Author: Garo Vardanian

The Ethnic Cleansing of Armenians by Turkey-Supported Azerbaijan w/ Peter Bahlawanian – Parallax Views

Garo Vardanian
Wall Street Window
By

 wsw staff

 -

 

On this edition of Parallax Views, Peter Bahlwanian, producer of Mariam Avetisyan’s documentary The Desire to Live, to discuss the secret ethnic cleansing of Armenians by Azerbaijan. In this conversation we’ll discuss a territorial and ethnic dispute that has become known as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as well as the history of Armenian persecution dating back to the Armenian genocide of 1915 (which has often been called the first genocide of the 20th century).

We’ll also delve into how Turkey and its President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, plays a key role in the Azeri persecution of Armenians. In this regard we’ll discuss Erdoğan’s geopolitical aspirations and his consolidation of power in Turkey. Also covered is Turkey’s relationship to the United Nations (UN), NATO, the United States, UNESCO, and Russia. Moreover, Peter and I delve into oligarchy, the attempted coup d’état against Erdoğan in 2016.

Additionally, Peter and I will also discuss:

– The Khojaly massacre of 1992 and claims of Armenian atrocities against Azeris

– Parallels between Israeli treatment of Palestinians and the Azeri treatment of Armenians in the Republic of Artsakh

– The Nagorno-Karabakh War of 2020

– The Turkish Lobby and the Azeri Lobby’s influence in Western politics

– Why did it take 100 years to recognize for the U.S. to recognize the Armenian genocide of 1915?

– Is the conflict between Azeris and Azerbaijan a conflict between Muslims and Christians?

– Pro-Armenian activism by celebrities like Kim Kardashian and the rock band System of a Down

– Human rights and U.S. credibility/loss of credibility on a global scale; democracy vs. autocracy

– Why has the U.S. often been silent on the issue of the Azeri persecution of Armenians?; assessing President Joe Biden’s record on this issue

– The Israel Lobby and U.S. silence on Armenian persecution

– The role money plays in buying off politicians, media, and institutions from speaking about the persecution of Armenians

– Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and anti-Armenian sentiments in Azerbaijan’s culture

– The strength and perseverance of Armenians and the people of the Republic of Artsakh; the Armenian diaspora; hope in times of war and despair; the power of the human spirit

– Azeri fears that Armenians will seek revenge against them if a reconciliation is attempted; the attempted erasure of Armenian identity

– And more!


Five athletes to represent Armenia at 2023 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Turkey

Garo Vardanian

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 12:47, 4 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. Five athletes will represent Armenia at the 2023 European Artistic Gymnastics Championships due April 11-16 in Antalya, Turkey.

Coaches Sos Sargsyan and Hayk Nazaryan will lead gymnasts Harutyun Merdinyan, Artur Davtyan, Vahagn Davtyan, Artur Avetisyan and Gagik Khachikyan to the championships, the Gymnastics Federation of Armenia said in a press release.

Team Armenia head coach Hakob Serobyan and Artur Gyurjinyan will be among the referees.

Former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan calls for Speaker Simonyan’s ouster over “unforgivable” incident involving heckler

Garo Vardanian

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 15:11, 4 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. First President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan on Tuesday called on the ruling Civil Contract party to oust Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan over his actions during an altercation with a passerby in Yerevan, which the former Armenian leader described as “the end of the state”, “disgusting” and “unforgivable”.

Parliament speaker Alen Simonian allegedly spat on Sunday at an opposition activist who branded him a “traitor” as he was walking near Cascade, a popular pedestrian area. Simonian’s security detail allegedly restrained the heckler as the speaker spat on his face.

In an article published on Tuesday, Ter-Petrosyan said that Simonyan committed an “unforgivable act”. He said that the ruling Civil Contract Party ought to oust Simonyan in order “not to entirely lose its reputation before the people.”

He branded Simonyan’s actions as “the biggest damage inflicted upon the state’s image, which can be corrected only through his ouster."

"This is the only way to restore our people’s honor before the international community,” Ter-Petrosyan added.

GRECO records Armenian anti-corruption reforms, level of compliance upgraded

Garo Vardanian

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 15:51, 5 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. The Council of Europe’s Group of States against Corruption (GRECO) released the Second Interim Compliance Report on Armenia corruption prevention in respect of members of parliament, judges and prosecutors.

The Second Interim Compliance Report assesses the measures taken by the authorities of Armenia to implement the recommendations issued in the Fourth Round Evaluation Report on Armenia.

GRECO, in its Fourth Round Evaluation Report, addressed 18 recommendations to Armenia. In the Interim Compliance Report, GRECO concluded that seven recommendations (v, vi, x, xii, xiii, xiv and xvii) had been implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner and eleven recommendations (i-iv, vii-ix, xi, xv, xvi and xviii) had been partly implemented. Now, in the second report, GRECO concludes that some steps have been made by Armenia to comply with the outstanding recommendations under the Fourth Evaluation Round. Of the eighteen recommendations included in the Fourth Round Evaluation Report, nine recommendations have now been implemented satisfactorily or have been dealt with in a satisfactory manner. Nine recommendations have been partly implemented.

More specifically, recommendations v, vi, x, xii, xiii, xiv, xv, xvii and xviii have been implemented satisfactorily or dealt with in a satisfactory manner and recommendations i-iv, vii-ix, xi and xvi have been partly implemented. 

Public consultation in the law-making process has been made mandatory for draft laws initiated by the Government. A draft code of ethics for MPs and draft amendments to the National Assembly’s Rules of Procedure intended to establish a mechanism to monitor members’ compliance with ethical norms have been developed. 

GRECO noted that the Armenian government continues taking active steps for implementing the outstanding recommendations.

Armenia overcame the GRECO evaluation incompatibility process and is no longer listed as having a “globally unsatisfactory” level, which it was listed from 2015 to 2019.

Rhode Island designates April as Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month

Garo Vardanian
April 5, 2023 Weekly Staff Diaspora 0

Members of the Armenian community pictured with resolution co-sponsors (missing from photo is Sen. Joshua Miller). Pictured in front (l. to r.): Hrag Arakelian, Rep. Jennifer Boylan, Commissioner Kristine Donabedian, Michele Kazarian, Shahen Attarian, Sen. David Tikoian, Commission vice-chair Pauline Getzoyan, Anoush Arakelian, Steve Mesrobian, Ani Arakelian and Carol Mesrobian. Pictured in the back row (l. to r.): Levon Attarian, Steve Elmasian, Rep. Katherine Kazarian, Malcolm Varadian and Melkon Megerdichian.

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Dozens of local community members helped the Rhode Island Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission mark the inauguration of Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month. Held in the impressive State House Library on March 30, the program included remarks from members of the RI General Assembly who have been ardent supporters of genocide education legislation, including Rep. Katherine Kazarian and Sen. Joshua Miller, as well as Rep. Jennifer Boylan and Sen. David Tikoian, both newly elected and actively engaged with the work of the commission. Also present was longtime supporter Rep. Rebecca Kislak.

The crowd in the State House Library as Sen. David Tikoian offers remarks

The program focused on readily available resources and materials about genocides for students and the general public through local libraries across the state. In keeping with the theme, the commission displayed a wide selection of books related to various genocides, including the Native American, Cambodian, Rwandan and Armenian Genocides and the Holocaust. Copies of the book list were available for those in attendance and were distributed to public and school libraries across the state.

Commission chair Marty Cooper

Commission chair Marty Cooper opened the program with grateful acknowledgement to Governor Dan McKee and the General Assembly for their support of both the 2016 legislation requiring Holocaust and genocide education in the state’s secondary schools and the formal establishment of the commission in 2021. Cooper explained the commission’s purpose of supporting “school districts with development of curricula and professional development to enable the incorporation of genocide-related topics into their program of studies.” He noted that Rhode Island is one of the first states in the country to designate a full month to Holocaust and genocide awareness.

Cooper went on to discuss the reasons for an April genocide awareness month, including the need to remember and educate about these atrocities, to honor those who perished and those who survived, “to remember and to never forget” and to appropriately coincide with the commemoration days for Rwanda (April 7), Cambodia (April 17), the Holocaust (April 17-18) and Armenian Genocide (April 24).

“Today as we kick off April Holocaust and Genocide Awareness month in our great state, we will focus on what Rhode Island’s public libraries, including those in our schools have available to learn more about this issue,” stated Cooper. “That is why today we are meeting at the State House Library as a symbol of the state’s commitment to ‘Never Again.’”

Commission vice-chair Pauline Getzoyan

Commission vice-chair and Weekly editor Pauline Getzoyan read a special citation from Governor McKee, which reads in part: “In commemoration for your commitment and emphasis for the need of more Rhode Islanders to learn about the history of genocides, as well as discussion on how such atrocities can be greatly reduced or ended.” As a descendant of Armenian Genocide survivors, Getzoyan said her work with the commission is inspired by her maternal grandmother—Margaret Garabedian DerManuelian. Getzoyan, who was recently elected as the next chair of the commission, said her grandmother’s story of resilience, resistance and survival motivates her commitment to expanding genocide education. “Her story is nothing short of miraculous…I know she would be very proud of the work that’s being done here in the state of Rhode Island, which became her home,” said Getzoyan. 

Sen. Joshua Miller

Sen. Miller offered his continuing commitment to Holocaust and genocide education in the state. He invited attendees to the introduction of the resolution, which he co-sponsored with Sen. Tikoian, in the Senate chamber designating April as Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month. 

Rep. Katherine Kazarian

Rep. Kazarian also promised her continuing support for the work of the commission, remembering how she felt during the Armenian Genocide centennial commemoration events in 2015. “There was really a buzz about us reliving through our trauma the stories of our ancestors in order to hopefully get some type of recognition,” shared Kazarian. “I remember attending those events in 2015. I remember reliving the stories and the tragedies. And I remember there being no recognition and how gut-wrenching it was. It made me feel so hopeless.” But then she recalled one of her mother’s favorite Mister Rogers quotations about looking for the helpers. She said that the helpers in 2016 were members of the current commission and the Armenian National Committee (ANC) of RI, many of whom were in attendance. These dedicated individuals and the Rhode Island legislature realized that “there was something far more powerful than recognition and that was education,” said Kazarian. This realization ultimately led to the law requiring genocide education in the state.

Rep. Jennifer Boylan highlighting the House resolution designating April as Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month

Rep. Boylan introduced a similar resolution in the House the previous day recognizing April as Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month and presented an official copy of it to the commission. In keeping with the special designation of April, the resolution strongly encourages “Rhode Island’s history and social science educators to incorporate lessons on past and current genocide atrocities into their curriculum and classroom discussions in order to encourage and foster a new generation with insight and the pledge to work to eradicate bigotry, prejudice, brutality and injustice.” As a Jewish American, Boylan said she has spent her entire life learning about the Holocaust. She recalled the influence of a family friend Helen Sperling, who dedicated her life to teaching tens of thousands about the Holocaust. She explained how Sperling was transported by cattle train to Buchenwald concentration camp, where she worked for years before being liberated in 1945. She would tell her audiences, “Moses brought you Ten Commandments; I am going to give you the eleventh: Thou shall not be a bystander.” Rep. Boylan wears a bracelet with those words to honor her friend and the memory of those lost in the Holocaust. 

Sen. David Tikoian, Rep. Katherine Kazarian and Rep. Jennifer Boylan

“The work of the Holocaust and Genocide Commission is very personal to me,” began Sen. Tikoian, a grandson of Genocide survivors. “My grandparents Garabed Topalian and Tarvis Mesrobian arrived in America from Armenia in 1920. They arrived here as orphans – orphans because their entire family was massacred during the Armenian Genocide in 1915. It is because of their survival that I stand before you today,” he shared. Sen. Tikoian noted the forces of denial that continue to try and erase the Armenian Genocide from history, underscoring the need for education about past atrocities as the way to prevention and a more humane society. He concluded with gratitude and admiration for Cooper’s “many years of tireless advocacy on this education initiative” and his leadership of the commission. He also congratulated Getzoyan and highlighted her dedication to “carry on the important educational work and fine leadership of the commission.”

Coordinator of adult services at the Cranston Public Library Dave Bartos

Coordinator of adult services at the Cranston Public Library Dave Bartos brought the program to a fitting conclusion, highlighting the commission’s partnership with the state’s libraries. Bartos is a member of the RI Library Association Intellectual Freedom Committee, which he said works to address “the rise in censorship and book challenges taking place across the nation.” He said  the American Library Association has “documented 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources in 2022,” the highest number since data compilation began more than 20 years ago and the forces against which Rhode Island has not been immune.

“The same forces that are gaining purchase elsewhere are also at work here, seeking to restrict what students can read, the history they can learn and the representation they can see,” said Bartos. “Frankly it’s becoming increasingly difficult not to feel the echoes of the past reverberating in our present.” He invoked genocide education as critical to be able to say “never again,” an active phrase. “It is not something that will just happen without building education, understanding and empathy in ourselves and our communities,” he said. Bartos expressed gratitude to the commission for its work with the libraries providing resources, including book lists and curriculum materials. He stressed the need to build community solidarity – “to commit to a society where everyone is afforded the freedom to be their authentic selves, without fear of persecution or violence.”

The Senate monitor as the resolution is introduced

Following the program in the library, attendees headed to the Senate gallery for the introduction of the Holocaust and Genocide Awareness Month resolution mentioned by Sen. Miller, which he ensured was read on the floor. Senate President Pro Tempore Hanna Gallo, also a longtime supporter of genocide education legislation, introduced the members of the commission present on the Senate floor: Cooper, Getzoyan, Barbara Wahlberg and Anne Ejnes, as well as the commissioners in the gallery: Kristine Donabedian and Steve Flynn.

Introductions of Commission members (l. to r.) Marty Cooper, Pauline Getzoyan, Barbara Wahlberg and Anne Ejnes by Senate President Pro Tempore Hanna Gallo (pictured in front of the commissioners)

“Over the last 23 years, I have seen our Rhode Island Armenian community move from fighting for inclusion of the Armenian Genocide in a Genocide Education Curriculum Bill introduced by then State Rep. Aram Garabedian to having one of our own, Pauline Getzoyan, elected as the new chairperson of the Rhode Island Holocaust and Genocide Education Commission,” shared Steve Mesrobian. “This welcome change underscores how far organizations like the ANC of Rhode Island have been able to advance our cause.”

Shahen Attarian, a student at the event, was happy to witness the passage of the Genocide curriculum. “Now I have a chance to teach my friends about the Armenian Genocide and talk about it at school,” he said. “Now people can learn about my history.”

A proud Rhode Islander, Hrag Arakelian brought his young family to the event. “It was a historic moment to witness the state I live in take such an important action towards educating our children on the worst acts of humanity, in order to stop the cycle of genocide.” 

A view of the Senate gallery during the reading of the resolution

Art: Armenian artist Jean Boghossian’s works take over Monte Carlo to highlight ocean pollution

Garo Vardanian
UAE –
Armenian artist Jean Boghossian's work in Monte Carlo's Jardins des Boulingrins. Photo: Studio Jean Boghossian
Maghie Ghali
Mar 28, 2023

When you think of Monaco, the azure Mediterranean Sea might be the first thing that comes to mind — sparkling along the French Riviera, with its glamorous holiday hotspots with sandy beaches, yacht-filled marinas and fresh sea air.

This year, the Monte Carlo Societe des Bains de Mer, which operates Monaco’s most distinctive cultural outlets, is seeking to raise awareness about climate change and marine conservation with The Sea is Green, a series of artistic initiatives to highlight the need to protect our seas.

The programme was launched earlier this month by giving Armenian artist Jean Boghossian free reign to fill Monte Carlo with several public art installations, all with a nautical flair — from detailed ceramic seashells to recycled sail cloth adorned with paintings.

Boghossian spent his childhood years living in Lebanon, then in Belgium, where he took a step back from his family’s jewellery-making business to study art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels. He recently moved to Monaco, and having now lived by the sea in three different countries, the sight of it has become intrinsic to his daily life.

“I know the Mediterranean in Beirut, where all the plastics are polluting the water. People don't respect it,” Boghossian tells The National. “And, of course, I have seen the sea in Belgium. In Belgium, the sea is brown, so we are very lucky to have the Mediterranean where the sea is blue, like in Monaco.

“I love the climate here, and I also love the fact that they are very drawn towards the ecology, to making the world a better place and to taking care that our garbage doesn’t end up in the sea,” he adds. “It so happens that my work is a kind of recycling, whether it is the sails I bought [to paint on], or the ceramics I’m showing here.”

From his balcony in Monaco, Boghossian would watch sailboats go out to sea three times a week. This became the inspiration for his first installation, combined with his trademark practice of working with paint, smoke and blowtorches — a remnant from his jewellery-designing days.

At the Jardins des Boulingrins, recycled galvanised steel plates from the Atomium in Brussels — a monument built for the 1958 World's Fair — have been repurposed to form a regatta. The 30 triangular metal sheets, resembling sailboats, have been painted and burned, causing the paint to bubble and take on new forms and colours.

“It represents various periods of my artwork. I work with fire, so a lot of it has to do with flame and smoke pigment, as well as mixed media: liquids, paints, brushes and various techniques,” Boghossian says. “I received them as a gift in 2010 from Diane Hennebert, who at the time was the director of the Atomium, before taking over the Boghossian Foundation, which I created with my father and brother.

“At first I didn’t really know what to do with them, but since they were in my studio, I started painting them over the year,” he adds. “I already had about 12 of them, and when I told the Societe des Bains de Mer about the idea, I wanted to do more and make a whole regatta.”

A short walk away lies the Hotel Hermitage Monte Carlo — an Art Deco grandiosity with seashell motifs hidden in the ceiling plasterwork and mosaic floors, making it a fitting backdrop for Boghossian’s Shellfish series.

The sculptures feature ceramic sea snakes, bright coral — both real and ceramic — the remains of sea urchins and pastel-hued shells, like imagined reefs teeming with marine life.

Spread through the hotel, 30 ceramics evocative of seashells, waves and marine life can be seen. The works were inspired by the collection of the Seashell Museum in the nearby town of Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, which Boghossian bought in 2016 — when the museum closed — to preserve it.

“I bought that collection in from the owner as he was leaving to go to Madagascar. The museum is small, but the mayor was so happy that now we decided to make the museum a bigger one, and to find some donors to reopen it this year,” Boghossian says. “Before [the museum owner's] departure he invited me to his apartment. One of the rooms was full of cases of rocks, shells and various things of the sea, but also books about shells.

“He gave me all of it as it was too costly to ship and I saw so many beautiful shells that are not in the museum, which I have now used in my sculptures,” he adds. “I used to go to the museum and I saw that shells are like precious stones; they are the beauties of the seas, while precious stones are the beauties of the earth. And they interact together very well, so I places some semi-precious stones on my sculptures too.”

The third element of Boghossian's public installations takes viewers to the promenade behind the Monte Carlo Casino, where 18 painted flags fly five-metres-high along the corniche.

As the installations are all about ecology, the use of recycled materials was at the forefront of Boghossian’s mind. The flags are made of declassified sail cloth, reused as a canvas for his artworks and made using natural pigments, soot, smoke, ink and water to create rippling shapes and merging colour.

A similar technique can be seen up close on some displayed works on paper the Hotel Hermitage Monte Carlo.

“When the sails get old and develop holes, there are controls in place that decide that they are no longer valid for use,” he says. “They are made of plastic and various materials which they don't know how to throw away, so I bought some to paint on them.”

Boghossian hopes that, as visitors flock to Monte Carlo for various touristic events such as the Monaco Grand Prix or the Monte Carlo Masters tennis tournament in the coming months, they’ll take a moment to peruse his public artworks and think about how they can help to preserve the Mediterranean Sea.

Boghossian's public installations will be on display in Monte Carlo until May 10

https://www.thenationalnews.com/arts-culture/art-design/2023/03/28/armenian-artist-jean-boghossians-works-take-over-monte-carlo-to-highlight-ocean-pollution/

Civil Contract Party nominates Anahit Manasyan as a candidate for Human Rights Defender

Garo Vardanian

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 20:10, 21 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. The "Civil Contract" faction has nominated Anahit Manasyan, Deputy Prosecutor General of the Republic of Armenia, as a candidate for Human Rights Defender. The faction made that decision at the recent session, ARMENPRESS reports, the head of the faction Hayk Konjoryan told the journalists.

According to Konjoryan, the faction approached this issue very seriously and considered various candidates.

"We have tried to find the best candidate and we consider that Mrs. Manasyan with her professional abilities, past path and principles is the candidate who can be a human rights defender," he said.

AW: Iskajyan: We are not alone

Garo Vardanian
 ANCA Opinion 0

The following remarks were delivered by ANC Artsakh’s Gev Iskajyan at the AYF Artsakh rally, held on March 21st in Stepanakert, marking the 100th day of Azerbaijan’s brutal blockade.

It has been 100 days since the blockade in Artsakh began.

100 days without access to the rest of the world.

100 days without vital supplies like food and medicine.

100 days without heat.

100 days without access to education.

100 days in the dark.

Through it all, the people of Artsakh have withstood the pressure, the hardships, and all the human rights abuses committed by Azerbaijan under their imposed blockade.

At times, it has felt as if the people of Artsakh have been alone in this crisis, with major world powers turning a blind eye to Azerbaijan’s humans rights abuses, even in light of rulings from the International Criminal Court and condemnations from organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.

But Artsakh has never been alone, from Stepanakert to Washington DC, from Canada to the European Union, from Australia to South America and across the middle east — the ANC throughout the world, powered by diasporan Armenians with an unrelenting love for Artsakh and its people, have been working day and night, to raise awareness and spark action by global powers.

In this time we’ve heard statements by many nations, calling out Azerbaijan for their crimes — but the time has now come for more than words, the time has come for action, for tangible, punitive measures and sanctions against Azerbaijan. Because only then will they think twice, only then will they stop.

Through all of this, the people of Artsakh are ready to do whatever it takes, as they have time and time again. Because today Artsakh doesn’t just represent this small corner of the world; Artsakh represents all people throughout the earth who believe in freedom, who believe in the right to self-determination, who believe in human rights, who believe in a better future.

My compatriots, I know there are times that we feel alone.

But we are not alone.

Your compatriots around the world are with you.

Hai Tahd is with you.

The diaspora is with you.

With its mind, its heart and all its might.

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


RFE/RL Armenian Report – 03/22/2023

Garo Vardanian 
                                        Wednesday, 






Armenian Opposition Wants Information About Talks With Azerbaijan

• Ruzanna Stepanian

Armenia - Opposition youth activists demonstrate against the Armenian 
government's policy on the Karabakh conflict, Yerevan, .


Opposition lawmakers have demanded that the Armenian government share with them 
details of its ongoing negotiations with Azerbaijan on a bilateral peace treaty.

The two sides have exchanged in recent months written proposals regarding the 
treaty which Baku hopes will help to restore full Azerbaijani control over 
Nagorno-Karabakh. Few of their details have been made public so far.

Agnesa Khamoyan, a parliament deputy from the main opposition Hayastan alliance, 
said on Wednesday that two months ago she sent a letter to Armen Grigorian, the 
secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, asking him to let her see Yerevan’s 
proposals sent to Baku.

“As a member of the National Assembly, I have a right to familiarize myself with 
that document,” said Khamoyan. “They have not replied to me.”

She accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government of deliberately 
withholding such information from the public.

“They present one thing to the public but clearly negotiate on something else,” 
she claimed.

Hayk Konjorian, the parliamentary leader of Pashinian’s Civil Contract party, 
dismissed the opposition complaints when he addressed the National Assembly on 
Tuesday. Konjorian argued that opposition lawmakers have previously turned down 
Pashinian’s offers to meet with them behind the closed doors to discuss details 
of the negotiating process.

Armenia - Opposition deputies Agnesa Khamoyan and Artsvik Minasian hold a news 
conference in Yerevan, November 19, 2021.

“I can read and don’t need any intermediaries,” countered Khamoyan. “I can read 
that treaty and don’t need any assistants, whether it’s Nikol Pashinian or 
somebody else.”

Hayastan and the second parliamentary opposition force, Pativ Unem, regularly 
accuse Pashinian of being ready to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over 
Karabakh. As recently as on Tuesday, the Armenian parliament’s pro-government 
majority rejected a Hayastan proposal to adopt a resolution voicing support for 
the Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination.

Parliament speaker Alen Simonian said late last month that Yerevan and Baku 
continue to disagree on “three or four” elements of the would-be peace treaty. 
He did not disclose them.

Pashinian complained last week that the Azerbaijani side is rejecting most 
Armenian proposals on the would-be treaty and making more demands unacceptable 
to Armenia. He said that he will not sign any “capitulation” deals.

For his part, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev declared at the weekend that he 
will not sign such an accord unless Yerevan recognizes Karabakh as a part of 
Azerbaijan and accepts Baku’s terms for demarcating the Armenian-Azerbaijani 
border. The Armenian Foreign Ministry responded by accusing Aliyev of “doing 
everything to make peace in the region impossible.”




Armenian FM Signals Meeting With Russian, Azeri Counterparts

        • Astghik Bedevian

Tajikistan - The foreign ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan meet in 
Dushanbe, May 12, 2022


Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan confirmed on Wednesday that his planned 
trilateral meeting with his Russian and Azerbaijani counterparts could take 
place soon.

The meeting was originally scheduled for the end of December. Mirzoyan cancelled 
it in protest against Azerbaijan’s blockade of the sole road connecting 
Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia. Moscow criticized the move while trying to set a 
new date for the talks.

Mirzoyan and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed the matter when 
they met in Moscow on Monday. Lavrov indicated that the trilateral talks will 
likely be held soon.

“In the near future we will choose convenient dates for all three ministers,” he 
told reporters.

“There is a possibility of such a meeting in the near future,” Mirzoyan told the 
Armenian parliament. He did not give possible dates.

Answering questions from pro-government lawmakers, Mirzoyan also questioned the 
effectiveness of Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks.

“What is the point of reaching agreements on other issues if they will be 
definitely violated by Azerbaijan and Azerbaijan will come up with tougher 
demands on those issues some time later?” he asked.

The minister pointed to the continuing Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin 
corridor. He reiterated that it constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 
ceasefire deal that placed the corridor under Russian control and committed 
Azerbaijani to ensuring safe passage through it. Moscow and Baku must put an end 
to the blockade, he said.

Armenian officials have repeatedly accused Russian peacekeepers of not doing 
enough to unblock the vital road. Moscow has rejected the criticism.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev again claimed on Tuesday that traffic through 
the Lachin corridor was not blocked by Azerbaijani government-backed protesters 
on December 12. Numerous reports to the contrary are “false Armenian 
propaganda,” Aliyev told U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a phone call.




Yerevan Officials Freed Shortly After Arrest

        • Narine Ghalechian

Armenia - Former and current Yerevan municipality officials facing corruption 
charges.


Two current and former senior officials from Yerevan’s municipal administration 
were set free on Wednesday one day after being arrested on apparently corruption 
charges.

Armenia’s Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) kept refusing to explain why it 
detained Davit Dallakian, the acting head of the municipality’s architecture and 
urban development department, and Seyran Mejlumian, who served as chief of the 
municipality staff until this week.

Sources told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the two men are facing criminal 
charges stemming from the sale of municipal property which was allegedly grossly 
undervalued by them.

Another senior local government official, Taron Miroyan, was also indicted as 
part of the same criminal case. All three suspects did not return phone calls on 
Tuesday.

Mejlumian tendered his resignation right after Yerevan Mayor Sargsian, who had 
appointed him to that position, stepped down on Friday.

Isabella Abgarian, an independent member of the city council, said that a 
Yerevan resident recently alerted her about a dubious privatization deal 
administered by the mayor’s office before filing a complaint to law-enforcement 
authorities.

“I don’t exclude that [the indictments] were made within the framework of the 
same case,” Abgarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

“I had a chance to raise the matter with the mayor [Sargsian,] and he said, ‘I 
don’t believe it because Seyran Mejlumian is a very honest man, my most trusted 
official,’” she said.

The ex-mayor has not yet publicly commented on the indictments. It is not clear 
whether he has been questioned by the ACC.

Sargsian’s resignation is widely seen as being part of the ruling political 
team’s preparations for municipal elections that are due to be held in 
September. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s Civil Contract party has nominated 
Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinian as its mayoral candidate.




U.S. Urges Armenia, Azerbaijan To ‘Deescalate’


U.S. - John Kirby, National Security Council coordinator for strategic 
communications, answers questions during the daily press briefing at the White 
House in Washington, February 17, 2023.


The United States has called on Armenia and Azerbaijan to defuse tensions in the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone that have risen again in recent weeks.

“We urge all sides here to deescalate,” John Kirby, the White House national 
security spokesman, told a news briefing in Washington late on Tuesday.

“We don’t want to see any of this violence, and we want to see all sides take 
appropriate steps to deescalate the tension and to stop the violence,” he said.

Kirby refused to comment on the presence of Russian peacekeeping forces in 
Karabakh.

The U.S. State Department insisted on March 6 that Washington is not competing 
with Moscow in its efforts to facilitate an Armenian-Azerbaijani settlement.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken discussed those efforts with Azerbaijan’s 
President Ilham Aliyev in a phone call earlier on Tuesday. He spoke with 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Monday.

According to the State Department, Blinken told the two leaders that Washington 
remains committed to helping the two South Caucasus nations reach a “sustainable 
peace.”

Armenian leaders have repeatedly accused Azerbaijan this month of planning a 
“new military aggression” against Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Pashinian 
expressed concern over “Azerbaijan’s increasingly aggressive rhetoric” during 
his conversation with Blinken.

For his part, Aliyev blamed the Armenian side for increased ceasefire violations 
reported from the conflict zone in recent weeks. He also dismissed on Tuesday 
U.S. calls for an end to the three-month blockade of the sole highway connecting 
Karabakh to Armenia.


Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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Pashinyan declines to support right to self-determination for Nagorno-Karabakh residents

Garo Vardanian
March 15 2023
 March 15, 2023
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has declined to support the right to self-determination for Nagorno-Karabakh residents, marking a departure from Armenia's longstanding policy on the conflict with Azerbaijan.
 
Previous Armenian governments had advocated for this right during peace talks mediated by the US, Russia, and France. However, Pashinyan and other officials stopped referencing self-determination a year ago and have instead focused on ensuring the "rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh", leading to concerns that Armenia is prepared to accept Azerbaijan's complete control of the Armenian-populated region, rather than insisting on some measure of self-dtermination. 
 
During a news conference in Yerevan, Pashinyan reiterated that the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh people's rights and security is crucial, but he stated that it is up to the people and government of Nagorno-Karabakh to determine the framework of those rights and security.
 
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev invited representatives of Karabakh's Armenian community to visit Baku for talks on the region's "reintegration" into Azerbaijan, but Stepanakert has rejected the offer.
 
The five leading political groups in Karabakh released a joint statement demanding that Yerevan respect the right to self-determination of the Nagorno-Karabakh people and comply with a 1992 parliamentary act banning recognition of Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh. Pashinyan did not clarify whether he could sign such a document, instead calling for direct dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert, while also accusing Baku of seeking a "mandate to perpetrate genocide or ethnic cleansing in Karabakh".
 
In January, Pashinyan claimed that the international community has always viewed Karabakh as an integral part of Azerbaijan, a statement that was criticised by the Armenian opposition and Karabakh's leadership.

https://www.intellinews.com/pashinyan-declines-to-support-right-to-self-determination-for-nagorno-karabakh-residents-272974/?source=armenia