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Author: Sonya Jalatian

Russian Foreign Ministry: Moscow is interested in the stability and peaceful development of Armenia

Sonya Jalatian
ARMINFO
Armenia – May 6 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. All issues of the internal political life of the country should be resolved exclusively in the legal and constitutional field within the framework of  appropriate democratic procedures. Alexei Zaitsev, Deputy Director of  the Information and Press Department of the Russian Foreign Ministry,  stated this at a briefing on May 6, answering a relevant question.

Recalling that this is an internal affair of Armenia, Zaitsev  stressed that Moscow is interested in the stability and peaceful  development of the allied republic.

"As for linking current internal events with the process of  Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization, as we understand, this is not  about the attitude of the opposition to tripartite agreements, but  about the perception of certain statements by the Armenian  leadership," Zaitsev said.

He stressed that Russia actively contributes to the normalization of  relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, primarily through the  implementation of all the provisions of the tripartite statements of  November 9, 2020, as well as January 11 and November 26, 2021, also  the conclusion of a peace agreement between Yerevan and Baku.   Earlier,  press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation  Dmitry Peskov, referring to the processes in Armenia, noted that this  is an internal affair of the union republic.  At the same time, he  stressed that Moscow is interested in the soonest stabilization of  the situation on the territory of Armenia, due to the fact that it is  a partner country of Russia.  

It should be noted that on April 17, thead of the "I have the honor"  opposition parliamentary faction Artur Vanetsyan launched an  open-ended protest action on Freedom Square in Yerevan in defense of  Nagorno- Karabakh and demanded the resignation of the current Prime  Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and his team. He  called on everyone to join his protest action. His initiative was  supported by the "I have the honor", "Armenia" opposition factions,  as well as the "5165" party.  Since May 1, a tent camp of opposition  forces has been set up on France Square, demanding the resignation of  Pashinyan and his team.  Activists of the movement have been spending  the fifth night on the street.  Traffic is blocked not only along the  central roads of Yerevan, but also key regional transport hubs.

Yerevan police detain ASALA fighter Hampig Sassounian

Sonya Jalatian
Panorama
Armenia – May 5 2022

Police detained ASALA fighter Hampig Sassounian during anti-government protests in Yerevan on Thursday, human rights activist Ruben Melikyan said on Facebook.

"’Patriotic’ police have detained Sassounian. They are loudly applauded by the Civil Contract faction and the whole Turkish people. It's okay, he served 40 years in prison for the sake of his homeland, he'll hold out for another three hours," the lawyer sneered.

Opposition Hayastan faction MP Aram Vardevanyan also took to Facebook to denounce Sassounian’s detention, highlighting that it has been long sought by the Turks.

Hampig Sassounian, who was convicted in 1984 for shooting dead Turkish Consul General to Los Angeles Kemal Arikan and was granted parole after almost 40 years, arrived in Armenia in October 2021.

Police apprehend opposition youth protesting in Yerevan

Sonya Jalatian
News.am
Armenia –
 
15:19, 25.04.2022

The police have apprehended—using disproportionate force—a group of young people from the Youth Union and the Nikol Aghbalyan Student Union of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party of Armenia during their protest action in Yerevan, Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the aforementioned student union.

And the ARF Youth Union informed that five of their members were taken to a police station for carrying out a peaceful awareness campaign.

Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that a group of youth from the ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party have blocked a street in the capital Yerevan—and chanting "Armenia without [PM] Nikol [Pashinyan]," "Armenia without Turks," and " Union, fight, victory."

The opposition of Armenia has announced the second phase of its fight.

Azerbaijani press: If Armenia wants to look into future, it must sign peace treaty – Azerbaijani president’s assistant

Sonya Jalatian
16:57 (UTC+04:00)
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By Trend

Azerbaijan has created a new reality in the South Caucasus, Assistant to the President of Azerbaijan – Head of the Foreign Policy Department of the Presidential Administration Hikmat Hajiyev said, Trend reports.

Hajiyev made the remark at a panel meeting named "Tasks facing Azerbaijani diaspora in post-Soviet period, action plan/road map" within the framework of the 5th Congress on April 22 in Shusha city.

According to him, this new reality is the peace agenda of the region, and the five-point principles prepared by Azerbaijan [within a future peace treaty] were presented to Armenia.

“If Armenia and the Armenian people want to look to the future, they must appreciate these opportunities,” he explained.

The speeches of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev during the 2020 second Karabakh war played a big role in preventing the information blockade, the president’s assistant said.

"In the post-Karabakh war period, the Armenian lobby continues to carry out anti-Azerbaijani campaigns,” he noted. “According to the resolution recently adopted by the European Parliament, Armenian material and cultural monuments were allegedly destroyed in the territories liberated from Armenian occupation [in the second Karabakh war].

“But why the European MPs who adopted this resolution don’t see the destroyed cultural and historical monuments of the Azerbaijani people?" Hajiyev asked.

Fresno: Commemorating the Armenian Genocide

Sonya Jalatian
Your Central Valley


by: Emily Erwin

In 1915, during WWI, the Armenian people suffered one of the world’s largest genocides.

It’s estimated one million people lost their lives and their identity to mass murder and ethnic cleansing. Even then, more than 100 years ago, Fresno’s Armenian community was a strong one. That strength continues today with the Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee.

The committee is committed to commemorating this history and remembering the saints and survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

On , the Annual Armenian Genocide Commemorative Program will take place at California State University, Fresno (5241 N. Maple Ave, Fresno, CA 93740). The community is invited to lay flowers at the Armenian Genocide Monument at 4:00 pm (end of the Rose Garden, in between the Satellite Student Union and Peters Business Building) before the program formally begins.

The event will commence at 5:00 pm with the presentations of the flags. It will include a religious and civic service including musical performances and a statement by President Jimenez-Sandoval.

Visit agcfresno.org, the AGC Fresno Facebook page, and Instagram page for more information.

Mayor of Paris hosts reception on 107th anniversary of Armenian Genocide

Sonya Jalatian
Public Radio of Armenia
On the occasion of the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, on April 22, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, held a reception attended by parliamentarians, members of the Paris City Council and hundreds of French-Armenians. The Mayor of Paris, the Ambassador of Armenia to France Hasmik Tolmajian, as well as the two Co-Chairs of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) made speeches at the beginning of the reception.

Ambassador Tolmajian touched upon the need to condemn the denial of the Armenian Genocide, emphasizing its importance both for all Armenians and for the prevention of genocides and the international fight against crimes against humanity.

The Ambassador also reminded of the important role that France played in sheltering Armenian refugees who survived the genocide, emphasizing that the generations of Armenians who took refuge in France, while preserving their national identity, also became full-fledged responsible citizens of France, making a great contribution to the country and the deepening of Armenian-French relations.

She thanked the city authorities of Paris, and personally Mayor Hidalgo, for permanently being by the side of Armenia and Artsakh. She reminded that the Paris City Council was one of the first to adopt a resolution immediately after the 44-day war in 2020, calling for the recognition of Nagorno Karabakh. The ambassador also thanked Mayor Hidalgo, as well as Deputy Mayor Arnaud Ngatcha, for the implementation of the project to open the Armenian esplanade in the heart of Paris.

Armenian PM meets with Chairwoman of Russian Federation Council in Moscow

Sonya Jalatian

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 13:23,

MOSCOW, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan is meeting with Chairwoman of the Russian Federation Council Valentina Matviyenko in Moscow, Armenpress correspondent reports.

From the Armenian side the meeting is attended by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan, Vice Speaker of Parliament Hakob Arshakyan, Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Vahram Dumanyan and Minister of Justice Karen Andreasyan.

PM Pashinyan also left a note at the Honorary Guest Book of the Russian Federation Council.

The Armenian governmental delegation led by the Prime Minister arrived in Russia on April 19 on a two-day official visit.

Berj Najarian runs 2022 Boston Marathon, but that’s nothing compared to his Armenian ancestors

Sonya Jalatian
The New England Patriots
Apr 15, 2022 at 10:07 PM
Alexandra Francisco

Patriots.com writer

There are aspects of his Armenian heritage that Berj Najarian would have never learned in school or through his own research.

As many different cultures have evolved with time, one as ancient and rich as his was attacked throughout its history and almost eradicated completely in the first genocide of the 20th century.

Through first-hand stories from his maternal grandfather, Najarian learned about the tragic plight and resilience of those who kept his culture from extinction. With that, comes a shared pride felt by him and other Armenians across the world — one that could only be cultivated from a responsibility to keep their culture alive.

In his own attempt to do just that, the Patriots' longtime director of football/head coach administration will run the 2022 Boston Marathon on Monday to raise money for Who We Are, the non-profit he founded in 2021.

"There absolutely is a survival mentality and that exists within the Armenian people," Najarian said. "I mean, I'm here in this country because my grandparents and great grandparents survived hell. What they had to go through just to live is hard to imagine, which is why we owe it to the people who came before us to carry on the things, the traditions, the culture, and the identity that they've provided us."

Who We Are is committed to preserving those cultural identities and passing them on – celebrating every diverse background and ethnicity.

Najarian grew up in an Armenian-American household surrounded by the language, traditions, music, cuisine, and religion of his ancestors. He has an ethnic name, as do his brothers, and as a teen, he even attended (and now sends his children to) the same Armenian summer camp where his parents met in Franklin, Mass.

His mother grew up in Watertown, Mass., where many Armenians initially landed after fleeing to the United States to escape Ottoman oppression in the early 1900s. His grandfather, Papken Kechichian, was among several members of his family who survived the Armenian Genocide, where more than 1.5 million were killed. Kechichian made the harrowing journey through the Syrian desert to an orphanage in Aleppo. The family eventually went on to Paris before settling in the Greater Boston Area.

Conflict never completely subsided in the Caucasus, though.

To this day, Armenian cuisine shows the influence of the regions that surround it, a reminder of the wars and invasions that made their people so resilient. Yet, many don't learn about the systematic deportation and destruction of Armenians relative to genocides that followed. Ancient churches and one of civilization's oldest alphabets still exist in Armenia, the first state to declare Christianity its official religion, but they remain threatened.

"The Armenian Genocide was the first of the 20th century," Najarian said. "It was a crime on a massive, unmeasurable scale, and unlike many other genocides, there were no repercussions. No accountability, no punishment, no sanctions — nothing.

"People have survived, physically, and they've managed to keep their cultures alive as well. That's where Who We Are is coming in — to try and aid in that however we can."

The idea for the non-profit stemmed from 2020, as conversations about social justice took front and center across the country and NFL locker rooms alike.

Simultaneously, ongoing conflict at the Armenian border escalated that fall, with attacks from neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

It lit a fire under Najarian that incentivized him to get on social media and raise awareness about the war. He didn't quite know the power of his platform at the time, having spent most of his career behind the scenes. But support was overwhelming, and his Armenian-inspired cleats were auctioned off for $40,300 as part of the NFL's My Cause My Cleats campaign.

"To see the bidding go crazy like it did was surprising in a sense, but also, knowing on the other hand how Armenians feel about being Armenian, it didn't shock me but it did blow me away at the same time."

That money supported the Armenia Fund, but Najarian wanted to come up with a way to make a continued change, controlling what he can control in a complicated geopolitical issue while not limiting the impact to only Armenian causes.

"I really kind of looked at well, why is this so important to me?" Najarian reflected. "What is it about my heritage, why is this so important? It comes back to culture. As an Armenian, I think I speak for most Armenians out there — especially the ones I know in this country — is that you have this sense of heritage and culture ingrained in you from the beginning and all the way through, whether it's art, music, dance, food, religion, knowing history, just having this feeling of identity and purpose.

"That exists for me as an Armenian and I know that it exists for lots of other people from other backgrounds. So that was really the motivation to start this foundation called Who We Are — to support and promote all these great things that we all have, and make sure they're preserved and strengthened and live on in our communities."

For Najarian, keeping his culture alive is a responsibility. Initially, it was Armenian political activists, intellectuals, and community leaders who were rounded up, deported, or killed. What other ideas and technologies were lost along with them?

"I think about what would have become of those people if that hadn't had happened," Najarian said. "If approximately 1.5 million out of about 2.2 million weren't wiped out? What would have become of this population 100 years later? That's a hard thing for me to wrap my head around. Not just the lives lost, but the future lost."

The sneakers Najarian auctioned off are now displayed at the Armenian Museum of America in Watertown – a city symbolic of safety and prosperity for Armenians. Because of Watertown's connection to his family and the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, he felt compelled to run the marathon for the first time the following year.

The second time around in 2022, with the Russian invasion of Ukraine prevalent in news coverage, Najarian runs it again to benefit his own mission.

"For my whole Patriots career, I've been behind the scenes — that's just my role and that's great," Najarian said. "But that war, and me really having a fire lit, coincided with our team and players and organization really getting involved with a lot of social justice causes and speaking up, raising awareness, and shining lights on things, and really getting personal. Thankfully I had the opportunity, given by our players, to express myself about something that was important to me. I'm forever grateful to be able to do that."

After the marathon, Najarian is motivated to brush up on his Armenian, and with the initiative of Who We Are, perhaps help kids learn the language of their ancestors, too.

PM Pashinyan introduces newly appointed Minister to the staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations

Sonya Jalatian

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 18:01,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan introduced the newly appointed Minister Armen Pambukhchyan to the staff of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister wished success to Mr. Pambukhchyan in his important work and expressed hope that during his tenure the efficiency of the Ministry of Emergency Situations will increase.

"Usually, on similar occasions, we appoint a new minister, see off the old minister, thank him for the work done. You know that in this case we have a slightly different, unusual or even unprecedented situation. And I have to tell you honestly and sincerely that I am very sorry for such a development. Personally for me what happened is very painful in terms of both morality and politics. You know that after the 44-day war, I offered Mr. Piloyan the post of Minister of Emergency Situations, I entrusted that post, and we worked during this period in an atmosphere of mutual respect. But I think we must clearly state that finally the rule of law in the Republic of Armenia should not be just words, equality before the law should not be just words, after all, it’s the case now and was that before these events. I hope that we all understand this message very clearly and directly”, the Prime Minister said.

According to Nikol Pashinyan, it is clear that nowhere in the Republic of Armenia there is a very high level of welfare. "Moreover, we are a country that has problems with poverty, social problems, and serious security challenges in general. We must understand that each of us is required to make great efforts, and yes, to go through great deprivations in order to be able to solve the challenges facing our country, to solve the problems in the public administration system, to increase its efficiency, and finally make our service to the people more and more effective. I think this should be today’s main message.

Mr. Pambukhchyan, I wish good luck to you and the entire staff of the Ministry. And I want to say that talking about the rule of law, let's not forget about the presumption of innocence, because according to the legislation of the Republic of Armenia, any person is innocent until his guilt is confirmed by a verdict that has entered into force. Let’s be guided by this presumption," Nikol Pashinyan said.

Armen Pambukhchyan thanked the Prime Minister for the great confidence and assured that he will spare no effort and energy to justify the expectations of the PM and the society. "I am not new to this ministry, I am fully aware of all the tasks and priorities. I would like to note that during my tenure I will be guided by the agenda and values adopted by the Government and the political team," the newly appointed Minister of Emergency Situations said.

Opposition holds rally, outlines demands

Sonya Jalatian
Public Radio of Armenia
April 5 2022
April 5, 2022, 20:22

 

The opposition factions of the National Assembly convened a rally at the Freedom Square under the slogan “For the sake of Artsakh, let’s save Armenia.”

Second President Serzh Sargsyan participates in the rally, but did not make a speech.

Speaking to reporters before the start of the rally, Sargsyan said he does not believe any document will be signed during tomorrow’s meeting between Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev in Brussels.

Addressing accusations that the previous authorities did manage to solve the issue over 30 years, he said: “It’s not easy to solve such conflicts even during 30, 40 or 50 years. We have approached that solution as much as we could. I have never negotiated about what we can hand over. I have negotiated on what we can get. And because of that, yes, we were somewhat willing to compromise.”

“Our struggle is for the future of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh. Our struggle is for every Armenian living in any corner of the world,” said MP Tigran Abrahamyan. “Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan,” he added.  

“This meeting is about avoiding fatal decision,” MP Aram Vardevanyan said addressing the public.

Noting that April is a month to commemorate the anniversary of the 4-day April war and the Armenian genocide, Vardevanyan said April should also become a month of “imposing real peace.”

Anna Mkrtchyan presented a final resolution-statement outlining the “basic principles of pan-Armenian agenda and the red lines.”  

She said “the independence, security and sovereignty of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh are fundamental values, and there can be no retreat from those.”

The final statement says “to prepare prerequisites for the peace agenda, Azerbaijan should return all Armenian prisoners of war and other detainees, withdraw forces from both the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.”

Furthermore, she stressed that “it’s necessary to establish that the Republic of Armenia is the guarantor of security of the people of Artsakh and the realization of its right to self-determination.”

She further stated the need to exclude any status of Artsakh within Azerbaijan, as well as an enclave status without a reliable land communication with Armenia” and to take steps to resume the negotiation process in line with the 1994 OSCE summit.

The statement also demands to exclude the signing of any interstate agreement or start any delimitation and demarcation process as long as Azerbaijan continues to use force or threat of force.

When it comes to Armenia-Turkey relations, the opposition calls to avoid any agreement that would question the fact of the Armenian Genocide and the right to be bearer of the Armenian cultural and religious heritage.

After the rally the protesters marched to France Square. They pledged to continue the protests.