By Wally Sarkeesian

Turkey’s President Erdogan has been actively working towards revitalizing the Ottoman Empire and engaging in conflicts with neighboring countries like Syria, Egypt, and Iraq. To achieve his ambitions, Erdogan has resorted to recruiting mercenaries in the region.

Some notable individuals recruited include Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Mohammed Morsi, and Syrian fighters claiming to fight for freedom. Another individual believed to have been recruited due to his violent tendencies is Nikol Pashinyan, who initially gained attention as a street protester. In 2008, Pashinyan orchestrated a significant attack on the Armenian government, resulting in casualties and destruction. Despite initially receiving a seven-year sentence, it was reduced to two years by the former president.

It is believed that Turkey recruited Pashinyan in 2018, taking advantage of his skills as a street activist. This move aimed to instigate a revolution known as the velvet revolution, which is now referred to by most Armenians as the Turkish Revolution. Pashinyan successfully rallied people against the government, eventually gaining power. Two years later, he collaborated with Azerbaijan’s Aliyev to provoke a conflict that would compel Armenia to surrender, thereby granting Turkey the desired victory. Pashinyan consistently warned about the threat of Turkish drones, instilling fear in the Armenian population. Instead of deploying regular armed forces, he recruited inexperienced volunteers aged 18 to 20. This decision led to significant losses, with 5,000 soldiers killed, over 10,000 handicapped, and the loss of two-thirds of the territory.

Despite multiple attempts by Russia to stop the war, Pashinyan refused to halt the conflict and even allowed Azerbaijan to capture the city of Shushi. Many believe this was a planned outcome. Pashinyan then secretly capitulated without consulting the president, parliament, or his foreign affairs minister. However, the Armenian people’s uprising after the war proved insufficient, leading military generals to suspect a conspiracy and demand Pashinyan’s resignation.

Surprisingly, President Erdogan of Turkey orchestrated a campaign of international condemnation against the Armenian military, all while promoting false peace initiatives and infrastructure development. Additionally, they conspired to impede the movement of 120,000 Armenians in Artsakh. Erdogan skillfully exploited the efforts of Pashinyan, the Armenian Prime Minister, to gain popularity and secure victory in the election. As a symbolic gesture, Erdogan invited Pashinyan to his inauguration, where Pashinyan bolstered Erdogan’s image by giving him a standing ovation. This incident further enhanced Erdogan’s standing and allowed him to forge stronger relations with European nations, NATO, and the United States. Ultimately, the intended consequence of Nikol Pashinyan’s collaboration with the enemy bolstered Turkey’s position and detrimentally impacted Armenia’s downfall.

so that we can be arrested and tried in Azerbaijan. Ashot Minasyan

Richard Hovhannisian, an Armenian-American historian and professor emeritus of Armenian and Near Eastern History at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), has passed away at the age of 90.

Hovhannisian was born on November 9, 1932, in Tulare, California, to Armenian immigrant parents. He completed his undergraduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley, and went on to earn his Ph.D. in history from UCLA in 1961. Throughout his career, Hovhannisian focused on researching and documenting various aspects of Armenian history, with particular emphasis on the Armenian Genocide. His work contributed to the recognition and understanding of the genocide, and he was an advocate for its acknowledgment by governments and international institutions.

Hovhannisian authored numerous books, articles, and scholarly works on Armenian history, including “The Armenian People from Ancient to Modern Times” and “Armenia on the Road to Independence.” He also edited several volumes of essays on Armenian topics and was involved in organizing conferences and symposia on Armenian studies. In addition to his academic pursuits, Hovhannisian was actively involved in the Armenian community and served as a consultant to various cultural and educational organizations. He received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to Armenian scholarship and was recognized as a leading authority on Armenian history, culture, and diaspora. Richard Hovhannisian is survived by his four children, including Raffi Hovhannisyan who served as the first foreign minister of the Republic of Armenia and later became one of the leaders of the opposition in Armenia

Vakhtang Siradeghyan

Every time Nicole addresses people as “dear people”, I cringe. I don’t know if people understand or not that he is lying. To be beloved means that the speaker is willing to sacrifice himself for the sake of that particular person (or persons).

And that’s why only one or two dozen people can be dear to one person: parents (grandparents), spouse, children, grandchildren (great-grandchildren), and one or two close friends. And the people can be respectable or not respectable. But since the important thing for the person clinging to the position of RA Prime Minister is not sincerity, but manipulating people, then almost everyone is “loved” by him. In the beginning, the masses of people who brought him to power were “lovable”. After the shameful defeat, the guerrilla groups he formed called “Guardians of the Revolution” remained “loved”. In the campaign for the June 2021 election, the people who attended his meetings were “loved” and voted for him. Now it is difficult to say how many people remained “loved”. perhaps the 28 percent who still, to one degree or another, trust him. But this does not prevent him from addressing everyone in the form of “dear people”.

Anyway, Nikol promised direct democracy to his “beloved people” in the spring and summer of 2018. Republic Square should also be the place of its implementation, the agora. Let me remind you, in the polis (city-states) of Ancient Greece, the agora was the people’s meeting, as well as the place of its holding, the commercial square in the center of the city. The reason for making such a promise by Nikol was the imitation of the democracy established by the former. Which was protested by all the conscious people who wanted to live in a real and not an imitation democracy. And the most active of them was the oppositionist Pashinyan, the editor of the opposition daily, a follower of the oppositionist Ter-Petrosyan since the fall of 2007, and an opposition member of the National Assembly since 2012. Said means

Surprisingly, it was done that way at first. for example, the gates blocking the National Assembly Park were removed. A number of other steps were taken that seemed to people to be real reforms. Then it should have turned out that their implementation was a fluke or, if it was serious, something to be done after the fact. And much more serious problems remained unchanged. In the self-proclaimed “bastion of democracy”, for example, the electoral rolls inherited from the past remained unchanged. The pro-Petrosyan opposition, which did not accept the results of the 2008 presidential election, talked about the existence of up to 250 thousand “dead souls”. Nothing was done to actually reform the Electoral Code either. In fact, due to the self-interest of the government, some minor changes were made anyway.

According to the mentioned law, for example, the HayaVote initiative must collect 50,000 signatures in order to present the legislative amendments it authored to the National Assembly for consideration. And if they fail in the National Assembly, then 300,000 signatures must be collected so that they are automatically put to the referendum. One of the Facebook users, Hrayr Kamendatyan compared the number of signatures needed for the referendum. It turns out that the number of signatures required for a referendum in the country described by foreigners as a “shining star of democracy” is 10.71% of the population (we are talking about 300 thousand). Whereas in typical democratic (Western) countries it is between 0.1% and 2.0% (rounded). It is clear that this is a legacy left to Nicole from her exes. But Nikol does not consider himself the founder of Armenian democracy. Therefore, the index required for direct democracy (agora) had to be changed.

I will try to help Nikol in the direction of the approval of the agora in terms of the referendum. Which implies the amendment of the Referendum Law before the completion of the “HayaVote” process. According to the current Electoral Code, overcoming the threshold of 5 percent of those who participated in the election is considered a passing threshold for the National Assembly. 1,278,656 voters took part in the June 20, 2021 National Assembly election, 5 percent of which is 64,070. Having collected the necessary number of signatures to overcome the electoral threshold (it would be 2.5% of eligible citizens), the initiative group should have the right to put the issue to a referendum. Taking into account the fact that the initiating party would have the right to do so if it entered the National Assembly under the name of a party. And the minority in the National Assembly should have the right to do so in case the legislative initiative was rejected three times by the majority. It would show how popular the given legislation is among voters. Which, at the same time, would confirm the existence of real democracy.

Of course, the HayaVote process poses a threat to Nikol’s government. And the government is trying to prevent it by all possible means. Why not try to ease its implementation with the necessary reforms? And I am not naive enough to assume that an extraordinary session of the National Assembly will be held tomorrow and the submitted proposal will be accepted. But I also realize that not doing it will be another evidence that the Republic of Armenia is not a democracy, but the rule of one person under its name. Which tends to turn into total tyranny.

Alexander Lapshin

On the website of the largest international human rights organization for the protection of journalists, CPJ published a press release about our meeting at the headquarters in New York two weeks ago.

Here I am publishing a short excerpt from the article, and in general, it clearly states that Azerbaijan, which occupies one of the last places in the world in the field of human rights, persecutes not only its own journalists but foreign ones as well. It states that the Baku regime has been found guilty by the European court and the UN of persecution, torture, and attempted murder. I think the world should know of the existence of this fascist education, buried on the banks of the Caspian Sea. And I, for my part, will talk about it everywhere and remind you.

It would be desirable for the representatives of Armenia’s authorities to refrain from statements that interfere with our common cause and the interests of Artsakh and question the right to self-determination.

Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) Human Rights Defender (ombudsman) Gegham Stepanyan stated this during Thursday’s Yerevan-Stepanakert videoconference, answering the question about some Armenia government officials and MPs’ statements regarding the recognition of Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan.

According to the ombudsman, these statements are later quoted by international partners.

“In our case, that right is equal to the right to life. Armenia’s public and officials should realize as clearly as possible what is happening, the seriousness of the threat, because an impression is created that it is not fully perceived. The reaction and calmness of Armenia and even the [Armenian] diaspora is incomprehensible to me,” said Stepanyan.

He again called to refrain from statements that go against the interests of Artsakh, adding that, “If they cannot help, at least let them not obstruct.”

Yesterday, the “Hayakve” initiative announced the start of the signature collection. The process of collecting signatures began in the Kentron administrative district building. And although the members of the initiative have 60 days to collect 50,000 signatures, according to our information, they have decided to provide this amount within the first week. Edgar Ghazaryan,

former head of the staff of the CC, and former ambassador, was also at the center district administration. We asked him a few questions. – You also joined the “Hayakve” initiative. Why did the issue of criminalizing calls to recognize Artsakh as part of another state become so relevant today? – Everything is obvious. This problem is so mature that it is difficult not to talk about it. Our country is ruled by a person who violates the legal foundations of our state, namely the Declaration of Independence of the Republic of Armenia and the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.

Nikol Pashinyan’s theses, approaches and ideas contradict the legislation of the Republic of Armenia, therefore, it is necessary to criminalize the speech that contradicts the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence of our country. It is very symbolic that this initiative is implemented not by the initiative of the opposition deputies, but by a civil initiative. The “Hayakve” initiative was created, which at this stage envisages 50,000 signatures, as a result of which the project will enter the National Assembly for discussion. – Will a government that talks about recognizing the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, a government that does not miss an opportunity to congratulate the president of Turkey and greet the heads of enemy states, allow such a pro-Armenian initiative to be implemented? – These people are not the owners of the power, the people are the owners of the power, so the people decide through whose government and how, what initiative should be implemented. The people who occupy some positions today are just public servants who are obliged to provide quality and efficient services to our society. Obviously, it doesn’t work for them.

“Hayakve” is a set of general ideas that one should not wait for the favor of the so-called authorities, but use the opportunity to throw them out of their positions. – Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan is negotiating with his counterpart in Washington these days, no one is aware of what they are negotiating, at least we don’t know the details. In your opinion, what is Mirzoyan negotiating? – Weeks ago, Nikol Pashinyan in turn announced in Prague that the reason for the failed negotiations is that Ilham Aliyev is not ready to recognize the territorial integrity of Armenia. One of the deputy ministers of foreign affairs also stated that there are no common sides with the Azerbaijani side at the moment. Today there is no talk of negotiations, because there are no successes, and there is no need to expect successes. Expecting diplomatic success from Ararat Mirzoyan is a fantasy. Ararat Mirzoyan may be successful in vacuuming his mother-in-law’s house, but not in diplomacy. He may be successful in choosing metlakh for his new mansion, in choosing kovrolite, which wall should have what color, etc., etc., but that person cannot have any success in diplomacy. They should be kicked out of power by bringing to power people who can make decisions in the interests of the Armenian people and the Armenian states. “Hraparak Daily”