Author: Maral Takmazian

Turkish press: Azerbaijan, Armenia to start process for peace talks: EU’s Michel

Maral Takmazian
Rabia İclal Turan   |07.04.2022


ISTANBUL 

Azerbaijan and Armenia have decided to launch a “concrete process” for peace talks, European Council President Charles Michel said Wednesday after a meeting with the two countries’ leaders in Brussels.

Speaking to reporters following the meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Charles Michel said they made “a lot of progress.”

“It means that we have decided all together to launch a concrete process for peace talks to prepare a possible peace treaty and to address all the necessary elements for such a treaty,” he said.

The leaders also agreed to set up a joint committee and to maintain a “channel of communication,” Michel said after the five-hour meeting.

“We are working very hard. We are making progress. I don't underestimate the challenges, the difficulties on both sides, but I feel there's a common will to make progress,” he stressed.

Michel later released a statement about the outcome of the three-way meeting, in which he reiterated the European Union’s commitment to “deepen its cooperation with Armenia and Azerbaijan” to overcome tensions in the South Caucasus and for a “secure, stable, peaceful and prosperous” region.

According to Michel, Aliyev and Pashinyan both stated their desire to “move rapidly towards a peace agreement between their countries.”

“To this end, it was agreed to instruct the ministers of foreign affairs to work on the preparation of a future peace treaty which would address all necessary issues,” the statement added.

They also agreed to convene a Joint Border Commission by the end of April, the statement noted.

“The mandate of the Joint Border Commission will be to delimit the bilateral border between Armenia and Azerbaijan and ensure a stable security situation along, and in the vicinity of, the borderline,” it added.

Last December, around a year after the two countries ended a 44-day war over Nagorno-Karabakh, Michel met separately with both leaders and then hosted them both at a dinner in Brussels.

Relations between the two former Soviet countries have been tense since 1991, when the Armenian military occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Upper Karabakh, a territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, and seven adjacent regions.

New clashes erupted in September 2020, and a 44-day conflict saw Azerbaijan liberate several cities and over 300 settlements and villages that were occupied by Armenia for almost 30 years.

A tripartite agreement was brokered by Russia to bring an end to the war in November 2020.

Installation of new system in Ambulance CJSC will not leave citizens’ calls unanswered

Maral Takmazian

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 09:54, 8 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. A callback system is already operating in Armenia’s Ambulance Service, Director of the Ambulance CJSC Taguhi Stepanyan said in an interview to Armenpress.

She informed that thanks to this new system, all incoming calls to 1-03 will be registered and a callback will be provided.

“Today the number of calls has decreased considerably, there were many complaints that the ambulance did not answer the calls. This system has been introduced in order not to leave the calls unanswered”, she said, expressing confidence that this new system will help to improve the operation of the ambulance.

Taguhi Stepanyan said the Ambulance Service handles an average of 650 calls a day. “If we compare with the period 1.5-2 months ago, when the number of calls was reaching 1000 in a day, we will see that they have declined”, she said, adding that nearly 300 calls relating to children are being registered per week.

The Director of the Ambulance CJSC said the calls are mainly related to cardiovascular and acute-respiratory diseases, but added that there are also calls connected with car crashes.

Nearly 500 people evacuated from Yerevan’s Metronome Shopping Center over bomb threat

Maral Takmazian

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 15:51, 8 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. Authorities received a bomb threat call targeting the Metronome Shopping Center in downtown Yerevan.

The National Center of Crisis Management said they received the call at 14:13, April 8.

Multiple first responders, rescue squads, K9 units and firefighting teams were dispatched to the shopping mall.

Nearly 500 people were evacuated from the shopping center by police and rescuers.

Authorities are now searching the area.

Monument of Armenian-Russian friendship to be installed in Yerevan

Maral Takmazian

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 16:06, 8 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. A monument of Armenian-Russian friendship is expected to be installed in Yerevan this year, Foreign Minister of Russia Sergei Lavrov said during a joint press conference with Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow.

FM Lavrov reminded that April 3 marked the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relations between Armenia and Russia, and this year marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of a treaty on cooperation and mutual support. “This is a significant year for our alliance, strategic partnership”, the Russian FM said, adding that the works dedicated to the jubilee are consistently being implemented.

Lavrov also highlighted the reliable, regular political dialogue existing between the Russian President and the Prime Minister of Armenia.

During the meeting the Armenian and Russian FMs also highlighted the good, complex and effective operation of the inter-governmental commission on economic issues. Lavrov said the ties are actively developing both at ministerial and parliamentary levels. The 34th session of the inter-parliamentary committee will take place late this month.

“Russia remains Armenia’s leading trading partner. Our share in external trade passes 30%”, the Russian FM said.

After the decline because of the COVID-19 it was managed to return the trade turnover to a stable growth. Last year it was over 2 billion 600 million dollars.

The two foreign ministers also agreed to boost the direct ties between the business circles. According to Lavrov, the two countries will deepen the cooperation also in culture, education, tourism, sport and other areas.

“We are planning to erect a monument of Armenian-Russian friendship in Yerevan this year”, the Russian FM said.

The agenda also includes holding Armenia Culture Days in Russia, and Russia Spiritual Culture Days in Armenia. Russia is also assisting in increasing the number of Russian schools in Armenia, he said.

Analyst: Tuesday’s rally in Yerevan a good chance for component parts of society to start shaping an agenda

Maral Takmazian
Panorama
Armenia – April 5 2022

Armenian political analyst Hrant Melik-Shahnazaryan, head of the Voskanapat Analytical Center, stresses the need for the formation of political society and new agendas in Armenia.

"Our society is not political. It is highly politicized, but not political. This is a big problem, which brings about many other problems,” he wrote on Facebook on Tuesday.

His comments came ahead of an opposition rally to be held in Yerevan’s Liberty Square on Tuesday evening.

“Let’s speak about today's rally, for example. People have basically one question: “What is the opposition going to do?” At the same time, this question contains a number of other, mainly rhetorical sub-questions: “Do we have to march through the entire city, gather and listen to speeches, and then go home once again?” This is not good,” Melik-Shahnazaryan said.

The analyst stresses political society itself sets the agenda and then finds the forces to serve that agenda. “There are such attempts in Armenia, of course, but the situation described above really dominates. Even many public figures are driven by this logic, demanding radical action from others instead of proposing political solutions themselves,” he noted.

“Today's rally in Yerevan is a good chance for the component parts of society to finally start shaping an agenda. We do not need a lot of people in the square, but the presence of elites. Intellectuals should come and, to put it in modern language, hold a casting. We need to see who among the speakers can be trusted with political leadership. And those who aspire to this leadership must, in their turn, avoid slogans and populist statements, trying to offer real and effective ways out of the situation.

“In other words, today we are facing an extremely important problem to form political society, new agendas, and to find leaders who fit these two points. I think the rally planned for tonight could be a good start to solving this problem. I hope it will be the case,” Melik-Shahnazaryan said.

New Caucasian leopard caught on camera in Armenia

Maral Takmazian
Public Radio of Armenia
March 30 2022
March 30, 2022, 10:43

 1 minute read

A new leopard has been identified in camera trap footage by the Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) in Armenia’s Caucasus Wildlife Refuge (CWR).

Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife Cultural Assets camera traps captured a male adult leopard which has been compared with the only other male recorded in the area and confirmed as a new individual․ Within the same day, with only about 2 hours’ interval and about 3 kilometers direct airline distance at CWR, Neo (the resident male leopard of this habitat) was been captured by FPWC camera traps as well․

The third individual, Nova, is six kilometers away from the other leopards, again in the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge․ The fact that three different leopards use the same area of the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge almost simultaneously is unprecedented.

“The population of leopards around the world has significantly decreased due to several human factors, in particular, due to cross-border tensions, new borders, and barriers in our region. This species is on the verge of extinction. Since 2011, FPWC has been operating in the area, this is the 6th individual leopard that was filmed through our cameras,” said FPWC Director Ruben Khachatryan, adding that this is evidence of the fact that the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge is an effective conservation measure.

FPWC made it possible to identify this new leopard using trained rangers with upgraded knowledge on tracking leopard trails and locating the best possible place for camera trapping.  It also reveals the urgent need for focused studies on the leopard trails and corridors for understanding the most relevant population estimation as well as threats that leopards can face within these corridors.

FPWC has announced a competition to name a leopard.

The Foundation for the Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets (FPWC) has been operating since 2002. The Foundation is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The key activity of the foundation is the preservation of the unique fauna and flora of Armenia, using the latest technologies and modern models.

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Status of Nagorno Karabakh principled matter for Armenia – FM Mirzoyan

Maral Takmazian

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 15:45, 1 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia complemented with its proposals the 5-point proposal made by Azerbaijan regarding the normalization of relations, adding that the issue of the rights and status of Artsakh is principled for the Armenian side, the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at a joint press conference with Poland’s FM and OSCE Chairman-in-Office Zbigniew Rau in Yerevan.

FM Mirzoyan emphasized that in all stages of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict Armenia has always been exclusively in favor of a peaceful resolution. In this context he mentioned that Azerbaijan conveyed proposals regarding the normalization.

“We have found these proposals to be acceptable, by at the same time saying that nevertheless these proposals do not fully address the entire agenda of the issues, and with our proposals we complemented this agenda, by adding that the issue of the rights of Nagorno Karabakh and the status of Nagorno Karabakh are principled for us. We expect that soon the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship will nevertheless be able to organize peace talks with this agenda and with the purpose of signing a comprehensive peace treaty,” Mirzoyan said.

He stated that Armenia is consistent to the guidelines set forth in the mentioned statement and the obligations it assumed by three statements adopted after the 2020 war, whereas Azerbaijan still continues violating international humanitarian law, as well as the obligations it assumed under the 2020 November 9 statement by still keeping Armenian POWs captive nearly one and half year since the 44-day war ended.

“I’d like to reaffirm the readiness of the Armenian side to take steps for increasing stability in the border zone and then also undertake the launch of the process of Armenia-Azerbaijan demarcation. I also want to note that as you know, negotiations and consultations are taking place between Armenia and Azerbaijan regarding the unblocking of transport and economic connections, and here we’ve again made proposals and we are waiting for Azerbaijan’s response. We believe that we will be able to have more tangible results in the issues of unblocking economic connections, as well as more broadly in establishing comprehensive peace in case of having a respective stance of international partners, and also perhaps by having a constructive stance from Azerbaijan.”

Russian Foreign Ministry comments on MP Delyagin`s statements about Azerbaijan

Maral Takmazian
ARMINFO
Armenia,
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.The statements of the Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Mikhail Delyagin about Azerbaijan and Karabakh do not correspond to the position of Moscow, they are unacceptable, said official  representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova.

"We consider any such statement unacceptable," Zakharova said at a  briefing, commenting on Delyagin's statements, RIA Novosti reports.  According to her, such statements "do not reflect the official  position" of Moscow.  Press Secretary of the President of Russia  Dmitry Peskov noted earlier that this statement "in no way  corresponds and cannot correspond to the official line of the Russian  Federation." It should be noted that yesterday, Deputy Chairman of  the Russian State Duma Committee on Economic Policy Mikhail Delyagin,  on the air of the 60 Minutes program on the Russia 24 channel, called  for harsh and unequivocal punishment of Azerbaijan, or, as he called  it, the "Turkish proxy", for its actions in Nagorno- Karabakh and  insubordination to Russian peacekeepers.

"It is necessary to restore normal statehood throughout Ukraine and  preferably as part of the Russian Federation. Without this,  denazification will be impossible. And as for the threats that exist  now, the Polish army has quite obviously moved closer to the borders  of Belarus. It is very likely that not as part of NATO, but in as  part of Poland, they will try to attack our ally," Delyagin says.

According to him, there is also a threat of attack from Baku, because  the Azerbaijanis violated the truce in Artsakh. "Our [Russian Defense  Ministry] said that they retreated after we warned them. But Baku  officially stated that they did not leave the occupied territories  anywhere. Therefore, this policy of aggression on the part of  American satellites, in this case Turkey, or rather, Turkish proxies,  as we call them, poses a real danger. This should be punished harshly  and unambiguously. Why do we need the oil of the Azerbaijani  industry?  We do not need it, it is extremely vulnerable. If people  do not understand words, they will probably have to understand deeds.   If we don't do this, we'll cease to exist. The only question is  this," the MP said.

This statement of the Russian MP caused hysteria in Baku. 

Asbarez: A Letter to Armenia

Maral Takmazian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Commentary, Latest, Letters, Op-Ed, Top Stories

Mt. Ararat

Dear Armenia

I love you. I love you deeply and intimately. You were always integral to who I was. Growing up learning about your past, learning your language and admiring your beauty from afar. Your importance was instilled upon me at a very young age. Yet it all seemed superficial and fairytale-like, unaware of your true reality. Closed off to your struggles and hardships, your poverty and inequalities. Only the beautiful lay within my vision.

Yet, as I grew older, I learned the reality of your situation and further understood your depth. Starting off as a 13-year-old boy, on a fairy-tail trip with my family, catching a glimpse of the inequality right next to your center. However, feeling like that story once told to me was actually a tangible object. Then coming again and enjoying you in a different light with my friends as a near adult. Then coming back and engaging with your youth and your people, getting a tiny taste of your reality and everyday life. Wanting to know and understand more, and placing the thought into my mind that I would be back soon in order to get a real taste.

A real taste I got. Traveling far and wide to the farthest your arms could stretch. Living in several different places, I understood how different and unique every part of you is. How sacred you are and how all those stories once told to me in the past were distant from your daily reality. I walked, talked, learned your language, understood your people, understood your struggle (external and internal), and gained invaluable insight into myself and to your soul. Peace, unlike no other, found within your mountains and in the houses of your warm people so willing to give everything, even if they were at the risk of losing everything. Sadly, that risk became a reality shortly after.

From going from an all time high and seeing what a beautiful future lay before you, to living out your darkest days. I could not wait any longer in my comfortable and safe life as you suffered. I came to be where I needed to be. Right by your side, ready for whatever I would be called upon. No fear, just clear minded and ever so calm. I knew then I needed to be there for you. Our darkest of days followed after so much loss and tragedy struck so close to our hearts. I did not know what to do. I could not leave you. I wanted to find a way to mend our wounds, to find love on a deeper and more profound level, to grow with one another and seek out a way that is best for us. And found a way, I did.

You have changed me forever. You have taught me how to love, how to explore, how to be fearless, how to learn, how to process pain, how to place importance on things that matter, how to be there for others, how to take pride in who I am, how to work hard, how to create powerful bonds, how to help others, how to take action once called upon and how to find purpose in my life. Thank you for making me the human I am today. I love you deeply and profoundly, my Armenia.

I Love You,
Varak Ghazarian

Varak Ghazarian is a young Armenian-American who grew up in Los Angeles, but has relocated to Armenia to live in the country that he loves.




Opposition MP: Armenian authorities’ commitment to ‘peace agenda’ incomprehensible

Maral Takmazian
Panorama
Armenia –

Armenian MP Tigran Abrahamyan from the opposition With Honor faction says the Armenian authorities’ statements that they remain committed to the "peace agenda" is incomprehensible amid the fresh Azerbaijani attack in Artsakh.

“Azerbaijan's steps can be predicted, since they are publicly spoken about. Right now we can analyze Azerbaijan's official or unofficial media reports and clearly understand what their next step could be,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

"Only the unchanging slogan of the Armenian authorities that “it's all the same, we are committed to the agenda of peace” is incomprehensible here.

“Is it an agenda of peaceful surrender, handover of lands, escape or annihilation?” Abrahamyan said.