Author: Jane Topchian

Bilyaletdinov unsurprised Man City, Newcastle scouts watched Spertsyan in Armenia action

Jane Topchian

Former Everton midfielder Diniyar Bilyaletdinov isn't surprised by major Premier League interest in Krasnodar midfielder Eduard Spertsyan.

It's emerged Manchester City and Newcastle United scouts have checked on the Armenia international over the past fortnight's Euro 2024 qualifiers.

Bilyaletdinov told Metaratings: "Is Newcastle and Manchester City interested in Spertsyan? Perhaps they are viewing a hundred people, specifics are needed.

"I don't know if the Premier League will suit him. But it seems to me that in terms of the style of play, Eduard will be more suitable for City.

"If the transfer takes place, then there are things in which Spertsyan will need to improve – physical condition, ability to defend, keep up the pace. If everything works out, then you can try, why not?

"But Newcastle are also a very good team. Again, you need a specific proposal, and they will make it if they are really interested."

https://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/bilyaletdinov-unsurprised-man-city-newcastle-scouts-watched-spertsyan-in-armenia-action-4461992

Prigozhin mutiny charges not dropped – TASS

Jane Topchian

 13:16,

YEREVAN, JUNE 26, ARMENPRESS. The investigation of the criminal case against Evgeny Prigozhin, founder of the Wagner Private Military Company (PMC), accused of organizing an armed mutiny, has not been closed, TASS reported citing a source in the Russian Prosecutor General's Office.

"The criminal case against Prigozhin has not been closed. The investigation continues," the source said.

On June 23, Russian Federal Security Service investigators opened a criminal case against Prigozhin under Article 279 of the Russian Criminal Code for organizing an armed mutiny. The case was initiated after Prigozhin's Telegram channel published statements that his units were allegedly attacked and appealed to supporters to come out against the country’s top military leaders. The crime is punishable by 12 to 20 years in prison.

The Russian Wagner private military company led by Evgeny Prigozhin launched an insurrection in Russia that began on Friday evening. Prigozhin said his actions were a “march for justice” while the Kremlin said the mercenary group is committing mutiny.

The armed contractors managed to seize an army headquarters in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, with some forces marching on Moscow.

However, on Saturday the Wagner chief agreed to stop the advance towards the Russian capital and return his troops to their bases in exchange for “security guarantees” as part of a deal with Moscow, brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. Some media reports said the charges would be dropped.

‘Religious cleansing’ threatens Armenian Christians’ existence, human rights leaders warn

Jane Topchian

By Peter Pinedo

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Jun 21, 2023 / 16:15 pm

The ongoing war between Azerbaijan and Armenia threatens the existence of Christian communities in the near east, former ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom Sam Brownback and other Christian leaders warned in a Tuesday press briefing.

Brownback’s statements were delivered just days after he returned from a fact-finding trip to Armenia with the Christian human rights group Philos Project. 

Brownback, who is a Catholic, called Islamic Azerbaijan’s invasion of Armenia and its ongoing blockade of the Nagorno-Karabakh region the latest attempt at “religious cleansing” of the Christian nation.

“Azerbaijan, with Turkey’s backing, is really slowly strangling Nagorno-Karabakh,” Brownback said. “They’re working to make it unlivable so that the region’s Armenian-Christian population is forced to leave, that’s what’s happening on the ground.”

The ambassador added that if the United States does not intervene, “we will see again another ancient Christian population forced out of its homeland.”

Brownback called for Congress to pass a “Nagorno-Karabakh Human Rights Act” to “establish basic security guarantees for the Nagorno-Karabakh population.”

He also called on the U.S. to reinstate previously used sanctions on Azerbaijan should it continue its blockade.

Christians in the near east have been subjected to similar attacks before, Brownback said. Yet according to the former ambassador, this time the religious cleansing is being “perpetrated with U.S.-supplied weaponry and backed by Turkey, a member of NATO.”

Sandwiched between the Muslim nations of Turkey and Azerbaijan in the southern Caucasus, Armenia has Christian roots that go back to ancient times. Today the population is over 90% Christian, according to a 2019 report by the U.S. State Department.

Conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region has been ongoing since Armenia and Azerbaijan, both former Soviet territories, claimed the land for themselves after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. After the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994, Armenia gained primary control of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

Tensions between the two nations once again broke into outright military conflict in September 2020 when Azerbaijani troops moved to wrest control of the disputed region. The open conflict lasted only about two months, with Russia brokering a peace deal in November.

The conflict resulted in Azerbaijan gaining control of large swathes of the region. This left Armenia’s only access point to Nagorno-Karabakh a thin strip of land called the “Lachin corridor.” 

A study published in the Population Research and Policy Review estimates that 3,822 Armenians and at least 2,906 Azerbaijanis were killed during the 2020 conflict. 

Today, an Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin corridor, in place since December, is crippling Armenian infrastructure in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“The situation is extremely urgent and existential,” Philos Project President Robert Nicholson said. “This is the oldest Christian nation facing again for the second time in only about a century the possibility of a genocide.” He was referring to the deaths of up to 1.5 million Armenians more than a century ago in waning years of the Ottoman Empire that the U.S. now recognizes as a genocide, a characterization that Turkey has sharply denounced.

According to Nicholson, there are 500 tons of humanitarian equipment “unable to get into Nagorno-Karabakh because of the blockade that Azerbaijan has placed upon that region.”

“There has been no natural gas flowing since March and other energy supplies, [such as] electricity, are spotty at best,” Nicholson added. “Families have been separated. Surgeries have been canceled. The 120,000 people inside [Nagorno-Karabakh] are really desperate for help.”  

Though much of the media coverage about the Armenian-Azerbaijani war has characterized it as simply a territorial dispute, according to both Brownback and Nicholson, the conflict is more one of ideology and religion.

“This is in fact not just a territorial dispute,” Nicholson said. “While there are territorial questions, I see this dispute absolutely as one of values.”

According to Nicholson, “the Armenians are not asking for much.”

“The Armenians we met, and we met a lot of them, were quite minimal in their demands,” he said. “They want to live in their homeland, and they want to do so securely.”

Despite the dangers, Nicholson said that the Armenian Christian communities’ plight “is not a lost cause.”

“Shockingly, despite all the threats that they are facing, Armenia is actually quite vibrant,” Nicholson said.

“There’s room,” he added, “for the United States to play a very constructive role in helping these different parties, both of which are our allies, to reach a peaceful and just solution to end the conflict.”

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/254631/religious-cleansing-threatens-armenian-christians-existence-warns-ambassador-brownback

Yerevan, China’s Qingdao twinned

Jane Topchian

 14:13,

YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS. Yerevan and the Chinese city of Qingdao have signed a sister city agreement.

The twinning agreement envisages increased partnership in trade, science and technology, as well as the humanitarian sector, connectivity and other areas of urban economy.

The agreement was signed by Yerevan Acting Mayor Levon Hovhannisyan and Qingdao Mayor Zhao Haozhi.

Hovhannisyan and Haozhi discussed partnership and prospects.

“China and Armenia have friendly relations throughout centuries, and today’s agreement attests to our mutual desire to maintain and strengthen the centuries-old friendly ties,” Hovhannisyan said.

Haozhi said that they are ready to share their experience and skills of city management with Yerevan.

Azerbaijani Forces Continue to Fire at U.S.-Affiliated Company in Yeraskh

Jane Topchian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

GTB Steel that operates the U.S. affiliated company targeted by Azerbaijan raised the American and Armenian flags at the construction site on June 20


Azerbaijani forces on Tuesday continued to fire at a construction site operated by an American-affiliated company in Yeraskh in Armenia’s Ararat Province. The site was targeted by Azerbaijan last week and as result of its attack two Indian nationals employed by the company were injured.

The ongoing attacks, however, will not deter the project, company officials said when they raised the U.S. and Armenian flags at the construction site during a ceremony on Tuesday.

Azerbaijani forces opened fire at the company’s facilities at 4:30 p.m. local time on Tuesday, continuing their almost week-long attack on the site.

Official Baku has claimed that the company, GTB Steel, which is building a steel mill in Yeraskh, is violating environmental standards and once operational, it will impact Azerbaijanis living in Nakhichevan.

GTB officials held a ceremony on Tuesday and raised the American and Armenian flags at the construction site.

GTB officials said that by raising the flags it is unequivocally expressing that despite the Azerbaijani cross-border gunfire and provocations they will continue the construction as planned.

The company’s executive Tiran Hakobyan told reporters after the flag raising ceremony that he and his colleagues realize that the flags are not a guarantee that the Azerbaijani military would stop the shooting.

“This is the stipulation of the decision of our Board of Directors which was made after long discussions. By [raising the flags] we record that we will not leave this place and we will continue to build the plant,” Hakobyan said, reported Armenpress.

He added that only the government of Armenia has the authority to allow or ban the construction, and that it has granted permission.  GTB Steel has all the required documentation for the construction, Hakobyan stressed.

Alen Simonyan, European Parliament delegation refer to the expansion of EU-Armenian defense cooperation

Jane Topchian

 19:28,

YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS.  On June 20, the President of the National Assembly of Armenia Alen  Simonyan received the delegation led by the Chair of the Subcommittee on Security and Defence of the European Parliament Nathalie Loiseau, ARMENPRESS was informed from the parliament of Armenia.

Alen Simonyan welcomed the guests, noting that this visit will give an opportunity to get acquainted with the situation on the spot.

He stressed that our country greatly highlights the definite position of the European Parliament on a number of the most important issues for Armenia. In this context the RA NA President mentioned the issues regarding the Nagorno Karabakh last war, the encroachments of the armed forces of Azerbaijan against the sovereign territory of Armenia, the necessity of the urgent release of Armenian prisoners of war, the blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan and the humanitarian crisis caused as a consequence of it, which were reserved in a series of resolutions and reports of the European Parliament.

“The European Union (EU) continues remaining the primary partner supporting the agenda of the reforms underway in Armenia, and would like to reaffirm our commitment to deepening and expanding the cooperation with the European Union, including the implementation of the provisions of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA),” Alen Simonyan noted.

At the meeting ideas were exchanged on the decision of deploying the EU mission in Armenia, which essentially promoted the establishment of the relative stability on our eastern borders.

Reference was made to the expansion of cooperation with the European Union in the fields of defence and security at the request of providing support to Armenia.

Deputy FM reveals key issues of disagreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Jane Topchian

 13:02,

YEREVAN, JUNE 19, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan has revealed the key points that Armenia and Azerbaijan still disagree on as part of peace talks.

Kostanyan told reporters that Armenia and Azerbaijan have disagreements regarding principled issues.

“Including regarding stipulating the map, as to which map must be the basis of the future delimitation process, regarding the institution of guarantors, regarding the security guarantees for the people of Nagorno Karabakh, regarding the Baku-Stepanakert international mechanism for dialogue, unfortunately as of this moment there is no agreement, the views of the parties are rather distant from one another,” Kostanyan said.

The work continues, he added.

Erdogan pleased with Pashinyan’s statement on Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity

Jane Topchian
Panorama
Armenia – June 14 2023

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has commended Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement on the recognition of Azerbaijan's territorial integrity.

“However, there are those who oppose Pashinyan in Armenia. Pashinyan has not yet taken a step back in this matter,” Azerbaijani media quoted him as telling reporters on Wednesday.

Erdogan also highlighted Pashinyan's participation in his swearing-in ceremony on June 3.

“Pashinyan accepted our invitation by overcoming many obstacles in his country. We could only meet Prime Minister Pashinyan on foot at the ceremony. I expressed my gratitude for his response to this invitation,” he said.

Azerbaijani side opened fire in the direction of a metallurgical factory that will be built in Yeraskh. MFA

Jane Topchian
News.am
Armenia –
21:01, 13.06.2023

On May 13, the armed forces of Azerbaijan, once again resorting to the use of force, opened fire on the positions of the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia and civilian objects located near the Yeraskh settlement of the Republic of Armenia. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia reports. 

It is noteworthy that the Azerbaijani side opened fire in the direction of a metallurgical factory which will be built in Yeraskh with the involvement of foreign investments. This was preceded by Azerbaijan's false accusations against the Armenian side regarding the construction of the mentioned factory. The Republic of Armenia has previously stated that the construction of the plant fully complies with its international obligations, and that Azerbaijan's false concerns are simply aimed at hindering Armenia's economic development and foreign investments.

Now, by firing at the plant under construction, Azerbaijan demonstrates overt disregard towards Armenia's internationally recognized borders, human rights and international law. Moreover, Azerbaijan consistently proves that in the negotiation processes with the Republic of Armenia in all directions it is guided only by the principle of imposing the desired solutions on the Republic of Armenia with the illegal use of force, perceiving the weak response and permissiveness of the international community as a favorable or encouraging environment.

We call on the international community to take concrete steps to curb Azerbaijan's expansionist ambitions and its unacceptable policy of achieving its groundless, illogical and arbitrary demands through the use of force and the threat of force.


Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 09-06-23

Jane Topchian

 16:48, 9 June 2023

YEREVAN, 9 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 9 June, USD exchange rate down by 0.86 drams to 386.18 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.28 drams to 415.57 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.05 drams to 4.67 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 2.02 drams to 484.54 drams.

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

Gold price down by 66.19 drams to 24414.77 drams. Silver price up by 0.41 drams to 293.89 drams.