Category: 2023

Armenian Prime Minister arrives in Moldova

Alex Jidarian

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 17:55,

CHISINAU, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has arrived in Moldova.

The Armenian PM’s delegation includes Secretary of the Security Council Armen Grigoryan, Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Ambassador-at-large Edmon Marukyan.

Prime Minister Pashinyan will participate in the Second European Political Community Summit on June 1 in Chisinau.

A five-sided meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, President of the European Council Charles Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is also scheduled to take place within the framework of the European Political Community Summit.

During the visit the Armenian PM will also have meetings with Slovenian Prime Minister Robert Golob, Latvian Prime Minister Krišjānis Kariņš and the Prime Minister of the Principality of Andorra Xavier Espot Zamora.

A meeting with the representatives of the Armenian community of Moldova is also scheduled.

Macron states that Europe should not depend on the USA for security issues

Yeghisabet Arthur

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 20:00,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. French President Emmanuel Macron stated that Europe cannot rely on US support in security matters and must build its own military sovereignty, ARMENPRESS reports, citing "RIA Novosti", the French president said in his speech at the session of the Globsec security forum in Bratislava.

"Today we should be happy that the US administration supports us and has made as much effort (to support Ukraine) as the Europeans, which increases our overall reputation. But will this administration always be like that? We cannot say that, we cannot leave the issues of our collective security to the choice of American citizens in the coming years," Macron said.

He noted that it is not about replacing NATO with a "Franco-German condominium".

Aliyev threatens Artsakh to dissolve its government

Tatoyan Vazgen
 Lillian Avedian News 2

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev giving a speech in occupied Berdzor (May 28, 2023)

The United States has praised Azerbaijan’s offer of “amnesty” to Artsakh—made under the threat of a military operation against the region’s Armenian population.

“We recently expressed appreciation for Prime Minister Pashinyan’s commitment to peace, and we welcome President Aliyev’s recent remarks on consideration of amnesty,” US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a press statement on May 30. 

During a speech on May 28, Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev said that if the Armenian authorities of Artsakh agree to “surrender,” Azerbaijan would be ready to “talk of an amnesty.” Aliyev demanded that Artsakh dissolve its local government and accept Azerbaijani citizenship, suggesting that he could force the region to disband its leadership by force. 

“The book of ‘Miatsum’ is closed. The book of separatism is closed. The dream of independence follows the path of status. As for the status, we sent it to where it belongs during the second Karabakh war,” Aliyev said. ‘Miatsum,’ or ‘unification,’ refers to the Artsakh independence movement’s call for unification with Armenia. 

“Therefore, there is only one option left—to obey the laws of Azerbaijan, be a loyal and normal citizen of Azerbaijan, throw the false state attributes in the trash, and dissolve the ‘parliament’—as if there is a ‘parliament’ there, as if there is a president, as if there is a minister. All this is funny. We are simply being patient. However, everyone knows perfectly well that we have all the opportunities to carry out any operation in that region today. Therefore, the ‘parliament’ should be dissolved, the element calling himself ‘president’ should surrender, all ‘ministers,’ ‘deputies’ and others should give up their positions. Only in that case can a concession be made to them. Only in that case can we talk of an amnesty,” Aliyev continued. 

Western leaders have been encouraging Azerbaijan to engage in direct talks with Artsakh leadership to safeguard the rights and security of its population. Aliyev’s bellicose speech came just two weeks after the Azerbaijani President and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met in Brussels to negotiate a peace treaty. During the meeting, European Council president Charles Michel “encouraged Azerbaijan to engage in developing a positive agenda with the aim of guaranteeing the rights and security” of the Armenians living in Artsakh. Michel also “raised the need for a transparent and constructive dialogue between Baku and this population.” 

After the meeting, Pashinyan said for the first time that he is ready to recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan. While his announcement was welcomed by the West as a positive step in negotiations, it sparked outrage across Armenia, the Diaspora and Artsakh, whose authorities defended the “right of self-determination of our people.” Pashinyan has also called for an international mechanism to mediate direct talks between Azerbaijan and Artsakh. Azerbaijan has repeatedly dismissed this idea, claiming that talks with Artsakh are an internal matter. 

The authorities of Armenia and Artsakh condemned Aliyev’s speech. Lusine Avanesyan, spokesperson for the Artsakh President, denounced Aliyev’s “illegal demands to the elected authorities of the people of Artsakh.”

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry criticized the “inaction of the international community, including the international mediators involved in the settlement process,” to reverse Azerbaijan’s “policy of threats and violence.”

“Ignoring the true intentions and violations of the international obligations of Azerbaijan, as well as attempts by international mediators to seek constructiveness in Azerbaijan’s openly genocidal agenda, are self-deception and are tantamount to approving Baku’s criminal actions,” the Artsakh Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry specifically criticized the Russian authorities, whose peacekeeping forces have been stationed in Artsakh since the end of the 2020 Artsakh War, for failing to respond to Azerbaijan’s threats of a military operation. 

In response to Aliyev’s speech, Michel called on the leaders to “refrain from maximalist positions and aim for dialogue.” “Dialogue between Baku and Armenians living in former NKAO on their rights & security is now crucial,” Michel tweeted on May 30. 

Aliyev also threatened military action against Armenia during his May 28 speech, which was delivered in occupied Berdzor (Lachin). Armenia ceded Berdzor to Azerbaijan after the 2020 Artsakh War. Aliyev said that a peace treaty should be based on Azerbaijan’s conditions, including the opening of “our road to Nakhichevan.” 

“I am saying these conditions here in the city of Lachin so that everyone can see that we are here today and we will be here forever. Let them know that we can see Armenian villages from here. We can see those villages, so they shouldn’t forget about that,” Aliyev said.

Azerbaijan has demanded the establishment of the “Zangezur corridor,” an extraterritorial corridor connecting Azerbaijan and its exclave Nakhichevan through Syunik, Armenia’s southernmost province. Armenia has insisted that the route must respect the sovereignty of Armenia’s borders.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had an argument during the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council meeting (RA Prime Minister)

During a meeting of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council in Moscow on May 25, Pashinyan and Aliyev entered an argument about the “Zangezur corridor.” The leaders of Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan met at the Kremlin. After Aliyev mentioned the corridor during his speech to the group of leaders, Pashinyan interrupted Russian President Vladimir Putin to interject that the term corridor “has been used in recent years as a title for making territorial claims against Armenia.” 

During the heated exchange that ensued, Aliyev denied any territorial claims. “You have to try very hard or have a wild imagination to see territorial claims,” Aliyev replied. 

Pashinyan criticized Aliyev’s equating the “Zangezur Corridor” with the Berdzor (Lachin) Corridor. The Berdzor Corridor is the sole route connecting Artsakh with Armenia. Under the ceasefire agreement ending the 2020 Artsakh War, Azerbaijan agreed to guarantee traffic safety along the corridor. The corridor has been closed by Azerbaijan since December 2022, placing Artsakh under blockade and restricting the region’s access to food, medicine and other basic necessities. One of Azerbaijan’s demands to end the blockade has been the establishment of the “Zangezur Corridor.” 

“You said ‘Lachin road,’ but according to our trilateral declaration, ‘Lachin road’ does not exist. There is a corridor which, according to the trilateral declaration signed by three of us, should be under the control of Russian peacekeeping forces; that is, no one else should exercise any control of this corridor. And what is happening there is a direct violation of the trilateral declaration. And you said that the corridor is open, but we don’t see it,” Pashinyan said, before Putin interrupted him to end the debate. 

No agreements were reached following a trilateral meeting between Pashinyan, Aliyev and Putin in Moscow on May 25. Aliyev and Pashinyan will meet in Moldova’s capital Chisinau on June 1, along with Michel, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

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Lillian Avedian is a staff writer for the Armenian Weekly. Her writing has also been published in the Los Angeles Review of Books, Hetq and the Daily Californian. She is pursuing master’s degrees in journalism and Near Eastern Studies at New York University. A human rights journalist and feminist poet, Lillian's first poetry collection Journey to Tatev was released with Girls on Key Press in spring of 2021.


Russian peacekeepers register ceasefire violation by Azerbaijan

Bedik Zaminian

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 20:40,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. Russian peacekeepers have again recorded a ceasefire violation by Azerbaijan in the Martakert region of Nagorno-Karabakh, ARMENPRESS reports, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation informed.

"There are no victims. The command of the Russian peacekeeping force is conducting an investigation with the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides regarding the incident," reads the message.

Armenpress: Artsakh’s MFA expresses deep disappointment regarding the statement of official representative of US State Department

John Hovhannisian

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 20:52,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh expressed deep disappointment and bewilderment over the statement of the official representative of the US State Department on May 30, in which he welcomed the recent statements of the President of Azerbaijan about the readiness to consider the so-called amnesty of the people of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Artsakh.

“The press statement made by the US State Department Spokesperson on 30 May, in which he welcomed the recent statements of the President of Azerbaijan on the readiness to consider the issue of the so-called amnesty for the residents of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), causes deep disappointment and bewilderment.

It is inexplicable how in this statement of the President of Azerbaijan, entirely built on open blackmail and coercion, one could find something positive that deserves encouragement. Obviously, the main message of the Azerbaijani president’s statement was the refusal of Azerbaijan from an equal dialogue with the democratically elected authorities of the Republic of Artsakh and the desire to impose their own authority on the people of Artsakh by force.

We have no doubts about the efforts of the United States to play a positive role in achieving a just, balanced and dignified settlement of the Azerbaijan-Karabakh conflict and in establishing lasting peace in the region. At the same time, we believe that the encouragement of Baku's destructive and belligerent policy runs counter to the desire to achieve positive developments in the peaceful settlement of the conflict”, reads the statement.

Armenia, Azerbaijan trade barbs ahead of new peace talks

Alex Nanijanian
Reuters
Reuters

May 29 (Reuters) – Armenia and Azerbaijan hurled fresh accusations at each other two days before new talks aimed at clinching a peace accord to resolve decades of disputes over the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The ex-Soviet states have fought two wars over the region, recognised as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians. Azerbaijan recaptured in 2020 chunks of territory lost in a conflict as Soviet rule collapsed in the early 1990s.

Peace talks had appeared to be making progress in recent weeks, with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan acknowledging Azerbaijan's control over Karabakh.

But Armenia accused Azerbaijan on Monday of threatening to resort to force after Azeri President Ilham Aliyev demanded the dissolution of Karabakh's "separatist" local government.

An Armenian Foreign Ministry statement, reported by the Armenpress news agency, said Aliyev was making "genocidal threats" and "preparing the ground for another aggressive action against the population of Nagorno-Karabakh".

Tension had been rising despite the peace talks over Azerbaijan's setting up of a checkpoint last month to the Lachin corridor – the only route linking Armenia with the territory. Border clashes are frequent.

Aliyev, speaking on Sunday in the town of Lachin, said it was time, after Azerbaijan's successes in the 2020 war, for Armenians to abandon their "illusions" of Karabakh independence.

"That means abiding by the laws of Azerbaijan, becoming normal, loyal citizens, tossing false state symbols onto the rubbish heap and dissolving the so-called parliament," Aliyev said in an address shown on Azeri state television.

Since the six-week 2020 conflict, ended by a Russian-brokered truce, Pashinyan and Aliyev have held several meetings, staged by Moscow, the European Union and the United States.

The two men met last week in Moscow, where Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin said he believed the two sides were making progress towards clinching a long-term peace deal.

On Wednesday, they are due to meet again at an EU development meeting in Moldova to be attended by leaders from more than 40 states as well as European institutions.

Karabakh remains the focus of their long-running dispute along with demarcation of their border, return of prisoners and establishment of trade "corridors" running through each other's territory.

Reporting by Nailia Bagirova and Ron Popeski; Editing by Richard Chang
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/armenia-azerbaijan-trade-barbs-ahead-new-peace-talks-2023-05-29/
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/armenia-azerbaijan-trade-barbs-ahead-new-peace-talks-2023-05-29/
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The Armenian racing and real-estate king of colonial Calcutta

Albert Nalbandian
India –
TRINANJAN CHAKRABORTY

Calcutta, 1869. A 10-year-old Armenian boy arrives in the city from Julpha, Iran, to live with his uncle in order to receive better education. He is enrolled in the Armenian Philanthropic  Academy. Whenever he has some time off, the young lad is found at the Maidan, trying  to master a piebald pony. With time, he hones his riding skills, aided by tips and encouragement from the officers stationed at Fort William, many of whom frequented the Maidan. Eventually, it is thanks to one of them that the boy, named Johannes Carapiet Galstaun, has his first experience of horse racing. He wins that first race. The tale of J C Galstaun would span the next eight decades in Calcutta and would leave tangible remains we can see in Kolkata even today.

In time, the young man would emerge as the finest jockey in the city and later on, as age caught up, Galstaun would be the owner of the greatest array of race horses in Kolkata, and have stables in England. His stables were legendary and his horses would sweep the races more often than not.

The folks on the Maidan, who had witnessed the young boy with his pony, would probably have never imagined that he would go on to become one of the richest men in colonial Calcutta. In addition to being the overlord of the race course, J C Galstaun was a prolific real-estate developer. He leased plots from the military and developed prime residential projects.

Wikimedia Commons

The areas of Mayfair (Road), Queen’s Park (Road) and Ballygunge Park, in today’s Ballygunge neighbourhood were leased out by Galstaun. Standing even today are many of the properties that Galstaun had built — Freemason’s Lodge on Park Street, Saturday Club,  Harrington Mansion on Ho-Chi-Minh Sarani, Dalhousie Institute, the Royal Calcutta Turf Club building on Russell Street, Galstaun Mansions (renamed Queen's Mansions to commemorate queen Elizabeth II's visit to Calcutta in 1961) at the crossing of Park Street and Russell Street. 

Frank Bond; Bond Photograph Library, dsal.uchicago.edu

At one point in time, Galstaun had over 300 properties to his name in Kolkata. He was also a contributor in the funds raised for construction of Victoria Memorial.  

Suvendu Das

Galstaun’s most famous building in Kolkata is Galstaun Park, now known as Nizam Palace, which stands on A.J.C. Bose Road. The massive art-deco structure on the southern end of Chowringhee was built for his beloved wife Rose Catherine. In its  prime, Galstaun Park was known to be the envy of Indian kings and British lords. In fact, when the then-Prince of Wales (King Edward VIII) visited Calcutta, he stayed at Galstaun Park. Since by this time, Galstaun owned a fleet of horses greater in size than the Viceroy's cavalry, one can assume that the Prince of Wales’ honour was in no way lowered by staying in the home of a non-titled member of society.

Galstaun was also a philanthropist and supported institutions like St. Joseph's Hospital financially. During the Second World War, the mansion's grounds were opened to the troops, to make a temporary hospital for treating injured and sick Allied soldiers.

Suvendu Das

The magnificent five-domed mansion stands tall and proud to this day, only known by a different name. It's not clear how the property was transferred to the Nizam of Hyderabad, Mir Osman Ali Khan. Some sources say that it was sold to him in 1933, however there does not seem to be any documentation supporting the sale. According to one of Galstaun’s descendants, he lost it to the Nizam over a game of cards. A compulsive gambler, Galstaun was always known to pay up  his dues, no matter how steep they were. He also had a dry sense of humour and dedicated his reminiscences to the assorted bookmakers who drained him of large parts of his fortune. 

After Independence, Galstaun Palace was acquired by the government and it now houses several government departments including the Central Public Works Department (CPWD), and the Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI). 

Sadly, the thousands who walk past one of Kolkata’s most recognised landmarks every day probably have no idea about its fascinating past. Characters like J C Galstaun arrived in the fledgling city of Calcutta and made tremendous contributions in transforming it into the sprawling metropolis it is today. Unfortunately, in the rush towards modernisation, their stories and their signatures are getting erased every day from the face of the city they helped create. 

Nagorno Karabakh positions hit by Azerbaijani shelling

Vanyan Gary

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 13:22,

STEPANAKERT, MAY 30, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani forces violated the Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire on May 30, firing small arms and mortars in two different areas, the Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The shooting took place in the northern and eastern directions of the line of contact.

As of 11:40, the Azeri forces fired seven 60mm mortar shells at one of the positions of the Defense Army of Artsakh.

The Artsakh military didn’t suffer any losses.

The Russian peacekeepers were briefed on the shooting.

As of 13:00, the situation was relatively stable.

The California Courier Online, June 1, 2023

Garo Vardanian

The California
Courier Online, June 1, 2023

 

1-         Pashinyan’s
Surrender of Artsakh

            To Azerbaijan Is
Null and Void

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Karekin II,
Aram I Reject Statement that Artsakh is Part of Azerbaijan

3-         AAF Ships to
Armenia
and Artsakh

            $16.7
Million of Cancer Medication

4-         Eagle Scout
Honors Armenian-American Veterans Through Service Project

************************************************************************************************************************************************

 

1-         Pashinyan’s
Surrender of Artsakh

            To Azerbaijan Is
Null and Void

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

            www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

 

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has hinted repeatedly since
the 2020 Artsakh War that Artsakh is a part of Azerbaijan. This has been his
position for years. As a journalist, long before coming to power, he thought
that Artsakh is a burden on Armenia.

Pashinyan told the Armenian Parliament in April 2022 that
the international community urged Armenia to lower the bar on the
status of Artsakh. Earlier this year, a Parliament member of Pashinyan’s party
made the following defeatist statement: we cannot risk three million Armenians
for 120,000 people in Artsakh.

On May 14, 2023, European Council President Charles Michel
announced, after meeting with Pashinyan and Pres. Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan in Brussels,
that the leaders of Armenia
and Azerbaijan “confirmed their
unequivocal commitment to … the respective territorial integrity of Armenia (29,800 square kilometers) and Azerbaijan
(86,600 square kilometers).”

Finally, during his 4.5-hour-long rambling press conference
in Yerevan on May 22, 2023, Pashinyan clearly
confirmed that his recognition of the territory of Azerbaijan
includes Artsakh. This is the same man who stood in front of the people of
Artsakh in Stepanakert, the Capital of Artsakh, on August 5, 2019 and said:
“Artsakh is Armenia,
period!” He also led the crowd in chants of ‘miyatsoum’ or ‘unification.’ To
make matters worse, Pashinyan also conceded that the enclaves (previously
Azeri-inhabited villages located inside Armenia),
are not included in his 29,800 square kilometers of Armenia.

After deciding to give away Artsakh, Pashinyan tried to
explain that his recognition of the territory of Azerbaijan, which includes
Artsakh, is with the understanding that Azerbaijan in return recognizes
Armenia’s territory (29,800 square kilometers) and that the “rights and
security issues of the people of Artsakh must be discussed by Baku and
Stepanakert.”

There are several serious problems with Pashinyan’s
statement:

1) Pashinyan is wrong to recognize Artsakh as a part of the territory of Azerbaijan. Artsakh was not historically
a part of Azerbaijan.
Whereas Artsakh has been a part of Armenia
for thousands of years, Azerbaijan
has been in existence for a little over 100 years. Pashinyan could have
recognized the territory
of Azerbaijan without
acknowledging that it includes Artsakh.

2) While Pashinyan is recognizing the territory
of Azerbaijan, Pres. Aliyev has never
acknowledged Armenia’s
territorial integrity. On the contrary, Aliyev repeatedly claims that all of Armenia is part of historic Western
Azerbaijan!

3) To cover up his misguided recognition of Artsakh as a
part of Azerbaijan,
Pashinyan is misleading the Armenian public by saying that he wants to defend
the ‘rights and security’ of Artsakh Armenians within Azerbaijan. In
reality, Artsakh Armenians will not be able to live a single day under
Azerbaijani rule. An example of how Azerbaijan treats Artsakh Armenians
is the six-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor, depriving the local Armenian
population of food and medicines. Once they fall under Azeri rule, their mistreatment
will get much worse.

4) Pashinyan keeps dangling a carrot in front of Artsakh
Armenians by saying that he is seeking ‘international guarantees’ to safeguard
their well-being under Azeri rule. During his press conference, Pashinyan
claimed that he is relying “not only on the pressures of the international
community, but on constructive negotiations with Azerbaijan, and on Baku-Stepanakert
institutional dialogue.” No international guarantees can safeguard the
well-being of Artsakhtsis under Azerbaijan’s
brutal rule. Aliyev will ignore all external pressures, since he frequently
states: “no matter what the international community says, I will do what I
want.”

5) Pashinyan is throwing Artsakhtsis to the wolf telling
them to make their separate arrangements with Azerbaijan. He is washing his hands
from the Artsakhtsis who are citizens of Armenia! Without any backing from Armenia, how
can tiny Artsakh battle the Goliath Azerbaijan? If Armenia will not defend the rights
of its own citizens in Artsakh, how can Pashinyan expect others to guarantee
their security?

6) Pashinyan is not only violating the interests of Armenia and Artsakh, but also the earlier
decision of Armenia’s
Parliament. Legally, Pashinyan has no right to give away Artsakh to Azerbaijan. He
does not own Artsakh. He also does not have the approval of the Parliament or
the Constitutional Court.

7) While Pashinyan is recklessly risking the lives of
Artsakh Armenians by planning to place them under Azerbaijani rule, he is
ironically acknowledging that Azerbaijan is pursuing a policy of “ethnic
cleansing and genocide” against the people of Artsakh.

8) Despite all the indications that he is playing with fire,
Pashinyan is hell-bent on signing a peace treaty with a brutal enemy who
intends to chop Armenians to pieces, not make peace.

9) Pashinyan’s concessions to Azerbaijan
encouraged Pres. Aliyev, a week later, to make further demands and threaten
both Armenia
and Artsakh.

This is what happens when an inexperienced, incompetent and
defeated person like Pashinyan leads a country and refuses to resign.

Pashinyan should know that whatever meaningless piece of
paper he signs with Azerbaijan,
giving away Artsakh and ‘making peace’ with Azerbaijan, the Armenian people
consider his illegal decisions null and void and categorically reject them. As
soon as a new nationalist government comes to power in Armenia, it
will cancel and reverse on day one all of Pashinyan’s defeatist and anti-Armenian
decisions.

This is not just my opinion. During the past week, several
major Armenian institutions from Armenia, Artsakh and Diaspora
issued statements condemning Pashinyan’s unacceptable surrender of Artsakh. The
list includes, the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II, Catholicos of the
Great House of Cilicia Aram
I, Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Revolutionary
Federation, Armenian Democratic Liberal Party, Armenian General Benevolent
Union, all 33 members of Artsakh Parliament’s unanimous resolution, and dozens
of other Armenian organizations!

Armenia’s
population should form a common front against Pashinyan, have 100,000 or more
Armenians gather in front of his office in Yerevan and demand his immediate resignation.
Unless such a joint and massive show of force is organized, Pashinyan will
remain in office until he destroys both Artsakh and Armenia!

   

************************************************************************************************************************************************
2-         Karekin II, Aram I Reject
Statement that Artsakh is Part of Azerbaijan

 

The Holy Sees of Etchmiadzin and Cilicia issued separate
statements decrying and condemning an announcement by Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan who confirmed on Monday, May 22 that he had agreed to recognize
Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan.
Both Catholicosates said that Pashinyan’s statement was “unacceptable”

“By recognizing the Republic
of Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan, the
Armenian authorities would inevitably leave our brothers and sisters in Artsakh
facing a new genocide and loss of the homeland,” read a statement issued by the
Supreme Spiritual Council of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin after convening an
emergency session on Tuesday, May 23.

“The independence of Artsakh and the territories of Armenia gained
at the cost of the blood of our children are not subject to bargaining,” added
the statement, calling on the Armenian government to “abandon this defeatist
intent.”

“We believe that a decisive _expression_ of the will of our
people on this issue is imperative,” the Etchmiadzin statement said.

In a similar statement issued on Tuesday, May 23, the Holy
See of Cilicia expressed it complete solidarity with a declaration adopted late
Monday by the Artsakh National Assembly, condemning Pashinyan for his posturing
on the matter.

“On December 10, 1991, Artsakh already expressed its
collective will for sovereignty through a referendum, which was followed by a
decision, on July 8, 1992, by the Supreme Council of the Republic of Armenia,
which re-emphasized the sovereignty of Artsakh,” said the Cilician
Catholicosate.

“According to international law, a nation has the right to
self-determination. Therefore, the just right of the people of Artsakh to
determine for themselves cannot fall victim to attempts to establish a
comprehensive peace within the region and to recognize the territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan,”
the Antelias statement said.

“It is imperative to be vigilant, far-sighted and especially
determined. Including Artsakh as part Azerbaijan
will not only endanger the security of the people of Artsakh, but also the
sovereignty and security of Armenia,”
said the Cilician Catholicosate. “At this critical juncture in our history, we
appeal to all Armenians to unite and support Artsakh.”

 

************************************************************************************************************************************************
3-         AAF Ships to Armenia and Artsakh

            $16.7
Million of Cancer Medication

 

The Armenia Artsakh Fund (AAF) announced that it just sent
by airfreight to Armenia and
Artsakh its single most valuable shipment of medicines to Armenia and
Artsakh in its 34 years of existence, valued at $16.7 million.

The shipment arrived in Yerevan on May 4, 2023.

The entire shipment of this valuable medication was donated
generously by Direct Relief, a charitable organization that the AAF and its
predecessor the United Armenian Fund have worked with for more than 30 years.

The shipment consisted of 4,000 units of the highly
expensive cancer-related medication: Armenia received 3,800 units worth
$15,865,000 and Artsakh’s share was 200 units worth $835,000.

The medicine is called Udenyca (Pegfilgrastim) which is a
pre-filled injection designed to decrease the risk of infection during
chemotherapy treatment.

“We highly appreciate the life-saving medicines donated by
Direct Relief for Armenia
and Artsakh and the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross
to deliver them to the 120,000 Armenians blockaded in Artsakh,” said Harut
Sassounian, President of Armenia Artsakh Fund.

In the past 34 years, including the shipments under its
predecessor, the United Armenian Fund, the AAF delivered to Armenia and
Artsakh a grand total of $991million worth of humanitarian aid, mostly
medicines, on board 158 airlifts and 2,558 sea containers.

For more information, call the AAF office: (818) 241-8900;

**********************************************************************************************************************************************

4-         Eagle Scout
Honors Armenian-American Veterans Through Service Project

 

In honor of all Armenian-Americans who have served in the US military, Andrew Levon Krekorian of BSA Troop
36 in Valley Village has dedicated a veterans tribute
garden at the Ararat Home in Mission Hills, as a service project for the Eagle
Scout rank, Scouting’s highest achievement. 
He was inspired by the memory of his late grandfather Rick Krekorian,
who was a World War II combat veteran of the US Marines Corps.  He brought his idea to the Ararat Home, who
embraced it and partnered with Andrew in designing and completing the garden.

“Armenian-Americans have courageously served our country in
the military since the Civil War,” said Andrew, 18.  “The men and women who gave us the freedoms
we enjoy deserve all of our gratitude, and this project is one step to honor
them appropriately.”

The garden includes a circular seating area of concrete
benches around a shade tree, which will be enjoyed by the elderly residents of
the Ararat Home and their families.  A
bronze plaque that Andrew designed reads “Throughout our nation’s history
Armenian-Americans have served nobly and selflessly in the United States
Military. This garden is dedicated to the sacrifices they made and their
undying patriotism and devotion.  As you
enjoy this quiet place, take a moment to remember them with gratitude for their
service.”

In addition to the garden, Andrew created a brochure
highlighting some of the history of Armenian-American military service for the
adjacent Ararat-Eskijian
Museum.  The brochure includes information about
inspirational role models like Brigadier General Haig Shekerjian, the first
Armenian to graduate from West Point; Anna Der-Vartanian, the first woman ever
to serve as the Navy’s Master Chief Petty Officer; World War II Marine Corps
heroes Victor Maghakian and Harry Kizirian; and Civil War veteran of the Union
Navy Khachadour Paul Garabedian, who is believed to be the first Armenian to
become a US citizen.

“I’m extremely grateful to everyone who helped make this
project a reality, especially the management of Ararat Home and the Ararat-Eskijian Museum,” said Andrew.  “None of this would have been possible
without their generous partnership, cooperation and encouragement.”

The Armenian
American Veterans
Garden is located at
Ararat Home of Los Angeles, 15105
Mission Hills Road, Mission Hills,
California.

 

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Armenia to appoint trade representatives to China, Germany and United States

Adrine Hakobian

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 13:34,

YEREVAN, MAY 30, ARMENPRESS. The main mission of the Armenian government is to diversify commercial and economic directions, have better partnership with Arab, European, American and Asian markets with the goal of building multilateral and diversified economic relations, Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said on May 30.

Speaking at parliamentary discussions on the budget report, the minister said that the Armenian government will soon appoint trade representatives to China, Germany and the United States. At this moment Armenia has trade representatives only in Iran and the World Trade Organization.

Trade with Iran doubled since the trade representative was appointed two years ago.”We believe this is a good indicator. But you also know that there are rather many constraining circumstances for further developing trade with Iran, the reasons are both objective and subjective. But we are now planning to appoint trade representatives in China, Germany and the United States and develop turnover with these countries as well,” Kerobyan said.

Speaking about the possibility of having a trade representative in Russia, Kerobyan said the work with the Russian market has a different nature. “We are rather open towards all Russian businessmen who are interested in relations with Armenia and we are trying not to focus on a single person or institution. The work there is diversified,” Kerobyan said.