Author: Talar Tumanian

Azerbaijani Press: Armenians in panic, see modern Azerbaijani weapons everywhere – Defense Ministry

Talar Tumanian
APA, Azerbaijan
Oct 23 2017

Overwhelmed with fear and panic, Armenians see modern Azerbaijani weapons everywhere, including Spike guided anti-tank missile systems, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told APA.  

 “Having killed an Azerbaijani soldier shortly after the Geneva meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents, the Armenian side is seeking to cover up [the consequences of] its provocations and divert the international attention from its crimes,” the Defense Ministry stressed.

 “During the April battles in 2016, the Azerbaijani army adequately retaliated against the enemy. And now, with the weapons and military hardware at its disposal, our army is ready to re-demonstrate its power to the enemy,” the Defense Ministry warned.  

 The Armenian side reported on Oct. 22 that the Azerbaijani army used artillery pieces, including Spike anti-tank missile system on the frontline. 

Film: Foreign film fest ready to roll

Talar Tumanian
Lethbridge Herald, Canada
Oct 15 2017


Five-night event starts Monday at library

Dave Mabell

Lethbridge Herald

[email protected]

Three Oscar-nominated features are included in the city’s annual Foreign Film Festival.

The five-night event, free for all interested, will open with an international festival winner on election day, Monday, at the downtown library.

“This year features world-class cinema at its best,” says event organizer Sheila Braund.

The films will be screened at 7 p.m. each night in the Theatre Gallery, with seating on a first-come basis.

“Foreign language films have the amazing ability to help us glimpse and understand life in other parts of the world,” Braund says.

Most of this year’s selections have played at the international festival in Toronto, she adds, or they were nominated for an Oscar.

Launching the festival on Monday will be “Frantz,” named the top film at the Venice International Film Festival last year. It’s described as “a haunting tale of love and reconciliation” in a small German town in the aftermath of the First World War.

On Tuesday a Persian film, “The Salesman” focuses on a couple in Tehran. Writer-director Asghar Farhadi received a “best foreign film” nomination for it in this year’s Oscar competitions.

“Toni Erdman,” the feature on Wednesday, is a comedy about a retired music teacher and his daughter living in Bucharest.

It was also nominated for an Oscar this year.

A collaborative English, French, German and Armenian film, “The Promise” will be shown on Thursday. It’s the story of a love triangle caught up in the atrocities of war during the final days of the Ottoman Empire.

And then ringing down the curtain Friday, it’s the Swedish film “A Man Called Ove.” Festival planners says it’s “a feel-good movie” that follows the life of an old curmudgeon and his strict principles.

It, too, was nominated for a “best foreign” Oscar this year.

Braund says the annual event serves to highlight the library’s foreign film collection.

“The festival offers cineophiles the chance to view some of the best foreign films, guaranteeing an ultimate week of binge viewing.”

Azerbaijani Press: Peter Tase: Armenia becoming ‘North Korea of Europe’

Talar Tumanian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Oct 14 2017
17:45 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The purchase of advanced weapons by the Armenian Government is surely a threat to peace and stability in Europe, said Peter Tase, a political analyst and international relations expert with the Milwaukee-based Marquette University.

Tase, commenting on the approval of Russia's credit line worth $100 for purchase of the weapons, told Trend that such an attitude will further instigate armed clashes in the line of contact, result in more innocent Azerbaijani civilians being killed by the very same weapons, as well as harm the socio-economic environment in the Caucasus region.

The expert voiced surprise that NATO and the European Union have not denounced and condemned the recent purchase of weapons made by Yerevan.

"Indeed it is a 'hypocritical' gesture on the part of NATO," he said. "We have Armenia, a European country purchasing a large quantity of weapons, becoming the North Korea of Europe, and such a threat is not perceived, nor condemned with a sense of urgency by NATO. "

In late 2015, Russia and Armenia agreed on allocation of a $ 200 million loan to Armenia for the purchase of modern weapons. The Armenian government approved the first $ 100 million loan package on October 12.

Under the agreement, a $100-million loan will be extended to Armenia for 20 years.

Asked about the timing of the credit approval by Armenia, which was announced ahead of the summit of the Azerbaijani and Armenian presidents in Geneva, Tase said that Yerevan's attitude focused in piling up weapons and military equipment, is a threat to peace talks.

"Above all, it is a constant danger to the territorial sovereignty and integrity of Azerbaijan. The international community is making a big mistake as they are maintaining silence and continue to apply the famous formula of double standards, that in the long run will further ruin the image and reputation of multilateral diplomacy that is actively promoted by Brussels," Tase said, adding that NATO's silence is unacceptable.

Tase further voiced disbelief that the upcoming official meeting will generate any positive outcome nor any concrete results, as "the feeble pressure from international community is favoring the current status-quo that is embraced by Armenia, for a number of years".

The expert called on the international community to raise its voice and call for the withdrawal of Armenian troops from sovereign territory of Azerbaijan and for the immediate lifting of Armenian economic blockade imposed against the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

Azerbaijan and Armenia for over two decades have been locked in a conflict, which emerged over Armenia's territorial claims to Azerbaijan. Since the 1990s war, Armenian armed forces have occupied over 20 percent of Azerbaijan's internationally recognized territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent regions. Although the UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions on Armenian withdrawal from the occupied lands of Azerbaijan, they have not been enforced to this day.