Category: 2018

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Thursday


Agos Editor-In-Chief considers Armenian Patriarchate's statement in
current nationalist atmosphere in Turkey understandable



YEREVAN, JANURY 25, ARMENPRESS. Edward Danzikian, Editor-In-Chiefof
Istanbul’s Armenian Agos newspaper, says in the circumstances of the
current heated nationalist atmosphere in Turkey, the statement of
Istanbul’s Armenian Patriarchate over the ongoing Turkish military
operations in Syria’s Afrin is understandable.

In an interview with ARMENPRESS, Edward Danzikian commented on the
fact that several members of the Armenian community negatively reacted
to the statement of the Armenian Patriarchate. “At the moment there
are strong nationalists winds in Turkey, and in such circumstances if
any national minority structure makes a statement supporting the
state, the remaining structures as well as feel a duty to do the
same”, Edward Danzikian said.

He stated that they have witnessed a lot of similar statements in
1980-1990, the violence period following the military coup attempt in
Turkey. “In this sense it seems nothing has changed in Turkey. Of
course such statements cannot be supported by everyone, but on the
other hand, we should not forget that even those people are arrested
in Turkey who announce by social media that they do not want war”, he
said, reminding that dozens of people, who opposed Turkey’s military
operations in Afrin, are currently arrested or detained.

“Therefore, it is both incorrect to say that “Armenians support the
Patriarchate’s statement” and make a generalization stating that
“Armenians do not support it”. In such circumstances usually the
Patriarchate has supported the state. But also it’s an undeniable fact
that many consider the Patriarchate’s statement on this topic as
wrong”, Edward Danzikian said.

The Turkish armed forces launched military operations, called Olive
Branch, against the Kurds (PYD) in Syria’s Afrin.

The Armenian Patriarchate issued a statement expressing support to
these operations and adding that they will pray for “peace and calm
the humanity needs so much”.

Official Ankara welcomed the Patriarchate’s statement.

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Thursday


Mutallibov has long sold his soul and biography to dictatorial regime
of Baku - Armenian foreign ministry slams former Azeri president's
statement



YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Former Azerbaijani president Ayaz
Mutallibov has long sold his soul to the dictatorial regime of Baku
for being allowed to return to the country, Armenian foreign ministry
spokesman Tigran Balayan said in response to ARMENPRESS request to
comment on the former president’s interview to Azeri media regarding
President Sargsyan’s recent statement.

“Mutallibov has long sold both his soul and biography to the
dictatorial regime of Baku for the permission to return to Azerbaijan.
And this angry response in Seidov’s [Azeri delegate to PACE] yesterday
style was from the series of reaffirming his commitment to the regime.
With the same logic he might announce tomorrow that the real goal
behind his resignation was to vacate the president’s seat for Heydar
Aliyev”, Balayan said.

After President Sargsyan’s speech at the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Council of Europe, the Azerbaijani delegate addressed a distorting
question in a rather aggressive manner. The President urged the
delegate to calm down and not to distort facts. In response to the
Azeri delegate’s question as to why he didn’t touch upon the Khojaly
events, the Armenian President said: “The answer to the question why I
did not touch upon the Khojaly events, which you call a genocide, is
very clear – because immediately after that tragic event President of
the Republic of Azerbaijan Ayaz Mutalibov presented very detailed and
informed facts and indicated who were the organizers of that massacre.
And I feel very sorry for that. Genocide is not a good thing, being
subjected to genocide is a torment and I think there is a tendency in
Azerbaijan to have anything Armenians have. This is inadmissible. Why
do you need to call something a genocide that has never happened,
especially not by Armenians.”

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Thursday


Baroness Caroline Cox addresses video message praising Armen
Sargsyan's nomination for president



YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Baroness Caroline Cox, member of the
UK’s House of Lords, has addressed a video message welcoming the
nomination of Armenia’s Ambassador to the UK Armen Sargsyan as the
presidential candidate by the Republican Party.

In the message, she said she will be delighted to see Armen Sargsyan
in the post of president of Armenia.

"I just heard the excellent news that the present Ambassador of
Armenia to UK Armen Sargsyan has been invited to stand for the
presidency of the Republic of Armenia. I am absolutely delighted, I've
known Mr. Sargsyan for many many years, since he was Prime Minister of
Armenia, he has been three times the Ambassador of Armenia in the
United Kingdom. So he brings wonderful knowledge and experience to
offer, in terms of his diplomatic skills and his many many other areas
of expertise and relationships", she said.

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Thursday


Vice Speaker Sharmazanov says Armenia successfully runs diversified
foreign policy



YEREVAN, JANURY 25, ARMENPRESS. It was once again reaffirmed that
Armenia runs a diversified foreign policy, Vice Speaker of the
Parliament Eduard Sharmazanov told a press conference in Armenpress,
stating that as the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at PACE
Armenia is an EAEU, CSTO member, Russia’s ally, but at the same time
the country managed to keep very good relations with the EU countries,
in particular, with France.

“France is a friendly country for Armenia, and the Armenian-French
relations are dynamically developing in all spheres, including
political, economic, cultural and inter-parliamentary directions. You
know that Armenia will host the Francophonie summit in October and
Armenia will become one of the world’s political centers during this
period”, he said.

Presidents Sargsyan and Macron clearly stated that everything will be
done for the development of the Armenian-French ties. Eduard
Sharmazanov said this was Sargsyan-Macron first meeting, but the
existing mutual understanding was evident.

“What has been stated by Armenia? Armenia will continue the democracy
development, institutional reforms. Macron said France will always
assist Armenia. They highly appreciate Armenia’s democratization
efforts which is at the crossroads of the cultures of East and West”,
Sharmazanov said.

As for the Artsakh issue, the Vice Speaker attached importance to the
fact that during a joint statement with the President of France, as
one of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair country, Serzh Sargsyan once
again clearly stated that the Nagorno Karabakh fight is fight for
freedom, human rights. In addition to this, the Armenian side supports
exclusively the peaceful settlement of the conflict.

“In his turn the French President clearly stated that the conflict
should be settled exclusively peacefully and through mutual
concessions and this must be followed by concrete steps. These
concrete steps are the implementation of the Geneva, St. Petersburg
and Vienna agreements. It’s Azerbaijan that torpedoes these
agreements, not Armenia and Artsakh”, Sharmazanov stated.

Commenting on the Armenian President’s speech at PACE, Eduard
Sharmazanov said when tangible reforms are talked about and when the
citizen will feel them, today this was very clear.

“If we go back for a couple of years, we will see what words the
European friends were using in regard to the inner-political situation
in Armenia and what words they are using now. Mr. Jagland clearly
stated that Armenia moves on the right path”, the Vice Speaker said.

Sharmazanov reminded that the President in his speech at PACE said in
2018 the domestic political issues in Armenia concerned the European
lawmakers, and yes, during that time they were adopting different
resolutions, there was even a danger that some sanctions would be
imposed on Armenia. But today in PACE even no one questioned the
irreversibility of democratic processes, human rights in Armenia, the
existence of political will in fight against corruption.

“This is a result of our political will, that of civil society,
leadership, opposition, but first of all that of the leader of the
state and the implementation of a clear political line. In Strasbourg
the President mentioned several important principles, Armenia is
Europe with its value system. One of the main priorities of Armenia’s
domestic political agenda is the fight against corruption. Corruption
is a disease and challenge to our state. At the same time corruption
is not only typical to developing countries like ours, but also it’s
typical to such famous organizations like PACE. In Strasbourg the
President said with a regret that we have witnessed value crisis in
PACE, when the caviar or the oil dollars were much more convincing
than the democratic values and human rights”, Sharmazanov noted.

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Thursday


Azerbaijani authorities entered themselves into deadlock – Vice
Speaker Sharmazanov



YEREVAN, JANURY 25, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan, after almost every serious
international event, responds by provocation. This happened recently
after the meeting of the Armenian foreign minister Edward Nalbandian
and Azerbaijani foreign minister Elmar Mammadyarov, as well as after
the Geneva meeting (October 16, 2017), this also happened now, Eduard
Sharmazanov – Vice Speaker of the Armenian Parliament, told a press
conference in Armenpress.

“By this step Azerbaijan shows that it is not ready for constructive
talks, that their leaders say something around the negotiation table,
but in fact they became the victims of their own maximalist policy.
They entered themselves into a deadlock”, the Vice Speaker said.

While delivering remarks at PACE, the Armenian President said the
international community should help the Azerbaijani authorities to get
out of the maximalist situation. According to Sharmazanov, the
international community should help, but there is one truth – it’s
impossible to help someone who doesn’t want it.

“Here the problem is in the brains of the Azerbaijani leadership. They
became the victims of Armenophobic, racist policy. I don’t want to
inflame the passions, but I will say a very clear thing. Today if you
open the Azerbaijani textbooks, official websites and look at the
speeches of the Hitler leaders during 30s, you will see that Goebbels,
Hitler were replaced by Azerbaijani officials. Goebbels and Hitler
were just addressing their calls against the Jews, today the
Azerbaijani leadership makes such racist statements against
Armenians”, Eduard Sharmazanov said.

Sharmazanov said the vivid evidence of this is the elimination of tens
of thousands cross-stones in Julfa (Jugha).

“I am confident that the Armenian Army can maintain the balance by
both diplomatic and military means. If the concerned sides want
long-lasting peace in this region, Azerbaijan should be brought to the
constructive field , I don’t know whether it will be by making it
understand this, or by sanctions, pressures”, the Vice Speaker said.

Sharmazanov emphasized that such provocations can never affect the
political will of the citizens of Artsakh and Armenia. The aspiration
for freedom can never be questioned.

“All provocations cannot solve any issue. If the life of their soldier
has no value for them, for us, even a small injury of our soldier is
above all. The life of the citizen of Armenia and Artsakh is the most
expensive value”, he said.

The Armed Forces of Artsakh detected a reconnaissance penetration
attempt by Azerbaijani forces overnight January 25 in the defense
section of a military unit in the south-eastern (Kurapatkino)
direction of the line of contact. As result of preventive
countermeasures the Azerbaijani special forces were pushed back.
According to preliminary information, the Azerbaijani forces suffered
losses. Details are being clarified.

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Thursday


President Sargsyan's speech at PACE received positively by European MPs



YEREVAN, JANUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Arpine Hovhannisyan, head of the
Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe (PACE) says that President Sargsyan’s speech in the assembly
has received positive responses among European lawmakers.

“Today, already reflecting on the President’s speech at PACE, I can
say for the record that the speech, the signals in the speech, signals
addressed to the international community, his ideas on democratization
of Armenia and realization of reforms in the country and the
presentation of historic realities about the Nagorno Karabakh war by
he Armenian leader received a positive response among European
colleagues”, Hovhannisyan told ARMENPRESS.

She mentioned that there are several important emphases in the
president’s speech and the subsequent answers during the Q&A.

“Naturally, first I would like to point out the fact that the
president voiced from that platform that Armenia was able to succeed
in various integration processes and the agreement with the EU signed
on November 24 and the decision to join the EEU, essentially, are
combined realities. This is also very important from the point of view
that 5 years ago, when the President was again in PACE, and Armenia
had decided to join the Customs Union one month earlier, from this
very floor various discussions were held whether or not Armenia has
changed its priorities and substituted the European path with another
one. Both yesterday and on November 24 Armenia showed with the signed
agreement with the EU that it has succeeded as an honest partner and
was able to combine both”, she said.

She also highlighted the president’s remarks about the NK conflict in
terms of his personal contribution in the self defense and survival
struggle of the people of Artsakh.

“From this perspective I attach importance to the worthy response to
the Azerbaijani delegate”, she said.

Hovhannisyan also pointed out the part of the president’s speech about
the fight against corruption, reforms in the judicial sector, the
necessity of having an independent judicial system and Armenia’s
actions for it.