Author: Parkev Tvankchian

Armenia’s Silicon Valley seeks Indian partnership

Parkev Tvankchian
The Economic Times, India
Oct 27 2023
SECTIONS

By 

Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury

, ET Bureau

  YEREVAN (Armenia): Armenia's IT industry has been experiencing tremendous
growth and development and local startups including firms dealing with
ArtificialIntelligence are seeking active partnerships with Indian counterparts
and open chapters in South Asia’s biggest market. 
Armenia has emerged as an attractive destination for technology companies and
startups, thanks to its favorable business environment, skilled workforce and
supportive government initiatives, local industry experts told ET. 
Armenia is home to some of the most industry disrupting startups in the medical crypto, AI, and design fields. With a
large pool of tech talent and a history of noteworthy astrophysicists and chess grandmasters, it is no surprise that there
are so many successful innovative tech startups. 
With a strong connection with the Silicon Valley through the strong Armenian diaspora, the Armenian IT industry is
building connections with India’s Silicon Valley in Bangalore, besides Hyderabad and Delhi-NCR region. 
Dr Yervant Zorian, an Armenian by birth and Chief Architect of Synopsys that designs chips, told ET that Synopsys has a
sizable presence in India including Bangalore and Noida. Zorian has been a frequent traveler across Indian cities. 
Dr Zorian recalled that Armenian success in the IT industry and solutions had its genesis during the Soviet period and
could have been described as the Soviet Union’s Silicon Valley. Later post-independence Armenian diaspora in the Silicon Valley in the USA was quick to set up connections in Armenia establishing chapters here. 
Synopsys Armenia provides R&D and product support for electronic design automation, design for manufacturing, and
semiconductor intellectual property solutions.
“Can machine learning solve the issue of background noise?” 
This question is what led Davit Baghdasaryan to quit Twillo
and partner up with Arto to start Krisp in 2017 to enable people to be more effective communicators in online calls.
Krisp is an AI startup that removes background noise from conference calls. 
It’s based in Armenia and has created a one of-a-kind noise cancelling app. It has attracted attention from the tech world for its innovation, recording significant
success and growth in a very short time
Krisp provides Noise Cancellation, Voice Cancellation, Echo Cancellation, and more to individuals and businesses,
helping them to be heard clearer during online meetings in an increasingly remote world. 
With just a press of a button, millions of people around the world can now enjoy calls, crystal clear.
Krisp is keen to expand its presence in India from currently one staff and is in talks with other partners including in the
Space Tech sector, Davit told ET. 
Armenia is soon launching its first satellite. Earlier this year when the Armenian NSA
visited New Delhi he sought India’s support in the space sector.
Besides AI based solutions and IT industry, Armenia has an emerging Venture Capitalist ecosystem. 
SmartGate VC is one
such firm. 
Ashot Arzumanyan, a partner in SmartGate VC explained how they are funding various ventures including
Krisp and seeking to explore the Indian market.
With more capital flowing into Armenia, more and more startups are reaching success. Armenia is no longer just an
outsourcing hotspot but a center of innovation in the global market. 
There are many top name companies that have
branches in Armenia but more and more entrepreneurs are opening their own startups to provide solutions for their
respective markets.
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/india/armenias-silicon-valley-seeks-indian-partnership/articleshow/104742975.cms
  

AW: Facebook’s Controversial Policies: Silencing Armenian Narratives

Parkev Tvankchian
 Milena Baghdasaryan Op-Eds 0

On August 26, 2023, Facebook suspended Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan’s official Facebook account. Generally, Facebook suspends user accounts for a variety of reasons, such as violations of the site’s rules and regulations, suspicious login activity that signals unauthorized access, the use of false personal information, or other inappropriate or illegal actions that go against Facebook’s Community Standards or Terms of Service. President Harutyunyan, however, had not engaged in any activity that would violate the company’s policy. The reason behind the suspension of Harutyunyan’s page was rather strange, highly questionable and problematic, to say the least. The suspension was the result of a continuous campaign of complaints filed by Azerbaijani users. According to Armenpress, “The president’s office said Harutyunyan’s account was actively targeted with complaints for many months, which had gradually led to many restrictions, including the artificial drop in visibility of posts and ban on certain functions. And as a result of the recent complaints the page became fully inaccessible on August 26.” 

President Harutyunyan only made one “mistake” for which his account could have been suspended: he was the president of the Republic of Artsakh. To best understand the absurdity of the situation, one should simply imagine a similar title: “Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s Official Facebook Account Suspended Due to Complaints Filed by the Russian Side.” Such a nonsensical title would be unimaginable for most, yet why does it become not only imaginable, but also real when it comes to the case of Artsakh’s president? Why has the game of double standards and hypocrisy become so mainstream that we no longer talk about it nor make an effort to fight it? 

This parallel reminded me of how I felt while studying in international academic settings. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, a significant majority of the international student body voiced their grievance and discontent toward Russia and stood up for Ukraine in all possible ways, from fundraisers to spreading awareness across social media platforms. I admired the sense of solidarity and shared the immense pain of my fellow Ukrainian peers, hoping for an immediate, peaceful resolution of the conflict. Yet deep down in my heart, I also ached. I ached to hear all the voices that spoke so boldly and blatantly against Russian aggression, the voices that were silent as the grave when the same was happening to the Armenian people. I ached, not because they stood up for Ukraine (in fact, I was more than happy to see the unanimous support), but because they never did for Artsakh. I ached, because the double standards and the “made-normal” hypocrisy have killed my people in the past and continue doing so in the present. I ached, because some crimes against humanity scream so loudly, and some others are silenced to death. 

The suspension of President Harutyunyan’s official account was a deliberate attempt at silencing to death. The page, with over 459,000 followers, was one of the few sources for the communication and exchange of timely information between Artsakh’s government and its population which, by the way, at the time had been deprived of basic human necessities such as food, electricity, hygiene products and medical supplies for months due to Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor, the only humanitarian corridor connecting Artsakh to Armenia and the outside world. The suspension of the president’s Facebook account was not a silly game by Azeri users but a deliberate attempt to completely isolate Artsakh’s population, not only in the real but also in the virtual world—something completely unjust and unjustifiable, something which Facebook, whether inadvertently or intentionally, played a role in. 

Nevertheless, the suspension of Harutyunyan’s account is just one instance of Facebook’s problematic attitudes and decisions within the context of Armenian narratives. On October 12, 2020, Facebook announced an update in its “hate speech policy to prohibit any content that denies or distorts the Holocaust.” This is a praiseworthy decision, targeted at the prevention of denial or distortion of the factual historical event of the Holocaust. However, the decision becomes less admirable as one realizes that the update in hate speech policy applies to the case of Holocaust only and excludes other genocides such as the Rwandan or Armenian genocides. In fact, pages still exist that publicly and blatantly deny the Armenian Genocide. 

The Facebook page “Armenian Genocide Lie,” for example, not only has permission from Facebook to exist but is given the right to make posts and comments about the “mythness” of the Armenian Genocide on a regular basis, sharing books, articles and highly biased opinions that distort history and present the Armenian Genocide as a fictional narrative invented by the Armenian people. The page has over 9,300 followers and therefore plays a crucial role in spreading disinformation and repeating the generational cycle of history falsification among Turkish and Azerbaijani audiences. Ironically enough, the background image of the “Armenian Genocide Lie” Facebook page features the following statement: “Document + Mind + Conscience (Morality) = Justice.” It’s ridiculous to see the grandchildren of genocide perpetrators speak about “document,” “morality” and “justice.” 

The background image of the Facebook page “Armenian Genocide Lie”

Which document exactly are they referring to – the testimonies of Armenian Genocide survivors and their descendants (second and third generation), or the accounts of numerous international scholars, Arab and Greek eyewitnesses, rescuers and aid providers, foreign witnesses and Yezidi survivors, who all confirm the factuality of the Armenian Genocide? What do they really mean when speaking about morality? The “morality” of killing over 1.5 million ethnic Armenians by exposing them to all sorts of inexplicable violence that the average human mind would be incapable of imagining or seeing, let alone implementing? The “morality” of torturing and murdering children, pregnant women, the elderly and people with disabilities? Or the (im)”morality” of still denying the Armenian Genocide at the state level and openly supporting another genocide toward the Armenians of Artsakh over 100 years later? Perhaps to best understand how comical and ironic the words “document,” “morality” and “justice” sound in this context, both the admins of the “Armenian Genocide Lie” Facebook page as well as the policymakers at Facebook should watch the films The Lark Farm, Aurora’s Sunrise or The Promise. Perhaps after watching those films, the admins of the Facebook page who were raised and educated with biased and one-sided Turkish ideologies and narratives would be exposed to the historical truth and decide to take down the page by themselves.  

When the suffering of one group is validated and condemned, while the other’s is subjected to ignorance and indifference, important questions of impartiality, fairness and equity arise. Banning any content that denies or distorts the Holocaust while allowing the public denial of the Armenian Genocide on Facebook is another portrayal of double standards and hypocrisy to which the modern world, both physical and virtual, has become so accustomed. Acknowledging historical atrocities, such as the Holocaust or the Armenian Genocide, and banning any attempts at denial is a moral imperative, because it acknowledges the suffering of the victims and helps prevent such events from happening in the future. Denial and indifference, on the other hand, cause a perpetuation of injustice and suffering, facilitating the repetition of genocide. 

As the crimes of the past are not punished, they are likely to happen in the future, and it is mind-blowing to witness that, in the 21st century, in this “civilized world” of transparent communication and timely updates, some social media platforms not only do not strive to prevent the repetition of a new genocide but even facilitate its success, whether by inaction and indifference or the one-sided suppression of voices and narratives.

This phenomenon and the direct cause-effect relationship between denial and repetition can clearly be observed in the context of recent developments in the region: the devastating attacks by Azerbaijan on Artsakh in 2020 and in September 2023, the over nine-month-long blockade of the Berdzor Corridor and the resulting humanitarian catastrophe, the forced exodus of Artsakh’s Armenian population, and many other events that caused significant territorial and humanitarian damages and losses for the Armenian people, while leaving them under a new imminent threat. In fact, according to an article published on POLITICO on October 13, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned that his department is tracking the possibility that Azerbaijan could soon invade Armenia. This is not at all surprising, as Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had previously spoken about his intentions to use force in order to solve the “problem” of opening a corridor along Armenia’s southern border in an attempt to link mainland Azerbaijan to an exclave bordering Turkey and Iran. As the crimes of the past are not punished, they are likely to happen in the future, and it is mind-blowing to witness that, in the 21st century, in this “civilized world” of transparent communication and timely updates, some social media platforms not only do not strive to prevent the repetition of a new genocide but even facilitate its success, whether by inaction and indifference or the one-sided suppression of voices and narratives.

As I recently moved to the College of Europe in Natolin to pursue my advanced master’s degree in European interdisciplinary studies, I had the chance to meet over 100 young people from various nationalities and backgrounds. As we were exchanging our contact information with one another, one of the students asked, jokingly: “Guys, is there anyone who still uses Facebook?” Everyone started laughing as if talking about something old-fashioned and outdated. This was a huge surprise for me, as in Armenia, Facebook is still one of the most commonly used social media platforms, where people discuss important socio-political matters and where the government exchanges important information with the population (such as during the COVID-19 pandemic, when communication between the prime minister and the population would mainly take place in the form of Facebook lives). There were as many as 2,163,300 Facebook users in Armenia in January 2022, which accounted for 74.3-percent of its entire population, whereas the registered voter turnout to the 2021 Armenian parliamentary election was only 49.37-percent. With such a large user base in Armenia and the “loyalty” of the Armenian population to the platform, Facebook should put some effort into making the platform more fair and just for its Armenian users and understand how big a role any of its actions and policies can have in the protection of historical truth and in the prevention of new crimes against humanity.

  •  Bio
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Milena Baghdasaryan is a graduate from UWC Changshu China. Since the age of 11, she has been writing articles for a local newspaper named Kanch ('Call'). At the age of 18, she published her first novel on Granish.org and created her own blog, Taghandi Hetqerov ('In the Pursuit of Talent')—a portal devoted to interviewing young and talented Armenians all around the world. Baghdasaryan considers storytelling, traveling and learning new languages to be critical in helping one explore the world, connect with others, and discover oneself. Milena currently studies Film and New Media at New York University in Abu Dhabi.


Armenian Prime Minister meets Council of Europe Secretary General in Strasbourg

Parkev Tvankchian

 17:31,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with Secretary General of the Council of Europe Marija Pejčinović Burić in Strasbourg.

The humanitarian situation resulting from the forced displacement of over 100,000 Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing and future steps of international assistance for solving the existing issues were discussed.

The ongoing developments in the region, issues pertaining to the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process were also discussed. The continuity of the normalization process was highlighted.

The Prime Minister then laid flowers at an Armenian cross-stone in front of the Council of Europe headquarters.

 



Armenia says it is ready to make peace but Azerbaijan says process undermined

Parkev Tvankchian
Reuters
Oct 17 2023
By Felix Light

TBILISI, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Tuesday said he was ready to sign a peace deal with Azerbaijan by the end of the year, even as Baku accused Yerevan of undermining the process of normalising their relations.

Russia's state-run TASS news agency cited Pashinyan as telling the European Parliament in Strasbourg that Armenia was ready to end more than three decades of hostilities, and to guarantee the safety of ethnic Azeris in Armenia.

But in a statement later on, Azerbaijan's Foreign Ministry accused Pashinyan of undermining the peace process with "aggressive rhetoric". It said Armenia as a country had a reputation for "blunt falsification of facts and history".

The two countries have in recent weeks stated their willingness to sign a treaty to end decades of intermittent conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, a breakaway region that Azerbaijan recaptured last month, prompting most of its population of some 120,000 ethnic Armenians to flee to Armenia.

Armenia describes the Karabakh Armenians' flight as ethnic cleansing driven by the threat of violence after a nine-month blockade of essential supplies, the latest chapter in a conflict between Christian Armenians and Turkic Muslim Azeris that goes back more than a century.

Azerbaijan says the Karabakh Armenian civilians were welcome to stay and be integrated in Azerbaijani society, but left voluntarily.

Beyond Karabakh, the two countries' shared border is riddled with small exclaves surrounded by the other side's land – sovereign territory that is in effect occupied by the other side – complicating a final peace deal. Exchanges of fire across the frontier, sometimes fatal, are a regular occurrence.

Russian President Vladimir Putin last week said he believed a peace deal was achievable if both sides showed goodwill, playing down the difficulty of reaching an agreement on their shared border.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Monday made his first visit to the territories retaken by Azerbaijan last month, and was filmed raising Azerbaijan's flag in the region's capital and treading on the flag of Karabakh's dissolved ethnic Armenian authority.

Reporting by Felix Light in Tbilisi and Nailia Bagirova; Editing by Kevin Liffey

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/armenia-ready-sign-peace-deal-with-azerbaijan-by-year-end-tass-cites-pm-2023-10-17/

Azerbaijan eyes southern Armenian border province of Syunik

Parkev Tvankchian
FRANCE 24
Oct 17 2023
By:Catherine NORRIS TRENT|Julie DUNGELHOFF|Mohamed FARHAT

After taking full control of Nagorno-Karabakh in September, will Azerbaijan go further? In the southern Armenian province of Syunik, residents are increasingly worried about the threat from Baku. Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev claims Syunik and much of Armenian territory is historically Azerbaijani, referring to it as "Western Azerbaijan". Since 2020, Azerbaijan has also taken 150 square kilometres of Armenian land near the border, according to Armenian officials. FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris Trent, Julie Dungelhoeff and Mohammed Farhat report.

Watch the report at https://www.france24.com/en/tv-shows/focus/20231017-azerbaijan-eyes-southern-armenian-border-province-of-syunik 

AI from school and the significance of science commercialization. FAST representatives at Digitec23 panel discussions

Parkev Tvankchian

 19:27,

YEREVAN, 16 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The impact of artificial intelligence on higher education was one of the key issues discussed at the Digitec23 business expo-forum, which started on October 13 in Yerevan. Leading Armenian technological companies, startups, business and scientific and technological organizations presented their educational, scientific and commercialization programs in the field of high technologies.

Suzanna Shamakhyan, Vice President of Strategic Programming at the Foundation for Armenian Science and Technology (FAST) addressed the development of the AI industry in Armenia, the challenges of a scarcity of researchers in the field, and the idea of creating the "Generation AI" program during the panel discussion titled “The Impact of AI on Higher Education.”

“We have implemented various incubator and scientific programs and have consistently encountered the challenge of finding even junior researchers in the AI field. As we delved deeper into the root of the problem, we realized that starting at the school level was essential. Consequently, we decided to initiate the “Generation AI” program. It was a challenging endeavor that took more than 2.5 years of preparation. We were pleased to receive more school applications for the open competition than anticipated: 47 schools expressed their eagerness to engage in this significant initiative," as Armenpress informs, Suzanna Shamakhyan remarked.

Suzanna Shamakyan emphasized that 400 10th-grade students are currently enrolled in the program. When asked about the program's first graduates, she stated, “It’s a 3-year program, and we will witness the first graduates in 3 years. The primary objective is to teach mathematics and then the Python programming language. Depending on the progress students demonstrate, they will have the opportunity to either continue studying the basic AI program or pursue a more advanced path and engage in projects.”

The program is currently at school level, and during this period, close collaboration with higher educational institutions will persist to ensure that children regularly learn about research methodologies, their execution, and the opportunities they present. In essence, the “Generation AI” program has a substantial component of professional orientation. If we aspire, as a country, to be competitive in this field, we must cultivate suitable human resources to ensure that competitiveness. Unlike other large countries, which can recruit talent from various parts of the world, we cannot afford it. We must discover and harness our potential from within," added Shamakhyan to the discussion.

Arman Darbinyan, Head of the Department of Mathematical and Mathematical Modeling at RAU; Kristina Sargsyan, Dean of the Faculty of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at UFAR; Tigran Sargsyan, Director of Engineering, ML at Krisp; and Rem Darbinyan, Founder & CEO of ViralMango, also participated in the “The Impact of AI on Higher Education” panel discussion. The moderator was Hrant Khachatryan, Director of YerevanN.

 Ruben Osipyan, Entrepreneurial Programs Lead at FAST, highlighted during the panel discussion on "Innovation as a Vital Component of Technological Education," that the first project in the science commercialization sphere was ASCENT, influenced by the experience of Flagship Pioneering, whose founder and CEO, Noubar Afeyan, is one of FAST’s co-founders.

In general, entrepreneurial activity in Armenia holds significant potential for development. Various methods can facilitate this growth, with a systematic approach being paramount. Often, scientists are not able to convincingly present their inventions as innovations with a competitive edge. They must navigate this path effectively to sell their ideas to investors. Unfortunately, some scientists view entrepreneurship as incompatible with a scientific career, while development is impossible without the commercialization of science,” Osipyan added.

The panelists explored the interconnections between innovation and science, innovation and education, and the unique aspects of applying innovations in higher and postgraduate education.

Arevik Khnkoyan, Head of Unit for Science Field Data Collection and Analysis at HESC, moderated the panel discussion. The speakers included Naira Sahakyan, Senior Researcher and Lecturer at the Faculty of Oriental Studies in YSU; Nejdeh Hovanessian, Assistant Director of EPIC; Hayk Margarian, CEO at NCIE; Gevorg Poghosyan, Chief Executive Officer of Impact Hub Yerevan; and Atom Mkhitaryan, Dean at ISEC, NAS.

At Digitec23, FAST has established its booth, exhibiting its activities and programs, notably the "Generation AI" high school pilot program, providing detailed insights into the initiative and answering the questions of visitors to the booth.

 


Fwd: The California Courier Online, October 19, 2023

Parkev Tvankchian

The California
Courier Online, October 19, 2023

 

1-         Why is the US
government So Vigilant

            About Israel, but not Armenia?

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Blinken: Azerbaijan may attack Armenia; US won’t renew Section 907
Waiver

3-         State
Department Denies Politico Report about Blinken Call,

            Politico
Stands by Article

4-         Armenian
families in Israel evacuate
to Armenia

 

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

 

1-         Why is the US government
So Vigilant

            About Israel, but not Armenia?

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

The most common question among Armenians these days is: Why
did the United States
government support Israel so
strongly and promptly, but not Armenia
and Artsakh?

 

This question became more pertinent after Politico disclosed
last week that Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned: “Azerbaijan may invade Armenia in the coming weeks.”

 

During an October 3 phone call with Cong. Nancy Pelosi, Anna
Eshoo and Frank Pallone and others, Blinken reportedly told them: “the State
Department was looking at avenues to hold Azerbaijan
accountable and isn’t planning to renew a long-standing waiver that allows the U.S. to provide military assistance to Baku.” Blinken added:
“the State [Dept.] saw a possibility that Azerbaijan
would invade southern Armenia
in the coming weeks.” Politico wrote that two other unidentified sources
confirmed the phone conversation. Cong. Pallone tweeted on Oct. 11 that “Aliyev
is moving forward with his objective to take Southern
Armenia.” On Oct. 15, in a written statement to Armenpress, State
Dept. spokesman Matthew Miller said that the Politico article “is inaccurate
and in no way reflects what Secretary Blinken said to lawmakers.” However,
Politico said it firmly stands by its report.

 

Surprisingly, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated on Oct.
11 that the “risk was “extremely low,” and that there was no military buildup
on either side of the border. Thus, the Prime Minister contradicted what Tigran
Balayan, Armenia’s
ambassador to the European Union, said on Oct. 6: Azerbaijan
is actively preparing an invasion of Armenia within weeks.

 

More importantly, Blinken and other US officials have repeatedly said that they are
committed to “Armenia’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity.” They have stated that “they are deeply
concerned by Azerbaijan’s
military action, declaring that the use of force to resolve disputes is
unacceptable.” However, the U.S.
government not only ignored its own warnings to Azerbaijan,
but also the occupation of Artsakh and parts of Armenia proper. The United States, France
and Russia have apparently
decided that Turkey and Azerbaijan are much important for them than Armenia, regardless of the agreements Russia signed with Armenia and the sympathies of
Western countries for Armenians. They have offered Armenians merely sympathetic
words with zero action. Such shameful behavior has emboldened the dictator in Baku to move forward with
impunity with his expansionist plans. These major powers did not even have the
courage to pass a UN Security Council resolution to condemn Azerbaijan or
impose sanctions.

 

Understandably, most Armenians are furious at the Israeli
government for permitting its arms manufacturers to provide 60% of Azerbaijan’s
advanced weapons which have killed and wounded thousands of Armenian soldiers
during and after the 2020 War.

 

The more important issue is: why the United States is so protective of Israel, but not Armenia? The short answer is: due
mostly to the activism of the Jewish-American community. There was a time when
Jewish Americans were discriminated against in many ways. From the 1920’s until
after World War II, American universities limited the number of Jewish students
they admitted. After World War II, the United States even refused to
accept thousands of Jewish survivors of the Holocaust.

 

However, Jewish Americans overcame many obstacles by playing
prominent roles in all aspects of American life, such as business, science,
arts, literature, music, films, theater, comedy, media, civil rights and
politics. As of January 2023, there were 37 Jewish Americans in Congress: 10
Senators and 27 House members. Sen. Chuck Schumer is the Senate Majority
Leader. The US
government contributed $53.6 million to build the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
on donated federal land. Over the years, scores of Jewish Americans have served
on the US Supreme Court. Shelley Greenspan is the White House Jewish Liaison.
In the State Dept., Ellen Germain is the Special Envoy for Holocaust Issues and
Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt is the Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat
Anti-Semitism. Vice President Kamala Harris’s husband Douglas Emhoff is a
Jewish American. There are several Jews serving in high-level governmental
positions, such as Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Deputy Secretary of State
Wendy Sherman, Treasury Secretary Janet Yellin, Attorney General Merrick Garland,
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, Director of National
Intelligence Avril Haines, Deputy Director of the CIA David Cohen, Chair of the
Securities and Exchange Commission Gary Gensler, Director of the Office of
Science and Technology Policy Eric Lander, Deputy Health Secretary Rachel
Levine, and National Security Agency cybersecurity director Anne Neuberger.

 

80 years ago, when 400 Rabbis asked to meet with Pres.
Franklin Roosevelt, they were turned down. But last week, a group of Jewish
Americans met with Pres. Joe Biden in the White House which was lit up in the
colors of the Israeli flag. They have come a long way.

 

In the category of “Israel
lobby in the United States,”
Wikipedia mentions Christians United for Israel with over seven million
members, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) which has three
million members and $100 million annual budget, and J Street with an annual budget of $2
million. On the other hand, Armenian-Americans have two advocacy groups: the Armenian
Assembly of America and Armenian National Committee of America with limited
budgets. Armenians need to hire powerful US
lobbying firms to counter those of Azerbaijan
and Turkey.

 

Armenians should increase their involvement in political
campaigns and run for elective office. College students should specialize in
political science or international relations. Armenians should increase their
contacts with the US
media; write letters to the editor and commentaries in local and national
newspapers. The community should support financially the Armenian advocacy
groups and contribute to the fundraising campaigns of political candidates. By
playing prominent roles in American life, Armenians can influence domestic and
foreign policy of the United States
and help support Armenia
and the Armenian Cause.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
2-         Blinken: Azerbaijan may attack Armenia; US won’t renew Section 907
Waiver

 

By Eric Bazail-Eimil and

Gabriel Gavin

 

(Politico)—Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned a small
group of lawmakers last week that his department is tracking the possibility
that Azerbaijan could soon invade Armenia, according to two people familiar
with the conversation.

The call indicates the depth of concern in the
administration about Azerbaijan’s
operations against Nagorno-Karabagh to its west, and the possibility of the
conflict spreading to Armenia.

Azerbaijiani President Ilham Aliyev has previously called on
Armenia to open a “corridor”
along its southern border, linking mainland Azerbaijan
to an exclave that borders Turkey
and Iran.
Aliyev has threatened to solve the issue “by force.”

In an Oct. 3 phone call, lawmakers pressed Blinken on
possible measures against Aliyev in response to his country’s invasion of the
Nagorno-Karabakh region in September, the two people said, who were granted
anonymity to discuss the sensitive call.

Blinken responded that the State Department was looking at
avenues to hold Azerbaijan
accountable and isn’t planning to renew Section 907—a long-standing waiver that
allows the United States to
provide military assistance to Baku.
He added that the State Department saw a possibility that Azerbaijan would invade southern Armenia in the
coming weeks.

Still, Blinken expressed confidence about ongoing diplomatic
talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan to the Democratic lawmakers, among
them Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Anna Eshoo of California,
and Frank Pallone of New Jersey.

Two additional people confirmed that a briefing happened on
the situation in Azerbaijan,
but did not provide details.

In a statement, the State Department declined to comment on
the call, but emphasized the department’s commitment to “Armenia’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity” and resolving conflict through “direct
talks.”

The decision to hold off on renewing the waiver is also
telling. Every year since 2002, the United States
has issued the waiver, allowing it to sidestep a provision of the Freedom
Support Act that bars the United States
from providing military assistance to Azerbaijan
in light of its ongoing territorial disputes with Armenia. The waiver lapsed in June
and the State Department had previously provided no explanation as to why it hadn’t
yet requested a renewal

Since the briefing, Pallone has said publicly that he’s
worried Azerbaijan
could invade soon. “Aliyev is moving forward with his objective to take Southern Armenia,” Pallone tweeted Wednesday, arguing
that “his regime is emboldened after facing little consequences” for invading
Nagorno-Karabakh.

After Azerbaijan’s
military incursion into that region last month, Blinken had said in a Sept. 20
he was “deeply concerned by Azerbaijan’s
military actions” and declared that “the use of force to resolve disputes is
unacceptable.”

But Nagorno-Karabakh is not the only territorial dispute
between the two Caucasus countries.

Baku has proposed a route to
the Nakhichevan exclave that would cut through Armenia’s
southern Syunik region, known in Azerbaijani as Zangezur, and enable road
traffic to bypass Iran.

Aliyev has said “we will be implementing the Zangezur
Corridor, whether Armenia
wants it or not.”

“In Armenia,
this is perceived as territorial claims and a demand for an extraterritorial corridor,”
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday, October 11 in response
to growing calls from Ankara and Baku to come to an
agreement.

In an interview on Wednesday, October 11, Hikmet Hajiyev,
Aliyev’s senior foreign policy adviser, denied Azerbaijan has any claims on
Armenian territory. He said that the risk of conflict was low because “the last
two weeks had been the calmest weeks in the history of Armenian-Azerbaijani
relations — there are no longer soldiers in the trenches staring at one
another” in the wake of Azerbaijan’s actions in Nagorno-Karabakh.

“Azerbaijan
restored what legally, historically and morally was ours” with its
self-described “anti-terror” campaign in the region, and has no intention of
pushing into de jure Armenian areas, he added.

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
3-         State Department Denies
Politico Report about Blinken Call,

            Politico
Stands by Article

 

(Combined Sources)—Politico reported Friday that the State
Department is tracking the possibility that Azerbaijan
could soon invade southern Armenia
in the coming weeks, Secretary of Antony Blinken warned a group of lawmakers
during a telephone call on October 3.

Politico cited two people familiar with the conversation.

In a written statement to Armenpress, State Department
spokesperson Matthew Miller claimed that the reporting in the article was
“inaccurate and in no way reflects what Secretary Blinken said to lawmakers.”

“The United States
strongly supports Armenia’s
sovereignty and territorial integrity. 
We have stressed that any infringement of that sovereignty and
territorial integrity would bring serious consequences,” Miller said.

“Four people told me that Secretary Blinken had an October 3
call with a group of lawmakers, and two of those four said that Blinken said
State was tracking the possibility that Azerbaijan would invade in the coming
weeks,” Bazail-Eimil, one of the Politico reporters said in post on X reacting
to Miller’s statement to Armenpress. “Whether that assessment has changed is
another story.”

“State [Dept.] declined to comment on the call. They
provided no readout of the details of the conversation,” Bazail-Eimil added on
X. “I leave open the possibility that obviously, details and nuance might be
missing. That’s why we tried to be careful, with very thought-out phrasing
around the details we knew.”

“But I firmly stand by what my sources said about the
substance of Blinken’s comments in that call,” Bazail-Eimil emphasized.

Gavin, the other Politico reporter said on a post on X that
he was “unable to get a copy of the statement reportedly issued by State and
requests for clarification and confirmation have gone unanswered.”

 

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

4-         Armenian
families in Israel evacuate
to Armenia

(News.am)—A special flight was organized on October 16 from
Tel Aviv to Yerevan to evacuate Armenia's citizens and their families who wanted
to leave Israel
as a safety precaution, the Armenian foreign ministry said in a statement
Monday, October 16. Last week, three citizens of Armenia studying at the Eastern
Mediterranean International School (EMIS) in the Tel Aviv region were provided
similar support from the embassy. The Armenian foreign ministry said that they
are monitoring the situation along with the Armenian Embassy in Israel and will
take additional measures when necessary.

It added that according to the latest information there are
no Armenian citizens or ethnic Armenians among those killed or injured in the
hostilities.

On October 11, Artyom Chernamoryan, chairman of Nairi Union
of Petah Tikva city and editor-in-chief of Israel Armenians newspaper, told
NEWS.am that “the entire south and center of Israel was under massive rocket
fire. The most terrible thing is that now a military front may be opened in the
north, which will cause serious problems for the entire region if the north
also enters the war. Jerusalem
was attacked yesterday, today I have no information. It is relatively calmer
there.”

“We have many Armenians whose children are conscripted,
which is very worrying for us. We created a headquarters, and today we received
a letter from the municipality that it is possible for our forces and our
community to participate in volunteer work,” he said.

He said that 10,000 Armenians live in Israel, 500
Armenians live in heavily bombarded cities, and 3,000 Armenians live in the
center of the country, which is under rocket attacks.

Armenia's
Ministry of Foreign Affairs made a statement on October 12, in which it said
the Armenian Church in Jerusalem
had not sustained any damage.

 

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

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Asbarez: ACF Will Allocate $1 Million for Assistance to Displaced Artsakh Armenians

Parkev Tvankchian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 October 5, 2023

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

More than 350 supporters gathered for the ACF annual gathering dedicated to Artsakh


The Armenian Cultural Foundation announced on Sunday that it will allocate $1 million to the displaced Artsakh Armenians during its annual gathering held at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

The ACF’s annual event, which has become a much sought-after tradition, took on a more solemn note as the ongoing crisis in Artsakh and Armenia was top of mind for organizers and attendees alike.

It was abundantly clear that each and every one of the more than 350 people in attendance was committed to advancing the the mission of the ACF, which for more than four decades has been providing assistance to community institutions, Armenia, Artsakh and Javakhk, as well as elsewhere, such as the communities of Lebanon and Syria.

ACF President Avedik Izmirlian ARF Central Committee chair Dr. Carmen Ohanian Speaking on behalf of the Armenian-American youth, were Talar Minassian and Tro Ashdjian Event committee chair Elizabeth Boyajian ACF committee member Garen Kirakosian, Esq. Very Rev. Fr. Zareh Sarkissian

ACF President Avedik Izmirlian informed the gathering that the organization already has begun the process of identifying the best possible avenues for the assistance to reach those desperately in need.

“As a nation we are witnessing the tragic exodus of Armenians from Artsakh and the loss of a critical part of our homeland that poses an existential threat to Armenia as our enemy’s aggression and incursions into our territory continue fanning the flames of domestic instability,” Izmirlian said in his remarks.

“Given the circumstances, we had seriously debated canceling this event. However, since this is a fundraising event and not a celebration, and that since more than ever we have an obligation not only to continue our work, but to make an extra effort to help our brothers and sisters who were evacuated from Artsakh as well as those who in our homeland, we realized that we do not should not cancel but should come together more resolutely to carry out the mission of the Armenian Cultural Foundation,” added Izmirlian

ACF event committee members

He also extended a special heartfelt gratitude to Mr. & Mrs. Sarkis and Nune Sepetjian for their ongoing and unwavering support of the ACF and its activities. Izmirlian also announced that long-time community benefactors Mr. & Mrs. Varant and Hoori Melkonian, once again, had sponsored the event.

A video presentation chronicled the ACF’s activities both here and abroad, especially highlighting the installation of mobile health clinics in Artsakh and providing assistance to the families of fallen soldiers in Armenia.

Izmirlian then paid a special tribute to veteran community activist and advocate of advancing Armenian culture, as well as a staunch supporter of the ACF, Nazareth Kevonian, who passed away this year “he will always be remembered.”

The urgency of assisting the displaced people of Artsakh and the unwavering need to strengthen Armenia’s statehood was emphasized by Dr. Carmen Ohanian, the chairperson of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun Western US.

“We are living the most detrimental chapters of our people’s history, punctuated by war, the loss of thousands of lives, and the most unspeakably cruel: the loss of historic Artsakh’s independence, which was achieved through a valiant struggle,” Ohanian said as she addressed the gathering.

“The pain of our people today is unfathomable. The entire Armenian population of Artsakh has become refugees, having been forcibly uprooted from its centuries-old home and land,” added Ohanian.

“We have to stand united — like one strong fist— and come to the aid of the tens of thousands of displaced Artsakh compatriots, and especially to defend the safety and security of Armenia’s borders and its statehood,” said Ohanian.

The program began with the performance of the U.S. and Armenian National Anthems by  Krystal Kajaoghlanyan. Later during the event singer Andre Havanyan performed a moving rendition of the Artsakh National Anthem.

Speaking on behalf of the Armenian-American youth, Talar Minassian and Tro Ashdjian recounted their journey to advance the Armenian Cause and the critical role the ACF has played in that process, each reaffirming their commitment to fight for justice.

Elizabeth Boyajian, the event’s committee chairperson, welcomed the guests to the gathering. Speaking on behalf of the organizing committee, attorney Garen Kirakosian emphasized the crucial role the ACF plays in improving the cultural and educational institutions in our community by creating and maintaining Armenian centers but also providing an avenue for advancement of our national aspirations.

Kirakosian also emphasized the need to come together at this critical juncture in Armenian history to not only assist the homeland but to salvage the Armenian Nation.

Singer Hovnanyan was also joined on stage by Araksya Amirkhanyan who provided renditions of traditional Armenian songs accompanied by the Amirkhanyan band.

Stepanakert deserted after Azerbaijan defeats Armenian separatists

Parkev Tvankchian
Al Jazeera, Qatar
Oct 4 2023

Al Jazeera gains exclusive access to the largest city in Nagorno-Karabakh after tens of thousands of its resident fled.

By Osama Bin Javaid
Published On 4 Oct 2023

Khankendi, Azerbaijan – An eerie silence blankets the town square of largest city in the Nagorno-Karabakh region

Baby strollers, chairs, and empty boxes are all that remain in the square after more than 100,000 Armenians fled Khakendi in haste, the latest casualties of an old territorial conflict.

Azerbaijan defeated separatist forces in the breakaway region last month leading to Armenian leaders agreeing with Baku that the so-called state of Artsakh will cease to exist.

After the separatist forces were routed, the ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, part of oil-and-gas-rich Azerbaijan that had been beyond Baku’s control since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, began fleeing into Armenia.

Khankendi’s residents too, fearful of persecution, left for neighbouring Armenia, leaving behind their homes and businesses.

They departed despite Azerbaijan’s assurances of their safety and equal treatment as citizens.

Red Cross workers are in Khankendi, known to Armenians as Stepanakert, offering to evacuate those who could not find space on the buses and cars heading to Armenia.

The city’s morgue staff have also left, so even the dead being repatriated to Armenia by the Red Cross.

“We continue to find other people stranded for the time being in the city and we have another concern considering the rural areas haven’t been reached yet,” Marco Succi from the Rapid Deployment Team of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) told Al Jazeera.

“If you ask me about immediate needs, it’s electricity, water and gas for [the] coming winter. ICRC has worked with Azerbaijan authorities and look forward to working with them,” he added.

Puppies, left exposed to the elements, run to anyone they see in the square, hoping to be fed. Horses wander the roads, lost without their masters, their hooves on the tarmac breaking the silence.

An occasional ambulance travels down the windswept streets, searching for anyone left behind in need of medical assistance.

It’s a scene is repeated throughout the city.