Author: Vicken Chmshkian

UN Security Council to hold meeting on North Korea on May 26

Vicken Chmshkian

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 09:28, 26 May 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 26, ARMENPRESS. The United Nations Security Council will hold a meeting on North Korea on Thursday, according to its program released on Wednesday, reports TASS.

On Tuesday, North Korea conducted three missile test launchers.

Voting on a US draft resolution calling for tougher sanctions against Pyongyang is expected to be held, Reuters said citing an administration official.

According to Seoul, North Korea test launched three ballistic missiles on Wednesday. One of them, according to the South Korean military, was an intercontinental missile, the two others were short-range missiles. The launch od one short-range missile was probably abortive. In response to Pyongyang’s tests, two missiles, one South Korean and one American, were launched toward the Sea of Japan.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/27/2022

Vicken Chmshkian 
                                        Friday, 


Armenian Defense Chief Lauds Russian Peacekeepers


Armenia - Armenian Defense Minister Suren Papikian meets with the commander of 
Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, Major General Andrei Volkov, 
Yerevan, .


Defense Minister Suren Papikian praised Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in 
Nagorno-Karabakh when he met with their commander in Yerevan on Friday.

The Armenian Defense Ministry said Major-General Andrei Volkov briefed Papikian 
on the situation and “current developments” in the peacekeepers’ area of 
responsibility. They also discussed broader security in the region, the ministry 
said in a statement.

“The interlocutors praised the Russian Federation’s efforts to stabilize the 
military-political situation in the region as well as the course and 
effectiveness of the Russian peacekeeping mission in Artsakh (Karabakh),” read 
the statement.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
likewise noted the peacekeepers’ “decisive contribution” to the security of 
Karabakh’s population in a joint declaration released after their talks held 
outside Moscow on April 19.

The declaration followed Armenia’s criticism of the peacekeepers’ failure to 
prevent Azerbaijani troops from seizing a village in Karabakh and nearby hills 
in March. Pashinian repeatedly called on Moscow to investigate the “inactivity” 
of its troops.

The peacekeepers were also criticized for refusing to allow Armenian opposition 
parliamentarians to visit Karabakh on April 12. The Armenian Foreign Ministry 
said the ban ran counter to the terms of the Russian-brokered ceasefire that 
stopped the Armenian-Azerbaijani war in November 2020.

The Russian Foreign Ministry insisted, however, the Russian soldiers acted “in 
strict conformity” with the truce accord.



Aliyev Again Rules Out Status For Karabakh


Russia - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev speaks after a trilateral meeting 
with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian, Sochi, November 26, 2021.


Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev reportedly ruled out on Friday any 
negotiations with Armenia on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Aliyev also said that the planned demarcation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border 
will uphold Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh.

In March this year, Azerbaijan presented Armenia with five elements which it 
wants to be at the heart of a peace treaty between the two nations. They include 
a mutual recognition of each other’s territorial integrity. Yerevan said they 
should be complemented by other issues relating to the future of status of 
Karabakh and the security of its population.

Baku effectively dismissed the Armenian counterproposals before Aliyev’s latest 
meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian held in Brussels on Sunday. 
Pashinian indicated on Wednesday that the two sides continue to disagree on the 
agenda of talks on the peace treaty.

“Azerbaijan believes that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is resolved while 
Armenia believes that it’s not,” he told the Armenian parliament.

The Russian news agency RIA Novosti quoted Aliyev as saying that “there can be 
no talk of the status of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“This is Azerbaijani territory and the whole world recognizes this,” he said. 
“This is why the first session of the commission on the delimitation of the 
border between Azerbaijan and Armenia is very important.”

Aliyev claimed that the demarcation process is “automatically and officially 
putting an end to the territorial claims made against Azerbaijan by revanchist, 
fascist forces in Armenia.”

Some Armenian opposition leaders have likewise said that by demarcating the 
border Yerevan will recognize Karabakh as a part of Azerbaijan. Pashinian and 
his political allies deny this, saying that Karabakh’s final status is a 
separate issue.

Armenian and Azerbaijani government delegations headed by deputy prime ministers 
of the two states held the first round of demarcation talks on Tuesday. 
Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian said on Friday that they 
discussed “only organizational issues of further joint work.”

“In this sense, I consider the meeting totally constructive,” Grigorian told the 
TASS news agency.

He said the two sides have yet to agree on the date of their next meeting that 
will be held in Moscow.



Iran Reiterates Support For Armenia’s Territorial Integrity

        • Sargis Harutyunyan

Armenia - The Armenian flag is hoisted at a military base on the border with 
Iran, October 7, 2021.


Following further progress made towards the opening of Armenian-Azerbaijani 
transport links, a senior Iranian diplomat reaffirmed on Friday his country’s 
opposition to any exterritorial corridors that would pass through Armenia.

“All that should be done by respecting the internationally recognized borders of 
the countries,” said Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri, Iran’s ambassador to Armenia. 
“Iran will support all initiatives corresponding to international law and norms.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev 
reportedly reached major understandings on the issue at their May 22 talks in 
Brussels hosted by European Council President Charles Michel. The latter said 
they agreed on “principles of border administration, security, land fees but 
also customs in the context of international transport.”

Aliyev told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan afterwards that he and 
Pashinian agreed to open a “Zangezur corridor” that will connect Azerbaijan to 
its Nakhichevan exclave through Armenia’s southeastern Syunik province bordering 
Iran. Armenian officials denied that, saying that Yerevan and Baku are 
discussing conventional transport links between the two South Caucasus states.

Aliyev had publicly demanded earlier that people and cargo using the corridor be 
exempt from Armenian border controls. Armenian leaders rejected his demands.

Armenia - Iranian Ambassador Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri visits a section of the 
Armenian-Azerbaijani border in Gegharkunik province, August 3, 2021.

Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi backed Yerevan’s position in January, telling 
Pashinian that Tehran supports Armenian sovereignty over all roads passing 
through Armenia. Zohouri reaffirmed that stance when he visited Syunik early 
this month.

Syunik is the only Armenian province that borders Iran. Some Iranian lawmakers 
accused Aliyev last fall of seeking to effectively strip Iran of a common border 
with Armenia.

Zohouri on Friday called for stronger economic ties between Syunik and Iran’s 
East Azerbaijan province bordering Armenia.

“It is obvious that very close cooperation between the two border provinces can 
have great advantages,” he told reporters in Yerevan.

The Iranian ambassador also emphasized Russia’s involvement in the efforts to 
open the Armenian-Azerbaijani border to trade and other cargo shipments. He 
pointed to the work of a Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani task force dealing with 
practical modalities of the planned transport links.

Zohouri did not mention the European Union’s separate peace efforts criticized 
by Moscow.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Human rights protection subject to political interests – Gegham Stepanyan

Vicken Chmshkian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. Armenia must clarify what it means by Artsakh's final status, Gegham Stepanyan, Human Rights Defender of Artsakh, told reporters on the sidelines on the  Future Armenian forum as he responded to a question about Armenia not  positively insisting on Nagormo- Karabakh's self-determination. 

"I think Armenia must clarify what it means by 'the final status' and  at least clarify that this status does not mean Artsakh's being part  of Azerbaijan," Mr Stepanyan said.

"This option is unacceptable to us. The Artsakh people will not  accept such a settlement," he said. 

As to the international community's demand to "lower the bar," Mr  Stepanyan said:

"I do not know what 'lowering the car' could mean. But I know for  sure what it cannot mean. Artsakh has always been speaking of  recognition of its rights to self-determination and independence."

He recalled various options, including interim ones, proposed by the  OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.

"Numerous options are available, with the only exception, namely,  Artsakh being part of Azerbaijan," Mr Stepanyan said. He does not  think that a decision unacceptable to Arstakh could be made. As to  the international community turning a blind eye to Azerbaijan's  anti-Armenian policy, he said it is "bitter reality." "Human rights  protection is subject to political and geopolitical interests. And we  have repeatedly voiced our concern at different discussions," he  said.  

This approach renders meaningless the thousands of documents adopted  after World War II – they should be put aside for political interests  to be served. 

"But it does not mean our renouncing our way. We must remain  committed to our chosen way – the right to self-determination,  security, life and preservation of our cultural values. It is public  perception. That is, if those making political decisions are invoking  political gains, those defending public interests understand the  human rights agenda. My task is to make ordinary people in Europe,  the United States and Russia understand that the Artsakh population's  rights cannot be protected with Azerbaijan implementing an anti-  Armenian policy. I can say that, in my view, the Russian peacekeepers  have changed their opinion on many issues after coming here and  staying for a year and a half. That is why we are saying to  international organizations: come here to see what is really taking  place here." 

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 16-05-22

Vicken Chmshkian

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 17:36,

YEREVAN, 16 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 16 May, USD exchange rate down by 0.95 drams to 454.99 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 1.10 drams to 474.78 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.14 drams to 7.21 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.89 drams to 558.18 drams.

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

Gold price down by 429.13 drams to 26499.84 drams. Silver price down by 2.77 drams to 304.85 drams. Platinum price stood at 16414.1 drams.

Armenian, Russian and Azerbaijani FMs to meet in Dushanbe

Vicken Chmshkian

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 11:28, 12 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will depart for Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on May 12-13, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement on social media.

“On May 12-13, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will leave for Dushanbe to participate in the sitting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers.

The meeting of Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan is scheduled in Dushanbe.

Minister Mirzoyan will also hold meetings with CIS partners”, the statement says.

Russia’s Accounts Chamber Chair visits Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan

Vicken Chmshkian

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 16:41,

YEREVAN, MAY 14, ARMENPRESS. Chair of the Accounts Chamber of Russia Aleksei Kudrin and his delegation visited today the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Yerevan.

Aleksei Kudrin arrived in Armenia on a working visit.

Chairman of the Audit Chamber of Armenia Atom Janjughazyan accompanied the Russian delegation.

Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute Harutyun Marutyan welcomed the guests and introduced them on the history of the creation of the memorial. He also introduced the guests on the history of the three cross-stones stationed in the territory of the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, which are dedicated to the memory of Armenians killed during the ethnic cleansings carried out against the Armenian population in Azerbaijan at the end of the past century.

The Russian delegation members laid flowers at the eternal flame and paid tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims with a moment of silence.

The guests also toured the Museum, got acquainted with the permanent and temporary exhibits.

At the end of the visit Aleksei Kudrin planted a silver fir tree in the Memory Park.

St. Giragos Cathedral in Diyarbakir: Largest Armenian church in the Middle East reopens

Vicken Chmshkian
Italy – May 9 2022
Diyarbakir (Agenzia Fides) – The Armenian Apostolic Cathedral of St Giragos in the Turkish city of Diyarbakir reopens for religious services. This also provides an opportunity to review the status of relations between the Turkish government and the Armenian Apostolic Faith Community, the largest of the many small Christian communities in Turkey today.

St Cyriacus Church reopened for worship for the first time in 2012 after decades of neglect. Shortly after reopening, the Christian church of the local Armenian community was again taken away after it was damaged leading to renewed clashes between the Turkish army and pro-Kurdish independence paramilitary groups linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

The conflict between the Turkish army and Kurdish militias that began in July 2015 was the bloodiest in two decades. As
reported by Fides Agency (see Fides, 30/3/2016), the government in Ankara had ordered the expropriation of the cathedral and all other churches in the metropolis on the Tigris in March 2016 as part of the military operations in southern Turkey against Kurdish PKK positions. The expropriation decision affected a total of five churches in Diyarbakir and more than 6,000 houses, most of which are located in the historic center of the Turkish city.

The official reopening of the church last Saturday afternoon, May 7, was attended by several national and local ecclesiastical and political authorities, including Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople Sahak II Mashalyan and Turkey's Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy.

In his speech, Minister Ersoy pointed out that in Diyarbakir "different cultures and beliefs coexist in peace" and the different communities freely practice the practices and worship related to their beliefs. The minister expressed the hope that the places of worship "will be a sign of respect and brotherhood among us throughout Anatolia," stressing the importance of protecting and preserving them. Explaining that he shares the joy of the Armenian community, the Turkish politician recalled the historical importance of the reopened holy site: "We know how important this building is not only for our citizens in the city, but also for the world cultural heritage. The largest Armenian church in the Middle East reopens. I believe that this restoration, which cost about 32 million Turkish lira, is of great importance for the protection of cultural heritage".

The Armenian Patriarch Sahak II also confirmed in his speech that the restoration of the church and its reopening for worship was only possible thanks to the funds made available by the government in Ankara. "There is no doubt," added the Patriarch, "that this opening is a day of celebration for the Armenians of Diyarbakir. Even with the numerical decline in the Christian presence in Diyarbakir, the opening of this church can be a lifeline. And it contains an important and meaningful message of friendship with a view to improving Turkish and Armenian relations".

The historic Marian Monastery in Sumela in the northern Turkish province of Trabzon was reopened to visitors at the beginning of May after more demanding conservation work had been carried out to protect the monastery complex from the risk of landslides. The monastery is particularly dear to Orthodox Christians. According to tradition, the monastery (now Meryemana Manastırı, i.e. the Monastery of Mother Mary) was founded by the Greek monks Barnabas and Sophronius, who arrived there in 385 AD, during the reign of Emperor Theodosius I, after hearing an apparition received instructions from the Virgin Mary.

The location and the fortifications built over time made the monastery untouchable for centuries. In 532, after returning from one of his campaigns against the Persians, the Byzantine Emperor Justinian donated a silver urn containing the relics of Saint Barnabas to the monastery. The monastery remained a settlement of Christian monastic life during the Ottoman Empire until the last events of the First World War and the Greco-Turkish War: The monks only left the monastery for good in 1923. After decades of looting and neglect, the Turkish authorities began restoration work in the 1990s to protect the site as an archaeological-monumental complex of cultural importance, rarely allowing liturgies to be celebrated at the site important to the Byzantine monastic tradition. (GV) (Agenzia Fides, 9/5/2022)

http://www.fides.org/en/news/72132-ASIA_TURKEY_St_Giragos_Cathedral_in_Diyarbakir_Largest_Armenian_church_in_the_Middle_East_reopens

New bakery brings taste of Armenia to Las Vegas

Vicken Chmshkian
May 6 2022
By Jonathan L. Wright Las Vegas Review-Journal
May 6, 2022 – 5:56 pm

First, honey cake. Then, business. At Van Bakery, priorities are in order.

And those priorities proved fortuitous one morning last month when a visitor stopped by to learn about the new Armenian bakery. Because what better way to learn about a bakery than by tasting a signature baked good?

The honey cake is served in bars that alternate thin strata of honey-flavored cake and sweet pastry cream, with a sanding of honeyed crumbs on top. The cake is moist but with body, sweet but not cloying, and wickedly habit-forming.

Asmik Yetaryan, her husband and a son own Van Bakery, named for a historically Armenian city in eastern Turkey. This Armenian family opened its first bakery 30 years ago in Los Angeles to serve the city’s large Armenian population. Over the years, the family opened two more bakeries, eventually serving not just L.A. customers, but also the handful of Armenian markets that had opened in Las Vegas.

“We were driving up products from L.A.,” said Ed Halebian, the son. “We figured it would be easier to open up a store here instead of keeping on driving back and forth.”

The family, all now living in Vegas, launched Van Bakery last October. And the rest is honey cake.

Las Vegas is home to about 40,000 Armenians, according to Christine Datian, a member of the community, who gushed about discovering Van Bakery.

“I walked in, and it was like walking into a different world. L.A. has endless amounts of Armenian bakeries. To have something of this background and quality in Vegas — these people know how to make everything. It’s all authentic.”

Besides honey cake, Yetaryan and four Armenian assistants create from scratch about 50 Armenian breads and pastries.

There are buttery crumbly khurabia — shortbread cookies — dusted with a flurry of confectioners sugar; and braids of choreg, an egg sweetbread traditionally made for Easter, just a bit dry as it should be; and bites of gata, a nut and sugar-filled pastry halfway between rugelach and croissants.

“It’s in the oven; I’m gonna bring it in a minute,” Yetaryan said of a fresh batch of gata headed for the table.

Other items followed from the oven: pillowy pastry puffs, called khachapuri, filled with seven cheeses, and pastry turnovers — airy, flaky, crashy — with a hoard of green pepper and basturma, a cured beef.

“It’s like prosciutto for us,” Halebian said of the basturma

Apricots, cheese, cow’s feet

A market incorporates roughly half of the 5,000-square-foot Van Bakery.

In the produce aisle, stacks of Persian cucumbers keep company with gnarls of ginger (an item added at the request of Chinese customers). Bottles of apricot compote — in this case, a juice, not a preserve — include sliced chunks of fruit.

“Apricot is big Armenian fruit,” Halebian said. “You dump in the fruit, let it infuse, so you’re not just relying on sugar for flavor.”

Grains and pastas fill the shelves: rice, green lentils for soup, bulgur, orzo, vermicelli. To make one of her special dishes, Yetaryan boils basmati rice, vermicelli and orzo separately then heats to combine. She serves the dish alongside chicken breast sautéed in butter or olive oil.

The cheese case — Armenians adore cheese — offers braids of smoked chechil, a lean cow’s milk cheese; Bulgarian sheep’s milk cheese; labneh yogurt cheese, thick and tangy; and briny balls of Piknik white cheese that’s sliced for eating with tomatoes, greens and flatbread.

(“I don’t eat cheese,” Halebian admitted. “I’m the only Armenian you’ll find who doesn’t eat cheese.”)

One cold case contains oxtail for oxtail soup, Moldovan salami, lamb spare ribs, and thick cubes of pork belly marinated in Aleppo pepper. Another case offers containers of khash, a beloved soup of boiled cow’s feet and other parts.

“It’s something Armenians go crazy for, especially during the winter,” Halebian said. “It was once a peasant dish; now, it’s a delicacy.”

Sharing through baking

The other morning, Yetaryan assisted customers while her assistants kneaded, rolled and baked. She spooned out salad by the pound (winner: tarragon chicken salad). She boxed cheese puffs and other pastries. She packed up choreg by the loaf and roll (Easter was a few days away).

Many customers who were new to Armenian bakeries, she said, had asked her about her breads and pastries. She would share her culture, she decided, through instruction.

“I want to soon start classes,” she said. “People want to learn, so I don’t mind to teach.”

Interested in the secrets of honey cake and other Armenian baked goods? Email [email protected].


Era of peace in action: In May 2021, enemy occupied 3,200 hectares of sovereign territory of Armenia

Vicken Chmshkian
ARMINFO
Armenia – May 7 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.Armenia, officially and in practical terms, years ago assumed the role of guaranteeing the security of the Republic of Artsakh.  During the 2020 Artsakh war,  Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyans administration failed to provide such  security, losing the entire Artsakh district of Hadrut and parts of  the districts of Shushi, Askeran, Martuni and Martakert. The fortress  town of Shushi was also lost, Hetq.am writes.

Thus, according to the source, by the agreement of November 9  Pashinyan handed over Aghdam, Kelbajar and Lachin regions adjacent to  the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) to Azerbaijan.  Azerbaijani forces captured Fizuli and Jabrail in the war, as well as  most of Zangelan and Ghubatlu. Armenian forces withdrew in December  2020 (according to a verbal agreement), from the remaining small  areas that were liberated in the 1990s and became part of the Artsakh  Republic.

On May 12, 2021, Azerbaijani armed units, taking advantage of the  inaction of the militarily defeated Pashinyan administration,  captured a number of strategic hills in Armenia (Syunik and  Gegharkunik), and forced Armenian troops to withdraw from their  poorly equipped military positions.

In May 2021, Azerbaijani troops occupied a minimum of 32 square  kilometers (3,200 hectares) in the Vardenis region of Armenia's  Gegharkunik Province (in the border section from the  Norabak-Karvachar road to Big and Small Al lakes.)  

3,200 hectares is equal to 4,482 football fields.

Using a Google map (the aerial images taken by the European Airbus  and American Maxar Technologies satellites), Hetq has measured the  territory of Armenia occupied by Azerbaijan in the spring of 2021.

Google Maps and Google Earth regularly update their satellite  imagery. However, it is not the whole system that is updated, but  specific segments depending on the images received from the  satellites.

As it is known, Azerbaijani troops have also appeared in the vicinity  of the Kut settlement in Vardenis since the spring of 2021, but we  have measured the size of occupied Armenia sovereign territory south  and southeast of the neighboring village of Norabak. (This is why we  note at least 3,200 hectares). The last satellite image of the Kut  border area in Google Maps and Google Earth was taken on October 18,  2019, before the occupation, and south of Norabak, on October 23,  2021, after the occupation.

Thus, we base our findings on the positional situation as of October  23, 2021. We measured the size of the occupation by drawing a  straight line between the Azerbaijani vanguard positions. The 3,200  hectares is the area that is now behind these positions. However,  Azerbaijani troops monitor a much larger area from their positions on  the strategic heights.

As can be seen in the map, the area of the first occupied zone, from  the Norabak- Karvachar road to the neighboring positions of Nerkin  Shorzha, is 11.4 square kilometers (1,140 hectares). The area of the  second zone, 20.7 square kilometers (2,070 hectares), which includes  the section from Verin Shorzha-Tsar road to Mets Tsarasar (elevation  – 3441 meters, the mountain is outside the territory of Armenia  according to Google Maps.)

The Armenia-Azerbaijan border runs from the Sotk gold mine to the Big  and Small Al lakes along the Eastern Sevan Mountain range. One of its  highest peaks is Tsarasar, which is 3,426 m high. (Blue sign in  picture and map). This mountain, the dividing point of the  Armenian-Azerbaijani border, appeared 3.8 kilometers behind  Azerbaijani military lines in May 2021. Thus, Azerbaijani troops  advanced 3.8 km in a straight line in the Tsarasar section. The whole  Vardenis region can be observed from the top of the mountain,  including Lake Sevan, which is 29 km from the shore to Tsarasar. The  distance from the center of Vardenis is 22 km. This area vulnerable  to artillery.

On May 27, 2021, on the eve of snap parliamentary elections, Prime  Minister Pashinyan circulated his famous thesis of the mirror  withdrawal of troops in the Sotk (Gegharkunik) – Khoznavar (Syunik)  section. Responding to Azerbaijan's false claim that Azerbaijani  troops had advanced to clarify the border, Pashinyan offered to hand  over border monitoring to a third party.

"International observers are coming, either from Russia or OSCE Minsk  Group Co- Chair countries. They will come and take up positions to  ensure that troops on both sides: If this is the case, why do we, or  they, need soldiers on the top of that mountain covered in snow for  half of the year?" Pashinyan said at the time.

On May 27, 2021, shortly after Pashinyan's remarks, Armenian Foreign  Minister Ara Ayvazyan resigned.

At a farewell meeting with ministry staff in June, Ayvazyan said he  decided to leave to "ensure that there is never any suspicion that  this ministry could take measures or accept certain ideas,  initiatives, which go against our national and state interests".

Last month, Ayvazyan revealed that it was Pashinyan's border policy  that led him to leave office.

Former Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan, noting  Azerbaijani advances in the Parukh-Khramort section of Artsakh, also  criticized Pashinyan in this regard.

"The government's proposal to withdraw troops in parallel is  destructive for the security of Armenia and Artsakh. The objective  evidence is the recent illegal actions and invasions of Azerbaijan in  Artsakh (Parukh, Khramort, Karaglukh). This idea was deplorably  brought to the public domain, promoted and became part of an agenda  favorable to Azerbaijani interests."

Pashinyan's proposal never saw the light of day because Ilham Aliyev,  to put it mildly, paid no heed. Instead, Azerbaijani armed groups  continue to pose a threat to the population of the entire Vardenis  region, and especially to residents of the border villages of Kut,  Norabak, Nerkin Shorzha and Verin Shorzha.

Moreover, on January 11 of this year, Azerbaijani troops launched new  attacks in this area using firearms, artillery and unmanned aerial  vehicles. They targeted Armenian military positions, killing three  soldiers and wounding others, Hetq.am concludes.  

AW: Police arrest hundreds of protesters demanding Pashinyan’s resignation

Vicken Chmshkian
May 4, 2022 Lillian Avedian News 0

Police have detained hundreds of protesters during ongoing mass rallies demanding the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and warning against the concession of Artsakh to Azerbaijan. 

Over 10,000 people attended a demonstration at France Square in Yerevan on May 1, launching a week-long series of protests in the capital city and across the country. Sunday’s rally was the culmination of a series of smaller-scale protests organized by the opposition last week. Armenia’s opposition parliamentary factions—the Armenia Alliance and I Have Honor Alliance—launched the protests on April 25 to demand Pashinyan’s resignation. 

More than 10,000 protesters gather in France Square (Armenia Alliance, May 1)

Following a rally in France Square on Wednesday, opposition deputies, who have been boycotting parliament, marched to the National Assembly to present their demand for Pashinyan’s resignation. 

“He implements the ‘Karabakh is Azerbaijan’ propaganda and supports lowering the bar on the status of Artsakh, which reflects the Turkish-Azerbaijani perspective of recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan,” Armenia Alliance MP Armen Rustamyan said, reading from the written demand. 

Opposition deputies chant Armenia Without Nikol in the parliamentary chamber (RA National Assembly, May 4)

The opposition deputies started chanting “Armenia without Nikol” and left the chamber, while Pashinyan and the other members of the Civil Contract Party applauded their exit. 

PM Pashinyan and Civil Contract Party deputies applaud as the opposition deputies exit the parliamentary chamber (RA National Assembly, May 4)

Earlier that day, the National Security Service (NSS) said it had received “reliable information” that the protesters intended to seize the National Assembly during Wednesday’s parliamentary sitting. The NSS warned the organizers and participants of the protests to refrain from taking illegal actions, or else the organizers would bear full responsibility for what would follow. 

National Assembly Vice President and chair of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Supreme Council of Armenia Ishkhan Saghatelyan denied that the protesters planned to occupy the parliamentary building or stage any provocations. 

Ishkhan Saghatelyan addresses protesters (Armenia Alliance, May 4)

The opposition movement emerged in response to a controversial speech delivered by Pashinyan at the Armenian National Assembly on April 13. Pashinyan received widespread criticism from political figures and civic activists from Armenia and Artsakh for his call to “lower the bar” regarding the status of Artsakh in negotiations on a peace deal with Azerbaijan. The opposition says that Pashinyan is prepared to cede Artsakh to Azerbaijan.

“Today, the international community again tells us to lower the bar a bit regarding the question of the status of Artsakh, and you will ensure a great international consolidation around Armenia and Artsakh,” Pashinyan said during his address. “Status in the current situation is not a goal, but rather a means to guarantee the security and rights of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh.” 

Police officers have been criticized by human rights defenders and civil society groups for the violent crackdown on the opposition protests. Police arrested at least 244 protesters on Monday and 169 protesters on Tuesday. 

Head of the State Protection Service Sargis Hovhannisyan attacked two journalists from news website Mediahub.am covering the protests on Monday. A video circulated online shows Hovhannisyan shouting at the reporter, Nare Gnuni, and hitting her microphone, then kicking the cameraman, Arman Gharajian. 

Police arrest a protester (Armenia Alliance, May 4)

Ombudswoman Kristine Grigoryan released a lengthy statement on Monday condemning the unlawful actions by the police officers. Grigoryan’s office, which has been visiting detainees in jail, recorded that the police have been apprehending citizens without presenting any demands and holding them beyond the legal minimum time limit. The Ombudswoman denounced the “use of disproportionate force” by the police against protesters and specifically called Hovhannisyan’s attack on the Mediahub.am reporters “unacceptable and condemnable.” 

President of the National Assembly Alen Simonyan said he deems the actions of the police in response to the demonstrations “proportionate.” 

Protesters clash with police (Armenia Alliance, May 4)

“I thank them for protecting the rights of other citizens and not allowing the various small activities taking place to disturb the rights of other civilians,” he told reporters on May 3. 

He also said that he does not believe the country is facing a domestic political crisis. 

“Those forces that lost the 2021 elections are now trying to promote themselves with the same actors, same phrases, same aggression, without presenting any concrete propositions to the people of Armenia. Yet it is clear that the people have made their decision and are trying to avoid such steps,” he said. 

Journalist Tatul Hakobyan has also criticized the violent crackdown on the protests. “Today’s violence is just as unacceptable as it was in 2016, 2008, 2004, and so on until 1991,” he wrote on Facebook. 

One day ahead of the mass rally on May 1, the NSS of Armenia released a statement warning of a “real danger of mass riots.” It said it would neutralize “any kind of actions destabilizing Armenia’s internal stability.” 

Saghatelyan announced the start of a “large-scale campaign of disobedience” to topple Pashinyan and his administration during his speech at Sunday’s rally. He called on workers to go on strike and students not to attend classes.

“Our struggle will take place by peaceful means, but we will be decisive to the end. The primary threat to the nation is sitting in the government building,” Saghatelyan said. 

Saghatelyan, who has emerged as a protest leader, appealed to the members of parliament representing the Civil Contract Party to use their “last chance to correct their mistake and stand by the people.” He also appealed to the armed forces not to follow the “instructions and illegal decisions of that crazy man.” 

“Nikol does not have a mandate to lead the country to new concessions,” Saghatelyan said. “We need to subject the capitulator to capitulation.”

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Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in Journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian's first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.