Category: 2019

Artsakh’s friends meet in Stepanakert

Yeghisabet Arthur
Public Radio of Armenia
Oct 11 2019

On 11 October Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan was present at the opening of the “Cooperation for Justice and Peace” conference of Artsakh friends under way in Stepanakert.

“Today’s event is distinguished both by its content and the participant list. This is the pioneering pro-Artsakh forum, which has brought together, under the same roof, political, public, cultural figures, human rights advocates, scientists, analysts and journalists from different countries who support Artsakh. Here are members of the friendship groups and circles with Artsakh, representatives of administrative units and political forces having recognized the independence of the Artsakh Republic or have been cooperating with us,” the Presidnet said in his opening remarks.

“Remaining true to the democratic principles and humanitarian values, you have spared no effort supporting Artsakh for years, raising awareness about and rendering objective information on our country on diverse international platforms, carrying out activities towards the development of bilateral relations and the implementation of multifaceted programs in Artsakh,” he added.

The Presidnet expressed gratitude for their painstaking, highly appreciating their pursuit.

In this context, it is crucial to present once again our vision of the Artsakh Republic state-building process and our foreign policy imperatives, which is a unique roadmap for your work as well.

Referring Artsakh’s vision of state-building process and foreign policy imperatives, President Sahakyan said “building an independent, sovereign and strong state has always been the backbone of our state-building, our trinity with Armenia and the Diaspora, our commitment to democratic values and principles being among its pillars.” 

“The full-fledged security of Artsakh in all the dimensions is a must for us. Even the slightest decline in our security will tempt our opponents to launch a new aggression which itself is pregnant with unpredictable consequences. For this very reason security issues are top priority in the negotiation process too,” he stated.

He reaffirmed the commitment to peaceful settlement of relations with Azerbaijan around the negotiation table under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group. He reaffirmed that it is impossible to achieve real progress without restoring the full-fledged negotiation format with the direct participation of Artsakh. Obviously, the fate of Artsakh cannot be decided without its participation and there is no return to the past, both with respect to status and borders.

“The principles of balanced and multi-vectored approach remain at the root of the Artsakh Republic foreign policy,” President Sahakyan noted.

“Maintaining equally good-neighborly relations with Europe, the USA, Russia as well as regional states is a foreign strategy imperative for us. This stance is derivative from both the specificity of our region and the existence of the Armenian Diaspora,” he stressed.

Bako Sahakyan added that official Stepanakert will continue placing special emphasis on forging and enhancing relations with different countries and states and their administrative units.

Artsakh FM: Isolation is the continuation of war

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 11 2019

"Today's event will serve as a signal to the international community that isolating [Artsakh] and depriving its citizens of international cooperation opportunities is inadmissible,” Artsakh Republic Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan said in his speech delivered at the “Cooperation for Justice and Peace” Forum of Artsakh Friends being held in Stepanakert on Friday.

According to the minister they strongly believe isolation is the continuation of war, while cooperation is the basis for peace.

"It is our common task to work on strengthening this foundation for the peaceful future of the whole region," Mayilyan said.

The official expressed gratitude to the forum participants for backing Artsakh during its hardest times, contributing to the development of Artsakh's international relations and supporting the aspiration of Artsakh Armenians for freedom and justice.

Glendale Community College can now commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Ophelia Vardapetian
Glendale News Press, Los Angeles
Oct 10 2019
Glendale Community College can now commemorate Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

David Viar, left, superintendent/president of Glendale Community College, spoke in Sacramento in June in support of SB 568, which was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom on Tuesday evening. The bill was authored by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge), right, and allows Glendale Community College to observe Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day on April 24 without having to take a $500,000 hit for closing the school.
(Courtesy of Anthony Portantino)

By Andrew J. Campa
Oct. 10, 2019
           

For years, while the Glendale Unified School District and other Jewel City public entities have observed Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day every April 24, Glendale Community College has remained open because of financial constraints.

That’s about to change, however, as Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill 568 into law Tuesday evening, which allows the roughly 27,000-student community college to close its doors on April 24 without costing the school state funding.

The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Anthony Portantino (D-La Cañada Flintridge).

“Two years ago, I was honored to have been asked by GCC board members to help offset the cost of closing on April 24,” Portantino said in a statement released Tuesday evening.

Advertisement

“Today, I am very proud to have sent a bill to the governor to help our Armenian community, greater community, the faculty, administrators, and students of GCC solemnly and appropriately commemorate the Armenian Genocide without unnecessary financial pressure,” he added.

Glendale College board member Armine Hacopian was a key advocate in starting the process.

“When I first approached Sen. Portantino several years ago about this issue, he made a commitment to see it through as he appreciated its value for our students and employees to commemorate April 24th without causing loss of funding to GCC,” Hacopian said.

Prior to the bill, Glendale Community College held classes on April 24 because shutting down the campus would have cost approximately $500,000, according to school estimates.

Advertisement

“GCC will use this legal day of remembrance, and other opportunities throughout the year, to educate our students and communities about the Armenian Genocide to assure such atrocities never happen again,” said David Viar, superintendent/president of Glendale Community College, who spoke to lawmakers in Sacramento in June.

An important day in Glendale, April 24 is annually dedicated worldwide to commemorate the 1.5 million Armenians murdered by the Ottoman Turks between 1915 and 1923.

No other state in the country has a larger portion of the Armenian diaspora, with many calling Glendale home.

Approximately 37% of Glendale Community College‘s credit students and 49% of non-credit students are of Armenian heritage, according to staff reports, which is higher than the 39% of city residents and 36% of Glendale Unified students who are of Armenian descent.

“April 24 is of great significance to our student body and to know that our community leaders recognize this is of great importance to us,” said Sune Aghakian, Associated Student Body president at Glendale Community College, after Newsom’s approval of the measure.

“Acknowledging April 24th as a day of remembrance will allow us to educate and recognize the historic and significant perseverance of our Armenian-American community,” Aghakian added.

Portantino’s bill provides Glendale Community College with the same flexibility afforded the Glendale Unified School District.

Glendale Unified has recognized Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day since the 2013-14 school year as the California Education Code has allowed the district to swap the day of schooling with a holiday as long as the district completes 180 instructional service days.

Advertisement

Glendale Community College has a lower threshold and can now exchange the day as long as the institution completes a minimum of 175 instructional service days. Last school year, Glendale Community College totaled 178 days.

Glendale Unified’s board wasn’t passive, however, in its support of the change at the local college and mailed a letter to state Sen. Connie Leyva (D-Chino), chair of the senate education committee, in favor for SB 568 in August.

“We are extremely grateful that the senator championed this issue and enabled us to commemorate the Armenian Genocide by closing our campuses without incurring a financial penalty,” said Vahe Peroomian, Glendale Community College board president, in a statement released Tuesday evening.

Karabakh President: Artsakh’s fate cannot be decided without its participation

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Oct 11 2019
Karabakh President: Artsakh’s fate cannot be decided without its participation Karabakh President: Artsakh’s fate cannot be decided without its participation

11:37, 11.10.2019
                  

Obviously, the fate of Artsakh cannot be decided without its participation. President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), Bako Sahakyan, on Friday stated this at the opening of the “Cooperation for Justice and Peace” Forum of Artsakh Friends, in capital city Stepanakert.

The Artsakh President noted that this is the pioneering pro-Artsakh forum, which has brought together political, public, cultural figures, human rights advocates, scientists, analysts, and journalists from various countries, and who support Artsakh. He added that here there were members of the friendship groups and circles with Artsakh, representatives of administrative units and political forces having recognized the independence of the Artsakh Republic, or have been cooperating with it.

“Remaining true to the democratic principles and humanitarian values, you have spared no effort supporting Artsakh for years, raising awareness about and rendering objective information on our country on diverse international platforms, carrying out activities towards the development of bilateral relations and the implementation of multifaceted programs in Artsakh,” Sahakyan said. “We are grateful to you for all the painstaking work you carry out, we highly appreciate your pursuits and are glad to have friends like you.” 

In his words, the discussion points on the forum agenda touch upon virtually all the domains of Artsakh’s activities and, in this context, it is crucial to present once again the vision of Artsakh’s state-building process.

“The full-fledged security of Artsakh in all the dimensions is a must for us,” the President said. “Even the slightest decline in our security will tempt our opponents to launch a new aggression which itself is full of unpredictable consequences. For this very reason security issues are top priority in the negotiation process, too.

“I would like to reaffirm our commitment to peaceful settlement of relations with Azerbaijan around the negotiating table under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group. It should be mentioned that it is impossible to achieve real progress without the restoration of the full-fledged negotiation format with the direct participation of Artsakh. Obviously, the fate of Artsakh cannot be decided without its participation, and there is no return to the past, both with respect to status and borders.”

The President of Artsakh recalled that the principles of balanced and multi-vectored approach remain at the root of the Artsakh foreign policy. 

“Maintaining equally good-neighborly relations with Europe, the USA, Russia as well as regional states is a foreign strategy imperative for us,” he added.

In his words, in its foreign policy realm Stepanakert will continue placing special emphasis on forging and enhancing relations with various countries and states and their administrative units.

Among the priority issues Bako Sahakyan noted the close cooperation between Armenia, Artsakh, and the Diaspora

“We have lot more work to do and diverse issues to solve, however, they are very much realistic,” the President of Artsakh concluded. “I am confident that we will succeed in solving them efficiently.”

Armenia’s PM condemns distortion of history by Azerbaijani president, describes it as disrespect toward Armenia and heads of CIS countries

Adrine Hakobian
Aysor, Armenia
Oct 11 2019

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan strictly condemned the speech of Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev in Ashkhabad at the summit of the council of CIS heads of states, describing it as disrespect toward the CIS heads of states.

“We are against biased interpretation of historic developments but unfortunately we have seen such attempts in the speech of Ilham Heydarovich,” Pashinyan said, in response to Aliyev’s claims that Armenian public, political and military figure Garegin Nzhdeh was a fascist.

“An impression from Ilham Aliyev’s speech is that Hitler had a secondary role in the Great Patriotic War and Garegin Nzhdeh was the leader of fascist movement,” the PM stressed, adding that Nzhdeh was fighting against Turkish occupation of Armenia, against Armenian Genocide organized and conducted by Turkey.

The Armenia PM also stressed that in 1918 with many Russian officers Nzhdeh was heading one of the important sectors of the front during the Armenian-Turkish war.

“The knowledge of objective assessment of the history is very important. It is said that Nzhed died in Vladimir jail. Many soviet figures died there. Do we consider all those convicted from 1937-1950 people’s enemies? If so many outstanding figures were convicted during that period and died in jails, but it does not mean that what they did is a fact,” Pashinyan said, adding that he considers improper to use this format for distortion of history to bring tension to the summit.

“The words of the Azerbaijani president is a manifestation of disrespect first of all toward Armenian people, heads of states and peoples present here. I am sorry for such tension, I am not the author of it,” Pashinyan said.

In his speech Aliyev said that Armenia glorifies fascism and the proof of it is the monument to “fascist Garegin Nzhdeh in the downtown Yerevan.”

Armenia’s PM, Azerbaijani president discuss prospect of Karabakh conflict settlement in Ashkhabad

John Hovhannisian
Aysor, Armenia
Oct 11 2019

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev had a conversation in Ashkhabad today, PM’s spokesperson Vladimir Karapetyan told Aysor.am.

“The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan talked during the official dinner in Ashkhabad. Nikol Pashinyan and Aliyev talked about the prospect of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement,” Karapetyan said.

Earlier Armenia’s PM reiterated that the settlement resolution must be acceptable for the peoples of Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan.

Armenia to be represented by 15 athletes at Military World Games 2019

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 11 2019
Sport 17:19 11/10/2019 Armenia

The 7th CISM World Games will be held in Wuhan, Chine from 15 to 30 October 2019 with around 10,700 athletes from 105 countries expected to participate. As the ministry of education, science, culture and sport reports, Armenia will be represented by 15 athletes who will compete in 4 sports.

To note, the Military World S Games are a multisport event organised every four years, one year before the year the Olympic Games are organised. The event is based on the CISM and Olympic spirit, without political, religious and racial consideration nor discrimination.

Armenia condemns Turkey’s military invasion of Syria

David Nargizian
JAM News
Oct 11 2019
JAMnews, Yerevan
Artur Xachatryan

The diplomatic mission in Syria is prepared to organize an urgent evacuation of compatriots from settlements under fire

Armenia condemns the Turkish troops’ invasion of Syria, according to a message from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia. The Prime Minister also called on the international community to take every measure to stop the Turkish invasion.

Armenia’s humanitarian mission in Syria continues, with Armenian doctors and engineers fulfilling their daily responsibilities.

Armenia’s diplomatic mission in Syria has organised an urgent evacuation of compatriots in the line of fire, especially from the cities of Tel Abyad and Kamyshly.

Turkey launched a military operation in northeast Syria to create a ‘safe zone’ along its borders. The attack hit more than 200 targets using heavy weapons, including aircraft and artillery. Washington said it would not obstruct the Turkish military, and began to withdraw its troops from this territory. In this situation, an escalation of the conflict between Turkey and the Syrian Kurds, who now control the northeast of Syria, now poses a real threat.

• Syria as the way out

The MFA stated:

“This invasion will lead to a further deterioration of regional security, as well as civilian casualties, a large flow of displaced people and, ultimately, a new humanitarian crisis.”

This military invasion, according to the MFA’s statement, creates the conditions for severe and large-scale human rights violations against another ethnic group.

“Armenia calls for effective international efforts to end this military invasion, prevent mass atrocities and protect the Syrian population on the border of Turkey.”

In addition, that statement reiterated Yerevan’s continued humanitarian assistance to the Syrian people.

Yerevan has delivered humanitarian assistance to Damascus since the start of the war. The assistance is for civilians suffering from the fighting.

Armenia has emphasised that its presence in Syria is one of peacebuilding only through humanitarian activities.

“Assistance will be provided exclusively outside the combat zone. Armenian specialists will carry out humanitarian activities such as clearing mines and educating local people about the mines, as well as the provision of medical care in Aleppo.”— declared Armenia’s press secretary for the Ministry of Defense, Artsrun Hovhannisyan .

PM Nikol Pashinyan also declared that Armenian specialists will not be placed in combat:

“This is an exclusively humanitarian programme and has no military significance. We intend to implement this programme with what is possible in the country’s budget. All costs are included in the draft budget for 2019.”

After the completion of the active phase of hostilities in Syria in February 2019, Armenia sent a humanitarian mission there. There is a group of engineers and doctors – 83 people in total.

• Alarm bells ring for Pankisi gorge – the echo of the Syrian war reaches Georgia

Armenia’s condemnation of the invasion of Turkish troops in the territory of Syria was announced on 10 October by the Prime Minister of Armenia:

“We are concerned about the situation, since, according to our research, such actions will further deepen the humanitarian crisis in Syria.”

Pashinyan believes that the international community needs to take steps to stop the illegal Turkish invasion and protect Syrian citizens living along the border with Turkey, including national minorities.

“In this context, I want to note that Armenia in Aleppo (Syria) is implementing a successful humanitarian mission, and we will continue to do so,” Pashinyan reiterated.

The continuation of the humanitarian mission was also confirmed by Nazeli Elbakyan, who is responsible for public relations at the Centre for Humanitarian Demining and Expertise:

“I spoke with the head of the humanitarian mission in Syria. The mission operates as usual … The mission has not received any other instructions. Armenian doctors and engineers continue their daily work in Aleppo.”

Armenia’s government decided that citizens of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq could receive Armenian citizenship in their respective countries.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Avet Adonts explained that in 2012, the government made a similar decision, and citizens of Syria, Lebanon and Iraq could obtain citizenship and passports in the embassies or consulates of Armenia in these countries. However, that policy was only in place until 31 December  2018. Adonts noted that:

“Given the internal situation and the tension in these countries, it is necessary to extend this decision so that citizens of these countries can obtain Armenian passports at the embassies and consulates of their countries through 31 December 2019.”

On 10 October, according to Syrian media agency Sana, eight civilians, including women and children, were killed and 20 injured in shelling.

Information became available about the Armenians who live in settlements affected by the shelling of Turkish troops.

The head of the parliamentary commission on education, science, culture, youth and sports, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, shared information on his Facebook page.

Referring to Armenia’s Chief Consular in Syria, Armen Sargsyan, Mkhitaryan said that the Armenian mission in Syria is prepared to organise an urgent evacuation of compatriots.

“About 16 Armenian families were shelled by Turkish troops in the city of Tel Abyad in northern Syria … In addition, the city of Kamyshli, where there are also many Armenians, is also under fire,” Mkhitaryan wrote.

Later, it turned out that 13 out of 16 families had already left Tel Abyad, while the Kamyshli Armenians — more than 400 families — had not yet agreed to leave their homes.


Armenian Families Evacuated as Turkey Continues to Pounce on Syrian Targets

Karapet Navasardian
  • Armenia

    •  

  • Featured Story

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

6 hours ago

A map of the Turkish incursion in Syria and its imagined security zone

As Turkey continued its attack on cities in northeastern Syrian on Thursday, Armenians living in the Tel Abyad, Ras al-Ayn and Qamishli are caught in the crossfire, but are being evacuated.

Of the 16 Armenian families living in the Syrian city of Tel Abyad, 13 have voluntarily evacuated and are on their way to the Hasakah province and Aleppo, Armen Melkonyan, the Armenian foreign ministry’s director of the Middle East and Africa desk told Azatutyun.am.

Melkonyan pointed out that the most densely Armenian-populated city in northeastern Syria is Qamishli, which has a population of around 3,000 Armenians—approximately 400 to 420 families. He explained that Qamishli came under attack once on Wednesday and that because Syrian government forces are controlling the area, the need for evacuating the area has not arisen yet.

“Our embassy in Damascus is in constant contact with the [Qamishli] community leaders and they, at this juncture, do not want to evacuate because there is no imminent danger yet,” explained Melkonyan.

There are reports that Armenian families in Ras al-Ayn have also begun evacuation procedures

“We are following the developments. We are working with the Armenian prelacies both in Damascus and Aleppo to provide our compatriots, who want to move from Syria’s north, with temporary shelters and give them necessary aid,” said the Armenian Embassy in Damascus in a Facebook post on Thursday.

“Dozens of Armenian families have already left their home from the city of Tell Abyad which is under direct attack and moved to safer ground, such as Aleppo and Hasakah. As of this moment there is no task to immediately evacuate our compatriots,” added the Armenian Embassy in Damascus.

Yerevan Condemns Turkey’s Attack on Northeastern Syria

Parkev Tvankchian
  • Armenia

    •  

  • Featured Story

    •  

  • International

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

6 hours ago

Scene of destruction in Syria from Turkey’s attack

Official Yerevan on Thursday strongly condemned Turkey’s brutal attack on northeastern Syria, which is in its second day and is impacting regions with Armenian civilian population.

During Thursday’s cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called on the international community to take practical steps to stop what he termed to be an “illegal operation.”

“Yesterday the Turkish armed forces invaded Syria. Armenia’s foreign ministry has already issued a relevant statement. I want to state, once again, that Armenia condemns this invasion by Turkey, and we are concerned with the situation because in our view this action will further deepen the humanitarian crisis in Syria. We call on the international community to take practical steps to stop this illegal operation and protect the citizens of Syria, including the national minorities, as well as their rights along the border with Turkey,” Pashinyan said.

The prime minister said that the Armenian humanitarian mission dispatched this year to Aleppo, will continue its mission.

The Armenian foreign ministry announcement that Pashinyan was referencing strongly condemned Turkey’s unilateral attack on Syria.

“The plight of ethnic and religious minorities is of particular concern,” said the statement by Armenia’s Foreign Ministry. “This military invasion also creates an imminent threat of identity based grave and massive violations of human rights.”

The foreign ministry called on the international community to take “effective steps aimed at halting this military invasion, prevent mass atrocities and protect the population of Syria on the borders of Turkey.”

“Armenia supports the unity and sovereignty of Syria and urges Turkey to refrain from military offensive against Syria and its people,” said the foreign ministry. “Armenia will continue to provide humanitarian assistance to the friendly people of Syria on the ground.”

The Armenia’s National Security Council director Armen Grigoryan told reporters that his body will discuss the matter of ensuring the security of Armenians living in Syria.

“At the moment there is a need to discuss and identify how we can ensure the security of Armenians living in Syria, as well as to understand what kind of assistance we can provide. We will develop the discussions in a more detailed way in the Office of the Security Council and will hold more thorough discussions at the end of the day,” Grigoryan told reporters on Thursday after the cabinet meeting.

“Turkey’s military operations in Syria launched on October 9 are not only illegal and should be condemned as a gross violation of the international law, but they also directly affect the security of the Armenian communities in several areas,” Armenia’s High Commissioner on Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan said in an statement on Thursday.

“Due to the bombings and land offensive the existence of the Armenian communities in Syria’s north-eastern Hasakah district is in danger. The Armenian government is engaged in the efforts to ensure the safety of Armenians and Armenian communities in Syria. Armenia and its people stand together with their compatriots and will do the utmost to ensure their security,” added Sinanyan.

The High Commissioner of Diaspora Affairs told Armenpress that he was in contact with both Armenian community leaders and Armenia’s diplomatic representatives in Syria and is being updated as events unfold.

“I have updates that the Armenian residents of the town of Tell Abyad have left and are moving toward Aleppo. Our compatriots in Qamishli are still in their region. Let me note that unlike Qamishli, where only bombardments are taking place, ground operations are already taking place around Tell Abyad,” Sinanyan told Armenpress.

“Sixteen Armenian families from Tell Abyad are approaching Aleppo. We will contact them individually as soon as they reach Aleppo. There are around 430 Armenian families in Qamishli, with whom we maintain contact through our diplomatic representatives,” explained Sinanyan.

“The Office of the High Commission of Diaspora Affairs is cooperating and will cooperate with other [governmental] agencies in order to create the safest conditions for our compatriots and, most important, in order not to have human losses,” added Sinanyan.

Nazerli Elbakyan, the spokesperson for Armenia’s humanitarian mission in Syria, told news.am that operations of the group have not been halted due to the Turkish attacks and Armenian medical professionals and demining experts continue their daily activities in Aleppo.