18:45,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. At the proposal of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan has signed a decree on appointing Armen Yeganyan concurrently as the Ambassador of Armenia to Colombia, the presidency said.
Yeganian is already serving as Ambassador of Armenia to Brazil.
His respective diplomatic residence will continue to be in Brasília , the capital of Brazil.
19:06,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The information disseminated by the Azerbaijani media regarding the alleged opening of fire by the Armenian guards on the Kapan-Zangelan section of the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border on February 12 is being investigated, the Ministry of Defense said.
"Written orders from the superior command clearly define the circumstances under which a serviceman, assessing the situation, can and/or is obliged to make a decision to open fire. According to preliminary information, such a situation did not occur in this area on February 12. If this is confirmed, those responsible for violating the order will be held accountable," the ministry added.
19:51,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. On January 12 in Istanbul the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Armenia to the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Nairi Petrossian presented the letter of credence to the Secretary General of the BSEC Permanent International Secretariat (PERMIS) Lazăr Comănescu, the foreign ministry said.
According to the readout issued by the ministry, the interlocutors highly appreciated the effective partnership established between the PERMIS and Armenia, as well as underlined Armenia’s constructive engagement with the Organization.
Nairi Petrossian reiterated Armenia’s commitment to continue active participation in the multifaceted cooperation within the Organization. He emphasized that peace, regional cooperation and economic development are the most important priorities of the Government of Armenia, and the “Crossroads of Peace” project developed by the Government of the Republic of Armenia aims to consolidate foundations towards the achievement of those priorities.
It is noted that the sides also underlined the importance of the BSEC as a platform for regional dialogue. In this context they also touched upon the preparatory works for the upcoming Armenian Chairmanship-in-Office of the BSEC, which will take place in the second part of 2024.
20:13,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Based on Part 3 of Article 166 of the Constitution, as well as the Resolution of the National Assembly of February 8, 2024 "On electing Artur Atabekyan as a candidate for judge of the Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation" NAD-84-A, President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan has signed a decree on appointing Artur Atabekyan to serve as judge of the Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation, the Presidential Office said.
21:23,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Member of the Armenian Greco-Roman wrestling team Malkhas Amoyan has reached the finals of the European Championship held in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, and will fight for the third championship.
In the semi-finals, Malkhas Amoyan (77 kg) competed with Moldavian Alexandrin Gutu and won 2:1.
Amoyan's opponent in the final will be Turkish Emre Basar.
In the semi-final of the 55 kg weight category, Manvel Khachatryan, a member of the Armenian national team, competed against Artem Dileanu, representing Moldova.
The match ended with a score of 2:2, and since the last point was scored by the athlete from Moldova, he reached the final. Manvel Khachatryan will compete for the bronze medal of the European Championship. The match will take place on February 13.
21:58,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The minefield maps obtained through surveys among former officials of Nagorno-Karabakh, were handed over to the Azerbaijani side on January 26, aiming to address humanitarian issues and as a way of building trust, according to the publication on the Armenian Public TV.
"Considering the unnecessary speculations on the subject by Azerbaijan, the Republic of Armenia has also provided these maps to certain international partners, who, if necessary, can also be involved in the process of verifying their accuracy," stated the Foreign Ministry.
Foreign Ministry's website page where the "Nagorno-Karabakh Issue" was once presented
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry has removed a section called “Nagorno-Karabakh Issue” from its website, coinciding with a top Azerbaijani official complaining about the description “language” used on the website, which has been deemed unacceptable by Baku.
While the section entitled “Nagorno-Karabakh” still appears on the Foreign Ministry’s website under the foreign policy heading, the “Nagorno-Karabakh Issue” subsection is removed in all languages — Armenian, English, French and Russian.
The foreign ministry has also removed a section that included reports by the Artsakh Human Rights Defender’s office.
Asbarez reported on Friday that Elchin Amirbayov, Azerbaijan’s senior envoy for special assignments who has been closely involved in the negotiations, had told RFE/RL’s Joshua Kucera that in addition to Armenia’s Constitution, there are several other instances where Armenia’s claim on Artsakh appear in formal statements and legislation.
Amirbayov specifically called attention to the language on the Armenian Foreign Ministry website saying that Nagorno-Karabakh is “an integral part of historic Armenia,” and recent Armenian filings in the European Court of Human Rights that imply a claim on Azerbaijan.
He also said, when Armenia’s legislature ratified the 1991 Alma Ata accords, which accepted Soviet republic borders as the borders of the newly independent states, lawmakers added language saying that it did not apply to Artsakh.
“We have pointed the attention of the Armenian side to those facts many times, during our [in-person] negotiations, but also through different exchanges of comments,” Amirbayov said. “And the Armenian side acknowledges that this is the fact, but nothing is being done…”
“When they try to cheat, if I may use the word, if they try to put all the blame and the responsibility on our shoulders, and at the same time in the back of their minds still having these territorial claims against us, it’s not going to work,” the Azerbaijani official added.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan (left) meets with President Vladimir Putin of Russ in the Kremlin on May 16, 2022
Moscow said Monday that it wants assurances from Yerevan before a possible visit by President Vladimir Putin of Russia to Armenia, given that the International Criminal Court, of which Armenia is now a member, has issued an arrest warrant for the Russian leader.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said that Russia has “already said that, of course, the new reality related to Armenia’s membership in the international statute cannot but have a negative impact on our bilateral relations.”
“Of course, it is very important here to receive certain assurances from our Armenian partners. That matter still needs to be resolved within the framework of bilateral dialogue, which we are willing to do,” Peskov told reporters.
Peskov’s comments follow vague responses on the matter given by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in an interview with the UK-based The Telegraph that was published over the weekend.
When Pashinyan was asked, point blank by The Telegraph’s Roland Oliphant, “if Vladimir Putin arrived in Yerevan, would you arrest him?,” he responded by saying that he will leave it up to the legal professionals to make that determination.
“I want to say that the Republic of Armenia started the process of joining the Rome Statute in December 2022, and that decision was conditioned by the assessment of changes in our security environment. We ratified the Rome Statute, among other things, analyzing the consequences of the September 2022 war and noting that there are some cracks in our security system. In that sense, we also ratified the Rome Statute as an additional factor to increase Armenia’s security level. I understand that it was a difficult time period, and we made that decision because it was a difficult period. That decision serves to increase the security level of Armenia,” Pashinyan told The Telegraph.
“As for the legal nuances, I can’t carry out a legal analysis right now because that’s the job of lawyers. I think, as I said, Armenia as a responsible state should adhere to all its international commitments, including the commitments it has in relations with the Russian Federation, the commitments it has in relations with the international community,” said Pashinyan.
“By the way, there are various opinions and legal analyses on that topic, and in particular, the lawyers who say that the current heads of state have immunity, insurmountable immunity, due to their status are not just a few. I mean, it’s a legal issue, not a political issue that I have to discuss and respond to,” the prime minister added.
“Since 2018, many large-scale democratic reforms have started in Armenia, and I do not make decisions about who should be arrested and who should not be arrested. There is an established legal order in Armenia, there are legal institutions, and in all cases the legal institutions of Armenia are the ones who make such decisions,” Pashinyan told The Telegraph. “For that we have the Prosecutor’s Office, we have courts, we have the Investigative Committee.
“It is very important that, being a member of the Eastern Partnership, the Republic of Armenia stands out especially for institutional reforms of having an independent judicial system. There is rule of law in the Republic of Armenia, the Prime Minister has his powers in the Republic of Armenia. Under no circumstances those powers include the solution of the question whether this person should be arrested or not. All of that is done through legal procedures,” said the prime minister.
Pashinyan was also asked by Oliphant, whether it was possible for him to call Putin and “tell him just not to come, because you cannot promise that he will not be arrested?,” saying it would be an awkward situation.
“I don’t think that Vladimir Vladimirovich [Putin] needs my advice,” Pashinyan responded to the question.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass was on hand for the groundbreaking ceremony at the future home of the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies L.A. headquarters in North Hollywood, located at 4146 Lankershim Boulevard.
“We are committed to empowering Los Angeles’ next generation of youth to gain skills that will prepare them for jobs in the technology industry,” said Mayor Bass.
“TUMO LA will provide much needed design and technology education to local youth through after school and weekend programs completely free of charge. This Center will allow Los Angeles youth to maximize their potential by discovering their passions for creative technologies and building the cutting-edge skills essential for navigating the ever-evolving digital world,” Bass added.
Mayor Bass was joined by L.A. City Council President Paul Krekoian, Former Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian, who is running for a Los Angeles City Council seat in district 2, and TUMO Founder Sam Simonian at the ceremony.
“The creation of TUMO in the East San Fernando Valley will bring much needed creative and educational resources to low income youth and teenagers that would otherwise not be exposed to the fantastic learning opportunities that TUMO creates” said Krekorian. “This center will shape the next generation of creative leaders that will keep our entertainment industry strong and thriving.”
TUMO LA will provide much needed design and technology education to local teens for after school and weekend programs completely free of charge. TUMO centers globally serve more than 25,000 teens each week, in 13 centers across nine countries.
This first TUMO center in the United States was made possible through a $23.25 million dollar grant from the State of California, secured by former Assemblymember Nazarian, as well as an additional $3 million dollars in Community Development Block Grand funds from the City of Los Angeles, secured by Krekorian.
“As a former State Assemblymember of the East San Fernando Valley, I am proud to announce the establishment of a TUMO Technology Learning Center in North Hollywood. The TUMO Technology Learning Center focuses on placing teenagers, aged 12 to 18 years, in control of their learning experiences and enabling them to unlock their full potential by identifying their passions and equipping them with the skills necessary to shape their future. This Center will create life-changing experiences for our children and build the next generation of leaders for our communities” said Nazarian.
The TUMO Center for Creative Technologies is a free-of-charge educational program that puts teenagers in charge of their own learning. Founded by engineer and entrepreneur Sam Simonian, TUMO’s mission is to allow teens to maximize their potential by discovering their passions and building the skills and self-confidence required to shape their future.
This program offers free education and training to teens in 14 different subjects, from music, filmmaking and animation to programming, robotics and 3D modeling.
Vahe Poghosyan
When Azerbaijan began their attacks on Armenia in 2020, Vahe Poghosyan was one of many brave young men in Armenia who volunteered to join the Armenian army to protect their homeland. He was sent to the border, an area constantly under heavy attack by Azerbaijan. During one of these attacks, a rocket hit the truck Poghosyan was riding in. Fourteen Armenian soldiers were killed that day; only three survived. One of those survivors was Poghosyan.
“I was covered in blood,” recalled Poghosyan. “I couldn’t see anything as there was shrapnel in both of my eyes.” Poghosyan spent the next eight and a half terrifying hours lying on the battlefield, bleeding and unable to see, until it was possible for someone to rescue him.
With only a few minutes left to live, Poghosyan was rescued and rushed to a hospital in Yerevan, where he was treated for almost one month. His eyesight was gone and all he could see was a sliver of light. Poghosyan thought he was going to be blind for the rest of his life. After escaping one traumatic experience of going through the war and losing his friends, Poghosyan was now experiencing another agonizing prospect: believing he would never be able to see again.
Vahe with his wife and daughter
“I remember so vividly the effects of the first Karabakh war in Armenia,” recalls Dr. Roger Ohanesian, Founder and President of the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP.) “It was the unrest during that time that led to the beginning of the Armenian EyeCare Project. Now, 30 years later, I am happy to say that because of the AECP’s emphasis on medical education and training, doctors in Armenia are capable of performing complex surgeries and offering top-of-the-line eye care to their countrymen.”
Dr. Georgi Grigoryan, one of AECP’s very first fellows, successfully performed two complex surgeries on Poghosyan’s eye, removing the shrapnel and replacing the lens. This allowed Poghosyan to be able to see again. “I can see my daughter’s beautiful smile now,” said Poghosyan with immense gratitude. After regaining his sight, life has drastically improved for Poghosyan as he is now able to work, drive and support his family once again.
“I am deeply grateful to all the donors of the AECP for saving my sight and allowing me to see again, to raise my child, to grow my family and to reach all my dreams,” said Poghosyan with a smile.
As Poghosyan walks up the hill to Yerablur, the burial site of Armenian soldiers who died protecting their homeland, the song praising the bravery of his fallen friends can be heard far and loud. He joins in on singing along to the patriotic song, honoring his fellow soldiers and feeling grateful to be alive.