Author: Elizabeth Jabejian

Armenia’s president still has few days to apply to CC – Bar Chamber president

Elizabeth Jabejian
Aysor, Armenia
March 6 2021

The president of the republic has right to apply to the Constitutional Court regarding the Chief of the Staff by March 9, president of Armenian Bar Chamber Ara Zohrabyan said outside MOD building today.

“The president of the republic must either apply to the Constitutional Court or sign the decree and agree with the prime minister,” Zohrabyan said.

“The president admitted that there is a problem, and the issue is very deep as high-ranking officers joined the Chief of the General Staff. The president still has days to apply to the CC. If he does not do it, it means he pushes the issues to be settled in streets, not in constitutional way,” Zohrabyan stated.

Armenia Chamber of Advocates calls on President to apply to Constitutional Court

Elizabeth Jabejian
News.am, Armenia
March 5 2021
19:18, 05.03.2021

The Chamber of Advocates of Armenia has issued the following statement:

“The Board of the Chamber of Advocates of Armenia, concerned about the dispute between the constitutional bodies (Prime Minister, General Staff of the Armed Forces) in Armenia and the destructive nature of continuation of the dispute; recording the need to settle disputes between constitutional bodies through the Constitutional Court; taking into consideration the fact that, by the Constitution of Armenia, the President is vested with special powers, including the power to transfer disputes between certain constitutional bodies to the Constitutional Court, during exercise of which the President must be governed by national interests; taking as a basis the statement by the President of Armenia of 27 February 2021 by which the recommendation of the Prime Minister to dismiss the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces was returned with objections and viewed as prima facie contradicting the Constitution; referring to the fact that there might be unconstitutional developments in case the President fails to take action and that the President will be held liable for this, taking as a basis the requirements of laws according to which the President of Armenia can still apply to the Constitutional Court, we call on President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian to apply to the Constitutional Court of Armenia with the request to declare the recommendation of the Prime Minister regarding dismissal of the chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces as contradicting to the Constitution.

P.S.: With this step the President will form a culture of presenting disputes between constitutional bodies to the Constitutional Court for examination.”

Menendez Calls on Biden to Recognize Genocide, Work on Release of Armenian POWs

Elizabeth Jabejian

March 5, 2021



Sen. Bob Menendez called on President Biden to recognize Armenian Genocide and work on release of Armenian POWs

Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee Stakes out Strong Stand During Confirmation Hearing for Senior State Department Officials

WASHINGTON–-Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) – Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee – pressed the Biden Administration to join Congress in properly recognizing the Armenian Genocide and also to work for the release of Armenian hostages illegally held by the Azerbaijani government, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“Whether it’s recognizing the Armenian Genocide or demanding the release of Armenian POWs, Senator Menendez is a principled, powerful, and persistent advocate – effectively advancing both our U.S. interests and our American values,” said ANCA Eastern Region Chair and New Jersey resident Ani Tchaghlasian. “Armenians across New Jersey and around the nation thank Senator Menendez for his leadership on issues of special concern to our community and coalition partners.”

The Garden State’s senior Senator made the remarks during the confirmation process for Wendy Sherman, who has been nominated to serve as Deputy Secretary of State, the agency’s number two position.

With regard to U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide, Sen. Menendez states, “I hope the President will keep his commitment to recognize the Armenian Genocide. The United States Senate, by unanimous consent, passed it. Last year I was proud to sponsor that. The House of Representatives has passed it. It’s time for the President of the United States to do what the rest of the Congress of the United States – as representatives of the American people – which is to recognize the Genocide. Let’s call history for what it is.”  Sen. Menendez has already started reaching out to Senate colleagues to join him in sending a joint letter to President Biden urging him to properly characterize the Armenian Genocide in the annual April 24th commemorative statement.

Senator Menendez’s statement on the Armenian Genocide

Sen. Menendez went on to call for greater U.S. engagement in the OSCE Minsk Group mediation of the Artsakh crisis, including active leadership in securing the release of over 200 Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives illegally held by Azerbaijan some 4 months after the disastrous November 9th ceasefire agreement.

“We will look to help the people of Armenia and help to facilitate the release of POWs that the Azerbaijanis have,” stated Sen. Menendez.  “It is in violation of international law what they’re doing. We need to speak out, which the previous administration did not, and we need to work to try to get that region to look forward to what the Minsk process was. There is some suggestion that this is all over. No. it’s not. And we need to the POWS released and we have to help Armenia, as it gets all of these refugees back into their country.”

Senator Menendez’s remarks regarding the release of Armenian POWs

Take action in support of honest American remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, and demanding demanding Azerbaijan’s release of Armenian hostages.

Israel offers to help Azerbaijan rebuild Nagorno-Karabakh

Elizabeth Jabejian
Israel Hayom
March 5 2021
 By  Dean Shmuel Elmas
Israeli companies have offered the Azerbaijani government in Baku assistance in rehabilitating the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan's Ambassador to Turkey Ibrahim Khazar told the Turkish state-owned Anadolu Agency.

Among those to offer Baku assistance were Turkey, Iran, Great Britain, Italy, Hungary, and Japan. "The rehabilitation of liberated territories will be carried out while ensuring the preservation of the region's historical and authentic heritage alongside technological innovations," the envoy said.

According to Khazar, the Nakhchivan Corridor, the product of one of the ceasefire clauses in the Second Karabakh War, has created new opportunities for regional cooperation, chief among them the export trains that have already begun to pass through Azerbaijan on their way from Istanbul to Central Asia and even China in recent weeks.

Nevertheless, the war has done a lot of damage, in particular to Azerbaijan's economy. According to Khazar, "The extent of the material damage from Armenia's attacks stands at over $50 million." He noted that "after the liberation, the images of our historic lands were those of devastation."

According to Azerbaijani assessments, since the end of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, the Armenians destroyed 700 historic and cultural sites, 700 libraries, 85 arts and music institutes, 22 museums housing over 100,000 items, four art galleries, four theaters, and two concert halls across the Caucus territory.

Khazar further accused Armenia of having perpetrated war crimes.

"The Armenian military, which found itself helpless in the face of our military, did not hesitate to shoot at civilians in cities that weren't even in the war zone," he claimed. "As a result, 100 of our citizens were killed, 416 were wounded, and major damage was caused to civilian infrastructure."

According to Aryeh Gut, an expert on Israel-Azerbaijan ties and the executive director of the Azerbaijan House in Israel, Baku and Jerusalem have bolstered ties thanks to close cooperation in the fields of agriculture, medicine, and defense, among others.

Gut told Israel Hayom that "Israel was one of the first countries to recognize an independent Azerbaijan. No country in Eurasia has been a closer friend to Israel than Azerbaijan."

He noted that "Israel is one of the strategic buyers of Azerbaijani oil. Following the liberation of the occupied territories, in which Israel played a central role, Israeli figures are very interested in investing in those territories in Nagorno-Karabakh, alongside the Israeli medical assistance already provided by Israel to casualties of the war."

Micky Aharonson, an expert on international relations at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security, explained that "the totality of interests that make it important for Israel to maintain ties with Azerbaijan have not changed."

"This is a Muslim country that borders Iran," she said. "For years, Israel has maintained good ties with them, including economic ties. There isn't necessarily a connection between the private firms involved in rehabilitation and strategic ties between the countries."

Either Onik Gasparyan or Nikol Pashinyan should be arrested – Davit Shahnazaryan

Elizabeth Jabejian
Panorama, Armenia
March 5 2021

'Vernatun' public-political club has issued a statement of Armenia's former NSS Chief Davit Shahnazaryan about the scenarios to settle the current political situation in Armenia. 

"There are two ways to end the standoff between the Government of Armenia and the Armed Forces. Either the Chief of the General Staff Onik Gasparyan or Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan should be arrested. There is no other option, and Colonel General Onik Gasparyan is the one to decide," the comment by Shahnazaryan read. 

Easing the plight of ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh

Elizabeth Jabejian
Washington Times
March 3 2021

International community must condemn human rights violations by Turkey and Azerbaijan

Armenia Atrocities Illustration by Greg Groesch/The Washington Times more >

By Stephan Pechdimaldji – – Wednesday, March 3, 2021

ANALYSIS/OPINION:

While our country continues to deal with a health pandemic not seen in more than 100 years, another humanitarian crisis is taking place in a remote region of the world that many Americans may not be aware of but should. It harkens back to one of the darkest chapters in world history where sadly that past is repeating itself.  

Last September, Azerbaijan launched an attack on ethnic Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, known as Artsakh to Armenians. The Azerbaijani offensive was carefully planned, coordinated and executed with the help of the Turkish government who provided air power (F-16s) and Turkish-made strike drones. It was also widely reported that Turkey sent Syrian mercenaries, including Islamic terrorists, into the region to help wreak havoc upon Armenians in the region.  

Despite Turkish denial, an increasing number of objective news and policy sources confirmed that Turkey was behind this war, which quickly became a humanitarian crisis involving war crimes being committed against Armenians by Turkey vis-a-vis Azerbaijan.  

Turkey’s destabilizing actions should come as no surprise and follows a very troubling pattern, from its wholesale slaughter of the Kurds in northern Syria to its decision to move forward with Russia’s S-400 missile defense system. Ankara’s recent behavior in trying to broaden its influence in the region should be a wake-up call for the U.S. and the rest of the world.

As victims of oppression, Armenians around the world and in the U.S. see this latest aggression as a continuation of the 1915 Armenian Genocide and a threat to their very existence. It is one of the reasons why Azerbaijan during the six-week war indiscriminately bombed churches and other historical holy sites in attempt to wipe out any remnants of Armenian culture and identity in the region.  

More alarming was that Azerbaijan bombed civilian-populated areas in Stepanakert, the capital of Artsakh, with ballistic missiles and cluster munitions, which are internationally banned.

And according to a joint report issued by the human rights ombudsman of Armenia and Artsakh, beginning in late October of last year, Azerbaijan unleashed incendiary weapons of mass destruction containing chemical agents, including white phosphorus munitions on civilian-populated areas.

Azerbaijan’s targeting of civilian populations with such weapons was a clear violation of international humanitarian and environmental laws, including the Geneva Conventions and the Chemical Weapons Convention to which Azerbaijan is a signatory. The use of such weapons has resulted in widespread human suffering and long-term environmental damage in Artsakh, including the burning of over 1,815 hectares of ancient forests.

To help stave off further damage and the growing risk of thousands of Armenians dying, Armenia agreed to a tenuous peace agreement with Azerbaijan that was brokered by Russia. As part of the deal, Armenia agreed to hand over certain lands of Artsakh to Azerbaijan by the end of November last year.  

While the United States should welcome any peace agreement that saves lives, there are still many issues that need to be fully addressed to ensure that this agreement is lasting, equitable and fair.

For starters, the United States and the international community need to condemn and punish Azerbaijan and Turkey for their human rights violations, rampant expansionism, and ethnic cleansing.  

– Washington Times

This should be an inflection point in the U.S.-Turkey relationship that has seen Washington for years turn a blind eye to Ankara’s malfeasance and wonton disrespect for the rule of law, including its ongoing campaign to deny the Armenian Genocide.

The United States must impose severe sanctions on Azerbaijan and Turkey for violating Section 907 of the Freedom Support Act and end military assistance to Baku. Since 2018, the United States has sent more than $100 million in security assistance to Azerbaijan despite Baku’s abysmal record of human rights abuses.  

The United States must recognize Artsakh as an independent nation. That is the only way to ensure that the fundamental rights of the Armenian people are upheld.

The United States must also provide an initial $250,000,000 package of emergency humanitarian relief, reconstruction and development assistance to Artsakh and help Armenia support more than 100,000 refugees who were forcibly displaced from their native lands.

The United States must show leadership and exert pressure on Azerbaijan in securing the immediate and unconditional release of Armenian prisoners. 

Finally, the United States and the international community must demand that Azerbaijan protect and preserve historical churches and holy sites in the newly controlled Azerbaijani areas. These are rich and irreplaceable monuments that not only reflect Armenian culture and identity in the region but offer a window into the past for all future generations to learn from.

As a grandson to survivors of the Armenian Genocide, I know the pain and suffering that the Armenian people have gone through. But I also know of their perseverance, determination and grit. That is why we need to make sure that we as a country stand united in our support of Armenia during these precarious times. The survival of the Armenian nation and its people depend on it. 

• Stephan Pechdimaldji is a public relations professional who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. He’s a first-generation Armenian American and grandson to survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

Nikol Pashinyan’s dismissal ‘just a matter of time’, analyst says

Elizabeth Jabejian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 26 2021

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s dismissal is “just a matter of time” in the wake of the military’s top brass demanding his and his cabinet’s resignation, according to Tigran Abrahamyan, the head of the Henaket Analytical Center.

“Regardless of how the authorities will react or what measures they will take following the statement of the General Staff of the Armenian army, Nikol Pashinyan’s dismissal is just a matter of time,” he wrote on Facebook, adding his removal from office is in everyone's best interests.

“The authorities cannot resolve any problem through pressures or arrests. The army has already expressed its position; it’s a fixed fact with no escape from the existing realities.

“Even if they arrest all the servicemen, the attitude of the armed forces will not change. Thus, any distrust in the political authorities by a key pillar of our statehood will lead to inevitable processes,” Abrahamyan said. 

Citizens obstruct Pashinyan’s entry to the ministry building

Elizabeth Jabejian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 23 2021

Member of the opposition Homeland Salvation Movement Gegham Manukyan informs that on Tuesday morning dozens of citizens have obstructed the entry of PM Pashinyan to the 3rd government complex which is just 200 meters away from the Government office. 

"Armenia in our days. Pashinyan is set to visit one of the ministries just 200 meters away of the government building. He has only the support of the police. Armenia without Nikol!" Manukyan wrote on Facebook, sharing a photo of protesters from the scene where people have surrounded the building.  

To remind, earlier, the Homeland Salvation Movement called on citizens to gather in front of the 3rd government building to prevent Pashinyan from entering. The authorities had cordoned off the area and deployed large police forces around the complex of the government buildings. 

Armenians take to the streets to call for PM’s resignation

Elizabeth Jabejian
WION News, India
Feb 20 2021
Reuters
Armenians take to the streets to call for PM's resignation, World News | wionews.com

Hundreds of demonstrators blocked the main streets of the Armenian capital Yerevan on Saturday to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over his handling of a conflict with Azerbaijan last year.

Fighting erupted between Azerbaijan and ethnic Armenian forces on Sept. 27 and ended on Nov. 10 when a Russian-brokered peace deal introduced a ceasefire. Thousands were killed in the most bloody fighting in the region since the early 1990s.

Facing pressure to resign after ethnic Armenians lost swathes of territory, Pashinyan announced a road map he said was designed to shore up national stability and security.

Pashinyan has rejected calls to resign but said he was fully responsible for the outcome of the conflict and remained responsible for ensuring Armenia`s security.

Protesters chanted "Nikol is a traitor!", "Armenia without Nikol!" and blocked some streets after an opposition rally on Freedom Square in the heart of Yerevan on Saturday.

"It doesn`t matter how many people gather on the square, Nikol Pashinyan will not resign voluntarily," opposition leader Vazgen Manukyan told a crowd of protesters waving Armenian flags under a light snowfall.

Ishkhan Saghatelyan, an opposition politician, said more street protests were planned for Monday.

Putin, Pashinyan review Nagorno-Karabakh armistice

Elizabeth Jabejian
XINHUA, China
Feb 17 2021

Source: Xinhua| 2021-02-18 04:38:34|Editor: huaxia

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MOSCOW, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) — Russian President Vladimir Putin discussed the implementation of the Nagorno-Karabakh truce in a telephone conversation with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Wednesday.

The leaders covered practicalities in relation to the implementation of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace deal and discussed the agreements reached during a trilateral summit in Moscow on Jan. 11, 2021, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Key issues of Russian-Armenian bilateral cooperation were also covered.

Putin, Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Moscow on Jan. 11, where the leaders agreed to take joint measures aimed at unblocking all economic and transport connections in the Nagorno-Karabakh region with the aid of a trilateral working group. Enditem