ways. First, Moscow concluded an agreement with Baku and Ankara to transport freight to Turkey using the BTK. Second, it offered to build a connecting station within the Turkish segment of the BTK to replace the active one in Georgia (see EDM, May 16, 2019; Apsny.ge, May 10, 2019). Additionally, Moscow pushed for establishing a railway line to Armenia via Georgia and the latter’s breakaway (Russia-backed) region of Abkhazia. That project later became deadlocked (Jam-news.net, January 14, 2021; Civil.ge, February 27, 2017). But it has now been made entirely irrelevant by the Nakhchivan corridor, signifying Georgia’s diminished transit value and related geopolitical significance. As such, Russian leverage over Georgia has grown.

While Russia still subscribes to what George Kennan once described as the “logic of force,” the Kremlin now tends to first try softer instruments of pressure—one of the lessons it has drawn from the 2008 crisis with Georgia. It will take many years to effectively put into operation the Nakhchivan corridor. So meanwhile, Moscow will seek to use the shifting geopolitical situation to entice Georgia into economic and transit terms that are more beneficial to Russia instead of resorting to blatant coercion. That said, Moscow may still be interested in developing the north-south Russia–Georgia–Armenia railway out of geopolitical (rather than economic) considerations, concurrently with the Russia–Azerbaijan–Armenia line. In turn, Georgia will likely try to use the interim to seek ways to address potential losses from the regional transit corridor reshuffle and reposition itself in the new situation. Indeed, some Georgian and Western experts and officials have already called on Tbilisi to reinstate a friendlier investment climate, especially in response to the government’s controversial cancelations of contracts involving the Anaklia deep-water port and Digital Silk Road projects (Parliament.uk, September 4, 2020; Jam-news.net, September 11, 2020; Caspiannews.com, September 18, 2020; Bm.ge, August 17, 2020; Interpressnews.ge, July 17, 2020; Fas.org, October 13, 2020; State.gov, June 11, 2019; State.gov, accessed ).

Likewise, Iran also stands to lose from the Nakhchivan corridor in certain respects. Initially, Tehran hoped that the new transit route would be limited. In mid-November, Javad Hedayeti, an official with the Iranian Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, downplayed the importance of the corridor saying that it “will likely accommodate just local traffic between Azerbaijan [Republic] and Nakhchivan.” He also expected Armenia to block Turkey’s access to the corridor. In turn, Yahya Rahim Safavi, the head of the Iranian Association of Geopolitics, insisted on “Iran’s unmatched geopolitical position in the world that can connect China, Kazakhstan, Central Asia, and West Asia to the Mediterranean and Europe” (Farsnews.ir, November 18, 2020). Nonetheless, this month’s trilateral Moscow meeting shattered Tehran’s presumptions: the summit concluded with the creation of a task force, co-chaired by deputy prime ministers, that is tasked with quickly developing their transnational transportation infrastructure.

Iran’s geographic location is, indeed, strategic. But the Karabakh conflict and related inactivity of the Nakhchivan corridor had long bolstered the Iranian route. Now, both Turkey and Azerbaijan aim to shrink their dependence on transit across the Islamic Republic. Moreover, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov made clear that Moscow would proceed with the development of direct Armenian-Azerbaijani transport links despite Iranian concerns about its diminishing role as a regional transit state (Mid.ru, December 12, 2020). And even prior to discussions of reopening the Nakhchivan route, Moscow—for multiple reasons and despite prior pledges to Yerevan—was unsupportive of the construction of an Armenian-Iranian railway line (the “South Armenian railway project”), which would have been a link in a longer corridor connecting the Gulf to the Black Sea as part of the North-South Transport Corridor (NSTC). As a result, the NSTC was rerouted via Azerbaijan (see EDM, January 30, 2017 and November 9, 2017; Avim.org.tr, May 24, 2018).

When the Nakhchivan corridor comes online, Iran’s and Georgia’s regional importance and benefits will shrink (see EDM, July 8, 2019, January 28, 2020, June 24, 2020). Consequently, Ankara, Baku and Moscow have sought to appease Tehran and Tbilisi by inviting them to a six-party cooperation platform initiated by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Gfsis.org, January 12, 2021). That offer, however, seems unlikely to make up for those losses.

Russian peacekeepers fulfill job in Nagorno-Karabakh professionally, Baku says

January 26, 2021January 26, 2021 Vicken Chmshkian

TASS, Russia

Jan 26 2021

The Russian peacekeepers are trying to keep balance and open channel of communication between the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides, said Hikmet Hajiyev, an adviser to the Azerbaijani president

WASHINGTON, January 26. /TASS/. Azerbaijan is convinced that the Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno-Karabakh are acting professionally and does not believe that Moscow is using them in an attempt to "exert pressure" on Baku or Yerevan, Hikmet Hajiyev, an adviser to the Azerbaijani president, said.

"So far we have an open dialogue and communication with the Russian peacekeepers. And they fulfill their job in a professional manner," Hajiyev told an online seminar held by the Washington-based Atlantic Council. According to him, the Russian peacekeepers are trying to keep balance and open channel of communication between the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides. "From that perspective we are satisfied," he said.

In comment on whether Russia could use its peacekeepers to put pressure on either Baku or Yerevan, he said: "No."

Renewed clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia erupted on September 27, 2020 with intense battles raging in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been part of Azerbaijan before the Soviet Union break-up, but primarily populated by ethnic Armenians, broke out in February 1988 after the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1992-1994, tensions boiled over and exploded into large-scale military action for control over the enclave and seven adjacent territories after Azerbaijan lost control of them.

On November 9, 2020 Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement on a complete ceasefire in Nagorno-Karabakh starting from November 10. Under the deal, Azerbaijan and Armenia maintained the positions that they had held, some of the districts were handed back to Baku, and the Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the contact line and to the Lachin corridor, which links Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

After the Russian peacekeepers had been deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh, the situation stabilized, as just one ceasefire violation has been reported since. Tens of thousands of Karabakh residents, who fled their homes over fighting, have come back assisted by the peacekeeping contingent.

Armenia, Government of — Moody’s assigns Ba3 rating to Armenia’s US dollar-denominated notes

January 26, 2021January 26, 2021 Karlen Baghdasarian

Yahoo! Finance

Jan 26 2021

Tue, , 3:36 AM·14 min read

Rating Action: Moody's assigns Ba3 rating to Armenia's US dollar-denominated notes

Global Credit Research – 26 Jan 2021

Singapore, — Moody's Investors Service ("Moody's") has assigned a rating of Ba3 to the proposed senior unsecured, US dollar-denominated notes to be issued by the Government of Armenia. The notes will rank pari passu with all of the Government of Armenia's current and future senior unsecured external debt. The proceeds of the notes will be applied toward general governmental purposes.

The rating mirrors the Government of Armenia's long-term issuer rating of Ba3 with a stable outlook.

RATINGS RATIONALE

Armenia's Ba3 issuer rating is underpinned by its robust growth potential with increasingly diverse economic drivers and a lengthening track record of solid macroeconomic management, which raise the country's economic resiliency, and high debt affordability. Implementation of reforms has the potential to raise the quality and credibility of Armenia's institutions, although tangible effects will likely take time.

Balanced against these credit strengths are challenges stemming from the government's moderately high debt burden that is vulnerable to sharp currency depreciation, the small and low-income economy that is exposed to external developments, and latent geopolitical tensions with neighbouring Azerbaijan. These challenges have been amplified by the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in economic contraction in 2020. The high, albeit gradually declining, level of dollarisation in the economy also leaves Armenia and its banking sector exposed to external shocks, although the central bank has introduced measures that promote de-dollarisation.

FACTORS THAT COULD LEAD TO AN UPGRADE OR DOWNGRADE OF THE RATING

Upward pressure on Armenia's rating would stem from further reforms that were to raise economic competitiveness and institutional credibility and effectiveness beyond Moody's current expectations. This would in part materialise through greater levels of private investment and increased transparency of and trust in institutions, including in the judiciary. A structural narrowing of the current account deficit and improvement in Armenia's external position, including through higher competitiveness and foreign direct investment, would also contribute to upward pressure on the rating. An increase in government revenue arising from fiscal reforms beyond Moody's expectations, that would support the government's debt carrying capacity, would additionally put upward pressure on the rating.

Downward pressure on Armenia's rating would emerge if there was a loss of reform momentum, which would likely transpire through weaker confidence in institutions and fiscal slippage removing prospects that the government debt burden will decline over the medium term. An increase in external vulnerability risk, such as a sustained increase in current account deficits that resulted in declining foreign exchange reserve adequacy, would additionally contribute to downward pressure on the rating. A renewed escalation of the conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory would also put negative pressure on the rating if it materially impacts economic or fiscal fundamentals.

This credit rating and any associated review or outlook has been assigned on an anticipated/subsequent basis. Please see the most recent credit rating announcement posted on the issuer's page on www.moodys.com, under the research tab, for related economic statistics included in rating announcements published after June 3, 2013.

This credit rating and any associated review or outlook has been assigned on an anticipated/subsequent basis. Please see the most recent credit rating announcement posted on the issuer's page on www.moodys.com, under the research tab, for related summary rating committee minutes included in rating announcements published after June 3, 2013.

The principal methodology used in this rating was Sovereign Ratings Methodology published in November 2019 and available at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1158631. Alternatively, please see the Rating Methodologies page on www.moodys.com for a copy of this methodology.

The weighting of all rating factors is described in the methodology used in this credit rating action, if applicable.

REGULATORY DISCLOSURES

For further specification of Moody's key rating assumptions and sensitivity analysis, see the sections Methodology Assumptions and Sensitivity to Assumptions in the disclosure form. Moody's Rating Symbols and Definitions can be found at: https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_79004.

For ratings issued on a program, series, category/class of debt or security this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to each rating of a subsequently issued bond or note of the same series, category/class of debt, security or pursuant to a program for which the ratings are derived exclusively from existing ratings in accordance with Moody's rating practices. For ratings issued on a support provider, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the credit rating action on the support provider and in relation to each particular credit rating action for securities that derive their credit ratings from the support provider's credit rating. For provisional ratings, this announcement provides certain regulatory disclosures in relation to the provisional rating assigned, and in relation to a definitive rating that may be assigned subsequent to the final issuance of the debt, in each case where the transaction structure and terms have not changed prior to the assignment of the definitive rating in a manner that would have affected the rating. For further information please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page for the respective issuer on www.moodys.com.

For any affected securities or rated entities receiving direct credit support from the primary entity(ies) of this credit rating action, and whose ratings may change as a result of this credit rating action, the associated regulatory disclosures will be those of the guarantor entity. Exceptions to this approach exist for the following disclosures, if applicable to jurisdiction: Ancillary Services, Disclosure to rated entity, Disclosure from rated entity.

The rating has been disclosed to the rated entity or its designated agent (s) and issued with no amendment resulting from that disclosure.

This rating is solicited. Please refer to Moody's Policy for Designating and Assigning Unsolicited Credit Ratings available on its website www.moodys.com.

Regulatory disclosures contained in this press release apply to the credit rating and, if applicable, the related rating outlook or rating review.

Moody's general principles for assessing environmental, social and governance (ESG) risks in our credit analysis can be found at https://www.moodys.com/researchdocumentcontentpage.aspx?docid=PBC_1243406.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the EU and is endorsed by Moody's Deutschland GmbH, An der Welle 5, Frankfurt am Main 60322, Germany, in accordance with Art.4 paragraph 3 of the Regulation (EC) No 1060/2009 on Credit Rating Agencies. Further information on the EU endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

The Global Scale Credit Rating on this Credit Rating Announcement was issued by one of Moody's affiliates outside the UK and is endorsed by Moody's Investors Service Limited, One Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5FA under the law applicable to credit rating agencies in the UK. Further information on the UK endorsement status and on the Moody's office that issued the credit rating is available on www.moodys.com.

Please see www.moodys.com for any updates on changes to the lead rating analyst and to the Moody's legal entity that has issued the rating.

Please see the ratings tab on the issuer/entity page on www.moodys.com for additional regulatory disclosures for each credit rating.

Nishad Harshit Majmudar AVP-Analyst Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077 Marie Diron MD - Sovereign Risk Sovereign Risk Group JOURNALISTS: 44 20 7772 5456 Client Service: 44 20 7772 5454 Releasing Office: Moody's Investors Service Singapore Pte. Ltd. 50 Raffles Place #23-06 Singapore Land Tower Singapore 48623 Singapore JOURNALISTS: 852 3758 1350 Client Service: 852 3551 3077

Perspectives | The EU and Karabakh: Picking up the pieces, looking for a role

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 Lilit Nahapetian

EurasiaNet.org

Jan 20 2021

| Eurasianet

Among the winners and losers of the Second Karabakh War, Europe – and specifically the European Union – is unanimously regarded as falling into the latter category. Confronted with a major conflict in the body’s “Eastern Partnership” zone, the EU was able to do little other than issue statements of concern. Russia and Turkey, meanwhile, acted and decided outcomes.

In Armenia, trust and aspirations focused on the EU collapsed as Europe was condemned for its passivity and, by implication, complicity in Armenia’s defeat. In Azerbaijan, the EU – guilty by association with European media or statements from individual member-states – was condemned for pro-Armenian bias. If there was one thing the two conflicting sides could reach a consensus on, it was European hypocrisy.

Constrained engagement

It was inevitable that the EU found itself sidelined in the war. This reflects a much longer-term dynamic in which the EU has been peripheral to the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in ways that make this context different from others in Eurasia.

There has never been an EU membership perspective for either Armenia or Azerbaijan. Rather, the EU’s bilateral relationships with both states have always been marked by ambivalence. In the Azerbaijani case, extensive energy ties have never translated into influence in the sphere of governance, instead granting Azerbaijan considerable normative autonomy. In the Armenian case, the depth and breadth of ties with Russia has strictly narrowed the horizons of the Armenia-EU relationship.

And whereas the EU has directly confronted Russia in Eurasia’s other conflicts, in this case Euro-Atlantic actors have found themselves in an uneasy alliance with Russia as outside powers with a common interest in avoiding a major war. Without the Russia factor, this conflict has lacked a clear geopolitical or affective narrative easily recognizable to Europeans.

The EU also has no clear mandate in this conflict. It has an unclear symbolic presence within the Minsk Group through the individual voices of five EU member-states. Only one of these, France, features in the permanent troika of co-chairs that, together with Russia and the United States, leads the Group. In practice this has resulted in the EU becoming implicated in France’s narrower national agenda. The other four member states (Germany, Italy, Sweden and Finland) are present only in the Group’s outer circle, which to date has played no role.

Outside the Minsk Group, the EU had in the last several years found a niche supporting civil society-led peacebuilding programs, but these efforts were hamstrung by a deteriorating security climate and constraints on civil society activism in Azerbaijan.

Finally, as the recent war vividly demonstrated, in the hard power politics of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict there is simply no obvious role for a soft power actor like the EU – other than picking up the tab for post-war reconstruction and development.

New post-war barriers

These barriers to EU involvement have if anything been made even more impassable as a result of the war, even as Europe is regularly called upon to do more.

Most obviously, the regionalization of the conflict has seen an international coalition that tried (however dysfunctionally) to mediate replaced by a conflict management system controlled to all intents and purposes by Russia and in which Turkey has a newly powerful voice.

A multilateral dynamic involving the OSCE – the principal body through which European states had been able to influence the situation – has all but vanished. European irrelevance has, furthermore, been starkly compounded by the absence of the United States.

The most that currently appears plausible is that the OSCE and EU might contribute to a quiet “multilateralization” of the new situation, given that the new context establishes many more new interfaces between Armenian and Azerbaijani spaces, communities and politics than either Russia or Turkey have the capacity or will to moderate.

Calls for the EU to be engaged therefore need to be realistic, and to recognize that its role will be limited. All the previous constraints on EU entry into this conflict not only remain in place, but have been strengthened by a significant sense of disappointment by both warring parties.

For many in Azerbaijan, the French Senate vote of November 25, 2020, calling on the French government to recognize Nagorno Karabakh compromised France’s impartiality as mediator. In Armenia, following European countries’ inaction during the war many no longer see the EU as a normative power or club to aspire to.

Rebuilding trusted engag

Crisis has come to already questionable assumptions of a long-term relationship between each of the parties and the EU based on ethics and values. To begin to rebuild these ties, it may be necessary to revert initially to a more transactional relationship based on consistency, competency and predictability.

The November 10 ceasefire statement presented a kind of vision for a new regional order. The shape of this new order was further expanded in the statement following the January 11 meeting of Presidents Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, which set in motion the creation of communications links between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

One area where the EU can contribute is through mobilizing relevant expertise, skills and resources drawing on the EU’s considerable experience of post-war stabilization in order to support best practice in sustainable regional design. There have also been proposals for the EU to offset financial risk for investment through mechanisms such as a development bank.

A transactional approach has largely defined the EU-Azerbaijani relationship to date, and it may now redefine the EU-Armenian relationship. Over the long-term, however, the EU should invest in trust by supporting actions and local actors who espouse values of accountability, pluralism and tolerance.

One way to do this is for the EU to support long-term, civil society-led change. Another way is for the EU to support the investigation of alleged war crimes and atrocities during the recent war, and thereby to challenge the cycle of impunity that has blocked dialogue for so long. There have been calls for a truth commission on the Armenian side. Supporting such endeavors to arrive at a collective and consensual record of what happened is a critical area where European actors can contribute.

Contributing to a regional strategy

There are epochal changes underway in the regional structure and infrastructure of the South Caucasus, a long-fractured region that is now being transformed in a highly geopoliticized, top-down way. Local aspirations and the ‘soft’ ties on which regional coherence ultimately depends risk being lost.

The EU can mitigate this risk, both by playing a networking role among disparate actors and by nurturing a soft regionalism supporting informal initiatives to encourage trade, people-to-people contacts, and educational and cultural exchanges. The new environment has created new possibilities to move away from top-down geopolitics toward a more networked regionalism, one that embraces all of the region’s actors and neighbors.

The EU needs to be realistic in terms of what it can achieve, but also to remember two key assets: First, the EU represents an alternative to hegemonic regionalism. In a region bruised by rivalries and great power frictions, the EU’s offer to Armenia and Azerbaijan is more horizontal and consensual. Second, the EU has no ambitions to a monopoly on the region. Rather, its interventions have intergovernmentality at their core, working with other governments, organizations and mandates towards a denser infrastructure conducive to peace. Slowly, a strategy of regional suture could emerge – if all parties seize the opportunity.

Laurence Broers is the Caucasus program director at Conciliation Resources, a London-based peace-building organization and the author of several books on the region including Armenia and Azerbaijan: Anatomy of a Rivalry.

Secretary of State Nominee Questioned on Turkey and Nagorno-Karabakh

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 Albert Nalbandian

Jan 20 2021

01/20/2021 United States (International Christian Concern) – This week, the U.S. Senate is holding confirmation hearings for President Joe Biden’s cabinet nominees, including his nominee for Secretary of State, Antony Blinken. During Blinken’s hearing, Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) specifically questioned him regarding the U.S.-Turkey alliance amidst Turkish domestic abuses of human rights and its aggressions in Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh).

The senator listed several human rights violations committed by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government and concerning Turkish military aggressions in the Middle East. Senator Menendez asked Blinken if he was “clear-eyed” on the status of the Turkish alliance, to which Blinken said he was and that Turkey was an ally who has not been acting like an ally.

In his comments, Menendez heavily criticized the Trump Administration’s approach to Turkey, saying President Trump had “coddled” Erdogan.

Senator Menendez has long been an ally of Armenian Christians, advocating for the U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide of 1915 and condemning Turkey’s aggressions in Nagorno-Karabakh, even going as far as to call out the war crimes of Turkish ally Azerbaijan in the conflict.

In accordance with Blinken’s comments during the hearing, the incoming Biden Administration is poised to take a harsher stance on the Turkish alliance. Especially with allies like Senator Menendez in Congress, a Biden state department headed by a Secretary Blinken will signal a staunch shift in U.S. attitudes towards Erdogan.

https://www.persecution.org/2021/01/20/secretary-state-nominee-questioned-turkey-nagorno-karabakh/

Talaat Pasha street renamed in Paphos following complaints from Armenian and Pontian communities

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 Babken Chilingarian

Greek City Times

Jan 20 2021

Armenian PM calls for deeper ties with Russia

January 25, 2021January 25, 2021 Eduard Nalbandian

TASS, Russia

Jan 20 2021

Earlier, both the prime minister and other high-ranking Armenian officials had repeatedly reiterated Russia’s key role in the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement.

YEREVAN, January 20. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has called to deepen ties with Russia, he said speaking at the parliament on Wednesday.

"Our cooperation with the Russian Federation in the security field is certainly at the most intensive and highest level. The issue on our agenda is to deepen the military and political alliance with the Russian Federation," he indicated.

Earlier, both the prime minister and other high-ranking Armenian officials had repeatedly reiterated Russia’s key role in the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement.

The trilateral statement signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on November 9, 2020 stopped fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, which had been raging in the region since September 27. Under the deal, Azerbaijan and Armenia maintained the positions that they had held, some of the districts were handed over to Baku, and Russian peacekeepers were deployed along the contact line and to the Lachin corridor, which links Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. This ceasefire agreement sparked protests among the opposition that labeled the statement as a capitulation act and demanded that Pashinyan should immediately resign.

After Russian peacemakers had been deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh, the situation stabilized, as just one ceasefire violation has been reported since. Tens of thousands of Karabakh residents, who fled their homes over fighting, have come back assisted by the peacekeeping contingent.