Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Eshoo and Padilla Lead Bipartisan, Bicameral Letter Requesting Aid for Armenia in Upcoming National Security Bill

Kajoyan Gevork
Dec 4 2023

December 4, 2023
Press Release


Washington, D.C. – U.S. Representative Anna G. Eshoo and U.S. Senator Alex Padilla led a bipartisan group of 60 Senators and House Members in writing to Congressional Leadership to request the inclusion of military and humanitarian aid for Armenia in upcoming national security supplemental appropriations legislation.

 “We strongly support the inclusion of funds in any supplemental appropriations bill to strengthen the U.S.-Armenia security partnership and help address the severe humanitarian challenges caused by Azerbaijan’s recent aggression,” the Members wrote. “As a small democracy in a region dominated by autocrats, Armenia is particularly vulnerable.”

“We thank Congresswoman Eshoo and Senator Padilla for partnering in this bicameral call on President Biden to invest in Armenia’s security and meaningfully support Artsakh’s refugees,” said Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “Any spending measure needs to include increased military aid to Armenia and robust humanitarian assistance for displaced Armenians from Artsakh.”

“We commend Senator Padilla and Representative Eshoo for spearheading this bipartisan letter urging security assistance to Armenia as well as humanitarian aid for the Armenian people of Artsakh,” said Armenian Assembly of America Congressional Relations Director Mariam Khaloyan. “We strongly support the inclusion of funds in any supplemental appropriations bill to strengthen the U.S.-Armenia security partnership and help address the severe humanitarian challenges caused by Azerbaijan’s recent aggression.”

In September of this year, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked military offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh, displacing over 100,000 ethnic Armenians from their homeland and ending their more than three decades of self-rule. The assault has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis, with Armenia absorbing tens of thousands of refugees.

In their letter, the bipartisan group of lawmakers requests that at least $10 million in military aid for Armenia be included in the supplemental appropriations bill to deter further Azerbaijani aggression. The letter also voices support for including robust humanitarian aid in the legislation and recognizes that a portion of these funds should be made available to Armenia to meet the needs of the thousands of refugees who were forced from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh.

In addition to Representative Eshoo and Senator Padilla, the letter is signed by Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.), and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), as well as Representatives Alma Adams (D-N.C.-12), Gabe Amo (D-R.I.-01), Jake Auchincloss (D-Mass.-04), Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio-03), Donald Beyer, Jr. (D-Va.-08), Tony Cárdenas (D-Calif.-29), Joaquin Castro (D-Texas-20), Judy Chu (D-Calif.-28), Jim Costa (D-Calif.-21), Danny Davis (D-Ill.-07), Madeleine Dean (D-Penn.-04), Dan Goldman (D-N.Y.-10), Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.-34), Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.-05), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.-37), Andy Kim (D-N.J.-03), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.-08), Michael Lawler (R-N.Y.-17), Susie Lee (D-Nev.-03), Ted Lieu (D-Calif.-36), Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.-18), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.-02), James McGovern (D-Mass.-02), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.-08), Grace Meng (D-N.Y.-06), Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.-31), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.-06), Scott Peters (D-Calif.-50), Katie Porter (D-Calif.-47), Jamie Raskin (D-Md.-08), Deborah Ross (D-N.C.-02), C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.-02), John Sarbanes (D-Md.-03), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.-09), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.-30), Brad Sherman (D-Calif.-32), Christopher Smith (R-N.J.-04), Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.-07), Haley Stevens (D-Mich.-11), Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.-14), Dina Titus (D-Nev.-01), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.-12), Paul Tonko (D-N.Y.-20), Lori Trahan (D-Mass.-03), David Trone (D-Md.-06), David Valadao (R-Calif.-22), and Nydia Velázquez (D-N.Y.-07).

A PDF of the letter can be found HEREand the text of the letter is below:

Dear Speaker Johnson, Majority Leader Schumer, Minority Leader Jeffries, and Minority Leader McConnell,

As Congress considers supplemental funding to enhance the security of our allies, we would like to highlight a vulnerable democracy that warrants American support: the Republic of Armenia. We strongly support the inclusion of funds in any supplemental appropriations bill to strengthen the U.S.-Armenia security partnership and help address the severe humanitarian challenges caused by Azerbaijan’s recent aggression.

On September 19th, Azerbaijan launched an unprovoked military offensive on Nagorno-Karabakh, displacing 120,000 ethnically Armenian civilians from their homeland and ending their more than three decades of self-rule. The assault was the culmination of a cruel blockade that deprived the region’s population of food, medicine, and other necessities for nearly ten months. Azerbaijan’s aggression has resulted in a devastating humanitarian crisis, with Armenia absorbing tens of thousands of refugees.

Now that Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev has reshaped the region using military force, we fear that he is emboldened to do so again. We are particularly concerned that Azerbaijan will continue its aggression by invading the sovereign territory of Armenia. Ominously, Aliyev recently referred to southern Armenia as “western Azerbaijan” and called for the “liberation” of eight Armenian villages along the Azerbaijani border.  

As a small democracy in a region dominated by autocrats, Armenia is particularly vulnerable. This is especially true now that Armenia has distanced itself from Russia, Armenia’s traditional security guarantor, in pursuit of closer ties with western democracies. We believe the U.S. has an important role to play in ensuring Armenia’s security is not jeopardized because of its decision to break away from Putin’s murderous regime.

At this inflection point for the Caucasus, U.S. leadership is needed to deter further Azerbaijani aggression and enable Armenians to defend their democracy. To this end, we respectfully request that at least $10 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) for Armenia be included in the forthcoming supplemental appropriations package. We are also pleased that the President’s supplemental request includes robust funding for humanitarian aid, and we’re hopeful that a portion of these funds will be made available to Armenia to meet the humanitarian needs of the 120,000 refugees who were recently forced from their homes in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Thank you in advance for your consideration of our requests and for your commitment to strengthening American support for vulnerable democracies throughout the world.

Sincerely,

https://eshoo.house.gov/media/press-releases/eshoo-and-padilla-lead-bipartisan-bicameral-letter-requesting-aid-armenia

How are external factors complicating the political landscape in the South Caucasus?

Kajoyan Gevork
 Yeghia Tashjian Tashjian's Take, Columns 0

After Armenia’s defeat in the 2020 Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh war and the shift of the geopolitical balance of power in the South Caucasus in favor of Azerbaijan, new external factors emerged that have shaped the future of the region. Some of these factors were related to geopolitical developments such as the war in Ukraine, the Indian-Pakistani rivalry, and the war between Israel and Hamas. Moreover, some geo-economic trends and the rise of new economic actors in the region had an impact on the political landscape. The expansion of BRICS (an intergovernmental organization comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) and competition over regional economic corridors have deepened cooperation, and sometimes mistrust, between local actors, as new alliances have emerged.

After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the prolongation of the war of attrition between both sides, Russia became distracted from the developments in the South Caucasus. This gave Azerbaijan the opportunity to pursue its expansionist policy toward Armenia by engaging in military incursions on Armenian border villages, blockading the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor connecting Artsakh and Armenia and completing the ethnic cleansing of the Armenians of Artsakh, amid the passive position of Russian peacekeeping forces. Moreover, the vacuum created by Russia pushed Turkey and Iran to engage in proactive foreign policy, as each tried to promote its security and economic interests in the region, often clashing or cooperating on many issues. 

Russia’s inability to aid Armenia in times of need pushed Yerevan to diversify its security relations and seek help from other actors, such as India or France. The acquisition of arms from France raised certain concerns in Russia, as many analysts hinted that Armenia is in the process of leaving the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization amid the deepening diplomatic crack between Moscow and Yerevan. Such a move would expose Yerevan’s vulnerability if a security alternative is not found that can protect Armenia against a new joint Baku-Ankara attack. 

A second factor complicating regional politics is the conflict in South Asia between India and Pakistan. India has shown interest in the South Caucasus due to its backing of the International North-South Transport Corridor (INSTC) connecting Northern Europe and Russia to India via the Caucasus and Iran. Of course, containing the growing Turkish-Pakistani-Azerbaijani security axis is another concern for India, as New Delhi is wary that the political success of this axis can be replicated in other areas in the future, especially in Kashmir, where India and Pakistan are in conflict.

The recent arms deal between New Delhi and Yerevan must be viewed from this angle, as India is becoming an active player in the region. As clearly reflected in Indian media, Indian analysts and commentators argue that these arms deals have geopolitical components, as India aims to establish itself as a reliable defense partner globally and secure its regional interests by containing Pakistan and Turkey’s ambitions in the region. In this strategy of containment and aid to Armenia, Iran plays a crucial role. While Yerevan is unable to purchase Iranian weapons due to fear of the U.S. or Western reaction, Tehran is becoming a transit route for Indian weapons to reach Armenia. 

The final external geopolitical factor is the Israeli-Iranian conflict, imported from the Middle East and the war in Gaza. Israel views the region from the prism of containing Iran. In this context, Azerbaijan is a key energy and security partner for Israel, as it supplies Tel Aviv with 40-percent of its oil needs and in return gets access to arms. Over the previous years, Israel has sold Azerbaijan ballistic missiles, drones, munitions and air defense systems. Meanwhile, Iran views Azerbaijani-Israeli security and military cooperation as a threat to its national security and territorial integrity and regards Armenia as a valuable partner in the region. Iran is also concerned about the realization of the “Zangezur Corridor.” Iran fears that the establishment of this Turkish-Azerbaijani-backed “extraterritorial corridor” through Armenia’s southern province Syunik could jeopardize Iranian interests by cutting the Armenian-Iranian border and threatening the Persian Gulf-Black Sea Corridor (also known as the North-South Transport Route), connecting Georgia to Iran via Armenia, which is viewed as an alternative road to the INSTC, connecting Iran to Russia via Azerbaijan’s railways and highways. Iranian officials and experts have occasionally called for the prevention of the establishment of a “NATO” or “Turanic” corridor connecting Turkey directly to Central Asia via Armenia. To ease the Azerbaijani pressure on Syunik, Iran has offered an alternative “corridor” (called the Aras corridor) connecting Azerbaijan proper to exclave Nakhichevan via its territories.

Meanwhile, the prolongation of the war in Gaza between Israel and Hamas may create new challenges or opportunities in the South Caucasus. As Israel is “sidelined” from the South Caucasus and distracted by war, this may push Azerbaijan to deepen its dependence on Russia, Turkey and Iran. In another scenario, Iran’s distraction from the South Caucasus or a possible direct clash between Tel Aviv and Tehran may turn the region into a new battlefront. 

15th BRICS Summit (Flickr)

The expansion of BRICS and the competition over regional trade routes are also external geo-economic factors that need to be considered when assessing the current developments in the South Caucasus. Iran’s accession to BRICS is a win for Russia, India and China. Since former U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew from the JCPOA, the Iran nuclear deal, Moscow and Beijing have tried to integrate Iran into their regional architectures. Iran’s accession to BRICS will further facilitate regional interconnectivity projects within the context of the INSTC or other similar projects. This could also make the bloc attractive for Armenia and Azerbaijan in the future. 

There are two major trade corridors passing via the South Caucasus—the Russian and Iranian-backed INSTC and the Turkish-backed “Middle Corridor.” In addition to their geo-economic background, these corridors also have geopolitical weight, as each regional actor tries to extend its economic and political influence beyond the region by facilitating regional trade interconnectivity. The South Caucasus is at the crossroads of these corridors, where the geo-economic interests of regional actors clash and intersect. 

For Russia, after its invasion of Ukraine, the South Caucasus became its only gateway to the Middle East and new developing markets. If the INSTC becomes operational, and if in the future Syria is linked to Iran via Iraq, then Russia for the first time would have direct land access to its military port in Tartous on the Syrian coast of the Eastern Mediterranean. By doing so, Russia would not only score a geo-economic goal by enhancing economic interconnectivity, but also geopolitically could minimize the U.S. influence in the region, as participating in economic corridors would be seen as a “win-win” solution for local actors. 

Finally, Russia also envisions connecting the INSTC to other regional corridors in order to secure access to Turkey and contain Turkish and Western economic expansion via the “Middle Corridor.” Establishing trade routes between Armenia and Azerbaijan would encourage the opening of Armenia’s Gyumri border with Turkey’s Kars, unify the railway systems of Russia (as a Russian company is responsible for the management of the railway system in Armenia) and Turkey, and create an additional corridor for communication between Turkey and Azerbaijan—and a potential link to the INSTC. For this reason, Russia aims to control the trade routes passing through Syunik, as was mentioned in the November 10, 2020 trilateral ceasefire statement.

To conclude, several key external geopolitical and geo-economic factors are complicating the political landscape of the already fragile region of South Caucasus. The fall of Artsakh in September 2023 further complicated the region, as relations between Yerevan and Moscow have reached a new level of political mistrust. The former is distancing itself from its traditional ally, as Russia has not addressed Armenia’s security in its time of need. This, however, will not be an easy task for Armenia, as the West does not have the collective political will to replace Russia in the region or to send troops to protect Armenia against any future escalation with Azerbaijan. Amid increasing conflicts and regional competition, the coming year may add additional challenges to a region that is already vulnerable to external threats.

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Yeghia Tashjian is a regional analyst and researcher. He has graduated from the American University of Beirut in Public Policy and International Affairs. He pursued his BA at Haigazian University in political science in 2013. In 2010, he founded the New Eastern Politics forum/blog. He was a research assistant at the Armenian Diaspora Research Center at Haigazian University. Currently, he is the regional officer of Women in War, a gender-based think tank. He has participated in international conferences in Frankfurt, Vienna, Uppsala, New Delhi and Yerevan. He has presented various topics from minority rights to regional security issues. His thesis topic was on China’s geopolitical and energy security interests in Iran and the Persian Gulf. He is a contributor to various local and regional newspapers and a presenter of the “Turkey Today” program for Radio Voice of Van. Recently he has been appointed as associate fellow at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs at the American University of Beirut and Middle East-South Caucasus expert in the European Geopolitical Forum.


Armenian Prime Minister meets with European Broadcasting Union Director-General

Kajoyan Gevork

 16:35, 21 November 2023

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has held a meeting with Noel Curran, Director-General of the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).

PM Pashinyan attached importance to close cooperation and joint projects between the Public Television of Armenia and the EBU, the Prime Minister's Office said in a readout. 

The Prime Minister also attached importance to the role of Public Television and stressed the need for work aimed at its continual development, re-equipping and development of skills of employees.

Noel Curran said that the EBU is interested to closely cooperate with Armenia’s Public Television and is ready to contribute to its development and capacity-building.

The sides also discussed issues pertaining to the role of television broadcasters, freedom of _expression_, and fight against fake news in modern conditions.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 21-11-23

Kajoyan Gevork

 16:45, 21 November 2023

YEREVAN, 21 NOVEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 21 November, USD exchange rate up by 0.36 drams to 402.56 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.20 drams to 440.64 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.03 drams to 4.58 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 3.39 drams to 505.01 drams.

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

Gold price down by 136.91 drams to 25480.10 drams. Silver price down by 7.62 drams to 302.66 drams.

Disputed land deal threatens future of Jerusalem’s Armenian community

Kajoyan Gevork
The Irish Times
Nov 26 2023
Hannah McCarthy in Jerusalem
Sun Nov 26 2023 – 14:00

It’s almost midnight and a group of people nervously talk among themselves on Armenian Orthodox Patriarchate Road in Jerusalem’s old city. One man holds a muzzled dog, while another speaks anxiously on a phone. The group becomes agitated as an Israeli police car drives down the narrow street towards the car park that lies on land owned by the local Armenian church.

Inside the car park, about 200 local residents of the Armenian quarter are gathered at the site that they say is under threat from an Israeli-Australian property developer. Known as the Cow’s Garden, the site includes a seminary, community hall, five homes and represents 25 per cent of the Armenian quarter’s land in the old city. Surrounded by historic ramparts, the car park is an important space for the 1,000 Armenians who still live within the old city and a possible site for affordable housing.

Many protesters are descendants of those displaced by the Armenian genocide committed by Turkish Ottomans more than a century ago, although the Armenian presence in Jerusalem dates back more than 1,600 years. “There were contacts between Armenia and Palestine even before Christ, and the Cathedral of St James – which stands today at the heart of Jerusalem’s Armenian community – was founded around 420 AD,” says Matthew Teller, author of Nine Quarters of Jerusalem. Like Palestinians in the old city, Armenians are technically stateless and deemed residents rather than full citizens of Israel, after its forces occupied East Jerusalem and the West Bank in 1967.

The Armenian community’s future is under threat after its local religious leader, known as a patriarch, Nourhan Manougian, entered into a controversial deal in 2021 to lease church land to Xana Capital, a United Arab Emirates company owned by an Israeli-Australian property developer who plans to build a hotel. The developer did not respond to a request for comment sent on LinkedIn.

Local resident Kegham Balian says the deal undervalued the old city site and should never have been agreed to without the community’s consent. One priest who was heavily involved in the deal has since been defrocked and after significant backlash, Manougian says he cancelled the deal with Xana Capital last month – although members of the community have not yet seen the letter cancelling the lease.

Despite the deal supposedly being cancelled and no court order enforcing the lease, armed Israeli settlers turned up at the car park on November 5th with dogs and pepper spray; while diggers remain at the site, after arriving earlier this month and knocking down one wall and digging up in one section of the car park. The Armenian community rallied in response and set up a 24-hour watch to prevent further demolition, which senior church leaders in Jerusalem criticised as “illegal actions”.

On this night, those gathered at the car park were joined by patriarch Manougian – who arrived in a black Mercedes and refused to speak to these pages – and several priests who led locals in prayers. “We’re peaceful and we get on with our Jewish and Palestinian neighbours,” says Balian, “but if we don’t make a stand here, the entire Cow’s Garden will be gone.”

Earlier that evening, Setrag Balian says the Israeli police arrived with a private security company and told them that if they didn’t leave the site, they would be forced to by Israeli soldiers. The next day armed settlers arrived again, accompanied by Israeli police who arrested three Armenians while demanding they produce evidence that the land is theirs.

An Israeli military spokesperson referred The Irish Times to the Israeli police for comment, who said: “The Israel Police is not a party to civil or contractual disputes and it is not part of its role. Upon receiving reports or complaints in suspicion of a criminal offence, they are dealt with by the police accordingly.”

The Armenian Quarter sits beside the old city’s Jewish Quarter and includes one of the main routes to the Western Wall, one of Judaism’s holiest sites.

Israeli lawyer Daniel Seidemann, who founded Terrestrial Jerusalem which tracks development that harms the status and stability of the contested city, says that “settlers are interested in creating an uninterrupted bridge between Jaffa Gate and the Jewish quarter of the city” and describes this as dovetailing with a wider strategy backed by the Israeli authorities to encircle the old city with settlements and biblically-inspired settlement projects. As examples, he cites Israeli encroachment in the Palestinian neighbourhood of Sheik Jarrah and proposals for a settler-run national park on the Mount of Olives.

Multiple properties in Jerusalem’s Muslim and Christian neighbourhoods have become embroiled in opaque transactions often involving shell companies which sometimes lie dormant for years before groups aligned with settlers take legal action to force possession through the Israeli courts.

With media attention focused on the war in Gaza and in the West Bank, Seidemann believes settlers see an opportunity to quickly take possession of the strategic Armenian site. “What is happening there is not only a threat to the community, it is a threat to the integrity of the city,” he says. “Jerusalem would not be Jerusalem without a vibrant Armenian community.”

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https://www.irishtimes.com/world/middle-east/2023/11/26/disputed-land-deal-threatens-future-of-jerusalems-armenian-community/

UN Special Rapporteur briefed on the legislative reforms implemented in the Armenia’s judicial system

Kajoyan Gevork

 18:47,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. The Chair of the Armenian National Assembly Standing Committee on Labor and Social Affairs Heriknaz Tigranyan on Nov. 23 held a meeting with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Promotion of Truth, Justice, Reparation and Guarantees of Non-Recurrence Fabian Savioli.

During the meeting Heriknaz Tigranyan highly appreciated the importance of the UN Special Rapporteur’s mandate and the mission of visiting Armenia in the period full of challenge, the National Assembly of Armenia said in a statement.

“Within the framework of the working visit the UN Special Rapporteur, as an independent expert has been trying to highlight the events happening in Armenia since the independence, which refer to the protection of human rights, the institute of damage compensation and the transitional justice.

Heriknaz Tigranyan presented the legislative reforms implemented in the judicial system, the protection of human rights. The works being done on the servicemen’s social guarantees and compensation mechanisms were discussed in detail.

The Committee Chair underscored that the social protection issues of the servicemen and their family members are always in the center of attention of the legislative and executive bodies.

 The member of the Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs Marina Ghazaryan also attended the meeting,’’ reads the statement.

Al Jazeera: Jerusalem churches warn against settlers taking over Armenian neighborhood land

Kajoyan Gevork
News.am, Armenia
Nov 18 2023
22:35, 18.11.2023

Church leaders are concerned about attempts by Israeli settlers to seize a significant plot of land in the Armenian neighborhood of occupied East Jerusalem, Al Jazeera reported.

In a statement, Jerusalem's patriarchs and church heads said they were concerned about "a threat to the Christian presence in the Holy Land" after an Israeli developer – himself a settler – attempted to gain control of the land in dispute through violent means.

The developer is making claims after a deal was signed several years ago with Armenian Patriarch Nourhan Manougian. Jordan and Palestine stripped Manoogian of his status as patriarch because of questionable real estate deals. The Armenian Patriarchate has since withdrawn from the agreement.

The real estate transaction reportedly concerns a vast tract of land representing 25 percent of the total area of the Armenian neighborhood in Jerusalem's Old City. The churches have asked the Israeli authorities to allow the courts to consider the matter. In the meantime, they have expressed fears that the land will be seized.


East Jerusalem: Israeli settlers seek to take over Armenian Quarter by force

Kajoyan Gevork
Nov 16 2023
Armed settlers, backed by Israeli security forces, attempt to occupy almost 25 percent of Armenian Quarter in 'existential threat' to centuries-old community
By Elis Gjevori

A convoy of Israeli settlers' cars and motorcycles entered the Armenian Quarter in occupied East Jerusalem on Wednesday, looking to usurp the Armenian-held area, the community has said in a statement. 

The Movement for the Protection and Preservation of the Armenian Quarter, in a post on Instagram, warned that tensions were high and that Israeli police had “without probable cause” arrested three Armenians, including a minor, while backing Israeli settlers. 

“Instead of removing the trespassers, the Israeli police permitted a few settlers to continue their presence intended to possess the Armenian property,” said the community in a statement. 

With Israel’s war on Gaza taking much of the world's attention, Israeli settlers in the occupied territories, including the Old City in East Jerusalem, have increasingly used the distraction to press illegal land claims.

The movement said that the attempt by Israeli settlers to overrun the “Armenian Gardens” – known as the “Cows' Garden” in the Old City of Jerusalem, was a “malicious attempt to change facts on the ground”.

“We are fighting now for the integrity of the Armenian and Christian quarters,” said Hagop Djernazian, a co-founder of the movement to save the Armenian quarter, and member of the Jerusalemite Armenian Community. 

The dispute started after the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem signed a murky and secretive deal with a company named Zana Capital, leasing the historical Armenian gardens, to build a luxury hotel, he explained.

'We may face an existential threat, not only to the Armenian presence in Jerusalem, but also to the Christian'

- Hagop Djernazian, activist

“Unfortunately this deal includes manipulations and fraud,” said Djernazian, speaking to Middle East Eye. 

The community now faces an existential threat from a deal that would see some 25 percent of the Armenian quarter sold on a 99-year lease to Israeli settler communities looking to purportedly build a luxury development. 

The Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem announced on 26 October that a letter was sent to the companies managing the development that the deal would be cancelled. 

Though signed in 2021, the deal became public in 2023, when one of the Israeli businesses sought to take ownership, sparking protests from the Armenian community. 

“Since 26 October, the so-called Zana Company, which turns out was backed by settlers and Ateret Cohanim, a settler organisation trying to change the demographic makeup of the Old City into a Jewish majority, are trying to provoke and to take over parts of the land by force,” said Djernazian. 

Israeli settlers had attempted to intimidate the community and the movement to save the Armenian Quarter by, amongst other things, bringing bulldozers and trucks to demolish walls and the land, said Djernazian. 

“They brought in armed settlers two weeks ago to take over the land by force using armed settlers and attack dogs,” he added. 

“Yesterday and today the so-called company brought a security company so they can take over the land by force with the support and cooperation of the Israeli police.”

The far-right Israeli government, headed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which is also comprised of settlers, has created an even more permissive climate for such land grabs. 

A group of Armenians in cooperation with the Patriarchate, protested in the Armenian Quarter to stop illegal construction on their land (Movement to Protect Armenian Quarter)

“Authorities are not doing anything to save and help the Armenian community,” said Djernazian, adding that “they are doing the opposite of saving the Armenian community. They are pressuring us.”

Djernazian said that they now believe Israeli settlers are behind the deal whereby the land was initially sold to an Australian businessman. 

“These Israeli settlers are backed by the Israeli government, and ministers in the Israeli government are pressuring the community and putting the community in a great existential threat,” added Djernazian. 

The future of the Armenian community and more broadly that of the wider Christian community in the Old City now hangs in the balance. 

“If we succeed in this struggle to protect the integrity of the Armenian Quarter to protect our lands, we can continue and live in Jerusalem as we did since the fourth century by encouraging our youth to stay here,” said Djernazian. 

“But, unfortunately, if we do not succeed to cancel the deal officially, we may face an existential threat, not only to the Armenian presence in Jerusalem, but also to the Christian presence, because this deal puts the Armenian and Christian quarters in great danger,” added Djernazian.

“Christians should unite and join forces with the Armenians in order to protect the status quo and the mosaic of the holy city of Jerusalem and also for us to have a future in this city,” he added.

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/israeli-settlers-jerusalem-take-over-armenian-quarter-force

U.S. to continue to engage towards Armenia-Azerbaijan peace, says State Department

Kajoyan Gevork

 13:01, 8 November 2023

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan continues to be a ‘priority’ for the United States, State Department Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel has said.

He said the U.S. is still ready to host the next round of Armenian-Azeri peace talks.

“Of course,” Patel said at a press briefing when asked whether Washington is still an option for the next round of the negotiations. “Outside of everything that of course is going on in the world that often sometimes takes up a lot of the oxygen in this room, peace between those two countries continues to be a priority for us, for Secretary Blinken, and it’s something that the department will continue to engage towards,” Patel added.

EUMA expansion to be discussed in Brussels by year-end

Kajoyan Gevork

 14:44, 1 November 2023

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The issue of expanding the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) will be discussed in Brussels by year-end, EUMA Head of Mission Markus Ritter has said.

EUMA now includes representatives of 23 countries of the EU.

Ritter told reporters on November 1 that there is a possibility that representatives of all 27 countries will be included in EUMA. He said that there is “a lot of political attention” towards EUMA because of the developments taking place.

"The enlargement is something that also will be discussed in Brussels by the end of the year. We have to wait for the results. But, as it has been said before, at the moment because of the events here in autumn this mission has a lot of political attention," he said.

Last week, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly visited Armenia and announced that Canada will join EUMA, becoming the first country outside the EU to do so.

Ritter said that if other non-EU countries also express desire to join EUMA, then the issue will be discussed in Brussels.