19:14,
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna will arrive in the Republic of Armenia on a working visit on December 13-14, the Foreign Ministry of Armenia said.
The meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Estonia will take place on December 13 at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, which will be followed by the joint press conference of the ministers.
21:04,
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Russia is always ready to host negotiations on the Azerbaijani-Armenian settlement process and hopes that Baku and Yerevan take into account the relevance of the corresponding proposal, Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation Mikhail Galuzin has said, Tass reports.
Our proposals for holding negotiations on a peaceful settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Moscow are open to our partners for Armenia and Azerbaijan," said the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister, expressing hope that Yerevan and Baku remember and understand it.
When asked whether the meeting of the foreign ministers of the three countries in Moscow is currently being arranged through diplomatic channels, Galuzin affirmed that they are always ready for such work.
21:44,
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. By the decision of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on December 12, High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan, will be sent to Ukraine on December 12-20, where he will meet with representatives of the structures of the Armenian community, business circles and cultural figures.
The PM’s decision is posted on .
Zareh Sinanyan will visit four cities: Odessa – December 12-14; Dnieper – December 14-15; Kharkiv – December 15-16; Kyiv – December 16-20.
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1126116.html?fbclid=IwAR3byA-CWKB6t86RuRMCbivJ11ztoYVEs7A3IDOgKsQ-Oekj_dyBRNZZiwA
Tuesday,
Armenian, Azeri Prisoners Not Yet Exchanged Despite Deal
• Astghik Bedevian
ARMENIA -- A freed Armenian captive is escorted off a Russian military plane
upon arrival at a military airport outside Yerevan, December 14, 2020
Armenia and Azerbaijan did not exchange prisoners as of Tuesday afternoon almost
one week after reaching an agreement to that effect welcomed by the
international community.
Under the agreement announced on December 7, Azerbaijan is to free 32 Armenian
soldiers and civilians in exchange for Armenia’s release of two Azerbaijani
servicemen and support for Baku’s bid to host the COP29 climate summit next
year. A senior Armenian lawmaker suggested on December 8 that the prisoner swap
will be carried out within “hours or days.”
Parliament speaker Alen Simonian on Tuesday declined not give possible dates for
the repatriation of the captives. He said only that the deal struck as a result
of direct Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations remains in force.
“We are waiting,” Simonian told reporters. “I think that we will have
information very soon.”
Vagharshak Hakobian, another lawmaker representing Armenia’s ruling Civil
Contract party, said he hopes that the deal will not be scrapped.
The United Nations officially announced on Monday that Azerbaijan will host next
year’s global climate summit. In line with the December 7 deal, Armenia did not
object to that decision.
The Azerbaijani government publicized late last week the list of the 32 Armenian
captives that will be repatriated by it. Most of them were taken prisoner in
Nagorno-Karabakh in December 2020 just weeks after a Russian-brokered ceasefire
stopped the last Armenian-Azerbaijani war.
Also on the list is Gagik Voskanian, an Armenian army reservist who was
mobilized a few weeks before straying into Azerbaijani territory in August this
year in unclear circumstances. An Azerbaijani court convicted Voskanian of
“terrorism” just hours before the announcement of the prisoner swap.
Voskanian’s mother, Ashkhen Avetisian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that she
also does not know when he will return home.
“I contacted a Defense Ministry official and was told, ‘Keep waiting, we too
don’t know anything, everything will be alright,’” she said.
The Azerbaijani soldiers to be freed by Yerevan were detained in April after
crossing into Armenia’s Syunik province from Azerbaijan’s Nakhichevan exclave.
One of them was charged with murdering a Syunik resident the day before his
detention. Armenia’s Court of Appeals sentenced him to life imprisonment last
week.
Azerbaijan’s prosecutor-general expressed confidence on Tuesday that they will
be set free. But he did not give any dates.
Armenia Revives Amnesty-For-Cash Option For Draft Dodgers
• Artak Khulian
Armenia - Soldiers march at an Armenian military base, December 24, 2022.
Armenia’s parliament approved on Tuesday a bill allowing men who illegally
evaded compulsory military service to buy an amnesty.
Armenian law requires virtually all male citizens aged between 18 and 27 to
serve in the country’s armed forces for two years. Refusal to do so is a crime
punishable by five years in prison.
The bill drafted by Hayk Sargsian, a parliament deputy from the ruling Civil
Contract party, and passed by the National Assembly in the first reading will
give fugitive draft dodgers aged between 27 and 37 a range of options.
In particular, they will be able to turn themselves in and perform a
two-and-a-half-year service or legally evade it by paying the state 15 million
drams ($37,000). They could also serve in the armed forces for shorter periods
in exchange for smaller fees.
Sargsian said that about 5,000 fugitive Armenian men will be eligible for these
options. As things stands now, they cannot serve in the army “even if they want
to,” complained the lawmaker.
“I don’t want us to again declare an amnesty in order to exempt these
individuals from prosecution, but nor do I want to see 5,000 citizens sentenced
to five years in prison,” he added during a debate on the parliament floor.
The parliament declared such an amnesty in 2021. More than 1,300 draft dodgers
took advantage of it.
Sargsian also insisted that the new legal arrangements will not encourage draft
evasion among draft-age men. He argued that it applies only to citizens aged 25
and older.
Opposition deputies and even some of Sargsian’s pro-government colleagues were
not fully convinced by his assurances. Civil Contract’s Hovik Aghazarian was
concerned that the bill will foster “wrong behavior” in the country.
“I’m quite uneasy about this idea,” said Sona Ghazarian, another Civil Contract
deputy. “I think that we kind of undermine social justice and social equality
with this bill.”
“We can’t tell people that if they don’t have money … they must serve the
homeland or go to jail but if they have money they can pay up and move on,” said
Tadevos Avetisian of the opposition Hayastan alliance.
Nevertheless, the parliament’s pro-government majority voted for the bill, while
Hayastan and the other opposition bloc, Pativ Unem, abstained, instead of voting
against it.
Armenia already had a similar amnesty-for-cash arrangement from 2004-2019.
Officials say that some 10,000 draft evaders used it to avoid prosecution during
those years.
EU Details Expansion Of Border Monitoring Mission In Armenia
Armenia - European Union monitors patrol Armenia's border with Azerbaijan.
The European Union has decided to deploy an additional 71 observers and experts
to Armenia’s volatile border with Azerbaijan.
The EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, announced the decision late on Monday
following a meeting of the foreign ministers of EU member states held in
Brussels. He said they agreed to “increase our presence on the ground from 138
staff to 209.”
“The fact that we have decided to increase by such an important number our staff
on this mission shows our clear commitment to stability on the border between
Armenia and Azerbaijan and an important contribution to the peace efforts,”
Borrell told a news briefing.
He said the expansion of the monitoring mission, approved by the ministers in
principle last month, also reflects the EU’s deepening relations with Armenia.
“Armenia clearly sees the benefits of increasing cooperation with us and we are
ready to respond positively,” added the EU foreign policy chief.
The mission was launched in February at the request of the Armenian government
and with the stated aim of preventing or reducing ceasefire violations along the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Russia, Armenia’s increasingly estranged ally, has
opposed it from the outset, saying that it is part of U.S. and European Union
efforts to drive Moscow out of the South Caucasus.
Moscow has pressed Yerevan to agree to a similar monitoring mission proposed by
the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO). Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian has repeatedly declined those offers, accusing the military
alliance of not honoring its security commitments to Armenia.
The recent Azerbaijani takeover of Nagorno-Karabakh has raised more fears in
Yerevan that Azerbaijan will invade Armenia to open a land corridor to its
Nakhichevan exclave. Pashinian urged Western powers to prevent Baku from
“provoking a new war in the region” when he addressed the European Parliament in
October.
Both the EU and the United States regularly voice support for Armenia’s
territorial integrity. Unlike Russia, they have condemned Baku’s September 19-20
military offensive that forced Karabakh’s practically entire population to flee
to Armenia.
Yerevan Backs Further EU Expansion Into Former Soviet Union
Belgium - Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan arrives for a meeting in
Brussels, .
Amid its growing rift with Russia, the Armenian government has voiced support
for Georgia’s, Ukraine’s and Moldova’s membership in the European Union and
reaffirmed its desire to deepen ties with the EU.
“My government warmly welcomes the European Commission’s [recent] decision to
recommend the European Council to open accession talks with Moldova and Ukraine
and to grant candidate status to Georgia,” Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said
late on Monday. “This decision is welcomed not only by the government of Armenia
but also people of Armenia, who also have European aspirations.”
Yerevan is committed to “coming closer to the European Union to the extent the
EU will deem it possible,” Mirzoyan added in a speech delivered during a meeting
in Brussels of the foreign ministers of EU member states and five ex-Soviet
republics involved in the 27-nation bloc’s Eastern Partnership program.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian expressed that commitment when he addressed the
European Parliament in October. He stopped short of announcing plans to seek
Armenia’s eventual membership in the EU.
In his speech, Pashinian also accused Moscow of using the Armenian-Azerbaijani
conflict to try to topple him. A Russian official responded by saying that the
Armenian premier is helping the West “turn Armenia into another Ukraine.”
Mirzoyan and EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell met in North Macedonia late
last month as a team of EU officials wrapped up a visit to Yerevan during which
they explored ways of bringing Armenia closer to the bloc.
Borrell also met with Mirzoyan in Brussels earlier on Monday. He said they had a
“good exchange of views … on concrete ways to enhance EU-Armenia relations” but
did not elaborate.
Armenia Keeps Up Contacts With Ukraine
Beglium - Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Ukrainian
counterpart Dmytro Kuleba meet in Brussels, .
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba met
in Brussels on Monday, continuing diplomatic contacts between their counties
that were denounced by Russia this fall.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry said the two ministers discussed “bilateral
cooperation on issues of mutual interest” and “regional issues” relating to the
South Caucasus. Kuleba tweeted, for his part, that they talked about the
“advancement of Ukraine-Armenia dialogue.”
That dialogue appears to have begun in early September amid a further worsening
of Armenia’s relations with Russia, its longtime ally. Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian’s wife visited Kyiv at the time to attend the annual Summit of First
Ladies and Gentlemen held there. Anna Hakobian also delivered Armenia’s first
humanitarian aid to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
The Russian Foreign Ministry listed Hakobian’s trip among “a series of
unfriendly steps” taken by Yerevan against Moscow when it summoned the Armenian
ambassador a few days later. The strong criticism did not stop Pashinian from
talking to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy during an EU summit in Spain
on October 5.
Spain - Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Ukrainian President
Volodymyr Zelenskiy meet in Granada, October 5, 2023.
Three weeks later, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, Armen Grigorian,
participated in a multilateral peace forum in Malta initiated by Ukraine.
Grigorian also met with the powerful chief of’Zelenskiy’s staff, Andriy Yermak,
during what Moscow described as a “blatantly anti-Russian event.”
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, called Grigorian’s
trip to Malta a “demonstrative anti-Russian gesture of official Yerevan” and
linked it with Pashinian’s conversation with Zelenskiy. She accused Pashinian’s
government of “persistently destroying our allied relations.”
The Armenian leaders’ attendance of those events contrasts with their boycott of
recent months’ meetings of top officials of ex-Soviet states making up the
Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization as well as the Commonwealth
of Independent States.
Pashinian embarked on the apparent rapprochement with Ukraie despite its stong
support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In particular, Kyiv was
quick to condemn the September 9 election by Karabakh lawmakers of the region’s
new president, saying that it is “contrary to the rules and principles of
international law.” The election came ten days before the Azerbaijani military
offensive that forced Karabakh’s practically entire population to flee to
Armenia.
“I reiterated Ukraine’s support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity within
its internationally recognized borders,” Kuleba wrote after meeting with
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov earlier on Monday.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
The 100-person EU Civilian Mission in Armenia launched on Feb. 20
The European Union’s foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell on Monday announced that the bloc will expand its mission in Armenia by 50 percent.
This announcement comes after EU foreign ministers last month approved the expansion of the EU mission in Armenia.
“Today the EU Council decided to strengthen our civilian mission in Armenia, increasing our presence on the ground from 138 to 209 people, this is an important increase in the size of the mission and it is a way to increase the stability of Armenia’s international border with Azerbaijan,” Borrell said.
The EU’s 100-person monitoring mission to Armenia began in February. In the fall Canada said it would join the mission, becoming the first non-EU country to be folded into its activities.
Before meeting with Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan, Borrell told reporters that the situation in Armenia requires the EU’s strong support.
“Many things are happening in the whole region, it is important to continue to pay attention to them and, in particular, to Armenia, that has been in a very difficult situation and still is,” Borrell told reporters ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels.
Jack and Zarig Youredjian with representatives of the COAF at the organization's 20th annual Holiday Gala
NEW YORK—The Children of Armenia Fund reached a historic milestone on December 9, raising over $10 million during its 20th Annual Holiday Gala, “Two Decades of Unwavering Commitment.” All proceeds from the benefit will be invested in advancing COAF’s comprehensive initiatives in rural Armenia encompassing crucial education, healthcare, psychosocial support, and economic development programs. Furthermore, funds will bolster COAF’s ongoing Project H.O.P.E. rapid response addressing the immediate and long-term needs of forcibly displaced families from Artsakh.
The Gala was co-hosted by Araksya Karapetyan of Good Day L.A. on FOX 11 Los Angeles, COAF Head of Development Haig Boyadjian, and world-renowned auctioneer Gabriel Butu. The evening featured captivating musical performances by New York-based jazz singer Astghik Martirosyan, as well as musical talents from Armenia — 10-year-old Menua Melik-Haykazyan on piano and 13-year-old Davit Babayan on violin. A distinguished lineup of celebrities made special appearances, including award-winning actress and longtime COAF ambassador Andrea Martin. Also in attendance were celebrated artists Michael Aram and Tigran Tsitoghdzyan.
Representatives of COAF with co-chairs and honorary guests of their 20th annual Holiday Gala
This landmark event honored acclaimed actor Joe Manganiello with the prestigious Humanitarian Award for his support to the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and for using his platform to share the story of his family’s history, roots and Armenian culture. Philanthropists and dedicated COAF supporters Tamar and John Akhoian of Los Angeles were recognized with the Save a Generation Award for their critical impact on advancing the organization’s work in rural communities.
Major Gala sponsors and donors include the Youredjian Family Charitable Foundation, COAF Founder and Chairman Garo Armen, the Afeyan Family Foundation, JHM Charitable Foundation, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Zarougian and Judith Saryan, the Ajemian Foundation, as well as several anonymous donors.
Over the last two decades, COAF has achieved incredible progress by prioritizing initiatives that promote economic and social stability, provide educational opportunities, and facilitate resources for career and economic advancement in overlooked rural regions. Touching the lives of over 100,000 people across 82 communities in Armenia and Artsakh, COAF’s success proves that building a stronger nation, starting with its villages, is not only an achievable goal but also well within reach.
The significance of the organization’s 20th-anniversary Gala goes beyond celebrating these impactful contributions to village communities; it signifies a continued commitment to the holistic development of Armenia’s rural families and children as well as a historic opportunity to unlock the potential for a better future. Given the current challenges facing Armenia, this year’s fundraiser will additionally support COAF’s Project H.O.P.E. rapid response efforts. This initiative is designed to assist families displaced from Artsakh through Housing, Opportunities in Education, Psychosocial and Health Support, and Empowerment through Capacity Building.
A scene from the COAF’S 20th Annual Holiday Gala
To learn more about COAF visit coaf.org and consider supporting their mission to advance the children of Armenia.
The Children of Armenia Fund is a non-profit, non-governmental organization aimed at improving the quality of life in rural Armenia, with a particular focus on children and youth. COAF’s target development areas are education, healthcare, as well as social and economic development. COAF launched its programs in 2004, starting in one village and expanding to over 70 villages and communities across the country with an investment of more than $70 million, impacting well over 100,000 people across rural Armenia.
The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registy's Comedy Night Committee. Photo courtesy of the ABMDR
Event Benefits ABMDR’s Life-Saving Mission
LOS ANGELES—A capacity audience of nearly 300 supporters attended the 19th annual “Laughter for Life,” the comedy night of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. One of the pan-Armenian organization’s most popular benefit events, “Laughter for Life” was held on December 3, at the landmark Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip, in West Hollywood, California.
Long a showcase for cutting-edge stand-up comedy, “Laughter for Life” featured a lineup of acclaimed comedians, including Maz Jobrani, Sam Tripoli, Amir K, Dustin Ybarra, Nicky Paris, Anthony Amorello, and Orny Adams. Sam Tripoli also organized and hosted the event, as he has done ever since co-founding “Laughter for Life” with Lara Yeretsian, Esq., in 2002.
In her welcome remarks, Yeretsian thanked the audience and the event’s sponsors for their support, and shared some stories about ABMDR’s latest activities. Yeretsian said, “We have a stem cell donor from Artsakh, a young woman, who, despite being impacted by the horrific events that have befallen the people of her homeland recently, said ‘yes’ to our request for donating her stem cells, for a chance to save the life of a patient in Germany. And right now, as we’re gathered here, the stem cells of another ABMDR donor are being harvested in Yerevan, to be used for a transplant that can save the life of a patient in Belarus.”
Comedian and longtime ABMDR supporter Maz Jobrani. Photo courtesy of the ABMDR Comedian and “Laughter for Life” co-founder Sam Tripoli. Photo courtesy of the ABMDR
“Just today, we had one more pleasant surprise,” Yeretsian continued. “There was a festive event at the Western Diocese, in Burbank, where Alex, one of our young patients, and his family were collecting toys for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. The event included a raffle drawing, and Alex’s family decided to donate all proceeds from the lottery to ABMDR. So Alex’s parents, who are the proprietors of Rama Drugs, not only donated nearly $8,000 to ABMDR, but are also among the sponsors of tonight’s ‘Laughter for Life.’”
Afterwards, ABMDR President Dr. Frieda Jordan said, “I think ‘Laughter for Life’ continues to be a hit with audiences because it not only serves up outstanding comedic talent, but also celebrates a beautiful sense of community, with hundreds coming together to support our organization’s life-saving mission.”
Dr. Jordan added, “I would like to thank the great Sam Tripoli, the event’s organizer; our dedicated Comedy Night Committee, chaired by the phenomenal Lara Yeretsian; as well as our generous supporters, sponsors, and volunteers, for making it all possible!”
ABMDR Comedy Night Committee Chairperson Lara Yeretsian (far right) with stand-up comedians and supporters. Photo courtesy of the ABMDR
Major sponsors of “Laughter for Life” included the Comedy Store (the Shore family), The Naughty Show, Sasoun Bakery, Sarkis Pastry, California Gourmet Nuts, Naturewell Vegan Juice and Smoothies, and Zartonk Media. Sponsors also included Feral Cosmetics, MK Loan Consulting, Vatican Banquet Hall, Paulette Malekian (of Engel & Völkers), Yeretsian Law, Mammoth Associates, Daglian Law Group, the Law Offices of Meline Mkrtichian, Arminak Law, Mr. and Mrs. Aram and Marine Papazian, Tazah, the Honorable Zaven Sinanian (of Signature Resolution), Taltech Construction, Dilanchian Chiropractic, and Rama Drugs.
Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 33,500 donors in 44 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 41 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.
UWC Dilijan has been awarded the status as the organizer of the Local Conference of Youth (LCOY) in Armenia, an event in the framework of the United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties (COP), which started at the end of November in Dubai.
Held on October 29 at UWC Dilijan in the run up to COP28, this was the first conference in Armenia within the U.N. youth outreach program.
A group of young people with certificates of participation
About 80 young people, including 65 from Armenian high schools ages 16-18, participated in the LCOY. The participants came from various regions in Armenia, including Yerevan, Shirak, Lori, Tavush, Vanadzor and Armavir. Additionally, there were participants from several countries, such as Russia, Macedonia, Australia, France, the Netherlands, Palestine, South Africa and Serbia.
Sustainable art workshop
The theme of LCOY Armenia was “Climate Crisis: How We Can All Contribute To Solving It.” Student-led, the conference focused on local issues, while Armenian experts briefed the participants on the status in Armenia with a number of workshops on practical steps to tackle climate change. The main issues discussed during the conference were:
During one of the sessions at UWC Dilijan
At the end of the conference, participants collectively drafted a statement and were asked to write pledges of their commitment to change habits in their own lives and/or to influence practices in their own schools and communities.
With the support of The Good Investors, two students, David Khanoyan from British International School and Sophie Nalbandyan from Dilijan High School, were awarded internships with Climate UTURN.
Erdni Mangutov (Russia, UWC Dilijan ’24), a member of YOUNGO, an organization behind LCOY, spearheaded the application process for UWC Dilijan to be a site for LCOY. “It was truly inspiring to see the diverse representation of countries and regions coming together in Armenia to address sustainability and environmental concerns at the conference. I hope that this conference has motivated everyone to take meaningful actions to drive positive change in these critical areas and that it would become an annual event. Creating awareness about climate change is the foundation for creating behavioral change as individuals and as society on the whole,” he said.
Monday,
Karabakh Leaders Vow Continued Fight For ‘Rights’
• Shoghik Galstian
Nagorno-Karabakh - People gather outside the parliament building in Stepanakert
during the election of a new Karabakh president, September 9, 2023.
Nagorno-Karabakh’s exiled political leadership has balked at attempts to
“finally close the Artsakh issue” while signaling its desire to discuss them
with the Armenian government.
The Karabakh parliament made the offer in a weekend statement issued on the 22nd
anniversary of a referendum on the region’s secession from Azerbaijan which it
said reaffirmed the Karabakh Armenians’ “will to have an independent state.”
“Taking into account the intensity of the steps taken by the parties interested
in the final closure of the Artsakh issue and the aggressive behavior of the
parties interested in it, the National Assembly reaffirms its commitment to
stand up for the rights of the people of Artsakh and expresses its readiness to
discuss all contentious issues with the interested parties,” it said.
Although the statement did not name those parties, it seemed primarily addressed
to the Armenian government.
“All those individuals who do not want Artsakh’s state institutions to operate
stand for the destruction of the Artsakh statehood,” said Davit Galstian, the
leader of the Artarutyun (Justice) bloc represented in the Karabakh legislature.
But he too did not name names.
Political allies of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian have said in recent weeks
that Karabakh government bodies should be dissolved following the recent
restoration of Azerbaijani control over the territory and the resulting exodus
of its ethnic Armenian population.
Armenian parliament speaker Alen Simonian declared on November 16 that their
continued activities would pose a “direct threat to Armenia’s security.” Gevorg
Papoyan, a deputy chairman of Pashinian’s Civil Contract party, on Monday echoed
that warning condemned by the Armenian opposition.
“This is would be a bomb planted under the Republic of Armenia,” Papoyan told
journalists. He also pointed to Karabakh President Samvel Shahramanian’s
September 28 decree which said that the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh
Republic, set up in September 1991, will cease to exist on January 1.
Shahramanian implied in October that the decree is null and void. He said he was
forced to sign it in order to stop the hostilities and enable the Karabakh
Armenians to safely flee their homeland.
The Karabakh parliament’s statement likewise said that Shahramanian’s decision
forced by Baku helped to prevent a “genocide.”
Pashinian’s government stopped championing the Karabakh Armenians’ right to
self-determination in April 2022. A year later, Pashinian declared that it
recognizes Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan. Armenian opposition leaders say
that this policy change paved the way for Azerbaijan’s September 19-20 military
offensive in Karabakh.
Simonian said later in November that a peace treaty currently discussed by Baku
and Yerevan should not contain any special provisions on Karabakh and the return
of its ethnic Armenian residents.
Ruling Party Vague On Next Steps In Gyumri
• Satenik Kaghzvantsian
Armenia - Civil Contract leaders in Gyumri hold a news conference, December 11,
2023.
Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party gave no indications on Monday that it will
try to oust the mayor of Gyumri through a no-confidnce vote after pulling out of
a power-sharing agreement with his political force.
The agreement was reached two years ago following a municipal election in which
a bloc linked to the city’s longtime former mayor, Samvel Balasanian, garnered
most votes but fell short of a majority in the local council. The Balasanian
Bloc teamed up with Civil Contract, which finished second.
In line with that deal, the new Gyumri council appointed the Balasanian Bloc’s
Vardges Samsonian as mayor and two Civil Contract members as deputy mayors.
Seveal other members of the party led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian were
also given posts in the municipal administration.
All those officials stepped down after Civil Contract unexpectedly announced
last week the end of the power-sharing arrangement. It said vaguely that it does
not want to be part of what it called “shady governance.”
Local Civil Contract leaders shed little light on their discord with the
Balasanian Bloc when they met the press to explain the decision. They accused
the bloc and the incumbent mayor of a lack of transparency but did not elaborate.
Knarik Harutiunian, who leads the Civil Contract group in the city council,
complained about “outside forces meddling in municipal governance.” It was not
clear whether she referred to ex-Mayor Balasanian.
“I will now refrain from giving any names,” said Harutiunian.
Pashinian’s party scrapped the coalition deal in Gyumri one day after
controversially ousting the head of a major community in neighboring Lori
province comprising the town of Alaverdi and two dozen other towns and villages.
The mayor, Arkadi Tamazian, lost his narrow majority in the Alaverdi council
after one of its members representing his opposition Aprelu Yerkir party
defected to Civil Contract in July. Civil Contract capitalized on the defection
to replace Tamazian by its local leader amid serious procedural violations
alleged by the Armenian opposition and some civil society members.
Commenators have suggested that Pashinian’s political team may attempt a similar
power grab in Armenia’s second largest city. Harutiunian said, however, that
such a scenario is “not realistic” because Civil Contract controls only 11 of
the 33 seats in the Gyumri council. She insisted that her party has not urged
any council members to defect to it or reeived such offers from any of them.
Meanwhile, the Balasanian Bloc and the Gyumri mayor remained reluctant to
comment on Civil Contract’s accusations and reveal their next steps. The
collapse of their alliance with Pashinian came as a surprise also because
Balasanian’s son Misak was appointed as Armenia’s ambassador to Iraq just two
months ago.
Argentina’s New President Vows Closer Ties With Armenia
Argentina - Argentina's President-elect Javier Milei meets Armenian President
Vahagn Khachaturian, Buenos Aires, December 9, 2023.
Argentina’s new President Javier Milei met with his Armenian counterpart Vahagn
Khachaturian and called for closer ties between their countries ahead of his
inauguration ceremony held on Sunday.
Khachaturian was among a handful of foreign leaders, including Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who attended the ceremony held in Buenos Aires.
According to the Armenian presidential press office, he was the first of those
dignitaries to be received by Milei in his new capacity.
“I have been to Armenia and am familiar with Armenia,” the office quoted Milei
as saying. “I am confident that we will further deepen our relations.”
The Armenian president, who has largely ceremonial powers, likewise expressed
confidence that the two governments “will do everything to raise the
Armenian-Argentinian relationship to a higher level.” He thanked Argentina for
its “support that has been shown to Armenia in recent years.”
Khachaturian held a separate meeting with the South American country’s outgoing
President Alberto Fernandez and gave him an Armenian state medal, the Order of
Honor. Fernandez has repeatedly denounced Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin
corridor that preceded its September military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Armenia has long maintained warm relations with Argentina as well as neighboring
Brazil and Uruguay cemented by the existence of influential Armenian communities
in the three nations. There are an estimated 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in
Argentina. Most of them are descendants of survivors of the 1915 Armenian
genocide in Ottoman Turkey.
Armenia - Argentine-Armenian businessman Eduardo Eurnekian speaks to reporters
in Echmiadzin, 14Sep2017.
The most prominent Argentinian of Armenian descent is Eduardo Eurnekian,
Argentina’s fourth-richest person whose Corporacion America group runs 53
airports in and outside the country and also has a wide range of other business
assets.
Milei, who is known for his libertarian and far-right views, worked for the
conglomerate from 2008-2021, eventually becoming its chief economist. Eurnekian
reportedly backed his former employee’s presidential bid. An Argentinian
lawmaker quoted by the Financial Times in September described the 90-year-old
billionaire as Milei’s “intellectual father.”
“I think Milei would be a very good president,” Eurnekian told the London-based
paper at the time.
Corporacion America’s holdings also include Yerevan’s Zvartnots international
airport. Eurnekian also invested in other sectors of the Armenian economy in the
early 2000s. In particular, he purchased an Armenian commercial bank and set up
what is now one of the South Caucasus country’s largest wine companies.
In 2017, then Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian bestowed the highest state
award, the title of National Hero, on Eurnekian.
Armenian Official Looks Forward To Peace Deal With Azerbaijan
• Karlen Aslanian
• Robert Zargarian
Armenia - Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, March
10, 2023.
Armenia and Azerbaijan moved closer to signing a bilateral peace treaty by
agreeing to exchange prisoners and take other confidence-building measures, a
senior Armenian official said over the weekend.
“We believe that this is a very positive, important step towards signing the
peace treaty,” Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council,
told Armenian Public Television.
“To a certain extent, this is the kind of step which shows that there is a
desire to follow the logic of solving problems, and the peace treaty is the
biggest opportunity to solve problems,” he said.
The Armenian government is ready to sign the treaty before the end of this month
even if that time frame “seems a bit difficult” now, added Grigorian.
The agreement on the prisoner swap announced last Thursday is the result of
direct Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations. Azerbaijan is to free 32 Armenian
captives in exchange for Armenia’s release of two Azerbaijani soldiers and
support for Baku’s bid to host the COP29 climate summit next year.
A senior Armenian pro-government lawmaker, Sargis Khandanian, cautioned on
Friday that implications of the prisoner swap should not be overestimated. The
two sides have only solved a “humanitarian issue” and it remains be seen whether
they can make similar progress on other fronts, he said.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev twice cancelled talks with Armenian Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian which the European Union planned to host in October.
The peace accord was due to be their main focus.
Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov similarly withdrew from a November
20 meeting with his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan that was due to take
place in Washington. Baku accused the Western powers of pro-Armenian bias and
proposed direct negotiations with Yerevan.
Mirzoyan deplored later in November Baku’s “refusal to come to meetings
organized by various international actors, including the U.S. and the EU.”
Bayramov claimed that Yerevan itself is dragging its feet on the peace treaty.
Aliyev likewise accused the Armenian side of “artificially dragging out the
process” in an interview with the Euronews TV channel recorded on November 23
but aired on December 9. He said at the same that Azerbaijan’s recent recapture
of Nagorno-Karabakh, which led to the mass exodus of the region’s ethnic
Armenian population, removed the main obstacle to the Armenian-Azerbaijani
treaty.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
The California
Courier Online, December 14, 2023
1- Armenian
Government Adds Unnecessary
Burdens on Already Suffering Artsakhtsis
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher, California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Cologne, Germany
removes Monument to Genocide
3- Israel to Sell Updated Air Defense System,
Satellites to Azerbaijan
4- People to be
allowed to freely carry weapons in Armenia
************************************************************************************************************************************************
1- Armenian
Government Adds Unnecessary
Burdens on
already Suffering Artsakhtsis
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher, California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
As if the problems of displaced Artsakh Armenians were not
bad enough, given their forced departure from their native land and the
subsequent hardships faced by lack of housing, food, medicines and other
essential items after their arrival in Armenia, the government is now
creating more unnecessary difficulties for them.
Artsakh Armenians, who have been citizens of Armenia for a long time, are suddenly told by
the Armenian government that they are not citizens of Armenia, even though they possess passports
issued by the Republic
of Armenia. Many Artsakh
Armenians have used their Armenian passports for years to travel to foreign
countries without any problems, which means that the authorities in Armenia and
other countries accepted their passports as genuine Armenian passports. How is
it possible that Artsakhtsis were citizens of Armenia
while living in Artsakh, but not after they arrived in Armenia?
To make matters more confusing, the government of Armenia is now telling Artsakh Armenians that
since they are not citizens of Armenia,
they may apply for Armenian citizenship in the future. This is complete
nonsense. How can a citizen of Armenia
apply a second time for citizenship? If I, as a US citizen, apply for US
citizenship for the second time, American government officials will treat me as
a fool and show me the door.
I believe that the Armenian government, led by Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinyan, has a hidden agenda in treating Artsakh Armenians as
non-citizens. He wants to make sure that during future elections in Armenia, Artsakh Armenians will be unable to
vote, knowing that many of them will not vote for his political party’s
candidates, since Pashinyan is the one who handed Artsakh to Azerbaijan. We
now have the additional evidence that the country’s leader is not only
incompetent, but also violates the country’s laws for political gain. This is
confirmed by the Interior Ministry’s declaration: “A person with refugee status
does not have the right to vote and be elected in national elections.”
Last week, the Republic
of Armenia’s Ministry of Interior
issued a statement in the format of “answers to frequently asked questions by
forcibly displaced citizens of the Republic
of Artsakh.” In this
first sentence, there is already an error. Artsakh Armenians are citizens of Armenia, not citizens of Artsakh or Azerbaijan.
The Ministry tried to entice Artsakh Armenians to accept
their refugee status, telling them that those who have the status of a refugee
have no obligation to serve in the armed forces of Armenia. In other words, Artsakh
Armenians, who must serve in Armenia’s
armed forces as citizens of Armenia,
are wrongly exempted from military service, in violation of Armenian law.
The Ministry also stated that as refugees, Artsakh Armenians
have no right to own agricultural land. This provision deprives them of the
ability to grow food on their own plot of land, since they do not have the
necessary funds to purchase food.
The Ministry then stated that refugees cannot travel to a
foreign country. This is also false, as Artsakh Armenians with their Armenian
passports can travel to any country after obtaining a visa, if one is required.
Some countries like Russia
do not require a visa from Armenian citizens. Thousands of Artsakh Armenians
have already left Armenia
simply by showing their Armenian passports which means that both Armenia and
other countries have recognized their passports as legitimate documents.
The Ministry then contradicted itself by stating that
“should a refugee’s passport expire, it can be renewed by presenting two photos
and the expired passport.” How can Artsakh Armenians renew their passports in Armenia, if
they are not Armenian citizens and do not hold Armenian passports?
In a further contradiction, the Ministry stated that those
Artsakh Armenians who become Armenian citizens do not lose their ability to benefit
from social assistance programs for refugees. The only requirement is that they
be classified as ‘displaced.’ If they do not jeopardize their right to receive
assistance after becoming citizens of Armenia, why are they classified as
refugees and not recognized as citizens?
Incredibly, after giving away Artsakh and repressing the
rights of Artsakh Armenians to pursue any political activity in Armenia on
behalf of Artsakh, the Ministry of Interior stated that their losses of
property in Artsakh “does not disappear or cease to exist as a result of a
change in a person’s legal status,” meaning acquiring citizenship of Armenia.
It remains to be seen if the Armenian government, beyond mere words, will be
willing to file lawsuits in international courts to defend the property rights
of Artsakh Armenians.
Artsakh Armeniams, who are citizens of Armenia, have
suffered more than enough. They should not be burdened with such unnecessary
bureaucratic nonsense.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
2- Cologne,
Germany
removes Monument to Genocide
By Jerome Wnuk
(Apollo News)—The monument to the Armenian genocide in Cologne, Germany
has been repeatedly erected and dismantled over the years. Sometime, the city
had the statue removed on the grounds that a cycle path was to be built and
sometimes for fear of “social upheaval”. After a march by Turkish nationalists,
including supporters of the far-right Grey Wolves and DITIB associations, at
the end of October, the city finally decided that the memorial should be
removed.
The memorial was erected in Cologne in 2018 to commemorate the victims of
the Armenian genocide between 1915 and 1918. At that time, 1.5 million Armenians
were murdered in massacres and death marches under the responsibility of the
Young Turk government of the Ottoman Empire,
which was formed by the Committee for Unity and Progress. For international
historians, the genocide is indisputable, but Turkey does not recognize the
crime.
Since its inauguration next to the Kaiser Wilhelm equestrian
statue, the memorial of the “Remember Genocide” initiative has repeatedly
caused disputes with Turkish nationalists, who have successfully put pressure
on the city. Following protests, the memorial was repeatedly removed by the
city and rebuilt by activists from the initiative – although the city’s reasons
for not granting the memorial permission and removing it often varied from time
to time.
For example, Cologne’s
mayor Reker recently justified herself with the “diverse interests of our
pluralistic urban society”, which had to be taken into account. However, this
did not stop the “Remember Genocide” initiative from putting the sculpture back
up in the city center on April 24 this year, Remembrance Day. The city then
issued a special use permit until May 24. However, this was not sufficient for
the campaign and they filed a legal complaint.
In addition to denying the genocide against the Armenians,
the Turkish participants in the demonstration did not distance themselves from
the atrocities committed by Hamas in Israel and even denied them. The
chairman of the youth organization “Fatherland Party” spoke to public
broadcaster WDR about the right of Palestinians to defend themselves,
explicitly including Hamas terror.
Just weeks later, the city council decided to finally
abolish the “This pain affects us all” memorial at the end of 2023. Instead, a
new memorial is to be erected to “commemorate the victims of oppression,
racism, violence and human rights violations”. At its meeting on December 7,
the city council decided on the funding for a dialogue process in which a new
memorial is to be developed. This process is expected to take two years and
cost up to 350,000 euros, according to the Kölner Stadtanzeiger.
For the Turkish right-wing extremists, who have been
fighting against the memorial for years, the Cologne city government’s caving in is a
complete success. On Facebook, nationalists euphorically wrote: “The defamation
monument will now be removed. We congratulate the Cologne city council on their decision in
favor of justice!”
This is not the first time that political pressure from
Turkish nationalists or diplomats in Germany
has led to success: in 2005, Brandenburg
removed the topic of the Armenian genocide from the curriculum due to the
intervention of Turkish diplomats. In 2011, the University
of Stuttgart refused to allow a
lecture on the genocide due to Turkish “protests from Berlin”—the university stated that it wanted
to “remain neutral”.
In 2014, due to protests against a play by Edgar Hilsenrath
which deals with the genocide, the event poster at the theatre in Constance was taken down and a statement from the Turkish
consul was read out before each performance. The premiere had to take place
under police protection.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
3- Israel
to Sell Updated Air Defense System, Satellites to Azerbaijan
By Vahe Sarukhanyan
(Hetq.am)—As reported by Defence Industry Europe some months
ago, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) performed a successful demonstration of
the Barak MX systems in Azerbaijan.
The Barak MX can deploy missiles with a range of 35, 70 and
150 km against air targets. Each launcher holds eight missiles. The weapon can
be used both at sea and on land. Moreover, the land version can be stationary,
transportable or mobile (self-propelled). Targets of this anti-aircraft system
include fighters, helicopters, cruise and tactical ballistic missiles, drones
and guided bombs.
Systems of the Barak (Hebrew for lightning) family are not
new to the armed forces of Azerbaijan.
In 2012 Azerbaijan
signed a $1.6 billion contract with IAI, which was supposed to supply drones
and the newest air defense systems. As part of this deal, in 2016, Israel
delivered the Barak 8 system and its missiles. According to information, the
Barak 8 launcher used by Azerbaijan
is mounted on the chassis of the Belarusian MZKT-7301 truck, that is, it is a
mobile weapon.
Defense analyst Leonid Nersisyan tells Hetq that the Barak
MX is a suitable option for the Azerbaijani army, because it has been using
these systems for a long time and has appropriate specialists operating the
weapon. It is easy to integrate the Barak MX into the management system of the
Azerbaijani armed forces.
“This weapon can use air defense missiles against different
targets, for example, with a 150 km range missile, which is expensive, to hit
high-priority targets, or with a cheaper 35 km range missile to hit targets
that are slow moving or nearby,” says Nersisyan.
The Barak MX is also applicable against tactical ballistic
missiles. The Russian Iskander is a tactical ballistic system in Armenia’s
arsenal.
Baku’s acquisition of the
Barak MX system is not the only result of the cooperation between Azerbaijan and
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). IAI supplies Azerbaijan with “kamikaze” type
Harop drones, LORA tactical ballistic systems, and LAHAT anti-tank missiles.
In the spring of this year, it was revealed that IAI will
sell two monitoring space satellites to Azerbaijan.
In June 2014, the European Airbus Defense and Space company
launched the SPOT 7 satellite from the territory of India.
It was acquired by Azerbaijan
in December of the same year and renamed Azersky. According to Azerbaijan, the
satellite had a wide range of applications: defense, security, response to
emergency situations, natural resources reconnaissance, maritime observation,
environmental protection, urban planning, mapping, agriculture, tourism, etc.
After acquiring the satellite, Baku announced the Azersky project cost 157
million euros.
On October 15, 2020, as the war raged on in Karabakh, the
French L’Obs newspaper wrote that although Azersky was exclusively for
monitoring Baku’s
oil and gas fields, in fact it also works in the field of defense and security.
The French periodical noted that this civilian satellite allows Baku to remotely oversee
operations against Armenians. Ilham Aliyev also confirmed this claim in
February 2021.
In fact, when the European-made Azersky (SPOT 7) got out of
control (the communication with Azersky was cut off), Azerbaijan turned to Israel for help. The Israeli Globes
wrote that in this case it is about IAI’s OptSat 500 observer satellites.
According to IAI data, these satellites take pictures in
panchromatic, multispectral (RGB+NIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) spectrums.
The resolution of the images is 0.4 m or 40 cm, which exceeds the indicators of
Azersky (1,5 m for panchromatic and 6 m for multispectral pictures). The
lifetime of OptSat 500 satellites is seven years.
“These satellites are a very important purchase for Azerbaijan,”
says Nersisyan. “The resolution is quite good. There are commercial satellites
of this level from which you can order pictures. The best commercial satellites
are the Maxar ones, whose resolution is 0.3 m, but it’s one thing to order and
another thing is to have two of your own and have the opportunity to photograph
whatever you want.”
Armenia
also has its own observing satellite, which was sent into Earth’s orbit on May
25, 2022, from the USA.
The Spanish-made satellite, which received the name ARMSAT_1, takes
multispectral (RGB+NIR) pictures, and the resolution of the pictures is 1.8 m,
which is a weaker indicator than Azersky and the Israeli OptSat 500.
“The observation satellites are for optical reconnaissance,”
says Nersisyan. “With a resolution of 40 cm, you can’t see people, but you can
see a tank, a car, various military objects, positions quite well. Constantly
taking pictures can give Azerbaijan
quite a lot of information not only about the Armenian army, but also about
other strategic areas.”
The satellites to be acquired by Azerbaijan still need to be manufactured.
According to Globes, until then IAI must conduct satellite technology and
operation courses for Azerbaijanis.
According to Azerbaijani media, IAI will take over the
design, assembly, integration and testing of the first of the OptSat 500 satellites,
involving Azerbaijani specialists.
Furthermore, the Israelis will also help the Azercosmos
agency in designing a new center for the preparation of satellites in Azerbaijan.
Globes has reported that Azercosmos plans a long-term cooperation deal with IAI
that includes the creation of innovative and entrepreneurial centers in the
field of space activities in Azerbaijan, academic training in space
technologies, as well as the opening of a joint business center.
Summarizing Israeli military purchases by Azerbaijan, Leonid Nersisyan says that the
continuous cargo flights between the two countries show that in addition to the
supply of Barak MX and satellites, there are other contracts, which, however, Azerbaijan does
not publicize.
Nersisyan points out that, contrary to before the 2020 war, Azerbaijan now doesn’t speak much about its
military purchases of pro-Armenian bias and proposed direct negotiations with Yerevan.
**********************************************************************************************************************************************
4- People to be
allowed to freely carry weapons in Armenia’
(News.am)—In Armenia,
it is necessary to regulate at the legislative level the issue of citizens’
right to self-defense by using weapons. This was announced by Vilen Gabrielyan,
an MP of the ruling Civil Contract Faction and author of the package of bills
on making amendments and addenda to the Law on Arms Traffic Regulation, during
the debates on this law initiative at a meeting on December 4 of the Standing
Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly of Armenia.
According to the lawmaker, this submitted package is aimed
at eliminating possible manifestations of corruption in this domain in Armenia,
reducing the number of illegal weapons, and gradually withdrawing them from
illegal circulation in the country.
“Citizens of the country, in particular, will get the right
to carry firearms if they fulfill a number of requirements, including mental
stability, the presence of an appropriate license, etc.,” explained the MP.
It was noted that the adoption of this package of draft laws
will contribute also to the development of hunting, amateur and sports
shooting, as well as military training in Armenia.
In turn, Armen Khachatryan, deputy chairman of the aforesaid
committee and the related rapporteur, emphasized the adoption of the
legislative package, and called on his colleagues to vote in favor.
Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Arpine Sargsyan
presented the positive position of the Armenian government regarding this
package of bills. She highlighted their joint work with the creator regarding
the package.
And as a result of the debates, this law package was
approved by the Standing Committee on Defense and Security.
The most recent gun law in Armenia was adopted on October 5,
2022. The Law “On Regulation of Firearms Circulation”—on the acquisition of
arms, and the sale and circulation of military products—was adopted by Armenia’s
National Assembly, and was expected to improve gun control measures and
regulate the circulation of weapons and munitions.
The law came into force six months after the adoption date.
Prior to this law, gun control measures had not been changed since 1998.
“On Regulation of Firearms Circulation” specified three
types of firearms that can be purchased by Armenian citizens: Long-barreled
firearms (grooved or smoothbore firearms); Combination firearms (barreled and
smoothbore), including interchangeable, insertable grooved barrels; and Long
barreled firearms (firearms with a barrel length not exceeding 1500 mm and
caliber not exceeding 12.7 mm).
Article 15 of the law defined the right of Armenian citizens
to acquire a weapon. After gaining permission from the police, any person 21
years and older could purchase a combination or long-barreled firearm
(shotgun). The firearm must be registered with the Police within five working
days after its purchase. Being a member of a hunting association and owning a
combination firearm for five years would no longer be a requirement for
purchasing a weapon.
According to the 1998 law, an Armenian citizen could have
owned a maximum of eight firearms—up to three rifles and five shotguns. The
2022 law made it possible for a citizen to acquire 10 units of civilian weapons
with a permit to keep and carry them.
Supporters of the 2022 law believed that weapons should be
more accessible to ordinary citizens for self-defense purposes. According to
them, this does not mean people should be armed while walking down the street
or protecting themselves from their neighbors.
At the time, supporters said that it was a recognition that Armenia is in a
state of war and it is vital for its reservists to be combat-ready and in
fighting condition. The 2022 law stipulated that a citizen who is a first-time
purchaser of a civilian weapon is required to undergo a short-term training
course on gun safety rules in weapon’s training NGOs authorized by the
government and to obtain a certificate. The police determine how the training
is to be conducted.
Opponents of the 2022 law objected that it would pose undue
expense and delays on the purchase of weapons.
According to the 1998 law, in order to obtain a permit to
purchase a weapon, a citizen had to submit a medical report to the police about
health issues that would prevent the possession of weapons, such as visual
impairment, mental illness, alcoholism or drug addiction.
The medical report is issued by a polyclinic based on
medical inspections made by a medical committee. If the polyclinic does not
provide psychiatric and narcotic medical care and services, then the citizen
has to submit a medical document to the polyclinic issued by medical
institutions that provide psychiatric and narcotic medical care and services.
These documents are better known as “narco” and “psycho”
certificates. Prior to August 2022, the fee for these certificates was 3000
AMD. In August 2022, the fees increased to 20,000 AMD.
These certificates were only valid for one month; a medical
certificate was required for every time a weapon was purchased. Other one-time
fees were also assessed for each gun.
“This should not be allowed. They are making guns for the
rich again,” Ishkhan Gevorgyan, Chair of the Board of Azatazen (an NGO that
also offers military training for civilians) said in 2022 when the new law was
passed.
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************************************************************
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