21:17, 5 January, 2022
YEREVAN, 5 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. By the decision of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Karen Manukyan has been appointed as Deputy Governor of Shirak province, ARMENPRESS reports the decision of the Prime Minister is published on the website of the Government of Armenia .
https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1072350.html?fbclid=IwAR3ucSIBdKv1hlAXHyojj_RrcBXZdKkjdnSJamfbe1EIYWiprXXZP1zsb74
Kazakhstan declares state of emergency throughout of the country
21:30, 5 January, 2022
YEREVAN, 5 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. A state of emergency has been declared throughout Kazakhstan, ARMENPRESS reports "Mir 24" TV channel informed, citing "Sputnik Kazakhstan".
According to TASS, eyewitnesses reported that protesters in Almaty seized the building of the local headquarters of the National Security Committee.
Earlier, the protesters set fire to Almaty's Branch of National TV Channel of Kazakhstan. They also stormed the former president's residence in the former capital, Almaty, as well as the Almaty administration building. Protests in Kazakhstan began on January 2 over the sharp rise in liquefied natural gas prices in the southwestern cities of Zhanaozen and Aktau. Two days later, riots broke out in Almaty, where police used light and sound grenades to disperse the crowd, as in other cities.
Wednesday, January 5, 2022
Government Pressing Ahead With COVID-19 Health Pass
• Gayane Saribekian
Armenia - Pedestrians wear mandatory face masks in Yerevan, November 2, 2021.
The Armenian government will introduce after all a mandatory coronavirus health
pass for entry to cultural and leisure venues, Health Minister Anahit Avanesian
announced on Wednesday.
Avanesian said that her ministry will publicize a relevant directive on January
10. “It will come into force within the next 15 days,” she told a cabinet
meeting in Yerevan.
The decision means that only those people who have been vaccinated against
COVID-19 or have had a recent negative test will be allowed to visit bars,
restaurants and other public venues. It is part of government efforts to boost
Armenia’s vaccination rate, which remains one of the lowest in Europe and
Central Asia.
In Avanesian’s words, only 722,409 making up roughly a quarter of the country’s
population have been fully vaccinated so far. More than 224,000 others have
received only the first dose of a vaccine.
The vaccination process accelerated after the government began requiring on
October 1 virtually all workers to get inoculated or take frequent coronavirus
tests at their own expense.
Armenia - Health Minister Anahit Avanesian visits the Armenian company Liqvor
producing Sputnik Light vaccine, Yerevan, December 6, 2021.
The Armenian Ministry of Health first announced plans for the health pass in
November, prompting strong criticism from some restaurants and other affected
entities. The requirement was initially expected to take effect on January 1.
The ministry is pressing ahead with the measure despite a significant drop in
coronavirus cases and deaths recorded in recent weeks. It has reported between
100 and 150 cases a day for the last two weeks, sharply down from over 2,000
daily cases recorded in late October.
Only three Armenians died from COVID-19 on Tuesday, according to the ministry. A
record 62 deaths caused by the disease were registered on November 2.
“If we don’t continues vaccinations in a proper manner, the [coronavirus] crisis
will inevitably return,” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said, commenting on
Avanesian’s announcement.
Pashinian noted in this regard that Armenian authorities have not yet detected
any cases of the more contagious Omicron variant of the virus.
“I can hardly imagine that variant not entering Armenia,” he said.
Armenian Retailers Ignore Ban On Plastic Bags
• Robert Zargarian
Armenia - A woman in Yerevan carries groceries in plastic bags, January 5, 2022.
Supermarkets and other shops in Armenia continued to provide or sell plastic
bags to customers on Wednesday five they days after such items were legally
banned.
The ban, effective from January 1, stems from a 2020 law aimed at reducing
plastic waste and its serious damage to the environment. It means that shoppers
can get only single-use bags made from recycled paper or other organic materials.
There was little evidence in Yerevan of retailers’ compliance with the new
requirement. Supermarket chains and grocery stores across the city clearly did
not abandon plastic bags.
“No, they didn’t offer me any alternative,” a man carrying groceries in such a
bag told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service as he left a shop.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Environment Minister Hakob Simidian touted
the ban’s entry into force during a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan. But they
seemed to acknowledge problems with its enforcement.
Pashinian stressed that it is local government bodies, rather than state
inspectorates subordinate to the central government, that are supposed to ensure
retailers’ compliance with the requirement. He told Minister for Territorial
Administration Gnel Sanosian and provincial governors to make this clear to city
mayors and other community heads.
Pashinian warned that the government will task its inspectorates with enforcing
the ban if local authorities fail to do the job.
Cigarette Sales In Armenia Regulated
• Artak Khulian
The Armenian government pledged to enforce on Wednesday major restrictions on
cigarette sales designed to curb widespread smoking in the country.
Starting from January 1, Armenian supermarkets, smaller shops and kiosks are not
allowed to display cigarette packs on their shelves. Nor can they advertise
tobacco brands, e-cigarettes and vaporizers in any way.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stressed the importance of the ban at the start
of a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan. Pashinian said relevant government
inspectorates must ensure retailers’ compliance with it.
“We are doing everything to get people to forget about buying cigarettes,” he
said.
Health Minister Anahit Avanesian said the new restrictions should specifically
help to prevent many minors and other young Armenians from becoming smokers.
Davit Melik-Nubarian, a public health expert, welcomed the measure. “This is the
right path,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “Those who have travelled abroad
must have noticed that such regulations are in force in Russia and European
Union countries and they are really effective.”
Armenia is a nation of heavy smokers, with few restrictions on tobacco sales and
use enforced to date. According to the Ministry of Health, 28 percent of the
country’s adult population are regular smokers. Medics blame this for a high
incidence of lung cancer among Armenians.
A study jointly conducted by the ministry, the United Nations and other
international organizations found that each year smoking-related diseases kill
about 5,500 people in the country of about 3 million.
The sales restrictions stem from a law drafted by the Ministry of Health and
passed by the Armenian parliament about two years ago. The law also banned
smoking in cafes, restaurants and all other indoor public places. The ban’s
entry into force was delayed until March 2022.
Melik-Nubarian said the government should also sharply raise taxes on tobacco.
“Unfortunately, cigarette prices in Armenia are the lowest in the region,” he
said.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
First published in the Jan. 1 print issue of the Glendale News Press.
By Ani Duzdabanyan
Glendale News-Press
Under the dim lights surrounded by art works and antiquities dating back hundreds of years, Arpenik Hakobyan recently presented her new program — “In Love by Christmas” — at the Pasadena Antique Warehouse.
For the show, Hakobyan — an Armenian American musician well known for her work with Cirque Du Soleil — performed jazz versions of well-known Christmas songs. She and the band — composed of drums, piano, bass guitar and cello — performed via Carpet Jam, a music platform created by a Glendale-based contractor. This intersection of endeavors by Armenian Americans, which could have a global reach, might just shift the musical landscape — at least, that’s their goal.
After a successful 42-year career in planning and construction, Arthur Aghadjanians traveled to Armenia in February 2020 for a development project but had to stay there longer than he planned — the coronavirus pandemic began, and all flights out were canceled. He knew only a few people, and the 12-hour time difference made it difficult for him to communicate with his family in Glendale. In order to pass time and to entertain himself, Aghadjanians turned to his passion — music — and started to write songs, something that he said he always wanted to do but never had a chance because of the busy life stateside.
Photos courtesy Lilit Mansuryan
Carpet Jam, created by Glendale-based contractor Arthur Aghadjanians, aims to bring Armenian musicians’ performances to a global audience.
Little did he know that it was going to be a life-changing opportunity for him.
Eventually, Aghadjanians was able to engage with musicians and singers who started to perform his songs and their own original works on a platform that Aghadjanians ultimately called “Carpet Jam.”
“Carpet is something that everybody has,” he explained, referencing Armenia’s famous rugs, “and jam simply indicates that musicians are gathering together and having fun.”
Aghadjanians said he took many music classes when he was young, but he never had the opportunity to play professionally. He graduated from the University of Southern California with a degree in building science and dedicated his whole career to construction. It turned out that his training in planning and building was crucial in his new career.
“The song writing starts with a plain piece of paper. You put on the words, chords and suddenly you create something,” he said, adding emphatically, “You construct a song!”
With Carpet Jam, Aghadjanians said he aims to create a bridge between the diaspora and homeland, where all the musicians and artists can unite and create art together. He said he is convinced that no matter how big the platform becomes in Armenia — with a population around 3 million — it can’t be as effective without the involvement of the worldwide diaspora, which numbers 5 million. Aghadjanians is returning to Armenia at the end of January, from where he will take the platform to Russia and its Armenian population of at least 2 million.
“There has to be an internationally recognized platform that is Armenian and connects everyone to Armenia. Everybody knows what [NPR’s] Tiny Desk is, and it’s a U.S. thing,” Hakobyan said, during a break from her performance. “This is my way of bringing awareness to my country and involving the diaspora. Culture is just as important as everything that we are trying to do.”
Photos courtesy Lilit Mansuryan
Arpenik Hakobyan, known for her work with Cirque du Soleil, performs jazz versions of popular Christmas songs at a recent show.
Her vision of Carpet Jam, Hakobyan added, is a music festival that can take place in Glendale, Fresno, Montreal, Yerevan and many other places.
“It’s a platform that can go everywhere,” she said.
This concert is one of the many that Pasadena Project has organized throughout 10 years of developing a creative laboratory for artists, producing events and promoting cultural exchange. Started around 20 years ago as a dream project in the back yard of founder Karmen Kameiyan (also called Karmen Yerevanci), Pasadena Project now collaborates with Chris Agazaryan, owner of the Pasadena Antique Warehouse.
With a rustic interior decorated with constantly changing exhibitions, a bar assembled with parts of an old red Chevrolet and backed by an antique mirror conveniently located in the corner, the shop/concert venue has proved an effective space to host 80-100 guests who can reconnect with culture over a glass of wine. As if illustrating that, Aghadjanians surveyed the room with visible excitement, concluding that everything seemed just right for his new adventure.
“Music speaks to you,” he said. “It takes emotions out of you that you never knew you had.”
Connections between the Kremlin and Europe’s far right have become a topic of great debate in recent years. Despite this, the far right’s extensive support for Armenia in last year’s conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh largely went unnoticed by the continent’s media.
January 5, 2022 - Taras Kuzio
Vladimir Putin’s Russia has become a focal point for mobilising the extreme right in the West. At the same time, Moscow has castigated the Euromaidan revolution as a “putsch” that brought “fascists” to power in Ukraine. The Kremlin effectively subcontracts contacts with fascists, Nazis and populists to satellite political forces, such as the National Bolshevik Rodina (Motherland) Party or Orthodox oligarch Konstantin Malofeev.
A sinister outgrowth of Russia’s cultivation of extreme right parties and movements in Europe is the appearance of their members in Armenian-occupied territories in Azerbaijan and Russian-occupied Donbas in Eastern Ukraine. Paradoxically, intelligence services in the West have largely ignored these mercenaries, who are far larger in number than those who travelled to Syria to join ISIS. Far right terrorism is a growing threat to western democracies and in the US is more of a threat than radical Islam. This was made clear during the coup attempt in Washington on January 6th. Most European legal systems punish mercenaries travelling to fight for ISIS but not for Russian proxy groups.
Hundreds of Europeans who have travelled to join Russian proxy forces in Armenia and Ukraine have largely gone unnoticed. The influx of foreign fighters into Eastern Ukraine “mirrors that of young Muslims from Britain and other parts of Europe travelling to the Middle East to fight in its wars”.
Armenia and the Donbas have attracted a mix of fascist and Stalinist mercenaries who share common ground regarding their pro-Russian and anti-Western platforms. Greeks, Hungarians, over 100 Serbs, French, over 100 Germans, Spaniards, Finns and Armenians have all fought alongside Russian proxies in the Donbas. It appears that 20 mercenaries from the French fascist organisation Continental Unity, formed in support of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad by suspected Serbian war criminal Vojislav Šešelj, have also been active in the Donbas.
The French extreme right have travelled to the Donbas and formerly occupied Azerbaijan to fight for Russia and Armenia respectively. Marc de Cacqueray-Valménier, leader of the violent neo-Nazi Zouaves Paris, an organisation closely related to the fascist group Action Française, travelled to the Donbas sometime after 2014. He also travelled to Armenia during last year’s Second Karabakh War. As Cacqueray-Valménier travelled to the country in October 2020, he posted a picture of himself holding a Kalashnikov rifle and wearing a uniform with an Armenian flag and SS Totenkopf. At the same time, Armenia – much like Russia – was welcoming extreme right parties from Europe such as the AfD (Alternative for Germany), whose representatives travelled to Karabakh with Armenian government officials and ruling party MPs.
Cacqueray-Valménier created a “Brigade of Foreign Volunteers” to fight for Armenia in the Second Karabakh War. The presence of these foreign mercenaries, including Kurds, only revealed Yerevan’s duplicity in accusing Turkey of allegedly bringing mercenaries to fight for Azerbaijan.
Cacqueray-Valmenier’s Zouaves Paris resembles another French neo-Nazi group, Génération Identitaire, which was banned in spring 2021 for violent attacks and racism. Violence at a December rally in support of the far-right populist nationalist Éric Zemmour was instigated by the “Zouaves” against the left-wing organisation SOS Racisme. The French justice ministry is currently hoping to ban the far right organisation Zouaves Paris.
Five days after the rally Zemmour, who did not condemn the violence, travelled to Armenia for a four-day visit. He was accompanied by another extreme right ally, Movement for France President Philippe de Villiers. Zemmour’s visit to Armenia was designed to gain votes from the world’s third largest Armenian diaspora group, which involves half a million people in France. The French Republican Party’s presidential candidate Valérie Pécresse, whose views do “not differ much from Zemmour”, visited Armenia this week with a similar anti-Turkish and anti-Azerbaijani message. Zemmour has successfully made immigration and Islam the two central issues for all presidential candidates, including President Emmanuel Macron, in the 2022 election campaign.
Zemmour is clearly an opportunist, as he opposed legislation in France that penalised genocide denial, arguing that it was a threat to free speech. The legislation was also strongly supported by the Armenian community. Like all extreme right French politicians, Zemmour is, according to French Justice Minister Éric Dupond-Moretti, a Holocaust denier. This makes Zemmour an uncomfortable ally of Armenians, who have always claimed the genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire against them during the First World War is analogous to that of the Holocaust. Zemmour supports the rehabilitation of war-time French collaborator Marshall Philippe Pétain and claims that the collaborationist Vichy regime “saved” French Jews. Zemmour also believes the Nazis were less intolerant than Muslims.
The central themes that unite the European mercenaries and politicians who have travelled to Armenia and Ukraine are their anti-American and pro-Russian stance regarding international relations. France’s far right National Rally (formerly the Front National), like all of Europe’s extreme right populists and fascists, has strongly supported Russia’s occupation of Crimea. Armenian nationalists and governments have also supported Crimea’s “self-determination” and used it to justify their claims that Karabakh should become part of Armenia.
Zemmour is even more pro-Russian than Le Pen. Zemmour has a “natural affinity” for Russia: “My first reflex is to defend Russia… I am for alliance with Russia. I think that it would be the most reliable ally, more than the Americans, more than the Germans, more than the English.” “When we were with Russia, we won wars, when we were against Russia, we lost wars.”
Russia’s goal of undermining NATO and the EU by encouraging division is the same strategy that was pursued by the Soviet Union. In order to advance this goal, Russia has developed an alliance between its proxies in Armenia and Donbas and an eclectic mix of fascist, racist, antisemitic and Stalinist politicians and mercenaries in Europe. Given the Kremlin’s promotion of the cult of Stalin in Russia, as well as far right nationalism both at home and abroad, it is clear that the Kremlin is the real supporter of fascism and Stalinism in Europe.
Taras Kuzio is a Research Fellow at the Henry Jackson Society think tank in London and a professor of political science at the National University of Kyiv Mohyla Academy. His book Russian Nationalism and the Russian-Ukrainian War is published next month by Routledge.
From the oldest hostel in the country to one that's award-winning, backpacking through Armenia just got a lot more exciting (and affordable).
Welcome to Armenia! добро пожаловать в армению! բարի գալուստ Հայաստան! Armenia is a stunning and welcoming little former Post-Soviet country in the Caucasus region neighbored by Georgia (the country), Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Iran. It is a great destination for backpackers looking for a road less traveled and there is much to see and explore in this stunning alpine country.
Many backpackers and other travelers fall in love with this charming country and its many impressive monasteries perched in the most impossible of places. Armenia's cuisine is in itself enough to make the country worth visiting.
Armenia traces its origins to ancient states and kingdoms that have existed for thousands of years. The first Armenian state of Urartu was established in 860 BC and the Kingdom of Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion (officially in 301 AD). The modern state of Armenia became independent with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Today Armenia is an ancient land with many ancient sites (including old Roman sites) and delicious cuisine.
Armenia has several great hostels (and some not so great). Here are some of the best – these hostels can be much more than just accommodation. They can help the plan one's trip and give any advice one may need.
Some of Armenia's (and neighboring Georgia's) top attractions are their ancient and beautiful monasteries. Some of the ones one should not miss out on are:
The best time to come is in the summer months but other seasons have a charm of their own as well.
Kantar Hostel is one of the oldest hostels in Yerevan and enjoys a prime location. It is a stone's through from Republic Square – the heart of the city. It is only a short walk from the Parliament of Armenia and the National Museum.
Kantar caters to a full range of backpackers as well as normal holidaymakers not backpacking. Kantar Hostel is a hybrid hostel having a hotel section and a hostel section. Travelers looking for private accommodation can get the best of both worlds – the hostel vibe and the privacy and comfort of a hotel.
Dorm rooms are available with the option of a 4-bed dorm or an 8-bed dorm (with balconies).
The hostel is clean and modern and offers superb complimentary breakfasts – a breakfast quality that is virtually unheard of for hostels. Tea and coffee are available 24/7. The kitchen is open for use for any travelers wishing to prepare their own meals.
Kantar has received Hostelworld's HOSCAR award in 2017 and 2018 and has been named the best hostel in the country. They boast an exceptional rating of 9.5 on Booking.com as well
Kantar has a 24-hour reception and staffing fully proficient in English. They can arrange any excursion or private tour anywhere in Armenia.
In addition, they have a common area that doubles up as a workspace – complete with computers for use. If one is traveling and working, then one can complete all the work in comfort one the bench seating or the comfy beanbags.
Hostel Envoy is more of a typical hostel. It also enjoys a great location and is a little cheaper. One does get what one pays for and the breakfast is not of the same standard and is available for a one-hour window in the morning instead of a 3.5-hour window.
Hostel Envoy can also arrange one's tours, excursions, and provide a full range of ideas for what to see and explore while in Armenia. The staff here are also very friendly and accommodating and can arrange airport pick etc.
The common area in Hostel Envoy is downstairs in a basement where they have a large TV for their guests to enjoy.
//www.thetravel.com/best-backpacker-hostels-armenia/
THE MENU OF THE CHEERFUL restaurant located inside the Machanents Center lists samples of Armenian cuisine: nettle soup, ailazan (a vegetable dish that they serve fried with Ararat brandy), Marash (lentils, chicken, onions, and lavash).
But it’s the Sunny Meals section that has become a hit with diners. After they choose from options such as beef, chicken, eggplants, or trout—which comes from the famous Lake Sevan—the order goes to the kitchen. But the chefs don’t fire up a stove or heat an oven. Instead, they head to the satellite dishes in the backyard, where each dish will be cooked by sunlight.
The Machanents cultural center is in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia. Its mission is to help young people in situations of social vulnerability; it’s the staffs’ and youths’ interest in creativity, the arts, and innovation that brought the satellite dishes to the backyard. Of varying diameters, they’re covered by hundreds of small rectangle mirrors.
When customers order one of the “sunny meals,” the cooks use a pan made of glass (to allow the sunlight to pass through) and place walnuts on the bottom and, on top, the meat or vegetables.
Instead of going to the oven, they fit the pan into a cradle held by two rotating metal arms connected to the center of the satellite dish. They adjust the angle to point the pan at the sun, and they wait. In minutes, the food is ready. On mild sunny days, it cooks in 20 minutes or less. During the hot Armenian summer, the temperature in the pan can reach up to 700º Celsius, so the preparation time ranges from three minutes to less than seven. (But there’s no cooking with the satellites on cloudy days.)
The satellite dish in action on a sunny day.
Armenian scientists Gregor Mnatsakanyan and Vahan Hamazaspyan originally created the satellite dishes with dreams of distributing them around the country. Hamazaspyan, a pioneer in the study of solar energy use, began developing the first prototypes in the 1980s, after the devastating Spitak earthquake. Satellite solar ovens, he hoped, would feed his countrymen affordably during hard times.
Hamazaspyan resumed his project in the following decade, amidst conflicts in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding territories. Both Armenia and Azerbaijan claim the border region, but due to the failure of mediation efforts, the region continues to see increased militarization and frequent cease-fire violations.
The conflict led to an economic blockade: Turkey closed its eastern border with Armenia, and on the other side of the country, Azerbaijan closed its border, imposing restrictions and blocking Russian gas pipelines. This spurred a severe crisis of supplies and, of course, energy.
Despite the shortages, Hamazaspyan failed to win government support for distributing the satellite dishes. “From the elderly to children, it can be adjusted for a variety of uses and is very easy to handle,” he says. It’s both simple and affordable, he adds. Still, the government would need to invest in mass production to bring down the price tag from its current $200-600, and convince families to adapt to an oven that doesn’t work at nights or during cloudy days.
The entrance of Machanents House, in Ejmiatsin, Armenia.
That’s how the three satellite dishes arrived at the Machanents Center. The founder, Grigor Babakhanyan, thought it would highlight the work of the Armenian scientists and give the project a chance. And Armenia is known for its 2,700 sun hours of light a year.
“The main difference of using the satellite-reflection technique is that, in a regular oven, the heat comes from the outer surface to the middle,” explains director Narine Muradyan. “With the satellites, because the mirrors are designed to redirect the heat to the middle of the pan, the heat emanates from the center.”
The trout I ordered during my visit to Macchanents came to the table perfectly cooked: tender and juicy. “We have to make sure it’s as fresh as possible, from the catch of the day, so we can get all this juiciness,” Muradyan adds. She says that they once did a blind test with some customers. They cooked the same cut of beef in a gas oven and in the satellites. “Everyone preferred the second version,” she says. The layer of walnuts, restaurant cooks explain, add smoky notes to the food while also filtering the sun’s rays to aid in even cooking.
They cooked the same cut of beef in a gas oven and in the satellites. Everyone preferred the second version.
Using the sun for cooking is not unprecedented. Similar projects can be found from Nepal to Africa. In the Chilean village of Villaseca, the restaurant Entre Cordillera Restobar Solar serves its dishes using only the sun’s rays (no gas, electricity, or firewood). Their transparent boxes heat food like the inside of parked cars on hot days. In Oaxaca, Mexico, engineer Gregor Schäpersis is experimenting with solar cooking using solar reflectors in mezcal distilleries and tortilla bakeries.
But Hamazaspyan says it is solar cooking at home that could make a real difference in people’s lives. “Most governments around the world show little interest in using these clean and sustainable technologies and free energy properly,” he says with frustration.
A cook supervise the cooking of trout in the satellite dish.
It means that projects like his have to be done as small initiatives, such as in the Machanents Center, and nonprofits try to distribute or fund solar ovens to poor families in developing countries, especially in poorly ventilated homes where cooking fires cause illness and poor health.
“The ultimate aim should be focused on helping people eat better, not just on companies and business,” he adds. The technology, Hamazaspyan says, is easy, safe, and affordable. And, after all, the sun shines for everyone.
01/05/2022 United States (International Christian Concern) – This week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu regarding the relationship between their two countries, which has been filled with tension as of late. Among other topics addressed, the two discussed Turkey’s recent appointment of a special envoy to normalize relations with Armenia following its several transgressions against the small Caucasus country in the past few years.
The new envoy leading up the normalization of relations with Armenia, Serdar Kilic, is the former Turkish Ambassador for the United States. Foreign Minister Cavusoglu, in consultation with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, appointed him to the new position last month in an ongoing effort by both Turkey and Armenia to mend a bilateral relationship.
During the 2020 Karabakh War, Turkey provided Azerbaijan with drone support and Syrian mercenaries, many of whom were formerly ISIS fighters, to fight against Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh (Armenian: Artsakh). Government officials from the United States and several human rights organizations have condemned both Turkey and Azerbaijan for committing a litany of war crimes during the conflict, including the continued detention of prisoners of war, killing of civilians, and destruction of Christian heritage sites in Artsakh.
Recently, the United States has pushed back on some of Turkey’s religious freedom violations, condemning the detention of Armenian activist Osman Kavala and hosting the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Church. In its 2021 annual report, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom recommended that Turkey be placed on the State Department’s Special Watch List for engaging in or tolerating “severe” violations of religious freedom. However, the State Department excluded Turkey from this list when announcing its designations in November.
Although the normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia may mean peace for the region, Turkey’s religious freedom transgressions against Armenian Christians must not be erased from collective memory, and the United States must hold Turkey and Azerbaijan accountable for their human rights violations.
PanARMENIAN.Net - Lawmakers from Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party Sedrak Tevonyan and Sergey Movsisyan have resigned.
According to a statement released by President of National Assembly Alen Simonyan, said MPs have one week to withdraw their resignations. If they fail to do so, the resignation will be considered accepted.
Neither lawmaker has offered reasons behind their decision to give up seats in the parliament.