The other day I made a post on my Facebook page. The content was this. “It will be very bad if it turns out that this was not an Armenian referendum,

Edik Andreasyan

but a gathering.” The last word angered many people, especially those who in one way or another are involved in the “HayaVote” initiative, have signed the relevant text or are going to go to community halls, marzpetars, and notary offices, and join the signature collection. In essence, this is our first attempt to come up with a civil legislative initiative and dictate the will of the people to the authorities.

This is a true manifestation of democracy, I would say at the highest level. Let me also say that I will go and sign the initiative personally, perhaps with a large group of my friends. Nevertheless, I am afraid that the RA authorities will use this initiative to serve their goals, that is, to gain temporary peace for Armenia at the price of recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan. Is it a paradox? Yes.

The organizers of the initiative are sure that if it comes to a referendum, and it is quite real, then the RA authorities cannot under any circumstances bring people to vote and force them to say “yes” to recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan. According to Avetik Chalabyan, let me say. “How do you imagine how this government will bring people to a referendum and force them to vote for the handover of Artsakh?” It’s impossible, I can’t imagine. The government cannot use the referendum to hand over Artsakh. It can’t be, I rule it out. On the contrary, we should use the referendum to delegitimize this government, to prevent them from handing over Artsakh.” The self-confidence of the political and social figure Avetik Chalabyan just kills me… In the sense of inspiring. It will be really wonderful if our people come and say “yes” by 90 percent to the most important demand of “HayaVote”. that is, to include such a provision in the Criminal Code. “Recognizing Artsakh as part of any other state on behalf of the Republic of Armenia is punishable by imprisonment for a period of 10-15 years.” And what will happen if the people don’t come, and what will happen if the people come and say “no”? “The organizers of HayaKve and the participants of the signature collection do not discuss this option and do not want to discuss it. I myself do not believe that our people are capable of being embarrassed to such an extent, but let’s not forget the famous saying: never say “never”. “The organizers of HayaKve and the participants of the signature collection do not discuss this option and do not want to discuss it. I myself do not believe that our people are capable of being embarrassed to such an extent, but let’s not forget the famous saying: never say “never”. “The organizers of HayaKve and the participants of the signature collection do not discuss this option and do not want to discuss it. I myself do not believe that our people are capable of being embarrassed to such an extent, but let’s not forget the famous saying: never say “never”.

We will make a big mistake if we forget for even a second who we are dealing with and what environment we are in after 2018. We have seen both war and capitulation, we have given thousands of victims and territories, but we had 2021. Extraordinary NA elections won by the same person whom we are trying to threaten with criminal liability if he recognizes Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan or another state. And are we not worried that he can win the referendum as well? In addition, the head of RA Day has already recognized Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan several times.

Moreover, this position of his was also defended in the European structures and in the collective West. How many high-ranking officials of the RA authorities have declared in open text: let’s give Artsakh, let’s survive, we will not risk the lives of 3 million for 120 thousand. And most painfully, how many people participated in the Yerevan rallies and marches in support of Artsakh, how many people joined the SOS Artsakh protest at the offices of the European Union, the United Nations and the embassies of the IC co-chair countries. In this disgraceful morale-psychological environment, anything is possible, even to receive a document on officially renouncing Artsakh through a referendum organized by the people’s initiative.

I see another danger after the realization of the patriotic goals of this initiative. Imagine a situation where, God forbid, we lose Artsakh as a result of the inaction and incompetence of the RA authorities, and Pashinyan continues to be the RA Prime Minister, because it was “not his fault”. Paul, Peter, Kirakos are guilty, but never himself. What could he do when Artsakh was handed over to him? Sounds familiar, isn’t it? And, then, who will we judge in 10-15 years? Nikoli, whose “immortal” signature may or may not be under the document recognizing Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan, because he may not even be asked.

HG. After all, Aro is not coming home from Washington, he is working on the issues of the surrender of Artsakh. They say there is new progress. At the last moment, we will give Aro a blow, he will pass. Otherwise, where is Nikol, where is the law?

Edik Andreasyan

According to our information, the President of Artsakh, Arayik Harutyunyan, wrote a letter to the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin,

in which he urged him to answer in a few days what they are going to do in Artsakh, whether they will continue to fulfill the mission of peacekeepers, which also includes ensuring the free movement of Artsakh citizens. If they are not going to control the situation and open the road, then Artsakh should be clearly informed about it and decide what to do next.

According to our information, the letter is written correctly, but with rather harsh wording, from which it is felt that Artsakh’s cup of patience is running out. Nikol Pashinyan forwarded the letter to the President of the Russian Federation and it is assumed that the answer will also be forwarded through him.

Levent Kenez/Stockholm

Turkish intelligence agency MİT has uncovered a 56-member cell suspected of working for Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, according to an operation that was leaked to the Turkish media. Sabah, a newspaper affiliated with MİT, on Monday, claimed that the suspects had confessed to working for Mossad and that seven people were arrested for spying. The unpublished details of the story show that the individuals and organizations that Mossad was seeking information on are Hamas front organizations supported by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. 

The Sabah report indicates that the Israeli government has established a remote online operations team based in Tel Aviv consisting of individuals from various Middle Eastern countries. The team’s primary objective is to gather biographical intelligence, location information and IP addresses. It has been discovered that they have even created fake internet news sites in different languages, including Arabic, to support their activities. The vast intelligence network, structured as a top-level intelligence cell, is managed and directed by nine Israeli intelligence operatives affiliated with Mossad. The Sabah story claims that MİT found out that this extensive intelligence network has achieved operational capabilities on an international scale.

According to the report, written by Abdurrahman Şimşek, who is often in the spotlight due to his alleged affiliation with MIT, Israel was secretly sending numerous spies, including Turks, to three different countries for training purposes. The first county was Serbia, then Dubai in the United Arab Emirates and finally Thailand, all under the guise of tourist travel. One common feature of these three countries is that they do not require visas for Turkish citizens. Therefore, the journey of these spies would end in Bangkok, where the secret Mossad training center was located.

Okan Albayrak, a Turkish citizen, allegedly received special training at the covert Mossad center in Thailand. The training covered various technical and tactical intelligence techniques, including conducting surveillance operations, escaping and evading MİT and counterintelligence measures and  installing satellite tracking GPS devices on vehicles.

The report states that a group working for Mossad watched an office belonging to Hisham Younis Yahya Qafisheh, the Syrian chairman of the Trend Real Estate Investment Partnership, and the seizure of Qafisheh’s phone.

The person referred to as Hisham Younis Yahya Qafisheh in the report is actually a businessman named Haşmet Aslan, who was granted Turkish citizenship by the government of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Contrary to Sabah’s report, Aslan is not Syrian but rather a Jordanian national. He began his real estate investments in Turkey in 2006 and has earned substantial profits from the sale of numerous residential, commercial and business properties. His company is also listed on the İstanbul Stock Exchange. In 2021 the company, in a letter sent to the Public Disclosure Platform as a legal requirement, stated that “Mr. Hisham Younis Yahya Qafisheh, the Vice Chairman of our Company, has changed his name to Haşmet Aslan due to obtaining Turkish citizenship.” 

It is worth mentioning that Aslan was listed as a person associated with terrorism by the US Treasury in 2022.

Sabah reported an alleged attempt by Mossad to gather information on a charity organization called the Palestinian White Hands Association (Filistin Beyaz Eller Sağlık Ve Toplumsal Yardımlaşma Derneği). This organization, which was mistaken for a similarly named Turkish association operating in Syria due to multiple organizations with similar names, has a mission to provide medical treatment in Turkey for wounded Palestinians and deliver healthcare services to areas under Hamas control. Supported by the Turkish government, this charity works closely with the Ministry of Health and the Higher Education Board (YÖK). It also has connections with private hospitals in Turkey.

In 2021 British daily The Times pointed to the Palestinian White Hands Association as being among organizations operating in Turkey that Western intelligence sources suspect of being Hamas front charities. However, it also mentioned that Erdogan had started to restrict the activities of Hamas-affiliated organizations as part of his rapprochement with Israel.

The Sabah story does not mention the exact date of the operation or the specific dates when the suspects committed the alleged spying.

Nordic Monitor previously reported that the state-run Turkish Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) illegally transferred money allocated from discretionary funds to its office in Gaza for the use of Hamas by way of official trips, a senior bureaucrat who worked at the now-abolished Turkish Prime Ministry told Nordic Monitor. Nordic Monitor sources confirmed that some of the people who were presented as Gazan civilians were Hamas militants whose names were hidden in the hospital records. Two state hospitals, in particular, were assigned to that mission, one in İstanbul, the Kartal Teaching and Research Hospital and the other in Ankara, Batıkent State Hospital. 

The timing of the leak of an operation allegedly involving Mossad in a newspaper run by the Erdogan family during a period of increasing rapprochement with Israel is quite significant. While the report seemingly confirms Turkey’s past support for Hamas, it also makes serious accusations against Israel without any mention of the involvement of Israeli citizens.

Experts contacted by Nordic Monitor do not consider the news to be a mere attempt to polish the image of MİT, which is frequently seen in the Turkish media. They suggest the possibility that Mossad may have carried out or planned a similar operation targeting individuals affiliated with MİT. They also suggest that Ibrahim Kalın, one of Erdogan’s close associates and the newly appointed head of MİT, conveys the message that there will be no change in MİT’s stance towards Mossad.

Source: https://nordicmonitor.com/2023/07/27203/

The report in Jerusalem’s old city by Israel’s Channel 13 comes amid a spike in anti-Christian hate crimes in the country.

An Israeli journalist was derided and spat at, including by a child and a soldier, as he spent a day dressed as a priest in Jerusalem to investigate spiraling hate crimes against Christians in the city.

Donning a brown priest’s robe, Channel 13’s Yossi Eli was spat at just five minutes after setting out with a Franciscan clergyman, Father Alberto.

A bit later a man mocked them in Hebrew, saying, “Forgive me father for I have sinned.” Then an 8-year-old spat at them, as did a soldier when a group of troops passed by later.

This is not the first time that soldiers have been caught committing hate crimes against Christians in Jerusalem. In November, troops from the Givati infantry brigade spat at the Armenian archbishop during a procession. They were later disciplined by the army.

• Anti-Christian hate crimes in Jerusalem soaring this year
• Jerusalem Churches Protest ‘Systematic Attempt to Drive Christians Out’ 
• How Israeli Jews’ Fear of Christianity Turned Into Hatred 

Channel 13’s report comes as attacks against Christians in Jerusalem – spanning from vandalism of grave sites to physical assaults – have been spiking, with the police reluctant to track down perpetrators.

In his first interview with Israeli TV, the Vatican’s custodian of the Holy Land, Father Francesco Patton, blamed Israel’s politicians, arguing that the wave of attacks began “when the political language became more violent.”

He mentioned the desecration of a Lutheran cemetery, the vandalizing of a Maronite prayer room and the spraying of “death to Christians” on Armenian property, all in the space of weeks. He also noted “the responsibility of the leaders, of those who have power.”

Channel 13 drew on several recent incidents, including the desecration of 33 graves in the Protestant cemetery on Mount Zion. Two teenagers have been indicted.

Channel 13 also spoke to Armenian clergyman Father Gurion, who was assaulted by a group of Jews in the Old City – and was then detained by the police. First arriving in Israel in 1996, Gurion said there have always hate crimes, but the situation has deteriorated.

Without punishment, he said, “They feel that anything is permissible,” adding that people have urinated on holy sites and even filmed themselves doing so.

Lilit Galstyan, member of the General Assembly of the ARF Armenia, and member of the Armenian National Assembly “Armenia” faction, gave a speech at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly.

“The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a touchstone for Western civilization. Do you want to witness the repatriation of the ancient Christian civilization?
I sound a wake-up and threat call – SOS.

Here and now is the time to show unyielding political will, take action and reject the politics of double standards.

Azerbaijan should be held accountable for war crimes.

The Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh cannot be deprived of their inalienable right to self-determination, safe and free living in their historical FATHERLAND. It’s time to be decisive and act,” said the deputy.

The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) of Armenia, in its meeting Monday, announced its verdict on the disciplinary action of several judges. In particular, the SJC terminated the powers of Judges Astghik Kharatyan, Artak Barseghyan, and Tigran Petrosyan.

The decision was read by SJC Chair Karen Andreasyan.

This SJC meeting was held without reporters. The bailiffs did not allow the reporters to enter the meeting hall on the grounds that there was no room inside.

The SJC had launched disciplinary proceedings against Judges Tigran Petrosyan, Artak Barseghyan, Astghik Kharatyan, and Samvel Tadevosyan, who submitted a letter of resignation and left the judicial system of Armenia without waiting for the SJC decision and regarding Judge Davit Harutyunyan.

The debates on Harutyunyan continue at the SJC.

A person clinging to the position of RA Prime Minister lives in the imaginary reality created in his brain. Many people who still believe in him also live in the same reality.

I have a hard time deciding how this is possible. But that it is so, there can be no doubt. At the same time, I can say for sure that it is not due to hallucinogenic plants or related drugs. In terms of followers, the question is simpler: is it the power of speech or the influence of a manipulative peer? Apart from the repression of the law enforcement system, it is the second main factor in maintaining his personal power. And that’s why it uses liuli. It is thanks to this power that today in Yerevan, the celebrations do not stop, when the people of Artsakh are facing the problem of existence. Because that is what his real position on the issue is aimed at.

To be honest, his off-topic speech gives me a certain “pleasure”. It is a case where the latter uses every opportunity to manipulate both his immediate audience and especially the masses busy with their daily concerns. And it doesn’t matter what exactly is being said at the given event, be it a session of the government or parliament or any other meeting. Take, for example, the measure entitled “Independence of the Judiciary as a Guarantor of the Rule of law”. Topics specific to that structure were presented in it. However, at the very beginning of the opening speech, he referred to the issue of the minimum pension. And she wouldn’t be Nicole if she didn’t praise the minimum pension, as she says, even close to the minimum food basket.

However, if we take into account that the participants were high-ranking Armenian bureaucrats and foreign diplomats, then we have to admit that it was the real place of the Nicholas Pear process. Most of the 608,000 pensioners would presumably nod their heads in agreement. The 73,000 people who receive the minimum pension would definitely have the opposite attitude: with the additional 4,400 drams, you won’t buy much food per month. Diplomats would presumably nod their heads in approval. The approving masses, however, would not wonder why the minimum food basket was calculated so low. Diplomats would also think that their countries did not support Nikol’s government for anything.

But Nikol, who holds the post of Prime Minister, works effectively in real life as well. In the life where we and others like us also live. In this life too, his action is beneficial, naturally, not in terms of the state and society, but in terms of himself, his family members and the law enforcement system that maintains his power. He is very well aware of this, and that is why he proudly talks about the high salaries of the employees of the constituent parts of that system: the police, the anti-corruption committee, the prosecutor’s office, special (anti-corruption) courts, investigative bodies. The immunity of the latter is maintained by those classes of society. And therefore, they too should be rewarded with high salaries plus matching bonuses.

But to what extent the prosecutor’s office carries out justice, I will present just one example. One of the objective media operating in the country reported that post-trial developments are taking place in the case of lieutenant colonel Ara Mkhitaryan, who was beaten 3 years ago and is still in a coma.

Charges against one of the beat brigade were dropped on the grounds that the statute of limitations had passed. Let me remind you that according to testimonies, the governor who participated in the beating submitted his resignation and then became a member of the ruling faction of the National Assembly. And he submitted a report on perjury in the National Assembly to the Prosecutor General. As a result, the soldiers who testified about the beating were charged. This is the kind of justice that is carried out in the conditions of the Nicholas “democracy”.

Vakhtang Siradeghyan