Import of 3.6 million dollars from Azerbaijan and export of 0 drams. January “records”

For years, despite the lack of diplomatic relations and closed borders, Armenia has conducted a large volume of trade with Turkey in a mediated way. But that trade was exclusively one-sided.

A large amount of Turkish goods were imported and sold in Armenia. Instead, there were almost no exports from Armenia to Turkey. Their volumes, compared to imports of Turkish goods, were insignificant. Barely a few hundred thousand or a few million dollars a year. However, Turkish imports amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Turkey’s economy has benefited from it. Through the imports of Turkish goods, Armenia made an indirect investment of several hundreds of millions of dollars in the Turkish economy every year. In return, he received cheap products, which often created problems for domestic manufacturers. Not being able to withstand the competition, they were pushed out. Despite this circumstance, the authorities did nothing to protect the local producer, to increase the competitive opportunities.

Even today, under the closed border conditions, a large amount of imports from Turkey are carried out to Armenia. Although they have been talking about opening the border for a long time, the border remains closed. Sometimes it opens and closes again on different occasions.

They are waiting when the current rulers of Armenia will fully satisfy all the demands of Azerbaijan in order to open the Armenian-Turkish border. However, it is still a big question, is it more beneficial for Armenia to be closed or to be opened?

Turkey does not feel bad in the Armenian market even under the conditions of closed border.

Last year, more than 368 million dollars worth of goods were imported from that country, 32 million more than the previous year. In the conditions of a sharp decline in the general trade of Armenia, imports from Turkey have increased by almost 10 percent.

The flow of Turkish goods to Armenia is maintained this year as well. In January, 25.5 million dollars were imported. Last year there were only 16.7 million. An increase of more than 52 percent was registered.

And as always, unofficial trade relations with Turkey have been one-sided. Compared to 25.5 million imports, exports are zero. Despite the “fraternal” aspirations of today’s rulers of Armenia with the Turks, Armenian products continued to have no place in the Turkish market.

Last year, barely 473 thousand dollars were exported to Turkey, only 60 thousand dollars more than 1 year ago.

Can you imagine what kind of “serious” progress has been made in the case of exports of Armenian products from Armenia to Turkey?

After solving the issues of unilateral trade with Turkey “fundamentally”, they have now moved on to the implementation of trade with Azerbaijan. And again in a unilateral mode. There have been cases all over the world that Azerbaijani goods are imported from Azerbaijan to Armenia.

For dozens of years, the Armenian-Azerbaijani trade index has been zero in official statistics. Of course, episodic cases were recorded in individual years, but they both appeared and quickly disappeared from the official statistics.

At the price of handing over Artsakh, deporting the people of Artsakh, depriving them of their homes, they finally achieved their long-time dream: they trade with Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijani oil products have been imported to Armenia since the end of last year.

The first batch arrived in December. What’s more, after that the prices of gasoline decreased a little, they raised such enthusiasm as if they had brought back Artsakh. The cheapening of gasoline was linked to the import of petroleum products worth several hundred thousand Azerbaijani dollars. Later, of course, it turned out that they also faked it, the decrease in prices was the result of changes in the international markets, not the import of Azerbaijani gasoline.

According to official statistics, trade with Azerbaijan in December last year amounted to 873.4 thousand dollars. That was the whole year’s trade, exclusively in one direction. Azerbaijani oil products were brought.

In January of this year, trade of around 2.7 million dollars was carried out and again in the form of import of oil products.

After January, more Azerbaijani oil products were imported to Armenia, but these data are still not included in the official statistical indicators.

In December of last year and January of this year, within 2 months, imports from Azerbaijan to Armenia amounted to almost 3.6 million dollars. Instead, zero drams were exported from Armenia.

Such trade relations were established between Armenia and Azerbaijan through the efforts of CP members. When they ask why Armenian products are not exported to Azerbaijan, they tell fairy tales, they talk about exchanges of product lists, but the result is zero.

There are no Armenian products in both the Turkish and Azerbaijani markets, instead, along with the expansion of the presence of Turkish products, Azerbaijan is now also conveniently located in the Armenian market, which is greatly supported by the rulers of Armenia. They are trying to create the illusion of establishing mutual trade relations with unilateral trade.

What will be the end of this will be seen later.

HAKOB KOCHARYAN

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Today is the holiday of Saint Gregory the Illuminator’s terrible sufferings and imprisonment in Khor Virap.

At first glance, the concept of “horrible suffering and imprisonment” may sound strange to today’s man.

First, these sufferings and imprisonment are meant for a clear purpose and are for the sake of truth and justice. That is why St. Grigor Narekatsi rejoices. “Give me the strength of joy in my distress” (Make the day of my distress a feast of joy).

And secondly, it served the freedom and emancipation of an entire people, just as the Victory of the Resurrection was preceded by the Council of the Cross, in which “with the most artistic wisdom you turn the shadow of death into a garden with your most artistic wisdom” (St. Grigor Narekatsi).

It became the beginning of the Great Conversion of Armenians, the journey to God and reconciliation with him.

Here is the meaning and essence of celebrating the “terrible sufferings and imprisonment in Khor Virap”.

The path to freedom and liberation has a price and without paying it, without hardship, suffering, sacrifice, firm conviction, will, faith, hope and finally the sacrificial love of love, it will not be freely given.

THE BEGINNING AND END OF THIS WAY IS LOVE. IT BEGINS WITH LOVE AND IS SUMMED UP IN LOVE BECOMING LOVE’S CROWN MARRIAGE WITH SUFFERING, WHOSE FRUIT IS LIBERATION;

Yes, today is the FESTIVAL of truth and justice, the liberation of our country, the New Transformation, of all those arrested, persecuted, abused, imprisoned and those who pass through the “shadow of death” fighting for the freedom of our people, especially those who have the unwavering and unquestionable conviction that the result of being in this darkness will be the GARDEN OPENING, who themselves carry the GARDEN OPENING.

Happy holiday everyone…

May the advice and grace of the Holy Enlightener Patriarch’s terrible sufferings and the Feast of the Deep Entry lead us to the Light of our lives and the Victory of Light, because
Victory has no alternative…

Prisoner of the Fatherland
Prince Bagrat Galstanyan

21.03.2026

On the feast of our Saint Gregory the Illuminator
the terrible suffering and going into the hospital

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Blessing the faithful and amid applause, the leader of the Shirak Diocese, Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan, entered the Church of the Holy Mother of God (Seven Wounds) in Gyumri for the first time after his arrest to participate in the Sunday liturgy.

According to the court’s decision, the reverend was allowed to participate in Sunday liturgies and receive communion from March 18, but they have not yet given him the right to celebrate liturgy.

Let’s remind that a criminal case has been initiated against Archbishop Mikael Adjapahyan under the article of public appeals aimed at usurping power, violating territorial integrity, renouncing sovereignty or forcibly overthrowing the constitutional order. He was detained on June 28.
On February 6, the Court of Appeal replaced the priest’s preventive detention with house arrest.

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The public atmosphere of this spring will determine Armenia’s perspective. Vahe Hovhannisyan, a member of the “Alternative projects” group, wrote about this.

“If the investigator can ban the departure of the Catholicos of All Armenians from Armenia and his visit to Georgia, and the Armenian society is not upset by it, then something very important is wrong with us. We all understand that the decision-maker is not the investigator, but that is not the point. If the opposition political forces conducting an election campaign do not see in the ugliness of Vehapar a united revolt, a pressing problem of sending a united message to the people, a demand for a united reaction, then what is the value of that election campaign? If the intellectual circles of the country do not revolt, then what is it about? If the atmosphere in the country is like this 2.5 months before the elections, what kind of perception and impact should our best, competently prepared programs have? The government creates a new ugly reality every day, and the opposing political systems are always one day behind.

With such logic, we will realize what is happening after the known date. In such conditions, the society will understand what they are warning about today only in the fall. In the spring-summer phase of 2020, there were at most 15-20 people in public life who warned about the inevitable war. Everyone already knows what happened that fall, but they didn’t learn a lesson. No consequences. Now there is an acute problem: to change today’s indifferent atmosphere. The public atmosphere of April-May will determine the long-term perspective of Armenia.

Developing and presenting programs is very important, but what is crucial is the public atmosphere in which these programs are presented. And today’s atmosphere in Armenia depicts an unclear, uncertain perspective for Armenia. Let’s change the atmosphere, involve new layers in this work, get out of team or personal egocentrism, and the atmosphere will change, bringing with it success,” he wrote.

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Political scientist Arman Grigoryan, a professor at Lehigh University in the USA, wrote: “If the front page of the New York Times, the mouthpiece of the American and American Jewish establishment, looks like this today (see below), one can only imagine how much more deplorable the situation is in reality. I draw the attention of a couple of fartsovshchik to this, who recently made some judgments about the value of my diplomas, because I predicted on the second day of the war that this war would not end with the desired result of its initiators, and because they heard other things on television.

Let me share a couple of interesting pieces of information about the progress of the war to the Farzovshchiks and others, so that we are not limited to the headlines on the front page of the New York Times.

1. US Secretary of Defense (sorry, war) Pete Hegsett, who could actually be trusted with a job as a personal trainer at Maximum Gold’s Gym, sent a request to Congress a couple of days ago for $200 billion in additional funding because Iran turns out not to be Venezuela. It is equivalent to increasing the American military budget by 20 percent.

2. The Gerald Ford aircraft carrier limps back to the US because a fire broke out in the aircraft carrier’s laundry room. Can you imagine, the fire that broke out in the laundry could not be extinguished for about 30 hours and the fire caused such destruction that the aircraft carrier became non-combatable. Let’s add that if the Americans claim that it was not the result of an Iranian missile attack, but a fire in the laundry room, we have no reason to doubt the information given by the Americans, because the Americans never lie.

3. Iran’s non-existent air defenses shot down an F-35. The plane did not crash, but managed to make an emergency landing, but that is secondary. It is important that $450 billion was spent on the creation of this fighter model and it should be absolutely invisible and invulnerable. It turns out that he is not invisible and invulnerable. Experts inform that this event caused a very serious commotion in the American military establishment. Meanwhile, the plane was hit by an Iranian missile.

4. There is currently no way to open the Strait of Hormuz. Allies sent one after another to Trump when he asked them to send their fleets to open the strait.

5. There are reliable reports that despite the claims that Iran is on the verge of destroying its entire military potential, including its missile arsenal, Iran’s leaders do not want to hear about a truce, and are increasingly tightening the demands that must be met if the Americans and Israel want a truce.

6. Trump’s threat issued a while ago that if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz, they will attack Iran’s power plants and energy system also speaks of the hopelessness of the American situation. In other words, as I wrote a few days ago, Americans will be faced with the choice of either packing up their tents or turning to barbarism. Iran’s leaders responded that if something like this happens, they will attack the Persian Gulf oil wells and water desalination systems. The threat is entirely credible, so Trump’s attack on Iran’s energy system would be simply insane. Its insanity is clear to everyone, and it is this that shows how limited Trump’s choice is and in what mire that fool has found himself together with his master, Netanyahu.

7. Another expression of desperation is the talk of deploying some 2,500 or 5,000-strong contingent of marines with the task of opening the strait. They didn’t believe that we said that nothing would happen with the air force. But the problem is also that this contingent will not make a difference if they are sent.

8. A couple of pieces of information from the genre of unintentional humor. Pete Hegsett, a knight of the laws of logic, revealer of hard-to-reach truths and a great strategist of our time, announced that day that the only obstacle to the opening of the Strait of Hormuz is Iran (!!!) and that if Iran opens the strait, there will be no more problems. Callas was not enough for us, now we have to start following the flashes of this idiot’s mind on a daily basis so that we don’t suddenly miss something. The other one is even better. Another member of Trump’s cabinet informed that they removed the ban on selling oil to Iran, because in this case the price of oil will fall in the international market, which will harm Iran!! I simply rule out the existence of such idiots in the governments of North Korea or Turkmenistan.

9. While we are talking about the price of oil and sanctions, the sanctions were also lifted from the Russians and the Russians are now making $170 million extra money on oil per day.

There’s a lot more to write, but it’s getting too long. To be continued next.”

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1919 was an important and at the same time difficult period in the history of the Republic of Armenia. The country had just declared independence, but it was facing both external political challenges and serious internal socio-economic problems. Under these conditions, the authorities of the republic tried to gain international support, strengthen the state structures and protect the territorial integrity of the country.

At the same time, the situation inside Armenia continued to be extremely difficult. The internal situation of the country became more complicated due to wars, a large flow of emigrants, famine and difficult economic conditions. The press of the time, the memoirs of intellectuals document that especially in Yerevan, it was a chaotic situation, there were orphans, emigrants everywhere, on the other hand, various epidemics were reaping abundantly in the republic and especially in Yerevan.

In that difficult situation, the press of the time also criticized the country’s leadership and accused them of omissions in a number of areas.

In 1919, the famous Armenian writer Axel Bakunts lived in Yerevan and was a correspondent for a number of newspapers of that region. Bakunts stayed in Yerevan and worked in newspapers until September 1919. His activities coincided with the difficult period of 1919. In Bakunt’s correspondence, we also find articles about the situation in Yerevan. In one of his articles, Bakunts presents that Georgian and Azerbaijani agents roamed freely in Yerevan at that time. Below is the full article.

«THE GUESTS

Yerevan is full of suspicious guests. All the suspicious elements exiled from Georgia arrive here, along with them the agents of Georgia and Azerbaijan also come to us and roam the streets of the capital freely.

To this day, no one has been deported from our territory, although their conspiratorial activities are obvious. All the khans and begs, who organized the massacre and deportation of the Armenian people last year, remain calm and live.

There is no doubt that the latest attempts of the Tatar uprising are led by such people from Yerevan.

And the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not resort to any means to neutralize the heart of the rebellion.

How to explain this criminal indifference? With weakness or with the patience of republican orders?

A new state, surrounded by enemies and ravaged by internal rebellion, cannot tolerate agents from a foreign power within its borders.

Moreover, all those elements who are hostile to our cause and demands shall leave this country and go to another place which is dear to them. Is it permissible that a certain “socialist” K., who tries to prove in long articles that the Armenian Karabakh is an inseparable part of Azerbaijan, or another “internationalist”-socialist A. and a member of the Armenian parliament, who declares that Georgians have the right and should rule Lori (for the sake of Armenian Menshevik specific internationalism), is it possible that such types, agents of Denikin and Ramishvili, who are different from Tajik agents, can “act” freely and even take office in our so hated country? B. July 31.” (“Nork”, 1989, N 5).

The events of 1919 show how difficult the state was. Axel Bakuntsi’s publications are also important testimonies of that period. This article reflects the concern that was widespread in society. with the country’s security, internal instability and external influences.

Similar articles give a chance to better imagine not only the political events, but also the concerns of the society of that region, the anxieties of the people and the dangers facing the newly created state.

Z. Sh:i was late

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Your son will live in this map, take that into account. Nikol Pashinyan said this while arguing with a woman from Artsakh in the subway, showing the RA map brooch.

In response, Pashinyan’s wife from Artsakh said, “You will not let us live in our Artsakh?” You cannot deprive us of our hope to live in Artsakh”

“We have done everything for you to live in Artsakh, Karabakh.

In 2023, it was you who accused me of closing the borders so that the people would not come to Armenia. And you demanded me to open the borders and said that it was specially closed so that the people from Karabakh would not come, now you have come here, you say, wow, we want to return. We spent the billions earned by the citizens of Armenia so that you could stay there, why didn’t you stay? Next time, don’t try to say that I gave away Karabakh with the fugitives,” Pashinyan said.

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The band’s music attracted the attention of critics with an interesting fusion of heavy rock and Armenian spiritual music. How was the legendary rock band “Ayas” founded, why was the concert interrupted and the curtains pulled down? Talk about it we are composer, group founder, soloist Artur Mitinyan with.

– You founded “Ayas” in 1986., what was the atmosphere like then?, and how dare you start a rock band?

– I started playing rock music in the 1980s and my first band was called “Elips”, then I worked in “Asparez” in 1983-1986, then I created “Ayas”. People felt freedom and at that time there was a very big movement near us.

I am often asked why I use Armenian music. I answer that a musician should first of all use his own music. In the case of well-known groups, you immediately feel whether they are English, French or Greek. If an Armenian band plays magnificently, but in an American style, it is no longer an interesting band. Armenian music is very rich. We have our lathe, which is called tetrakhord. Armenian music is divided into three parts. Gusana, folk and church. If you take half of Gusana and half of folk music, it’s already interesting. Until now, we work in that style. 1988 the German press recognized ours as one of the top 10 bands of the USSR.

– In those years, rock was not accepted.

– Yes, it was not accepted for us. I remember when I was studying at the Conservatory and I wrote a score (joint notation of all voices of a polyphonic piece of music: instrumental, choral or vocal-instrumental), it was removed during the exam and I got a 3. It’s still good that they put 3. The composers were sitting when the sad sound of the organ, everyone was listening, then when the guitar was played, one of the composers said: “Oh man, what’s going on?” They didn’t accept it then, but now they say, “Well, we’ve been listening to rock for 40 years.”

– yours to the group a lot are to criticize, the reason the music? was, or persons.

– We can say both. We have oriental music from the beginning to the end, there are only notebooks.

– How did you decide the name of the group?

– The idea of ​​the group’s name is Lev Hovhannisyan, the director of the “Debut” youth theater. “Ayas” was one of the major ports of Cilicia.

– They criticized the ideology of your songs, banned performances, even lowered the curtain during one of the concerts: OWhat song was it during?

– 1985 I was still working with “Asparez”, one of the works was called “The Old Man and the Ship”, which was written on the basis of the work of an unknown Armenian author of the 9th century, and the Creator was mentioned, a communist came to me and said that you should remove this work just for that word. We refused. When that piece was played in the Russian Drama Theater named after Stanislavsky, the curtain was immediately closed. In the case of words, heavy music, there was a conversation at that time. They did that for one word.

By the way, the conditions were more relaxed in Armenia, for example, I have a friend in Russia, he printed 2-3 pages from the Bible, he was imprisoned for 3 years.

I remember once they called us to ask what we were singing about, we said that it was the poems of Sevak, Charents, Shiraz, they said you can go. But we lied, there was no such thing.

– You are the author of the world’s first “Beatles forever” rock ballet.

– 2005 I was invited to Samara because they were in a very bad situation, one of the composers was unable to write the rock symphony, they had to answer to the ministry, and I had to save that situation. I wrote a rock ballet in 5 months and the performance took place in 2006. on May 31.

– Did doors not open for you after that?

– Of course they opened. It turned out that they invited me to write a rock opera, because I had already written a rock ballet, and it meant that I understood something, and in 2013 A rock opera was written on the basis of Nar-Dos’s story “Me and He”. The premiere took place in 2014. in Abovyan’s theater. We worked for 8 months and received 20,000 drams.

– Can you make money now?

– I don’t think about that. The members of my band work without a penny, they don’t earn money playing rock, they do other jobs for a living, but they come to play because they can’t live without music.

– And don’t you earn money to live?

– I give online lessons, I work in my favorite profession – music.

– You are a member of both RA and RF composers’ union. Is your potential fully used in both countries?

– Before it was normal, now in Moscow it has completely mixed up, new conditions have been put forward. They pass new laws all the time.

– The group is still active, and do you perform?

– The last time we performed was last year. We rarely perform because our works are a bit difficult, we want them to be of high quality.

– Can we consider rock music a favorite genre of teenagers and young people?

– We can’t. I remember in 2008 After my author’s evening, my friend called to say that my 86-year-old mother is your biggest fan, she listens to your music. Indeed, there are many people who are 70-80 years old and listen to us.

Not to mention our neighbors. They have been listening to rock songs for 40 years and they don’t complain.

– What did you change in people’s thinking in the 1980s and what would you like to change through music now?

– I like Handel’s words that he said. “I would be unhappy if only people liked my music. I want them to gain strength and become good after my music.” In the 1980s, when rock came out, people felt freedom, because before that everything was closed.

I wanted to show the world that Armenians are also strong in rock. I would like people to become stronger after my music, to believe in the bright future of Armenia.

– Are there any problems that you would like to address with music?

– I used to have it, now I don’t. I lived in Moscow for a while, when in 2007 I returned to Armenia and saw that life had become more interesting, as they said, the situation is bad.

– Years ago, when we were talking, you said that you wrote the opera “Tigran the Great”, but there were financial problems. Where did you get to?

– The problem still exists. We need money to pay people. I know many performers who will run and participate, but they must receive some kind of salary. There will be an orchestra, many people will participate, a lot of money is needed. I’m ready, there must be a sponsor. Won’t people get 20,000 drams every time?

– Al. Is there a connection with the National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet named after Spendiaryan, do they know that such a rock opera exists?

– There was a connection, I showed it several times, but there was still a financial problem. They said, they will present it with great pleasure, but there is no finance. It was Konstantin Orbelyan at that time. It’s just that this is a unique genre, a rock band must participate, there must be equipment. I have everything at home, but it is not enough, the theater should have its own. Then there is a bit of ballet along with the opera, so it’s difficult.

Even 2-3 years ago, we went to the Ministry of CGMS, because we were invited to Sweden, they said that they would be happy to help, but now there is no opportunity. I should mention that a very famous Swedish company is inviting us to Sweden for two projects. They told me that if he invites, then he should send money.

But it won’t happen like that, they have created good conditions for us, yes, let’s go and live at our own expense, but we need help, we need a lot of money. The group is invited to release a CD, which will be a big step for us.

And I’m not talking about the opera now, because it happened that, for example, they wanted to stage my rock ballet in Liverpool, the former president of the Republic of Armenia Armen Sarkissian had to do the whole thing, he gave 25,000 sterling, it was not enough, but it was normal for the first step. However, he left everything, came to Armenia, became the president, and the history of Liverpool was closed like that.

– He became the president, he forgot you.

– Well, he was busy with other things. The revolution also happened, it got completely mixed up.

– You can remind me that he is gone.

– My inner voice says that it won’t work. We have to find another way.

– Do you have new projects?

– I work a lot. I write church music, I also write for string quartet. I work in several genres at once.

– If you were to start your musical journey again, would it be from the same point?

– Of course. And rock again. This style is mine. Rock and classical music are very related. There would be no rock without classical music. Even when the rock encyclopedia was published, Bach’s name was next to famous bands.

At one time it was said that “The Beatles” stopped the third world history. They said it right because people didn’t know what to hear.

– Maybe rock will save the whole world even now.

– Definitely. People need to understand what is happening, the brain should work in the right direction.

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