Author: Kanayan Tamar

Armenian Deputy FM, co-founder of Artsakh-European Parliament friendship group refer to regional security issues

Kanayan Tamar

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 20:02,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. On February 23, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Paruyr Hovhannisyan received the delegation led by MEP François Alfonsi, co-founder of the friendship group with Artsakh in the European Parliament.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Armenia, during the meeting, the parties discussed the security situation in the South Caucasus region, the importance of the deployment of the EU observation mission, the need for the immediate release of the Armenian prisoners of war kept in Azerbaijani captivity, and the steps to preserve the Armenian cultural heritage.

The deputy minister presented in detail the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by the blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan. In this context, the parties highlighted the decision of the International Court of Justice regarding the indication of provisional measures against Azerbaijan.

It is noted that a number of issues of the Armenia-EU partnership agenda were discussed, including inter-parliamentary cooperation. Paruyr Hovhannisyan highly appreciated the firm position of the European Parliament on issues of primary importance for the Armenian side, which was reflected in the relevant resolutions and reports.

US authorities are ready to hold a meeting with Russia to discuss Strategic Offensive Arms

Kanayan Tamar

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 20:34,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. The US President Joe Biden's administration has expressed readiness to meet with Russian partners to discuss the Strategic Offensive Arms Reduction and Limitation Treaty, in which Russia recently suspended participation, ARMENPRESS reports, Gazeta website informed, citing the representative of the National Security Council of the White House.

"We are ready to meet with Russia to discuss issues related to the treaty and nuclear stability," the US official said.

The US administration has also announced its willingness to work on key arms control measures.

In his address to the Federal Assembly, the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, informed that Moscow is suspending the participation in the "Treaty between the Russian Federation and the United States on the Reduction and Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms", signed in 2010.




Mergers must be transparent and justified. Ours was neither

Kanayan Tamar
Jan 15 2023
by Karine Harutyunyan

The Armenian government’s aborted attempt to amalgamate three universities has left a bad taste, says Karine Harutyunyan

In recent years, many countries have considered merging higher education institutions to rationalise systems, reduce costs or improve performance in rankings. But consolidating two or more institutions into a single organisation is complicated and time-consuming at the best of times. When mergers are imposed without prior consent, they can be extremely disruptive – as shown by Armenia’s recent experience.

Though a small country, Armenia has a relatively large and complex higher education system. It has 58 higher education institutions (HEIs): 23 public, 26 private, four “inter-state” (co-funded by another state) and five foreign branch campuses – all catering for just 86,000 students. Reform is undoubtedly needed to increase efficiency and effectiveness.

According to the government’s State Programme for the Development of Education of Armenia to 2030, mergers will create between five and eight public universities that are fully state funded – and that are also permitted to charge tuition fees. The aim is that at least four will enter the top 500 in recognised international rankings (no Armenian university is in the top 1,500 of Times Higher Education’s World University Rankings). It is hoped that the resulting boost in prestige for the Armenian system will prompt foreign student numbers to at least double.

In October, the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports started a legal process to merge the Brusov State University and the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports into the Armenian State Pedagogical University, However, this was done in advance of the official adoption of the development programme by the National Assembly and the preparation of a comprehensive consolidation plan for all HEIs – or even the publication of guiding principles. No strategic, financial or risk analysis was carried out and, most significantly, the ministry neither negotiated with the affected HEIs nor consulted stakeholders. The draft “decision of government” was submitted to the ministries of finance and justice for their opinions, but via an instrument that avoids the need for public discussions.

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The rectors of the affected HEIs had been informed of the plan in August by the minister, but the meeting was unproductive and counterarguments about the fundamental differences among the institutions and their fields of study were disregarded. No justification or explanation was offered for the selection of the specific HEIs or the hasty time frame.

Moreover, it was not until 11 October that myself, university staff and students at Brusov first learned – from state representatives on our management board – that the legal merger process was already under way. This information rapidly spread, raising anxiety and resentment within the university community. Two open sessions of the academic council were held, which the minister declined to attend. In a very tense atmosphere, students and staff expressed their concerns about the purpose, justification and likely negative outcomes of the merger. They also voiced their dissatisfaction at the process’ secrecy.

The students announced a strike and, during 10 days of protest, thousands of them, together with academic and other staff, marched to the ministry chanting anti-merger slogans. A letter was submitted to the prime minister signed by almost 4,000 Brusov students and staff requesting the suspension of the process and the formation of a working group to develop a comprehensive programme for increasing quality in Armenian higher education – including, if necessary, an evidence-based consolidation plan for HEIs that took into account the views of key stakeholders.

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On 21 October, a university delegation comprising myself, staff members and students met the deputy prime minister. We were finally heard and the merger decision was suspended. Assurances were also given that the opinion of students and staff would be taken into account before the plan goes ahead. Afterwards, a working group was set up by the prime minister to explore system optimisation, including mergers, based on data analysis.

During this difficult episode, confidence in the minister’s willingness to look at the evidence and consult with stakeholders has been eroded, and trust among the three affected institutions has been undermined. A new minister was appointed recently. Hopefully, approaches will be reconsidered. The ultimate lesson is that every step in a merger process should be transparent and inclusive – because forced mergers are unlikely to succeed.

Karine Harutyunyan is rector of Brusov State University.

Commerce Secretary Raimondo urged to block U.S. rifle sale to Azerbaijan

Kanayan Tamar
Panorama
Armenia – Feb 15 2023

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) national and Rhode Island affiliate called on Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to oppose any consideration of granting a license to permit the export of rifles to Azerbaijan, ANCA reported on Wednesday.

In a February 13th letter, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian and the local ANC chair from Secretary Raimondo’s home state of Rhode Island, Steve Elmasian, explained, “As you know, from your long friendship with Americans of Armenian heritage in Rhode Island and across the United States, our community is deeply troubled by the U.S. military aid program to Baku, and even more shocked by the possibility that American offensive weaponry may be deployed against Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia. The victims of Azerbaijan’s attacks are, very often, the relatives and friends of Armenian American citizens.”

News of a possible sale of U.S. rifles – including assault-style and semi-automatic sniper models – to Azerbaijan broke on February 1st when Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Robert Menendez (D-NJ) announced his “deep concern and strong opposition” to the effort.

In a letter to Secretary Raimondo, Sen. Menendez explained that Azerbaijani atrocities against Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia are well documented, citing the September 2022 attack on sovereign Armenian territory and the now two-month blockade of Artsakh, which has left the 120,000 indigenous Armenian population without sufficient food, medicine, and rolling gas stoppages in freezing conditions. Sen. Menendez also highlighted Azerbaijan’s ongoing extrajudicial killings, torture, and unlawful treatment of Armenians following the 2020 Artsakh war, as documented in the State Department’s 2021 Country Report on Human Rights.

“The export of weapons to an authoritarian country that wages war against a neighbor, blockades a vulnerable population, and commits rampant human rights violations at home is not consistent with the Administration’s commitment to democracy and human rights,” Sen. Menendez stated. “Further, the consideration of this export license further compounds my dismay that the Administration continues to allow the export of assault-style and sniper rifles abroad – even while supporting an assault-style rifle ban domestically – and deepens my reservations about the Department of Commerce having jurisdiction over such exports,” concluded Senator Menendez.

As Rhode Island general treasurer and later governor, Secretary Raimondo worked closely with the ANC of Rhode Island and the state’s Armenian American community, attending community events and taking a principled position condemning the Armenian Genocide.

During the 2017 Armenian Genocide commemoration, then-Governor Raimondo remarked, “We come together today as a community to remind ourselves of the Genocide and of the atrocities; and also to provide comfort to members of the community who are still struggling with loss and painful memories; but, probably most important, to commit ourselves to the cause of peace and tolerance and diversity – so that it never happens again. And I think now, if you look around at what’s happening in the world, and even in this country, it’s very troubling – it is deeply troubling – when I see, sometimes in this state, expressions of religious intolerance and racism. And as your Governor, I want you to know there is no place for that in Rhode Island. And I reaffirm to you our core value of diversity, of religious freedom, and of tolerance here in Rhode Island. […] Today, we stand shoulder to shoulder to remind ourselves of the Genocide and to recommit ourselves – and remember, every time you hear an _expression_ of hatred, of intolerance, of racism or religious discrimination – don’t be silent, speak out.”

In her 2018 gubernatorial proclamation on the “Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide,” Governor Raimondo wrote, “we must do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide, not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help us better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from our own.”

Nancy Pelosi meets Armenian counterpart to discuss enhancing peace and stability in the region

Kanayan Tamar
Sept 18 2022

By Chris King 

 

Nancy Pelosi, the US Speaker of the House met today, Sunday, September 18, with her Armenian counterpart, Alen Simonyan. They are believed to have discussed among other things, ways of enhancing peace and stability in the region in light of the recent attacks by neighbouring Azerbaijan.

It was a historic first visit for Pelosi to Yerevan, who arrived yesterday, Saturday, September 17, heading a Congressional delegation. She sat with Somonyan in the National Assembly of Armenia. Other topics known to have been spoken about were the two country’s shared democratic values, as well as enhancing their inter-parliamentary relationship.

She also met with the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to discuss the continued US-Armenian partnership. The PM is facing a tough time following the aggression by Azerbaijan, with the country’s opposition calling for him to resign.

Earlier today, the delegation of Pelosi, FrankPallone, Jackie Speier, and Anna Eshoo, joined Mr Simonyan on a visit to Tsitsernakaberd, where he showed them the Armenian Genocide Memorial. The US party paid their respects by laying flowers and observing a moment of silence before being given a tour of the museum.


Members of Congress push US government to penalize Azerbaijani and Turkish regimes for attack on Artsakh

Kanayan Tamar

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 10:56, 2 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. US Members of Congress Frank Pallone, Gus Bilirakis, Jackie Speier, David Valadao and Adam Schiff sent a letter to President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan on the occasion of the 31st anniversary of Artsakh’s Independence Day.

“We write to congratulate you and the people of the Republic of Artsakh on your 31st Independence Day. The United States Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues offers our support and stands with your people as you face the ongoing challenges and threats posed by Azerbaijan with incredible resilience.

We are pushing the United States government to take every available diplomatic action possible to penalize the Azerbaijani and Turkish regimes for their attacks in 2020 and their deadly actions that continue to this day. We are strongly urging the Biden Administration to commit meaningful aid to the displaced families from Artsakh currently in Armenia and to those who bravely remain in your country after these deadly attacks. This conflict demonstrates the dire need for international actors to pressure President Aliyev into halting his blatant human rights violations and return in good faith to negotiations. In addition, we recognize the importance of having the people of Artsakh directly participate in negotiations regarding the country’s territorial integrity, its international status, and its ability to secure a durable and lasting peace.

We remain committed to advocating for official engagement between the United States government and your administration, and we look forward to working with you to build on Artsakh’s transformation. Again, please accept our sincerest congratulations on this important occasion and we offer our full support to your country,” Members of Congress Frank Pallone, Gus Bilirakis, Jackie Speier, David Valadao and Adam Schiff said in a joint letter to President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan.

Armenian, Russian FMs discuss implementation of trilateral agreements

Kanayan Tamar
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – Sept 2 2022
September 2, 2022, 14:00

 Less than a minute

Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Russian Foreign Minister Segey Lavrov held a phone conversation today.

The parties discussed in detail the progress and prospects for the implementation of the trilateral agreements between the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan dated November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021.

It was agreed to continue contacts in the near future.

Armenian-Australians demand answers after Australian diplomat attends Azerbaijani propaganda event in occupied Shushi

Kanayan Tamar
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – Aug 31 2022
, 16:18

 2 minutes read

The Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU) has protested on behalf of the Armenian-Australian community with a letter to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), following the participation of a representative of Australia’s Embassy to Turkey and Azerbaijan to a propaganda event hosted by Baku in the ethnically cleansed and occupied village of Shushi in the Republic of Artsakh.

Defence Attaché, Captain Ben Esler was in Shushi for a “reconstruction conference” hosted by Azerbaijan’s petro-dictatorship of Ilham Aliyev despite Australia’s allies who Co-Chair the United Nations-sanctioned OSCE Minsk Group, the United States and France, boycotting the event being hosted in a village that has been ethnically cleansed of its Armenian populations, where Armenian churches are being converted into mosques.

In the ANC-AU’s letter, Executive Director Michael Kolokossian questioned the unacceptable decision of Australia to participate in the event.

Kolokossian asked: “In what wisdom did Australia feel obliged to visit the currently occupied, and ethnically cleansed territory of Shushi whilst our closest allies––most notably the U.S and France of the OSCE Minsk Group, tasked with managing a peaceful resolution to the conflict––rejected invitations to the ‘reconstruction conference’ in Shushi which has never been part of Azerbaijan?”

The ANC-AU also explained that Australia’s participation in such a conference in the occupied territories of Shushi represented “outright complicity in Azerbaijan’s systematic campaign of cultural genocide in the occupied territories of Artsakh, which the European Parliament has condemned as ‘historical revisionism’”.

Kolokossian added: “Why is Australian taxpayer dollars funding Australian diplomatic delegations to petro-dictatorship’s occupying territories, and accused of committing systematic cultural genocide?”

“Seeing as Australian diplomatic representatives are touring the occupied city of Shushi, they should take a quick pit-stop at Baku’s ethnic hatred ‘theme park’ celebrating dead Armenian soldiers before coming home.”

Kolokossian added: “The Azerbaijani government is not ‘reconstructing’ Shushi, they’re dismantling and desecrating the sacred Armenian Holy Saviour Cathedral, falsifying the region’s historical roots as part of their propaganda campaign in claiming ownership of a region that was never there.”

The ANC-AU letter has requested an urgent meeting with members of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to discuss this grave and concerning matter to the Armenian-Australian community.

Earlier, Australia’s Ambassador to Turkey, Miles Armitage, celebrated the visit of his Defense Attaché in a Twitter post.

Families of missing persons wait for answers about the fate of their loved ones – ICRC Delegation in Armenia

Kanayan Tamar

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 17:23,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. 30 August marks the International Day of the Disappeared aimed at raising awareness of governments, communities, media and public about the plight of people who went missing as a result of armed conflicts, violence, natural disasters and migration. Today we also pay tribute to families of missing persons, the Delegation of the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) in Armenia said in a statement and a video on the occasion of this Day.

“In the region affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, more than 4,900 people, both military and civilians are missing since the nineties and following the escalation of the conflict in 2020, as registered by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Behind each of them, there are families suffering from the anguish and uncertainty of not knowing the fate of their loved ones and struggling with the many consequences this has on their lives. The families continue to live between endless hope and despair, while their pain only grows along with their multifaceted needs”, the statement says.

“People often say that time heals the wounds, but it never heals mine. I am waiting for Karen. I never sleep as every hour and every minute I dream of seeing him again, so I can hug him”, says Gayane Hovhannisyan, whose brother went missing in connection with the 2020 escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“For the ICRC, both the missing persons and their families are victims. We work alongside the authorities to support their response capacities and to encourage them to adopt policies to support search efforts, safeguard families and uphold the dignity of their loved ones who have died. The ICRC and its Central Tracing Agency coordinate the efforts of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement to help reunite families and to draw attention to sometimes overlooked humanitarian tragedies behind those who go missing”, it added.

“We stand by families of the missing and remember their relatives together with them”, says Thierry Ribaux, Head of ICRC delegation in Armenia. “When someone goes missing, the family has the right to know what has happened. Clarifying the fate is first and foremost a humanitarian act, and it is also the obligation of states under international humanitarian law. As the time goes by, it does not heal the enduring pain of waiting, but the answers do. And we are committed to supporting the sides to progress on this important issue”.

In line with its mandate under the international humanitarian law, across the region of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the ICRC assists the sides with its expertise, and by acting as a neutral intermediary to encourage them to do all possible to clarify the fate of the missing people.

The ICRC is a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence. The organization has been working in the region affected by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict since 1992.

[see video]




Former Artsakh Army Commander Arrested for Negligence During Defense of Shushi

Kanayan Tamar
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

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

Former commander of Artsakh Armed Forces Mikael Arzumanyan was arrested on Aug. 30


Lieutenant General Mikael Arzumanyan, the former commander of the Artsakh Armed Forces during the latter days of the 2020 War, was arrested and charged with negligence and dereliction of his duties in defending Shushi, Armenia’s National Investigative Services reported on Tuesday.

The charges, detailed in a lengthy document released by the NIS, essentially blames Arzumanyan for the fall of Shushi during the 44-Day War. He was accused of not following through on his own military plans laid out from October 30 to November 9, 2020, when the military actions ended in Artsakh as a result of the now infamous agreement signed by the leaders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia.

Arzumanyan was appointed as commander of Artsakh Armed Forces on October 27, 2020 after then Artsakh defense minister and Arzumanyan’s predecessor General Jalal Harutyunyan was severely wounded during combat operations.

The document alleges that Arzumanyan, during the Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh, under the rule of marshal law, from October 30 to November 9, 2020, was negligent “toward his official duties by not fulfilling and by improperly performing them. Those actions inadvertently caused serious consequences: the armed forces of the enemy took the city of Shushi and its suburbs under their control.”

“Lieutenant-General M.A.[Mikael Arzumanyan], bearing personal responsibility for the preparation and readiness of subordinate troops, their deployment, as well as the successful performance of the tasks assigned to the troops (forces), during the organization of the defense operation of the city of Shushi and adjacent regions from October 30, 2020 did not ensure the effective use of the combat capabilities of the troops (forces) and the successful completion of the assigned tasks within the specified time limits; did not monitor the implementation of the assigned tasks and did not provide the necessary assistance; did not show strength and determination in the implementation of the decisions made; did not respond promptly and flexibly to changes in the created situation; and did not guarantee the stable use of troops and its command,” the charges allege.

Specifically, the document alleged, that Arzumanyan, despite signing a combat order, did not deploy the needed troops to areas that were not guarded within the defense perimeter of regions adjacent to Shushi. It is also being noted that he failed use a battalion manned by 365 soldiers to effectively guard the region.

“Additionally, the Shushi defense operation did not use two separate motorized rifle regiments ready to engage in combat operations as of October 15, 2020, each consisting of 250 soldiers, and as of October 20, units of about 150 soldiers, that is, a total of 650 regular soldiers,” said the the Investigative Service.

The arresting authorities told press outlets that the warrant for Arzumanyan’s arrest, as well as the charges, stemmed from a long and extensive investigation that has been underway since the end of the 44-day war, involving various branches of the investigative service, as well as the military.