Category: 2023

Assembly Meetings with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY), & Rep. Dale Strong (R-AL)

Washington, D.C. – With Artsakh and Armenia in focus, activists from coast to coast came together in the nation's capital as part of the Armenian Assembly’s successful 2023 Advocacy Summit, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

Advocates from California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Florida, Texas, Tennessee, Ohio, Virginia, and Maryland gathered at the U.S. Capitol to hold over 100 meetings with congressional offices in response to the crisis surrounding Artsakh and continued threats against the Armenian people. They stressed the importance of U.S. support for Armenia and Artsakh and the obligation to prevent another Armenian Genocide.

In the Assembly's meeting with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Assembly Co-Chair Van Krikorian discussed the ongoing blockade of the Lachin Corridor and ways in which the United States can take concrete steps to end it, along with securing a robust aid package to Artsakh and Armenia.

Participants also raised the community's deep concerns over the ongoing inhumane blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan, along with the treatment of and failure to release Armenian prisoners of war, as well as the importance of humanitarian assistance to Artsakh and Armenia. They called upon their elected representatives to support for H.Res. 108, "condemning Azerbaijan's blockade of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) and ongoing human rights violations."

Elected officials shared their remarks on important issues relating to the Armenian people, particularly the blockade on Artsakh

"As a result of these meetings, we look forward to more Members of Congress joining the Armenian Caucus and supporting legislation condemning Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh," said Assembly Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan. "The Assembly thanks the greater Armenian community for its consistent activism and passionate support that resulted in an impactful Summit where we presented pressing Armenian issues to Members of Congress."

During the culminating Hill reception, Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), alongside Reps. Judy Chu (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), and Seth Magaziner (D-RI), applauded the efforts of the Assembly advocates for forcefully representing their community both on the Hill and in their local districts. They stressed the importance of continuing to raise their voices on behalf of Artsakh and Armenia and keep Congress informed.

Armenian Caucus Co-Chair emphasized the need to continue educating the Administration to formulate policies that take into account the lawless behavior of the Aliyev regime in Baku, while Members of Congress were vocal in their support for Armenia and Artsakh and condemnation of Azerbaijan.

April 8 2023

Lev Aslan Dermen was a Bel Air billionaire and gas station tycoon when he joined forces with the polygamous Kingston clan.

LOS ANGELES (KABC) – A former leader of the Armenian mafia in Los Angeles was sentenced to 40 years in prison Friday for his role in a billion dollar scheme to rip off American taxpayers.

Lev Aslan Dermen, also known as Levon "The Lion" Termendzhyan, was convicted of conspiring with members of a polygamous sect in Utah known as "The Order" in one of the most audacious tax frauds in history.

He was found guilty after a seven-week trial of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering.

Dermen was a Bel Air billionaire and gas station tycoon when he joined forces with members of the polygamous Kingston clan.

According to the Department of Justice, court documents and testimony from Dermen's 2020 trial show that from 2010 to 2018, Dermen conspired with various members of the Kingston family to fraudulently claim more than $1 billion in refundable renewable fuel tax credits.

The IRS ultimately paid out more than $511 million in credits to Washakie Renewable Energy, a Utah biodiesel company owned by Jacob and Isaiah Kingston.

The Kingstons distributed the fraud proceeds among themselves and Dermen, the DOJ said.

Jacob Kingston, 46, took a plea deal and testified against Dermen, telling jurors they had more money than they could launder, so they started buying luxury items like Lamborghinis and Bugattis along with private jets, yachts and mansions in Turkey, Utah and Huntington Beach.

Prosecutors said Dermen employed a team of corrupt law enforcement officers, including former DHS Agent Felix Cisneros, former Glendale detective John Balian and former FBI Agent Babak Broumand.

In addition to the prison sentence, Dermen was ordered to pay $442,615,520 in restitution to the IRS and imposed a money judgment of more than $181 million against him.

Jacob Kingston, who was co-owner and CEO of Washakie, was ordered to pay $511 million in restitution to the IRS. The court also imposed a $338 million money judgment against him. He was also sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison.

"The significant sentences imposed by the court reflect the breathtaking scope of the defendants' nearly decade-long tax fraud scheme – one of the largest ever," said Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department's Tax Division. "Dermen and members of the Kingston family cost law-abiding taxpayers more than $500 million and attempted to steal double that. They also sought to cover their tracks by cycling billions-of-dollars in transactions through the banking system and using fuel purchases and oil tankers to give the illusion their plant was actually producing and selling biodiesel fuel eligible for IRS credits. Tax Division prosecutors and IRS-CI Special Agents not only unraveled this scheme – they uncovered, traced and recovered millions in proceeds secreted in Turkey, the United States and elsewhere."

Laura Coffey

By David Davidian

While the collective West appears to be run by diplomatically and strategically challenged leaders, there are some states in the world which should not emulate such nonsense. Two of these states include Armenia and Azerbaijan. The former has put itself under existential threat. Since coming to power in 2018, Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan has changed Defense and National Security Ministers five times each, forcing incessant policy discontinuities that preceded and continued through Armenia’s loss in the 2020 Second Karabakh War.

Since Azerbaijan was given the proverbial green light in the fall of 2020 to invade the self-proclaimed Armenian Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, it has gone from engaging in a maximalist negotiation position to a post-war occupation of over 40 sq. km of internationally recognized Armenian territory. Azerbaijani President Aliyev’s most outrageous claim is that most of Armenia, if not all, is Azerbaijani. If peace is ever to be achieved between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan must consider diplomacy, other than the caviar variety.

Armenia appears unable to differentiate between transactional children’s games and skilled diplomacy. The latter is nearly nonexistent, as evidenced by the lack of any Armenian diplomat publishing thought-provoking ideas. Armenia’s announcement that it could ratify the International Criminal Court’s Rome Statute and be bound to arrest Russian President Putin if he visits Armenia since the ICC has issued an arrest warrant for Putin. Due to the lack of transparency in Armenia’s government, its people must conclude why such a diplomatic position was even considered. If pushed, Armenia’s government could admit that the ICC is a political institution. Yet, it never bothered to engage in due diligence to investigate if the charges against Putin have any basis. Instead, it preferred to shoot itself in the foot and make an enemy out of Putin. Let’s point out a few realities.

1 – “The International Criminal Court can only intervene where a State is unable or unwilling to genuinely carry out the investigation and prosecute the perpetrators.” The ICC has no army or police force. Thus, if a state wishes to adopt the Rome Statute, the ICC cannot protect a state against any third-party repercussions if the state actively enacts tenets of the ICC. It is naive of Armenia to think anything different.

2 – If Russian President Putin is arrested, that state will have effectively committed an act of war against Russia. 

3 – There is no guarantee that the ICC will support any Armenian case against Azerbaijan.

 4 – Finally, the ICC charges against Putin have been seriously challenged and appear baseless.

Suppose Armenia claims it will adopt the Rome Statute and threatens to arrest Putin. In that case, Russia could act in kind and as a minimum:

– Shut down much of Armenia’s infrastructure, including its nuclear power reactor, supplying about half of Armenia’s electrical power.

– Shut off gas supplies to Armenia, leaving Armenia virtually with no gas.

– Forbid any transfer of remittances from Russia to Armenia.

– Expel all temporary Armenian workers from Russia.

– Pull any cash it may have in Armenian banks and end all economic activity with Armenia.

– Unilaterally withdraw its peacekeeping forces currently stationed between Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and an Azerbaijani military aiming to eliminate them.

Such actions would be just the tip of the iceberg, as Russia could cause an overnight regime change or pull out all of its troops and military equipment from Armenia, leaving Armenia at the mercy of its two hostile neighbors, Azerbaijan and Turkey, each claiming all of Armenia as their own. 

Within weeks of Armenia’s threat against Putin, various Armenia announced that it would not arrest Putin. However, Russia retaliated by banning the import of dairy products from Armenia. This lack of direction and foresight represents the aforementioned transactional, kindergarten games.

Suppose Armenia’s government and diplomacy are engaged in a nuanced game, playing off both sides of the emerging multipolar world, that many of us – barking dogs – cannot understand. Given this, why would Armenia’s Parliament Speaker, Alen Simonyan, engage in ‘nuanced diplomacy’ by spitting in the face of a local Armenian who saw him on the street and called him a traitor just a few days ago? The pastime of Armenia’s controlled opposition is calling Armenian government officials, such as their Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, traitors.

Armenian diplomacy is as puerile, unsophisticated and naïve as is Azerbaijan a dynastic militaristic dictatorship.

Yerevan, Armenia

Author: David Davidian (Lecturer at the American University of Armenia. He has spent over a decade in technical intelligence analysis at major high technology firms. He resides in Yerevan, Armenia). A collection of his work can be seen at shadowdiplomat.com

(The views expressed in this article belong  only to the author and do not necessarily reflect the  views of World Geostrategic Insights).

 

Switzerland – April 6 2023

For more articles in English, visit our homepage or sign up for our Weekly Edition newsletter. Please note that the following story was machine translated with minimal editing.

Thick fog clings to the slopes of Shurnukh, but the division of this mountain village can be seen immediately. Three different flags greet you upon entering: the Armenian on a hill, the Azerbaijani one 50 meters further down. However, it is a third power that decides whether a visitor's journey may continue.

«Your documents, please,» says a voice in Russian. It is a young officer, somewhat surprised at the visit, who has emerged from behind a camouflage net. His uniform identifies him as a member of the Russian border troops who monitor the borders of this mountainous country under an agreement with Armenia. A new-looking armored personnel carrier with the Russian flag underlines who is ensuring a precarious calm here, 2,000 kilometers south of Moscow.

At 1,400 meters above sea level, the drastic changes brought about by the Armenian-Azerbaijani war of autumn 2020 can be seen here from up close. Until then, the village had been far from the front lines. The fact that in communist times someone had drawn an administrative border between the Soviet republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan right here played no role in the everyday life of the 150 inhabitants.

For decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Armenians ruled on both sides of the main road – the authorities of the Republic of Armenia in the upper part, and those of the Armenian pseudo-state of Nagorno-Karabakh, which had broken away from Azerbaijan, below. This changed abruptly with the Armenian defeat two years ago: Azerbaijan gained control over seven districts in the west of the country, and Shurnukh suddenly became a divided border village.

When the new masters took position below the road, they forced an exodus from that part of the village. «They just came one morning and gave us until midnight to leave our homes,» says war veteran Ararat Aghabekyan, a resident with a graying beard and military camouflage vest. Aghabekyan packed his things, but he didn’t go quietly. He set fire to his house so that it would not fall into the hands of the enemy, and posted the video of the blazing flames on the internet in protest. He loudly rails against «the Turks,» as the Azerbaijanis are often called here, and the «scoundrel» Ilham Aliyev, the authoritarian head of state of Azerbaijan.

The farmer comes back only on days like today, when he works his field in the Armenian-controlled upper part of the village. New houses are now being built there for the 13 displaced families. However, the construction, which began two years ago, is progressing slowly. This is also due to the tricky logistics; the isolated outpost of Shurnukh can only be reached with a special permit from the Armenian secret service.

Once, vital north-south transit flowed through here, in the form of extensive freight traffic with neighboring Iran, which is only 50 kilometers away as the crow flies. However, the winding road in this area runs along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border – sometimes a few meters to the left of it, sometimes on the other side. The regime in Baku is using this to assert its supremacy here as well. On the way to Shurnukh, a large blue sign at the side of the road makes it clear that we are entering Azerbaijani territory. An Armenian officer in Shurnukh contemptuously dismisses this as grandstanding. However, traffic on this route has come to an almost complete standstill.

Whereas the journey from Shurnukh to the nearest town used to take just over half an hour, those affected now have to take a detour that is four times longer on a narrow side road. Long-distance international traffic is also using this route now. At least, on a rocky spur along this route, you can admire Tatev Monastery, a historic jewel dating back to the 9th century that bears testimony to the long Armenian-Christian presence in the area.

From Tatev, Iranian trucks drive down on winding roads into a 500-meter-deep gorge before climbing up again on the other side. Some of them break down and are left at the side of the road, or are unable to pass by oncoming traffic on the bends. All this means economic losses for Armenia. However, it is harmless compared to the military threat that seems to grow daily.

It is abundantly clear that Azerbaijan is not content with the 2020 triumph, and has an appetite for more territory. Three times since that war, it has advanced into Armenian territory in short military campaigns, occupying border areas totaling 140 square kilometers, according to the government in Yerevan. These are strategic heights from which Armenian villages and roads can be shelled. This is a turning point in the decades-old conflict, because now, for the first time, the focus is not only on the fate of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region – the territory of the motherland Armenia itself is being called into question.

In March, the number of violations of the 2020 ceasefire agreement skyrocketed. In addition, martial rhetoric coming from Baku makes one fear the worst. Aliyev, Azerbaijan's president, has made it clear in several speeches that he doesn’t recognize Armenia's territorial integrity. At the summit meeting of Turkic states in mid-March, he portrayed the neighboring country as an artificial entity, and used the term «Western Azerbaijan» to describe it.

In particular, he regularly refers to southern Armenia as «our historic land». This brings back memories of Putin's approach in speeches dismissing the Ukrainian state as an error of history before then taking military action. Appeals for moderation from Washington and Brussels have so far failed to impress Aliyev.

Specifically, Baku is demanding the creation of a land corridor through Armenian territory to Nakhchivan, an Azerbaijani exclave on the border with Turkey. In this way, there would be a direct land connection between the two Turkic states for the first time. Armenia categorically rejects this. It offers to open east-west transit routes, but wants to retain sovereignty over its territory – and not allow uncontrolled transit, as the Azerbaijanis envision. Armenians fear that such a corridor would otherwise cut their country in two. The fact that Aliyev always speaks of the «Zangezur corridor,» thus using using the old Turkish name for southern Armenia, further reinforces the fear of territorial claims.

Who could prevent Azerbaijan from achieving its goals by force? The southern tip of Armenia is highly vulnerable militarily. At its narrowest point, the country is only 26 kilometers wide. On the roads of the region, it is notable that, despite the tensions, there are hardly any military vehicles to be seen. Armenia's army is considered grossly inferior – weakened by the 2020 defeat and burdened by supply problems, as its traditional supplier, Russia, is now short of war materiel itself.

However, Moscow still represents a power factor, not least thanks to its military presence in the country. Driving north from Shurnukh, a large new building with a Russian flag is visible, obviously a military base. Satellite photos indicate that it was created only in the last two years. However, Russia is not a reliable security guarantor for Armenia. Although the two countries are bound by a mutual defense pact, Moscow didn’t come to the rescue during the recent Azerbaijani border violations.

The consequences of this lack of protection can be observed an hour's drive further north at Jermuk. The spa and ski resort, located at 2,100 meters above sea level, owes its fame to its medicinal springs and Jermuk mineral water, which is exported to many countries. But it has been making headlines since last September primarily because of the military threat it faces. Azerbaijani troops advanced unexpectedly through mountain passes at that time, occupied an area of about 38 square kilometers and shelled the village with artillery for two days. Horrified tourists sought shelter in the basements of their hotels.

The cable car entrepreneur Armen Tadevosyan found dozens of exploded shells and rockets on his premises. He quickly had the damage to his restaurant and the ski rental house repaired, but the scars on the walls caused by bomb fragments are still visible. That winter, only one-tenth of his usual clientele showed up. «People are scared. The Azeri positions are now only 4.5 kilometers from here,» Tadevosyan says. The Armenian state subsidized the renovation work, but that didn't change the fact that the image of the resort has suffered badly, he says.

One can only speculate about the Azerbaijanis' motives. Satellite photos show that they established supply routes at altitudes of up to 3,000 meters prior to their advance. Perhaps they wanted to inflict economic damage with the shelling or terrorize the population in order to force concessions.

Tadevosyan mentions another hypothesis, which is also being considered by political scientists. A well-developed road leads from Jermuk into the valley, where it meets the main north-south axis, which is vital for Armenia. If Azerbaijani troops succeed in advancing to that point in the next attack, the entire south of the country will be cut off from supplies, the entrepreneur says. Aliyev could then dictate the terms of peace.

No matter who you talk to in Armenia, the fear of a new war is palpable. Foreign policy and strategy experts in the capital Yerevan appear dejected. The moment seems ideal for Azerbaijan to create new facts on the ground by force. Russia, Europe and America are distracted by the Ukraine war, and for the West, Azerbaijan has even gained in importance as an energy supplier as a result of that conflict.

Journalist Maria Titizian nevertheless argues for help for her adopted country with all her energy. Born in Canada as a descendant of Armenian emigrants and genocide survivors, she moved to Yerevan over 20 years ago to help shape the young Armenian state. «We’re realistic. The world doesn’t care about Armenia. But it should!» she says. Titizian, editor-in-chief of a politically rebellious online weekly magazine, speaks of a battle between David and Goliath. Armenia doesn’t want pity, she says, adding that it also has nothing to offer, certainly no petroleum. However, one thing is clear, she says: «We need Western help for our security.»

 

April 7 2023

BEIRUT, Lebanon (KSEE) – It’s a part of daily life in Lebanon: sudden darkness. Government-supplied electricity is available for only one to three hours a day. Those who can afford it, get a generator.

But on this day at the Armenian Relief Cross Clinic in Beirut, Dr. Van Boghossian of Fresno’s medical mission team had to use a battery-powered light to get the job done. 

“We’ll make it work.  We deal with whatever we get,” Dr. Boghossian says. 

Power outages are among the many challenges in Lebanon. The economy is in crisis, the currency has lost much of its value and people struggle to buy food and basic necessities.

Even government leaders acknowledge something needs to be done. 

“It’s really highly needed because as you know, all over the world, not only the Armenians, but the international community also knows in what devastating situation the Lebanese people are living,” says Lebanese politician Hagop Pakradouni. 

But a generous gift from Fresno is offering hope and shining a new light at this clinic. 

A $25,000 donation to the Advance Armenia Foundation provided funding for solar panels and a generator to keep the lights on from now on. The gift was bequeathed by the late Clara Margossian of Fresno who passed away in February. 

Three years ago, Clara donated a million dollars to build apartments in the country of Armenia, and she left even more of a legacy in her wake.   

“I think her vision was very great because today if you ask any Lebanese people this time they say the most important aspect of our life is the cost of energy and the cost of gas. If we can eliminate those, we will survive,” says Dr. Varoujan Altebarmakian of Fresno, the executor of Clara’s estate.  

Among those attending the ribbon cutting, was U.S. Ambassador to Lebanon Dorothy Shea. 

“So to have a generator and solar panels to make a community health clinic accessible to everybody who needs it without regard to what community they belong to, that is what American values stand for,” Shea says. 

Going solar at this clinic will save the staff thousands of dollars in electricity costs. But more importantly, it keeps the lights on so life-saving work can continue in a country that’s struggling.

This week, the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved two separate motions reaffirming their support of the Armenian community,  proclaiming April as Armenian History Month and approving legislative advocacy steps that will urge the federal government to add an Armenian category to the 2030 Census.

Their action comes on the heels of anti-Armenian hate flyers having been found posted on light poles near Glendale’s St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church and in other areas of the city a week ago.

“I want to make sure the public at large knows that our Board fully supports our Armenian community and stands in solidarity with them,” stated Supervisor Kathryn Barger, lead author of both motions. “My prior motions supporting legislation – from condemning Azerbaijan’s deadly and unprovoked military operation in Artsakh to providing $10 million to the Library of Congress to support Armenian Genocide education – unequivocally reflect my strong support for Los Angeles County’s Armenian residents. I will continue to work with my colleagues to invest in and strengthen this community.”

Supervisor Janice Hahn, who is currently serving as Board Chair, also voiced her support. “Los Angeles County is the proud home of the largest population of Armenians outside of Armenia,” said Supervisor Janice Hahn. “Armenian History Month is an opportunity to celebrate the rich Armenian culture and the contributions Armenian people have made to Los Angeles County, as well as recognize the dark days of the Armenian Genocide.”

https://kathrynbarger.lacounty.gov/l-a-county-supervisors-show-support-for-armenian-community/

April 8 2023

April 8 2023

Putin pressed on the importance of implementing the 2020-2022 agreements that were signed between Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. Putin asked the Armenian leader to implement the terms of the agreement, and focused on the issues "related to security and stability on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, restoring economic and transport ties in the North Caucasus and preparing a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan."

"In addition, some topical issues of bilateral relations were touched upon," Russian President Putin's press service reported." 

Armenian government's press service released a statement, noting that Pashinyan and Putin discussed unblocking transport communications in the South Caucasus. The two leaders, it said, last spoke on March 16 in a telephone conversation between the Russian president and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev. Prior to the Soviet Union's collapse, the highland region of Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed territory, was a part of Azerbaijan. In February 1988, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region announced its withdrawal from the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh, populated by ethnic Armenians, has since been under dispute about who claims the territorial sovereignty in the region. Russia has acted as a mediator in resolving the tense situation, clashes between troops of Baku and Yerevan, and negotiating a ceasefire. In November 2020, a statement on the full cessation of hostilities negotiated by Moscow in Nagorno-Karabakh was adopted that has since been violated. 

https://www.republicworld.com/world-news/rest-of-the-world-news/putin-armenias-pashinyan-discuss-karabakh-situation-baku-yerevan-peace-treaty-articleshow.html