Category: 2022

Opposition bloc OK with CSTO mission, slams sending Armenians to Almaty

Emil Lazarian
Jan 8 2022
January 8, 2022 – 16:04 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The opposition Armenia bloc believes Yerevan should not have prevented the deployment of the CSTO contingent to Kazakhstan, but the Armenian forces should not have been sent to Almaty, lawmaker from the bloc Gegham Nazaryan said in a statement on Facebook Friday, January 7.

"Kazakhstan adhered to a clear pro-Azerbaijani position during the 44-day war [in Nagorno-Karabakh in fall 2020]. Kazakhstan congratulated Azerbaijan on November 9," Nazaryan said.

Nazaryan added that in a situation “when haven't healed the wounds of the war, haven't overcome the consequences", Armenia should not be sending a single serviceman abroad, especially to Kazakhstan, "where only intra-clan – not inter-clan but intra-clan – issues are being resolved."

Almost immediately after Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asked for help, the CSTO decided to deploy a peacekeeping contingent in Kazakhstan, with Armenia sending 100 troops to Kazakhstan as part of the contingent.

Throughout the mission, the Armenian peacekeeping unit will only protect buildings and infrastructures of strategic importance, the Defense Ministry said.

Armenia, Belarus embassies in Moscow threatened with explosions

Paul Hambardsumian
Jan 8 2022
January 8, 2022 – 16:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Unknown people have threatened explosions at the embassies of Armenia and Belarus in Moscow, demanding the withdrawal of troops from the territory of Kazakhstan, TASS reports citing a law enforcement source.

"It was revealed yesterday that a letter with threats of explosions was sent to the e-mail addressed of the embassies of Armenia and Belarus. Unknown persons demanded that the troops of the countries be withdrawn from the territory of Kazakhstan," the source reportedly said.

According to the source, the buildings were searched, no explosive devices or bombs were found.

Almost immediately after Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev asked for help, the CSTO decided to deploy a peacekeeping contingent in Kazakhstan, with Armenia sending 100 troops to Kazakhstan as part of the contingent.

Throughout the mission, the Armenian peacekeeping unit will only protect buildings and infrastructures of strategic importance, the Defense Ministry said.

Sports: Armenian Russian boxer Arest Sahakyan dies after ten days in coma

Alex Jidarian
Jan 8 2022
January 8, 2022, 18:00

 Less than a minute

Armenian Russian boxer Arest Sahakyan died after ten days in coma, his relative Svetlana Petrosyan told TASS.

Sahakyan missed a blow to his head at a tournament in Tolyatti in December. He was taken to hospital, but didn’t regain consciousness.

Based on the results of the MRI, doctors decided to have an operation, which was very difficult, but successful, Svetlana Petrosyan said.

“But then there was a cerebral edema. He stayed in a coma for 10 days and never came to his senses,” she said, adding that the athlete died on January 7.

Sahakyan was 26, he was a professional boxer, and was also an MMA fighter. He will be laid to rest in his homeland Armenia, next to his father’s grave.

Greece to expel Turkish-Armenian writer

Garnik Zakarian
Jan 8 2022
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January 8, 2022

A Greek court has ordered the release of a Turkish-Armenian writer on condition that he leave the country within two weeks, Agence-France Presse reported on Friday, citing the Armenian Embassy in Athens.

Sevan Nişanyan, a 65-year-old linguist and blogger, had been living under a temporary permit in Greece since fleeing a Turkish prison in 2017.

He was detained on the island of Samos on December 30, 2021, after Greek authorities refused to renew his residence permit, his wife Ira Tzourou reported on Facebook and Twitter.

The Armenian Embassy said in a statement on Facebook that an administrative court had “announced a decision according to which Sevan Nişanyan will be released today.”

“According to the decision, he is obliged to leave Greece voluntarily within 15 days. As Sevan Nişanyan is an Armenian citizen, he can leave for Armenia if he wishes,” it added.

“It has been announced that Sevan Nişanyan will released today. According to the court order, he has to leave Greece voluntarily. Sevan Nişanyan may go to Armenia as he is an Armenian citizen,” his wife Ira Tzourou tweeted, referring to embassy’s statement.

In a post of his own on Facebook, Nişanyan announced he was free.

“I have been released from custody after eight days in jail,” he wrote.

Neither he nor his wife was immediately available for comment on the couple’s plans.

Greek police last week declined to say why his residence permit was not renewed.

The Armenian Embassy said at the time it was “taking all possible measures to resolve the case.”

Nişanyan had been jailed in Turkey in 2014 over alleged illegal building construction, charges he says were punishment for his outspoken views about restrictions on freedom of _expression_ in the country.

He fled a low-security prison in 2017 and sought asylum in Greece.

Nişanyan had previously been convicted in Turkey of blasphemy over a 2012 blog defending an anti-Islam film that ridiculed the Prophet Muhammad and sparked angry protests around the world.

Greek courts customarily decline to extradite to Turkey people who say they face persecution for their views there.

https://stockholmcf.org/greece-to-expel-turkish-armenian-writer/

Armenia reports 129 daily COVID-19 cases

Mike Maghakian

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 11:11, 7 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. 129 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, the ministry of health said.

The total number of confirmed cases has reached 345,518.

130 patients have recovered in one day, bringing the total recoveries to 332,588.

The death toll has risen to 7997 (4 death cases registered in the past one day).

3899 COVID-19 tests were conducted on January 6.

The number of active cases is 3422.

Artsakh confirms 3 new cases of COVID-19

Emil Lazarian

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 11:40, 7 January, 2022

STEPANAKERT, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. 3 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the Republic of Artsakh in the past 24 hours, the ministry of health reports.

43 COVID-19 tests were conducted on January 6.

At the moment, 48 patients are hospitalized, the others receive treatment at home.

The ministry urges citizens to follow all the rules to avoid the further spread of the virus.

CSTO Secretary-General expects Kazakhstan peacekeeping mission to last briefly

Tatoyan Vazgen

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 11:19, 7 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas presented the grounds for deploying peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan.

In an interview with RIA Novosti, Zas said the CSTO peacekeepers were deployed to Kazakhstan based on the Collective Security Treaty Article 2 and Article 4, the Treaty on Peacekeeping Activities and Kazakh President Kassim-Jomart Tokayev’s request for military assistance.

“This is the basis which led to leaders of our member states to make the decision on holding peacekeeping activities. The Collective Security Treaty Article 2 clearly and understandably states that in the event of a threat to a member-state’s security, stability, territorial integrity and sovereignty the CSTO member states are holding immediate consultations to coordinate their positions and take measures to provide support to that country, and that’s what happened in case of Kazakhstan. The events that are taking place there now pose a real danger to the country’s security, stability and even territorial integrity. That’s why we received the request, emergency consultations between the leaders of the states were held and a respective decision was made on activating the CSTO peacekeeping potential to minimize the threats and stabilize the situation,” Zas said.

Zas said the deployment of troops has already begun and he expects that the peacekeeping mission will last briefly.

“We expect the timeframes to be short. Whether the timeframes will be a matter of days or weeks will depend on the situation that will develop in Kazakhstan, and of course this will also depend on the Kazakh leadership’s position. If the local government were to consider the situation as stablizied and under control in their own powers without the help of all our member states, then of course the mission will be completed and the troops will be withdrawn,” Zas said.

Secretary General Zas added that all CSTO member states have expressed readiness to participate with their units and the deployment started.

“The peacekeeping forces’ Russian contingent’s advance units are already in Kazakhstan and have begun carrying out their objectives. The first echelon of the Belarusian contingent will arrive there in a few hours. Gradually, I think today, we will complete the deployment of all other peacekeeping units. The total number of peacekeeping troops could vary. As of now, according to the decisions made it is about over 2500 troops. We will make decisions according to the situation. We have over 3600 men in the entire formations comprising the CSTO peacekeeping forces, if necessary we will enhance the formation in Kazakhstan.”

He said the peacekeeping units include different units, such as paratroopers and special forces, which are permanently in state of combat readiness.

Stanislav Zas underscored that it doesn’t matter how many troops a given member-state has sent. “It is a gesture which means readiness to support Kazakhstan. All CSTO member states have provided support. This is important for us,” he said.

Speaking about the objectives of the peacekeepers, Zas said there are two parts – the protection of strategic state facilities and support to the maintenance of law and order, so that people feel safe.

He strongly denied rumors alleging the CSTO peacekeepers will disperse protests, calling the reports “defamation”.

Asked whether or not the peacekeepers are authorized to use deadly force in the event of a facility under their protection coming under attack, Zas said “yes, in such cases weapons will be used.”

The CSTO Council of Defense Ministers will further appoint a commander of the peacekeepers.

The CSTO Secretary General expressed hope that the situation in Kazakhstan will stabilize.

Earlier the Kazakh authorities again reiterated that the CSTO peacekeepers are not involved in combat operations.

Armenian peacekeepers’ task in Kazakhstan to be protection of strategic facilities – Foreign Ministry

Maral Chavushian

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 11:47, 7 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia clarified what mission Armenian servicemen, involved in the CSTO peacekeeping forces, are going to carry out in Kazakhstan.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan gave a comment to ARMENPRESS about whether the Armenian government is going to evacuate the Armenian citizens from Kazakhstan during the current violent unrest. “There is no such plan at this moment”, he said in response.

Mr Hunanyan informed that no Armenian citizen has been injured during the ongoing protests in Kazakhstan.

As for the mission of Armenian peacekeepers in Kazakhstan, the MFA spokesperson said: “The task of Armenian peacekeepers will be the protection of strategic facilities”.