Author: John Hovhannisian

A tear from Brigitte at farewell to Aznavour, master of melancholy

John Hovhannisian
The Times (London)
October 6, 2018 Saturday
A tear from Brigitte at farewell to Aznavour, master of melancholy
 
by Charles Bremner
 
 
President Macron gave a lyrical tribute to Charles Aznavour yesterday, leading a state ceremony of homage to one of France's greatest balladeers and describing the singer as part of the nation's heritage (Charles Bremner writes).
 
Under blue skies in the courtyard of Les Invalides, the military museum and tomb of Napoleon, Mr Macron addressed Aznavour's family, former presidents, the leaders of Armenia and an array of cultural stars in a salute to the composer and actor, who died aged 94 on Monday.
 
"For almost a century, he made us live," Mr Macron said by Aznavour's coffin, which was draped in a French flag. "He held out a mirror to make our lives more gentle, our tears less bitter. His songs were a balm, a remedy, a comfort. His presence, that voice became part of our lives … Charles Aznavour became, unanimously, a face of France."
 
In language that French leaders usually reserve for national heroes rather than popular singers, Mr Macron, 40, said that Aznavour, a child of Armenian immigrants, had "woven an unbreakable thread that bound together the generations" with his melancholy songs. He projected the glory of the French language around the world. "His refrains have entered the national heritage."
 
The president, a devotee of postwar singersongwriters, said that the whole country knew the lines of Aznavour's hits: "I could already see myself … Yesterday when I was young … How sad is Venice."
 
Aznavour, who wrote or co-wrote 1,000 songs, including hits such as La BohÈme and She, was "the master of French song", Nikol Pashinyan, the prime minister of Armenia, said.
 
Aznavour's death has stirred national emotion because he was the last of the line of singers of chanson Française, the bittersweet style of love songs and social commentary whose stars included Édith Piaf, Serge Gainsbourg and Jacques Brel. Piaf was Aznavour's mentor in the late 1940s.
 
Aznavour's 91 albums included duets with Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra and Bob Dylan. He was to have performed in Japan this month.
 
Mr Macron compared Aznavour to the poet Guillaume Apollinaire. "The French language is not only the cement of a nation, it's also the catalyst for freedom and hope," he said.
 
Soldiers of the Republican Guard carried Aznavour's coffin out of the courtyard to Emmenez Mois Au Bout de la Terre (Take Me to the End of the World), sung by a military choir as the former presidents Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande listened alongside Aznavour's wife, Ulla, 74, and their children.
 
He will be buried in a private ceremony at Montfort-l'Amaury, on the outskirts of western Paris, today.

Iran always seeking friendly ties with neighbours, including Armenia/Stressing development of economic ties

John Hovhannisian
Iranian Government News
October 1, 2018 Monday
Iran always seeking friendly ties with neighbours, including Armenia/Stressing development of economic ties
 
Tehran: The Presidency office has issued following press release: President in a meeting with Armenian PM: Iran always seeking friendly ties with neighbours, including Armenia/Stressing development of economic ties President met with the Prime Minister of Armenia and stressed that the Islamic Republic of Iran is always seeking friendly relations with its neighbours, including Armenia. Speaking with the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday in New York, President Hassan Rouhani said, “Fortunately, there is a good trust between the two governments and nations, but despite the existing potentials and capacities, the pace of development of Tehran-Yerevan relations is not desirable”. Stating that regarding energy swaps, Iran is ready to work with Armenia, the president said, "Extensive capacities in both countries require economic relations to be improved at the same pace with political ones”. Dr Rouhani said, “It is important for us to connect with the Black Sea through Armenia and Georgia, and the South-North corridor is of great importance in this regard, and Tehran is ready to complete this corridor and highway in terms of technical and engineering services”. The president also urged strengthening cooperation between the two countries' private sectors, adding, “We are ready to encourage the private sector to engage in business in Armenia and facilitate Armenian companies’ investment”. The Armenian PM also expressed condolences on the martyrdom of a number of Iranians in the terrorist attack in Ahwaz, saying, "We are ready to develop relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran and we must use all potentialities in the development of these cooperation and make a leap in relations, especially in economic fields". Prime Minister Pashinyan went on to stress the need for faster implementation of agreements between the two countries, and added, "We need to design new plans for development of cooperation, and now it's time to implement the agreements between the two countries, especially in the fields of energy swaps". "We are also interested in a new corridor that connects us to the Persian Gulf," he said.

BREAKING: Mass protest outside Armenian parliament as MPs pass bill to block early election

John Hovhannisian
BNE IntelliNews
Oct 2 2018


Pashinian addresses the protests in April: on October 2 he again called to his supporters to take to the streets.
By bne IntelliNews October 2, 2018

Thousands of people gathered outside the Armenian parliament on the evening of October 2, in scenes reminiscent of the ‘people’s revolution’ earlier this year, after  MPs passed controversial legislation on that could prevent the government from calling snap elections. 

The bill was put forward by the Republican Party that ruled Armenia for years until the mass protests in April and May this year forced prime minister Serzh Sargsyan to step down. 

Sargsyan was succeeded as prime minister by protest leader Nikol Pashinian, who told journalists earlier on October 2 that snap elections would be held in December. 

The bill amends the existing Law on Regulations of the National Assembly, and states that if a parliament session cannot be held because of lack of quorum, or if MPs are prevented from participating, it should be considered interrupted rather than failed, and resumed at a later date. The aim appears to be to limit the circumstances under which the parliament can be dissolved. 

In addition to Republican Party PMs, the bill was also supported by lawmakers from the Prosperous Armenia and ARF/Dashnaktsutyun parties. 67 MPs voted in favour, while others stayed away as Pashinian had urged them not to register for the vote. 

An ARF/Dashnaktsutyun representative told Yerkirmedia.am that the party is withdrawing its two ministers — Economic Development Minister Artsvik Minasyan and Agriculture Minister Artur Khachatryan — from Pashinian’s government, and will also withdraw its regional governors. 

Speaking to journalists at the parliament, Pashinian accused those behind the bill of being counter-revolutionaries. 

Later, Pashinian urged Armenians to gather outside the parliament to prevent the session from taking place. 

“All of us to the National Assembly. The [Republican Party] holds a special session,” he wrote on his Facebook page. 

He reiterated his warning of a counter-revolution in his address to the crowd. 

“The Republican Party of Armenia and the facilitating forces have officially declared the counter-revolution by introducing a draft law on amendments to the parliament’s regulations. However, the counter-revolution has no chance in Armenia,” the prime minister said, News.am reported. 

ArmRadio reports from Yerevan that Pashinian has announced he will resign as prime minister as soon as the decisions on dismissing ministers and governors representing ARF/Dashnaktsutyun and Prosperous Armenia come into force. 

As of 10.30 local time, Pashinian had entered the parliament for talks with parliamentary parties, local media reported. With the crowd still outside, MPs have been unable to leave the building. 

168: My Step wins overwhelming majority of 65-seat City Council, Hayk Marutyan expected to take office as 55th Mayor of Yerevan

John Hovhannisian
| 13:01 | September 24 2018
Category
Politics

Three political forces have won seats at the Sunday Yerevan City Council election.

The three include: My Step, the bloc which won a landslide victory, Proseprous Armenia Party and Luys (Light) bloc made it to the city council.

Preliminary counts of all precincts shows a massive 81,06% victory for My Step. 294,109 people voted for the alliance.

The Prosperous Armenia Party is the runner-up with only 6,95%, or 25,219 votes.

Luys (Light) bloc won 4,99%, or 18,112 votes.

In accordance to the electoral code, based on the preliminary results My Step will have 54 seats at the 65-seat City Council.

Proseprous Armenia and Luys will have 6 and 5 mandates respectively. The final results of the election will be released by the central electoral commission on September 30.

As required by law, the first session of the new city council after early elections is convened 10 days after the release of the final results, meaning on October 10.

If a party garners more than 50% of seats at the city council, the number one candidate of the party list of the given political party is named the mayor-elect by virtue of law. Therefore, Hayk Marutyan from My Step is expected to be inaugurated as the 55th Mayor of Yerevan on October 10.

Prime Minister casts vote in Yerevan election (photos)

John Hovhannisian
| 09:14 | September 23 2018
Category
Politics

Soon after the voting began for the Yerevan City Council election, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived at the 8/16 electoral district of the Armenian capital to cast his ballot.

“This election differs with the fact that the citizen is confident that it is him who will make the election and that his vote will not be rigged,” the PM told reporters at the polling station.

Asked to comment on the pre-election campaigning the Prime Minister said: “This campaign was a true campaign, and all forces realized that they had to fight for every vote, including the government. We too, as a government, understood that we had to fight for every vote. I believe that from now on passions will be high in Armenia ahead of campaigns because from now on elections in Armenia will be genuine,” he said.

Sports: Sunderland trialist Gael Andonian’s unshakeable link to Newcastle United flop Florian Thauvin

John Hovhannisian
The Boot Room
Sept 5 2018


The former Marseille defender is on trial at Sunderland.

 September 5, 2018                    

By Mathew Nash

Sunderland are taking a look at Armenian international Gael Andonian. The former Marseille man is a free agent and is training with the club’s under-23 side with a view to earning a contract with the Black Cats.

The 23-year-old featured in the under-23 clash with West Brom recently and will remain with the club over the international break, after losing his place in the Armenia squad.

Andonian may represent Armenia, but he was born and raised in the city of Marseille. He joined the club at aged nine and only left the club this summer.

YEREVAN, ARMENIA – MARCH 26: Gael Andonian, Gor Malakyan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan of Armenia in action against Tanat Nuserbayev (L) of Kazakhstan during the FIFA 2018 World Cup Qualifying Round football match between Armenia and Kazakhstan at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan, Armenia on March 26, 2017. (Photo by Vahram Baghdasaryan /Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)

However, in all that time, he played just one league match for the club.

The centre-back, who has 22 caps for Armenia, came on in the last 10 minutes of a 2-1 win over RC Lens in 2014. The player he replaced was Florian Thauvin, as Marseille sought to see out their narrow victory.

Of course, Thauvin is a known name in the North-East. The French winger was a £13 million flop for Sunderland’s biggest rivals Newcastle United. He has since had the last laugh, winning the World Cup with France this summer.

Andonian will now hope he can find a way to earn a contract on Wearside but will hope for a more successful experience then his old team-mate did on the Tyne.

https://tbrfootball.com/sunderland-trialist-gael-andonians-unshakeable-link-newcastle-united-flop-florian-thauvin/

Israeli Company Allegedly Flew A Suicide Drone On A Real Combat Mission In Azerbaijan

John Hovhannisian
The Drive
Aug 30 2018
By Joseph Trevithick

The Israeli government says it plans to charge executives and other employees of a defense contractor in the country with fraud and violating the country’s export controls for military equipment. The allegations reportedly stem from an incident in Azerbaijan in which executives from Aeronautics, Limited “demonstrated” the capabilities of their Orbiter 1K suicide drone by flying a very real strike on Armenian-backed forces in a disputed border region.

Israel’s Ministry of Justice announced that it would bring the charges against Aeronautics, which came after a year-long investigation into the firm, in an official statement on Aug. 29, 2018. Though the press release offered few details, Israeli media separately obtained a leaked copy of a complaint within the Ministry of Defense that mentioned the Azerbaijan-Armenia connection and had reportedly touched off the proceedings, to begin with.

Aeronautics “has never carried out a demonstration against live targets, including in this case,” the company said in a statement after Israeli newspaper Maariv first reported the Defense Ministry complaint. “We are convinced that after we first present our position at the hearing, the State Prosecutor’s Office will reach an informed decision that there is no reason to put the company or any of its officers in court and will order the case closed,” the firm added in a response to the public announcement from the Justice Ministry.

Per Israeli media reports, the alleged incident occurred in October 2017. Officials in Azerbaijan requested the company’s personnel show off what the Orbiter 1K could do against ethnic Armenian personnel in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Israeli government has permitted private defense companies to demonstrate their wares in actual combat, but this is rare and is unlikely to have occurred in this case, since Israel does not view Armenia as an enemy, according to The Times of Israel.

The video below shows Azerbaijani forces demonstrating their Orbiter 1K loitering munitions.

The often violent dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as simply Karabakh, dates to before the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of the two countries. Though part of Azerbaijan, the region has a significant ethnic Armenian population and a rebel movement that seeks to break away and join Armenia, which has, in turn, actively supported their aspirations.

Aeronautics employees reportedly refused to carry out the 2017 mission and company executives subsequently stepped in to fly the drone themselves. Though it’s not clear if this was deliberate or not, the drone reportedly missed the target, only injuring two ethnic Armenian fighters.

It could very well be that the executives made this decision consciously since Orbiter 1K has a so-called man-in-the-loop guidance system whereby the operator is either actively flying or otherwise monitoring the video feeds from the drone and they can see what it sees throughout the mission. This is specifically supposed to help improve accuracy since the operator can correct the course of the drone constantly and account for any movement on the part of the target. It also provides an option to abort the strike right at the last moment to avoid hitting innocent civilians or if the target is no longer reachable.

This is a key feature of loitering munitions in general, which are a sort of a cross between a missile and a drone that can fly over a certain area using its onboard electro-optical and infrared video cameras to surveil the situation and search for targets. It also has an explosive warhead to directly attack any targets it finds. 

Israel has been at the forefront of the development of both loitering munitions and man-in-the-loop guidance packages. Azerbaijani authorities, which have developed very close ties with their Israeli counterparts, in no small part over their shared concerns about Iran, have also been very interested in the capabilities these suicide drones provide.

The Orbiter 1K isn't the only loitering munition the Azerbaijani military reportedly has in service. They have also acquired a number of the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) Harops and had successfully used them in combat prior to Aeronautics reportedly fraudulent “demonstration.” Azerbaijan used at least one in April 2016 to destroy a bus carrying ethnic Armenian fighters.

In April 2018, video footage slipped out of Azerbaijani forces using Harop in a slickly produced music video honoring the country’s State Border Service. Earlier in August 2018, the suicide drones reappeared at drills along the Caspian Sea, on the opposite side of the country from Nagorno-Karabakh.

You can see footage of Azerbaijani forces firing a Harop from a truck-mounted launcher at approximately 1:54 in the runtime of the video below.

Though Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan, all agreed in principle to a deal to finally divide up this body of water on Aug. 12, 2018, it had long been a hotly contested region. The exact position of the maritime boundaries could block certain countries from exploiting the oil and natural gas resources under the land-locked sea.

In 2001, an Iranian military vessel reportedly threatened a British Petroleum research vessel in a portion of the Caspian Azerbaijan had claimed as it national territory. Then, in 2009, Iran actually positioned its own oil rig in the same general area, prompting Azerbaijan to turn to the United States for help in handling the situation.

Those tensions, combined with the Israeli Justice Ministry’s assertion that Aeronautics had fraudulently obtained some sort of authorization relating to demonstrating the Orbiter 1K in Azerbaijan, raise the possibility, albeit remote, that the company might have claimed they were planning to use the drone in some way against Israel’s arch-nemesis Iran.

Israeli authorities had reportedly already begun investigating Aeronautics in September 2017, a month before the alleged strike in Nagorno-Karabakh, according to The Times of Israel. The Justice Ministry specifically accuses the company of “fraudulently obtaining something under aggravated circumstances,” Maariv’s report explained.

If the Israeli government had give the company a rare permit to launch an actual strike on Iranian forces, they might have already begun to have doubts about the legitimacy of those claims giving warming ties between Azerbaijan and Iran. In October 2017, two Azerbaijani patrol boats visited the Iranian port of Enzeli in the Caspian Sea on a goodwill mission.

It could also simply be that Aeronautics had obtained normal approvals for demonstration and export of the Orbiter 1K under false pretenses, even though they planned all along to conduct the live strike for Azerbaijani authorities. However, it is not clear how this would necessarily have been apparent to the Israeli government a month before the strike in Nagorno-Karabakh occurred.

Whatever the case, and despite Aeronautics confidence that the Israeli government won’t decide to pursue the charges in court, the Justice Ministry has already suspended its export license pending the outcome of the situation. It will be interesting to see what new details come out about this case as the legal proceedings begin.



Անգելա Մերկելը ժամանեց Երևան

John Hovhannisian
  • 24.08.2018

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Գերմանիայի կանցլեր Անգելա Մերկելը ժամանեց Երևան: Քիչ առաջ Անգելա Մերկելի ինքնաթիռը վայրէջք կատարեց «Զվարթնոց» օդանավակայանում, որտեղ նրան դիմավորեց ՀՀ վարչապետ Նիկոլ Փաշինյանը:


Այցի շրջանակներում կայանալու են հայ-գերմանական բարձր մակարդակի բանակցություններ Նիկոլ Փաշինյանի և Անգելա Մերկելի գլխավորությամբ: Հանդիպման արդյունքները նրանք կամփոփեն համատեղ մամուլի ասուլիսի ընթացքում:


Այցելության շրջանակներում կանցլեր Անգելա Մերկելը հանդիպում կունենա նաև ՀՀ նախագահ Արմեն Սարգսյանի հետ: Գերմանիայի կանցլերը կայցելի Ծիծեռնակաբերդի հուշահամալիր՝ հարգանքի տուրք մատուցելու Հայոց ցեղասպանության զոհերի հիշատակին: Անգելա Մերկելը կայցելի նաև «Թումո» ստեղծարար տեխնոլոգիաների կենտրոն:

Government follows preprations of stage for rally

John Hovhannisian
  • 18:45 | August 15,2018 | Official
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Today, members of the staff of the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Hayk and Nairi Sargsyan, personally were following the technical work

he preparations for the August 17 rally have already begun. The stage in Republic Square will soon be ready.

Today, members of the staff of the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Hayk and Nairi Sargsyan, personally were following the technical work.

Nairi Sargsyan is Pashinyan’s assistant and Hayk Sargsyan is the Deputy Chief of the Control Service.

To remind, Nikol Pashinyan invited all residents of Armeniavia his Facebook page to summarize 100 days of the power of the citizen. “From all the regions, all the cities, all the districts, from all the yards, on August 17, I love you all, bow before all of you, and take pride in you.”

Protesters Disrupt Kocharian’s News Conference

John Hovhannisian
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A group of protesters blocked Robert Kocharian from holding a press conference on August 14

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—A group of protesters burst into a hotel in Yerevan on Tuesday, preventing former President Robert Kocharian from holding a news conference there.

Kocharian was due to meet the press at a conference hall of the Erebuni Plaza hotel one day after Armenia’s Court of Appeals released him from custody and ruled that he cannot be prosecuted for a 2008 post-election crackdown on opposition protesters.

The news conference was disrupted by several dozen mostly young protesters chanting “Robert murderer!” They blamed him for the deaths of eight protesters and two police servicemen during the breakup on March 1-2, 2008 of opposition demonstrations held in the wake of a disputed presidential election.

“We wanted to both disrupt the news conference and show the people’s attitude towards yesterday’s [Court of Appeals] verdict,” said one of the protesters, Karen Tovmasyan. “It’s an obviously illegal verdict.”

“If [Kocharian] has something to say, let him say that in court,” he said.

Kocharian, who ruled Armenia from 1998-2008, was seen leaving the hotel located in downtown Yerevan from a back entrance shortly after the incident. His office was quick to accuse Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan of organizing the intrusion to stop Kocharian from speaking up. The intruders mainly included individuals close to Pashinyan, it said in a statement.

The statement said that Kocharian planned to make “important political statements” and “answer many questions” at the press conference.

“Today’s incident seems to bear out growing concerns … that the new authorities do not tolerate dissent and can persecute political opponents, especially those whose political clout and prospects are a cause for serious concern to them,” it charged.

Pashinian appealed to supporters in a Facebook video address aired following the disruption of Kocharian’s press conference. “All individuals who committed crimes against the state and the people will be held accountable,” he declared.

“Rest assured that in Armenia there is no force capable of taking on the people’s power and stopping the victory of the popular revolution,” said Pashinyan. “Whoever tries to stand in our way will end up in the garbage dump of history.”

Kocharian was arrested on July 27 on charges of “overthrowing the constitutional order” after the February 2008 election marred by opposition allegations of fraud. The charges stem from what Armenia’s Special Investigative Service (SIS) calls illegal use of the armed forces against supporters of the main opposition presidential candidate, Levon Ter-Petrossian. Kocharian rejects them as politically motivated.

The 63-year-old ex-president was set free on Monday immediately after the Court of Appeals ruled that the Armenian constitution gives him immunity from prosecution. The SIS condemned the decision as “illegal” and urged state prosecutors to ask the higher Court of Cassation to overturn it.