Category: 2022

Armenia, France officially launch Armenian cultural heritage preservation program

Alex Jidarian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Alina Hovhannisyan

ArmInfo.Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Ms. Anne  Louyot and Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of  Armenia Vahram Dumanyan signed a memorandum on the official launch of  a large program aimed at preserving the cultural heritage of Armenia,  developing the potential of specialists in this field, as well as  implementing and development of "Armenia.

Exploring, preserving  and  enhancing heritage" museum project.  Minister Dumanyan noted that  cultural heritage is a priority for the Armenian government,  especially after the 44-day Artsakh war, when Azerbaijan launched a  policy of cultural genocide, which created challenges for the  preservation of Armenia's cultural heritage outside the country.

Noting that the Armenian-French agenda is expanding from year to  year, Doumanyan expressed hope that the program will be long-lasting.  "I hope this project will contribute to the development of effective  Armenian-French cooperation, creating new opportunities for the  implementation of new programs," he said.

According to Ms. Louyot, the program includes 3 components that cover  various areas of cultural heritage and rely on the skills and leading  experience of French and Armenian specialists. In particular, within  the framework of the first component, it is planned to strengthen and  develop the skills of Armenian specialists in the restoration and  preservation of cultural heritage through retraining at the National  Heritage Institute of France in cooperation with the Scientific  research center of the historical and cultural heritage.  In this  regard, the director of the Institute, Charles Personnaz , emphasized  that the institution was involved in the process of developing a  retraining program from the very beginning. In addition, he noted  that the program also provides an opportunity to exchange  specialists. In this regard, Personnaz remarked:  "We also have  something to learn from Armenian specialists."

He also stressed that Armenia and France are countries with an  exceptional heritage, including architectural style. "Our task is to  make cooperation long-term in order to increase the value of the  existing heritage for the whole world," he said.

The second component of the program, as noted, concerns the  restoration of the monastery complex of "Tatevi Mets Anapat  ".  At  the first stage of the project, it is planned to conduct a historical  and architectural study of the monuments, and before the actual  restoration, to organize the first volunteer labor camp together with  "Rempart" and the Terre et Culture association ().  The second component is also implemented by the French National  Heritage Institute in collaboration with the Scientific research  center of the historical and cultural heritage. The program is still  at the development stage. At the moment, a work schedule is being  drawn up.

The third component is related to the reorganization and  modernization of the Erebuni Museum's permanent exhibition in order  to increase the value of the latter. It is noteworthy that the  project will be implemented jointly with the world's leading museum -  the Louvre. This is the first project in Armenia in which a museum of  this level has been involved. Head of the Oriental Antiquities  Department of the Louvre Museum , Ariane Thomas, noted: "It is a  great honor for me to participate in the program to develop a new  concept for such an important museum for Armenia as Erebuni. And we  will be happy to participate in the revival of the museum>.

In turn director of the Erebuni Museum Mikayel Badalyan said that  practically since 1983 the exposition of the museum has not been  updated. He called the support of the Louvre invaluable, noting in  this regard that there is a limited number of specialists in Armenia  involved in holding exhibitions in museums.

The total cost of the project is 600 thousand euros. According to the  signed memorandum, the project will start in July this year and end  in December 2023.

The project was developed by the Ministry of Education, Science,  Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia in cooperation with the  National Heritage Institute of France, the Louvre Museum, the  Scientific research center of the historical and cultural heritage  and the Erebuni Museum.

Avetik Chalabyan: The materials of this case are sufficient enough to eventually lead to my acquittal in any reasonable court

George Mamian
ARMINFO
Armenia –

ArmInfo. Avetik Chalabyan, a member of the  "Unification" movement, activist and politician, will remain under  arrest.

On Sunday, On July 10, the Yerevan Court of Common  Jurisdiction, headed by Judge Arusyak Aleksanyan, published its  decision, which satisfied the appeal for extension of detention  submitted by the investigative body implementing the proceedings.

"How can I hinder from the proceedings if you have completed the  proceedings? What can I possibly do? If you have completed the  proceedings, then you have effectively taken the actions proposed by  the prosecutor, there is no logical action that I can hinder. By the  way, I have no desire either. The materials of this case are  sufficient enough to  eventually lead to my acquittal in any  reasonable court.These steps will one by one lead to the conclusion  that the that the criminal offense is absent," Avetik Chalabyan said  in his closing speech at the open court hearing of the extension of  detention dates.

It should be noted that earlier, a hasty motion was submitted to the  court to extend the detention of Avetik Chalabyan after the  prosecutor in charge of the trial did not confirm the indictment of  the case and returned the materials of the proceedings to the  preliminary investigation body with an instruction to continue the  preliminary investigation.

"How do you imagine yourself the escape from an investigation for a  man, who is a member of the board of directors of five companies, a  member of the board of trustees of two charitable foundations, a  father of a large family, the primary caregiver of four children and  two elderly parents? Did you write all this just for the sake of  writing? How can I escape? Can I escape from myself? A man who  returned to Armenia during the war with three boys. A significant  part of the population of our country takes its children out of the  country to escape serving in Army. Did I return to Armenia with three  boys to escape from Armenia?" said Avetik Chalabyan, adding that this  trail would feel ridiculous in any legal practice in any country.

Let's remind that Avetik Chalabyan is accused of the act provided for  in Article 163, Part 3, Clause 2 of the Criminal Code of the Republic  of Armenia without any credible evidence and with gross violations of  criminal procedure procedures. The article has been reclassified and  softened by the new Criminal Code that came into force on July 1.

"Avetik Chalabyan is a political hostage of the current authorities,  and the courts are their executioners. Yesterday, the investigator  confirmed that Avetik Chalabyan should remain in custody only so that  he and the prosecutor could send the case to the court in a relaxed  manner. He admitted that they have no other investigative actions to  perform. So to say, Avetik Chalabyan will remain in custody on the  basis of sending the case to court,"Varazdat Harutyunyan and Arthur  Harutyunyan,Chalabyan's defenders, stated earlier.

Public groups and activists have been fighting for the freedom of  Avetik Chalabyan for months for now, calling for the release of  Avetik Chalabyan through mass protests, petitions and all means  prescribed by law. 

Another participant of 44-day military aggression against Karabakh attempts to commit suicide in Azerbaijan

Maral Takmazian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
13:44, 11.07.2022

Elvin Jafarov, an Azerbaijani veteran of the Second Karabakh War and nicknamed "Mowgli," set himself on fire in front of the executive power building of the Sabirabad District of Azerbaijan, reported the Talish_vestnik (Talysh messenger) Telegram channel.

"This was reported by athlete Elnur Jafarov, who is Elvin Jafarov's brother. Also, he noted that injustice was done to his brother in the bodies of the executive power," the aforesaid source added.

To note, this is not the first case of suicide—or its attempt—among the Azerbaijani participants in the 44-day Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war in the fall of 2020.

Armenia opposition lawmaker announces when they will start process of removing PM Pashinyan from power

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
13:56, 11.07.2022

The formation of the councils of the offices is in full swing; councils of the Resistance Movement have been formed in virtually all provinces. Opposition MP Ishkhan Saghatelyan, who is also coordinator of Armenia’s Resistance Movement, told this to a press conference Monday

"Yes, we hold a rally once a week, on the rest of the days, a huge amount of work is done which is not visible to the public. All the gaps, organizational difficulties that we had, all of that is recorded, and a huge amount of work is being done to eliminate these gaps.

Councils of the movement are being formed in all provinces so that the movement is transferred in full to the provinces as well. In addition to the main [political] parties, we also engage various individuals, able forces.

Second, we have created eight committees, commissions which carry out very specific works in that regard. After completing these works, at some phase their results will be obvious to you. I assure [you] that we work at the same pace, but we also do back-office work," he said.

Saghatelyan stated that the second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, also participated in the opposition rallies and will participate in them in the near future as well, and there is no problem in this regard.

Reflecting on the matter of political prisoners in Armenia, the opposition lawmaker said that they failed in this regard and the international community did not receive accurate respective reports from Armenia, and many of them were hearing this matter for the first time.

"But at least the issues that were covered up will be paid attention to from now on; in this sense there will be a change."

As for starting the process of removing PM Nikol Pashinyan from power, the opposition figure stated: "I did not say that we have started the dismissal process as of August 2. As I said: as of August 2, another one is being added to our [relevant] mechanism: the possibility of dismissal. I said clearly, we will enter into that process only when there are sufficient grounds for achieving success. We will not enter as a formality into that process. And it is obvious that those grounds exist in legal and political terms. That process will end successfully only if the nationwide movement reaches the point where there will no longer be an alternative. Regarding [the opposition factions] returning to the parliament, I have said [that] we will return to the parliament solely with our agenda," Saghatelyan said.

Persons displaced from Artsakh’s Kashatagh region stage protest in Armenia

Jack Hunanian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
14:18, 11.07.2022

A group of persons displaced from the Kashatagh region of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) held a protest Monday in front of the Artsakh government’s operational headquarters in Armenia.

According to them, although the government had promised to give them a certificate of 10 million drams (approx. US$24,700), most of them did not receive it, whereas as a result of the final calculation, those who received were given less money than promised.

"The bank sends appraisers to the house, and these appraisers value the house much cheaper. In addition, we have to pay a down payment of 500,000 drams [(approx. US$1,235)]. That is, ten million [drams] has become a myth for us. If we had to buy a house in the provinces with ten million with great difficulty, now we can't even do that. How are we going to buy a house for even ten million with such inflation? Ninety percent of the [displaced] people live on rent, making ends meet. Where should they get the money for the down payment? I neither want a certificate nor money. I want them to give [me] a house and say, ‘Live [there]!’" a displaced woman from Kashatagh told reporters.

Ambassador: Preservation of cultural heritage in Karabakh is UNESCO jurisdiction

Jhanna Virabian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
18:56, 11.07.2022

France thinks that the issue of cultural heritage in Karabakh should be dealt with, but this topic is under UNESCO jurisdiction, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of France to Armenia Anne Louyot said at Monday press conference.

Her reamrks came referring to the official position of France on the issue of protection of heritage in Artsakh.

She told that France is well aware of the importance of preserving the heritage in Nagorno Karabakh and added that the topic was the subject of discussion at the meeting of the French, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders on 4 February.

She said that they think UNESCO is the best format with regard to the heritage of Nagorno Karabakh adding that they continue efforts to involve UNESCO in this issue.

Sports: U-20 [Women’s] European Championship: Armenia suffers loss… (Israel 102 : 40 Armenia)

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia –

Armenian U-20 women's team met the Israeli team in Skopje in the second round of the European Championships (Division B).

The Armenian team was defeated 40-102 (3-19, 19-35, 9-29, 9-19).

In the first round, the Armenian team defeated the Georgian team 49-46.

The teams, taken the first two places in the group, will pass to the quarterfinals.

Armenian News note: You can watch the full game at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suoscE6VWNA

Turkish press: Turkish president, Armenian premier discuss normalization process

Toneyan Mark
Faruk Zorlu   |11.07.2022


ANKARA 

The Turkish president and Armenian prime minister on Monday spoke over the phone and discussed the normalization process between their countries.

"Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance they attach to the bilateral normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia, which will also contribute to the strengthening of peace and stability in the region," according to a Turkish presidency statement.

They also expressed their expectations for the immediate implementation of the issues agreed upon during the July 1 talks of the special representatives of the two countries.

In a Twitter post, Pashinyan said: “We expect early implementation of agreements reached in the meeting of our Special Representatives on July 1.”

Erdogan extended his greetings to Pashinyan on the upcoming Vardavar Festival, while the Armenian prime minister extended his greetings to the Turkish president on the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha (the Feast of the Sacrifice).

Turkish press: Turkey, Armenia leaders stress ‘importance’ of normalizing ties

Toneyan Mark
 ISTANBUL JUL 11, 2022 – 5:55 PM GMT+3

This illustration shows the flags of Turkey and Armenia.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan have stressed the importance of the bilateral normalization process to consolidate peace in the region, according to their respective press offices.

The two leaders discussed the normalization process in a phone call Monday, held as part of a recent diplomatic rapprochement.

"Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance they attach to the bilateral normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia, which will also contribute to the strengthening of peace and stability in the region," a statement by the Turkish presidency said.

They also expressed hope that an agreement reached in early July would be implemented soon.

At that time, Turkish and Armenian special envoys agreed to open their joint land border – closed since 1993 – to citizens from third countries.

The Armenian leader wrote on Twitter: "We expect early implementation of agreements reached in the meeting of our Special Representatives on July 1.”

Erdoğan extended his greetings on the upcoming Vardavar Festival, while the Armenian prime minister extended his greetings on the Qurban Bayram, also known as Eid al-Adha.

The relationship between the neighboring countries is strained by several issues, among them the 1915 events during World War I and the recent Nagorno-Karabakh war between Armenia and Azerbaijan, a major Turkish ally.

But in December, the two countries appointed special envoys to help normalize relations – a year after Armenia lost to Azerbaijan a war for control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Azerbaijan used the help of Turkish combat drones to recapture most of the contested territory that had been under ethnic Armenians' control since the 1990s.

In February, Turkey and Armenia resumed their first commercial flights in two years. The goal is the complete normalization of relations.

Azerbaijani press: South Caucasus Weekly Review looks into major developments in Armenia, Georgia & Azerbaijan

Yeghisabet Arthur
  09:59 (UTC+04:00)


Vugar Khalilov

South Caucasus Weekly Review: 4-10 Jul 22

Azernews has launched a new project designed to cover weekly major developments in the South Caucasian nations

HIGHLIGHTS

Armenia to introduce a draft concept for constitutional reforms by late 2022

Yerevan eyes boosting multifarious cooperation with Tehran, Madrid

Armenia, Turkey agree to open borders for third-country citizens, air cargo

Georgians hold a huge pro-EU rally, and call on the government to resign

EU continues to back the Azerbaijani-Armenia normalization process

Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkiye to hold a meeting in regional format soon

Baku hosts int'l conference on Caspian Sea level fluctuations

Armenia

Armenia to introduce a draft concept for constitutional reforms by late 2022

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the Ad Hoc Commission for Constitutional Reforms will introduce a draft concept of constitutional reforms by the end of 2022, Azernews reports, citing Armenian media.

Pashinyan made the remarks in his congratulatory message on the occasion of Armenia’s Constitution Day on July 5.

The prime minister also highlighted the importance of the current parliamentary system in his message.

“Armenia should continue to maintain the parliamentary system of governance because the events of 2021 proved that this system provides a more effective mechanism for crises management, involvement, and decisive participation of the people in the political debate,” Pashinyan stressed.

Yerevan eyes boosting multifarious cooperation with Tehran, Madrid

Armenia is keen to expand cooperation in trade, infrastructure, energy, industry, and other fields with Iran and Spain.

On July 7, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received a delegation led by Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary Ali Shamkhani.

The officials discussed the strengthening of current cooperation in trade, infrastructure, energy, industry, and other fields. The interlocutors emphasized that the strengthening of economic ties is fundamental for the development of Armenian-Iranian cooperation in various directions.

The parties also exchanged thoughts on ensuring regional stability and security. Ali Shamkhani emphasized that Iran considers any attempt to change the geopolitical situation in the region unacceptable and noted that his country also supports the process of unblocking infrastructure within the framework of preserving the territorial integrity and sovereignty of states.

In the same vein, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan discussed multifarious cooperation with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares Bueno, as part of his working visit to Spain on July 5-7.

The ministers emphasized the implementation of ambitious programs in high and information technologies, renewable energy, tourism, creative education, and a number of other spheres.

Armenia, Turkey agree to open borders for third-country citizens, air cargo

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia and Turkiye had agreed to open the border to third-country citizens and to start direct air cargo commerce between the two nations.

Pashinyan made the remarks at the Cabinet meeting on July 7, adding that the agreement was reached at the latest meeting of the special representatives of the two nations.

“Now it’s very important that our agencies work with the respective agencies of Turkey because, in line with the political agreement, their implementation depends on this work, and my instruction is to work in a coordinated manner in order to implement the agreements reached as soon as possible”, the prime minister said.

On July 1, Special Representatives for the normalization process between Armenia and Turkey, Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan, and Ambassador Serdar Kilic held their fourth meeting in Vienna.

Georgia

Georgians hold a huge pro-EU rally, call on the government to resign

On July 3, Georgians organized a large demonstration demanding the government’s resignation due to its failure to legally secure the country’s bid for membership in the European Union.

The nation was gripped by massive protests since EU leaders agreed in late June to postpone Tbilisi's bid for membership awaiting extensive political reforms.

Over 35,000 protesters gathered, obstructing traffic and carrying European flags in front of the Georgian parliament. Over the weekend, a number of opposition parties and pro-EU organizations urged people to put pressure on the ruling Georgian Dream party.

The party's founder, tycoon Bidzina Ivanishvili, who has no formal political office but appears to dominate the government, has also come under attack.

"We demand that Ivanishvili relinquish executive power and transfer it, respecting the constitution, to a government of national unity," organizers said in a Facebook post.

A new government must "carry out the reforms demanded by the EU, which will automatically give us the status of a candidate for EU membership," the post added.

Just a few days after Russia's invasion on February 24, Georgia, Ukraine, and Moldova all submitted applications for EU candidacy status.

Azerbaijan

EU continues to back the Azerbaijani-Armenia normalization process

European Council President Charles Michel stressed that the organization would continue to support the Azerbaijani-Armenian normalization process.

Michel made the remarks during a phone call with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on July 4.

Pointing to the trilateral meetings held at the initiative and with the participation of European Council President Charles Michel, and the agreements reached within this framework, President Ilham Aliyev expressed hope that the negotiations towards the normalization of relations and the signing of a peace treaty, delimitation and demarcation of borders, and the opening of transport and communication lines between Armenia and Azerbaijan would yield real results.

Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkiye to hold a meeting in regional format soon – Iranian FM

Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian said that Tehran, Baku, and Ankara will soon hold a meeting in a regional format, Azernews reports.

Abdollahian made the remark during a joint press conference with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov in Tehran on July 4, the report added.

"In the new era, regional formats existing between Iran and Azerbaijan or among Iran and other regional countries should be in the spotlight. Within one of the regional formats, a meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran, Azerbaijan, and Turkiye will soon be held in Tehran,” he said.

Abdollahian added that another meeting will be convened in the 3+3 format with the involvement of high-level specialists. The meeting will begin with high-level specialists from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, and will then progress to foreign ministers from the aforementioned nations in Tehran or another Iranian city.

Baku hosts int'l conf on Caspian Sea level fluctuations

Baku hosted an international conference to discuss fluctuations in the level of the Caspian Sea.

The hybrid international conference on the topic "Caspian Sea level fluctuations, forecasting, and adaptation measures in the face of climate change" has been organized by the Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Ministry with the support of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

Experts from Caspian countries, representatives of international organizations, and foreign experts participated in the conference.

Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Mukhtar Babayev addressed the conference participants in a video format.

In his video address, Azerbaijani Ecology and Natural Resources Minister Mukhtar Babayev spotlighted the current Caspian Sea problems, Azerbaijan's efforts to this effect, the importance of national and regional adaptation plans, and regional cooperation through the "Framework Convention on the Protection of the Environment of the Caspian Sea".

Azerbaijan's Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources has been implementing a variety of efforts to clean up the Caspian basin, Babayev stressed.

In his words, the ministry also works and conducts research on the problem of the Caspian Sea's decreasing water level.