Author: Emma Jilavian

Music: Rastak sings “They Say…” in honor of Armenian community in Iran

Emma Jilavian
Tehran Times, Iran
Aug 1 2020

August 1, 2020 – 18:46

TEHRAN – Prolific Iranian ensemble Rastak has recorded a single named “They Say…” in honor of the Armenian community in Iran.

The song, which is based on an Armenian melody, is part of a project named “Borderless at Home” the ensemble initiated to reprise songs from the neighboring countries.

“They Say…” is the sixth track of the collection, which will be released on Sunday.

Rastak was established in 1997 by a group of music students in Tehran to highlight Iranian folk music. 

It has given numerous performances in Australia, Canada and several countries in Europe.  

“Leilu”, the fifth track of the project, was released in May. The single is based on a song from Kormanj, a group of Kurdish nomads who live mainly in Khorasan Razavi Province and North Khorasan Province.

At that time, Rastak announced that it would hand out a portion of the money raised by the single in bonuses to medical workers on the coronavirus frontline as a way to thank them.

Earlier the band released “Leili Jan”, a popular folk song from Afghanistan.

“The focus of the project is on non-Iranian people and it enjoys some certain dimensions that are expected to be welcomed,” bandleader Siamak Sepehri, who is also a tar virtuoso, previously said. 

“Fortunately, we have had positive reactions from our non-Iranian audiences during various performances, and these reactions caused us to produce those songs that represent some affinities between Iranians and other nations,” he added.    

Photo: A poster for Rastak’s single “They Say…”.


In A Direct Warning To Armenia, Turkey Deploys F-16 Jets In Azerbaijan

Emma Jilavian
Eurasian Times
Aug 1 2020

August 1, 2020                    

        
Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict: Reasons, Probable Results of Tension at Front Line

Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict – The attack of the Armenian army with heavy weapons on the Tovuz Rayon of Azerbaijan suddenly changed the world agenda and caused the regional war scenarios to be brought to the agenda once again. It was announced that both sides suffered serious losses, especially in the mutual attacks that began at noon … Continue reading Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict: Reasons, Probable Results of Tension at Front Line

As tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia escalates, Turkey has deployed F-16 fighter jets in Azerbaijan for joint military exercises. In a statement by Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry, the Turkish F-16 jets will take part in the TurAz Qartali-2020 Joint Exercises which commenced on Wednesday.

Azerbaijan-Armenia Conflict: Reasons, Probable Results of Tension at Front Line

The joint military drills, involving fighter jets and helicopters are expected to send a stern signal to Armenia which is involved in a bitter conflict with Azerbaijan.

“According to the plan, the situation is evaluated, combat missions are specified, reconnaissance of the area is carried out in real conditions,” the Azerbaijani ministry said in an earlier statement. “After hearing the relevant reports, the tasks for the use of troops participating in the exercises are clarified in accordance with the adopted decision,” it noted.

The drill comes on the heels of clashes between Azerbaijan and Armenia in the northwestern Tovuz border region. At least 11 Azerbaijani soldiers, including a major general and a colonel, were killed in the conflict.

According to a BBC report, Azerbaijan had asserted that it had pounded an Armenian fortification and artillery and had inflicted casualties on “hundreds” of Armenian soldiers, a claim Armenia outrightly rejected.

The Azerbaijani president doubled down on his government’s assertion that Armenia had ignited the clashes, saying: “Armenia’s political and military leadership will bear the entire responsibility for the provocation.”

Armenia, in turn, said Azerbaijan had initiated the clashes, with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan declaring during a cabinet meeting that Azerbaijani “provocations will not be unanswered”. The defence minister had added that Armenian forces “do not shell civilian targets in Azerbaijan and only target the engineering infrastructure and technical facilities of the Azerbaijani armed forces”.

Turkish press: Azerbaijan’s foreign policy chief: Turkey is guarantor of trust and peace

Emma Jilavian
 ISTANBUL DIPLOMACY 
JUL 28, 2020 1:10 PM GMT+3
This aerial view shows destroyed houses during the fighting in Martakert province in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, Azerbaijan, April 4, 2016. (AP Photo)

Turkey is the guarantor of trust and peace on both a regional and global scale, Hikmet Hajiyev, assistant to the president and foreign policy chief for Azerbaijan's Presidency, said Tuesday.

Speaking to Demirören News Agency (DHA) in the Azerbaijani capital Baku, Hajiyev said Turkey is a proactive country that has become a global power on many fronts.

"At the same time, Turkey is an expansive state that provides peace in various regions. Azerbaijan is proud of Turkey’s successes in various fields. Turkey is a guarantor of trust and peace on both a regional and global scale. Thanks to Turkey’s strong political and military policies, terror elements such as the Daesh terror group have suffered a major blow. Turkey exerts great efforts in the name of peace and stability in many regions, including the Balkans, the Caucasus and Europe,” he added.

Touching upon joint military exercises planned between the Azerbaijani and Turkish militaries, Hajiyev said such actions would send a bold message to the country's enemies.

“Turkey played a big part in the foundation of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. Military cooperation between our two countries serves the interests of peace in the region. These joint military exercises demonstrate the power of the Turkey-Azerbaijan partnership and solidarity between these two countries,” he said.

The Azerbaijani defense ministry on Monday announced that Ankara and Baku were going to launch large-scale military exercises as part of the Agreement on Military Cooperation between both countries.

“Azerbaijani-Turkish Live Fire Joint Large-Scale Tactical and Flight-Tactical Exercises will be held in our country with the participation of the Land Forces and the Air Force of both countries,” a written statement of the ministry said.

The statement added that the joint exercises would involve military personnel, armored vehicles, artillery mounts and mortars, as well as military aviation and air defense equipment belonging to the armies of the two countries.

“According to the plan, exercises involving the Land Forces will be held from Aug. 1 to 5 in Baku and Nakhchivan, while exercises joined by both country's air forces will be held from July 29 to Aug. 10 in Baku, Nakhchivan, Ganja, Kurdamir and Yevlakh,” the statement added.

Turkey and Azerbaijan have been reiterating cooperation in every field, especially militarily, since an Armenian attack took place on Azerbaijan’s border on July 12.

Regarding recent military aggression by Armenia, Hajiyev said that the latter nation ought to act with sanity.

“The ongoing policy conducted by Armenia drags both Armenia and its people into a dead end. They cannot continue like this. Armenia has malicious designs on Turkey, as well as invasion plans targeting Azerbaijani territories. This is unacceptable. Armenia should learn to live in peace with its neighbors. The joint military exercises will give a strong message to such enemies,” he also said.

A recent rise in tensions was triggered when the Armenian army attempted to attack Azerbaijani positions with artillery fire in the direction of the northwestern Tovuz border district, withdrawing after suffering losses following retaliation from the Azerbaijani military.

Twelve Azerbaijani soldiers, including a major general and a colonel, were killed and four others were injured in border clashes.

Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for the "provocative" actions, with Turkey throwing its weight behind Baku and warning Yerevan that it would not hesitate to stand against any kind of attack on its eastern neighbor.

A week after the attack, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar, Azerbaijani Deputy Defense Minister Ramiz Tahirov and Kerem Mustafayev, army chief of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, an exclave of Azerbaijan bordering Armenia, Turkey and Iran, came together and discussed the recent situation.

Of the security of Azerbaijan and the region, Akar said Turkey and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) will continue to do what they have to do, adding, "No one should doubt that."

The two ex-Soviet republics for decades have been locked in a conflict over Armenia’s illegal occupation of Azerbaijan's Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The territory was seized by ethnic Armenian separatists in a 1990s war that claimed 30,000 lives, though the recent fighting broke out on a northern section of their shared border far from Karabakh.

Azerbaijan attacked in direction where there are many Armenian villages – Pashinyan

Emma Jilavian

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 15:41,

YEREVAN, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS. In an interview to the Russian RBK Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Azerbaijan has unleashed the recent military operations on the Armenia border in the direction of Tavush province as there are many Armenian villages there, adding that that’s the reason that Azerbaijan has not launched its attack towards Artsakh.

“There are many Azerbaijani civilian settlements near the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact, therefore, it’s very difficult to launch at attack in the direction of Nagorno Karabakh now. They attacked in the direction where the border is not so well equipped with cameras. I want to state that there is only one Azerbaijani village in that direction, but contrary to this, there are many Armenian villages in that direction”, the PM said.

Since July 12th, Azerbaijan has launched a series of cross-border attacks against Armenia’s northern Tavush province, targeting civilian settlements and infrastructures. Currently the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border is relatively calm.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 21-07-20

Emma Jilavian

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 17:31,

YEREVAN, 21 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 21 July, USD exchange rate up by 0.89 drams to 483.70 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.53 drams to 553.59 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.10 drams to 6.83 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 5.86 drams to 613.72 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 180.79 drams to 28235.74 drams. Silver price up by 4.91 drams to 302.32 drams. Platinum price up by 350.15 drams to 13140.86 drams.

EITI International Council grants Armenia status of country having satisfactory progress

Emma Jilavian

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 17:35,

YEREVAN, JULY 20, ARMENPRESS. The International Council of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) has granted Armenia a status of a country with a satisfactory progress, which is the highest assessment, Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan said on Facebook.

“As of July 9, 2020, Armenia is in the list of 9 out of 53 member states of the EITI which have that status. Moreover, this is our first assessment and we already have the highest result. In the statement released by the EITI international secretariat Armenia is described as a country that is “on a fast track to greater transparency”, Avinyan said.

He said the Armenian government is fully committed to install the good governance principles required by the EITI Standard which are vital for the reforms in the mining industry. “In relation to this, the Multi-stakeholder Group will work to maintain what has already been achieved in Armenia, while also focusing on increasing EITI impact, building on systematic disclosures and integrating the issues of public concern into the MSG’s national agenda”, the deputy PM said.

Avinyan informed that the EITI International Council expressed satisfaction to the Armenian government and the Multi-stakeholder Group over the exemplary progress in installing the EITI Standard.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Azerbaijani press: Mexican lawmaker strongly condemns Armenia’s military provocations against Azerbaijan

Emma Jilavian
  • 18 Jul 2020 12:39

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  • 105

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  • POLITICS

President of the Mexico-Azerbaijan Friendship Group of the Chamber of Deputies of the Congress of the Union of Mexico, MP Agustín García Rubio has made a statement strongly condemning Armenia’s recent military attacks in the direction of Azerbaijan’s Tovuz district.

The statement emphasized that in the wake of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict that has been lasting since 1994, the Armenian armed forces had occupied the Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions of Azerbaijan.

The Mexican lawmaker called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid any military escalation and give impetus to substantive negotiations mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group.

Agustín García also expressed Mexico’s support for the conflict resolution in accordance with international law, as well as the well-known four UN Security Council resolutions demanding respect for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.  

In conclusion, the Mexican MP expressed his condolences to the people and government of Azerbaijan over the death of military servicemen and wish the wounded the swiftest possible recovery.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/17/2020

Emma Jilavian 
                                        Friday, 

Fighting Eases On Armenia-Azerbaijan Border

        • Sargis Harutyunyan

ARMENIA -- A view shows a house, which locals said was damaged during a recent 
shelling by Azerbaijani forces, in armed clashes on the border between 
Azerbaijan and Armenia, in the village of Aygepar, Tavush Province, July 15, 2020

Armenia and Azerbaijan reported no serious ceasefire violations along their 
border on Friday after several days of heavy fighting that left at least 16 
soldiers dead and dozens of others wounded.

The Armenian military said late in the afternoon Azerbaijani forces only fired 
small arms at its positions in Tavush province, the scene of the fighting, and 
did not targeted local border villages in the past day.

“No artillery or other heavy weapons were used,” a military spokesman, Artsrun 
Hovannisian, told a news briefing in Ijevan, Tavush’s administrative center.

Hovannisian said that “tension has eased considerably.” “In essence, things are 
calm and there is no gunfire right now,” he said.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry spokesman, Vagif Dargahli, also described the 
situation in Azerbaijan’s Tovuz district bordering Tavush as “calm.” The 
Armenian army has stopped shelling Azerbaijani villages but is “continuing to 
shoot at our frontline positions,” he said, according to Azerbaijani news 
agencies.


Azerbaijan -- A local woman shows damage in her house after shelling by Armenian 
forces in the Tovuz region, July 14, 2020

The hostilities broke out at a Tavush-Tovuz border section on Sunday in still 
unclear circumstances. Each side accused the other of attacking its army posts 
in the mountainous area.

At least 12 Azerbaijani servicemen, including a general and a colonel, were 
killed in the clashes. The Armenian army reported four combat deaths within its 
ranks.

Hovannisian said 36 other Armenian soldiers were wounded in the clashes. Only 
ten of them are currently in hospital, he said, adding that one soldier remains 
in a critical condition.


ARMENIA -- A woman stays inside a house, which locals said was damaged during a 
recent shelling by Azerbaijani forces, in armed clashes on the border between 
Azerbaijan and Armenia, in the village of Aygepar, Tavush Province, July 15, 2020

The provincial town of Berd and several Tavush villages were shelled by the 
Azerbaijani side during what was the worst flare-up in the Nagorno-Karabakh 
conflict zone in years. Many local residents spent nights in basements and bomb 
shelters. A resident of the village of Chinari was seriously wounded in Thursday 
in what Armenian officials described as an Azerbaijani drone attack on his car.

The mayor of another Tavush village, Nerkin Karmiraghbyur, told reporters on 
Friday that about a dozen local houses were seriously damaged by Azerbaijani 
artillery fire. Other locals said some of the women and children living in the 
community were evacuated for security reasons earlier this week.

Azerbaijani authorities have reported, for their part, Armenian mortar and 
howitzer fire on Azerbaijani villages located across the heavily militarized 
border.



Putin ‘Very Concerned’ By Armenian-Azeri Clashes

        • Emil Danielyan

Russia -- Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a Security Council meeting via 
teleconference at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, .

President Vladimir Putin and other top Russian officials on Friday voiced 
serious concerns over deadly hostilities on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan and 
offered to help ease tensions between the two South Caucasus states.

They discussed the latest flare-up in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone during 
a session of Russia’s Security Council headed by Putin.

A statement by the Kremlin said participants of the meeting engaged in a 
“detailed exchange of views regarding the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani 
border” and expressed “deep concern” over heavy fighting that broke out there on 
July 12.

They stressed the “urgent need” for Armenia and Azerbaijan to respect the 
ceasefire and expressed Moscow’s “readiness for mediation activities,” added the 
statement. It did not give further details.

Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, made identical comments to the Russian 
press after the meeting attended by the speakers of both houses of Russia’s 
parliament, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Federal Security Service Director 
Aleksandr Bortnikov, Foreign Intelligence Service Director Sergey Naryshkin and 
other officials.

Lavrov already telephoned his Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts on Monday to 
call for an immediate end to the skirmishes involving artillery fire and drone 
attacks. The fighting continued in the following days, however, with the 
conflicting parties putting the blame on each other.

A Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Thursday that Moscow is “working 
with” the parties to prevent a further escalation. Neither side has reported 
serious ceasefire violations since then. According to the Armenian Defense 
Ministry, the situation at a border section where at least 16 soldiers from both 
sides have been killed since July 12 was “relatively calm” on Friday.


Armenia -- Priest Ter Abel prays for peace outside the village of Movses on the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border, July 15, 2020
The United States, the European Union as well as Iran have also urged Baku and 
Yerevan to show restraint without holding either side responsible for the 
escalation.

By contrast, Turkey, Azerbaijan’s closest ally, has blamed the Armenian side and 
promised military aid to Baku, raising the prospect of a more direct Turkish 
involvement in the Karabakh conflict.

“Our armed unmanned aerial vehicles, ammunition and missiles are at Azerbaijan’s 
service along with our experience, technology and capabilities,” Ismail Demir, 
the head of a state body overseeing the Turkish defense industry, tweeted after 
meeting with a high-ranking military delegation from Azerbaijan in Ankara on 
Friday.

For his part, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar said on Thursday that Armenia 
will be “brought to account” for its “attack” on Azerbaijan.

Armenia has close military ties with Russia and hosts Russian troops on its soil 
mainly because of a perceived security threat from Turkey. The latter refuses to 
establish diplomatic relations with Armenia and keeps the Turkish-Armenian 
border closed out of solidarity with Azerbaijan.

In a possible reference to Ankara, Lavrov said on Monday that all countries 
making up the OSCE Minsk Group should “avoid statements and actions that could 
provoke a further rise in tensions” in the Karabakh conflict zone.

Russian, U.S. and French diplomats co-heading the group have long been 
spearheading international efforts to broker a solution to the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani dispute.



Aliyev Again Threatens To End ‘Meaningless’ Talks With Armenia


Azerbaijan -- President Ilham Aliyev speaks with newly appointed Foreign 
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov via video link, Baku, .

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has again threatened to withdraw from further 
negotiations with Armenia, accusing it of obstructing a resolution of the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict sought by Azerbaijan.

Aliyev also renewed his criticism of the U.S., Russian and French mediators 
co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group, saying that they should strive to not only 
maintain the ceasefire in the conflict zone but also make Armenian-Azerbaijani 
talks “substantive.”

“We are not going to hold negotiations and meaningless video conferences for the 
sake of imitation,” he told his newly appointed Foreign Minister Jeyhun 
Bayramov, on Thursday. “There has to be a meaning.”

Aliyev went on to accuse Yerevan of “undermining the negotiating process.” “If 
we see that negotiations are meaningless we will act and come up with statements 
accordingly,” he warned.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry scoffed at the comments on Friday. “If Azerbaijan 
is now refusing to negotiate with Armenia it is not clear with whom it is going 
to negotiate on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said the ministry spokeswoman, 
Anna Naghdalian.

Naghdalian denounced “war threats” which she said have emanated from Baku 
lately. “If the threat to pull out of negotiations is part of the same effort 
then we are neither surprised nor impressed with that,” she said in written 
comments.

Aliyev already threatened to withdraw from the talks and lambasted the mediators 
on July 7. “[The mediators’] main point is that the problem cannot be solved 
militarily. Who said that?” he told Azerbaijani television.

Five days later, heavy fighting involving artillery fire and drone attacks broke 
out on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in disputed circumstances. At least 
twelve Azerbaijani servicemen and four Armenian soldiers were killed in the 
clashes that prompted serious concern from the international community.

The fighting appeared to have largely ground to a halt by Thursday evening. The 
conflicting parties reported no major truce violations overnight and the 
following morning.

In a statement issued late on Wednesday, the mediators said the Armenian and 
Azerbaijani foreign ministers have pledged to “hold substantive negotiations on 
crucial aspects of a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement as soon as possible.” The 
Azerbaijani minister, Elmar Mammadyarov, was sacked and replaced by Bayramov on 
Thursday.


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.

Border situation is calm, just few shootings from Azerbaijan – MoD

Emma Jilavian

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 20:52,

YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS. The situation on Armenia-Azerbaijan border remains calm, spokesperson of the Defense Ministry of Armenia Shushan Stepanyan informs.

‘’A few shootings from the Azerbaijani side have been recorded’’, ARMENPRESS reports Stepanyan as saying.

The Azerbaijani armed forces launched an attack on an Armenian military base located in Tavush province on July 12, using artillery, mortars and UAVs. In addition, the Azerbaijani side also shelled the town of Chinari and Aygepar in the province with mortars, damaging civilian homes. On July 14 the Azerbaijani armed forces continued targeting the civilian infrastructures of the Armenian town of Berd, using an attacking drone. 4 servicemen have died from the Armenian side.

Azerbaijan has reported 11 deaths, including a Major-General and a Colonel, as well as several UAVs. The last UAV downed by Armenia is Israeli-made Elbit Hermes 900.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

Domestic tourism in Armenia ‘on the brink of collapse’, says travel agency head

Emma Jilavian
Panorama, Armenia
July 6 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has especially affected Armenia’s tourism industry, since outbound tours have been banned since March, while inbound tours have been allowed only since May 18 when the Armenian government decided to lift restrictions on different sectors of the economy.

Although domestic tourism has reopened, widespread calls to stay home and limit all forms of contacts continue to be an obstruction for travel agencies.

Speaking to Panorama.am, Ruben Baghdishyan, the head of Arshavner Akumb travel company, says it is very hard to work under such conditions.

“Even if we manage to work under such conditions, in many cases police forces are stationed near a monument and bar us from approaching it. For example, we offer tours to Saint Hovhannes church in Hartagyugh, but we have learned internally that there are police forces there banning the entry into the building, but there is no official statement that the church is closed,” he said “Yes, the government urges people not to take a tour … but not encouraging or making an appeal is not banning yet. We called the Commandant’s Office to ask if the church was closed, they told us to contact the police. When we called the police, they said there were no closed roads in Armenia, telling us to contact the Commandant’s Office. Naturally, it is very difficult to work under these conditions; on the one hand we are told that we are allowed to work, and on the other hand the people are advised against travelling, in that case what is the point of allowing us to work?” he said.

The director states those travel agencies engaged in outbound tourism were bought into domestic tourism without any oversight over the sector, which may paralyze the work of domestic tour operators.

“If the government had provided right recommendations in time, domestic tourism would have survived. As a result of a wrong approach, domestic tourism is now on the brink of collapse. It is now operating under ‘the law of the jungle’ – every man for himself,” he said.

Also, Ruben Baghdishyan deplored the government’s coronavirus relief measures, adding the over 20 programs were short-term and failed to help handle the crisis.

"They had to take strategic steps, whereas in this case it was just a matter of distributing money, with the wrong targeting. In terms of tourism in particular, these measures had shortcomings and needed professional development. And the government failed at that very phase, when it elaborated hasty support measures, which were incomplete. However, I can't say that the government didn't provide any support at all,” he stated.

Referring to the steps that the authorities should take to save domestic tourism, Baghdishyan called for the State Tourism Committee to be dissolved and recomposed, decrying the inaction of the structure over the past few months.

"They may be doing something, but it is not tangible and visible. The key problems are not solved. The second step should be to change the charter of the State Tourism Committee. A framework of functions and responsibilities should be outlined, after which a new committee should be set up with a new staff,” he added.

He also highlighted the fact of recruiting volunteers, explaining the committee is understaffed.

In Ruben Baghdishyan’s words, if the government wants tourism to develop, it should pay attention to the Tourism Committee, as well as the professional skills of those involved in the sector.