News.am, Armenia
July 31 2020
15:02, 31.07.2020
Author: Rose Khoyetsian
U.S. Rules House Committee rules "out of order" Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus’ amendment
09:39,
YEREVAN, JULY 23, ARMENPRESS. The U.S. House Rules Committee – under the leadership of Chairman Jim McGovern (D-MA) – has cleared the way for the ANCA-backed amendment calling for continued U.S. aid for Artsakh demining to be considered and voted upon by the full U.S. House of Representatives, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The U.S. House is set to take up the amendment as early as Thursday, July 23, as it begins consideration of the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Foreign Aid Bill (H.R.7608). Artsakh aid supporters can contact their U.S. Representatives to vote “yes” on the amendment by visiting anca.org/call.
“We want to thank Chairman McGovern for ensuring that the full U.S. House has the opportunity to show support for Artsakh and all Armenians in the wake of the deadliest Azerbaijani attack in years,” said Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of the ANCA. “Our community is deeply grateful for the leadership of Representatives Jackie Speier, TJ Cox, Gus Bilirakis, Raja Krishnamoorthi, Brad Sherman, Devin Nunes, Jim Costa and all those who are working so hard for peace.”
The Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) aid amendment #49 to H.R.7608 calls for $1.4 million in U.S. aid to Artsakh to continue the life-saving de-mining efforts of The HALO Trust. The bi-partisan amendment was led by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Jackie Speier (D-CA), Representatives TJ Cox (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) and supported by over 30 House members including Representatives Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Ted Deutch (D-FL), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), John Garamendi (D-CA), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Susie Lee (D-NV), Andy Levin (D-MI), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Devin Nunes (R-CA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Max Rose (D-NY), Harley Rouda (D-CA), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Janet Schakowsky (D-IL), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Dina Titus (D-NV), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Paul Tonko (D-NY), and Juan Vargas (D-CA). No other amendment to the FY2021 Foreign Aid Bill had as many co-sponsors.
The Rules Committee ruled “out of order” Amendment #69, introduced by Congressional Azerbaijan Caucus and Turkey Caucus Co-Chair Steve Cohen (D-TN), which sought to block any U.S. funding for humanitarian de-mining in Artsakh. A similarly hostile amendment, offered by Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-TX), was withdrawn earlier today.
US citizens launch petition urging to halt military aid to Azerbaijan
11:11,
YEREVAN, JULY 22, ARMENPRESS. The US citizens have launched a petition urging to stop the US military aid and the USAID funding to Azerbaijan.
The petition has been opened at the White House official website.
“Over $1.5 billion in American taxpayer money is being wasted funding an autocratic government which is ruled by an oil rich oligarch, Ilham Aliyev (President) and his wife (Vice-President). The money has been misappropriated and misused to cause regional wars”, stated in the statement.
The petition organizers say Azerbaijani values do not align with the democratic values of the United States, nor provide any benefit for the people.
“We, the American people, wish to stop full funding and assistance of Azerbaijan and to allocate this money elsewhere, such as funding and expanding Opportunity and Prosperity for Minorities, People of Color, Education and other government programs. Stop US military assistance and USAID funding to Azerbaijan”, the statement added.
On June 20 the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed an amendment by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) which calls for greater Congressional oversight over a US military aid program under which Azerbaijan has received over $120 million in US defense assistance.
RA MFA: Armenia maintains partnership relations with Russia, which are based on the principles of equality, friendship, age-old ties
Arminfo, Armenia
ArmInfo. Armenia maintains partnership relations with Russia, which are based on the principles of equality, friendship and age-old ties. On July 21, during a video conference organized by the Armenian service of Radio Liberty, the Spokesperson of the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anna Naghdalyan said this, commenting on the scandalous recording of the head of the RT TV channel Margarita Simonyan.
According to Anna Naghdalyan, she has the right to comment on specific issues or specific situations, but is not authorized to comment on the opinion of this or that journalist. "I have my own position, but this is my personal position, and I would not like to express it," Anna Naghdalyan noted.
It should be noted that the editor-in-chief of the Russian state TV channel Russia Today, the Russian international state news agency "Russia Today" and the Russian state news agency <Sputnik>, Margarita Simonyan, made a statement on her Facebook page the day before, containing unprecedented offensive attacks against Armenia and its government.
<I appeal to the Armenian authorities. I appeal to the authorities, and not to the people, of which I am a part. I am appealing only because your Internet troops have dung my social networks with demands (in a boorish and aggressive form) to 'express my position'. Take a look on yourself from the side. See what you are doing. How you behave. What kind of Armenians are you? Armenians are an honest, noble and grateful people. I've always been like that. And you behave like (FORBIDDEN BY ROSKOMNADZOR). In response to the long-term goodness and protection you received from Russia, you did not recognize Crimea. Because this is an internal affair of Armenia. Exclusively out of political revenge, you put Robert Kocharyan in prison – who is Russia's constant ally. You did that on purpose, defiantly, spitting right in the face of your 'Russian friends'. Because this is an internal affair of Armenia. You have flooded the country with anti-Russian NGOs that are teaching young people on your territory how to overthrow the government in Russia. You have become a springboard for anti- Russian forces in the Caucasus. Because this is an internal affair of Armenia. You kicked out Russian Armenian businessmen. You don't want anything to do with Russia. Because this is an internal affair of Armenia. Your media and social networks are pouring mud on Russia, Putin, everyone who supports Putin, especially Russian Armenians (for example, me). You have divided the unfortunate, already disappearing Armenian people into enemies - Russian Armenians – and "real" Armenians- those who support your momentary power. Because this is an internal affair of Armenia. And now, when there is a war on your border, when the very existence of your regime is under threat, when the Armenians of the whole world are already seeing the revived ghosts of the janissaries with crooked knives with which they cut our ancestors, you remembered that Russia must save you again. Isn't this an internal affair of Armenia? After all the evil and choking contempt that you have shown towards Russia in recent years, do your information troops and you consider yourself entitled to wait for help? In fact, after everything you've done, Russia has every moral right to spit on you and grind you. But she won't do that. I'm sure. It will help this time too. Because Russia is like that. Generous and noble, my beloved homeland. And you are just a bunch of screaming politicians who betrayed the interests of the great Armenian people for the sake of a moment of power and petty personal revenge. Read Narekatsi at night. Maybe you will wake up the remnants of the famous Armenian conscientiousness and the ability to appreciate good. If you do not have Narekatsi, then I will tell you. It lies on my bedside table. And about the war, I will tell both sides only one thing: stop! There is nothing worse than war. I know this on my own skin. Just stop before it's too late>, – wrote the editor-in-chief Margarita Simonyan.
Turkish Press: Switzerland: Protest held against Armenian attacks
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
Switzerland: Protest held against Armenian attacks
19.07.2020
GENEVA
Tens of people in Switzerland took to the streets on Sunday to protest against Armenia's cross-border attacks on Azerbaijan and its continued occupation of the Upper Karabakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) region.
Organized by Switzerland-based Azerbaijan Diaspora Organizations Council, the protest was also attended by Turkish organizations in the country.
Carrying Turkish and Azerbaijani flags, the crowd gathered in front of the United Nations Office in Geneva.
The protesters held placards reading “Justice for Azerbaijan” and “Stop Armenian occupation”.
Armenian military attacks since last Sunday have martyred a dozen Azerbaijani soldiers. However, they have since withdrawn after suffering losses following retaliation from the Azerbaijani military.
Azerbaijan has blamed Armenia for the "provocative" actions, with Turkey supporting Baku and warning Yerevan that it will not hesitate to stand against any attack on its eastern neighbor.
Since 1991 the Armenian military has illegally occupied the Upper Karabakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) region, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan.
Four UN Security Council and two UN General Assembly resolutions, as well as decisions by many international organizations, refer to the illegal occupation and demand the withdrawal of Armenian forces from Upper Karabakh and seven other occupied regions of Azerbaijan.
Turkish Press: ‘Armenia to surely pay for attacks at Azerbaijan’
Anadolu Agency, Turkey
'Armenia to surely pay for attacks at Azerbaijan'
Sarp Ozer
ANKARA
Armenia will surely pay for its attacks at Azerbaijani border area, the Turkish defense minister said on Thursday in a meeting with top Azerbaijani military delegation in the capital Ankara.
"[Armenia] will be drowned under the plot they've initiated and will definitely pay for what they've done," Hulusi Akar told Ramiz Tahirov, the Azerbaijani deputy defense minister and the commander of the Military Air Forces.
Earlier on Sunday, the Armenian army attempted to attack Azerbaijani positions with artillery fire in the northwestern Tovuz border region and withdrew after suffering losses following retaliation from the Azerbaijani military.
Recent border clashes with Armenia have resulted in the martyrdom of 11 Azerbaijani soldiers — including a major general and a colonel — and injured four.
Akar recalled that Turkey closely follows the border clash developments.
"We strongly condemn the treacherous attack on the Tovuz region of Azerbaijan. The pain of Azerbaijani Turks is our pain. I want all of you to know that any troubles you live there are felt very deeply here."
He also wished "Allah's mercy upon martyrs, and fast recovery to the wounded".
"I would also like to express that we are sure their blood will not be left on the ground," he added.
Akar stressed that the occupation of the Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, without any legal justification and legitimacy, will never be accepted.
The minister reiterated that Turkey and Azerbaijan are "one nation and two states", sharing the common language, religion, and history.
Upper Karabakh, or Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally recognized territory of Azerbaijan, has been illegally occupied since 1991 through Armenian military aggression.
Four UN Security Council resolutions and two UN General Assembly resolutions as well as decisions by many international organizations refer to this fact and demand the withdrawal of occupational Armenian forces from Upper Karabakh and seven other occupied regions of Azerbaijan.
* Writing by Jeyhun Aliyev in Ankara
CivilNet: The Situation on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Border: What Did CivilNet See?
CIVILNET.AM
14:52
CivilNet’s Emilio Cricchio spoke to Tatul Hakobyan on the situation regarding the 2020 skirmishes between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Hakobyan and CivilNet’s team traveled to the northeastern region of Tavush to gauge the situation in the villages by the border. Hakobyan spoke of the difference between the Tavush border and the Karabakh line of contact, as well as the military situation, difference with the 2016 April War and also the reactions of villagers living in this part of Armenia.
MP Mikayel Melkumyan expects CSTO reaction to Azerbaijani attack on Armenia
18:56,
YEREVAN, JULY 13, ARMENPRESS. Lawmaker Mikayel Melkumyan (Prosperous Armenia), the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Regional and Eurasian Integration Affairs, said he expects a response from the Collective Treaty Security Organization (CSTO) over the Azerbaijani cross-border military attack on an Armenian military position.
“The semiliterate military-political leadership of Azerbaijan launched yet another provocation and received a worthy counter-blow. Glory and honor to our troops, commanders, in this situation the entire Armenian nation is uniting to give a worthy counter-blow. Now we will wait for a relevant response from the CSTO. This is a shelling on the Armenian state border,” Melkumyan said.
Arman Abovyan, the Secretary of the Prosperous Armenia faction, said in his speech in parliament that these actions overtly show that Azerbaijan is once again reiterating its anti-Armenian and anti-human conduct.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/13/2020
Monday,
Armenia, Azerbaijan Urged To De-Escalate Tensions
Switzerland -- Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian of Armenia and Elmar
Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan and international mediators meet in Geneva, January
30, 2020.
International mediators on Monday urged Armenia and Azerbaijan to avoid further
ceasefire violations and resume peace talks “as soon as possible” following
deadly skirmishes on the border between the two warring nations.
In a joint statement, the U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE
Minsk Group condemned the “serious breach of the ceasefire” but did not
explicitly put the blame on Yerevan or Baku.
They said they and the head of an OSCE mission monitoring the ceasefire regime
in the Karabakh conflict zone have been “in direct contact with Armenian and
Azerbaijani officials” since the outbreak of fierce fighting at a western
section of the border on Sunday.
“The Minsk Group Co‑Chairs condemn the recent ceasefire violations and call upon
the sides to take all necessary measures to prevent any further escalation,
including by use of the existing direct communication channels between them,”
read the statement.
“The Minsk Group Co-Chairs also call on the sides to resume substantive
negotiations as soon as possible and emphasize the importance of returning OSCE
monitors to the region as soon as circumstances allow,” it said.
The European Union’s foreign policy spokesman, Peter Stano, issued a similar
statement on the escalation.
“The EU calls on the sides to strictly respect the ceasefire, devote energy and
resources to fighting the coronavirus pandemic, meaningfully re-engage in
substantive negotiations under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs
and prepare their populations for peace,” he said.
The co-chairs already urged the conflicting parties to strengthen the ceasefire
regime during a June 30 video conference with the Armenian and Azerbaijani
foreign ministers. They insisted that “there is no military solution to the
conflict.”
The mediators also said after those talks that the ministers agreed to hold
another video conference in July and meet in person “as soon as possible.”
German Medics Arrive In Coronavirus-Hit Armenia
Armenia -- A German medical team arrives at Zvartnots airport, Yerevan, July 13,
2020.
A team of German healthcare workers arrived in Armenia on Monday to help their
Armenian colleagues deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
They were flown to Yerevan by a German Air Force plane that also delivered
medical supplies to the country hit hard by the pandemic.
The 16 medics were greeted at Zvartnots international airport by Armenia’s
deputy ministers of health and foreign affairs as well as the German and
European Union ambassadors in Yerevan.
“The German experts will be working alongside their Armenian colleagues for two
weeks,” tweeted the German Embassy. “We stand at Armenia’s side!”
According to an Armenian government statement, Germany’s government has
organized the mission in collaboration with two European charities and the World
Health Organization. The mission is part of a broader EU scheme designed to help
partner countries contain the spread of the virus.
Similar medical teams have also been sent to Armenia by France, Russia,
Lithuania and Italy over the past month. They were deployed to local hospitals
treating COVID-19 patients.
The EU Delegation in Yerevan announced that the German government will also
provide coronavirus-related financial aid to Armenia. “Germany will be
allocating 2.75 million euros ($3.1 million) for a project addressing COVID-19
in Armenia through research cooperation in order to establish medium to
long-term systemic, integrated risk management,” the delegation said in a
statement.
The Armenian government has recorded 32,151 coronavirus cases and 573 deaths
caused by them so far. The continuing spread of the virus led the government on
Monday to extend a state of emergency in the country by another month, until
August 12.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian spoke of a “slight positive dynamic” in the
coronavirus crisis, saying that in recent days there have been fewer infected
people awaiting hospitalization at home. But he cautioned that virtually
intensive care hospital beds remain occupied by COVID-19 patients.
Armenia Rounds On Turkey Over Azeri Border Clash
Azerbaijan -- Azeri President Ilham Aliyev receives prayer beads from his
Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan in Baku, February 25, 2020.
Armenia accused Turkey of trying to heighten tensions in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict zone on Monday after Ankara blamed Yerevan for the latest deadly
skirmishes on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry decried “yet another manifestation of Armenia's
aggressive nationalism” in a statement issued late on Sunday hours after the
outbreak of heavy fighting there. It accused Armenia of continuing to occupy
Azerbaijani territory and hampering the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.
“Turkey will continue, with all its capacity, to stand by Azerbaijan in its
struggle to protect its territorial integrity,” added the statement added.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry dismissed these “utterly false and misleading”
claims and charged that the Turkish government is trying to “instigate
instability in our region.”
“This provocative attitude by Turkey and its groundless accusations against
Armenia attest to the fact that this country has been acting not as a member of
the OSCE Minsk Group but as a party involved in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,”
read a ministry statement. “This fact makes it even more impossible for Turkey
to play any role in issues related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within
international and particularly the OSCE framework.”
Successive Turkish governments have lent Azerbaijan full and unconditional
support throughout the Karabakh conflict. They have made the establishment of
diplomatic relations with Armenia conditional on a Karabakh settlement
acceptable to Baku.
Armenia has always rejected this precondition. It has forged close military ties
with Russia to counter what many Armenians see as a serious security threat from
Turkey. From Yerevan’s perspective, the presence of thousands of Russian troops
in Armenia precludes Turkey’s direct military intervention on Azerbaijan’s side.
Incidentally, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyip Erdogan spoke by phone on Monday. Their press offices did not list the
Karabakh dispute among the issues discussed by the two leaders.
Russia ‘Seriously Concerned’ About Armenian-Azeri Fighting
• Aza Babayan
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Russia -- The Russian Foreign Ministry buiding, Moscow.
Russia called for an immediate end to heavy fighting which continued on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border for the second consecutive day on Monday.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov phoned his Armenian and Azerbaijani
counterparts to discuss the tense situation there.
“We find inadmissible a further escalation threatening the security of the
region,” the Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “We are calling on
the conflicting sides to show restraint and strictly adhere to the ceasefire
regime.”
“For its part, the Russian Foreign Ministry is ready to provide necessary
support for stabilizing the situation,” added the statement.
Three Azerbaijani soldiers were killed and several others wounded shortly after
the fighting broke out at a western section of the long border in disputed
circumstances on Sunday afternoon. It continued overnight, leaving another
Azerbaijani serviceman dead. The Armenian army reported no combat deaths within
its ranks.
Both sides reported on Monday morning continuing skirmishes involving mortar
fire. The Defense Ministry in Yerevan claimed that Azerbaijani forces also used
an attack drone and shelled an Armenian border village.
Each side again accused the other of provoking the escalation with attempts to
seize enemy positions in the mountainous area between Armenia’s northern Tavush
province and the Tovuz district in western Azerbaijan.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian condemned Baku’s “provocative actions” during a
cabinet meeting in Yerevan. “I can assure you that their provocative actions do
not remain unanswered,” he said, appealing to the nation.
Meanwhile, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held an emergency session of his
national security council to discuss the deadly truce violations. “We thwarted
the [Armenian] attack and gave an adequate response, avenging the death of our
soldiers,” he said, according to the Trend news agency.
Russia -- (L-E) Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian, Russian Foreign
Minister Sergei Lavrov and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov meet
in Moscow, April 15, 2019
Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian of Armenia and Elmar Mammadyarov of
Azerbaijan stood by their countries’ official versions of events during their
separate phone conversations with Lavrov. Mammadyarov also said that the
fighting is contributing to “third countries’ involvement in the
Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict.”
It was not clear if Mammadyarov referred to Russia or Turkey, his country’s
closest ally. Ankara was quick to blame Yerevan for the latest escalation and
reaffirm its unconditional support for Baku.
Earlier in the day, the secretary general of the Collective Security Treaty
Organization (CSTO), Stanislav Zas, called an emergency meeting of the Permanent
Council of the Russian-led defense alliance, of which Armenia is a member, to
discuss the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani frontier.
The meeting was postponed indefinitely a couple of hours later, however. A
spokesman for Zas refused to say who initiated the delay. He only told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service that the CSTO Secretariat and member states need to ascertain
the “format” of the discussion beforehand.
Zas and Mnatsakanian also spoke by phone on Monday. “Constant contact with the
CSTO Secretary General is maintained, and efforts within the CSTO framework are
continuing,” said the official Armenian readout of the phone call.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Asbarez: ARF Armenia Announcement on Constitution Day
The ARF Supreme Council of Armenia headquarters in Yerevan
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation Supreme Council of Armenia on Sunday issued an announcement on the occasion of Republic of Armenia’s Constitution Day. This is the holiday is being marked in the backdrop of a constitutional impasse in the country, where the ruling My Step bloc’s parliamentary faction passed amendments to the law of the land without the participation of the opposition forces represented in the legislature.
Below is an English translation of the announcement.
Dear Compatriots,
We congratulate you on the Republic of Armenia’s Constitution Day.
The Constitution has a unique role and significance in the effort to create a state based on stable civil society, self-rule, democracy and rule of law.
However, the mere existence of a Constitution is not a guarantee when it is not being respected, when, by exploiting the people, the Constitution is being interpreted and utilized within a narrow personal and political contexts, ignoring the interests of the public and the nation.
Sadly, for a long time now, the current political leadership has been demonstrating this exact behavior, by sowing division in society, dismantling constitutional institutions, weakening the government’s resolve, instigating mistrust in the future by creating new challenges and threats.
On this holiday, we affirm the ARF’s determination to return the country to the path of constitutionality and natural development, through national consensus.
ARF Supreme Council of Armenia