Category: 2023

Armenian lawmakers meet with President of Cyprus

Emil Lazarian

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 17:19, 2 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian parliamentary delegation has met with the President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides during a visit to Cyprus.

“The President highly praised the brotherly relations between Armenia and Cyprus,” MP Hayk Konjoryan, the parliament majority leader and Chair of the Armenia-Cyprus Inter-parliamentary cooperation commission said in a statement.

“We mutually underscored the high level of inter-parliamentary cooperation and discussed new prospects of deepening the cooperation. We raised the issue of Azerbaijan’s illegal installation of a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. We discussed the ongoing peace process taking place with Azerbaijan, the existing challenges and ways for resolving them,” Konjoryan said.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 02-05-23

Emil Lazarian

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 17:35, 2 May 2023

YEREVAN, 2 MAY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 2 May, USD exchange rate up by 0.21 drams to 386.85 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 0.78 drams to 423.91 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 4.85 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 0.65 drams to 482.48 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 25.15 drams to 24658.00 drams. Silver price down by 4.55 drams to 308.02 drams.

Alen Simonyan receives the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Yuumi Yoshikawa

Ani Basmajian

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 18:41, 2 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. On May 2, the RA NA President Alen Simonyan received the Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Foreign Affairs of Japan Yuumi Yoshikawa, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

After the exchange of greetings, the parties documented that both sides are concerned about the deepening of political dialogue, the development of trade-economic ties and the expansion of cooperation in a number of other directions.

The RA NA President noted that within the bilateral cooperation the role of the parliamentary diplomacy is great, expressing readiness to further deepen the inter-parliamentary cooperation and activate the contacts between the legislative bodies.

Alen Simonyan documented that our country highlights and highly appreciates the support continuously shown to the health system and in other spheres by the Government of Japan.

Speaking about the preconditions of deepening the Armenian-Japanese cultural cooperation, the RA NA President mentioned the Hanami Festival held in the Park of the National Assembly, which still from 2015 is organized by the Armenian-Japanese Scientific and Cultural Union Arumenia-Nippon by the efforts of the RA NA Armenia-Japan Parliamentary Friendship Group.

At the Japanese guest’s request, the RA NA President gave details about the humanitarian disaster caused because of the Lachin Corridor crisis, stressing that the use of force and the threat of the use of force are the inseparable part of the policy of Azerbaijan and have a goal to essentially destabilize the situation in the region and to undermine the efforts of the intermediary partners aimed at continuing the peaceful negotiations.

He added that despite all challenges, Armenia adopted the path of democracy and continues remaining faithful to reaching peace agenda.

Armenpress: Regional council of Hauts-de-France supports the full realization of the right to self- determination of Artsakh’s people

Emil Lazarian

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 21:40, 2 May 2023

YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. The Regional Council of Hauts-de-France supports the full realization of the rights of the people of Artsakh and, in particular, the right to self-determination, ARMENPRESS reports Xavier Bertrand, President of the regional council of Hauts-de-France, and Sergey Ghazaryan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh, signed a joint statement at the Artsakh Representative Office in Yerevan.

Officials who have arrived from France are calling on the international community to impose sanctions on the Azerbaijani regime as long as Baku refuses to comply with the decision of the UN International Court of Justice to ensure the two-way movement of people and goods through the Lachin Corridor.

During the meeting, Xavier Bertrand emphasized that the aggression and other actions unleashed by Azerbaijan are unacceptable and must be stopped.

"No one has the right to set up a checkpoint, block a corridor, prevent hundreds of people from receiving treatment, deprive children of the opportunity to get education, block the supply of gas and electricity. No one has given Azerbaijan such a right. I have to speak about this after returning to France," he said.

According to the joint statement, the regime of Azerbaijan, both with the way of oppressing its own citizens and with its military ambitions towards Armenia and Artsakh, can only lead to war, destruction, misery and despair.

Asbarez: Karageuzian to Sign Copies of ‘Forbidden Homeland’ at Barnes & Noble

Lara Antonian
by Contributor

 

 May 2, 2023

 

in Arts & Culture, Books, Latest, News, Top Stories
Katia Tavitian Karageuzian’s “Forbidden Homeland, Story of a Diasporan” book signing event flyer


Following two successful book events, Katia Tavitian Karageuzian’s “Forbidden Homeland, Story of a Diasporan” is gearing up for an in-person book signing event, followed by a Q&A with the author, at the largest American bookstore chain, Barnes & Noble.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region Education committee organized a Kinetzon in late January 2023 to officially launch the book. In April 2023, a book presentation event was organized by the Genocide Commemoration Committee of San Fernando West.

In early spring, the book won a Literary Titan Gold book award, and it came in 3rd place at the Spring 2023 BookFest awards in the World Politics/Human Rights Movements category. The memoir is gaining praise for its written style, vivid worlds, complex characters, and original storyline.

“The Literary Titan Gold Award is bestowed on books that we found to be perfect in their delivery of original content, utilizing fresh themes to convey innovative ideas, and deftly uses of elegant prose to transform words into expertly written literature,” noted Literary Titan, an organization of professional editors, writers, and professors.

“Forbidden Homeland” weaves the author’s personal journey of discovering her family’s story with the principal turning points of the Armenian cause, along the way uncovering the many surprising ways America has been, and continues to be, involved in the Armenian destiny. The unexpected events that launched the book’s journey took place in Southern California after Karageuzian and her family immigrated from Lebanon in 1984.

While exposing the many entangled layers of the Armenian diasporan story, the book also highlights the many shared experiences and challenges of immigrants in the United States. The Literary Titan describes it as “thought-provoking… a true five-star read.”

The book signing event will take place on Saturday, May 13 from 2 to 4 p.m. at Barnes and Noble in Burbank, located at 731 N. San Fernando Blvd., Burbank, CA 91502). There will be a Q&A session and book signing.

Asbarez: Portantino Honored with Catholicos Karekin II Pontifical Encyclical and ‘St. Nerses Shnorhali’ Medal

Emil Lazarian
by Contributor

 

 May 1, 2023

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

Western Primate Arch. Hovnan Derderian bestows the "St. Nerses Shnorhali" medal to Sen. Anthony Portantino


BURBANK—Senator Anthony J. Portantino was presented with a Pontifical Encyclical from His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians and was honored with the prestigious St. Nerses Shnorhali Medal in recognition of his years of support of the Armenian American community. The Senator received the honor on April 27th during a reception held at the headquarters of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church in Burbank.

Western Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian bestowed the medal, with public officials, friends, and representatives of Armenian organizations in attendance. Senator Portantino is the first non-Armenian in the Western Diocese to receive St. Nerses Shnorhali Medal.

“I am humbled to receive this special honor and grateful to have the privilege and opportunity to be part of the spiritual center of the Armenian community,” stated Senator Portantino. “I have always been proud to represent this vibrant constituency in our state’s capitol and I cherish the deep connection I have with my Armenian neighbors and friends.”

Sen. Portantino and his wife, Ellen, with Arch. Derderian, Diocese clergy and officials

“State Senator Anthony Portantino has been a close friend of the Armenian community whose support and dedication has been immensely appreciated by the members of the Armenian community of North America,” stated Archbishop Derderian.

“Additionally, being an advocate of the Armenian cause, he has earned the respect and love of our brothers and sisters in Armenia and Artsakh. I personally have witnessed his genuine respect for our faith, history, and culture, which should be regarded as a gift to our community. Since my arrival to the West Coast, I have witnessed his active engagement on many levels to bring to the Angelenos his steadfast services and utmost regard for all people. The one and perhaps the most important characteristic which should be underlined is his humility which has inspired us all. What has also empowered us tremendously is his dedication to his family, which I certainly believe is the greatest gift he shares with us all,” added Arch. Derederian.

Armenian community leaders were on hand when Sen. Portantino was honored

Senator Portantino has been a steadfast supporter of the Armenian American community and the Armenian cause for decades. He has visited Armenia and Artsakh on a number of occasions. In 2021, Senator Portantino became the first state or federal official to visit Artsakh after the 44-day war. The Senator has also authored countless legislation and resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide and has been a strong proponent of including the Armenian Genocide as part of the state’s curriculum.

Senator Portantino continues to chair the Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia, and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art, and Cultural Exchange, which was first established in 2017 at the request of Senator Portantino to expand business opportunities through trade, economic development, cultural awareness, and education between California, Armenia, and Artsakh.  In 2019, he helped negotiate the historic Memorandum of Understanding between California and Armenia, which established the California Armenian Trade & Services Desk in Yerevan. Senator Portantino has also been instrumental in securing state financial support for the Armenian American Museum in Glendale.

Turkey shuts airspace to Armenian flights over memorial to killers of Ottoman officials

Elizabeth Jabejian
May 3 2023
Memorial commemorating Operation Nemesis, which targeted architects of the Armenian Genocide, provokes outrage from Ankara
A photo of the Operation Nemesis monument in Armenian capital Yereven (VisitYerevan)
By 

Alex MacDonald

Turkey has announced a closure of its airspace to Armenian flights after the latter unveiled a new memorial to the team that hunted down the architects of the 1915 genocide.

The new memorial, opened in the capital Yerevan last week, commemorates Operation Nemesis, a programme initiated in the 1910s to hunt down and assassinate those seen as responsible for the Armenian genocide, which saw as many as 1.5 million Armenians killed in the Ottoman Empire during World War 1.

The operation was carried out by the nationalist Armenian Revolutionary Federation and killed seven people, including Talat Pasha, a member of the Young Turks organisation that controlled the Ottoman Empire during the genocide and was seen as its principal architect.

On Wednesday, the Turkish government – which does not recognise the 1915 killings as a genocide – said it would be closing off access to Armenian flights over the new memorial.

"Establishing a monument in Yerevan in honour of Operation Nemesis is unacceptable. I can't accept it," said Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.

Speaking to NTV, he also said further action would be taken if the memorial was not removed.

The controversy comes less than two weeks before pivotal elections in Turkey, which could potentially see the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) and its leader President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ousted from power for the first time since 2002.

Timothy Ash, an economist and Turkey analyst, tweeted that the flights decision looked like "an effort to play the card for elections".

Relations between Turkey and Armenia have historically been strained over the question of the genocide.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the establishment of the independent state of Armenia, there have been attempts to rebuild ties between the two countries, with occasional diplomatic breakthroughs.

Last year, diplomatic sources suggested the two countries were moving closer to normalisation of ties and had held meetings aimed at possibly re-opening land borders.

Speaking to Armen Press, Tigran Avinyan, the deputy mayor of Yerevan,  said the new memorial was intended to remind people that "crimes do not go unpunished" even if the world as a whole takes no action.

"What Nemesis did was understandable for everyone, it was fair for everyone, but our goal should be to prevent possible crimes, to create mechanisms to bring criminals to justice. That should be our main message," he said.

Turkish presidential spokesperson Ibrahim Kalin said it was natural for Turkey-Armenia relations to have their ups and downs, and noted the memorial was backed by local authorities in Yerevan rather than the Armenian government.

“It was out of the question for us not to react to the Nemesis monument that was opened in Yerevan," he said.

"The [Armenian government] tell us that this was not done by the central government, but was built under the purview of local Yerevan municipality. If the central government is unhappy with it, it should act accordingly.”

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/turkey-armenia-flights-airspace-shut-memorial-ottoman-killers 

Turkish Press: Türkiye shuts airspace to Armenian flights over controversial monument

Emil Lazarian
Daily Sabah
Turkey – May 3 2023

Türkiye has closed its airspace to Armenian flights heading to a third destination in response to the unveiling of a controversial monument in Yerevan last week, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said Wednesday.

The monument glorifies the assassinators of Ottoman and Azerbaijani officials in the early 1920s.

Speaking to broadcaster NTV, Çavuşoğlu said Türkiye would take further steps if the monument is not removed.

Previously, low-cost Armenian airline FlyOne Armenia said the country closed its airspace to their planes on Saturday, "without warning."

"For reasons incomprehensible to us and with no visible grounds, Turkish aviation authorities canceled the permission previously granted to the FlyOne Armenia airline to operate flights to Europe through Turkish airspace," the domestic Armenpress news agency cited the carrier's board chairperson as saying.

Ankara earlier condemned the inauguration of the monument.

"We strongly condemn the opening of the 'Nemesis Monument' in Yerevan, which is dedicated to the perpetrators of the assassinations against Ottoman political and military leaders in the early 1920s, and Azerbaijani officials of the time, as well as even some Ottoman citizens of Armenian origin," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

"The opening of this shameful monument glorifies a bloody act of terror that led to heinous terrorist attacks in which 31 of our diplomats and their family members were murdered," it said.

The statement also underlined that the way these events were portrayed by Armenian media indicated that a distorted and unacceptable understanding of history persisted among some people.

"Such provocative steps, which are incompatible with the spirit of the normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia, will in no way contribute to the efforts to establish lasting and sustainable peace and stability in the region, on the contrary, they will negatively affect the normalization process," it said.

According to data compiled by Anadolu Agency (AA), a total of 77 people – 58 of them Turkish citizens, including 31 diplomats and members of their families – were killed in attacks from 1973 to 1986 carried out by terrorist groups, including the Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA), Justice Commandos of the "Armenian Genocide" (JCAG) and the Armenian Revolutionary Army (ARA).

The deadly campaign began in 1973 with the assassination of Türkiye's Consul General in Los Angeles Mehmet Baydar and diplomat Bahadır Demir by a terrorist named Gourgen Yanikian. ASALA was the first Armenian terrorist group to attack Türkiye and it not only targeted Türkiye, but also other countries.

Turkey restricts airspace to Armenia over genocide memorial

Edgar Tavakalian
May 3 2023
Joshua Kucera May 3, 2023
The dedication of a monument commemorating Operation Nemesis, an effort to assassinate officials responsible for Turkey's genocide of ethnic Armenians. (photo: Yerevan Mayor's office)

Turkey’s foreign minister has said the country closed its airspace to Armenian flights in response to a new monument that was erected in Yerevan commemorating a program to assassinate perpetrators of the Armenian genocide.

The monument “glorifies terrorists,” Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said in an interview with NTV television on May 3. “In connection with this we closed our airspace for Armenian planes.”

It isn’t clear which Armenian planes are affected. One Armenian airline, Flyone, reported on April 29 that a flight from Paris to Yerevan was forced to land in Moldova because it was unexpectedly refused permission to use Turkish airspace.

"For reasons incomprehensible to us and without any visible grounds, the Turkish aviation authorities canceled the permission previously granted to the Flyone Armenia airline to operate flights to Europe through the Turkish airspace,” the chairman of the airline’s board, Aram Ananyan, told the news agency Armenpress at the time.

Ananyan further explained to RFE/RL that the extent of the ban wasn’t clear, but that it didn’t appear to apply to the Flyone flights between Istanbul and Yerevan. The flight tracking website FlightRadar24 indicated that those flights have operated normally for the last several days. Armenia’s General Department of Civil Aviation did not respond to a query from Eurasianet by press time.

The ban comes while Armenia and Turkey are pursuing a fitful process of rapprochement, three decades after Turkey broke off relations during the first war between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Ankara and Yerevan have reached tentative agreements to reopen their land border to third-country nationals; Armenian officials say it could happen by this year’s tourist season. The rapprochement process appeared to get a boost following the massive earthquake in southern Turkey in February: Armenia sent a rescue team and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan visited them and Cavusoglu. Cavusoglu thanked Armenia for "extending a hand of friendship" and hopes were raised that out of the disaster, better relations might result.

But the process now appears to have taken a step backwards.

Cavusoglu suggested that Armenian officials he spoke with had tried to distance themselves from the monument, but that he didn’t believe them.

“They [his Armenian interlocutors] say that it was the mayor’s office who put up the monument, that they are not under our control. I think this statement doesn’t correspond to reality, they are not demonstrating good will,” he said in the interview.

“If they continue in this spirit we will have to take additional measures,” he said.

The monument was inaugurated on April 25, the day after Armenians traditionally commemorate the genocide. It is dedicated to Operation Nemesis, the effort in the late 1910s and early 1920s by Armenian militants to assassinate Ottoman officials responsible for the Armenian genocide a few years earlier. Up to one and a half million Armenians were killed in the genocide.

Turkey continues to deny that the killings amounted to a genocide, and following the erection of the monument the foreign ministry issued a statement objecting to it.

The monument is “incompatible with the spirit of the normalization process between Türkiye and Armenia, will in no way contribute to the efforts for establishment of lasting and sustainable peace and stability in the region. On the contrary, they will negatively affect the normalization process.”

While the Turkey-Armenia process has appeared to be on the back burner in recent months, relations between Armenia and Turkey’s ally, Azerbaijan, have been much more eventful. Negotiations between Yerevan and Baku are intensifying even as the situation on the ground in Karabakh, the territory at the heart of the conflict, gets more tense. On April 23, Azerbaijan established a border post on the only road connecting Armenia to Karabakh, and pro-government media have been increasingly openly celebrating that it could lead Armenians to flee the territory.

It has raised the specter of another round of ethnic cleansing in the region; after Armenia’s victory in the first war between the two sides in the 1990s, over 600,000 Azerbaijanis were forced to flee the territory Armenian forces occupied.

The threat of Armenians now being forced out of Karabakh hung heavily over this year’s genocide commemoration events.

Operation Nemesis represented “a record of the fact that throughout history, crimes do not go unpunished regardless of how the international community treats it,” Yerevan Deputy Mayor Tigran Avinyan said at the monument’s inauguration ceremony, Armenpress reported. “What Nemesis did was understandable for everyone, it was fair for everyone, but our goal should be to prevent possible crimes, to create mechanisms to bring criminals to justice. That should be our main message."

The Turkish foreign ministry statement also hinted at the Azerbaijan-Armenia process, noting that Operation Nemesis also had targeted “Azerbaijani officials of the time.”

The speaker of Armenia’s parliament, Alen Simonyan, was scheduled to travel to Ankara on May 3 to attend a meeting of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation Parliamentary Assembly, a regional body based in Turkey of which Armenia is a member. In his comments, Cavusoglu said Turkish authorities were making an exception for the plane Simonyan was traveling on. 

Joshua Kucera, a senior correspondent, is Eurasianet's former Turkey/Caucasus editor and has written for the site since 2007.

Turkey Bans Armenia Overflights In Row Over Monument

Boris Nahapetian
May 3 2023
BYRILEY PICKETT
In response to a new monument, Turkey has chosen to close its airspace to select Armenian flights.


On Saturday, April 29th, Turkish officials closed Turkish airspace to select Armenian flights. The ban particularly applies to all Armenian flights heading to a third destination and comes in response to a monument erected in Yerevan last week.

The 'Nemesis Monument' commemorates the individuals involved in an assassination scheme of Ottoman and Azerbaijani leaders in the 1920s. The Turkish government has taken offense to the monument and will keep these air travel restrictions in place until the monument is removed.

Armenian air carriers found their operations suddenly restricted while operating within Turkish airspace on Saturday. According to Daily Sabah, the air carriers reported were informed by The Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Turkey that they would no longer be able to operate to a third destination from Turkish airspace.

The airlines said they were given no prior notice and were forced to halt such operations immediately. The sudden stoppage of these operations forced the airlines to cancel such flights for the foreseeable future.

The carriers are understandably frustrated that forces beyond their control are hindering operations. To them, it seems unfair that they should be punished for actions and decisions made by politicians. A representative for the low-cost air carrier FlyOne Armenia stated the following concerning the airspace closure,

"For reasons incomprehensible to us and with no visible grounds, Turkish aviation authorities canceled the permission previously granted to the FlyOne Armenia airline to operate flights to Europe through Turkish airspace,"


In association with the country's aviation authority, the Turkish Foreign Ministry has shared the terms by which it will remove the airspace restriction. Representatives have stated that if Armenian officials were to have the 'Nemesis Monument' removed, the aviation authority would, in part, terminate the travel restriction.

As of now, no negotiations are known to have occurred between the two countries concerning the air travel restriction. However, even if talks begin, it is unlikely that Turkey will fold as it has made its stance very clear.

The new air travel restriction puts Armenian air carriers and the Armenian air travel economy in a pinch. While it may not seem like a big deal to restrict flights from one foreign country to another, it is, in this case, due to Turkey's geographic location. Turkey is effectively cutting off Armenia from much of Europe.

While other ways exist to reach parts of Europe, most will require operators to fly significantly further to travel around Turkish airspace. This will impede timely operations and force airlines to restructure many routes.

These longer flights will lead to higher operating costs which will be passed down to the paying customers. The higher airfare will likely slow the Armenian air travel economy. Suppose the Armenian air transit industry experiences a significant decline in ticket sales – in that case, it will begin to hamper the country's economic growth as the leisure and business travel markets will likely take a hit.

Source: Reuters, Daily Sabah