Author: Mary Lazarian

187 Armenian troops still MIA, 21 civilians missing in 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war

Mary Lazarian

87 Armenian troops still MIA, 21 civilians missing in 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war

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 14:57,

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. As of 21 March, 187 servicemembers in Armenia and Artsakh are missing-in-action in the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war (Artsakh war), the Investigative Committee said in a statement.

Another 21 civilians are also missing.

The total number of deaths in the 2020 Artsakh war from the Armenian side stands at 3822. Investigators did not elaborate but said that this number includes both servicemembers and civilians.

The Investigative Committee said it continues the investigation into the criminal case on the war of aggression launched by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, the Azerbaijani recruitment and deployment of mercenaries, deployment of banned methods and measures of warfare, Azerbaijani indiscriminate, premeditated and coordinated attacks on peaceful population of towns and cities of Artsakh and other gross violations of international humanitarian law.

The Investigative Committee also added that so far Azerbaijan returned to Armenia 150 prisoners of war (servicemembers and civilians).

Alienation of state property to non-residents ruled out in Armenia – State Property Management Committee Chair

Mary Lazarian

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 13:12,

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the State Property Management Committee of Armenia Arnak Avetisyan assures that alienation of state property to non-residents is ruled out in Armenia.

Commenting on reporter’s statement according to which Turkish nationals are acquiring lands in Armenia, Arnak Avetisyan said this question is not addressed to him if the lands are purchased from the second market, from private individuals.

“I know that according to the Armenian legislation, lands are not sold to non-residents, it is banned. In other words, only the citizens of Armenia can own land in Armenia. As for the state property, such cases are ruled out”, he said.

In response to the reports claiming that in 2020-2021 Azerbaijani nationals have acquired 6 real estate in Armenia, Avetisyan said the real estate and the land must be differentiated. He said their Committee has no data on real estate sales, but state property has not been alienated to non-residents, he noted.

Armenians can build a sovereign state even amid present geopolitical shocks, politician says

Mary Lazarian
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo. In the context of the Ukraine crisis, Armenia should think of building a sovereign state rather than of the threats of losing sovereignty in case the Allied  State's borders extend as far as Armenia, Garegin Miskaryan, Director  of the Democratic Platform foundation, said in an interview with  ArmInfo.  

"I would dare to state that, historically, Armenia has nearly always  had serious problems with its nationhood and sovereignty. And we have  hardly ever been sovereign. At best, our country enjoyed certain,  insignificant elements of sovereignty during short historical  periods. So at present we should not think of the threats of losing  what we have hardly ever had. Rather, we should try to create it," he  said. 

According to Mr Miskaryan, present-day Republic of Armenia could be  described as a sovereign state, "only with great reserve." And this  is not the only problem of our country and society. First of all, for  lack of not only democratic government institutes, but also, which is  much more important, democratic society.  That is why, being a  formally transitional democracy, Armenia and its society are, in  fact, far from being democratic, primarily because of  "inferior  social thinking" and the values cherished by this society. 

Amid all this, a democratic state is impossible to build by building  its institutes alone. On the other hand, Armenia has no resources to  afford a luxury of retaining a conventional authoritarian government  model. In this context, there is a yawning gulf between Armenia, with  humans as its only resource, and Middle-East monarchies and some  authoritarian CIS-members, the so-called petrostates. 

"In petrostates the authorities are capable of ruling societies with  an extremely low level of education and, consequently, low efficiency  and productivity, mainly due to profits from energy resources. But  Armenia has not such a potential. Therefore, Armenia has no  alternative to democratic progress, with the human being in the  center," Mr Miskaryan said.   

According to him, even amid the present global shocks, the Armenian  people and society have opportunities to start and successfully  complete the process of building a sovereign state. And the major  obstacle to it is in "the heads of Armenians themselves" rather than  of their enemies or allies. 

"It is our own heads that contain the answer to the question: are we,  the Armenian political thought, mature for the idea of our own  nationhood? And if we are close to it, are we capable of building a  viable state or are we going to serve other states' interests again?  I think that, before starting, we should put this question to  ourselves and find an answer to it," Mr Miskaryan said. 

Reports on Azerbaijani military amassing at entire line of contact are false, Artsakh authorities say

Mary Lazarian

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 13:25,

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan continues to spread disinformation with the purpose of causing panic among the population of Artsakh, the Office of the Security Council of Artsakh warned in a statement.

“We inform that the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh is fulfilling its objectives in accordance with the previously approved plans. The Defense Army is closely following all movements of the Azerbaijani side, and the reports on buildups at the entire length of the line of contact are false. We are again urging the public to refrain from spreading disinformation and follow only official news,” the Office of the Security Council said.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 14-03-22

Mary Lazarian

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 17:25,

YEREVAN, 14 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 14 March, USD exchange rate down by 3.31 drams to 514.97 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 4.51 drams to 564.56 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.11 drams to 4.66 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 6.60 drams to 671.52 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 508.84 drams to 32760.68 drams. Silver price down by 7.56 drams to 424.76 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

Armenian, Turkish foreign ministers meet amid efforts to normalise ties

Mary Lazarian



  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

The first meeting of the foreign ministers of Armenia and Turkey took place. Negotiations between Ararat Mirzoyan and Mevlut Cavusoglu were held within the framework of a diplomatic forum in Antalya. As the Armenian minister said at the end of the meeting, the parties confirmed their readiness to continue the process of normalizing relations without any preconditions. This refers to the ongoing efforts to establish diplomatic relations between the countries and opening borders. The Turkish Foreign Minister praised the talks as “extremely effective and constructive”.

In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, Turkey de facto recognized Armenia, but still refuses to establish diplomatic relations. Since 1993, Turkey has unilaterally closed its air and land borders with Armenia. Through the efforts of the world community, the air border was opened in 1995, but the land border remains closed.

  • Opinion: Armenia is stuck between the West and Russia
  • “Peace treaty is a priority” – statements of Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministries
  • Armenia-Turkey negotiations: “The goal is complete normalization”

According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, both ministers confirmed their readiness to establish good neighborly relations without preconditions.

After the Karabakh war in the early 1990s, Turkey put forward a number of preconditions for opening the land border and establishing diplomatic relations. One of them was the return of the areas of the unrecognised NKR under the control of Azerbaijan. This condition is no longer valid, since these territories are already under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of the second Karabakh war in 2020.

Turkey’s other condition has always been the rejection of international recognition of the Armenian Genocide. This refers to the massacre in Ottoman Turkey in 1915. Prior to that, about two and a half million Armenians lived in the territory of the Ottoman Empire. As a result of the killings and mass deportation, more than half of them died. Armenia, several Western countries and international organizations officially recognize these events as genocide. Turkey categorically rejects such a formulation.

During the meeting, Mirzoyan and Cavusoglu “agreed that normalization is necessary for the entire region”. In this regard, both ministers expressed readiness to support the work of the special representatives of the two countries, who are entrusted with negotiations on the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.

In an interview with journalists after the meeting, the Armenian Foreign Minister said that he hoped for positive results in the Armenian-Turkish talks in the near future.

In December 2021, Yerevan and Ankara announced their readiness to take steps to normalize relations. Ankara has appointed former Turkish Ambassador to Washington Serdar Kilic as a special representative. Armenia is represented by Vice Speaker of the Parliament Ruben Rubinyan. Two meetings of Rubinyan-Kylych have already taken place – on January 14 in Moscow and on February 24 in Vienna.

“I am glad to see that all the peoples and states of the region are trying to build peace and stability. I want to say that Armenia is ready to establish peace in the region”, Mirzoyan said during a joint briefing with Cavusoglu.

The Turkish Foreign Minister said that he considers the meeting productive and constructive. At the same time, he stressed that Azerbaijan also has a positive attitude towards the normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations:

“Recently I was in Baku. Azerbaijan also supports this process. Peace and stability in the region is in the interests of all. We will continue our efforts in this direction”.

Discussions regarding the participation in the diplomatic forum of Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Special Representative for the Normalization of Relations with Turkey Ruben Rubinyan continued for more than a month.

At the end of January, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu announced the possible participation of Mirzoyan and Rubinyan in the forum in Antalya, which was scheduled for March 11-13. As a result, the special representative from Armenia did not go to Turkey.

The participation of Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan was confirmed by the Armenian Foreign Ministry only on March 7.

In early February, Mirzoyan stated from the rostrum of the parliament that the decision to participate in the forum “will largely depend on the results of the meeting on February 24 in Vienna”. He was referring to the second meeting of the special representatives of Armenia and Turkey.

A day after the confirmation of the participation of the Armenian minister in the forum, official Ankara welcomed this decision. On the page of the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Twitter, a statement was published by the press secretary of the department:

“Such reciprocal steps will contribute to the expansion of dialogue between the two countries, as well as the discussion of steps aimed at building confidence for a full-fledged settlement”.

The diplomatic forum is being held in Turkey for the second time at the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The second forum is held under the title “New Diplomacy: New Time, New Views”.

Among the guests of honor of the event are the secretaries general of NATO and the Council of Europe, as well as the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy. In general, more than 2,000 people take part in it. These are diplomats, politicians, representatives of international organizations, scientists and businessmen.

The topic of discussion was “Recoding Diplomacy”. The agenda included issues of regional and global importance: the fight against terrorism, climate change, food and energy security, artificial intelligence, and the fight against discrimination.

Political scientist Areg Kochinyan believes that one should not place great hopes on one meeting of ministers. However, in his opinion, the visit of the Armenian Foreign Minister to Antalya should be considered as an important link in the process of normalization of the Armenian-Turkish relations in general.

“The normalization process itself is the most important post-war initiative [he is talking about the second Karabakh war in 2020]. He can change the difficult situation in which Armenia finds itself”, the political scientist emphasized in an interview with JAMnews.

Moreover, according to the expert, it is naive to believe that Armenia will be able to normalize relations with Turkey without normalizing them with Azerbaijan first:

“Turkey will strive for a package solution, that is, it will strive to ensure that the Armenian-Turkish and Armenian-Azerbaijani relations are improved in parallel and at the same speed, and at the same time will link one to the other”.

The normalization of relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, according to the political scientist, should be seen as an opportunity for Armenia:

“These are the most important problems for the statehood of Armenia at the moment. These are opportunities that will pave the way for the preservation of our statehood. Otherwise, our statehood will be under threat in the medium term”.

At the same time, the expert believes that Armenia needs more normalization of relations than Turkey or Azerbaijan.

Since the beginning of the negotiations, the Armenian society has been discussing the issue, which means the more than once repeated formulation of “normalization of relations without preconditions”. Does this statement suggest that Armenia has presented its “red lines” in the negotiations? This, in particular, is about the international recognition of the Armenian genocide, the status of Nagorno-Karabakh. Political scientist Areg Kochinyan believes that Armenia cannot include in its “red lines” what it cannot influence:

“During the 44-day war, Azerbaijan, at least, achieved that there are no more armed forces of the Republic of Armenia in Nagorno-Karabakh. And this means that Armenia has almost zero impact on the future political status of Artsakh.

As for the international recognition of the Armenian genocide, I don’t think Turkey will put forward a demand to renounce it. The driving force behind this process is not Armenia, but the Armenian Diaspora abroad”.

Ararat Mirzoyan became the first high-ranking Armenian official to visit Turkey in more than 10 years. Prior to him, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan visited Turkey, who at that time came up with the initiative to normalize relations with Turkey. The process he started in 2008 was called “football diplomacy”.

First, at the invitation of Serzh Sargsyan, Turkish President Abdullah Gul arrived in Armenia. Together with the President of Armenia, they watched a football match between the national teams of the two countries. Then, in 2009, the Armenian president went to Turkey, where the match between the teams was again held.

The result of “football diplomacy” was the so-called Zurich Protocols, signed in 2009 by foreign ministers. These were protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations and on the principles of mutual relations. However, the documents were not ratified by the parties.

In December 2009, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated that Ankara would not ratify the protocols until the Karabakh conflict was resolved. In the Turkish parliament, the process of ratifying the document was frozen. In response, the Armenian side stated that the protocols should have been signed without preconditions, and on April 22, 2010, it was decided to suspend the process of ratifying the protocols.

Five years later, the President of Armenia withdrew the Armenian-Turkish protocols from the National Assembly. And on March 1, 2018, Armenia announced their annulment.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 03/10/2022

Mary Lazarian 
                                        Thursday, 


Russian FM Meets Armenian, Azeri Counterparts


Turkey - Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia and Sergei Lavrov of 
Russia meet in Antalya, Mar10, 2022.


Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held on Thursday separate talks with his 
Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts on the sidelines of an international 
security conference in Turkey.

Lavrov discussed with them the implementation of Russian-brokered agreements to 
ease tensions on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and unblock transport links 
between the two South Caucasus nations.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov and Azerbaijani Foreign 
Minister Jeyhun Bayramov agreed to speed up preparations for the second session 
of a multilateral platform meant to promote peace and economic cooperation in 
the South Caucasus. The platform comprises Armenia, Azerbaijan, Russia, Turkey 
and Iran.

Lavrov’s talks with Bayramov and Armenia’s Ararat Mirzoyan followed an upsurge 
in ceasefire violations along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border as well as in 
Nagorno-Karabakh where several villages were shelled by Azerbaijani forces in 
recent days. Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in Karabakh reportedly 
intervened in to prevent a further escalation of the tensions.

“We haven’t seen each other in a while, and a lot has accumulated,” Mirzoyan 
told Lavrov at the start of their meeting held in the Turkish resort city of 
Antalya.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry said he briefed Lavrov on the consequences of 
Azerbaijan’s “provocative actions” and called for “necessary steps to ease the 
tensions and prevent incidents” in the conflict zone.

The two ministers agreed on the need to restart Armenian-Azerbaijani 
negotiations on a “comprehensive and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh 
conflict,” the ministry said in a statement.

Lavrov and Mirzoyan also discussed Russian-Armenian “allied relations” and ways 
of “further reinforcing” them, added the statement.

In his opening remarks publicized by the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Lavrov 
stressed the importance of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s official visit to 
Moscow scheduled for the beginning of next month.

“I am confident that it will help to further advance our allied relations,” he 
said.



Dashnaktsutyun Eyes Renewed Anti-Government Protests

        • Astghik Bedevian

Armenia - Dashnaktsutyun party leaders Armen Rustamian (left) and Hagop Der 
Khatchadurian hold a news conference in Yerevan, .


The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun) signaled on Thursday its 
readiness to launch a more broad-based opposition movement and street protests 
aimed at toppling Armenia’s government.

Leaders of the opposition party accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s 
administration of planning to make sweeping concessions to Azerbaijan and Turkey 
that would threaten the very existence of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.

“This resistance must be directed at those who try to lead us to vital 
concessions with false pacifist calls,” said Armen Rustamian, a member of 
Dashnaktsutyun’s new governing Bureau elected during a party congress held in 
Yerevan.

The weeklong congress brought together senior members of the party’s branches in 
Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora. A statement adopted by it says that 
Dashnaktsutyun must be ready to play a “decisive” role in the fight for regime 
change.

Dashnaktsutyun is now affiliated with the opposition Hayastan bloc led by former 
President Robert Kocharian. The bloc finished second in the snap parliamentary 
elections held last June.

Speaking at a joint news conference, Rustamian and the Canadian-Armenian head of 
the Bureau, Hagop Der Khatchadurian, gave no indications that Dashnaktsutyun is 
considering leaving Hayastan.

Still, they said they are open to cooperating with more opposition forces that 
share their concerns about “existential” threats facing Armenia. They also made 
a case for new methods of political struggle against Pashinian’s government, 
notably street protests.

Hayastan already announced in November the start of a “nationwide resistance” 
campaign during a rally in Yerevan. But it has staged no further protests since 
then.

Kocharian said in December that despite what he sees as a sharp drop in 
Pashinian’s approval ratings Armenians are still not willing to attend 
anti-government demonstrations in very large numbers. The ex-president stood by 
his view at a news conference held last month.

Rustamian seemed to acknowledge that opposition groups need more time to 
generate a strong protest movement.

“The people do not feel an existential danger,” he said. “I’m sure that as soon 
as the people feel that existential danger they will fill the streets. This is 
why the authorities are doing everything to keep the people in the dark.”



New Armenian President Hopes For Quick End To War In Ukraine

        • Nane Sahakian

People evacuate from Irpin, near Kyiv, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine 
continues, March 9, 2022.


President-elect Vahagn Khachatrian stuck to Armenia’s cautious position on 
Russia’s war in Ukraine on Thursday, expressing hope that it will end soon.

The Armenian government has not condemned the Russian invasion, underscoring its 
close political, military and economic ties with Moscow. It abstained last week 
from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution that demanded an immediate 
withdrawal of Russian troops from Ukraine.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on March 3 that Yerevan is “deeply saddened” 
by the war and hopes that Russian-Ukrainian negotiations “will produce results.”

Khachatrian, who will be sworn in as Armenia’s new, largely ceremonial head of 
state on Sunday, echoed this stance before attending his last cabinet meeting in 
his capacity as minister of high-technology industry.

“We all should hope and do everything so that this war ends as soon as 
possible,” he told journalists. “We know very well what it means.”

Khachatrian would not be drawn on economic consequences of the West’s crippling 
sanctions against Russia. He said only that their precise impact on Armenia is 
difficult to predict at the moment.


Armenia - Vahagn Khachatrian, March 2, 2022.

“We just need to prepare our system, especially the financial system,” added the 
62-year-old economist elected as president by the Armenian parliament last week. 
The government and businesses should not brace themselves for a worst-case 
scenario, he said.

Russia is Armenia’s number one trading partner and export market. 
Russian-Armenia trade totaled $2.6 billion last year.

Officials in Yerevan admit that the Western sanctions will likely hit hard 
Armenian exports to Russia as well as remittances sent home by Armenians working 
there. They also expect a further surge in food prices in Armenia.

The South Caucasus country imports a large part of its wheat, cooking oil and 
other basic foodstuffs from Russia.



Karabakh Civilian Wounded In Azeri Shelling

        • Susan Badalian
        • Gayane Saribekian

Nagorno-Karabakh - A sign outside the village of Khramort.


Azerbaijani forces continued to shell a village in eastern Nagorno-Karabakh on 
Thursday, wounding one of its residents and causing others to flee their homes.

The village of Khramort came under mortar fire for the fourth consecutive day. 
According to the authorities in Stepanakert, Azerbaijani troops also fired 
mortars towards several other Karabakh villages and adjacent farmland on 
Wednesday.

Suren Baghrian, a 51-year-old Khramort farmer, was wounded in the back when a 
mortar shell landed near his house in the morning. The explosion was caught on a 
camera of the Armenian TV station Fifth Channel.

“I was working in my courtyard,” Baghrian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service from a 
hospital later in the day.

Another Khramort resident, Hasmik Andrian, said most local women and children 
were evacuated from the village overnight because of intensifying gunfire from 
nearby Azerbaijani army positions.

“But men remain in the village at the moment,” she said. “We must hold out as 
much as we can.”

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said, meanwhile, that Armenian forces continued 
to fire at its troops deployed in the Aghdam district east of Karabakh. It 
earlier denied targeting civilians.

For their part, the Karabakh authorities insisted that Baku stepped up truce 
violations as part of its efforts to spread panic among Karabakh Armenians and 
depopulate the disputed territory.

Karabakh’s Security Council said it is “cooperating” with Russian peacekeeping 
forces to try to prevent more Azerbaijani “provocations.” “Urgent measures are 
being taken to force the enemy to honor ceasefire agreements,” it added in a 
statement.

Armenian media cited a Karabakh official as saying that the peacekeepers rushed 
to Khramort and set up two monitoring posts there early on Thursday.

In what may have been a related development, gas supplies from Armenia to 
Karabakh were cut off on Monday night after a pipeline passing through 
Azerbaijani-controlled territory was knocked out by an apparent explosion.

The gas supplies have still not been restored. Officials in Stepanakert have 
accused the Azerbaijani side of blocking repairs on the damaged section of the 
pipeline.

Tensions have also risen along Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan. One Armenian 
soldier was killed and another wounded there on Monday.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian mentioned the escalation on Thursday at 
the start of a weekly session of his cabinet on Thursday. But he avoided 
condemning Baku.

“Let us not make evaluations at this point. We will just note this situation and 
try to focus on ways of solving problems,” Pashinian said, adding that Yerevan 
is now “working with the Karabakh authorities and international partners” to try 
to ease the tensions.



France’s Macron Vows Closer Ties With Armenia


France - French President Emmanuel Macron greets Armenian Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian at the Elysee Palace, Paris, March 9, 2022.


French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday pledged to increase economic aid 
to Armenia and deepen broader French-Armenian relations in the face of what he 
called destabilizing effects of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Macron denounced Moscow’s “historical revisionism” and “imperial dreams” as he 
addressed a French-Armenian cooperation forum in Paris after holding talks with 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

The two leaders made a joint appearance at the concluding session of the daylong 
event organized by their governments.

“What is happening in Ukraine today is not without consequences for the rest of 
the region and not without consequences for Armenia,” Macron declared in his 
speech. “So we are extremely vigilant about that.”

“As this war unleashed by Russia is destabilizing your immediate neighborhood, 
Mr. Prime Minister, I also want to communicate to you France’s commitment to 
bring peace to Ukraine and to continue encouraging lasting stability in the 
Caucasus,” he told Pashinian, whose country remains Russia’s closest regional 
ally.

Armenia has not condemned the assault on Ukraine or joined the Western sanctions 
against Russia. The South Caucasus state’s heavy dependence on Moscow for 
defense and security has deepened further after its defeat in the 2020 war with 
Azerbaijan.


French President Emmanuel Macron holds video conference with Armenian Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and European 
Council President Charles Michel, 4Feb2022

Macron mentioned the six-week war and said the conflict in Ukraine “must not 
make us forget” other international hotspots such as Nagorno-Karabakh. France, 
he said, will continue to press for the release of Armenian prisoners of war 
still held by Azerbaijan, support the opening of Armenian-Azerbaijani transport 
links and strive for a comprehensive resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

According to an Armenian government statement, the conflict was high on the 
agenda of Pashinian’s talks with Macron held earlier in the day. The Armenian 
premier was reported to blame Azerbaijan for recent days’ upsurge in truce 
violations in Karabakh and on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, which left one 
Armenian soldier dead.

Macron spoke of “worrying events” in the conflict zone in his in his speech at 
the Paris forum held days after the official start of his reelection campaign.


Armenia - Armenian President Armen Sarkissian meets with Valerie Pecresse, a 
Fench presidential candidate and head of Ile de France region, December 21, 2021.
The first round of France’s tightly contested presidential elections is slated 
for April. Macron and other major presidential candidates are seen as vying for 
the votes of France’s influential Armenian community. Two of them, conservative 
politician Valerie Pecresse and far-right commentator Eric Zemmour, visited 
Armenia late last year.

Macron said that the French-Armenian forum marks “the start of a process that 
will reinforce our bilateral cooperation, our commitment to Armenia and our will 
to work together.” The two governments have worked out a “French-Armenian 
economic roadmap” for the next five years and are also planning more joint 
projects that will benefit Armenia’s public infrastructures, healthcare system 
and cultural and historical heritage, he said.

Macron also announced that the French government will set up a special fund for 
wide-ranging assistance to Armenia. He urged French regions and charities to 
contribute to the fund.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Asbarez: AEF Accepting Applications for Tufenkian Scholarship

Mary Lazarian
by Contributor

 

 March 8, 2022

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

AEF Richard R. Tufenkian Scholarship flyer

GLENDALE—The Armenian Educational Foundation announced that it is accepting applications for the Richard R. Tufenkian Scholarships for the 2022 to 2023 academic year.

Three $3,000 scholarships will be awarded to Armenian undergraduate students at an accredited United States college or university. To qualify for this scholarship, students must be of Armenian descent, have a minimum 3.0 GPA, show financial need, and be actively involved in the Armenian community.

Students who meet the above criteria should visit the website for more information and to apply. All scholarships must be submitted by June 30. Official transcripts can be mailed to the AEF office or emailed directly from the University to [email protected].

The Richard R. Tufenkian Scholarship Fund was established in 1991 by Ralph and Savey Tufenkian in memory of their son.  The $230,000 endowed fund has provided over $510,000 in scholarships since 1991. Currently, three $3,000 undergraduate scholarships are awarded each year in the U.S. and five full tuition scholarships for students attending public universities in Armenia.  

Only students interested in applying for the scholarship should contact the AEF office at [email protected] or (818) 242-4154.

Ukrainian-Armenian UFC fighter Liudvik Sholinian shares perilous situation in Kyiv

Mary Lazarian
March 2, 2022 Andre Khatchaturian Sports 0

Liudvik Sholinian training in Kyiv, February 19, 2022

In a perfect world, mixed-martial artist Liudvik Sholinian would be wrapping up an intense training camp and getting ready to travel to London on March 19 to do what he loves – compete in the UFC.

Instead, a dark uncertainty looms over the 32-year-old Armenian from Ukraine, who is stuck in Kyiv as his world was turned upside-down last week due to Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine.

“Basically the situation right now is very stressful,” Sholinian told the Armenian Weekly in the Russian language via a translator. “Everyone is on pins and needles. Everyone is staying indoors, trying to watch the news and follow everything that’s going on. Most of all, I’m at home with my family making sure they’re safe.”

Just a few weeks before Russia fired its first attack, Sholinian was preparing to fight Nathaniel Wood in his second career bantamweight bout in the UFC. He was confident he would bounce back after losing his debut in 2021 and notch his first career victory in the world’s most famous mixed-martial arts promotion. A win would be a huge step in his young career and open up plenty of fortuitous opportunities in his future.

But none of that matters anymore. Sholinian’s hopes and dreams have been put on hold indefinitely because of the harrowing realities of war. Men in Ukraine cannot leave the country, and the March 19 bout is in peril. 

“I was actually looking forward to this fight,” he told the Weekly, “I’ve been training for it the hardest I’ve ever trained for a fight. As much as I’ve trained for this fight, it’s the last thing on my mind and I’m willing to give my entire career for this war to end today. Right now, I don’t think the discussion should be about the fight at all.”

Liudvik Sholinian in Kyiv, October 31, 2021

News reports indicate there have been civilian deaths in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Sholinian said that while his family is safe at the moment, he is doing his best to move them out of the capital city.

“We’re hearing sirens, and we’re hearing bombs. From time to time we get tired of sitting at home, so I step outside for some fresh air,” Sholinian shared. “There are sirens going off, and I’m hearing bombs at the same time but the sirens have become the norm — and so have the bombings — so you’re just kind of getting used to it.”

The horrors of war are all too familiar for Armenians around the world, who experienced Azerbaijan’s aggression toward Artsakh less than two years ago. But unlike most Armenians in the Diaspora, Sholinian and other Armenians in Ukraine must now come to terms with military conflict in their backyard.

“Obviously when the war happened in Artsakh – that’s my other home – that was difficult to swallow,” Sholinian said. “But now that it’s happening in Ukraine, it’s sort of an unimaginable feeling that I can’t put into words. The two aren’t comparable, but both of my homes have been attacked in the last two years. I try to be a realist, and I try to be emotionally strong for myself and my family.”

Other notable Ukrainian athletes like boxers Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko and Vasiliy Lomachenko have announced their intentions to join the military conflict on the battlefield, but Sholinian doesn’t plan to do so.

“At the end of the day, it all falls on the world leaders to put a stop to this or let it continue. People can sign up to fight. They can do whatever they want. I haven’t thought about it. I don’t get involved in politics. I just want this whole thing to be over as soon as possible.”

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Andre Khatchaturian is a seasoned digital content producer and the sports correspondent for The Armenian Weekly. He is the founder of Camak Media, a multimedia company specializing in drone footage, video content and photography for small businesses. Prior to this, he produced video and written content at the New England Sports Network (NESN). He has also provided coverage at three Super Bowls and more than a dozen high-profile UFC fights. Andre is from Glendale, California. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. He moved to Boston in 2013, where he attended Boston University and graduated with a master's degree in broadcast journalism.


Vahagn Khachaturyan assures he will really be the president of all citizens of Armenia if elected

Mary Lazarian

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 11:50, 2 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Candidate for President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan assures that if elected, he will be the President of all citizens of Armenia.

During the parliamentary debate over his candidacy, Arsen Torosyan from the Civil Contract faction said that a fake agenda has been generated. “Eventually, are you going to be only our president, or the president of all citizens of Armenia?”, he asked.

In response, Vahagn Khachaturyan said: “I am convinced that you do not want me to be only your president. Be convinced also that I don’t want me to be only your president. I ought to be the President of all citizens of Armenia by the Constitution. The President of Armenia is also an institute of solving national issues, and I am going to be like that, play that role. There is no obstacle for me in acting that role. Moreover, maybe you have chosen my candidacy taking into account this fact, I assume so. In any case, you have seen in me the person who can play that role. And for our separated public today, which is in a difficult socio-economic situation, it’s very important for the presidential institute, that is uniting, to work”.

He added that when that institute works, it will be revealed what major works he has to do. However, he noted that this institute cannot solve that problems alone if there is no cooperation with the parliament, the government, the society, political forces and NGOs. “I just believe and know that we can work only in this way”, he said.

Arsen Torosyan expressed confidence that Khachaturyan will really be the president of all citizens of Armenia, for which they have nominated his candidacy.