During the congress of Turkey’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), Istanbul Armenian doctor Sevan Sivacioglu became a member of the party's executive committee.
According to Milliyet, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan was re-elected as chairman of the AKP, and the aforesaid Armenian physician was included in the members of the executive committee.
Sivacioglu worked as a surgeon at the Armenian hospital in Istanbul.
14:00,
YEREVAN, MARCH 23, ARMENPRESS. The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) and the Comité des Arméniens de Belgique (CAB) has addressed a letter to Belgian Prime Minister Alexandro De Croo, calling on to condemn any state sponsorship of terrorism, reminding that during the 44th day of war in Artsakh, Azerbaijan and Turkey have used mercenaries, the EAFJD told Armenpress.
The letter was addressed to the PM in memory of the innocent victims of terror attack in Brussels in 2016.
“In the letter the Armenian community of Belgium expresses its support and solidarity to the Belgian government and citizens who became the victims of that tragic event, highlighting the need for fighting against terrorism and thus, protecting the free, democratic public. The letter addressed to the Belgian PM also states that the indigenous Armenian population of Artsakh also suffered from the atrocities of terrorist fighters deployed by Turkey and Azerbaijan during the Nagorno Karabakh war of September-November 2020. The letter calls on the Belgian government to condemn any state sponsorship of terrorism and expresses confidence that it is not in Belgium’s interest to have partner countries that use such means to achieve their geopolitical goals”, the statement says.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Saturday, Armenian PM Advocates Unblocking Of Regional Communications Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses supporters during a visit to the Aragatsotn province, Unblocking communications in the region will be beneficial for both Armenia and Azerbaijan, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Saturday during a visit to the country’s western Aragatsotn province. Addressing scores of supporters in the village of Nerkin Bazmaberd during one of his stops, Pashinian also referred to the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh that ended in the signing of a Russian-brokered ceasefire with Azerbaijan mostly on Baku’s terms. One of the provisions of the trilateral statement signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia calls for the unblocking of “all economic and transport links” in the region, including the construction of new transport communications linking the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhichevan with mainland Azerbaijan via Armenian territory. A trilateral working group led by deputy prime ministers of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia was formed in February to work on details of the projects. The provision on unblocking communications in the region raised concerns in Armenia about possible geopolitical and economic implications of new transport links passing through the country’s southern parts. In his remarks today Pashinian sought to allay these concerns, saying that unblocking transport communications could be a step towards overcoming animosity in the region. “This is a mutually beneficial thing. If someone says that the opening of these roads is beneficial only for Azerbaijan, do not believe it. If someone says that the opening of communications is beneficial only for Armenia, do not believe it either. The opening of communications, especially in this situation, is beneficial for both Armenia and Azerbaijan,” the Armenian premier stressed. “It is in Azerbaijan’s interest, because it will get a communication link with Nakhichevan, and it is in Armenia’s interest, because we will get a reliable railway link with the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran. It means that the economy of our country may essentially change,” he added. Pashinian’s statement comes two days after he announced the holding of early parliamentary elections in June. During the rally at Nerkin Bazmaberd Pashinian did not conceal that his political team will seek a fresh mandate from the people to be able to form a government again. He said, however, that they were ready to accept any outcome of the elections. Different opposition parties and groups in Armenia have accused Pashinian and his government of incompetence or even treason that they claim resulted in the Armenian defeat in the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh. They have been demanding Pashinian’s resignation since the November 10 truce was signed to end six weeks of hostilities in which thousands of soldiers were killed. Under the deal, a chunk of Nagorno-Karabakh and all seven districts around it were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by ethnic Armenian forces. A coalition of over a dozen opposition parties has been holding anti-government demonstrations in Yerevan and other parts of the country in a bid to force Pashinian to step down and allow an interim government be formed before snap elections could be held within at least a year. But the prime minister, whose My Step alliance dominates parliament, has refused to hand over power to such an interim government. Following discussions with the leaders of two opposition parliamentary factions Pashinian said on Thursday that it was agreed that early elections in Armenia will be held on June 20. Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Hovik Aghazaryan, an MP of the majority My Step faction in the National Assembly of Armenia, has called First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan "impudent."
"How impudent a person must be that by rigging the 1995 parliamentary and 1996 presidential elections, to run away—like the most cowardly—from accountability in 1998 from a small ‘thing,’ to announce—just three months before the 2013 presidential elections—that he is already 68 years old, and, in general, to have the greatest share of accountability in all the negative realities registered in the country, and when manifestations aimed at political stability are observed, to make such a cynical proposal.
PS. I am talking about Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his latest thoughts ‘aimed at overcoming’ the political crisis [in Armenia],'" Aghazaryan wrote on Facebook.
First President Levon Ter-Petrosyan issued a statement Monday, noting that the only way out of the current crisis in Armenia was the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan and his seeking asylum abroad, and with guarantees for his immunity.
Armenia 1st President: Duties of Nikol Pashinyan need to be performed by his non-partisan deputy
Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan to leave for Moscow
19:30,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 15, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Governmental delegation led by Deputy PM Mher Grigoryan will pay a visit to Moscow, ARMENPRESS reports the decision has been signed by PM Pashinyan.
The Armenian delegation will stay in Moscow from March 16-18. The aim of the visit is to discuss economic cooperation issues.
15:07,
YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. India says it is planning to connect the Indian Ocean with Eurasia through Armenia, creating a North-South Corridor.
“We are planning to connect the western part of Chabahar [port] and the Indian Ocean with Eurasia and Helsinki in Finland, through the territory of Armenia, creating a North-South Corridor,” the Iranian Khabaronline news outlet quoted the Indian Ambassador to Iran Gaddam Dharmendra as saying.
Ambassador Dharmendra said that India wants to transform Iran’s Chabahar into the most important port of the region.
Editing and Translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian has chosen the “path of adventure” by failing to ask the Constitutional Court to determine the legality of the dismissal of the army’s General Staff chief, Onik Gasparyan, by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Chairman of the Chamber of Advocates Ara Zohrabyan said on Tuesday.
“We have just received a response from the presidential office. Unfortunately, the president has taken the path of adventure,” he wrote on Facebook.
"As a citizen and a lawyer, I and my colleagues will start exposing the president's fears starting from tomorrow,” Zohrabyan added.
During a conversation with Armenian News-NEWS.am, Vice-President of the Union of Armenians of Russia Herman Ananyants said a criminal case has been launched against the Azerbaijanis who attacked Armenians at a bar in Tomsk under two articles of the Criminal Code of Russia (incitement of inter-ethnic division and battery).
According to him, the incident, the scenes of which were recently shown, took place at least two weeks ago.
According to Herman Ananyants, after the Azerbaijanis’ attack, three Armenians were transferred to the hospital and are now at home.
“During the fight, the Azerbaijanis made anti-Armenian comments and demanded that the Armenians leave the bar. One of the Azerbaijanis is under arrest and is giving testimony to the investigative body, and another one is wanted, and I’m certain that he will be found. All the participants of the fight are citizens of Russia,” Herman Ananyants said, adding that the situation is under the control of not only the Prosecutor General’s Office of Russia, but also the head of the regional unit of the Union of Armenians of Russia in Tomsk who used to be a colonel of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs.
Dozens of armed security guards were deployed on Wednesday in the building of the National Assembly, as PM Pashinyan expected to attend the parliamentary Q/A session with lawmakers.
The security guards were noticed next to the windows of the building by protesters who were holding a rally on Baghramyan avenue right in front of the parliament building.
One of the protesters caught a security guard on camera at the balcony of the parliament building with a gun pointed in direction of the protest participants.
As reported earlier, police forces in anti-riot gear were deployed at the scene stun grenades were moved to the park of the National Assembly ahead of Pashinyan's visit.