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Author: Jack Hunanian

Six points about nothing – Levon Zurabyan

Jack Hunanian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.Levon  Zurabyan, Vice-Chairman of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), has commented on the six points proposed by the Armenian side for normalizing the  Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.  

"The six points are about nothing," Mr Zurabyan wrote on his Facebook  page. 

"We have once more been convinced that Armenia's government does not  understand anything in diplomacy and is incapable in the true sense  of the word. The point is that Azerbaijan has presented its own ides  to Armenia of what specific provisions should be included in the  future peace agreement to be signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

"Briefly, they are: 1) mutual recognition of territorial integrity 2)  ruling out territorial claims 3) ruling out use of force or threat of  force 4) border delimitation and demarcation and establishment of  diplomatic relations 5) unblocking of communications. That is,  Azerbaijan proposes its own vision or a draft peace agreement, its  vision of the form of the documents," Mr Zurabyan wrote.  Armenia's  response was clear. According to diplomatic rules, Armenia was to  present its vision of the same agreement.

"And now our government has proclaimed six points presented in  response. On May 13, Edmon Marukyan made them public. So what? We  find out that Armenia has no idea of what it wanted to include in the  agreement or of what it wanted to change in Azerbaijan's proposals,"  Mr Zurabyan wrote.

Scrutinizing Armenia's response shows that, instead of its own  proposals and ideas, Armenia presented the following: 

1) "Discontent" with an unnamed co-chair responsible for a 20-day  delay in Armenia receiving, allegedly on March 11, a letter sent by  Azerbaijan on February 21. 2) Stating the historical fact that,  according to the authors, proves that by joining the Declaration on  CIS back in 1991, Armenia recognized Azerbaijan's territorial  integrity (and it remains unclear if Armenia is ready to include the  point on mutual recognition of territorial integrity in the text of  the agreement or not). 3) The claim about Nagorno-Karabakh's final  status being a "matter of principle" for the Armenian side, which  does not specify the status or mechanism Armenia is proposing to  settle the issue (this claim cannot even be viewed as a proposal to  put the issue of status on the negotiations agenda)  

4) The claim about Armenia attaching "importance" to honoring the  commitments under the Russian- Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements, which  claim cannot even be viewed as a demand to honor the commitments or  as a precondition for negotiations or at least as a proposal for  putting it on the agenda. 

5) A statement on the readiness to start negotiations, which, in  fact, confirms Armenia is not putting forward any preconditions for  negotiations. 

6) A report claiming that the Armenian side applied to the OSCE Minsk  Group co-chairs for organizing negotiations (idiotic behavior given  the co-chairs' inability for teamwork in the context of the  Russia-West relations) 

According to Zurabyan, this text shows that in their reply letter the  Armenian authorities only "stated their feelings about the ongoing  negotiations, made a dubious excursion into the historical domain,  hinting at the other negotiators honoring their commitments,  introduced romantic proposals for organizing the negotiations," Mr  Zurabyan wrote. 

"In short, they have done all they could except for what they should  have done in this process of crucial importance for Armenia and  Artsakh," he added.  

According to him, the Armenian authorities did not present its  proposals to either Azerbaijan or the international community.

"Even Azerbaijani Foreign Minister [Jeyhun] Bayramov jeered at this  lukewarm response, while reading the first point and asking 'So what  is Armenia's proposal here?'

"Have no doubts that these people are making a laughingstock of us  everywhere and failing any business.  They have no elementary  understanding of international politics and diplomacy of negotiations  – be it Nikol Pashinyan, Ararat Mirzoyan, Armen Grigoryan, Vahagn  Khachaturyan or Edmon Marukyan. Under the circumstances, as long as  Armenia lacks a competent and responsible government, the only hope  in the diplomatic process is that the superpowers' interests and  plans will concur with those of Armenia. But it is a most slender  theoretical chance," Mr Zurabyan wrote. 

What is left for Turkiye to be in the western camp? The Armenian tragedy and the last fig leaf

Jack Hunanian
May 3 2022
May 3, 2022 at 4:09 pm
Ahmed Asmar

The US – and most of the western governments – stance on the issue of the Armenian tragedy of 1915 was the last in a series of western positions that harmed their relations with Turkiye. Over the past decades, despite being a sincere and indispensable ally – as many western leaders occasionally said – Turkiye has received many setbacks from the western camp which shook their alliance and endangered the country's national security. A situation that eventually and logically put forward the question for the Turkish decision-makers and international relations experts, as well: "What is left for Turkiye to be in the western camp?"

Following the end of the Second World War in 1945, Turkiye was not hesitant to join the western camp, comprised of the United States and most of the west Europe countries. In that period, Turkiye felt threatened by the Soviet Union, which sought to have control over the Turkish Straits which connect the Black Sea with the Mediterranean, an essential waterway route for Russian exports, as well as claims to cede Turkish lands to the Soviet Union.

Since that time, Turkiye defined itself as a western ally and stood with the western camp in the face of the Eastern Soviet camp. Turkiye made great contributions to the western camp, starting from the Korean War 1950 –1953, then joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) in 1952 and allowing for military and intelligence bases to be stationed across the Turkish territories to tackle any Soviet threat.

Despite the many contributions by Turkiye to the western camp during the post-WW2 period – acknowledged by many of the US and European leaders – yet, Turkiye was not met with the gratitude that equals its contributions and role for the success of the western camp. During the Cold War and post-Cold War periods, there were many setbacks from the western world towards Turkiye.

The Cyprus issue was an example of the western position against Turkiye. The US, and many of the European governments, sided the Greek narrative in the Cyprus case and imposed sanctions on Turkiye, including a military embargo, following its military operation in 1974 in Cyprus to protect the Turkish Cypriots from the crackdown of the Greek Cypriot terrorist groups that systematically sought to force the Turkish Cypriots to leave their lands. However, Turkiye remained a sincere ally to the western camp and stayed bound to its commitments under the alliance.

In another disregard for Turkiye's security threats, the US denied the importation of defence capabilities to Turkiye, which was in dire need of these capabilities in the course of its fight against the terrorist PKK group, a group responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of Turkish people in the past four decades.

A US-made AH-1W Super Cobra attack helicopter on July 16, 2020 [SAM YEH/AFP via Getty Images]

In 1996, the US blocked the sale of the US-made Cobra attack helicopters to Turkiye; in 2012, the US also rejected a request from Turkiye to purchase armed Predator drones. Furthermore, the US rejected the provision to Turkiye of an air defence system following which it then moved to Russia to purchase its state-of-art S-400 air defence system and was eventually removed by the US from the joint production program of the US F-35 jet fighter.

Moreover, the US administration, including France, failed to understand Turkiye's security concerns in northern Syria, where the former Donald Trump administration threatened to crush the Turkish economy if it continued its military operations in northern Syria.

The US did not stop at this point. Two groups considered by Turkiye as terrorist groups – the YPG/YPJ group and the FETO entity – are not considered by the US as terrorist groups. Instead, the US provides its support and backing to them. The US provided the YPG/YPJ groups – the Syrian branch of the PKK – with hundreds of millions of dollars in arms, despite Turkiye's warning against such support, and the US is still hosting Fetullah Gulen – head of the Fetullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO) – a terrorist entity accused of being the mastermind of the 2016 defeated coup in Turkiye.

Consecutive US presidents were cautious to avoid the use of the word "genocide" to describe what happened to the Armenian community living in eastern Anatolia under the Ottoman Empire in 1915, which witnessed the horrors of the First World War. In that period, the Armenian people, the Muslims and the Kurds of the Ottoman Empire, suffered the hardships and tragedy of that war, and hundreds of thousands were killed from all these groups of people.

The Armenian communities abroad insisted on denying the tragedies that happened to others and lobbied for their own narrative of genocide, in order to let the governments adopt their narrative. Previous US administrations, under their strategic ties with Turkiye, resisted the attempts by the Armenian pressure groups, along with attempts by pro-Armenian Congressmen, to recognise what happened to the Armenians as genocide.

In October 2019, the US Congress passed a resolution on the "Armenian Genocide", making the recognition of it as part of the policy of the United States. Moreover, President Joe Biden, at an event to remember the Armenian tragedy on 24 April, 2021, referred to the Armenian tragedy as "genocide" in a statement released by the White House and, recently, on 24 April, 2022 at the same event, President Biden also issued a statement commemorating the 107th anniversary of the start of the "Armenian Genocide."

Biden's statement was met with harsh criticism from the Turkish leadership, with Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying the US leader's statement was "based on lies and false information". "Mr. Biden should first learn and know very well the history of Armenians. We cannot forgive this attempt aiming to challenge Turkiye, despite lacking such knowledge," President Erdogan said in a televised address, commenting on Biden's statement.

All in all, the US adoption of the Armenian narrative, and the ignorance of the Turkish call to examine the events based on historical truths, can be considered as the last fig leaf in the strategic relations between them. Turkiye can no longer describe its relations with the US as "strategic partner" and, therefore, it shall seek strengthening strategic partnerships with other powers in the world, including Russia and China, based on a policy of diversification and openness towards partners in different parts of the world, not only in the West.

Asbarez: Azerbaijan Continues to Desecrate Dadivank Monastery

Jack Hunanian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 May 9, 2022

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Armenian pilgrims visit Dadivank soon after its occupation by Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani authorities have been sponsoring tours to the Dadivank Monastery by people claiming to be part of the obscure Albanian-Udi religious community.

Dadivank, which is located in Artsakh’s now occupied Karvachar region, also plays host to Armenian religious pilgrims who visit the sacred site accompanied by Russian peacekeepers.

In its continuing effort to appropriate Armenian cultural, historic and religious landmarks, the Dadivank Monastery, which dates back to the 4th Century, also was given a new name for the so-called Albanian visitors—“Khudavang.”

According to a news item reported by the Azerbaijani APA news agency, a religious ceremony was performed at the monastery. The visit took place through the Azerbaijan State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations, APA reported.

The cross was removed from the Armenian Church in the Togh village in occupied Artsakah

On Monday, it was reported that the cross on the dome of the Armenian church in the Togh village in Artsakh was also removed.

The cross has been removed from the Holy Resurrection Church in occupied Hadrut

Late last month, Azerbaijani media reported on the “Easter celebrations in Hadrut,” posting photos of the Holy Resurrection (Surp Harutyun) Church in that occupied city.

Upon close examination of photos, it becomes evident that the cross has been removed from the done and the Armenian inscription at the entrance of the church has been erased.

The Holy Resurrection Church was not damaged during the 2020 War and was a functioning church until the area was surrendered to Azerbaijan.

Yerevan to host ‘Hrant Dink: Here and Now’ exhibition

Jack Hunanian
Panorama
Armenia – May 5 2022

An exhibition on Hrant Dink’s life and struggle will open at the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art in Yerevan on May 7 to run until July 30.

The Hrant Dink: Here and Now exhibition is organized by the Hrant Dink Foundation on the 15th anniversary of the assassination of the editor-in-chief of Agos newspaper, Armenpress reportes.

Hrant Dink was assassinated in Istanbul in front of his newspaper’s office on January 19, 2007.

The former office of Agos newspaper, where thousands gather every year on the day of his assassination to commemorate and demand justice, opened its doors to visitors on April 23-24, 2019 as the 23.5 Hrant Dink Site of Memory.

23.5 promotes the universal values embraced by Hrant Dink such as democracy, co-existence, equality, truth, peace and justice. With its exhibits, archives and public programs, 23.5 acts as a space for remembrance, reflection, dialogue, learning and mutual understanding.

The site of memory takes its name from Hrant Dink’s article ‘23.5 April’, which was published in Agos on April 23rd, 1996.

The Hrant Dink: Here and Now exhibition is an extension of 23,5, said Talin Suzme, Turkey-Armenia Programme Coordinator at the Hrant Dink Foundation.

Hrant Dink will be the narrator and the guide telling his own story and his path of righteousness. Separate corners of the exhibition will be a focus on themes such as memory, justice and minority rights in Turkey.

Armenia opposition resumes protests urging PM to quit

Jack Hunanian
May 4 2022
By

 AFP

Armenia opposition parties on Wednesday resumed street protests in the capital Yerevan in a bid to oust Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan over his handling of a territorial dispute with Azerbaijan.

Thousands of opposition supporters have rallied daily since Sunday, briefly blocking streets in central Yerevan in a campaign to force Pashinyan to resign.

Opposition leaders have accused him of plotting to cede to Azerbaijan all of the long-contested Nagorno-Karabakh region over which the arch-foe countries fought two wars, in 2020 and in the 1990s.

On Wednesday, protesters parked cement mixers on bridges in Yerevan, briefly disrupting traffic in the capital while small groups of opposition supporters attempted to block the city’s main thoroughfares.

Police detained dozens of people, an AFP journalist witnessed. Opposition leaders have said that more than 200 people who were detained on Tuesday were released the same day.

Opposition leader and parliament vice speaker Ishkhan Saghatelyan said “protests will mount and last until Pashinyan steps down.”

He said the opposition is planning to instal an “interim government of technocrats” without party affiliation.

The ongoing protests highlight bitterness over Pashinyan’s leadership since the six-week war in 2020 over Karabakh that claimed more than 6,500 lives before ending with a Russian-brokered ceasefire.

Under the deal, Armenia ceded swathes of territory it had controlled for decades, and Russia deployed some 2,000 peacekeepers to oversee the truce.

The pact was seen in Armenia as a national humiliation and sparked weeks of anti-government protests, leading Pashinyan to call snap parliamentary polls which his party, Civil Contract, won last September.

Opposition parties have accused Pashinyan of planning to give away to Baku parts of Karabakh that are still under Armenian control — after he told lawmakers last month that the “international community calls on Armenia to scale down demands on Karabakh.”

Ethnic Armenian separatists in Nagorno-Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. The ensuing conflicts claimed around 30,000 lives.

https://www.macaubusiness.com/armenia-opposition-resumes-protests-urging-pm-to-quit/

Azerbaijani press: Representatives of Azerbaijan’s Albanian-Udi Christian Religious Community visit Hadrut [PHOTO]

Jack Hunanian
27 April 2022 18:10 (UTC+04:00)
587

By Trend

Representatives of Albanian-Udi Christian religious community of Azerbaijan visited village of Hadrut in Azerbaijan’s Karabakh in connection with Easter holiday, Trend's Karabakh bureau reports.

The trip was organized by Azerbaijani State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations.

The representatives of the community restored gravestones destroyed by the Armenians during the occupation in front of temple in the village of Hadrut.

They also read prayers and lit candles in the temple.

—

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz  




Author Chris Bohjalian to Speak with Globe’s Stephen Kurkjian at Armenian Museum

Jack Hunanian
MA – April 28 2022

The following information comes from the Armenian Museum of America:

Twelve years later, New York Times bestselling author of 23 books, Chris Bohjalian, returns to the Armenian Museum of America to talk about his latest novel The Lioness with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Kurkjian. This event will be held on Wednesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Armenian Museum of America, 65 Main St., Watertown, MA.

The discussion between the two is highly anticipated in Boston and its surrounding communities. Bohjalian’s most recent novel, Hour of the Witch, was published in May 2021 and was an instant New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today and IndieBound bestseller. It’s a novel of historical suspense set in 1662 Boston, a tale of the first divorce in North America for domestic violence—and a subsequent witch trial. The Washington Post called it “historical fiction at its best.” The New York Times called it “harrowing.”

His 2018 novel, The Flight Attendant, debuted as a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and National IndieBound Bestseller. It is now an HBO Max series, starring Kaley Cuoco that has been nominated for numerous Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe awards. It was recently renewed for a second season. Bohjalian’s work has been translated into 35 languages and three times have become movies.

When Bohjalian spoke at the museum in 2012, he discussed the Armenian-themed The Sandcastle Girls, a sweeping historical love story that probes the depths of love, family, and secrets during World War I. Now, in contrast, The Lioness tells the story of a luxurious African safari that turns deadly for a Hollywood starlet and her entourage. Set in 1964 in Tanzania, actress Katie Barstow and her new husband have invited a glittering entourage of co-stars, managers, and publicists for a safari adventure. Envisioning candlelit dinners and capturing wildlife on film, the group instead face a team of Russian mercenaries and a botched kidnapping as violence and rebellion rage next door in the eastern Congo.

Stephen Kurkjian is one of the most acclaimed investigative reporters in the country. A 40-year veteran of the Boston Globe, he is the paper’s former Washington bureau chief and a founding member of its investigative Spotlight Team. Kurkjian has won more than 25 national and regional awards, including the Pulitzer Prize on three occasions.

“We are delighted to host the two esteemed authors under the auspices of the museum’s Library Committee, since books continue to be an integral part of our mission and our collection,” says Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “We are proud to share the launching of on-site events since 2019 with Chris Bohjalian and Steve Kurkjian. We hope you will mark your calendars and join us on this very special evening.”

Signed copies of The Lioness will be available for purchase at the event, which is free and open to the public.

Registration is required via Eventbrite, click here.



Opposition MP criticized behavior of Premier and pro-government media in connection with fatal accident in Yerevan

Jack Hunanian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. MP from the "Armenia" opposition faction Aram Vardevanyan harshly criticized the behavior of Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashyyan, who did not show any  reaction in connection with the fatal incident involving his security  motorcade. He also criticized the position of some, including the  pro-government, media, for their unjustified passivity about this  tragic story.

"Partners from "Azatutyun" Radio (RFE/RL's Armenian Service, ed.  note), I publicly appeal to you.  How is it that you are extremely  passive on the fact of a tragic and obvious crime? You use any excuse  to mention the name of second President of the Republic of Armenia  Robert Kocharyan on the tragic incident in "Poplavok" (Yerevan jazz  cafe where Kocharyan's security guard beat a man to death in 2001).  Why don't you write that Nikol Pashinyan, seeing the crime  personally, left Sona Martirosyan (a pregnant woman who was hit by an  escort car at high speed, ed. note) (Article 128 of the Criminal Code  of the Republic of Armenia). Why don't you write that the person who  told the people that his motorcade is stopping and will stop at a red  light, is moving around the city at BREAKNECK speed, hitting people,  spitting on public order. Write, cover, eliminate hypocrisy," the  opposition MP wrote.

It should be noted that earlier, the Investigative Committee of  Armenia reported that in the framework of the criminal case initiated  under Art. 242 part 2 and art. 244 part 1 of the RA Criminal Code,  the necessary investigative actions are being taken to clarify the  circumstances of the fatal accident at the intersection of Paronyan  and Leo streets. "According to preliminary data, on April 26, at  about 18:06, at the indicated intersection, the commander of an  officer platoon of the Traffic Police in a Toyota Prado car hit a  28-year- old resident of the Ararat region. The latter with bodily  injuries was taken to the Nairi medical center, where she died  without regaining consciousness. The driver of the car left the scene  of the accident, but later returned to the scene at about 20:05 and  took part in investigative measures. He was detained. The preliminary  investigation continues," the RA Investigative Committee said in a  statement.

This 28-year-old pregnant woman who died in this accident by the  motorcade of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was Sona Mnatsakanyan. In  the evening, citizens began to bring toys, flowers and burning  candles to the scene of an accident that claimed two lives. It is  also worth adding that the news that after the accident, none of the  seven cars accompanying the prime minister's motorcade stopped to  help the woman caused a wide public outcry. However, the prime  minister's office only commented "Nikol Pashinyan was not driving."  Neither condolences were expressed in connection with the tragic  incident, nor words of regret.  We note that Sona Mnatsakanyan was a  founding member of Support Our Heroes and the leader of the Artsakh  Tever IT Center project group within SOH.  "Sona will always remain  in our hearts as an exemplary patriot and a dear friend with great  human values. Our condolences to Sona's family, loved ones,  friends…", the respective message of Support Our Heroes – Armenia  reads. 

U.S. history teachers to attend Armenian Genocide courses for first time

Jack Hunanian
PanArmenian
Armenia –
– 13:40 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - History teachers from U.S. schools will for the first time attend professional training courses on the Armenian Genocide, according to Regina Galstyan, a researcher at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Sputnik Armenia.

"These courses will be the first in Armenia not only for American but also for foreign educators in general," Galstyan said, reminding that the AGMI regularly holds such classes for Armenian teachers.

There is no single educational program for schools in the United States, which means each state makes decisions independently, with departments of education in state governments also making policy decisions.

That is why educators in the United States may include individual elements in their curriculum, such as the story of the Holocaust or the Armenian Genocide in general history courses or social studies.

Now, 15 such teachers (no Armenians among them) will participate in the courses organized by the Genocide Museum-Institute.

On April 24, 1915, a large group of Armenian intellectuals was rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. On April 24, 2022, Armenians worldwide will be commemorating the 107th anniversary of the Genocide which continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as Genocide. Turkey denies to this day.