Category: 2021

The servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping contingent ensured the safety of more than 60 pilgrims during a visit to the Amaras monastery complex near the line of demarcation of the parties in Artsakh, the Russian defense ministry reported. 

“The personnel of the Russian peacekeeping contingent performs the task of ensuring the safety of pilgrims at the Amaras complex. Pilgrims arrive both centralized as part of a column, and by private vehicles,” said Viktor Kulikov, a representative of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.

Peacemakers ensure the safety of pilgrims while traveling and visiting the Amaras monastery complex and during church services.

“We came from Armenia, we really wanted to come, but there were problems with fear and the opportunity to come, but thanks to the peacekeepers that we were able to calmly come here. We calmly drove all the way, it was just morally difficult for us, but we see that peacekeepers are fulfilling their tasks and we are calm about it. They are very generous and even asked about our well-being in Armenian. Thank them for this, ” said pilgrim Gayane Mkhitoryan.

“Everything is fine with security now, with the presence of peacekeepers, they are here every major service. The services are held in peace. Seeing the Russian flags, we feel free, we feel friendship and, most importantly, security, ” said the deacon of the Amaras monastery, Vilen Grigoryan.

Russian peacekeepers escorted pilgrims from Stepanakert to the Martuni district who attended a service at the monastery of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the source said. 

The Office of the Armenian Human Rights Defender has again registered excerpts from the public speeches of the President of Azerbaijan (given in Absheron on August 26, 2021, and in Shushi on August 31) which generate Aremonphobia and enmity. The materials in Armenian and English were sent to the National Assembly of Armenia, to the executive authorities as well as to the NGOs, for the purpose of suing them in their activities. 

As Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan reported, the studies of the Office of the Human Rights Defender and the monitoring of materials in Azerbaijani prove that the President of Azerbaijan continues to generate Armenophobia against the residents of Armenia and Artsakh, and the entire Armenian population by his public speeches and statements; the President of Azerbaijan threatens the Armenian population and makes insulting and aggressive expressions- his speeches are obviously fascistic.

“The killings, tortures and the atrocities that the servicemen of the Azerbaijani armed forces committed against the Armenian servicemen and civilians are the direct consequence of that policy. The violations of the rights of the border residents of Armenia are the direct consequences of that policy as well. Moreover, the monitoring proves that after each such speech or statement, shootings occur on the border villages of Armenia and on the Armenian positions located in their immediate vicinity; the tensions on the border increase, as a result of which servicemen are injured and killed,” according to the statement. 

It is noted that the Office of the Human Rights Defender conducts a continuous study of the speeches and statements of the Azerbaijani authorities for the purpose of documenting the evidences of their policy of Armenophobia and enmity.

The materials are studied from their primary sources in Azerbaijani and conducted for the purpose of preventing human rights violations and eliminating existing ones.

Challenging political and military situation is developing in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO)’s area of responsibility, with the most unfavorable conditions manifested on the Tajik-Afghan border, Colonel General Anatoly Sidorov, Chief of the CSTO Joint Staff, stated on Tuesday, according to TASS news agency report. Sidorov’s remarks came at the opening ceremony of the Rubezh-2021 military exercises.

“The political and military situation in the CSTO responsibility zone remains tense. The most disadvantaged situation is in the Central Asian region, which is developing amid the Taliban’s (banned in Russia) takeover of Afghanistan, bordering Tajikistan. A high level of activity of international terrorism and religious extremism also persists in the region,” according to Sidorov.

Joint exercises with the Collective Rapid Deployment Forces of the Central Asian region of collective security (CAR CRDF) ‘Rubezh-2021’ started today on the Edelweiss training range in Kyrgyzstan. The participants will practice conducting combat operations to destroy illegal armed formations that have invaded the territory of one of the CSTO countries.

The board of Homeland party has decided to set up a special committee that would deal with Artsakh Republic issues. As the party said  in a released statement, the Committee will operate as a structureal unit within the party. 

It is noted that being committed to create a common platform for the Artsakh issues as well as to launch the process of consolidation all healthy political and non-governmental forces of Armenia and Artsakh concerned with the security of the two Armenian states, the Board of Homeland party decided on September 6, 2021 to set up Committee on Artsakh issues as a party structural unit.

To remind, earlier the Homeland faction initiated setting up a Standing Committee on Artsakh in the Armenian parliament which was declined by the ruling force. 

Azerbaijani forces deployed near the Karmir Shuka and Taghavard settlements of the Martuni region of the Artsakh Republic opened fire at the Armenian positions and peaceful settlements on Monday, at around 7:30pm, Artsakh Human Rights Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

The house of one of the residents of the Taghavard community was damaged in the Azerbaijani shooting. 3 bullets hit the wall of the house, while 1 bullet hit the window of one of the bedrooms.

6 civilians, including a minor, live in the house damaged as a result of the shooting, the ombudsman said.

After midnight, the Azerbaijani side continued shooting, but no casualties and material damage were reported.

Russian peacekeepers and the Artsakh law enforcement agencies were notified of the incident.

“The Azerbaijani positions deployed in the vicinity of peaceful settlements pose an immediate and real threat to the life, health and other vital rights of the Artsakh people and disrupt the normal life and activities of the people living in these settlements,” Stepanyan said, underlining that the failure to hold the perpetrators accountable leads to recurrence of such incidents.

“A comprehensive investigation of all ceasefire violation cases, including with the involvement of Russian peacekeepers, is extremely urgent,” he said.

Artsakh rescuers found the remains of two more Armenian soldiers as a result of their search operations for the 2020 Artsakh war casualties on Tuesday, September 7.

The remains were retrieved from the Varanda (Fizuli) region, the State Service of Emergency Situations of Artsakh’s Interior Ministry reported.

The bodies are yet to be identified through a forensic medical examination, the source said.

Since the end of hostilities, a total of 1,659 bodies of Armenian soldiers and civilians have been found and recovered from the Artsakh territories temporarily occupied by Azerbaijan as a result of the 44-day war unleashed by it.

The air was filled with high-quality Armenian music sounds at the Dubai Opera on 5 September. The Armenian State Symphony Orchestra (ASSO), led by its Artistic Director and Principal Conductor Sergey Smbatyan, and world-renowned violinist Sergey Khachatryan brilliantly performed prominent Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto at the luxurious Dubai Opera hall.

The performance drew shouts of “Bravo!” from the audience. For a long time, the foreign audience did not allow the soloist and the conductor to leave the stage. In response to the applause, Sergey Khachatryan performed “Havun, Havun” by Gregory of Narek, filling the Dubai Opera with medieval Armenian melodies.

Aram Khachaturian wrote the concerto in 1940. It has been performed on different stages of the world, being greatly loved by audiences.

Speaking to Panorama.am, Sergey Khachatryan, thanks also to whom Armenia and Armenian culture are known, confessed that he loves Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto and has performed the composition in different countries of the world.

“I am glad that we can participate in such an international festival with the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra today as well and present the masterpieces of Armenian composers to foreign audiences,” he said.

Asked whether the nationality of a musician performing Khachaturian’s Violin Concerto makes any difference, the violinist said there is probably a difference, adding maybe the Armenians, being familiar with the Armenian music and carrying it in their genes, perform it differently.

“If you grew up listening to Armenian classical music, you are familiar with national music, you have those elements of folk music in your mind, you understand it better, but of course, foreigners can also perform the concerto brilliantly,” Khachatryan said.

Referring to further programs, the violinist said that there are no specific concerts planned yet, but he plans to come to Armenia by the end of the year to perform for art lovers. Sergey Khachatryan did not unveil other plans, saying that they are still in his mind and are yet to be brought to life.

Sergey Smbatyan said in turn that the orchestra has performed at the Dubai Opera numerous times. “A long-awaited concert with Sergey Khachatryan was held in Dubai. We have performed here a lot, every concert is unique and this concert is no exception,” he said.

Speaking about the InClassica Festival, Sergey Smbatyan said that it is one of the biggest music events, adding participation in such a festival is a great achievement for the orchestra.

“I think that participating in such an international festival is a success. The orchestras performing at the festival are among the top 20 symphony orchestras of the world and, I think, it is a great achievement for the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra to perform here with them,” Smbatyan said.

In addition to participating in the festival, the participants of the final rounds of the “Classic Piano” International Piano Competition held within the framework of the InClassica Festival shared the stage with the ASSO, which, according to its head, was a responsible task.

It’s worth noting that Sergey Smbatyan will conduct 10 concerts with other orchestras and soloists within the framework of the InClassica Festival.

To note, the concert of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and Sergey Khachatryan took place within the framework of the 10th InClassica International Music Festival in Dubai. The special 10th-anniversary edition of the festival is organized by the European Foundation for Support of Culture (EUFSC) in partnership with the SAMIT Event Group.

The event’s Composer-In-Residence is Alexey Shor. The festival has brought together 37 outstanding musicians, 7 famous orchestras and 12 renowned conductors. The InClassica International Music Festival runs until September 26.

More photos at 

The European People’s Party (EPP) Political Assembly (PA) met in a hybrid format in Brussels on 6 and 7 September to update on political developments across member states, adopt a position paper on Afghanistan with a focus on Afghan women and discuss the situation in Belarus and Armenia, EPP said in a statement.

“EPP Political Assembly was informed about the current situation with Armenian prisoners of war in Azerbaijan, who are still detained in violation of the Trilateral Statement of November 9 and international humanitarian law. The necessity for renewed efforts from the European institutions to fulfil the proper and unconditional release of Prisoners of War was stressed,” reads the statement.

The EPP delegates were updated on the preparations for the next Congress taking place on 17 and 18 November in Rotterdam.