Category: 2023

2023 Haigazian Armenological Review published

Adrine Hakobian
 Guest Contributor Literary Corner, Diaspora 0

Haigazian University is pleased to announce that the first book of Haigazian Armenological Review for the year 2023, namely book 43/1, has been published.

In its 520 pages, alongside the editorial (included below) entitled “What the Diaspora Armenians Lack: The Role and Influence of the Armenian Scholar,” the book hosts a number of research papers pertaining to arts, folklore, literary criticism, church matters, sociology, linguistics and history, as well as an unpublished document, two briefings and two book reviews.

Launched in 1970, the Haigazian Armenological Review is published by the Armenian Department of Haigazian University. As of 2022, this annual publication is being published semiannually.

Haigazian Armenological Review book 43/1 features the following content:

Lusine Sahakyan, Current Issues of Komitas Studies
Robert Megerdichian, Abraham Megerdichian, Eemin shinadz panerus  (The Things I’ve Made)
Antranik Dakessian, A Survey of the Armenian Copper Bath Tass used for Clay
Galya Davidova, Remembering and Reviving Armenian Wedding Ceremonies and Marriage Symbols
Armen Sargsyan, Armenian Popular/Folk Cock-and-bull Stories
Karine Rafaelyan, The Exchanging of Material and Abstract Worlds in Hrachya Saribekyan’s Novels Yergvoryagneri Areve (The Twins’ Sun) and Abushneri Ooghevorutyune (The Idiots’ Journey)
Liza Karimian, Anti-Chalcedonism in Armenia in the Early 6th Century: The Confessional Orientation of the Dvin Council in 506
Samvel Khachatryan, An Examination of the Intersection of Populism and Democracy: The Case of Armenia
Mary Alik Karamanoukian, Diaspora in Armenia: Immigration and Political Integration of Syrian Armenians
Syuzanna Barseghyan, Diaspora Newspapers in the Context of Ethnic Media
Lusine Tanajyan, Some Peculiarities in the Religious Attitude of the Armenian Communities of Los Angeles and Tehran
Herant Katchadourian, Culture and Psychopathology: The Case of the Armenian Village of Anjar
Zaven Messerlian, Consciousness Matters: The Armenian Genocide Within Turkey
Anjela Amirkhanyan, Compound Names of Plants with the Rootword ‘Wolf’
Hagop Cholakian, A General Observation of Plant Names in the Dialect of Kessab
Mohammad MalekMohammadi, Armenian-Arabic Language Contacts and Armenian Words of Arabic Origin
Lalik Khatchatryan, The Transformation of Old Armenian Analytical Constructions into Compound Words with a Pattern Noun+Verb > Verb (Dyachronic Aspect)
Hayk Nazaryan, The Development of the Armenian Air Defence Forces between the May 1994 Armistice and the Military Actions of April 2016  (Part 2)
Seda Galstyan, Pages from the Archive of Anton Kochinyan (1966-74)
Vahram L. Shemmassian, The Saint Paul Capuchin Mission in Musa Dagh, 1919-39
Vazgen Hakhoyan, The Turkish Massacres in the Province of Alexandropol in 1920-21
Karen Mkrtchyan, Raffi’s Historical Articles in Meshag between 1872 and 1878 on the Armenian Community of Iran
Mihran A. Minasian, An Unpublished Report of 1900 on Denek Maden (Kesgin)
Elina Mekhitaryan, The Critical Conditions of the Indigenous Population of Artsakh (An Observation on Refugee and Internally Displaced Groups)
Vahram Hovyan, Interconfessional Cooperation in Kessab during the Years of the Armenian Genocide

***
Editorial

What the Diaspora Armenians Lack: The Role and Influence of the Armenian Scholar

Non-doctrinal thinking, freedom of speech and action are moving forces for the development of any society. The scholar who voices the issues of their society in an objective way and struggles against cautious, conforming, fossilized understandings and mindsets is considered the forerunner of the development of that society.

With outstanding qualities, like critical thinking, courage, rigorous attitude, modesty, independence and broad-mindedness, such scholars commit themselves to the human and national value system and shape social culture through unbiased examinations of diverse issues of life.

In assessing social shortcomings and bygone initiatives of society in an objective and daring manner, the scholar intends to rectify and reduce the shortfalls, balance the disproportions, even to the extent of discomforting society and authorities.

The best evidence of what is said above is the Armenian revival in the 19th century, which had Armenian scholars as its main avant-guard. Emanating from different forums and places, they succeeded in elevating the Armenians from the darkness of the previous centuries.

Indeed, Armenian scholars played a pivotal role in cultivating the 19th century Armenian space. The integration of scholars and capitalists led to the thriving of Armenian culture. Most of the Western Armenian cultivators of this flourishing culture became victims of the Armenian Genocide.

The presence of scholars and a scholarly mindset in the decision-making bodies and leadership of the Diaspora between the 1920s and 1950s was significant. The leadership of the 1950s to the 1980s, which was shaped by the previous generation, maintained the road map of its predecessors to a certain extent. Nonetheless, the gradual decline of the role and place of scholars was also noticeable. 

The marginalization of scholars in the decision-making bodies of the late 20th century was obvious. Scholars lost their weight, role and place in those structures, leading to an imbalance that did not yield the expected steps to be taken against the increasingly challenging conditions of the Diaspora. Indeed, the value system had deteriorated, the national vision was lessened and the strategic output was reduced. 

For these and other reasons the Armenian Diaspora is fumbling in its undertakings to recreate its identity.

This is why the restoration of the role and place of the independent scholar is a must that should not to be postponed any longer. 

In fact, the scholars, grassroots and followers of Armenian Diaspora religious and lay institutions follow a specific guideline of their own. Therefore, these institutions neither separately nor combined can have a pan-Armenian nature, view or space for endeavor. Complementing the leadership of these two institutions with independent scholars may generate a new quality, which may offer a plurality of choices to a society facing numerous concerns. These independent scholars may suggest different approaches to form opinions, thus sanctioning pluralism in national issues and the opportunity to consider various options in taking a stance. This is how democracy, the most important factor for the development of a society, becomes rock-solid.

The problem does not lie in the absence of scholars. Rather, it is the absence of the impact and influence of scholars. It is not an issue of individuals, rather an issue of their high and effective voice. It is not the absence of individual research papers. Rather it is the failure of the acceptance-adoption and implementation of credible calls in shaping views and policies. It is not an issue of quick, superficial internet investigations. It is the issue of acquiring deep and piercing analyses, no matter what their source.

Offering places to scholars, who have a different say in the public sphere, is a basic pathway for generating such a condition. This will encourage the scholarly youth with an ingrained interest to voice their views. Eventually, a healthy atmosphere will come to life in society, which will penetrate to the schools, which should undergo radical educational reform, including critical thinking and free _expression_ as ingredients of the curriculum. This can be the first model of democracy for the scholar of tomorrow, who gets training in free _expression_ and listening to the other from his teens.

In due time these steps consolidate the culture of independent thinking, which revitalizes society for a better future.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
Antranik Dakessian

EDITORIAL BOARD
Silva Papazian, Arshalouyse Topalian, Armen Urneshlian

CONSULTATIVE BODY
Sylvia Agemian, Megerditch H. Bouldoukian, Seta Dadoyan, Arda Ekmekji, Murad Hasratian, Nanor Karageozian, Hranush Kharatian, Susan Pattie, Hratch Tchilingirian, Yervand Yerkanian

HAR REPRESENTATIVE IN ARMENIA
AMAA Yerevan Office




RFE/RL Armenian Service – 11/15/2023

Emil Lazarian 
Wednesday, 
Pashinian Defends Policy Of ‘Diversifying’ Security Ties
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks in parliament (file photo)
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has defended the policy of his 
government seeking to diversify relations in the security sphere, again noting 
the failure of the South Caucasus nation’s formal ally, Russia, to sell arms to 
it. Apparently implying Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine that admittedly 
consumes a vast amount of armaments and resources from Moscow, Pashinian said 
that the absence of arms supplies from partners was also due to “objective 
reasons.”
“We are looking for other security partners. And we are looking for and finding 
other security partners, we are trying to sign contracts, acquire some 
armaments. This is our policy,” the Armenian leader said in parliament on 
Wednesday. Armenia recently signed military cooperation deals with France for the 
acquisition of such weapons as armored personnel vehicles, radars and 
short-range missiles. Reports in media have also indicated that Armenia has signed contracts for the 
purchase of several types of armaments from India, including multiple-launch 
rocket systems, artillery, anti-tank rockets and ammunition, as well as mostly 
recently anti-drone military equipment. During the question-and-answer session in parliament today Pashinian again 
refused to be drawn into the discussion of whether Armenia plans to formally 
quit the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), a Russian-led defense 
alliance of several post-Soviet countries of which Armenia is a member, nor 
would he speak about any security alternatives to membership in this 
organization. “We are not planning to announce a change in our policy in strategic terms as 
long as we haven’t made a decision to quit the CSTO,” Pashinian said in reply to 
a question from an opposition lawmaker. On Tuesday Pashinian announced that he would not attend a CSTO summit scheduled 
to take place in the Belarusian capital of Minsk later this month. Earlier this 
year Armenia also declined to participate in CSTO military drills, while hosting 
joint exercises with the United States military in Yerevan. This and several 
other moves by Yerevan drew angry reactions from Russia that has accused the 
Pashinian administration of systematically “destroying” relations with Moscow. Officials in Yerevan have not concealed their frustration with the CSTO, 
considering that the Russia-led bloc has failed to fulfill its obligation to 
Armenia to secure its borders and protect its sovereign territory against 
incursions by Azerbaijan. “Our most important note concerning the processes taking place in the CSTO and 
our positions in this regard is that unfortunately the CSTO, with its de-jure 
mandatory obligations, did not provide a proper response to Armenia’s security 
challenges, and this has happened time and again,” Pashinian said, adding that 
the absence of the CSTO’s proper response was also “not understandable for our 
society.”
The Armenian prime minister said that the “fundamental problem” was that the 
CSTO was refusing to de-jure fixate its area of responsibility in Armenia. “In 
these conditions this could mean that by silently participating we could join 
the logic that would question Armenia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. We can’t allow ourselves such a thing, and by making such decisions [not to 
attend CSTO gatherings] we give the CSTO and ourselves time to think over 
further actions,” Pashinian said. Tensions between Armenia and Russia rose further after Azerbaijan’s September 
19-20 military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh that led to the exodus of the 
region’s virtually entire ethnic Armenian population. Armenia, in particular, 
blamed Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh under a 2020 ceasefire 
agreement between Moscow, Baku and Yerevan for failing to protect the local 
Armenians. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it “regrets” Pashinian’s latest decision not to 
attend the upcoming CSTO summit, while a spokesperson for Alyaksandr Lukashenka, 
the formal host of the gathering in Minsk, said that during their phone call 
earlier this week the Belarusian leader warned the Armenian prime minister 
against making “hasty decisions”, suggesting that he “should seriously think 
over his next steps that could be aimed at disintegration.”
U.S. Says Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians Entitled To Return Home
Matthew Miller, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State (file photo). Ethnic Armenians who left Nagorno-Karabakh after Azerbaijan took full control of 
the region in a lightening military operation in September are entitled to 
return home, a senior United States official has said. During a Tuesday press briefing in Washington a journalist asked Matthew Miller, 
a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State, to give a preview of what would 
be discussed during a congressional hearing on the future of Nagorno-Karabakh 
that was planned for the next day, November 15. The correspondent, in particular, said: “You have Azerbaijan on [the] one hand 
celebrating the victory… in a town surrounded by [the] Russian army. You have 
Armenia [that] is being bullied by Russia every single day, saying that [it] 
won’t go anywhere… So is there any happy ending there, in your opinion?”
According to the State Department’s official website, Miller replied: “I will 
just say what I said before. I don’t want to talk about tomorrow’s hearing, but 
I will say that we continue to believe that people who left Nagorno-Karabakh 
have the right to return home if they want to do so, and that right must be 
preserved.”
More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh in the days that 
followed Azerbaijan’s offensive on September 19-20. According to different 
estimates, a couple of dozen ethnic Armenians currently remain in 
Nagorno-Karabakh that is under full Azerbaijani control now. Despite scaling back its peacekeeping mission, Russian servicemen still remain 
in the region where they were first deployed under the terms of a 
Moscow-brokered ceasefire agreement that stopped a six-week war between Armenia 
and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh in the fall of 2020. Under that tripartite 
deal the Russian peacekeeping force would stay in the region at least until 2025. After the exodus of the local Armenian population and before that, in conditions 
of an effective blockade imposed by Azerbaijan, Armenia has repeatedly 
criticized Russia for failing to fulfill its main mission, that is to protect 
Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian population. Officially Azerbaijan does not object to Armenians returning to Nagorno-Karabakh 
and living under Baku’s jurisdiction as Azerbaijani citizens, but authorities in 
Yerevan and representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh point to the absence of security 
guarantees for such returnees after what happened in the region during the past 
several years and months. Azerbaijan, at the same time, promotes the idea of the return of tens of 
thousands of ethnic Azeris to the places where they lived in Armenia before the 
conflict began in the late 1980s. In doing so Azerbaijani officials and media 
often use the term “Western Azerbaijan”, suggesting that Azeris who left Armenia 
lived in their “historical lands.”
Speaking at the Paris Peace Conference on November 10, Armenian Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian charged that the concept of “Western Azerbaijan” promoted by 
Baku is “preparing a new war against the Republic of Armenia.”
Pashinian also stressed that about 360,000 ethnic Armenians were forcibly 
displaced from Azerbaijan since the conflict began over three decades ago. Armenian Official Sees Possibility Of Continuing Peace Talks With Azerbaijan In 
Washington
Armen Grigorian, secretary of the Security Council of Armenia (file photo). Armenia sees the possibility of continuing negotiations with Azerbaijan over a 
peace treaty in Washington, a senior official in Yerevan has said. In an interview with Public Television aired on Tuesday evening Secretary of 
Armenia’s Security Council Armen Grigorian reminded that Azerbaijan had refused 
to attend a meeting of the two countries’ leaders that was planned to be held 
with the European Union’s mediation in Brussels in late October. “We are ready to continue negotiations in this [Brussels] format to finalize the 
peace treaty and sign it by the end of the year if it is possible. There is also 
a possibility of continuing such negotiations at another level, for instance, in 
Washington. Armenia is ready, and let’s hope that such a meeting will take 
place,” Grigorian said. The official reminded that Louis Bono, a U.S. special envoy for 
Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks, recently visited the region. “He was discussing possible meetings. Of course, it is not final, but one of the 
goals of the visit was to organize a meeting,” Grigorian said. Asked why such a meeting could not be organized in Moscow, Grigorian said: “We 
go where we consider it important, where we see an opportunity at the moment and 
from where we have received clear offers. I am not aware of any offers from 
Moscow.”
Commenting on a series of decisions by official Yerevan to skip major gatherings 
of Russia-led groupings, including the latest decision by Armenian Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian not to attend an upcoming summit of the Collective 
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) in Minsk, Grigorian emphasized that Armenia 
had been asking help from the CSTO since May 2021, but did not receive the 
necessary assistance to protect its sovereign territory against Azerbaijani 
aggression. “We have had numerous questions to the CSTO, answers to which we have not 
received till now. And this is also the reason why Armenia does not participate 
in the CSTO [sessions],” the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council said. Earlier this year Armenia also refused to participate in CSTO military drills, 
while hosting joint military drills with the United States in Yerevan. Pashinian also declined to attend a summit of the Commonwealth of Independent 
States (CIS), a wider and looser grouping of ex-Soviet states, in Kyrgyzstan on 
October 13. These and other similar moves by Yerevan have increasingly been seen in Russia, 
which dominates the CSTO, as “unfriendly.” Russia’s Foreign Ministry last week 
accused Pashinian’s administration of systematically “destroying” 
Russian-Armenian relations, a claim dismissed in Yerevan. Tensions between Armenia and Russia rose further after Azerbaijan’s September 
19-20 military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh that led to the exodus of the 
region’s virtually entire ethnic Armenian population. Armenia, in particular, 
blamed Russian peacekeepers deployed in Nagorno-Karabakh under a 2020 ceasefire 
agreement between Moscow, Baku and Yerevan for failing to protect the local 
Armenians. The Kremlin said on Tuesday that it “regrets” Pashinian’s latest decision not to 
attend the upcoming CSTO summit, while a spokesperson for Alyaksandr Lukashenka, 
the formal host of the gathering in Minsk, said that during their phone call 
earlier this week the Belarusian leader warned the Armenian prime minister 
against making “hasty decisions”, suggesting that he “should seriously think 
over his next steps that could be aimed at disintegration.”
Despite the deepening rift in relations between Yerevan and Moscow, Pashinian 
has so far announced no plans to pull his country out of the CSTO or demand the 
withdrawal of Russian troops stationed in Armenia. In the November 14 interview with Armenia’s Public Television Security Council 
Secretary Grigorian repeated what Pashinian and other Armenian officials have 
said before, saying that “it is not Armenia that is quitting the CSTO, but it is 
the CSTO that is quitting the region.”
Armenia, UK Discuss Defense Cooperation As ‘Strategic Dialogue’ Commences
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and British Minister for Europe Leo 
Docherty during their meeting in London, November 13, 2023. Armenia and the United Kingdom discussed defense cooperation among “a range of 
global and regional issues of mutual concern” as part of a “Strategic Dialogue” 
launched during Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan’s visit to London this 
week. According to a joint statement issued by the parties following the first session 
on November 13, it was “an opportunity to mark the strong cooperation and 
friendship between our two democracies.”
“With the increase globally in threats to democratic values, human rights, rule 
of law and the freedoms we strive to protect our citizens, working together on 
issues of mutual concern։ it is more important than ever not only to build trade 
and stability, but also to protect our shared core values. We reaffirmed the 
aspiration to build our partnership over the coming years,” the statement said. Among the ways in which Armenia and the UK can work together in the future the 
parties indicated several major areas, including governance and rule of law, 
defense cooperation, trade and economic ties. According to the statement, the UK “will soon begin working to support Armenia’s 
border management capacities to tackle security and migration issues.”
“[It is] Armenia-UK defense cooperation, which continues to expand with 
increased numbers of personnel from the Armenian military and Ministry of 
Defense, and police (Ministry of Internal Affairs) personnel receiving English 
Language training instruction, as well as places on UK senior and junior command 
and leadership courses, and multi-national peace-keeping and mine-awareness 
packages,” the statement said. “The Ministers agreed on the absolute necessity of the establishment of peace 
and stability in the South Caucasus based on the mutual recognition of 
sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders on the basis 
of the Alma Ata 1991 Declaration, and the opening of regional connectivity links 
based on full respect of each countries’ sovereignty and jurisdiction,” it added. UK/Armenia - Opening of the new building of Armenia's Embassy in the United 
Kingdom, London, November 13, 2023. Apart from holding talks with British Minister for Europe Leo Docherty, as part 
of his November 13-14 visit Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan also attended the 
inauguration of a new Armenian embassy building in London. Speaking at the 
ceremony, Mirzoyan described it as a “historic moment.”
“We not only open a building, but lay new foundations for deepening our 
relations. We are reaffirming our commitments to deepen our political dialogue, 
our economic ties, our cultural ties,” the Armenian minister said. U․S․ ‘Developing Record’ Of What Happened In Nagorno-Karabakh
        • Heghine Buniatian
James O’Brien (file photo)
The United States is developing a record of what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh 
and is working on support for Armenia, James O’Brien, Assistant Secretary at the 
U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, announced 
during a congressional hearing on Wednesday. During the hearing on “The Future of Nagorno-Karabakh” held by the U.S. House 
Foreign Affairs Committee’s Subcommittee on Europe, the high-ranking diplomat 
noted that the subject of investigation is not only what happened in 
Nagorno-Karabakh during September when the region’s virtually entire ethnic 
Armenian population fled their homes within a matter of days after a lightening 
military operation launched by Azerbaijan, but also during the months preceding 
it. “We have commissioned independent investigators, we have our own investigators 
working in the field. There is information available from international 
non-governmental organizations and other investigators. And as we develop the 
record of what happened, we will be completely open about what we are finding. I 
can’t put a timeline on this investigation, but we will inform you as we go 
forward,” O’Brien said. “The second thing we are working on is support for Armenia… I am very impressed 
by the Armenian government’s commitment to reforms and diversifying 
relationships that it has – economic, political, energy and security – 
particularly in the Trans-Atlantic community. And I think we owe it to the 
people of Armenia to help them through this difficult situation so that those 
choices they have made very bravely are able to help them to make them have a 
more secure, stable and prosperous future,” the U.S. diplomat added. Speaking on behalf of the Department of State, O’Brien said that Washington 
insists that Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians have complete access to the territory, 
on the protection of the property and culture and that they receive adequate 
information “so that they can make real choice about their future.”
Members of the Subcommittee also talked about the settlement of relations 
between Armenia and Azerbaijan, emphasizing that the countries hindering the 
process, including Russia, should be kept away from the negotiations. Presenting what happened in Nagorno-Karabakh, Congressman Bill Keating said that 
despite months of diplomatic talks that had led to “significant progress”, in 
September 2023 Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev “decided to break with the 
internationally accepted and lawful diplomatic path, instead opting for the use 
of military force in Nagorno-Karabakh.”
“As a result of Azerbaijan’s unacceptable military action over 100,000 ethnic 
Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh, resettling in Armenia and leaving their 
personal belongings and their livelihoods behind them. I strongly believe we 
must provide humanitarian and economic assistance to displaced people in Armenia 
and ensure accountability for any potential crimes committed against those 
fleeing Nagorno-Karabakh or those who are choosing to remain there,” Keating 
underscored. U.S. Envoy Joins EU Mission Patrol In Northeastern Armenia
U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina A. Kvien joins the EUMA on patrol to areas 
of the Tavush Province. . United States Ambassador Kristina A. Kvien has joined the European Union’s 
mission (EUMA) on patrol to border areas in Armenia’s northeastern Tavush 
Province, the EUMA said in an X post on Wednesday. The EUMA published photographs showing Kvien’s visit, saying that it was 
facilitated by the mission’s Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Ijevan. The EUMA currently consisting of 100 or so observers and experts was launched at 
the request of the Armenian government in late 2022 with the stated aim of 
preventing or reducing ceasefire violations along the border with Azerbaijan. Since its deployment the mission has carried out more than a thousand patrols 
along the restive Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The EUMA operates from six FOBs 
situated in towns of Armenia’s Syunik, Vayots Dzor, Gegharkunik and Tavush 
provinces. The Azerbaijani takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh in September this year has raised 
more fears in Yerevan that Azerbaijan will invade Armenia to open a land 
corridor to its Nakhichevan exclave. Azerbaijan has also publicly raised the 
issue of “Soviet-era exclaves” in Armenia. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian urged Western powers to prevent Baku 
from “provoking a new war in the region” when he addressed the European 
Parliament in October. EU foreign ministers on Monday gave the green light to a proposal to beef up the 
border-monitoring mission in Armenia. When the measure is submitted to the 
European Commission it will need to come up with a proposal on how the EUMA can 
be expanded. The decisions of the European Commission, in turn, must be ratified 
by the 27 EU member states. Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Citibank Is Sued Days After ‘Armenian Mafia’ Discrimination Allegations Surface

Elizabeth Jabejian
The Messenger
Nov 13 2023

Bruce Gil

nearly $26 million for allegedly discriminating against Armenian credit card applicants.

A lawsuit filed Friday in a California federal court seeks class-action status for applicants and customers of the bank who may have been affected.

The suit alleges that Citibank illegally denied or revoked certain credit cards for eight years because of an unfounded suspicion that people of Armenian descent were more likely to commit fraud. According to the suit, the bank even tried to hide the fact that it was assuming people with last names ending in -ian or -yan in or around Glendale, California — an area known as Little Armenia — were Armenian.

"Redlining is a disgusting form of racial and ethnic discrimination by banks that the law has prohibited for decades, yet we find it is still being practiced by Citibank, one of the largest financial institutions in America," Ara Jabagchourian, the attorney for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. "Labelling credit applicants as 'bad guys' on the basis of having Armenian last names is reprehensible, immoral and illegal."

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau fined Citibank last Wednesday, saying it was discriminating against Armenians who had applied for store credit cards. The regulator said from at least 2015 to 2021 the bank “treated Armenian Americans as criminals who were likely to commit fraud" and referred to them internally as the “Southern California Armenian Mafia” or "Armenian bad guys."

Marine Grigorian, the lead plaintiff in the case, is of Armenian descent. She alleges that in March, the bank denied her request to raise her credit limit on a Costco-branded credit card, giving her no legitimate reason. Grigorian only made the connection with her ethnicity once she read press reports about the CFPB’s investigation and fine, according to the suit. 

A Citibank spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment from The Messenger, but last week responded to the CFPB allegations. The bank apologized to applicants who were unfairly evaluated “by the small number of employees who circumvented our fraud detection protocols," the spokesperson wrote in an email at the time.

“Regrettably, in trying to thwart a well-documented Armenian fraud ring operating in certain parts of California, a few employees took impermissible actions,” the spokesperson said last week. “While we prioritize protecting our bank and our customers from fraud, it is unacceptable to base credit decisions on national origin.”

The bank also said it had taken action against those directly involved and put preventive measures in place following an internal investigation.

https://themessenger.com/business/citibank-is-sued-days-after-armenian-mafia-discrimination-allegations-surface

Lemkin Institute: Statement on the Sentencing of Vagif Khachatryan in the Republic of Azerbaijan

Hagop Kamalian
              Nov 13 2023

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention energetically condemns the 15-year prison sentence handed down to Mr. Vagif Khachatryan on 7 November 2023 by the Republic of Azerbaijan. The Lemkin Institute exhorts the international community to persuade the regime of President Aliyev into promptly releasing all Armenian persons under its jurisdiction and to refrain from providing any kind of assistance that could worsen the suffering of the victims of the Artsakh genocide or embolden Azerbaijan to perpetrate any unlawful act of aggression. 

The Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention energetically condemns the 15-year prison sentence handed down to Mr. Vagif Khachatryan on 7 November 2023 by the Republic of Azerbaijan.

A resident of the Republic of Artsakh, Mr. Khachatryan was detained at the illegal Hakari Bridge checkpoint on 29 July 2023 while he was being evacuated from his homeland by the International Committee of the Red Cross for urgent medical treatment. This checkpoint was established by Azerbaijan in the Lachin Corridor in April 2023, four months after Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the same corridor on 12 December 2022. This blockade left the then 120,000 inhabitants of Artsakh without essential goods and services, constituting a textbook case of genocide-by-attrition, as accurately observed by the former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Mr. Luis Moreno Ocampo.

Mr. Khachatryan’s abduction took place before Azerbaijan’s military aggression against Artsakh on 19 September 2023, which resulted in massacre and atrocity and the consequent flight of almost 100 percent of its indigenous Armenian population to neighboring Armenia. The aggression, atrocity and forced displacement amount to a very thorough genocide of an ancient, continuous indigenous civilization.

Upon his abduction, Mr. Khachatryan was immediately accused by Azerbaijani authorities of committing war crimes during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in the 1990s, charges he has repeatedly denied and for which Azerbaijan has offered no independent evidence.

In this context, the Lemkin Institute recalls its “Statement on the Ongoing Imprisonment of Armenian Officials of the Republic of Artsakh by the Republic of Azerbaijan,” issued on 27 October 2023. In that statement, the Lemkin Institute noted that: “At the present time, [Mr. Khachatryan] is on trial in Azerbaijan’s infamous judicial system, where violations of the fundamental guarantee of due process have become alarmingly common. In fact, according to one observer, Mr. Khachatryan’s statements are intentionally being mistranslated for Azerbaijani and Turkish audiences. Additionally, photos of Mr. Khachatryan have raised concerns about his potential mistreatment and deteriorating health.”

According to the news outlet News.am, the prosecution explained that Azerbaijani law does not allow Mr. Khachatryan to be sentenced to life imprisonment, as he is over 65 years old. According to another news agency, Mr. Khachatryan is scheduled to spend the initial five years of his 15-year sentence in prison, followed by 10 years in a high-security correctional facility. This seemingly innocuous, legalist discourse, however, is nothing but the gilded cloak that hides the ordinary dagger: a miscarriage of justice of the highest order.

The law often serves to legitimize those in power, particularly within dictatorial regimes like the one led by Azerbaijani President Mr. Ilham Aliyev. Given Mr. Khachatryan’s advanced age and heart condition, the latter being the cause of his emergency evacuation from Artsakh on 29 July 2023, his 15-year prison sentence amounts to a death penalty, concealed beneath the superficially benign façade of an unmistakably oppressive and genocidal regime.

Once again, the Lemkin Institute recalls the ongoing and unlawful imprisonment of the eight high-ranking Armenian officials, as well as the abandonment of dozens and perhaps hundreds of Armenian civilian captives and POWs, as outlined in its aforementioned statement, who might soon share the same fate as Mr. Khachatryan, if not worse. Time and time again, Azerbaijan has shown its repudiation of a law-based international order, including its obligations under international humanitarian and human rights law.

The Lemkin Institute exhorts the international community, which seems to have forgotten the commission of atrocity crimes in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as the looming threat of an invasion of the Republic of Armenia by Azerbaijan, to persuade the regime of President Aliyev into promptly releasing all Armenian persons under its jurisdiction and to refrain from providing any kind of assistance that could worsen the suffering of the victims of the Artsakh genocide or embolden Azerbaijan to perpetrate any unlawful act of aggression.


https://www.lemkininstitute.com/statements-new-page/statement-on-the-sentencing-of-vagif-khachatryan-in-the-republic-of-azerbaijan

France secretly delivered at least 22 Bastion 4×4 APCs to Armenia

Jalatian Sonya
Nov 14 2023
Defense News November 2023 Global Security army industry
According to Arbalet Intelligence on November 12, 2023, France secretly supplied Armenia with a shipment of at least 22 French Bastion 4×4 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) along with accompanying equipment. The evidence supporting this claim emerged when Azerbaijani media released images of these French armored vehicles, cleverly adorned in Armenian camouflage, discovered on the loading dock in Poti, Georgia.

On the night of November 12, 2023, images surfaced depicting French Bastion 4×4 APCs being loaded at the Georgian port of Poti. Despite these developments, there has been no official statement from Tbilisi on this matter. Given the time required for photo analysis and evidence collection, it is conceivable that the shipment already arrived in Armenia.

According to News AM on , APM Terminals Poti, the operator of the Poti Sea Port in Georgia, has confirmed the transit of the batch of French Bastion 4×4 APCs, to Armenia. The cargo, received from France, an EU member state, was destined for Armenia, a country not subject to sanctions.

The company stated that, in the absence of clear instructions and restrictions from the Georgian government, they were compelled to accept the cargo, as Armenia does not fall under any sanctions. The company's statement suggests adherence to legal and regulatory procedures in handling the transit of military equipment through the Poti Sea Port.

This shipment may include the 24 Bastion 4×4 Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) that Arquus Defense had intended for delivery to Ukraine. As per a tweet dated April 6, 2023, discussions on this matter have been ongoing for a considerable period, though no conclusive agreement had been reached as of the publication date. According to certain sources, Kyiv assessed these vehicles as inadequately safeguarded against artillery and anti-tank missiles, resulting in their rerouting to Armenia.

The Bastion APC, recognized for its export-oriented design, has found deployment in various Sub-Saharan and West African countries, mainly due to its perceived cost-effectiveness. Notably, these vehicles are customizable with armaments, primarily Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs), leading to speculation that Armenian engineers might equip NSV/Kord HMGs on the APCs.

The method of transporting French military equipment to Armenia sparked controversy, particularly given Georgia's proximity to Turkey and Azerbaijan. Despite initial concerns, it seems that Georgia yielded to pressure and allowed its ports to facilitate the export of French arms to Armenia, prompting questions about potential future arms exports from France to Armenia, which could include a shipment of 50 VAB armored vehicles, possibly in the Mk3 variant.

The decision to supply military aid to Armenia comes in response to Azerbaijan's swift military victory in reclaiming the region of Haut-Karabagh in September 2023. France responded affirmatively to Armenia's later request for military assistance, as confirmed during a visit by Catherine Colonna, the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, to Erevan on October 3, 2023.

During the visit, agreements were reached between the Armenian Minister of Defense, Suren Papikyan, and his French counterpart, Sébastien Lecornu. These agreements paved the way for swift deliveries of military equipment, including the Bastion APCs. The deliveries also included three Thales Ground Master 200 radars, a short-range Mistral air defense system, and night vision goggles manufactured by Safran.

The Azeri response to France's arms deliveries to Armenia has been one of condemnation. Ayhan Hajizade, the spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Ministry of Foreign Affairs, criticized the arms supply, calling for an end to the arms race in the region and emphasizing the need for peace and cooperation.

Weighing 12 tons, the Bastion APC is a 4×4 armored personnel carrier vehicle produced by the French company ACMAT, a subsidiary of ARQUUS (formerly Renault Trucks Defense). Unveiled in June 2010 during the Eurosatory defense exhibition in France, it incorporates blast protection technology with the mobility of a light armored vehicle. The vehicle has a crew of two and can accommodate up to 8 infantrymen.

The roof of the Bastion APC can be fitted with a one-man open-top turret or a remotely operated weapon station, which can be armed with a 7.62mm or a 12.7mm machine gun. The Bastion APC is powered by a Diesel engine developing 215 hp coupled to a 6-speed mechanical or 5-speed automatic transmission. It can run at a maximum road speed of 110 km/h with a maximum cruising range of 1,000 km.

Azerbaijani media released images of a secret delivery of French Bastion 4×4 APCs to Armenia, discovered on the loading dock in Poti, Georgia. (Picture source: Twitter)

Russia: Armenia skipping CSTO summit is latest anti-Russian move orchestrated by West

Maghakian Mike
Reuters
Nov 15 2023
Reuters

MOSCOW, Nov 15 (Reuters) – Russia said on Wednesday that Armenian Prime Minister's Nikol Pashinyan's decision to stay away from a summit of the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) was the latest anti-Russian move by Armenia orchestrated by the West.

Relations between Russia and Armenia, which are formally allies, have soured in recent months, with Yerevan publicly questioning the value of its partnership with Russia and trying to deepen ties with the West.

The trigger was Azerbaijan retaking its breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh in September, prompting almost all of the territory's 120,000 ethnic Armenians to flee despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers.

Some Armenians blamed Russia for failing to stop what Baku called an anti-terrorist operation, an allegation that Moscow has rejected.

Russian Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova told reporters that Russia saw Pashinyan's refusal to attend the CSTO summit as the latest in a "chain" of events.

"The West is obviously behind it. The West, whose plans in Ukraine have failed, is now gripping Armenia, trying to tear it away from Russia," she said.

Earlier on Wednesday, Armenian state news agency Armenpress cited Pashinyan as telling the country's parliament that the CSTO had repeatedly failed to protect Armenia's interests.

He said that Armenia was looking to diversify its security arrangements, but that it had not yet decided whether or not it would leave the CSTO.

Armenia Receives French Armored Carriers Through Georgia

Tatoyan Vazgen
Civil Georgia
Nov 15 2023
Civil.ge Send an email15/11/2023

On November 12, the French armored personnel carriers Bastion, manufactured by Acmat, was shipped to the port of Poti for transportation to Armenia. Bastion components were also delivered to Georgia by the French company ARQUUS.

According to French media Ouest France, the shipment is part of French military aid to Yerevan and was originally planned to be sent to Kyiv, but these 12.5-ton troop carriers were deemed too poorly protected against artillery fire and anti-tank missiles. France has also sold three Thales Ground Master 200 (GM200) radars and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Armenia to supply the Mistral short-range air defense system.

Asked to comment on the issue, Armenian Defense Minister Aram Torosyan said on November 13: “Apart from the official messages and announcements on cooperation between Armenia and France in the field of defense, we cannot disclose any additional information at the moment.”

Aykhan Hajizada, the MFA Spokesperson of Azerbaijan, stated that the Ministry strongly condemns France’s decision to deliver “Bastion” offensive armored vehicles to Armenia. He argued that this transfer would bolster Armenia’s military capabilities, contributing to their continued occupation of Azerbaijani territories and aggressive policies.

Hajizada criticized France for allegedly contradicting its proclaimed support for international law, peace, and stability in the region, stating that these actions undermine efforts to normalize relations and respect territorial integrity. He accused France of engaging in a smear campaign against Azerbaijan and criticized the country’s interests in the region. The spokesperson called for both Armenia and France to cease their militarization policies, emphasizing the necessity of peace and stability in the region.

“We call upon the international community to refrain from delivering weapons and creating conditions for such a delivery to Armenia, which is known as a country with its aggressive policy and actions, and to end and condemn such illegitimate activities that prevents the establishment of peace and prosperity in the region,” – Hajizada concluded.

Georgian Foreign Minister, Ilia Darchiashvili commented on the issue as well, stating: “Every country has the right to have a defense force, and when it comes to conventional equipment or weapons allowed by international agreements, every country has the right to acquire them. Georgia’s position is that both countries [Azerbaijan and Armenia] should have the opportunity to use the transit function of our country on equal terms.”

Testimonies from frontline workers and community members caring for vulnerable refugees in Armenia

Arpi Talalian
Nov 15 2023

While media attention may have diminished, the health needs of more than 100 000 refugees who entered Armenia from Karabakh have not.

WHO, through its Country Office in Armenia and Regional Office for Europe, has been meeting with refugees to assess their health needs. WHO has also met frontline workers operating 24/7 to care for them. Heroes from the community have been tireless in ensuring refugees have access to health care, while some refugees have joined WHO in helping address the health needs of the most vulnerable.

These are some of their testimonies.

Credits

With winter approaching, and the possibility of harsh weather conditions towards the end of 2023 and at the beginning of 2024, access to winter-specific assistance is particularly challenging for vulnerable groups.

https://www.who.int/europe/news-room/photo-stories/item/testimonies-from-frontline-workers-and-community-members-caring-for-vulnerable-refugees-in-armenia

Unhappy with Russia, Armenia seeks new security partners

Kajoyan Gevork
eurasianet.org
Nov 15 2023
Arshaluis Mgdesyan Nov 15, 2023

For most of its post-Soviet history, Armenia has essentially had one partner in the field of defense and security: Russia. 

But recent experiences have shown that Moscow cannot be relied on for help when the chips are down. 

So now, despite the country's deep economic dependence on Russia, Armenia's leaders are looking elsewhere for security cooperation and finding eager partners. 

France steps in to boost Armenia's weak air defenses

On October 23 Yerevan signed an agreement with Paris on the purchase of three GM 200 anti-aircraft radar systems and a memorandum of understanding on the future delivery of Mistral short-range air defense systems.

Future cooperation will also include French training for Armenia's ground forces and support for Yerevan's military reform efforts. 

After the signing ceremony, Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu spoke of the importance of helping Armenia protect its vulnerable airspace.

In the 2020 Second Karabakh War Armenia's air defense turned out to be woefully unprepared for the onslaught of Turkish and Israeli-made drones used by its adversary Azerbaijan. 

Those drones owned the skies and are widely acknowledged to be one of the decisive factors behind Armenia's defeat after 44 days of fighting. 

To address this weakness, Armenia decided to procure the three French-made radar systems, which have a range of 250 kilometers. 

Military analyst Leonid Nersisyan, who has closely monitored Armenia's arms purchases over the last 10 years, believes security cooperation with France was chosen for two reasons.

 "First, France's political leadership has on numerous occasions shown its sympathies towards Armenia, renderning diplomatic support to it in the conflict against Azerbaijan. Second, France is one of the few players in the arms market that makes practically all kinds of weapons," Nersisyan told Eurasianet. 

With the signing of the deal, France became the second country, after India, with which Armenia has intensified its defense contacts. Armenia's previous near-total dependence on Russia was recently acknowledged as a "strategic mistake" by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. 

 Armenia tends to be quiet about the details of its defense cooperation with India, neither confirming nor denying Indian media reports about major arms purchases. 

In contrast Yerevan shares some details of its deals with France that are usually not made public in such transactions, including precise numbers of units purchased, asin the case of the GM 200s. 

Away from Russia and toward the West

Russia has different feelings about Armenia's new military partners. It pays little mind to the  Indian weapons but flies into a jealous rage when arms are procured from NATO member France. 

The Russian authorities see in such deals an attempt to reduce its influence in the South Caucasus. 

As Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov recently put it, "The Western countries now actively courting Armenia want to be friends with it against the Russian Federation." 

Armenia's growing proximity to the EU, in particular France, and growing distance from Russia are indeed related phenomena. 

The breaking point was the Azerbaijani army's incursions into Armenian territory in September 2022. Russia, and the Russian-led CSTO, which both have treaty obligations to protect Armenia from attack, rebuffed Yerevan's call for military assistance and instead took only the mildest of diplomatic steps in reaction.

Since then, relations have been in a steady decline, with Prime Minister Pashinyan recently remarking that Armenia has seen "no advantages" in hosting a Russian military base in the post-Soviet period (though he added there are no plans to attempt to remove it). 

 Not everyone supports the Armenian leadership's attempted pivot away from Russia. The country's established opposition groups warn that such a course contains risks for Armenia that Western countries can't help it mitigate. 

Tigran Abrahamyan, an MP from the I Have Honor faction, sees danger in recent statements by high-ranking Russian officials. 

"At the moment it is not clear what specific steps will be taken in what direction, but one gets the impression that at some point this [approach] will lead to serious consequences," Abrahamyan told Eurasianet. 

He also expressed doubt that the "collective West" would be willing to support Armenia in the face of the threats hanging over it. For this reason, the opposition MP believes that "ratcheting up tensions with Russia is an extremely incautious step." 

While Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says his country has no intention of leaving the CSTO and changing its foreign policy orientation, Armenia has reduced its participation in the Russian-led bloc to a bare minimum. Most recently, he informed Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko that he would not be attending the next CSTO summit in Minsk on November 23. 

"Armenia is practically not participating in the CSTO. We are not taking part in the meetings of the organization, we are not signing on to the documents they adopt, we have recalled our representative at the CSTO and not appointed a new one. We are effectively not members of this organization," a source close to Armenia's ruling elite told Eurasianet on condition of anonymity.

Some analysts say it is precisely the freeze in Armenia's participation in the CSTO that has opened up opportunities to buy weapons from NATO member France. 

"Earlier, Armenia was told privately that there could be no supplies of weapons from NATO countries because of the access Russia has to its defense sector as a member of the CSTO," military-political expert Armine Margaryan told Eurasianet. 

She added that if Armenia is to fully exit the CSTO, it has to have security alternatives in place and she views the fostering of defense cooperation with France and other NATO countries, like the U.S. in this context. 

France is not the only NATO country with which Armenia is fostering defense cooperation. In September, after a long break, Armenian and U.S. armed forces held joint drills in Armenia, to the Kremlin's chagrin. 

But despite Russian rumbles of dissatisfaction, Yerevan appears determined to stay on its current course. 

"Armenian-American cooperation, including in the military sphere, is continuing according to plan, on the same basis as before. This includes training, military, and technological support," the chairman of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces Edvard Asryan, told journalists on November 9, shortly after his return from Stuttgart, Germany, where he held talks with the European Command of the U.S. armed forces. 

During his meetings there, Asryan discussed details of the reforms conducted in the Armenian armed forces in areas such as combat readiness and the modernization of command systems, as well as the U.S.'s future involvement in this process.

This is a striking development, given that two years ago Armenia had been planning to reconfigure its military, freshly battered in the 2020 war, based on the Russian model and was discussing the details of corresponding reforms only with high-ranking representatives of the Russian General Staff. 

France's "signal" to other NATO countries

Now the taboo on security cooperation with NATO countries has been broken, and France seems determined to ensure the trend continues. 

"We are the first NATO country to have an open and confident cooperation in the field of defense with Armenia. And that's a signal to the regional environment, of course, but it's also a signal to our NATO partners," France's ambassador to Armenia, Olivier Decottignies said in an interview with CivilNet on November 2. 

"We wouldn't invest in cooperation in training, in cooperation between military academies if we didn't have a long-term perspective. On the other hand, Armenia's defense partnership cannot rely only on France."

The envoy went on: "We are the first partner among NATO countries for Armenia. But there are partners in the field of defense and the Armenian government is actively pursuing the diversification of their partnerships and we support that."

Arshaluis Mgdesyan is a journalist based in Yerevan.

Turkish Press: Turkish parliament extends mandate of troops deployed in Azerbaijan for 1 more year

Jane Topchian
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Nov 15 2023
Ertugrul Subasi and Kemal Karadag

ANKARA

The Turkish parliament on Wednesday extended for one more year the deployment of troops sent to Azerbaijan in the wake of a fall 2020 conflict with neighboring Armenia over the Karabakh region.

The extension under a presidential motion will start on Nov. 17.

Ismail Ozdemir, a lawmaker, said that with the support of Türkiye, Azerbaijan managed to end the Armenian occupation of its lands.

Ozdemir said that the will of the Turkish people signifies a guarantee of peace and emphasized their opposition to activities that escalate tensions in all regions.

Relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

Most of the territory was liberated by Azerbaijan during a war in the fall of 2020, which ended after a Russian-brokered peace agreement and also opened the door to normalization.