YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a meeting on May 10 with Kgor Khovaev, the Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group and Russian Foreign Minister’s Special Representative.
Pashinyan and Khovaev ‘discussed issues related to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan, the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and unblocking of regional transport infrastructures,’ the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.
The Armenian Prime Minister ‘presented the Armenian side’s approaches in the settlement of existing key issues.’
(Reuters) – Troops from Azerbaijan and Armenia exchanged fire with weapons including mortars and drones on a joint border on Friday and an Armenian soldier was reported killed, two days before top-level talks on a long-term peace deal between the two neighbours.
It was the second straight day of exchanges of fire – ahead of Sunday's planned meeting in Brussels between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azeri President Ilham Aliyev.
The two ex-Soviet states have fought two wars in 30 years focusing on the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.
In a six-month conflict in 2020, Azerbaijan recovered swathes of territory lost in an earlier war that gripped the region amid the collapse of Soviet rule.
In the latest skirmish, Armenia's Defence Ministry said its forces came under fire with mortars and small arms near the village of Sotk, close to the border. The ministry said drones were also deployed.
"In the wake of enemy fire, the Armenian side has one killed in action and one wounded," the ministry said, adding the exchanges eventually died down.
Azerbaijan's Defence Ministry said it had cut short a drone attack by Armenia on its positions in Kalbajar district on its side of the border.
Tension has risen while efforts intensify to get the two rivals to reach a peace deal despite differences on border demarcation and other issues. Talks have generally been staged under the jurisdiction of the European Union or Russia – which brokered the truce that ended the fighting in 2020.
Foreign ministers from both sides met last week in the United States.
Azerbaijan last month installed a checkpoint at the entry to the Lachin Corridor – the only road linking Armenia to Karabakh – in a move that Yerevan said was a "gross violation" of the 2020 ceasefire.
On Thursday, both sides said they were acting in self-defence and blamed the other for firing first.
Armenia said four of its servicemen had been injured. Pashinyan said that incident was an attempt by Azerbaijan to disrupt peace talks.
The latest clashes are also seen as a test of Russia's ability to influence events in the South Caucasus.
Russia is a formal ally of Armenia through a mutual self-defence treaty, but also strives for good relations with Baku. Moscow says the 2020 peace accord it brokered is the only basis for a long-term solution.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. At around 17:10, the units of the armed forces of Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire in the direction of Sotk by using mortar, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia.
The Armenian side has no losses. As of 17:40, the situation on the frontline is relatively stable.
In case of any changes in the situation, the Ministry of Defense will make a statement.
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For Diana Simonian, signing up for an Armenian dating app was an obvious decision.
“Being a minority living in Los Angeles, you don’t see or hear of too many Iraqis. Armenian for me was a next step,” she told the Weekly. “I always gravitated toward Armenians, because I felt like that’s a second family for me.”
The daughter of Iraqi immigrants, Diana isn’t Armenian, but she grew up surrounded by Armenians in Los Angeles. Her father’s best friend of about 50 years is Armenian. Diana and her sister also spent their summers at Hye Camp, an Armenian summer camp in northern California. Diana used to joke with her friends that her last name was Suleymanian, adding the distinguishing Armenian “ian” to her surname Suleyman.
When it came time to find a husband, Diana knew she wanted to build her life with someone from a similar cultural background. So she made a profile on the dating app Kyank, an Armenian term of endearment that means “life.” She matched with Berj Simonian in January 2021. Berj was born to an Armenian family in Baghdad. They had an immediate connection, but he lived across the country in New York. Their relationship blossomed over daily FaceTime calls and text messages.
Three weeks into their online courtship, Diana went dress shopping with her mom.
“We walked into the store, and I saw this beautiful gown, and I told my mom, this is going to be my engagement dress,” Diana recalled.
Her mom was stunned. “Your engagement dress to who?” she asked.
“That was my moment. I had just known that we were going to be together forever,” Diana told the Weekly.
In March, three months after they matched on Kyank, Berj flew out to Los Angeles to meet Diana for the first time. Diana picked him up from the airport, and after an obligatory trip to In-N-Out Burger, Diana drove Berj straight to her parents’ house.
Berj said meeting Diana’s family felt like coming home. There was Iraqi kubba and tabbouleh on the table, and Diana’s parents spoke Arabic just like his. He described how easy and natural it was to join Diana’s family.
Three months later, Berj and Diana were engaged. Just three months after that—nine months after meeting on Kyank—they were married.
Mr. and Mrs. Simonian
Armenians formed communities in Iraq and across the Middle East after the Armenian Genocide of 1915. Their culture expanded to include different traditions, languages and cuisines. Diana and Berj come from different ethnic backgrounds, but they’re connected through Armenian culture.
Miro Markarian, the founder of Kyank, grew up in Iran, where Armenians have lived for centuries. Markarian says he launched Kyank in 2020 as a way to bring young Armenians together.
Many of Markarian’s closest friends are other Armenians he grew up with in Iran. Markarian lost touch with his childhood friends when they moved to California. When Markarian left Iran and started attending high school in Los Angeles, they reconnected, and they’ve maintained a strong bond ever since.
“We had that strong connection, because of how much we could relate to the way we were brought up and the experiences we went through,” Markarian said. “I’m much more comfortable next to them. I trust them more, because I trust their upbringing.”
Many Armenians have always dated within their culture. But the 2020 war between Armenia and Azerbaijan made this choice an existential one. Dr. Rosie Vartyter Aroush researches LGBT Armenian identity. She says that war, displacement and genocide have always been a part of Armenian identity in the diaspora. But the war in 2020 reminded Armenians in the United States that the potential for a new crisis is always present.
“You found comfort in being surrounded by people who understood your struggle, and unfortunately at that time period, for the most part, those who could understand your struggle were only Armenians,” explained Dr. Aroush.
Many Armenians have faced pressure from their parents to marry other Armenians and start a family. This was characteristic of the generation that survived the Armenian Genocide and was struggling to rebuild and repopulate the global Armenian community. The push to raise Armenian families is also one of the driving forces of discrimination against LGBTQ people by Armenians, Dr. Aroush says. Parents may assume that their LGBTQ children could never get married or have children.
These ideas are associated with an older generation. But Dr. Aroush says that, right after the war, she heard people who had never expressed a desire to have children talk about having children to bring more Armenians into the world.
“It was feelings people felt at the time that I don’t know a year or two later are actually still standing. I think it was emotional responses. I don’t know if they solidified into action,” Dr. Aroush said. “And I think we need more time to see how big of a role that plays.”
The Simonians are expecting their first child. They’re already looking for an Armenian school. They also want to teach their daughter Arabic. Home never means one thing for people who live in a diaspora. But through dating apps, people are finding a home in Armenian culture.
Diana and Berj Simonian are expecting their first baby
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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.
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The ICRC has been barred from transporting patients from Artsakh to Armenia
Azerbaijan has barred the International Committee of the Red Cross from transferring critically ill patients from Artsakh to Armenia, Artsakh’s Human Rights Defender Gegham Stepanyan said on Wednesday.
Stepanyan said Azerbaijan has been obstructing the ICRC transfer of patients from Artsakh since an illegal checkpoint was established on the already blockaded Lachin Corridor.
“After setting up a checkpoint, Azerbaijan has been obstructing the activities of the Red Cross in Artsakh in every possible way. For 11 days now, the ICRC has been unable to transport patients in critical health conditions to medical facilities in Armenia,” Stepanyan said in a social media post.
The ICRC told Armenpress that it has not facilitated transfer of patients from Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia since April 29 and is now discussing details pertaining to the format of its work with decision-makers from the parties involved.
“In regards to developments, the International Committee of the Red Cross is discussing with all decision-makers from the parties the details pertaining to the format of our work,” ICRC Armenia Communications and Prevention Manager Zara Amatuni said.
Amatuni explained that the process is confidential and the discussions are underway. She did not elaborate further on the discussions.
“It’s about the continuity of our humanitarian work. We hope it will be restored. However, there is some need for clarification, and now this process is taking place. During this period we are not implementing transfers because we must have clarity regarding several details with all parties involved,” Amatuni said.
YEREVAN, MAY 8, ARMENPRESS. Chinese foreign minister Qin Gang will visit Germany, France and Norway from May 8 to 12.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced the visit on May 8.
“At the invitation of German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang will pay a visit to Germany, France and Norway from May 8 to 12,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said in a .
YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS. The government of Artsakh, through Russian peacekeepers, has sent a truckload of food, medicine and other essential goods to the communities of Hin Shen, Mets Shen, Yegtsahogh and Lisagor in the Berdadzor sub-district of Shushi region, which are under bilateral blockade after the installation of the illegal checkpoint by Azerbaijan on April 23, ARMENPRESS reports, Artsakh State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan informed on his Facebook page.
"Dear compatriots,
After Azerbaijan installed an illegal checkpoint on the highway connecting Artsakh to Armenia on the border with Armenia (Lachin (Kashatagh) corridor) on April 23, the four communities of Berdadzor sub-district of Shushi region (Hin Shen, Mets Shen, Yegtsahogh and Lisagor) appeared under a bilateral blockade, deprived of all possibilities of connection with the rest of Artsakh and Armenia. Due to the Azerbaijani obstacles, all humanitarian supplies to the residents of these villages were also stopped, and in recent days, an acute humanitarian crisis emerged there, without any stock of basic necessities.
Today, we were finally able to send one truckload of food, medicine and other essential goods to the residents of the mentioned communities through the peacekeepers of the Russian Federation.
Azerbaijan continues the complete blockade of Artsakh through both the illegal checkpoint on the Artsakh-Armenia border and the road near Shushi, already openly and illegally blocked by the Azerbaijani state. And the humanitarian supplies to Artsakh are carried out by the Russian peacekeeping troops, in very limited volumes. We are making additional efforts to restore transportation by the International Committee of the Red Cross," said the Artsakh State Minister.
NEW YORK, NY—On Sunday, April 16, St. Illuminator’s Armenian Apostolic Cathedral held the opening reception for a retrospective art exhibition featuring the paintings of the talented Armenian artist Emma Grigoryan, installed in Pashalian Hall.
After opening remarks by Rev. Fr. Mesrob Lakissian, Anahit Hovhannisyan introduced the artist, who expressed her gratitude to the many people who helped shape her life and inspire her art, and her appreciation to St. Illuminator’s for hosting the exhibition.
Grigoryan was born and raised in Gyumri, Armenia. She attended the famed Panos Terlemezian Art School in Yerevan and graduated from the Yerevan Fine Arts and Theater Institute. She became a member of the Union of Fine Artists of Armenia in 1971. Grigoryan has lived in New York City for the past three decades, where she created much of her striking, colorful and imaginative artistic output in the tradition of the finest painters Armenia has ever produced. Her paintings have been exhibited in collective and individual shows in different countries, including the US, Moscow, Canada, Belgium, Lebanon, Iraq and Armenia.
The reception was attended by art lovers and guests, who enjoyed Grigoryan’s paintings and the hospitality provided by the exhibition committee. The exhibition is on view every day until Monday, May 15. Many of the works on display are available for purchase with part of the proceeds benefiting the cultural programs of St. Illuminator’s. Those interested in purchasing Grigoryan’s works are invited to inquire with the Cathedral office.
Emma Grigoryan art exhibition at St. Illuminator’s
TEHRAN, Apr. 30 (MNA) – Armenia and Azerbaijan will hold a new round of talks in Washington on Sunday to try to normalize relations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan announced that Jeyhun Bayramov left Baku for Washington on Sunday to discuss the peace agreement with Armenia.
"From April 30 Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan will be in Washington DC on a working visit. The next round of discussions on the agreement on normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan is scheduled," the spokesperson of Armenia's Foreign Ministry, Ani Badalyan, said on her official Facebook page on Saturday.
Tensions have risen as Azerbaijan set up a new checkpoint on the road to Karabakh in the Lachin Corridor, a move that Armenia called a gross violation of a 2020 ceasefire.
The Russian president held a phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan
MOSCOW, April 26. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin mentioned the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, observed on April 24, during his phone call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and expressed solidarity with the people of this country, the Kremlin press office announced Wednesday.
"The President of Russia expressed solidarity with the Armenian people in regards to the recent sorrowful date – the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day," the press office said.
On April 24, 1915, mass executions of Armenians started in Constantinople (now Istanbul, Turkey), which lasted for several years. April 24 is a memorable date in Armenia now.