Category: 2021

Armenia ruling faction again thwarts opposition initiative to set up parliament committee on Artsakh issue

Khoyetsian Rose
News.am, Armenia
Sept 10 2021
14:21, 10.09.2021

The parliamentary opposition—the “Armenia” and “With Honor” Factions—again proposed, at Friday’s special meeting of the National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, to set up a parliamentary standing committee on the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) issue.

According to this opposition’s respective view voiced by Aghvan Vardanyan, an MP of the “Armenia” Faction, the setting up of this committee will be a unique message for Armenia’s neighbors, particularly for Azerbaijan. The lawmaker believes that the forming of this parliamentary committee will make Azerbaijan realize that the Karabakh issue continues to be a top priority for Armenia.

However, the Armenian parliamentary majority—the “Civil Contract” Faction—had a different opinion. Accordingly, its MP Vigen Khachatryan recalled that the NAs of Armenia and Artsakh fully cooperate within the framework of the interdepartmental committee that has been set up for that purpose, whereas the setting up of this parliamentary standing committee on Artsakh, according to Khachatryan and a number of other MPs from the ruling majority, will reduce the importance of this interdepartmental committee and bilateral cooperation.

After rather long and heated discussions, the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, represented by the ruling faction, gave a negative conclusion to this initiative proposed by the parliamentary opposition. Accordingly, four MPs supported this initiative, whereas seven others abstained.

David Babayan to Karekin II: Artsakh has always felt Armenian Apostolic Church’s support

Ara Felekian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 10 2021
17:23, 10.09.2021

ETCHMIADZIN. – Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on Friday received, at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), David Babayan.

The Information System of the Mother See informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that the Catholicos conveyed his appreciation to the FM for attending the international conference being held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, and which provides an opportunity to present to those in attendance the challenges and problems facing Artsakh.

The Catholicos informed the minister that during this period, the representatives of the sister churches of the Armenian Apostolic Church had also carried out activities to voice at international instances the aggression of Azerbaijan against both Artsakh and Armenia.

Also, Karekin II noted that the general secretary of the World Council of Churches and the president of the Conference of European Churches were informed about the work of the Mother See in preserving the spiritual and cultural treasures of Artsakh.

In his turn, FM Babayan emphasized that Artsakh has always felt the support of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and attached great importance and appreciation to it.

In addition, he stressed the importance of organizing such conferences through which Artsakh can become more recognizable on international platforms.

Armenia Syunik Province governor on photo showing Azerbaijani police station set up in Vorotan section of border

Garo Vardanian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 10 2021
23:21, 10.09.2021

The Azerbaijanis have set up a police station in their territory of Vorotan section. This is what Governor of Syunik Province of Armenia Melikset Poghosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am, touching upon the photos being posted on the Internet showing an Azerbaijani police station, and according to rumors going around, the police station was set up in the section of the Goris-Kapan road that the Azerbaijanis had closed off a few days ago.

“There is a police station in the Vorotan section, I’m coming from there. The shack is in their territory — on the road leading from Goris to Kapan. Russian and Azerbaijani border guards are controlling that section. I just noticed it. I went and saw that it’s in their territory. It was initially a station, and the shack is an addition. There is no danger. It’s under the Russians’ control,” the regional governor informed.

Armenia says ready for talks with Turkey on mending ties

Garnik Zakarian
Business Recorder
Sept 9 2021
AFP 09 Sep 2021

YEREVAN: Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday that Armenia was prepared to hold discussions on repairing relations with Turkey, a longstanding foe of the ex-Soviet country.

Armenia and Turkey never established diplomatic ties and their shared border has been closed since the 1990s.

Their relationship is strained by WWI-era mass killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire, atrocities Armenia insists amount to a genocide.

It has deteriorated more recently over Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan, which fought a brief but brutal war with Armenia last year for control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Pashinyan said Wednesday that recent comments from Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s represented an “opportunity for a conversation on settling relations.”

“We stand ready for such a discussion,” he told a cabinet meeting.

Erdogan said last month that Ankara was willing to work towards normalising ties with Armenia if Yerevan “declares its readiness to move in this direction.”

Armenia and Turkey’s ally Azerbaijan fought a six-week war over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which claimed some 6,500 lives.

Russia brokered a ceasefire that saw Yerevan cede swathes of territory it had controlled for decades.

California Man Agrees to Plead Guilty in Federal Hate Crime Case for Attacking Family-Owned Restaurant and Making Death Threats

Jirair Kafian
Sept 8 2021
Department of Justice
Office of Public Affairs
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 8, 2021

A California man has agreed to plead guilty today to federal criminal charges for attacking five victims at a family-owned Turkish restaurant last year while shouting anti-Turkish slurs, hurling chairs at the victims and threatening to kill them, Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division and Acting U.S. Attorney Tracy Wilkison of the Central District of California announced.

William Stepanyan, 23, of Glendale, has agreed to plead to one count of conspiracy and one hate crime charge, according to a plea agreement filed Monday in U.S. District Court. He is expected to enter a guilty plea to the felony charges in the coming weeks.

Turkey and Armenia are two neighboring countries in the Caucasus region of Asia that have historically experienced significant conflict, part of which has stemmed from Turkey’s support of Azerbaijan in its border conflict with Armenia. When a new war broke out between Armenian and Azeri military forces in September 2020, tensions in Turkish and Armenian communities escalated worldwide, including in the United States. Numerous protests and counter-protests, pitting individuals of Armenian and Turkish descent against one another, took place in Los Angeles County.

According to his plea agreement, on Nov. 4, 2020, Stepanyan, who is Armenian-American, sent a text message saying that he planned to go “hunting for [T]urks.” Later that day, Stepanyan met with his co-defendant Harutyun Harry Chalikyan, 24, of Tujunga, and other Armenian-Americans to protest what they considered to be Turkish aggression against Armenians, express their contempt for Turkey and show their support for Armenia.

Stepanyan, Chalikyan and other Armenian-Americans then drove to the family-owned restaurant, where Stepanyan and Chalikyan stormed into the restaurant and attacked the victims inside. Stepanyan and Chalikyan, who were both wearing masks during the attack, flung chairs at the victims while shouting derogatory slurs about Turkish people. Four of the five victims were of Turkish descent. At least one of the defendants threatened to kill the victims, shouting: “We came to kill you! We will kill you!”

During the attack, multiple victims were injured, including one individual who lost feeling in their legs and collapsed multiple times due to the injury. Also during the attack, Stepanyan ripped out the restaurant’s computer terminals and stole a victim’s iPhone.

The restaurant suffered at least $20,000 in damage and had to close temporarily, resulting in thousands of dollars in lost revenue.

After he enters the guilty pleas to the two felony offenses, Stepanyan will face a statutory maximum sentence of 15 years in federal prison.

Chalikyan is scheduled to go on trial in this matter on Oct. 26. He has pleaded not guilty to one count of conspiracy and five hate crime charges.

The FBI conducted the investigation in this matter and received substantial assistance from the Beverly Hills Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Lindsey Greer Dotson of the Public Corruption and Civil Rights Section, and Trial Attorney Michael J. Songer of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division are prosecuting the case.

Topic(s): 
Hate Crimes
Component(s): 
Civil Rights Division
Civil Rights – Criminal Section
Press Release Number: 
21-844
  

Covid-19: Armenia back to EU’s “red zone”

Edgar Tavakalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 9 2021

September 9, 2021, 15:41

 

Due to the sharp increase in the prevalence of COVID-19, Armenia has moved to EU’s “red zone,” the Ministry of Health reports.

once again found itself in an epidemically dangerous “red” zone, which could lead to tightening of entry rules for Armenian nationals.

The European Center for Disease Control and Prevention (ECDC) updates the list of epidemiologically safe countries every two weeks, taking into account the COVID-19 situation, the number of new cases and vaccinations.


At the beginning of summer Armenia was moving from the “red” to the “green” zone, but due to the rapid spread of the new Delta variant within a month, Armenia is again considered an insecure country from an epidemiological point of view.

​EU-funded conference on Increased Resilience of Syrian Armenians and Host Population held in Yerevan

Garnik Tadevosian
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 9 2021

EU-funded conference on Increased Resilience of Syrian Armenians and Host Population held in Yerevan

 September 9, 2021, 17:23 

Today the Increased Resilience of Syrian Armenians and Host Population – IRIS Programme Final Conference took place in Yerevan.

The project aimed to enhance the economic integration of Syrian-Armenians and the host population by raising the competitiveness of the local economy by stimulating innovation and entrepreneurial spirit in Armenia.

“I believe that this support from the EU Regional Trust Fund in response to the Syrian Crisis and joint efforts of the founding organizations helped to facilitate and strengthen the economic integration of Syrian Armenians, migrants, repatriates and local entrepreneurs, contributing to the growth of Armenian SME sector. I hope that this experience would be useful for replication within different similar projects in the future,” said the Head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador H.E Andrea Wiktorin in her welcoming speech.

The EU IRIS programme was implemented from July 2018 to July 2021 and was consisting of four main components: Economic integration, Housing Support, Information Services, Social Inclusion. The objective of the programme was to improve social and economic integration of Syrian Armenians and host population and to strengthen institutional capacities for economic growth in Armenia.

During 36 months Armenian Red Cross Society achieved the following:

  • 270 families received housing rental subsidies
  • sustainable housing models were developed for low and medium income families,
  • 100 Syrian and local Armenians participated in paid traineeships activities, from which 77 received job offers afterwards
  • 200 older people received food and hygiene parcels on quarterly basis
  • Psycho-social Support (PSS) Centre of Armenian Red Cross Society established and provided personal PSS support to 361, and offered group-based integration activities to 735 Syrian Armenian children and adults, as well as to more than 40‘000 people affected by COVID-19 and escalation of Nagorno Karabakh conflict
  • 631 teachers / partner organisations‘ & state body employees participated in Psychological First Aid trainings
  • 9‘000 pupils and teachers were reached through educational activities
  • 430 youth were empowered through capacity building and Seed Grant sub-projects.

Armenian Caritas and SME Cooperation Association established EU IRIS Business Incubator foundation as a separate entity which provides full cycle of business incubation including trainings, coaching, mentoring and access to the finance in form of grants and loans. As a result of two calls 102 entrepreneurs have been supported through IRIS Academy, and AMD 449’000’000 has been allocated for their businesses in form of grants and loans.

The Centre for Coordination of Syrian Armenians’ Issues with its InfoHub made sure that all services available and provided by different organizations were bundled and shared with all Syrian Armenians.

The IRIS programme is funded by the European Union through the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian Crisis (the ‘MADAD’ Fund), Austrian Development Cooperation and Austrian Red Cross and is being implemented by the consortium led by Austrian Red Cross and consisting of “Armenian Caritas” Benevolent NGO, Armenian Red Cross Society, Centre for Coordination of Syrian Armenians’ Issues and SME Cooperation Association.

Tombs with ancient artefacts uncovered in Armenia’s Vanadzor

Talar Tumanian
Public Radio of Armenia
Sept 9 2021
September 9, 2021, 12:43

Tombs containing ancient relics have been uncovered during construction works in Vanadzor’s Khndzorut district, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport informs.

Jars and jugs, human and animal bones have been found in the tombs.

The findings date back to the Late Bronze Age or Early Iron Age, says Meline Simonyan, coordinator of the archeological works.

The artefacts have been moved to the laboratory of the Historical and Cultural Heritage Research Center for further study and restoration, after which they will be handed over to the Lori-Pambak Geological Museum.

The construction works will now proceed under the supervision of the Ministry’s specialists, and if necessary, complete excavations will be carried out in the discovered tombs.

Armenia claims three medals at CIS Games

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 9 2021

The representatives of Armenia have claimed one silver and two bronze medals in the Games of the CIS (the Commonwealth of Independent States) Countries underway in Russia’s Kazan, Armsport reported.  

Hayk Babayan won silver in the event of the 10 meter air pistol shooting. The Armenian athlete scored 623.1 points and went through the Finals. In the Finals, Babayan maintained his position and took the second place. 

The two bronze medals were secure by Armenian Muay Thai athletes Narek Khachikyan and Lucy Ter-Davtyan, competing in the 60kg and 63.5kg weight classes respectively. 

As of September 9, the Armenian team has claimed 12 medals, 5 silver and 7 bronze among them. 

To note, the inaugural edition of the 2020 Games of the CIS Countries is held in Kazan on September 4-11 and envisaged competitions in 22 sports for athletes between the age of 14 and 23 contesting 280 sets of medals.

National Democratic Axis Party to hold rally in Yerevan on Oct. 1

Bedik Zaminian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 9 2021

The National Democratic Axis Pan-Armenian Party will hold an anti-government rally and a march in Yerevan on 1 October, resuming its “active struggle”.

In a statement on Thursday, the party said the move is conditioned by the imperative to prevent in every way possible the signing and implementation of “destructive documents by the treacherous regime” in the coming months.

It said the ultimate goal of its struggle is to “oust the regime” and form a national transitional government.

The first rally and march will be held on October 1, at 6pm, at the Liberty Square, it said.

“We urge our compatriots joining the struggle to take into account the fact that the process will be difficult and long, so it is necessary to be resilient and patient,” the statement reads.