Author: Arpi Talalian

Status of Artsakh remains a key principle of Karabakh conflict settlement – Armenian FM

Arpi Talalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 14 2021
The status of Artsakh has been and remains the key principles of Karabakh conflict settlement, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian told reporters today.
 
The comments come in the wake of a statement of Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Igor Popov, who said Russia had never suggested handing over the seven regions to Azerbaijan, ignoring the issue of status.
 
“As you know Armenia once gave its consent to the Kazan document, as it contained a full package of basic principles for the settlement of the conflict. Even after Azerbaijan rejected the document, the talks continued on the basis of the fundamental principles. Even during the war, Azerbaijan agreed to continue negotiations on the fundamental principles. I unequivocally agree with Mr. Popov that the status of Artsakh was the most important principle of the conflict settlement, and remains so,” the Foreign Minister said.
 
He added that “the statement of November 9 is not a document on settlement of the conflict.”
 
“It’s a a document on ceasefire, on ending the war, which addresses some of the fundamental principles. However, the conflict cannot be considered settled unless all fundamental principles have been addressed. Namely, the issues of status and self-determination,” Minister Aivazian stated.
 
He referred to the most recent statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, which stresses the need for a comprehensive settlement based on fundamental principles.
 
https://en.armradio.am/2021/01/14/status-of-artsakh-remains-a-key-principles-of-karabakh-conflict-settlement-armenian-fm/

Armenia extends quarantine measures for 6 months, vaccination to begin in Feb

Arpi Talalian
JAM News
Jan 12 2021
JAMnews, Yerevan  
 
 
The Armenian government has decided to extend the quarantine regime due to the coronavirus pandemic for another six months, after the most recent term ended on January 11.
 
Since the beginning of January, a small number of infected people have been registered, but from the middle of the month, doctors expect higher numbers and even a third wave of infection due to the active socialising of people during the holidays.
 
Armenia plans to purchase coronavirus vaccine doses in late January – early February. Moreover, negotiations are underway to purchase four vaccines at once; the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, the American Moderna, the German Pfizer-BioNTech and the Anglo-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.
On the vaccination
 
“We plan to purchase a vaccine for 10% of the population, initially only for those who are at risk,” said Gayane Sahakyan.
 
This largely means people with chronic diseases and the elderly.
 
At the same time, doctors announce that recently cases of coronavirus infection have been observed mainly among people aged 55-60 and 30-35 years old, children under the age of five and young people from 15 to 20 years old are also infected.
 
Negotiations are underway on the timing of the vaccine import. But it is already known that the first batch will be available by the end of January – the first half of February, after which the vaccination of risk groups will begin immediately.
 
“It is not yet clear which vaccine will be our first; in parallel, work is underway to obtain these 4 types of vaccines,” said a representative of the Ministry of Health.
 
Russian Health Minister Mikhail Murashko brought a small batch of the Russian Sputnik V vaccine during his visit to Armenia in November. The first to be vaccinated were Armenian doctors, including the Minister of Health of Armenia Arsen Torosyan.
 
As of January 12, 335 cases of coronavirus infection were confirmed in Armenia, a total of 162,643. 150,602 patients recovered, 2,941 failed to save, 8393 continue to receive treatment.
 
Why did the government extend the quarantine
 
The new quarantine period will last until 5 pm on July 11, the government’s decision reads.
 
The following rules will continue to apply in the country:
•personal protective equipment will be used throughout the country
•when leaving the house, everyone will need to have their identity documents on them
•visits, vacations and dismissals will be prohibited in military units
•visits to penal institutions will be allowed only if there are no cases of infection in the institution and the visitor has a negative test
 
Deputy Director of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention Nune Bakunts explained that the decision to extend the quarantine was made taking into account the unfavorable epidemic situation in neighboring countries:
 
“In our case, based on the relatively favorable epidemic situation in Armenia, a decision was made: firstly, to extend the quarantine period, taking into account the situation in the world and the high potential risk of aggravating the situation, and secondly, to allow some relief.”
 
Foreigners are now allowed to enter the territory of Armenia not only by air, but also through ground checkpoints if they have negative tests. In addition, they can take tests at the border checkpoint and wait for their results in self-isolation.
 
Under the new decision, restrictions on holding mass events, including on the number of participants, have been lifted.
 

Pashinyan: We failed to resolve the issue of prisoners of war

Arpi Talalian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 11 2021
20:13, 11.01.2021
Region:Armenia, Karabakh, Azerbaijan, Russia
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said following a trilateral meeting in Moscow with the presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan that the sides were unable to resolve the issue of prisoners of war.
 
“Today we failed to resolve the issue of prisoners of war, this is the most sensitive issue. We agreed that we will continue [talks] in this direction,” he said. “I hope we will be able to come to a concrete solution as soon as possible.”
 
“And of course we are ready to work constructively in this direction.  But as I said, unfortunately, it is impossible to resolve all issues in one meeting.”
 
According to him, the conflict in Karabakh has not yet been settled.
 
“Of course, we managed to ensure the overall ceasefire regime, but there are still many issues that must be resolved.”
  

Greece Sends Additional Humanitarian Aid to Armenia

Arpi Talalian
Greek City Times
Jan 10 2021
 
 
 
 
By Nick Kampouris –  
Jan 10, 2021
 
Greece sends a second planeload of humanitarian aid to Armenia. Credit: Spokesperson of MFA of Armenia / Twitter
 
Greece sent a massive planeload of humanitarian aid to Armenia destined for the victims of the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) on Saturday.
 
Organizations such as the Armenian Blue Cross of Greece, the Armenian Charity Cross, and the Armenian Relief Society coordinated this colossal effort.
 
The Greek Government and the Armenian Embassy in Greece supported this action, by facilitating the whole procedure.
 
Second Humanitarian Aid to Armenia
 
The transfer of tons of aid consisting of medical supplies and food was the second one in less than a month.
 
 
In December, the Greek Ministry of National Defense provided a transport aircraft, which landed in Armenia to assist the nation.
 
The aid of December and January is primarily aimed towards the thousands of Armenians who became refugees after they were forced to abandon their homes at Artsakh following the Azeri military attack.
 
Following the recent ceasefire signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan, thousands of ethnic Armenians who used to live in the contested region of Nagorno-Karabach left their homes and lands.
 
The Azeri government took control of these lands in mid-December 2020.
 
 
Second airplane of humanitarian aid aimed at supporting war-affected families arrived in #Armenia from #Greece due to efforts of the Armenian Blue Cross of Greece, Armenian Charity Cross, Armenian Relief Society, as well as Government of Greece & @armembgr. pic.twitter.com/9htvEZFucm
 
— Spokesperson of MFA of Armenia (@ArmSpoxMFA) January 9, 2021
 

UN agencies and partners provided assistance to over 17,000 people following Artsakh war

Arpi Talalian

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 17:18, 8 January, 2021

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. As a result of the heaviest fighting since the early 1990’s, approximately 90,000 people were displaced from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone to Armenia between 27 September and 9 November 2020, 88% of whom being women and children, the UN Office in Armenia said in a news release.

The UN in Armenia quickly mobilized a response and from early October began complementing Government humanitarian support provided by ten priority municipalities as well as the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs to those displaced.

The UN together with its donor partners has provided support across a range of critical needs for those displaced and host communities:

In particular, from 15 October until now, the UN agencies and partners have responded with the distribution of 33,330 non-food items, including bedding items, towels, hygiene supplies, and household items. A total of 6,800 individual kits and 805 family kits were distributed in various locations, including Yerevan. 500 packages of baby diapers were provided to spontaneous arrivals from Nagorno-Karabakh in Goris, Sisian and Kapan. As part of the winterization response, 1,475 bedding kits, including bed linen, pillows and winter blankets, were distributed in Dilijan, Sisian and Kapan. Additional 21,000 winter blankets and 648 heaters were distributed across different regions. 2,250 children in Vardenis, Kotyak, Hrazdan and Goris benefited from warm clothing.

In response to shelter needs, 1,000 foldable beds have been distributed to families mainly in Gegharkunik, Tavush, Syunik and Kotyak. In addition, the payment of utilities costs for 64 facilities was covered.

A child protection hotline and helpline for social service workforce professionals was established, providing 24/7 response, advice and guidance on child protection cases. 940 social service workforce professionals (social workers, teachers, school psychologists, youth workers) were trained and skilled to be able to provide psychological first aid and mental health and psychosocial support. 355 children, 520 adolescents, and 394 parents have benefited from mental health and psychosocial support, including through individual and group interventions, art and music. 1,257 people received case management support, including referrals and provision of care packages. 25 adolescents from Nagorno-Karabakh were trained as peer support volunteers for continuous provision of mental health and psychosocial support to adolescents. 100 at-home art kits were distributed to the most vulnerable adolescents.

To address education needs 11,500 displaced school-age children from Nagorno-Karabakh who are currently enrolled in secondary education in Armenia were supported. Peer-to-peer learning was initiated through a network of peer educators for 100 students from Nagorno-Karabakh located in Armavir.

To alleviate Food Security and Nutrition issues, assistance reached 17,965 people with hundreds of metric tons of food assistance in November and December.

The UN and partners supported the Ministry of Health’s efforts in providing health services to both citizens of Armenia and the spontaneous arrivals, for example 100 Oxygen Concentrators and other COVID-19 supplies were provided to the Ministry. A UK Emergency medical team was deployed in Armenia for case management and on-the-job training in the “Surb Grigor Lusarovich” medical center and the National Center of Infectious Diseases.

Armenian political crisis continues: opposition refuses snap elections, demands PM resignation

Arpi Talalian
JAM News

Dec 30 2020


    JAMnews, Yerevan

Given political turmoil in the country, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan recently proposed snap elections be held in 2021 as a way to resolve the internal crisis, however the opposition continues to demand his immediate resignation.

On December 29, Pashinyan met with the leaders of both opposition factions represented in parliament.

Both opposition leaders – Prosperous Armenia head Gagik Tsarukyan and Bright Armenia head Edmon Marukyan – said after a meeting with the prime minister that the parties ‘stuck to their guns’, and do not intend to wait for elections.

The opposition has been demanding Pashinyan’s resignation since November 10, when he signed the trilateral Karabakh truce agreement with Russia and Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan in turn says he that he was brought to office by the people, ad will only leave ‘if that is their will.’

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What Tsarukyan said

Even before the meeting with the prime minister, Gagik Tsarukyan said that the Prosperous Armenia party would continue to demand Pashinyan’s resignation.

After the meeting, Tsarukyan gave some details of the conversation:

“I told Pashinyan that the only way out is his resignation, that the position of our party has not changed. If we are talking about early elections, then I think that he should not be the person acting as the prime minister. If he accepts that, we’ll talk about the rest.”

At the same time, Tsarukyan did not comment on how the prime minister reacted to these statements, suggesting he be asked himself.

What Marukyan said

Edmon Marukyan, leader of Bright Armenia, continues to insist on the prime minister’s resignation:

“We suggested that the prime minister resign, the parliament should elect a new prime minister, an interim government would be formed from those forces between which there is a consensus on the candidacy of the prime minister. The government will include specialists – people who have achieved success in their industries, who will stabilize the troubled situation in the country, and we will prepare for early parliamentary elections.”

When asked whether it was possible to reach a consensus, Marukyan replied that “the political crisis in the country continues.”




I wish Armenia to never doubt its beauty, strengths and talents, French Ambassador says in a New Year message

Arpi Talalian
Public Radio of Armenia

Dec 30 2020

French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacôte has issued a New Year message, wishing Armenia peace and security. The message reads:

Dear Armenian friends,
Dear compatriots in Armenia,

At the end of 2020, full of so many trials for Armenia, I am primarily thinking of the families in whose homes one of the chairs around the table will be empty.

Now is not the time to celebrate, but more than ever I would like to share the hope that this country continues to inspire me.

I wish Armenia to live in peace and security, without fear of seeing its youth return to the front lines.

I wish Armenia, which measures its history in millennia, to have confidence in its future.

I wish Armenia to never doubt its beauty, strengths and talents.

I wish the Armenians to avoid discord and savage winds.

I wish Armenians to look together in the same direction.

I wish Armenians to be proud to pass this country on to their children.

I wish France to be by Armenia’s side.

I wish France to remember what the Armenians have given it.

I wish the French to come to Armenia or sometimes turn their gaze there.

And I wish the French to always love Armenia as Armenia loves us.

I wish everyone a 2021 year of peace, happiness and prosperity.





Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia demands Nikol Pashinyan’s resignation

Arpi Talalian
News.am, Armenia

Dec 25 2020
Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia demands Nikol Pashinyan's resignation

The Confederation of Trade Unions of Armenia has issued a statement demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The statement particularly states the following:

“The political and socio-economic situation in Armenia attests to the fact that the foundations for sovereignty, democracy and a social and legal state proclaimed by the Constitution have been undermined.

The situation created in Armenia after the war unleashed by Azerbaijan and Turkey against the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) on September 27, 2020 deepened the political and socio-economic crisis. The current issues are deemed to be the result of not only the pandemic and war, but also wrong and single-handed management.

The trilateral statement that was secretly signed on November 9 caused a deep crisis and a strictly tense atmosphere. The created situation led to severe and extremely difficult consequences for workers, especially socially disadvantaged workers. There are already cases of forced idleness and unpaid leaves.

This situation attests to the fact that further deepening of these issues is inevitable in case the incumbent Prime Minister and his Cabinet remain in office.

Due to the current situation and taking into consideration the aforementioned factors, we demand the resignation of Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and Cabinet and call on uniting around the idea of statehood.

At this fatal and crucial moment, all layers and capable forces of society and the public and private sectors must combine their efforts to reestablish unity for the sake of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.”


ARS Launches ‘Stand with an Artsakh Family’ Relief Project

Arpi Talalian

December 19,  2020



YEREVAN—The Armenian Relief Society, as part of its “Stand with an Artsakh Family” initiative, on Thursday assisted the families displaced as a result of the recent Artsakh war.

ARS Central Executive Board member, Hamesd Beugekian, along with ARS Armenian Regional Board and chapter members, and ARF Armenian Youth Federation of Armenia volunteers visited the families currently residing in the Nizami, Sis, Sayat Nova, and Ghoukasavan communities of the Ararat Province. In total, 84 families received $250 for their first month’s financial assistance.

The goal of this project is to provide financial assistance to a minimum 1000 displaced families from Artsakh over the course of four months. The monthly financial assistance provided by the ARS is intended to cover food, clothing, bills, and partial housing of the displaced families.

Moreover, this year, in conjunction with its traditional “Amanor” (Yuletide) program, the ARS is distributing presents to the children of Artsakh both in Armenia and Artsakh. Thanks to the donation of ARS chapters and individuals, enough funds were raised to spread some Christmas joy among the children. Along with the start of the “Stand with an Artskah Family,” 210 displaced children living in the aforementioned communities received Christmas gifts.

Within the next couple of weeks, dedicated members of ARS and AYF Armenia, will be visiting other regions of Armenia to distribute additional funds and gifts to those in need.

Thanks to our donors, we were able to implement the first phase of our new project as part of the ARS Artsakh Emergency Assistance initiative.

DONATE NOW AND STAND WITH AN ARTSAKH FAMILY.

The Armenian Relief Society founded 1910, is an independent, nonsectarian, philanthropic society serving the humanitarian, social, and education needs of Armenian and Non-Armenians alike. The ARS operates in 27 different countries providing aid to local and international communities.

Nagorno-Karabakh: Fleeing conflict, facing the unknown

Arpi Talalian
Relief Web
Dec 16 2020

The IFRC is working alongside both Armenian Red Cross Society and Azerbaijan Red Crescent Society, in coordination with International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement partners, to support people affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

By Jessica Timings, IFRC

On the outskirts of a small town, a kindergarten that usually resonates with the joyful sound of children is eerily silent. Just three children play quietly in the dusty yard out front. Washing hangs above a rainbow-coloured fence, the fading artwork of small children decorates on the walls inside.

This kindergarten had been closed because of COVID-19, but in the last few weeks its doors have opened to a new group of people in urgent need.

At its peak, around 80 people – mostly women, children and the elderly – were living, sleeping and eating here. The people arrived in waves from areas affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which escalated significantly on 27 September 2020.

One family of eight, a mother, her five daughters and two grandchildren, have been staying in a shared room for the past few days. They left their home almost as soon as the conflict escalated, recalling the walls of their home shaking from shelling close by.

“Our children were afraid,” describes the mother. “One of the boys could not speak for two days. That is when we knew it was not safe.”

The kindergarten has basic washing and cooking utilities, shared by all who stay here. It is unclear how long people will need to stay, and resources generously provided by community members are running low. Food and other essential items are provided by Armenian Red Cross Society, local authorities and other agencies.

Armenian Red Cross Society volunteers also provide psychosocial support to children staying in shelters, and to the wounded in hospitals and their loved ones.

“The humanitarian needs of affected people are diverse, from social and health to psychological issues”, Armenian Red Cross Society Secretary General Anna Yeghiazaryan says. “The Armenian Red Cross Society, which operates throughout Armenia as a neutral, independent organization, is committed to doing everything it can to respond to these needs.”

“As winter arrives, the needs of these people will multiply. We are working to ensure continued access to basic services and necessities, including heated accommodation, electricity, water, and support to host families.”

Though the ceasefire announcement has meant that some have returned to their homes, more are afraid to go back. The family of eight is among those who feel they cannot yet return, but do not know where they can go from here.

Many children are unable to attend school, though some have been able to attend schools near their temporary places of shelter.

“I am in my last year of school, I want to finish. I am planning to continue my education at university next year, but I don’t know whether I will be able to get back to school,” shares one of the young women staying at the kindergarten.

“We want people to know we are here, we exist, we are not forgotten.”

Primary country
  • Armenia
Source
  • International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Format
  • News and Press Release
Themes
  • Health
  • Shelter and Non-Food Items
  • Water Sanitation Hygiene
Disaster type
  • Epidemic
Language
  • English