Author: Lilit Nahapetian

It has been published in English in the Review of Armenia Studies, the science magazine of Armenian National Academy of Sciences. The full text of the article is available here.

“The study of archived documents and notes of involved Armenian and British figures makes it clear how important military cooperation was between Armenia and Great Britain. The information about the batch of weapons and other military supplies, which Great Britain delivered to Armenia in 1920, sheds light not only on the history of foreign relations but also on the real reasons of Armenia’s military failures that happened in the fall of the same year,” notes Artsrun Hovhannisyan.

 11:23, 2 July, 2020

YEREVAN, JULY 2, ARMENPRESS. 6 new cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Artsakh in the past one day, bringing the total number of cases to 125, the Artsakh ministry of healthcare reported.

The total number of recovered patients has reached 101.

The number of active cases is 24.

70 citizens are quarantined.

So far, a total of 1,982 COVID-19 tests have been conducted in Artsakh.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 17:34, 19 June, 2020

YEREVAN, JUNE 19, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a letter to Russian President Vladimir Putin informing that he cannot take part in the celebrations in Moscow dedicated to the 75^th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Armenian PM’s Office told Armenpress.

The letter says:

“Dear Mr. President,

I regret to inform you that I will not be able to participate in the celebrations dedicated to the 75^th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War. As you know, I accepted your invitation to attend the ceremonies with pleasure. However, as later was revealed, the current coronavirus-related situation doesn’t allow me to carry out that trip. Based on this I decided to refrain from my visit to Moscow, which, as you know, has been discussed in detail and agreed upon between our administrations.

It would have been a great honor for me to attend the Victory Day Parade. I am confident that millions of citizens of our countries will follow that event, going back to the 1945 in mind when our grandfathers were proudly passing through the Red Square. The victory in the Great Patriotic War is our common heritage. The memory on it unites our peoples and creates a firm base for the friendship of future generations.

I am expecting our meeting in the nearest future which will enable to discuss the agenda issues of the allied relations between our countries.

Mr. President, accept my best wishes for good health and success in your activity”.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

 18:16, 19 June, 2020

YEREVAN, JUNE 19, ARMENPRESS. The 2nd airplane carrying humanitarian aid of medical supplies reached Armenia from Serbia on June 19. ''Help in difficult periods for the Armenian people is a guarantee for bright future'', President of Serbia Aleksandar Vučić said.

The 1st airplane had landed in Armenia on June 18.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Armenian President's Office, Serbia provided Armenia with 10 artificial respiration devices, 10 monitors monitoring the patient's condition, 500 thousand surgical և 100 thousand breathing masks, 25 thousand protective glasses, 25 thousand medical protective clothing and other necessary items.

Charge d'Affaires of the Embassy of Serbia in Armenia Tatjana Cvetkovic assessed the act of providing Armenia with humanitarian aid be Serbia as a bright prove of excellent relations between the two countries. ''Until recently fight against coronavirus was the central task of the Government in Serbia and we fully comprehend what means fighting against COVID-19'', she said.

Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan

‘ECHR decision is a ruling against Azerbaijan's policy of Armenophobia’ – Armenia MFA

 12:44,

YEREVAN, MAY 27, ARMENPRESS. The foreign ministry of Armenia issued a statement over the ECHR ruling on “Makuchyan and Minasyan vs Azerbaijan and Hungary” case, the MFA told Armenpress.

The statement says:

“On May 26, the European Court of Human Rights ruled in the case of “Makuchyan and Minasyan vs Azerbaijan and Hungary,” which is related to the release and glorification by Azerbaijan of Ramil Safarov, who brutally killed Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan.

In 2004, in Budapest the Azerbaijani officer Ramil Safarov, who was participating in a training course within the framework “Partnership for Peace” programme, murdered Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan while he was asleep by axing him to death and attacked another Armenian officer Hayk Makuchyan. Ramil Safarov, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Hungarian court, was transferred to Azerbaijan, where enforcement of the sentence should have been continued. However, immediately after the transfer Ramil Safarov was pardoned and glorified. In this regard the ruling stated: “The court is particularly struck by the fact that, in addition to immediate release, upon his return to Azerbaijan R.S. was granted a number of other benefits, such as salary arrears for the period spent in prison, a flat in Baku and a promotion in military rank awarded at a public ceremony.” 

The court has found violations of the 2nd (right to life) and 14th (non- discrimination) articles of the European Convention on Human rights by Azerbaijan. 

It’s noteworthy that the ruling determined that the violation of those articles was interrelated, thus establishing that the impunity and glorification granted by the  highest leadership of Azerbaijan to Ramil Safarov, who was convicted in the brutal murder on the grounds of hatred, had a causing link to the ethnicity of the victims.

This ECHR decision is a ruling against Azerbaijan's policy of Armenophobia. It not only recognizes, but also adjudicates on the inadmissibility of the promotion on the state level of hate crimes committed against the Armenians by Azerbaijan. 

The ruling imposes a legal obligation to Azerbaijan to undertake such actions which will put an end to those violations of the European Convention of Human Rights and redress the effects.

The Republic of Armenia views this ruling of the ECHR as a demand addressed to the authorities of Azerbaijan to restore justice in the dreadful murder of Gurgen Margaryan and end its racist policy towards Armenians. To this end, the Republic of Armenia will make consistent efforts in the relevant international bodies.  

The release of convicted murderer Ramil Safarov by the decree of the President of Azerbaijan and his glorification is a disrespect and affront to the standard of civilization and human dignity. Today, when those actions received their legal assessment, we more than ever are determined to prevent hate crimes and protect the security of the Armenian people in the region. 

We will continue to work relentlessly to achieve a peaceful and secure region free of hatred”.