Author: Suren Karakhanian

Tehran, Yerevan to ink MOU for boosting trade

Suren Karakhanian
Tehran Times, Iran
Jan 22 2021
– 15:7

TEHRAN – Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan arrived in Tehran on Friday to discuss the expansion of trade relations between the two countries.

As reported by the Trade Promotion Organization (TPO) of Iran, upon arrival Kerobyan met with the TPO Head Hamid Zadboum.

During this five-day visit which has been organized by the Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Ministry, the two sides will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for boosting trade ties, according to Zadboum.

The minister is also going to meet with senior officials from the Islamic Republic including Industry, Energy, and Economy ministers as well as the Head of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines, and Agriculture (ICCIMA).

Visiting some of the major Iranian production centers, as well as a trip to Isfahan Province are also on the Armenian delegation’s agenda.

Kerobyan’s visit to Tehran is an opportunity to develop economic relations while resolving trade barriers and problems with Armenia as the gateway to the Eurasian market, Zadboum said after a meeting with the official.

The Armenian delegation’s visit to Tehran comes as the country is trying to replace Turkish commodities with Iranian products in its markets following political conflicts with its Turk neighbor.

This has presented a new opportunity for Iranian producers to have a strong presence in this market and turn the (probably) temporary opportunity into a permanent trade bond between the two countries.

Despite having shared borders, and close cultural and historical relations, the trade between Iran and Armenia has not been at a favorable level over the past few decades.

However, Iran’s preferential trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the recent developments in the region has changed the prospect of the country’s trade relations with Armenia, paving the way for a boost in the economic relations between the two sides.

Back in January 2020, the Head of Iran-Armenia Joint Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hervik Yarijanian said the preferential trade agreement between Iran and EAEU has had a significant impact on the country’s trade relations with Armenia.

EF/MA

Armenpress: Assuming responsibility for Armenian massacres by Baku is precondition for peace – MFA Artsakh

Suren Karakhanian

Assuming responsibility for Armenian massacres by Baku is precondition for peace – MFA Artsakh

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 20:52,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Artsakh issued a statement on the occasion of the 31th anniversary of the Armenian massacres in Baku.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of MFA ARtsakh, the statement runs as follows,

 ‘’January 13, 1990 is one of the most tragic dates in the history of the Armenian people. On this day, mass pogroms of Armenians began in the capital city of Azerbaijan, Baku, which became the apogee of the targeted policy of the Azerbaijani authorities on exterminating the Armenian population of the former Azerbaijan SSR and expelling it from its historical lands and places of permanent residence, which began with the massacre of Armenians in Sumgait in February 1988.

The Baku pogroms continued for more than a week, during which, under the slogans "Glory to the heroes of Sumgait!", "Long live Baku without Armenians!", large mobs of rioters broke into the homes of Armenians, robbing, maiming and killing people. There are numerous documented accounts of atrocities committed with exceptional brutality. Those who managed to escape death were subjected to forced deportation, which was organized and systematic.

The Baku pogroms became one of the bloodiest mass crimes against the Armenian population in a series of pogroms, deportations, ethnic cleansing and other crimes against humanity committed in Azerbaijan. In the period between 1988 and 1991, the Armenian population of the former Azerbaijan SSR was completely deported, and Northern Artsakh, Gandzak and some other territories lost their autochthonous population. As a result, about half a million Armenians became refugees, and thousands of them killed.

The man-hating and genocidal policy of Baku towards the Armenian people continued after the collapse of the USSR, in 1992-1994, in particular, during the occupation of Artsakh Republic’s Shahumyan and Martakert regions and in the village of Maragha, the majority of the inhabitants of which were brutally exterminated.

The long-term and consistent denial by the Azerbaijani authorities of the committed genocidal actions on the one hand, and the encouragement of such crimes through the glorification of their perpetrators on the other hand, have become the main driving force in the policy of Azerbaijan, aimed at the extermination of Armenians in their historical homeland and all the traces of the existence of the Armenian people in the ancestral territory of their residence.This policy ultimately predetermined the large-scale 44-day war against Artsakh unleashed on September 27, 2020 by Azerbaijan, with the support of Turkey and with the participation of international terrorists. The armed aggression was accompanied by numerous and systematic war crimes, including targeted attacks on civilians and shelling of vital civilian infrastructure, with the employment of weapons prohibited by international conventions, cruel killing of prisoners of war and detained civilians and inhuman and derogatory treatment towards them. Moreover, the Azerbaijani side deliberately posts video materials of such atrocities at social networks.

It is difficult to imagine the path to peace as long as the misanthropic ideology and values, imposed by the authorities for many years, continue to dominate in the Azerbaijani society. An important step in the process of healing the wounds inflicted by the bloody conflict unleashed by Azerbaijan would be the recognition by the Baku authorities of their direct responsibility for the mass crimes committed against the Armenian population, including the January 1990 pogroms in Baku, which would make it possible to eradicate the negative phenomena caused by Armenophobia and create preconditions for establishing sustainable and lasting peace in the region''.

Asbarez: SmartGateVC Kick-Starts Southern California Accelerator, Opening New Tech Advancement Opportunities For Local Founders

Suren Karakhanian

January 4,  2020



The Hero House co-working team

GLENDALE—SmartGateVC  has announced the launch of its newest initiative, Hero House Glendale GateWay. Hero House Glendale GateWay is an acceleration program that aims to arm companies with path-breaking technological advancements and scalable business models.

Accelerator participants will go through a 12-week mentorship program focused on establishing their growth framework, and refining and validating their sales strategies. This is followed by 8 weeks of on-site business and customer development assistance. The accelerator partners with world-renowned companies such as Google, AWS, IBM, HubSpot, and others to provide its participants with the best resources for building their products.

The program culminates in a Demo Day at Hero House Glendale. During Demo Day, participants will pitch in front of a carefully selected, 100+ invite-only audience of U.S. investors. Moreover, companies will receive assistance for setting up professional, yet cost-efficient tech teams in Eastern Europe. The program will run from February 8 – July 24, 2021․

Application deadline is January 10

Founders with strong execution skills who are working on robust AI startups with early traction (revenue/user base/launched product) are welcome to apply for SmartGateVC’s Hero House Glendale GateWay accelerator here by January 10, 2020, 11:59 PM (23:59 PM) PST. Join the program Info Session on January 5, 19:00 PST to learn more about the program and ask your questions. Get your tickets for the event here.

During its years of operation in Eastern Europe and in the U.S., SmartGateVC has built a robust network of founders, scientists, and business experts, focusing on where science and entrepreneurship join to disrupt the status quo․ Collaboration between these forces has created a new wave of deep tech companies that have closed rounds with top tier Venture Capital firms, had pilots with industry leaders, and topped the lists of America’s Most Promising 50 AI Companies․ The Hero House Glendale GateWay accelerator ensures the consistency and scaling of these collaborations by connecting founders with the resources they need, including business expertise of SoCal and scientists from the local universities.

Hero House co-workers

Given Silicon Valley’s sky-high labor and housing prices, many startup founders are foregoing the Bay Area in favor of other rising innovation centers. With its favorable business environment, flourishing marketplace, and talented resource pool, Glendale is emerging as Southern California’s up-and-coming regional tech hub. Most importantly, SoCal is home to the world’s leading research universities, including Caltech, USC, UCLA that top the lists of the global universities granted the largest number of patents.

The Hero House Glendale GateWay accelerator is funded through the City of Glendale’s Tech Initiative. This is the result of the City’s 2-year effort to develop a Start-Up Tech Accelerator that will further stimulate the growth of the ecosystem of innovation in Glendale.

The City of Glendale’s Economic Development Division continuously focuses on growing Glendale’s thriving tech ecosystem that is home to over 1,000 high tech firms, generating over $5 billion dollars in sales each year and employs over 41,000 people. The Economic Development Team hosts monthly Tech on Tap events that allow local entrepreneurs, startups and tech professionals to network and connect within the city. In addition to this monthly event, the City hosts an annual Glendale Tech Week which has grown into the region’s most exciting and anticipated display of tech and innovation gathering more than 5,500 attendees across 34 events.

SmartGateVC is a Silicon Valley pre-seed venture capital fund backed by Tim Draper and a network of entrepreneurs and professionals from the U.S., Europe, and MENA. Their key focus areas are Artificial Intelligence (AI), Security, Internet of Things (IoT) and emerging Computational Biotech, Quantum Computing and Blockchain across California, Massachusetts, NYC, and wider Eastern Europe. The fund invests on the edge of technology in [ends]

Turkey to lead NATO high readiness force

Suren Karakhanian 
Source : 112 Ukraine



[Turkey takes over from Poland, which provided the core of the force in 2020]

2 January 2021

The Turkish army will take the lead of NATO’s Very High Readiness
Joint Task Force (VJTF) on Friday (1 January 2021), placing thousands
of soldiers on standby, ready to deploy within days. This is reported
by NATO website.

Turkey takes over from Poland, which provided the core of the force in
2020. Built around Turkey’s 66th Mechanised Infantry Brigade of around
4,200 troops, a total of around 6,400 soldiers will serve on the VJTF.
Units from Albania, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Montenegro, Poland,
Romania, Slovakia, Spain, the UK, and the United States will also
serve on the force, which is part of the Alliance’s larger NATO
Response Force.

Turkey has made substantial investments into the unit – amongst the
most mobile in NATO - particularly in its logistics and ammunition
requirements planning. The latest models of Turkish armed vehicles,
anti-tank missiles and howitzers have been allocated to the force.

NATO heads of state and government decided to create the VJTF at the
Wales Summit in 2014 in response to a changed security environment,
including Russia’s destabilisation of Ukraine and turmoil in the
Middle East. NATO members take turns heading the VJTF. Poland led the
VJTF in 2020, Germany in 2019, and Italy had rotational control of the
force in 2018.

Iran, Armenia Discuss Closer Business Ties

Suren Karakhanian
Iran Front Page
Dec 29 2020

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and his Armenian counterpart Ara Ayvazyan have discussed the latest developments in Armenia as well as bilateral and regional cooperation.


In a Monday phone conversation, the top Iranian diplomat expressed regret over the recent conflict between Armenia and the Azerbaijan Republic and condoled with the families of those who lost their loved ones in the war.

Zarif reiterated Iran’s stance that international borders are not changeable, and stressed Iran’s sensitivity in that regard.

He said the end of the conflict will set the stage for multilateral cooperation among regional countries.

The Iranian foreign minister expressed content with the expansion of economic cooperation between the private sectors of both countries, saying Iran is prepared to further boost economic ties with Armenia during the new year.


Artsakh authorities search for bodies in Zangelan

Suren Karakhanian

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 11:08, 24 December, 2020

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. The Artsakh authorities have found the bodies of 8 servicemen in Fizuli and Jabrayil amid ongoing search operations.

“Overall, so far the number of remains of the war victims that have been found is 1069,” the Artsakh State Service of Emergency Situations spokesperson Hunan Tadevosyan told ARMENPRESS.

“Today, the search and rescue operations continue in the directions of Jabrayil and Zangelan, namely Kovsakan, as well as in the Shushi area. Despite the unfavorable weather conditions, the rescue service chief has ordered not to stop the operations.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Citizens have blocked Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan

Suren Karakhanian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 24 2020

Groups of citizens have blocked the central Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan, demanding the resignation of PM Nikol Pashinyan. They have parked two trucks on the road section in front of the American University. A poster on one of the truck reads "Nikol, take away your bloody hands!" Police forces are deployed at the scene. The traffic is currently disrupted through the avenue. 

One of the protesters, a relative of a missing soldier, told reporters. "For 45 day now, we have been searching our children and haven't found. I have been to Artsakh myself. I am pessimistic about the search operations. No state body was next to us and I myself went to deep locations for finding the missing one at the  risk of own life. This  protest is not a political action. I am not affiliated with any political party," he stressed.  

The protester noted that chances to find their sons are diminishing as bodies are covered with snow.  

"Let us not be guided by lies. First, we were told we would win the war. Today, we are not sure even how many captives are held, how many missing people and victims are. We need an educated leader capable to negotiate," added he.


Five women suffered in police actions during Thursday rally in Yerevan

Suren Karakhanian
Panorama, Armenia

Dec 24 2020
Law 19:53 24/12/2020Armenia

Five women have suffered on Thursday during the anti-Pashinyan rally in Yerevan as a result of excessive force exercised by police officers.  In total, 69 citizens, who took part in the rally organized by the Homeland Salvation Front, were detained. 

"69 citizens have been taken to police stations throughout the day. The citizens were detained for administrative offenses with the law enforcement officers filing respective protocols," Tert.am news outlet was told at press department of the Police of Armenia. 

Some of the detainees have been released, the source added. 

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 11-12-20

Suren Karakhanian

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 17:27,

YEREVAN, 11 DECEMBER, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 11 December, USD exchange rate up by 1.85 drams to 520.62 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 3.02 drams to 630.94 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.05 drams to 7.11 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.95 drams to 688.00 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price up by 153.06 drams to 30871.32 drams. Silver price down by 1.92 drams to 399.79 drams. Platinum price up by 311.93 drams to 17374.38 drams.

AP: Protesters block traffic in Armenia calling on PM to resign

Suren Karakhanian
The Columbian
Dec 8 2020
By AVET DEMOURIAN, Associated Press
Published: December 8, 2020, 10:18am

YEREVAN, Armenia — Crowds of protesters took to the streets of Armenia’s capital Tuesday, demanding the resignation of the country’s prime minister over his handling of the conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Armenian opposition politicians and their supporters have been calling for Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to step down ever since he signed a peace deal that halted 44 days of deadly fighting over the separatist region, but called for territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.

On Saturday, opposition parties warned Pashinyan there would be civil disobedience across the country if he doesn’t resign by noon on Tuesday. The prime minister has refused to step down, defending the peace agreement as a painful but necessary move that prevented Azerbaijan from overrunning the entire Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Protesters on Tuesday temporarily blocked traffic on different streets of Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, and at one point blocked trains at one of the city’s subway stations. The subway had to shut down as the result until further notice, spokeswoman of the Yerevan subway Tatev Khachatryan told The Associated Press.

Demonstrators chanted “Armenia without Nikol,” “Nikol, go away!”

Similar protests were held in other Armenian cities. Police detained 81 protesters in Yerevan and seven in the city of Ararat.

The Armenian Apostolic Church on Tuesday joined in on the opposition’s calls for Pashinyan to step down. The head of the church, Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, urged the prime minister to resign in a statement, saying that the move would “prevent upheavals in public life, as well as possible clashes and tragic consequences.”

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has been under the control of ethnic Armenian forces backed by Armenia since a separatist war there ended in 1994. That war left Nagorno-Karabakh itself and substantial surrounding territory in Armenian hands.

The heavy fighting that erupted in late September marked the biggest escalation of a long-simmering conflict between the two ex-Soviet nations. Armenian authorities said that at least 2,718 Armenian servicemen and 55 civilians were killed in the fighting. Azerbaijan said 2,783 troops were killed and more than 100 were still missing. The government said 94 of its civilians also were killed and more than 400 were wounded.

A Russian-brokered peace deal took effect on Nov. 10, ending the violence. The agreement stipulated that Armenia hand over control to Azerbaijan of several regions it holds outside Nagorno-Karabakh’s borders. Azerbaijan also retained control over areas of Nagorno-Karabakh it has taken during the conflict.

Azerbaijan completed reclaiming those territories last week and celebrated the end of fighting as a national triumph. President Ilham Aliyev established a new Nov. 8 national holiday called Victory Day to commemorate the event.

Armenian opposition leaders hold Pashinyan responsible for failing to negotiate an earlier end to the hostilities at terms that could have been more beneficial for Armenia. They have emphasized, however, that the opposition wasn’t pushing for the annulment of the peace deal.