Category: 2022

Sports: Armenia’s Artur Davtyan wins men’s vault FIG’s Apparatus World Cup

Christine Harutyunian
Feb 28 2022
– 17:50 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia’s Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist Artur Davtyan on Sunday, February 27 won the men’s vault event at the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) Apparatus World Cup in Cottbus, Germany.

Davtyan averaged 14.983 from his two attempts of 15.100 and 14.866 to take the first place. Ukraine’s Nazar Chepurnyi placed second with 14.600, while Adem Asil of Turkey was third with 14.583.

Vahagn Davtyan, another of Armenia’s athletes, earlier won silver on the rings, while Artur Avetisyan and Gagik Khachatryan didn’t secure medals.

Doha is set to stage the next FIG Apparatus World Cup from Wednesday March 2 to March 5.

Armenophobia and threat of force remain Azerbaijan’s state policy – Foreign Ministry

Chatinian Lara
panorama.am
Armenia – Feb 28 2022


Armenia’s Foreign Ministry on Sunday released the following statement on the 34th anniversary of the massacres of Armenians in Sumgait: 

“34 years ago, on February 27-29, with the organization of the Soviet Azerbaijani authorities and the connivance of law enforcement, the massacres of the Armenian population in the city of Sumgait were carried out, resulting in the killing of hundreds of Armenians, including women, children, elderly, and forcible displacement of thousands.

Mass killings and tortures against the Armenians, that were aimed at forcibly suppressing the democratic _expression_ of will of the Armenian of Artsakh and the exercise of their inalienable right to self-determination on the basis of existing legal mechanisms, later continued in Baku, Kirovabad, and other settlements of Azerbaijan with Armenian population. Azerbaijan responded to the _expression_ of the will of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to free and secure life in their homeland by carrying out a policy of collective punishment against Armenians, which later turned into full-scale war unleashed against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The massacres of Armenians in Sumgait received a wide international response. A relevant condemning resolution was adopted by the European Parliament.

In continuation of the same policy, the Azerbaijani armed forces carried out a complete ethnic cleansing of all Armenian settlements fallen under their control during the aggression against Artsakh on September 27, 2020, taking cruel revenge on many detained civilians, prisoners of war, destroying, vandalizing Armenian cultural and religious monuments and sanctuaries.

The decision of the UN International Court of Justice on the application of provisional measures within the framework of the “International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination” issued on December 7, 2021, demonstrated the fact that more than three decades after the Sumgait atrocities Azerbaijan continues its policy of racial hatred towards Armenians and the destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage.

Today, we pay tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of the mass atrocities in Sumgait and other settlements, and emphasize that Armenophobia and the threat of force remain Azerbaijan’s state policy, which clearly contradicts the regional and international efforts aimed at a peaceful, developing and sustainable region.”

Armenians hold a vigil in Vancouver, demand justice for Sumgait pogroms

Maghakian Mike
panorama.am
Armenia – Feb 28 2022


POLITICS 12:43 28/02/2022 ARMENIA

On February 26, members of the Armenian Youth Federation of Canada held a vigil in front of the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) Vancouver headquarters demanding justice for Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, and raising their voices in support of freedom and security for the independent Republic of Artsakh, Horizon Weekly reported.

From 1988 to 1990, the Armenian population in Soviet Azerbaijan was the target of racially motivated pogroms against Armenians in the cities of Sumgait (February 27-29, 1988), Kirovabad (November 21-27, 1988) and Baku (January 13-19, 1990).

Parliament speaker: Azerbaijan’s sole purpose is to achieve final occupation of Artsakh

Talar Tumanian
panorama.am
Armenia – Feb 28 2022


Speaker of Artsakh’s National Assembly Artur Tovmasyan released the following statement on the 34th anniversary of the pogroms against Armenians in Sumgait:

“Dear compatriots,

34 years have passed since the Sumgait pogroms,

Many peoples and nations around the world have suffered and continue to suffer from genocide, and for the Armenian people it’s about the past and the present, but never the future.

Azerbaijan, an artificial state born in early 20th century, has pursued an anti-Armenian mission since its formation, as evidenced by the 1988 Sumgait pogroms and the recurrent wars.

Azerbaijan’s sole purpose and obsession is to achieve the final occupation of Artsakh and the annihilation of the ethnic people.

Impunity and intolerance pushed the Azerbaijani authorities to commit new genocidal acts.

Armenophobia reached its peak in the September 2020 war unleashed by Azerbaijan, in particular in the form of inhuman treatment of the population of Artsakh and Armenian captives, murders, torture and cultural genocide.

Strongly condemning the Sumgait crime and Azerbaijan’s long-standing policy of Armenophobia, we call on the civilized world to take effective steps to prevent the genocidal policy of Azerbaijan against the Artsakh Armenians.

We need to get out of this difficult situation, continue to live on our ancestral land, and demand that our rights be respected.

My homage to the memory of all our compatriots who fell victim to the Azerbaijani violence and all fallen heroes of the Artsakh wars.”

Artsakh’s NSS negotiating with Russian peacekeepers to eliminate tools of Azerbaijan’s psychological attack

Emil Lazarian
panorama.am
Armenia – Feb 28 2022


The National Security Service (NSS) of the Artsakh Republic is taking measures to enhance security in the village of Khramort and other communities of the Askeran region after Azerbaijani threats against the local residents.

“The decent developments in various sections of the line of contact between Artsakh and Azerbaijan, including in the village of Khramort in the Askeran region, have caused concern among the people of Artsak,” the NSS said in a statement on Monday.

“Azerbaijan’s psychological attack with the use of various methods is alarming in itself, yet both Artsakh residents and government agencies must work to improve the real components of security.

“In this regard, the National Security Service is taking all measures to protect the lives and health of the residents of Khramort and other communities from possible attacks and to establish a stable and reliable security system.

“The NSS is also holding talks with Russian peacekeepers to eliminate the tools of psychological attack carried out by Azerbaijan,” reads the statement.

Water sources of some villages of Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province are under Azerbaijani control

Karakhanian Suren
 NEWS.am 
Armenia – Feb 28 2022


13:37, 28.02.2022

Several villages in Geghamasar community of Gegharkunik Province of Armenia have been deprived of irrigation and drinking water since May 12 of last year, when the Azerbaijani military had advanced in the direction of Sev Lake.

The head of Geghamasar enlarged community, Hakob Avetyan, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that this problem exists in six of the 18 villages of this community, some villages have partially, and others—completely—lost their water resources.

The prefect of Geghamasar noted that the residents of the villages that are now deprived from their water resources bring water from the neighboring villages—every day.

“We have repeatedly applied to the provincial hall and the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure, but no alternative has been developed yet,” Avetyan stressed.

According to him, however, the water problem is not the only one faced by the residents of these villages ever since May 12 last year, as many villagers have lost their pastures, too, and many of them had been invested in.

“Not all of our residents are adjusting to this situation. There are families in almost all villages who have moved to Yerevan or emigrated to Russia,” Hakob Avetyan added.

Armenia FM: Azerbaijan continues to violate rights of Armenia and Karabakh residents

Elizabeth Jabejian
 NEWS.am 
Armenia – Feb 28 2022


19:38, 28.02.2022

Azerbaijan, in addition to Nagorno-Karabakh, continues its policy of human rights violations, which also affects residents of the border regions of Armenia, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.

His remarks came at the 49th regular session of the UN Human Rights Council.

He noted that civilians are harmed by the ongoing provocative actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces, the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry informed NEWS.am.

“This aggressive policy is accompanied by blatant violations of international humanitarian law. Sixteen months after the ceasefire, there are still 38 Armenian prisoners of war, including civilians, in Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, the fate of hundreds of missing persons, including dozens of forcibly disappeared persons, remains unclear,” Mirzoyan explained.

According to him, the right to self-determination is one of the main goals of the United Nations. The use of force against this right can lead to a range of human rights violations. These include mass atrocities and ethnic cleansing. “This is what we saw on the part of Azerbaijan against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020 – both during the war and after,” the diplomat said.

He called on the international community to take responsibility for ensuring unconditional access by UN bodies to the entire territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. Mirzoyan noted that holders of UN special procedural mandates have repeatedly raised questions with Azerbaijan. “These include the use of mercenaries during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances, and the destruction of religious and cultural heritage.

Azerbaijan has refused to respond adequately. Baku, in fact, did not respond at all, which is an obvious challenge to the UN human rights mechanism,” Mirzoyan said. According to the Minister, we must not forget the plight of those to whom the UN has no access. The people of Nagorno-Karabakh must not be discriminated against on the basis of origin, language, religion, political or other opinion, national origin or any other ground.

“We seek a safe, dignified and voluntary return of Armenians to their homes throughout Nagorno-Karabakh,” stressed the Armenian representative. The interim measures proposed by the International Court of Justice on 7 December 2021, which oblige Azerbaijan to stop its racist and discriminatory treatment of Armenians, including the destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage and acts of vandalism, must be implemented unconditionally. These measures, according to Mirzoyan, are evidence of Azerbaijan’s Armenianophobic policies.

They include belligerent rhetoric, deprivation of people’s livelihoods, constant intimidation of the Armenian population, and a new threat to use force. “Only after addressing these issues will we be able to ensure stability, peace, justice, and the protection of universal human rights in our region,” the Foreign Minister said. 

Armenia`s foreign office issues statement on 34th anniversary of massacres of Armenians in Sumgait.

Hovik Karapetian
ARM INFO
Feb 28 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. Armenia’s foreign office has issued a statement on the 34th anniversary of massacres of Armenians in Sumgait

The statement reads: 

“34 years ago, on February 27-29, with the organization of the Soviet  Azerbaijani authorities and the connivance of law enforcement, the  massacres of the Armenian population in the city of Sumgait were  carried out, resulting in the killing of hundreds of Armenians,  including women, children, elderly, and forcible displacement of  thousands.

“Mass killings and tortures against the Armenians, that were aimed at  forcibly suppressing the democratic _expression_ of will of the  Armenian of Artsakh and the exercise of their inalienable right to  self- determination on the basis of existing legal mechanisms, later  continued in Baku, Kirovabad, and other settlements of Azerbaijan  with Armenian population. Azerbaijan responded to the _expression_ of  the will of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to free and secure life in  their homeland by carrying out a policy of collective punishment  against Armenians, which later turned into full-scale war unleashed  against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The massacres of Armenians in Sumgait received a wide international  response. A relevant condemning resolution was adopted by the  European Parliament.

“In continuation of the same policy, the Azerbaijani armed forces  carried out a complete ethnic cleansing of all Armenian settlements  fallen under their control during the aggression against Artsakh on  September 27, 2020, taking cruel revenge on many detained civilians,  prisoners of war, destroying, vandalizing Armenian cultural and  religious monuments and sanctuaries.

“The decision of the UN International Court of Justice on the  application of provisional measures within the framework of the  “International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial  Discrimination” issued on December 7, 2021, demonstrated the fact  that more than three decades after the Sumgait atrocities Azerbaijan  continues its policy of racial hatred towards Armenians and the  destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage.

“Today, we pay tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of the  mass atrocities in Sumgait and other settlements, and emphasize that  Armenophobia and the threat of use of force remain Azerbaijan’s state  policy, which clearly contradicts the regional and international  efforts aimed at a peaceful, developing and sustainable region.”

Ukraine is geopolitical follow-up to 44-day war, expert says

Torgomian Varazdat
ARM INFO
Feb 28 2022
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo. The ongoing Russian-Ukrainian confrontation is, no doubts, a link in a long chain of geopolitical events, the independent analyst Saro Saroyan told  ArmInfo.  “To start realizing what is going on, we have to go back to  the 44-day war, which is, in fact, the first link in this  geopolitical chain.  

Back on November 9, 2020, it was clear a new geopolitical balance was  forming in the South Caucasus, with Turkey entering Russia’s orbit  with the latter’s silent consent. It should be stressed what happened  was the result of consensus between Moscow and Ankara,” Mr Saroyan  said.  According to him, the results of the 44-day war were the  result of the alliance of convenience between Moscow and Ankara. And  the chain of the concerted geopolitical changes has now reached the  Black Sea region. As regards the year-and-a-half-long pause in the  process, Mr Saroyan believes the geopolitical centers needed time to  get ready for this geopolitical configuration. In this context, he  considers the South Caucasus and the Black Sea region part of one  process aimed at achieving a new balance in the region.  Such a  programme really exists, and accomplishing the tasks set by certain  circles was impossible without war, and such scenario is unfolding in  Ukraine now, Mr Saroyan said. According to him, it is too early to  speak of the essence and content of the programme. 

According to Saroyan, Russia is now carrying out a task of  demilitarizing Ukraine. The resultant developments will end in a new  type of iron curtain between Russia and the West. The rest depends on  the success of Russia’s military operation in Ukraine. But the key  question is the Ukrainian people’s ability to resist the invasion. 

The expert stressed that Turkey should not be expected to attempt to  change the status quo in the South Caucasus amid Russia’s rather  successful military operation in Ukraine. And the war is controllable  now.  Mr Saroyan forecasts a radical change in the situation in case  of successful resistance by Ukrainians, and the war will become  uncontrollable. After that, all the stakes, programmes and decisions  will turn into a mess, which could cause new threats to Armenia by  Turkey.