Category: 2022

Dr. Mouradian to offer online seminar on the science of denial and false beliefs

Maral Takmazian
June 14, 2022 Guest Contributor Announcements 0

Dr. Khatchig Mouradian will offer an online seminar in July on the science of denial. The four-week multimedia seminar, titled “Grey Wolves and Pink Elephants: The Science of Denial and False Beliefs,” will be held every Tuesday from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in July. 

Relying on scientific research in various fields of study, each session will survey research on aspects of false beliefs and their propagation, and then delve into case studies, primarily from the United States, Turkey and Armenia.

The course is open to adults and high school students alike.

Class time is 90 minutes. Tuition is $75 donation per household to St. Leon Armenian Church. For questions, call Ara N. Araz at 917-837-1297 or email [email protected].

This is the fourth in a series of online seminars offered by Prof. Mouradian since the beginning of the pandemic. In July 2020, more than 50 people from across the US and a few from Europe attended the online course titled “Monuments, Names, and Racism.” Participants included artists, authors, journalists, professors, members of the clergy, PhD, undergraduate and high school students and professionals from all walks of life. The success prompted two courses in subsequent months: “Apologies, Non-Apologies, and Reparations: A Global Perspective” (August 2020) and “Artsakh: History, Culture, and Conflict” (November 2020).

Dr. Mouradian is a lecturer in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University. He also serves as co-principal investigator of the project on Armenian Genocide Denial at the Global Institute for Advanced Studies, New York University.




AW: Michigan’s Armenian community rejects Zareh Sinanyan’s visit

Emil Lazarian
June 14, 2022 Guest Contributor Statements 1

Republic of Armenia’s High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan during his working visit to Michigan

Last week, the Republic of Armenia’s High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan publicized an official visit to Michigan that was not announced to the entire community. Instead, we learned of Sinanyan’s Michigan public relations efforts in our state through various social media posts and press releases issued by Sinanyan’s office. Those press releases falsely stated that he met with “community leaders from various Armenian churches, educational and cultural organizations in the Greater Detroit area.” In fact, the press statements from Sinanyan’s official office do not reflect the reality of what really occurred while Sinanyan was in Michigan. 

We are a strong community with many organizations and four Armenian churches. However, during his Michigan visit, Sinanyan only visited one church, where he met with a handful of selected community members. No official announcements from Sinanyan’s office nor any formal invitation to meet was extended to Michigan’s three other Armenian churches and community organizations. 

It is disgraceful that the Government of Armenia, through Sinanyan’s official office, falsified the truth of Sinanyan’s Michigan visit and the pretenses under which it was made. It is clear that the reason Sinanyan’s visit was handled in the above manner was to use Michigan’s Armenian community to present the appearance that the Pashinyan regime’s agenda was advanced here. Sinanyan operated in secrecy in a failed effort to isolate and divide our community, following the usual blueprint of the Pashinyan regime and its divisive strategies and policies. The Armenian Diaspora is an essential pillar of the Armenian nation. We will not allow anyone – including any representative of the Pashinyan regime – to intrude on our community and attempt to divide our unity.

Contrary to the picture presented by the press releases from Sinanyan’s office, Sinanyan failed to advance Nikol Pashinyan’s agenda in Michigan to gain supporters for his traitorous agenda which gives away Artsakh, normalizes relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan at the expense of the security and sovereignty of Armenia and Artsakh and jeopardizes the fight for full justice for the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide. 

Sinanyan does not represent the Armenian Diaspora, and he certainly does not represent the Armenian community of Michigan.

—

St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church
St. Vartan Catholic Church
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Azadamard Gomideh Detroit
AYF Detroit “Kopernik Tandourjian” Junior and Senior Chapters
Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Tzolig, Maro, Shake, Sybille and Zabel Chapters
Hamazkayin Armenian Educational & Cultural Society of Detroit
Homenetmen of Detroit
Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Michigan
Friends of Artsakh




RFE/RL Armenian Report – 06/14/2022

Chmshkian Vicken 
                                        Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Armenian Opposition Scales Back Protests
June 14, 2022
Armenia - Opposition supporters demonstrate in Yerevan, June 14, 2022.
More than six weeks after the start of their “resistance movement,” Armenia’s 
main opposition groups announced late on Tuesday their decision to scale back 
virtually daily demonstrations aimed at toppling Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
In what they called a change of tactics, they said they will dismantle tents 
pitched in the center of Yerevan, switch to weekly rallies and try to attract a 
larger following.
Ishkhan Saghatelian, one of the opposition leaders, admitted that many Armenians 
unhappy with Pashinian’s government have avoided participating in the protests.
“We have not yet managed to get all those people to the streets and to bring 
them to this square. There are still people who think this is s fight for power, 
for the return of former rulers to power,” Saghatelian told thousands of 
supporters rallying in Yerevan’s France Square, the site of the opposition tent 
camp.
Armenia - Opposition leader Ishkhan Saghatelian speaks at a rally in Yerevan, 
June 14, 2022.
The two opposition alliances represented in the Armenian parliament launched 
their campaign there on May 1 two weeks after Pashinian signaled his readiness 
to recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and “lower the bar” on the 
status of Nagorno-Karabakh acceptable to the Armenian side. They accused 
Pashinian of helping Baku regain full control of Karabakh.
Opposition supporters have since regularly marched through the city center, 
closed roads and blocked the entrances to government buildings, repeatedly 
clashing with riot police. The most serious of those clashes, which broke out on 
June 3, left dozens of protesters and police officers seriously injured.
Pashinian and his political allies have dismissed the opposition demands for his 
resignation. They say that the opposition has failed to attract popular support 
for regime change.
Armenia - Former Armenian President Robert Kocharian (center) participates in an 
opposition rally in Yerevan, June 14, 2022.
Saghatelian, who has been the main speaker at the protests, put a brave face on 
the failure to unseat the prime minister. He claimed that the opposition has 
managed to “awaken the society” and scuttle a “new capitulation agreement” with 
Azerbaijan. The protests have showed that Pashinian lacks a popular “mandate to 
lead Armenia to vital concessions” to Baku, he said.
“We will definitely oust Nikol but we will do that bloodlessly,” Saghatelian 
told the crowd.
The opposition forces, he went on, have to “change the structure and tactic of 
our resistance movement in a way that will allow us to give it new impetus.” 
They will now hold major rallies on a weekly basis and set up, in the meantime, 
new structures in and outside Yerevan, he said.
Saghatelian said they will also keep fighting for the release of over three 
dozen opposition activists and supporters arrested during the protest movement.
The vast majority of them were charged with assaulting police officers or 
government loyalists. Opposition leaders reject the accusations as politically 
motivated.
Russia Set For Key Role In Azeri Transit Through Armenia
June 14, 2022
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Russian border guards stationed in Syunik province are inspected by 
Russian Ambassador Sergei Kopyrkin, May 24, 2022.
Russian border guards are expected to carry out border checks on Azerbaijani 
travellers and goods that will transit Armenia’s territory as part of 
Armenian-Azerbaijani transport links facilitated by Moscow.
Armenia and Azerbaijan are to reopen their border to commercial and passenger 
traffic under the terms of a Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped their 
six-week war for Nagorno-Karabakh in November 2020. The agreement specifically 
commits Yerevan to opening rail and road rinks that will connect Azerbaijan to 
its Nakhichevan exclave.
Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said last week that the Armenian side has agreed 
to simplify border crossing procedures for those who will use the planned 
transit routes. He did not elaborate.
The Armenian government has still not commented on the arrangement announced by 
Lavrov.
Sources familiar with the arrangement divulged some of its details to RFE/RL’s 
Armenian Service. According to them, Azerbaijani cargos and travellers will be 
checked by Russian border guards and then Armenian customs officers when 
crossing the Armenian border.
Armenian security personnel will then escort them to the nearest Azerbaijani 
border checkpoint. A Russian officer will be embedded with each armed escort, 
the sources said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in December that passage through that 
“corridor” must be exempt from Armenian border controls. Yerevan rejected his 
demands.
In an interview with the Al Jazeera TV channel aired on Tuesday, Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian insisted that the Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements call for only 
conventional transport links between two countries.
“We have only one corridor in our region,” Pashinian said. “It’s the Lachin 
corridor connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.”
Areg Kochinian, a Yerevan-based political analyst, suggested that the 
“simplified” border control regime would compromise Armenia’s full control over 
the transit road and railway leading to Nakhichevan.
“If Russian border guards, escorts are deployed there and the whole thing has a 
special status, it will function as a corridor,” Kochinian told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian Service. “Especially if no such arrangement is put in place for our 
passenger and cargo traffic through Azerbaijani territory.”
A Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani commission discussing practical modalities of the 
transport links met in Moscow earlier this month. A Russian government statement 
said its Armenian and Azerbaijani members “brought closer their positions on 
issues of border, customs and other types of control.”
Armenian Central Bank Ups 2022 Growth Forecast
June 14, 2022
Armenia - Martin Galtsian, the chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia, speaks 
at a news conference in Yerevan, June 3, 2021.
The Central Bank significantly upgraded its 2022 growth forecast for Armenia on 
Tuesday, saying that Russia’s economy is doing better than expected after 
crippling sanctions imposed by the West.
It also made clear that it will not intervene to reverse or stop a sharp 
appreciation of the national currency, the dram, which began a few weeks after 
Russian troops invaded Ukraine on February 24.
The bank predicted in mid-March that economic growth in Armenia will slow down 
to 1.6 percent this year due to anticipated fallout from the conflict. The 
International Monetary Fund and the World Bank forecast even lower growth rates, 
pointing to the South Caucasus state’s close economic ties with Russia.
The Central Bank governor, Martin Galstian, said the Armenian economy is now on 
course to expand by 4.9 percent in 2022.
“This has mainly to with the presence of foreign visitors in Armenia and the 
Russian economy’s short-term performance which is not as bad as we expected 
earlier,” Galstian told a news conference.
Armenia - Russian nationals are seen in downtown Yerevan, March 7, 2022.
The visitors mentioned by him presumably include thousands of Russians who moved 
to Armenia and/or opened bank accounts there following the outbreak of the war 
in Ukraine.
About 27,000 foreigners, most of them Russian citizens, opened Armenian bank 
accounts from February 24 through the end of March. This seems to explain why 
hard currency inflows to Armenia doubled, according to the Central Bank, in 
April.
Armenian government data shows that GDP growth accelerated to 8.6 percent in the 
first quarter of this year and continued unabated in April on the back of sharp 
gains in the services and construction sectors.
“A considerable influx of foreign visitors and rising internal private spending 
are helping to boost the services sector and overall consumer demand,” said 
Galstian.
He also cautioned: “The Central Bank Board reckons that macroeconomic prospects 
remain highly uncertain due to geopolitical developments.”
RUSSIA - An oil pumpjack is seen near the village of Yamashi in the Republic of 
Tatarstan, April 5, 2020:
Armenia is also very dependent on multimillion-dollar remittances from hundreds 
of thousands of its citizens working in Russia. The Russian ruble is now 
stronger than it was before the war, having more than regained its value lost in 
late February and early March.
The Armenian dram has similarly strengthened against the U.S. dollar by almost 
24 percent since the middle of March. Its continuing appreciation is prompting 
growing concerns from Armenian export-oriented firms and fuelling calls for 
Central Bank intervention.
Galstian said that the bank will not cut interest rates or intervene in the 
domestic currency market to cut the dram’s value. He argued that the stronger 
dram is somewhat easing external inflationary pressures aggravated by the 
Ukraine war.
“By artificially weakening the dram we would create an even worse inflationary 
situation which would hit all citizens, including exporters,” said Galstian.
Earlier in the day, the Central Bank board decided to keep its benchmark 
interest rate unchanged at 9.25 percent. According to the bank, consumer price 
inflation in Armenia continued to rise in May, reaching an annual rate of 9 
percent.
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.

Sports: Stuart Armstrong double helps Scotland hit back to beat nine-man Armenia 4-1

Markos Nalchajian
UK – June 15 2022

Stuart Armstrong hit a double as Scotland overcame a difficult start to beat nine-man Armenia 4-1.

Scotland fell behind early on in Yerevan and endured some anxious moments after Armstrong’s quickfire equaliser. But the midfielder scored in first-half stoppage time, moments after Arman Hovhannisyan had committed two yellow-card offences in the space of five seconds, and Scotland made the most of their advantage.

John McGinn and Ché Adams were on target early in the second half as Scotland sealed six points from their opening three Nations League games before the hosts had another man sent off in stoppage time.

Steve Clarke, the Scotland manager, had been left scratching his head over his side’s 3-0 defeat in Dublin on Saturday and three of his defenders did not make the 2,500-mile journey – the captain, Andy Robertson, John Souttar and Scott McKenna.

Scott McTominay was restored to the back three beside Grant Hanley and Jack Hendry, who lined up on the left, while wing-backs Nathan Patterson and Greg Taylor came in along with Billy Gilmour and Armstrong.

Ireland had struggled in the Yerevan heat when they went down to Armenia in the Group B1 opener but conditions were fine for Scotland in the Republican Stadium thanks to the 8pm local kick-off time, a breeze and a pre-match downpour.

Armenia rarely ventured forward in their 2-0 defeat at Hampden last week but they showed much more attacking ambition in the opening stages and went ahead inside six minutes.

Hanley looked favourite to win the ball out wide but he misjudged his challenge and fell over to leave Tigran Barseghyan to race to the byline and cut it back for Vahan Bichakhchyan to finish at the near post.

Gilmour soon had a shot pushed over after a short corner and Scotland were level in the 14th minute when Armstrong quickly followed up to slot home after Adams had failed to get an ambitious shot away.

The goal did not settle Scotland down though and Armenia twice nearly scored from balls over the top with the visitors being rescued by an offside flag and then a recovery tackle from the grounded Hendry.

Ché Adams (left) is challenged by Armenia’s Hrayr Mkoyan. Photograph: Vahram Baghdasaryan/Photolure/Reuters


The key passage of play started with Hovhannisyan’s late challenge on Patterson. McGinn squared up to the defender and was floored by a headbutt before Montenegrin referee Nikola Dabanovic flashed two yellow cards and a red.Craig Gordon soon saved from Eduard Spertsyan and Scotland continued to look vulnerable at the back when Armenia ran at them. Clarke’s side began to get to grips with the game around the half-hour mark and Adams twice threatened from long range before Patterson sliced well off target following Taylor’s low cross.

Scotland gave the hosts no time to reorganise as Armstrong latched on to McGinn’s pass in the box and beat a defender before steering the ball home brilliantly despite losing his footing.

The Scots hammered home their numerical superiority after the interval. McGinn turned and fired home from six yards in the 50th minute after Patterson had cushioned Taylor’s deep cross into him. Five minutes later, Armstrong did superbly to send Southampton teammate Adams away on the counter-attack and the forward curled home.

Scotland could have had more. Armstrong twice threatened his hat-trick and both Adams and Taylor forced saves.

David Turnbull, Lewis Ferguson, Anthony Ralston and Jacob Brown were given run-outs and Allan Campbell was handed a debut as Scotland continued to dominate possession, although the hosts missed some late chances and Gordon pulled off two good second-half stops.

Kamo Hovhannisyan was shown a straight red card following a wild challenge on Ferguson and Campbell saw a shot deflected wide. Scotland round off their Nations League campaign in late September with a double-header against Ukraine and Ireland.

Sports: Armenia defender completely loses his head with two bookings in five seconds vs Scotland

Emil Lazarian
June 15 2022

Armenia defender Arman Hovhannisyan committed two bookable offences within the space of just five seconds in their Nations League clash with Scotland which earned him an early bath

By

Dan Burnham
  • 08:58, 15 JUN 2022

Armenia defender Arman Hovhannisyan was given his marching orders against Scotland after picking up two bookings in the space of just five seconds.

Defender Hovhannisyan completely lost his head as he first chopped down Nathan Patterson with a reckless and late tackle which had referee Nikola Dabanovic reaching for his yellow card. But before the Montenegrin official could even brandish it, the 28-year-old committed a second bookable offence.

He squared up to a disgruntled John McGinn, who he then proceeded to headbutt to seal his fate. Dabanovic showed him the pair of yellows and then the red card in quick succession.

Commentator Ally McCoist afforded Hovhannisyan no sympathy. He said: “The tackle is a howler, the tackle is a yellow card. Let’s get that straight away.” After then seeing the headbutt, he added: “It’s ridiculous, he’s off. It’s stupidity.”

The score had been level before the sending off which came shortly before the break, but Stuart Armstrong netted his and Scotland’s second of the night in added time to further Armenia’s woes.

McGinn and Che Adams doubled the tally in the second half, before Arman’s team-mate and namesake Kamo Hovhannisyan received a straight red for a tackle on Scott McTominay in the dying embers of the game to reduce the hosts to nine men.

The 4-1 win put Scotland up to second in their Nations League group. They lost to Ireland at the weekend but also beat Armenia 2-0 on home turf earlier in the international break.

Arman Hovhannisyan was also involved in a heated moment during that match for which he was lucky not to be sent off for. As he and his team-mates protested a goal which was later ruled out by VAR for offside, he picked up a water bottle and appeared to throw it in the direction of the linesman.

Miraculously, he wasn’t even booked for the incident. But he wasn’t afford the same leniency on Tuesday (June 14) night.

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/armenia-defender-sent-off-scotland-27237111

READ ALSO

Steve Clarke knows there’s still work to do as he has say on Armenian tactics and bottle-throwing | The Scotsman
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/international/steve-clarke-knows-theres-still-work-to-do-as-he-has-say-on-armenian-tactics-and-bottle-throwing-3731814
Scotland boss Steve Clarke hits out at bottle throwing following Armenia clash (yahoo.com)
https://uk.sports.yahoo.com/news/scotland-boss-steve-clarke-hits-200602890.html
Armenia 1 – 4 Scotland – Match Report & Highlights (skysports.com)
https://www.skysports.com/football/armenia-vs-scotland/461701
Willie Miller slams two Armenian ‘assaults’ with Scotland win talked up as Steve Clarke turning point – Daily Record
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/willie-miller-slams-two-armenian-27234717
Steve Clarke reacts to Armenia fans’ bottle throwing as Scotland boss hails players’ character – Daily Record
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/steve-clarke-reacts-armenia-fans-27235249
‘I was malkied by Armenia hothead even if pals reckon I was a wee bit dramatic’ insists Scotland star John McGinn | The Scottish Sun
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/sport/football/9014816/john-mcginn-scotland-armenia-headbutt-nations-league/
Patterson Assists As Scotland Thrash Armenia (evertonfc.com)
https://www.evertonfc.com/news/2645920/patterson-assists-as-scotland-thrash-armenia
Armenia vs. Scotland – Football Match Summary – June 14, 2022 – ESPN
https://www.espn.in/football/match/_/gameId/624066
‘It got a bit tasty’ – John McGinn opens up on Scotland’s night in Armenia | The Scotsman

Qatar: Al Kawari hails cultural diplomacy as Armenian PM opens expo at QNL

Jalatian Sonya
June 15 2022
Published: 15 Jun 2022 – 09:17 am | Last Updated: 15 Jun 2022 – 09:18 am

Minister of State and President of QNL H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari, , and Prime Minister of Armenia H E Nikol Pashinyan, during a tour of the Qatar National Library, yesterday.

Doha: Minister of State and President of Qatar National Library (QNL), H E Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kawari has lauded the impact of cultural diplomacy in bridging the gap between countries.

Dr. Al Kawari was talking on the sidelines of the visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia, H E Nikol Pashinyan, and the opening of the ‘Arabic Messages 
from Armenia’ exhibition at QNL. He expressed hope that the Armenian PM’s visit would further strengthen the relationship between the Arab world and Armenia. 

The Armenian Prime Minister arrived in Qatar on Monday on a two-day official visit.

“We are very proud of this great edifice (QNL), as all visitors to Qatar are keen to visit it. The visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia is not only a visit, but he has opened an exhibition which contains a lot of information about the civilization of Islam and Armenia. This indicates the reach of culture and heritage in its impact on relations between countries today. If these civilizations were not deeply rooted in history, they would not have an impact in our present time with the same strength,” Dr. Al Kawari told the media.

“The visit of the Armenian Prime Minister to the Qatar National Library is significant, and the role of culture is also vital in international relations, as cultural diplomacy has become parallel to traditional diplomacy. We are happy that our country contains many cultural institutions that showcase this country and the ancient Arab and Islamic culture,” he added.

The ‘Arabic Messages from Armenia’ exhibition will showcase the Arab-Armenian historical, political, cultural and economic relations over centuries. It presents reproductions of pages from Quranic manuscripts and other Arabic manuscripts, in addition to replicas of coins from different periods in the history of Islamic dynasties. The exhibition is open to the public until June 21 during the library’s opening hours.

In their original form, the items are kept in the Armenian Matenadaran — a museum and repository of manuscripts; and the History Museum of Armenia, which houses the actual coins. The artefacts present an exclusive treasure of utmost cultural and historical value for Armenian historians but also Arab countries and worldwide.  

“Today, I was impressed with the exhibition as it displayed a document indicating that an Armenian clergyman resorted to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and then to Caliph Omar Ibn Al Khattab and Caliph Ali Ibn Abi Talib and asked them to protect Armenians from the Persians. This indicates tolerance and Muslims’ keenness to coexist with other religions and respect cultures,” Al Kawari added.

https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/15/06/2022/al-kawari-hails-cultural-diplomacy-as-armenian-pm-opens-expo-at-qnl

Transport Minister, Armenia’s Economy Minister review cooperation

Ekmekjian Janet
June 15 2022
Published: 15 Jun 2022 – 08:41 am | Last Updated: 15 Jun 2022 – 08:44 am

Minister of Transport H E Jassim Saif Ahmed A -Sulaiti met yesterday with Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia H E Vahan Kerobyan. The two officials reviewed aspects of cooperation in the fields of transportation and ways to develop them. Qatar’s Ambassador to Armenia H E Mohammed bin Hamad Al Hajri also attended the meeting.

Armenian opposition dismantles tents on central Yerevan square

Emil Lazarian
June 15 2022
 15 June 2022

ByAni Avetisyan
A protestor rests in a tent in Yerevan. Photo: Ani Avetisyan/OC Media.

Armenia’s opposition, which has organised over a month of continuous protests has vacated Yerevan’s France Square. They had set up an encampment on the central Yerevan roundabout when the protests first began in early May.

The tents were removed in the early hours of 15 June.

In a rally on Tuesday evening, when the dismantlement was announced, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a prominent opposition MP and protest leader, announced that the protest movement will continue until the ‘ultimate’ goal, that is, removing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan from power, is achieved.

The parliamentary opposition, composed of MPs from the Armenia Alliance and I Have Honour blocs have refused to participate in the Parliament sessions, instead choosing to throw their weight behind continuous protests which kicked off on 1 May. At the time, they vowed not to leave the streets until Pashinyan resigned.

On Tuesday, Saghatelyan said that keeping the tents in the France Square was no longer important, and the movement’s future was no longer dependent on the tents. Opposition leaders announced more marches and rallies for the coming week.

Despite dismantling the tents, he said, opposition MPs will not return to parliament and have stated they will keep up street protests and ‘talking about the Armenia’ they say they will ‘represent’ when they come to power.

The opposition has been demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation since mid-April, when the latter hinted at being ready for concessions on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinyan had said that by ‘lowering the bar’ on demands for status Armenia would gain ‘consolidation’ among the international community.

According to the Union of Informed Citizens, an Armenia-based democracy watchdog, the number of protesters, in rare cases, exceeded ten thousand — though that was only in the first days of the protests.

Despite the month-long mobilization, Armenia’s political leadership appeared to actively ignore the opposition and rarely addressed the protests or the protesters. One such mention occurred during a meeting between Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, with the latter telling the former that the protests do not enjoy strong ‘public support’.

[Read more: Armenia’s opposition appeals to Lavrov]

The encampment in its first days. Photo: Tamuna Chkareuli

Along with the violent rhetoric, the protests were often accompanied by clashes and the use of violence by both police and protesters.

Since the protests began over two dozen criminal cases were initiated involving police officers who used excessive force against demonstrators, on x-date Armenia’s Human Rights Defender condemned the use of ‘disproportionate’ force by Police when detaining protesters.

Dozens of protesters have also been charged for violence committed against police officers, especially after violent clashes on 3 June, in which 50 people were injured of whom 39 were police officers.

In one moment caught on camera during the clashes that day, a protester can be seen attacking a police officer with a sledgehammer.

Following war, Russian Jews congregate in Yerevan

Chalian Meline
June 15 2022
Ani Mejlumyan Jun 15, 2022

Since the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine, tens of thousands of Russians have fled to the Caucasus. Among them are members of one unexpected community: hundreds of Russian Jews who have relocated to Yerevan. 

Nathaniel Trubkin, a 40-year-old Muscovite, moved to Yerevan on March 8, about two weeks after Russia launched its war in Ukraine, setting off a wave of repressions and international sanctions. 

Like many Russians, he chose Armenia for its relative ease: It’s visa-free for Russians, most people speak Russian, and it’s simple to find a short-term apartment and set up a business. He also had some friends in Armenia who helped him get settled.

But still, it wasn’t easy. “I didn’t have a lot of money, whatever I had in my pocket when I arrived, and that was the case for many people,” Trubkin told Eurasianet. After a hasty search, he ended up in a “horrible” apartment. 

The rough experience inspired him to set up Yerevan Jewish Home, which now assists other Russian Jews with their apartment searches, opening new bank accounts and setting up businesses. Since starting its work in April, the organization has helped about 200 Russian Jews relocate to Yerevan, he said. 

Jews have a long history in Armenia. The 5th-century Armenian historian Movses Khorenatsi wrote that the 1st-century-B.C. King Tigranes the Great brought back 10,000 Jewish captives to Armenia after a war in the Levant. 

“Greater Armenia historically has been a place where significant Jewish communities have lived,” Yerevan’s chief rabbi, Gershon Meir Burshtein, said in a recent interview. He said that in contrast to many other places where Jews have lived, in Armenia they never suffered from pogroms or other persecutions. 

“In this context Armenia is not tainted with these kinds of memories, which means it can be a hope for creating, uniting efforts on the spiritual and material bases.” 

The large majority of Armenia’s Jewish population left for Israel in the late Soviet and early post-Soviet period, and before this new wave of migrants, Armenia’s Jewish community was between 800 and 1,000 strong. 

In the post-Soviet period, Israel has built close ties with Armenia’s rival Azerbaijan, and Armenians have frequent complaints about Israel’s arms sales to Azerbaijan or its failure to recognize the Armenian genocide. 

But those tensions don’t spill over into how Armenians treat Jews, Trubkin said. “People here don’t treat me any differently when they find out I’m a Jew,” he said.

Now, Yerevan Jewish Home is helping the new arrivals form a new community together. It has funding from the charity American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee, which also helped set up similar efforts in the Georgian cities of Tbilisi and Batumi.

The organization has begun Hebrew-language classes and is working to set up Armenian lessons for new arrivals.

“Many [Russian Jews] came to Armenia and Georgia and were separated” from the Jewish community in Russia, Trubkin said. “It’s important to recreate that Jewish context for them, so what we can do now is to make them feel like they are among their own people.” He said that this “closeness” is one thing that Armenians and Jews, with long histories of persecutions and dispersals, have in common. 

The new arrivals are not isolating, though, but rather integrating in and engaging with broader Armenian society.

Hidden in an alley just off central Yerevan’s busy Saryan Street sits a lively new restaurant, Hummus | Kimchi, offering a fusion of two cuisines relatively unknown to Armenian palates: Israeli and Korean.

“Since my wife is Korean and I’m a Russian Jew I thought it would be cool to mix two very different cuisines,” said Dmitriy Shangareov, the chef and owner. 

Shangareov became familiar with Armenia when his sister married an Armenian and he moved to Yerevan before the war to set up the restaurant. “The plan before was to open a restaurant, hire some locals, teach them and move back to Moscow,” he told Eurasianet, taking a break from the kitchen and sporting a black T-shirt with the word “Ukraine.” But he was on a visit to Russia to pick up some equipment for the restaurant when the war started. He returned to Yerevan on February 28 and hasn’t left.  

The restaurant opened in April and now has become a favorite of Yerevan’s many new Russians, Ukrainians, and Belarusians, whether Jewish or not. It also has attracted a clientele of curious locals, especially at lunchtime. “We didn’t expect to turn a profit in the first month and a half, but we have exceeded our expectations,” he said. 

A recent performance at Mama Jan (Mama Jan/Facebook)

Another popular hangout is Mama Jan, a Russian Jewish-owned cafe in central Yerevan. It opened in 2021 and has become popular with the diaspora crowd. 

Now, in partnership with Yerevan Jewish Home it has recently become a cultural hub for Jewish-themed poetry readings, mixed stand-up comedy events and shabbat observances.  

At an open mic event one recent evening, the jokes alternated between English and Russian. Much of the comedy relied on broad stereotypes, and more than one performer cracked that “Armenians are like the Jews without the money.”

After the second repetition of the joke, there was an uneasy reaction from much of the crowd, and Trubkin raised his eyebrows in dismay.

But another Russian-Armenian spectator tried to smooth things over. “There’s no need to get angry,” he said. “Let’s see it as a chance for us to learn about each other.”

Ani Mejlumyan is a reporter based in Yerevan.

Armenian PM Pashinyan says Yerevan aims to balance between Russia and the West

Arsine Chaltikian
June 15 2022




  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Pashinyan’s interview to Al-Jazeera TV channel

“It is not so easy to be a direct, honest, reliable partner for both Russia and the West. Our duty is to maintain the right relationship, not to betray anyone”, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan expressed this opinion in an interview with Al Jazeera TV channel.

The Armenian prime minister, who is in Qatar on an official visit, also spoke about the war in Ukraine, cooperation with Iran and the normalization of relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey.

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Pashinyan stressed that Armenia is very concerned about the situation around Ukraine and is in favor of resolving all issues through dialogue and peace.

According to the prime minister, not only the situation in Russia, but also global economic tension due to rising food inflation and other factors had a direct impact on the Armenian economy. He stressed that economic indicators are currently quite positive (8.6% economic growth in the first quarter).

“Hopefully we can keep that momentum going,” he said.

According to Pashinyan, amid special relations with Moscow, the Armenian government has to pursue a clear and subtle policy:

“We try to be a direct, honest and reliable partner for Russia, our European-Western partners, and our neighbors. It is not so easy”.

According to him, the duty of national leaders in such situations is “to maintain the right relationship with partners, not to betray anyone.”

Political scientist Armen Grigoryan calls for urgent revision of Armenia’s foreign policy to replace the ongoing “pseudo-diversification” of the country’s foreign affairs

Pashinyan did not agree with the opinion of the Al Jazeera journalist that, with the exception of Iran, Armenia has poor relations with neighboring countries. He stressed that Armenia has very good relations with two of the four neighbors – Georgia and Iran.

According to Pashinyan, relations with Iran are very close, thanks in part to the free trade agreement between Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union:

“Now we are working on the development of communications between Iran and Armenia, we are in the process of building a strategic highway called North-South. We hope that our economic relations with Iran will develop as a result of this program”.

“The sole interest of the European Union is to help this process and reach a lasting and comprehensive settlement” – EU Special Representative’s statement on Karabakh talks

The Prime Minister announced the establishment of a commission on the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, stressing that it is very important to continue work in this direction. Pashinyan expressed hope that “with the support of international partners and bilateral work, it will be possible to delimit the borders.”

“If the commission decides that the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh should belong to Azerbaijan, what will be your position?”

Answering this question of a journalist, the Prime Minister stressed that “the delimitation commission has nothing to do with the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

According to Pashinyan, the trilateral statement signed in 2020 does not resolve the most pressing issue – the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict:

“We hope that in the near future we will be able to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.”

Answering the question about providing a corridor through the territory of Armenia, the prime minister once again stressed that this is a red line for official Yerevan:

“According to the trilateral statement, we have one corridor – the Lachin corridor, which links Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia”.

Pashinyan stressed that regional communications should be opened “according to the principle of mutual respect for sovereignty and inviolability of borders.”

After the second Karabakh war, Azerbaijani repeatedly demanded the establishment of a “corridor” through the territory of Armenia to its Nakhichevan exclave. The Armenian side constantly replied that it was in favor of unblocking regional communications, but was categorically against providing routes with “corridor logic”. According to the explanation of the Armenian authorities, the term “corridor” implies the loss of sovereignty over this territory, which is out of the question.

The dialogue between Yerevan and Ankara has begun, the prime minister said, referring to the format of the talks between the special representatives. He stated that he expects tangible results:

“We opened a direct flight between Armenia and Turkey, but this is what we had before. I hope we will be able to establish diplomatic relations and open the border between Armenia and Turkey, which has been closed for 30 years”.