Author: Antranik Varosian

Armenian expert warns of ‘sharp increase’ in security threats

Antranik Varosian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 25 2020

Armenian military expert Tigran Abrahamyan, the head of Henaket Analytical Center, unveiled two possible reasons behind the current military-political situation in the Caucasus region, the statements made by the Turkish and Azerbaijani authorities and their recent steps.

"First, Turkey and Azerbaijan have concluded that there is no alternative to the military settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict, and their preparations and statements fit into this logic,” the expert said in a Facebook post on Friday.

“Second, the developments in Tavush, which, on the one hand, confirmed the stalemate in negotiations, and, on the other hand, the lack of their possible outcome, suggest two possible results: a return to the negotiating table, vague border provocations or hostilities.”

“If we consider the resumption of negotiations under this logic, Turkey and Azerbaijan are trying to increase pressure [on Armenia], including through threats of renewed war, in order to achieve their desired concessions.

“In short, the happenings around us, in Azerbaijan and Turkey, suggest that either military clashes will resume or all this is aimed at exerting total pressure on Armenia to extort concessions in the event of the resumption of talks,” he wrote.

In Abrahamyan’s words, even if Azerbaijan and Turkey are “bluffing” in an attempt to gain concessions from Armenia, it is not excluded that they may resort to a military solution shortly after failing to get those concessions. 

“In any case, it should be noted that there is a sharp increase in security threats, which forces us to put in place the necessary mechanisms,” he said.


The launch of the joint work of Armenian, Artsakh parliaments successfully started – Ararat Mirzoyan

Antranik Varosian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 24 2020

The Speaker of the Armenian parliament Ararat Mirzoyan believes the launch of the joint work of the parliaments of Armenia and Artsakh has successfully started and is hopeful that in the coming years, as a result of cooperation with the RA National Assembly new quality will be succeeded to give to the law-making activities of Artsakh Parliament.

Mirzoyan's remarks came at a meeting on Thursday with the President of the National Assembly of Artsakh Republic Artur Tovmasyan.

As the press service at the parliament reported, warmly welcoming the guests in the RA National Assembly, Ararat Mirzoyan expressed his sincere satisfaction for the meeting in such format, particularly, for regularity of the contacts between the two parliaments. The President of the RA National Assembly noted that this format can become a new platform between the factions and the Committees for more concrete and thematic discussions and contacts.

“In parallel with our private talk, at this moment, meetings also go on between the Heads of the Factions and the Chairs of the Committees, and I shall document that the content which we try to put in these meetings, is genuinely unprecedented and we shall continue in the same style,” Ararat Mirzoyan noted, as quoted by the parliament press service.

Artur Tovmasyan, in turn, underlined that there is no draft law or item proposed by Artsakh Republic, which will not be solved by the RA authorities.

During the private talk the heads of the two parliaments discussed a number of issues directed to the development and deepening of bilateral cooperation.



Sports: FIFA – Armenia’s long wrestle for success

Antranik Varosian
FIFA.com
Sept 24 2020

24 Sep 2020

-Armenia played their first game in 1992

  • -Club side Ararat Erevan put Armenian football on the map in the 1970s
  • -Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the national team’s all-time leading scorer

With all its dramas and turmoil, the 20th century was not kind on Armenia, where sport and football were far from a priority. The country nevertheless emerged from it all with a resilience and strength that can also be found in its clubs and national team.

The number one sport in Armenia is wrestling, which is not very surprising when you consider that eight of the 16 Olympic medals the nation has won in its history have come in the sport, including its only two gold medals. Weightlifting with seven and boxing with one account for the rest of the country’s medal haul.

But what of football? Nicknamed the Havaqakan ('The Squad'), Armenia’s national team has yet to appear at the FIFA World Cup or UEFA EURO finals, but it has had its moments over the years.

Armenian football had its first taste of success in the 1970s, when the country formed part of the USSR. Flying the flag for Armenia at the time were Ararat Erevan. Founded in 1935, the club from the capital brought an end to the long period of domination enjoyed by the heavyweights of Ukraine and Russia. Between 1936 and 1965, the Moscow quartet of Dynamo, Spartak, CSKA and Torpedo won all but two Soviet league championships, before Dynamo Kiev took over, winning six titles between the mid-1960s and mid-1970s.

Ararat Yerevan muscled their way in to win the league in 1973, a season in which they also lifted the Soviet Cup to complete a remarkable double. Their success came as a complete shock. Not only were Ararat relative outsiders, they also played the game in a different way to their rivals. Unlike the big Kiev and Moscow teams, who were all about tactical discipline and quick passing, the Ararat players were encouraged by their coach Nikita Simonyan to express themselves and dribble with the ball. Working together as a team, they had no true star players.

Ararat also enjoyed success further afield. In the 1974/75 European Cup they knocked out Viking FK of Norway in the first round and Cork Celtic in the second to earn a quarter-final tie against a mighty Bayern Munich side led by Franz Beckenbauer and containing a clutch of World Cup winners from Germany 1974. Though Bayern – the eventual champions – won 2-1 on aggregate, the Armenians nevertheless claimed a memorable 1-0 victory in the second leg.


With the fall of the USSR, Armenia had to rebuild on a political and economic level. It was also a fresh start for the country's football. The Armenian Football Federation was founded in 1992 and joined FIFA straightaway, while the national league was set up that same year. It has since largely been dominated by Pyunik Erevan, who have 14 titles to their name.

The league’s representatives in Europe enjoyed their finest hours in the early 2000s, winning regularly in the UEFA Cup (the predecessor of the Europa League) and even scoring some notable successes in the preliminary rounds of the UEFA Champions League. They have struggled to make an impact since then however. Several clubs have gone out of business and Armenian sides competing in Europe have lost to teams from Andorra and Gibraltar.

In contrast, the national team has never had such a high profile, which it owes in large part to midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan. The 31-year-old starred with Shakhtar Donetsk between 2010 and 2013 before excelling in a three-year stay with Borussia Dortmund and then moving on to Manchester United, Arsenal and current club Roma. In that time, Mkhitaryan has become the star of Armenian football, winning 86 caps for his country – making him the third-most capped player in the history of The Havaqakan – and scoring 29 goals to become their leading scorer.

The national team has had their ups and downs, however. After many years occupying one of the bottom two places in their EURO and World Cup qualifying groups, Armenia embarked on a new era when the Scot Ian Porterfield was appointed coach in 2006. Wins over Kazakhstan and Poland followed, while Portugal were held to a draw. But when Porterfield died from cancer at the age of 61, that little run of success came to an abrupt end.

Armenia would have to wait until the EURO 2012 qualifying competition before punching above their weight again, finishing third in their group, ahead of Slovakia. That fine campaign helped the national team reach their all-time FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking high of 30th in February 2014.

While Armenia have still to appear at a major international competition, they are hopeful that the new infrastructure they have put in place will help them put that record straight soon. The country opened a national training centre in 2010 and a football academy in 2014.

Meanwhile, the Republican Stadium in Yerevan, where they play their home games, has just been renovated. All in all, the future promises to be a brighter one for Armenian football, which can be guaranteed, come what may, to keep on fighting for success.




Azerbaijan violates Artsakh ceasefire 295 times in one week

Antranik Varosian

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 15:05,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS.  Azerbaijani armed forces violated the ceasefire at the Artsakh line of contact around 295 times in the past week.

The Defense Army of Artsakh said in a statement that the Azerbaijani military fired more than 2300 shots from various caliber firearms at their positions from September 13 to 19.

“The Defense Army vanguard units mostly refrained from responding to the adversary’s provocative actions and continued confidently carrying out their combat objectives.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 18-09-20

Antranik Varosian

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 17:28,

YEREVAN, 18 SEPTEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 18 September, USD exchange rate up by 0.86 drams to 485.26 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 3.39 drams to 574.98 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 6.46 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.21 drams to 629.67 drams.

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

Gold price down by 344.37 drams to 30208.35 drams. Silver price down by 9.15 drams to 417.26 drams. Platinum price down by 456.80 drams to 14665.38 drams.

Predictions on social and economic collapse will not come true in Armenia, says PM

Antranik Varosian

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 19:10,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 16, ARMENPRESS. The novel coronavirus has brought social and economic difficulties, but the predictions according to which Armenia will face a social or economic collapse, have not come true and will not come true, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during a Q&A session in the Parliament, responding to the question of opposition Bright Armenia faction MP Arkady Khachatryan.

“There is a concrete statistics that there is no doubt that the coronavirus has caused social and economic difficulties, but it’s also clear that the predictions according to which there is going to be a social or economic collapse in Armenia, have not come true and will not come true. The situation is manageable”, the PM added.

Pashinyan said there is a traditional problem with the capital expenditures, but the government is making efforts for the works to be done more intensely. He said the Cabinet will implement new projects in autumn which will boost the construction and other branches of the economy.

Reporting by Anna Grigoryan; Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

“Media Advocate” initiative urges opposition lawmakers to oppose defamation law amendments

Antranik Varosian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 8 2020

Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan presented a legislative initiative according to which the amount of compensation for insult and defamation published in social networks and the media, should be exceeded from 1 million drams (around 2,000 USD), to 5 million drams (around 10,000 USD) in case of insult, and from 2 million (around 4,500 USD) to 10 million drams (around 20,500 USD) in case of defamation. “Media Advocate” Initiative condemns this legislative initiative, which is essentially aimed at restricting freedom of speech. The concepts of “defamation” and “insult” are not defined by law in Armenia.

As the Initiative said in a press statement, with subjective judgement this or any other publication can be presented in the form of defamation, and become an instrument in the hands of the authorities to press the people and silence the press. It is necessary to exclude any tendency to use the law in one’s own interests.

“Media Advocate” Initiative is against defamation and insult, at the same time it condemns this draft which is aimed against freedom of speech. We urge opposition fractions of the National Assembly to take a stand against this proposal and not to allow the adoption of similar initiatives," the media watchdog said.

Azerbaijani press: Azerbaijani Defense Minister attends meeting of CIS Defense Ministers in Moscow

Antranik Varosian
POLITICS4 September 2020 18:48 (UTC+04:00)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Sept.4

Trend:

Azerbaijani Defense Minister, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov, who is on a working visit to Russia, has attended a regular meeting of the Defense Ministers of the member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and the members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization held on September 4, Trend reports.

Hasanov informed the meeting participants in his speech that the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has been going on for many years, as a result of which over a million Azerbaijanis have become refugees and displaced persons.

The minister stressed that the fact of the occupation of 20 percent of Azerbaijan by a CIS member state contradicts the norms and principles of international law, including that of CIS.

He pointed out that the large-scale provocation committed by Armenia in the direction of the Tovuz district of the Armenian-Azerbaijani state border in July of this year has posed a threat to the regional security.

Hasanov also stated that official Yerevan seeks to damage relations between Azerbaijan and the CIS member states.

At the end of the meeting, a joint statement was signed in connection with the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War and the end of World War II.

The defense ministers who signed the statement, expressing their attitude on several issues, reaffirmed their adherence to the goals and principles of the UN, the accepted norms of international law, in particular, the principles of sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Man dies in Yerevan building collapse

Antranik Varosian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 26 2020

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Rescuers have unearthed the body of a man, (born in 1962) from under the rubles of a four-storey building that partially collapsed as a result of alleged gas leak this morning, the Ministry of Emergency Situations reports.

The National Crisis Management Center received an alarm at 7:18 this morning.

Seven fire brigades and ambulances rushed to the scene.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Minister of Emergency Situations Felix Tsolakyan also visited the scene.

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Two other residents were injured in the blast. According to the Ministry of Health, one of them has fractures of the clavicular bone and nose, as well as scratches on the body and face. Doctors assess the health condition as moderate.

The other patient has extensive burns on his body and limbs and is in the intensive care unit, connected to an artificial respiration device. According to doctors, his health condition is critical.

Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan has instructed to provide the residents of the collapsed building with temporary housing.

Artur Davtyan instructed to deal with criminal cases on illegally acquired property

Antranik Varosian
Arminfo, Armenia
Aug 24 2020

ArmInfo. Armenia's Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan instructed to submit data on criminal cases during September 2020, in which there are grounds for filing a claim for confiscation of property of illegal origin.

As ArmInfo was told in the press service of the Prosecutor General's  Office of Armenia, at the second stage, the Prosecutor's Office must  provide information on criminal cases, containing the above data,  which were considered during 2010-2019, by mid-October.

It was also instructed, from the moment when the unit, endowed with  the functions of confiscation of property of illegal origin, is  considered formed, within ten days to transfer to it the data of  investigated criminal cases, in which the grounds for starting an  investigation of cases of confiscation of property of illegal origin  will be revealed.

To note, the country's parliament at a plenary session on April 16 in  the second and final reading adopted the draft law "On the  confiscation of property of illegal origin." The application of the  law on confiscation of illegally acquired property in favor of the  state in Armenia will be carried out in stages.  As RA Justice  Minister Rustam Badasyan said, the law provides for the confiscation  of illegal property if its value exceeds AMD 50 million. The document  allows for the confiscation of property, the acquisition of which is  not justified by legal sources of income in the volumes provided for  by the project. In relation to such property, there is a presumption  of illegal origin, which can be refuted by the defendant upon  presentation of evidence justifying the acquisition of the property.  We are talking about the unaccounted property of only politicians and  entrepreneurs.

According to the Minister, the burden of proving the illegality of  the property lies with the state. That is, it is not an official who  must prove his innocence, but the state must prove his guilt.  Inspection can be carried out on property acquired a maximum of 10  years prior to inspection. In exceptional cases, where there is  strong evidence, the investigation may cover the period from 1991. A  new competent body will operate within the General Prosecutor's  Office, which will allow the study of assets and the confiscation of  unreasonably acquired property in favor of the state.

The President of Armenia signed the above document on May 11 this  year.