Author: Anna Tamamian

Block-modular camp installed in Stepanakert for Russian peacekeepers

Anna Tamamian

Save

Share

 14:30,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. The construction of a block-modular camp for the accommodation of 250 servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Stepanakert, Nagorno Karabakh, has been completed, the Russian defense ministry reports.

Currently, the commissioning of the engineering equipment of the camp is being completed.

The complete set of block-modular camp includes residential units, a gym, an officer's house, a bathhouse, a first-aid post, a dryer, a clothing cleaning room, a leisure room, a headquarters and an office, a storage room, a canteen, a kitchen, a grocery store, sanitary modules, a room for storing weapons, engineering equipment.

The block-modular camp will create comfortable living conditions for the personnel.

The block-modular town is full-fledged objects, which are equipped with all the necessary components of life support systems (electricity, autonomous heating, a bathroom, water supply, drainage), equipped with furniture (bed, wardrobe, kitchen set, tables, chairs, shower) and household appliances (electric stove, refrigerator, washing machine, microwave oven, TV, air conditioner, boiler).

In addition, such camps are designed for outdoor temperatures from +35 to – 45 degrees, which allows them to be used in various climatic zones.

President Still Awaiting Government Report on $100 Million Hayastan Fund Donation

Anna Tamamian

December 19,  2020



President Armen Sarkissian chairs a meeting of the Hayastan All-Armenia Fund board in 2018

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—President Armen Sarkissian has still not received a financial report on the use of $100 million raised by a pan-Armenian charity for Nagorno-Karabakh and controversially donated to Armenia’s government.

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund launched an international fundraising campaign immediately after the outbreak of the war in Karabakh on September 27. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians from around the world responded to its appeal for urgent aid to Karabakh and its population, donating roughly $170 million within weeks.

The charity headquartered in Yerevan redirected more than $100 million of those proceeds to the government. The Armenian Finance Ministry said on November 24 that the sum will finance the government’s “infrastructure, social and healthcare expenditures” necessitated by the six-week war.

Sarkissian publicly criticized the donation, saying that it undermined donors’ trust in Hayastan. In a December 6 statement issued by his office, he said the government should consider redefining the hefty contribution as a “loan” and eventually reimbursing the fund.

Sarkissian also urged the government to release a detailed report on how it has used the economic and humanitarian aid to Karabakh. The president is still awaiting such a report.

Hayastan’s executive director, Haykak Arshamyan, told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday that he has asked the Ministry of Finance to specify in writing about “how that money has been used and will be used.” He said the fund has not yet received an adequate response that can be forwarded to President Sarkissian.

Arshamyan at the same time defended the $100 million donation to the government, saying that it was authorized by most members of Hayastan Fund’s board of trustees headed by Sarkissian.

Arshamyan also argued that later in November the Hayastan Fund raised in the United States and France $26 million in fresh funds for Karabakh. “Does this testify to [donor] trust or distrust?” he said.

Hayastan All Armenia Fund has implemented $370 million worth of various infrastructure projects in Karabakh and Armenia since being set up in 1992.

Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire that ended conflict in Azerbaijan and Armenia in November breached, says Russian army

Anna Tamamian
South China Morning Post
Dec 12 2020


The Russian army on Saturday reported a violation of the ceasefire that ended the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia in November in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

“One case of ceasefire violation was reported on 11 December in the Hadrut district,” said a statement from the Russian Defence Ministry, which has deployed peacekeepers to the region.

The Armenian army reported attacks from Azerbaijan on two villages that are under the control of Karabakh forces.

The Azerbaijani Defence Ministry said “adequate countermeasures” had been taken against “provocations” from the other side but added that the truce was “currently being respected”.

A spokesman for the Russian peacekeeping forces confirmed “exchanges of fire with automatic weapons”, telling the Ria Novosti press agency that requests to respect the ceasefire had been sent to both parties.

Earlier in the day, Karabakh forces announced that three of their fighters had been wounded in an attack by Azerbaijani forces.

Azerbaijani troops attacked Armenian fighters on Friday evening and “three were wounded in the ensuing firefight”, the territorial defence ministry said.

It was Russia’s first report of a violation since the peace deal was reached on November 10.

Also on Saturday, the French and American heads of the so-called Minsk Group, which led talks on the Karabakh conflict for decades but failed to achieve a lasting agreement, met Azeri President Ilham Aliyev in Baku.

The envoys, Stephane Visconti and Andrew Schofer, are expected in Yerevan on Sunday.

Six weeks of fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh, which left thousands dead on both sides, ended last month in a rout for the Armenian military.

The Moscow-sponsored deal in November handed territorial gains to Azerbaijan and allowed for some 2,000 Russian peacekeepers to be deployed to the region.

On a visit to Azeri capital Baku on Thursday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hailed what he dubbed his close ally’s “glorious victory” in the conflict.

The Turkish leader, who attended celebrations marking the Azeri success, has overtly supported Azerbaijan, helping it to train and arm its military.

Erdogan warned, however, that “Azerbaijan’s saving its lands from occupation does not mean that the struggle is over.”


President Sarkissian meets with Speaker of Parliament Mirzoyan

Anna Tamamian

Save

Share

 15:09,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 11, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian visited today the Parliament where he met with Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan, the Presidential Office told Armenpress.

President Sarkissian has once again wished good health to the Parliament Speaker, strongly condemning the recent assault against him and considering any act of violence impermissible.

Armen Sarkissian expressed confidence that high responsibility and restraint should be at the top priority during these difficult times, intolerance, calls for violence should be ruled out.

At the meeting President Sarkissian and Speaker Mirzoyan exchanged views on the current situation in the country, talked about the possible ways of solving it.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Man arrested for illegally crossing the Armenian Azerbaijani border

Anna Tamamian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 11 2020

A man has been arrested for illegally crossing the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, the National Security Service said in a response to an inquiry by Armenpress.

The comments come in the wake of reports that an Azerbaijani was detained in the border village of Berdavan in Armenia’s Tavush province the night of December 10.

 “The man illegally crossed the state border of the Republic of Armenia. The person was found as a result of search operations. Criminal case has been opened. The person has a status of a suspect and is arrested,” the National Security Service said.

No further details were provided.

Zola Jesus supports Armenia Fund with cover of Krunk Live4ever 7 December, 2020

Anna Tamamian
Live 4Ever, UK
Dec 7 2020
 
 
Zola Jesus supports Armenia Fund with cover of Krunk
 
 Live4ever  7 December, 2020
 

Zola Jesus has shared her cover of the Armenian folk standard Krunk whose proceeds are going towards the Armenia Fund.

“I first heard the song Krunk (Crane) while listening to a collection of songs sung by Lousine Zakarian, a renowned Armenian soprano,” Zola Jesus reveals.

“Her recording was so devastatingly beautiful, it spoke to me on many levels. The song evoked so much yearning and sadness, yet at the same time it felt so delicate, like her voice could lift off and fly away. It felt like the purest _expression_ of the ineffable Armenian Soul.”

“I never thought I’d be able to do the song justice, and I still don’t, but the song is so meaningful to me that performing it became a compulsion. Once I heard about the crisis happening in Artsakh, my heart really pained for the Armenian people.”

“They have survived genocides, wars, battles for autonomy and independence, and now this — fighting to reclaim a sacred place that represents so much of their ancient heritage and resilience. I wanted to honor and pay my support to the Armenian Soul, and to acknowledge all the lives tragically lost this year in the war with Azerbaijan.”

“Proceeds of this song will go to the Armenian Fund, to help support the needs of civilians on the ground in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh.)

 
 

Armenian Speaker of Parliament pays tribute to memory of fallen heroes in Yerablur Military Pantheon

Anna Tamamian

Save

Share

 16:08, 4 December, 2020

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan visited the Yerablur Military Pantheon to pay a tribute to the memory of soldiers fallen at the recent war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh.

“Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan paid a tribute to the memory of the heroes fallen for the defense of the Homeland in the Yerablur Military Panthon”, the Parliament said on Facebook.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenpress: Pashinyan says LTP and Kocharyan opted out from visiting Moscow during war despite facilitation

Anna Tamamian

Pashinyan says LTP and Kocharyan opted out from visiting Moscow during war despite facilitation

Save

Share

 09:26,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 30, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has revealed details regarding the willingness of former presidents Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Robert Kocharyan to visit Moscow during the war in Artsakh.

“On October 20, the second and third presidents of Artsakh Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan proposed to organize a meeting between the incumbent and former leaders of Armenia and Artsakh, which would be a manifestation of national unity during the days of the war. After some discussions I agreed. We agreed that whenever they would signal that the former presidents are ready, I would organize the meeting. During our next meeting, Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan said that a nuance had added to their idea: Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Robert Kocharyan want to travel to Moscow to have high-level meetings there and that our meeting should be organized after their return and would become somewhat of an information combination, more informed discussion of the situation. I said that I am not against the idea, I said I would even provide the government aircraft, let them go and have meetings and come back. However, after my consent the former presidents of Artsakh raised another issue, they said it is necessary for me to mediate for President of Russia Vladimir Putin to receive Levon Ter-Petrosyan and Robert Kocharyan as special envoys.

I responded with the following: I am in permanent contact with the Russian president. There are days when I speak five to six times with him. Now, If he were to ask me ‘what do you have to say that you are unable to tell me directly and you want to say it through envoys’, what do I have to reply? The same question appeared in case of FM Sergey Lavrov, when the former presidents of Artsakh wanted our foreign minister to mediate for him to receive our special envoys. Our FM is in permanent contact with the Russian FM, their meeting was scheduled in Moscow. What was he supposed to answer if Lavrov was to ask him the same question?

I proposed another option: quickly organize a protocol visit of Ter-Petrosyan and Kocharyan to Moscow – as former presidents, where they would be the guests of former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who is also the Vice President of the Russian Security Council, and during the visit attempt to organize courtesy meetings with the Russian President, foreign minister and other high-ranking officials.

Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan went off, vowing to discuss this option with Ter-Petrosyan and Kocharyan. It turned out that the former presidents aren’t much interested in my option. To my surprise, Bako Sahakyan claimed that Ter-Petrosyan and Kocharyan had an agreement to meet with Sergey Lavrov. In that case, what’d they want from me? If they have an agreement, let them go and meet. It turned out, the problem was Kocharyan’s passport which was seized by the court. I told them to file a motion to court, I would ask the prosecution not to object the return of the passport. That’s exactly what happened: the court returned Kocharyan’s passport, but Ter-Petrosyan and Kocharyan didn’t go to Moscow after all,” Pashinyan said in a statement on social media.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan