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Author: Sonya Jalatian

New academic year kicks off in Armenia

Sonya Jalatian

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 09:43, 1 September, 2021

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The new academic year has kicked off in Armenia on September 1.

The classes will be held offline on a daily basis, however, all schools must follow the coronavirus-related rules to avoid the spread of the virus.

Wearing face-masks will be mandatory in schools.

Actions have been taken with international partners to provide schools with protective items and disinfectants.

This year the academic year for the first-graders in Armenia has started on August 31. This decision was made to avoid mass gatherings outside schools because of COVID-19.

Photos by Tatev Duryan, Mkhitar Khachatryan

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenia 2nd President Kocharyan to Artsakh people: Guarantee of statehood preserving is your will to live on your land

Sonya Jalatian
News.am, Armenia
Sept 2 2021
11:58, 02.09.2021

The second President Armenia and first President of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), Robert Kocharyan, on Thursday issued a congratulatory message to the people of Artsakh on the 30th Independence Day anniversary of the Artsakh Republic.

"As a result of the 44-day war [last fall], Artsakh suffered heavy losses and is now facing great uncertainties.

Today, the guarantee of preserving the statehood of Artsakh is your unbreakable will to live on your own land and to develop it.

I am sure that you realize the seriousness of the situation. Together we must do everything possible to protect the Artsakh Republic," the message reads in part.

Around 130 hectares of territory have been cleared of explosives in Artsakh in the past 11 months

Sonya Jalatian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 1 2021

Since September 27, 2020 till August 27 2021 inclusive the sapper groups of Rescue department at the Artsakh State Service for Emergency Situations have cleared around 130 hectares of territory, including residential, agricultural and forest areas. 

According to the update released by the Emergency Service, in the mentioned period 1513 explosives, 59 anti-tank mines, 10 anti-personnel missiles, 84 mines, 919 missiles, 3143 rocket-propelled grenades, 2059 anti-aircraft missiles, 9319 artillery shells, 2391 small-caliber ammunition, 1411 anti-tank grenade launchers have been neutralized and eliminated by the sapper groups.

The Armenian National Committee of Canada releases annual policy priorities ahead of elections

Sonya Jalatian
Panorama, Armenia
Aug 30 2021

The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) published on August 27 its annual policy priorities document, ahead of the upcoming federal election scheduled on September 20, 2021, the Committee said in press statement. 

“This is a crucial election for all Canadians, including the Armenian-Canadian community who went through extremely tumultuous times over the past two years and therefore, we want to ensure that our voices are heard and proper action is taken on issues concerning our community,” said Hrag Tarakdjian, Co-President of the ANCC.

This year’s policy document is strategically positioned to address matters in the Republic of Artsakh, with a specific focus on the dire consequences of last year’s Turkish-backed Azerbaijani aggression

A wide array of policy recommendations, ranging from the recognition of the Republic of Artsakh to establishing a Canadian embassy in Yerevan, advocating for the safe return of the Armenian Prisoners of War illegally held by Azerbaijan, and defending both Armenia’s and Artsakh’s security and territorial integrity are specifically outlined, amongst many other important issues.

“Just as we were committed for decades to secure the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, we are equally committed today to redouble our efforts in pursuit of Artsakh’s recognition and ensuring that Canada strengthens its strategic relations with Armenia,” said Shahen Mirakian, Co-President of the ANCC.

The 2021 Policy Priorities document is meant to serve as a tool to educate the candidates that are running in the 44th General Election and to act as a policy platform for the upcoming year.

Defense Minister instructs to do utmost for spending 3 months of trainings of reservists maximally productive

Sonya Jalatian

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 19:06,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. A consultation was held on August 30 chaired by Defense Minister Arshak Karapetyan,s uring which the process of the 3-month training of the reservists was discussed. The heads of departments in charge for the trainings presented reports on the results of the first a few day.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press serviceof the MoD Armenia, the Defense Minister positively assessed the readiness of the citizens to participate in this important event aimed at raising the defense capacities of the country, and instructed to do utmost for ensuring maximal productivity of the trainings by enriching the theoretical and practical knowledge of the participants.

Baku blocks land route to Armenia

Sonya Jalatian
Tehran Times, Iran
Aug 27 2021
  1. Politics
August 27, 2021 – 22:8

TEHRAN — Iran’s customs spokesman said on Friday that a part of the land route from Iran to Armenia was blocked by the forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Seyed Ruhollah Latifi, spokesman for the customs, said, "According to the news received from some drivers, the entrance of the Goris-Kapan road to Armenia was blocked by the Azerbaijani forces."

He added that it is said that the negotiations between Yerevan officials and Baku in this regard took place on Friday morning.

Latifi emphasized, “Passengers and trucks carrying goods should make sure that the route is open in Armenia before leaving for the border of ‘Norduz’ in East Azerbaijan province.”

The Azeri Defense Ministry claimed that two Armenian soldiers attempted to stab an Azeri border guard in the area.

However, the Armenian Defense Ministry denied there was any incident, calling the statement a "sheer lie" and "more disinformation campaign by Azerbaijan."

SA/PA

Armenia seeks Russian forces on Azerbaijan border amid tensions

Sonya Jalatian
Al-Jazeera, Qatar

PM Nikol Pashinyan says the move would allow border demarcation to be carried out without the risk of military clashes.

29 Jul 2021

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has proposed that Russian border forces be stationed along the length of his country’s border with Azerbaijan amid rising tensions between the two neighbours.

His comments on Thursday came as Armenia and Azerbaijan accused each other of flouting a Russian-backed ceasefire that both sides had accepted the previous day to halt deadly clashes over their joint border.

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“Given the current situation, I think it makes sense to consider the question of stationing outposts of Russian border guards along the entire length of the Armenian-Azeri border,” Pashinyan was quoted as saying at a government meeting by the TASS news agency.

He said Armenia was preparing to discuss the proposal with Moscow and that the move would allow work to be carried out on the demarcation and delimitation of the border without the risk of military clashes.

Armenia’s defence ministry said earlier that Azeri troops had opened fire on Armenian positions at the Gegharkunik section of the border in the early hours of Thursday morning, prompting Armenia to return fire.

It described the situation as calm as of 7am local time (03:00 GMT) in a statement.

Azerbaijan’s defence ministry said in a statement that Armenian forces had opened fire with machine guns and grenade launchers in the direction of a village in the Kelbajar region, and had thrown hand grenades. It said its forces returned fire.

The ceasefire was called on Wednesday after some of the heaviest border clashes since last year’s six-week war between ethnic Armenian forces and Azeri troops over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding areas.

Armenia said three of its soldiers had been killed and two wounded. Azerbaijan said two of its soldiers had been wounded.

Last year, in fighting from September to November, Azeri troops drove ethnic Armenian forces out of swaths of territory they had controlled since the 1990s in and around the Nagorno-Karabakh region, before Russia brokered a ceasefire.

A simmering border dispute between the two has since flared up, with both sides accusing each other of separate incursions into each others’ territory in recent months, highlighting the fragility of the ceasefire.

Moscow has deployed some 2,000 peacekeepers in the area to oversee the November agreement.

Russia to welcome EU’s mediation efforts in negotiations around Karabakh – Kremlin spox

Sonya Jalatian

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 13:57,

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Russia is ready to welcome the mediation efforts of the member states of the European Union in the negotiations around Nagorno Karabakh, if they contribute to the implementation of the existing agreements, Russian presidential spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told reporters today, reports TASS.

“If the mediation efforts bring stability, predictability and help the implementation of the existing agreements, they just can be welcome. In general, the work on this direction is not bad”, Peskov said, commenting on the statements of the EU states about the plans to participate in the trilateral format of talks around Karabakh.

Peskov reminded that the trilateral agreements between the Russian, Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders over Nagorno Karabakh were possible to achieve thanks to the efforts of Russian President Vladimir Putin. “He is in constant touch with Armenia’s caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. Currently we are engaged in the implementation of the agreements reached”, he said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Azeri parliamentary group in occupied Northern Cyprus to commemorate 47th anniversary of Turkish troops’ landing

Sonya Jalatian
News.am, Armenia
Azeri parliamentary group in occupied Northern Cyprus to commemorate 47th anniversary of Turkish troops' landing
23:00, 16.07.2021

The parliamentary delegation of Azerbaijan arrived in occupied Northern Cyprus to commemorate the 47th anniversary of the landing of Turkish troops in their invasion of Cyprus that led to 200,000 refugees, thousands of people killed and hundreds of women raped, Greekcitytimes reported.

Receiving the delegation of the Committee on International Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations of the Milli Mejlis of Azerbaijan headed by Samed Seyidov, a leader of the Turkish-speaking community, Ersan Saner, expressed confidence that Azerbaijan would recognise the so-called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.”

No other country recognises the illegal entity besides Turkey in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions 541 and 550.

The delegation included Azerbaijani deputies Asim Mollazade, Erkin Gadirli, Nigar Arpadarai, and Nasib Mahamaliyev.

Seyidov said that they would defend the rights and justice of Northern Cyprus in the Council of Europe and stressed that there is no government or opposition in the Cyprus issue in Azerbaijan.

“This is our land. In the Turkic world there is Turkey, in the Turkic world there is Azerbaijan, in the Turkic world there is Northern Cyprus,” he said.

Seyidov stated that the visit to occupied Cyprus was scheduled on July 16-19, but when they were informed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan would arrive on the island on July 20, they decided to extend their visit.

He noted that the political delegation from Azerbaijan arrived in Northern Cyprus “for the first time”, but the visits will continue.

The official said, “We want Northern Cyprus to be strong. The Turkish world will rise. For this, Turkey, Azerbaijan and Northern Cyprus must be together.”

It is recalled that last week the Greek Ambassador to Azerbaijan Nikos Piperigos joined a propaganda tour for over 40 diplomats organised by the Azerbaijani regime to recently captured areas of historically-demographically Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh.

It is recalled that only last year during the ceremony of handing over the Ambassador’s credentials, Azerbaijani dictator Ilham Aliyev said:

“I can tell you, and it is no secret, that Turkey is not only our friend and partner, but also a brotherly country for us. Without any hesitation whatsoever, we support Turkey and will support it under any circumstances. We support them [Turkey] in all issues, including the issue in the Eastern Mediterranean.”

Yet, despite Ambassador Piperigos being told blatantly by the Azerbaijani dictator that his country will blindly support Turkey in their attempts to steal Greek maritime rights in the Eastern Mediterranean, he still joined the propaganda tour on the weekend.

The Turkish-sponsored invasion of Nagorno-Karabakh led to horrific war crimes such as beheadings, the use of white phosphorus and the deliberate targeting of churches – even double-tap attacks against journalists.

MPs call on Australian Government to publicly condemn Azerbaijani invasion of Armenia

Sonya Jalatian
Public Radio of Armenia
 

The co-convenors of the Federal Australia-Armenia Inter-Parliamentary Union (Friendship Group), Trent Zimmerman MP and Joel Fitzgibbon MP have appealed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon. Marise Payne to release a statement regarding Azerbaijan’s ongoing invasion of the Republic of Armenia, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).

Member for North Sydney, Zimmerman – who Chairs the Australian Parliament’s House of Representatives Committee on Health, Ageing & Sport – and Member for Hunter, Fitzgibbon – Australia’s former Defence Minister – wrote to Minister Payne voicing concern over the incursion and provocations perpetrated by Azerbaijan’s military.

The letter co-signed by Zimmerman and Fitzgibbon, who are also members of the Australian Friends of Artsakh network, read: “We write to express our concern over the incursion of Azerbaijani forces into Armenian sovereign territory.”

“We appeal to the Australian government to similarly express its concern and to take every available opportunity to call for a withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops.”

“We further ask the Australian government to work with the international community to secure an end to Azerbaijani aggression towards the people of Armenia,” the statement added.

Azerbaijan’s invasion has so far killed one Armenian serviceman defending his country’s sovereign borders and led to the illegal capture of several others. Despite international calls, these hostages have not yet been released by Baku, in addition to some 200 POWs who were captured during the 2020 Artsakh War and are yet to be returned under the terms of November’s ceasefire agreement.

The letter calls on Foreign Minister Payne to condemn the provocative actions of Azerbaijan and calls for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani military personnel and cessation of all aggression towards the people of Armenia, which are sentiments shared by several prominent international leaders, including the President of France Emmanuel Macron, U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez, China’s Deputy Foreign Minister Le Yucheng, the Canadian Foreign Ministry, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the European Union.
“Australia must join many in the international community who have publicly condemned the ongoing hostility of the Azerbaijani regime, which has consistently proven since beginning their September 2020 offensive against Artsakh, that it has no intentions to bring peace in the South Caucasus,” said ANC-AU Executive Director, Haig Kayserian.

“Azerbaijan has not returned Armenian prisoners of war like they signed they would in November 2020, they have not stopped their advance like that famous agreement stipulates, and instead, they have entered the internationally recognised borders of the Republic of Armenia, capitalising on the impunity offered by the international community.”

“We thank Mr. Trent Zimmerman and Mr. Joel Fitzgibbon for holding dictator Aliyev to account and demanding Australia speaks to the values of justice and human rights that this nation was built on,” Kayserian added.

Earlier in June 2021, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong questioned Australia’s Foreign Minister Marise Payne and Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) officials if there was “an active decision not to” release a public statement condemning Azerbaijan’s continuing invasion of the sovereign territories of the Republic of Armenia.