No ‘significant’ ceasefire violations in last hour, says Armenian Defense Ministry

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 14:11,

YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. No significant Azeri ceasefire violations were recorded from 13:00 to 14:00, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said in an update after the heavy Azeri bombardments near Sotk.

The situation on the frontline was relatively stable as of 14:00, the ministry added.

The four wounded Armenian troops are in non-life-threatening condition.

GCC Closes Campus in Honor of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Glendale Community College
May 3 2023

The 108 year long struggle for recognition continues

Sevan Asatryan, Staff Writer

On April 24, Glendale Community College’s campus was closed, in honor of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. April 24, 1915 is the date commonly believed to be the beginning of the Armenian genocide, and is subsequently the chosen date for the Armenian genocide remembrance.The genocide began with the deportation and eventual killing of several hundred Armenian intellectuals at the hands of the Ottoman Empire. It’s estimated that up to 1.5 million ethnic Armenians were killed as a result of the genocide. Many of the descendants of Armenian genocide survivors reside right in Glendale, Calif., and many of those same descendants attend GCC.

 Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, serves as a reminder of the millions of Armenian lives lost due to ethnic and religion based hatred, and also as a reminder of the need to prevent similar atrocities from ever happening again. It’s a chance to honor those who were victims and to pay tribute to and celebrate their descendants. Additionally, the day serves as an opportunity for the Armenian diaspora and others around the world to come together and show unity in the fight for recognition of the genocide. Despite overwhelming evidence of the injustices inflicted upon the Armenian people during World War I, the Turkish government, to this day, continues to deny that a genocide ever took place. As of 2023, 34 countries have recognized the Armenian genocide. On April 24, 2021, American President Joe Biden released a statement officially recognizing the events that took place as genocide, becoming the first American president to do so. 

An annual demonstration takes place every 24th of April, in front of the Turkish consulate in Beverly Hills, with demonstrators demanding that the Turkish government take action and finally recognize the genocide. Campus being closed on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day gives students the opportunity to make their voices heard, and is reflective of the values of the community, which is comprised of many Armenian students, staff, and faculty.

Sevan Asatryan can be reached at [email protected].


RFE?RL Armenian Report – 05/03/2023

                                        Wednesday, May 3, 2023


Pashinian Confirms Armenia, Azerbaijan Negotiating Over Specific Document

        • Karlen Aslanian

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks in parliament. May 3, 2023.


Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has confirmed that there is a specific 
document on the table in Washington where Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and 
his Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov are having marathon talks these days 
in an attempt to hammer out a normalization agreement.

But speaking in parliament on Wednesday, the Armenian leader stressed that there 
was nothing in that document that he did not speak about publicly.

“You won’t find in this document anything new, because I publicly talked about 
this document from this very podium,” he said.

Pashinian added that he would not go into details now since “any positive or 
negative interpretation will affect the course of the negotiations.”

Pashinian also publicly shared the instructions he gave to the Armenian 
delegation conducting negotiations in Washington: “I said, remember, it is I who 
will be signing the document around which you are negotiating. So, negotiate 
freely, within the framework of our political course and within the framework of 
our publicly expressed opinions.”

Speaking in parliament on April 18 Pashinian said that a peace treaty between 
Armenia and Azerbaijan will become realistic “if the two countries recognize 
clearly, without ambiguities and pitfalls, each other’s territorial integrity 
and undertake not to ever submit territorial claims to each other.”

He also highlighted the importance of an internationally visible mechanism for a 
dialogue between Baku and Stepanakert on the rights and security of the 
Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev also stressed on Wednesday the need for 
Armenia to fully recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity.

“I recently said that they [Armenians] just need to say the last word. They said 
A, and now they have to say B. They should say what I said, that Karabakh is 
Azerbaijan. I am waiting for it. I hope that the time for that will come,” he 
said, speaking at an international event in Shushi (Susa), a Karabakh town that 
Azerbaijan gained control of during a 2020 war.

The Armenian premier again stressed the need for having mutually recognized 
borders as he addressed parliament today. He said that having no territorial 
claims to neighbors now and in the future was key to preserving Armenian 
statehood.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that negotiations between the 
Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers were scheduled to end on May 4.




Turkey Cites ‘Provocative’ Monument In Yerevan As Reason For Banning Overflights 
From Armenia

        • Lilit Harutiunian

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu (file photo)


Turkey has closed its airspace for flights operated by Armenian airlines toward 
third countries because of Armenia’s provocations, Turkish Foreign Minister 
Mevlut Cavusoglu said, speaking on Turkish television on Wednesday.

A Flyone Armenia plane operating a flight from Paris to Yerevan had to land in 
Chisinau, Moldova, on April 29 after Turkey’s aviation authorities banned it 
from entering the country’s airspace. Flyone Armenia, which has been flying into 
and over Turkey since last year, said it had not been informed about the ban in 
advance.

Speaking on NTV Channel, Cavusoglu said: “If necessary, we will allow planes 
into our country, but we will not allow airplanes and private planes to fly 
through our airspace while the provocations [of Armenia against Turkey and 
Azerbaijan] continue. If they do not stop doing this, we will also take other 
steps.”

The top Turkish diplomat, in particular, referred to the recent erection of a 
monument in Yerevan to participants in Operation Nemesis, a 1920s program of 
assassinations of Ottoman perpetrators of the 1915 Armenian genocide and 
Azerbaijani figures responsible for 1918 massacres of Armenians in Baku.

Yerevan’s Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinian speaks at the unveiling ceremony for a 
monument to Operation Nemesis participants, Yerevan, Armenia, April 25, 2023.
While Operation Nemesis participants are widely regarded by Armenians as 
“avengers”, Turkey and Azerbaijan view them as terrorists.

In statements following the unveiling of the monument in the center in Yerevan 
on April 25, one day after Armenians in Armenia and around the world marked the 
108th anniversary of the Ottoman-era Genocide vehemently denied by Turkey, the 
Turkish and Azerbaijani foreign ministries condemned the event that was also 
attended by Yerevan’s deputy mayor.

Ankara also warned that the “shameful monument” in Yerevan only damages the 
normalization process that Turkey and Armenia embarked upon in early 2022.

“Turkey is sincere in its desire to normalize relations with Armenia, but the 
installation of the Nemesis monument in Armenia is unacceptable,” Cavusoglu said.

“I can’t accept it. Armenia’s statements on this issue are also insincere. We 
closed the airspace as an adequate response. If necessary, we can also take 
other steps,” he added, urging Armenia to “stop attempts to deceive Turkey.”

The Turkish minister’s remarks came as Armenian Parliament Speaker Alen Simonian 
was heading to Turkey to attend a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the 
Black Sea Economic Cooperation. Cavusoglu said that the Armenian official was 
allowed to use Turkish airspace since he was arriving for an international event 
held in Ankara.

Official Yerevan did not immediately comment on Turkey’s condemnation of the 
Operation Nemesis monument inauguration in the Armenian capital and its ban on 
overflights for Armenian airlines.

In remarks in parliament on Wednesday Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
acknowledged that the closure of Turkish airspace for Armenian planes was a 
problem. “But whose problem is it? It is our problem. Those who block our roads 
have no problems at all,” he said.

Pashinian said that when the issue of opening the monument was being discussed 
in 2020-2021, months after the end of the war in Nagorno-Karabakh, the decision 
was made to have it erected in order to “avoid being labeled traitors.”

“Being always guided by the logic of doing so as not to be called traitors we 
actually keep betraying the state and national interests of our country,” he 
said.




New Poll Reflects Armenia’s Souring Relations With Russia


Armenia - A view of capital Yerevan against the background of Mount Ararat (file 
photo)


A new international survey in Armenia shows a continuing trend of 
“deteriorating” relations with Russia since the 2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war in 
Nagorno-Karabakh, with most Armenians placing Tehran and Paris higher than 
Moscow as their main security partners.

The public opinion polls conducted on behalf of the International Republican 
Institute (IRI) in Armenia among over 1,500 permanent residents of the country 
aged above 18 in January-March 2023 reveal that while as many as 93 percent of 
Armenians in 2019 considered relations with Russia to be “good” and only 6 
percent viewed them as “bad”, that ratio has changed to 50 and 49 percent, 
respectively, this year.

The trend of the perception of “deteriorating relations” with Russia began after 
the 2020 war in Nagorno-Karabakh in which, according to observers, Armenians 
largely felt Russia should have provided more support to Armenia, its strategic 
political and military ally in the region. The IRI poll shows that it continued 
in 2022, the year when Russia invaded Ukraine, as Armenians began to look more 
to other countries as their main security partners.

According to the latest survey, while 54 and 52 percent of Armenians, 
respectively, consider Iran and France as their “most important security 
partners”, only half of them now view Russia as such.

France, Iran and the United States are also viewed as the top three “most 
important political partners for Armenia” by 75, 67 and 52 percent of 
respondents, accordingly, while Russia is only fourth in the list with 50 
percent.

Interestingly, while Azerbaijan and Turkey, with which Armenia has had bad 
relations for decades because of Nagorno-Karabakh wars and other historical 
feuds, are still viewed as the “greatest political threat” to Armenia by most 
Armenians (93 and 89 percent, respectively), as many as 24 percent of Armenians 
said they also consider Russia, a formal ally, as such a threat.

In contrast, according to the poll, only 3 and 2 percent of Armenians called the 
United States and the European Union, respectively, as the “greatest political 
threat” to their country, while 7 percent said that Ukraine posed such a threat.

While 5 percent of Armenians viewed relations with Turkey as “good” and 91 
percent viewed them as “bad” in December 2021, a month before Yerevan and Ankara 
formally embarked on their latest attempt to normalize relations, the current 
ratio, according to the IRI poll, stands at 23 to 75 percent, respectively.

Generally, 52 percent of respondents in the poll said that they believed Armenia 
is heading in the “wrong direction,” while 36 percent said the country was on 
the right track.

A total of 60 percent of respondents in the poll named “national security” and 
“border issues” as the main problems Armenia is currently facing. Economy and 
unemployment was mentioned by only 27 percent of the respondents.

The survey also shows that the level of support for Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian and his ruling Civil Contract party remains almost as strong as a year 
ago.

A total of 14 percent of respondents named Pashinian as the most trusted 
politician in Armenia, with only 2 percent naming ex-President Robert Kocharian, 
Pashinian’s top rival in the 2021 early parliamentary elections, as such.

A total of 21 percent of respondents, compared to 25 percent in June 2022, said 
that they would vote for Civil Contract if national parliamentary elections were 
held next Sunday. The number of those ready to vote for Kocharian’s Hayastan 
(Armenia) Alliance has dropped from 8 percent last year to 5 percent today.

According to respondents of the poll, the biggest successes of the Pashinian 
government during the last six months were “development of diplomatic relations” 
and “improvement of roads”, while the biggest failures in the same period were 
the closure by Azerbaijan of the Lachin Corridor that links Nagorno-Karabakh 
with Armenia and the “foiling of the Karabakh issue.”




Washington Asks Baku, Yerevan ‘To Consider How Best To Protect Rights And 
Security’ Of Karabakh People

        • Siranuysh Gevorgian

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken (in the center) hosting 
Armenian-Azerbaijani talks in Washington, May 1, 2023.


Official Washington has asked Baku and Yerevan “to consider how best to protect 
the rights and security” of people in Nagorno-Karabakh, a State Department 
spokesperson told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service, answering a question on whether 
issues related to Nagorno-Karabakh are being discussed in the U.S.-hosted 
Armenian-Azerbaijani talks.


Bilateral negotiations between Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and his 
Azerbaijani counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov aimed at hammering out an agreement to 
normalize relations between the two South Caucasus nations opened in Washington 
on Monday after the two top diplomats met separately with U.S. Secretary of 
State Antony Blinken and then had a meeting all together.

As Mirzoyan and Bayramov went into talks that officials in Washington said could 
last “a few days” Blinken stressed the importance of dialogue for “reaching a 
lasting peace in the South Caucasus region.”

In written comments to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on May 2 the State Department 
spokesperson stressed that “the question of the rights and security of the 
population of Nagorno-Karabakh is central to the conflict between Armenia and 
Azerbaijan.”

“Ultimately ensuring that this population can feel secure in their homes and 
have their rights protected is the only way to guarantee a lasting settlement to 
a conflict that has lasted too long and cost too many lives,” the official said, 
adding that the United States supports an agreement that is “durable, 
sustainable, and lays the foundations for peace.”

At the same time, the State Department emphasized that “the scope and nature of 
the agreement to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is between 
the two parties.”

“We are honored to host the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan as they 
work toward peace. The United States remains committed to promoting a peaceful 
future for the South Caucasus region. Direct dialogue is key to resolving issues 
and reaching a lasting peace,” the spokesperson said.

“The scope and nature of the agreement to normalize relations between Armenia 
and Azerbaijan is between the two parties. Our goal is to provide a location 
where there can be bilateral discussions and the parties can undertake the real 
hard work together to make progress on lasting peace. Specifics on what is – and 
is not – part of their agreement is a question for the parties,” the U.S. 
official added.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday that negotiations between Mirzoyan 
and Bayramov continued today and were scheduled to end on May 4.

According to Azerbaijan’s Turan news agency, Blinken is expected to join the 
Armenian and Azerbaijani ministers for final negotiations on Thursday.

A spokesperson at Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said that information on the U.S. 
participation and other details will be reported tomorrow.




Armenia Explains Vote On ‘Anti-Russian’ Resolution At UN

        • Nane Sahakian

A UN Assembly (file photo)


Official Yerevan has refuted reports in the media that Armenia supported an 
“anti-Russian” paragraph when it voted in favor of a United Nations resolution 
last week.

The vote on the resolution on cooperation between the UN and the Council of 
Europe took place on April 26, with 122 nations, including Armenia, voting to 
support it, 18 nations abstaining and only five voting against it.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry explained to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that “Armenia 
did not support the controversial paragraph of the resolution, but voted in 
favor of the resolution itself.”

A press release posted on the UN website confirms that while compromises were 
reached on lots of issues, no consensus was reached on paragraph 9. This is 
exactly the paragraph that speaks about “Russian aggression against Ukraine and 
Georgia” and calls for “providing redress to victims and bringing to justice all 
those responsible for the violations of international law.”

Eventually, it was decided to hold a separate vote on this paragraph, in which 
Armenia abstained.

Thus, by its April 26 vote at the UN Armenia showed no change in its neutral 
position on the Russian-Ukrainian war, again avoiding calling Moscow an 
aggressor.

Against the background of media reports that several key partners of Russia, 
including Armenia, Kazakhstan, China, India, Turkey and others voted in favor of 
an “anti-Russian resolution”, Deputy Permanent Representative of Russia to the 
United Nations Dmitry Polyansky said that “we are talking about an ordinary 
resolution of cooperation between the United Nations and the Council of Europe, 
and many of Russia’s partners did not support the controversial paragraph.”

In the separate vote on paragraph 9, only 81 countries voted in favor of calling 
Russia an aggressor, while 48 countries, including Armenia, abstained and 10 
voted against it.

Sargis Khandanian, chairman of the Armenian National Assembly’s Foreign 
Relations Committee, said that Armenia could not have voted otherwise on the 
general resolution on strengthening cooperation between the UN and the Council 
of Europe that talks about such key things as promotion of the rule of law and 
democracy, freedom of speech and thought, fight against terrorism, trafficking, 
etc.

“Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe, and a number of institutions that 
operate within the Council of Europe are very important for Armenia in terms of 
the protection of human rights, the development of democracy. And that 
resolution also pursues such goals and has such emphasis. So it would be strange 
if Armenia did not join the adoption of this resolution,” Khandanian said.

“As a matter of fact, Armenia joined the entire resolution, and one should 
consider the resolution as a whole and not focus on one paragraph, which 
contains different emphases,” the pro-government lawmaker concluded.


Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

 

Armenpress: Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN warns of Azerbaijan’s policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces

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 10:30, 3 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. The Protection of Cultural Heritage in Armed Conflicts UN Security Council Arria-formula meeting took place on May 2, organized by the Permanent Missions of France and the United Arab Emirates.

UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and representatives of several UN member states delivered remarks at the event.

Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Mher Margaryan also delivered remarks.

Margaryan warned that today, the millennia-old Christian Armenian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of total extermination.

Margaryan said that Armenia has consistently requested that a UNESCO fact-finding mission be deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas in order to help preserve the vast and unique cultural heritage of the region, yet, Azerbaijan continues to obstruct efforts of the international organizations for independent and impartial assessment of the facts on the ground, having opted, instead, for the policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces, putting into practice a pseudoscientific theory that denies the historical sites of their Armenian origin.

Below is the full transcript of Margaryan’s speech:

“I thank the Permanent Missions of France and the United Arab Emirates and the cosponsors for convening today’s meeting, as well as the distinguished briefers for their valuable remarks and welcome the participation of Director-General Azoulay. The UNESCO has an important mandate in protecting cultural heritage at risk, and I would like to acknowledge the critical role of the Orgaization in this regard.

Armed conflicts and military actions can have devastating impact on objects of cultural heritage, which are of irreplaceable value to the entire mankind as unique expressions of history, identity and cultural memory. As such, their integrity and preservation must be upheld at all times.

In our region, we have first-hand experience going through the devastating loss of cultural property. The Armenian heritage was under heavy attack during the war in Nagorno-Karabakh launched by Azerbaijan in 2020. The Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral of Shushi, for example, was deliberately shelled, twice within a few hours, resulting in the partial destruction of the Church.  

Today, the millennia-old Christian Armenian sites in Nagorno-Karabakh are on the verge of total extermination, targeted to promote the distorted narrative that the Armenian people are alien in the region. Armenia’s deep concern in relation to the fate of the cultural property in Nagorno-Karabakh is also based on the previous history of total and intentional eradication of the Armenian heritage by Azerbaijan. In Nakhijevan, for example, thousands of monuments, including 89 medieval churches and more than 5,000 cross-stones were annihilated, in an effort to remove traces of the Armenian civilizational presence.

Azerbaijan is yet to commit, in good faith, to the implementation of the Order on Provisional Measures issued by the International Court of Justice at the request of Armenia in December 2021, according to which Azerbaijan shall “take all necessary measures to prevent and punish acts of vandalism and desecration affecting Armenian cultural heritage, including but not limited to churches and other places of worship, monuments, landmarks, cemeteries and artefacts”.

Dear Colleagues,

Armenia has consistently requested that a UNESCO fact-finding mission be deployed to Nagorno-Karabakh and the adjacent areas in order to help preserve the vast and unique cultural heritage of the region, yet, Azerbaijan continues to obstruct efforts of the international organizations for independent and impartial assessment of the facts on the ground, having opted, instead, for the policy of systematic erasure of the Armenian traces, putting into practice a pseudoscientific theory that denies the historical sites of their Armenian origin. Only today, the chairman of what is called the State Committee for Work with religious Organizations of Azerbaijan went on record saying that the Medieval Armenian Dadivank monastery “belongs to Caucasian Albania” and “sooner or later it will be controlled by the Albanian-Udi religious community”.

Destruction of the Armenian cultural heritage continues to be extensively monitored and reported, including through the use of modern technologies. I would like to recall, in this regard, that on 28 April, last Friday, Armenia hosted a panel discussion at the UN, which looked into the role of new technologies in preventing genocidal acts, such as cultural heritage destruction. The event featured a research project at the Cornell University entitled “Caucasus Heritage Watch”, which relies on digital satellite technologies to monitor and document cultural heritage in the region, revealing large-scale damage and destruction in the territories under Azerbaijan’s control.

I would like to conclude my intervention by encouraging UNESCO to also utilize digital technologies to identify, monitor and act upon  the facts of destruction  of cultural heritage in any part of the world, and in our region in particular.

Thank you.”

Armenia continues to insist on visible international mechanisms for direct talks between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan

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 12:55, 2 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. Armenia continues to insist on mechanisms for Stepanakert-Baku dialogue, Member of Parliament Arman Yeghoyan (Civil Contract) told reporters.

Asked whether Armenia would be ready to sign any document with Azerbaijan when the Azeri troops are located in sovereign territory of Armenia, Yeghoyan said that this is one of the most important points in the talks. He said that the withdrawal of the Azeri troops from sovereign territory of Armenia is among the terms of Armenia.

“We believe that no agreement can function without a strong international system of guarantees. This is the minimum bar that we must ensure. There must be some international guarantees, without it the treaty won’t function effectively,” Yeghoyan said.

The lawmaker added that Armenia will continue to insist on visible mechanisms for the Stepanakert-Baku dialogue.

Yeghoyan noted that the rhetoric of the international community has changed significantly, becoming better, more targeted and substantial for Armenia.

Speaking about the duration of the talks in Washington D.C., Yeghoyan said that the content is very voluminous and substantial, thus the long duration.

Asked whether or not a document could be signed after the talks in Washington D.C., Yeghoyan said that would depend on the course of the talks.

U.S. Secretary of State tells Aliyev that checkpoint undermines peace process, calls for reopening of Lachin Corridor

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 12:14, 1 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 1, ARMENPRESS. United States Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken held a phone call with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev on April 30 and expressed “deep concern” that Azerbaijan’s establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor undermines efforts to establish confidence in the peace process and called for reopening the Lachin corridor.

“Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken spoke with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev today to underscore the importance of Azerbaijan-Armenia peace discussions and pledged continued U.S. support.  Secretary Blinken shared his belief that peace was possible.  He also expressed the United States’ deep concern that Azerbaijan’s establishment of a checkpoint on the Lachin corridor undermines efforts to establish confidence in the peace process, and emphasized the importance of reopening the Lachin corridor to commercial and private vehicles as soon as possible,” the State Department said in a readout of the call.

Armenia and Azerbaijan to hold peace settlement talks in Washington on Sunday

Reuters

Armenia-Azerbaijan border dispute

MOSCOW, April 29 (Reuters) – Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold a new round of talks in Washington on Sunday to try to normalise relations, Yerevan said on Saturday, after weeks of rising tensions over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Armed forces from the two Caucasus neighbours have frequently exchanged fire amid disputes over the mountain enclave, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.

Azerbaijan set up a new checkpoint last Sunday on the Lachin corridor, a road to Karabakh that passes through Azeri territory, in a move that Armenia that called a gross violation of a 2020 ceasefire.

"From April 30 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will be in Washington DC on a working visit. The next round of discussions on the agreement on normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is scheduled," the spokesperson, Ani Badalyan, said on her official Facebook page.

There was no immediate confirmation of the meeting by Azerbaijan.

Later on Saturday, the Armenian defence ministry said one of its soldiers had been injured by shot fired by Azeri forces near the village of Tegh in Armenia's southern Syunik province, Tass news agency said.

Tegh is the last village on the Lachin Corridor in Armenia before it enters Azeri territory.

Russian peacekeepers were deployed in 2020 to end a war, the second that Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought over the enclave since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union.

Despite years of attempted mediation between them, Armenia and Azerbaijan have yet to reach a peace agreement that would settle outstanding issues such as the demarcation of borders and return of prisoners.

Reporting by Reuters Editing by Alexandra Hudson

Red Cross facilitates transfer of 12 patients from blockaded Nagorno Karabakh

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 13:16,

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. 12 patients from Nagorno Karabakh requiring urgent surgical interventions were transported today by the International Committee of the Red Cross mediation to Armenia for treatment, the Ministry of Healthcare of Nagorno Karabakh said in a statement.

6 others returned after receiving treatment.

Five children are in neonatal and intensive care in the Arevik clinic in Nagorno Karabakh. Another 7 patients are hospitalized in the Republican Medical Center in Stepanakert. Two of them are in critical condition.

The ICRC facilitated the transfer of 365 patients since the blockade began.

The Lachin Corridor – the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world – has been blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022. 

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has so far ignored the ruling.

Azerbaijani soldier who crossed into Armenia charged with murder

 

Armenia’s prosecutor’s office has charged one of two Azerbaijani soldiers captured in Armenia with murdering a security guard at the Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine.

In a statement on Tuesday, the Prosecutor General said that Huseyn Akhundov shot Hayrapet Meliksetyan, 56, on 12 April, stole his phone, and then recorded a video on that phone, later posting it on his social media. 

In the video, which spread on Armenian and Azerbaijani social media after Akhundov’s capture, the soldier says that he had ‘shed Armenian blood’, claiming to have ‘beheaded’ Armenians. 

The porescutor’s statement alleges that Akhundov also attempted to steal the guard’s car, but failed and continued by foot, adding that the soldier had planned to cross into Iran from Armenia. 

A day after the murder, Akhundov was detained near the village of Achanan, Syunik; about 25 kilometres from Shgharshik, where he allegedly killed Meliksetyan with several gunshots. 

[Read more: Second Azerbaijani soldier captured in Armenia]

On Tuesday, the Prosecutor’s Office amended the charges against the soldier, adding murder to the earlier charges of illegal border-crossing and illegally carrying weapons across the border. 

‘Deeply troubling’ footage

Huseyn Akhundov and Agshin Babirov were both detained within Armenia last week after entering the country from Azerbaijan’s autonomous exclave of Nakhchivan. Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry claimed that the soldiers had crossed the border earlier that week, after getting lost due to poor visibility. 

The soldiers were first seen in Syunik region, around 15 kilometres from the border with Nakhchivan, on 9 April. Agshin Babirov was captured by people from the village of Ashotavan the following day. 

Akhundov was found and detained on 14 April later near the village of Achanan, 40 kilometres from the border with Nakhchivan. At the time of Akhundov’s capture, local people claimed that he was responsible for the murder of Meliketsyan, but official statements underscored that this was not yet supported by evidence. 

The soldier’s civilian captors physically abused him and later posted footage of this on social media, drawing condemnation from Armenian and Azerbaijani commentators, as well as international organisations. 

On 17 April, the Office of Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE issued a statement describing the footage as ‘deeply troubling’ and calling for the incident to be investigated immediately. 

The same day, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister, Jeyhun Bayramov, raised the issue of the Azerbaijani prisoners during a meeting with Louis Bono, the US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, and stressed the importance of their immediate release.


The California Courier Online, April 20, 2023

The California
Courier Online, April 20, 2023

 

1-         Armenia Ranks Better Than Azerbaijan

            And Turkey in the
Prosperity Index

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         4 Armenian
Soldiers Killed, 6 Injured After Azerbaijan Attacks Syunik

3-         Glendale Attorney Arsen
Danielian Awarded

            Order of
Knight Commander by Pope Francis

4-         L.A. Council
President Krekorian honored by His Holiness Karekin II

************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

1-         Armenia Ranks Better Than Azerbaijan

            And Turkey in the
Prosperity Index

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

The UK-based Legatum Institute published its comprehensive
2023 Prosperity Index for 167 countries, including Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Turkey. The
index covers 12 separate spheres or ‘pillars’ which are composed of 67 sub-sections.

The Institute defined prosperity as people having “the
opportunity to thrive by fulfilling their unique potential and playing their
part in strengthening their communities and nations. Ultimately, prosperity is
not just about what we have; it is also about who we become. Prosperity is
underpinned by an inclusive society, with a strong social contract that
protects the fundamental liberties and security of every individual.”

Overall, Armenia
is ranked in the Prosperity Index much higher than Azerbaijan
and Turkey.
Armenia
is 61st place in 2023, slightly down from 59th in 2022, but considerably up
from 76th in 2013. Meanwhile, Azerbaijan
is ranked much lower at 92nd in 2023, the same as in 2012—somewhat higher than
104th in 2013. Turkey
is ranked even lower at 95th in 2023, the same as in 2012—substantially down
from 68th in 2013.

The Legatum Institute described Azerbaijan as “the least prosperous
country in the region,” despite its vast income from billions of petrodollars.”
This means that the country’s wealth is not trickling down to the population.

Here is how Legatum Institute described Turkey’s dismal
Prosperity Index. “Turkey
has seen its governance deteriorate significantly over the last 10 years,
falling 60 places to 128th, with political accountability deteriorating at the
greatest rate globally. Constitutional reforms in 2017 concentrated more power
in the hands of the executive, removing key checks and balances. Personal
Freedom has also deteriorated at the second greatest rate globally, with the
government consistently suppressing dissent…. The current government has ruled Turkey since
2002. As noted by Freedom House, after initially passing some liberalizing
reforms, the government has pursued a wide-ranging crackdown on critics and
opponents since 2016. For example, Amnesty International points out that
hundreds of people, including journalists, social media users and protesters,
have been detained in Turkey
in 2019 due to their criticism of Turkey’s
military offensive in Syria.”

Here are the rankings of Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Turkey on each
of the 12 pillars of the Legatum Institute’s Prosperity Index:

1) “The Safety and Security pillar (War & Civil
Conflict, Terrorism, Politically Related Terror & Violence, Violent Crime,
and Property Crime) measures the degree to which war, conflict, and crime have
destabilized the security of individuals, both immediately and through
longer-lasting effects”: Armenia (75th), Azerbaijan (111th), and Turkey
(147th).

2) “The Personal Freedom pillar (Agency, Freedom of Assembly
& Association, Freedom of Speech & Access to Information, and Absence
of Legal Discrimination) measures progress towards basic legal rights, and
individual liberties”: Armenia
(70th), Azerbaijan (144th),
and Turkey
(152nd).

3) “The Governance pillar (Executive Constraints, Political
Accountability, Rule of Law, Government Integrity, Government Effectiveness,
Regulatory Quality, and Institutional Trust) measures the extent to which there
are checks and restraints on power and whether governments operate effectively
and without corruption”: Armenia
(64th), Azerbaijan (113th),
and Turkey
(128th).

4) “The Social Capital pillar (Personal & Family
Relationships, Social Networks, Interpersonal Trust, Social Tolerance, and
Civic & Social Participation) measures the strength of personal and social
relationships, social norms, civic participation in a country, and social
tolerance”: Armenia (125th),
Azerbaijan (132nd), and Turkey (137th).

5) “The Investment Environment pillar (Property Rights,
Investor Protection, Contract Enforcement, Financing Ecosystem, and
Restrictions on International Investment) measures the extent to which
investments are adequately protected and are readily accessible”: Armenia (75th), Azerbaijan
(54th), and Turkey
(68th).

6) “The Enterprise Conditions pillar (Domestic Market
Contestability, Environment for Business Creation, Burden of Regulation, Labor
Market Flexibility, and Price Distortions) measures the degree to which
regulations enable businesses to start, compete, and expand”: Armenia (44th), Azerbaijan
(47th), and Turkey
(65th).

7) “The Infrastructure and Market Access pillar
(Communication, Energy, Water, Transport, Border Administration, Open Market
Scale, Import Tariff Barriers, and Market Distortions) measures the quality of
the infrastructure that enables trade and distortions in the market for goods
and services”: Armenia
(71st), Azerbaijan (72nd),
and Turkey
(50th).

8) “The Economic Quality pillar (Fiscal Sustainability,
Macroeconomic Stability, Productivity & Competitiveness, Dynamism, and
Labor Force Engagement) measures how well an economy is equipped to generate
wealth sustainably and with the full engagement of the workforce”: Armenia (83rd), Azerbaijan
(65th), and Turkey
(71st).

9) “The Living Conditions pillar (Material Resources,
Nutrition, Basic Services, Shelter, Connectedness, and Protection from Harm)
measures the degree to which a reasonable quality of life is experienced by
all, including material resources, shelter, basic services, and connectivity”: Armenia (76th), Azerbaijan
(65th), and Turkey
(59th).

10) “The Health pillar (Behavioral Risk Factors,
Preventative Interventions, Care Systems, Mental Health, Physical Health, and
Longevity) measures the extent to which people are healthy and have access to the
necessary services to maintain good health, including health outcomes, health
systems, illness and risk factors, and mortality rates”: Armenia (68th),
Azerbaijan (85th), and Turkey (63rd).

11) “The Education pillar (Adult Skills, Tertiary Education,
Secondary Education, Primary Education, and Pre-primary Education) measures
enrolment, outcomes, and quality across four stages of education as well as the
skills in the adult population”: Armenia
(59th), Azerbaijan (79th),
and Turkey
(74th).

12) “The Natural Environment pillar (Preservation Efforts,
Oceans, Freshwater, Forest, Land and Soil, Exposure to Air Pollution, and
Emissions) measures the aspects of the physical environment that have a direct
effect on people in their daily lives and changes that might impact the
prosperity of future generations”: Armenia (99th), Azerbaijan (149th), and
Turkey (86th).

In addition to Armenia’s
better ranking than Azerbaijan
and Turkey in the overall
Prosperity Index, Armenia
exceeds its two neighboring countries in six categories. It is worse than both
of them only in three categories, but better than Azerbaijan
and worse than Turkey
in three other categories.

 

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2-         4 Armenian Soldiers Killed, 6
Injured After Azerbaijan
Attacks Syunik

 

Azerbaijani forces opened fire on April 11 at Armenian
positions near the Sotk village in Armenia’s Syunik Province killing four
Armenian soldiers—Arthur Sahakyan, Henrik Kocharyan, Mkrtich Harutyunyan, Narek
Sargsyan—and injuring six others. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported
three Azerbaijani soldiers died.

Armenia’s
Defense Ministry reported that around 4 p.m. local time on Tuesday, Azerbaijani
forces opened fire at Armenian soldiers who were on a routine engineering duty.
After Armenian soldiers retaliated a more aggressive attack followed at 5:30
p.m. local time.

Tuesday’s attack also impacted the Sotk Gold mine, where
workers were evacuated and all operations there were halted, according to
Ruzanna Grigoryan, a mine representative who spoke to Armenpress.

Shortly after the attack, Azerbaijani media reports blamed
Armenian forces for the incident and claimed that Iranian weapons were being used.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry
denied those reports, which also aimed at rattling Tehran,
whose relations with Baku
are currently tense.

Yerevan was quick to condemn
this latest Azerbaijani aggression, with Armenia’s
Foreign Ministry calling it an “encroachment” on Armenia’s territorial integrity.

“These aggressive actions by the Azerbaijani side were
carried out despite willingness by the Armenian side to resolve the problems on
the ground through constructive negotiations,” said the foreign ministry.

“The provocation is another encroachment by Azerbaijan against the territorial integrity of
the Republic of Armenia. Such a policy by Azerbaijan is not new, it is the continuation of
the attacks carried out in May and November 2021, as well as September 2022, as
a result of which Azerbaijan
occupied the sovereign territories of Armenia,” emphasized the foreign
ministry.

“It should be documented that the use and threat of force
are an integral part of Azerbaijan’s policy and are aimed at significantly
destabilizing the situation in the region and undermine the efforts of
mediation partners to continue the peace process,” said the foreign ministry.

“We call on the international community and all partners
interested in peace and stability in the region to condemn Azerbaijan’s
aggressive actions through targeted statements and clear steps and prevent the
latter from further escalating the situation,” the foreign ministry concluded.

Armenia’s
Defense Minister Suren Papikyan cut short his trip to Brussels,
where he also toured NATO’s European headquarters, and returned to Armenia
following Tuesday’s attacks.

The latest attacks against Armenian forces came a day after Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said that
his government continued to be committed to the peace process with Armenia.

“We are determined to normalize these relations, and after
the second Karabakh war it was Azerbaijan
that proposed to start working on a peace treaty. This work has practically
started, but it is not going as smoothly as we would like it to. But there is
no alternative to it,” Aliyev was quoted as saying while visiting Kazakhstan
on Monday.

 

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3-         Glendale Attorney Arsen Danielian Awarded

            Order of
Knight Commander by Pope Francis

GLENDALE — Glendale attorney Arsen Danielian was recognized
by Pope Francis with one of the most prestigious honors bestowed by the Supreme
Pontiff of the Catholic Church – The Papal Order of Knight Commander of Saint
Sylvester.

Danielian, a founder and senior partner in the law firm of
Danielian, LeCroy & Kolanjian, was awarded the Medal on April 10 at St.
Gregory Armenian Catholic Cathedral in Glendale.
The medal was presented by Eparchial Bishop, His Excellency the Most Rev.
Mikael Mouradian.

The award symbolizes Danielian’s “achievement and commitment
to making a positive impact in the world.” The knighthood honors laypersons
recognized for their service to the Church and society.

“I am deeply honored and ­humbled by the significance of
this award, which is rooted in the history of the Catholic Church,” Danielian
said. “I wish to express my gratitude to Pope Francis for bestowing this honor
upon me.”

Born in Tehran, Iran, to an Armenian family, Danielian
immigrated to the United
States in 1979. He graduated with a J.D.
degree from the University of La Verne in 1984 and practiced law in the Los Angeles area before
becoming one of the founders of the firm Baker, Olson, LeCroy & Danielian
in 1991. He currently serves on the Governing Board of Adventist Health
Glendale and is past chair of the hospital’s Healthcare Foundation.

Danielian and his wife, Hasmik, retired superintendent of
the Norwalk-La Mirada
Unified School
District, reside in Glendale.

They have two grown children, Alfred Danielian, M.D.,
cardiologist and director of Sports Cardiology and Echocardiography at Las
Vegas Heart Associates, and Nyree Kolanjian, Esq., a partner in the law firm of
Danielian, LeCroy & Kolanjian. They have six grandchildren.

 

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4-         L.A. Council President
Krekorian honored by His Holiness Karekin II

 

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles City Council President Paul
Krekorian has been awarded the prestigious St. Nerses Shnorhali Medal by order
of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

On Thursday evening, April 13, His Eminence Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of
North America, presented the medal to City Council President Krekorian.

At a reception at the St. Leon Cathedral, Archbishop
Derderian also read to the group of church and community leaders the Pontifical
Encyclical of the Catholicos. His Holiness recognized Krekorian for his
faithful service to and advocacy for the Armenian people in the Diaspora and in
Armenia
and Artsakh.

“I am deeply moved to receive this honor,” said Council
President Krekorian. “I am humbly grateful to His Holiness Karekin II, and to
His Eminence Archbishop Derderian for this recognition of my service, which I
consider my duty to the people I represent.”

 

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