Armenian News...A Topalian...Armenia and Artsakh

Public Radio of Armenia
March 19 2018
Serzh Sargsyan: Karabakh peace remains a priority for Armenia and Artsakh 
The peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict remains a priority for Armenia and Artsakh, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said at the annual meeting of the senior leadership of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. 

President Sargsyan voiced regret over the lack of progress in the negotiations, but added: “One thing is clear – we will continue the negotiations and our contacts with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, since they have been authorized by the international community to mediate between parties and contribute to the elaboration of a peace accord.”

However, he said, “the primary responsibility is on the conflicting parties, and we have always realized our part in that work.”

“This is why our army has been and will remain the main factor in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Under the conditions of constant threats from Baku, the Armed Forces are our main pillar. The military actions of April 2016 were a major attempt by the rival to test the balance of forces, which they definitely failed,” Serzh Sargsyan said.

The President said “in the current situation we have to maintain the configuration of positions and consistently work to be ready to resist any attempt by the rival to distort the balance of forces.”

“We have repeatedly made it clear and if necessary we’ll reiterate once again that the military solution to the Karabakh conflict lacks perspective,” President Sargsyan said.

The President noted that one of the main practical steps should be the successful implementation of the seven-year program of the Armed Forces’s modernization.

Serzh Sargsyan noted that the purchase of armaments and military equipment proceeds in line with the plan. “Our main ally and partner here is the Russian Federation – one of the world’s largest suppliers of weapons, which we have concrete agreements with. Of course, we use other opportunities, as well, taking into consideration our perspectives of cooperation with different countries. In the arms race we are not pursuing the policy of responding to quantity with quantity; instead, we lay the emphasis on the effectiveness of the armament.”

“We possess the means necessary to restrain the rival any moment. When we speak about restraining, we do not mean preventing the attacks. It means counterstrikes that will deprive them of the wish to violate the commitments and provisions of the ceasefire agreement signed in 1994-1995,” President Sargsyan stated.


MediaMax, Armenia
March 19 2018
Reforms aren’t popular and gain a lot of opponents, Armenian PM says
Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan has said today that "Armenia will have certain economic growth in the next 4-5 years, which will set us apart from the region, the CIS member states, and the European countries”.

The Armenian government’s press service has informed that the Prime Minister has made that statement at the meeting with the participants of the operative camp of the Armenian Army General Staff.

“We have a very interesting and perspective chance to give Armenia a drastic rise. The economic growth we anticipate in the next 4-5 years will allow us to carry out long-term, fundamental reforms. In many cases, these reforms aren’t popular and gain a lot of opponents, but their implementation will be easier if we record small wins. We also have a unique chance in the sense that being a small country with a population of 3 million, we still managed to form a platform where otherwise incompatible things are possible to combine,” said Karen Karapetyan.

Karapetyan has reassured that the government has a clear vision for changing the social and economic situation in the country.

“We understand clearly that we will have a good, fair, logically developing country. We will secure the economic factors and social and economic developments in the background for you to feel safe and to know that you are backed up by people who take their share of the burden,” said the Prime Minister.


ARKA, Armenia
March 20 2018
More than 16,000 people’s Armenian citizenship renounced for six years
The number of Russian citizens living in Armenia is growing from year to year, Zhoghovurd (People) reported Tuesday referring to official sources.

Some 16,436 people have renounced their Armenian citizenship over a period between 2012 and 2017, and almost all of them have got Russian citizenship.

This means people seek Russian citizenship not only for migration, but also to exempt their sons from military service in Armenia and to receive normal pensions.

According to the media resource, this situation creates grave problems for the nation’s statehood, since people feel like the country’s residents, not citizens.


ARKA Armenia
March 19 2018
Poverty looming large in Armenia’s rural communities 
Poverty is looming large in Armenia’s rural areas, Sargis Sedrakyan, head of Farmer Heritage NGO, said Monday at a news conference.

The wrong agricultural policy pursued for long years, he said, has forced many villagers flee their homes and migrate.

“Our villages are becoming deserted and growing old, and the program of consolidation of communities just aggravates the situation,” he said.

Sedrakyan said that the bulk of the abandoned land is already not fit for use. Dilapidated farming machinery hobbles development of the country’s rural areas, and the government-proposed leasing program is not something new.

“I’ve heard that expensive American farming machinery is purchased instead of buying three times more Belarusian equipment for the same money, and farmers use an old Soviet-era machinery,” he said.

On March 16, the Armenian government upheld a state program of support in leasing farming machinery.

Under this project, leasing is provided to farmers and communities at 9% interest rate, of which 7% is subsidized by the government.

Sedrakyan also said that the talk about insufficient financing as cause of the mentioned problems is groundless.

“Quite large amounts of money come to Armenia from abroad – the country received $30 million as loans and $60 million in grants in 2017, and farmers say they have received nothing from these financial resources,” he said.

According to the National Statistical Service, 880,000 poor people lived in Armenia in 2016, of which 295,000 lived in deep poverty and 54,000 in abject poverty.

It means 33.5% of the country’s population live in deep poverty and 6.1% ion abject poverty.

There is a wide gap between urban and rural areas – poverty rate in cities was recorded at 28.8% and in rural communities at 30.4%.


ARKA, Armenia
March 19 2018
Illegal fishing and hunting cause 10 million drams in damages annually 
Around 200 cases of illegal fishing and hunting are reported in Armenia annually, Arthur Beglaryan, the head of a nature protection ministry’s department in charge of biodiversity and environment monitoring, told a news conference today.

He said these numbers have not changed over the recent years. In his words, cases of illegal fishing and hunting are recorded outside the hunting season, which lasts from the 3rd Sunday in August until February 28.

He also revealed that 30,000 hunters and up to 60,000 anglers are officially registered in Armenia. He added that the annual damage caused to nature by illegal hunting and fishing is estimated at about 10 million drams.

He said administrative fines are envisaged for illegal fishing and hunting ranging from 70,000 to 240,000 drams, while a repeated breach of the law entails criminal punishment. ($ 1 - 480.34 drams).


MediaMax, Armenia
March 19 2018
Armenia participates in Leipzig Book Fair for the first time
This year Armenia participated in Leipzig Book Fair for the first time. This annual event was held on March 15-18 in Leipzig, Germany.

Armenian MFA noted that the Armenian pavilion introduced works of Armenian classical and modern writers and artists, pieces on Armenia’s history by Armenian and foreign authors.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Germany Ashot Smbatyan met with Director of the book fair Oliver Zille, as well as heads of a number of large publications.

The sides expressed willingness to expand Armenia’s participation in the book fair and reached certain agreements in this direction.

Amassador Smbatyan attached special importance to the role of newly-established Goethe Center in Yerevan in promoting German language in Armenia, introducing readers to Armenian literature in German.

Leipzig Book Fair is the second largest event in Germany after Frankfurt Book Fair. It originated in the 17th century and receives more than 200 000 visitors. 

ArmenPress, Armenia
March 15 2018
Young Armenian scientist aims sky-high with revolutionary breakthrough invention in nanotechnology 
The invention of an Armenian graduate of Cambridge University can revolutionize the industry of power supplied devices.

Amalya Kostanyan, a scholarship holder of Luys Foundation, specializes in nanostructures. She and her team design new generation screens based on the nanostructures, and the screens are entirely carbon-based.

“They are useful by the fact that they can be designed by new types of materials which are entirely made in laboratory conditions and with our desired features. We can create devices which will completely change our environment, which will enable to substitute silicon-based made devices with nanostructure-based made devices in mass production”, she told reporters in Yerevan.

Amalya and her team already received the patent with the University of Cambridge and are thinking about mass production.

Since the basis of the innovation is mainly the industry with organic materials it will be possible to apply in any industry.

“Imagine paper think phones, tablets which require almost no power for operation. They can be applied in healthcare, for example there are devices which check the heart and other organ functions during the day”, the young scientist said.

“It will be possible to use this device for three years with only half an hour of charging”, she said.

Kostanyan said they are currently discussing what resources can be used to establish a laboratory operating with such technologies in Armenia.

English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan


Commentary
How Azerbaijan Distorts
UN Security Council Resolutions
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier 
The United Nations Security Council adopted four Resolutions during the Artsakh (Karabagh) war in 1993 calling for the withdrawal of Armenian forces, cessation of all hostilities and urging a negotiated settlement of the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

These resolutions are often cited by the Azerbaijani media, which is under the strict control of the Azeri government. In the past 25 years, the Azeris have repeatedly condemned Armenia for not abiding by these resolutions, and have made them a part of their continued propaganda war against Armenia.

However, Azerbaijan has distorted the contents and context of these Resolutions, trying to deceive the international public. Azerbaijan itself has not complied with these Resolutions. When one side (Azerbaijan) violates these Resolutions, it cannot accuse the other side (Armenia) of not complying with them. 

The UN Security Council is composed of 15 States: Five of them are permanent members who have a veto power (United States, Russia, China, Great Britain, and France) and 10 of them are rotating members. The UN Security Council is charged with maintaining peace and security among nations. UN member states are obligated to carry out the decisions of the Security Council.

It is particularly hypocritical of the Turkish government to blame Armenia for not complying with the four UN Security Council Resolutions, when Turkey itself has violated over 60 UN Security Resolutions adopted since Turkey’s invasion of Northern Cyprus in 1974.

Let us now review each of the resolutions, which were adopted unanimously by all 15 member states. My comments appear in bold.

Excerpts from UN Security Council Resolution 822, adopted April 30, 1993:

“Demands the immediate cessation of all hostilities and hostile acts with a view to establishing a durable cease-fire, as well as immediate withdrawal of all occupying forces from the Kelbadjar district and other recently occupied areas of Azerbaijan.” Azerbaijan has violated the cease-fire for 25 years on a regular basis by continuously shooting across the borders of Artsakh and Armenia. 
“Urges the parties concerned immediately to resume negotiations for the resolution of the conflict within the framework of the peace process of the Minsk Group of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe and refrain from any action that will obstruct a peaceful solution of the problem.” The Minsk Group of CSCE, subsequently renamed OSCE, is composed of three co-chairs: the United States, France and Russia which are the official mediators to help resolve the Artsakh conflict, not the United Nations Security Council!

“Calls for unimpeded access for international humanitarian relief efforts in the region, in particular in all areas affected by the conflict in order to alleviate the suffering of the civilian population and reaffirms that all parties are bound to comply with the principles and rules of international humanitarian law.” Despite this clause, Azerbaijan has tried to undermine the delivery of international humanitarian aid to the people of Artsakh. 

Excerpts from UN Security Council Resolution 853, adopted July 29, 1993:

“Expressing once again its grave concern at the displacement of large numbers of civilians in the Azerbaijani Republic and at the serious humanitarian emergency in the region.” The reference to “the serious humanitarian emergency in the region” also applies to Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan. 

“Reaffirming the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Azerbaijani Republic and all other States in the region.” This clause applies to both Armenia and Azerbaijan. 

“Reaffirming also the inviolability of international borders and the inadmissibility of the use of force for the acquisition of territory.” Artsakh Armenians have the right to self-determination under international law and UN Protocols. 

“Reiterates in the context of paragraphs 3 and 4 above its earlier calls for the restoration of economic, transport and energy links in the region.” This clause is violated by Azerbaijan and Turkey by their blockades of Armenia and Artsakh. 

“Urges the parties concerned to refrain from any action that will obstruct a peaceful solution to the conflict, and pursue negotiations within the Minsk Group of the CSCE, as well as through direct contact between them, towards a final settlement.” The reference to “the parties concerned” and “direct contact between them,” implies Artsakh’s inclusion in the negotiations, as was the case earlier. Azerbaijan blocked Artsakh’s participation in the negotiations. 

“Urges the Government of the Republic of Armenia to continue to exert its influence to achieve compliance by the Armenians of the Nagorny Karabakh region of the Azerbaijani Republic with its resolution 822 (1993) and the present resolution, and the acceptance by this party of the proposal of the Minsk Group of the CSCE.” Armenia coordinates its negotiating position with the government of the Republic of Artsakh. However, Artsakh’s exclusion from the negotiations makes the task of coordination more difficult. Furthermore, Artsakh not being a recognized state and not a member of the UN is under no obligation to comply with any of these Resolutions. 

“Urges States to refrain from the supply of any weapons and munitions which might lead to the intensification of the conflict or the continued occupation of territory.” This clause is violated by Turkey, Russia, Israel, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Pakistan, and several others, which have supplied billions of dollars of weaponry to Azerbaijan.