Author: Anna Tamamian

Vice speaker: Lot to be done on implementation of Bundestag resolution on Armenian Genocide recognition

Anna Tamamian
NEWS.am
Armenia – July 6 2022
13:37, 06.07.2022

Within the framework of the visit to Germany by members of the Armenia-Germany friendship group in the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia, a meeting of this delegation with the Vice President of the Bundestag, Petra Pau, took place in the German parliament.

Hayk Konjoryan, the leader of the ruling majority “Civil Contract” Faction in the NA, informs that matters aimed at the development of interparliamentary relations were discussed during the meeting.

Also, the members of the Armenian parliamentary delegation presented information about the developments taking place in Armenia and the region.

The Armenian NA delegation emphasized the need for the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict’s settlement within the framework of the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group, and reflected on the matter of Azerbaijan not returning all Armenian prisoners of war and the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage.

The vice president of the Bundestag, in turn, particularly emphasized that there is still a lot to be done regarding the implementation of the Armenian Genocide recognition resolution adopted by the Bundestag in 2016.

Also, Pau stressed the importance of Armenian-German parliamentary cooperation, and expressed readiness to assist that process.

Georgia bans exports of wheat and barley

Anna Tamamian

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 12:11, 4 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 4, ARMENPRESS. The Georgian government’s decision to ban exports of wheat and barley came into effect today, on July 4, reports TASS.

The decision was adopted in late June and will remain into force until July 2023.

The decision, however, does not ban the export of Georgian corn.

According to the Georgian national statistical service, the country exported over 1,400 tons of wheat to Armenia(worth $365,000) in 2021, 49 tons to Turkey ($16,000) and 40 tons to Ukraine ($10,000).

Artsakh NSS neutralizes activity of foreign special services intelligence network

Anna Tamamian
ARMINFO
Armenia – June 29 2022
Alexandr Avanesov

ArmInfo. The National Security Service of Artsakh revealed and neutralized the activities of the intelligence network formed in Artsakh by foreign special services,  which included five employees of various units of the Artsakh Defense  Army. An attempt to further recruit citizens of Artsakh was also  prevented. This was reported by the press service of the NSS.

According to the materials of the preliminary investigation, the  citizens of Artsakh, being employees of one of the military units  through social networks established a connection with the account of  a foreign intelligence officer registered under an Armenian nickname  , who was subsequently provided with information containing state and  official secrets, about the locations of combat positions, the number  of personnel who is on combat duty, the types and quantity of weapons  available at combat positions, as well as data on the commanding  staff. One of them received $200 by bank transfer, the other persons  never received the promised amounts.  Artsakh citizens A.A., M.A. and  A.B. were charged with high treason.  They were arrested, the  National Security Service of the Republic of Artsakh reports.

Zakharova: Implementation of the agreements between the leaders of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan will ensure a comprehensive normalization …

Anna Tamamian
ARMINFO
Armenia – June 29 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. Moscow has always emphasized that the unblocking of all transport and economic ties in the South Caucasus works to consolidate positive trends and,  ultimately, to improve the situation in the region. Official  representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova,  announced this on June 29 during a weekly briefing.

In her opinion, the implementation of the relevant agreements of the  three countries (statements by the leaders of Russia, Armenia,  Azerbaijan, ed. note) will ensure a comprehensive normalization of  relations between Baku and Yerevan.

On the night of November 10, the presidents of Russia, Azerbaijan and  the Prime Minister of Armenia announced that the war in Nagorno  Karabakh was being stopped. The fighting ended on November 10 at 1:00  am (exactly at midnight Moscow time). Vladimir Putin, Ilham Aliyev  and Nikol Pashinyan signed a joint statement, which discusses the  terms of peace in Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to this notorious agreement, 9 regions around  Nagorno-Karabakh were transferred to Azerbaijan, including two from  the NKAO. Moreover, Russia sent a contingent of peacekeepers to  Nagorno-Karabakh for a period of at least 5 years. If neither Armenia  nor Azerbaijan objects, this period will automatically be extended  for another five years. They will control the Lachin corridor, which  links Stepanakert with Armenia. According to the statement of the  Russian Ministry of Defense, the control will be carried out by about  1,960 servicemen, 90 armored personnel carriers and 380 units of  special and automotive equipment.

The parties also agreed to unblock all transport and economic ties in  the region, and return all prisoners of war on the "all for all"  principle. It is noteworthy that this point is not fulfilled by  Azerbaijan 1.5 years after the signing of the statement.

Armenian government plans to restore former course of Araks River

Anna Tamamian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Naira Badalian

ArmInfo.The Armenian government plans to restore the former course of the Araks River in order to avoid further collapses. The corresponding decision was made at a  Cabinet meeting on June 30.

According to the explanation to the document, it is necessary to  restore the former course of the Araks River in the corresponding  section of the border with Turkey, approximately 6.5 km long, and  eliminate one of the tributaries.

It is also proposed to build a dam at the corresponding boundary  marker on the current channel of the Araks, in order to direct the  waters to the former channel and restore the earthen embankment 130 m  long and 8 m deep.

22.38 million drams will be allocated for this as part of the  redistribution of the saved funds of the state budget for the measure  "Works to strengthen and clean sections of rivers and storm drains"  of the "Irrigation system improvement" program. 

Key U.S. House Appropriations Panel Proposes $60 Million for Armenia; Needs Assessment for Artsakh

Anna Tamamian
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ANCA continues campaign to expand aid to Artsakh in face of ongoing Azerbaijani threats

WASHINGTON—The U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations has called for $60 million in U.S. aid to Armenia, $2 million for Artsakh de-mining, and a special report by the State Department and US Agency for International Development to identify humanitarian needs in the aftermath of the 2020 Artsakh war as part of the Fiscal Year 2023 foreign aid bill, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“The ANCA would like to thank Chairwoman Barbara Lee for her leadership in increasing aid to Armenia, maintaining Artsakh demining assistance, and – notably – for calling for a long-overdue needs assessment following Turkey and Azerbaijan’s attacks on Artsakh and Armenia in 2020,” stated ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  “As the House and Senate continue marking up the FY2023 foreign aid measure, we look forward to working with key legislators to expand aid to Artsakh in the face of ongoing Azerbaijani aggression.”

The ANCA is continuing its nationwide campaign to secure $50 million in U.S. aid to Artsakh / $100 million for Armenia through its online portal – anca.org/aid

In the report accompanying the proposed FY2023 foreign aid bill, House appropriators urged the $60 million in funds for Armenia to support “economic development, private sector productivity, energy independence, democracy and the rule of law, and other purposes.”  With regard to Artsakh, the report notes, “the Committee remains concerned about the humanitarian impact of the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh and resulting challenges in the areas of housing, food security, water and sanitation, health care, and other human needs.”  Within 60 days of the enactment of the measure, the Secretary of State and USAID Administrator are asked to “develop and submit to the Committees on Appropriations an assistance strategy for addressing humanitarian and recovery needs arising from the conflict. The strategy shall identify resources and programs available to address the ongoing crisis, along with an estimate of resources available for such purpose.”  The Committee report also includes a recommendation of “not less than $2,000,000 for de-mining activities in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

With regard to Turkey, House appropriators, once again, urged that aid be withheld from President Erdogan’s bodyguards – the Turkish Presidential Protection Directorate (TPPD) – unless those indicted as a result of the July 17, 2017, brutal beating of peaceful protesters in Washington, DC are brought to justice.

The full House Appropriations Committee is expected to adopt the proposed FY2023 foreign aid bill this week.  In the run-up to full House consideration of the measure, Hamparian and ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan have led over 50 meetings with Congressional offices echoing community concerns about Artsakh’s and Armenia’s safety and security, the need to zero-out military aid to Azerbaijan, and to send $50 million in U.S. aid to Artsakh and $100 million to Armenia.  They have been accompanied by the 2022 ANCA Leo Sarkisian, Maral Melkonian Avetisyan, and Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program interns and fellows.

The U.S. Senate is set to take up foreign aid bill in the upcoming month.

Turkish press: Azerbaijan’s president, OIC chief discuss promotion of Islamic solidarity

Anna Tamamian
Ahmed Asmar   |27.06.2022


ANKARA

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met on Monday with Secretary-General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Hissein Brahim Taha to discuss the bloc’s vision to promote Islamic solidarity and joint Islamic action.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the 11th session of the Islamic Conference of Tourism Ministers in the capital Baku.

"President [Aliyev] pledged Azerbaijan's full support to the Secretary-General's vision and mission to protect and safeguard the interest of the Muslim world," the OIC said in a statement.

During the meeting, Taha congratulated the Azerbaijani leader on the liberation of its territories from Armenian occupation and voiced support to the country's efforts to reconstruct its liberated areas.

On Sept. 27, 2020, a 44-day conflict ended with Azerbaijan's liberation of several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that had been occupied by Armenia for almost three decades.

Tehran: Raymond Kévorkian’s book on history of Armenian Genocide published in Persian

Anna Tamamian
TEHRAN TIMES
Iran –
  1. Culture
– 18:33

TEHRAN – “The Armenian Genocide: A Complete History” by French historian Raymond Kévorkian has been published in Persian by the Afkar publishing house in Tehran.

Saeid Karimpur is the translator of the book originally published in 2006.

The Armenian Genocide was one of the greatest atrocities of the twentieth century, an episode in which up to 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives. 

In this major new history, Kévorkian provides a long-awaited authoritative account of the origins, events and consequences of the years 1915 and 1916. 

He explains and analyses the debates that occurred within the elite circles of the Young Turks, and traces the roots of the violence that would be raged upon the Ottoman Armenians. 

Uniquely, this is also a geographical account of the Armenian genocide, documenting its course region by region, including a complete account of the deportations, massacres and resistance that occurred.

Kévorkian considers the role that the Armenian Genocide played in the construction of the Turkish nation-state and Turkish identity, as well as exploring the ideologies of power, rule and state violence, presenting an important contribution to the understanding of how such destruction could have occurred. 

Thus, Kévorkian examines the history of the Young Turks and the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as they came into conflict with one another, taking into consideration the institutional, political, social and even psychological mechanisms that culminated in the destruction of the Ottoman Armenians. 

Beginning with an exploration of the origins of the Young Turk Revolution in 1908, Kévorkian analyses the decision-making process which led to the terrible fate of those who were deported to the concentration camps of Aleppo and along the Euphrates.

Crucially, “The Armenian Genocide” also examines the consequences of the violence against the Armenians, the implications of the expropriation of property and assets and deportations, as well as the attempts to bring those who committed atrocities to justice. 

This covers the documents from the Mazhar Governmental Commission of Inquiry and the formation of courts martial by the Ottoman authorities, and the findings of the March 1920 Committee for the Protection of the Minorities in Turkey, created by the League of Nations.

Kévorkian offers a detailed and meticulous account of the Armenian Genocide, providing an authoritative analysis of the events and their impact upon the Armenian community itself, as well as the development of the Turkish state. 

This important book will serve as an indispensable resource to historians of the period, as well as those wishing to understand the history of genocidal violence more generally.

Photo: Front cover of the Persian edition of Raymond Kévorkian’s book “The Armenian Genocide”.

MMS/YAW

MP at PACE: Court of Justice said Azerbaijan officials, public institutions promote hatred against Armenians

Anna Tamamian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
13:39, 22.06.2022

Sona Ghazaryan, a member of Armenia’s delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), delivered remarks at the PACE Plenary Session.

“I highly appreciate the report, well-penned and very much on time. Political parties, among other actors, are responsible for combating hate speech, racism, and xenophobia. However, what we often see today is that political parties, instead, build their election campaigns, rhetoric, sometimes even actions on hatred, racism, and xenophobia.

This happens in Europe, and this happens beyond Europe.

And then sometimes, these political parties and their leaders find themselves in their own trap. They build up and build on hate so much that they then do not know how to control and deal with the amount of hatred they have created themselves.

This is especially dangerous when hatred is proliferated towards a society living in close proximity, towards a neighbor. And even more dangerous when there is an unresolved conflict in need of a robust peace process. This is the case in the context of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the systemic Armenophobia in Azerbaijan.

You know too well the case of the trophy park in Baku that glorifies war and that depicted Armenian soldiers in captivity degrading human dignity and dehumanizing Armenians. Schoolchildren were taken to this park. This was an outrageous case of state-sponsored hatred and racism. The mannequins of Armenian soldiers were taken down only after Armenia filed a case at the International Court of Justice based on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The International Court of Justice has already produced an interim decision in which it calls on Azerbaijan to “take all necessary measures to prevent the incitement and promotion of racial hatred and discrimination, including by its officials and public institutions, targeted at persons of Armenian national or ethnic origin.” I would like to draw your attention to the fact that the International Court of Justice has stated that it is the officials and public institutions in Azerbaijan that incite and promote hatred against Armenians.

I believe that the Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly should also be very vocal and direct calling state-level hate speech, racism and xenophobia by name, and we should together combat this because hatred is a poison similar to mercury; it is very hard to collect once it spills over,” Sona Ghazaryan said in her speech.