Friday, August 4, 2023
Opposition Signals No Plans To Join Yerevan Mayoral Race
• Tatevik Lazarian
Armenia - The Yerevan municipality building is surrounded by opposition
protesters demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian's resignation, May11, 2022.
Armenia’s two leading opposition forces have given no indications yet that they
will run in municipal elections in Yerevan slated for September 17.
Residents of the Armenian capital will to go the polls to elect a new municipal
assembly that will in turn appoint the city’s mayor.
The last mayor, Hrachya Sargsian, stepped down on March 17 after only 15 months
in office. Yerevan has since been effectively run by Tigran Avinian, a deputy
mayor nominated by the ruling Civil Contract party for the vacant post. The
party raised $1.3 million for its election campaign during an event last week
attended by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
It remains unclear whether Avinian and the ruling party will be challenged by
any of the two opposition alliances represented in the Armenian parliament.
The main opposition Hayastan alliance is not known to have even discussed the
possibility of joining the mayoral. A key member of Hayastan, the Dashnaktsutyun
party, is discussing the matter separately amid apparent cracks emerging in the
alliance led by former President Robert Kocharian.
“The discussions within Dashnaktsutyun involve local structures and the Yerevan
city committee, and there will be a full statement on our participation or
nonparticipation in the next few days,” Gegham Manukian, a senior party figure,
told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Friday.
Pativ Unem, the other opposition bloc dominated by the former ruling Republican
Party (HHK), has held no such discussions, according to one of its senior
members, Hayk Mamijanian.
“The fact that we haven’t discussed it shows that our nation has much more
important problems and challenges to deal with,” said Mamijanian. “But the issue
will definitely be discussed. As soon as we make a decision it will be made
public.”
Avinian would also face a serious challenge from Hayk Marutian, whom Pashinian’s
political team had installed as mayor after winning the overwhelming majority of
seats in the city council in 2018. The council ousted Marutian in December 2021
after he fell out with the prime minister. The former TV comedian remains coy
about his participation in the upcoming elections.
The deadline for the submission by election contenders of necessary documents to
the Central Election Commission is August 13.
Armenian Election Chief Sees No Foul Play By Ruling Party
• Tatevik Lazarian
Armenia - Vahagn Hovakimian, chairman of the Central Election Commission, speaks
at a news conference, Yerevan, August 3, 2023.
Armenia’s top election official allied to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has
dismissed a civic group’s claims that the ruling Civil Contract party is abusing
government resources to facilitate its victory in upcoming municipal polls in
Yerevan.
In an extensive investigative report released late last month, the Union of
Informed Citizens (UIC) said that the administration of a local community
comprising the town of Spitak and surrounding villages is drawing up lists of
its Yerevan-based natives promising to vote for Civil Contract and its mayoral
candidate, Tigran Avinian, in the September 17 vote. It said the process is
overseen by Gevorg Papoyan, the ruling party’s deputy chairman.
The allegations are based on recorded phone calls between local officials and an
UIC activist posing as an aide to Papoyan. The audio of those conversations was
posted on the group’s fact-checking website.
Spitak’s deputy mayor, Hovik Hovannisian, and six village chiefs can be heard
saying that they already have or will soon have such lists. In Hovannisian’s
words, Spitak officials explain to such voters “just how bad thing will be for
them” if Civil Contract loses the polls.
Papoyan rejected the UIC report as slanderous and said he will sue the
Western-funded organization. He said at the same time that the Spitak officials
are affiliated with Pashinian’s party and have a right to campaign for its
election victory.
The UIC leader, Daniel Ioannisian, countered that the officials admitted
ordering their subordinates to participate in that campaign.
Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General last week pledged to look into the
UIC report. But it has still not opened a criminal case.
The Central Election Commission (CEC) also seems unlikely to investigate the
alleged foul play. The CEC chairman, Vahagn Hovakimian, said it could do so only
if it receives a formal complaint.
“In my personal view, that audio does not testify to an abuse of administrative
resources,” Hovakimian told reporters on Thursday. “Your or any other citizen’s
idea of abuse of administrative resources is one thing and the law another.”
A longtime collaborator of Pashinian, Hovakimian was affiliated with Civil
Contract until being controversially installed last October as head of the body
organizing all elections in Armenia. Opposition and civic groups denounced
Pashinian’s choice of the new CEC chairman.
In a joint statement issued ahead of Hovakimian’s appointment, 17 Armenian
nongovernmental organizations said that he is a partisan figure who cannot
guarantee the CEC’s “independence and political impartiality.” Hovakimian
insisted that in his new capacity he will not be influenced by his long-standing
ties with Pashinian.
Russia Against Rushing Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Deal
RUSSIA-HEALTH-VIRUS
Russia warned on Friday against attempts to “artificially” speed up the signing
of an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace accord, pointing to lingering differences
between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“A hastily prepared, raw peace treaty would not bring a sustainable peace to the
region,” Denis Gonchar, a senior Russian Foreign Ministry official, told the
TASS news agency. “On the contrary, it would lay the foundation for new
conflicts and tragedies in the future. Priority should be given not to speed but
to the adequate preparation of balanced and mutually acceptable solutions.”
In an interview published on the ministry’s website, Gonchar said Western powers
are trying to rush Armenian-Azerbaijani talks on the treaty even though the
conflicting sides have yet to “find solutions on a number of difficult topics.”
“From a number of Western capitals, statements are periodically made to the
effect that Baku and Yerevan will be able to sign a peace treaty already in ‘the
coming weeks and months,’” he said. “We proceed from the premise that the time
frames for the signing should be determined by the parties themselves.”
Russia - Denis Gonchar, the head of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Fourth
Department on CIS countries.
“The task of responsible mediators is not to speed up a negotiation process for
opportunistic considerations but to facilitate reaching lasting long-term
agreements,” the diplomat added in a clear jibe at the West.
In recent months, the United States and the European Union have stepped up their
efforts to broker a settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The Armenian
and Azerbaijani foreign ministers held two rounds of intensive U.S.-mediated
negotiations outside Washington in May and June. Meanwhile, the EU’s top
official, Charles Michel, hosted a series of Armenian-Azerbaijani summits in
Brussels.
The would-be peace treaty topped the agenda of those talks which fuelled
speculation that it could be signed by the end of this year. Moscow has been
very critical of the Western peace efforts, saying that their main aim is to
drive it out of the South Caucasus. U.S. and EU officials deny this.
USA - U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken hosts the Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign Ministers for talks at the George Shultz National Foreign Affairs
Training Center in Arlington, Virginia, June 29, 2023.
Azerbaijan is also pushing for a deal meeting its key demands. Azerbaijani
President Ilham Aliyev declared early this year that “2023 is the last chance
for Armenia to sign the peace treaty.”
The two sides are understood to still disagree on mechanisms for delimiting the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border and providing security guarantees for Karabakh’s
ethnic Armenian population. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian complained on
Thursday that Baku is reluctant to sign the kind of agreement that would commit
it to recognizing Armenia’s existing borders.
Pashinian earlier pledged to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh
through the peace treaty, drawing strong condemnation from his domestic
political opponents. The latter also accuse him of plotting to end Armenia’s
political and military alliance with Russia and to reorient his country towards
the West.
Moscow has signaled its disapproval of Pashinian’s far-reaching concession to
Baku. In another sign of mounting tensions with Yerevan, a Russian Foreign
Ministry spokeswoman lambasted Pashinian on Wednesday for questioning the
continued presence of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh and claiming that Moscow
has scaled back its involvement in the negotiation process because of the war in
Ukraine.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Author: Jirair Kafian
Armenpress: Mr. Borrell, the Lachin Corridor is not blocked by some natural force, it is the authorities of Azerbaijan. MEP Weimers
18:43, 27 July 2023
YEREVAN, JULY 27, ARMENPRESS. Member of the European Parliament Charlie Weimers calls on the EU to put pressure on Azerbaijan so that the latter allows humanitarian aid to enter Artsakh.
In a conversation with the Brussels-based correspondent of ARMENPRESS, Weimers referred to the statement of the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, and asked, "And what is "obstructing" the passability of the Lachin Corridor, Mr. Borrell? It is neither a stone nor some force of nature, but the authorities of Azerbaijan themselves prevent the passage of humanitarian aid. It is not about "any actor" or "two sides", as we often heard in the past, but about Azerbaijan, which uses humanitarian access to meet its own goals", said Charlie Weimers and conveyed that his thoughts are with the people of Artsakh.
King Tiridates III – The first Armenian to participate and win the Olympic Games
July 27 2023
By
The first Armenian who participated in the Ancient Olympic Games and won the Olympic Games in 281 in ancient Greece was King Tiridates III of Armenia from the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia.
King Tiridates III of Armenia played in the races of quadriga – chariots harnessed by four horses. He won the wrestling competition in 281 at the 265th Games in Greece.
What distinguishes Tiridates III of Armenia is the fact that it was during his reign that Armenia became the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as the state religion in 301.
In 393, in Ancient Greece, the Armenian king of the Varazdat Arsacid dynasty won a wrestling competition, and his name was engraved on a marble slab as the winner of the last Olympiad.
Movses Khorenatsi wrote about the reign of Varazdat: “The philosopher Augustus from Theodosia, nicknamed the Great, in the twentieth year of his reign appointed Varazdat from the same Arsacid dynasty of Armenia as the king of Armenia instead of the Pap.”
Varazdat was young, bold and strong, very skillful and smart. At the time he fled from Shapouh and, having come to the palace of the emperor, accomplished many feats.
First he defeated the fist fighters in Pisa, then in the City of the Sun, Hellada, he beat the lions, and then at the Olympic Games he was honored, and the feats he accomplished could be compared with the deeds of St. Trdat.
https://greekcitytimes.com/2023/07/27/king-tiridates-iii-olympic-games/
Armenian TV regulator pulls six channels off air for missing broadcast fees
Armenia’s broadcasting regulator, the Television and Radio Broadcasting Network, has taken six TV channels, including pro-government channels, off the air for failing to pay their broadcasting fees.
Two major channels, Armenia TV and Shant, as well as Free News, a station affiliated with Parliamentary Speaker Alen Simonyan, were taken off the air by the Armenian Television and Radio Broadcasting Network on Tuesday for failing to pay their broadcasting fees.
The Broadcasting Network, which operates under the Ministry of High Tech Industry, also barred Fortuna, Dar-21, and A-TV from broadcasting.
A collective of 20 Armenian TV channels issued a statement criticising the move in response, claiming that advertising revenues had suffered as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2020 Second Nagorno-Karabakh War.
They also cited new copyright and language requirements as contributing to increasing the operational expenses for broadcasting in the country.
The collective also expressed concern about the timing of the decision, as Yerevan braces for municipal elections in September, and said people had a constitutional right to timely and uninterrupted information.
‘In the case of a negative response, the undersigned TV stations will take additional necessary steps in order to protect their rights in accordance with the law’, the statement concluded.
https://oc-media.org/armenian-tv-regulator-pulls-six-channels-off-air-for-missing-broadcast-fees/
Yerevan Sets Security Guarantees for Artsakh as Precondition for Regional Peace
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (left) with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg in Vienna on Jul. 19
Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said that guaranteeing the security of the people of Artsakh was an important precondition for peace in the South Caucasus.
He made the statement on Tuesday in Vienna after meeting with his Austrian counterpart Alexander Schallenberg, adding that the lifting of the now seven-month-old Azerbaijani blockade of Lachin is a priority to Armenia and sought the assistance of international partners for compelling Baku to adhere to decisions and orders to that end.
“We are confident, and I believe that Armenia is not alone in this, that stable peace in the region is possible if the issues of the rights and security of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are properly addressed within the framework of an international mechanism, through the Stepanakert-Baku dialogue,” Mirzoyan told reporters during a joint press conference with Schallenberg.
“In this context, it is regrettable to state that instead of engaging in such a dialogue, Azerbaijan is currently pursuing a policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh, a clear manifestation of which is the blockade of Nagorno-Karabakh which has been going on for more than seven months now,” Mirzoyan added.
“Nagorno-Karabakh is now on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. This is happening in violation of international humanitarian norms and contrary to numerous appeals of international actors, resolutions and the legally binding Order of the International Court of Justice of February 22, which, by the way, the Court reaffirmed with its Order of July 6 this year,” explained the foreign minister.
Mirzoyan voiced Yerevan’s readiness to advance the peace talks and also open transportation routes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. However, he said, these elements may be achieved without the ongoing use and threat of force by Azerbaijan, which continues to employ aggressive rhetoric toward Armenia and Armenians.
He also said that the release of all Armenian prisoners of war being held in Azerbaijan must also serve as a precondition for the advancement of processes to attain peace.
Russia Stresses Restoration of Normalcy in Nagorno-Karabakh Region
TASNIM News Agency
Iran –
- July, 18, 2023 – 11:30
- World news
Holding discussions regarding the situation in the South Caucasus, the Russian diplomat has expressed his country’s willingness to organize a tripartite foreign ministers' meeting to implement top-level agreements, which could potentially lead to a peace treaty, BNN reported.
Russia has taken a proactive role in the South Caucasus, leading efforts to strengthen the fragile peace between the Republic of Azerbaijan and Armenia, particularly in the contentious Nagorno-Karabakh region.
During the meeting, both sides emphasized the urgent need to swiftly unblock the Lachin Corridor in accordance with the trilateral declaration made on November 9, 2020. The Lachin Corridor, a vital transportation link between Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, has been a subject of dispute in the region. Unblocking it is seen as a significant step towards restoring peace and normalcy.
The restoration of traffic flow in both directions through this crucial corridor will facilitate the movement of goods, services, and interpersonal relationships. It will serve as a cornerstone for economic and social recovery in this tense region, and it is a crucial precondition for the return of normal life in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Convening this tripartite meeting could signify a significant diplomatic leap, potentially leading to a summit involving the leaders of Russia, Azerbaijan, and Armenia in Moscow. The summit would ideally conclude with the signing of a peace treaty, solidifying the commitments made by all parties to foster lasting peace in the South Caucasus region.
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2023/07/18/2927556/russia-stresses-restoration-of-normalcy-in-nagorno-karabakh-region
‘Situation in Artsakh is Critical.’ Anti-Blockade Protest Held in Stepanakert
A rally in Stepanakert to end the blockade of Artsakh
As hundreds of Artsakh citizens gathered in Stepanakert’s Renaissance Square on Wednesday, the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, Gegham Stepanyan, sounded the alarm saying the situation in Artsakh is at critical breaking point.
In a social media post Stepanyan urged the International Committee of the Red Cross to “sound the alarm of danger and genocide.”
”For a month, Artsakh has been completely cut off from humanitarian access, being literally besieged by Azerbaijan. Since June 15, the intentional and total ban on transportation of food and essential goods by Azerbaijan threatens the lives of 120,000 people of Artsakh. Since yesterday, Azerbaijan has also blocked the two-way transportation of patients and medicines by the ICRC,” said Stepanyan.
“The Russian peacekeepers transport cargo for their needs by helicopters, while the entire population of Artsakh is under the threat of starvation, and the international actors do not take any steps other than statements. Evidently, the international community is waiting for thousands of people to perish to then hypocritically express its regret,” Stepanyan emphasized.
“My people are being betrayed by everyone’s criminal indifference,” exclaimed Stepanyan.
Meanwhile, an organization called the “Popular Movement to Unblock the Corridor” held a rally in Stepanakert on Wednesday demanding action to end the now seven-month-old blockade of Artsakh.
“Our plan is to gather a large number of people here, after which we will start a march to the Hakari Bridge. For that, we need to be provided with fuel and security, and we need to turn to the Russian peacekeepers for both of those issues. If they don’t do anything, we will close the airport and cut off their supply, just as ours is cut off. For now, we will inform the population about our actions so that a large number of people gather,” Arthur Osipyan, an activist and organizer of the rally, told Armenpress.
Then the participants of the rally headed to the group’s headquarters where they announced that they will also appeal to the Artsakh authorities to support the implementation of the goals of the rally.
Asbarez: Notice of National Funeral: Prof. Richard G. Hovannisian
Richard G. Hovannisian
Professor Richard G. Hovannisian, a paragon of enlightenment and learning from one century into another, passed away on July 10, 2023, at UCLA Hospital, on the same university campus where he taught for 60 years.
The community wake will take place on Wednesday, July 19 at 7 p.m. at Holy Cross Armenian Apostolic Church, located at 900 W. Lincoln Ave., Montebello, CA 90640.
The national funeral service will be held on Saturday, July 22 at 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church, located at 2226 Ventura Ave., Fresno, CA 93721.
Prof. Hovannisian is survived by:
Son, Raffi and Armenouhi Hovannisian, children and grandson
Son, Armen and Elizabeth Hovannisian, children and granddaughter
Daughter, Ani and Armenio Kevorkian and children
Son, Garo and Arsineh Hovannisian and children
Sister-in-law, Nazik Kotcholosian Messerlian and family
Brothers John, Ralph, and Vernon Hovannisian families (Fresno-Visalia)
In-laws, Takouhi Khatchikian family
Zabel Aranosian family
Seda Artounians family
Zohrab Kevorkian family
And all relatives, friends, colleagues, and students.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Orran (Center for Underprivileged Children in Armenia), c/o 2217 Observatory Ave., Los Angeles CA 90027 or the Richard G. Hovannisian Scholarship Fund/Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School, c/o 101 Groverton Place, Los Angeles, CA 90077.
Red Cross evacuates 17 patients from blockaded Nagorno Karabakh
13:49, 7 July 2023
YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on July 7 facilitated the evacuation of 17 patients from Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia for treatment, the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Healthcare Ministry said in a statement.
The 17 patients were accompanied by their attendants and ICRC staff.
15 other patients, together with their attendants, who were previously evacuated and have completed treatment, will be taken back to Nagorno Karabakh by the ICRC later on July 7.
44 children are hospitalized in the Arevik clinic in Artsakh. Five of them are in neonatal and intensive care.
87 patients are hospitalized in the Artsakhi capital Stepanakert’s Republican Medical Center. 5 of them are in intensive care, 4 of whom are critically-ill.
Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since late 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations and the Red Cross has been facilitating the medical evacuations of patients.