Author: Emma Nadirian

Armenian Vice Speaker of Parliament, Italian Ambassador highlight friendly warm relations between two nations

Emma Nadirian

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 14:26, 4 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 4, ARMENPRESS. Vice Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan was hosted on June 2 at the Embassy of Italy in Armenia on the occasion of the national day of that country.

“With Ambassador Alfonso Di Riso we mutually highlighted the friendly warm relations between the Armenian and Italian nations over the history of millennia, talked about the rich cultural and spiritual traditions”, the Vice Speaker said. “The San Lazzaro island in Venice is one of the most important centers of the Armenian cultural revival, where one of the key centers of Armenian studies – the Mekhitarist Congregation is operating for around three decades. It had an invaluable contribution to the enrichment of not only the Armenian but also the global scientific-cultural heritage. It’s worth noting that Italy hosts most of the centers of Armenian studies”, he added.

He expressed confidence that the Armenian-Italian warm relations will continue strengthening and developing with joint efforts.

Armenian Speaker of Parliament receives delegation of Artsakh

Emma Nadirian

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 15:06, 3 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 3, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan received today the delegation led by Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport Anahit Hakobyan of the Artsakh Republic, the Parliament’s press service said.

Welcoming the Minister, the Speaker of Parliament expressed his gratitude for the close cooperation formed between the similar Committees engaged with education and science of Armenia and Artsakh. According to Alen Simonyan, the development of the science sphere on the basis of that cooperation, the solution of the humanitarian issues, the legislative reforms, the protection of the historical-cultural and spiritual values on the territories passed under the control of Azerbaijan because of war in Artsakh and the educational programs being implemented in the IT sphere of Artsakh.

Highlighting the regular meetings with the colleagues of Artsakh, Alen Simonyan mentioned some details of the last joint discussion, according to which, today Azerbaijan tries to eliminate the traces of the Armenian records from the historical-architectural monuments. The Head of the legislative body added that big work should be done in terms of presenting this problem to the international community.

Alen Simonyan highlighted the role and importance of education in the current situation, on which the further discussion was developed.

The Minister of Education, Science, Culture, and Sport Anahit Hakobyan of the Artsakh Republic evaluated the bilateral cooperation in all spheres, especially in terms of the elaboration of the educational strategy program, the legislative reforms of the sphere and the cultural cooperation.

The meeting was also attended by the Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Sisak Gabrielyan and the Committee members and the Chair of the Artsakh Standing Committee on Science, Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Aram Harutyunyan.

Agenda of Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations pretty transparent and public – Foreign Minister

Emma Nadirian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 25 2022

What’s on the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiating table or the supposed negotiating table is quite transparent and public, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said during a Q&A session at the National Assembly.

“There are several areas in which we already have some progress, and there are areas where we are still trying to understand the possible points where the positions can or have a chance to coincide. For example, there is already some progress on delimitation and border security issues. You know that yesterday the Deputy Prime Ministers, the commissions headed by them, met on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border, and I suppose that the first meeting touched upon some working and methodological issues. There is an agreement to organize the next meeting in Moscow,” Minister Mirzoyan said.

Another direction, he said is the opening of transport and economic infrastructure. “Here also certain notions coincide,” the Foreign Minister said, confirming that all roads to be opened roads must be under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries through which they pass.

Minister Mirzoyan noted that the logic of the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” with the logic that has long been circulating and the logic the Azerbaijani side has been trying to present is unacceptable to us. “There is a general understanding that this will not happen. Economic routes will be opened, but in line with the mechanisms and parameters acceptable to us.” he added.

Regarding the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace agreement, the Foreign Minister said “for now there are only negotiations about negotiations.”

“Here the parties try to understand the parameters, structure, size, etc. We have our clear positions here. Azerbaijan has its positions. The mediators sometimes, from time to time, express their positions. These positions do not always coincide, or perhaps do not coincide much more often than they do. But negotiations are called to resolve such issues,” the Foreign Minister stated.

«They shot us in foot»: Pashinyan blames former government for failed Karabakh negotiations

Emma Nadirian

May 26 2022


  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Pashinyan made the promised exposure of former government

Prime Minister оf Armenia Nikol Pashinyan issued another statement in which he blamed his predecessors for the failure of the negotiation process to resolve the Karabakh conflict. “They cut down the branch on which we all sat”, the prime minister said. He announced that his predecessors, having adopted the so-called Madrid principles as the basis for negotiations, delegitimized the procedures by which Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence.

Pashinyan promised this “exposure” in the parliamentary session hall to opposition MPs who have been demanding his resignation since May 4. Both opposition factions are actually headed by two ex-presidents of Armenia – Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, although they do not participate in the work of parliament. However, the opposition left the hall without listening to the prime minister. Thus, the “exposure” was heard from the rostrum of the parliament, but in response to a question from a deputy from the ruling party.

The expert community categorically disagreed with the prime minister’s opinion.

  • Opinion: “It’s time to review Armenia’s foreign policy”
  • “Karabakh is up for sale” – Armenian opposition on Pashinyan-Aliyev Brussels talks
  • Armenian MPs may lose mandates for protesting, skipping sessions

Pashinyan recalled that the Armenian narrative has always been as follows: Nagorno-Karabakh has never been part of independent Azerbaijan, it withdrew from the Soviet Union and Soviet Azerbaijan in accordance with the established procedure and following the results of a referendum

On December 10, 1991, a referendum was held in NK on the question: “Do you agree that the proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic be an independent state, independently determining the forms of cooperation with other states and communities?” 99.89% of the respondents voted in favor of the independence.

On January 6, 1992, the Supreme Council adopted the Declaration of State Independence of the NKR, “legislating the results of the referendum and the previously adopted legal acts on the realization of the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to independently determine their political status”.

According to the Prime Minister of Armenia, in 2007, by accepting the Madrid principles as the basis for the negotiation process, the Armenian authorities “delegitimized” the independence referendum held in NK on December 10, 1991 and “gave Azerbaijan the right to veto the determination of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh”:

“When the Armenian side agreed that the future referendum should be held on the terms of mutual agreement with Azerbaijan, it cut down the branch on which we all sat. If, as we rightly argued, Nagorno-Karabakh has never been part of Azerbaijan, then why are we discussing with Azerbaijan the issue of obtaining its new status? And, on top of that, we are still saying that this should happen on the terms agreed with it”.

Pashinyan’s address in parliament on the implementation of the government’s program for 2021 consisted of an analysis of the country’s domestic and foreign policy and possible further steps

According to Pashinyan, the provision enshrined in the Madrid Principles that Azerbaijanis living in Nagorno-Karabakh should also take part in a future referendum dealt a blow to the legitimacy of the 1991 NKR independence referendum. The prime minister explains that in this way the Armenian side “indirectly recognized the problem of legitimacy” in connection with the holding of a referendum in 1991 without the participation of Azerbaijanis.

“The most sensational fact is that the Armenian side is actually the author or co-author of the Madrid Principles initiative”, the prime minister said, without going into further details.

After Pashinyan promised the oppositionists to come out with a denunciation, Ambassador-at-Large Edmon Marukyan commented on the Public Television on what the Prime Minister had in mind. The ambassador explained that by adopting the Madrid principles, “the referendum in Artsakh was actually declared invalid”, an agreement was reached on a new referendum in which the Armenian side agreed to the participation of Azerbaijanis in the same percentage as it was in the days of the USSR.

However, Marukyan recalls that during the referendum of 1991, an appropriate legal framework was formed: “Azerbaijanis did not want to participate in that referendum, and Armenia did not prevent them from doing so”.

Nikol Pashinyan claims that after taking office as prime minister, he was asked many times the question: “Do you accept the Madrid principles as a basis for negotiations?”. To which he answered: “First we need to understand what the Madrid principles mean”:

“I said from this rostrum that in response to my question to the co-chairs: “I am a new person, please, tell me, can Nagorno-Karabakh not be part of Azerbaijan within the framework of these principles?” – they answered after a short pause: “Yes – if Azerbaijan agrees”. By this, they once again confirmed our understanding of the Madrid principles, Azerbaijan has been given the right to impose a veto on the issue of determining the status of Karabakh”.

Nagorno-Karabakh issue and the signing of a peace treaty. Despite the war in Ukraine and the attention of world centers being diverted to it, certain processes are still ongoing

Azerbaijanologist Tatevik Hayrapetyan described Pashinyan’s “sensational exposure” of the Madrid principles as “another illogical and manipulative statement.” In her opinion, this statement allowed Nikol Pashinyan to score another “victory” over the opposition, “at the same time creating the ground for another defeat for his state”:

“Pashinyan’s goal is “victories” exclusively in the domestic political field. In his speech, Pashinyan made an interesting statement, accusing the former government of “cutting down the branch on which we all sat”. Does he even realize that with his steps he is stubbornly cutting down the tree on which this state relies?

The expert believes that the Prime Minister’s recent statements, including those about “lowering the bar” on the status of Karabakh, “cast doubt on the very existence of Artsakh”. In her opinion, Pashinyan constantly weakens the negotiating position of the Armenian side, providing Azerbaijan with leverage.

In Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the statements of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, are actively discussed. Many experts perceive them negatively, while the EU special representative described them as ‘far-sighted’

As the Azerbaijanologist explains, the reality is as follows: from the very beginning of the negotiation process, the goal of the Armenian side was “to achieve the independence of Artsakh or international recognition of the results of the referendum on joining Armenia”. In this regard, the principle of the right of nations to self-determination was promoted.

“The Madrid document also indicated the ethnic composition that should participate in the referendum – according to the percentage of 1988, in which the absolute majority, 80%, were Armenians. That is, under the conditions of its implementation, Artsakh could not be part of Azerbaijan, it would be either independent or united with Armenia”, the expert emphasizes.

Political scientist Tigran Grigoryan considers the Prime Minister’s talk about the Madrid principles “cheap manipulation and demagogy”.

In his opinion, the Madrid Document enshrined the right of Nagorno-Karabakh to self-determination and provided the mechanism for its implementation, which is a significant achievement of Armenian diplomacy:

“If there was political will, even at this stage it could be useful. And the distortion of even positions that are beneficial to us for domestic political purposes is nothing more than activity against the state interests of Armenia”.

A large aluminum extrusion plant to be established in Armenia

Emma Nadirian

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 19:41,

YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS. The Government of the Republic of Armenia has approved the application submitted by Solara Company, taking into account that the company is going to import technological equipment and components for them within the framework of the investment program implemented in the priority sphere. The Government has granted a tax incentive to the company for the purchase of equipment and raw materials.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the company, Solara is one of the leading companies in the field of solar energy in Armenia, specializing in the installation of private, business or industrial scale solar photovoltaic stations.

The company established the "Konstal" aluminum extrusion plant in Abovyan community, for which it acquired 23 thousand square meters of land for carrying out production activities.

The main directions of activity are the production of aluminum frames for solar photovoltaic panels, the production of aluminum constructions for the installation of solar stations. The factory will also produce frames for aluminum doors and windows.

According to the CEO of the company Hayk Petrosyan, this decision of the Government is a strong impetus to increase the attractiveness of organizing production in Armenia and making investments.

“The Government of Armenia has always supported the development of renewable energy and the works done in the field. We have repeatedly stated that in order to further stabilize Armenia's economic growth and make further progress, it is necessary to direct the vectors of economic development to the producers. We, for our part, have adopted this important direction and will continue to work in that direction. The investment budget for the construction of the aluminum extrusion plant is $ 15 million, as a result of which we will not only have sustainable production, but also create about 200 jobs," said the CEO of Solara.

Most of the products will be exported to the USA, Europe and EEU member states.

The opening of the aluminum extrusion plant is scheduled for November 2022, and will operate with a monthly production capacity of 600-800 tons.

 

***

"SOLARA" company was established in 2019.  It specializes in installation of solar stations.

The company is the Armenia-based strategic partner of LA SOLAR GROUP, a company that installs solar stations, established in the USA in 2008.

"SOLARA" provides comprehensive services in the field of solar energy: design, installation, operation, monitoring and maintenance of solar stations.

SOLARA solar stations use the panels of the largest domestic company that produces solar photovoltaic modules, “La Solar”, a joint initiative of SOLARA and LA SOLAR GROUP․ LA Solar's products are certified with the most prestigious certificates in the world, and more than 70% of the products are exported to the USA, Europe, EEU and other countries. The solar panel factory is located in the "ALLIANCE" free economic zone, has an annual production capacity of 90 MW. The capacity will reach 200 MW in 2022. All panels use the most efficient and latest generation Mono-PERC type photovoltaic cells.

In addition to its head office, SOLARA also has branches in Gyumri, a store in the Garage Masters mall, and in May 2022, the company established a branch in Tashkent.




Ilham Aliyev voices another batch of territorial claims against Armenia

Emma Nadirian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
16:30, 27.05.2022

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, together with his wife Mehriban, made an excursion to the occupied Armenian historical region of Kovsakan, renamed Zangilan by Azerbaijanis.

As usual, the Azerbaijani leader made a number of statements.

“Our independence was not strong either at the beginning or at the end of the 20th century. Therefore, our people faced great tragedies. Both Eastern Zangezur and Karabakh were occupied. The then authorities could not protect our lands. However, today our independence is strong, and as a result, we won a victory in the second Karabakh war, a historic victory. As a result, we brought the enemy to its knees, and today we are here,” Aliyev said.

According to him, “if we were not independent, that is, in the truest sense of the word, we would not be able to put an end to the Armenian occupation. What were the factors that led to this occupation – of course, external ones.

“Today, the strength factor is in the foreground. I talked about this ten years ago. All my speeches are in the press. I said that international law does not work. We should not deceive ourselves, we should be stronger, gather our strength. If necessary, drive the enemy from our lands by force. I spoke about it and did it,” the Azerbaijani president continued to speak.

Emphasizing that the factor of force will continue to dominate the world, the President of Azerbaijan he noted: “Recent history has also shown this. Therefore, we must continue to be strong, and we are becoming strong. Today our economic indicators are very positive. I can say that this year one of the rapidly developing countries on a global scale is Azerbaijan.

"We are increasing our military strength. After the war, new armed formations were created, new equipment is being purchased, and we will continue to do this. Because if we are not strong, we will not be able to live as we want. We want to live freely. We want no one to interfere in our affairs from now on. There is no need for this. We have built such a wonderful state that today many can envy," he said.

Turkish press: Turkey confirms UK lifted embargo on defense exports

Emma Nadirian
 ISTANBUL MAY 20, 2022 – 4:48 PM GMT+3

Ismail Demir, the head of the Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB), speaks to reporters during his visit to London, U.K., May 20, 2022. (AA Photo)

The top defense body on Friday confirmed that the United Kingdom has lifted all restrictions on arms exports to Turkey.

Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu last month said that London had lifted the ban, as contacts intensified between the two governments amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Çavuşoğlu had also hinted that Canada was also aiming to loosen its embargo.

“It felt more positive to see that positive steps that were promised earlier have been taken, implemented and removed, especially regarding some restrictions imposed on Turkey,” said Ismail Demir, the head of Turkey’s Presidency of Defense Industries (SSB).

The British government in December announced it would resume exports but said new export licenses would be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

It had halted exports to Turkey after its military operation seeking to clear northern Syria of the terrorist organization PKK’s Syrian wing, the YPG, in 2019.

“It is important to take these positive steps, to act in the spirit of alliance, and we have seen how positive a positive agenda can be formed if the U.K. side behaves in accordance with this spirit,” Demir told reporters during his visit to London.

He said important details on technical issues were discussed, and at the same time, steps were taken in principle to bring bilateral ties to a higher level in the field of defense. The meetings also addressed cooperation opportunities in other countries, Demir said.

Turkey and the U.K. have been engaged in close defense cooperation as British engine maker Rolls-Royce is said to be involved in the process to produce an engine for Turkey’s National Combat Aircraft (MMU).

The U.K. has also expressed interest to buy Turkish-made armed drones, which U.K. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace had called a "game-changer."

Turkey has sold its drones to many countries, including Ukraine, after they proved effective in conflicts in Syria, Libya and Karabakh, previously referred to as Nagorno-Karabakh.

Previously, Canada had canceled export permits for drone technology to Turkey after concluding that the country sold the equipment to the Azerbaijani military forces during the war in the Armenian-occupied Karabakh region.

The parts under the embargo included camera systems for Baykar-made unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Export licenses were suspended in 2019 during Turkish military activities in Syria. Restrictions were then eased but reimposed during the Karabakh conflict.

Turkish defense companies acted to produce the embargoed parts within the country. There are already Bayraktar TB2 UAVs in the Turkish military’s inventory that was equipped with the leading defense firm Aselsan-developed Common Aperture Targeting System (CATS), replacing Canadian-made ones.

Armenia’s Growing Foster Families

Emma Nadirian
May 20 2022

Ministry of labour and social affairs promotes alternative to placing vulnerable young people in orphanages or children’s homes.

Anna and Hovhannes (not their real names) always wanted to have a family.

“When we got married, we were planning to have three kids,” said Ann, 48, who lives in a city in the Lori region, in northern Armenia.

After discovering she had fertility problems, the couple explored a number of medical interventions before considering adoption.

“I dreamed of a newborn, but there was no newborn to adopt in Armenia in those years. Then I agreed to bring a one or two-year-old baby home, but no, I did not succeed,” Ann said, adding, “I was young, I had some stupid priorities.

“I realised too late that you do not have to embrace a newborn to become a parent; an older child can make you a parent as well. A child is a child, regardless of age.”

After nearly 20 years of marriage, Anna and Hovhannes finally have their wish. For the last year they have been foster parents to a nine-year-old, who used to live in an Armenian orphanage.

They asked to remain anonymous as they said that a stigma still surrounded foster care, especially the fact that they received money for looking after the child.

Armenia’s ministry of labour and social affairs has been actively promoting foster care as an alternative to placing vulnerable young people in orphanages or children’s homes.

In 2018 there were just 17 children living with foster families. Now, a total of 93 children live with 61 foster families, and officials say that this number is set to grow.

Foster care was first introduced in 2006 in Armenia via a pilot programme supported by the UN children's fund, and then from 2008 as part of the state system.

The intention is to place children with difficult backgrounds or whose parents cannot look after them in loving, stable homes until they turn 18 or can be reunited with their families.

Funds for child care and support are provided by the state, and the foster parents receive a monthly stipend equivalent to the minimum wage.

“There is also a specialised foster family model system that provides care for children with disabilities or serious health problems, children with parenting difficulties, mental or behavioral problems and mental trauma, as well as for underage mothers or their children,” explained ministry spokeswoman Zara Manucharyan.

“In this case, the monthly payment for the care and upbringing of each child in care is the minimum monthly salary and 30 per cent surcharge.”

She said that the number of these specialised placements had also grown in recent years.

All adult citizens of Armenia can become foster parents, with some exceptions, including an age limit if 55 at the time of registration.

Candidates must take training courses, and learn communication and parenting skills to help them support children from orphanages or difficult backgrounds. 

“I have been arranging my papers for several weeks to apply for the programme, but I am afraid my age will interfere,” said 54-year-old Gayane (not her real name), who only recently got married to a man who just turned 55. Neither she nor her husband have children, and she hopes that the mandatory paperwork will be completed within the next year.

Manucharyan said that many citizens applied to become foster parents but were turned down because of their age. The plan is to raise the age limit to 65.

“If the programme is modified, many citizens will benefit,” said Gayane, adding that she knew others excluded from the scheme because of their age.

“I found out about the programme from my neighbour,” she continued. “Their family was childless like ours. One day I saw a little girl playing in the yard. When I saw the child with them for a few days, I was a little embarrassed, but I found out who she was.”

Gayane continued, “The only problem with this programme is emotions. Look, you take a child, take care of him or her, look after them, but there may come a time when you’ll have to give them back.”

Psychologist Anush Aleksanyan said the foster system was extremely beneficial, as long as the foster family was psychologically prepared for such a significant step.

“I call it a programme of opportunities. This gives the child, who is in a cruel stage of life, an opportunity to live in a family, to feel the warmth of a family. Look, if a child is deprived of parental care for some reason, they need a roof anyway. Take them to an orphanage? In this case, the foster family is the best model.

 

Expert: The third meeting in the Pashinyan-Mishel-Aliyev format speaks about the resuscitation of the OSCE Minsk Group

Emma Nadirian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo. The third Pashinyan-Michel-Ali meeting,scheduled for May 22, speaks of the final revival of the OSCE Minsk Group, which fell into an artificial coma after a 44-day war. Associate Expert of the Armenian Institute of International Relations  and Security David Stepanyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.

On May 22, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will leave for  Brussels on a working visit, where he will meet with Ilham Aliyev and  President of the European Council Charles Michel. Separate  negotiations will also be held in Brussels in the Pashinyan-Michel  format. This is the third meeting in this format. At the last meeting  in Brussels, an agreement on the establishment of a commission for  the delimitation and demarcation of borders was reached.

"We also have to admit that the settlement process, the settlement  process may finally move from Moscow to Brussels. We see that if the  first meeting in this format was preceded by calls from Michel and  French President Macron to Russian President Putin, then the second  was preceded by calls from US Secretary of State Blinken to Pashinyan  and Aliyev. Thus we can state that there is no coordination between  the actions of Moscow and the actions of Brussels, behind which  Washington undoubtedly stands," he stressed. 

Causing such a situation with new geopolitical realities created  after the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Stepanyan  believes that, at least at this stage, the plans of the collective  West to remove the Russian Federation from the negotiation process to  resolve the Armenian-Azerbaijani problems are being successfully  implemented. And the fact of the resuscitation of the settlement  process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship,  but without the direct participation of the third co-chair in the  person of Russia, clearly confirms this.

"As for the Brussels-3 agenda, I don't think we should expect quick  decisions on the issues of delimiting the borders between Armenia and  Azerbaijan. Not to mention such a fundamental problem as determining  the status of Artsakh. In all likelihood, the parties will take  another small step in Brussels to launch the work of the already  established border clarification commission. And this work will last  for years. Besides, Brussels-3 will be disguised as a humanitarian  shell, ant it is possible that another batch of Armenian captives,  hostages, will be returned to their homeland in the form of another  promise by Aliyev," the analyst concluded.