BREAKING: Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem says it is facing “greatest existential threat”

Bedik Zaminian

 17:13,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem has warned that it is facing the “greatest existential threat” in its history.

In a statement, the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem said the developer who sought to buy some 25 percent of the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem has ignored a letter by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem cancelling the controversial real estate deal and has started demolition works, and moreover police now demand that all members of the Armenian Community vacate the premises.

“The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem is under possibly the greatest existential threat of its 16-century history. This existential-territorial threat fully extends to all the Christian communities of Jerusalem. The Armenian Patriarchate has recently cancelled a contract tainted with false representation, undue influence, and unlawful benefits. Instead of providing a lawful response to the cancellation, the developers attempting to build on the Cow's Garden have completely disregarded the legal posture of the Patriarchate toward this issue, and instead have elected for provocation, aggression, and other harassing, incendiary tactics including destruction of property, the hiring of heavily armed provocateurs, and other instigation. In recent days, the vast destruction and removal of asphalt on the grounds of the Armenian Quarter has been done without the presentation of permits from the municipality by neither the developer nor the police. Despite this fact, the police have chosen in the last few days to demand that all members of the Armenian Community vacate the premises. We plead with the entirety of the Christian communities of Jerusalem to stand with the Armenian Patriarchate in these unprecedented times as this is another clear step taken toward the endangerment of the Christian presence in Jerusalem and the Holy Land,” the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem said in a statement.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 16-11-23

Ophelia Vardapetian

 17:09,

YEREVAN, 16 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 16 November, USD exchange rate down by 0.20 drams to 402.72 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.74 drams to 436.75 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.01 drams to 4.53 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.59 drams to 499.57 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 153.14 drams to 25354.28 drams. Silver price up by 13.58 drams to 303.11 drams.

BTA. Foreign Minister Gabriel Thanks Germany for Its Strong Support for Bulgaria’s Schengen Accession

Emil Lazarian

 17:30,

SOFIA, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS/BTA. Foreign Minister Mariya Gabriel thanked Germany for its strong support for Bulgaria’s prompt Schengen accession during a joint press conference with her German counterpart Annalena Baerbock in Berlin on Thursday.

“This means a lot for Bulgaria and for the Bulgarian people. Germany is our trusted ally and long-standing partner and its support for Schengen at this crucial moment is essential,” Gabriel stressed.

Baerbock said that Bulgaria and Romania have worked hard in this direction and now it is the turn of the Schengen countries to keep their word and accept them.

Gabriel also thanked Germany for its support for Bulgaria’s candidacy for membership in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OEC). She expressed confidence that the two countries cан work together in the sphere of investments, new technologies, cooperation in education and culture.

The enlargement of the EU, the fight against illegal migration and the situation in the Middle East вере also topics of the talks between the two foreign ministers.

The fight against illegal migration remains a key priority for Bulgaria, given that it is an external border of the EU, Gabriel said. She added that the country supports efforts to establish an effective fair and well-functioning migration and asylum system within the EU.

“It is crucial that support for Ukraine continues in the face of ongoing Russian aggression. We will continue to work for the sanctions regime against Russia. Bulgaria also provides political, diplomatic, military and humanitarian assistance and is home to thousands of Ukrainian citizens fleeing the war,” the Bulgarian Foreign Minister pointed out.

Berbok praised Bulgaria’s support for Ukraine. “I am happy to note that solidarity is not just a word for Bulgaria and that the country is providing assistance to Ukraine,” emphasized the German minister. 

She pointed out that Bulgaria is among the countries that continue to keep the Ukrainian grain export corridor functioning together with Greece and Romania. 

Regarding the conflict in the Middle East, which began on October 7 after the radical group “Hamas” attacked Israel, the German minister said that she saw the situation firsthand during her visit to the region. 

Baerbock praised the support provided to Ukraine by Bulgaria. “I am glad to note that solidarity is not just a word for Bulgaria,” the German Minister underlined. 

She pointed out that Bulgaria is among the countries that continue to maintain a functioning Ukrainian grain export corridor together with Greece and Romania. 

Regarding the conflict in the Middle East, which started on October 7 after the radical group Hamas attacked Israel, Baerbock said she had seen the situation on the ground during her visit to the region.

“Clearly, there is no easy answer to this issue,” she noted and added that opening a humanitarian corridor is necessary to allow people in need, especially children.

She called for the release of the hostages captured by Hamas in the attack and said Israel had the right to defend itself, but Israel must take into account the civilians in the Gaza Strip during its military operations.

“For there to be peace and security in the region, there must be two independent states,” Baerbock stressed.

“Bulgaria strongly condemns the brutal terrorist attacks by Hamas against Israel… We express our full support for Israel’s right to self-defence, in accordance with the norms of international law,” Gabriel said.

(This information is being published according to an agreement between Armenpress and BTA.)




Armenia’s Security Council Secretary discuss the security situation in the region with the Canadian Ambassador

Parkev Tvankchian

 18:12,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan  on November 16  received  Ambassador of Canada to Armenia Andrew Turner.

Armenia’s Security Council Secretary  congratulated the Canadian Ambassador on the opening of the resident embassy of Canada to the Republic of Armenia and expressed hope that the Armenian-Canadian bilateral multi-sectoral relations will develop with new intensity, Grigoryan’s office said in a readout.

According to the source, Armen Grigoryan noted that Armenia highly appreciates Canada's willingness to be involved in the activities of the EU civilian observation mission in Armenia.

It is mentioned that the interlocutors discussed the security situation in the region and the negotiation process for the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.




Armenia signed the Framework Agreement on the Establishment of the International Solar Alliance

Emil Lazarian

 19:10,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. On November 16, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia the official signing ceremony of the Framework Agreement on the Establishment of the International Solar Alliance by Armenia was held, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

According to the source, the signing ceremony was attended by Gnel Sanosyan, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of the Republic of Armenia and the Ambassadors of co-founding countries of the International Solar Alliance – Ambassador of France Olivier Decottignies and Ambassador of India Nilakshi Saha Sinha.

The Agreement was signed by Deputy Foreign Minister Mnatsakan Safaryan, and the signed original copies were officially handed over to Nilakshi Saha Sinha, Ambassador of India – the Depositary State of the Agreement.

''The Agreement will then undergo an internal ratification process and enter into force on the thirtieth day following the handover of the instrument of ratification by Armenia to the Depositary.

Armenia's accession to the International Solar Alliance is an important step towards combating climate change, developing renewable and green energy resources, ensuring energy access and energy security,'' reads the statement.

The International Solar Alliance was established through the joint efforts of India and France towards working together to combat climate change and harness solar energy resources. The concept of the Alliance was developed in 2015 within the framework of the 21st Conference of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21) held in Paris. In 2020 The Alliance made changes to the Framework Agreement, according to which all UN member states have the opportunity to join the Alliance. Currently, 116 states have signed the Framework Agreement of the Alliance, 94 of which have submitted the necessary ratification documents to become full members of the Alliance. The decision-making body of the Alliance is the Assembly, convened once a year at the level of relevant ministers from the member states. The Alliance is headquartered in India.

Renewable energy is one of the most important directions of the development of the energy system in Armenia, where solar energy has developed particularly well during recent years. Today, more than 5 percent of the total electricity produced comes from solar plants; the strategic program on energy development foresees by 2030 to increase the share of solar energy in the total to 15 percent.




Estonia accuses Russia of facilitating illegal border crossings

Emma Jilavian

 19:20,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The Minister of Internal Affairs of Estonia on Thursday launched a pointed accusation against Russia, alleging a failure to detain illegal migrants at its borders. The incident sparking this contention involved eight Somali citizens attempting to circumnavigate immigration control, attempting to enter Estonia via Narva, BNN reports.

According to the source, previously, similar tensions have been observed in the north, where Finland accused Russia of maneuvering asylum seekers to its border. 
Finland is set to close half of its border crossings with Russia on Friday night, accusing Moscow of encouraging undocumented migrants to head for border checkpoints and claim asylum. 

Speaking at a press conference in Helsinki, Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said the four border crossings will stay closed until 18 February, while asylum applications are centralized at two other locations, Euronews reports.

Azerbaijan must ensure safety of Nagorno-Karabakh people, top UN court orders – AP

Maral Takmazian
Global News, Canada
Nov 17 2023
By Mike Corder
Associated Press

The U.N. top court on Friday issued an order calling on Azerbaijan to ensure the safety of people who leave, return to or remain in Nagorno-Karabakh, following the Azerbaijani military’s retaking of the separatist region in September.

Armenia asked the International Court of Justice to order so-called provisional measures, guaranteeing safety and protecting property and identity documents, after Azerbaijan’s army routed ethnic Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh in a 24-hour campaign that began on Sept. 19.

The region’s separatist government then agreed to disband itself by the end of the year. More than 100,000 ethnic Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh to neighboring Armenia.

Armenia last month urged judges to issue interim orders on Azerbaijan to prevent what the leader of Armenia’s legal team called the “ethnic cleansing” of the Nagorno-Karabakh region from becoming irreversible.

“Azerbaijan has not engaged and will not engage in ethnic cleansing or any form of attack on the civilian population of Karabakh,” he said at the hearings in October. He made pledges that Azerbaijan would do all it could to ensure the safety and rights of all citizens in the region.

The court said Friday that those pledges “are binding and create legal obligations for Azerbaijan.”

The judges then, by a 13-2 majority, ruled that Azerbaijan must ensure that people who left Nagorno-Karabakh after the Sept. 19 military operation and want to return “are able to do so in a safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner.”

The court added that Azerbaijan also must ensure that people who want to leave the region can do so safely and ensure that people who remain in Nagorno-Karabakh or returned and want to stay ”are free from the use of force or intimidation that may cause them to flee.”

The judges also called on Azerbaijan to “protect and preserve registration, identity and private property documents and records” of people in the region and told the country to report back within eight weeks on the measures it takes to implement the orders.

The orders are a preliminary step in a case brought by Armenia accusing Azerbaijan of breaching an international convention against racial discrimination linked to the Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan also has brought a case against Armenia at the world court alleging breaches of the same convention.

Those cases are likely to take years to resolve.

Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry responded to Friday’s court order by reiterating the country’s position that it did not force out any ethnic Armenians, and that many left despite the government’s call for them to stay.

“Azerbaijan is committed to uphold the human rights of the Armenian residents of Karabakh on an equal basis with other citizens of Azerbaijan in line with its constitution and relevant international obligations,” the ministry said.

After six years of separatist fighting ended in 1994 following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Nagorno-Karabakh came under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, backed by Armenia.

Azerbaijan took back parts of the region in the south Caucasus Mountains during a six-week war in 2020, along with surrounding territory that Armenian forces had claimed earlier. Nagorno-Karabakh was internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory.

Orders by the court, which adjudicates in disputes between nations, are final and legally binding.

Friday’s ruling came on the day that another court in The Hague, the International Criminal Court, announced that Armenia will become its 124th member state on Feb. 1 after ratifying its founding treaty. The country has said it accepts the court’s jurisdiction dating back to May 10, 2021.

Armenia’s decision to join the court has further strained its already tense relations with ally Russia. The ICC earlier this year issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for his alleged involvement in crimes connected to the deportation of children from Ukraine.

The court’s member states are bound to arrest Putin if he sets foot on their soil. Moscow has called Armenia’s effort to join the ICC an “unfriendly step,” even as Yerevan sought to assure that Putin would not be arrested if he entered the country.

https://globalnews.ca/news/10098838/un-court-nagorno-karabakh-azerbaijan/


World Court: Azerbaijan must let ethnic Armenians return to Nagorno-Karabakh – Reuters

Hovhannisian John
Reuters

THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Judges at the World Court on Friday ordered Azerbaijan to let ethnic Armenians who fled Nagorno-Karabakh in September return, and to keep the Armenians remaining in the enclave safe, as part of a set of emergency measures.

Azerbaijan in September recaptured the region, then controlled by its ethnic Armenian majority despite being internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan.

The lightning offensive, after decades of enmity between Baku and Yerevan and a nine-month blockade of essential supplies by Baku, prompted the mass exodus of most of the region's 120,000 ethnic Armenians to neighbouring Armenia.

Yerevan accused Azerbaijan of ethnic cleansing and asked the International Court of Justice, as the World Court is formally known, to issue emergency measures aimed at protecting the rights of ethnic Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Azerbaijan must (…) ensure that persons who have left Nagorno-Karabakh after Sept. 19, 2023, and who wish to return to Nagorno-Karabakh are able to do so in a safe, unimpeded and expeditious manner," presiding judge Joan Donoghue said.

The court said Azerbaijan must also make sure any ethnic Armenians still living in the enclave were "free from the use of force or intimidation that may cause them to flee" and ordered that Baku report to the court in two months to show what it was doing to comply with the order.

Azerbaijan's foreign ministry said it had already pledged to ensure all residents’ safety and security, regardless of national or ethnic origin, and that it had not forced the ethnic Armenians to leave Karabakh.

"Azerbaijan is committed to upholding the human rights of the Armenian residents of Karabakh on an equal basis with other citizens of Azerbaijan," it said in a statement.

The measures are part of two competing legal disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan before the ICJ. Both states accuse each of violating a U.N. anti-discrimination treaty.

No date has been set for the main case and a final ruling is not expected before well into next year.

(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg and Nailia Bagirova; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Hugh Lawson, William Maclean)

Armenian police ‘forced Ingush domestic abuse victim to meet family’

Alex Jidarian
Nov 17 2023
 

ByArshaluys BarseghyanandLuiza Mchedlishvili

An Ingush domestic abuse victim seeking asylum in Armenia was allegedly temporarily placed in police custody after being reported missing by her uncle, who rights groups claim was allowed to meet her at the police station.

On Tuesday, the Armenian police found Fatima Zurabova, 21, in Ashtarak, a town northwest of Yerevan, and took her into their custody in Yerevan.

Armenia’s Investigative Committee said that a friend of her relatives had reported her missing to the Armenian authorities on 10 November.

Before being taken into police custody, Zurabova published a video stating that she had left Russia voluntarily after being subjected to abuse by her family. She added that she taken nothing valuable from her home, and asked her family not to look for her. 

On the day that Zurabova was taken to Yerevan, her uncle, Yusup Zurabov, who is an Ingush MP, flew to Armenia’s capital and went to the police station where his niece was being held. Marem, a North Caucasus women’s rights group that facilitated her escape, claim that the police confiscated Zurabova’s phone and locked her in a room with her uncle.

Zurabov also served as Ingushetia’s minister of economy and is an active member of United Russia, a party that supports Russian President Vladimir Putin.

A spokesperson for the head of Armenia’s Investigative Committee stated on Thursday that Zurabova was not under arrest, and did not meet with any relatives during her time in Armenia’s investigation department. 

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Armenia’s Human Rights Defender’s Office added that police reported that Zurabova had been transferred to a ‘safe space’. 

On Wednesday, Marem told Holod Media that Zurabova had approached them for help in late September, saying that since she was 15, she had been frequently beaten by her family for ‘preventative purposes’.

‘They beat her with a belt for being insufficiently religious because of suspicions that at some point she might behave in a way that was inappropriate for Ingush society’, said Marem.

They also said that after each beating, the family would confiscate her phone so that she could not record evidence of her abuse.

Zurabova’s mother reportedly told her that her family planned to marry her off, while her brother pressured her into quitting her job.

Cherta Media quoted Zurabova as saying that her family would kill her if she returned to Ingushetia.

Marem added that Zurabova’s uncle had told the group that he had contacted his connections at ‘the top of Armenia’s Interior Ministry’, and had gained access to Zurabova’s phone, correspondence, and contacts.

He also demanded that Zurabova return to Ingushetia accompanied by lawyers, where she could declare ‘in front of all her relatives’ that she left Ingushetia of her own volition. He stated that he would subsequently ‘disown her because he does not need such a niece’.

He threatened to otherwise ‘deal with’ everyone who helped Zurabova, including the taxi driver who had taken her to the airport in Mineralnye Vody.

In an interview with RFE/RL, Marem said that Zurabov appeared to be ‘well-connected’, and that he had threatened to do ‘everything within his capabilities and character to those who organised it all’.

Marem’s founder, Svetlana Anokhina, added that Zurabov had threatened to accuse his niece of theft. Women fleeing domestic abuse in the North Caucasus are frequently detained on charges of theft and later returned to their abusers.

[Read more: Chechen domestic abuse victim ‘abducted and sent to Grozny’]

According to Marem, Zurabova has sought protection from the police in Armenia, who reportedly said that they could not assist her since she was subjected to abuse in Russia. The police also reportedly told her that she needed to apply for refugee status from the migration service in order to be eligible for state protection.

Armenia’s Human Rights Defender’s office told epress.am that their rapid response team had visited Zurabova on Wednesday. 

RFE/RL also stated that Zurabova’s mother had flown to Armenia to see her daughter. Mamikon Hovsepyan, a human rights activist, criticised the police for letting Zurabova’s family see her in the police station.

‘Firstly, the support of the police and law enforcement officers was needed, which is not there’, Hovsepyan told RFE/RL. ‘They say if the abuser is the brother, and he is not in Armenia, then she is not in danger. They do not take into account that the whole family is in the police, that she is threatened, and they are just ready to let her go.’


Is Armenia a logistical hub in Putin’s war against Ukraine?

Chmshkian Vicken
eureporter
Nov 17 2023

According to  recent reports, Armenia-based entities are using  the sea route Batumi-Novorossiysk to re-export sanctioned goods to Russia. Through the Armenian Shipping Company, 600 containers with a total weight of 6 tons are transported to Russia weekly via Georgian ports, writes Nicholas Chkhaidze.

This sophisticated Russo-Armenian scheme involves a variety of goods, such as clothing, cars, and spare parts, as well as medical equipment produced by Western companies. Among the most re-exported commodities are vehicles, especially American: they are usually delivered, through the Georgian ports, to Armenia, where they are registered and stored in the city of Gyumri. This is from where most of the cars are re-exported to Russia, again via Georgia. This scheme has been very well portrayed on Financial Times back in summer.

Such operations usually involve several stakeholders, such as C&M International LLC, the operator of transportation along the sea route Batumi-Novorossiysk, the Armenian Shipping Company, the customer company from Armenia, and Black Sea Forwarding LLC, a Russian-based recipient firm.

This also underlines the fact that Georgian entities are also complicit in the sanctions evasion practice  via Armenia, though they may not be aware of where the goods originated from, which makes it difficult for state authorities to enforce the sanctions regime.  

Claims that Armenia has been serving as Putin’s main logistics hub in the war against Ukraine are not new, and have been written about quite intensively.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security, between 2021 and 2022, Armenia's  imports of microprocessors and chips from the U.S. increased by approximately 500%, while shipments from the EU increased by approximately 200%. According to the bureau, up to 97 percent of these parts were subsequently re-exported to Russia. Russia and Armenia's trade volume topped $5 billion in 2022, which is a substantial increase in terms of the trade growth percentage. Russia and Armenia's commercial turnover reached $2.6 billion in 2021.

Unsurprisingly, U.S. State Department also addressed this issue and the Department`s Sanctions Coordinator, Jim O’Brien stated back in June 2023, that Russia's purchases of essential microchips and electronics have returned to pre-invasion stages, as Moscow found other nations to re-export the high-tech parts purchased from European corporations.

In September 2022, U.S. Treasury designated TACO LLC as a third-country supplier for “Radioavtomatika”, a major Russian defense procurement firm that specializes in procuring foreign items for Russia’s defense industry. The department consequently added it to the sanctions list for aiding Russia’s war effort in Ukraine. Similarly, Gazprom’s Armenia branch also faced sanctions due to it carrying out money transfers related to the purchase of Russian gas in roubles.

Armenia, a self-proclaimed democracy, and a nation that has been playing by Russian rules for quite some time has started acting rebellious vis-à-vis their strategic partner, Russia,  and in Armenia there is talk of shifting the geopolitical orientation away from Russia. However, on the ground, the business is being run as usual as Armenia-based companies are not only collaborating with Russian firms, but also providing them a window to trade with the West.

The surge of the Armenian economy in the last two years further underlines the fact that it is institutionally attached to Russia and cannot prosper without the latter; this fact was somehow re-affirmed by former Armenian Minister of Finance, Vardan Aramyan, who said that Armenia is not able to endure possible Russian sanctions and that the lion's share of 12.6% growth posted by Armenia in 2022 was contributed by Russia. Aramyan also said that today Armenia's integration in the Russian market is quite high. For example, of the $980 million FDI in 2022, $585 million were reinvested profit, mostly from companies with Russian capital. The bulk of individual remittances sent to Armenia come from Russia and 50-60% of re-exports, which increased significantly in 2022 and 2023, go to Russia.

Even though this Armenian-Russian economic axis has been addressed by Western political circles and expert communities multiple times, and several Armenian organizations have been sanctioned, the West`s relaxed reaction seems surprising. Particularly nowadays when euphoria prevails in many Western capitals regarding Armenia`s alleged Westward drift. While Armenia`s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his October speech claimed that his country was ready to integrate with the European Union to the extent that the EU deems it possible, the Caucasus nation does not abandon its pro-Russian economic policies. In this situation, surprising is also the quick decision by France, a NATO member, to supply Armenia, a Russian ally, with weapons and air defense systems: no one gives a guarantee that the said Western military equipment and technology would not end up in the hands of Russia.