Category: 2022

Azerbaijan says Karabakh issue is closed

Meline Chalian
Aug 27 2022
By

 Teilor Stone

 -

Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev said that the OSCE Minsk Group is a thing of the past.

The Karabakh issue is closed. Azerbaijanis and Karabakh Armenians are citizens of the same country who can peacefully coexist with each other. This was stated by the head of the foreign policy department of the presidential administration, Hikmet Hajiyev.

According to him, the US and France, being co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, did not make any contribution to the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh problem, and the ambassadors of these countries refused to visit Shusha, despite repeated invitations. Such behavior, according to the assistant to the president of the country, can be regarded as their non-recognition of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.

“I have a message to those who are trying to appeal to the Minsk Group as a mediator in resolving existing issues: this group does not exist , just as there is no such international problem that requires mediators,” Hajiyev was quoted by the Azerbaijani media.

The assistant to the President of Azerbaijan also noted that during the Second Karabakh War in 2020, the Azerbaijani army was very close to the liberation of Khankendi, but did not began to do this in order to avoid civilian casualties.

In September 2020, the long-term conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia escalated in Nagorno-Karabakh. Fighting began in Karabakh. The situation relatively normalized in autumn 2021, however, Armenia and Azerbaijan continued to report incidents at the border.

Sports: Academy player Dylan Mirakian joins Armenia U-15 national team

Sonya Jalatian
Aug 28 2022

By Sam Kovzan 

Sporting Kansas City Academy player Dylan Mirakian has joined the Armenia U-15 Boys National Team for a training camp at the National Technical Centre and Football Academy in Yerevan, Armenia.

Mirakian, who is from Fairway, Kansas, has been a member of the Sporting Kansas City Academy since 2018 when he made the move from Sporting Blue Valley. He currently competes for the Sporting KC U-15s, led by head coach Luis Pacheco.

Mirakian developed in the Sporting KC Academy Center of Excellence while playing for Sporting Blue Valley, then entered the Academy ranks at the U-12 level. He was part of the Sporting KC U-12 side that won the 2019 LA Galaxy Cup, the same year he set a world record for the four-mile run in his age group. In addition to excelling on the soccer field, Mirakian is a two-time USA Triathlon national champion.

Under the guidance of newly appointed Academy Director Declan Jogi, the Sporting Kansas City Academy will kick off the 2022-23 MLS NEXT season in September as six teams from U-12 to U-19 square off against other MLS academies from across the country. For news and updates, follow the Sporting KC Academy on Twitter and Instagram.

https://www.sportingkc.com/news/academy-player-dylan-mirakian-joins-armenia-u-15-national-team

62nd Annual Armenian Food Festival comes back to Richmond

Emil Lazarian
Richmond, Virginia – Aug 28 2022
By NBC12 Newsroom
Published: Aug. 27, 2022 at 10:16 PM GMT+3|Updated: 23 hours ago

RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – The 62nd annual Armenian Food Festival, coined as “Richmond’s oldest and longest-running food festival,” is returning to the River City!

The Armenian cuisines include shish kabobs, cheese beoreg, Armenian meat pies, stuffed grape leaves and an original Hye Burger lovingly prepared by St. James Armenian Church members.

Wash down the excellent food with some great Armenian beer and wine, as well as traditional music and dancing.

The festival is Friday, Sept. 9 and Saturday, Sept. 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the corner of Pepper and Patterson avenues (834 Pepper Ave.)

https://www.nbc12.com/2022/08/27/62nd-annual-armenian-food-festival-comes-back-richmond

Evanston Taste of Armenia Festival

Elizabeth Jabejian
Evanston, Illinois 
Aug 28 2022
Gary Peter Rejebian, Neighbor
816 Clark St, Evanston, IL, 60201

St James Armenian Church-Evanston is proud to once again host the . Over the years, the largest Armenian event in the area has become a favorite end-of-summer event for Chicagoans of all ethnic backgrounds. The festival offers a leisurely sunny afternoon of delicious Armenian cooking, rousing music, and great company.

The Taste of Armenia serves up charcoal-grilled kebabs and homemade specialties. Few can resist the bountiful table of our grandmas' authentic pastries and a steaming cup of Armenian coffee.

Live music for line dancing all afternoon.

Special performance:

Armenian Dance Co of Chicago

New on the menu!

*"Mediterranean Taste" lahmejun plate from Philadelphia

https://patch.com/illinois/evanston/calendar/event/20220828/1930894/evanston-taste-of-armenia-festival

Three people arrested following blast at Yerevan’s market — prosecutor’s office

Antranik Varosian
 TASS 
Russia – Aug 28 2022
A blast rocked the Surmalu wholesale market in Yerevan on August 14

YEREVAN, August 28. /TASS/. Three people were arrested in Armenia following a deadly explosion at the Surmalu market in Yerevan, Arevik, Khachatryacn, a spokesman for the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office, said on Sunday.

"Three of those detained following the explosion at the Surmalu trade center have been arrested," he said, adding that they are accused of violating fire safety rules entailing the death of people.

A blast rocked the Surmalu wholesale market in Yerevan on August 14. The explosion at a fireworks storage house was followed by a strong fire. The market’s main building partially collapsed. According to latest update, sixteen people were killed, including a pregnant woman and a child, and more than 60 were taken to hospitals.

Artsakh FM on US, France ambassadors not visiting Shushi: We consider it important political, humanitarian step

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 28  2022
10:52, 28.08.2022

Azerbaijan has once again attacked the OSCE Minsk Group, using its appropriate diplomatic lexicon. One of the reasons was the refusal of the French and US ambassadors to travel to the [Azerbaijani-] occupied Shoushi [city of Artsakh]. We welcome this waiver and consider it an important political and humanitarian step. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Foreign Minister David Babayan wrote this on Facebook.

“However, the reasons for Azerbaijan's actions to break up the Minsk Group lie elsewhere. The main reason for Baku’s interest in the collapse of the OSCE Minsk Group, and, in particular, the institution of this group’s co-chairmanship, is that through this, Azerbaijan is trying to destroy the de-facto and de-jure international diplomatic status of Artsakh, which is a recognized party to the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict and negotiation process. And most of the relevant documents, statements and other political and legal acts are in the sphere of activity of the Minsk Group and the Minsk process. The disbandment of the Minsk Group and the co-chairing of this group, according to the logic of #Baku, should actually level the de-facto and de-jure international diplomatic status of Artsakh. 

Here Baku and Ankara act together, making every possible use of the contradictions between Russia and the collective West, which also affects the activity of the co-chairmanship of the Minsk Group. But this emotional flirting, through which the Azerbaijani-Turkish alliance is trying to deceive Russia, is naturally tactical and temporary in its nature. It is quite obvious that both Turkey and Azerbaijan are doing everything possible to undermine the Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh, knowing full well that with Russia's withdrawal, Artsakh will also be destroyed, the destruction of Artsakh in its turn will lead to tectonic geopolitical shifts in the Transcaucasus and in adjacent vast geopolitical spaces, which will create existential threats for a number of countries, primarily for Russia. This poses a threat, by the way, to the West as well, just in the longer term.

It is also possible that such a maximalist policy of Baku is also aimed at this kind of blackmail to achieve the inclusion of Turkey in the co-chairing countries of the Minsk Group as a kind of compensation for Baku to soften its tough position.

I am confident that this and many other things are well understood in Moscow, Washington, and Paris.

It is also obvious that the OSCE Minsk Group and its current co-chairmanship have no alternative yet,” added the Artsakh FM.

Several Armenian cultural monuments in Artsakh’s Berdzor-Lachin not removed

Anna Tamamian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 28  2022
12:27, 28.08.2022

Due to the statement made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of Armenia during a press conference on June 27 that after the change of the route of the Goris-Stepanakert motorway passing near Aghavno village, the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) city of Berdzor and the adjacent villages of Aghavno and Nerkin Sus will come under the control of the Azerbaijani armed forces and the local Armenian residents will be evacuated, the authorities of Artsakh started the removal of Armenian cultural monuments from those settlements at the beginning of August. The Monument Watch platform noted about this in a statement.

According to the statement, as of Thursday, a total of 47 Armenian cultural monuments—including cross-stones, memorial stones, busts, and memorial fountains—have been removed from the aforesaid communities.

Unfortunately, it was technically impossible to remove in such a short time the Church of the Ascension and the Holy Martyrs' Church and the Berdzor memorial dedicated to the Artsakh Liberation War. However, it was possible to partially remove some elements of the Church of the Ascension of Berdzor.

The removal of these monuments is being actively discussed in the Azerbaijani media, and accusations are being made regarding the "looting" of the Church of the Ascension.
"If the enemy threatens to eliminate, transform, annihilate and desecrate the ‘occupier,’ if we have already witnessed many times the manifestations of the particularly barbaric policy of Azerbaijan (…) regarding new monuments, unfortunately, removal is the only way to save these monuments from desecration and destruction," the aforesaid platform added.

Berdzor-Lachin mayor on Azerbaijanis breaking town sign: Let them show the world their nature, brutality

Jack Hunanian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 28  2022
18:51, 28.08.2022

All displaced residents of Berdzor (Lachin) town have already settled, most of them have moved to Armenia, and four families have settled in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh). Mayor of Berdzor, Artsakh, Narek Aleksanyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am about this.

"They are currently living on rent in Armenia, whereas in Artsakh they are still in hotels. The displaced persons in Artsakh will be provided with apartments; the apartments will be available by the end of next month. A certificate of compensation will be handed to all displaced people, regardless of everything," Aleksanyan added.

Referring to the fact that Azerbaijanis started committing atrocities immediately after entering Berdzor, the latter’s mayor said that such behavior was expected from them.

"I didn't expect anything else from the enemy, it is just showing its brutality, I didn't expect anything else. Let them break the [Berdzor] sign, let them show the world their nature, their brutality—even towards a sign," he said.

As per the mayor of Berdzor, according to the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020, the Berdzor, Sus, and Aghavno communities of Artsakh were to be handed over to Azerbaijan, but this was put off since the new alternative motorway was not completed yet, and only now they have been handed over.

"According to the statement of November 9, Kashatagh region [of Artsakh] should have been handed over on December 1 [of 2020]. However, as it remained in the area of the corridor, they were not handed over. Three settlements of Kashatagh region fall into the new corridor; and if [Armenian] diplomacy works well, it will be possible to settle these three settlements," he added.

On Friday, the Azerbaijani army was deployed in the Berdzor administrative capital of the Kashatagh region of Artsakh, and in its Aghavno and Sus villages. 
Artsakh is currently linked to Armenia by the old route via Berdzor, but the new route is expected to start operating at the beginning of September.

Artsakh Police: After August 31, connection with Armenia will be made through new corridor

Albert Nalbandian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Aug 28  2022
22:20, 28.08.2022

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) informs that traffic along the Berdzor (Lachin) corridor of the interstate motorway connecting Artsakh to Armenia will operate until August 31 inclusive, reported the Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Artsakh.

"Russian peacekeepers will ensure the safe travel of people during this period. After August 31, the connection with the Republic of Armenia will be made through a new corridor in the southern direction, through the territory of the Berdadzor sub-district, about which the Ministry of Internal Affairs will provide clear and detailed information," added the Police of Artsakh.

India is powerful nation, can take independent decisions: Armenia Ambassador on Ukraine row

Hovik Karapetian
Aug 22 2022
India is powerful nation, can take independent decisions:
Armenia Ambassador on Ukraine row 
By BD Naraayannkar 
Bengaluru, Aug 22 (UNI) 
Commenting on India's neutral stand on Ukraine imbroglio that has
"riled" US allies, Armenia Ambassador to India Youri Babakhanian said India can afford to take
independent decisions because it is a powerful nation. 
"In fact it is a very complicated issue. To answer, it needs time but I would like to answer. I can
tell you that India is an independent and powerful enough state and can afford to take
independent decisions," he told UNI in an exclusive interview here late Sunday night on the
sidelines of India-Armenia Conference 2022. 
He replied to a question related to the disappointment of the US allies on India's neutral stance
on the Russo-Ukraine war. 
The statement is in line with India's External Affairs Minister Dr Subramaniam Jaishankar's,
who had earlier outlined India's position in the Russo-Ukraine conflict by emphasising that
India was not sitting on the fence, but was rather entitled to its own opinion when it came to
foreign policy. 
"… Forget the history and civilisation bit; everybody knows that. I feel I am entitled to have my
own side. I am entitled to weigh my own interests, and make my own choices. My choices will
not be cynical and transactional. They will be a balance of my values and my interests. There is
no country in the world which disregards its interests," he said earlier addressing GLOBESEC
2022 Bratislava Forum (Slovakia). 
India has refused to openly call out Russia as the instigator of the Ukraine crisis and abstained
from successive votes in the UN Security Council, General Assembly, and Human Rights Council
that condemned Russian aggression in Ukraine. 
Asked if there was a pressure from EU to toe their line on Ukraine imbroglio, Babakhanian said
there is no pressure from it because Armenia is a small actor and not a decision-maker in the big
political maps. 
Like India, Armenia also has adopted a neutral position vis-a-vis Ukraine. It has not openly
called out Russia as an aggressor state. It also abstained from voting on a UN security resolution
calling for Russia’s immediate withdrawal from Ukraine. 
Armenia also abstained from an urgent debate on the war in the UN Human Rights Council. 
However, the country has a pretty good relations with the US and EU, Babakhanian said.
"Our relations with Russia is pretty good. We are allies. We are members of the same
organisations. We are members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and Organisation for
Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group. So, we don't have problems with
Russia. Russia is a closest ally of Armenia, but at the same we have pretty good relations with
Europe and the United States," he said. 
"Armenia is a small country and its policy has always been based on complementary principles.
But if we have some good relations with someone, it is not at the expense of our other parties. So
we are trying to make policies based on complementary principles," Babakhanian said. 
Asked about Islamabad's nefarious role in Jammu and Kashmir region, Babakhanian termed
Pakistan as a destabilising entity and added that the J&K issue should be solved on fair
principles of international law that supports India's position. 
"That is why Armenia is on India's
side," he said.
Commenting on Pakistani mercenaries supporting Azerbaijan in the 2020 war against Armenia,
Babkhanian said it cannot be taken positively and cannot ignore the trilateral military 

cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and Pakistan against his country. 

"These are the two faces of the same medal (Pakistan). Of course we cannot take the movement
of Pakistan in Azerbaijan. This trilateral military cooperation between Turkey, Azerbaijan and
Pakistan, which is obviously against Armenia, also cannot be taken lightly. The participation of
Pakistani mercenaries in the 2020 Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict was criticised by us," he said. 
Earlier in an interview to a news channel, Armenia's Finance Minister Ararat Mirzoyan had said
that any involvement of mercenary forces aggravates the situation as it brings a wider regional
aspect to a local conflict.
"Such actions always leave a long-lasting, negative impact on the regional situation even after it
is stabilised," he added. 
UNI BDN SHK1958    
http://www.uniindia.com/~/india-is-powerful-nation-can-take-independent-decisions-armenia-ambassador-on-ukraine-row/States/news/2806814.html