Author: Anna Tamamian
Arakel Martikyan appointed Deputy Chief of General Staff
13:15,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. Arakel Martikyan was appointed Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, the presidency said.
Assembly’s 2022 Summer Internship Deadline Extended to Feb. 1
Washington, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of America's application deadline for its 2022 Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Summer Internship Program in Washington, D.C., and the Assembly's Yerevan Internship Program in Yerevan, Armenia, is fast approaching on Tuesday, February 1, 2022. Barring COVID-19 restrictions, both programs are on track to resume in June 2022.
The influential internship programs in Washington, D.C. and Yerevan provide college students of Armenian descent an opportunity to experience two vibrant capitals, and participate in a full slate of educational, cultural, networking, and social activities throughout the eight-week duration, including a "Lecture Series" program that features leading entrepreneurs, academics, civic leaders, and public policy makers.
Participants also regularly intern and meet with Members of Congress through the "Capitol Ideas" program. Past meetings with U.S. elected officials have included former Senator Bob Dole (R-KS), former House Foreign Affairs Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA), Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), along with the leadership of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, and among other noted politicians.
Internship placements in D.C. include congressional, think tanks, media, and governmental agencies, whereas students admitted into the Yerevan Internship Program may intern with Armenian governmental offices, NGOs, think tanks, museums, media outlets, medical centers, and more. Throughout the course of two months, participants in the Yerevan Internship Program will experience life in their ancestral homeland, tour historical sites around Armenia, and meet Armenian officials, while forming friendships with fellow Armenians in the homeland and from around the globe.
Further information about both programs can be found here.
For additional details or assistance with the application process, please contact Intern Program Director Joseph Piatt at 202-393-3434 ext. 336 or via email at [email protected].
"I would recommend the Assembly's Internship Program to anyone. Through the lectures and meetings, it gives people the opportunity to explore many fields in just eight weeks. I feel like I had three internships at once, in the best way possible."
-Lucine Beylerian, Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), 2019
"The Assembly's Internship Program is a great experience and shows young scholars what it’s like to be in a work environment, with many opportunities, such as meetings on Capitol Hill and connecting with prominent figures."
-Alex Nargizian, Armenian National Institute, 2019
The Assembly's Terjenian-Thomas Internship Program's 2019 participants met with Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and learned about the Appropriations process.
The Assembly's Yerevan Internship Program 2019 interns at the
Republic of Armenia's National Assembly.
Yerevan Internship Program interns at Alphabet Park in Artashavan, Armenia.
Yerevan Internship Program interns in traditional Armenian costumes.
Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.
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NR# 2022-01
Armenia ex-PM: Average annual growth is only 2.4% under premier Pashinyan
News.am, Armenia
Jan 3 2022
19:03, 03.01.2022
Last year was unsuccessful. The economic decline in 2020 was 7.8%, this year the growth will be 5-5.5% at best—if there will be, of course—, and the growth is mainly due to the mining and gaming. And what these authorities were complaining about, they now have become the drivers of economic growth in Armenia. Former PM, chairman of the opposition Freedom Party, and economist Hrant Bagratyan told about this to Armenian News-NEWS.am—referring to the 2021 economic indicators of the country.
"As a result of the four years of [incumbent PM Nikol] Pashinyan's rule, the gross economic growth will make 9-9.5%. We have a 7.2% growth, a 5.8 [%], then a 7.8% decline, and a 5% growth. If we divide this by four years, we will get only 2.35-2.4% growth annually. This is the worst indicator during the last seven four years; there is nothing to talk about here.
Not to mention that the mining industry, which has become 20% in industry, whereas 5% in the GDP balance, should be excluded from that growth. The mines [of Armenia] are being looted, mined without oversight, the prices of copper are relatively high, and the miners are constantly extracting and taking the ore, paying only pennies to the state budget, which I simply call looting.
And not counting that the sphere of gaming should be removed from that growth, the growth of which in the GDP made 30%, when the annual GDP grows on average 2.4%, the sphere of gaming—30%. The share of gaming in the GDP [of Armenia] is higher than in the healthcare, education sectors—which is unacceptable. People close to the prime minister control the sphere of gaming, and, sadly, this field is flourishing in Armenia (…).
When 4-5 years ago the sphere of gaming was nothing in the GDP, now it has surpassed a number of important branches, and this structural change is a consequence of poor economic policy. Even during [preceding] Serzh Sargsyan's rule, when it was the worst, too, his average annual growth was 2.7[%], whereas in the last four years—2.4[%].
The construction sector has grown by about 6% this year, and those who say that construction is one of the drivers of economic growth [in Armenia] are lying. Compared to that, the mining industry is growing by 20%, the gaming—by 30%," said the former premier.
Aliyev says whole world accepted second Karabakh war results
News.am, Armenia
Jan 1 2022
16:52, 01.01.2022
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said that 2021 was a successful year for the country and all the tasks set have been completed.
Aliyev added that the whole world has accepted the results of the Second Karabakh War.
He believes that the processes that took place after the war have once again proved to the whole world that we are right.
This is very important, because during the Second Karabakh war, unfounded accusations were heard against us. None of these unfounded accusations have received real confirmation, and the post-war period has shown this once again, he added.
Turkish press: Next 3+3 Caucasus platform planned to be held in Turkey
Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu met with his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov on the sidelines of the Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (IOC) meeting in Islamabad, Pakistan, Dec.19, 2021 (AA Photo)
The next 3+3 South Caucasus Platform meeting is scheduled to be held in Turkey, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Sunday, indicating that the issue and other regional developments were discussed with his Azerbaijani counterpart.
Çavuşoğlu, on the sidelines of Sunday’s Organisation for Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in Islamabad, met with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.
Çavuşoğlu said that Turkey believes Georgia will also attend the upcoming meeting.
Ankara has made frequent calls for a six-nation platform comprising of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus.
Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.
Russia this month hosted the inaugural meeting of the regional platform.
“We discussed the latest situation in the region, the normalization of relations between the countries of the post-conflict region, the results of the first meeting in the 3+3 format,” Bayramov tweeted after his meeting with Çavuşoğlu, while Turkey’s top diplomat underlined: “We will continue to act together at every stage of normalization in our region.”
Çavuşoğlu also spoke on the recent normalization steps with Armenia.
Reiterating the announcement that a special representative will be appointed and that the move was reciprocated by Yerevan, Çavuşoğlu said that some airlines had flight demands that will be answered.
Turkey appointed Serdar Kılıç, a former ambassador to the United States, as a special envoy, while Armenia appointed National Assembly Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan as its special envoy.
The borders between the two countries have been closed for decades, and diplomatic relations have been on hold.
Armenia and Turkey signed a landmark peace accord in 2009 to restore ties and open their shared border after decades, but the deal was never ratified and ties have remained tense.
Relations between Armenia and Turkey have historically been complicated. Turkey's position on the events of 1915 is that Armenians lost their lives in eastern Anatolia after some sided with the invading Russians and revolted against the Ottoman forces. The subsequent relocation of Armenians resulted in numerous casualties, with massacres by militaries and militia groups from both sides increasing the death toll.
Turkey objects to the presentation of the incidents as "genocide" but describes the 1915 events as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties.
During the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict last year, Ankara supported Baku and accused Yerevan of occupying Azerbaijan’s territories.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a decadeslong dispute over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan but was under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994.
Moscow brokered a peace deal last November to end six weeks of fighting over the territory, during which more than 6,600 people were killed. The Russia-brokered truce allowed Azerbaijan to reclaim control over large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas that the Armenia-backed separatists controlled.
Tehran will not tolerate any territorial change in the region, member of Iranian Majlis says
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 22 2021
The Secretary of Armenia's Security Council Armen Grigoryan received on Wednesday the members of the Iran-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Iranian Majlis, who are paying a working visit to Armenia.
As the press service at the Security Council reported, at the beginning of the meeting, a member of the Standing Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy of the Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran Mahmoud Ahmadi Bigash thanked Grigoryan for the opportunity to meet. In his turn, Armen Grigoryan, welcoming Mr Bighash, emphasized that the Armenia-Iran friendly relations have been developing intensively lately.
In his speech, Mahmoud Ahmadi Bilash emphasized the role of the South Caucasus for Iran. In particular, he stressed that regional stability and security, inviolability of borders are red lines for Iran, and Tehran will not tolerate any territorial change in the region. In this context, Armen Grigoryan noted the red lines of Armenia. He underlined the imperative of starting an "era of peace" put forward by Armenia, which coincides with Iran's foreign policy priorities. The Secretary of the Security Council also highlighted the launch of the Yerevan-Nakhichevan-Julfa railway, emphasizing that it will lead to the economic development of the region's countries.
At the end of the meeting, during the meeting the interlocutors stressed the need for continued cooperation in various fields, the source said.
Armenia Has Continued To Lose Land To Azerbaijan Since 2020 Ceasefire Declaration – OpEd
Dec 24 2021
By Paul Goble
Many people assume that the 44-day war in 2020 ended with a new ceasefire line that both Azerbaijan and Armenia were committed to observing, Grant Mikhaelyan says. But in reality, Baku has continued a low intensity conflict that has allowed it to take control of land along that line; and official Yerevan has not even denounced what is going on.
This pattern began almost immediately, the analyst at Yerevan’s Caucasus Institute says, when Azerbaijan began a unilateral demarcation of the borders on the basis of Soviet maps from the 1970s. Apparently fearful of even more forceful actions by Baku, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan did not react (kavkaz-uzel.eu/blogs/83781/posts/51255m).
In the months since, Mikayelyan says, this pattern has been repeated again and again with Azerbaijan imposing borders sometimes by using force and sometimes by exploiting Armenian withdrawal and with Pashinyan acting as if there is nothing to be concerned about or that Moscow will somehow intervene to help Yerevan.
Most of Azerbaijan’s advances at Armenia’s expense, the analyst says, were very small; but in May 2021, Baku’s forces occupied without a fight some 110 square kilometers to the north of Goris and to the northwest of Dilidzhan. Again, he continues, Pashinyan said nothing. And Azerbaijani forces have taken advantage of the situation.
Today, Mikayelyan says, the most serious of these advances concerns the M-2 highway which connects Armenia with Iran. Before December 2020, Armenia controlled all of it; but now, Azerbaijan controls 22 kilometers. That has led to talk in Yerevan about building another road further from the Azerbaijani border. But prospects for that are not good.
According to the Yerevan analyst, “for the last 15 years, Armenia hasn’t found the money needed for the construction” of this alternative route. And the estimated cost is “far beyond the limits of the Armenian border.”
Azerbaijani press: External cyberattacks during Second Karabakh War mainly focused on Azerbaijan’s Central Bank – CERT
9 December 2021 18:38 (UTC+04:00)
561
By Trend
The target of external cyber-attacks during the 44-day second Karabakh war [from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020], was mainly focused on the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA), the head of the State Service for Special Communications and Information Security, the Center for Combating Computer Incidents (CERT) of Azerbaijan Tural Mammadov said at the 5th International Banking Forum in Baku, Trend reports.
According to Mammadov, cyberattacks were also carried out on the banking structures of Azerbaijan.
"All these cyber threats were successfully eliminated, and no failures occurred in the systems of the CBA and Azerbaijani banks. In addition, DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks were carried out against us. They were blocked by us. A system has been activated to prevent this type of cyberattack," he said.
Also, Mammadov said that Armenian cybercriminals carried out phishing attacks. Thus, letters were sent on behalf of the management of banks and the Association of Banks of Azerbaijan.
"Our service monitored all these offenses, and information about them was transmitted to special departments. Also, fake information was spread about the alleged hacking and obtaining data from Azerbaijani banks and government agencies, which we denied," Mammadov said.
Asbarez: Moscow ‘Refrains’ from Addressing Aliyev’s War Threats
The Armenia-Azerbaijan border
Armenia’s strategic ally, Russia, has refrained from addressing Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s most recent threat of war against Armenia, when he said earlier this week that his country will force the opening of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor.”
“Moscow’s principled position is that we proceed from the need to refrain from making statements and taking actions that may handicap the implementation of the trilateral agreements at the highest level and, of course, statements and actions that may lead to escalation of the conflict,” Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova told a press briefing on Wednesday.
“I believe it would be better to stick to the issue, not political statements,” added Zakharova.
“As a mediator, Russia is doing everything it can to stabilize the situation…You know our principled approaches…We are doing everything we can to make sure the agreements are implemented, and the situation…it can never be guaranteed since we are dealing with an old conflict, but, either way, we are doing everything we can to make sure the situation in the region doesn’t worsen,” she added.
“We consider the continuation of constant contacts between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan important. We hope the heads of both states reaffirm their commitment to implementing all the trilateral agreements following the meeting scheduled to take place on Dec. 15 in Brussels. We hope the support to the efforts of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group is reaffirmed…In this stage, the activities of the Co-Chairs are focused on the solutions to the priority humanitarian issues,” Zakharova explained.
Zakharova also didn’t address the killing last week of an Artsakh resident by Azerbaijani forces. Seyran Sargsyan, 65, had wandered into territory currently under control of Azerbaijan near the Tchartar village in Artsakh Martuni district while shepherding his cattle. He was caught by Azerbaijani forces who beat and killed him.