Author: Aram Torosian

‘Today I am here as a citizen, not as a PM’ – Pashinyan tells reporters on Citizen’s Day

Aram Torosian

‘Today I am here as a citizen, not as a PM’ – Pashinyan tells reporters on Citizen’s Day

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13:15,

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Today I am here as a citizen, not as a Prime Minister, Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan told reporters on April 27 on the occasion of the Day of the Citizen. The PM asked the journalists not to ask questions on this day. Nevertheless, the reporters managed to get the responses of several questions.

Asked to what extent it was right to provide 124 million drams for holding the events on the Citizen’s day, if it was possible to spend these sums in another direction, the PM stated: “Sums will be spent on other directions as well. This year the citizen overfulfills the budget revenues by 40 billion drams”. Pashinyan added that the money provided by the government from the budget will also be equally spent in the provinces.

Asked what has changed in his life within a year, Pashinyan said with a joke: “This has changed in my life that I cannot walk freely in my home town”.

Photos by Tatev Duryan

Citizen’s Day is being celebrated in Armenia for the first time on the last Saturday of April.

A number of events are scheduled on this Day across the Republic.

On April 9 the Parliament adopted the bill on making amendment in the Law on Holidays and Remembrance Days. According to the bill, last Saturday of April would be celebrated as the Day of Citizen of the Republic of Armenia. In case when May 1 coincides with Saturday, the Citizen’s Day will be celebrated on the last Sunday of April.

The Armenian government has provided 124 million drams from the reserve fund for the holding of events on the occasion of the Day of the Citizen.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Génocide: les Arméniens fâchés contre la Belgique

Aram Torosian
Le Soir– Belgique
13 avr. 2019

Les Arméniens de Belgique ne décolèrent pas. Le 24 avril prochain, la Chambre va adopter une proposition de loi qui élargit la portée de l’article 20 de la loi contre le racisme et la xénophobie du 30 juillet 1981, dite loi Moureaux. Qui ne concerne pas le génocide arménien mais bien les génocides rwandais et de Srebrenica.

Par Frédéric Delepierre 


Le texte réprime toute dénégation, minimisation ou tentative de justification des génocides reconnus par une juridiction internationale. La future loi concerne donc les génocides rwandais et de Srebrenica, en ex-Yougoslavie. Depuis 1995, le négationnisme de l’Holocauste des juifs fait l’objet d’un texte spécifique. Rien donc concernant le génocide arménien. Ce à quoi Koen Geen, le ministre de la Justice, rétorque que « le génocide arménien ne relève pas du champ d’application de cette loi, car il ne fait pas l’objet d’une décision rendue par une juridiction internationale ».

Tel qu’il est formulé, le projet de loi est une transposition d’une décision-cadre de l’Union européenne et d’une Convention du Conseil de l’Europe. Président du Comité des Arméniens de Belgique, Nicolas Tavitian, estime que la Belgique aurait pu agir autrement. « Il est regrettable que la Belgique prenne en compte la limitation suggérée, mais pas imposée, par les textes européens au négationnisme des seuls génocides et crimes contre l’humanité qui ont été sanctionnés par une juridiction internationale. »

Kocharyan`s defense: We have clear information on who influences the judges and how, some names for the public will be surprises

Aram Torosian
Arminfo, Armenia
Tatevik Shahunyan

ArmInfo. We have clear information on who influences the judges and how, but for the time being we will not disclose information, I can only say that some  names for the public will be surprises. Hayk Alumyan, Lawyer of  second president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan announced at a press  conference.

He stressed that colossal illegal technologies were launched with the  sole purpose of keeping Kocharyan in captivity. "I can only say that  this cannot continue for a long time," Alumyan assured.

Speaking about yesterday's verdict, again leaving Kocharyan under  arrest, Alumian said that the court ignored all procedural norms:  "Any our argument could have served as a basis for releasing  Kocharyan to freedom, but the court ignored all norms and canons,"  the lawyer assured.

He noted that in his speech Kocharyan made one remark – the judge is  not obliged to be a hero these days.  "And indeed, with the pressure  that is now on the judges, you just need to be a hero to decide on  the abolition of the arrest," the lawyer said.

Alumyan considered the court's arguments about Kocharyan's detention  under arrest inconclusive. <It's clear to everyone that Kocharyan's  freedom will not hide from the investigation, he initially had such  an opportunity, but he voluntarily came to the investigating  authority. The second argument that Kocharyan can influence the  investigation is not convincing either, because there was a time when  he was free, but none of the investigators complained about his  influence on the process, " Alumyan explained.

Speaking about the application of Article 301 of the RA Criminal Code  (overthrow of the constitutional system) in relation to Kocharyan,  Alumyan considered it illegal. <Article 301 was toughened compared to  Article 300, which was in force in 2008. And, according to the RA  Criminal Code, if the article is tightened, then it does not have  retrospective force. As proof of my words, I will give an example of  the trial of 7 leaders of the protest movement of 2008, including the  current RA Ambassador to Denmark Alexander Arzumanyan. All of them  were accused of overthrowing the constitutional order, but after  article 300 was replaced by 301 and tightened, the court considered  that article 301 could not be applied to 7 defendants. We demand that  this provision be extended to Robert Kocharyan, who is also charged  under Article 301. However, the prosecutor is against it, and his  only argument is that he does not understand the motives of the  court, which did not make charges in relation to the seven charges  under Article 301, therefore he believes that this cannot be a  precedent in Kocharyan's case, "Alumyan explained.

To note, Kocharyan is accused of overthrowing the Constitution in the  framework of the March 1, 2008 case and of bribery on especially  large scale.

Asbarez: Schiff, Bilirakis Introduce Armenian Genocide Resolution

Aram Torosian
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Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced a new Armenian Genocide Resolution

New Armenian Genocide Resolution Locks-In Official Recognition, Rejects Turkey’s Denial, Encourages Public Education. Representatives Schiff and Bilirakis joined by over 70 U.S. House Colleagues in Launching New ANCA-Backed Bipartisan Resolution

WASHINGTON—On the eve of the Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide Observance, Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) on Monday were joined by more than 70 of their U.S. House colleagues in introducing a new Armenian Genocide Resolution aimed at establishing, as a matter of U.S. policy, 1) the rejection of Armenian Genocide denial, 2) ongoing official U.S. government recognition and remembrance of this crime, and 3) the importance of education about the Armenian Genocide in preventing modern-day atrocities, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“All who oppose genocide welcome today’s launch of legislation locking-in U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide and – once and for all – locking-out Turkish denials of this crime,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “This bipartisan measure – spearheaded by Representatives Adam Schiff and Gus Bilirakis – also permanently locks down – as official U.S. policy – that future generations should be educated about the facts of this crime, America’s noble relief efforts for its victims, and – most urgently – the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.”

Rep. Schiff highlighted the genocide prevention role of the legislation. “Over 100 years ago, the Ottoman Empire undertook a brutal campaign of murder, rape, and displacement against the Armenian people that took the lives of 1.5 million men, women, and children in the first genocide of the 20th century,” said Rep. Schiff. “Genocide is not a relic of the past, but an ever present threat. Its denial is not only a continuing injury to the survivors, but makes its repetition against another people more likely. It is therefore all the more pressing that the Congress recognize the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide and make clear that we will never be an accomplice to denial.”

New Armenian Genocide resolution locks-in official recognition, rejects Turkey’s denial, encourages public education.

Republican lead sponsor Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), explained, “Genocide must not be denied. It must be acknowledged for what it is—a scourge on humanity. Official recognition of the Armenian Genocide would represent a courageous new chapter in American foreign policy. With the bold leadership of the current Administration, it is time for the United States to take a stand against Turkish genocide denial.”

Joining Representatives Schiff and Bilirakis as original cosponsors of the measure are Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Appropriations Committee Chair Nita Lowey (D-NY), Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ethics Committee Chair Ted Deutch (D-FL), Natural Resources Committee Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Mark Takano (D-CA), Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-MA), House Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Republican Devin Nunes (R-CA), Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chairs Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Lou Correa (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), TJ Cox (D-CA), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), John Garamendi (D-CA), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Josh Harder (D-CA), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Peter King (R-NY), Steve King (R-IA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), James Langevin (D-RI), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Andy Levin (D-MI), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Grace Meng (D-NY), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Edwin Perlmutter (D-CO), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Ross Spano (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Dina Titus (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Juan Vargas (D-CA), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

Additional original cosponsors may be added before the end of the day and will be updated on the ANCA website at: https://anca.org/ag-cosponsors/

In a “Dear Colleague” letter sent to U.S. Representatives by Congressmen Schiff and Bilirakis in early April, Congressmen Schiff and Bilirakis took on Ankara’s anticipated opposition to an honest U.S. remembrance of the Armenian Genocide head-on, writing: “Let us be direct. Genocide recognition is opposed by a single entity: The government of Turkey. For decades, Turkey has deployed threats and an intense campaign of lobbying to intimidate the Congress from recognizing the genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire.” They went on to argue that: “Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide is also a source of continued regional tension, undermining the foundations of a durable peace that would be in the best interests of the United States and our national security. Official recognition of the Armenian Genocide can help open a new chapter in United States foreign policy. It is time for the United States to take a stand for the truth, and against genocide denial.”

The Armenian Genocide Resolution notes that the U.S. has, as early as 1951, officially recognized the Armenian Genocide through a filing with the International Court of Justice, followed by House legislation adopted in 1975, and 1984 and President Ronald Reagan’s Proclamation in 1984.

The resolution resolves that it is the policy of the United States to:

1. Commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance;
2. Reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the U.S. Government with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide; and
3. Encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the U.S. role in the humanitarian relief effort, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.

The full Text of the Resolution is provided below.

Armenian Genocide Resolution Text – 116th Congress

116TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H.RES. ___

Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. SCHIFF submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on__________

RESOLUTION

Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide.

Whereas the United States has a proud history of recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide, the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and providing relief to the survivors of the campaign of genocide against Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians;

Whereas the Honorable Henry Morgenthau, United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1916, organized and led protests by officials of many countries against what he described as the empire’s ‘‘campaign of race extermination’’, and was instructed on July 16, 1915, by United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing that the ‘‘Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian persecution’’;

Whereas President Woodrow Wilson encouraged the formation of the Near East Relief, chartered by an Act of Congress, which raised $116,000,000 (over $2,500,000,000 in 2019 dollars) between 1915 and 1930, and the Senate adopted resolutions condemning these massacres;

Whereas Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term ‘‘genocide’’ in 1944, and who was the earliest proponent of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, invoked the Armenian case as a definitive example of genocide in the 20th century;

Whereas as displayed in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Adolf Hitler, on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by saying ‘‘[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?’’, setting the stage for the Holocaust;

Whereas the United States has officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, through the United States Government’s May 28, 1951, written statement to the International Court of Justice regarding the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, through President Ronald Reagan’s Proclamation No. 4838 on April 22, 1981, and by House Joint Resolution 148, adopted on April 8, 1975, and House Joint Resolution 247, adopted on September 10, 1984; and

Whereas the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–441) establishes that atrocities prevention represents a United States national interest, and affirms that it is the policy of the United States to pursue a United States Government-wide strategy to identify, prevent, and respond to the risk of atrocities by ‘‘strengthening diplomatic response and the effective use of foreign assistance to support appropriate transitional justice measures, including criminal accountability, for past atrocities’’: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that it is the policy of the United States to—

(1) commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance;

(2) reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the United States Government with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide; and

(3) encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the United States role in the humanitarian relief effort, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.

Sports: Henrikh Mkhitaryan presents his jersey to Armenia President

Aram Torosian
News.am, Armenia
Henrikh Mkhitaryan presents his jersey to Armenia President (PHOTO) Henrikh Mkhitaryan presents his jersey to Armenia President (PHOTO)

12:25, 25.03.2019
                  

YEREVAN. – Armenia national football squad captain and Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan on Monday was hosted by President Armen Sarkissian of Armenia. 

The Facebook page of the President has informed that, during his visit, Mkhitaryan presented his Arsenal jersey to President Sarkissian.

https://news.am/eng/news/503157.html

Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem to attend funeral of Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan in Istanbul

Aram Torosian

Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem to attend funeral of Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan in Istanbul

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16:41,

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Archbishop Nourhan Manougian will attend the funeral of Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan, Agos reports.

The funeral will take place on March 17.

At the moment the Armenian community representatives of Istanbul bid final farewell to Mutafyan at the main Church of the Armenian Patriarchate.

Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul Archbishop Mesrob II Mutafyan has passed away on March 8 at the age of 62.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Restoration works of St. Giragos Armenian Church begin in Diyarbakir, Turkey

Aram Torosian

Restoration works of St. Giragos Armenian Church begin in Diyarbakir, Turkey  

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10:58,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. The St. Giragos and catholic churches in Turkey’s Diyarbakir province are being restored, Dailysabah reported.

Funding is provided by the ministry of environment and urban development.

The government has provided 15 million Turkish liras for the restorations works.

The St. Giragos Church has been built in 1376 and is one of the biggest Armenian churches in the Middle East. The first church ceremony after 32 years of pause was held in November 2012. The renovation works of the Church have been carried out by the financial support of the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul. The Diyarbakir Municipality also provided assistance.

In 2015 the local churches of Diyarbakir greatly suffered due to the Turkish-Kurdish clashes.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Baku’s aggressive rhetoric not conducive to proper atmosphere for Karabakh negotiation, Yerevan says

Aram Torosian
Interfax – Russia & CIS General Newswire
March 9, 2019 Saturday 6:15 PM MSK
Baku's aggressive rhetoric not conducive to proper atmosphere for Karabakh negotiation, Yerevan says
 
YEREVAN. March 9
 
Yerevan took note of the increasingly fierce statements made by various Azerbaijani government officials recently in relation to a settlement of the Karabakh conflict, the Armenian Foreign Ministry's spokesperson Anna Naghdalyan said.
 
"These statements emphasize the threat of the use of force, resolution of the issue through the use of force, which is worthy of condemnation. This is exactly what is reflected in the recent statement by the co-chairs [of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe]. This is particularly noticeable against the backdrop of numerous constructive statements made by Armenia sides, including its prime minister, which have remained without an answer from Azerbaijan," Naghdalyan said in a statement on Saturday.
 
"The force factor was and remains on the agenda," "the military factor occupies a special place in resolving the issue,", "force breeds entitlement," she said.
 
"When the prime minister of Armenia tells the European Parliament of the need for regional dialogue, tolerance and to introduce a culture of compromises, Baku is threatening with preparing the society not for peace but for other forms of conflict resolution.
 
"Such rhetoric, just as the maximalist claims sounded from positions that are far from constructive, are not helping create the right atmosphere for negotiations," Nagdalyan said.
 
Armenia has repeatedly stated that such approaches were unacceptable, she said.
 
"Armenia has always stated its commitment to exclusively peaceful talks under the aegis of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen and prioritized the security of Artsakh [the Armenian name for Karabakh] and its status. Testament to this commitment is the fact that, since the velvet revolution in Armenia, not only has the peace process not stopped, it has become more dynamic. Forming the atmosphere of confidence, reducing risks, incident prevention mechanisms, and creating the atmosphere of confidence, as was reaffirmed in Dushanbe and at earlier summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg, remain a substantial necessity," Nagdalyan said.
 
In the early 1990s Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and seven areas as the result of a conflict with the region's ethnic Armenians and with Armenia.
 
A ceasefire between Armenia and the breakaway Republic, on one side, and Azerbaijan, on the other, was introduced in May 1994.
 
Currently, peace is being negotiated by the OSCE Minsk Group set up in 1992 to find ways to settle the conflict peacefully. The group compromises Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland and Turkey and is co-chaired by Russia, France and the United States.
 
Azerbaijan does not see Karabakh as a party to the conflict and refuses to negotiate with it.
 

Azerbaijani Press: Elmar Mammadyarov: Armenians alter demographic landscape of occupied Azerbaijani lands

Aram Torosian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
March 5 2019
5 March 2019 17:00 (UTC+04:00)

By  Trend

Illegal economic and other activities in the occupied territories is a very important problem for the world community, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said at the "Illegality of Economic and Other Activities in and with Regard to Territories Under Military Occupation: Third-Party Obligations and Implications for Conflict Resolution" International Conference.

The minister noted that Armenians are artificially changing the demographic landscape in the occupied lands of Azerbaijan.

"The Armenian government has announced the resettlement of Syrian Armenians, which is a violation of a number of international conventions," Mammadyarov said.

The Azerbaijani Foreign Minister stressed that there are foreign companies illegally operating in some regions of Azerbaijan occupied by Armenia.

 

"For example, the Swiss watchmaking company Franck Muller. There is also a factory there. We have managed to achieve the ceasing of the illegal activities of this company," he said.

Countries should not allow their companies to violate international law, as the minister noted.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

Iran Still Ready to Help Resolve Nagorno-Karabakh Dispute

Aram Torosian
IFP [Iran Front Page] News
March 3 2019


By IFP Editorial Staff
 

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman says Tehran’s policy towards the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute has not changed, and the country is still prepared to help Armenia and Azerbaijan Republic settle the dispute peacefully.

Bahram Qassemi made the comment in response to a question by the Organization of Asia-Pacific News Agencies (OANA) regarding the recent trip to Tehran by the Armenian prime minister.

“As I have repeated time and again, the Islamic Republic of Iran has a clear, transparent and clear-cut stance towards all its neighbours,” said the spokesman.

“The top priority of Iran’s foreign policy is its neighbours. We are keen on having strong ties with our neighbours based on mutual respect and non-interference in [each other’s] domestic affairs and at the same time seeking to further expand our relations,” Qassemi noted.

“In our estimation, Iran’s relations with any of the neighbouring countries will, undoubtedly, not be against the interests of a third country, be it one of the neighbours or another country in the world,” he added.

He then touched upon relations between the former Soviet Union’s breakaway republics with Iran.

“Following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of republics in Central Asia and the Caucasus, balanced relations have been in place between Iran and Armenia in compliance with all principles governing relations between neighbours and [in compliance with] neighbourhood rights,” Qassemi said.

He said the Armenian premier’s trip to Iran is also evaluated within the framework of these relations and the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy vis-à-vis all its northern neighbouring countries.

“Relations between Iran and the Azerbaijan Republic, as two neighbouring countries with common traditions, customs, culture and religion, have always been growing after the independence period, with a look to further development and deepening of ties on all fronts as stressed by officials of both countries ,” he said.

“Taking a look at the number of delegations exchanged between the two sides at different levels, especially in recent years, and particularly meetings between the foreign ministers and presidents and the agreements reached bears testimony to this reality and shows the depth of relations between Iran and Azerbaijan,” said the spokesman.

“Iran believes the stability, security and economic development of the Azerbaijan Republic, Armenia and other neighbouring countries amount to the all-out development of this sensitive region in the world. Indubitably, we want all tensions, indignation, insecurity and instability in relations between our neighbours to be removed,” said Qassemi.

He then referred to Tehran’s policy vis-à-vis the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran’s policy towards the Karabakh dispute remains a clear and transparent one, and has not changed. We believe this issue, which can be a cause for concern for countries around us, should be settled based on international regulations and through dialogue,” said the spokesman.

“It is important for the Islamic Republic of Iran that its relations with Armenia and the Azerbaijan Republic are not affected by the Karabakh dispute; so, Iran will continue to pursue its fundamental and logical policy on this issue, and we strongly hope that this conflict is peacefully settled as soon as possible on the back of peaceful efforts by authorities of these two countries using dialogue and negotiations and all diplomatic tools and channels,” he said.

Qassemi once again announced Tehran’s preparedness to help resolve the conflict.

“As it has tried in the past to settle this lingering issue between the two countries, the Islamic Republic of Iran stands ready to make every effort in that regard,” he noted.

“We take pride in that followers of all divine faiths, including the Armenian community, have, over the past centuries, lived side by side in Iran as a country which has an ancient culture and civilization, and have enjoyed the necessary facilities and opportunities to practice their own religious rites and rituals.”

“Today, thanks to the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran, representatives from the Armenian, Zoroastrian and Jewish communities are present at the Iranian parliament,” he said.

“The presence of the Armenian prime minister at the Ararat sports club in Tehran and his meeting with members of the Armenian community does not seem an illogical action per se, but, undoubtedly, hanging a few banners bearing statements in the Armenian language about the Karabakh dispute at the location of the Ararat cultural and sports complex is an arbitrary and unacceptable move and is not approved of by the Islamic Republic of Iran,” he said.