Author: Karlen Baghdasarian

France interested in Armenia’s experience of engaging women into IT industry

Karlen Baghdasarian

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 15:23, 24 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MRCH 24, ARMENPRESS. The recent working visit of Armenia’s Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan to the United States was full of meetings. He participated in the 66th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The agenda covered issues relating to women’s engagement in different areas, raising their role, protecting their rights, etc.

Presenting details to ARMENPRESS from his visit, the Minister touched upon his meeting with the French Minister Delegate for Gender Equality, Diversity and Equal Opportunities Elisabeth Moreno. Mr. Mkrtchyan said France is interested in Armenia’s experience of engagement of women into IT industry.

“Armenia has quite a good experience in terms of female engagement to the IT field, which was interesting for France. They have applied to us requesting support, so that developing and introducing this model will be more effective. For instance, France is interested in the activities on raising the interests among school-age girls towards information technologies. As you know, we have engineering laboratories in schools. Armath engineering laboratories are among the best ones. The TUMO project is quite a successful initiative”, the minister said.

At the meeting with the French minister, Narek Mkrtchyan agreed to expand the cooperation framework. It will soon be in a form of a memorandum. Narek Mkrtchyan also invited Elisabeth Moreno to Armenia, which was accepted, and now the dates are being clarified.

Narek Mkrtchyan also met in USA with the UN Women’s Deputy Executive Director Åsa Regnér, discussing the implementation of joint programs and the possibility of opening a UN Women Office in Armenia.

For expanding the partnership framework, the Armenian Minister also met with Iran’s Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Ensieh Khazali. “The importance of public perception of a family as a value was emphasized”, the Armenian Minister said. “An agreement was reached to organize joint scientific events, workshops on these topics. We also agreed to sign a memorandum of cooperation with Iran aimed at deepening the collaboration in these areas”, he added.

Artsakh president holds working meeting to discuss situation after Azeri provocations

Karlen Baghdasarian
Panorama
Armenia –

President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan on Saturday convened a working meeting to discuss the situation created by the latest provocations by the Azerbaijani troops, the presidential press service reported.

The meeting was attended by Secretary of the Artsakh Security Council Vitaly Balasanyan, Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Hayk Khanumyan as well as heads of regional administrations. In particular, the problems in the regions were discussed, and further steps were outlined.

Harutyunyan instructed the leaders of regional administrations to resolve the problems in the regions quickly and effectively.

Artsakh people to international community: We exist and we want peace for our children on our own land

Karlen Baghdasarian
ARMINFO
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.Protests were held in Yerevan and Stepanakert in connection with the inhumane actions of Azerbaijan against the civilian population of Nagorno-Karabakh.

So, today, on March 24, children and women gathered in front of the  children's hospital in Stepanakert, who protested in connection with  the inhumane actions of Azerbaijan, which has been terrorizing the  civilian population since March 8, by obstructing the gas supply to  Nagorno-Karabakh.

"Dear friends, what is happening now in Artsakh can only be called a  humanitarian catastrophe. Deliberate damage and blocking with illegal  installation of a gas pipeline valve on harsh, snowy days, leaving  the civilian population without heat, is an act of terrorism. If not  us, ordinary citizens, then who instead of us will inform the world  about how the Azerbaijani authorities are mocking the people of  Artsakh? We have gathered here and are holding a peaceful rally for  the right to life in our own home. We want to show the world with  this protest action that we exist and we want peace for our children  in own land," the participants of the rally said.

The participants of the peaceful rally also recalled that the  population of Artsakh has the same rights as the population of other  states, which is stated in the UN Charter. In this vein, an appeal  was made to the international community to take steps to curb the  aggressive actions of Azerbaijan.

At the same time, a similar action was held in Yerevan in front of  the UN office building. The protesters demanded that the UN stop the  policy of double standards and respond to the humanitarian crisis in  Artsakh, caused by the fact that Azerbaijan cut off the gas supply to  Nagorno-Karabakh.  The protesters came with banners "Warm the  children of Artsakh", "Right to a safe life", "Aliyev terrorist",  etc

Asbarez: ANC Australia Urges Government to Reconsider Aid to Armenians in Light of Assistance to Ukraine

Karlen Baghdasarian
 by Contributor

 

 March 16, 2022

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Latest, News, Top Stories
 0

CANBERRA, Australia—The Armenian National Committee of Australia has written to the country’s Foreign Minister, Marise Payne, urging the government to reconsider the Armenian-Australian community’s request for emergency humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of Armenians still suffering the consequences of Azerbaijan’s unprovoked attacks against Armenians in 2020.

This follows the Australian Government’s announcement on March 1, to provide a total of $105 million to help meet the urgent needs of the Ukrainian people––$75 million in military assistance and $35 million in emergency humanitarian support.

The ANC-AU first appealed to Australia’s Foreign Affairs Minister for emergency humanitarian aid in February 2021, requesting financial support to assist the displaced inhabitants of the Republic of Artsakh, and injured and captured Armenians from the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war.

The peak Armenian-Australian public affairs body’s request for aid through humanitarian organisations on the ground in Armenia received support from a long list of Federal parliamentarians, as well as the New South Wales Australia-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group in a letter co-signed by the Chair, Jonathan O’Dea and Vice-Chair Walt Secord.

In light of Australia’s exemplary support to the Ukrainian people, the ANC-AU has elaborated on the ongoing humanitarian crisis in the region and the urgent need for assistance to alleviate the stress on Armenians in their letter.

“Whilst our community praises Australia’s generosity and support for Ukraine, Lebanon and India, we feel neglected and forgotten when considering our Government’s lack of action and failure to provide humanitarian aid to our Armenian brothers and sisters,” said ANC-AU Executive Director Haig Kayserian.

“We have explained to Foreign Minister Marise Payne that Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnically cleansing the Armenian Republic of Artsakh continues unabated, with the dictatorship recently cutting off gas supply in increasingly freezing temperatures for the region’s indigenous Armenians.”

“In addition, we elaborated that Armenians still require immediate emergency assistance from nations worldwide to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis, including the internal displacement of refugees that have lost their homes to war and the after-effects of Azerbaijan’s aggression and the ongoing captivity of Armenian prisoners of war by Baku,” Kayserian added.

“The Armenian National Committee of Australia has urged the Australian Government to reassess its formal decision not to provide humanitarian assistance to the tens of thousands of Armenian men, women and children currently facing ongoing threats in terms of health, safety and well-being following the precedents that have been set during the Ukraine conflict.”

Armenian communists and peace activists hold competing Ukraine protests

Karlen Baghdasarian
 

ByAni Avetisyan

Over the weekend Yerevan saw two protests concerning the Russian invasion of Ukraine. One in support of Russia and the other in solidarity with Ukraine and in opposition to the war. 

Following Saturday’s pro-Russian rally, Armenian peace activists organised an anti-war protest on Sunday, the largest since the war began. 

A few hundred demonstrators — Armenians, Russians, and Ukrainians, took to the streets of Yerevan to ‘resist war’, as many of the placards read.  The protesters also chanted ‘No to war’ (Нет войне) in Russian throughout the march.

‘Of all countries and capitals, for Yerevan, it was the hardest to “speak out”’, Tigran Amiryan, one of the participants, wrote on Facebook. ‘But despite all the risks, today in the centre of Yerevan, “Putin to The Hague”, “ No to war!” and “Glory to Ukraine!” were heard loud in the streets of the city’.

[Read more: Silent and uneasy: Armenia’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine]

While the march was the largest such protest since Russia invaded Ukraine on 24 February, it has been preceded by almost a dozen small pro-Ukraine gatherings organised by Armenia’s minor pro-Western political parties and the Ukrainian embassy in Armenia.  Several pro-Russian protests have also taken place in the country, since the war began, mainly organised by Armenia’s Communist Party. 

In addition to the Communists, the Saturday pro-Russia protest was supported by minor parties opposed to the Nikol Pashinyan administration and known for their fervent support of Armenia joining a ‘Union State’ with the Russian Federation. 

The protesters gathered near the Russian embassy of Yerevan before marching into the city centre. Many of the protesters held up cutouts of the Latin letter ‘Z’, which has in recent weeks been adopted by the Russian authorities as a symbol of support for the ‘special military operation’ in Ukraine and sang Russian patriotic songs. 

In contrast to the youthful anti-war crowd, the pro-Russia rally appeared to skew older.

The protest was widely covered by Russian state-controlled media, with the apparent aim of giving the impression of mass popular support among Armenians for the invasion. A similar pro-war event was organised on 15 March at a Russian-language secondary school in Gyumri. During the demonstration, the students, most of whom are children of Russian soldiers stationed at a nearby Russian military base, lined up to form a large ‘Z’ in the schoolyard. Some of the students have since told journalists that they were forced to participate. 

Students at school No. 19 near the 102nd Russian base in Gyumri form a pro-war 'Z'. Photo via e-press.am.

So far, the Armenian authorities have avoided taking a strong stance on the war, once supporting Russia in a Council of Europe vote to suspend the country, and have since abstained on other international votes concerning the conflict. 

Armenia is heavily dependent on Russia, both economically and militarily, especially after the country’s defeat in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. Two thousand Russian peacekeepers are also stationed in the Armenian-inhabited territories of Nagorno-Karabakh. 


Armenia Investigates ex-President’s Second Passport Discovered by OCCRP

Karlen Baghdasarian
  • Published:
    • WRITTEN BY OCCRP

Armenian authorities said they are investigating whether former President Armen Sarkissian purchased a St. Kitts and Nevis passport a few years before being elected president in a possible violation of Armenian laws.

An OCCRP investigation has found that Sarkissian, who won the 2018 election, became a citizen of the two-island Caribbean nation in 2014 at the latest. He resigned from his post in January, shortly after receiving a letter from OCCRP asking about the passport. (Photo: President.am, Wikimedia, License)An OCCRP investigation has found that Sarkissian, who won the 2018 election, became a citizen of the two-island Caribbean nation in 2014 at the latest. He resigned from his post in January, shortly after receiving a letter from OCCRP asking about the passport.

The Armenian constitution forbids presidential candidates having dual citizenship in the six years prior to their election.

Armenian National Security Services confirmed to Hetq, OCCRP’s partner in Armenia, that an investigation into Sarkissian’s second passport had been opened in the wake of letters sent by OCCRP to Sarkissian’s office.

Sarkissian did not give precise reasons for his resignation.

“In the current challenging period for the state and the nation, the president does not have the necessary tools to influence the fundamental processes in domestic and foreign policy,” he said as he stepped down.

A 2019 email from “citizenship planning” firm Henley & Partners indicates that Sarkissian’s passport was in the process of or had previously been renewed. A separate internal document, from an unknown date, lists Sarkissian’s passport as “suspended”.

OCCRP published on Friday a wide-ranging investigation into Henley’s Caribbean activities and its more dubious clients.

In an email to OCCRP, Sarkissian claimed he had invested US$500,000 in a luxury hotel in St. Kitts and Nevis some time after 2009 and said the investment came with a passport for the country. He said he requested the passport be returned in 2013, and that he swore affidavits and filed citizenship renunciation papers.

Sarkissian said he was “surprised to learn” there might still be a St. Kitts and Nevis passport in his name as he believed he had renounced it.

Henley said it had no record of interacting with Sarkissian and that it had always “adhered to all laws and regulations applicable in all the jurisdictions they have ever operated in and currently operate.”

This is not the first time Sarkissian has been caught up in a controversy related to his nationality. In March 2018, just a month before taking office as the Armenian President, Hetq discovered he had a British passport and had listed the U.K. as his country of residence on company documents.

A representative told Hetq in 2018 that Sarkissian had dual Armenian-British nationality from 2002 until 2011, when he renounced his British citizenship.

Artsakh slams celebration of Azerbaijan’s UN membership anniversary in Shushi

Karlen Baghdasarian
Panorama.am 
Armenia –

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry on Friday denounced the Azerbaijani celebration of the 30th anniversary of its accession to the UN in the occupied town of Shushi. The full text of its statement is provided below.

"Official Baku, in line with its style, continues to wage a destructive policy aimed at legitimizing the results of its aggression against Artsakh, trying to involve and exploit the international community and various structures in that process. The organization in Artsakh’s occupied town of Shoushi of a solemn ceremony dedicated to the 30th anniversary of Azerbaijan's membership to the United Nations and the participation of representatives of the UN and its structures in this event is another manifestation of this policy.

The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh strongly condemns the holding of such an event in Shoushi.

The participation of the UN representatives in the event organized in the town, which has been one of the main targets of Azerbaijan's aggression and Armenophobia, contradicts the principles of activities, ideology and mission of this influential international organization, and will be undoubtedly used by Azerbaijan to legitimize its inhumane and aggressive policy. This is also a serious blow to the reputation of the UN, which will have a negative impact on the effectiveness of the organization’s activities."

No bomb found on the Moscow-Yerevan plane

Karlen Baghdasarian

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 20:06,

YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS. No bomb was found on the Moscow-Yerevan flight, ARMENPRESS reports, the Ministry of Emergency Situations informs.

On March 17, at 15:49, the National Center for Crisis Management received information that a bomb had been placed on the plane flying from Moscow to Yerevan, which was scheduled to land at 18:00.

“The rescuers together with the police and airport security officers carried out evacuation of passengers, inspection of the hall and luggage. Nothing dangerous was found," the statement said.

Russia leaves the Council of Europe voluntarily, will repeal the European Convention on Human Rights

Karlen Baghdasarian

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 20:11,

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has handed over a letter to the Secretary General of the Council of Europe on quitting Russia’s mmbership to the organization, ARMENPRESS reports, citing TASS, Deputy Speaker of the Russian State Duma, the head of the Russian delegation to the PACE Pyotr Tolstoy said, adding that Russia is leaving the Council of Europe voluntarily.

"It's a well-considered decision," Tolstoy said.

Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Foreign Affairs, in his turn stated that by withdrawing from the Council of Europe, Russia will repeal the European Convention on Human Rights. But he added that despite this, all the rights of Russians will be guaranteed.

Azerbaijan exploits world’s preoccupation with Ukraine and increases threats against Artsakh, warns State Minister

Karlen Baghdasarian

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 10:10,

YEREVAN, MARCH 11, ARMENPRESS. In recent days, taking advantage of the whole world's and especially Russia’s preoccupation with the situation in Ukraine, the provocations and threats carried out by Azerbaijan against the peaceful population of Artsakh have drastically increased, the State Minister of Artsakh Artak Beglaryan said in a statement, calling for an immediate stop of Baku’s ruthless behavior.

“In recent days, taking advantage of the whole world's and especially Russia’s preoccupation with the situation in Ukraine, the provocations and threats carried out by Azerbaijan against the peaceful population of Artsakh have drastically increased.

  1. Over an extensive period, the agricultural works in the fields near the front line are hindered due to the firing and other ceasefire violations.
  2. For several days, large-caliber weapons have been fired in the direction of our settlements. Yesterday, 50-year-old Suren Baghryan from Khramort village was wounded with a mortar shell while doing agricultural work in the yard of his house.
  3. On the night of March 8, in the territory under Azerbaijan's control, the only gas pipeline entering Artsakh exploded. By now, Russian peacekeepers and our representatives have not been allowed to approach the pipeline and restore the gas supply.

With support of Russian peacekeepers, we continue negotiations for peaceful regulations of the issues. At the same time, we are taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our population.

Azerbaijan should immediately stop its ruthless behavior against the peaceful population of Artsakh,” Beglaryan said.