Category: 2020

Everyone’s voice must be heard – Pashinyan on potential early election

Emil Lazarian

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 11:19,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The fate of the government should be determined by the people, and one of the ways of displaying the people’s _expression_ of will is parliamentary elections, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a primetime interview to Public TV’s Petros Ghazaryan.

“I am proposing a mechanism whereby everyone’s voice will be heard, and the correlation of these voices will be quantifiable and measurable. And, essentially, this is a mechanism of forming public solidarity. After all, what is the dispute about? The dispute is the following – who should decide the government’s fate. My presumption, and the presumption outlined by the Constitution, is that the people should determine the fate of the government,” Pashinyan said.

Asked whether or not changes will be implemented until early elections – Electoral Code, Constitution, stable majority, percentages – the PM said this should also become subject of discussion.

He said the parliament majority could solve these issues within the ruling faction. “But we want discussions to take place over these topics, and we want to hear out all viewpoints. We want to have substantial discussions about everything. For all this time, I haven’t avoided answering any question neither from reporters nor anyone else. People claim I am a traitor, they are chanting and accusing me of treason, and I am telling them all right, I am ready to face this accusation. Let the people decide whether or not I am a traitor. Am I avoiding any accusation? Electoral Code? Very well, I have my perception on how it should be, let others also say their perceptions. First of all the parliamentary forces, but of course the other forces should also voice their perceptions,” Pashinyan said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenia and Iran discuss bilateral cooperation

Maral Chavushian

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 12:54,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenian foreign minister Ara Aivazian and his Iranian counterpart Mohammad Javad Zarif held a phone conversation on December 28 to discuss “issues of bilateral cooperation and regional agenda,” the Armenian foreign ministry said in a news release.

Aivazian and Zarif also talked about regional security and stability.

“In this context the prospects of cooperation in the direction of addressing the new regional challenges were outlined. Mohammad Javad Zarif expressed the Iranian side’s condolences over the victims of the Artsakh war and extended condolences to the Armenian people. The interlocutors underscored the importance of further boosting mutual contacts and dialogue in various levels based on the centuries-old friendship between the two peoples. Mutual readiness for deepening close partnership in bilateral and multilateral formats was reaffirmed,” the foreign ministry said.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Artsakh strictly observes ceasefire: Defense Army on reports of resumed fighting in Hadrut

Garnik Tadevosian

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 13:07,

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. No unit, no servicemen of the Defense Army of Artsakh has participated in any operation on December 27 and 28, no shot was fired from the Armenian side, the Defense Ministry of Artsakh said in a statement, commenting on the Azerbaijani reports according to which an Armenian armed group has attacked the Azerbaijani forces.

“As we have stated hours before, we reiterate again that from yesterday up to this moment no unit and servicemen of the Artsakh Defense Army has participated in any operation, no emergency incident has taken place and no shot was fired from the Armenian side. In such circumstances, the statement released by the Azerbaijani defense ministry is nothing more than a propaganda provocation.

The Defense Army of Artsakh continues strictly observing the ceasefire regime”, the statement says.

Several Azerbaijani news outlets are reporting about alleged resumption of battles between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops near the village of Togh of the Hadrut region. The reports mention victims and wounded. Togh village is under the complete control of the Azerbaijani armed forces.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Armenian Ambassador, Iran’s Supreme National Security Council Secretary discuss regional affairs

Manouk Vasilian

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 15:54,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Ambassador to Iran Artashes Tumanyan has met on December 27 with Secretary of the Iranian Supreme National Security Council Ali Shamkhani, the Armenian Embassy reports on Facebook.

Ambassador Tumanyan briefed the Iranian official on the current situation in Armenia and Artsakh, as well as on the regional developments.

Mr. Shamkhani expressed the readiness of the Iranian authorities in deepening the cooperation between the two countries in such a difficult situation for Armenia, and reaffirmed Iran’s position on establishing stable and lasting peace.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

CivilNet: Life After War

Bedik Zaminian
CIVILNET.AM

11:02

The Second Artsakh War lasted for 44 days. During each of those days, people in Armenia and in Artsakh woke up anxiously for information from the frontline. For those who had family and friends serving in the army, checking the new list of names of fallen soldiers became a daily ritual. Life had suddenly stopped. Since the end of the war, however, towns and villages are attempting to settle back to their normal lives.

On November 9, following the signing of the trilateral statement by leaders of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan, several Armenian-controlled regions were handed over to Azerbaijan. Within a few weeks, these changes transformed Armenia's Syunik Province into a border region. Those who were born and lived in Syunik during the USSR remember a time when Azerbaijan was as close to them as it is now. 

In this new reality, most of the bordering villages face the same problem – the loss of pastures. It was common for villagers in Syunik to take their cattle to Artsakh, mostly towards pastures in Hadrut. Now, deprived of that land, many are forced to sell their animals.

In Syunik's Aravus village, there is another unusual scene – there is an area where Armenian and Azerbaijani servicemen are on duty on the top of the same mountain, only 20 meters away from each other. For now, there is no communication between them. 

But, Armenians in Aravus tell CIVILNET that they believe they can find common ground with their new neighbors.

Fifty three hectares of land from Aravus village is now under Azerbaijani control. Initially, village head Argam Hovsepyan negotiated with the Azerbaijani servicemen and managed to keep the area under Armenian control. But the agreements fell apart a week later and Armenians had to leave those lands. Hovsepyan is originally from Baku, Azerbaijan. He speaks Azerbaijani well and hopes that he'll be able to negotiate the return of the pastures to the community in the near future.

In another Syunik border village, Khoznavar, children show CIVILNET crew the Azerbaijani military positions. The villagers say that a few days ago, the Azerbaijani servicemen invited the Armenian soldiers to drink tea together. They don’t know whether the invitation was accepted or not.

Few kilometers away from Khoznavar is the village of Khnatsakh. One of the residents, Serzhik Ghazaryan, says that he will continue to live in the village. But asked whether it is possible to have a relationship with Azerbaijanis, he answered no. "As long as there is blood, it is impossible," he says. In this village, one can still see traces of the first Artsakh war from the 1990s. 

Syunik's Tegh village has one of the largest populations in the area. Here, as in other border communities, residents are still counting the losses of pastures and plains. 

Hovsep Ghazaryan's house in Tegh village is the closest to the border. Each day since the end of the war, his family wakes up to a clear view of new Azerbaijani military posts. 

There is a stark difference between the realities in Armenia’s capital Yerevan and the realities in Artsakh and in Armenia’s border. 

The struggle in Yerevan is a political one – the opposition is holding rallies demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. 

In this new reality, it is impossible not to remember the words of Soviet-Armenian writer Hrant Matevosyan: "To come, to arrive at the threshold of the third millennium and to not learn one lesson from 2000 years of trials? At no point in those 20 centuries, at any crucial moment, to be unable to take a step back, to add one ally, to remove one enemy… To suffer so much defeat yet not learn how to win?"

ANN/Armenian News Conversation with Tevan Poghosyan – 12/29/2020

Emil Lazarian

Armenian News Network / Armenian News


Conversation on Armenian News: Tevan Poghosyan on Diplomacy, War and The Way Forward


ANN/Armenian News


Guest

  • Tevan Poghosyan

  • Hovik Manucharyan

  • Asbed Bedrossian


Hello and welcome to the Armenian News Network, Armenian News. In this Conversations on Armenian News episode, we’ll be talking with political analyst Tevan Poghosyan on the post-war political outlook for Armenia.


This episode was recorded on Monday, .


Since the end of the first Nagorno-Karabakh war in 1994 and for over quarter of a century, Armenia has engaged in diplomatic activity with Azerbaijan, Turkey, Russia and the West. The aim of those diplomatic initiatives was to find a solution to the conflict by engaging in direct diplomatic negotiations as well as track two diplomacy.

In September 2020, diplomatic initiatives gave way to a military one resulting in a war that reversed Armenia’s military successes and led to the signing of a cease-fire agreement which completely undermined Armenia’s position vis-a-vis Azerbaijan and Turkey.

—

To understand the background of Armenia’s diplomatic activities before the war as well as to look at the future of Armenia’s role in the region, today we will discuss the challenges and opportunities faced by Armenia in the last two decades as well as the way forward. 

Today we’re joined by:

Tevan Poghosyan, who is President of the International Center for Human Development. Mr. Poghosyan was an MP at the National Assembly between 2012 and 2017 from the Heritage party. In 1997-1999 he served as the NKR Public Affairs Office Director in Washington, D.C.


As someone who has taught conflict resolution, reconciliation and track two diplomacy, could you please give us an overview of the initiatives and activities you were involved in or followed, on the issue of Armenian-Azerbaijani as well as Armenian-Turkish track two diplomacy?

How would you evaluate the state of the negotiations prior to the September war?

What were the key events that put us on a warpath?

What factors led to Armenia losing the war?

Since November 9, Armenia has been in an internal political turmoil with segments of society, including opposition parties, religious leaders, as well as many prominent public figures in Armenia and Diaspora have demanded the PM’s resignation. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister himself has been continuing with a “business as usual” attitude. What can you tell us about the internal political processes right now?

What do you think of Prime Minister Pashinyan’s offer to opposition parties to negotiate a date for snap parliamentary elections, without him resigning?

You have Artsakhtsi background, you were there during the war and you visit frequently. Can you tell us what life is like over there right now?

How can Armenia and Armenians overcome the current state of crisis?


That concludes this Conversation On Armenian News. We hope it was helpful in your understanding of some of the issues involved. We look forward to your feedback, including your suggestions for Conversation topics in the future. Contact us on our website, at groong.org, or on our Facebook Page “ANN – Armenian News”, or in our Facebook Group “Armenian News – Armenian News Network”.


Special thanks to Laura Osborn for providing the music for our podcast. On behalf of everyone in this episode, we wish you a good week. Thank you for listening and we’ll talk to you soon.

YouTube           Apple           Google         Spotify       Facebook

Tevan Poghosyan, International Center for Human Development, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Artsakh, Diplomacy

Additional: ICHD, Track Two Diplomacy, Artsakh War, Karabakh War, Vazgen Manukyan, Edmon Marukyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Elections, Resignation, Stepanakert, Scenario Based Planning, Armenian-Azerbaijani Relations, Armenian-Turkish Relations, Negotiations, Territories, Lavrov Plan, Madrid Principles, Kazan Document, OSCE Minsk Group, Failed State


Tevan Poghosyan, International Center for Human Development, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Artsakh, Diplomacy, ICHD, Track Two Diplomacy, Artsakh War, Karabakh War, Vazgen Manukyan, Edmon Marukyan, Nikol Pashinyan, Elections, Resignation, Stepanakert, Scenario Based Planning, Armenian-Azerbaijani Relations, Armenian-Turkish Relations, Negotiations, Territories, Lavrov Plan, Madrid Principles, Kazan Document, OSCE Minsk Group, Failed State

Chairman of Investigative Committee introduces his new deputy to staff

Emil Lazarian

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 16:03,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Armenia Hayk Grigoryan convened a consultation today with the participation of the leadership staff and structural sub-divisions of the Committee.

During the meeting Hayk Grigoryan introduced his new deputy Argishti Kyaramyan to the staff. Mr. Grigoryan congratulated Mr. Kyaramyan on appointment, wishing a productive activity and success in joint work.

“I am sure that Argishti Kyaramyan will be very useful with his experience and knowledge for solving the issues facing the Investigative Committee”, he said.

In turn Argishti Kyaramyan said: “Returning to the Investigative Committee is a great honor for me, especially at this very crucial period for the state”, he said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Artsakh search and rescue teams barred from entering Hadrut

Emil Lazarian

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 16:22,

STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 28, ARMENPRESS. The search and rescue teams of Artsakh’s State Service of Emergency Situations were barred from entering Hadrut.

“As planned, three teams were departing for search and rescue operations in the Hadrut direction,” State Service of Emergency Situations spokesperson Hunan Tadevosyan told ARMENPRESS. “We couldn’t contact the teams in the morning, however a short while ago we contacted them and it turned out that they weren’t allowed to go any further from the outskirts of the Shekher village. They are now returning.”

Several Azerbaijani news outlets reported earlier about alleged resumption of battles between Armenian and Azerbaijani troops near the village of Togh of the Hadrut region. The reports mention victims and wounded.

The Ministry of Defense of Armenia commented on the reports, noting:

“We remind that the village of Togh is under the complete control of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces.

The Artsakh Defense Army is strictly adhering to the ceasefire, no unit has taken part in any action in the given section, moreover, no emergency incident relating to the Artsakh Defense Army units was recorded.

Nevertheless, the Armenian side is attempting to find out additional information, not ruling out the possibility that we are dealing with an Azerbaijani information provocation.”

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan