10:11,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Tbilisi, Georgia.
The Armenian Prime Minister will participate in the 4th Tbilisi Silk Road Forum on October 26.
PM Pashinyan will also have a meeting with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili.
10:14,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. In the framework of the 15th anniversary of the ReAnimania International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival of Yerevan, a momentous and unprecedented event has unfolded in the modern history of Armenian Animation.
On October 25, at the National Cinema Center of Armenia, the Armenian OnOff studio signed a memorandum of cooperation with two international companies at once, thus entering the international co-production platform. This achievement represents a significant milestone in Armenian animation history, which will contribute to the development of the animation film art and bolster Armenia's unique standing in the field.
OnOff Studio's first memorandum was signed with Lithuania's Broom Films for the co-production of the feature-length animated film "ZAKO," directed by Tigran Arakelyan, the co-founder of OnOff. The memorandum was signed by Susanna Khachatryan, Executive Producer at OnOff, and Juste Michailinaite, the director of Broom Films.
According to Vrej Kassouny, Founder & Director of the ReA International Animation Film & Comics Art Festival, these collaborations represent a significant achievement for Armenia, Armenian Animation, and Armenian Cinema.
"It is a great honor for us to see that the 'ReAnimania' festival, founded 15 years ago, is fulfilling its purpose. Today, we are pleased to witness that the festival has become a bridge connecting international companies and Armenian creators, Armenian companies. Animation is a complex art form, and its development in Armenia has been progressing steadily but with measured and smooth steps. I am confident that thanks to such partnerships and achievements, this process will accelerate. This is a momentous achievement for all of us."
Susanna Khachatryan, Executive Producer at OnOff, underscores the importance of foreign partners taking the initiative in forging such collaborations.
“We have created and developed a unique VR application technology that has garnered attention from various companies and individuals in the animation world. Our Projects, not yet fully realized, are already in high demand. International co-productions are vital for the development of the animation art in Armenia, and these collaborations hold significant value for all of us”.
Khachatryan also emphasized that the collaboration with French companies is a major milestone, particularly because France is experiencing a boom in animation development.
The second memorandum with French leading TCHACK company, was signed by Susanna Khachatryan and Barbara Vougnon, producer at TCHACK.
“We are very delighted for this collaboration, the new connections we have made and warm welcoming. We would also like to extend our gratitude to Vrej Kassouny for providing us with this exceptional opportunity," said Vougnon.
Within the framework of the memorandum, the Armenian and French companies will cooperate in the production of two films. The short animated film "LONG LIVE THE HOLIDAYS" and the feature- length animated film "MARYAM & VARTO" will be developed and produced, authored by Gorune Aprikian and directed by Luciano Lepinay and Gorune Aprikian.
"We are thrilled to embark on this collaboration with OnOff. The OnOff team employs exceptional techniques in their creative work, which play a crucial role in the animation industry. This partnership goes beyond mere production and technical cooperation; it is a creative venture, and that is what truly matters. Together, we aim to contribute to the creation of a valuable piece of work, not just another movie," said Gorune Aprikian.
Film production is scheduled to start at the end of this year.
10:33,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly has visited Jermuk.
Joly’s first stop in the Armenian town was the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) operating base.
“It is a pleasure to be here in Jermuk, looking forward to learning more about the work that has been done by the EU mission which Canada is joining. Canada is the first country outside of EU joining this mission. So, we’ll be talking about the logistics, how we can integrate this important mission which is important to address the humanitarian issues in the region but also the fact that it is important to bring much peace and stability,” the Canadian FM said during a meeting with EUMA observers.
Joly will then visit Armenian military outposts.
She will also meet with forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh.
This article is the second in a series about the fall of Artsakh, its humanitarian consequences and relief efforts, based on Lillian Avedian’s on-the-ground reporting from Armenia in October 2023.
Dr. Nyree Derderian has led the Armenian Relief Society (ARS) humanitarian efforts in response to six crises in Armenia and the diaspora, but she says the latest and last one of her term as the ARS chairperson hurts the most.
Over 100,000 Armenians have been displaced after Azerbaijan launched a full-scale military offensive on Artsakh on September 19. The attack, which caused widespread destruction to civilian homes and settlements and killed at least 200 Artsakh soldiers and civilians, forced the Artsakh Defense Army to disband and the Armenian leadership of Artsakh to dissolve all state institutions.
Almost the entire Armenian population of Artsakh has now been forcibly displaced to Armenia, where nonprofit organizations have mobilized rapidly to meet their immediate needs and organize their integration into Armenia’s society and economy. The Armenians of Artsakh are also emerging from a devastating, near 10-month blockade that created severe shortages of food, medicine, hygiene products and other basic necessities and has left many with health complications and nutrition deficiency. In Armenia, they are facing a severe humanitarian crisis, with pressing challenges including sustenance, housing, job placement and skills training.
A group picture of the ARS members, including former chairperson Dr. Nyree Derderian (front row, second from left)
“During the 10-month blockade, whenever we spoke to our ungerouhies in Artsakh, at the end of every phone call, they would say, pind gatsek. Stay strong. Even after this last attack on September 19-20, when we knew it was close to the end and there would be another capitulation, they were still saying, pind gatsek,” Derderian said. Yet now, after aiding Artsakh’s Armenians after three rounds of displacement over the years, she is observing an unprecedented level of pain and fear in the eyes of the displaced.
Derderian’s term as ARS chair expired in October 2023, when the international organization elected a new Central Executive Board led by Arousyak Melkonian. To date, the ARS has distributed one month’s supply of food to 1,000 families displaced from Artsakh. The food includes flour, lentils, rice, macaroni, wheat, barley, cooking oil, sugar, tea and salt. The ARS also provided the families with hygiene products, including toilet paper, dish soap, shampoo, bath soap, dishwashing detergent, laundry detergent, feminine products and diapers.
The ARS has now joined forces with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), Hamazkayin and Homenetmen to coordinate efforts to aid the displaced. They are considering projects such as gift cards for grocery stores that are sustainable to implement in the long term.
Integrating displaced people into a new society is a complex process that requires long-term strategy and continuous funding. The displaced left behind most of their possessions and clothing in Artsakh. They are trying to build new homes without furniture or kitchen tools. Some families are sleeping on the floor in unfurnished houses. Many families do not have blankets or warm clothing for the impending cold months. Aid workers agree that these basic necessities need to be fulfilled as quickly as possible.
ARS members from across the world volunteering to aid Artsakh refugees
However, after the short-term mobilization to provide humanitarian aid passes, difficult challenges await. A primary concern is job placement and skills training for the displaced. During Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh, 40-percent of businesses in Artsakh suspended their activities, and more than 90-percent of private sector workers lost their jobs, according to official data. Many people have not had the opportunity to work for 10 months.
Derderian says that people from Artsakh have come to Armenia eager to find work. The ARS is considering how to collect an inventory of available jobs or create new jobs in Armenia for the displaced from Artsakh. “We want to [help] make them constructive figures within society. We don’t want to turn them to begging and homelessness,” Derderian said.
The housing crisis is another issue with hidden complexities requiring visionary solutions. Thousands of displaced people from Artsakh remain in temporary housing. The Armenian government has said that it is providing housing for about 68,000 people in abandoned buildings, hotels and houses. Many people who the government assistance has not reached are still staying in temporary shelters hastily converted from empty schools, offices and other buildings, provided by nonprofit organizations.
Volunteers deliver bags of dry food
The ARS has been assisting families with finding housing and paying rent. For instance, it converted a building at a Dilijan campground into four housing units for four families, supplying them with new refrigerators, gas stoves and heaters. The ARS has also connected families with Armenians in the diaspora who have offered their empty summer houses to the displaced.
Families who have decided to rent houses or apartments have faced exorbitant prices. Landlords have been raising the rent of a house or apartment after learning that it will be inhabited by a family from Artsakh. A two-bedroom house that used to cost 100,000 drams ($250 USD) to rent now costs 300,000 ($745 USD) or 400,000 drams ($1,000 USD).
“They’re raising the rent to insure they get the highest amount they can possibly receive from Artsakhtsis, knowing they will be receiving aid from overseas as well as from the government,” Derderian said.
Yet Derderian cautions that it is not sufficient to place individual families in houses, without considering the preservation of their ties to their extended families and neighbors. Amid the chaos of the mass displacement from Artsakh, people from the same towns and villages were dispersed across Armenia. These are tight-knit communities that, during the blockade of Artsakh, relied on each other to share scarce supplies of food and resources for survival, as well as to offer support and comfort. These networks of mutual care, which people had depended on for their material and psychological well-being, have now been torn apart.
Derderian suggests placing displaced families and their neighbors from their hometowns and villages within close proximity to each other. Existing villages that can be expanded, or villages whose populations have been depleted due to migration, can be identified for housing people from Artsakh and recreating their communities from home.
ARF Eastern U.S. Central Committee chair Ani Tchaghlasian and member Harry Glorikian volunteering at the Aram Manoukian Youth Center
Lifestyle and profession must also be taken into account. People who worked in farming in Artsakh’s rural regions can be offered arable land to resume their agricultural activities, Derderian says. For people who lived in Artsakh’s capital city Stepakert accustomed to urban life and trained for urban jobs, she suggests creating a satellite city.
“We want to integrate them in the right way, even if that includes keeping them together as communities,” Derderian said.
The Armenian government has allocated 30 billion drams, about $75 million USD, to assist displaced people with securing housing. Displaced people can apply to receive 50,000 drams, about $125 USD, a month until March 2024 to pay rent and utility bills. Every displaced person has also been promised a one-off cash payment of 100,000 drams ($250). Many of the refugees I interviewed have not received the cash payment yet.
Derderian urged a long-term strategy to secure permanent housing beyond the next six months. “The reality is, if the government starts passing out its six month’s promised aid to Artsakh Armenians, what’s going to happen in that seventh month? We’re going to have another housing crisis. We’re going to have another food crisis. We’re going to have another medical crisis on our hands, or we’re going to have the fear of them leaving the country, which is something we don’t want,” Derderian said.
Gev Iskajyan, the executive director of the Armenian National Committee of Artsakh, says that effectively addressing issues like job placement and capacity building is a more difficult and serious task than providing immediate relief. “I’m not too worried about temporary housing, about getting them food, supplies and clothes, because that will reach everybody. My fear is, how do they integrate into the society, both psychologically going through what they’ve been through, and also, what do you do?” Iskajyan posed. “Where do you work? Where do you settle your family down? Where do you afford rent?”
ARS members package dry foods for distribution
Aid workers have directed their call for long-term solutions and strategies not only to the Armenian government, but also to the diaspora. There is a lot of attention on Armenia from the Armenian diaspora right now, among people who are concerned about the humanitarian crisis and eager to help. Yet aid workers say that, in order to create a sustainable system for responding effectively to crises and resolve the structural challenges to securing people’s well-being, the diaspora’s engagement must last beyond the present emergency.
“You get a finite amount of attention during a crisis, even amongst Armenians, but when that dies down, the real difficult journey ahead still exists,” Iskajyan said. “One of my biggest fears is, when we’re in crisis, we’re a really good nation in terms of uniting around things. When we’re not, when there’s no acute threat in front of us, that dies down, but there’s still people that need to be served.”
The ARS has raised about one million dollars from Armenians around the world to address the humanitarian needs of the displaced. Derderian feels grateful and inspired by these donations, yet she urges people to donate to the ARS even when there is no emergency. “When there’s a crisis, everyone thinks about donating to the ARS, because we’re one of the organizations that makes a promise and keeps it,” she said. “During days of peace, when it’s quiet and everything is calm, we’re quite overlooked.”
A group picture of the ARS members at the Aram Manoukian Youth Center
During Derderian’s term as chairperson of the ARS Central Executive Board from October 2019-October 2023, the board responded to six different calamities facing Armenia and its diaspora, including in Lebanon and Artsakh. While the ARS has learned how to efficiently mobilize when faced with an emergency, Derderian says that in terms of raising funds, “every crisis is a start from zero.” She believes that if the ARS had a reserve fund, made up of consistent donations in peacetime, it would be financially viable and better prepared to respond to disasters.
I visited the Aram Manoukian Youth Center in central Yerevan, where the ARS set up its operation to pack and distribute food to displaced Armenians from Artsakh. About two dozen women in blue shirts emblazoned with the ARS logo clustered around tables and in corners in a room the size of a small bedroom to package food, before loading the food and supplies onto trucks for distribution.
“When my homeland is unhappy, I’m also unhappy,” Hayastan Yeghiazarian, whose name means Armenia, told me while shoveling rice into plastic bags.
Yeghiazarian has been a member of the ARS chapter of Malatia-Sebastia, a district of Yerevan, since 1991. She attended the opening of the network of ARS “Sosseh” kindergartens in Stepanakert in 1998. All 12 kindergartens are now under Azerbaijani control and have ceased operations. “We can’t look at those pictures,” she said in a mournful tone. “Those happy days. These bitter times.”
Packages of food and hygiene supplies at the Aram Manoukian Youth Center
Iskajyan was also volunteering for the ARS, carrying heavy bags of food. Iskajyan spent the duration of Azerbaijan’s blockade living in Stepanakert as the executive director of the ANC in Artsakh. Although he is a United States citizen, leaving Artsakh never crossed his mind. While he is grappling with the trauma of living under blockade and witnessing war, he has devoted himself to aiding the displaced Armenian population from Artsakh.
Iskajyan said he moved to Artsakh after watching the 44-day war in Artsakh in the fall of 2020 from abroad. “If there’s an existential threat, I want to be in the heart of it,” he said. “I know I would feel worse if I was watching it from the outside, as opposed to being on the ground. It actually made my soul feel much more calm, regardless of what the difficulties were.”
In the days following the fall of Artsakh on September 19, Armenians from across the diaspora made the rapid decision to travel to Armenia and join volunteer efforts. Among them is 31-year-old Garineh Torossian, who within two days booked her flight along with her friend from Sydney, Australia to Yerevan, Armenia and contacted family members to gather donations. She ultimately collected over 200 pounds of warm winter clothing and underclothing to donate to the ARS. I met her while she was volunteering at the Aram Manoukian Center just one day after her flight landed.
“It was a very easy decision. It was really a no-brainer, a reflex,” she said.
Torossian has volunteered in Armenia in the past with the AYF Youth Corps and the ANCA. She’s a member of the ARS “Sosseh” chapter in Sydney.
“We’ve been through a painful history. We’ve been through a lot of displacement. Unfortunately, it’s inbuilt in us, these reflexes, this notion of giving back,” she reflected.
ARS logo on a box ready for delivery
Friday,
Armenia, Azerbaijan Urged To Finalize Peace Deal In 2023
Belgium - European Union flags flutter outside the European Commission
headquarters in Brussels, June 5, 2020.
The European Union urged Armenia and Azerbaijan on Friday to finalize a
bilateral peace agreement before the end of this year.
The EU’s decision-making Council discussed the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict,
among other issues, at a two-day meeting held in Brussels.
“The European Council underlines the importance of ensuring the rights and
security of the Karabakh Armenians, including those who wish to return to their
homes,” it said in a concluding statement. “It supports the Brussels
normalization process and calls on the Parties to engage in good faith and to
finalize this process by the end of this year.”
Council President Charles Michel said the 27-nation bloc is “determined” to
continue its efforts to broker such a deal.
“We had a strategic exchange on this subject, it was important to be well
coordinated,” Michel told a news conference in Brussels.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev
had been expected to sign a document laying out the key parameters of a peace
treaty at a meeting with Michel and the leaders of Germany and France slated for
October 5. However, Aliyev withdrew from the talks at the last minute, citing
pro-Armenian statements made by French officials. Michel said afterwards that
the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders will likely hold a trilateral meeting with
him in Brussels later in October.
Armenian and EU officials confirmed on Thursday that the rescheduled meeting
will not take place in the coming days. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat
Mirzoyan said Aliyev “did not find the time” for it.
Yerevan maintains that the main hurdle to the signing of the peace treaty is
Baku’s reluctance to recognize Armenia’s existing borders. The two sides
continue to disagree on mechanisms for delimiting the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border.
Russia has been very critical of Western peace efforts, saying that their main
goal is to drive Moscow out of the South Caucasus. The Russian Foreign Ministry
on Thursday chided Yerevan for preferring the EU mediation and declining Russian
offers to host more Armenian-Azerbaijani talks.
Armenian Official Downplays Tensions With Moscow
• Aza Babayan
Armenia - Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanian speaks to journalists in
Syunik, July 28, 2023.
Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanian on Friday downplayed Armenia’s
unprecedented tensions with Russia and insisted that Yerevan is not radically
changing its traditional foreign policy.
“It’s a normal working process,” Kostanian told News.am. “The two partners have
questions to each other, and we are clarifying things through diplomats.”
He also reiterated Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s recent assurances that he
has no plans to change the “vector” of Armenian foreign policy.
Speaking to the Wall Street Journal this week, Pashinian reiterated that his
government is now trying to “diversify” that policy because Russia and the
Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) have not honored
their security commitments to Armenia. But he made clear that Yerevan is not
considering demanding the withdrawal of Russian troops from the country even if
it sees no “advantages” in their presence.
An estimated 4,000 Russian soldiers backed up by MiG-29 fighter jets,
helicopters and long-range air-defense systems are currently stationed in the
South Caucasus state in accordance with bilateral treaties. One of those
treaties signed in 2010 extended their presence until 2044.
Citing senior Russian lawmakers, the Moscow daily Izvestia suggested on Friday
that Yerevan cannot shut down the Russian military base before that time at
will. The pro-Kremlin paper argued that another Russian-Armenian agreement,
signed in 1995, stipulates that time frames for a possible pre-term closure of
the base must be jointly agreed upon by the two sides.
The Russian Foreign Ministry accused Pashinian late last month of seeking to
ruin Russian-Armenian relations and reorient his country towards the West.
Earlier in September, it deplored “a series of unfriendly steps” taken by
Yerevan. Moscow reacted rather cautiously to the latest criticism voiced by
Pashinian.
Hungarian FM Makes Fence-Mending Visit To Armenia
Armenia - Hungary's Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto at a joint news conference
with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan, Yerevan, .
Hungary’s foreign minister did not deny that his country blocked a collective
condemnation by the European Union member states of Azerbaijan’s recent military
offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh as he visited Armenia on Friday to complete the
normalization of bilateral ties.
Armenia’s former leadership froze diplomatic relations with Hungary in 2012
after Hungarian authorities controversially extradited to Azerbaijan an
Azerbaijani army officer who hacked to death a sleeping Armenian colleague in
Budapest in 2004. The officer, Ramil Safarov, whom a Hungarian court sentenced
to life imprisonment in 2006, was pardoned, rewarded and promoted by Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev on his return to Azerbaijan.
The Hungarian government claimed to have received prior assurances by Baku that
Safarov would serve the rest of his life sentence in an Azerbaijani prison.
Yerevan dismissed that explanation.
The current Armenian government decided to restore the diplomatic ties last year
even though Hungary never apologized for Safarov’s release and continued to
support Azerbaijan in the Karabakh conflict. Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan
and his Hungarian counterpart Peter Szijjarto reached an agreement to that
effect when they met in Poland in December 2022. Yerevan and Budapest appointed
non-resident ambassadors to each other’s country earlier this year.
Hungary -- Thousands of people protest against the government's decision to
extradite soldier Ramil Safarov, in Budapest, 04Sep2012
Visiting Yerevan, Szijjarto emphasized the “Christian heritage and Christian
faith” shared by the two nations.
“This is the easiest foundation based on which we can rebuild this
relationship,” he told Mirzoyan at the start of their talks. He also voiced
support for Armenia’s efforts to deepen ties with the EU.
Szijjarto’s visit came one month after the Azerbaijani offensive that restored
Baku’s full control over Karabakh and forced its entire ethnic Armenian
population to flee to Armenia.
“The EU condemns the military operation by Azerbaijan against the Armenian
population of Nagorno-Karabakh and deplores the casualties and loss of life
caused by this escalation,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a
September 21 statement.
Rikard Jozwiak, RFE/RL’s Europe editor, reported that the statement was due to
be issued by the EU’s 27 member states but that Hungary blocked it. The
Azerbaijani news agency Trend likewise cited “sources in European diplomatic
circles” as saying that Budapest vetoed its adoption.
Szijjarto commented vaguely on the issue during a joint news conference with
Mirzoyan. He said only that Borrell is free to make statements on various issues
and that the Hungarian government does not think it necessary to “agree on what
he should say on behalf of everyone.”
In an October 5 resolution, the European Parliament accused Azerbaijan of
committing “ethnic cleansing” against the Karabakh Armenians and called on the
EU to impose sanctions on Azerbaijani leaders.
HUNGARY - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (r) and Azerbaijani Presdent
Ilham Aliyev at a joint press conference in Budapest, January 30, 2023.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has long maintained a warm rapport
with Aliyev, spoke out against such sanctions the following day. He said
Azerbaijan is a “strategically important country” which is helping Europe reduce
its dependence on Russian natural gas.
“Without Azerbaijan we cannot have energy independence,” Orban told reporters
during an EU summit in Spain. “It’s a great country, we need them.”
Unlike other EU member states, Hungary has openly supported Azerbaijan in the
Karabakh conflict. The Hungarian Foreign Ministry reaffirmed that support three
days after the outbreak of the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war in Karabakh.
Shortly after the six-week war, Orban’s government encouraged Hungarian firms to
participate in infrastructure projects planned by Baku in areas recaptured by
the Azerbaijani army. Szijjarto said at the time that Hungary’s state-run
development bank is ready to lend them $100 million for that purpose.
Mirzoyan did not mention Hungary’s pro-Azerbaijani stance when he spoke at the
news conference with Szijjarto. Instead, he thanked Budapest for providing over
$100,000 worth of humanitarian aid to Karabakh refugees. Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian similarly called for closer Armenian-Hungarian ties “in various areas”
when he met with the Hungarian minister later in the day.
Nobody Charged In Renewed Probe Of 1999 Parliament Killings
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- People lay flowers at a memorial to the victims of the October 1999
deadly attack on the Armenian parliament, Yerevan, October 27, 2019.
Four years after reopening a criminal investigation into the 1999 deadly attack
on the Armenian parliament, law-enforcement authorities have identified no new
suspects in the high-profile case.
Five gunmen who burst into the National Assembly and sprayed it with bullets on
October 27, 1999, killing its speaker Karen Demirchian, Prime Minister Vazgen
Sarkisian and six other officials. The gunmen led by an obscure former
journalist, Nairi Hunanian, accused the Armenian government of corruption and
misrule and demanded regime change.
They surrendered to police after overnight negotiations with then President
Robert Kocharian. They were subsequently tried and sentenced to life
imprisonment. Hunanian insisted during his and his henchmen’s marathon trial
that he himself had decided to seize the parliament without anybody's orders.
Nevertheless, some relatives and supporters of the assassinated officials still
suspect Kocharian and his successor President Serzh Sarkisian (no relation to
Vazgen), who was Armenia’s national security minister in October 1999, of
masterminding the killings to eliminate powerful rivals. Both men repeatedly
dismissed such suggestions during and after a serious political crisis caused by
the killings.
In 2004, investigators formally stopped looking for other individuals possibly
involved in the attack, citing a lack of evidence. Armenia’s Office of the
Prosecutor-General overturned that decision in 2019.
In a statement released on Friday, the office acknowledged that nobody has been
indicted in the renewed investigation. But it stressed that the probe is still
not over, saying that investigators are continuing to conduct forensic tests and
examine documents as well as audios and videos relating to the case.
They have also interrogated about a dozen individuals, added the statement timed
to coincide with the 24th anniversary of the shootings. It did not name them.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian pledged to find and punish “organizers” of the
killings when he campaigned for the 2021 parliamentary elections. He pointed the
finger at Kocharian and Serzh Sarkisian, claiming that Armenian security
services had been aware that Hunanian and his men will carry out the attack. The
investigators have not publicly backed up Pashinian’s claim.
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.
09:00,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. German Member of the European Parliament Viola von Cramon-Taubadel believes that sanctions are the only way to restrain Azerbaijan’s aggressive steps against Armenia.
In an interview with Armenpress Brussels correspondent, the MEP spoke about possible assistance from Germany to Armenia, the opportunities for peace in South Caucasus and her latest visit to Armenia.
Azerbaijan carried out ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh and it seems to be digested. The reaction and actions of the EU during the days of the attack and forced displacement did not go beyond deep concerns. To what extent do you see the EU's share of guilt in all of this, considering that financial support cannot alleviate the tragedy that happened?
Absolutely. Well, I think this has three layers. First of all, there's only one guilty. This is Aliyev. Second of all, there's only one betrayer of Armenians and that is Russia, the so-called peacekeeping forces have not existed for the last three years. And third of all, for the EU it's very difficult because what we would like to see is that we work together with Armenia on a sustainable peace, and I think the whole intention why the EU has not gone for hard sanctions at that very moment against Azerbaijan, against Aliyev and his regime has deserved or have deserved that. We do not want the brokering, the mediation part to go to Russia or Turkey because we are very much afraid if we are now too tough and too biased, we give too much leverage or too much reason for Aliyev not to have a Brussels format. We've seen it already in Granada. We have seen it at other moments. And I think the EU has shown that the solidarity is fully with Armenia, that we will pay, that we will give financial contribution, that we will work on an economic plan, that we will make offers to bring Armenia closer to the EU, that we have an interest, that you can emancipate from Russia… But what I understand, and I wish we would have seen a tougher stand and a tougher formulation of sanctions and also deterrence to prevent Aliyev to go further because we don't know what he might have in mind. But the reason for this is understandable, is that if we kick ourselves completely out, the peace, hopefully soon, will be brokered by Turkey and Russia, and this is not in our interest.
As you said we don't know whatever Aliyev thinks or wants, but one thing we know very clearly is his expansionist policy. Do you think that the EU has the measures to take care of the security of Armenia, of Armenians? Even if, as you say, Russian forces have failed, beside this, realistically, if today Azerbaijan attacks Armenian sovereign territory, what can the EU do?
No, absolutely. And that is exactly this dilemma. I think if Aliyev knows that the next military attack he would provoke, be it on the enclaves or be it on the Zangezur corridor, he will face immediate sanctions, freezing his assets in London and Cyprus and Geneva wherever his family would not have access to all his real estate he had stolen over the years. I think this would make a difference, but since nothing is on the table, as you said, there's no deterrence. In fact, has the EU formulated anything else? I don't know. I mean, for me, on one hand i's a rich country. They live from the revenues of gas and oil export. But on the other hand, he also wants to be a legitimate leader, being accepted by the West. And we could hopefully behind closed doors make crystal clear: if you dare to think about attacking Armenia on their genuine territory, this must mean no more gas delivering to Europe. This would mean no more official contact. This would mean this and that. I do hope that this has taken place. But I'm not sure.
During his visit to Armenia, the chairman of the Bundestag's foreign relations committee said that if the aggression of Azerbaijan continues and there are attacks on the sovereign territory of Armenia, sanctions will be implemented, which are in the process of being developed. Are you aware of what kind of sanctions we are talking about and how realistic they are?
I was also surprised, positively surprised by that. And I know that my German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock was also in favour. She was trying to build an alliance on the European level. She has actually called for sanctions. But I've heard that there was no unity in the German government. So yes, I could imagine there are a couple of colleagues in the Bundestag who would be in favour and also in the cabinet. But so far, not everyone. And that is a problem, and that's why it is difficult if you raise expectations and Aliyev knows that some people will never follow, so he is safe and we have to play it very smartly to make sure that we have a safe bid on Armenia, that there will be no further attack, that there will be any kind of a sanctioned package which would be in place immediately. And that we stay credible, but I don't know what the chair of the Committee for Foreign Affairs actually meant, whether he meant European? German? intergovernmental? So I don't know, but it's good that he was speaking about this.
A few days ago, Armenia and France signed a military cooperation agreement, according to which France will provide Armenia with defensive ammunition. What can Germany do in case of aggression and attacks of Azerbaijan on the sovereign territory of Armenia?
Germany is normally very good when it comes to humanitarian support. For example, after the 2008 aggression of Russia against Georgia, it was Germany's GIZ which built settlements for the new refugees. So, I see Germany more in this role than supporting militarily. But I don't think that Germany would be against including Armenia into the European peace facilities, which means we could also deliver weapons to Armenia directly. Well, so far, I see that Germany does a lot and I came across with many projects. But financially, for the wintertime, for the time being, I mean we have met with many refugees and it needs quite a lot of effort before the winter kicks in and I mean we speak about this 2000 meters high places. The snow will be there soon and there are some people in need of accommodation. There are holes in the walls, so we have to find something else and make this winterproof.
For Aliyev, the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is over and there is nothing to discuss. For you, is this issue completely resolved or not?
Well, not, I mean what he has done is the most humiliating way of showing that he has military might. To make sure that people, not ethnic Armenians, did not trust him at all, not a single millimeter. That they had all left or had to leave. But some of them have left everything behind and maybe they want to come back. Maybe they want to look after [their belongings]. Maybe they want to just get some stuff out of their apartments or their houses and so on. And so, for them there needs to be a very unbureaucratic way of returning. Finally, also this should be possible without becoming an Azerbaijani citizen, and these things need to be ruled out. They need to be a regulation as soon as possible. I mean, I was standing at this highest peak where you could see over the situation, you could see how the Azerbaijani troops are, not only troops, but also the construction companies building up fences, roads, pipelines, crossing points. It was like ants, like so obviously they invaded and at the same moment they started falsifying, fortifying the borders in a speed which is unimaginable. And here I think the international community should make sure, that people, first people, who lived in Artsakh they need to have a chance to return at any time.
The tripartite meeting scheduled for the end of October in Brussels will not take place, Armenia has already announced that the postponement of the meeting was initiated by Azerbaijan. How would you interpret this behavior of Azerbaijan, taking into account the fact that Aliyev at the last moment refused to participate in the five-party meeting in Granada, which was also attended by Chancellor Olaf Scholz?
I don't know. It's for the third time. I guess it's postponed and they're playing on that and they will see whether they can get more out, as I said before, on a different format. They dream about the 3 + 3.
Do you think that this format matches better with Aliyev’s ambitions?
Absolutely, I think for Aliyev it's better. I think for him it would be better and he personally counts that he can get more out of this than of the EU brokered peace deal. So that is a little bit the dilemma we are in. On one hand, we have to have a stick for deterring him not to go a step further, on the other hand, we need a carrot that he can agree on this EU brokered deal. How would this look like? We need to see!
The EU’s agenda is much more focused on the possible Peace Treaty. How do you see this peace? How realistic is it for you? Can we really have the peace treaty with Azerbaijan?
No, no, no. I think it was always being pushed by Pashinyan. I understand this government is different to all the other governments, and for the first time, is really speaking about that, it's not our agenda, it's the agenda of the Armenian Government. They see they are a landlocked country. They finally want to have a new set of buttons reset. They really would like to have open borders with Turkey. They really would like to have access to all the countries around. They really would like to trade on the same level and now they need a peace treaty which would be accepted by Azerbaijan, so that Azerbaijan can signal to its partner Turkey: “Please open the borders and let Armenia have free passage and free access”. But for me this is the salami tactics. So now since the Karabakh issue has settled, they find something else. They find the enclave, they find the "Zangezur Corridor", they find something just to keep Armenia in this economically very vulnerable situation. And that is for me, really, absolutely unacceptable and this needs to be also raised in the public sphere, but it's not my agenda to have a peace treaty. I think it's for the Armenian people and the Armenian people deserve finally peace and they want to develop their country, but with Iran on one side, and Georgia is also a bit unsecure, I think it is actually very strategically smart of the government to say ‘we are ready for a peace deal’.
And last but not least, you were in Armenia recently with what kind of feelings are you back?
I am full in admiration and I have a huge respect of everyone in Armenia who managed to integrate 100,000 people within four days through one entry point. I mean, nobody could ever imagine having this in Germany. And in Germany we speak about 84,000,000 and here we speak about, I don't know 3 million maximum. So people managed without foreign help only by themselves, by volunteers, by very, very engaged people. To get these people who are, I mean, they were traumatized, they were exhausted, they didn't have enough food for the last eight months, nine months, they had no medical treatment and these people came and they were welcomed and they found the housing. So, the overall atmosphere was ‘we are proud, we can be proud of what we have achieved, it's good that you come and watch this, but we managed by our own’ and I think this is really incredible. This is really something which the world should know and now the next steps will be, as I said, I mean giving them a winter proof accommodation. Make sure that people have a second chance, if they want to stay, they get a second career life or education. They can integrate into the labour market and so on. And make sure the European Union is there to support, to help. Some people would need psychological treatment and all this needs to be organized for the next months to come, and there I hope to see bilateral help from the US, from Germany, from other countries, but also the EU should be the first partner so that the Armenian people see there's somebody from the West. Second thing is that Armenia has done a lot of reforms. Armenia has moved a lot into democracy, of course, not fully functional, but much more advanced than some of the other countries. Especially of course much more than Azerbaijan, but I would say even compared to Georgia, they have done a lot and this should be awarded by the EU. I think we should do much more to show the people that we have seen the improvements and be it on visa liberalization, I think we should talk about this association agreement, which was declined in 2013, maybe to have a resumption on this, be it on deepening the trade relations. And many more things. So, I think it is up to the EU now to come up with offers to show the people of Armenia: ‘We want you, we see that you would be our next welcomed partner’, something like this. I had so many interesting talks and nobody there was not a single complaint and a situation where, at least in Germany, I saw last winter everyone was complaining about higher energy prices, this and that and too many refugees on them and Armenia where it is definitely difficult, much more difficult than in this rich Germany. Nobody had ever mentioned one complaint. So, I mean, this is a role model for resiliency. Moldova is similar, but Armenia in this neighborhood, it's very difficult to sustain and to be so brave. And so, I am proud and inspired at the same moment.
Lilit Gasparyan
10:26,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. India is mulling over supplying a fresh batch of military equipment to Armenia after the successful delivery of the first batch of weapons over the past year, The Economic Times reported citing people with knowledge of the matter.
A senior Armenian official visited Delhi recently and held discussions in this regard, people with knowledge of the matter told ET. India has emerged as a credible weapons supplier as per Armenia's requirements, they said. Details of fresh supplies are not known yet but the consignment could include equipment that would help to create a deterrence amid the conflict-like situation with Azerbaijan, according to observers in Armenia, who did not wish to be identified.
The ET report described Armenia as India’s “strategic ally in Caucasus.”
In 2022, Armenia became the first foreign buyer of the Indian Pinaka long-range rocket-artillery system.
10:39,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó are holding a meeting in the Armenian Foreign Ministry headquarters in Yerevan.
“Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Hungary Péter Szijjártó arrived at the Foreign Ministry of Armenia. The tête-à-tête meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Hungary commenced and will be followed by the enlarged meeting,” foreign ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan said on Facebook.
11:36,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 27, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan commemorated on Friday the victims of the 1999 October 27 parliament shooting.
Pashinyan and Simonyan laid flowers at the memorial outside the parliament building honoring the assassinated politicians.
24 years ago on this day, five heavily armed gunmen led by Nairi Hunanyan stormed into the parliament while it was in session and assassinated Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, Speaker Karen Demirchyan, Deputy Speakers Yuri Bakhshyan and Ruben Miroyan, as well as three lawmakers and a Cabinet member. The gunmen held the remaining MPs hostage until surrendering to authorities the next day.
12:36,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had an informal meeting with Azerbaijan’s Prime Minister Ali Asadov on October 26 in Georgia, the Prime Minister’s Office said Friday.
Prime Minister Pashinyan visited Georgia on October 26 to participate in the 4th Tbilisi Silk Road Forum. Azerbaijan’s PM Ali Asadov also participated in the event.
“After the banquet, an informal contact took place between the prime ministers of Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.