Author: Suren Karakhanian

Asbarez: Appeal to Help Armenians in Lebanon

Suren Karakhanian
by Contributor

 

 July 30, 2021

 

in Community, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western U.S. Central Committee

The severe economic crisis, once again, is wreaking havoc on the lives of our Armenian sisters and brothers in Lebanon. The lack of the most basic essentials on a daily basis, coupled with the severe scarcity of food and medicine pose a grave threat to our compatriots. Lebanon’s Armenian community, which during the last century has been the pillar of our national aspirations and struggle, needs immediate support and assistance from every Armenian.

As has been the case with all national crises, once again, Armenian community members in the Western United States are facing the imperative to provide immediate assistance to Lebanon’s Armenian community, hand-in-hand and committed to the “One Nation. One Future” motto.

The ARF Western U.S. Central Committee will devote all its capabilities to this effort and calls on the community to embrace this cause.

ARF Western U.S. Central Committee

Moscow court announces verdict for murderers of Armenian boxing champion Ashot Bolyan

Suren Karakhanian
News.am, Armenia
22:31, 27.07.2021

A Moscow court announced the verdict for those who assassinated world boxing champion Ashot Bolyan, Lenta reported.

According to the court’s verdict, all three murderers will serve their punishment in a prison under a strict regime.

Arshak Balagozyan, the organizer, was sentenced to ten years, and his accomplices Andrey Borisenko and Andronik Sirakanyan, were sentenced to 11 years and 8 years of imprisonment, respectively. All three were sentenced under Article 105 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation (murder committed by a group of persons).

The court ruled that Balagozyan was given an order to murder the boxer in September 2019. He engaged his acquaintances Sirakanyan and Boriseno. The men explored the victim’s daily schedule and his routes. On the day of the murder, that is, September 13, 2019, they followed and killed Balagozyan near his house.

Later, there was a version according to which Bolyan’s murder was an act of revenge for organizing the murder of Andranik Harutyunyan, who is known in the criminal world as a thief in law Ando Khromoy.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 07/16/2021

Suren Karakhanian 
                                        Friday, 

Top Russian General Again Visits Armenia


Armenia - Colonel-General Sergei Istrakov (C), the deputy chief of the Russian 
military’s General Staff, meets with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, 
Yerevan, .


A top Russian army general met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Friday 
during a fresh visit to Armenia aimed at deepening Russia’s already close 
military ties with its main regional ally.

Colonel-General Sergei Istrakov, the deputy chief of the Russian military’s 
General Staff, and high-ranking Russian officers accompanying him arrived in 
Yerevan earlier this week for further “staff negotiations” between the armed 
forces of the two states.

Istrakov held separate talks with Defense Minister Vagharshak Harutiunian and 
his Armenian opposite number, Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian, on Tuesday and 
Wednesday respectively.

According to the Armenian Defense Ministry, he discussed with Davtian the agenda 
of the negotiations. The two generals also “mapped out the scale and directions 
of the upcoming work,” the ministry said in a statement.

A Russian military delegation headed by Istrakov already held weeklong “staff 
negotiations” with the Armenian army’s top brass in January. Harutiunian said 
afterwards the talks were aimed at “assisting us in the reform and modernization 
of Armenia’s armed forces.”

“A very serious emphasis was put on the military-technical component of the 
matter,” the minister told the RIA Novosti news agency, referring to arms 
acquisitions.

The Armenian government announced plans to further deepen Russian-Armenian 
military ties shortly after the six-week war in Nagorno-Karabakh stopped by a 
Russian-brokered ceasefire last November. Moscow has since deployed troops in 
Armenia’s Syunik province bordering districts southwest of Karabakh retaken by 
Azerbaijan during and after the hostilities.

Yerevan requested additional Russian troop deployments along Armenia’s border 
with Azerbaijan after Azerbaijani forces reportedly crossed several sections of 
the frontier and advanced a few kilometers into Syunik and another Armenian 
province, Gegharkunik, in May.

Pashinian’s press office said that the prime minister and Istrakov discussed, 
among other things, “the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.” It gave 
no details.

A statement by the office said they also talked about regional security and the 
“agenda” of Russian-Armenian military cooperation praised by Pashinian.



Arrests Of Armenian Opposition Mayors Continue

        • Naira Nalbandian

Armenia - Goris Mayor Arush Arushanian.


Law-enforcement authorities arrested on Friday the elected heads of two more 
communities of Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province affiliated with the main 
opposition Hayastan bloc.

Four other local government officials were arrested earlier this month on 
different charges condemned by the bloc as politically motivated.

The latest detainees run the Syunik communities comprising the towns of Goris 
and Sisian and surrounding villages.

Goris’s Arush Arushanian, was remanded in pre-trial custody after being charged 
with trying to buy votes ahead of the June 20 parliamentary elections.

The Special Investigative Service (SIS) claims that Arushanian ordered the head 
of a village close to Goris to provide financial aid to local residents who will 
promise to vote for Hayastan. It says that the village chief, Lusine Avetian, 
refused to do that.

Avetian herself was arrested about two weeks ago for allocating such aid from 
the community budget to several villagers in May. The SIS says that the cash 
handouts ranging from 100,000 drams to 220,000 drams ($200-$440) per person were 
vote bribes.

Arushanian strongly denied the accusations when he spoke to journalists before a 
Yerevan court allowed investigators to arrest him. He said the poverty benefits 
approved by the local council were allocated on a regular basis and had nothing 
to do with the elections.

“The law stipulates that every year sums equivalent to 5 percent of our budget … 
must be provided to socially vulnerable families,” said Arushanian.

According to Arushanian’s lawyer, Armen Melkonian, the charges brought against 
his client are based on Avetian’s “contradictory testimony.” Melkonian said he 
will challenge the Goris mayor’s pre-trial detention in Armenia’s Court of 
Appeals.

The head of the Sisian community, Artur Sargsian, was detained overnight by 
another law-enforcement agency. The Investigative Committee charged him with 
abuse of power and forgery of official documents.

One of the two other arrested Syunik mayors, Manvel Paramazian, ran the town of 
Kajaran, while the other, Mkhitar Zakarian, headed a larger community comprising 
the towns of Meghri and Agarak and nearby villages. Like Arushanian and 
Sargsian, they are senior members of Hayastan.

The bloc led by former President Robert Kocharian finished second in the snap 
elections won by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s party. It has condemned the 
arrests, saying that the Armenian authorities are trying to suppress the 
country’s leading opposition force.

The arrested mayors were already charged with other crimes this winter. They 
were among the heads of more than a dozen Syunik communities who issued in 
December statements condemning Pashinian’s handling of the autumn war with 
Azerbaijan and demanding his resignation.

Some of them encouraged supporters to disrupt Pashinian’s December visit to 
Syunik. The prime minister faced angry protests when he finally toured Goris, 
Agarak, Meghri and the provincial capital Kapan in May.

During the election campaign Pashinian vowed to wage “political vendettas” 
against local government officials supporting the opposition.



U.S. Reaffirms Support For ‘Lasting’ Karabakh Settlement

        • Astghik Bedevian

JORDAN -- U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken gives a press conference in the 
Jordanian capital Amman,May 26, 2021


The United States has pledged to continue to seek a peaceful resolution of the 
Nagorno-Karabakh together with Russia and France, the two other co-chairs of the 
OSCE Minsk Group.

In written comments to VOA’s Armenian Service, the State Department reaffirmed 
U.S. support for “the Minsk Group Co-Chairs process.” It said Washington remains 
committed to helping Armenia and Azerbaijan achieve a “lasting settlement to the 
conflict” based on the principles of territorial integrity of states, people’s 
right to self-determination, and non-use of force.

The three principles have been at the heart of peace proposals jointly made by 
the U.S., Russian and French mediators since 2007.

The Karabakh conflict was on the agenda of U.S. Secretary of State Antony 
Blinken’s talks with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian held in 
Washington on Tuesday. Le Drian said they discussed “our joint action as 
co-chairs of the Minsk Group to help achieve lasting peace between Armenia and 
Azerbaijan.”

Blinken also discussed the conflict with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
in a phone call on Tuesday.

“The Secretary highlighted U.S. support for the Minsk Group Co-Chairs process 
aimed at a lasting political settlement to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said 
a State Department spokesman. “He encouraged Armenia to engage constructively at 
the OSCE.”

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev again insisted on Wednesday that Baku 
“unilaterally” resolved the Karabakh dispute with its victory in the six-week 
war stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire last November. He said claims to the 
contrary are “wrong and risky.”

Pashinian dismissed Aliyev’s claims on Thursday, pointing to a joint statement 
issued in April by the U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the Minsk 
Group.

The statement urged Baku and Yerevan to resume high-level negotiations on a 
“comprehensive and sustainable” settlement. It said the mediators “reiterate 
their proposal to organize direct bilateral consultations under their auspices.”


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Russia lawmaker: Captives are sometimes considered criminals, are kept senselessly

Suren Karakhanian
News.am, Armenia
July 8 2021
16:52, 08.07.2021

Captives are sometimes not considered captives but criminals and are kept senselessly. Vladimir Jabarov, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Council, said this during a discussion Thursday, and referring to the process of exchange of Armenian and Azerbaijani captives after the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) war last fall.

He explained that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the parliamentarians, and the peacekeepers are dealing with the issue of the return of these captives. "The process is constantly going on, but not so fast. As for the minefield maps, some say they do not exist at all. In any case, it is a humanitarian issue and must be resolved," the Russian lawmaker added.

Russian Armenian political scientist Armen Gasparyan, in his turn, expressed a conviction that the exchange of captives will not be fast. "Besides, it will be a parallel element of bargaining, as we see in the case of exchanging maps of minefields," added the analyst.

To note, almost immediately after the signing of the capitulation, Armenia, unlike Azerbaijan, returned all Azerbaijani captives.

Turkey Conducts Joint-Military Exercise in Azerbaijan

Suren Karakhanian

July 1 2021


07/1/2021 Turkey (International Christian Concern) – On June 28th, Turkey and Azerbaijan began a three-day live fire joint military exercise in Baku to increase their forces’ cohesion and interoperability. The exercise was titled “Mustafa Kemal Ataturk 2021” in a reference to Turkic nationalism, the Armenian genocide, and its continued denial by the authorities.

After World War I and the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, Mustafa Kemal appointed himself the leader of the new nation of Turkey and thus was a key leader of driving out non-Turkic influences, including what Armenian communities remained in Anatolia, in an attempt to craft a uniting nationalistic Turkic narrative. This narrative has continued today. Much of the non-Turkic population of Turkey are historically Christian, such as the Armenians and Greeks.

The latest joint exercise is the most recent instance of cooperation between the two nations since the end of the 44-day War over Nagorno-Karabakh last November, during which Turkey supported Azerbaijan’s efforts to conquer traditionally Armenian populated territory. During the war numerous reports of war crimes, displacement, along with desecration of Armenian churches and cemeteries were reported. Turkish support and facilitation of Azerbaijan’s actions has remained unwavering, only recently responding to international calls for accountability by sending its own team of investigators to assess alleged abuses while banning neutral third-parties from the area.

The exercise also follows a visit by Erdogan to the Shushi, Nagorno-Karabakh’s second largest city that was taken in the war, where he and President Aliyev signed a declaration of military cooperation and discussed the possibility of a establishing a Turkish military base in Azerbaijan.

For more information, see ICC’s report: Nagorno-Karabakh: A Humanitarian Perspective.


EBRD, EU, GCF expand funding for SMEs in Armenia

Suren Karakhanian

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 13:32,

YEREVAN, JUNE 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenia's private sector will benefit from new resources for green financing thanks to a US$ 10 million financial package put together by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in cooperation with the European Union (EU) and the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to facilitate the private sector’s transition to more sustainable, low-carbon and climate-resilient practices, EBRD said in a statement.

The package is being provided to ACBA Bank under the EBRD’s Green Economy Financing Facility (GEFF) programme and the EU4Business-EBRD credit line with incentives for on-lending to local enterprises for investments in climate-change mitigation and adaptation as well as for upgrading technologies and services to EU standards while promoting the use of green technologies. This is the first project to be signed in Armenia under the EU4Business-EBRD Credit Line, paving the way for more banking clients to join this new framework.

The EU4Business-EBRD credit line helps local companies increase their standards, upgrade production, improve the working conditions of their employees and boost competitiveness on local and international markets. At least 70 per cent of any loan will finance investments in green technologies. Borrowers are eligible to receive incentive grants and technical advice, both funded by the European Union under its EU4Business initiative.

The EBRD’s GEFF program supports businesses and homeowners wishing to invest in green technologies. Eligible projects include investments in technologies such as thermal insulation, photovoltaic solar panels, geothermal heat pumps and water-efficient irrigation systems. GEFF also includes a comprehensive package of technical advice, which helps to identify and verify green investment opportunities. Businesses can find green technologies commonly available in Armenia using the GEFF Technology Selector.

The GCF will support the project with capacity-building and implementation while also providing incentive grants for eligible green projects.

Dimitri Gvindadze, EBRD Head of Armenia, said: “Encouraging and supporting the upgrading of technology in the private sector will improve its competitiveness and potentially further enhance export opportunities. ACBA Bank is one of our longstanding clients, with strong business outreach in the country. We are committed to helping companies improve their standards to perform successfully for the benefit of Armenia’s economy.”

Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin, Head of Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, said: “The EU4Business-funded facility will support Armenian SMEs in delivering high added-value and boost their competitiveness and productivity, in line with the standards of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement. The EU is committed to supporting the greening of Armenia’s private sector and its integration into European value chains”.

ACBA Bank is among the leading banks in Armenia, offering a full range of services to individuals and SMEs. It is the fourth-largest bank in Armenia in terms of assets, with a dominant position in lending to the agricultural sector and micro, small and medium-sized enterprises in rural areas.

The GEFF program is helping to build a green economy in Armenia by supporting the expansion of green finance in accordance with the EBRD’s Green Economy Transition approach.

The EBRD is a leading institutional investor in Armenia. The Bank has invested more than €1.51 billion in 189 projects in the country’s financial, corporate, infrastructure and energy sectors, with 88 per cent of those investments in the private sector.

Chess: Record number of Armenian players to take part in the Chess World Cup 2021

Suren Karakhanian
Panorama, Armenia

Record number of Armenian chess players will take part in the Chess World Cup 2021 in Sochi. As the Chess Federation reported on Monday, in the men's competition Armenia  will be represented by five players – grandmasters Levon Aronian, Gabriel Sargsyan, Hovhannes Gabuzyan, Hayk Martirosyan and Shant Sargsyan among them. It is noted that Armenia has participated in the  tournament since 2005 with maximum four players. Meanwhile, Elina Danielyan will represent Armenia in the women's competition. 

To note, the Chess World Cup 2021 is a 206-player single-elimination chess tournament that will take place in Sochi, Russia, from 10 July to 3 August 2021.It is the 9th edition of the Chess World Cup.

The top two finishers in the tournament, aside from World Champion Magnus Carlsen, will qualify for the Candidates Tournament 2022. The rest of the final eight qualify for the FIDE Grand Prix 2022, unless they are World Champion or qualify for the Candidates via another path.

Classical love story Khosrow and Shirin adapted for modern novel on revolution

Suren Karakhanian
Tehran Times, Iran
– 18:50

TEHRAN – Iranian writer Khosro Babakhani has adapted Nezami’s classical Persian love story Khosrow and Shirin for a modern novel of the same title, which is set in Iran of 1979 in the heat of the Islamic Revolution.

In “Khosro and Shirin”, Babakhani focuses on ordinary love, however, his outlook of love is different from the clichés, publisher Ketabestan-e Marefat said in an introduction to the book.

The story begins few years before the Islamic Revolution, when Khosro, the main protagonist, is an adolescent and goes on until the early years of the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq war.

The story is set in the southwestern Iranian city Abadan, which had different urban spaces after World War II.     

Babakhani uses lucid dynamic prose in the book to represent the world from the protagonist’s perspective.

The book also provides a deep insight into the revolutionary struggles in Abadan and, away from political propaganda, features the valor the city’s people showed in the early months of the Iran-Iraq war.

The original story of Khosrow and Shirin was created by Persian poet Nezami Ganjavi in 1177.

Nezami’s great work had a tremendous influence on later authors and many imitations of this work were made. With complete artistic and structural unity, the epic of Khosrow and Shirin turned out to be a turning point not only for Nezami, but also for all Persian literature.

The story of pre-Islamic Persian origin, which is found in the great epic-historical poems of the Shahnameh, is based on a true story that was further romanticized by Persian poets. 

The story was commissioned by and dedicated to the Seljuk Sultan Toghril II, the Atabek Muhammad ibn Eldiguz Jahan Pahlavan and his brother Qizil Arsalan. 

About 6,500 distiches in length, the story depicts the love of Sassanid Khosrow Parviz towards his Armenian princess Shirin. 

The book recounts the story of King Khosrow’s courtship of Princess Shirin, and vanquishing of his love rival, Farhad. 

The story has a complex structure with several genres exploited simultaneously and contains many verbal exchanges and letters, all imbued with lyrical intensity. Khosrow endures long journeys, physical and spiritual, before returning to Shirin, his true love.

Photo: A poster for Iranian writer Khosro Babakhani’s latest novel “Khosro and Shirin”.

MMS/YAW

Lithuanian President hopes elections held in Armenia would contribute to mitigation of domestic political tension

Suren Karakhanian

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 12:04, 22 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 22, ARMENPRESS. Newly-appointed Ambassador of Armenia to Lithuania Armen Martirosyan presented his credentials to President Gitanas Nausėda, the Armenian Foreign Ministry told Armenpress.

During the meeting the Lithuanian President congratulated the Ambassador on appointment, wishing success to his important mission. He also congratulated over the holding of the snap parliamentary elections in Armenia on June 20, expressing hope that they will contribute to mitigation of domestic political tension in the country. Touching upon the history of the Armenian-Lithuanian relations, the President said the political dialogue is at a high level, stating that in 1991 Lithuania was the first to recognize Armenia’s independence. The meeting also discussed Lithuania’s key role in the development of the Armenia-EU relations.

In his turn the Armenian Ambassador thanked the Lithuanian President for the welcome, stating that Armenia is deeply interested in further intensifying the cooperation with Lithuania in all directions of mutual interest.

The meeting also touched upon the situation after the 2020 November 10 trilateral statement on the ceasefire in Nagorno Karabakh. Ambassador Martirosyan thanked Lithuania for the assistance provided to the Armenian side during the war. In the context of the NK conflict’s lasting and stable settlements, they both highlighted the key role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Italy’s President congratulates Armenian counterpart on birthday

Suren Karakhanian

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 15:53, 23 June, 2021

YEREVAN, JUNE 23, ARMENPRESS. President of Italy Sergio Mattarella sent a congratulatory letter to Armenian President on birthday, the Armenian Presidential Office told Armenpress.

“I would like to reaffirm my intention to further develop and deepen the sincere friendly ties that unite our countries.

I am sure your upcoming state visit to Italy will be a good occasion to think about the results registered together and the possibilities of further developing the bilateral relations.

With the friendship spirit and war memories of our meetings both in Yerevan and Rome, I once again address my warm congratulations and wishes of personal and family welfare to you”, the Italian President said in his letter.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan