Category: 2018

"Europe is getting the impression that Armenia is moving successively. You know better than I do how well it is moving," political analyst Levon Shirinyan said yesterday [26 January], commenting on [Armenian] President Serzh Sargsyan's speech in the PACE [on 24 January]. The political analyst knows how to transform this impression into reality: "The kleptocratic government [of thieves] must be eliminated from Armenia".

In general, Levon Shirinyan believes that we are excessively focused on the discussion of the identity of [future] prime minister, [who is going to be the leading political figure after Armenia becomes a parliamentary republic following the presidential election to be held this spring]. He said that this was a superficial perception of the problem. We should have a platform for the economic and political development, costs of management personnel should be reduced, and we must demand cleansing of [officials'] friends. Speaking about the widespread characteristics of the personality of the presidential candidate Armen Sargsyan [nominated by] the [ruling] RPA [Republican Party of Armenia], the political analyst said jokingly: "Did France not become France under Charles de Gaulle, who did not know foreign languages?"

The political analysts posed questions regarding Serzh Sargsyan's speech in Strasbourg: "Armenia should turn to state capitalism and the state must be represented in strategic facilities with 50+1 [per cent of shares], because this is not advantageous for oligarchs. They do not want to give their money".

The speaker is extremely worried by the fact that Azerbaijan continues to arm and the lion's share of the weapons is supplied by Russia. He warned: "Our commercial ally has launched a new escalation and I do not rule out that a new war may be provoked. The Russian Federation is preparing a new conflict by Azerbaijan's hand".

He finds it strange that the Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry of the Republic of Armenia are keeping silent. He urged to carefully watch US policy, saying that it was undergoing an interesting transformation and it should be understood and relevant steps should be taken. He implied US Vice President Pence's statement in Israel that Biblical events are returning to real life.

Aravot.am asked what his opinion was on why the Armenian president failed to say from the PACE rostrum that Russia is arming Azerbaijan. "I do not know this. The top leadership may have their plans, but the Foreign Ministry should have made a statement on this problem a long time ago," [Shirinyan said]. The political analyst can make a clear forecast for more than one month, but such an accumulation of weapons reminds him of the situation in 2014. [sentence as published] He reminded of lessons of history – the events in the 1920s, when the same ally of our country carried out a provocation against Armenia and Armenian Bolsheviks also took part in it.

"Do not be carried away by the cult of [former Armenian President] Levon Ter-Petrosyan's peace," he urged the government.

He also urged our partners in the [Russian-led] EEU [Eurasian Economic Union] and CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organisation]: "Friends, [Kazakh President Nursultan] Nazarbayev and [Balarusian President Alyaksandr] Lukashenka, if Armenia is regarded as a weak component, your artificial country Kazakhstan and the Belarusian-Russian [Union] State will be destroyed, when the USSR is restored. So support Armenia". He also said that the USA should also support Armenia to prevent the geopolitical order of the past to come back.

Slovak parliament head says massacre of Armenians was genocide

"I do not conceal it that I am one of the people in Slovakia who feel huge respect for the values of Christianity and mainly for the suffering of some of those who fought against Islamisation. It is Armenians, an island of Christianity, who suffered a lot. Millions of Armenians were a target of attacks, suffering and misery," Danko told journalists.

"Who else but Armenians has experience with genocide," he asked.

Babloyan said a large part of the Armenian nation was massacred in the genocide in 1915. He and Danko laid wreaths at the monument of the Armenian genocide victims in Bratislava.

Turkey dismisses the 100-years old massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire having been a genocide. It criticises the countries which speak of a genocide in this connection.

Danko, who heads the Slovak National Party (SNS), said the current Slovakia, too, was afflicted by the Ottoman Empire's expansivity.

"In our literature and history, our ancestors described our nation's suffering. Maybe this is also why our people understand the position of the Armenians," Danko said.

He said he is proud of the Slovak parliament having condemned the massacre of Armenians several years ago.

"I am very glad that the EU and all advanced countries joined in condemning the Armenian genocide and called on Turkey to cope with its history," he said.

In 2004, the Slovak parliament passed a resolution calling the genocide of Armenians a crime against humanity.

Three years ago, the EP approved a resolution saying that the recognition of the Armenian genocide by Turkey would open the path to reconciliation.

Turkey says the massacre was not the Ottoman Empire's intention but a civil war event whose victims also included Turks.

rtj/mr/kva

Danko: People from Central Slovakia Particularly Close to Armenians Banska Bystrica, January 29 (TASR) – People from central Slovakia with their values and feelings are particularly close to Armenians, said Slovak Parliamentary Chairman Andrej Danko (Slovak National Party/SNS), who on Monday took his Armenian counterpart Ara Babloyan to the Slovak National Uprising (SNP) memorial in Banska Bystrica to pay tribute to the victims of WWII.Danko said that he looks forward to visits to Poprad (Presov region), Kosice and Zilina, but he feels that central Slovakia was the best choice on this occasion, partly from the perspective of Christianity. He added that there's a need to take international politics to the regions.Danko took Babloyan to see the baroque Saint Francis Xavier Cathedral in the centre of Banska Bystrica and an Lutheran wooden church built without nails in Hronsek that is included on the UNESCO World Heritage List.Babloyan, who has held the post of Armenian National Assembly president for only six months, praised what he views as intense and fruitful cooperation even within such a short timespan.According to SNP Museum general director Stanislav Micev, despite the lack of detailed information on the individual nationalities of the 3,000 Soviets who took part in the Slovak uprising, it's certain that they included Armenians, as is commemorated on a memorial stone featuring 35 nationalities."There are certainly a few hundred [SNP combatants from Armenia] buried at a cemetery in Zvolen (Banska Bystrica region) and at Slavin cemetery [in Bratislava]," said Micev, adding that Armenians formed part of partisan groups and also fought in the ranks of the Red Army in Slovakia at the end of WWII.

The loyal attitude of the US co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group to the Armenian separatism is an open secret.

And this loyalty that originates from the Christian factor manifests itself in the annual allocation of finances, in the periodical demonstrative visits of a number of congressmen to the occupied Karabakh and Xankandi [Stepanakert] as well as in regular visits of the separatist regime's leaders to America and the conduct of meetings in the US Congress against the backdrop of a piece of shabby cloth, called "the NKR [Nagorno-Karabakh republic] flag" and harsh anti-Azerbaijani accusations.

It is also true that many US states that have applied severe sanctions against Russia for the occupation of Crimea, have recognised the self-styled Nagorno-Karabakh as a state, while some American cities have become sister cities of Xankandi. Moreover, a representative office of the separatist body freely functions in California.

In the previous issue of our newspaper, we reported in detail about other facts against our sovereignty and the territorial integrity of our state. Yeni Musavat recalls that the report is about the non-transparent activities of the US-funded HALO Trust company, engaged in the alleged mine clearing activities on our occupied territories, that provides real support to Armenia and the illegal regime in Karabakh.

The most dangerous part of the matter is that this company does not get permission from the Azerbaijani government for its activities and does not report on the outcome of its activities to the Azerbaijani government.

In its open reports, it is claimed that there are distorted statements against the territorial integrity of our country and attempts to legitimise the separatist regime.

Thus, in such reports, the Nagorno-Karabakh region is presented as an independent entity, while others refer to it as a "state", presenting the occupied surrounding districts as "territories controlled by Nagorno-Karabakh, but beyond its Soviet borders".

We also pointed out that the funding of the HALO Trust by a number of states and international organisations to carry out mine clearing activities on the territory of Azerbaijan without its consent is a matter of serious concern and this is an outright disrespect for the territorial integrity of our country. Ultimately, all these are actions that are incompatible with the impartial mediation of the United States on the Karabakh issue.

However, it turned out that this was not all. It transpired that the USA, which does not officially recognise separatist regimes in the post-Soviet states as well as the self-styled "NKR" and the "elections" held by them, legalises "documents" issued by self-styled governments in an unimpeded manner through its embassies in Russia, Georgia and Armenia.

The Yeni Musavat newspaper, quoting the Haqqin.az news website, reports that Georgian diplomat Giorgi Kbiltsetskhlashvili, who worked seven years (2010-2017) for the US embassy in Russia, said it.

"As it is known from open sources, the United States does not recognise independence of Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and the Dniester region. In this regard, 'government bodies' of these separatist agencies are illegal and documents issued by them cannot be valid. People residing or born in these regions are obliged to appeal to the sovereign state bodies of Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Moldova to obtain relevant documents for immigration visas from the US embassies' consular offices," the former diplomat said.

However, he says that he had observed the opposite of this procedure, when he worked for the embassy: "During my seven years at the immigration visas department, I witnessed numerous cases of recognition of documents issued by separatist governments of Abkhazia and South Ossetia by consular officers as legitimate documents. It turns out that the US State Department recognises the separatist regimes in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and the Dniester region".

According to the former diplomat, the situation is the same at the US embassy's immigration section in Yerevan. "Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians apply for visas to the immigration section of the embassy in Yerevan, not to the US embassy in Baku, and they submit documents of the separatist regime. Someone can say that it is difficult for Karabakh Armenians to apply to the US embassy in Azerbaijan. But it is required by the law and it cannot be ignored," he said.

At this point, Yeni Musavat recalls that previously, Moscow officially decided to recognise the illegitimate passports issued by the so-called DPR [Donetsk people's republic] and LPR [Luhansk people's republic] in the east of Ukraine. Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are integral parts of Georgia, were recognised as independent states and large military contingents were deployed there.

But it is Russia, the imperialist Russia, which does not hesitate to pursue a policy of outright aggression against neighbouring countries and supports separatism in those areas for its own interests and turns a blind eye to the international law, trying to rebuild the USSR. We wonder what the reason for the democratic USA that takes steps like Russia is.

Unlike Armenia, which is Russia's vassal, Azerbaijan is in a sincere partnership with the United States, the West, and is an important country for the United States, Europe, and Nato, with considerable geopolitical and energy potential. The paradox is also in that US officials frequently call Russia an occupier for the 2008 occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, imposing sanctions for a third year against Moscow for the annexation of Crimea…

[Signed:] Analytical service of Yeni Musavat newspaper