Author: Kanayan Tamar

Keen to expand defence ties with India, says Armenian deputy foreign minister

Kanayan Tamar
Mint, India
Oct 26 2023
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Shashank Mattoo

New Delhi: Armenia is keen to expand its cooperation on defence with India, the country’s deputy foreign minister Mnatsakan Safaryan told Mint in an exclusive interview. 

In the aftermath of its bitter conflict with Azerbaijan, Armenia is looking to diversify its defence ties, with an eye on India. It has appointed a defence attaché to its embassy in New Delhi to scope out the potential for further cooperation. 

Armenia has purchased rocket launchers, phased array radars and ammunition from India, particular after 2020. Minister Safaryan also said that Armenia would like to expand cooperation on national security with India after the national security advisers of both countries met earlier this year. 

Safaryan thanked India for condemning Azerbaijan’s “aggression" towards Armenia and welcomed a greater Indian role in the region.

The best answer to this question would start with putting it straight that the language of “outbreak of hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia" is not correct from the beginning. There is a concrete perpetrator and the people of Nagorno-Karabakh who has been the victim. Let me give you the broader picture and some verifiable details.

I am sure you have been following the situation in the region. After the 44-day war in 2020 in Nagorno-Karabakh, post-war humanitarian challenges remained acute, with overall situation in the region being unstable and carrying the risk of escalation.

Under false pretexts the Azerbaijani armed forces not only continuously violated the ceasefire agreed to by the November 2020 Trilateral Statement between the leadership of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia, but initiated acts of aggression against the sovereign territory of Armenia proper, occupying an area of around 150 sq.km of the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

Again, under false pretexts, last December the Azerbaijani side, in blatant violation of its obligations under international humanitarian law and the Trilateral Statement, went even further and blockaded the Lachin corridor – the only lifeline-road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia and the outer world, which was further consolidated by the installation of an illegal check-point since April 23 and further – with the complete cessation of any movement, even for humanitarian aid through the Corridor since June 15. The blockade resulted in a severe shortage of food, medical supplies, fuel and other essential goods, almost depleting the resources necessary for the survival of the population. It was accompanied by deliberate disruption of electricity and natural gas supplies, further exacerbating the situation into a full-fledged humanitarian crisis.

The use of starvation as a method of warfare, depriving people of their means of subsistence, obstruction and denial of humanitarian access to UN agencies, hindering the ICRC humanitarian activities, constitute early warning signs of an atrocity crime.

Numerous international human rights organizations, independent lawyers, and genocide scholars have expressed concern about the existential threats that the people of Nagorno-Karabakh are facing, pointing out the risks of mass atrocity crimes. The ICRC, the only humanitarian organization present in Nagorno-Karabakh, in its statement expressed concern that it was unable to provide humanitarian assistance to the civilian population through the Lachin corridor.

The continuous warnings from the Armenian side that Azerbaijan, with its deliberate actions, was planning to subject Nagorno-Karabakh to ethnic cleansing, did not lead to effective steps by the international community to prevent Baku's policy.

Azerbaijan totally ignored calls of international community to end the blockade and disregarded legally binding rulings of the International Court of Justice “to take all measures to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin corridor in both directions".

It was amid these conditions that on 19 September Azerbaijan, yet again under false, cynical pretext of an “antiterrorism operation" launched another large-scale unprovoked military aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, targeting not just military, but civilian objects and settlements alike, which resulted in over 300 deaths, including civilians, and over 400 wounded.

The over 100,000 Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh, facing existential threats and fearing for the lives and safety of their families, were forced to leave their historical homeland and their ancestral homes, which resulted in Azerbaijan effectively culminating its long-standing policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

The policy and actions of Azerbaijan for the last 10 months, evidently demonstrated the pre-planned and well-orchestrated nature of this mass atrocity. Moreover, prior to the aggression on September 18, according to an already well-known pattern, the Azerbaijani side once again cynically / deliberately initiated a meeting with the representatives of the diplomatic corps to present its false narratives, which proved being a diplomatic preparation for its large-scale new military aggression and policy of ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Presently, the Azerbaijani authorities have embarked on their meticulously formulated next step, namely, to continue articulating explicit territorial claims against the sovereign territory of Armenia.

India is an important pillar of global and regional stability and a major power that rightly aspires for a bigger role in international affairs. India’s successful presidency in the UN Security Council is a vivid example to this end. Our countries have quite close interests regarding regional and international issues.

Armenia values the balanced and stabilizing position of India in these times of global turmoil and we highly appreciate the statements and condemnation from the Indian side regarding the aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Armenia and the blockade of the Lachin corridor, as well as India’s support to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

You have probably followed the ministerial level visit to India in October of 2022, Armenia has participated in several defense expositions in India, and collaboration has been established with the National Defense College of India, the delegation of which too recently visited Armenia in August of this year.

At the same time our National Security Councils have started actively engaging in a dialogue, which too will boost our cooperation potential in the relevant fields. We have established a defence attache position in our embassy in New Delhi, which will also help to assess the needs and further collaboration in this area.

We would like to see India’s increased presence in Armenia and in our region at large, be it trade and business ties or others. Given your country’s fast development, it will contribute to overall stability in our region, as well as India’s strategy to engage more in its neighborhood.

As I mentioned, the delegation headed by our minister of defense Suren Papikyan visited India in October of 2022, during which the Minister had the chance to meet with his Indian counterpart Minister of Defense Rajnath Singh, during which both sides expressed satisfaction with the current level of cooperation in the field and discussed the possibilities of expanding the cooperation in areas of mutual interest.

During his working visit to India, Minister Papikyan also visited the DEFEXPO exhibition in Gandhinagar and got acquainted with the presented exhibits in the Defense exhibition.

If you have followed the news this year in March a delegation led by the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia, First Deputy Minister of Defense, Major-General Edward Asryan was in India on a working visit as well. The delegation participated in the Raisina Dialogue and had the chance to discuss a number of issues related to bilateral cooperation and regional security with his Indian counterpart Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan. Within the framework of his working visit, Major General Asryan also attended the discussions on Armenian-Indian defense cooperation and regional security, held by the office of the National Security Council of India, where he presented the security challenges facing Armenia.

Armenia is diversifying its defense cooperation and this is a good opportunity to further enhancing Armenian-Indian ties in this field.

On October 2 a meeting was held with the heads of diplomatic missions and representatives of international organizations accredited in Armenia. During the meeting Minister Mirzoyan presented the current situation resulting from Azerbaijan’s large-scale aggression and ethnic cleansing of Nagorno-Karabakh. Touching upon the willingness of various countries and international organizations to provide support in overcoming current humanitarian problems, the Minister expressed gratitude for the provided urgent support.

Deputy prime minister Tigran Khachatryan who is coordinating the Humanitarian Centre established by the government of Armenia, briefed the diplomatic corps on the steps undertaken by the Government towards identifying and addressing the priority problems of more than 100,000 Armenians forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and the activities undertaken with international partners towards the assessment of needs that will allow the development of targeted long-term assistance programs.

The issue of providing the forcibly displaced people with places of residence was considered a priority, considering as well the imperative of providing them with employment, educational, medical and social services. The Government of Armenia has been able to provide the basic requirements and address the needs at this initial stage, however, this will surely be an ongoing process as Armenians who were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh will need long term assistance to get their daily lives back on track. We hope all our international friends and partners will find ways to contribute to this ongoing effort.

As I mentioned, our National Security Councils are actively engaged in a dialogue. The Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan last visited India in August of this year, where he met with his counterpart National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.

Both sides expressed their satisfaction with the dynamics of the development of Armenian-Indian relations, discussed issues related to regional security developments, the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh, as well as, in the context of the successful mission of Chandrayaan 3, touched upon the possibilities of implementation of joint programs in the field of space industry.

Comprehensive deepening and development of cooperation with India is one of the foreign policy priorities of Armenia, and both sides are working towards developing multifaceted relations between our two friendly countries and securing tangible results and benefits for our citizens.

Last year we celebrated the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and India. Whilst traditionally warm relations and mutual support between our peoples have continuously been strengthening during the past 30 years, the last 2 years were marked by a tremendous upward trend in our relations, especially when speaking of political dialogue.

India’s FM Dr. Jaishankar’s historic visit to Armenia in 2021 followed by Minister Mirzoyan’s visits to India in 2022 and this March set the ground for working out an ambitious agenda for further enhancing and strengthening cooperation, and we seem to be steadily heading towards the set goals.

The 8th session of Armenian-Indian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economy, Technologies, Science, Education and Culture of the Commission held in Yerevan on July 4, 2022 was co-chaired from the Armenian side by foreign minister Mirzoyan.

We have taken up the task of reinforcing parliamentary diplomacy as well and in 2021 a new parliamentary group of friendship with India was formed within the 8th convocation of the National Assembly. The vice Ppesident of the National Assembly Hakob Arshakyan heads the Group.

We are aiming at increasing the current volumes of our bilateral trade in the coming years, and our efforts will be focused on intensifying B2B interactions. We have exchanged several business delegations during the last few years and have explored the possibilities of further collaboration. Armenia is a frequent participants of Raisina Dialogue, and we make good use of this excellent platform to boost our various interaction with Indian partners.

On October 17-19, 2023 Armenian delegation led by Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan participated at Global Maritime India Summit for the first time and we appreciate partnering with other countries in this meeting as we strive to expand our connectivity through North-South corridors, INSTC and Persian Gulf – Black Sea transport corridor. We held productive discussions with Indian banks, logistic and infrastructure construction companies and invited Indian partners to participate in a number of infrastructure projects in Armenia.

I would like to emphasize the humanitarian dimension, covering both educational and cultural aspects. Cooperation in the field of education is indeed a successful example of Armenian-Indian partnership. About 3000 Indian students study in Armenia, mostly in medical specializations, and we are discussing opportunities to improve and expand student exchange programs.

Tourism is another field full of potential for cooperation between two historically friendly nations. Cooperation in the cultural field can as well be noted. We have a rich cultural heritage in India under state care, for which we are grateful to the Government of India. We are also working on the implementation of Armenian-Indian cultural exchange programs, as well as on the presentation of the magnificent examples of Indian culture in Armenia.

https://www.livemint.com/politics/keen-to-expand-defence-ties-with-india-says-armenian-deputy-foreign-minister-11698319234706.html

Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs commemorates Armenian Genocide victims in Tsitsernakaberd Memorial

Kanayan Tamar

 13:38,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly has visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Minister Joly placed a wreath at the memorial and laid flowers at the Eternal Flame honoring the memory of the victims.

The Canadian FM was accompanied by Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan.

Minister Joly then visited the Memory Alley and watered the tree planted by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Photos by Hayk Badalyan




Two-thirds of refugee children in Armenia enrolled in school, efforts must now focus on expanding access to education for all children

Kanayan Tamar
UNICEF
Oct 24 2023

GENEVA/YEREVAN, Armenia,  – Two-thirds of refugee children in Armenia are enrolled in national school systems, one month after more than 21,000 school-age children fled their homes. Efforts must now focus on increasing access for the remaining 1 in 3 children currently not attending school, UNICEF said today.

Children who arrived in Armenia have not had continuous access to quality education in recent years, making an inclusive school system that provides catch-up classes and tailored support critical.

“Schools are more than places of learning. This is especially true in times of displacement and uncertainty. Access to education provides refugee children with the structure and support needed to help them overcome their experiences. Schools also provide children with nutrition and mental health services, socialisation and much more to support their health and well-being,” said Christine Weigand, UNICEF Armenia Representative.

“Investment must be made in increasing access to schooling for the 1 in 3 refugee children not enrolled in education and ensuring schools are inclusive for all children.”

UNICEF is on the ground working with the Government of Armenia and other partners to help refugee children access the care and support they need. Together with the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport, UNICEF is identifying needs and gaps in the current education system. This includes identifying areas that need bolstering and expansion to support effective inclusion of all refugee children. 

UNICEF is providing educational kits including schools-in-a-box and early childhood development kits. In addition, UNICEF and its partners are distributing a first batch of schoolbags with stationary for 1,000 children. Procurement of an additional schoolbags to address the additional emerging needs of a further 2,000 children is ongoing. UNICEF is also gearing up to expand learning spaces in host schools and preschools across the country.

So far UNICEF has provided mental health and psychosocial support, and health and nutrition support for up to 10,000 refugee children and their caregivers. UNICEF and partners have also provided more than 1,000 children and caregivers with child protection case management support, and over 3,000 with psychological first aid.

UNICEF is appealing for US$ 12.6 million to provide critical services including education, health, child protection, nutrition and water, sanitation and hygiene in the first six months.

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https://www.unicef.org/press-releases/two-thirds-refugee-children-armenia-enrolled-school-efforts-must-now-focus-expanding

At least 22 journalists killed in Israel-Hamas war, says CPJ

Kanayan Tamar

 12:14,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. At least 22 journalists were among the more than 4000 dead on both sides since Hamas launched its attack against Israel on October 7 and Israel declared war on the militant Palestinian group, launching strikes on the blockaded Gaza Strip, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in a statement.

CPJ said it is investigating all reports of journalists killed, injured, detained, or missing in the war, including those hurt as hostilities spread to neighboring Lebanon.

According to CPJ, as of October 20: 22 journalists were confirmed dead: 18 Palestinian, 3 Israeli, and 1 Lebanese; 8 journalists were reported injured and 3 journalists were reported missing or detained.

Armenia-Azerbaijan talks. Will Aliyev go to Brussels and what to expect?

Kanayan Tamar

Oct 20 2023

  • Armine Martirosyan
  • Yerevan

Expectations of the negotiations in Brussels

The head of the European Council Charles Michel has invited Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to Brussels for another round of talks. The exact date of the meeting has not been announced yet, it is known that it is scheduled for the end of October. But despite the fact that the parties have given preliminary agreement, experts are not sure that the Brussels talks will take place. They believe that the Azerbaijani president may again find an excuse and refuse to travel.

In early October, he refused the five-sided meeting in Granada. As a result, Pashinyan and European partners adopted a joint statement on the settlement of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations without his participation. As a day before the Granada meeting Pashinyan spoke of his readiness to sign a “landmark document” with Aliyev there, the possibility of signing it in Brussels is being discussed in Armenia.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Council President Charles Michel held a quadrilateral meeting in Granada on the sidelines of the third summit of the European Political Community. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev refused to participate in the meeting, citing France’s biased position. In addition, he proposed to invite the President of Turkey, which was opposed by Paris and Berlin.

Armenian analysts believe that Aliyev avoids negotiations on the Western platform and prefers to “solve his issues by force”.

But the mediator of the European negotiating platform Charles Michel announces that he continues to believe in the effectiveness of diplomacy and does not stop hoping for the continuation of political dialogue.

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“The last European official with whom the Azerbaijani president met was the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus, Toivo Klaar. And from his optimistic summary of the results of this meeting, we can assume that Aliyev, at least, has not given up on Brussels.

In his statements, he always says that he is ready to sign the document. And he did not sign it because he did not go to the meetings. There was always an excuse for that. Then he had a guest – Erdogan; then he did not like the presence of Macron in Granada, which, in his opinion, is not impartial; then Erdogan is not present at the talks. What he will come up with this time is unknown.

If Aliyev does go to Brussels, he will sign the principles of the peace treaty, for they have already been agreed upon. Otherwise, the participants of Granada (Michel, Scholz, Macron and Pashinyan) would not have signed the statement without Aliyev’s participation. They signed it because they knew that Aliyev would sign it too.

Conflictologist Arif Yunusov does not exclude that in case of the beginning of military actions on the part of Azerbaijan on the territory of Armenia, Western partners may resort to sanctions against Baku

“In Brussels, Aliyev should sign the basic principles on the basis of which a peace agreement can be signed. Everyone is interested in this, especially Europe and the U.S., because before the elections it is important for them to get some progress in this issue. In this regard, now there is a wave of pressure on Aliyev because of his unconstructive position, and this wave will grow.

The declaration reflects, among other things, the interests of Armenia. I don’t think that Pashinyan would have signed the document if it were not so. And, on the contrary, I don’t think that if only Azerbaijan’s interests were reflected in the document, Aliyev would sabotage its signing, as he still does. The interests of all are reflected there.

Aliyev’s maximalism is just depressing and suggests that he is disingenuous when he says that he has no territorial claims to Armenia.

Main provisions of the statement adopted at the end of the Pashinyan-Macron-Scholz-Michel quadrilateral meeting, as well as a commentary by an Armenian political scientist

The declaration also discussed security guarantees for the return of refugees from Artsakh. Everyone understands that Russia cannot be this guarantor. And now both the US and the EU are talking about at least an international independent observation mission.

This will be the first step. When this mission is sent to Artsakh, when they are convinced that security guarantees have not been respected, it will make a proposal to bring in international peacekeepers. Otherwise, the people of Artsakh simply will not return to their homeland.

JAMnews tells about those who have resettled in Armenia. What they came with, what they left behind in their homeland and what they expect

“Discussing the signing of any document is a false agenda. It is obvious that Aliyev does not need to sign anything. The negotiation process he entered into in 2021 had a specific goal – not to resume negotiations on the settlement of the Karabakh problem in the old way, which was before the 2020 war.

Back in December 2020 and April-May 2021, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs made quite clear statements about the need to solve the Artsakh problem within the old logic. Aliyev was not satisfied with this, so he began to change the facts on the ground and spoke from a different position.

The new stage of the negotiation process envisioned direct negotiations with international mechanisms, within the framework of which the rights of Armenians were to be negotiated. However, this did not happen, because at some point Aliyev managed to reach an international consensus (both with Russia and the West) around the issue of ethnic cleansing of Armenians in MK.”

Main provisions of the statement adopted at the end of the Pashinyan-Macron-Scholz-Michel quadrilateral meeting, as well as a commentary by an Armenian political scientist

“The West expected that after getting rid of the main problem – the Artsakh problem – Aliyev would sign a peace treaty. But at zero hour, Aliyev refused to sign the document and did not go to Granada.

And when the head of the European Council Charles Michel called Aliyev and presented the results of the meeting, the latter started talking about his goals again. Allegedly, Armenia pledged to return eight villages to him – “enclaves” as he calls them – referring to Pashinyan’s statements at international platforms in which he recognized these villages as part of Azerbaijan. Speaking about the recognition of 86.6 square kilometers for Azerbaijan, Pashinyan is referring to these “enclaves” as well.

Armenia, of course, says that it has something to gain from Azerbaijan, also in the form of an enclave. But Aliyev speaks only of his expectations, clearly indicating that he has nothing to concede, and he is not going to withdraw from the occupied territories of Armenia, where he has invaded since 2021.”

French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said the countries will sign a corresponding agreement for French arms supplies

“Aliyev rejected Granada and went to Bishkek, where he praised the Russian platform, because it was with Russian support that Nagorno-Karabakh was able to enter. And he personally arrived in its capital after the meeting in Bishkek, where it was surely agreed that Russian peacekeepers would remain in Artsakh, at least at this stage.

In exchange for ethnic cleansing of Armenians, the West demanded a document be signed. And Russia’s demand is the presence of its troops and perhaps some gas arrangements.

Aliyev rejects the West and fulfills the Russian demand, because he can reject the West and remain unpunished, but he dare not reject Russia – it is better not to antagonize Moscow.”

An anonymous “high-ranking source in Moscow” told TASS that “Pashinyan is going the way of Zelensky” and regarded his speech in the European Parliament as “irresponsible and provocative”

“Even if through some backdoor negotiations Europe manages to force Aliyev to go to Brussels, he will still not sign anything.

Aliyev is not yet going to recognize Armenia’s territorial integrity, which implies the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from the territories occupied by them. This is a false agenda, which in Aliyev’s hands has become a means of getting more and more concessions from Armenia.

Aliyev has already gotten everything he can get from the Western negotiating platform. He achieved that this platform was silent on the issue of expulsion of Armenians from Artsakh, and Armenia recognized the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan and fixed it in kilometers. He will try to get everything else on other platforms. That is why he started talking about the Georgian platform, about the “3+3″ format with the participation of Iran, Turkey and Russia.”

JAMnews talked to Armenian and Azerbaijani experts, interviewed people in Baku and Yerevan, Karabakh Armenians told their stories and how they plan to live their lives in the future

“Negotiation formats, of course, differ, because each platform has its own interests. However, it is very important what agenda you go to the negotiations with. Azerbaijan’s agenda is clear, but Armenia still does not have its own agenda.

Armenia does not even plan to raise the issues of ethnic cleansing of Artsakh people, their expulsion and deportation, as well as the issue of Baku’s genocidal policy in general. Armenia does not demand political assessments from the West, despite the fact that Yerevan has absolutely every reason to do so.

Aliyev forcefully solves his issues on the ground and imposes them in the negotiation process. And Armenia continues to make mistakes. And the very first mistake was that after the 2020 war Armenia gave up its main rights in the Artsakh issue under the threat of Azerbaijani aggression. The enemy sees that you give in when it threatens you, and goes for new aggressions to get new concessions”.

https://jam-news.net/expectations-from-the-negotiations-in-brussels/

Number of forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh at 101,848

Kanayan Tamar

 17:02,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS. The number of forcibly displaced persons who’ve arrived to Armenia from Nagorno-Karabakh stood at 101,848 according to the latest updated registration data.

48,964 are male and 52,884 are female, Migration and Citizenship Service Director Armen Ghazaryan told reporters.

Forcibly displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh who haven’t yet registered are urged to do so in city halls of the towns or cities where they’ve settled. The data will then be processed and entered into the database.




Armenia-China business ties expand

Kanayan Tamar

 17:58,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS. The Mantashyants Entrepreneurs Union  has opened its 12th branch in Shenzhen, China. 
Dozens of businessmen and representatives of state institutions from both Armenia and China attended the official opening ceremony of the branch.
Minister of Economy of the Republic of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the People's Republic of China Sergey Manassarian,  Armenia's Trade Attache to China Koryun Ghazaryan were also in attendance.

During the official opening, Minister Kerobyan highlighted the role of Mantashyants Entrepreneurs Union in strengthening Armenia-China business ties.

Having a strong Armenian business potential in Shenzhen, it will also contribute to the revitalization of the local Armenian community and will form new business ties in 12 cities around the world.
As the president of “Mantashyants” GM Vahram Mirakyan noted, China is Armenia's third trade and industrial partner, so the branch opened in Shenzhen will surely promote business development and increase turnover in Armenia.
‘’For the first time in Shenzhen, we have opened Mantashyants Investor member, which will give foreigners an opportunity to become members of the club, work and invest in the Armenian market," added Vahram Mirakyan.

AW: The Armenian Press

Kanayan Tamar
 Rev. Dr. Vahan Tootikian Keeping the Faith, Columns 0

The English word “press” has multiple meanings. It is a machine for imposing the impression of type on paper. It is printed matter as a whole, especially newspapers and periodicals. It consists of all the media and agencies that print, gather and transmit material to inform and educate the public.

The first newspaper was probably Tsing Pao, a court journal published in Peking (now Beijing), which is said to have started around 500 A.D. and continued until 1935. It was first produced from carved blocks instead of type. This method of printing was hundreds of years old in China by the time the paper began.

The first printed newspaper in Europe was introduced after Johann Gutenberg’s invention of printing from movable type around 1440. The first newspaper, Notizic Seritte, was published more than a century later in Venice, Italy in 1556.

Azdarar, the first Armenian language newspaper ever published, 1794 (Wikimedia Commons)

The first Armenian periodical, a monthly called Azdarar, was published in Madras, India on October 16, 1794, by an Armenian priest named Father Haroutune Shmavonian. The appearance of Azdarar generated tremendous interest and enthusiasm and opened the floodgates of the Armenian press. Scores of Armenian dailies, journals, periodicals, monthlies and yearbooks were published in Europe, Asia Minor and Armenia beginning in the 19th century.

Today, more than two centuries since the publication of the first periodical, the Armenian press remains a vibrant and viable reality. From Armenia to the far corners of the Diaspora, practically every Armenian community sustains at least one newspaper or weekly—not to mention many other specialized periodicals and reviews, which contribute to the intellectual needs of Armenians throughout the world.

The Armenian press, along with the major Armenian institutions—the Armenian church, the Armenian school and the Armenian organizations—plays a very important role in the lives of the Armenian people.

The Armenian press is called to keep its readers informed and knowledgeable about events throughout the Armenian world. By keeping its readers informed, it enables them to understand themselves better—their strengths and their weaknesses—and respond to their needs through action.

Like most of the responsible press, the Armenian press has multiple functions. It informs its readers about the news; it educates; it provides guidance; it gives its readers the opportunity to think, analyze and digest information; it provides mental stimulation, broad perspective and improved command of language; it helps build vocabulary and general knowledge. Moreover, the role of the Armenian press is to publish news that deals with Armenians, whether they are positive or negative. News should be given objectively, as much as possible.

The Armenian press is called to keep its readers informed and knowledgeable about events throughout the Armenian world. By keeping its readers informed, it enables them to understand themselves better—their strengths and their weaknesses—and respond to their needs through action.

Furthermore, whether independent, party-owned or partisan, the Armenian press has a responsibility to be impartial and objective. Credibility as a source of news or information is a crucial test for any news media, electronic or print. Accurate and factual reporting of news stories is a categorical imperative of responsible journalism.

Armenian journalists, like all their fellow non-Armenian journalists, share a code of reportorial ethics. They must live by this code based on their duties. These are, briefly stated, to cover the news fairly, thoroughly and accurately; to report it as truthfully as possible; to explain what it means; to protect sources whenever necessary; and to respect confidence if it is freely offered and willingly accepted. However, while they should respect the privacy of others, responsible journalists should share any information that may affect the lives of the public. 

As for its relationship with other news media, the representatives of the Armenian press must maintain strong ties with one another by exchanging news items and opinions. As a member of the family of the larger news media, the Armenian press should maintain a healthy relationship with non-Armenian media. This is not only a good gesture of public relations, but it is also a wise policy to make friends and influence people for the benefit of the Armenian Cause.

In the Armenian Diaspora, the preservation of national identity is of paramount importance. The dissemination of authoritative information by the Armenian press can motivate Armenians to manifest openly the will to survive as Armenians and can help the pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

As a final thought, a question arises in my mind. If the role of the Armenian press is such an important one, why is it that Armenians who invest so generously in the Armenian organizations treat the Armenian press as a “poor Lazarus?”

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Rev. Dr. Vahan H. Tootikian is the Executive Director of the Armenian Evangelical World Council.


Impact Hub Yerevan announces the winners of SIA Award Armenia 2023

Kanayan Tamar

 18:01,

On October 17, Impact Hub Yerevan hosted a pitching day event as well as a humble award ceremony for the participants of this year’s Social Impact Award Armenia.

The Social Impact Award, a prestigious platform supporting young social entrepreneurs, took place for another year of honoring innovative business solutions aimed at addressing pressing social challenges. Under the umbrella of the Collaborate for Impact program, funded by the European Union in Armenia and executed by the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) in partnership with Impact Hub Yerevan, this year's awards have seen a significant contribution from Ararat Bank.

The mission of the Social Impact Awards is to guide and empower early-stage social entrepreneurs on their journey to create meaningful and sustainable change. Since its inception in 2009, the program has inspired and supported young visionaries across more than 25 countries.

The spotlight this year fell on ten exceptional participants of the Incubation Program, featuring enterprises such as Gyugh.org, ContestsLAB, Refill App, reuZe, Science Cube, Adapteon, Young Doctor, Dilijanian Strawberry Greenhouse, Bio Cycle, and EcoTught. On Tuesday, October 17, from 11 AM to 1 PM, these promising ventures gave business pitches for their ideas to a distinguished jury including Gevorg Poghosyan (Impact Hub Yerevan), Arman Khachatryan (Codeex), Diana Chobanyan (EcoHub Foundation), Silva Mesropyan (Institute of Management Consulting of Armenia), Korioun Khatchadourian (H. Hovnanian Family Foundation), Shoushan Keshishian (HUB Artsakh) and Suren Babajanyan (Head of Marketing and Banking Services Sales Department).

“SIA is a unique program that motivates creative and innovative youngsters to build a business model for the social challenges they think the society is facing and I think this is the right path for how we can build a better and much kinder world,” said Gevorg Poghosyan, Executive Director of Impact Hub Yerevan.

Three winners were selected for the coveted Jury Award, receiving an award of 1500 EUR in seed funding and an exclusive invitation to participate in this year's Social Impact Award Annual Summit, scheduled for November 27- December 1  in Serbia. A fourth winner was selected based on the results of online Community Voting on their video pitch.

Thus, the winners of this year’s Social Impact Award Armenia are:
Jury Award Winner – Adapteon
Jury Award Winner – Contests Lab

Jury Award Winner – Gyugh.org

Community Vote Award Winner – Refill

This year, the Social Impact Award money of 1,500 EUR per winner, a total of  6,000 EUR, has been financed by Ararat Bank.

“The Social Impact Award reminds us of the importance of collective well-being, and we are only happy to be part of this one-of-a-kind initiative. Together, we can create an environment where social entrepreneurship will thrive, where innovative solutions to social challenges will be supported at a larger scale, and where the power of business will work for the welfare of the society,” commented Anna Allahverdyan, the Advisor on Public Relations to the Executive Director of AraratBank.

Participating in the official award ceremony were the Advisor on Public Relations to the Executive Director of AraratBank Anna Allahverdyan, Head of the Marketing and Banking Services Sales Department of AraratBank Suren Babajanyan, EVPA Representative in Armenia Nazareth Seferian, and the Executive Director of Impact Hub Yerevan Gevorg Poghosyan.

“Initiatives like SIA are very important because they encourage innovation and help build a future pipeline for new social enterprises in Armenia. Several past SIA participants have grown into social businesses that have a real positive impact on the ground. So SIA is not just about receiving an award,” said Nazareth Seferian, Armenian Representative of EVPA.

— — — — — — — — — — — — —

** Impact Hub Yerevan, founded in 2016, is a representative of a network of 110+ Impact Hubs operating around the world. It provides its member entrepreneurs and innovators with a wide range of community innovation resources, educational programs, and events, all in a very stimulating and empowering workspace. Impact Hub is also a social innovation incubator and has many years of experience in designing and implementing incubation and acceleration programs. Since its establishment, Impact Hub Yerevan has designed and implemented 40+ programs, more than 500 educational courses, and events, and now hosts more than 350 members implementing over 100 projects representing almost all sectors operating in Armenia.

** The "Collaborate For Impact: Development of social entrepreneurship and social investments towards economic and social cohesion in the Eastern Partnership" is implemented by the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) with the financial support of the European Union. The Armenian component of the project was developed jointly with the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia and is implemented by Impact Hub Yerevan.

*** Social Impact Award supports young, early-stage social entrepreneurs in developing and implementing innovative business solutions tackling societal challenges.




AW: Armenia warns of imminent attack by Azerbaijan

Kanayan Tamar
 Hoory Minoyan News 4

The road from Goris to Vorotan in the Syunik province of Armenia (Photo: Former Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan, Aug. 26, 2021)

YEREVAN—Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced his plans for a meeting with the president of Azerbaijan to discuss a durable peace agreement, a few weeks after Azerbaijani forces took control of Artsakh.

In an interview with Armenian Public TV on Tuesday, Pashinyan claimed that the principles for negotiation were set in Granada and that the suggested meeting in Brussels must follow the same principles. “When Aliyev tries to suggest another platform for negotiations, it neutralizes the agreed upon principles,” said Pashinyan.

The announcement comes a week after Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev pulled out of an EU-brokered meeting with PM Pashinyan in Granada, Spain on October 5. Aliyev had requested the presence of Turkey at the meeting, to which France and Germany objected. Aliyev stated that Baku felt “an anti-Azerbaijani atmosphere” had developed among the meeting’s potential participants and refused to participate.

During his interview on Tuesday, Pashinyan said that the meeting in Granada delivered two important statements with European leaders: a quadrilateral statement with French President Emmanuel Macron Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and European Council President Charles Michel and a bilateral statement with the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen. 

These statements highlight the deepening relations between Armenia and the EU. Pashinyan asserts that these statements outline the pillars of “peace” in the region, including mutual recognition of territorial integrity, delimitation of borders based on the Alma Ata declaration and USSR maps, and the unblocking of communications under the protection of sovereignty, jurisdiction, equality and reciprocity. However, Aliyev’s decision not to attend the meeting and refusal to recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia complicate prospects for the protection of sovereignty, equality and any sort of reciprocity. 

The quadrilateral statement signed by Pashinyan in Granada recognizes 86.6 thousand square kilometers of Azerbaijani territory, which includes not only Artsakh but also the enclaves liberated during the First Artsakh War. While the Prime Minister’s press office has denied these allegations following the meeting in Granada, Pashinyan stated that the 86.6 thousand square kilometers include these enclaves during a press conference in May 2023. 

Indeed, the recent phone conversation on October 7 between Aliyev and Michel highlighted the ongoing territorial disputes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. President Aliyev reiterated the presence of eight occupied Azerbaijani villages in Armenia and emphasized the importance of liberating these areas. 

During the first Artsakh War in the 1990s, Armenia liberated approximately 60 square kilometers of land from Azerbaijan. This included the enclaves of Verin Voskepar, Tigranashen, Sofulu and Barkhudarlu, as well as several villages near Baganis in the Tavush region and a small area near Sarigyugh. Conversely, Azerbaijan seized around 71 square kilometers of territory from Armenia, including Artsvashen (51 square kilometers), the village of Berkaber (12 square kilometers), and territory near Sevkar in the Tavush region (about 5 square kilometers).

The enclaves controlled by Armenia hold significant strategic importance for the modern Armenian state. Tigranashen is crucial as it lies on the interstate highway connecting central Armenia with Syunik, Artsakh and Iran. Losing Tigranashen would limit Armenia’s access to Artsakh and Iran, with only one exit through the village of Vedi. This would allow Azerbaijan to launch attacks on central Armenia and potentially isolate Syunik. Additionally, the Voskepar enclave is vital as it hosts the gas pipeline from Georgia to Armenia, and losing control over it would pose risks and potentially lead to an energy blockade. 

The sloping mountain of Tigranashen (Photo: George Tsangaris)

A few days after the summit in Granada, Aliyev said France would be to blame for any new conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, following Paris’ promise to deliver military equipment to Armenia last week. “The provision of weapons by France to Armenia was an approach that was not serving peace, but one intended to inflate a new conflict, and if any new conflict occurs in the region, France would be responsible for causing it,” said Aliyev.

Following Aliyev’s statement regarding the enclaves, in an interview with Brussels Signal, Armenia’s ambassador-delegate to the EU Davit Balayan said that Armenia expects Azerbaijan to invade within a few weeks. According to Balayan, Azerbaijan may not stop at the capitulation of Artsakh and could potentially launch an attack on Armenia itself. Balayan expressed concern that President Aliyev’s expansionist plans have not faced any concrete repercussions. He emphasized the need for practical steps from the collective West to confront Azerbaijan and prevent further aggression. 

Armenia says that President Aliyev intends to target the “Zangezur” corridor, which refers to the strategic transportation route extending from the Azerbaijani capital of Baku to Kars, Turkey’s eastern province, passing through sovereign Armenian territory in the Syunik province near the country’s border with Iran. Balayan suggested that the EU should set a deadline for Aliyev to withdraw his army from the Armenian border region and consider suspending Azerbaijan’s visa-free travel agreement. He also mentioned that individual sanctions could send a clear message.

In parallel to the peace process brokered by the European Union led by France, other major players in the region continue their efforts. In an interview with Russian RBC news, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin noted that Moscow is considering the possibility of a meeting between the foreign ministers of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan at the CIS summit in Bishkek on October 13. 

Galuzin expressed hope for continued dialogue between the three countries and emphasized the importance of Armenian participation in the negotiations. He also discussed the potential for cooperation between Russia, the U.S. and the European Union in normalizing Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, highlighting the need to acknowledge the progress made through Moscow’s mediation. However, the office of the Armenian Prime Minister said that Pashinyan will not travel to Bishkek to participate in the CIS summit.

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Hoory Minoyan was an active member of the Armenian community in Los Angeles until she moved to Armenia prior to the 44-day war. She graduated with a master's in International Affairs from Boston University, where she was also the recipient of the William R. Keylor Travel Grant. The research and interviews she conducted while in Armenia later became the foundation of her Master’s thesis, “Shaping Identity Through Conflict: The Armenian Experience.” Hoory continues to follow her passion for research and writing by contributing to the Armenian Weekly.