Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

Iran weighing EU’s proposal on safeguards, sanctions, assurances: Diplomat – IRNA

Tatoyan Vazgen

Iran weighing EU's proposal on safeguards, sanctions, assurances: Diplomat – IRNA

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 16:51,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. An Iranian diplomat, who is informed of the process of the ongoing talks in Vienna, told IRNA news agency that the European proposals would be acceptable if it makes credibility in various matters, including political claims linked to issues of IAEA safeguards, sanctions, and guarantees.

He went on to say that the Islamic Republic is considering European proposals to make sure its demands are fulfilled, IRNA reports.

Iran must analyze whether these proposals will ensure Iranian demands in different fields, including political claims pertaining to issues of IAEA safeguards, sanctions, and guarantees to achieve a durable agreement, the source noted.

The Wall Street Journal had cited hours earlier quoting a European diplomat that the EU has presented ‘Final Text’ to Iran for Reviving Nuclear Deal.

Ali Bagheri Kani who had met the EU's JCPOA negotiations coordinator Enrique Mora in Qatar, arrived in Vienna on Wednesday as the head of the Iranian delegation to continue the Vienna nuclear negotiations to terminate the sanctions.

Mohammad Jamshidi, in a tweet on Friday night, wrote that in entire phone talks between President Raisi and the French, Russian and Chinese presidents, his definite stand was that the final agreement can be reached only after the NPT claims are resolved and their files are closed.

NSW lawmakers call on Australian Government to condemn Azerbaijani aggression against Artsakh

Tatoyan Vazgen

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 11:51,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 11, ARMENPRESS. On Tuesday 9th August 2022, the convenors of the New South Wales Armenia-Australia Friendship Group appealed to Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator the Hon. Penny Wong, requesting the Federal Government publicly condemns Azerbaijan’s latest attacks against the indigenous Armenians of the Republic of Artsakh, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU).

Member for Davidson and Speaker of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly, the Hon. Jonathan O’Dea and Member of the Legislative Council, the Hon. Walt Secord––who are Chair and Vice-Chair of the Armenia-Australia Friendship Group––raised concern over the latest unprovoked ceasefire violation committed by Azerbaijan.

Significantly, their letter voiced the bipartisan group’s objection over the targeted attacks against civilian settlements in Martuni, and attempts by Azerbaijan to cross the predetermined line of contact as determined by the November 2020 trilateral agreement, violating several fundamental human rights, resulting in the death of two Armenian servicemen and leaving 19 wounded.

The letter co-signed by O’Dea and Secord read: “The Russian Defence Ministry and its peacekeeping contingents stationed in Artsakh verified on Tuesday that the attacks were launched by Azerbaijani Armed Forces using a range of weapons. Azerbaijan’s Defence Ministry even boasted about their attacks on video via social media.”

“The parliamentary group ask that your government seriously consider publicly condemning Azerbaijan’s recent illegal violations of the ceasefire agreement,” their letter added.

ANC-AU Executive Director, Michael Kolokossian said: “Azerbaijan’s criminal behaviour and use of force is the most significant violation of the ceasefire agreement recorded since the end of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war, and through this brute force has cornered the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh into concessions that go beyond the scope of the November 9 ceasefire agreement, specifically the closure of the only land corridor between Artsakh and Armenia.”

This new wave of aggression has resulted in the forced displacement and ethnic cleansing of thousands of Armenians from the villages of Berdzor and Aghavno, located inside the Berdzor (Lachin) corridor, which represents a clear violation of Article 7, Section 1(d) of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, prohibiting the "deportation or forcible transfer of population".

“On behalf of the Armenian-Australian community, we thank Mr Jonathan O’Dea and Mr Walt Secord for joining many international political leaders, who seek to defend the human rights of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, by stopping Azerbaijan’s aggression against the self-determined Republic of Artsakh,” added Kolokossian.

“The autocratic regime of Azerbaijan has consistently proven that it will terrorise the indigenous Armenians of Artsakh. It has not returned Armenian POWs, it has not withdrawn from the sovereign borders of Armenia, it exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in the region by cutting off natural gas supplies between Artsakh and Armenia, and has now conducted aggressive military operations. These are actions of a criminal state, emboldened by the international community's silence and ‘both side-ist’ rhetoric, which this statement exposes as false and dangerous.”

Kolokossian added: “Australia must rightfully champion a different path, by publicly speaking out against Azerbaijan’s unprovoked aggressions and upholding the values of truth, justice and international law.”

Number of victims injured at Crimea airfield blast rises to 13 — regional authorities say

Tatoyan Vazgen

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 12:30,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, ARMENPRESS. The number of people who suffered injuries in explosions at an airfield in Crimea’s Novofyodorovka settlement has risen to 13, TASS reported citing a statement from the regional health authorities.

"As of 8:30 am on , one person was killed and 13 people suffered injuries in an incident in the Novofyodorovka settlement, the Saki District," the statement reads.

According to the ministry, ten of the injured, including two underage children, received outpatient care at the Saki District Hospital, one patient was taken to the hospital and another two people were provided with outpatient care at a hospital in the Crimean capital of Simferopol.

The cause of the blast is under investigation.

Efforts are underway to establish the cause of the explosions. The Russian Defense Ministry said that there had been no "fire impact" on the airfield. Head of Russia’s Federal Agency for Tourism Zarina Doguzova pointed out that Crimea’s tourism facilities continued to operate normally.

Greek media: It is time for Greece to finally sanction Aliyev

Tatoyan Vazgen
NEWS.am
Aug 10 2022
13:07, 10.08.2022

The leader of the Turkish occupation of northern Cyprus, Ersin Tatar, met with the genocidal dictator of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, in Konya, Turkey, reported Greek City Times.

According to the Turkish-Cypriot leader’s written statement, Tatar traveled to Konya to attend the Opening Ceremony of the 5th Islamic Solidarity at the invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Tatar had a meeting with Aliyev, which lasted about 40 minutes. During the meeting, Tatar informed Aliyev about Cyprus, and said that they follow a harmonious policy with Turkey.

Noting that the meeting took place in a very frank atmosphere, Tatar emphasized that assessments were made on the development of mutual relations between the two countries.

Simply put, the dictator, murderous and corrupt Aliyev, legitimized the pseudo-state.

It is time for Greece to finally sanction this murderer, who has seared Western consciences by handing out at least three billion dollars in bribes to Western politicians and officials, according to News Break, Greek City Times added.

Uzbekistan youngsters surprise winners of 44th Chess Olympiad

Tatoyan Vazgen
Tuesday, 09 Aug 2022 06:26

Armenia gets the silver medal, while India B, formed by young talents, outpaced its seniors and snatched the bronze

History was made in the open section of the FIDE Chess Olympiad, which came to an end this morning in Chennai, India.

Uzbekistan, one of the youngest teams on the roster, defeated rating favourites the Netherlands by 2.5-1.5, securing the gold medal.

Undefeated over the eleven rounds, the team coached by GM Ivan Sokolov edged out Armenia on tiebreak, automatically becoming national heroes.

The young Uzbek team was led by 17-year-old Nodirbek Abdusattorov (pictured above), who last Christmas dethroned Magnus Carlsen as the World Rapid Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, Nodirbek was one of the youngest players ever to achieve the Grandmaster title, at the age of 13 years, 1 month, and 11 days. The young Uzbek star had an excellent performance in Chennai, scoring 7 victories (five of them consecutive), 3 draws, and only one loss.

20-year-old Nodirbek Yakubboev, 16-year-old Javokhir Sindarov, and 20-year-old Shamsiddin Vokhidov are the other three juniors in the team that only featured one player in his late twenties: the "veteran" of the team, Jahongir Vakhidov, at 27.

This huge achievement by the young Uzbek prodigies comes just at the right moment, as Tashkent was confirmed a few days ago as the venue for the 2026 edition of the Chess Olympiad.

Press conference after the last round. Photo: Lennart Ootes

Once again, Armenia outperformed the rating expectations and, despite being the 12th seeded, got away with the silver medal. This is a reassuring result for a team that last year lost its franchise player, Levon Aronian, who changed federations to the USA.

As the former world championship challenger Nigel Short put it, "the one immutable rule of Olympiads is that the team from Armenia is always greater than the sum of its parts". 

The Armenian squad was headed by Gabriel Sargissian on the first board, who, despite a poor start with four draws and one defeat, became the best scorer in the team during the second half of the competition: his 4 victories and 1 draw during the matches against direct rivals were one of the keys for the Armenian success. Robert Hovhannisyan playing on board 4, also greatly contributed to team Armenia's success.

Gabriel Sargissian won a decisive duel against Mamedyarov Shakhriyar. Photo: Lennart Ootes

Along with the Uzbeks, the other positive surprise of the event was the excellent performance of the second Indian team, officially called "India B", and formed by young promising stars.

Having more than one team is a privilege traditionally given to the host country, so more of their players can gain experience in the international arena.

However, it is the first time that two teams from the same country ended up in contention for the medals, and, in fact, India B managed to outpace their seniors by one point in the standings and snatched the bronze medal, relegating the "main" Indian team to the fourth position.

Especially remarkable was the performance of 16-year-old Guskesh D, who made headlines all over the world when he chained 8 consecutive victories in the 8 first rounds. However, a tragedy struck in the decisive clash against the Uzbeks in the 10th round: despite having a favourable position during most of the game, towards the end, Gukesh lost the thread and blundered, losing on the spot. This result gave the match victory to the Uzbeks, and this proved decisive for the final result in the Olympiad.

Gukesh was one of the stars of the Olympiad. Photo: Stev Bonhage 

Probably the biggest disappointment of the Olympiad was the performance of the USA team, which could only be fifth.

In the absence of Russia and China, the Americans seemed the obvious favourite to win the gold. Being the top-seeded, their average rating of their players was an astonishing 2771, well ahead of India A (2696), Norway (2692) and Spain (2687). In view of these figures, not getting any medal at all seemed just unthinkable. 

However, with Fabiano Caruana suffering three losses and Levon Aronian scoring only one victory, the tournament favourites struggled to keep pace with the other top teams.

On the other hand, the biggest overachievers of the Olympiad were the Moldovan team, seeded 48th in the starting list, without one single player above 2500. But Schitcho, Macovei, Hamitevici, Baltag and Ceres, all scored above expectations, obtaining a historical result for their country.

Cuba, 19th, and Peru, 24th, were the best teams from Latin America, while Egypt, 36th, and Tunisia, 41st, were once again the top African teams.

Photos: Lennart Ootes and Stev Bonhage

Ucom technically supported Teach For Armenia’s 3rd annual Virtual Student Leadership Camp

Tatoyan Vazgen

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 13:13, 2 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 2, ARMENPRESS. Currently, hundreds of students living in the most remote regions of Armenia are taking part in Teach For Armenia’s student leadership online camp using cards with mobile internet access provided by Ucom.

For the third year in a row, Teach For Armenia is hosting the Virtual Student Leadership Camp for students online thanks to the support of Ucom. 

“Thanks to the efforts of our faithful partner, Ucom, students living in the most remote regions of Armenia have the opportunity to join Teach For Armenia’s Virtual Student Leadership Camp. During the camp, our students will have the opportunity to look at their communities differently, identify problems, and find solutions which will greatly contribute to the development of student leadership, as well as strengthen confidence in their own abilities. The entire process will be coordinated by representatives of our new eighth generation of Teacher-Leaders,” said Teach For Armenia’s Founder & CEO Larisa Hovannisian.

"Armenia’s educational system is going through many challenges and changes, especially since the period when the only option for getting an education was to connect from home. Ucom contributed in many ways to ensure that the student-teacher connection is never interrupted, and the flow of knowledge remains continuous. We are very happy to see how many successful and important projects are being implemented thanks to Teach For Armenia’s efforts and it is with great willingness that we're supporting the Student Leadership Camp," said Ara Khachatryan, Director General at Ucom. 

During the Virtual Student Leadership Camp, students go through Teach For Armenia’s Change-Based Learning model with the newest cohort of Teacher-Leaders, studying their community, as well as highlighting and visualizing the changes they want to see. The ultimate goal is to develop a program that will contribute to the development of their community.

Cyprus Airways plans Armenia route

Tatoyan Vazgen

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 16:46, 1 August 2022

YEREVAN, AUGUST 1, ARMENPRESS. Cyprus Airways has announced plans to launch a new scheduled route to Yerevan, Routes Online reported citing a statement from the airline.

The service from Larnaca to Yerevan’s Zvartnots International will operate twice a week using Airbus A320 aircraft. Although the airline has not confirmed the start date, it said flights would be seasonal.

Greece’s Aegean Airlines also offers a one-stop option between Larnaca and Yerevan via Athens.

Cabinet approves 2030 Education Development Program bill

Tatoyan Vazgen

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 12:19, 28 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 28, ARMENPRESS. The Cabinet approved the 2030 Education Development Program bill.

The last time an education development program was adopted was in 2011, and it is imperative to stipulate the conceptual provisions of human capital development – recognized as a priority by the government – in the document, according to Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Artur Martirosyan.

“…financial means directed to education aren’t expenses, but rather necessary investments for the development of the state and the society,” he said. “The center of the program is the person, and revealing the capabilities of the person.”

The final goal of the program is to develop a competitive educational system.

The three strategic directions are defined as: development of a universal inclusive active-learning educational environment across Armenia, increasing effectiveness of education and internationalization and export of education services.

“Not a single child will be left out of the compulsory education system,” Martirosyan said.

The bill will be presented to parliament soon.

IC opens criminal case on fact of waste discharge from tailing dump of Akhtala Mining and Processing Plant CJSC into Debed River

Tatoyan Vazgen
ARMINFO
Armenia – July 28 2022
Naira Badalian

ArmInfo.The Investigation Department of Lori Region of the RA Investigative Committee is investigating all the circumstances of the discharge from the tailing  dump of the Akhtala Mining and Processing Plant CJSC into the Debed  River.

According to the press service of the investigative body, the  incident was reported from the Lori regional department of the  Inspection Body for Nature Protection and Mineral Resources of the  Republic of Armenia. There was a reported discharge from the  abovementioned company's tailings into the Debed River in the Akhtala  community.

A group of investigators from the RA Investigative Committee left for  the scene. <Considering that the circumstances indicated in the  signal contain legal grounds and a reason for initiating criminal  proceedings, a criminal case was initiated on the grounds of part 1  of Article 375 of the RA Criminal Code. A preliminary investigation  is underway," the statement said. 

‘Avetik Chalabyan’s arrest should be an alarm for society’: Opposition activist’s family, lawyers hold news conference

Tatoyan Vazgen
Panorama
Armenia –

The trial in the case of opposition activist Avetik Chalabyan, a member of the Unification Movement, is to start soon, his defense team told a news conference in Yerevan on Monday, presenting the illegalities recorded during the preliminary investigation of the case.

Avetik Chalabyan has been illegally held in pre-trial custody for two and a half months now in a fabricated criminal case, and the defense team is preparing to mediate open court hearings, through which they will have the opportunity to present the absurdity of the case. The defense team is preparing to challenge the constitutionality of the article submitted to the charge.

"First, despite the fact that the new criminal code entered into force on July 1, 2022, on the same day we submitted a corresponding motion to the pre-trial body to qualify the possible act under the relevant article of the new criminal code, but the said motion was actually left without examination, because that no response has been received so far. Then the court included obviously false information in its decision and extended Avetik Chalabyan's detention period on the basis of said false information. Incidentally, the investigator did not carry out a procedural action to introduce the case materials. The temptation was so great to keep Chalabyan in detention that they went the way of a rough law violation, if you like, a criminal violation," Varazdat Harutyunyan, Chalabyan's attorney, said, pointing to the numerous violations committed during the preliminary probe.

"It's been 2.5 months that I have been held hostage by the authoritarian regime ruling the country. If at the beginning of all these processes there was a tinny suspicion on the essence of the case, now the facts make it obvious that this is an organized reprisal that is happening to me and already to my family. However, my case is just one link in the long chain of repressions that have been taking place against patriotic and decent citizens, starting from the ordinary soldier to the former president of the country, during the last four years, but especially after the war ingloriously lost by the regime. All this is taking place under the silent gaze of many Western institutions, which seem to have forgotten their fundamental commitments regarding the establishment of democracy and the rule of law, and based only on their well-known geopolitical considerations, look with indulgence at the celebration of illegalities unfolding in our country," Chalabyan's wife, Anahit Adamyan, read out his message from Armavir Penitentiary.

"The arrest of Avetik Chalabyan should sound as an alarm for our society, which is still in a deep slumber, and until now has not noticed this injustice or paid due attention to it. Imprisoning a well-respected public figure without any reason, prolonging his imprisonment at any cost, and persecuting his family member is nothing but a sign of confirmation of the dictatorship of one person. In relation to this particular case, the circumstance of usurpation of the power was demonstrated. the instruction to the National Assembly to recriminalize the act blamed on Avetik and the instructions to the courts to arrest Avetik in the absence of a basis for it. Toleration of this injustice will affect all of us," said a member of the Unification Movement, candidate of historical sciences and associate professor, Menua Soghomonyan.

The trial in Chalabyan’s case begins on July 26 and the defense group calls the attention of mass media and human rights organizations to present the many illegalities and absurdities of the case to the public through participation in open hearings.