Garo Paylan: A Voice for Peace Amid Rising Armenian-Azerbaijani Tensions

Baghdasarian Karlen
Jan 20 2024

In an era where war cries often drown out the voices of peace, one man, Garo Paylan, an ethnic Armenian member of the Turkish parliament, stands resolute against the waves of hostility. Paylan has taken a bold stance, publicly criticizing the Turkish government’s war propaganda tied to the ongoing military operations by Azerbaijan against Armenia and Artsakh.

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, a bone of contention between Armenia and Azerbaijan, has seen tensions rise to an alarming level. Despite global pleas for a ceasefire and peaceful resolution, the region is teetering on the brink of war. Paylan, representing the Peoples’ Democratic Party, has consistently voiced concerns over this escalation, accusing the ruling Justice and Development Party and the Nationalist Movement alliance in Turkey of promoting a militaristic stance.

Paylan argues that the governing parties in Turkey have been making hostile statements against Armenia instead of advocating for a ceasefire and negotiations. He believes that this war-centric approach will bring substantial harm to both Armenian and Azerbaijani people. Seventy-one Azerbaijani soldiers have reportedly been killed in recent days due to provocations by Armenia, underlining the escalating human cost of this conflict.

Paylan warns that the Turkish leadership’s militaristic policies are thrusting the nation and the region into a precarious situation. Advocates for peace, like himself, are being suppressed and sidelined. Despite the risks and the prevailing narrative, Paylan remains resolute in his mission to promote peace. He calls upon individuals and organizations to join in opposing war and striving to maintain peace, reflecting the belief that dialogue and understanding can triumph over hostility and violence.

https://bnnbreaking.com/politics/garo-paylan-a-voice-for-peace-amid-rising-armenian-azerbaijani-tensions/

Armenia And Iran: A Vital Strategic Partnership – Analysis

Yeghisabet Arthur

Jan 21 224


  By Matija Šerić

“The Islamic Republic of Iran supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia,” Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said at a press conference on December 27, congratulating the Armenian people for the New Year and Christmas on behalf of the Iranian government and parliament.

“Iran has historical relations with neighboring Armenia, which continue to develop, deepen and reach a high level day by day. We held important talks with my Armenian colleague and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan about the necessity of establishing permanent peace in the South Caucasus and the role of Iran in that process, which can be a guarantee of stability and peace. We have a common opinion on various issues of cooperation”, added the Iranian Foreign Minister.

Thus, the strategic partnership between Iran and Armenia, which is becoming stronger every year, was once again highlighted. Although Iran is a Muslim Shiite country where the Sharia system is in force, and the Republic of Armenia is the only Christian country in the wider area of the Middle East, in the last three decades, a combination of specific historical and geopolitical circumstances has gradually created an important partnership that has a great impact on the geopolitical picture of Middle East and Caucasus.

Armenian-Iranian relations have a thousand-year history and they can be described by peculiar phrases that some analysts state: “one civilization, two nations”, “one civilization, two states” and “one civilization, two religions”. Contacts between Persia and ancient Armenia date back to the Median Empire and the 6th century BC. The territory of modern Armenia was part of Qajar Iran until 1828, when it was forcibly ceded to the neighboring Russian Empire as a result of Iran’s defeat in the Russo-Persian War of 1826–28 and the Turkmenchay Agreement. Until the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Armenia remained under Russian control.

Tehran and Yerevan have enjoyed cordial relations since Armenian independence. The 44-kilometer-long Armenian-Iranian border is one of the oldest in the world and a symbol of friendship between the two nations. Today, there are no territorial disputes between the two countries. The Armenian minority in Iran, one of the largest and oldest communities in the world, enjoys the official recognition of the Iranian state and is the strongest minority community in the country. It has between 120,000 and 150,000 members, mostly in the capital, Isfahan, and in the northwest of the country.

The Armenian community is the largest Christian community in Iran, ahead of the Assyrian. Armenians have two representatives in the Iranian parliament and are the only minority with official observer status in the Expediency Discernment Council (decides whether laws conform to Sharia law). Many of the oldest Armenian churches and monasteries are located inside Iran, such as the Monastery of St. Stepanos, Monastery of St. Thaddeus and Chapel of Dzordzor. All objects are under the protection of UNESCO. Parthian and Persian had a huge influence on the Armenian language, which included many Parthian and Persian expressions.

During the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in the early 1990s, Iranian President Akbar Rafsanjani led the peace initiative. Thanks to Iranian efforts, negotiations between the two sides were held in Tehran in May 1992, but despite the agreement, peace efforts failed when Armenian troops captured the city of Shusha and Lachin in the same month. Although Iran has consistently asserted Azerbaijan’s sovereignty over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, in practice it has discreetly supported Armenian secessionists. This led to the split between Iran and Azerbaijan and the alliance between Iran and Armenia. Tehran chose Armenia because of the fear of Azeri irredentism towards Iranian Azerbaijan and pan-Turkism, which are phenomena that are a threat to Iran.

In addition to the important Iran-Armenia gas pipeline that was completed in 2006, the two countries have also implemented other large projects, such as the construction of two hydroelectric plants on the Aras River. During 2014, Iranian and Armenian energy ministers agreed to build a new transmission line from Armenia to Iran in line with efforts to strengthen energy ties. In June 2015, both countries agreed to begin construction of a third transmission line. In January 2021, Iran and Armenia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to expand trade relations. Trade between the two countries in 2021 amounted to 471 million USD. Armenian trade with Iran is equal to Azerbaijan’s trade with Iran. Despite the bad relations between Tehran and Buku, Iranian-Azerbaijani trade has grown in recent years.

Economic cooperation between Yerevan and Tehran is not a matter of choice, but a matter of necessity in difficult times. Bilateral trade is important for both countries because of their security. Iran is under Western sanctions and Armenia is under a trade blockade by Turkey and Azerbaijan since gaining independence in 1991. The Azeri explanation for the blockade is a territorial dispute over Nagorno-Karabakh, while the Turkish blockade has no explanation other than the obvious hatred of the Armenian people, as demonstrated by the Turkish genocide of the Armenians in 1914-1918. The only open borders of Armenia are with Iran and Georgia. If they were closed, Armenia would be completely isolated from the rest of the world. The Turkish blockade forces Armenia to rely on the Iranian transport network. Since Armenia’s export economy relies on agriculture and manufacturing, trade corridors through Iran are crucial.

An important goal of Iranian-Armenian cooperation is to reduce Armenia’s energy dependence on Russia. The two countries agreed in August to extend an existing agreement under which Armenia supplies Iran with electricity in exchange for natural gas supplies. This arrangement has been in place since 2009 and was due to end in 2026, but will continue, in an improved form, until at least 2030. However, the deal can be disrupted by Russia if it chooses because of Armenia’s turn towards the West and Prime Minister Pashinyan’s efforts to establish a better relations with the USA and the EU.

Armenians fear that the Russians could close their gas pipelines and that is why they want Iranian gas. Namely, the Iran-Armenia gas pipeline, which is intended to be used to reduce Armenia’s dependence on Russian gas, has been under the concession of the Russian gas giant Gazprom since 2015. Russia has the option of limiting the pipeline’s potential. Even during the design of the pipeline, Moscow insisted that its diameter be limited to 700 millimeters (down from the originally planned 1,420 millimeters) – to ensure that excessive amounts of Iranian gas are not resold to third countries. This technical modification limited the volume of the gas pipeline to 2.3 billion cubic meters per year. In the event that Western sanctions against Iran are lifted, Armenia would be a transit country through which Iranian oil and gas flow to Europe.

In order to facilitate trade, the key cross-border highway that passes through the southern Armenian province of Syunik is currently being reconstructed. In October, the Armenian government awarded a $215 million contract to two Iranian companies (Abad Rahan Pars Iranian International Group and Tunnel Sadd Ariana) to do the work. When the reconstruction is completed, the highway will allow driving from the Armenian village of Agarak, on the Iranian border, 32 kilometers further to the north of Armenia through mountainous terrain over 17 bridges and through two tunnels.

“Armenia can play a key role within the North-South road corridor. I hope that the project will be implemented quickly”, said the Iranian Minister of Transport and Urban Development, Mehrdad Bazrpash. Iran and Armenia also discussed the construction of a new border bridge. The existing bridge on the Armenian-Iranian border was built in 1995 over the Aras River.

Bazrpash highlighted Armenia’s potential to access foreign markets through infrastructure projects in Iran’s regions on the Caspian Sea. He highlighted the strategic position of Iran as a transit route to facilitate the movement of Armenian goods. Iran will soon start trading with Armenia, Russia and Belarus in the national currency, the Iranian rial. The two countries have developed tourism cooperation in both directions.

Just five days before Azerbaijani troops launched a military operation to end Armenian rule over Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19, 2023, the US acting assistant secretary of state, Yuri Kim, told the US Senate Foreign Policy Committee: “We will not tolerate any attack on the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.” Yet the Biden administration tolerated. After the Azerbaijani victory and the flight of 100 thousand Armenians, the State Department did nothing more than condemnation. The reason is that the United States is mostly concerned with the wars in Ukraine and Gaza. Azerbaijan’s lightning military action created a fait accompli. In addition, the geopolitical orientations of Azerbaijan and Armenia are different. Although Azerbaijan is an authoritarian non-democratic state, it is oriented pro-Western and pro-Israel, while Armenia, although a democratic state, is traditionally oriented pro-Russian and pro-Iranian. However, in recent years, since 2018, the pro-Western government of Nikola Pashinyan has started to turn towards the West and move away from Russia while maintaining good relations with Iran.

Iran was and remains a vocal supporter of the protection of Armenian minority rights in Azerbaijan. Iranians have condemned the flight of 100 thousand Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh after the Azeri takeover of that region. “We believe that the rights of the people of Karabakh should be ensured. The rights of every person from Karabakh should be ensured. They must have the opportunity to exercise their rights. This is a reality that no one, including Azerbaijan, can ignore,” said Mehdi Sobhani, Iran’s ambassador to Armenia, in his recent interview. Although the ambassador did not reveal that Iran has any special policy towards Karabakh Armenians, the mere mention of Karabakh drew the ire of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. Despite the nice words, Iranian diplomacy did not save the Karabakh Armenians who were under the 9-month economic blockade of the Lachin Corridor, nor did the Iranian Armed Forces intervene when the Azerbaijani offensive began.

Azerbaijan’s victories in the war with the Armenians in 2020 and 2023 brought new challenges for Armenia and Iran. The most important challenge is the growing influence of Turkey in the South Caucasus, which poses a threat to both countries. The Erdogan administration is pursuing neo-Ottoman and pan-Turkish policies with the aim of creating a Greater Turkey in the form of political control. Such expansionist Turkish foreign policy seeks to gather under the control of Ankara Turkish states from Azerbaijan to Central Asian states such as Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan. That is why the Organization of Turkish States was founded in 2009.

Although for now official Baku and Ankara avoid mentioning the north of Iran inhabited mostly by Azeris (Iranian Azerbaijan), in their long-term plans there is a clear intention to make that territory part of the Turkic world. Azeris live in Iranian provinces (East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan, West Azerbaijan) and in smaller numbers in other provinces: Kurdistan, Qazvin, Hamadan, Gilan, Markazi and Kermanshah. Iranian Azeris also form a significant minority in Tehran, Karaj and elsewhere. There are between 12 and 23 million of them in Iran and they make up 16% of the population, which is more than the population of Azerbaijan – 10 million.

Although they have not yet rebelled against Tehran, the Azeris may do so as they are not satisfied with their position. Baku often does not hide the support it provides to various terrorist groups inside Iran with the aim of destabilizing it. In this regard, ISIL’s terrorist attack on the Shah Cheragh Mosque in Shiraz in October 2022 with links to Baku should be mentioned.

Azerbaijani irredentism implies aggressive politics and military actions aimed at dismembering the internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Armenia after Azerbaijani formations took control of Nagorno-Karabakh. This leads to the so-called of the Azerbaijani Zangezur Corridor. The imagined corridor is a threat to both Armenia and Iran.

After the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, the Azerbaijani army occupied large parts of its border with Iran. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev then again started talking about the desire to establish a transport corridor from the main part of the Azerbaijani territory through the southern part of Armenia (Syunik province) to the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan. The corridor was designed to be exempt from Armenian sovereignty, without Armenian checkpoints, with the aim of connecting the “Turkish world”. It is a classic example of Erdogan’s neo-Ottoman politics. But Tehran proposed an alternative.

In early October, the Iranians started building a bridge that would allow faster transit between the main territory of Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan through Iranian territory, thus eliminating the need for a corridor through Armenia. The Zangezur Corridor would cut through Armenia and isolate Iran from Armenia, which would not benefit both countries. At the same time, it would be a blatant violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Armenia. Such ideas are rejected by almost all foreign governments except Turkey.

In the regional conflict and proxy war of Iran and Israel, besides Israel using Azerbaijan as an important ally, Iran uses Armenia. Iran wants to use its good relations with Armenia to harm Israel in certain ways on a regional level. In addition to the conflict with pro-Israel Azerbaijan, one of them is the Iranian air corridor through Armenia to Lebanon and Syria.

Iran’s intelligence service Quds Force (Jerusalem Force) conducts military-intelligence operations in Armenia with the aim of transporting weapons and military equipment and information warfare. After Iranian airlines were exposed in 2018 as arms and personnel carriers for the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps and related organizations in Syria and Lebanon, the Armenian airline Flight Travel LLC was founded with the same intent. Iranian military commanders, weapons and equipment were often transported from Afghanistan and Pakistan via Armenia to Lebanon and Syria. Such activities are a thorn in Israel’s side.

There are also disagreements. The interests of Iran and Armenia diverge when it comes to the presence of extraregional actors in the South Caucasus, including negotiations between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the status of Nagorno-Karabakh and the thawing of their Cold War relations. Armenians are in favor and Iranians are against.

Iranian Foreign Minister Amir-Abdollahian was explicit on this issue when he recently stated: “The presence of foreigners in the region not only does not solve problems, but complicates the situation.” Yerevan wants the US and the EU to mediate in solving outstanding issues with Baku, while Tehran would like the problems to be solved exclusively by regional powers. In line with this regional principle, Iran welcomed the 2021 initiative to establish a 3+3 format for talks that would include the three South Caucasus states (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia), and three neighboring regional powers – Iran, Russia and Turkey. Several meetings in the 3+2 format (Georgia never agreed to participate) have already taken place, the last on October 23 in Tehran, but little progress has been achieved.

Due to the rapprochement with the West, Armenians try to carry out their trade with Iranians as much as possible in exchange of goods – for example, “electricity for gas”. The West’s intention is to deny Iran cash. Despite the developed relations, Armenians do not buy weapons from Iranians. Armenians turned to India for weapons and military equipment. There is also no significant money laundering between the two countries. Armenia follows the path of Cyprus in suppressing such activities. Despite enormous pressure from Tehran, Armenia did not reject the Iranian dissidents. While Turkey returns Iranians to the Islamic Republic, Armenia has established itself as a safe haven for dissidents seeking salvation in Europe or America. In addition, all Western intelligence services are currently operating in Armenia, and most often they are focused on spying on Iran. They do this mostly freely without interfering with Armenian structures.

Security should form the basis for continued Iranian-Armenian relations in the future. The two countries could establish a joint military-political alliance that would have joint military forces consisting of parts of the Iranian and Armenian armies. The troops of the Iranian-Armenian alliance could jointly intervene if the security of a state was threatened. It is unlikely that Azerbaijan or Turkey would attack Iran, but a Turkish or Azerbaijani attack on Armenia should not be ruled out considering the increased appetites of Baku and Ankara and the inefficiency of the international community, especially in the Caucasus region.

In addition to external invasions, the Iranian-Armenian military-political alliance should conduct anti-terrorist operations against terrorist groups. Such operations could be managed by a joint supreme headquarters. The two countries should continue to improve economic cooperation through certain economic integration, thus laying a solid foundation for strengthening their own security. In any case, Armenian-Iranian relations should continue to deepen in the economic, military, scientific, cultural and sports fields.

Matija Šerić is a geopolitical analyst and journalist from Croatia and writes on foreign policy, history, economy, society, etc.

https://www.eurasiareview.com/21012024-armenia-and-iran-a-vital-strategic-partnership-analysis/

Reviving Heritage: The ‘In the Mountains’ Festival in Armenia

Ara Felekian
Jan 20 2024

By: Momen Zellmi

In the picturesque setting of Tatev, Armenia, on June 24 and 25, the echoes of history and legends will come alive during the immersive festival ‘In the Mountains’. The festival, an initiative designed to boost cultural and gastronomic tourism in Syunik, is a vibrant celebration of the region’s history and legends. The event, meticulously crafted, offers a multitude of experiences, including theatrical performances, master classes, music, national dances, and games, along with a taste of traditional dishes.

Tours of historic old villages are also on the itinerary, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the region’s cultural heritage. Among the highlights of the festival is the opportunity to experience the TaTever aerial tramway over the Vorotan gorge and the Tatev monastery complex from the 9th century. The latter, a spiritual haven accessible by the Wings of Tatev cable car, offers breathtaking views of the gorge. Notably, the TaTever aerial tramway holds the Guinness World Record for the longest passenger aerial tramway.

Under the leadership of Sisian Boghossian, the Tourism Committee of the Republic of Armenia has been instrumental in organizing the festival, underlining its role in attracting tourism to Armenia in four main directions: adventure, culture, gastronomy, and nature. The festival’s potential to boost tourism and provide socio-economic benefits to the community has also been highlighted by Ani Davtyan, the project manager. The festival is supported by the Tourism Committee of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia and organized by Tatev Revival Foundation, Ruben Vardanyan Foundation, Impulse Management Company, and TaTever aerial tramway.

Unique features of the festival include an interactive performance titled ‘History of Syunik. travel through time’, a crafts fair, and musical performances. A dedicated children’s entertainment zone ensures the event is family-friendly, while the ‘Medieval dinner with the noble Orbelian family’ offers an intriguing gastronomic experience. These initiatives are part of the ‘Tatev Revival’ Foundation’s focus on restoring the Tatev Monastery and developing the region. As such, the festival is more than just a celebration; it’s a testament to Armenia’s commitment to preserving and promoting its rich cultural heritage.

Jerusalem: Armenian Christians fight controversial land deal

Manouk Vasilian
BBC. UK
Jan 21 2024
By Yolande Knell
BBC News Middle East correspondent

While Christmas may be a distant memory for many, the Armenians of Jerusalem only just held their annual celebration on 19 January.

This year, the holiday was overshadowed by the war in Gaza and the ongoing threat to the survival of the community from a deeply controversial real estate deal.

Many spent the day in an unconventional fashion, joining a sit-in at a tent in their church car park, which is part of a large plot at risk in the Armenian Quarter of the walled Old City.

"This illegal, treacherous land deal actually brought us all together," says Setrag Balian, a ceramicist turned activist.

Armenians date their presence in the holy city back to the 4th Century. Many of the 2,000-strong community live inside the large, cobble-stoned compound of St James Convent.

In the past, they have often been divided by political differences and family fights and there have been rifts between Jerusalemite Armenians and their Church leaders who act as employers and landlords for many.

Yet for two months, local Armenians and priests have all been staying in a large, improvised tent here, around-the-clock, to try to block the development going ahead. They eat here and work shifts as guards behind a makeshift barricade decorated with Armenian flags.

Together, they say, they have seen off attacks by contractors with bulldozers, armed settlers and masked thugs.

  • Controversial land sale angers Jerusalem Armenians
  • Jerusalem Christians say attacks on the rise

"Everything was put in danger with this deal," Setrag says. "Whoever wants to take away our rights and endanger our presence and our lives here, we will stand up against them and defend our rights till the end."

Last April, facts began to emerge about a 2021 contract secretly signed between the Armenian Patriarch and a Jewish Australian-Israeli developer. It gave a newly-created firm, Xana Gardens, a 98-year lease to build and operate a luxury hotel in an area known as the Cow's Garden.

The deal covered a plot of 11,500 sq m, abutting the ramparts of the south-western corner of the Old City, with an option to take over an even bigger area.

It includes the car park, some church buildings and the homes of five Armenian families, accounting for about 25% of the Armenian Quarter.

Located on Mount Zion, it has huge religious significance and is incredibly valuable real estate but an annual fee of just $300,000 (£237,000) was to be paid by the developer.

"For that amount you could barely rent yourself a couple of falafel shops in the Old City," commented one Armenian using the car park, who asked for his name not to be used.

Amid heated protests by locals and a decision by Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to withdraw their recognition of the patriarch over his role in the deal, pressure grew on the Church to cancel the contract.

Meanwhile, an international team of Armenian lawyers came to investigate and give advice.

The patriarch claimed he had been tricked by a trusted priest who was later defrocked. He finally announced a formal move to cancel the deal in October.

At that point, tensions between Armenians and representatives of the developer – whose workers had forcibly taken over the car park – began turning into direct confrontations.

When Israeli bulldozers arrived at the contested site to try to begin demolition, Armenians rushed to block it. The next month, there were claims of intimidation as the developer arrived with several armed men.

Further attempted incursions came after the protest tent was set up. The most violent was last month when masked men came to the car park beating people with sticks and using tear gas. A priest, Father Diran Hagopian, broadcast events on Facebook Live.

"They were shouting, 'you should go out from this land'," he later told the BBC. "One of their leaders was shouting: 'You can break their legs, you can even kill them, but they should leave.'"

The apparent involvement of known Jewish settlers in attacks alongside other evidence has increased long-held suspicions that a powerful settler organisation is involved in the attempted land takeover.

Ever since Israel captured the Old City and its holy sites from Jordan in the 1967 Middle East War, Jewish investors in Israel and overseas have sought to buy properties to try to cement Israeli control over occupied East Jerusalem.

Palestinians want this part of the city as the capital of their hoped-for future state. Jewish Israelis view the whole of the city as their eternal, undivided capital.

Researchers at the Israeli non-profit organisation Ir Amim, which is focused on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and supports the diversity of Jerusalem, are worried about developments in the Armenian Quarter.

"This is close to sensitive places," says Aviv Tatarksy. "Creating a settlement in this area is part of very far-reaching aims of settler organisations who basically want to Judaise completely the Old City, with their eyes on the Temple Mount or al-Aqsa Mosque."

The settlements built in occupied territory are seen as illegal under international law, although Israel disagrees.

The BBC has contacted the developer behind Xana Gardens several times but not heard back.

The now-defrocked American priest who coordinated the deal, Baret Yeretsian , was surrounded by a mob of angry young Armenians shouting "traitor" as he exited St James Convent last year, assisted by Israeli police, before moving to Southern California.

He has since denied to journalists that the developer has any political or ideological agenda, describing such accusations as "propaganda" based on his Jewish identity.

The Armenian Church has now begun proceedings through the Israeli courts to challenge the validity of the contract for the Cows' Garden.

As locals gathered around a brightly lit Christmas tree in their makeshift tent last week, they remained resolute but were aware that their legal fight could easily take years.

Whether incursions can be stopped in the meantime remains to be seen.

The battle for Jerusalem plays out in the Armenian Quarter

Hambardsumian Paul
Jan 21 2024
A questionable real estate transaction between Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian and Australian-Israeli settler Dany Rubenstein is testing the resolve of the local Armenian community, which opposes the encroachment of settlers on their land.

BY IBRAHIM HUSSEINI

Local Jerusalemite Armenians are under mounting pressure from Israeli settlers to relinquish control of a big chunk of property held for centuries by their forefathers in the Armenian Quarter in Jerusalem’s Old City. In the battle for Jerusalem, many in the Armenian community are adamant about defending and keeping the property out of the settlers’ grip.

A questionable real estate transaction in one of Jerusalem’s most sensitive areas between Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian and Australian-Israeli settler Dany Rubenstein is testing the resolve of the local Armenian community, which opposes the deal. In an occupied city where Jewish settlers are constantly seeking to upset a delicate status quo in their favor for political and ideological reasons, demographics and real-estate ownership are intensely political issues. As such, the sale of such property to the hands of settlers is causing an embarrassment to one of Jerusalem’s oldest Christian communities and stokes tensions with Palestinians. 

For months, Hagop Dejernazian and fellow Jerusalemite-Armenians have been rallying their community in the Armenian Quarter in occupied East Jerusalem to stand firm in the face of Israeli settlers and their agents. At stake are 11.5 dunams (2.8 Acres) of precious land on the Western edge of Jerusalem’s Old City that have been in the possession of the community for centuries. Above the uncertainty the deal brought to their lives, they have endured at least three violent attacks from thugs hired by an investment company with settler ties, with the objective of intimidating them into relinquishing control of the property. 

“It was a brutal attack against the Armenian community that endangered our presence here,” Dejernazian remarked on the latest raid on December 28, 2023, by some 30 men bursting into the property armed with batons, assailing members of the community, including priests, seeking to eject them. 

In October of last year, amid the uproar, the Patriarchate canceled the deal it had signed with Dany Rubenstein, and the matter was referred to the courts.  

The real-estate transaction estranged the local Jerusalemite Armenian community from the Patriarchate, which is mainly run by clergy of Armenian descent from abroad and largely indifferent to the political considerations or implications accompanying such a deal. 

Now, Dejernazian and his fellow local Armenians are in a situation where they have to defend the character of the community under threat from messianic settlers, all while without the clear backing of a Patriarchate that has lost respect. 

The rift between the locals and the Patriarchate grew more evident when the latter challenged the deal with Rubenstein without considering the community’s views. 

“They excluded the community,” Dejernazian stated.

“I think they’re still not ready to accept that the community is stronger than them. The community will decide its future and not a priest who comes from abroad who doesn’t know anything about the situation or politics in Jerusalem, or about the Middle East,” he added. 

The worry, local Armenians say, is that the Patriarchate will eventually compromise with the settlers and agree to lease part of the property. This would be disastrous to the local Armenian community.

In 2020, the Patriarchate leased part of the property to the Israeli-run Jerusalem municipality to be used as a parking lot purportedly “for Jews and Armenians.” The Municipality was granted a 10-year lease. 

The Patriarchate first agreed to a long-term 99-year lease to Rubenstein (representing Xana Gardens) in July 2021, with the partial consent or knowledge of the synod, reportedly to develop a luxury hotel on the property. The deal signed between the Patriarchate and Dany Rubinstein purportedly encompasses a vast tract of land currently used as a parking lot, a seminary, and five residential homes. 

The contract, according to an article published in The Armenian Mirror Spectator in September 2021, was approved by Patriarch Nourhan Manougian, Grand Sacristan Sevan Gharibian, and Fr. Yeretzian.

Sometime after, new information came to light. Dany Rubenstein has a partner named Geroge Warwar, an Arab Christian man thought to be from Jaffa. 

In October 2023, following growing discontent from the local Armenian community and members of the diaspora opposing the deal with Dany Rubinstein, the Patriarchate announced that it had pulled back from the agreement signed with Xana Gardens.  

On November 5 of last year, armed settlers stormed the parking lot known as the Cow’s Garden in the Armenian Quarter, knocked down parts of a stone wall and partially destroyed asphalt ground. The stone wall is roughly in the middle of the land, separating the part leased to the Municipality for a parking lot and the Armenian Patriarchate’s private parking lot, which is said to be outside the deal. Local Armenians quickly organized, repelling the assailants. Dany Rubenstein and partner George Warwar’s thugs returned in mid-November and then again in late December. On both occasions, they were repulsed. 

An investigation by The New Arab revealed that among the armed assailants was an American Jewish settler with links to Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel’s Minister of National Security. 

Another U.S. citizen, Sam Goodman, aka Tzvi Goodman, was also identified in the investigation. Goodman is linked to current Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Aryeh King, who is infamous for his pro-settler agenda. They both have a history of involvement in the eviction of Palestinians from East Jerusalem to achieve a Jewish majority there. 

An unsourced photo that surfaced late last year showed Dany Rubenstein and George Warwar meeting with Matityahu Dan and Australian-born Daniel Luria, both from Ateret Cohanim, the same settler organization that purchased key properties, The Imperial Hotel and The Petra Hotel, in Jaffa Gate two decades ago from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate. The hotels are only a minute’s walk from the Armenian Quarter and the land in question. 

Locals are now planning to file their own lawsuit against the transaction that transpired between the Patriarchate and Xana Gardens. 

The outcry over the deal led them to contemplate taking matters of the community, including the property administered by the Patriarchate, into their own hands. They reason that an institution that enters a deal with political consequences and endangers the status and standing of the community warrants a new modus operandi. 

“I don’t trust them; I don’t trust an institution that brought us to this day, that brought us to this catastrophe,” Dejernazian said. 

Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back over a millennium and a half ago. Historical records tell that Armenia became the first nation to formally adopt Christianity in 301 AD—more than a decade before Rome. Subsequently, Armenian pilgrims began journeying to Jerusalem, with some remaining to establish a permanent community.

“Jerusalem is my country, more than Armenia,” George Hintilian told Mondoweiss us as he sat in the spacious tent the community erected in the parking lot to keep a steady day-and-night watch against potential settler attacks. 

“In many ways, we are Palestinian,” he added. 

Hintilian, an expert historian of Armenian affairs and a central figure in the Armenian community in Old Jerusalem, reaffirms that the Armenian presence in Jerusalem is 16 centuries old. 

His ancestors arrived in Palestine from Konya and Cappadocia in Ottoman Turkey during the First World War, seeking refuge from persecution by the authorities. 

For the septuagenarian chronicler, Jerusalem is a mosaic of cultures and religions, of which he speaks fondly, and this deal stands to make it homogenous and exclusive to one group. 

Summing up the turn of events, he remarked that a “careless” Patriarch “signed away” a piece of “precious heritage” in an “unnecessary” deal. 

“I’m very angry and sad,” Hintilian said. “We are fighting for our future.”

Israel has long sought to acquire Church property, specifically in Jerusalem. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which is said to be the second-largest owner of real estate in the city but claims inadequate cash flow to pay salaries and for the upkeep of its monasteries, has long been mired by allegations of leaking valuable property into the hands of the government and settler organizations. It, too, has earned the distrust and dismay of many Palestinian Christians who accuse it of corruption. 

The Knesset, for instance, is one of many state buildings constructed on land leased from the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. 

https://mondoweiss.net/2024/01/the-battle-for-jerusalem-plays-out-in-the-armenian-quarter/

Armenpress: Fire broke out at the residence of the Greek Prime Minister

Babken Chilingarian

 11:32,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. A fire broke out in a ground-floor store in the courtyard of the Maximos Mansion, the official residence of the Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, on Saturday morning,  the Greek Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection reported.

The incident is being investigated by the competent investigative department.

The residence of the Prime Minister of Greece is located in the very center of Athens, on Herodou Attikis Street. There is a fire station not far from it.

Armenian Minister of Economy presents "Crossroads of Peace" initiative to German counterpart

Hambik Zargarian

 12:56,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of his visit to Berlin, the Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan had a meeting with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Economy and Climate Protection Franziska Brantner,  the Ministry of Economy said.
The prospects for bilateral cooperation in the field of the economy, the current state of Armenia's economy, the indicators recorded in the field, and development prospects were discussed.
During the meeting, Vahan Kerobyan presented the details of the "Crossroads of Peace" initiative.
The parties also discussed the possibilities of cooperation with German companies, including in the field of mining.

Direct contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan more or less active, says Pashinyan

Jagharian Tania

 13:30,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan addressing the session of the initiative group of his Civil Contract party and presenting details of the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process, stated that there had been various episodes in mediated and direct contacts during that period.
“As a matter of fact, direct contacts between Armenia and Azerbaijan are now more or less active.
Basically, there are working channels to work, particularly between my office and the office of the President of Azerbaijan.
Through those channels a joint statement was accepted on December 7, resulting in the return of 32 prisoners from Azerbaijan to Armenia,'' said Pashinyan.

According to the Prime Minister, Armenia and Azerbaijan are working on the text of the peace treaty and sending it to each other sequentially.

Armenia expects guarantees from Azerbaijan of no hidden territorial claims: Pashinyan

Emil Lazarian

 13:43,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, ARMENPRESS.  In the peace process, Armenia expects guarantees from Azerbaijan of not having hidden territorial claims and is ready to reciprocally give the same guarantee to Azerbaijan, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting of the Civil Contract party on Saturday.

"We have reached a point where we want additional guarantees to ensure that we, from Azerbaijan, and Azerbaijan, from us, do not harbor territorial claims and hidden ambitions.

Diplomatic texts always have different twists, subtexts, and footnotes. In the footnotes of Azerbaijan's proposals, and perhaps Azerbaijan in ours, observe the dangers of territorial claims, if not today, then in the future," Pashinyan said.

The Prime Minister believes that peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan is  possible on a theoretical level.

“In fact, recent discussions have leant in the direction that Armenia and Azerbaijan have no territorial demands from each other and mutually undertake not to make such territorial demands in the future. This is the understanding that has been achieved during this time,” said Pashinyan.

The 1991 border should be formally documented- Pashinyan on the delimitation process

Garnik Tadevosian

 14:13,

YEREVAN, JAN UARY 20, ARMENPRESS.The border delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan isn’t about creating a border, but the border that existed in 1991 or between the republics of the Soviet Union should be restated in a documentary form as an administrative border.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a meeting of his Civil Contract party on Saturday, presenting details of the peace process.
"Is there an idea about the territorial integrity of the Republic of Armenia? Yes, there is an answer to this question. On October 6, 2022, an agreement was reached in Prague where Armenia and Azerbaijan recognized each other's territorial integrity and sovereignty based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration.
The Alma-Ata Declaration signifies the dissolution of the Soviet Union and those republics of the Union that signed the Alma-Ata Declaration state that their administrative borders would become state borders. We accept this principle.
In fact, a quadripartite statement was adopted in Prague, which Azerbaijan also accepted. We emphasize, and this is evident, that the delimitation process should not establish new borders. The border that existed between the republics of the USSR in 1991, functioning as an administrative border, should be documented on the ground," said the Prime Minister.
According to the Prime Minister, the ongoing bilateral working process between Armenia and Azerbaijan should yield tangible results. Both countries should not only declare their unconditional recognition of each other's territorial integrity but also formalize this reality in the peace treaty – de jure.
"Both Armenia and Azerbaijan have internationally recognized territories. The internationally recognized territory of the Republic of Armenia is the territory of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,’’ said PM Pashinyan.