Category: 2022

Tiran Khachatryan: Topic of Shushi is political, not legal

Zhanna Nahapetian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Sept 2 2022
20:55, 02.09.2022

The authorities put the topic of Shushi on the agenda because it is a political issue, not a legal one, former First Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Tiran Khachatryan told journalists at the September 2 rally of the Resistance Movement in France Square in Yerevan.

According to him, the legal field in Armenia is not and cannot be independent; if politics chooses its own vision, then the legal field is guided.

Asked if the government seems to be trying to dump the blame for the defeat in the 44-day war on the command staff, Khachatryan said that after Nikol Pashinyan's statement that he was number one responsible but not the number one culprit, this continuation was expected.

"There was no other option in this situation, we had to decide who was responsible – ordinary people, volunteers or lower-level commanders who, to put it mildly, were not responsible," Khachatryan said.

Asked whether Jalal Harutyunyan and Mikayel Arzumanyan could have omitted anything in their actions, he replied, "That is wrong."

As for the legislative initiative of the Defense Ministry, which proposes to exempt from compulsory military service by paying 24 million AMD, Khachatryan said that there are corruption risks in this proposal.

"It turns out that people who have money will be able to be exempt from the army, while those who don't have money won't be able to. What does it mean to be exempt from serving the homeland in exchange for money? If a person realizes what the Motherland is, he must serve," concluded the former first deputy chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces.

Oppositionist names three principled demands on Karabakh, which must be secured

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Sept 2 2022
(PHOTOS)
21:00, 02.09.2022

There are only three principled demands on Karabakh, which must be secured, said Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a representative of the Supreme Body of ARF Dashnaktsutyun and an MP from the opposition "Armenia" bloc, during the September 2 rally of the Resistance Movement on the French Square in the center of Yerevan (PHOTOS).

The Karabakh issue, he said, has existential significance for Armenia.

"Karabakh is our strength and our dignity. It can never become an object of bargaining. Nevertheless, Karabakh today is on the brink of an abyss. It is threatened by ethnic cleansing and expulsions of Armenians," the oppositionist said.

He also listed the previously mentioned three main demands:

1. Any solution by which Karabakh can be incorporated into Azerbaijan must be excluded.

2. The enclave state of Karabakh should be excluded. That is, a reliable land connection must be established between Karabakh and Armenia.

3. Karabakh's demilitarization should be excluded. That is, the Armed Forces of Armenia and Karabakh should participate in the creation of a unified security system.

The obligatory provision and subsequent implementation of these three requirements, according to Saghatelyan, can prevent attempts to evict Armenians from Karabakh.

"For all these three requirements, we have problems. But we, for the realization of these goals, will fight to the end!" the parliamentarian stressed.

Saghatelyan: 54 votes are needed to remove PM from National Assembly, process will last 48-72 hours

Shushan Frangulian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Sept 2 2022
21:37, 02.09.2022

There are two ways to get rid of these powers which are resignation and removal through parliament. We can succeed that way only through widespread popular pressure, said Ishkhan Saghatelyan, coordinator of the Resistance Movement, an MP from the "Armenia" bloc, at the September 2 rally of the Resistance Movement in France Square in Yerevan (photo report).

According to him, in order for the Prime Minister's resignation to be put into circulation in the National Assembly, 1/3 of the deputies need to vote – 36 signatures. The two de facto opposition factions have 35 mandates. In order to actually dissolve the parliament, 50+1% of the votes are needed, i.e. 54 deputy votes.

The oppositionist also stressed that two conditions stipulated by the Constitution – political-legal grounds and the candidacy of the Prime Minister – are necessary for the removal. "The political-legal grounds are obvious," Sagatelyan said, adding that the process of removing the head of government must begin as quickly as possible, but at a precise time so that everything is effective.

"When we secure 36 signatures, the process will take 48 to 72 hours. We need tens of thousands of citizens in those 72 hours, around the clock. Just 72 hours," the lawmaker said and added that they would not start the process just to get it started because if they fail to succeed, they won't be able to use the toolkit until six months later.

"From tomorrow morning we start the initiative with all Armenian political forces, analysts, experts, intellectuals, we start consultations with all capable people on 2 main directions – the development program "Armenia after Nikol" and even more expansion of the movement," the oppositionist concluded.

Music: Dick O’Riordan: Armenian baritone sparkles to take €10,000 prize

Hovsep Chakrian
 Business Post 
Sept 2 2022

CLASSICAL NOTES

Grisha Martirosyan won the tenth Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition at the National Concert Hall on Tuesday with a performance of arias by Leoncavallo, Gounod and Massenet

  • DICK O'RIORDAN

    •  

  • 07:00


Grisha Martirosyan: the Armenian baritone had been hotly tipped to win the Veronica Dunne singing competition during the preliminary rounds. Picture: Frances Marshall

In a way, it was a victory waiting to happen when 24-year-old Grisha Martirosyan won the tenth Veronica Dunne International Singing Competition at the National Concert Hall on Tuesday.

The Armenian baritone had been hotly tipped during the preliminary rounds. He was first to sing on the final night and, even more tellingly, scooped the Audience Prize of €1,000 in advance of being declared overall winner and securing another €10,000 to the approval of a highly animated audience. His performance of arias by Leoncavallo, Gounod and Massenet was as sparkling as his jacket, while his commanding delivery belied his years and experience.

The home favourite, mezzo-soprano Aebh Kelly (25), also had a sensational week. She was cheered to the rafters after taking second place and receiving €6,000. This matched the previous achievement of Tara Erraught, who on this occasion was a member of the jury. Kelly has the ability to blaze a similar trail of success.

Third prize went to the British tenor Aaron Godfrey-Mayes. He sang probably the most popular programme of the evening and even had the temerity to take on Donizetti’s Ah! Mes Amis with its run of trilling high Cs (I lost count) in true Juan Diego Flórez style. Godfrey-Mayes has a lovely florid tone that will travel far.

I particularly loved two performances during the week. My favourite was by the Polish mezzo-soprano Zuzanna Nalewajek. Even the usually infallible Lyric FM presenter Liz Nolan tripped over her surname, but Nalewajek’s creamy tone was so seductive that I didn’t really care what she was singing. She made the final, and deservedly so.

My other highlight was Israeli soprano Dalia Besprozvany, who didn’t even reach the semi-finals. This deprived me of one of my favourite arias, Tchaikovsky’s Letter Scene from Eugene Onegin. Among the Irish entrants, Carolyn Holt also made a great impression, as did baritone Rory Dunne.

The six finalists were tenor Aaron Godfrey-Mayes (UK), mezzo-soprano Aebh Kelly (Ireland), mezzo-soprano Zuzanna Nalewajek (Poland), baritone Grisha Martirosyan (Armenia), bass-baritone Changdai Park (South Korea) and soprano Laura Lolita Peresilvana (Latvia). All were backed by a magnificent National Symphony Orchestra under the baton of maestro Laurent Wagner, who once ruled the rostrum for the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. The overall prize fund was €25,000.

Sadly, there were some late cancellations, but the competition still attracted a record number of applications with singers entering from 37 different countries. The make-up of the jury also reflected its international prestige, comprising chairperson Jane Carty (Ireland), orchestra conductor Richard Bonynge (Australia), Christina Scheppelmann, general director of the Seattle Opera (Canada), David Gowland, artistic director of the Royal Opera House (UK), Isla Mundell-Perkins, casting director of Staatsoper Hamburg (Germany), Tara Erraught, mezzo-soprano and on the board of directors at Irish National Opera (Ireland), and Jonathan Friend, artistic adviser of the Metropolitan Opera in New York (USA).

One aspect of the competition’s success that may escape notice was the heroic year-long shift that pianist and répétiteur Dearbhla Collins put in as its artistic administrator. She worked assiduously throughout the pandemic, searching out the very best of young performers across Europe, Britain and the United States.

On a strictly business level, it was encouraging to see that the main prize of €10,000 came from a single sponsorship for the first time in the competition’s history, with funding by Hinch Irish Whiskey of Ballynahinch, Co Down. Even a whiff revealed superb high notes.


https://www.businesspost.ie/life-arts/dick-oriordan-armenian-baritone-sparkles-to-take-e10000-prize/





Film: One Land Explored, Others Warned in ‘Motherland’

Emil Lazarian
Sept 1 2022

By CV Weekly on September 1, 2022



By Mary O’KEEFE

“Motherland” is a new documentary by Vic Gerami, journalist and editor/publisher of the web magazine “The Blunt Post.”

The film is described on IMDB (Independent Movie Data Base) as “following the 2020 unprovoked genocidal attack against Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Armenians by Azerbaijan and Turkey that killed 5,000 Armenians. Journalist and activist Vic Gerami travels to Armenia to document his ravaged Motherland.”

But the film is so much more than this explanation. It is a history lesson, a tale of war and a warning for the future.

It begins with a history lesson of Artsakh, Armenia and the Armenian people. The first thing shared is that these people have been fighting to keep their culture for well over a millenium. They have faced foes from just about every border including Turkey and Russia.

The landscape that Gerami walks through takes the audience into the beauty of this land and the rich history that has been scattered among the warring parties that seem to attack without warning. This has been going on for years but the people of Artsakh continue to pick themselves up and keep going. Then in 2020 things changed.

It began in September 2020 when Azerbaijan’s forces attacked Nagorno-Karabakh. Gerami pulls the audience into the political battle of this region and the world’s seemingly indifference, except for a few voices, as the attacks escalated and became more brutal.

“I was just covering it the best I could,” Gerami said in an interview with CVW. “The international community was so cavalier about it.”

If this film were seen prior to the attack by Russian forces in Ukraine it would have been impactful; however, seeing it now, with the coverage that has been given to the Ukraine battle so fresh in people’s minds, it is even more powerful.

“Motherland” includes several interviews with journalist experts in the region and elected officials who have been longtime supporters of the region and its people. It also spotlights those in government and business who have turned their backs on the atrocities that have been well documented.

But it is the interviews with those who served in battle that brings the humanity to this most inhumane attack. Those interviews bring a personal face to the war zone.

Make no mistake: This film has a definite point of view; however, the evidence that is presented is compelling. There are disturbing images of torture and even beheadings of those defending Artsakh. Then there are stories of those fighting for Azerbaijan, many of the fighters hired mercenaries, taking phones of the dead and tortured, taking photos and sending those images to victims’ families. The more the audience listens the more familiar it all sounds. It’s not just the genocide focus of this culture but also the stories of how this war played out. It’s the hired mercenaries, the indiscriminate bombing of schools and churches and the connection to Russia that makes it seem it is not a coincidence that what happened in 2020 Artsakh is what is happening in Ukraine now. This type of warfare may be happening a world away but, in truth, it is a warning sign for all.

With Russian support, a ceasefire was brokered in November 2020 but that doesn’t mean there is stability in the region. Armenia and Azerbaijan are still in conflict, and Azerbaijan holds several prisoners of war.

“Armenia is very vulnerable,” Gerami said.

The end of the film poses a question: If you are a witness to war crimes, will you speak for people robbed of their voice?

Ensuring the security and rights of Artsakh Armenians a milestone for achieving stability and peace in the South Caucasus – MFA

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – Sept 2 2022
September 2, 2022, 16:14

 1 minute read

Ensuring the security and rights of the Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh as well as a comprehensive and lasting resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by using the experience and potential of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, continue to be a milestone for achieving stability and peace in the South Caucasus, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia said in a statement on the 31th anniversary of proclamation of the Republic of Artsakh.

On September 2, 1992, the joint session of the deputies of all levels of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region and Shahumyan region adopted the declaration of independence of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

This step was the logical consequence of the policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenians by the Azerbaijani SSR, which is still manifested today. 

“In contrary to the constant statements by the authorities of Azerbaijan that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the Nagorno-Karabakh territorial unit no longer exist, it is a fact that around one hundred and twenty thousand Armenians continue to live in Nagorno-Karabakh, and as a member of the international community, they have equal and inalienable rights, and the conflict cannot be considered resolved until the core needs of the Armenians of Artsakh are not addressed,” the Foreign Ministry said.

“The Republic of Armenia continues to be committed to providing all the necessary conditions for the secure life of the people of Artsakh in their homeland,” the statement reads.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 09/02/2022

Ani Tigranian 
                                        Friday, September 2, 2022


Armenian Opposition Vows Another Change Of Tactics

        • Gayane Saribekian

Armenia - Opposition supporterss rally in Yerevan, September 2, 2022.


Armenia’s main opposition groups announced another change of tactics on Friday, 
citing the failure of their attempts to topple Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
with street protests launched in May.

“One of our main failings was that we did not manage to present the dangers 
facing our county to our public,” one of their leaders, Ishkhan Saghatelian, 
told opposition supporters rallying in Yerevan. “Our struggle was often regarded 
as a struggle for power, a struggle for former rulers’ return [to power.]”

“We must start presenting our vision, strategy and programs about Armenia after 
Nikol,” he said. “We must present our program, strategy for all areas and 
directions so that people see that there is a way out and there is no chance 
with Nikol [in power.]”

To that end, Saghatelian went on, the opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem 
alliances will start on Saturday “consultations” with other political forces as 
well as prominent intellectuals and other public figures. They hope to “expand 
and strengthen” their movement, he said.

Armenia - Opposition leader Ishkhan Saghatelian addresses a rally in Yerevan, 
September 2, 2022.

The opposition blocs began daily protests in Yerevan on May 1 two weeks after 
Pashinian signaled his readiness to recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity 
and “lower the bar” on Karabakh’s status acceptable to the Armenian side.

They scaled back the protests six week later after failing to unseat the prime 
minister. Saghatelian cited at the time the need to “change the structure and 
tactic of our resistance movement.”

Pashinian and his political allies have dismissed the opposition demands for his 
resignation, saying the opposition has failed to attract popular support for 
regime change.

Saghatelian on Friday again warned Pashinian’s government against making 
far-reaching concessions to Azerbaijan.



Another Karabakh General Indicted


Nagorno-Karabakh -- Major-General Jalal Harutiunian (L) at a staff exercise in 
Stepanakert, February 20, 2020.


Another former commander of Nagorno-Karabakh’s army is prosecuted in Armenia for 
serious military setbacks suffered during the 2020 war with Azerbaijan, it 
emerged on Friday.

The Investigative Committee said it has indicted Lieutenant-General Jalal 
Harutiunian on two counts of “careless attitude towards military service.” It 
decided not to arrest him for now.

One of the accusations stems from an Armenian counteroffensive against advancing 
Azerbaijani forces launched on October 7, 2020 ten days after the outbreak of 
large-scale fighting. Its failure facilitated Azerbaijan’s subsequent victory in 
the six-week war.

In a statement, the Investigative Committee said Harutiunian ordered two army 
units to launch an attack southeast of Karabakh despite lacking intelligence and 
the fact that they were outnumbered by the enemy and had no air cover. It said 
he failed to “seriously examine” their combat-readiness.

The law-enforcement agency also blamed the general for poor coordination between 
the units which it said also contributed to the failure of the operation. He 
should have stopped or delayed the counteroffensive that left scores of Armenian 
soldiers dead and 19 battle tanks destroyed, it said.

Harutiunian was also charged over the capture by Azerbaijani troops of the 
frontline positions of a Karabakh Armenian artillery unit on October 12, 2020. 
The Investigative Committee statement said that this was the result of 
inaccurate information provided by Harutiunian to the unit. The latter lost at 
least 20 soldiers and 8 howitzers on that day.

NAGORNO KARABAKH -- An Armenian soldier fires artillery on the front line on 
October 25, 2020.

It was not immediately clear whether Harutiunian will plead guilty to the 
accusations. If convicted, he will face between four and eight years.

The 47-year-old general was seriously wounded in an Azerbaijani missile strike 
on October 26, 2020. He was appointed as head of an Armenian military 
inspectorate after recovering from his wounds.

Harutiunian’s successor as Karabakh army commander, Mikael Arzumanian, was 
arrested in Armenia earlier this week on different criminal negligence charges. 
In particular, the Investigative Committee holds him responsible for the 
November 2020 fall of the strategic Karabakh town of Shushi (Shusha). Arzumanian 
reportedly denied this accusation.

Armenian opposition leaders criticized Arzumanian’s arrest, saying that it is 
part of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s efforts to deflect blame for the 
disastrous war. They hold Pashinian primarily responsible for Armenia’s defeat.

“Nikol needs scapegoats,” Hayk Mamijanian of the opposition Pativ Unem bloc told 
the Yerkir Media TV channel, commenting on the charges leveled against 
Harutiunian.

Pashinian denied last year opposition allegations that he is the one who ordered 
the bungled counteroffensive in October 2020. He also blamed Armenia’s former 
leaders for the outcome of the 2020 war.



Yerevan Again Shuns Karabakh Anniversary Events

        • Sargis Harutyunyan

Nagorno Karabakh - President Arayik Harutyunian and other Karabakh Armenian 
leaders attend an official ceremony in Stepanakert, September 2, 2022.


Armenia’s government and parliament sent no official delegations to Stepanakert 
on Friday for official ceremonies to mark the 31st anniversary of the 
establishment of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

The ceremonies were attended instead by separate delegations of the three 
political groups represented in the National Assembly. The ruling Civil Contract 
party’s delegation consisted of only two parliamentarians.

“We are in Stepanakert as members of Armenia’s National Assembly,” said one of 
those lawmakers, Rustam Bakoyan. “This was the decision made by the [ruling 
party’s] parliamentary group.”

Bakoyan would not say why the parliament’s leadership, also affiliated with 
Civil Contract, did not send an official delegation to Stepanakert as did last 
year. The parliament’s press office and leaders of its pro-government majority 
could not be reached for comment.

In a written statement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian congratulated the 
Karabakh Armenians on the anniversary of the proclamation of their republic not 
recognized by any country. Pashinian reiterated the official Armenian line that 
the Karabakh conflict will remain unresolved until the issues of the disputed 
territory’s status and security are “addressed irrevocably.”

Statements to the contrary are “inappropriate,” he said, alluding to Azerbaijani 
leaders’ regular claims that Azerbaijan essentially ended the conflict with its 
victory in the 2020 war with Armenia.

“The Republic of Armenia will continue to support the maintenance of normal 
life, security and human rights protection in Nagorno-Karabakh,” added the 
statement.

Pashinian said nothing about the future status of Karabakh acceptable to 
Yerevan. His political opponents and other critics claim that he is intent on 
helping Baku regain full control of the Armenian-populated territory.

The Armenian premier last visited Stepanakert during the six-week war stopped by 
a Russian-brokered ceasefire in November 2020.

“Artsakh (Karabakh) must continue to move along the path of independence,” 
Arayik Harutiunian, the Karabakh president, said in a statement issued on the 
occasion.



Russian, Armenian FMs Talk After Aliyev-Pashinian Meeting


Armenia - Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Russian counterpart 
Sergei Lavrov meet in Yerevan, June 9, 2022.


Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan telephoned his Russian counterpart Sergei 
Lavrov late on Thursday the day after the latest Armenian-Azerbaijani summit 
organized by the European Union.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the two men discussed the 
implementation of Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements brokered by Moscow. They 
agreed to “continue contacts in the near future,” it said in a short statement 
on the phone call held “at the initiative of the Armenian side.”

According to the official Armenian readout of the call, Lavrov and Mirzoyan 
discussed the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and broader regional security.

“They exchanged thoughts on recent developments in the region,” it said without 
elaborating.

Neither statement mentioned Wednesday’s meeting in Brussels of Armenian Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hosted by 
European Council President Charles Michel. It was their fourth trilateral 
meeting in nine months.

Speaking just hours before the Brussels summit, the Russian Foreign Ministry 
spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, scoffed at the EU’s continuing peace efforts. She 
said that they are driven by anti-Russian “geopolitical ambitions,” rather than 
a sincere desire to end the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“They are more like an attempt to shamelessly appropriate the laurels of 
mediation [from Russia,] which is not backed up by anything,” charged Zakharova.

Russian officials earlier accused the EU of trying to use the Karabakh conflict 
in the standoff over Ukraine. An EU diplomat insisted in June that the 27-nation 
bloc is not competing with Russia in its pursuit of an Armenian-Azerbaijani 
settlement.

A senior aide to Aliyev praised the EU mediation shortly after the latest 
summit. He said Michel has been trying to facilitate an Armenian-Azerbaijani 
peace treaty which Baku hopes will uphold its sovereignty over Karabakh.

Michel announced, meanwhile, that the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers 
will meet in September to “work on draft texts” of such an accord.

Pashinian and Russian President Vladimir Putin held four phone conversations in 
August. They most recently spoke on Monday.


Reposted 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.

President Khachaturyan, Brazil’s new ambassador highlight high-tech, astronautics as interesting fields for partnership

George Mamian

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 17:07, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The new Ambassador of Brazil to Armenia Fabio Vaz Pitaluga presented his credentials to President Vahagn Khachaturyan on September 1.

President Khachaturyan congratulated the ambassador on assuming office and wished productive work, the presidency said in a press release.

The Brazilian ambassador expressed readiness to put all efforts for further enriching the bilateral agenda.

Issues related to intensifying and deepening the bilateral relations were discussed.

The sides considered high technologies, astronautics, tourism and agriculture to be particularly interesting for partnership.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 01-09-22

Parkev Tvankchian

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 17:12, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, 1 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 1 September, USD exchange rate up by 0.18 drams to 404.74 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.72 drams to 405.35 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 6.72 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.18 drams to 467.84 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 177.37 drams to 22328.48 drams. Silver price down by 9.65 drams to 233.51 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.