Category: 2024

Civic Museum of Bari hosts event on Saint Blaise and Armenian Saints

Garik Boshkezenian

 21:16, 5 February 2024

The event San Biagio: un Santo, unaStoria, un popolo (“San Biagio: a saint, a story, a people”) took place on 3 February at 10.30 am at the Civic Museum of Bari (Puglia, Italy). It was a conference focusing on Armenian Saints in Italy, particularly about Saint Blaise, (SourpVlas) bishop and martyr of Sebaste.

The event was organized by the Presidency Council Commission on Culture of the Municipality of Barin in collaboration with the Armenian Community of Bari. The event commenced with opening remarks by the president of Commission, Dr. Giuseppe Cascella, the Mayor's delegate for the pandemic emergency, Dr. Loredana Battista, and Dr. Dario RupenTimurian, the representative of the Armenian Community in Bari. Timurian announced next set of conferences dedicated to Armenian culture.

Mr. Timurian read a message from the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Italy H. E. Tsovinar Hambardzumyan.

In her message, the Ambassador emphasized that 'the events connecting Puglia and Armenia are always numerous and cover various areas of interest.' She expressed her desire to be present with a message at this event dedicated to the memory of Saint Blaise, whom she defined as 'one of the most famous figures linked to Armenian culture in Italy.' The ambassador recalled the testimony of Saint Blaise's coherent life, his complete adherence to civil and religious values, and the suffering he endured for these reasons, similar to the Armenian people in various periods of history.

In conclusion, the ambassador sent greetings to the speakers. She referred to the families of our compatriots, Timurian and Lilosian, who have lived in Bari for a hundred years, and she mentioned the Armenian citizen prof. Carlo Coppola. Finally she conveyed her regards to the descendants of Father Francesco Divittorio from Rutigliano (near Bari), a Franciscan killed in Mujukderesi (near Marash) on 23 January 1920 while defended 20 Armenian orphans entrusted to him. The representatives of Divittorio family were present at the event together with the mayor of Rutigliano Municipality, Dr. Giuseppe Valenzanowho recalled the life of the martyr and publicly invited Armenian authorities to visit his city.

After the introduction, the illustrious speakers explained to the audience the importance of San Biagio and the Armenian Saints in Italy over the centuries, encompassing religious, historical, artistic, and scientific perspectives.

The first speaker was the prof. Aldo Luisi, a well-known Latinist and professor emeritus of the University of Bari. He discussed the Latin and Eastern hagiographic tradition. Prof. Nicola Cutino analyzed the cultural and popular tradition about Saint Blaise in Puglia and South of Italy. Our compatriot prof. Carlo Coppola, provided a brief overview of Armenian saints in Italy, coveringancient and contemporary times.

 The conference was concluded by two reports on the presence of Saint Blaise in Art and Science: Dr. SiranushQuaranta spoke about of Saint Blaise in Puglia and in particular, the frescoed rock church of Saint Blaise in San Vito deiNormanni (near Brindisi). Prof. Dr. Matteo Gelardi, president of the Italian Academy of Nasal Cytology, the representative of the illustrious Italian Society of Otolaryngology, told about the relationships between the otolaryngologist and his patron saints Saint Biagio and Saint Cono.

The meeting, which lasted over 2 hours, ended with a convivial moment open to the over 60 guests in attendance. The attendees had the opportunity to taste the renowned "Panettone di San Biagio" and expressed a desire to delve deeper into specific themes of Armenian culture. Following the success of the event, the organizers are now preparing a new program for the upcoming months.

UN chief appoints independent review panel to assess UNRWA

Alex Nanijanian

 21:42, 5 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. The Secretary-General, in consultation with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, has appointed an independent Review Group to assess whether the Agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.

According to a statement by his Spokesperson, the review will be led by Catherine Colonna, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, who will work with three research organizations: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.

Work will begin on 14 February and an interim report is expected to be submitted to the Secretary-General in late March. The final report, which will be made public, is expected to be completed by late April.

This review is in response to a request made by UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini earlier this year.

AW: SAS announces Best Conference Paper Awards

Ani Kharatian
February 5, 2024 The Society for Armenian Studies Announcements 0

The Society for Armenian Studies (SAS) recently announced the recipients of its 2023 Best Conference Paper Award: Daniel Ohanian, for his conference paper on the autobiography of Awetikʿ Tʿōkhatʿetsʿi, and Lori Pirinjian, for her conference paper on domestic violence in post-Soviet Armenia. Each of the winning recipients was awarded a $1,000 grant by the Society. 

Daniel Ohanian’s conference paper titled, “An Autobiography Written in Captivity: Awetikʿ Tʿōkhatʿetsʿi’s Account of His Own Life, c. 1657–1710,” focuses on the autobiography of Awetikʿ within the general scholarship of early modern captivity narratives. Ohanian analyzes four aspects of the autobiography: cross-cultural contact, self-fashioning, authorship and readership.

Ohanian is a doctoral candidate in the Department of History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He holds a B.A. and M.A. from York University in Canada and an M.A. from Istanbul Bilgi University in Turkey. A specialist in Ottoman-Armenian history from 1660 to 1930, he has published articles in the Journal of the Ottoman and Turkish Studies Association, Genocide Studies International and Turcica: Revue d’études turques. Ohanian’s conference paper grew out of his dissertation research, which focuses on the spread of Roman Catholicism among Ottoman Armenians around 1700. His paper was presented as part of the SAS-sponsored panel (at the 2021 MESA annual meeting) “Early Modern Mobilities: People, Animals, and Objects within and beyond the Ottoman Empire.”

Lori Pirinjian’s conference paper titled “From Anti-Genderism to Law: An Analysis of Domestic Violence in Post-Soviet Armenia” addresses issues with the law entitled “On the Prevention of Family Violence, Protection of Persons Subjected to Family Violence, and the Restoration of Family Cohesion” that the government of the Republic of Armenia recently passed. What was initially presented by Armenia’s Coalition to Stop Violence Against Women to the Armenian Parliament quickly developed into a law primarily concerned with the preservation of patriarchal values under the auspices of the maintenance of traditional Armenian family structure.

Pirinjian is a doctoral candidate in Armenian Studies in the Department of Near Eastern Languages & Cultures at UCLA. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and Latin American Studies from the University of San Francisco and an M.A. in Anthropology from San Francisco State University. Pirinjian’s research at UCLA, as well as the topic of this conference paper, centers on Armenia’s 2017 Domestic Violence law.

SAS President Christina Maranci congratulated both awardees: “We are proud to fund such excellent graduate students. The nature and the depth of their work demonstrate the multi-disciplinary aspect of Armenian Studies as a field of inquiry. I would like to encourage all those who are interested in the activities of SAS to join us in supporting such promising young scholars.”

The Society of Armenian Studies is an international body composed of scholars and students whose aims are to promote the study of Armenian culture and society, including history, language, literature and social, political and economic questions; to facilitate the exchange of scholarly information pertaining to Armenian studies around the world; and to sponsor panels and conferences on Armenian studies. 

The Society of Armenian Studies would like to thank the Best Conference Paper Committee for reviewing all the submissions and selecting the winning papers.

The SAS Best Conference Paper Award was made possible through the generous institutional support of the Armenian Studies Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; the Meghrouni Family Presidential Chair in Armenian Studies, University of California, Irvine; the Hovannisian Chair of Modern Armenian History, University of California, Los Angeles; the Arthur H. Dadian and Ara Oztemel Chair of Armenian Art & Architecture, Tufts University; the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR); the Armenian Communities Department, Gulbenkian Foundation; the Armenian Studies Program, California State University, Fresno; the Institute of Armenian Studies, University of Southern California; AGBU Nubar Library, Paris; the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center; and the UCLA Promise Armenian Institute. 

If you are interested in contributing to support the SAS award and grant funds, please contact Prof. Christina Maranci at [email protected].

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The Society for Armenian Studies is an international body, composed of scholars and students, whose aims are to promote the study of Armenian culture and society, including history, language, literature and social, political and economic questions; to facilitate the exchange of scholarly information pertaining to Armenian studies around the world; and to sponsor panels and conferences on Armenian studies.


AW: AMAA James G. Jameson Essay Contest open to high school and college students

Mary Lazarian
February 5, 2024 Armenian Missionary Association of America Announcements 0

PARAMUS, N.J.—The James G. Jameson Essay Contest, sponsored by the Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA), runs every academic year and is financed by the income of a special fund established by Mr. and Mrs. James G. Jameson of Brookline, Massachusetts.

All Armenian and part-Armenian students attending schools in North America are eligible. Only unpublished essays written in English with a length of 1,000 to 2,000 words will be accepted.

The topics for the contest must touch upon some aspect of Armenian heritage and experience, such as religion, history, culture, literature, language, art, architecture, geography and economics.

Essays are judged based on merit through criteria including content, style, logic, reasoning, coherence and usage.

Awards are made in two categories: college/university and high school contestants. 

The deadline for entries is May 1, 2024.

Entries and/or inquiries should be directed to James G. Jameson Essay Contest, c/o of The Armenian Missionary Association of America, 31 West Century Road, Paramus, NJ 07652 or emailed to [email protected].

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The Armenian Missionary Association of America (AMAA) was founded in 1918, in Worcester, MA, and incorporated as a non-profit charitable organization in 1920 in the State of New York. We are a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization. Our purpose is to serve the physical and spiritual needs of people everywhere, both at home and overseas. To fulfill this worldwide mission, we maintain a range of educational, evangelistic, relief, social service, church and child care ministries in 24 countries around the world.


Armenian Youth Foundation awards grant to St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School

Varazdat Torgomian
February 5, 2024 Guest Contributor Community News, Diaspora 0

WATERTOWN, Mass.—The Armenian Youth Foundation has been supportive of St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School’s education and technology needs since 1988, when it first provided funds for the student computer lab.

Since then, it has funded Armenian textbooks, as well as iPads, laptops, Chromebooks, document cameras and new computers for the lab on multiple occasions. Most recently, it approved a grant request for a permanent kindergarten projection system along with new laptops for teachers in the amount of $5,104.58. This new system will allow the kindergarten teacher to show high-quality electronic content and video presentations without the need to set up a portable projector. The system has a new computer and wired internet and projector connections that ensure clear projection and smooth video presentation.

The new projection system in use in the kindergarten classroom

“We are very thankful to the Armenian Youth Foundation for seeing a major benefit in the use of technology to improve student learning and accepting our grant request,” stated Head of School Dr. Garine Palandjian. “Their continued support for our school has allowed us to have the latest technology to improve our student learning.” 

The Foundation’s mission is to preserve Armenian heritage by proudly supporting a variety of youth programs. Since 1973, it has awarded more than $780,000 in grants to over 20 organizations and Armenian schools. Learn more about the impact of the Foundation on our community and how you can support by visiting armenianyouthfoundation.org.




Asbarez: ARF Bureau Issues Announcement Regarding Armenia-Azerbaijan Normalization, Treaty

Toneyan Mark
by Asbarez Staff

 

 February 5, 2024

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

Armenian Revolutionary Federaion


The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau on Monday issued an announcement regarding the ongoing normalization talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan and the eventual treaty that will emanate from the negotiations.

Below is a translation of the ARF Bureau announcement.

Having following the negotiation process between the republics of Armenia and Azerbaijan and having assessed the statements from high-level officials of both country, we would like stress the following:

  • As part of the effort to agree on a treaty, Azerbaijan is aiming to de jure affirm its annexation of Artsakh and some territories in the Republic of Armenia, which it usurped through the use and threat of force and ethnic cleansing, and has refused the return of those territories in order to force more concessions on Armenia;
  • Essentially, through such a documents, Azerbaijan is attempting to put an end to the Artsakh issues. Furthermore, threats against Armenia have been on the rise and the Republic of Armenia is not being given more guarantees for its security, territorial integrity, sovereignty and the unblocking of transport routes. Effective mechanisms that will enable to stop future provocations by Azerbaijan — including military attacks — are not being created.

Under these circumstances and given the current realities, the normalization of relations, based on defending national and state interests, must advance according to the following principles:

  1. In an effort to create an atmosphere of trusts, the withdrawal of Azerbaijani forces from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia, as well as the return of all prisoners of war and detainees, the resolution of existing humanitarian issues and the preservation of cultural heritage must serve as preconditions;
  2. In order to establish lasting peace, for the eventual agreement to become a comprehensive document that regulates relations, it is imperative that the document contains provisions that respect the legal interests of the parties and include solutions that apply to the totality of issues that become subject to agreement;
  3. No agreement should endanger the inalienable rights of the Armenian people. It is necessary to refrain from significant concessions and succinctly advance our interests in accordance with the current Constitutional of the Republic of Armenia, based on international norms and diplomatically accepted procedures;
  4. The basis for the border delimitation and demarcation process should reflect the actual borders at the time of Azerbaijan’s membership to the CIS (September 24, 1993). The delimitation and demarcation process between the two countries must comply with the best international practices and norms and must be based on the “UN Vienna Convention on the Law of International Treaties” (1969), the “Helsinki Final Act” (1975) and the “Delimitation and Demarcation of State Boundaries: Challenges and Solutions” (2017) of the OSCE Secretariat, including the principle that any international agreement reached or implemented through the threat of force will become null and void;
  5. The complete and simultaneous unblocking of transportation and other routs, without any restrictions to sovereignty.

Until the final political settlement of the Artsakh issue and the complete enforcement of the fundamental rights of the Artsakh people, the collective, unimpeded and safe return of Artsakh Armenians to their homeland, based on the complete respect of the rights of the people who were oppressed and forcibly displaced due to ethnic cleansing, must be ensured.

Precondition to be considered for the Artsakh Armenians:

  • Granting an intermediate status to Artsakh, ensuring the civic and political rights of Artsakh Armenians guaranteed by international norms, in their full scope;
  • Providing effective security guarantees for the people of Artsakh, including the deployment of peacekeeping forces;
  • Ensuring unimpeded land connection with Armenia.

Any document signed without observing these principles will not contribute to the establishment of peace and stability in the region, but will reinforce the precedent of resolving issues by the use and threat of force.

ARF Bureau
February 5, 2024

RFE/RL Armenian Service – 02/05/2024

Karapet Navasardian 
                                        Monday, February 5, 2024


Pro-Opposition Doctor Convicted Over 2021 Elections

        • Naira Bulghadarian

Armenia - Doctor and opposition deputy Armen Charchian gestures to supporters 
after an appeals court's decision to allow his arrest, August 23, 2021


A court in Yerevan on Monday gave a suspended prison sentence to a prominent 
Armenian surgeon and former opposition lawmaker convicted of pressuring his 
subordinates to participate in the 2021 parliamentary elections.

Armen Charchian ran for the parliament on the ticket of the main opposition 
Hayastan alliance while heading Yerevan’s Izmirlian Medical Center owned by the 
Armenian Apostolic Church. He was prosecuted after a non-governmental 
organization publicized a leaked audio recording of his pre-election meeting 
with hospital personnel.

Charchian told them that they must vote in the snap elections or risk a 
different “attitude” by the hospital management. He was charged with coercion of 
voters and arrested three days after the vote won by Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian’s party.

Both Charchian and the opposition bloc led by former President Robert Kocharian 
rejected the accusations as politically motivated. The doctor insisted that he 
only urged hospital employees to cast ballots. He and two other Hayastan figures 
also arrested in the wake of the elections were set free a few months later 
thanks to being elected to the National Assembly.

Charchian’s lawyer, Erik Aleksanian, said he will appeal against the 
three-and-a-half year sentence and insist on his client’s acquittal. Aleksanian 
said that the controversial phrase uttered by Charchian at the 2021 meeting was 
taken out of context and that the doctor made clear at the end of the same 
speech that his subordinates refusing to go to the polls will not face any 
“negative consequences.”

Charchian, 64, again became the executive director the Izmirlian hospital last 
October after resigning from the parliament and thus enabling Kocharian’s 
arrested son Levon to take up the vacant seat and be released from custody.

Kocharian Jr. was charged with assaulting riot police during September 2023 
anti-government protests in Yerevan. He strongly denies the accusations, saying 
that he himself was beaten up by security forces.




Azerbaijan Arrests Czech Citizen ‘On Armenian Border’

        • Artak Khulian

Azerbaijan -- The State Security Service building in Baku.


Authorities in Azerbaijan arrested at the weekend a citizen of the Czech 
Republic who they claimed illegally entered the country from Armenia.

They said the man not identified by them was first caught by Azerbaijani 
soldiers deployed along the border with Armenia. They did not specify the 
section of the border allegedly crossed by the man.

A website close to the Azerbaijani military speculated that the Czech man may 
work for a Western intelligence service and be connected to the European Union’s 
monitoring mission deployed along the Armenian side of the long and heavily 
militarized frontier.

The Czech ambassador to Armenia, Petr Piruncik, categorically denied any such 
connection on Monday.

“I can only confirm that a Czech citizen was detained in Azerbaijan and remains 
in detention,” Piruncik told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “Our embassy in Baku is 
trying to get in touch with him.”

The Armenian authorities did not comment on the alleged border crossing as of 
Monday evening.

The reported arrest came three days after Czech parliament speaker Marketa 
Pekarova Adamova’s visit to Yerevan during which she said her EU member country 
will press Baku to resume Western-mediated talks with Yerevan. The Azerbaijani 
Foreign Ministry responded by accusing her of spreading “Armenian lies.”

A French citizen based in Baku was arrested in December amid Azerbaijan’s 
heightened tensions with France denounced by Baku for siding with Armenia in the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. The French Foreign Ministry accused Baku of 
holding the businessman, Martin Ryan, arbitrarily and demanded his immediate 
release.




Armenia ‘Diversifying’ Arms Suppliers


France - French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu and his Armenian counterpart 
Suren Papikian sign an agreement in Paris, October 23, 2023.


Armenia is moving away from its heavy dependence on Russian weapons and other 
military equipment, according to Defense Minister Suren Papikian.

In a weekend interview with Armenian Public Television, Papikian said the 
Armenian government decided to “diversify” the country’s arms suppliers after 
Moscow failed to defend its South Caucasus ally against Azerbaijani military 
attacks in September 2022.

“We have made serious progress in this direction,” he said. “This process is 
irreversible, in the positive sense of the word. Current processes and contracts 
will significantly change the quality of our army's weapons in the future.”

“In this process, we have also acquired new partners,” Papikian said, singling 
out India and France.

Since September 2022, Armenia has reportedly signed a number of defense 
contracts with India worth at least $400 million. The Armenian military is due 
to receive Indian artillery systems, anti-tank rockets and anti-drone equipment.

In October 2023, Armenia also signed two arms deals with France. One of them 
entitles it to buying three sophisticated radar systems from the French defense 
group Thales. Papikian and his French counterpart Sebastien Lecornu also signed 
in Paris a “letter of intent” on the future delivery of French short-range 
surface-to-air missiles.

Yerevan had earlier signed with Moscow contracts for the delivery of Russian 
weapons worth $400 million, according to Armenian officials. The latter 
repeatedly complained last year that the Armenian side has still not received 
any of those weapons. Two senior Armenian lawmakers said last month that Russia 
has shipped the first batch of that military hardware.




Armenian Tech Firms Condemn Businessman’s Arrest


Armenia - Ashot Hovanesian inaugurates his Synergy International Systems 
company's branch in Vanadzor, March 11, 2022.


An association of Armenian tech companies has condemned law-enforcement 
authorities for arresting the founder of one of its leading members, saying that 
the criminal case against him is another serious blow to Armenia’s business 
reputation.

The Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) said over the weekend that 
foreign and local investors have started viewing Armenia as a “risky country” 
following a spate of “unfounded detentions.”

Ashot Hovanesian, the owner of Synergy International Systems, was arrested last 
week along with two current and former employees of his software company as well 
as several Ministry of Economy officials in a corruption investigation conducted 
by two law-enforcement agencies. Criminal charges brought against them stem from 
a procurement tender organized by the ministry and invalidated by an Armenian 
court last summer.

Synergy won the tender despite setting a much higher price for its services than 
another bidder. According to the Investigative Committee, the latter was 
illegally disqualified by the indicted officials, notably former Deputy Economy 
Minister Ani Ispirian.

The officials have been charged with abuse of power, rather than bribery. It is 
not yet clear what exactly Hovanesian and his two subordinates are accused of.

Armenia - The Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises holds an annual 
conference in Yerevan, February 1, 2024.

Synergy, which is registered in the United States but mainly operates from 
Armenia, on Monday strongly denied the accusations and demanded Hovanesian’s, 
senior company executive Lili Mkrian’s and her former colleague Ani Gevorgian’s 
immediate release from custody. It argued, in particular, that Synergy, which 
employs hundreds of software engineers, did not receive any government funds as 
a result of the invalidated tender.

In a weekend statement, the UATE said Hovanesian’s arrest followed an alarming 
pattern of “business representatives and other prominent persons” being taken 
into custody on dubious charges lately.

“The vast majority of those criminal cases are closed for lack of evidence,” it 
said. “Such treatment not only damages the reputation of these persons, the 
companies run by them or the whole sector, built up over the years, but also 
that of the Republic of Armenia, which has begun to be perceived as a risky 
country for making investments and starting a business.”

“Such a short-sighted state attitude towards business representatives will 
ultimately force not only foreign but also local high-tech businesses to either 
stop their activities or to move to another country where all rights, including 
due process, are respected,” warned the business association.

The information technology industry dominated by software developers has long 
been the most dynamic sector of the Armenian economy, having grown at 
double-digit annual rates since the early 2000s. The sector currently employs 
more than 30,000 people, including thousands of mostly young Russians who 
relocated to Armenia following Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine.

Armenia - Parliament speaker Alen Simonian (center), his brother Karlen and 
sister-in-law Ani Gevorgian.

Significantly, Gevorgian, the arrested former Synergy executive, is married to 
the brother of Alen Simonian, the Armenian parliament speaker and a key 
political ally of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. This fact has fueled 
speculation about political motives behind the high-profile case. Some 
commentators claim that Pashinian personally sanctioned the young woman’s arrest 
in a bid to boost his falling approval ratings by showing Armenians that he is 
serious about combatting corruption.

There have also been media reports that Simonian is increasingly at odds with 
other senior members of Pashinian’s Civil Contract party. The party’s deputy 
chairman, Vahagn Aleksanian, denied this on Friday.

Pashinian pledged to separate business from politics when he swept to power in 
2018. He claims to have significantly improved Armenia’s business environment.



Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2024 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Azerbaijani president threatens to exit top European bodies

Garnik Tadevosian
MSN News
Jan 2 2024

Azerbaijan's president has said that his country may consider leaving top European bodies, such as the Council of Europe (CoE) and the European Court of Human Rights.

The warning came soon after the country's delegation quit the CoE's parliamentary assembly (PACE) as the body was about to reject its credentials, and amid general crises with the West.

On February 1, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev received Secretary General of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Martin Chungong. The IPU is a union of national parliaments of countries around the world.

In remarks at the meeting quoted by the presidential website, Aliyev reacted for the first time to PACE's move to push out the Azerbaijani delegation. He called the move "anti-Azerbaijani" and said that it was initiated by a minority group "which does not serve dialogue and is overall in opposition to the traditions of a parliamentary platform."

The idea to vote the Azerbaijani delegation out was raised by German MP Frank Schwabe and supported by thirty members of the Assembly.

Aliyev said that if the rights of the Azerbaijani delegation at PACE are not restored, Baku will consider pulling out altogether from the CoE and the European Court of Human Rights, according to the website.

In voting out the Azerbaijani delegation on January 24, PACE concluded that the country has "not fulfilled major commitments" stemming from its joining the Council of Europe in 2001.

"Very serious concerns remain as to [Azerbaijan's] ability to conduct free and fairelections, the separation of powers, the weakness of its legislature vis-à-vis the executive, the independence of the judiciary and respect for human rights, as illustrated by numerous judgments of the European Court of Human Rights and opinions of the Venice Commission," PACE said in its resolution.

The decision only concerns Azerbaijan's parliamentary delegation and the country remains a member of the CoE – for now.

Aliyev's threat to quit the CoE and human rights court comes amid deteriorating relations with Western countries and institutions.

In late December, the French ambassador to Azerbaijan was summoned to the foreign ministry, and two embassy employees were declared persona non grata and expelled "for actions incompatible with their diplomatic status and which contradicted the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations." France rejected the allegation and retaliated the following day by expelling two Azerbaijani diplomats.

While Azerbaijani officials did not specify what the French diplomats had supposedly done wrong, pro-government media earlier asserted that the country's law enforcement had exposed a spy network working for France.

Similar allegations were also recently made against the U.S. amid deteriorating relations after which Azerbaijani police went on a spree of arresting independent journalists, media directors, and opposition activists.

"Azerbaijan's assault on journalists, illegal detention of opposition & alleged use of transnational repression are anti-democratic tactics," Chair of U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ben Cardin wrote on X on January 29. "Baku must release political prisoners & halt harassment to be part of the international community, ahead of COP29."

The criticism from the West against Azerbaijan isn't limited to the latter's internal affairs. It has also targeted Baku's military offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh in September, which prompted the entire 100,000-some Armenian population to flee.

On January 22, the European Union's foreign policy chief Joseph Borrell expressed his concerns over what he called "territorial claims" against Armenia by Aliyev. "Any violation of Armenia's territorial integrity would be unacceptable and will have severe consequences for our relations with Azerbaijan," he told a news briefing in Brussels. Borrell also said the EU foreign ministers "expressed solidarity" with France over the expulsion of its diplomats from Baku.

(Earlier that month, Aliyev revived his demand that Armenia allow an extraterritorial corridor through its territory between Azerbaijan and its Nakhchivan exclave and return eight ex-Soviet-Azerbaijani villages still under Armenian control)

Azerbaijan's foreign ministry in an English-language statement called Borrell's comment a "misinterpretation" and "open disregard of Azerbaijan's legitimate interests."

"Furthermore, EU Representative's expressed solidarity with France about the expulsion of diplomats is tantamount to justifying illegal actions of expelled French diplomats in Azerbaijan, while being a clear intervention into the continuing legal investigation process," it read.

"Such a biased statement, while ignoring baseless measures against Azerbaijan's diplomats in France, demonstrates how this institution is negatively affected by certain countries, which openly neglect all the rules and guidelines of diplomatic conduct, and refuse to investigate the case."

Even before Aliyev's statement, Azerbaijan's civil society was concerned that the country's insistence on not cooperating with the Council of Europe's obligations would ultimately result in Baku exiting the council.

"In fact, the refusal to cooperate started years ago. For years, PACE resolutions have not been implemented, political prisoners have not been released, media, civil society and political parties have not been given opportunities to operate. I think PACE is too late for sanctions," Baku-based analyst Anar Mammadli wrote on Facebook on January 23.

The Human Comedy

Anna Tamamian
Variety
Feb 4 2024

William Saroyan's initial original screenplay is a brilliant sketch of the basic fundamentals of the American way of life, transferred to the screen with exceptional fidelity by director Clarence Brown and cast headed by Mickey Rooney.

William Saroyan’s initial original screenplay is a brilliant sketch of the basic fundamentals of the American way of life, transferred to the screen with exceptional fidelity by director Clarence Brown and cast headed by Mickey Rooney.

Saroyan, after being promoted by Metro to write an original screenplay, reportedly wrote his script in 18 days. Studio heads acclaimed it a ‘masterpiece’, until advised that yarn would consume nearly four hours of running time, and then chilled on the tale.

Figuring the picture would never be produced by Metro, Saroyan returned to northern California and battled out a novel of the yarn. But Clarence Brown, assured he could obtain Mickey Rooney to handle the lead, as originally intended by the writer, decided to get front office approval to make a film version of the Saroyan tale.

Script is episodic, but this is easily overlooked in the entity of the production. Sorayan’s original script was lengthy for current picture requirements, and even when it was in rough-cut form for initial sneak review ran about 170 minutes. Editing required that whole chunks and episodes be lifted out, and this was accomplished without detracting from the entertainment factors remaining.

Rooney is the major breadwinner of his little family following departure of his older brother (Van Johnson) into the army service. Rooney, displaying the strongest performance of his career under the Metro banner, shines brilliantly as the boy of Saroyan’s tale.

1943: Best Original Story.

Nominations: Best Picture, Director, Actor (Mickey Rooney), B&W Cinematography

  • Production: M-G-M. Dir Clarence Brown; Producer Clarence Brown; Screenplay William Saroyan, Howard Estabrook; Camera Harry Stradling; Editor Conrad A. Nervig; Music Herbert Stothart
  • Crew: (B&W) Available on VHS. Extract of a review from 1943. Running time: 119 MIN.
  • With: Mickey Rooney Frank Morgan Fay Bainter Ray Collins Van Johnson Donna Reed