Armenia's Hamest Afrikyan (42 kg) advanced to the finals of the European Junior Boxing Championships in Turkey.
Afrikyan defeated an athlete from Ireland in the semifinals, according to the press service of the FBA.
Earlier Samvel Siramargyan (66 kg) reached the final.
PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian lifter Emma Poghosyan has on Wednesday, August 18 won gold at the European Youth & U15 Championships, currently underway in Poland.
Competing in the 81kg weight category, Poghosyan lifted a total of 206 kg above her head to claim the champion’s title.
ANKARA
In a first, Türkiye on Wednesday appointed an Armenian-origin man as governor of a district.
Berk Acar, 27, will serve as the government's top representative in the Babadag district of the southwestern province of Denizli.
Acar worked as a lawyer after graduating from the Istanbul Bilgi University in 2020.
He qualified for the post after clearing with flying colors an exam conducted by the country's Interior Ministry.
BAKU, Azerbaijan
Homes and forests are being set ablaze in the Azerbaijani border region of Lachin by illegally settled Armenians as they leave the region, showed recent captured footage.
Despite successive warnings not to burn their homes or harm the environment, images have been circulating on social media showing some Armenians burning their houses and nearby forests.
Footage showed Armenians setting fire to their homes in the city of Lachin and nearby villages of Zabuh and Sus, along with the surrounding forestland.
Azerbaijan is set to retake control of Lachin, which lies on the route between the city of Khankendi in Karabakh and Armenia, at the end of this month, in accordance with a joint declaration signed by Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia.
Russian troops and the Armenian population will leave the areas along the route known as the "Lachin corridor," where Lachin, Zabuh, and Sus are located and which was temporarily put under Russian control in accordance with the tripartite declaration signed on Nov. 10, 2020 after 44 days of conflict.
As part of the declaration, Azerbaijan built 32 kilometers (20 miles) of road passing around Lachin for the Armenian population in Karabakh to use on their way to and from Armenia.
Russian forces providing security on the route of the old Lachin corridor will also move the checkpoints to the new road.
Lachin and its villages were occupied by the Armenian army in 1992, and then Armenians brought from Syria and Lebanon were settled there in the following years. Throughout the process, Azerbaijan has declared that it sees this as a war crime and violation of the Geneva Conventions.
According to information from the Armenian press and social media, the Armenian population that settled in Lachin and Zabuh and Sus was warned to leave the region by Aug. 25. They will be able to settle in either Armenia or Khankendi and will receive financial assistance from Yerevan.
Relations between the former Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been tense since 1991 when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.
As new clashes erupted in September 2020, the ensuing conflict saw Azerbaijan liberate several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.
The fighting ended in November 2020 with a deal brokered by Russia that saw Armenia cede chunks of the territory it had occupied for decades.
In January 2021, Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Russia agreed to develop economic ties and infrastructure for the benefit of the entire region.
*Writing by Gozde Bayar
Thursday,
Armenia Mulls Opening Checkpoints At Azerbaijan Border
• Astghik Bedevian
An Armenian checkpoint along the Vardenis-Sotk road set up after the 2020 war
with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh (file photo).
Armenia considers the possibility of opening several checkpoints along its state
border with Azerbaijan, according to a draft decision circulated by the
country’s National Security Service.
Under the draft published on e-draft.am, a single website for the publication of
legal acts, it is proposed that the number of checkpoints for the crossing of
the border by car be increased.
In particular, it suggests opening border crossings at three points along the
Armenian-Azerbaijani state border, in particular near the villages of Sotk and
Karahunj in the Gegharkunik and Syunik provinces in the direction of the border
with Azerbaijan in the east and near the village of Yeraskh in the direction of
the border with Azerbaijan in the west.
As a justification for the decision the draft cites the need to fulfill the
instructions given by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian at a government meeting on
August 4. Pashinian then, in particular, said that Armenia is ready to ensure a
link between Azerbaijan and its western exclave of Nakhichevan through its
territory provided it maintains sovereignty over the roads.
If the decision is adopted by the government, the director of the National
Security Service will have to ensure the adoption of a corresponding legal act
within two weeks to guarantee the safety of the movement of people, goods and
vehicles through the new checkpoints. However, the draft does not specify what
customs regulations will apply.
The tripartite Armenian-Azerbaijani-Russian commission for unblocking regional
transport routes has not made any public announcement about any final agreement
reached regarding the opening of the roads.
Neither the office of Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian, who is negotiating
with the Azerbaijani side issues related to regional unblocking, nor the Foreign
Ministry were available for comment immediately.
Representatives of Armenia’s opposition also refrained from commenting on the
draft decision.
Areg Kochinian, an expert on military and political issues, said that he
believes that with this step Armenia is trying to show some proactivity in order
to neutralize Azerbaijan’s claims about opening what Baku calls the “Zangezur
Corridor,” implying that the road to Nakhichevan should have some kind of
extraterritorial status.
Yet, the Armenian expert cast doubt over the effectiveness of such a move.
“I don't think that this is a serious attempt to neutralize it, because this
attempt itself does not in any way eliminate or solve the existing problems
related to the positions of Azerbaijan, Turkey and Russia,” Kochinian told
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
“In fact, there is a demand from Russia in the form of a Russian corridor and a
demand from Turkey and Azerbaijan in the form of a Turkish-Azerbaijani corridor.
If this is Armenia’s attempt to avoid the corridor logic, then it is not a
serious attempt to say the least,” he added.
The draft has been placed on e-draft.am for public discussions for the next two
weeks until September 2. It is not clear when it may appear on the government’s
agenda.
U.S. ‘Still Working’ With Armenia, Azerbaijan For ‘Comprehensive Long-Term’ Peace
U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price (file photo).
The United States continues to work with Armenia and Azerbaijan and still sees
an opportunity of comprehensive long-term peace between the two nations, Ned
Price, a spokesperson for the Department of State, said during a weekly press
briefing in Washington on Wednesday.
Asked by a reporter about whether the U.S. remained optimistic about peace
prospects in the region after the latest escalation in Nagorno-Karabakh in early
August, Price said: “We are still working to do what we can to facilitate what
we hope to see, and that is a comprehensive long-term peace between Armenia and
Azerbaijan. You know that Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken recently had an
opportunity to engage with the leaders of these countries. We did so,
registering our deep concern about the recent fighting in and around
Nagorno-Karabakh, including the casualties and the loss of life that had
resulted from that.”
The spokesman for the Department of State said that Washington urged “immediate
steps to reduce tensions and to avoid further escalations between the parties.”
“And the recent increase in tensions underscores, we believe, the need for a
negotiated, comprehensive, and sustainable settlement of all remaining issues
related to or resulting from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. So while we’ve seen
an intensification of tensions resulting in some violence, we are going to
remain committed to working with the parties. We will continue to do so
bilaterally, but also with likeminded partners in the EU and through our role as
an OSCE Minsk co-chair to help the countries find that long-term comprehensive
peace,” Price added.
Asked by the reporter whether Washington still saw the same level of “historic
opportunities” as three weeks ago and “how much it has faded away”, Price said:
“We absolutely still see an opportunity here despite the setbacks. We always
recognized this was never going to be a linear process. We believe that through
continued dialogue, continued engagement, including at the senior levels, we
will be in a position to do everything we can to help advance that long-term
comprehensive peace.”
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called for continued dialogue between
Armenia and Azerbaijan as he phoned the leaders of the two states on August 5 to
discuss the latest upsurge in violence in Nagorno-Karabakh in which at least two
Armenian and one Azerbaijani soldiers were killed.
Days before that escalation, on July 25, Blinken also held phone calls with
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, of Armenia, and President Ilham Aliyev, of
Azerbaijan, after which he said that he saw a “historic opportunity to achieve
peace in the region.”
Armenian Authorities See No Evidence Of Terrorism In Yerevan Market Blast
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian chairs a weekly cabinet meeting, August
18, 2022.
Armenian law-enforcement authorities say they have so far found no evidence to
suggest that the recent deadly explosion and fire at a popular market in Yerevan
was a result of a terrorist attack.
A total of 16 people were killed and 62 others were injured when a fireworks
warehouse within the premises of the Surmalu shopping center exploded on August
14.
The death toll in the incident may rise to 17 as rescuers continue to search for
one missing person presumed to have been at the epicenter of the explosion.
During a weekly cabinet meeting on Thursday Armenian Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian asked Argishti Kyaramian, the head of the Investigation Committee, to
comment on whether the explosion could be a terrorist attack.
“Various theories are being considered with the framework of the criminal case,”
Kyaramian said. “But at the moment there is no factual evidence in the case that
would testify to a terrorist attack or other intentional crimes.”
Kyaramian added that the evidence gained so far suggested that the explosion was
a result of negligence.
Armenia - Moments of the powerful explosion and fire at the Surmalu shopping
center in Yerevan. August 14, 2022.
Pashinian, in his turn, said that the footage of the explosion and what
proceeded it also suggested that there was smoke and fire before the powerful
explosion that triggered a massive blaze in the sprawling shopping center.
The premier also reminded about his instructions after a powerful explosion at
an ammonium nitrate warehouse in the port of Beirut in Lebanon two years ago to
inspect all facilities in Armenia where explosive materials were stored and
where there was a risk of similar explosions.
He said that the inspection conducted at the Surmalu shopping center in the
spring of 2021 was part of the fulfilment of his instruction and asked the head
of the State Supervision Service to submit a report on how his instruction was
fulfilled in general.
Minister of Emergency Situations Armen Pambukhchian reported that the search
operation for one missing person continued at the scene of the tragedy. He said
that rescue workers were looking for one missing person feared to be dead, since
that person was near the very epicenter of the explosion.
Health Minister Anahit Avanesian, meanwhile, said that most of the 62 people who
were injured in the explosion and fire had already been discharged from
hospitals and the few remaining patients were on their way to recovery. She
confirmed that all current and future costs for the treatment of all injured
persons were covered from the state budget.
Russian Diplomat Reassures Armenians Over Corridor In Karabakh
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Men interact with a Russian peacekeeper in the town of Lachin situated along the
corridor linking Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia (file photo).
Russian peacekeepers “will not move a single centimeter” from the existing
Lachin corridor until a new road linking Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia is put into
operation, according to a senior Russian diplomat in Yerevan.
Talking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Wednesday, Maxim Seleznyov, a
counsellor-envoy at the Russian embassy in Armenia, stressed that there are
agreements in this regard and the parties are in direct contact over this issue.
He did not elaborate.
Maxim Seleznyov
“Russian peacekeepers will move only at the moment when the new Lachin corridor
is opened. The tripartite statement [from November 9, 2020] spells out the
steps, the sequence of steps. First, the corridor is completed, and as it comes
into operation, Russian peacekeepers take control of a five-kilometer corridor
around this road,” Seleznyov said.
Amid fresh fighting around Nagorno-Karabakh earlier this month ethnic Armenian
authorities in Stepanakert said that the Azerbaijani side, through Russian
peacekeepers, demanded that a new connection be organized between
Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia along a new route.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s authorities informed the few remaining Armenian residents of
the town of Berdzor and the villages of Aghavno and Sus that are situated along
the current Lachin corridor that no Russian peacekeepers will be left in the
territory after August 25 and, therefore, they needed to leave their homes
before the end of the month.
Hayk Khanumian, a member of Nagorno-Karabakh’s de facto government in charge of
territorial administration and infrastructure, in particular, said to people:
“As you know, the existing corridor has been moved to the south, and in the
southern direction the road in the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh is already
ready, and in the territory of Armenia the road will be ready next year. The
corridor will move south, so the Russian contingent will not be here after
August 25. In this view, a necessity emerged, according to our civil defense
plans, to discuss the issues of moving people.”
Meanwhile, the Russian diplomat stressed on Wednesday that the Russian
peacekeepers will be redeployed only when the new road is ready.
“The Russian peacekeepers will not be deployed along the new corridor until it
is put into operation, and there are agreements in this regard. The parties are
in direct contact, and I assure you that the peacekeepers will not move a single
centimeter until there is a new corridor,” Seleznyov said.
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service made inquiries from Nagorno-Karabakh’s authorities
regarding this question and the answer received from them in fact confirms that
the Russian peacekeepers will be redeployed to the new road “after its
construction is completed.”
Earlier, official Yerevan said that the Armenian side would complete the
construction of its section of the new road by next May.
During a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan on August 4, Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian said that it was necessary to sign a document in a trilateral
format regarding both the redeployment of peacekeepers and the infrastructures
that feed Nagorno-Karabakh. It is still unclear whether Baku has agreed to sign
such a document.
In his remarks Pashinian also criticized the Russian peacekeeping operation in
Nagorno-Karabakh following the most serious fighting along the line of contact
that left two Armenian and one Azerbaijani soldiers dead.
The Armenian leader urged Russia to do more to prevent further ceasefire
violations, charging that Baku has been stepping up such violations despite the
presence of Russian peacekeeping troops in the region.
During a news briefing in Moscow on August 11, Ivan Nechayev, a spokesperson for
the Russian Foreign Ministry, rejected what he described as “separate criticism”
of Russia’s peacekeeping operation in Nagorno-Karabakh, stressing that “the
Russian peacekeepers continue to be engaged in active work, taking necessary
efforts for stabilization on the ground.”
Seleznyov also said that the Russian peacekeepers “are doing the maximum that
their mandate allows.”
“One would like to see restraint on all sides: on the part of the Azerbaijani
troops, and most importantly on the part of the Armenian public. Here in Yerevan
and in Stepanakert everyone should know and understand that the Russian
peacekeeping contingent is doing the maximum it can, that it is there to try to
protect the civilian population from the horrors of war as far as possible,” the
Russian diplomat stressed.
At the same time, Seleznyov said that Russia is ready to expand the powers of
its peacekeeping mission in Karabakh if Yerevan and Baku agree on this issue.
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.
Armenia’s National Security Service submitted a bill to parliament that would authorize the government to set up three checkpoints along the border with Azerbaijan.
State Department spokesperson Ned Price reiterated the United States’ commitment to “a comprehensive long-term peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan” at a press briefing.
Argishti Kyaramyan, chairman of the Investigative Committee, said there is no evidence so far to suggest the Surmalu blast was the result of a terrorist attack or any other intentional act.
Source: Ruptly
A view of the drill, in Kars, eastern Türkiye, Aug. 18, 2022. (AA PHOTO)
Crews from disaster agencies, hospitals and the police staged a drill on Thursday in the eastern Turkish province of Kars, against a potential nuclear leak from Metsamor, an Armenian power plant just 16 kilometers (10 miles) away from the border province.
Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) staff, doctors, nurses, paramedics, a search and rescue team and police officers joined the drill. First responders donned hazardous material suits in the drill in which an earthquake scenario was played out. Teams responded to 20 people affected by the leak after a 7.0-magnitude earthquake in three villages located on the border, as part of the drill. “Affected” villagers were taken to a tent camp by crews wearing head-to-toe protective suits. Onur Budak, director of Akyaka State Hospital whose staff joined the drill, told Anadolu Agency (AA) that it was the first comprehensive drill against chemical, biological and nuclear threats in the area.
Metsamor is Armenia's only nuclear power plant and produces more than a third of the country's electricity. The European Union has repeatedly called on Armenia to shut down the aging plant, citing security concerns. Instead, Armenia decided to extend the plant's operations until 2026.
Following an earthquake in 1988, Metsamor was closed. However, in spite of widespread international protests, it was reactivated in 1995. Armenia earlier rejected the EU's call to shut down Metsamor in exchange for 200 million euros ($203 million) to help meet the country's energy needs.
Türkiye has earlier urged Armenia to shut down the site due to the imminent danger the outdated plant poses to the country. It sent an official appeal to the IAEA five years ago concerning the shutdown of the plant. The IAEA and Armenian experts had agreed that the plant could remain operational until 2016 before Armenia decided to extend its lifespan to 2026.