Category: 2022

Estonian Parliament Speaker’s Visit to Shushi Angers Yerevan

Samvel Nahapetian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 July 8, 2022

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Latest, News, Top Stories

Estonia’s Parliament Speaker Jüri Ratas


A visit by Estonia’s Parliament Speaker Jüri Ratas in May was deemed “extremely troubling” by his Armenian counterpart Alen Simpnyan, who on Friday conveyed Yerevan’s disappointment when meeting with Estonia’s Ambassador to Armenia Riina Kaljurand.

Ratas visited Azerbaijan and attended an event in Shushi on May 24 and was praised by that country’s president Ilham Aliyev when he met the Estonian lawmaker in Baku.

In discussing the cooperation with the Estonian legislature, Simonyan told Kaljurand, the ambassador, that Ratas’ visit to Shushi and his subsequent remarks were “extremely troubling.”

Simonyan told the visiting ambassador that Ratas’ statements in Shushi not only did not reflect the scope of friendly relations that exist between Armenia and Estonia, but also contradict Estonia’s official support for a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict through the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

The Speaker told the Ambassador that he has sent a letter to Ratas on this occasion, where he explained the essence of the conflict and the consequences of the 2020 devastating war.

Simonyan expressed hope that his Estonian counterpart will visit Armenia in the future and will get acquainted with the situation, as well as will meet with officials from Artsakh.

The Estonian ambassador expressed hope that there will be an opportunity to discuss all these issues with Ratas in the future. She then presented an invitation to Simonyan on behalf of Ratas. In accepting the invitation, Armenia’s Parliament Speaker reiterated that Ratas should visit Armenia.

Asbarez: Pashinyan’s Brother Became Director of Hydro-Electric Station After its Suspicious Sale for $100

Lara Antonian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 July 8, 2022

 

in Armenia, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

After the suspicious sale of this hydro-electric station, the prime minister's brother became its director


The former mayor of Vanadzor and his brother sold a hydro-electric station on the Marts River for 50,000 drams—$123 according to Friday’s exchange rate—after which Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s brother was named the facility’s director, an investigation by Azatutyun.am revealed.

The suspicious transaction was made by the former Vanadzor mayor Samvel Darbinyan and his brother, Seyran, who sold the hydro-electric station to the Yuri Kokobelyan, the 20-year-old nephew of “Free Democrats” party chairmen Khachatur Kokobelyan just two months before the 2021 parliamentary elections.

According to official documents on the day of the sale, Pashinyan’s brother, Armen was named the facility’s director. Armen Pashinyan lived in Russia and returned to Armenia after the popular movement in 2018 that saw his brother, Nikol, ascend to power in Armenia.

Following written requests by Azatutyun.am, the government registrar provided a one-and-a-half page sales agreement, which states that the “seller are selling 100 percent to buyer to become the owner. The price of the sale is 50,000 drams as agreed by both sides.

The sales agreement (Azatutyun.am graphic)

According to the same register the Argishti-2 Hydro-Electric Station is worth approximately 250 million drams, reported Azatutyun.am. Armenia’s power company reported that the station in question in 2019 to 2020 alone has had more than $1.5 million output.

The Darbinyan brothers did not respond to questions regarding the reason for selling this profitable venture for a mere $100.

According to official records reviewed by Azatutyun.am, the new owner of the hydro-electric station, Yuri Kokobelyan is the owner or director of various business. Azatutyun.am was not able to locate the young Kokobelyan at the address provided on records, nor, the news outlet reported, was there any record of his work.

The deed of sale (Azatutyun.am graphic)

His uncle, Khachatur Kokobelyan, the leader of the “Free Democrats” party did not return interview requested from Azatutuyun.am, which was unable to ascertain how the Darbinyan brothers were convinced to sell the station for $100—a business that had proved them with an income for 10 years.

A representative of the hydro-electric station to Azatutyun.am that during its 10-year operation, the station has never stopped functioning for long periods of time.

“If there is shortage of water, that’s when we shut it down—it could for one day or it could be for five hours,” the representative told Azatutyun.am.

While refusing to discuss the details of the sale, the Darbinyan brothers are also denying that they sold the business in order to cut short criminal charges pending against them.

According to Azatutyun.am, a few months prior to the sale agreement, a court had found the former mayor, Samvel Darbinyan, had illegally cede properties within Vanadzor causing 60 million drams in losses. The court, however, had decided to abandon the case because it passed the statute of limitations.

As recently as 2019, the hydro-electric station was embroiled in a messy criminal investigation. The prosecutors were presenting evidence that during Samvel Darbinyan’s tenure, in 2010, the Vandazor water treatment plant was illegally sold. Darbinyan allegedly had organized a fraudulent sale and had sold the 240 million-dram facility for 60 million drams to his associate or relative. The prosecutor suspect that pipes and expensive equipment from the water treatment plant were used in the hydro-electric plant owned by the Darbinyans, reported Azatutyun.am.

Last year, the prosecutor of the Lori Province, Karen Gabrielyan, had given one week for experts to present their finding and had said that after reviewing those findings will bring any wrongdoers to justice.

In response to Azatutyun.am’s inquiries, the prosecutor’s office said that it still has not received the reports.

Evidently, during the three-year probe, investigators have not been able to document exactly what and how much did Samvel Darbinyan take from the Soviet-era waste water treatment plant.

Prosecutors told Azatutyun.am that no charges have been filed against anyone regarding this case.

AW: UCLA Promise Institute announces 2022-2023 grant and fellowship recipients

Emil Lazarian
July 8, 2022 Guest Contributor Announcements 0

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Promise Armenian Institute grants and fellowships are designed to support research across all academic fields, with an emphasis on or connection to Armenia or Armenians, and it is pleased to announce the 2022-2023 grant and fellowship recipients.

PAI POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS

Haley Tupper (M.D., Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, 2020) “Post-Semashko Health Systems: The Comparative Successes and Failures of Universal Healthcare (UHC) in the Former Soviet Space”

Under the mentorship of Dr. Shant Shekherdimian of UCLA Division of General Surgery, Dr. Tupper will evaluate Armenia’s and other post-Soviet nations’ successes and failures in expanding access to healthcare according to the WHO framework of key health system building blocks, to help guide Armenia’s universal healthcare (UHC) development.

Helen Makhdoumian (Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2021) “A Map of This Place: Nested Memory and the Afterlives of Removal”

Under the mentorship of Dr. Michael Rothberg, chair of the UCLA Department of Comparative Literature, Dr. Makhdoumian’s research will involve a contrapuntal study of Armenian American, Palestinian American, and American Indian/First Nations novels and memoirs; specifically, using a rubric of “nested memory” to articulate the structure of the multigenerational transmission of memory in the face of the recursivity of collective trauma.

PAI ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESEARCH PROGRAM POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIP

Anna Aleksanyan (Ph.D., Clark University, 2022) “Gendered Aspects of the Armenian Genocide in the Experiences of its Victimized Females”

Under the mentorship of Dr. Taner Akcam, director of the PAI Armenian Genocide Research Program, Dr. Aleksanyan will write a monograph based on her dissertation, examining the gendered aspects of the Armenian genocide, in particular, the ways the Ottoman Armenian females were targeted for physical destruction, sexual abuse, rape, sexual slavery, forced assimilation, forced marriages, and forced prostitution.

UCLA PAI DISSERTATION YEAR FELLOWSHIP

Jennifer Manoukian, (UCLA Department of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures) “Purism and the Creation of the Western Armenian Written Standard (c. 1780-c. 1900)”

Under the mentorship of Dr. Peter Cowe, the UCLA Nareketsi Professor in Armenian Studies, Jennifer Manoukian will complete here dissertation which explores the emergence of the written standard known today as Western Armenian and examines the intellectual labor that led to its acceptance as the dominant medium for writing and education among Ottoman Armenians by 1900.

UCLA PAI COURSE DEVELOPMENT GRANT

Anne Gilliland, Ph.D. (Professor of Information Studies; Director, Center for Information as Evidence) “Through an Archival Lens: Armenia, the Genocide and Diaspora UCLA Information Studies”

This interdisciplinary undergraduate course centers the nature and role of “the archive” in understanding past events and future trajectories affecting the Armenian people.  It will use case studies and community engagement activities to teach students how to identify, compile, and critically read and respond to the multilayered dispersal, fragmentation, deliberate erasure, distortion and withholding of the Armenian archival record. Course content will be drawn from the instructors’ research engagement with official, community and family archives and other forms of memory texts across the Diaspora, historical Western Armenia, the Republic of Armenia, and the unrecognized Republic of Artsakh.

AW: ANCA welcomes escalation of Congressional opposition to F-16 sale to Turkey

Varazdat Torgomian
July 8, 2022 ANCA ANCA News 0

WASHINGTON, DC – Thirty-five US Representatives have pledged – in a bipartisan letter to President Biden – to “take every action afforded to us as members of Congress” to block the sale of US F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits to Turkey, in light of the Erdogan regime’s repression at home and aggression abroad against Greece, Cyprus, Armenians and Kurds, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“Armenian Americans join with all our coalition partners in thanking Congressman Pallone for his leadership in checking Erdogan’s escalating threats of aggression against Greece, Cyprus, Armenians, and Kurds,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian.  “We express our appreciation to all who joined this bipartisan appeal and who support legislative initiatives to block the reckless sale of F-16’s to Turkey.”

In addition to the ANCA, the following US civil society organizations are on the record opposing the sale F-16s to Turkey: American Friends of Kurdistan, American Jewish Committee, Hellenic American Leadership Council, In Defense of Christians, Middle East Forum, and PSEKA – International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus.

Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Hellenic Armenian Caucus co-chairs Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) were joined by Greek-American Representatives Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Dina Titus (D-NV) in securing Congressional co-signers on the letter to President Biden, sharing their deep concern about the support he expressed for an F-16 sale to Turkey during the recent NATO summit in Madrid, Spain.

The Congressional letter states, “Turkish and Turkish-backed forces have utilized American-made weaponry and components during these incursions to commit war crimes, including purposefully bombing civilian targets like hospitals and schools in Iraq, Syria, and Nagorno Karabakh. They have also been used repeatedly to violate the sovereign territory of NATO allies and partners like Greece and Cyprus. These are hardly the actions of a committed ally to the United States and Europe.”  The letter concludes stating, “precedent shows that Erdogan will not change his behavior if we continue to reward his efforts to undermine the NATO alliance. The United States must not provide any further support to Turkey’s military until tangible steps are taken to halt his destabilizing actions and violations of international law at home and abroad.”

In addition to Representatives Pallone, Bilirakis, Maloney, Pappas, and Titus, Congressional co-signers on the letter to President Biden include Representatives Karen Bass (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Mike Doyle (D-PA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA), Charles Fleischmann (R-TN), Louie Gohmert (R-TX), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Susie Lee (D-NV), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), James McGovern (D-MA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Donald Payne (D-NJ), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Christopher Smith (R-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA), David Valadao,  (R-CA), and Peter Welch (D-VT).

The full text of the Congressional letter to President Biden opposing the F-16 sale to Turkey is provided below.

#####

Text of Congressional letter to President Biden opposing the F-16 sale to Turkey

July 8, 2022

Dear President Biden,

We are deeply concerned by comments made on June 30 at the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Madrid, Spain, on the potential sale of Block 70 F-16s and mechanical upgrades to Turkey. We have strongly urged the rejection of this sale because it would reward President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for ignoring Turkey’s alliance commitments to the United States and NATO and the vast human rights abuses his regime continues to commit at home and abroad.

Erdogan has consistently chosen to prioritize divisive tactics for personal gain above the collective good of his allies. His choice to block Finland and Sweden from joining NATO until he received absurd and unrelated concessions makes it clear that he has done the bare minimum to bolster NATO’s strategic posture since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered the largest crisis the alliance has faced in decades.

Erdogan’s use of alarming tactics antithetical to the common good of the NATO alliance should not come as a surprise. His regime has repeatedly used its military power to destabilize the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, South Caucasus, and North Africa for years. Turkish and Turkish-backed forces have utilized American-made weaponry and components during these incursions to commit war crimes, including purposefully bombing civilian targets like hospitals and schools in Iraq, Syria, and Nagorno Karabakh. They have also been used repeatedly to violate the sovereign territory of NATO allies and partners like Greece and Cyprus. These are hardly the actions of a committed ally to the United States and Europe.

The sale of American advanced fighter jets to Turkey will not incentivize Erdogan to suddenly transform into a good ally. More likely, these weapons will lead to further death and destruction in the region. Turkey also continues to utilize S-400 missile defense systems, which potentially exposes important tactical information about U.S. weaponry and military operations to Russia.

Additionally, the Erdogan regime continues to promote unfair elections, suppress civil society, and abuse human rights at home to maintain its grip on power. With the Turkish economy in decline and Erdogan’s standing at an all-time low, news outlets directly controlled by his repressive ruling party will use any major weapons sale as propaganda to prop him up like they have already done with the concessions obtained at the NATO summit.

As your Administration seeks to advance the sale of new F-16s and modernization kits to Turkey, please know that we will take every action afforded to us as Members of Congress to prevent it from moving forward. Precedent shows that Erdogan will not change his behavior if we continue to reward his efforts to undermine the NATO alliance. The United States must not provide any further support to Turkey’s military until tangible steps are taken to halt his destabilizing actions and violations of international law at home and abroad.

Thank you for your attention to these concerns, and we look forward to your timely response.

Sincerely

#####

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/08/2022

Ani Tigranian 
                                        Friday, July 8, 2022


Power Plant Run By Pashinian’s Brother Since Dubious Selloff

        • Karine Simonian

Armenia - A hydroelectric plant on the Marts river, July 8, 2022


A brother of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is the executive director of a small 
hydroelectric power plant in northern Armenia whose former owners sold it for 
just 50,000 drams ($120) last year, official records show.

The plant located on the mountainous Marts river was co-owned by Samvel 
Darbinian, a former mayor of the nearby city of Vanadzor, and his brother. 
Darbinian has faced a string of corruption charges since the 2018 “velvet 
revolution” that brought Pashinian to power.

Last November, a Vanadzor court found him guilty of one of those charges but 
dropped the case, citing a statute of limitations. The decision came six months 
after the sale of the Marts power plant.

Its official buyer is a 20-year-old nephew of Khachatur Kokobelian, a 
businessman leading a small pro-government party. The new owner named 
Pashinian’s brother Armen to run the plant immediately after the deal.

Armen Pashinian used to live in Russia. He returned to Armenia after the 2018 
regime change. The fact-checking website Fip.am revealed recently that he is 
also the chief executive of three other businesses belonging to the Kokobelian 
family.

Earlier this week, Darbinian dismissed suggestions that he sold the 
hydroelectric facility to avoid imprisonment. Both the ex-mayor, who ran 
Vanadzor from 1999-2016, and his brother Seyran refused to give a clear reason 
for the sale.

“I sold it because I wanted to sell,” Seyran Darbinian said vaguely.

In a written response to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service sent on Friday, the Armenian 
state registry of legal entities revealed that the new owner bought the plant 
for as little as 50,000 drams.

The plant had an authorized capital of 250 million drams ($610,000) as of April 
2021. According to Armenia’s national power distribution network, it produced 
more than $200,000 worth of electricity annually in 2019 and 2020.

Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly claimed to have eliminated “systemic corruption” 
in Armenia. Law-enforcement authorities have launched dozens of high-profile 
corruption investigations during his rule, mostly targeting former top 
government officials and individuals linked to them.

Critics say that Pashinian uses corruption inquiries to crack down on his 
political opponents. They also claim that some members of his entourage are busy 
enriching themselves or their cronies and question the integrity of procurements 
administered by the current government.



Ex-Minister Reticent About Possible Seizure Of U.S. Villa

        • Naira Bulghadarian

Armenia -- Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian attends a parliament session in 
Yerevan, November 16, 2015.


Gagik Khachatrian, a former Armenian finance minister and tax chief standing 
trial on corruption charges, refused on Friday to comment on U.S. 
law-enforcement authorities’ efforts to confiscate his luxury mansion in 
California.

Khachatrian, who was arrested in August 2020 and freed on bail more than a year 
later, is facing a string of accusations, including abuse of power, forgery and 
bribery.

In particular, he stands accused of receiving more than $20 million to ensure 
privileged treatment of companies owned by Gagik Tsarukian, one of Armenia’s 
richest men. According to the National Security Service (NSS), the bribe was 
paid in 2009 by Sedrak Arustamian, the top manager of those companies, in the 
form of two bogus loans transferred to Khachatrian’s overseas bank accounts.

Both Arustamian and Khachatrian maintain that the massive cash transfer was a 
commercial transaction.

Khachatrian and his family used the money to buy the 3,126 square-meter (33,652 
square-foot) mansion in an exclusive Los Angeles area in 2011. The U.S. 
Department of Justice moved to seize the property in early May weeks after it 
was put up for sale with an asking price of $63.5 million. In a forfeiture 
complaint filed in a California district court, the department alleged that the 
“mega-mansion” was purchased with bribes paid by Arustamian.

“Gagik Khachatrian and his sons are charged in Armenia with receiving bribes in 
violation of the criminal code of the Republic of Armenia,” it noted in a May 5 
statement.

Armenia - Former Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian and one of his nephews go on 
trial, August 26, 2020.

Khachatrian’s legal team rejected the allegations and pledged to fight against 
the asset seizure in the U.S. court. One of the defense lawyers, Yerem Sargsian, 
insisted on Friday that the U.S. authorities lack “factual evidence” in support 
of the allegations.

“Everything was done very transparently,” he said, referring to the purchase of 
the Los Angeles mansion.

According to a spokesman for Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General, U.S. 
law-enforcement officials have assured their Armenian colleagues that proceeds 
from the sale of the property will be given to Yerevan if they succeed in 
confiscating it.

Khachatrian himself was reluctant to comment on the proceedings launched by the 
U.S. Department of Justice. “Only my lawyers can comment on these issues,” he 
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service during the latest session of his ongoing trial in 
Yerevan.

Khachatrian’s two sons and one of his nephews went into hiding in 2020 after 
being also indicted in the high-profile case. Their whereabouts remain unknown.

Khachatrian, 66, headed Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC) from 2008-2014 
and served as finance minister from 2014-2016. He was dogged by corruption 
allegations throughout his tenure, with some media outlets and opposition 
figures accusing him of using his position to enrich himself and his extended 
family.

They pointed to the family’s extensive business interests, which include a major 
telecommunication company, a shopping mall and a car dealership in Yerevan. 
Khachatrian repeatedly denied setting up or supporting these businesses, saying 
that they belong to his sons and other relatives.



Yerevan Deplores Estonian Speaker’s Trip To Azeri-Held Karabakh Town


BELGIUM -- Estonian Prime Minister Juri Ratas speaks to the press as he arrives 
on the first day of a summit of European Union (EU) leaders at the EU 
headquarters in Brussels, March 22, 2018


Parliament speaker Alen Simonian on Friday criticized his Estonian counterpart 
Juri Ratas for visiting the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Shushi (Shusha) captured by 
the Azerbaijani army during the 2020 war.

Ratas and members of an Estonian parliamentary delegation headed by him 
travelled to Shushi on May 24 during an official visit to Azerbaijan.

Simonian described the trip and pro-Azerbaijani comments made there by Ratas as 
“extremely concerning” during a meeting with Estonia’s Tbilisi-based ambassador 
to Armenia, Riina Kaljurand. He said they run counter to Armenia’s “friendly” 
relations with Estonia and the Baltic state’s stated support for a Karabakh 
settlement sought by the OSCE Minsk Group.

“The president of the National Assembly of Armenia expressed hope that his 
Estonian counterpart will visit Armenia soon, familiarize himself with the 
situation on the ground and also meet with officials representing 
Nagorno-Karabakh,” read a statement released by the Armenian parliament’s press 
office.

Armenia - Parliament speaker Alen Simonian meets Estonian Ambassador Riina 
Kaljurand, July 8, 2022

Earlier this year, the Armenian Foreign Ministry sent a note of protest to the 
United Nations after a senior UN official participated in an event organized by 
the Azerbaijani government in Shushi. Reacting to the event, Karabakh’s ethnic 
Armenian leadership accused Baku of trying to use international bodies for 
“legitimizing the results of its aggression” against Karabakh.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev praised Ratas’s visit to the Azerbaijani-held 
town when he received the latter in Baku on May 25. Aliyev said the Estonian 
speaker had a chance to see evidence of “large-scale destruction committed by 
the Armenians” there.

NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- A view shows Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi (Shusha) 
damaged by recent shelling, October 8, 2020.

Baku itself has been accused of trying to wipe out Shushi’s Armenian heritage. 
It emerged last year that the town’s Holy Savior Cathedral has been stripped of 
its conical dome and cross attached to it.

Yerevan said this was done for “depriving the Shushi Cathedral of its Armenian 
identity.” The Azerbaijani authorities claimed that they are simply renovating 
the 19th century church damaged during the war.

The imposing cathedral, also known as Ghazanchetsots, was twice struck by 
long-range Azerbaijani missiles during the 2020 war.

The authorities in Stepanakert have also accused Azerbaijan of systematically 
destroying another, smaller Armenian church located in Shushi. They say that 
Baku plans to transform it into a Russian Orthodox church under the guise of 
major renovation.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Salzburg University offering grants for research on cultural-spiritual heritage of Artsakh

Lara Chatinian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – July 8 2022
July 8, 2022, 14:36

 2 minutes read

The Armenian studies Division at the University of Salzburg Center for the Study of the Christian East has launched a new scholarship category, the ‘Research Grants for Armenian Studies focusing on the cultural-spiritual heritage of Artsakh.’

The goal is to encourage young researchers to study topics related to the cultural and art history of Artsakh, with particular emphasis on the material and immaterial cultural heritage.

The maximum amount to be applied for is EUR 3,000.

Close cooperation with the Armenian Studies Division in Salzburg is desired and would be much appreciated; short-term stays in Salzburg can be organized within the framework of the granted scholarship.

New MA and PhD projects are particularly eligible and considered for funding.

The application period for the ‘Research Grants for Armenian Studies focusing on the cultural-spiritual heritage of Artsakh’ will started on 1 July and run until 1 October, 2022.

  • Any aspect of Armenian studies (language, history, culture, art, theology, ethnography, archaeology etc.) focusing on the cultural-spiritual heritage of Artsakh, which is generally understudied, with particular emphasis on interdisciplinary methods and approaches. Proposals from the following sub-disciplines in Armenian studies are particularly welcomed: general, historical and comparative linguistics, areal linguistics, contact linguistics, dialectology; ethnography; art and architecture; manuscript studies/codicology; archaeology, medieval history and early modern History; history of sciences; theology, religious studies and other closely related disciplines.
  • Projects must be based on original research, archival work or fieldwork, and must be informed by current scientific approaches and theories.
  • Projects must have a clear output as a scientific publication.
  • The language of the application shall be English. The output(s) of the project must be written in English or any Western language; but the project itself can be in Armenian or any other language (e.g. Russian, German, Italian, etc.).
  • Graduates, Master students and Phds of the above-mentioned disciplines of any recognized university with already proven experience in independent scientific work (academic qualification work, publications, teaching, lectures), maximum age 35.

A cost breakdown, a time schedule and work plan, as well as an exposé of the research concept must be submitted with the requested documents.

Detailed information such as application guidelines and basic requirements can be found below

  • Application guidelines Armenian Studies Division 2022
  • Requirements conditions Armenian Studies Division 2022

Deputy Speaker briefs Ambassadors on normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations

Shushan Frangulian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – July 8 2022
July 8, 2022, 16:45

 Less than a minute

Vice President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan received the Ambassadors Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Sweden, Finland, Lithuania and Estonia Patrik Svensson, Kirsti Narinen, Inga Stanytė-Toločkienė and Riina Kaljurand.

At the ambassadors’ request, Ruben Rubinyan presented the developments in the normalization process of Armenia-Turkey relations and the concrete agreements reached as a result of the recent meeting in Vienna.

Issues of strengthening of bilateral cooperation were also discussed.

US lawmakers call for report on Azerbaijan’s activities in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020

Emil Lazarian
Panorama
Armenia – July 8 2022

The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) strongly supports several key amendments to H.R. 7900, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23), as well as a bipartisan letter spearheaded by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) along with Representatives Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), the Assembly reported.

With the full House of Representatives expected to consider the FY23 NDAA as early as next week, several key amendments were submitted to the House Committee on Rules today by Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern (D-MA), along with Representatives Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Jackie Speier (D-CA).

Chairman James McGovern’s amendment modifies reports to Congress under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act to include actions taken to (1) address underlying causes of the sanctioned conduct, and to (2) pursue judicial accountability in appropriate jurisdictions for sanctioned individuals or entities.

Rep. Tony Cardenas’ bipartisan amendment, supported by Reps. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), David Valadao (R-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Andy Levin (D-MI), and Judy Chu (D-CA), calls for the creation of a report on Azerbaijan’s activities in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 to be submitted to Congress by the Secretary of Defense in consultation with the Secretary of State.

Rep. Debbie Dingell’s amendment requires a report within 90 days of enactment that contains an evaluation of the humanitarian situation in Lebanon, as well as the impact of the deficit of wheat imports to the country due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

A bipartisan amendment by Rep. Pallone, cosponsored by Reps. David Valadao, Jackie Speier, Zoe Lofgren, Dina Titus (D-NV), David Cicilline (D-RI), Judy Chu, Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Adam Schiff, Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Grace Meng (D-NY), Jim Costa (D-CA), and Connie Conway (R-CA), prohibits U.S. Department of Defense funding to Azerbaijan under the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity program.

A bipartisan amendment offered by Rep. Adam Schiff demands that Azerbaijan release all Armenian prisoners of war and captured civilians still detained in the aftermath of the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. This amendment is cosponsored by Reps. Frank Pallone, Jackie Speier, Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Jim Costa, Tony Cardenas, Don Beyer (D-VA), Tom Malinowski (D-NJ), Raja Krishnamoorthi, Gus Bilirakis, and Katherine Clark (D-MA).

Rep. Jackie Speier offered two amendments to the NDAA. The first is an amendment prohibiting U.S. security assistance from being transferred to the defense or security forces of the government of Azerbaijan, while the second is an amendment that would require detailed reporting and accountability for any assistance provided to Azerbaijan under the waiver provisions of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act, including an “assessment of Azerbaijan’s use of offensive force against Armenia or violations of Armenian sovereign territory from November 11, 2020.” Both amendments are supported by Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Judy Chu (D-CA).

In addition to the aforementioned amendments, the Armenian Assembly of America strongly supports a bipartisan letter addressed to President Biden opposing the potential sale of next generation F-16 fighter jets and F-16 upgrade kits to Turkey. The letter states, in part, that Erdogan’s “regime has repeatedly used its military power to destabilize the Eastern Mediterranean, Middle East, South Caucasus, and North Africa for years.” The letter further highlights that “Turkish and Turkish-backed forces have utilized American-made weaponry and components during these incursions to commit war crimes, including purposefully bombing civilian targets like hospitals and schools in Iraq, Syria, and Nagorno Karabakh. They have also been used repeatedly to violate the sovereign territory of NATO allies and partners like Greece and Cyprus.”

"The Armenian Assembly strongly supports these timely amendments as well as the bipartisan letter opposing the potential sale of F-16s to Turkey," stated Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan. "Also, given Aliyev's aggressive rhetoric constantly threatening Armenia, and Azeri forces deliberately disrupting the lives and livelihoods of the Armenian population in border areas and in Artsakh, it is critically important to hold Azerbaijan accountable for its laundry list of human rights violations," Khaloyan added.

Azerbaijan opens fire on Armenian military positions

Anna Tamamian
Panorama
Armenia – July 8 2022

The Azerbaijani military opened fire on Armenian combat positions in the western section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border near the village of Yelpin in Vayots Dzor Province on Thursday evening, the Defense Ministry said in a statement.

Shots were also fired at the road leading to the village, damaging a civilian car. The Azerbaijani troops also employed large-caliber firearms.

“The Azerbaijani fire was suppressed after Armenia’s retaliatory measures. There are no casualties on the Armenian side,” reads the statement.'

Opposition MP urges ex-army chief to respond to Armenian authorities’ accusations

Diana Dabaghian
Panorama
Armenia – July 8 2022

MP Tigran Abrahamyan of the opposition Pativ Unem faction has urged Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan, the former chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff, to respond to the Armenian authorities’ latest allegations against him.

Andranik Kocharyan, a senior lawmaker from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party, said the top military general approved a “disgraceful plan” to use Russian-made Iskander missiles during the 2020 war in Artsakh.

Abrahamyan says the accusations against the former General Staff chief are rather serious, adding “only a very limited number of people are familiar with the matter.”

“From purely political point of view, no statement issued by the incumbent authorities can be trusted by the public, especially since earlier their leader said that the Iskander missiles [used at the war] exploded only by 10%. But in this case, Onik Gasparyan should respond [to the allegations],” the MP wrote on Facebook on Friday.

“Under the current government, it is simply impossible to find out many circumstances of the war, but before such an opportunity arises, i.e. before the government changes, Onik Gasparyan and other retired army officers should repeatedly respond to the authorities’ accusations and simply speak the truth.

“I know perfectly well that the vast majority of military personnel consider it pointless to speak publicly and be engaged in public debates, they don't see themselves in that role, but it’s high time to speak up. Don't support us, but at least protect yourself!” he noted.'