Tuesday, January 16, 2017 Armenia Recognizes Genocide Against Iraq's Yazidis Iraq -- Members of the Yazidi minority search for clues that might lead them to missing relatives in the remains of people killed by the IS jihadist group, a day after Kurdish forces discovered a mass grave near the Iraqi village of Sinuni, 3Feb2015. Armenia's parliament unanimously passed on Tuesday a resolution recognizing as genocide the 2014 mass killings of Yazidis in Iraq which were committed by the Islamic State (IS) extremist group. The National Assembly also called on the international community to track down and prosecute those directly responsible for the killings and "take measures to ensure the security of the Yazidi population." Thousands of Yazidis were seized by IS when it overran Iraq's northwestern town of Sinjar in August 2014, and most of them remain unaccounted for. The town was regained from IS in late 2015 and 30 mass graves of Yazidis have since been found there. But an unknown number of the ethnic minority, which practices a unique religion that IS considers heretical, was moved to neighboring Syria. The U.S. government officially declared in March 2016 that IS is "responsible for genocide" against Yazidis as well as Christians and other religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq and Syria. A subsequent report released by United Nations investigators similarly concluded that the Islamist militants' actions against Yazidis meet a 1948 UN convention's definition of genocide. Armenia - A session of the Armenian parliament in Yerevan, 15Jan2018. In its resolution, the Armenian parliament said it "recognizes and strongly condemns the genocide of the Yazidi people perpetrated by terrorist groups in 2014 in Iraqi territory controlled by them." The main sponsor of the resolution is Rustam Makhmudian, the parliament's sole ethnic Yazidi member representing the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK). Presenting the document to fellow lawmakers on Monday, Makhmudian drew parallels between the 2014 atrocities against Iraqi Yazidis and the 1915 Armenian genocide in the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Turks also killed and displaced many Yazidis during the First World War. Thousands of them fled to what is now the Republic of Armenia. There are an estimated 50,000 Yazidis living in Armenia at present, making them the country's single largest ethnic minority. Armenia - Ethnic Yazidi activists commemorate in Yerevan's Liberty Square the third anniversary of atrocities committed against their ethnic kin in Iraq, 3Aug2017. President Serzh Sarkisian condemned the mass killings and deportations of Iraqi Yazidis shortly after they were first reported in the summer of 2014. Sarkisian instructed Armenia's Foreign Ministry and diplomatic missions abroad to "redouble their efforts to adequately raise the issue in the international arena." The move followed a series of street protests staged by Yazidis in Yerevan. They said that the Armenian government is slow to react to the atrocities. In April 2016, leaders of Armenia's Yazidi community inaugurated a memorial in downtown Yerevan to Yazidis and other people massacred by the IS extremists. Said Avdalian, the leader of a Yazidi youth group, hailed the Armenian parliamentary resolution on Tuesday as a "historic event." Armenian President `Not Irreplaceable' For Tsarukian . Astghik Bedevian Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian visits a new leisure center built by businessman Gagik Tsarukian (R) in Tsaghkadzor, 20Dec2017. Gagik Tsarukian, the leader of Armenia's second largest parliamentary force, publicly disagreed on Tuesday with assertions that President Serzh Sarkisian is "irreplaceable" as the country's commander-in-chief. Senior representatives of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) have said in recent weeks that Sarkisian should stay in power in one way or another after completing his final presidential term in April. They say that nobody else can deal with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other security challenges facing the country as successfully as he has. "There are no irreplaceable people," Tsarukian said when asked by reporters to comment on such statements. "Put such questions to the Republican Party. In the [April 2017] parliamentary elections 55 percent of our people voted for the Republican Party. So they will decide, they will present [their candidate for the post of prime minister.]" The millionaire businessman, whose alliance finished second in the elections, would not say whether he thinks Sarkisian should become prime minister or let Prime Minister Karen Karapetian retain his post in April. He repeated only that it is up to the HHK to pick the next premier. Tsarukian was forced to leave the political arena nearly three years ago after challenging Sarkisian's hold on power. He returned to active politics ahead of the 2017 elections. The tycoon and his allies criticized government policies but avoided personal attacks on the president during the election campaign. Sarkisian has regularly attended the inaugurations of new businesses set up by Tsarukian in the last two years, raising questions about the Tsarukian Bloc's opposition credentials. Tsarukian confirmed that the bloc will not join a demonstration against the latest consumer price hikes in Armenia which will be held by another opposition alliance, Yelk, on Friday. He said that street protests cannot remedy the increased cost of living. He also argued that the Armenian parliament will hold soon hearings on the price hikes at the president's initiative. Bus Drivers In Yerevan Protest Against Higher Fuel Prices . Marine Khachatrian Armenia - Minibus drivers protest against higher fuel prices in Yerevan, 16Jan2018. Several dozen drivers of minibuses in Yerevan went on strike on Tuesday to protest against a sizable increase in fuel prices that has cut their incomes. The prices of gasoline, diesel fuel and liquefied natural gas, which is used by virtually all buses and minibuses in Armenia, went up on January 1 following the entry into force of higher excise duties on fuel set by a new national Tax Code. The gas price rise was particularly sharp, exceeding 16 percent. Yerevan's public transport system is dominated by minibuses belonging to private firms. Drivers working for them collect fares and pay their employees fixed amounts of money on a daily basis. Despite the price hike, the minibus fares set by the municipal administration remained unchanged at 100 drams (21 U.S. cents) per ride, translating into less revenue for the already underpaid drivers. "Let them cut the gas price so that we can keep working," said one of the protesting drivers that gathered on a street. "If you go to work but earn nothing will you turn up for work the next day?" complained another driver. Senior municipality officials met the protesters and urged them to end the strike. Alik Gevorgian, an aide to Yerevan Mayor Taron Markarian, said while the municipality cannot cut the fuel price it will try to get the minibus firms to ensure that the drivers do not end up earning less. "We will sort out all issues with your operators in an organized way," said Gevorgian. "Everything will be fine." The drivers responded to these assurances with skepticism. Still, they agreed to end the strike shortly afterwards, while warning of more such protests if their demands are not met. The municipality has pledged to embark by the end of this year on a radical overhaul of the city's outdated transport system. The battered and overcrowded minibuses are to be replaced by a centralized transport network consisting only of large and medium-sized buses. Deputy Mayor Vahe Nikoyan said in August that the municipal authorities hope to attract a "foreign investor" that would run the network. U.S., Armenia To Hold `Defense Consultations' Armenia - Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian (R) meets with U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills in Yerevan, 16Jan2018. U.S. and Armenian officials will meet later this year to discuss ways of continuing military cooperation between their countries, the Armenian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday. A statement released by the ministry said Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian and the U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Richard Mills, reached an agreement on the holding of "U.S.-Armenian defense consultations in Yerevan in the course of 2018." It said the consultations will be aimed at working out a "common vision for further cooperation" between the U.S. and Armenian militaries. That cooperation has deepened over the past decade despite Armenia's military alliance with Russia. Armenia currently contributesmore than 120 troops to NATO-led missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan and regularly participates in multinational exercises organized by U.S. forces in Europe. U.S. instructors have trained hundreds of Armenian soldiers mostly serving in a special peacekeeping brigade. The United States also helped to renovate the brigade's training center near Yerevan. It was inaugurated by Sargsian and a U.S. army general in October 2017. Armenia plans to join more peacekeeping missions abroad with specialized medical and demining units in the near future. They will undergo U.S. training before such deployment. In October 2016, Sargsian and Mills inaugurated a new paramedic school of the Armenian armed forces. U.S. instructors trained the first group of Armenian teaching personnel for the school in August 2015. According to the Defense Ministry statement, Sargsian briefed Mills on a seven-year plan to "modernize" the Armenian army which is expected to be adopted by his government later this month. The minister said Yerevan will seek to "develop cooperation with the U.S." as part of that plan. The statement gave no other details of the meeting. Sarkisian Drops First Hint On Next Armenian President . Emil Danielyan Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian meets with a group of intellectuals and artists in Yerevan, 16Jan2018. Armenia's next president must be a renowned but politically inexperienced individual who speaks foreign languages, President Serzh Sarkisian said on Tuesday. Sarkisian commented on his possible successor at a meeting with a group of elderly artists and intellectuals. "In Serzh Sarkisian's view, the future president must speak foreign languages, have broad connections in both Armenia and the [Armenian] Diaspora, enjoy a good reputation, and, most importantly, be an impartial person who has never engaged in politics and been a member of a political party," the presidential press office said in a statement. It did not cite him as naming anyone who he thinks would be fit for the post. Sarkisian will complete his second and final presidential term on April 9 in time for Armenia's transition to a parliamentary system of government. The next Armenian president will be elected by the parliament, rather than popular vote, by March 9 and have largely ceremonial powers. The parliament is controlled by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), putting Sarkisian in a position to install his choice of the next head of state. Meeting with parliamentary leaders last week, Sarkisian said his successor should enjoy "broad-based support" in the National Assembly. Armenian newspapers claimed late last year that Gagik Harutiunian, the chairman of Armenia's Constitutional Court, is Sarkisian's preferred presidential candidate. However, Harutiunian insisted in December that he has received no such offers and is not interested in the job. Some media outlets have since speculated that Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, who is fluent in English, French and Russian, may become president. Citing an unnamed government source, the Yerevan daily "Zhamanak" said on Tuesday Armenia's ambassador to Britain, Armen Sarkisian (no relation to the president), is also a potential candidate. Press Review "Zhoghovurd" claims that Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian has opted for a "political self-destruction" with his controversial decision to launch a fundraising campaign for the medical treatment abroad of a wounded Armenian soldier. The paper says that the uproar sparked by his initiative on social media has dealt an "extremely serious blow to his reputation." It says that the way in which he announced the fundraising and his ill-tempered responses to some Facebook users' comments "wrecked the entire process." "Haykakan Zhamanak" alleges, meanwhile, that the chief of the Armenian army's General Staff, Colonel-General Movses Hakobian, is behind "counterpropaganda" spread against Vigen Sargsian through some media outlets and Facebook. The paper claims that Hakobian may have also had a hand in a reported meeting of current and former senior military officials allegedly opposed to Sargsian's continued tenure. It says that one of those officials, Emergency Situations Minister Davit Tonoyan, wants Hakobian to be sacked too. "Zhamanak" reacts to Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's statement on Monday to the effect that Moscow will not try to impose a peace accord on Armenia and Azerbaijan. "Things are not clear-cut here because Moscow may not have a [Karabakh peace] plan but it does have a business plan and supplies weapons to Armenia and Azerbaijan," writes the paper. It says this encourages a more aggressive Azerbaijani stance and thereby keeps Armenia heavily dependent on Russian arms supplies. "Hraparak" says that 2018 promises to be a "tough year" for Armenia and its population. The paper singles out the increased prices of some essential products, denouncing the authorities' reaction to the price hikes. (Tigran Avetisian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
Category: 2018
International expert gives clarifications to questions on Amulsar
MediaMax, Armenia
Jan 15 2018
International expert gives clarifications to questions on Amulsar
Yerevan /Mediamax/. On January 12 Larry Breckenridge, registered professional engineer and international independent expert, presented details of the environmental management of the Amulsar project at Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia. Minister Artsvik Minasyan, Deputy Minister Erik Grigoryan and the experts of the ministry participated in the meeting.
The independent expert explained that all risks at Amulsar are manageable and that the project is being developed in line with good modern industry practice.
During the 3 hour meeting, all questions of concern around Amulsar were discussed, including the public concerns around Sevan Lake, impact on water resources, and acid rock drainage (ARD) management. Larry Breckenridge explained that ARD occurs naturally and is a common issue in many gold, silver or copper mining projects. Nevertheless, modern mining has the experience and means to manage the problem. In case of Amulsar, the risk of ARD is milder than in many other mining projects that are successfully controlling ARD. This is due to certain project specifics, such as fully-oxidized ore and the fact that only a portion of the barren rock is potentially-acid generating.
The detailed ARD management plan, that is a result of over seven years of extensive research on Amulsar, was presented. It ensures reliable protection of all surrounding water resources. The study determined that there is no significant water quality impact from the Amulsar project. This due to active pollution-prevention measures, state-of-the art water treatment, and the fact that mining-impacted water will be consumed by operations. Larry Breckenridge presented some successful examples of similar ARD management in mining projects in the US that use the same technology that Amulsar will employ.
The expert discussion was planned to be held between Lydian representatives and the authors of recent public reports criticizing the Amulsar project. However, despite a previously-expressed willingness, the authors of the reports refused to participate at the expert meeting. Armen Saghatelyan, the Director of the Ecological and Noosphere Studies Center was the only project critic that came to the meeting, however, he chose to leave at the start of the meeting, with no participation.
Larry Breckenridge is an expert with the US-based Global Resource Engineering. He is a Qualified Person (QP) under Canadian legislation. This status allows him to provide a legally binding opinion for feasibility studies and other documents required under the Securities Exchange Commission. Larry Breckenridge has more than 20 years of experience in mining environmental management internationally and is an author of many technical articles. He is one of the many internationally recognized qualified experts involved in the design and implementation of the environmental management of the Amulsar mine.
Lavrov: It’s up to the parties to resolve the Karabakh issue
Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 15 2018
15:13, 15 Jan 2018
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has called for additional measures to keep the situation on the line of contact [between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan] calm.
“I think it’s important to take additional measures to make the situation on the line of contact calmer. This would help move towards a political settlement,” Lavrov told a press conference, TASS reported.
The Foreign Minister considers that the Karabakh issue “cannot be solved once and for all with a single document.”
“We need a step-by-step approach that will reflect the agreement on the avenues of working on issues that require additional discussion with a view of reaching a final settlement, including the status of Nagorno Karabakh,” Lavrov said.
He added that diplomats have been working intensively and regularly to resolve the conflict.
“Russia cannot have concrete plans regarding the settlement of the conflict, as it is up to the parties to solve the issue,” he said.
According to the Minister, “Russia, along with other participants of the process, creates conditions for such settlement, comparing the parties’ positions in search for coinciding approaches and in an attempt to “suggest the compromises that can help the parties reach a common ground on issues they have been divergent on so far.”
“We hope to see such positive impulses coming from both countries [Armenia and Azerbaijan],” Sergey Lavrov stated.
Armenia’s next president to be elected on March 2
ARKA, Armenia
Jan 15 2018
Armenian Church celebrates Feast of the Birth of St. John the Baptist
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 15 2018
The Armenian Apostolic Church celebrates the birth of St. John the Baptist, Araratian Patriarchal Diocese reports. The birth is described in detail in the Gospel, according to Like (Lk 1:5-25). One day Zechariah, father of St John the Baptist, was doing his work as a priest in the Temple and was burning incense on the altar. An angel of the Lord appeared to him and said that God had heard his prayer and his wife would bear him a son. Zechariah had to name him John. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel as he was and old man, and his wife was old, too. And because he hadn’t believed the angel he became unable to speak and remained silent until the birth of John.
St. John the Baptist, who should baptize the Savior, had been aware and rejoiced for the birth of Jesus even before his birth. According to the Evangelist, when St. Mary, Holy Mother of God, visited Elizabeth, mother of St John the Baptist, the latter, being filled with the Holy Spirit cried out, “Why should this great thing happen to me, that my Lord’s mother comes to visit me? For as soon as I heard your greeting, the baby within me jumped with gladness” (Lk 1:43-44).
Continuation of the words of Elizabeth are the message of this feast addressed to all Christians throughout the world, “How happy you are to believe that the Lord’s message to you will come true!” (Lk 1:45).
Schoolkid with Armenian surname among the injured in Russian school
Pan Armenian, Armenia
Jan 15 2018
– 13:56 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – At least nine people were wounded, including a fourth grader with an Armenian family name, when two masked knifemen stormed a Russian school on Monday, January 15.
10-year-old Menula Abroyan, in particular, was injured in the attack, local media reports reveal.
The attack on a school in Perm, western Russia, was reportedly carried out by two teenagers who were “big fans” of the infamous Columbine school massacre in the US.
The pair are reported to have been detained after trying to take their own lives following the mass stabbing.
Pictures from the school depict blood spattered in the corridors amid claims the victims were stabbed in their necks or heads.
Russian FM: Karabakh conflict cannot be solved in one document
News.am, Armenia
Jan 15 2018
Russian FM: Karabakh conflict cannot be solved in one document Russian FM: Karabakh conflict cannot be solved in one document
14:17, 15.01.2018
Moscow considers it important to calm down the situation at the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told reporters on Monday.
This problem cannot be solved in one document, said the minister, adding that this issue needs a step-by-step approach that will determine ways to work on the matters that require additional discussion to achieve a final settlement, including the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, TASS reported.
According to the minister, Russia cannot have precise plans to resolve this conflict, because only the parties themselves can solve the conflict. According to the minister, Russia, together with other participants in the process, creates conditions for such a settlement, comparing the positions of the parties to seek coinciding approaches.
“We are waiting for a positive impetus to come from both countries,” he added.
Iranian company chosen to build bridge on Armenian – Georgian border
ARKA, Armenia
Jan 15 2018
Armenia Parliament deputy speaker: We need to be leader in fight against fake genocides
News.am, Armenia
Jan 15 2018
Armenia Parliament deputy speaker: We need to be leader in fight against fake genocides Armenia Parliament deputy speaker: We need to be leader in fight against fake genocides
13:37, 15.01.2018
YEREVAN. – The tasks, which are put before the draft statement on the condemnation of the genocide that the terrorist groups carried out against the Yazidi people in Iraq in 2014, are humanitarian and universal, first and foremost.
Armen Ashotyan, who is Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly (NA) of Armenia and also co-author of the said draft statement, on Monday noted about the aforementioned at the parliamentary debates of this draft statement.
NA Vice Chairman Eduard Sharmazanov, for his part, positively assessed the fact that the opposition and the authorities of Armenia have a single position on the genocide issue.
“I have no doubt that the draft will pass unanimously,” he noted, in particular. “We also need to be the leader against the genocide phenomenon and, more importantly, [against] the fake genocides about which various newly created states attempt to speak.”
EU urges Baku to respect its international commitments
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 15 2018
“The six-year sentence handed down to Azerbaijani journalist Afgan Mukhtarli poses serious questions as regards the exercise of fundamental rights including the freedom of _expression_ and media and due process of law in Azerbaijan,” the European Union External Action said in a statement released on Sunday.
The statements added the alleged abduction of Mr Mukhtarli in Georgia followed by his arrest and prosecution in Azerbaijan continues to demand thorough and transparent investigation.
“All cases of incarceration related to the exercise of fundamental rights should be reviewed urgently by Azerbaijan, followed by the release of all those concerned, in line with Azerbaijan's international commitments," read the statement.
To remind, investigative journalist Afgan Mukhtarli was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Mukhtarli was found guilty under three articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan: trespass of the state border, trafficking and resistance to officials. The journalist himself and his lawyers had denied all the charges, claiming that the Criminal Police officers had abducted Mukhtarli in Tbilisi on 29 May and handed him over to Azerbaijan’s special services.