Author: Antranik Varosian

Turkish press: Azerbaijan ready to host trilateral summit with Turkey, Israel

Antranik Varosian
 ANKARA DIPLOMACY 
APR 26, 2021 12:31 PM GMT+3
Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev speaking at the Turkic Council in the capital Baku, Azerbaijan, April 10, 2021. (AA Photo)

Baku is ready to host a trilateral summit with Ankara and Tel Aviv, Azerbaijani presidential aide Hikmet Hajiyev said Sunday.

"Turkey is a sister country of Azerbaijan and Israel is our strategic partner. We want our friends to be friends with each other. If the sides agree to such an initiative, then Azerbaijan will always welcome them,” Hajiyev told Israel Hayom, underlining that Israel and Turkey share similar interests.

"We believe that cooperation between them also serves these interests. Azerbaijan does everything it can to improve this relationship."

Azerbaijan, which recently liberated its territories from Armenian occupation in Nagorno-Karabakh, used drones and other defense systems from Turkey and Israel that helped it gain superiority.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said last December that Turkey hopes for better relations with Israel.

He added that the “main problem right now is about individuals at the top” and that Israel’s “Palestine policy is our red line. It is impossible for us to accept Israel's Palestine policies. Their merciless acts there are unacceptable.”

Relations between Turkey and Israel drastically deteriorated in 2010 following an Israeli naval raid on a Turkish aid ship, the Mavi Marmara, en route to deliver humanitarian aid to the blockaded Gaza Strip. The raid killed 10 activists.

The event caused an unprecedented crisis in the decadeslong peaceful Turkish-Israeli relations. Both countries even recalled their diplomatic envoys following the massacre.

In 2013, thanks to Israeli Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's apology to Turkey and the payment of $20 million (about TL 38 million at the time) in compensation to the Mavi Marmara victims, Turkish-Israeli relations entered a period of normalization.

Turkish officials, however, continue to criticize Israel’s policies targeting Palestinians, including illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem and the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Known for its unbreakable solidarity with the Palestinians, Turkey has been voicing support for the Palestinian cause on the international stage for decades. Turkish authorities emphasize that the only way to achieve lasting peace and stability in the Middle East is through a fair and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian issue within the framework of international law and United Nations resolutions.

Israel occupied east Jerusalem during the 1967 Six-Day War. In 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community, Israel annexed the entire city, claiming it as the self-proclaimed Jewish state's "eternal and undivided" capital. Last year, the U.N. called the Israeli occupation in Palestine "the longest occupation" in the world.

Biden’s Armenian genocide call nudges Turkey toward China, Russia

Antranik Varosian
Nikkei Asia
April 27 2021

Moscow and Beijing keen to step into vacuum as US switches focus to human rights

WASHINGTON/ISTANBUL — U.S. President Joe Biden on Saturday described the massacre of Armenians, which began in 1915 under the Ottoman Empire, in present-day Turkey, as "genocide."

Turkey, a long-standing U.S. ally, has vehemently opposed that characterization. Biden's statement appears likely to shake up diplomacy for powers active in the region, including Russia and China.

As the Ottoman Empire neared its end, Christian Armenians in Turkey faced growing persecution. On April 24, 1915, Armenian intellectuals and community leaders were arrested, accused of spying for Imperial Russia, which was Turkey's enemy in World War I. Many Armenians living in what today is eastern Turkey were forcibly relocated from an area near the Russian border to Syria and subjected to harsh treatment.

Armenians say about 1.5 million of their kindred were killed by around 2017, but Turkey has refused to acknowledge the deaths as a systematic genocide of a specific ethnic group, arguing there were victims on both sides as a result of fighting between Turks and Armenians.

In Saturday's statement, on the anniversary of the massacre, Biden said: "One and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred, or marched to their deaths in a campaign of extermination." Previous U.S. presidents have released annual statements commemorating the victims, but Saturday's statement was the first in four decades to use the word "genocide" in reference to those events. Ronald Reagan also used "genocide" in the first year of his tenure.

It seems unlikely that the U.S. will take overtly hostile action, such as sanctions as the massacre took place more than a century ago. But Turkey has objected vociferously, with the Foreign Ministry saying in a statement, "We reject and denounce in the strongest terms the statement."

A key factor in Biden's decision to release the statement, over the objections of its NATO ally Turkey, was a push by members of his administration to place greater emphasis on human rights in U.S. foreign policy. Soner Cagaptay, of The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said officials in the Defense Department sought to dissuade Biden from making the statement, in view of U.S. strategic relations with Turkey, but Soner believes their influence has waned.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama pledged to recognize the massacre of Armenians as genocide during the 2008 presidential campaign, but shelved the issue throughout his eight-year tenure. Biden made the same pledge in his campaign in 2020 and has honored it early in his administration.

Human rights are a pillar of Democrat Biden's foreign policy. In February, U.S. intelligence officials concluded that Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman ordered the killing of a Saudi journalist, reversing the policy of the Donald Trump administration, which sought to give Saudi Arabia the benefit of the doubt. That report, and the statement on the Armenian massacre, reflects the growing influence of liberals in the Democratic Party, who are strongly advocating for a sharper focus on human rights.

On the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Biden has decided to resume funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which the Trump administration had suspended. Israel is opposed and U.S.-Israel ties, which were warm under Trump, have cooled greatly.

The increased distance between the U.S. and its traditional allies in the Middle East highlights the decline of U.S. involvement in Middle Eastern affairs.

The Incirlik Air Base in southern Turkey has been used by the U.S. forces to stage attacks on the Islamic State group, but Turkey's strategic importance may be fading for U.S. after Islamic State's demise. The U.S. is believed to have nuclear weapons deployed in Turkey, assuming their potential use against Iran, but the Biden administration is engaged in dialogue with Iran.

The U.S. recognition of the Armenian genocide may push Turkey into Russia's arms. Turkey bought Russian-made S400 surface-to-air missiles in 2019 and is proceeding additional purchases. Washington is strongly opposed to Turkey's moves to strengthen military cooperation with Russia, which NATO treats as a potential adversary. If Turkey completes deployment of the missiles, further sanctions against it may follow.

In March, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi toured six Middle Eastern countries, including Turkey and Saudi Arabia, demonstrating Beijing's desire to deepen ties with the region. China appears interested in taking advantage of the U.S. pullback from the Middle East.

Biden last Friday had his first online meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The U.S. president is believed to have notified his counterpart in advance about his intention to recognize the atrocity against Armenians as genocide and to have explained his reasoning, a move that suggests he was trying to tamp down Turkish objections. The two leaders have agreed to meet in Brussels in June, when a NATO summit meeting is scheduled.


 

Knights of Vartan, Armenia Tools4Schools Team Up to Help Martuni Vocational School

Antranik Varosian

April 28, 2021



The Knights of Vartan and Armenia Tools4Schools purchased a new bus for Martuni Vocational School

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In March, the Knights of Vartan and Armenia Tools4Schools provided $16,000 to the Martuni Vocational School in Martuni, Republic of Artsakh to purchase a school bus, tools and equipment, and construct improvements around the school property. The school provides vocational trade education to students ages 13 through 17 living in the 15 villages that surround the town of Martuni. Tuition is free and the school relies entirely on the Republic of Artsakh government for funding.

After the war in October 2020, the buildings in the town of Martuni and the surrounding villages sustained heavy damage from the bombings. Basic transportation infrastructure as well as electricity and clean running water were destroyed.  The Martuni Vocational School suffered severe artillery bombardment that damaged or destroyed several buildings. It has been the target of artillery bombing in prior wars in 2016, and 1993.

Ani Lodge donated $5,000 to the school in September 2019 to purchase a used Mercedes Benz car for their driver’s education program, new kitchen appliances, and tools and equipment for their culinary and tailoring departments. The Knights of Vartan coordinated their funding with the Ministry of Education and the school directors to ensure the most pressing needs were funded. The school’s driver education car provided useful transportation services to residents during the war last fall.

The additional damage to the school from the war has caused a shift in priorities and additional supply needs for the school. The Knights of Vartan tripled its funding from 2019 to 2021 to quickly restore safe transportation for the students living in the surrounding villages to attend the vocational school.  Ani Lodge of Washington, D.C. donated $12,000 for the school to purchase a bus for the students, to construct a metal fence along the perimeter of the school property, and make and install a new road sign on the highway at the entrance to the school. The perimeter fence and entrance road sign will have solar powered lighting so the school perimeter will stay lit regardless of an outage in the electric power grid.  A new generator was purchased to provide a back-up internal power source in the event of a power outage.

ArmeniaTools4Schools donated $5,000 to the school to purchase equipment, furniture, computers, tools, and supplies. The new equipment and tools provide the means for students to learn by hands on training from professional instructors in the trade departments.  “Once the government was able to restore power and running water to the school, and remove the debris from the shelling, we needed to act fast and target the funding to meet immediate transportation and infrastructure needs for the school,” said Jacob Bournazian, a regional representative for the Knights of Vartan, Past Commander of Ani lodge and the initiator of the Martuni Vocational School project. “We hope that the new metal fence and solar lighting to the school property will deter future artillery and drone attacks on the school by marking this property as a civilian government facility” he added.

“This generous donation from the Knights of Vartan and Tools4Schools gave us hope and faith. The school, being damaged during the 44-day war, not only would get back to its normal course, but also will enable the education and preparation of professional specialists for our country for better future” said Artak Sargsyan, director of the school.

The Knights of Vartan Inc. is a fraternal leadership and service organization of Armenian men dedicated to safeguarding and perpetuating the Armenian heritage and cultural traditions. Its membership represents the spectrum of the leadership of the Armenian community. It was founded in 1916 in Philadelphia and is based the United States with 23 local chapters which support Armenian causes around the world. For more information about the Knights and Daughters of Vartan, visit the website.

ArmeniaTools4Schools Inc. is a North Carolina non-profit corporation recognized as a 501(1)(c)(3) charitable organization under the IRS and is a registered non-profit charitable organization in the Republic of Armenia. It provides funding for tools and equipment to teach students the basic trade skills of electrician, welding, tailoring, culinary, agricultural science, and operating agricultural machinery in vocational/technical trade schools in the rural areas and border regions of Armenia and Artsakh.  ArmeniaTools4Schools is dedicated to providing youths with vocational trade skills that increase their opportunities for employment so they may contribute to the socio-economic development in the border regions. For more information about the ArmeniaTools4Schools visit the website.

Armenian Cultural Foundation Delivers Assistance to Fallen and Wounded Soldiers’ Families

Antranik Varosian



The Armenian Cultural Foundation delivered assistance to families of fallen and wounded soldiers, when a delegation visited Armenia earlier this month and toured the country, meeting families and extending the Western United States community’s gratitude for the soldiers’ supreme sacrifice for the Armenian Nation.

In January, the ACF kicked off a campaign to assist residents and families in Artsakh, announcing an initial $100,000 donation to those who have lost their homes and livelihood as a result of Azerbaijan’s aggressive war unleashed last fall.

As was announced then, the donated funds were derived from contributions already made to the ACF by Armenian Revolutionary Federation members in the Western U.S., supporters and organizational benefactors who heeded the ARF Central Committee’s call when military actions ended in Artsakh and the devastating toll on the people of Artsakh, soldiers and their families was mounting.

From April 3 to 9, a delegation comprised of Harut Mekerdichian, Shahen Aghbabian, Garo Eshgian. George Ohanjanian and Joseph Mgrian arrived in Armenia and visited Proshyan, Bertashen, Etchimiadzin, Artashat, Hrazdan, Yerevan and its surrounding areas, and distributed $65,000 to the families of 55 wounded or fallen soldiers who took part in the war as part of the ARF battalion.

The delegation also visited the offices of the “De-Occupation of Hadrut” Organization and transferred $10,000, which will be allocated to the needs of refugee and wounded families from Artsakh’s Hadrut region, as part of an ongoing project.

The delegation also paid a solemn visit to the Yerablur National Military Cemetery and on behalf of our organization in the Western U.S. laid a wreath in memory of martyrs. The same day they also did the same at the Proshyan pantheon.

The ACF announced that as part of this program it has donated $25,000 to the Armenian Educational Foundation to fund the reconstruction of schools in Artsakh.

Armenia ruling party MP: Azerbaijanis can’t have corridor through Meghri

Antranik Varosian
News.am, Armenia
Armenia ruling party MP: Azerbaijanis can't have corridor through Meghri
15:47, 16.04.2021

The roads need to be unblocked, but it has to be done in such a way that Armenia’s interest isn’t overlooked, and this implies blockage of a corridor for the Azerbaijanis through the territory of Meghri. This is what deputy of the My Step faction of the National Assembly of Armenia Armen Khachatryan told reporters in parliament.

“The fact that the unblocking of roads is a key issue for Armenia and that the country will see major changes in the economy and have new prospects after unblocking is unequivocal, but Aliyev’s notions of the unblocking of roads are perhaps unacceptable for us, for the most part. You are probably referring to the issue of providing a certain corridor through the Syunik Province. I don’t think there is such an issue, and there can’t even be a corridor for Azerbaijan through Syunik Province. Aliyev and Erdogan dream of having that corridor, but they will keep dreaming,” the deputy said.

Armenian Judoka Ferdinant Karapetyan took a high position at international tournament

Antranik Varosian
Panorama, Armenia
March 29 2021

Armenian judoka Ferdinant Karapetyan took the seventh position at an international qualification tournament held in Tbilisi. As the National Olympic Committee reported, the Armenian judoka won consecutively the representatives of Israel, Austria, and Mongolia and reached the quarter-finals. As the head coach of the Armenian team informed, Ferdinant took advantage over the opponent from Kosovo in the beginning of the bout, however, as a result of a controversial decision of the referee the opponent was named the winner. 

The Armenian judoka scored 1552 points and was placed on the seventh position, improving the chances to take part in the Tokyo Olympics. 

Karapetyan is set to attend a training camp in the coming week before leaving for Lisbon on April 16 for the European Championship. 

Sports: FIFA World Cup 2022 – European Qualifiers – Liechtenstein vs Armenia Preview & Prediction

Antranik Varosian
The Stats Zone
March 23 2021

FIFA World Cup 2022 – European Qualifiers – Liechtenstein vs Armenia Preview & Prediction

THE FACTS

When is Liechtenstein vs Armenia taking place? Thursday 25th March, 2021 – 19:45 (UK)

Where is Liechtenstein vs Armenia taking place? Rheinpark Stadion, Vaduz

Where can I get tickets for Liechtenstein vs Armenia? Check each national team’s official website for the latest ticket information

What television channel is Liechtenstein vs Armenia on? Sky Sports

Where can I stream Liechtenstein vs Armenia? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match live via Sky Go

THE PREDICTION

Unbeaten in five UEFA Nations League games heading into this World Cup European Qualifiers, Armenia travel to Liechtenstein confident of a good start to their Group J campaign. The hosts have won just one competitive international fixture since September 2018, a run of 19 games and they are expected to prop up Group J as they simply don’t have the ability within their squad to compete with many of the other international sides. Providing Armenia show no complacency, they should pick up an important three points in their first Group J match.

City of Oxford, Ohio Recognizes Artsakh

Antranik Varosian

March 23, 2021



City of Oxford, Ohio recognizes Artsakh

ANCA Eastern Region Thanks Mayor Mike Smith & Councilmember Glenn Ellerbe

OXFORD, Ohio — Oxford, Ohio Mayor Mike Smith together with Councilmember Glenn Ellerbe recognized Artsakh with a resolution on February 2, at the request of Andrew Devedjian and Teresa Aniev – two determined Armenian American students at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, reported the Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region.

Ohio, which is the home to nearly 14,000 Armenian Americans, has seen the support of city, state and federal support for Artsakh including the introduction of HR367 — a resolution former Ohio State Representative J. Todd Smith introduced in the Ohio State Legislature in 2020.

Last week, U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and Rob Portman (R-OH) co-signed Senator Robert Menendez’s letter to President Biden urging him to recognize the Armenian Genocide on the executive level.

“Teresa and I had a simple mantra during our work; two Armenians can create a new Armenia. There is nothing extraordinary about what we did. We are just two Armenians who saw it as our sacred duty to fight for justice. Every single Armenian has the ability to accomplish this work. If a small town in rural Ohio can recognize the Republic of Artsakh, it can happen anywhere,” said Andrew Devedjian.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) is the grassroots advocacy organization representing the views and advancing the policy priorities of Armenian-Americans and friends of Armenia across the Eastern United States. Working in coordination with a network of local ANCs, community advocates and local supporters, ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns, interests, and priorities of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Armenia Union of Journalists calls on President to not sign law on fines for offense and defamation

Antranik Varosian
News.am, Armenia
00:24, 25.03.2021

The Union of Journalists of Armenia calls on the President of Armenia to not sign the bill on making amendments to the Civil Code of Armenia that was adopted by the National Assembly today and that envisages setting up to AMD 3,000,000 fine for offense instead of the existing AMD 1,000,000 and up to AMD 6,000,000 fine for defamation instead of the existing AMD 2,000,000.

In regard to the law, the Union has also addressed Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan to consider the opportunities to challenge the constitutionality of the law through the existing legal toolkit ad procedures.

The Union adds that the amendments are directly targeted against freedom of _expression_ and the media and fit in the logic of the incumbent authorities’ policy on the mass media and freedom of _expression_. According to the Union, the amendments have been adopted due to the authorities’ overt desire and initiative to make the judiciary controllable.

‘Armed Forces will maintain neutrality in political matters’ – Lt. General Artak Davtyan

Antranik Varosian

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 12:16,

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Lt. General Artak Davtyan issued a statement on March 22, shortly after assuming office by virtue of law.

“The Armed Forces of Armenia have fulfilled and will continue fulfilling its mission to ensure the continuation of the work that was started in the direction of revaluing and strengthening the security system of our country and Artsakh after the 44-day heroic and selfless war, and in terms of eliminating external threats.

The situation which was created after the well known statement issued by the command of the armed forces is resolved, and the existing disputes shifted to the legal arena.

The Armed Forces of Armenia, having a constitutional status of being subordinate to the Government and under civilian supervision, will maintain neutrality in political matters, and will be guided only by the exclusive duty of ensuring the defense, security, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders of the Republic of Armenia,” Lt. General Davtyan said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan