Author: Talar Tumanian

Armenian villagers ask for help because of fires near border with Azerbaijan

Talar Tumanian
Caucasian Knot, EU
Sept 3 2021

In the Gegarkunik Region, cattle breeders faced the problem of feed for livestock because of fires: hay prices doubled, residents of border villages complain.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that according to Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan, Azerbaijani soldiers deliberately set fire to pastures near the villages of Sotk and Kut at the border with the Kelbadjar District. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Azerbaijan has denied the information about setting fire on pastures.

The fires in rural pastures and hayfields have been extinguished, and there are no threats to the village from the fires, but the cattle breeding has suffered significant damage, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent has been informed by Sima Chitchyan, the head of the Kut community.

“Our pastures were under the control of the Azerbaijani soldiers. We had a hope that after haymaking we will be able to graze livestock in those fields, but even there everything is destroyed by the fire. There are very few fields left where we can graze livestock,” Sima Chitchyan said.

The villagers submitted the data on the damage to the regional administration, but there has been no reaction from the authorities so far, the head of the village adds.

Sevak Khachatryan, a resident of the village of Sotk, has also said that the cattle breeding seriously suffered because of the fires. “There are small territories where it will be possible to graze livestock, but in general, that will not solve the problem,” the local resident told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

Last year, one bale of hay cost 800-900 drams (1.6-1.8 US dollars), and this year, the price has doubled, from 1600 to 1800 drams (3.2-3.6 US dollars), Sevak Khachatryan said. “Villagers of Martuni, Gavar, and Vardenis used to buy up to 300,000 bales of hay, mainly in Karvachar. And now, due to the fact that the communities have lost their pastures because of them coming under the control of Azerbaijan and because of the fires, there is a problem of fodder for livestock. If we do not solve the problem with cattle breeding, we will face migration from border villages,” the resident of the Sotk village emphasized.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on September 3, 2021 at 04:35 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:

Armenian Ombudsperson warns of fires threatening villages of Gegarkunik Region, Azerbaijan rejects allegations of burning pastures at Armenian border, Azerbaijan reports a shootout at border with Armenia.

Author: Tigran Petrosyan; Source: CK correspondent

Source: 
© Caucasian Knot

275,138 COVID-19 vaccinations carried out in Armenia so far

Talar Tumanian

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 10:39,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 30, ARMENPRESS. A total of 275,138 vaccinations against COVID-19 have been carried out in Armenia so far, of which the first dose is 176,552 and the second dose – 98,586, the ministry of healthcare reports.

Vaccinations with AstraZeneca, Sputnik V, Sinopharm and CoronaVac in Armenia are available for people aged over 18.

Vaccinations are carried out on voluntary basis. 

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Azerbaijan violates ceasefire, again opens fire at Armenian positions in Gegharkunik – Defense Ministry

Talar Tumanian
Panorama, Armenia
July 29 2021

On Thursday, July 29, at around 3am, the Azerbaijani troops, violating the ceasefire agreement reached the day before, again resorted to provocation opening fire from firearms at the Armenian positions in the Gegharkunik section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, in the direction of Karvachar.

In an official statement, the Defense Ministry of Armenia said after the retaliatory actions of the Armenian side, the fire stopped.

As of 7am, the situation was calm, there were no shootings.

An agreement on restoring the ceasefire on the north-eastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijan border was reached at the mediation of the command of Russian peacekeeping forces on Wednesday. The ceasefire went into effect at 10am local time.

Three Armenian servicemen were killed and four others were injured as a result of the military operations launched by the Azerbaijani forces. One of the injured soldiers is said to be in critical condition.

Sports: ​Mkhitaryan and Pepe clash in Porto v Roma

Talar Tumanian
Public Radio of Armenia
July 29 2021

Mkhitaryan and Pepe clash in Porto v Roma


The pre-season friendly between Porto and Roma descended into an ugly brawl when Pepe fouled Henrikh Mkhitaryan, sparking a furious reaction, Football Italia reports.

Pepe had been leaving his foot in several times already during the game, with both coaches Jose Mourinho and Sergio Conceicao repeatedly complaining to the referee.

It erupted at the 64th minute, with Roma 1-0 up through a Gianluca Mancini diving header, when Pepe barged Mkhitaryan over in midfield with an arm raised to his face.

The Armenia international was absolutely furious and reacted angrily, trying to kick out at Portugal international defender Pepe.

Suddenly, everyone piled in, including members of the bench and staff, trying to pull various players apart.

This included Edin Dzeko, who from the touchline was heard saying to Pepe: “Bravo, you’re 1-0 down, now go and cry.”

The referee called a cooling break to calm the situation down, while players continued to discuss the situation in much more civilised terms.

Wisely, Mourinho then immediately substituted Mkhitaryan after the five-minute break in play.

Expert: Turkey, Azerbaijan trying to ‘extort concessions’ from Armenia

Talar Tumanian
Panorama, Armenia
July 30 2021

Turkey and Azerbaijan seek to pressure Armenia into making concessions over several important issues, including the status of Artsakh and Armenia’s borders, as well as to make the country come to terms with the fact that Azerbaijani troops are stationed on Armenian territory, expert on Turkey Ruben Safrastyan told a news conference on Friday. 

He said the fresh Azerbaijani provocations on the border aim to step up the pressure on Armenia and to “extort concessions” from the country.

Commenting on acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's proposal to deploy CSTO observers along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Safrastyan underlined this is exactly the case when the CSTO should seriously consider the proposal.

"If this time as well the CSTO fails to carry out its key functions, it will seriously threaten the future of the organization," Safrastyan said.

He lauded the U.S. House passage of the Pallone Amendment restricting U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan as an “important and expected event”, highlighting the efforts made by Diaspora Armenians towards its adoption on Wednesday.

“It is also a message addressed to the executive branch to reconsider its position on dictatorial Azerbaijan,” he said.

However, Safrastyan noted, the White House does not often respond to the messages of the Congress, since it has its own interests. He pointed to the Baku-Ceyhan oil pipeline starting in Azerbaijan, which is important for the US and the West.

Safrastyan assesses positively the fact that the United States, France and Russia believe the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs should continue and the issue of Artsakh's status has not yet been resolved.

"This is an approach shared by Armenia and which would lead to a fair settlement to the Artsakh issue,” Safrastyan said.

The expert stressed the need for diplomatic work in specific directions over the status of Artsakh, the peaceful de-occupation of the Artsakh territories and the expansion of the circle of friendly states that have an objective idea of what is happening in the region. Serious efforts must be made in the region, including in connection with relations with Iran, he said.

Highlighting the role of Russia as Armenia’s strategic ally, he at the same time stressed the need for a values-based foreign policy.

“This is a new direction in the theory of international relations. For millennia, our people have created values that are part of modern civilization, we should use it in foreign policy. To put it simply, we should pursue a foreign policy that will be recognizable for the world to differ from other states and not to be just an ordinary, small and weak state in such a complex region," Safrastyan said. 

Russian peacekeepers say they have ensured movement of over 2,000 cars in Karabakh

Talar Tumanian
News.am, Armenia
16:48, 31.07.2021

Servicemen of the Russian peacekeeping contingent have ensured the movement of over 2,000 cars in Nagorno-Karabakh. This is stated in the press release posted on the website of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

“Russian peacekeepers ensure the movement of civilian cars and citizens through the Lachin corridor, as well as the safe transfer of food and other goods. This week, no ceasefire violations were recorded the zone of responsibility of the peacekeeping contingent,” the press release also states.

“More than 200 cars pass through our observation posts in two directions every day. Moreover, every car is inspected, and the driver and passengers show identification documents,” representative of the peacekeeping contingent Leonid Stepanov said.

Pashinyan: It is necessary to create customs checkpoints on the border with Azerbaijan

Talar Tumanian
News.am, Armenia
12:57, 29.07.2021

Azerbaijan is taking consistent steps to discredit the topic of unblocking regional communications, the acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan noted.

According to him, despite the fact that neither in the 9th paragraph of the statement of November 9, nor in the statement of January 11, there is any _expression_ or definition regarding the corridor, and no specific routes are indicated, Azerbaijan continues to raise the issue of some kind of corridor. indicating specific routes and directions.

“I have already said many times that Armenia did not discuss, does not discuss and will not discuss any issues within the framework of the corridor logic,” he noted adding that all transport and economic communications in the region must be unblocked.

Pashinyan noted that Armenia through the territory of Azerbaijan should have communication with Russia, Central Asia and Iran, and Azerbaijan, in turn, should have communication with Nakhichevan, Georgia and Iran through the territory of Armenia.

“To implement this program, it will be necessary to create customs checkpoints in the relevant sections,” Nikol Pashinyan said, citing checkpoints operating on the borders of the CIS as an example.

Armenia’s acting PM proposes putting CSTO observers along entire border with Azerbaijan

Talar Tumanian
TASS, Russia
Nikol Pashinyan insisted that Armenia, being a CSTO member, is fully aware of how important it is not to create threats to the organization, and guaranteed that the Armenian side will not take any provocative actions

YEREVAN, July 29. /TASS/. Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has proposed placing CSTO observers along the entire Armenian-Azerbaijani border to monitor the situation on Thursday.

"In order to determine the actual situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, I propose placing a mission of observers along it," he announced at a government meeting. According to him, "By committing its provocations, Azerbaijan has sought to discredit the Collective Security [Treaty] Organization."

The Armenian leader pointed out that Baku was constantly accusing Yerevan of provocations. Furthermore, he insisted that Armenia, being a CSTO member, is fully aware of how important it is not to create threats to the organization, and guaranteed that the Armenian side will not take any provocative actions.

On Wednesday, according to both sides, intense skirmishes erupted on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. According to Baku, two Azerbaijani military servicemen were wounded, while Yerevan said that three Armenian soldiers had been killed and five others were wounded. Later in the day, a deal on a ceasefire effective 09:00 Moscow time on July 28 was reached thanks to Russia’s initiative.

The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has been tense since May 12 when Armenia’s Defense Ministry said that the Azerbaijani armed forces had tried to carry out "certain activities" in a border area in the Syunik Province in a bid to "adjust the border." Territorial disputes between the two sides have surfaced sporadically since then.

Baku accepts Moscow’s proposal for ceasefire on border with Armenia

Talar Tumanian
TASS, Russia

The situation on the border between the two countries has remained tense since May 12

BAKU, July 28. /TASS/. Azerbaijan has accepted Russia’s proposal for a ceasefire on the border with Armenia, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We have accepted Russia’s initiative to declare a ceasefire on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border starting at 10:00 am Baku time (09:00 am Moscow time)," the statement reads.

Meanwhile, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry pointed to Armenia’s continuing tank and mortar shelling of Azerbaijani positions.

The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry said earlier on Wednesday that the Kalbajar District had come under fire from Armenia and two Azerbaijani troops had suffered wounds.

"The Azerbaijani army continues to take retaliatory measures in order to end the provocation staged by the Armenian Armed Forces against the Kalbajar District in the early hours of July 28. Azerbaijani armed units have taken the necessary steps to eliminate the enemy’s firing positions. Reports of alleged damage to civilian facilities in Armenia are untrue and constitute disinformation," the statement said.

The situation on the border between the two countries has remained tense since May 12, when the Armenian Defense Ministry announced that the Azerbaijani Armed Forces had attempted to carry out "certain activities" in the Syunik Province in a bid to "redefine the border." Since then, both parties have been repeatedly reporting border incidents.

Concern over Azerbaijan ruling family influence at Oxford centre

Talar Tumanian
The Times of Higher Education
July 22 2021
July 22, 2021
David Matthews
A member of the family of Azerbaijan’s autocratic ruler sits on the board of a University of Oxford research centre that studies the country, raising conflict of interest concerns for academics.
A body representing Armenian scholars expressed concern that the Oxford Nizami Ganjavi Centre, founded in 2018 by a £10 million donation from an undisclosed source, could neglect the study of Armenian heritage in the central Asian country, which, they say, the current government is trying to erase.
The donation was brokered by Nargiz Pashayeva, sister-in-law of President Ilham Aliyev, who since 2003 has ruled Azerbaijan amid accusations of torture, the jailing of political opponents and corruption.
Professor Pashayeva, rector of the Baku branch of Moscow State University, sits on the seven-person board of the Oxford centre, which decides which applicants are awarded scholarships to study Azerbaijan and the wider region.
“It is a source of concern that the Nizami Ganjavi Centre at Oxford came into being through a large donation of mysterious origin made possible by an individual with the closest possible ties to the Azerbaijani state’s rulers,” said Marc Mamigonian, director of academic affairs at the US-based National Association for Armenian Studies and Research.
The focus of the centre is on the history, culture and languages of the region, but some topics are more contemporary – in May it hosted an event titled “Beyond the Boom: Toward Human and Social Development in the Post-Oil Era in Azerbaijan”.
And for decades, scholars and journalists have raised the alarm about Azerbaijan’s destruction of historic Armenian tombs, churches and cross-stones called khachkars in its territory.
“There is reason to be concerned about the potential impact on how the study of the South Caucasus, past and present, will be framed – that is, what will be included, what will be excluded, and what forces will influence these ostensibly academic decisions?” Mr Mamigonian said.
There is no suggestion that the centre’s existing research is politically biased or flawed.
The ultimate source of its funding remains a mystery. Announcing the creation of the centre in 2018, Oxford said it had been made possible by “generous philanthropic support from the British Foundation for the Study of Azerbaijan and the Caucasus” (BFSAC), a UK-based charity established in 2016 and chaired by Professor Pashayeva.
The foundation was listed as a project of the Anglo-Azerbaijani Society, a body also co-chaired by Professor Pashayeva that aims to build relations between the two countries. Although its website is no longer functional, it counted the Azerbaijani ambassador to London as a patron.
An Oxford spokesman said its donations review committee “was made aware of the original source of funds for this gift, which does not come from a government”, but he did not offer any more information about the source.
Robert Hoyland, professor of late antique and early Islamic Middle Eastern history at New York University, and one of the foundation’s trustees, told Times Higher Education that the gift came from “a donor based in Europe, not in [Azerbaijan], was not made to or from BFSAC, but to Oxford University directly, and the deed of gift was made between those two parties”.
Elspeth Suthers, senior manager for Caucasus Programs at the US-based National Endowment for Democracy, which has warned about autocratic donations to Western universities, said it was “absolutely correct to question where these funds came from”.
She said Azerbaijan’s information strategy outside the country “has been focused on making sure that there are competing claims – at least one of which is sympathetic to their position – on any issue they have a vested interest in, rather than in trying to suppress competing narratives”.
The Oxford spokesman said: “The centre’s board comprises seven members, five of whom are Oxford University academics. Each member serves a three-year term, which is extendable for one further term, and the board reports into the university’s Faculty of Oriental Studies.
“The centre is formally constituted according to the university’s standard provisions guaranteeing academic freedom and research independence. Applications to the centre’s graduate scholarship and visiting fellowship programmes are considered on academic criteria alone.”
Professor Pashayeva did not respond to a request for comment.