Author: Emil Karabekian

Azerbaijani press: 28 years pass since occupation of Azerbaijan’s Shusha city

Emil Karabekian
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  • KARABAKH CONFLICT

Twenty-eight years have passed since the occupation of Azerbaijan's Shusha city by Armenia.

Shusha, one of the unique cultural centers of Azerbaijan, is a city, characterized for its natural beauty, and is a valuable monument of national architecture and medieval urban art. Constantly keeping the Azerbaijani national-spiritual values and traditions of music, Shusha before forming as a city of great economic, political and cultural significance, has passed a rich way as a center of Karabakh khanate, played its role in the lives of the people of Azerbaijan. This city, which went down in history thanks to Gasim bey Zakir, Khurshidbanu Natavan, Mir Mohsun Navvab, Najaf bey Vezirov, Abdurrahim bey Hagverdiyev, Yusif Vazir Chemenzeminli, Firidun bey Kocharli, Ahmad bey Agaoglu and other eminent personalities, is known worldwide as the cradle of the Azerbaijani mugham.

In 1977 at the initiative of Heydar Aliyev a decree "On the declaration of the historic part of the city of Shusha as historical and architectural reserve" was passed. Since that time, creative work in Shusha became widespread, house-museums of the great figures of our culture and arts Uzeyir bey Hajibeyli, Khurshidbanu Natavan and Bul-Bul were created, a mausoleum of an outstanding poet Molla Panah Vagif was built.

As a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Republic of Azerbaijan, which adopted on October 18, 1991, relevant documents for the restoration of its national independence, came face to face with the aggressive policy of ethnic cleansing by Armenia. Given that the country which was undergoing profound political, economic and social crisis and finding ways out of from tense situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, has not yet formed its own national army, it relied only on voluntary assistance of self-defense units during the defense of Shusha which has high military and strategic importance. However, despite the fact that they fought valiantly, and had a decent resistance, on May 8, 1992, the Armenian armed forces armed to the teeth occupied Shusha.

In the battle for the defense of Shusha, 195 our compatriots were killed, 165 people were injured, 58 people captured, and taken hostage. 

More than 876 settlements, about 7,000 industrial, agricultural and other enterprises in Shusha, more than 153,000 housing units with a total area of more than nine million square meters were looted, burned and destroyed. In addition, as many as 4,366 social and cultural facilities of Shusha, 616 secondary schools, 242 pre-school institutions, 397 hospitals, 10 clinics, 10 maternity hospitals, 76 pharmacies, four sanatoriums and 10 mosques were destroyed by Armenian aggressors.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 04/29/2020

Emil Karabekian 
                                        Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Azeri Mortar Fire Reported In Karabakh
April 29, 2020

Nagorno-Karabakh -- Karabakh Armenian soldiers fire a mortar during a military 
exercise, April 22, 2020.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army said on Wednesday that Azerbaijani 
forces have fired mortars on its frontline positions for the first time in 
almost a year.

In a statement, the Defense Army said that the shelling did not hurt any of its 
soldiers and stopped after its troops returned fire. It did not specify whether 
they also used mortars in response.

“It has to be noted that this is the first instance of the Azerbaijani army’s 
use of mortars against Armenian positions since June 2019,” the statement said, 
adding that “the situation on the frontline is calm at the moment.”

Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry did not immediately comment on the claim. It said 
earlier in the day that Armenian troops continued to violate the ceasefire along 
the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the Karabakh “line of contact” with small 
arms in the past 24 hours.


Nagorno-Karabakh -- An official photograph that purportedly shows the wreckage 
of an Israeli-made Azerbaijani military drone shot down on April 21, 2020.

The Karabakh Armenian army claimed to have shot down an Azerbaijani military 
drone just hours before the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers as well 
as international mediators held a video conference April 21. In a joint 
statement, Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian and Elmar Mammadyarov pledged 
to continue looking for ways to resolve the Karabakh conflict despite the 
coronavirus pandemic.

According to the statement, during the conference the U.S., Russian and French 
mediators co-heading the Minsk Group renewed their calls for the conflicting 
parties to “strictly” observe the ceasefire and “avoid provocative actions in 
the current environment.”

Truce violations in the conflict zone have decreased significantly since Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met for the 
first time in September 2018. The two leaders and their foreign ministers have 
held regular talks since then.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on April 21 that the two sides have 
been “actively discussing” a peace plan which he presented to Mnatsakanian and 
Mammadyarov at a trilateral meeting held in Moscow a year ago. Lavrov said the 
plan calls for a phased settlement that would start with Armenian withdrawal 
from “several districts around Karabakh.”

Mnatsakanian implicitly denied this. He said that for the last two years Baku 
and Yerevan have only exchanged views on “some elements” of a possible peace 
deal.

By contrast, Mammadyarov echoed Lavrov’s claims when he spoke to journalists in 
Baku on Tuesday.




Textile Plants Allowed To Resume Work Despite COVID-19 Fears
April 29, 2020
        • Karine Simonian

Armenia -- Gloria factory owner Bagrat Darbinian (L) and his employees argue 
with a police officer, Vanadzor, April 21, 2020.

The Armenian government has allowed two textile plants employing about 3,000 
people to resume their operations suspended last month due to the coronavirus 
outbreak.

The permissions given on Tuesday to the Gloria and Sarton companies based in the 
northern city of Vanadzor are conditional on their compliance with anti-epidemic 
measures required by a government body enforcing the coronavirus-related state 
of emergency in Armenia.

With some 2,600 workers, Gloria is the country’s largest textile factory. Its 
owner, Bagrat Darbinian, said on Wednesday that he has pledged to have its 
premises disinfected twice a day and to provide all workers with hand 
sanitizers, medical masks and rubber gloves. Darbinian said company buses 
transporting his employees to work and back home will also be disinfected on a 
daily basis.

Some of those workers interviewed by RFE/RL’s Armenian service said, however, 
that they cannot wear masks and gloves all day long and will frequently wash 
their hands and avoid physical contact with each other instead.

Despite the continuing spread of the virus, the government has gradually 
reopened various sectors of the Armenian economy in the last two weeks. Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian said on April 12 that the domestic textile industry 
should also be able to restart its activities despite being “the main driving 
force” of coronavirus cases recorded in the country at that point.


Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (C) visits new textile factories 
opened by businessman Samvel Aleksanian (R), Yerevan, November 1, 2019.

Hundreds of such cases originated in one textile factory located in Yerevan. 
Health authorities believe that its workers were infected by a visiting Italian 
specialist in early March.

Following Pashinian’s statement, the government task force set concrete social 
distancing rules and other precautions for the export-oriented sector. Darbinian 
claimed that those requirements are too strict as Gloria’s employees defied the 
government ban and returned to their workplaces on April 21.

The mostly female workers said they want the factory to immediately resume its 
work because they cannot support themselves and their families after the 
month-long lockdown. Authorities shut it down again the following day.

Darbinian told his protesting workers at the time that they should not be afraid 
of contracting COVID-19, the potentially deadly respiratory disease caused by 
the virus. “If we get infected, we’ll recover,” he said. “There are 2,600 people 
here, and [the disease] is so widespread that someone may catch it.”

“Neither I nor anybody else can give you guarantees. So you must be prepared for 
that,” added the company’s owner.

Pashinian announced on Tuesday that his government is planning to reopen all 
remaining businesses, including cafes and restaurants, within the next 10 days.

Meanwhile, the Armenian Ministry of Health reported 65 new coronavirus cases on 
Wednesday morning. The total number of people who have tested positive for the 
virus in Armenia thus reached 1,932. Thirty of them have died from the disease 
so far, according to the ministry.

Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service on Sunday, Health Minister Arsen Torosian 
warned that due to the daily number of new infections the authorities will soon 
be unable to hospitalize or isolate most infected people.




Armenian Hospital Attacked After Deadly Shootout
April 29, 2020
        • Naira Nalbandian

Armenia -- A view of the town of Gavar.

Armenian law-enforcement bodies made at least 15 arrests on Wednesday after an 
angry mob stormed a provincial hospital guarded by police and tried to kill its 
patients hospitalized as a result of a shootout that left two people dead and 
several others wounded.

They also beefed up security in Gavar, the administrative center of Armenia’s 
eastern Gegharkunik province and the scene of the gun battle that broke out on 
Tuesday evening for still unclear reasons.

The deadly clash reportedly involved two groups of armed men living in Gavar and 
the nearby village of Noratus. Two of them were shot dead while six others 
seriously wounded and rushed to a Gavar hospital.

Three hours later, the hospital was attacked by several hundred friends and 
relatives of the two murdered men, local officials said. The attackers, most of 
them reported to be Noratus residents, broke through a police cordon and burst 
into the building, smashing its doors, windows and even an inner wall.

According to Armenia’s Investigative Committee, they stabbed two of the wounded 
individuals and another man who they believed were responsible for the killings.

A senior hospital doctor, Aram Avetisian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that 
the attackers linked to “one of the rival sides” left the medical facility after 
finding “the persons they were looking for.” The latter suffered severe stab 
wounds and were taken to Yerevan in a critical condition, said Avetisian.

In a statement, the Investigative Committee said that 15 persons were arrested 
on suspicion of participating in the “mass disturbances.” It said 
law-enforcement authorities are now trying to identify more participants of the 
violent incidents in Gavar.


Armenia - Gnel Sanosian, the governor of Gegharkunik province, speaks to RFE/RL, 
Gavar, April 29, 2020.

The Gegharkunik governor, Gnel Sanosian, spoke of “quite a large number” arrests 
already made by investigators but gave no numbers. “The process is continuing,” 
he said, noting that the attack was caught on the local hospital’s security 
cameras.

Sanosian said that the Armenian police have sent reinforcements to Gavar and 
Noratus to prevent fresh violence there. “The police fully control the situation 
in the town, around the hospital and, of course, in Noratus,” he told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian service.

Critics of the Armenian government pounced on the fact that the hospital was 
seized by the mob despite being guarded by armed police officers and the arrival 
in Gavar of the national police chief, Arman Sargsian. They portrayed this as a 
gross security failure highlighting Armenia’s rising crime rate. Some of them 
also demanded Sargsian’s resignation.

Sanosian dismissed the criticism, saying that the policemen deployed in the 
hospital were greatly outnumbered by the attackers. The provincial governor 
estimated the number of the attackers at around 500.

“There were several hundred of them,” Avetisian, the hospital doctor, said for 
his part.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

FM Mnatsakanyan, Toivo Klaar discuss challenges caused by spread of novel coronavirus

Emil Karabekian

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 21:00, 29 April, 2020

YEREVAN, APRIL 29, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohra Mnatsakanyan had a telephone conversation with Toivo Klaar, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, the interlocutors discussed the challenges caused by the spread of the novel coronavirus and the steps aimed at overcoming them.

They also referred to the recent regional developments. In the context of the presidential and parliamentary elections held in Artsakh recently, FM Mnatsakanyan emphasized the importance of the democratic elections in Artsakh in terms of the implementation of human rights, preservation of the security of the people of Artsakh and for the effective development of the peace process.

During the meeting the sides also referred to the April 21 video conference between the Armenian and Azerbaijani FMs mediated by the OSCE Minsk group Co-chairs, based on which a five-sided statement was issued. The sides particularly emphasized the importance of unconditional preservation and strengthening of the ceasefire under the light of the global fight against the coronavirus.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

Armenian deputy education minister on distance learning

Emil Karabekian
News.am, Armenia
May 1 2020

17:45, 01.05.2020
                  

‘I miss the stage, the audience’: Cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan on pros and cons of quarantine

Emil Karabekian

‘I miss the stage, the audience’: Cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan on pros and cons of quarantine

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 11:06,

YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. World renowned Armenian cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan has already returned back to his house after staying under quarantine in one of the hotels in Yerevan since April 7. The musician passed coronavirus testing, and the result is negative.

In an interview to ARMENPRESS, Narek Hakhnazaryan told about the negative and positive sides of self-quarantine, emphasized the importance of support of relatives, as well as introduced his future plans.

-People overcome the current difficult situation in different way. Some are posting funny videos with their families on social media, some sing, dance, etc. What was your way of overcoming that situation during quarantine?

-I haven’t yet made videos with my family, but maybe one day I will make interesting musical projects with the participation of my mother and father. I enjoyed the 14-day quarantine because I was sleeping a lot, which is a rare phenomenon in my life especially in past several years, I was also reading books, watching films. I also held a virtual concert which was live streamed on the Armenian government’s Facebook page. I have many ideas connected with online performances.

-You also performed at a reception hall of the hotel, expressing gratitude to doctors for their work. Many artists state that no virtual concert can replace the real concerts where musician or actor are directly communicating with the audience…

-If there is a choice between a live concert and a performance before a camera, of course, I will choose the real performance, the communication with the audience, the real energy, but in these conditions the online concert is the only mean to share your music with them which allows to give good moments to music-lovers.

I miss the stage, the performances in stage a lot, but if these virtual concerts didn’t exist, the situation would be much harder.

-You talked about books, movies. I think it will be interesting to your fans to know what are your preferences in this sphere?

-During this period I read The Suitcase by Sergei Dovlatov and Pavel Sanaev’s Bury Me Behind the Baseboard. I mainly love reading Russian literature, but I also like Shakespeare. I know English well, but have not tried yet to read his works in original, because the Shakespeare English is different, and I would have to use dictionary.

As for movies, I watched the Curb Your Enthusiasm. It’s a fantastic comedy shot in 2000s. I enjoyed watching it.

-During quarantine people revalue what they have, appreciate what they do not pay so much attention in the normal life. Did you think about this?

-When you are alone, and caring people stand by you, for whom you are important, you more appreciate them and value the communication with them. This is one of the positive sides of this situation. Being in Yerevan I miss the natural and simple things which I didn’t pay attention before the self-quarantine. I miss walking, the cafes, listening to jazz with friends in clubs. The absence of all of these is noticed, but as a musician, who is constantly travelling and has a busy schedule, I also saw the positive side in all of these. I had a chance to relax and think without any hurry. It’s a fantastic feeling when you are thinking about tomorrow and understand that you have no place to go, do not have to do anything, can do what you wish.

I feel myself very good in Armenia. I am very happy for being at home now and having an opportunity to run, visit a store.

-Delayed concerts, uncertainties. Do you see a light in the end of the tunnel?

-Yes, I see a light, but the problem is that I do not imagine the length of that tunnel.

According to the preliminary arrangement, some postponed concerts should take place in September. All my concerts are almost postponed until September and were moved to the next year. I hope the borders in different parts of the world will gradually open and the concerts will take place.

As I said, this situation is difficult for a musician also from financial perspective, but the lack of communication with the audience from the stage is more difficult. Music, stage, concerts are key parts of my life, and I do not imagine my life without them, therefore, the shorter the tunnel, the better it will be.

I urge everyone to be cautious, seriously accept this situation and do not undermine this virus. I met with people who consider this as something invented, but I also know dozens of people who got infected, I know two people who died from coronavirus and I also know that the hospitals in Italy, US have no other place, and people are dying by not receiving any medical care because the resources are not enough. We should appreciate what the Armenian government does to save the lives of our citizens, and we should assist the leadership to quickly overcome this situation which is also causing a serious financial blow both to the citizens and the state. We should use face masks, gloves and go out only in case of strict necessity.

Interview by Angela Hambardzumyan

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

27% of Armenia’s coronavirus patients have pneumonia

Emil Karabekian

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 11:47,

YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. 230 coronavirus patients out of the 840 active cases in Armenia have pneumonia, and 10 of them are in critical condition, Healthcare Minister Arsen Torosyan told government officials at the Cabinet meeting.

“Around 230 people have pneumonia, 5 are intubated. Only one of them is rather young, 27 years old, but the latter has a chronic benign serious illness. Doctors are doing everything they can to stabilize the patient’s condition, it seems there are hopes that the patient’s life can be saved,” Torosyan said.

He said the pace of growth of new cases remains the same. In terms of hospital capacity, Torosyan said currently the number of beds is sufficient and it is too early to speak about shifting to other options.

He also warned against easing vigilance in terms of opening up some types of businesses.

“We can’t afford easing vigilance”, he said.

 

Editing and translating by Stepan Kocharyan




Chief of General Staff of Armenian Armed Forces visits military units

Emil Karabekian

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 14:22,

YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. Chief of General Staff of the Armenian Armed Forces, Lieutenant-General Artak Davtyan visited today military units located in the north-eastern direction to get acquainted with the organization of the daily service and the ongoing renovations works, the defense ministry of Armenia told Armenpress.

Lieutenant-General Artak Davtyan also visited the military bases, got introduced on the situation in the border, the combat preparedness level of the staff, as well as the engineering works carried out in the frontline.

He gave respective instructions to the commanders of the divisions on raising the efficiency of the military service and promoted the distinguished servicemen.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




IMF funds provided to Armenia to be spent for mitigating consequences of coronavirus

Emil Karabekian

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 13:05,

YEREVAN, APRIL 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s government will direct the 280 million USD aid provided by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for mitigating the consequences of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), deputy minister of economy Avag Avanesyan said at a press conference.

“The IMF provides aid to Armenia worth 280 million USD. These funds are available to our government because we have constantly improved the business climate and ensured the protection of investments, as well as carried out reforms. As a result, a trust has been formed in the international community that Armenia will spend these funds for mitigating the consequences of the coronavirus”, Avanesyan said.

He assured that the main purpose of spending these sums is going to be the major strengthening of the healthcare system, as well as mitigation of social and economic shocks. “This is a loan without terms, in other words the government will choose on what to spend these sums”, he said.

On April 10 the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team reached a staff level agreement with the Armenian authorities for the completion of the second review of Armenia’s reform program, which is supported by the IMF, the IMF said in a statement. The statement says the authorities have requested an increase in financial support provided by the IMF for Armenia and, pending Executive Board approval, around $280 million will be available immediately after the Board meeting.

According to the latest data, the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus in Armenia has reached 1,111. The total number of recovered patients is 297. The active cases are 797.

Reported by Lilit Demuryan

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Armenian minister says 10 ventilators have been restored, are ready for use

Emil Karabekian

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 12:40, 8 April, 2020

YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s ministry of high technological industry currently has 10 restored lung ventilation devices and is ready to provide them to the healthcare ministry, Minister of High-tech industry Hakob Arshakyan said at a press conference.

He said the ministry received very good reactions after its call, more than 280 e-mails were received. “They have already been examined, and we can state that at this moment we have 10 devices which were found from various places and provided to the ministry. The devices have been restored and are ready for use. In case of necessity we can provide them to the healthcare ministry. This process is continuous, every day we receive calls and letter about a device that is not used, and we give them to the engineering association – the Engineering City. They restore them for further use”, the minister said.

The ministry also received dozens of letters from Armenians living in the US, Lebanon, Russia and Germany. They are ready to provide assistance to the Armenian engineers if needed, such as in the form of professional consulting, etc.

Earlier on April 5 the minister announced that 7 ventilators have been restored and are ready for use.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Armenia PM on citizens using swear words against him and his family members

Emil Karabekian
News.am, Armenia
April 6 2020

21:15, 06.04.2020

It’s not nice when people use swear words against the Prime Minister or his family members, but if the government starts punishing those people, this will be a violation of democracy. This is what Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said while answering citizens’ questions live on Facebook today.

A citizen had asked when the heads of “yellow journalism” and the people spreading caricatures offending the Prime Minister’s family will be punished, and in response, the Prime Minister divided fake news into news that is not too dangerous and news that concerns the country’s national security. He also said caricatures are one of the key components of democracy.

“There is also the big fake letter that I had supposedly addressed to the NATO Secretary-General. Law-enforcement authorities still haven’t found the author of that letter, or they have found the author, and the latter is abroad. It’s clear that the fake letter was written to make it look like Armenia is stepping out of the Collective Security Treaty Organization.”

As for “fake” or “non-fake” Facebook users spreading fake news and using swear words, the Prime Minister recommended either blocking them or simply not following them.