21:05,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The EU must condemn the Hamas attack on Israel and do everything to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in , EU diplomacy head Josep Borrell said at a press conference following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the 27 community countries in Luxembourg, informs TASS.
''To achieve this, it is imperative that humanitarian assistance be provided to the people of ,'' he noted.
21:20,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The next meeting of foreign ministers in the "3+3" format will take place in Turkey in the first half of 2024, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said.
"All these will be coordinated by our Turkish partners, who will host the second meeting of the ministers, which is scheduled for approximately the first half of next year," he told reporters.
21:26,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 23, ARMENPRESS. On October 23 in Tehran, on sidelines of regional consultative platform (“3+3”) Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met Hakan Fidan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Türkiye, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia said in a readout.
Current regional and bilateral issues were discussed.
The readiness to realize the agreements reached so far was reconfirmed.
Mesrobian School high school students at Los Angeles City College
BY NAROD EKMEKJIAN
Armenian Mesrobian School high school students on October 6 paid a visit to Los Angeles City College, the educational institution administering Mesrobian’s esteemed Business and Psychology dual enrollment programs.
In recent years, many Mesrobian alumni have shown increasing interest in community colleges, which may be an unfamiliar topic for current students. Through programs like dual enrollment, students have the chance to gain personal connections with the school, potentially unlocking new opportunities and experiences within the wide selection of community college education.
As the trip began, the school dedicated time and resources to ensure each student received their very own LACC student ID. “Getting a college ID was a really cool privilege. The perks and advantages are endless,” said a 10th grade student.
Soon after, the enlightening tour of the LACC campus began, as students were carefully divided by grade to ensure that each one was acquainted with the school, its skilled programs, and its endless opportunities.
Along the way, students witnessed cutting-edge laboratories, talented art pieces, and the school’s renowned TV and Cinematography set. Here, students got hands-on experience with a TV talk show, not only gaining new knowledge but sheer enjoyment.
This experience proved effective, as Lucin Ayezouyan, a 12th grader, decided to alter her course and pursue a major in TV and cinematography. “Actually being on the set and working with the cameras, I really saw myself doing that, it brought me pure excitement and joy,” said Ayezouyan.
The tour and overall event concluded with the distribution of complimentary LACC sweatshirts. This small gesture created a strong sense of belonging, making the Mesrobian family feel “at home” with this newfound relationship.
Defense ministers of Armenia and France Suren Papikyan and Sébastien Lecornu sign a military cooperation in Paris on Oct. 23
Armenia’s Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu signed a military cooperations agreement on Monday in Paris, the defense ministry reported. This is Armenia’s first such agreement with a Western nation.
Lecornu said that France will provide Armenia with three GM200 radar systems and Mistral short-range missiles. According to officials, France will also assist in reforms in Armenia’s Armed Forces.
“France and its people are standing by our side, just like during all difficult moments in the history of the Armenian people, and also today with the complex military and political situation around Armenia,” Papikyan said, adding that this gesture “deserves the highest appreciation, for which I am grateful again.”
The GM200 Radar System Mistral short-range missile
“Today’s agreement stipulates cooperation in modernization of the defense capabilities of Armenia’s Armed Forces, military education, personnel training, advisory support and a number of other aspects that are a priority for our Armed Forces,” added Papikyan.
The French Defense Ministry said in a statement that the agreement will also allow Armenia to better defend its sovereign borders.
Lecornu previewed the signing of the document in an interview the Le Parisien newspaper on Sunday, saying the document would also allow Armenia to purchase defensive weapons from France.
“Tomorrow we will officially formalize Armenia’s acquisition of a certain types of weapons from French manufacturers, in particular, we will sign an agreement that will allow Armenia to protect its skies,” Lecornu said in the interview. “It is important to provide opportunities to Armenia to defend its peaceful residents and secure its border defense.”
Lecornu clarified to a French Senate commission last week that the weapons that are being considered for sale are only defensive and not offensive and meant to assist Armenia in defending lives and the security of its territory.
During a visit to Armenia earlier this month, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said Armenia needed to be able to defend itself weeks after Azerbaijani forces invaded Nagorno-Karabakh despite the presence of Russian peacekeepers.
She said Paris has agreed to deliver military equipment to Armenia.
After visiting displaced Artsakh residents, including burn patients injured in a Stepanakert fuel depot station explosion, the minister pledged military support.
“I would like to publicly state that France has agreed on future contracts with Armenia which will allow the delivery of military equipment to Armenia so that it can ensure its defense. You’ll understand that I can’t go into more detail at the moment,” Colonna said on October 3.
Colonna’s pledge of military support to Armenia has further angered Baku, with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan complaining to European Council President Charles Michel about what he called the “anti-Azerbaijan” posturing by Paris and the EU.
Yervant Kotchounian
Yervant Kotchounian was born on May 20, 1950, in Damascus, Syria. He was the youngest son of Garabed and Tshkhoun (Vanes Kehian) Kotchounian. He came to join his siblings Kalousd and Elmasd.
His mother passed away when Yervant was an infant. In 1958, with the help of his brother Kalousd, Yervant and his sister Elmasd were accepted into the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School of Anjar, Lebanon, where they spent the next ten years.
In 1968, Yervant moved to the capital city of Beirut where he attended Haigazian College for four years, graduating in 1972 with a degree in English literature. He taught at Shamlian-Tatigian High School in Beirut for two years after completing his degree. Yervant also hosted a radio program called Armenian Hour, which aired in Beirut. He hosted another radio program that aired in Cyprus.
In 1974, he married Grace Varbedian and together they immigrated to the United States in 1975, where they settled in Los Angeles and where their children — son Todd and daughter Tara — were born.
For many years, Yervant worked at Blue Cross in an administrative capacity.
At his core, however, Yervant was a man of letters. He loved words and ideas — in all languages. The best living examples of that are his children and their names. Todd is “tahd” — cause, the permanent Armenian call for justice. And his daughter is Tara — terra, land, the resolution that justice would bring. This is how he was in all things: he was true to himself, honest and very smart — sometimes even practical.
His true passion was Armenian letters. He was a translator who sought to preserve and extend the essence of Armenian for its rich and expansive vocabulary while creating a bridge for Armenian writers to reach new audiences. He was the translator and editor of a number of scholarly and literary books — some on commission — most out of love and curiosity. He had translated a series of adventure novels because he wanted them available to Armenian language readers. His writings appeared in all of the local Armenian newspapers, and he was respected as a theater critic.
He served as a jurist for many years for the Hamazkayin Tololyan Prize in Contemporary Literature, awarded to authors of various genres in both English and Armenian whose themes centered around Armenian issues.
Yervant had a passion for music and was always quick to sing or hum along, especially if it was country music. He especially appreciated classical and Armenian music and was an avid supporter of the Lark Conservatory and the Dilijan Chamber Music Series.
He loved gathering with friends and family, sharing poetry and telling stories — a smile never far and his booming laugh often filling the room.
In the past few months, he was in significant pain when he agreed to enter the hospital. On Friday, September 29, he had been in good spirits, laughing and talking. Later that night, he suffered a heart attack that greatly deteriorated his overall condition. After two weeks of treatment in critical care, Yervant died on Saturday, October 14, 2023, surrounded by loved ones.
He is lovingly remembered by: former wife, Grace Kotchounian; son, Todd Kotchounian; daughter, Tara Kotchounian; brother, Kalousd Kotchounian; sister, Elmasd Kotchounian Miller; niece, Nanor and Elie Tashdjian and family; niece, Houry and Zohrab Ghazarian and family; niece, Hasmig and Kevork Harboyan and family; nephew, Garo and Katie Kotchounian and family; nephew, Greg and Katrina Miller and family; and the entire Kotchounian, Miller and Varbedian families, relatives, friends and colleagues.
A celebration of life will be held on October 28 at 5 p.m. at Phoenicia Restaurant (343 N. Central Ave., Glendale, CA). In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that remembrances be made by supporting Abril Bookstore or by donating to an Armenian literary cause in Yervant’s name.
The California
Courier Online, October 26, 2023
1- Pashinyan
Boasts About Armenia’s Fake
Democracy
at European Parliament
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Armenia and France Sign Military Agreement
3- Two rare
oral histories converge in Dr. Gil Harootunian’s newest publication
4- Armenian
Literarian, Translator
Yervant Kotchounian
Passes Away
************************************************************************************************************************************************
1- Pashinyan
Boasts About Armenia’s Fake
Democracy
at European Parliament
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher,
The California
Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Regardless of whether I like Armenia’s Prime Minister or not, I
want to be fair to him. I praise him when he does something right and criticize
him when he does something wrong.
For example, I wrote an article in April 2019 praising Nikol
Pashinyan for his speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
(PACE) in Strasbourg, France. Here is what I wrote:
“Pashinyan gave an impressive speech to the representatives of 47 European
countries. Even more impressive were the Prime Minister’s answers to their
dozen questions. While his speech was prepared in advance, the questions were
impromptu and the answers had to be delivered on the spot.”
Pashinyan posted my article on his Facebook page which has
over one million followers. Here is the comment he added: “I am happy that one
of the most prestigious Diaspora newspapers, The California Courier, has
appreciated my speech at PACE.” My article received 4,000 Likes, 197 Shares and
185 comments.
I will now comment on Pashinyan’s speech at the European
Parliament on October 17, 2023, in Strasbourg,
France.
In his speech, Pashinyan used the word ‘democracy’ or
‘democratic’ 21 times to describe Armenia’s current government. He
emphasized that democracy provides “security, peace, unity, well-being and
happiness?” Regrettably, Armenia
does not enjoy any of these attributes, since Artsakh was lost and Azeri troops
have been stationed inside Armenia’s
borders since 2021. Armenia’s
problems are mostly due to the incompetence of its leader. Pashinyan came to
power under the guise of promoting democratic values, but ended up violating
the basic principles of democracy. What we have in Armenia now is one-man rule.
Pashinyan listens to no one, whether they are ministers, advisers, his party
members, the Parliamentary majority or the President. He makes all decisions by
himself. He claimed in his speech that Armenia “would have simply been
paralyzed, would have lost its independence and sovereignty if it were not
democratic.”
Pashinyan falsely said that his government “did not violate
any principle of democracy.” The fact is that Pashinyan has turned Armenia into a
police state. When he first came to power, he used to go to the Prime
Minister’s office on a bicycle. Now, he hides behind hundreds of policemen
before he puts one foot out the door. The policemen, who receive big salaries
and bonus payments, beat up and arrest demonstrators. Pashinyan’s political
opponents face trumped up charges in court. He has threatened to squash his
critics on the asphalt and slam them to the wall. Unbelievably, while
campaigning for the parliamentary elections in June 2021, he waved a hammer in
the air, threatening to smash the heads of his domestic opponents. Is that
democracy?
Even Diaspora Armenians are not immune from the long arm of
Pashinyan’s dictatorial regime. Anyone who criticizes him from outside Armenia is banned from entering the country
after arriving at the Yerevan
Airport. What happened to
the democratic principle of freedom of _expression_?
Pashinyan described Azerbaijan’s
May 12, 2021 attack on Armenia
as a “provocation that took place before the parliamentary elections… to fail
the upcoming parliamentary elections and paralyze the statehood of Armenia, or at
least its government.” The fact is that Azerbaijan’s
attack on Armenia
was unrelated to the Parliamentary elections. Such attacks have taken place
before and after the elections. Furthermore, Pres. Aliyev has no reason to
topple Pashinyan since he is making endless concessions to Azerbaijan on Artsakh and Armenia.
Pashinyan bragged in his speech that Armenia was
able to settle the 100,000 refugees from Artsakh. He claimed that thanks to
democracy in Armenia,
“We did it honorably.” The fact is that despite the persistent indications for
years that Azerbaijan
intended to occupy the remainder of Artsakh and force out its inhabitants, the
Armenian government made no preparations to settle the refugees in Armenia. Many
of them spent days in their cars, deprived of food, water and shelter. As a
result, several thousand Artsakhtsis have already left Armenia.
In his speech, Pashinyan explained his readiness to allow
Azeri cargo, vehicles, people, pipelines and electricity lines to traverse Armenia’s territory from Azerbaijan
proper to its exclave of Nakhichevan. Even though such access is supposed to be
reciprocal, as mentioned in the Nov. 9, 2020 agreement, Azerbaijan has never indicated its willingness
to allow similar transit for Armenians through Azerbaijan. The same disparity
applies to Pashinyan’s recognition of Azerbaijan’s
territory as 86,600 square kilometers, without Pres. Aliyev agreeing to
Pashinyan’s proposed size of Armenia’s
territory as 29,800 square kilometers. Pashinyan also conceded that the former
Azeri-inhabited enclaves within Armenia
belong to Azerbaijan,
without Pres. Aliyev accepting a reciprocal exchange.
Finally, Pashinyan repeated his offer to sign a peace treaty
with Azerbaijan by year-end
even though there is no necessity for such a treaty as Armenia and Azerbaijan had not declared war on
each other. The peace treaty will only serve as an opportunity for Azerbaijan to extract further concessions from Armenia.
Pashinyan concluded his 45-minute speech by repeating the
word ‘democracy’ two more times: “I am convinced that democracy can provide
peace, security, unity, prosperity and happiness. Let’s prove this together.
Long live democracy!”
The European Parliament members were extremely pleased with
Pashinyan’s remarks. Why shouldn’t they? Pashinyan is going along with the
interests of the West, Russia,
Azerbaijan and Turkey, which is the abandonment of Artsakh, to facilitate
the flow of Azerbaijan’s
natural gas (partly bought from Russia)
to Europe. Besides offering supportive words,
European Parliament members are not willing to do anything concrete for Armenia.
I am sure Pashinyan will not post this article on his
Facebook page.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
2- Armenia
and France
Sign Military Agreement
Armenia’s
Defense Minister Suren Papikyan and his French counterpart Sébastien Lecornu
signed a military cooperations agreement on Monday, October 23 in Paris, the
defense ministry reported. This is Armenia’s first such agreement with
a Western nation. Lecornu said that France
will provide Armenia
with three GM200 radar systems and Mistral short-range missiles. According to
officials, France will also
assist in reforms in Armenia’s
Armed Forces.
“France and its people are standing by our side, just like
during all difficult moments in the history of the Armenian people, and also
today with the complex military and political situation around Armenia,”
Papikyan said, adding that this gesture “deserves the highest appreciation, for
which I am grateful again.”
“Today’s agreement stipulates cooperation in modernization
of the defense capabilities of Armenia’s
Armed Forces, military education, personnel training, advisory support and a
number of other aspects that are a priority for our Armed Forces,” added
Papikyan.
The French Defense Ministry said in a statement that the
agreement will also allow Armenia
to better defend its sovereign borders. The agreement would also allow Armenia to purchase defensive weapons from France.
The “agreement that will allow Armenia to protect its skies,”
Lecornu said in an interview the day before the agreement was signed.
Lecornu clarified to a French Senate commission last week
that the weapons that are being considered for sale are only defensive and not
offensive and meant to assist Armenia
in defending lives and the security of its territory.
During a visit to Armenia earlier this month, French
Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna pledged military support after visiting
displaced Artsakh residents, including burn patients injured in a Stepanakert
fuel depot station explosion. “I would like to publicly state that France has agreed on future contracts with Armenia which will allow the delivery of
military equipment to Armenia
so that it can ensure its defense."
Colonna’s pledge of military support to Armenia angered Baku,
with President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan
complaining to European Council President Charles Michel about what he called
the “anti-Azerbaijan” posturing by Paris and the EU.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
3- Two rare oral histories
converge in Dr. Gil Harootunian’s newest publication
By Victoria Atamian Waterman
(The Armenian Weekly)—Two oral histories are combined in one
collection. At Four O’clock in the Afternoon is the only existing firsthand
oral account of an adult female who survived both the 1895 Hamidian massacres
and the 1915 Armenian Genocide. Bones and Bodies, We Had To Walk Over Them is
the firsthand oral account of her nine-year-old daughter who survived the
Genocide. Both accounts were translated by Rose D. Guertin, Ph.D. and written
and edited by Gil Harootunian, Ph.D. This stunning collection is told in four
voices.
Dr. Harootunian’s voice provides the introduction to both
oral histories with thoroughly researched facts and a relevant overview that
shine a light on key points that may have been dimmed during the emotional
narration or translation in language. She states there are many reasons why
self-narrated histories were not written by women, including but not limited to
the lack of literacy skills and the community taboo that precludes females
discussing their sexual trauma.
Guleeg (Toomasian) Haroian narrates At Four O’clock In the
Afternoon, starting her story at the age of 10, when she witnessed the killing
of her father, the theft of their wealth and the burning of their house down to
ashes by the Turks. By 1913, she was married to Hagop Haroian, blessed with two
daughters and pregnant with a third, when he left for America with the
dream of saving money to bring his family a life of freedom. With dreams
shattered, she survived the 1915 Genocide through a forced marriage to a Muslim
and later reunited with her daughter.
Excerpt: “And soon the crier yelled for us to go. I jumped. I
knew that place so well! I ran. They had begun separating the pretty ones, the
brides, for rape, marriage and property. They were raping and beating them,
then driving them out…I escaped. I had a stick in my hand. I was in my
thirties; my eyes and face I had rubbed all black mud on, so the Turks wouldn’t
recognize me, and they wouldn’t see how young I was…From roof to roof, I
jumped.”
Eva (Haroian) Hightaian, Guleeg’s only surviving daughter
from “the old country,” narrates Bones and Bodies, We Had to Walk Over Them.
Eva’s oral history is significant, as she reveals the decision-making process
of a nine-year-old child experiencing the collections, the Death March and
forced transfer into a Muslim household. Eva also talks about her years with an
Arab adoptive mother and her reluctance to re-join her mother and the Armenian
community.
Excerpt: “After the Turkish government took all the
ammunition and everything they saw, they decided you still have more…The
soldiers took the women they found to the konagh. They tortured them. No woman
would talk about it, but you can imagine what they did to the women. …The
Turkish soldiers collected all the old men. They took them to a gorge, shot
them, and those old men fell right there…After that, the massacre time came…And
now the Turks claim they never did such a thing. But I saw it with my own eyes,
in my young days, my childhood, they did all those things…”
The afterword is written by Dr. Rebecca Jinks, Department of
History, Royal Holloway, University
of London, and a
respected authority of women’s experiences during the Armenian and Yezidi
genocides and humanitarian responses and representations in the aftermath. Her
article “‘Marks Hard to Erase”: The Troubled Reclamation of ‘Absorbed’ Armenian
Women, 1919-1927” was published in 2018 in the American Historical Review. Dr.
Jinks provides a comparative analysis to a phenomenon called “genocidal
absorption” that occurs when children are removed from the ethnic, religious
and national communities that they are born into, as part of the process of
group destruction. Dr. Jinks states that Guleeg and Eva’s experiences give us
real insight into different experiences of genocidal absorption during the
Armenian Genocide.
The book is just over 200 pages and flows smoothly for a
quick read. However, the words on those pages will stay with you long after as
you reflect on the unspeakable horror and remarkable resilience. Please note
trigger warnings of violence, sexual trauma and genocide.
This level of firsthand accounts is a rarity, and their
value cannot be understated.
It was not lost on me that this rare collection of Armenian
history was written by a family matriarchy of four generations of women. The
two oral histories consist of excerpts from recordings made beginning in 1976
with all four generations present. Had this not been a collaborative effort
among trusted family members, these stories would join others that will never
be told. This level of firsthand accounts is a rarity, and their value cannot
be understated.
This treasure could not have been written by anyone other
than Dr. Harootunian. We highly recommend this book for its rare and unique
firsthand points of view, especially for readers and researchers interested in
the lesser told stories from women that are written in English.
We also commend and thank Guleeg and Eva for their selfless
bravery, for opening deep wounds and for reliving their nightmares, and Rose
and Gil for pushing through their generational trauma to share this invaluable
treasure with the world.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************
4- Armenian
Literarian, Translator
Yervant Kotchounian
Passes Away
Yervant Kotchounian was born on May 20, 1950, in Damascus, Syria.
He was the youngest son of Garabed and Tshkhoun (Vanes Kehian) Kotchounian. He
came to join his siblings Kalousd and Elmasd.
His mother passed away when Yervant was an infant. In 1958,
with the help of his brother Kalousd, Yervant and his sister Elmasd were
accepted into the Armenian Evangelical Secondary School of Anjar, Lebanon,
where they spent the next ten years.
In 1968, Yervant moved to the capital city of Beirut where he attended Haigazian College
for four years, graduating in 1972 with a degree in English literature. He
taught at Shamlian-Tatigian High School in Beirut
for two years after completing his degree. Yervant also hosted a radio program
called Armenian Hour, which aired in Beirut.
He also hosted another radio program that aired in Cyprus.
In 1974, he married Grace Varbedian and together they
immigrated to the United States
in 1975, where they settled in Los
Angeles and where their children—son Todd, and
daughter Tara—were born.
For many years, Yervant worked at Blue Cross in an
administrative capacity.
At his core, however, Yervant was a man of letters. He loved
words and ideas. In all languages. The best living examples of that are his
children and their names. Todd is “tahd”—cause, the permanent Armenian call for
justice. And his daughter is Tara—terra, land,
the resolution that justice would bring. This is how he was in all things: he
was true to himself, honest, and very very smart. Sometimes even practical.
His true passion was Armenian letters. He was a translator
who sought to preserve and extend the essence of Armenian for its rich and
expansive vocabulary while creating a bridge for Armenian writers to reach new
audiences. He was the translator and editor of a number of scholarly and
literary books. Some on commission; most out of love and curiosity. He had
translated a series of adventure novels because he wanted them available to
Armenian language readers. His writings appeared in all of the local Armenian
newspapers, and he was respected as a theater critic.
He served as a jurist for many years for the Hamazkayin
Tololyan Prize in Contemporary Literature, awarded to authors of various genres
in both English and Armenian whose themes centered around Armenian issues.
Yervant had a passion for music and was always quick to sing
or hum along. Especially if it was country music. He of course especially
appreciated classical and Armenian music, and was an avid supporter of the Lark
Conservatory, and the Dilijan Chamber Music Series.
He loved gathering with friends and family, sharing poetry
and telling stories — a smile never far, and his booming laugh often filling
the room.
In the past few months, he was in significant pain when he
agreed to enter the hospital. On Friday, September 29, he had been in good spirits,
laughing and talking. Later that night, he suffered a heart attack that greatly
deteriorated his overall condition. After two weeks of treatment in critical
care, Yervant died on Saturday, October 14, surrounded by loved ones.
He is lovingly remembered by: Former wife, Grace
Kotchounian; Son, Todd Kotchounian; Daughter, Tara Kotchounian; Brother,
Kalousd Kotchounian; Sister, Elmasd Kotchounian Miller; Niece, Nanor and Elie
Tashdjian and family; Niece, Houry and Zohrab Ghazarian and family; Niece, Hasmig
and Kevork Harboyan and family; Nephew, Garo and Katie Kotchounian and family;
Nephew, Greg and Katrina Miller and family; And the entire Kotchounian, Miller
and Varbedian families, relatives, friends and colleagues.
A celebration of life will be held on October 28 at 5 p.m.,
at Phoenicia Restaurant (343 N
Central Ave, Glendale).
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that remembrances be made by
supporting Abril Bookstore, or by donating to an Armenian literary cause in
Yervant's name.
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************************************************************
California Courier Online provides readers of the Armenian News News Service with a
few of the articles in this week's issue of The California Courier. Letters to
the editor are encouraged through our e-mail address, .
Letters are published with the author’s name and location; authors are required
to disclose their identity to the editorial staff (name, address, and/or
telephone numbers for verification purposes).
California Courier subscribers can change or modify mailing addresses by
emailing .
Monday,
Armenian FM Joins Talks On Caucasus Peace In Iran
• Tatevik Lazarian
IRAN - The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan, Turkey, Iran, Armenia and Russia
meet in Tehran, .
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan joined his Azerbaijani, Iranian, Russian and
Turkish counterparts in meeting on Monday in Tehran for talks on peace and
stability in the South Caucasus.
The multilateral talks were held within the framework of the so-called
“Consultative Regional Platform 3+3” launched in December 2021 in Moscow.
Georgia continues to boycott the platform, citing continuing Russian occupation
of its breakaway regions.
“The war in the South Caucasus is now over and the time has come for peace,
cooperation and development in the Caucasus,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein
Amir-Abdollahian was reported to say at the start of the talks.
“We believe that problems in this region can be resolved without external
interference. This is part of the message of today’s meeting in the 3+3 format,”
he said, underscoring Iran’s strong opposition to Western presence in the
region, which is shared by Russia.
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi likewise described it as “harmful for regional
peace and stability” when he met with Mirzoyan earlier in the day, according to
Iranian news agencies.
Amid its deepening rift with Moscow, the Armenian leadership now seems to be
pinning hopes on Western efforts to broke a resolution of its conflict with
Azerbaijan. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian expressed hope last week that he and
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev will meet in Brussels again and finalize a
bilateral peace treaty before the end of this year.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov questioned the European Union’s ability
to facilitate the delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, a key
remaining obstacle to the signing of the treaty.
“Let them try their luck in Brussels, if they want to, but we are always ready
to help start the real delimitation,” he told reporters after the Tehran meeting.
Lavrov said that these and other sticking points in Armenian-Azerbaijani
negotiations were not “directly” discussed by the five ministers.
“There are other channels for doing this. But the platform itself helps resolve
remaining issues between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” added the top Russian diplomat.
Mirzoyan held a separate meeting with Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on
the sidelines of the Tehran conference, which coincided with the start of a
fresh Turkish-Azerbaijani military exercise held near Armenia’s borders. His
press office reported no such meetings with Lavrov or Azerbaijan’s Jeyhun
Bayramov as of 10 p.m. local time.
Armenia Signs First Arms Deal With France
France - French Defense Minsiter Sebastien Lecornu and his Armenian counterpart
Suren Papikian sign a memorandum of understanding in Paris, .
France pledged to boost Armenia’s air defenses, train Armenian military
personnel and help the South Caucasus country reform its armed forces as the
French group Thales and Yerevan signed a contract for the purchase of three
radar systems on Monday.
French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu and his Armenian counterpart Suren
Papikian also signed a “letter of intent” on the future delivery of Mistral
short-range surface-to-air missiles.
They gave no financial or other details of these deals during a joint news
conference held after their talks in Paris. Lecornu emphasized the defensive
character of what will be first-ever Western-manufactured major weapons supplied
to Armenia.
“It is a weapon system which, by its very nature, can only be used when there is
an aggression against Armenian territory and often with civilian populations
underneath,” he said, alluding to the risk of Azerbaijani invasion of Armenia.
Lecornu also announced that France will train Armenian officers to operate the
military equipment known for its “remarkable detection capabilities” and assist
in ongoing reforms of the Armenian armed forces. A special French military
official will advise the Armenian Defense Ministry on those reforms, he said,
adding that French instructors will be sent to Armenia to teach its troops new
combat techniques.
The French government first signaled arms supplies to Armenia last year
following large-scale fighting on the country’s border with Azerbaijani which
resulted in Azerbaijani territorial gains. It gave the green light for them
following last month’s Azerbaijani military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh that
led to the restoration of Azerbaijani control over the region and displaced its
virtually entire ethnic Armenian population. French President Emmanuel Macron
suggested that Baku might now attack Armenia as well.
FRANCE - France's President Emmanuel Macron welcomes Armenian Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian prior to their meeting at the Elysee palace in Paris, September
26, 2022.
"France has given its agreement to the conclusion of future contracts with
Armenia which will allow the delivery of military equipment to Armenia so that
it can ensure its defense," French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said
during an October 3 visit to Yerevan.
The Azerbaijani government condemned Colonna’s announcement as further proof of
Paris’s pro-Armenian bias in the Karabakh conflict. Baku itself has increased
its military expenditures after the 2020 Karabakh war, buying more weapons from
Turkey, Israel and possibly other countries.
Armenia is stepping up military cooperation with France, a major NATO member,
amid its worsening relationship with Russia, a longtime ally. The tensions stem
in large measure from what Yerevan sees as a lack of Russian support in the
conflict with Azerbaijan. Moscow’s failure to prevent, stop or even condemn the
Azerbaijani offensive in Karabakh only added to them.
Also, Armenian leaders have implied over the past year that Moscow has failed to
supply more weapons to Yerevan despite Russian-Armenian defense contracts signed
after the 2020 war in Karabakh. They have said they have no choice but to look
for alternative arms suppliers.
France, which is home to a sizable and influential Armenian community, has
become Armenia’s leading Western backer during Macron’s rule. Lecornu said on
Monday that it is committed to the South Caucasus nation’s territorial integrity
despite the fact that “we are not part of the same military and political
alliances .”
Iranian Firms To Rebuild Strategic Road In Armenia
• Robert Zargarian
Armenia - A view of Kajaran, a town in Syunik province.
The Armenian government has awarded a $215 million contact to a consortium of
two Iranian companies to upgrade a 32-kilometer section of the main highway
connecting Armenia to Iran through its endangered Syunik region.
A senior government official and top executives of those companies signed a
relevant agreement in Yerevan on Monday in the presence of Armenia’s Minister of
Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Gnel Sanosian and Iran’s Minister
of Roads and Urban Development Mehrzad Bazrpash.
“We are very happy that … Iranian companies will carry out the construction of
this road section,” Sanosian said at the signing ceremony.
“Our neighbor, Armenia, is very important to us,” Bazrpash said, for his part.
“Armenia could play a key role in the framework of the [transnational]
North-South transport corridor. I hope that the project will be implemented
rapidly.”
Armenia - Amenian and Iranian officials attend a signing ceremony in Yerevan,
.
The project co-financed by the Armenian government and the Eurasian Development
Bank covers the highway section stretching from Agarak, an Armenian town
adjacent to the Iranian border, to the Kajaran mountain pass, the highest in
Armenia. About two-thirds of the road is to be expanded and modernized while the
remaining 11 kilometers will be built from scratch over the next three years. In
Sanosian’s words, the Iranians will construct 17 bridges and two tunnels in the
mountainous area.
Another, much longer tunnel planned by the Armenian side will cut through the
Kajaran pass. The government has organized an international tender for its
construction, which will further shorten travel time between the two neighboring
states.
Bazrpash also announced that the Yerevan and Tehran have agreed to build a new
bridge over the Arax river that marks the Armenian-Iranian border. The two
governments will set up a joint working group for that purpose, he told
reporters.
The Iranian minister’s presence at the signing ceremony appeared to also
underscore the geopolitical significance of the project.
Armenia - A view of the Arax river separating Armenia and Iran.
Azerbaijan’s recent takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh raised more fears in Yerevan
that Baku will also attack Armenia to open an exterritorial land corridor to
Nakhichevan passing through Syunik, the sole Armenian province bordering Iran.
Azerbaijani leaders regularly demand such a corridor. A senior Armenian diplomat
claimed on October 8 that an Azerbaijani attack on Syunik may be “a matter of
weeks.”
Iran has repeatedly warned against attempts to strip it of the common border and
transport links with Armenia. Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi reportedly told
visiting Armenian and Azerbaijani officials early this month that the corridor
sought by Baku is “resolutely opposed by Iran” because it would give NATO a
“foothold” in the region.
NATO member Turkey fully supports the Azerbaijani demands. Its troops began on
Monday a fresh military exercise with the Azerbaijani army in Nakhichevan and
parts of mainland Azerbaijan close to Syunik. The drills reportedly involve
3,000 soldiers and several Turkish F-16 warplanes.
The United States and the European Union voiced strong support for Armenia’s
territorial integrity following the latest escalation in Karabakh. The U.S.
State Department said on October 15 that “any infringement of that sovereignty
and territorial integrity would bring serious consequences.”
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
The Armenian Cultural Student Association hosted a speaker panel Monday at 7 p.m. to discuss the historical context of the century-long tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan, following Azerbaijan’s recent reclaim of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region. The panel included Politics lecturer Dr. Yuri Urbanovich, History Prof. Chris Gratien and History Prof. Kyrill Kunakhovich.
Susanna Kharatyan, ACSA president and third-year College student, said the panel event was organized because of the importance for the University community to talk about the Nagorno-Karabakh situation, considering how underrepresented the conflict is at the University.
“It is a very controversial topic, but I think it's important for us to create a space where we could get professors to talk about the topic and raise awareness,” Kharatyan said.
Azerbaijan’s military captured the Nagorno-Karabakh region Sept. 19, which for the last several decades was under the control of a separatist, de facto government. Since then, over 100,000 Armenians have been displaced from the region.
Dozens of students showed up to the event, hosted in the Student Health and Wellness Building, to listen to the panelists present on the conflict’s historical context from the perspective of their various academic disciplines and specialties. The presentations were followed by audience questions at the end.
Gratien, whose specialty is migration and the Middle East, focused on the displacement of Armenians, emphasizing the cultural significance and symbolism of the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
“100,000 people leaving what they consider ancestral lands, leaving villages that have been there for a very long time, is a very big deal in world historical terms,” Gratien said. “It means losing everything.”
Gratien also said the current displacement is particularly traumatic because it is not the first time Armenians have been displaced on mass scale, referring to the Armenian Genocide in 1915 where nearly 1.2 million Armenians died in a conflict with the Ottoman Empire.
Urbanovich then provided the historical context of the regional dispute in the context of relations with Russia. Urbanovich said, in his opinion, it is doubtful to expect military intervention in the region from Russian forces or Western forces.
Kunakhovich also discussed the geo-political background of the dispute and explained how control of the territory has changed over the last two centuries. After the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, the Soviet Union controlled the Nagorno-Karabakh region for most of the 20th century, until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 when the area became contested again between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“We see the ethnic cleansing and un-mixing of populations that has been a consistent trap throughout the century,” Kunakhovich said.
One audience member asked if the panel believed that there would be more presence from the United States in the conflict if Turkey was not a member of NATO, referencing Turkey’s support of the Azerbaijan military in the recent attack. Kunakhovich said he did not, considering how difficult it is to maintain American public support in more strategic zones.
“It seems very hard for me to imagine the U.S. wanting to exercise much direct presence,” Kunakhovich said.
Kharatyan said though the current situation is a deeply emotional and personal issue for many Amenians, she hopes they can work towards a more harmonious future through communication.
“We hope to humanize rather than politicize,” Kharatyan said. “We firmly believe that advocating for peace and the wellbeing of innocent civilians transcends any political boundaries or ideologies.”
https://www.cavalierdaily.com/article/2023/10/armenian-cultural-student-association-hosts-speaker-panel-to-discuss-historical-context-of-the-nagorno-karabakh-conflict
Tigran Mkrtchyan, Ambassador of Armenia to Greece, in an interview with CNN Greece stressed, among other things, that the ethnic governance of Nagorno-Karabakh, has only "for some time" ceased to exist following Azerbaijan's ethnic cleansing of the region in September.
See the full interview:
CNN Greece: Mr. Ambassador, thank you very much for this interview and for having us here. Thank you. Thanks for the invitation to have an interview. So, Nagorno-Karabakh will cease to exist from the start of next year. Do you think the Nagorno-Karabakh case is over for Armenia?
Ambassador Mkrtchyan: Nagorno-Karabakh doesn't cease to exist; Nagorno-Karabakh Administration or the governance in Nagorno-Karabakh ceases to exist. The Armenian governance of or Armenian existence in Nagorno-Karabakh has, for some time, ceased to exist.
But the conflict of Nagorno-Karabakh is not over as such because there are several issues emanating from the end of the last violence. You know, as long as the Nagorno-Karabakh people are a compact unit entity in Armenia, there are more than 100,000 refugees who were forcefully displaced from their homes, the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh is not considered solved.
This is what the Azerbaijanis would like to imagine: that there are not the people in Nagorno-Karabakh, therefore, there is not a conflict. But this is a simplistic way of understanding the situation. There are a lot of issues emanating from this situation.
The right of return of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, their right to their properties, which the Azerbaijanis are trying to quickly get rid of as much as possible. The crimes that have been committed against many of them, for example. The cultural rights of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian cultural heritage, which is richly endowed within Nagorno-Karabakh.
Unfortunately, Azerbaijan is trying to either distort the essence of this Armenian heritage or to destroy some of them. For example, we have evidence also, and these are all horrible crimes, and they need to be taken under international review, under international control as soon as possible.
UNESCO, for example, on account of cultural heritage, needs to step in as soon as possible. The rights of the Nagorno-Karabakh people need to be taken under the protection of the UN, for example, as soon as possible. International safe guarantees for their return should be ensured, and for this, the international community needs, together with Armenia, of course, we need to exert a lot of sort of pressure or incentives so that Azerbaijan would eventually agree to restore their rights in their homelands.
Also, of course, the war crimes that have been committed against the Nagorno-Karabakh people by the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan need to be transparently and internationally investigated. Also, the return of the prisoners of war and also the leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh, former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh.
They are treated as if they are ‘terrorists’ by Azerbaijan, but this is, of course, you know, these are sham trials that they have started, and this is a shame for the entire international community.
CNN Greece: Almost all ethnic Armenians have fled Nagorno-Karabakh, despite Baku's assurances of their safety and equal treatment as citizens. Do you think Azerbaijan denounces ethnic cleansing? What do you think Azerbaijan intends to do in the area?
Ambassador Mkrtchyan: You just need to look at another Armenian region called Nakhijevan, which 100 years ago contained a lot of Armenian population, a huge amount of Armenian population. Almost half of the population of Nakhijevan was Armenian.
If the international community doesn't act after all, wake up, you know, doesn't alert Azerbaijan that it's not going to tolerate the repetition of what happened in Nakhijevan to Nagorno-Karabakh, unfortunately, we may see a similar scenario developing in the coming decades. I'm not talking about the coming year or two; this will be slower but consistent.
You know, consistent cleansing of Armenian traces. So, what Azerbaijan intends to do is clear: it's getting rid of Armenians first and then the Armenian traces. And the signals, despite, you said, despite the assurances of the safety of Armenians, etc.
You know, despite the assurances, on the one hand, and then on the other hand, you see the fist-waving, Hitler-style fist-waving of Aliyev, the president of Azerbaijan, talking about Armenians as if they are dogs. You know, this is all reminding of fascist leaders' behavior.
The horrible mutilations and war crimes committed by their soldiers and none of them has ever been punished. None.
And just recently, we learned that one of the streets in Stepanakert, the Nagorno-Karabakh capital, has been named after Enver Pasha, who was one of the three main organizers of the Armenian Genocide. The signals and the symbols that are referred to do not tell anything good about Armenians' safety in the area.
CNN Greece: Russia had a decisive role in the peacekeeping agreements. Do you think Russia did not follow a balanced approach in the negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan? And why do you think the international community did not react as strongly as in the case of Ukraine, for example?
Ambassador Mkrtchyan: The international community acted too late and too little. The reasons for that, of course, were a lot of propaganda ground prepared by Azerbaijan in various countries, working with the media, with certain politicians, backed by, of course, Turkey's support, to silence or minimize the interference and the reaction.
On the other hand, a lot of people forget that Azerbaijan is, as Freedom House characterizes it, a consolidated authoritarian regime where there is no free media, there is no freedom of _expression_, etc. They do not allow free media to access Azerbaijan and go and shoot any video wherever they want. This is impossible; it's excluded. For 9 months during the Karabakh conflict, not a single journalist was allowed to enter—foreign journalist, Armenian journalist, nobody was allowed to enter. Not even international organizations were allowed to enter, apart from the Red Cross.
As for Russia, I cannot comment on whether they were balanced or not. What I can say for sure is that on the Lachin Corridor, for example, when the blockade was imposed, and this was under the care of, according to the November 9th, 2020, ceasefire statement, the Lachin Corridor was under the care of Russian peacekeepers. Azerbaijan succeeded in imposing and putting a checkpoint there, and the Russian peacekeepers failed to stop this.
So, this is a clear case that the November 9th statement was violated, and Russia was unable to stop it. So, we can bring a lot of versions of why Russians did not intervene, but the fact is on the ground that they were unable to stop it.
On the other hand, you know, the latest attack also happened in the areas which were under the care of Russian peacekeepers, and they again failed to ensure the security and safety of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.
So, there are legitimate fears that Russia, unfortunately, was unable to make sure that the November 9th statement from 2020 would stay in force.
CNN Greece: Unfortunately, there are analyses and fears that Azerbaijan will claim more territory from Armenia. Are these fears justified? What is your comment on these kinds of talks?
Ambassador Mkrtchyan: These kinds of talks may continue unless there is a robust and very resilient response from the international community. At least on the level of a statement, I can certainly say that some of our partners have been very clearly sending messages to Azerbaijan and Turkey that the territorial integrity of Armenia cannot be violated.
There has been such support expressed from our Western partners, for sure, but this needs to be sustained in the long term. More international presence probably needs to be provided there. Also, the Armenian defence capacities and security sector need to be enhanced as soon as possible because Armenia must itself be capable of defending its own territories.
This is clear, but of course, this needs to be done in cooperation with our partners.
CNN Greece: There is an agreement with Russia that it will protect Armenia in case of an external attack. How safe do you feel after the late events in Nagorno-Karabakh?
Ambassador Mkrtchyan: Well, in 2020 during the 44 Days War, there were also attacks on the sovereign territory of Armenia. And then right now, just after that, there were incursions into the territory of Armenia proper.
And also in September 2022, the latest incursion into Armenia. Altogether, more than 150 square kilometers of Armenian sovereign territory has been occupied by Azerbaijan. This is accepted by almost every partner of ours.
The EU, clearly, the EU foreign affairs representative, responsible for foreign affairs, Mr. Borrell, he clearly accepted that it's an occupation of Armenian sovereign territory. So, despite that, we saw that the Collective Security Treaty Organization, a member of which is the leading member, Russia, was unable to give clear assessments about these violations of the sovereign territory of Armenia. So, this raised a lot of eyebrows in Yerevan, and not only Yerevan.
Very clearly, there are Soviet administrative borders, and these administrative borders on which ground we have agreed with Azerbaijan to proceed in terms of negotiations in the limitation and delineation of the borders. T
his cannot work if we don't have a minimal understanding of what the borders are. We clearly have what the minimal understanding of these borders are.
CNN Greece: What would you expect from the European Union and Greece?
Ambassador Mkrtchyan: With Greece, we have had intense cooperation, in terms of political and diplomatic cooperation. Greece is supporting Armenia in most international organizations that we are members of, both of us are members.
But not only in those organizations, but also in organizations where only Greece is a member. We know that Greece is supporting Armenia. This support needs to get more backing from the other members, and potential disruptors of this support need to be explained and approached.
The EU needs to be as present in Armenia as it is strategically important, and it is as strategically important as ever.
We don't need Europe to exaggerate the strategic importance of Azerbaijan. The actions of Azerbaijan, as you depicted, have been characterized as ethnic cleansing.
Some genocide scholars put this within the definitions of the Genocide Convention, basically that this was a genocidal act. What happened in Nagorno-Karabakh?
So, Greece can help us with support in international organizations, but also bilaterally. Various agencies of Greece have expressed readiness to support Armenia, and we are in close contact with the government of Greece on how to facilitate this support.
In the short term, we don't think that accepting refugees is necessary because we do not want the refugees to get dispersed throughout the world. Their rights need to be addressed, and with the hope, even if it may not seem realistic right now, at least in the near future, their rights need to be restored, and they need to return to their homes.
Therefore, with great gratefulness to the country expressing readiness to admit refugees, we do not want to encourage this process. Other than that, Greece-Armenia relations can and will be enhanced, and we hope that at some point, we will reach a strategic partnership. This is something we are aiming at.
CNN Greece: Okay, thank you very much for this interview.
Ambassador Mkrtchyan: Thank you.
See the video: