Category: 2023

More cases of elder abuse in Armenia

Emil Lazarian
June 13 2023
  • Sona Martirosyan
  • Yerevan

Violence against the elderly in Armenia

Domestic violence has become one of the most frequently discussed topics in Armenia after years of silence and even denial of the existence of this problem in society. But still there are types and forms of violence that remain taboo, in particular physical and psychological violence against the elderly in their own family.

In the first five months of 2023, five elderly people were victims of domestic violence. The relatives – son, daughter-in-law, grandson – are accused of murder.

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“My mother is dying, come soon!” shouted an excited man into the phone, calling an ambulance.

The call came from the city of Dilijan in the afternoon. When the doctors arrived at the indicated address, they could no longer help 62-year-old Varsenik.

The son and relatives gathered in the house claimed that the woman died suddenly in front of them, they did not have time to help. But doctors noticed bruises on the woman’s body.

“This has nothing to do with death,” the son insisted, “she had been feeling unwell for several days, and three days ago she lost consciousness and fell. That’s why the bruises on the body.

Relatives confirmed his words.

However, the forensic examination concluded that the fall could not have caused such injuries. A few hours later the police detained the daughter-in-law of the deceased woman. According to the preliminary investigation, she killed her mother-in-law, bruises appeared due to blows with a metal ladle, including on the head and face.

Sexual harassment in Armenia in the workplace – There is not even a legal definition of sexual harassment, thus no protection of labor rights.

Violence against the elderly is a worldwide phenomenon, but there is almost no actual data.

Researchers claim that only one in 24 cases of elder abuse is recorded in the world.

The fact is that all over the world the elderly are silent about their problems, and most governments do not have an appropriate approach and policy to protect them from violence. Approximate statistics are available in only a few countries where the rate of violence against older people ranges from 1-10%.

The WHO considers elder abuse to be “an important but understudied public health issue”. The organization’s latest data is based on the results of 52 studies conducted in 28 countries in 2017.

According to the WHO,

• 15.7% of the world’s population over the age of 60, that is, one in six in this age group is subjected to some form of violence.

• Extremely high rates of violence against older people are observed in closed institutions. 64.2% of employees in hospitals, nursing homes and other long-term care facilities admitted to having ever witnessed violence against an elderly person. Every second employee admitted that he himself “used violence in the past.”

• The most common type of violence against the elderly is psychological (11.6%), followed by financial (6.8%), neglect (4.2%), physical (2.6%), sexual (0.9%) .

Cases of violence against the elderly have increased significantly under the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. US studies show that the rate of elder abuse in families during the pandemic could rise to 84%.

The researchers calculated that these figures will increase in the coming decades, “taking into account the fact that in 2050 the number of older people in the world will exceed 2 billion people.”

According to statistics, in the last decade the number of suicides in Armenia has been between 150 and 215

The main reason for the lack of statistics on elder abuse is that those who are abused prefer to remain silent. For some, violence becomes the “norm”, others do not identify the attitude towards them as such, in particular when it comes to psychological or financial violence.

The rights of older people are mainly infringed upon by their spouses or children. And in these cases, the elderly are psychologically and financially dependent on them.

Violence can also occur in care centers or shelters. Older people, including those with disabilities, are subjected to violence by employees.

Only 4% of those who have been abused report it. The rest

• afraid of being punished or being alone,

• worried that the abusive relative will be held legally liable,

• ashamed to speak.

Those who do not report abuse are twice as likely to die prematurely because no action is taken to address the effects of abuse.

At high risk are older people with mental health problems. Two out of three people with mental health problems experience violence.

In addition, the elderly do not know who to turn to. In Armenia there is no social service dedicated to the elderly who have been subjected to violence. There are only two domestic violence shelters across the country. Both are created by non-governmental organizations and operate with extremely limited resources.

Although official statistics are not available, the demand for surrogacy is on the rise in Armenia

Human rights activist Zaruhi Hovhannisyan says that children and the elderly are the most vulnerable groups subjected to domestic violence. They speak less than others about being subjected to violence, and know less than others about their rights and opportunities for protection.

“Unlike children who attend school, kindergarten, find themselves surrounded by acquaintances and friends, where they can give out this information, even if they don’t want to talk about it, the elderly lead a more isolated lifestyle. Therefore they are more vulnerable, the likelihood of violence against them is higher,” she said.

She recalls cases of violence against the elderly that occurred in a women’s support center and in a shelter for victims of domestic violence. He says that these were exceptional cases, and they became known only because there was severe physical violence, which was recorded by the police:

“These women then ended up in a nursing home and did not return to the environment where they were bullied, but this rarely happens. In other cases, the elderly usually do not report what happened to them. Mainly because they spare their relatives. Even if acquaintances and friends notice bruises or other marks, as a rule, they deny the violence, claiming that it was their “guilty” – they slipped and fell, hit something by negligence.

Zaruhi Hovhannisyan regrets that there is no complete statistics. For this reason it is difficult to judge what is happening now – there is an increase in cases of violence against the elderly or they have begun to talk more about self-abuse.

“We cannot exclude the possibility of an increase in cases of violence against the elderly. Especially given the difficult socio-psychological situation in society, the unresolved traumas of the 2020 war, as well as the worsening social situation every day.

The state is not able to provide for the basic needs of the elderly, and the social burden, as a rule, falls on children. And this creates additional dependence for the elderly. Of course, all these factors directly affect the situation, but the lack of data, the exact number of cases, does not allow us to make clearer judgments about this.”

“11,000 people lost their earnings”: the consequences of the 6-month blockade of NK

Maral Takmazian
June 13 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Six months of blockade in Nagorno-Karabakh

For half a year now the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, has been blocked. The Ombudsman of the NK published an extraordinary report summarizing the latest data on the consequences of the blockade.

According to this document, the economy of the unrecognized republic was damaged by about 346 million dollars, about 11,000 people lost their jobs and livelihoods.

On December 12, 2022, a group of Azerbaijanis posing as environmentalists blocked the Lachin corridor. Later, the Azerbaijani media wrote that they were representatives of NGOs closely associated with the authorities. They stopped their action in April when Baku set up an official checkpoint near the bridge over the Hakari River. The Armenian authorities have been talking about the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh all this time, but Baku continues to insist that the road is not blocked.

Previously, videos of the movement of Red Cross vehicles and Russian peacekeepers along the road were published as evidence of this assertion. After the establishment of the checkpoint, Azerbaijan distributes footage of people passing through the checkpoint without any escort. Armenian media reports that no one has yet passed unaccompanied. According to Armenian journalists, the footage mainly shows patients leaving NK for treatment, and those who return home after the end of treatment in Armenia. There are also family members who return to NK from Armenia, accompanied by members of the International Committee of the Red Cross and peacekeepers, but during filming they are asked to leave the frame.

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The Ombudsman’s report provides data on violations of both individual and collective rights of people, as well as the rights of vulnerable groups. According to the authors of the document, this list of violations “reflects the deepening humanitarian crisis and the genocidal policy of the Azerbaijani authorities against the Armenians of NK.”

The report provides the following statistics:

  • the two-way movement of people along the Lachin corridor has decreased by 198 times,
  • vehicle traffic has become 58 times less than it would have been without the blockade,
  • vital cargo imported about 13 times less than it should have been (5,574 tons instead of 72,800 tons),
  • due to the suspension of planned operations, 1,400 people lost the opportunity to improve their health by surgery,
  • Azerbaijan completely or partially stopped gas supplies from Armenia for a total of 117 days,
  • For 154 days, the supply of electricity from Armenia was completely disrupted.

According to official data, 120,000 Armenians live in NK. The Ombudsman’s report emphasizes that the effects of the blockade are more severely affecting vulnerable groups, including 30,000 children, 9,000 people with disabilities and 20,000 elderly.

What is known about the upcoming talks in Chisinau between the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan, the expectations of Western mediators, as well as the opinion of a political scientist

The report says blocking the Lachin corridor is illegal, according to a tripartite statement signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia in the fall of 2020. The authors of the document also appeal to the decision of the International Court of Justice, which obliged Azerbaijan to ensure unimpeded traffic along the Lachin road.

“The international community has not only the right, but also an undeniable obligation to apply practical means as soon as possible to implement the decision of the highest international court and prevent further crimes of Azerbaijan.”

The office of the ombudsman believes that “all violations are committed within the framework of the state policy of Azerbaijan – racial discrimination and hatred towards Armenians.” The authors of the document state that “the actions of the Azerbaijani authorities are directed against the realization of the right of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination.” In their opinion, Baku’s goal is to close the issue of the Karabakh conflict through ethnic cleansing, “with the logic there is no people – thus no rights.”

“The systematic and consistent policy of ethnic hatred pursued by Azerbaijan, which manifested itself both during the military aggression unleashed against Artsakh in 2020, and after the establishment of a ceasefire regime by a tripartite statement of November 9, 2020, proves that any status of Artsakh under the rule of Azerbaijan is equated to ethnic cleansing and genocide of the people of Artsakh. Thus, in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the right to self-determination is equal to the right of the people of Artsakh to live in their native lands.

The fundamental right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination, as well as encroachments and threats to their physical existence by Azerbaijan on the basis of racial discrimination, are more than sufficient grounds for the protection of the people of Artsakh by international community, as well as the international recognition of the Republic of Artsakh based on the principle of “recognition in the name of salvation,” the report says.

Political consensus on self-determination of NK agreed upon by all parties and factions of Armenia, however divergent

The ombudsman’s report also cites stories from local residents about separated families, lack of food and medicine, declining health and psychological problems.

“All I can think about is how to keep my newborn baby warm and fed in the face of food shortages, gas and electricity cuts, hot water and heating. A month ago, David and I caught a bad cold and ended up in the hospital. I was going crazy, I was afraid of losing my child.”

“Even in my worst dream, I could not imagine that I would be separated from my child for such a long time [this woman and her husband went shopping in the Armenian city of Goris for a day, they would not return, since the blockade began on December 12, 2022 ]. Every time I call my mother and she shows me my son, I can’t hold back my tears. My mother and son froze in the winter during the rolling power outages and gas cuts by the Azerbaijanis. Sevak doesn’t like darkness, so he starts crying as soon as the lights go out. My mother has a chronic illness, she is not able to stand in line for hours for food.”

“Before the blockade, our bakery worked all night to bake bread. Our stoves run on gas, and only during gas cuts do we switch to electric stoves, as they cost the bakery so much more. But now, when there is neither a stable gas supply nor electricity due to planned power outages, including at night, the bakery works part-time. Unfortunately, we are no longer able to meet the demand that was before the blockade. Half of our employees lost their jobs. To deprive people of bread means deliberately subjecting the people to hunger.

“I have lost my main source of income due to the blockade as the greengrocer where I work has been closed since December 2022. Since vegetables and fruits are mainly imported from Armenia, the blockade immediately hit us, we were forced to close the store almost among the first. Now I can’t support my large family. My wife is pregnant with our sixth child, but the pregnancy is at high risk as she is constantly under stress due to the blockade and the uncertainty of our future. She needs to have regular checkups, eat right and take her pills, but right now we can’t afford all that.”

“I need insulin injections several times a day, as I have the last stage
diabetes. I have to do it myself, because I live alone, my husband died during the first war in 1993. And the daughter’s family lives in Yerevan. She cannot come to me and take care of me, as we are separated by a blockade. The main problem is that there are no sufficient and stable supplies of insulin. There are no products in stores that would suit my special diet. And I physically cannot stand these lines for food, as I have a disability. Lately I’ve been feeling exhausted. I feel like I’m slowly fading away. I can’t stand on my feet for long and want to sleep all the time. Sometimes I feel like I can die alone in my apartment without anyone noticing.”

The organization calls on democratic governments not to ignore the danger that threatens Armenia and “take all possible steps to strengthen democracy” and protect the population

Official Yerevan commented on the blockade of NK, which has been going on for half a year. The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned “the ongoing severe restrictions on the fundamental rights and freedoms of 120,000 people,” despite the binding decision of the Hague Court and numerous appeals from international structures.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also issued a statement regarding recent frequent reports from Azerbaijan about “violation of the ceasefire regime” by the Armenian side. The Armenian Foreign Ministry called them “false information”, emphasizing that in the newsletters published by Russian peacekeepers, violations of the ceasefire regime were recorded only from the Azerbaijani side.

“Given Azerbaijan’s already traditional experience of providing “information support” before the next use of force and artificially placing responsibility for subsequent actions on the other side in advance, Armenia has serious fears that the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan, contrary to all its obligations, is preparing the ground for the next aggressive actions and ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Armenian diplomats warn.

https://jam-news.net/six-months-of-blockade-in-nagorno-karabakh/

Sports: Essegian called to represent Armenian National Team

Arpi Talalian
 UW Badgers 
University of Wisconsin 
June 12 2023

Men's Basketball June 12, 2023

MADISON, Wis. — Connor Essegian earned the opportunity to play the game he loves and represent his heritage, as the Wisconsin sophomore recently accepted an invitation to play basketball for the Armenian National Team in two upcoming games against France.

Essegian will be making his debut for Armenia in the "Armenian Basketball Classic," an event that will take place June 16-17 and have Armenia facing France – ranked No. 5 globally – in back-to-back games. Both games will be played in California at Premier America Credit Union Arena on the campus of California State University, Northridge. It will mark the first-ever Armenian basketball games to be played in the United States.

Building on its momentum after winning gold at the 2022 European Championship for Small Countries, Armenia begins its journey to qualify for the FIBA World Cup.

Essegian reported for training camp in Glendale, California, which runs Monday through Thursday.

"I'm really excited to have the opportunity to play the game that I love, while also representing Armenia and my family in the process," Essegian said. "My father's side is Armenian and I believe one of my relatives, Chuck Essegian, was the first Armenian player in Major League Baseball, so I'm excited to add to that history through the game of basketball. I'm also excited to represent Wisconsin on an international level of competition. I plan to use this opportunity to challenge myself against professional-level players, while also better preparing for this upcoming season."

Connor's father is 50 percent Armenian, and Connor's grandfather is 100 percent Armenian. The cousin of Connor's grandfather, Chuck Essegian, is the first Armenian to play in Major League Baseball. Chuck Essegian played baseball and football at Stanford University, competing in the 1951 Rose Bowl, before going on to play in MLB for six seasons (1958-63) where he played in the 1959 World Series with the Dodgers. Chuck Essegian set a World Series record with two pinch-hit home runs, and became just the second player to play in both the Rose Bowl and World Series.

Essegian burst onto the scene in his first season at Wisconsin, earning Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors and showcasing himself as one of the best sharp shooters in the country. Essegian played in all 35 games for the Badgers, starting the final 19 games and averaging 11.7 points per game on the season. The Fort Wayne, Indiana native became just the fifth Badger over the last 25 years to average double figures in their freshman season, joining Brad Davison (2017-18), Ethan Happ (2015-16), Alando Tucker (2002-03) and Devin Harris (2001-02). With 69 made 3-pointers on the season, Essegian broke the school record for most made 3-point field goals by a freshman.

"Any time one of our athletes gets to play on an international stage and represent their heritage it is an awesome opportunity," Wisconsin head coach Greg Gard said. "We've had several players over the years use this experience as a springboard into the next season, and I know that Connor will go in with his eyes and ears wide open to squeeze everything out of this opportunity that he can. I'm excited to follow him as he competes."

For updates on Connor Essegian and the Armenian National Team, follow @BadgerMBB on social media and visit UWBadgers.com.

Projects from Armenia and Ukraine among 2023 European Heritage Awards winners

Lilit Nahapetian
June 13 2023

The European Commission and Europa Nostra today announced the winners of the 2023 European Heritage Awards/Europa Nostra Awards.

The annual EU prize for cultural heritage rewards 28 best initiatives and personalities from 20 European countries representing the latest developments and priorities related to heritage policy and practice in Europe.

The Armenian-French joint project ‘Scientific-Archaeological Studies for the Preservation of Ererouyk’ is among the winners of the ‘Research’ category. Ererouyk is an early Christian and medieval complex, located in Shirak marz of Armenia. It consists of remains of a 6th-century basilica, ancient mausoleum and cemetery, ancient village and dam. The researchers succeeded in dating the basilica and conducting a detailed analysis of its carved decoration. Through comparative research, the project also highlighted the particularities of Armenian Christianity and funerary customs.

The Ukrainian project ‘Un-archiving Post-industry’ won in the ‘Citizens’ Engagement & Awareness-raising’ category. Collaborating closely with local archives and heritage practitioners, the project, led by the Centre for Urban History of East Central Europe in Lviv, digitised collections at the Mariupol Local History Museum, the Pokrovsk Local History Museum and the Donetsk Regional Museum of Local History. Approximately 30,000 photo negatives and 82 films were digitised, encompassing press photo collections from the 1940s to the 1990s, company archives, family albums, home movies and amateur films.The project involved local stakeholders at every stage in order to empower local communities.

The Ukraine/international project ‘Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online’ (SUCHO), an initiative to safeguard the digital cultural heritage of Ukraine amidst the ongoing Russian invasion, won in the ‘Heritage Champions’ category.

“Digitised content and born-digital materials, including photographs and other files stored on servers, faced the risk of destruction or corruption during attacks or power outages. Even websites hosted outside of Ukraine were in jeopardy, if the websites owners were unable to meet their hosting expenses,” says the project presentation.

By June 2022, SUCHO volunteers successfully web archived over 50TB of data encompassing more than 5,000 websites. The archived websites span a wide range of institutions, from local museums, music academies and theatres to monasteries, archives, libraries and programmes dedicated to children’s and local history. In addition, SUCHO curated selected materials into a publicly accessible gallery, while also amassing a collection of war-related memes enriched with metadata for future historical research.

The award ceremony will take place on 28 September in Venice, at the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2023. 

The Grand Prix laureates and the Public Choice Award winner (vote online) will be announced during the ceremony. These are chosen from this year’s winning projects and are both entitled to receive €10,000 each.

Find out more

Press release

https://euneighbourseast.eu/news/latest-news/projects-from-armenia-and-ukraine-among-2023-european-heritage-awards-winners/

Sports: Swanson: NBA coach believes Armenia is bound for Olympics — someday

Emil Lazarian
June 13 2023
— someday

By MIRJAM SWANSON | [email protected] | Southern California News Group
PUBLISHED: June 13, 2023 at 10:05 a.m. | UPDATED: June 13, 2023 at 10:05 a.m.

It’s not like Rex Kalamian hasn’t worked with teams before they were established. Think of, say, Oklahoma City when superstars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden were just embarking on their careers.

This week Kalamian, an NBA assistant coach for the past quarter-century, is back in L.A. where he grew up, leading another team on the upswing, relatively speaking.

This one features Anto Balian and Avand Dorian, teens known locally for their recent exploits at Pilibos Armenian School in Los Angeles and Armenian General Benevolent Union in Canoga Park.

And no, you don’t have to go to the monitor to spot the difference between those situations.

But you can come get a peek when the Armenian national basketball team takes on France on Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (5 p.m.) at Cal State Northridge.

It’ll be something of a David-vs.-Goliath tussle, these games against the Olympic silver medalist in 2021 and world’s No. 5-ranked team now.

But it’ll also be an important exercise in show-and-tell, an early checkpoint on a long road.

When Kalamian took over as head coach last year, Armenia was ranked 93rd of 161 teams. It’s climbed a few rungs since, to 87th. He’s using the same blueprint as has in any of his NBA stops – “That’s all I know,” he insists – including recent posts where his clean-shaven head made him a recognizable figure on the sideline for the Thunder, Clippers, Toronto Raptors, Sacramento Kings and Detroit Pistons.

The same terminology, same practice and shootaround scheduling, same floor-spreading style of play. The same intensity, same certitude.

Within that NBA-inspired system, youngsters like Balian and Dorian will be important contributors to any progress the Armenian team makes. So too will be a veteran like 27-year-old Andre Mkrtchyan-Spight, who had no prospect of playing for Armenia as a kid growing up in Burbank, because his mom’s country didn’t have a basketball team then.

Armenia’s got one now. And a goal: Make it to the Olympics.

Eventually. It might be a basketball lifetime before it happens for the resilient nation of 3 million nestled between Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey. “Like asking a 5-year-old what do you want to do one day?” Kalamian said, “And him saying, ‘I want to play in the NBA.”

Kalamian, the son of Armenian-American parents, says he’s motivated by his grandmother’s life story. She survived the Armenian genocide before arriving at Ellis Island: “If I’m having a bad day sometimes, I think about Yevkine Maghakian and I say, ‘You know what? I can’t have a worse day than this woman saw.’ And to me, internally, she provides inspiration. What my grandmother had to endure to be able to have a life here, just to land at Ellis Island? A minor miracle.”

And so Kalamian is proud, he said, to have the responsibility of steering this basketball program through all the inevitable challenges that it’s faced since being founded in 2016 – including the little matter of Armenians’ physical stature.

Let’s just say there just aren’t a lot of 7-foot-4 folks wandering around Yerevan. “Or even 6-4!” laughed Mkrtchyan-Spight, via Zoom.

Armenian men are, on average, 5-8, though there are three players listed 6-8 or taller on the team that will take the court Friday: Ryan Kiachian, a 6-10 center who plays for Cornell; Davit Khachatryan, a 6-9 center who plays in Armenia and Zach Tavitian, a 6-8 forward who plays in Spain.

Mkrtchyan-Spight is a 6-3 guard with a game that reminds Kalamian of Lou Williams’. Mkrtchyan-Spight appreciated the comparison: “I love it. I love it, I love it,” he said with a grin and a sly addendum. “But, you know, I’m not a Sixth Man, so.”

With more than 200,000 people of Armenian descent living in L.A. County, these are home-away-from-home games for Kalamian and crew. And they’re important.

Armenia’s first basketball action in the United States is an opportunity to impress.

“All these kids that are coming to this game already have the mindset of, ‘I want to be on the national team,’” said Mkrtchyan-Spight, who’s played professionally in Spain, France, Finland and Poland, and, as a kid, for the Homenetmen Glendale Ararat Chapter and at Burbank and Pasadena highs.

“So now they get to actually see it up close. That’s really special and that’s definitely gonna drive them even more, because now they can see it’s possible. It’s not like they’re just watching it on YouTube; they’re seeing it here, live. And hopefully someday we can have two teams, multiple teams, like the French do.”

It’d help if they could inspire some benefactors to drop some dimes, or some dollars.

“If you look at the top five – Spain, USA, Australia, Argentina, France – they’re all well funded and they have a foundation of so many years of national exposure,” said Kalamian, who was a captain at East Los Angeles College before beginning his coaching career.

“They have corporate sponsors. That’s what we’re trying to get. We have a lot of successful Armenian businesses throughout the world, and I would like to get our team some sort of exposure where those businesses feel like, ‘We want to back this team – not only because this team is good, but because it represents Armenia.’ ”

The contingent represented the country well last July. Kalamian’s team – made up of players from Armenia and eligible U.S.-based talents with Armenian background like Mkrtchyan-Spight – won the 2022 FIBA European Championship for Small Countries.

They rallied after falling behind 13-0 to beat host Malta, 84-68, in a championship played before a raucous home crowd in a sweltering gym. They were buoyed by a brilliant bit of bravado – and 41 points – from Chris Jones, the team’s one allotted naturalized player. (He’ll play this week against France.)

Armenia shot an NBA volume of 3-pointers – making 39.4% of 39 attempts from deep per game – and averaged a tournament-high 88.8 points, going 4-0 and winning its games by a margin of 23 points.

France will surely provide a tougher test, even if Les Bleus won’t have their full complement (don’t expect to see Victor Wembanyama).

“It’s sort of like we have a G League team, and we’re pulling guys from there and we’re saying, ‘Go compete against this fifth-ranked team in the world,’” Kalamian said. “But we’ll get there. We may need to take some hits along the way, and that’s OK … one of the core values of being Armenian is being resilient.

“And having gone (to Armenia) last year, you could see how popular the sport is there, so what I’m trying to do now is show these boys and girls, you may not make it to the NBA or to the WNBA, and that’s OK. There is another thing to aspire to, and that may be to play high school or college and maybe overseas.

“And eventually, maybe for the national basketball team for Armenia.”

Armenia’s exports to Russia almost triple in 2022

Antranik Varosian
June 13 2023
Armenia exports to Russia surged in 2022, at a staggering growth rate of 187% compared to the previous year. Moreover, over half of these exports were re-exports originating from third countries, adding fuel to speculation that Armenia is playing a key role in the rerouting of Western imports to Russia to avoid sanctions.
 
Due to its strategic geographical location, Armenia has emerged as a crucial transit route for trade between Western countries and Russia  since the imposition of Western sanctions on Moscow.
 
The European Commission has proposed a new mechanism to target countries seen as not doing enough to prevent Russia from evading export restrictions. Countries possibly under scrutiny for the potential application of EU sanctions include Armenia. 

Up to now the EU has been applying diplomatic pressure to try to improve the sanctions enforcement of third countries in terms of trade with Russia, with dual-use goods—namely, goods that can be diverted from civilian industry customers to use by military producers—a particular concern. The idea is that if that pressure proves ineffective, a mechanism would give EU member nations the power to place export restrictions on key goods.

The US has also identified Armenia as one of five countries  that pose challenges in terms of evading sanctions.  

During a special meeting of the Standing Committee on Financial, Credit and Budgetary Affairs of the National Assembly, Armenian Minister of Finance Vahe Hovhannisyan highlighted that goods manufactured within Armenia accounted for 47% of the total exports to Russia.

Hovhannisyan further disclosed that the tourism industry experienced a significant growth of 90%, primarily driven by visitors from Russia. The increased influx of money transfers played a significant role in the appreciation of the Armenian dram.
 
The Armenian economy has become more and more dependent on trade with Russia. The Armenian economy has grown strongly since the Russian invasion, rising an impressive 12.6% last year, This growth exceeded initial projections, as the state budget for 2022 had estimated an 11% growth rate, while the government's target was set at 7% for the same year.
 
The services sector emerged as the key contributor to GDP growth, although notable progress was also observed in the industry and construction sectors.
 
Hovhannisyan further emphasised the reduction in the unemployment rate by 2.5%, bringing it down to 13%. Additionally, real wages witnessed a positive increase of 6.3%, despite the backdrop of an 8.6% inflation rate.
https://www.bne.eu/armenia-s-exports-to-russia-almost-triple-in-2022-281463/?source=armenia

Turkey says it’s ready to open consulate in city that Azerbaijan took from Armenian forces

Hambik Zargarian
Washington Times
June 13 2023
by Associated Press

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Tuesday his country is ready to open a consulate in Shusha, a city that Azerbaijan took from Armenian forces in a war in 2020.

Erdogan made the comment during a visit to Azerbaijan at the start of his third term in office following presidential elections last month.

“We are ready to open our consulate whenever you wish,” Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency quoted Erdogan as telling Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and other officials at the start of bilateral talks.

“If we can open a consulate in Shusha, this would be a message to the world and especially to Armenia,” he said.

Shusha, a center of Azeri culture for centuries, came under Armenian control in 1992 in fighting over the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. Its retaking by Azerbaijan’s forces in 2020 was of symbolic and strategic importance because it sits high above the region’s nearby capital, Stepanakert.

Turkey actively supported Azerbaijan in the last conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Azerbaijan regained control of much of the region and Armenian-held surrounding territories. More than 6,000 people were killed in six weeks of fighting.

Turkey and Azerbaijan have close ethnic and cultural bonds. It is traditional for newly elected Turkish leaders to visit Azerbaijan following a trip to the breakaway Turkish Cypriot state in the island nation’s north. Erdogan was in northern Cyprus on Monday.

Secretary General meets Justice Minister of Armenia, welcomes progress in execution of judgments

Mary Lazarian
Council of Europe
June 13 2023

Secretary General Marija Pejčinović Burić has met with Grigor Minasyan, Minister of Justice of Armenia. She welcomed Armenia’s excellent progress with regard to the execution of judgments of the European Court of Human Rights. In this context, she noted the recent establishment of the inter-agency committee for the oversight of these judgments. The Secretary General met the members of this committee in Strasbourg in May. 

Close partnership between the Council of Europe and Armenia in co-operation projects was another key theme of the meeting. Secretary General Pejčinović Burić mentioned in particular the steps taken to improve the framework on the disciplinary proceedings against judges. Co-operation in the areas of policing and deprivation of liberty was also discussed.

The Secretary General welcomed Armenia’s progress in the legislative process to ratify Protocol No. 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights (concerning the abolition of death penalty in all circumstances). She also encouraged the authorities to accede to a number of other Council of Europe treaties, such as the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine and the Second Additional Protocol to the Cybercrime Convention.



​Alexander Arkhangelsky: “Russia’s position causes resentment in Armenia”

Anna Tamamian
Armenia – June 13 2023

Alexander Arkhangelsky: “Russia’s position causes resentment in Armenia”

Interview of writer Alexander Arkhangelsky with Mediamax

 

In spring you announced about launching a new project with Tatyana Sorokina and about raising funds “for a future film about a Sardinian who became a Russian hieromonk and an expert in the ancient Armenian church, and about where one’s Homeland in the world of the new nomad is.”

 

It is Father Giovanni (John) Guaita. He is an expert in the ancient Armenian church, and he interviewed Catholicos Karekin I. I really hope this book will be republished, because it is an amazing book.

 

Of course, it will not be a tourist film. We will get on a plane with him, travel here, and look at Armenia through his eyes as a country that has learned to maintain the sense of Homeland across all borders, dropping out of history, returning to history.

 

There are times when emigration is useless and times when it is useful. What does useless mean? It is when people simply save themselves and do not integrate into the cultures of the surrounding countries: either they dissolve in them completely, or begin to preserve everything completely, as it was in their Homeland.

 

Russia has entered a dramatic period – this is a new wave of emigration, and mass emigration in one stratum. If you count on 140 million inhabitants of Russia – it is still bearable, but it is emigration in one stratum, in one circle, in several major cities, and of course, these losses will be very tangible.

 

Those Russians who have come to Armenia over the past 1.5 years, in a good way, level out the problems that exist today in relations between Armenia and Russia, the problems that have become obvious after the 2020 war. To simplify, has something deteriorated in relations between Armenia and Russia?

 

Which Armenia and which Russia are we talking about? About political Armenia and political Russia?

 

First of all, yes.

 

A lot has changed. And dramatic changes are still taking place today.

 

It is obvious that Armenia is discussing a tragic option for itself. Perhaps what we see – a negotiated option – is politically necessary, I do not know, I am not a politician. But from a cultural and historical point of view, this is a tragic option for Armenia. What the negotiators propose to Armenia – the choice of reconciliation after what happened, is a tragedy.

 

It is not for me to give advice on what is right or wrong. I am just compassionate. This is the only possible position from the outside. Russia, of course, played and would still like to play a big role. It tried to play some positive role, but then it simply had no time for Armenia. Armenia was left to the mercy of fate, alone with the war.

 

But as soon as Western players appeared, able to take that negotiating position, Russia immediately began to return.

 

I felt resentment in people, it felt like a betrayal. I often visit Armenia, talk to people a lot, and I do not know if there is such love for Russia and Russians anywhere else. Now I am not speaking about politicians, but about people, about communities.

 

The Russian position is first dictating its interests too harshly, then stepping aside, not wanting to consider interests of Armenia. People outside the political field have felt this. Human destinies are the third aspect. Armenia has opened its doors to a huge number of Russians. It would be unfair if the Russians who have found refuge in Armenia will not respond to this with not just love, but solidarity and all they can respond with by being here and now, testifying before the world about the troubles Armenia is facing.

 

I do not think there has ever been anything like this before – extremely hard political divergence and extremely close convergence of human destinies: two processes on which we are now swinging like on a seesaw.

 

Since you often come here, do you have an understanding: does Armenia know what it wants?

 

I know that Armenia knows what it does not want. It does not want more war, it is tired. There is still heroism, and we know examples of this incredible heroism, but I have a feeling that the country is tired of the state of war. What it is ready to do to make sure there is no war, I do not know, I will have to accept the choice that Armenia will make.

 

But Russian politicians must firmly say where their interest lies. They must decide for a long term, not immediately, regardless of what elections are coming up, what elections have taken place, whether “environmentalists” appeared in the Lachin direction, or disappeared.

 

After February 24, 2022, Russia simply “gave up” on this process – forgive me for not a very nice word, but it is true. Was Russia engaged in the Armenian “plot” after February 24, 2022? I have a feeling that it was not, but then, feeling that the West came as a new negotiator, it decided to return quickly, to interfere with the West, but whether to help Armenia – I do not know.

 

In 2009, you wrote: “What should we prefer: habitual but proud stagnation in the very important but strategically unpromising myths of the 20th century or a change of cultural fate? A change of fate, or a conversion of centuries of history into modern realities? Closure in a provincial identity or playing ahead of history – without losing memory and identity? In this sense Russia and Armenia, for all their differences in scale and reality, are in the same phase. It is a dramatic phase. And a key one. Here and there, we are caught between our homebrew and our aspirations for a future that cannot be realized outside the space of world civilization, where we all want and need to go, where we seem to be enticed, but where they do not really wait for us.

 

Unless we know that you wrote this 14 years ago, it may seem that it has been written these days. Do you see any opportunities for a new rapprochement between Armenia and Russia in the political sense?

 

– I can look at the situation through the eyes of Russian politicians: “we would rather deal with the knot that we have tied and cannot untie, we are in a state of half-decay, we risk losing the unity of our country, well, what role can we play?”

 

Of course, Russia wants to keep control of this part of the earth – I am now calling things by their proper names. But we cannot put military, economic, or political resources into it. Armenia is a small country, it needs to understand with who it interacts, who is a strong supporter and who is a weak supporter, and who pretends to be a supporter. Of course, Armenia will maneuver, and this maneuvering will cause even more irritation and rejection among Russian elites.

 

I do not believe in rapprochement, except in the field of culture. In the field of science, humanitarian projects – I do, in political – I do not.

 

Is it realistic to expect that in conditions where there is no normal interaction between political elites, contacts between people can maintain some level of relations? Relatively speaking, if Russia, the Russian leadership decides to turn its back on Armenia, it seems to me that no cultural contacts will be able to influence this decision.

 

If I believed that political processes and political elites are eternal, I would totally agree with you. But they change. And that’s what I am hoping for. Cultural, human contacts by themselves will not solve anything, and have never solved anything during history. But they can save the ground for a future reversal. And this elite will be gone. Everything will change. The question is whether these contacts will remain, whether these knots will remain. I am a cautious optimist as far as the grassroots are concerned, and a total pessimist as far as the top is concerned.

 

Ara Tadevosyan spoke with Alexander Arkhangelsky

 

This interview was prepared as part of a joint project with the Tufenkian Foundation

Turkey Ready To Open General Consulate In Nagorno-Karabakh – Erdogan

Janet Ekmekjian
June 13 2023

 Umer Jamshaid  Published June 13, 2023 | 09:56 PM

Turkey is ready to open a general consulate in the city of Shusha in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which could be a message to the whole world and Armenia, in particular, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday

ANKARA (UrduPoint News / Sputnik – 13th June, 2023) Turkey is ready to open a general consulate in the city of Shusha in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region, which could be a message to the whole world and Armenia, in particular, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Tuesday.

"We are ready to open our general consulate in Shusha at any time. (Turkish Foreign Minister) Mr. Hakan (Fidan) will work on the matter without any delay. If our general consulate is opened in Shusha, it will send a message to the whole world and especially to Armenia," Erdogan was quoted as saying by Turkish newspaper Star.

The Turkish consulate in Shusha could be the country's third in Azerbaijan, with the two others located in the second-largest city, Ganja, as well as in Nakhchivan.

The decades-long conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh flared up again in September 2020, marking the worst escalation since the 1990s. During the fighting, Azerbaijani forces seized control of Shusha and several other areas in the region. Hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered trilateral ceasefire declaration signed in November 2020. The two former Soviet countries agreed to the deployment of Russian peacekeepers in the region. Since then, there have been occasional clashes along the border.

https://www.urdupoint.com/en/world/turkey-ready-to-open-general-consulate-in-nag-1707965.html