Armenian News...6 reports
epress.am
46 SOLDIERS DEAD IN 2014, 26 DUE TO CEASEFIRE VIOLATIONS
01.12.2015
In 2014, the Armenian Armed Forces and the NKR Defense Army have
tallied 46 deaths of soldiers as a result of 42 registered incidents,
an increase of 15 deaths from 2013, reported the Helsinki Citizens'
Assembly Vanadzor office http://hcav.am/en/ .
The human rights defenders have noted that 26 of the 45 registered
deaths in 2014 have occurred due to ceasefire violations, 6 due to
accidents, 4 murders (2 intentional murders, 2 violations of firearm
regulations), 3 due to violations of military regulations, 3 due to
health issues and inadequate health care, 3 suicides (according to
criminal case qualifications), and 1 due to violations of firearm
regulations.
RFE/RL Report
Armenian Army Ordered To Step Up `Preventive' Actions
Hovannes Movsisian
12.01.2015
Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian has ordered the Armenian military to
launch "preventive" offensive operations in response to what the
authorities in Yerevan say is the latest upsurge in Azerbaijani armed
incursions, which reportedly left one Armenian civilian dead on
Sunday.
"We must fight against [Azerbaijani] sabotage and reconnaissance
actions, carry out training exercises for enhancing the combat
readiness of all army detachments, punish the enemy during its
sabotage and reconnaissance actions and, in some cases, attack without
waiting for the enemy to act first," he told senior military officials
at a meeting in Yerevan on Monday.
Ohanian said that troops deployed along Armenia's border with
Azerbaijan and the more militarized "line of contact" around
Nagorno-Karabakh must be constantly prepared for "punitive" or
"preventive" measures. To that end, he said, the commanders of army
battalions and even companies must now be allowed to take such action
on their own.
"I am calling on everyone to give the commanders that freedom," he
added.
The extraordinary order was issued one day after what Armenia's
Defense Ministry called an Azerbaijani commando raid on the northern
Tavush province. In a statement, the ministry said that an
80-year-resident of a local Armenian village, Hrant Sargsian, was shot
dead as Armenian troops stationed nearby repelled the cross-border
attack.
The Baghanis village mayor, Narek Sahakian, told RFE/RL's Armenian
service (Azatutyun.am) the elderly man accidentally came across the
retreating Azerbaijani soldiers as he grazed sheep in the border
area. "They killed him," said Sahakian.
The ministry claimed that one Azerbaijani soldier was also killed in
the incident. Its spokesman, Artsrun Hovannisian, said on Monday that
the Armenian military promptly allowed Azerbaijani troops to recover
the soldier's body from no-man's land separating the two warring
sides.
Nagorno-Karabakh's Armenian-backed army, meanwhile, claimed that its
forces took "preventive measures" later on Sunday to thwart similar
raids which it said were attempted by the Azerbaijani army at two
sections of "the line of contact." No Karabakh Armenian soldiers were
killed or wounded in the firefights, it said.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry strongly denied the reported
incidents. It insisted that its troops did not kill the Armenian
villager or suffer any casualties on Sunday. "Our armed forces are in
full control of the situation along the entire frontline," it said.
The ministry earlier denied similar Azerbaijan attacks which were
alleged by the Armenian side in the past week. Two Armenian soldiers
were shot dead in one such incident reported on January 3.
That tensions in the Karabakh conflict zone have increased since then
was acknowledged by the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on
Monday. However, the ministry blamed "Armenia's systematic provocative
actions" for the escalation, according to the APA news agency.
The military authorities in Yerevan and Stepanakert already reported a
drastic increase in Azerbaijani incursions throughout last year. They
say this is the main reason why combat casualties suffered by both
sides rose sharply in 2014.
Tension on the frontlines ran particularly high in early August. At
least 14 Azerbaijani and 5 Armenian soldiers were killed in that
upsurge of violence, which led Russian President Vladimir Putin to
host an emergency summit of his Armenian and Azerbaijani
counterparts. Armenian-Azerbaijani truce violations decreased markedly
in the following weeks. But they intensified again following the
November 12 shooting down by Azerbaijani forces of an Armenian combat
helicopter near Karabakh.
agos.com.tr
ARMENIAN HUMORIST OF CHARLIE HEBDO: WE NOW HAVE
MORE REASONS TO CONTINUE
01.09.2015
Mathieu Madenian, the humorist and columnist of Armenian origin who
worked for Charlie Hebdo was saved from the massacre in which 12
people died because he didn't go to work that day.
Madenian has worked for Charlie Hebdo since September, and had sent a
text message to his editor Charb a few hours before the attack that
took place at 11.30 on January 7, telling him that he was not going
to attend the meeting that morning.
Speaking to Canal+, Madenian found out about the attack from his
mother's message asking him where he was, and said that he was only
thinking about his friends who died.
Madenian added that like many other employees of the magazine, he,
too, constantly received threat messages, and that their chief editor
Charb for whom Al-Qaida had issued a 'fatwa of death' had been forced
to live with two bodyguards.
Madenian says, 'We now have more reasons to continue'.
armenianow.com
JE SUIS CHARLIE: ARMENIAN FM ATTENDS ANTI-TERROR RALLY
IN PARIS
12.01.15
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian was among dozens of
world leaders and top diplomats attending a large rally in Paris,
held on Sunday to show unity of the people of France in the wake
of a series of deadly terrorist, including the killing of satirical
magazine journalists earlier last week.
The prime target of the attacks carried out by home-bred gunmen linked
with Al-Qaeda was the popular French satirical journal, Charlie Hebdo,
12 of whose staff members, including senior editors, were killed. The
attack on the magazine that had published cartoons of Prophet Muhammad
in the past shook the nation and the entire world and was taken by
the people of France and the broader international community as an
attack against freedom of expression.
The three Islamist terrorists continued their rampage, including
hostage-taking, in other locations of France before being hunted down
and killed by police. They had slain a total of 17 innocent citizens
by then.
French President Francois Hollande led the Sunday gathering that had
brought together about a million people in the center of Paris.
"Today, Paris is the capital of the world. The entire country will
rise up," the French leader said, as quoted by international media.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron,
the prime ministers of Israel, Italy, the president of Ukraine and
other world leaders attended the event.
Earlier, Armenia also added its voice to the chorus of strong
international condemnation of the armed attacks in France. On January
7, President Serzh Sargsyan sent a letter to his French counterpart
Hollande strongly condemning the shootings, offerings his condolences
to the families of the victims and expressing solidarity with France.
"We strongly condemn all manifestations of terrorism and reiterate
our continued commitment to continuing the fight against international
terrorism," Sargsyan emphasized in his message.
armradio.am
THE GUARDIAN: NAGORNO KARABAKH AS ONE OF THE BEST
NEW ADVENTURES FOR 2015
12 Jan 2015
The Guardian has included Nagorno Karabakh in the list of best new
adventure destinations for 2015.
"In terms of destination one-upmanship, little can beat
Nagorno-Karabakh. The mountainous enclave is surrounded by Azerbaijan
and under the control of Armenia, although it declared independence
(largely unrecognised) in 1991," the Guardian writes.
"Border skirmishes and ongoing wrangling for political control mean
it is not for the faint-hearted, but the region has a lot to offer:
mountain monasteries, archaeological sites, ancient cave settlements
and areas of outstanding natural beauty."
The publication informs that Regent Holidays has a new 11-day group
tour that starts and finishes in Yerevan, the Armenian capital,
and includes seven days in Nagorno-Karabakh (departs 21 September
and 1 October, from £1,590 including flights). It adds, however,
that the British embassy can't provide assistance in Nagorno-Karabakh.
Other adventures the Guardian recommends in 2015 include desert
exploring and kayaking in Djibouti, cycling in Burma, 2CV rallying in
Spain, mountain trekking in Iraqi Kurdistan, canyoning in the Azores,
horse-riding in Pyrenees, extreme survival in the UK, surfing in
Mozambique, biking challenge in Namibia, sea kayaking in Fiji.
BRITISH COMPANY'S ACTIVITY MAY BE BANNED IN AZERBAIJAN
APA, Azerbaijan
Jan 12 2015
Baku. Rufat Ahmadzada - APA. The activity of the British company
Regent Holidays in Azerbaijan and its cooperation with local tourism
companies may be banned for arranging tours to Nagorno-Karabakh,
Vugar Shikhmammadov, head of the information and public relations
department of Azerbaijan's Ministry of Culture and Tourism, told APA.
He said the matter is thoroughly being considered.
"We saw the article about visits to occupied Azerbaijani territories on
The Guardian and some tours programs on the website of Regent Holidays
whose name is mentioned in the article. The website said the company
arranges tours to Azerbaijan, as well. Any website could publish
provocative articles against Azerbaijan, but we need to accurately
investigate the matter to learn the company's activity in Azerbaijan
and its cooperation with other companies. Relevant authorities too
are dealing with the issue. Media will soon be given additional
information. It's likely that Azerbaijan's Tourism Association and
local tourism companies would be told not to cooperate with this
company in any way. We'll take other necessary measures to prevent
this kind of cases," he said.
V. Shikhmammadov added that the Azerbaijani Ministry of Culture and
Tourism condemns such cases that run contrary to the law.
"The territorial integrity of Azerbaijan is recognized by the United
Nations, and foreign companies have to comply with the principle of
territorial integrity while carrying out their business activities,
arranging tours," he stressed.
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