Author: Talar Tumanian

Chief Justice of Russian Supreme Court receives Armenian Supreme Judicial Council’s delegation

Talar Tumanian

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 15:33,

YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. The delegation of the Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia led by President Ruben Vardazaryan is in the Russian capital of Moscow on an official visit, the SJC told Armenpress.

Chief Justice of the Russian Supreme Court Vyacheslav Lebedev received the Armenian Supreme Judicial Council’s delegation today.

The sides discussed the cooperation and development opportunities between the Armenian and Russian judicial systems, as well as a number of issues of mutual interest.

The meeting was also attended by Armenia’s Ambassador to Russia Vardan Toghanyan.

 

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

The shelling of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi included in USCIRF annual report

Talar Tumanian
Panorama, Armenia

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has released a country update on religious freedom conditions in Azerbaijan. The report evaluates trends relevant to freedom of religion or belief in Azerbaijan since USCIRF commissioners and staff traveled to the country in early 2020. 

According to the document in recent years, Azerbaijan has implemented some changes that have marked an improvement in conditions for religious freedom, such as ending law enforcement raids on religious communities and reportedly pardoning many religious activists. However, religious freedom in Azerbaijan remains severely impeded by problematic legislation, particularly the country’s 2009 law “On Freedom of Religious Beliefs,” which the government has shown little interest in revising. This country update also details the many obstacles posed by mandatory registration and other restrictions on religious communities, the continued imprisonment of religious activists, and recent violations committed in the context of the renewed conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh.

As the report said, during the course of fighting in October, Armenia accused Azerbaijan of purposefully shelling the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi. The cathedral was hit twice by precision missile strikes that severely damaged the roof and interior of the building. It recalls Human Rights Watch conclusion that the attack was intentional, constituting a war crime that should be investigated and prosecuted.

"The announcement of a ceasefire in early November formalized the territorial gains Azerbaijan had made militarily, and it set a staggered timeline for the cession of additional territories to Azerbaijan—raising concerns about the protection of various churches, monasteries, cemeteries, and other religious and cultural sites scattered throughout the region. President Aliyev reportedly gave assurances to Russian President Vladimir Putin that the country would protect Christian churches in these areas; however, some sites, such as a cemetery situated alongside an Armenian church in Hadrut, have already been vandalized. In late November, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization reiterated a call for the protection of heritage sites in the area, and it proposed dispatching a preliminary field mission to produce an inventory of such sites “as a prerequisite for effective protection of the region’s heritage," the document said. 

Lebanese-Armenian freed from Azerbaijani prison lands in Beirut after four months in jail

Talar Tumanian
Middle East Eye
March 12 2021
Maral Najarian left Beirut after last year's port blast, only to be caught up in the Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict 

By Kareem Chehayeb
 in Beirut, Lebanon
Published date: 12 March 2021
  | Middle East Eye

A Lebanese-Armenian woman who spent four months in an Azerbaijani prison following last year's conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh has landed in Beirut.

Maral Najarian, who went missing on 10 November following a Russian-brokered ceasefire between Armenia and Azerbaijan, landed in the Lebanese capital late on Wednesday.

"Up until I got on the plane [to Beirut], I could not believe any of this was real," a distraught Najarian told Lebanese-Armenian radio station Voice of Van.

"I kept thinking 'they're going to come and kidnap me again'."

Lebanese-Armenian family searches for woman who disappeared in Nagorno-Karabakh

Lebanon's caretaker Foreign Minister Charbel Wehbe thanked the Armenian, Azerbaijani and Russian governments, as well as the International Committee of the Red Cross for facilitating her release following weeks of negotiations.

Born and raised in Lebanon, Najarian moved to Armenia in August 2020, just weeks after the devastating Beirut Port explosion.

She claimed her Armenian citizenship, and moved to the Artsakh Republic in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

After hostilities flared between Armenia and Azerbaijan, she temporarily moved back to the Armenian capital for the duration of the six-week conflict.

More than 5,000 combatants and at least 143 civilians were killed in the fighting. Tens of thousands of people were displaced. 

Upon returning to Nagorno-Karabakh the day of a Russian-brokered ceasefire, Azerbaijani forces arrested both Najarian and family friend Viken Euljekian. 

The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry told MEE on 11 February that Euljekian was being held on a number charges including "terrorism", but did not respond to questions about specific accusations against Najarian or details of the charges against her.

They confirmed she was detained, adding that she had an "unofficial marriage" with a family friend.

On 13 February, Hagop Pakradounian, the president of the Lebanese-Armenian Tashnag Party, contacted the Lebanese foreign ministry to enquire about Najarian and help facilitate her release.

According to the party, the Lebanese foreign ministry called on ambassadors in Armenia, Russia, and Iran for information on her case. They said she would be released within the following two days, although that failed to transpire. 

Najarian, 49, said on Thursday that she had contemplated self-harm after seeing several razor blades in one of the bathrooms at the prison.

Meanwhile, Najarian's sister, Sossi, feared she would return in a "worse condition".  

"When her [Maral's] daughter told me Wednesday morning that she was coming home while I was at work, I was so overwhelmed with emotion – my manager told me to take the day off," she told MEE.

"We burst into tears when we saw each other. It's a miracle that she's home."

Najarian's family said she had been transferred to a hospital to run medical tests and see a therapist. 

The United Nations has expressed concern about alleged mistreatment of both military and civilian captives in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Amnesty International has also documented torture and extrajudicial killings of captives. 

French-Armenian MP: My thoughts are with Maral Najarian on international women’s rights day

Talar Tumanian
Panorama, Armenia
March 8 2021

French-Armenian lawmaker Danièle Cazarian has extended full support to Maral Najarian, a Lebanese-Armenian being held captive by Azerbaijan, as well as other female prisoners arbitrarily detained all over the world, on International Women's Day on March 8.

“On this international women's rights day, my thoughts are with Iranian human rights defender Nasrin Sotoudeh imprisoned since 2018.

“My thoughts are also with all female political prisoners arbitrarily detained all over the world. One of them, Maral Najarian, has been held captive by Azerbaijan for almost four months,” the MP wrote on Facebook.

“I extend my full support to them and continue to ask on International Women's Day for the release of Nasrin, Maral and all those women who see their freedom and basic rights violated,” she said.  

Azerbaijani press: German companies may take part in restoring Azerbaijan’s liberated lands – ambassador

Talar Tumanian
ECONOMY2 March 2021 17:05 (UTC+04:00)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, March 2

By Jeila Aliyeva – Trend:

German companies are considering the possibility of participating in reconstruction of the liberated lands of Azerbaijan, German Ambassador to Azerbaijan Wolfgang Manig said, Trend reports.

According to the ambassador, Germany followed the events related to Azerbaijan liberating its territories from Armenian occupation, during the Second Karabakh War.

He noted that Germany welcomed the signing of the trilateral statement of November 10, 2020 as the first step towards the development of relations between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

Manig added that as soon as progress on this issue becomes noticeable, German companies will be ready to participate in the reconstruction of the liberated territories, as well as in the process of demining Azerbaijani lands.

Following over a month of military action to liberate its territories from Armenian occupation from late Sept. to early Nov. 2020, Azerbaijan has pushed Armenia to sign the surrender document. A joint statement on the matter was made by the Azerbaijani president, Armenia's PM, and the president of Russia.

A complete ceasefire and a cessation of all hostilities in the zone of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was introduced on Nov. 10, 2020.

Armenpress: Zakharova reiterates ”all for all” principle as optimal solution for POWs issue

Talar Tumanian

Zakharova reiterates ''all for all'' principle as optimal solution for POWs issue

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 19:32, 4 March, 2021

YEREVAN, MARCH 4, ARMENPRESS. The optimal solution for the issue of war prisoners is ‘’all for all’’, official representative of the MFA Russia Maria Zakharova said in a weekly briefing.

՛՛The positions of the sides over the issue of POWs are different. We are always talking about that. The difference of those data is significant – the numbers presented by official Yerevan regularly changes, we receive other information from Baku’’, Zakharova said, adding that by now 79 POWs have been exchanged – 63 Armenians and 16 Azerbaijanis.

Maria Zakharova once again confirmed the position of Russia on this issue. ‘’We believe that the optimal exchange format is ‘'all for all''. We think that the speedy solution of the issue will give an opportunity to the sides to flip through tragic pages of relations and focus on the positive agenda, including in the economic sphere’', Zakharova said.

Armenian designers featured in Vogue Italia

Talar Tumanian
Public Radio of Armenia
March 4 2021

During the latest edition of London Fashion Week, the British body Fashion Scout and Fashion and Designer Chamber Armenia (FDCA) – the non-profit association founded in November 2017 by a group of Armenian designers to strengthen the fashion and Armenian design allowing them to be fully inserted in the local and international context – collaborated on a purely digital project to present six emerging designers, Vogue Italia reports.

In this regard, emerging designers had the opportunity to exhibit their collections in a see-now-buy-now format., to increase their global network with buyers, members of the press and the rest of the fashion community. Furthermore, together with the fashion films presented by the various designers, there was the launch of a new e-commerce portal, miashop.am, which sells works curated by the most promising Armenian designers, many of whom have already captured the attention of professionals.

Starting from 2019, Fashion Scout has worked alongside the Fashion and Designer Chamber Armenia in order to develop an accelerator program and a showcasing business for Armenian designers. The project, called “Supporting SME’s and Creating Sustainable Ecosystem for Armenian Textile Industry” “to support and create a sustainable ecosystem for the Armenian textile industry” was initiated by the FDCA with the invaluable support of the UK’s Good Governance Fund (GFF). 

Vogue Talents presents three very promising Armenian sustainable fashion designers here:

– Public Radio of Armenia

RUZANĒ

A decisive femininity, which lies in wanting to create a wide-ranging creative approach to fashion to involve all dimensions of lifestyle: this is the banner signed by RUZANĒ , the brand founded by Ruzanna Vardanyan in 2016 as a declaration of maximum femininity and style.

“We tend to be strong and fearless, but it’s not about physical strength, our power is our femininity,” explained the designer. The latest collection harks back to how society uses this power in response to humanity’s major challenges. The label creates timeless pieces made with refined fabrics, enhancing quality. 

Nelly Serobyan 

A manifesto of trust, independence and tradition, is at the helm of the homonymous brand that embodies a strong and self-confident design. The minimalist wardrobe is endowed with a strong personality, tuned with clothes that enhance the concept of essentiality and femininity. 

The arsenal of clothing is divided into baggy dresses with a tailored cut, neutral colors and composed volumes. In addition, a touch of functionality softens the high-low effect of the collection. “Due to the current economic crisis, our brand has started saving as much as possible,” explains Serobyan.

LOOM Weaving

© aghayan

Founded by Inga Manukyan in 2014, LOOM Weaving proposes an evolution of the contemporary wardrobe by combining the concept of practical wear with the attention to detail typical of the world of knitwear. Dresses and cardigans favor oversized silhouettes with revolutionary necklines and maxi weaves. Sweaters, on the other hand, appear in different lengths with a sturdy lightness. 

LOOM Weaving was founded with the aim of reviving national handmade techniques and building a new path for Armenian knitwear production to design, develop, weave and above all create. The label has developed its own style, which is both modern and traditional at the same time, as the products require style and individuality. The proposals are easily identifiable by their appearance, design, idea, handmade and natural raw materials used. The brand refers to the development of an exclusive knitwear design, using an original blend of inlay and the best natural yarns (wool, viscose, cotton, lurex and silk) in infinite color combinations. 

Armenian FM holds phone talk with European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement

Talar Tumanian

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 10:15, 2 March, 2021

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. On March 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ara Aivazian had a phone conversation with European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi, the foreign ministry told Armenpress.

The officials discussed in detail a number of issues on the Armenia-EU partnership agenda.  Foreign Minister Ara Aivazian and the European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi conveyed their congratulations upon the entry into force of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement, expressing confidence that it will give a new impetus to Armenia-EU relations.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and the EU Commissioner exchanged views on the post-2020 vision of the Eastern Partnership, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the integrity and inclusiveness of this initiative.

During the phone conversation the sides also touched upon issues of regional security and stability.  Both sides stressed the importance of providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Artsakh on the ground.  The Minister of Foreign Affairs specifically emphasized the imperative for the implementation of the humanitarian obligations enshrined in the trilateral statement of November 9, particularly, the repatriation of prisoners of war and other people detained.

Nothing should imperil people’s right to form Government – Pm Pashinyan

Talar Tumanian

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 19:28, 1 March, 2021

YEREVAN, MARCH 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan assesses the right of the people to form a Government as one of the key achievements. ARMENPRESS reports Nikol Pashinyan emphasized during the rally at the Republican Square that all the existing crisis situations should not be solved at the expanse of the Constitutional rights of the people, but vice the versa, by the reaffirmation of the people’s power.

‘’Nothing should imperil people’s right to form a Government, but the contrary, that right must be reinforced. This means only the people should decide in Armenia who should be in power and who should not. The key point of the crisis we are now undergoing is just that. Some forces are trying to take away the power from the hands of the people and we have gathered at the Square to say that we will not allow that’’, Nikol Pashinyan said.

On February 27, President Armen Sarkissian refused to approve Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s motion on dismissing the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces Onik Gasparyan. The President returned the motion with objections. Shortly afterwards, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan again forwarded the same motion to the President. The President has three days to either approve it or apply to the Constitutional Court.