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AAF Shipped $8.9 Million of Aid To Armenia and Artsakh July-September 2018

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By Harut Sassounian

Glendale, CA — The Armenia Artsakh Fund (AAF) delivered $8.9 million of humanitarian assistance to Armenia and Artsakh during the third quarter of 2018.  

The AAF collected the entire $8.9 million of medicines and other supplies donated by Americares ($7.9 million) and MAP International ($1 million). 

The Kansas National Guard provided free space on board its military plane in September 2018 to Yerevan, to carry $210,000 worth of medicines donated by Americares for the Health Ministry of Armenia.

The Armenian American Medical Society of California generously donated the cost of transporting cancer medicines with a total value of $1 million donated by MAP International. These cancer medicines were sent to the health ministries of Armenia and Artsakh.

The medicines and medical supplies donated during this period were sent to the AGBU Claudia Nazarian Medical Center for Syrian Armenian Refugees in Yerevan, Arabkir United Children’s Foundation, Fund for Armenian Relief,  Institute of Perinatology, Obstetrics and Gynecology Center, Metsn Nerses Charitable Organization, Muratsan Children’s Endocrinology Center, Nork Marash Medical Center and St. Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center, and the health ministries of Armenia and Artsakh.

In the first nine months of 2018 AAF shipped to Armenia and Artsakh $20.7 million of medicines, medical supplies and other relief products.  In the past 30 years, including the shipments under its predecessor, the United Armenian Fund, the AAF has delivered to Armenia and Artsakh a grand total of $806 million worth of relief supplies on board 158 airlifts and 2,410 sea containers.

“The Armenia Artsakh Fund is regularly offered free of charge millions of dollars worth of life-saving medicines and medical supplies. All we have to do is pay for the shipping expenses. We would welcome your generous donations to be able to continue delivering this valuable assistance to all medical centers in Armenia and Artsakh,” stated Harut Sassounian, the President of AAF.

 

For more information, call the AAF office: (818) 241-8900; Email: sassoun@pacbell.net.

Harut Sassounian, Armenia Artsakh Fund Tuesday Live 9:PM on GagruleLive

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GagruleLive Conversation with Harut Sassounian, Armenia Artsakh Fund Tuesday 9:PM,

Harut Sassounian is an Armenian-American writer, public activist and publisher of The California Courier which is known for Sassounian’s weekly opinion column. Sassounian has an MA in International Affairs from Columbia University and an MBA from Pepperdine University.

He publishes The California Courier, an English-language Armenian weekly newspaper in Glendale, California, since 1983.

In 2009 Sassounian was awarded the ‘Legacy Award’ by the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region, in 2016 Sassounian was awarded by Armenia’s Union of Journalists the prestigious Golden Pen award, the highest prize given to the top Armenian journalist once every three years.

Watch Live on https://facebook.com/gagrulepage Tuesday 9:PM

 

Another Anti-Armenian Writer Exposed For Making Baseless Allegations

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By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
 
It seems that not a week passes without coming across another mysterious writer who undertakes to contribute a puff piece about Azerbaijan and to undermine the reputation of Armenia and Armenians around the world.
 
The latest such writer is Peter Tase who posted an article titled, “Russia’s Foreign Agents in America: Trump Connection of Armenian Lobbyists,” on June 11, 2018 on the Eurasia Review website.
 
This extremely biased article resorts to exaggerations and untrue allegations in order to link Armenia and various Armenian individuals to Russia, and even more surprisingly, to Pres. Donald Trump!
 
To begin with, Tase disparages Iranian-Armenian Gevork Vartanian’s praiseworthy actions during World War II by calling him “one of the most prolific Soviet Armenian spies.” In fact, Vartanian provided a major service to the entire world by thwarting Hitler’s plans to assassinate Stalin, Churchill, and Roosevelt while meeting as allies at the Tehran Conference in 1943. Tase undermines his own credibility by mentioning that CIA director Stansfield Turner and upper echelons of the agency trusted Vartanian. Why would they trust Vartanian if he were such a bad guy! Incredibly, Tase even states that he is suspicious of Vartanian because he spoke Armenian!
 
Tase then picks on two Russian Armenian journalists — Margarita Simonyan and Gayane Chichakyan — who work for RT (Russia Today) TV. Their only guilt is that they are “good looking” women, and without any evidence Tase accuses them of being “ethnically Armenian, as are many other ‘Russian’ agents of influence.”
 
Next is the turn of Artur Chilingarov, Vice Speaker of the Russian Duma, whom Tase attacks for being an Armenian. Chilingarov’s fault is that he was sitting at the next table over from Russian President Vladimir Putin at a banquet in Moscow. Chilingarov was honored by the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation for his exploits as a prominent polar explorer — and not for being an Armenian, as Tase claims!
 
Perhaps the most sinister part of Tase’s article is falsely claiming that Armenian-American reporter Emil Sanamyan is “a foreign agent.” This is a completely untrue allegation. Mr. Sanamyan told me that he is not now, nor has he ever been registered with the U.S. Justice Department as “a foreign agent.” I hope Mr. Sanamyan will sue Peter Tase and his website for damaging his reputation. To show the degree of Tase’s blind hatred for anything Armenian, he accuses Sanamyan of working for “Americans for Artsakh,” an organization “established to bring legitimacy to the war crimes and illegal occupation by the Russian-backed Armenian military that has been ruthlessly perpetrated (long before Ukraine and Georgia, the Russian government has used Armenian soldiers to occupy Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory, arrest development and derail a Pro-Western course of Azerbaijan).” Not a single word is true in that sentence. The Russian government did not use Armenian soldiers. Armenians liberated themselves from Azerbaijan’s oppressive regime which committed mass crimes against Armenians of Artsakh for decades! In fact, Russian soldiers sided with Azerbaijan and killed many innocent inhabitants of Artsakh. Furthermore, “Americans for Artsakh” was a non-profit funded by Armenian-Americans. Sanamyan told me that he worked there as an unpaid employee. In addition, when Sanamyan worked at the Office of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in Washington, D.C., the organization was not yet registered with the U.S. Justice Department as “a foreign agent.” Also, Tase makes up a fake title by claiming that “Sanamyan was in charge of information warfare and propaganda as Director of the NKR Public Affairs Office.”
 
There are also several minor errors in Tase’s article which show his lack of knowledge of Armenian issues. For example, Tase writes about Armenia’s independence from “Soviet Russia,” instead of the Soviet Union. The second nonsense is Tase’s comment on a photo of Pres. Serzh Sargsyan with Pres. and Mrs. Trump at the United Nations in New York. Tase attributes the photo to the lobbying effort of the Armenian-American community. However, no lobbying was necessary. If Tase did a little more research, he would have discovered another photo of Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev with Pres. and Mrs. Trump at the UN, along with photos of many other heads of state. Another intentional misrepresentation by Tase is that Sanamyan’s wife, a graduate of Cass Business School, City University London, was one of the “Major Donors and Sponsors” of the University in 2012. Tase fails to mention that Sanamyan’s wife was listed under the smallest amount category — less than $1,000 — which does not make her a major donor!
 
Tase’s next attack on Armenians is their alleged connection to Pres. Trump. This is where Tase makes his most ignorant accusation. The reality is that there are hardly any Armenians who know Pres. Trump; so Tase invents imaginary connections. Tase even dares to misrepresent my 2016 article headlined, “Armenians Should Reach Out to Trump Through Republican Friends in Congress.” If Tase was an honest reporter, he would have quoted from my article which stated: “Armenian-American ties with the President-elect are practically non-existent.”
 
Tase also misrepresents the statement posted by Aram Hamparian, Executive Director of ANCA, offering to work with the newly-elected President. There is no indication in that sentence of any link between Armenian-Americans and Trump. Scraping the bottom of the barrel, Tase comes up with a totally unknown name, Andy Surabian, as “another Armenian political operative deep inside the Trump White House.” Surabian is described as “Steve Bannon’s political advisor in the Trump administration and a campaign veteran.” Unfortunately for Tase, neither Bannon nor Surabian work at the White House anymore.
 
Tase then mentions the name of Keith Nahigian, as “perhaps the most influential and high-ranking Armenian Diaspora member and registered lobbyist associated with the Trump campaign…who was tapped to head Trump’s transition team in 2017.” This is yet another red herring. Nahigian has no connection with the Armenian community. I sent him an email two years ago and I am still waiting for his answer. That’s how close Nahigian is to the Armenian community!
 
Tase prematurely refers to congressional candidate Danny Tarkanian (R-Nevada) as a member of “the Armenian lobby with access to President Trump.” Should Tarkanian win his House seat in November, we shall be able to determine how close is his connection to the White House?
 
Incredibly, Tase mentions Kim Kardashian as an Armenian “home-porn-turned-Twitter lobbyist” who has met Trump on numerous occasions — most recently in May 2018,” successfully securing a pardon from Pres. Trump for a (non-Armenian) grandmother serving a life-sentence in prison. Tase would have made a more convincing case if Kardashian had made a request from Pres. Trump on an Armenian issue. There has been no link between Kardashian as “an Armenian lobbyist” and Pres. Trump!
 
Tase falsely concludes his baseless and shameful article by stating: “These extensive and deep links to the incumbent inexperienced president and his campaign create potential national security implications and deserve scrutiny to ensure that Putin’s ongoing meddling into the U. S. Homeland would crumble and miserably fail.”
 
I don’t think Pres. Trump needs Armenian-Americans to establish communication with Pres. Putin. Contrary to Tase’s unfounded allegations, Pres. Trump has had a direct link to the Kremlin for a long time and does not need anyone else’s assistance!

Unfortunate Coincidence: Turkish-American Attacks Bourdain on the Eve of his Suicide

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By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
 
A friend forwarded to me the copy of a lengthy email that was sent by Ibrahim Kurtulus, a Turkish-American from New York City, to hundreds of CNN employees harshly criticizing Anthony Bourdain, Chris Cuomo and others for acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. The subject of Kurtulus’s email is titled: “When CNN’s Chris Cuomo and ‘Especially’ Anthony Bourdain Legitimize RACISM.”
 
By an unfortunate coincidence, the Turkish email was sent on June 5, 2018, barely three days before Bourdain committed suicide! Given the large number of Armenians and non-Armenians who have written in recent days expressing their unfounded suspicion that Azerbaijan or Turkey caused Bourdain’s death, I want to make it clear that I do not believe in such conspiracies. Sadly, Bourdain, who had used drugs for many years, was a heavy drinker and suffered from serious depression, committed suicide in his hotel room during a visit to France last week.
 
In addition, those who propagate such conspiracies are damaging Armenian interests. Anthony Bourdain, who had the popular TV travel and food show “Parts Unknown” on CNN, was blacklisted by Azerbaijan for having gone to Artsakh after visiting Armenia late last year. The show aired on CNN last month to the great delight of Armenians worldwide and dismay of Azeris and Turks. By alleging that Azerbaijan killed Bourdain, Armenians are simply discouraging non-Armenians from visiting Artsakh!
 
Kurtulus also attacked Chris Cuomo of CNN for interviewing on his show Cong. Adam Schiff (Dem.- CA). Kurtulus described Schiff as “a racist” for championing the recognition of the Armenian Genocide and compared him with David Duke of the KKK. Kurtulus then picked on Congresswoman Nanci Pelosi (Dem.-CA) for acknowledging the Armenian Genocide in her 2016 statement. Kurtulus ridiculously claimed that Armenians may have died of “old age” rather than being murdered during the Genocide!
 
Kurtulus also blasted Amy Goodman, host of the award-winning ‘Democracy Now!’, a TV/Radio news program that airs on 900 public broadcast stations in North America, for acknowledging the Armenian Genocide in her show.
 
Kurtulus not only denied the occurrence of the Armenian Genocide by calling it a ‘hoax,” but turned around and blamed Armenians for committing an “extermination campaign against Turks”! He also falsely claimed that “a systematic extermination campaign against Armenians would have been not only unlikely, but out of the question”!
 
Kurtulus then criticized Anthony Bourdain for accompanying Serj Tankian on his trip to Armenia and Artsakh. Kurtulus described Tankian as “a member of an Armenian-American heavy metal band (System of a Down), a major insidious purpose of which has been to brainwash worldwide youthful fans into acceptance of an ‘Armenian genocide.’” Kurtulus went on to accuse Bourdain of repeating “all of the hateful propaganda in his episode (https://www.youtube.com/watch ?v=A3oEJjTbDpo).”
 
After comparing Bourdain to white ‘supremacists’ in Charlottville, Virginia, Kurtulus asked: “what is the difference?” Regrettably, Kurtulus defamed anyone who has supported the veracity of the Armenian Genocide. It is no one else’s fault that the Ottoman Turkish government organized the extermination of the Armenian people. If, as a result, the Turkish nation has had a horrible reputation, it is wrong to blame it on the Armenian victims. Kurtulus’s argument is the equivalent of condemning anyone who speaks about the Jewish Holocaust because that may tarnish the reputation of Germans!
 
Kurtulus then disparaged all of the scholars who have written on the Armenian Genocide, in addition to Amb. Henry Morgenthau who had written an eyewitness account in his book, “The Murder of a Nation.” Instead, Kurtulus praised so-called ‘scholars’ who are genocide denialists funded by the Turkish government.
 
Kurtulus ended his email with more insults directed at Bourdain: “If I lived in a less racist society, Anthony Bourdain would be losing his job in a moment. Yet the problem does not only rest with hateful bigots such as Anthony Bourdain; why did [CNN] President Jeff Zucker, who has also been receiving our communications, allow for Bourdain’s vicious racism?”
 
Kurtulus also blamed other CNN employees for not protesting “Anthony Bourdain’s irresponsibility, hatefulness and corruption of the facts. …How could CNN journalists exercise any tolerance over Anthony Bourdain’s prejudices, as well as his twisting of the facts?”
 
Rather than countering the many lies and distortions of Kurtulus, I will simply quote from Kemal Ataturk, the founder of the Turkish Republic, who during an interview published by the Los Angeles Examiner on August 1, 1926, confessed: “These leftovers from the former Young Turk Party, who should have been made to account for the lives of millions of our Christian subjects who were ruthlessly driven en masse from their homes and massacred, have been restive under the Republican rule. They have hitherto lived on plunder, robbery and bribery, and become inimical to any idea or suggestion to enlist in useful labor and earn their living by the honest sweat of their brow.”
 
Since I have received a copy of the Kurtulus email along with the complete list of hundreds of email addresses at CNN where he dispatched his email, I will send my article to the same email addresses so CNN journalists will not be deceived by Kurtulus.

Diaspora Minister Proposes Forming A Parliament for the Diaspora in Armenia

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By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
The new Diaspora Minister Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, appointed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on May 11, announced that a second legislative body would be created in Armenia to represent Diaspora Armenians.
 
This is a fascinating concept, but not a novelty. Interestingly, former Diaspora Minister Hranush Hakobyan, during her visit to Los Angeles on January 30, 2011, made a similar announcement, proposing the creation of a Senate in Armenia in addition to the existing Parliament that would partially include Diaspora Armenians.
 
I wrote an editorial in 2011, a few days after Minister Hakobyan’s announcement, and raised several questions which also apply to the proposal made by the new Diaspora Minister earlier this month.
 
The most important issue is that the creation of a second legislative chamber requires amending Armenian’s constitution — not an easy task! Without such an amendment, the structure of the Armenian government cannot be altered. Interestingly, the new Diaspora Minister did not mention that his proposal would require constitutional changes. This is a serious issue as the constitution was last revised in 2015 and it is neither likely nor desirable that it be altered so soon. Even the newly-appointed Prime Minister acknowledged that it is not a good idea to tamper with the constitution every so often. It is also important to note that despite the former Diaspora Minister’s 2011 announcement, when Armenia’s constitution was eventually amended in 2015, the concept of a second legislative chamber for the Diaspora was not included in it.
 
Since the new Diaspora Minister asked for input from Armenians overseas about his new proposal, I would like to raise a number of questions:
 
1)    Is the Armenian Government willing to amend the constitution to create a second legislative chamber? An alternative option, that may not require a change of the constitution, would be to include Armenians from the Diaspora in the present Parliament. Several countries have adopted such a mechanism. A thorough study should be made of how other countries have resolved the participation of their diaspora representatives in their legislative bodies.
 
2)    What exactly would be the mandate of the new chamber? Would it only discuss pan-Armenian issues such as the Armenian Genocide, demands from Turkey, the Artsakh conflict, and matters related to Diaspora Armenians or would it be also deal with Armenia’s internal problems? Minister Hayrapetyan, in one of his interviews, stated that the new chamber would be a consultative, not a decision-making body. This would raise all sorts of questions both in Armenia and the Diaspora. Would Diaspora Armenians be content to go to the trouble of electing representatives from their communities and spending their time in endless hours of meetings in Yerevan merely to give advice to the Armenian Government that may not be listened to? Would Diaspora representatives after a while lose their interest and stop attending the meetings of such a consultative body? On the opposite side, would residents of Armenia welcome decisions or even advice from Armenians who do not live in Armenia?
 
3)    How would the representatives of the new legislative body be chosen? Would they be elected by their communities around the world or would they be appointed by the Armenian Government? In my opinion, Diaspora representatives should be elected by their community members, no matter how difficult it would be to organize such elections throughout the world. The Armenian Government should not be involved in elections to be held in the Diaspora. Representatives appointed by the Armenian Government or selected from Armenian organizations would not be able to claim that they truly represent the Armenians of the Diaspora, since the public-at-large has not elected them. The leaders of Diaspora organizations represent only their own members, not the majority of Armenians in the Diaspora, since most Armenians are not members of any organization. It is also not a good idea to have two legislative chambers in Armenia, one of which is elected by the citizens of Armenia (the present Parliament) and the second one is composed of appointed, not elected members.
 
4)    What would be the criteria for candidates and voters for the Diaspora chamber? Would it be acceptable that the candidates be Armenians who are citizens of foreign countries or should they be asked to acquire at least dual citizenship? Otherwise, it would be odd to have a group of foreign citizens, albeit Armenians, sitting in Yerevan and making decisions or giving advice that would affect Armenia’s population.
 
5)    Would Diaspora representatives of the new legislative body move to Armenia to participate in year-round sessions or simply come to Armenia for brief periods to attend meetings dealing with pan-Armenian issues?
 
Certainly, there should be no rush to form a second legislative body. As Minister Hayrapetyan suggested, extensive consultations should be held in Armenia and the Diaspora to find a solution that is in the best interest of all Armenians.





How Not to Run a Government, And Get Dethroned by the People

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By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
 
The recent events in Armenia surprised and impressed both Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide because a leader thought to be irreplaceable by his supporters was replaced by a newcomer without any violence or bloodshed. Furthermore, what is taking place in Armenia is much more than unseating a particular leader. A regime entrenched for two decades was overthrown almost overnight!
 
To understand what took place in the last few weeks in Armenia we need to go back to 1991, the date of Armenia’s independence from the Soviet Union. Since then, Armenia has had three presidents, none of whom cared about the people and ruled the nation democratically. Power was concentrated in their hands as well as the military leadership and oligarchic clans.
 
While a handful of autocrats sat at the top of the pyramid of power, the overwhelming majority of the people were deprived of the basic necessities of survival, such as food, clothing, medicine, and of course, money. In the past quarter of a century, over a million Armenians left the homeland and resettled wherever they could find a job and feed their families. Many of those who could not leave, barely survived on funds sent by relatives and friends overseas.
 
Under these pitiful circumstances, the anger and resentment of the population against the authorities, particularly the head of state, kept on rising. In addition to abject poverty, people suffered because of corruption, fraudulent elections, unfair courts, unemployment, censorship and periodic police brutality. While those who had the means to get a visa and purchase airline tickets emigrated from Armenia, the rest were forced to keep their mouth shut and put up with the difficult conditions.
 
Every now and then there were public protests either challenging fraudulent elections or unbearable living conditions, but the police were able to quell the unrest by beating and arresting the demonstrators. The most violent incident took place in April 2008 when 10 people were shot and killed for challenging the election of Pres. Serzh Sargsyan.
 
While Pres. Sargsyan and his predecessor, Pres. Robert Kocharyan, remained oblivious to the deplorable conditions of the public, their dissatisfaction, resentment and anger against the authorities kept growing. These heads of state, surrounded by aides who kept heaping praise on them and reassuring them that everything was marvelous in the country, remained unaware of the public’s miserable situation.
 
Over the past 27 years, during hundreds of hours I spent privately in meetings with the three successive Presidents of Armenia, I brought to their attention the various problems existing in the country, from corrupt aides and government ministers to unfair court judgments based on bribery, fraudulent elections, etc. These Presidents told me that they were hearing about these issues for the first time. Very few people had the courage to bring them to their attention.
 
I dared to tell Pres. Kocharyan to his face that Armenia’s population hated him. He disagreed with me, but I insisted, challenging him to stand one night in a street corner disguised in a hat and overcoat and ask passers by what they thought of the President. I warned him that he would hear very abusive comments.
 
I also recall telling Pres. Sargsyan on the eve of his first election not to ignore the common people and not to appear on TV at weddings of wealthy oligarchs and the ribbon-cutting of their businesses. I suggested that he make a surprise visit once a month to the home of a poor family without his aides and bodyguards, and inquire about the family’s employment, income, and health; to show that he cared about the poor people who were the majority of the country. Unfortunately, he did not once make such a visit.
 
I also told Pres. Sargsyan that he should appoint an independent group of advisers from wise and experienced individuals who were not government employees. They would be able to give him their honest advice without any fear of getting fired. Regrettably, this suggestion was also ignored!
 
To make matters worse, the public never forgot or forgave Pres. Sargsyan for the killing by the Police of 10 protesters in 2008, and with each fraudulent election and continuing economic misery, their frustration increased. When the constitution was being modified in 2015, Pres. Sargsyan reassured the people that he had no intention of staying in power in 2018 when his second term of presidency would be over. Most people did not believe him and suspected that he would remain in office, switching from the ceremonial President’s chair to become the all-powerful Prime Minister, under the new constitution. During a private meeting in 2016, I remember asking Pres. Sargsyan if he planned to go home at the end of his term, as he had promised. I was alarmed when he said that he would make a decision based on the results of the 2017 parliamentary elections.
 
Meanwhile, the overwhelming majority of the people, despite their suspicions, were counting the days and hours for the end of Pres. Sargsyan’s term in office. When the Republican Party’s majority in Parliament elected him to become the new Prime Minister last month, the citizens could no longer control their anger. Tens of thousands of people came out in the streets, led by opposition Parliament member Nikol Pashinyan to vent their frustration.
 
Fortunately, the massive outpouring of anger was kept in check by Pashinyan’s constant exhortation not to commit any violence and to respect the Police forces. A series of blunders by Prime Minister Sargsyan and his Republican Party members in Parliament followed, when Sargsyan met with Pashinyan and walked out after three minutes. In a few hours, despite his Parliamentary immunity, Pashinyan was arrested and kept in an undisclosed location by the Police, turning him into a greater hero. Due to escalating protests, Pashinyan was released from incarceration, and unexpectedly, Prime Minister Sargsyan announced his resignation, confessing: “I was wrong, Nikol was right.”
 
On May 1, the Parliament met to elect a new Prime Minister. After a lengthy deliberation, the Republican Party majority almost unanimously voted against Pashinyan’s candidacy. On May 2, the crowds blocked all major streets, highways, and paralyzed the trains, subways and the road to and from the Yerevan airport. The following day, the Republican Party officially announced that it will not block Pashinyan’s planned election on May 8 as Prime Minister. At the time of writing this column on May 7, barring any surprising developments, Pashinyan is expected to be elected Prime Minister by the Parliament.
 
Pashinyan’s election probably would not resolve Armenia’s multiple problems. In the following 15 days, he will select his Cabinet of Ministers and present his government’s agenda to the Parliament for approval. There will be then a lengthy debate on amending the election laws, followed by new Parliamentary elections in several months. Despite the transformation in leadership, Armenia will continue to suffer from blockades by Turkey and Azerbaijan and the military conflict involving Artsakh.
 
We have to wait and see whom Pashinyan will appoint to key ministerial posts as Foreign and Defense Ministers. What kind of compromises will be made between Pashinyan’s minority members and the Republican Party’s majority in the Parliament while changing the election laws? Only then new parliamentary elections will be held. Assuming the new elections will be fair and properly supervised by the new government, it remains to be seen if Pashinyan’s party and his supporting parties will gain the majority in Parliament. The good news is that all of these developments have been taking place in line with the constitution, under pressure from the newly-awakened Armenian public-at-large.
 
Finally, the most important issue now is that the thousands of newly-empowered young people, who came out to the streets demanding a more democratic state with a great degree of enthusiasm and emotion, should not be disappointed. Armenia cannot afford to lose its youth which are the future of the country!
 
Everyone in Armenia and the Diaspora should do everything in their power to ensure stability, peace and prosperity in Armenia under its new leadership.

Turkey is Most Frequent Violator of European Convention on Human Rights

By

Harut Sassounian

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Veteran Turkish journalist Sedat Ergin wrote in Hurriyet newspaper that “Turkey is the champion of rights violations at the European Court of Human Rights” (ECHR). The European Court rules on cases when signatories of the European Convention on Human Rights violate its provisions.
 
Even though Turkey joined the Court in 1986, 27 years after its founding, it had more violations than all other member countries between 1959 and 2016.
 
The European Court had a total of 3,270 judgments on Turkey. Only in 73 cases, Turkey was found by the Court not to have made any violations. The remaining cases were settled in other ways. Since more than one article was violated in most cases, Turkey’s violations total 4,514.
 
The 2016 Annual Report of the European Court of Human Rights indicated that:
 
— The highest number of Turkish violations (832) was in the area of “right to a fair trial.”
— The 2nd highest category (707 violations) was “the right to freedom and security.” This latter category means that “Turkish citizens are frequently arrested using unlawful methods and that those arrests can easily turn into sentences,” according to Ergin.
— The 3rd highest category of violations (653) is the “right to property protection,” which means that many Turkish citizens are deprived of ownership of their properties.
— The 4th highest category (586) is the violation of “length of proceedings.”
— “Lack of effective investigation” comes in 5th place with 412 violations.
— “Inhuman or degrading treatment” is in 6th place with 314 violations.
— In 7th place is the “right to an effective remedy” (268 violations).
— “Freedom of Expression” comes in 8th place (265 violations).
— In 9th place are 133 violations of the “right to life — deprivation of life.”
— In 10th place are 100 violations of the “right to respect private and family life.”
 
Regarding Azerbaijan, from 2002 to 2016, the European Court of Human Rights had 122 judgments, of which 118 were found to be violations of the European Convention on Human Rights, far fewer than Turkey, since Baku joined the ECHR much later, in 2002. The remaining 4 cases were settled in other ways. Since some cases had more than one violation, Azerbaijan had a total of 224 rights violations.
 
— The highest number of violations (44) was the “right to a fair trial.”
— The 2nd highest violation (34) was the “right to liberty and security.”
— The 3rd highest violation (30) was the “protection of property.”
— The 4th highest violation (21) was the “right to free elections.”
— “Lack of effective investigation” was the 5th highest violation (17).
 
Armenia, on the other hand, which joined the European Convention on Human Rights at the same time as Azerbaijan (2002), had fewer violations. There were 75 judgments by the ECHR against Armenia between 2002 and 2016, of which 68 were violations. The remaining 7 cases were settled in other ways. Since some of cases had more than one violation, Armenia had a total of 119 violations.
 
— The highest number of violations (32) was the “right to a fair trial.”
— The 2nd highest number of violations (27) was the “right to liberty and security.”
— The 3rd highest number of violations (16) was the “protection of property.”
 
Neighboring Georgia had a slightly fewer violations than Armenia. It joined the European Convention on Human Rights in 1999. Between 1999 and 2016 the ECHR had 68 judgments on Georgia, of which 52 were violations. The remaining 16 cases were settled in other ways. Since some of the cases had more than one violation, Georgia had a total of 99 violations.
 
— The highest number of violations (20) was the “right to liberty and security.”
— The 2nd highest number of violations (17) was “inhuman or degrading treatment.”
— There was a tie for the 3rd highest violation (12 each) for “lack of effective investigation” and “right to a fair trial.”
 
In addition to the above-mentioned violations, Turkey and Azerbaijan have much more serious problems with the ECHR. Turkey decided to suspend the European Convention on Human Rights following the attempted coup of July 2016. However, some parts of the Convention cannot be suspended, such as the right to life, and the ban on torture and the inhumane or degrading treatment or punishment.
 
Azerbaijan faces another serious problem with the ECHR which had ruled that prominent Azeri opposition politician Ilgar Mammadov should be released from jail. Azerbaijan has refused to comply with ECHR’s decision since 2014. The Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe have adopted several resolutions urging Azerbaijan to release Mammadov. The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe has initiated an unprecedented judicial review of Azerbaijan’s lack of compliance with the ECHR ruling. Further non-compliance by Azerbaijan could result in its expulsion from the Council of Europe!





Harut Sassounian: How Azerbaijan Distorts UN Security Council Resolutions Part 2

By

Harut Sassounian

Harut Sassounian

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier
(Part 2)
 
Last week, I described Azerbaijan’s distortions of two of the four UN Security Council Resolutions adopted in 1993. I will now present the remaining two Resolutions:
 
Excerpts from UN Security Council Resolution 874, adopted October 14, 1993:
 
     “Calls upon the parties concerned to make effective and permanent the cease-fire established as a result of the direct contacts undertaken with the assistance of the Government of the Russian Federation in support of the CSCE Minsk Group.”
 
     “Expresses the conviction that all other pending questions arising from the conflict… should be settled expeditiously through peaceful negotiations in the context of the CSCE Minsk process.”
 
     “Calls for the immediate implementation of the reciprocal and urgent steps provided for in the CSCE Minsk Group’s “Adjusted timetable”, including the withdrawal of forces from recently occupied territories and the removal of all obstacles to communications and transportation.”
 
     “Calls on all parties to refrain from all violations of international humanitarian law and renews its call in resolutions 822 (1993) and 853 (1993) for unimpeded access for international humanitarian relief efforts in all areas affected by the conflict.”
 
     “Urges all States in the region to refrain from any hostile acts and from any interference or intervention which would lead to the widening of the conflict and undermine peace and security in the region.”
 
Azerbaijan has violated every one of the above clauses. In addition to the frequent violations of the mandated cease-fire, the Azerbaijani forces attacked Artsakh in April 2016, causing major damage to border towns and killing civilians. By cutting off the ears of elderly Armenian villagers and decapitating several Armenian soldiers, Azerbaijan’s armed forces committed a barbaric act and a war crime!
 
Excerpt from UN Security Council Resolution 884, adopted November 12, 1993:
 
     “Calls upon the Government of Armenia to use its influence to achieve compliance by the Armenians of the Nagorny Karabakh region of the Azerbaijani Republic with Resolutions 822 (1993), 853 (1993) and 874 (1993), and to ensure that the forces involved are not provided with the means to extend their military campaign further.”
 
Armenian officials usually neither respond to the Azeri accusations regarding the UN Security Council Resolutions nor try to set the record straight. The only exception was Pres. Serzh Sargsyan’s comprehensive speech at the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 24, 2014.
 
Pres. Sargsyan stated: “While discussing the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement I cannot but address the four UN Security Council Resolutions, which were adopted during the war, that every so often are being exploited by the Azerbaijani authorities in order to justify their obstructive policy.”
 
“It is about those four Resolutions that demanded unconditionally as a matter of priority cessation of all military hostilities. Azerbaijan failed to comply. Azerbaijan’s own noncompliance with the fundamental demands of these Resolutions made impossible their full implementation. The Resolutions contained calls upon the parties to cease bombardments and air strikes targeting the peaceful civilian population, to refrain from violating the principles of the international humanitarian law but instead Azerbaijan continued its indiscriminate bombardments of the civilian population. Azerbaijan did not spare children, women and old persons thus gravely violating all legal and moral norms of the international humanitarian law.”
 
“Now Azerbaijan cynically refers to these Resolutions — refers selectively, pulling them out of context as a prerequisite for the settlement of the problem. The adequate interpretation of the UN Security Council Resolutions is not possible without correct understanding of the hierarchy of the demands set therein.”
 
“The Resolutions inter alia request the restoration of economic, transport and energy links in the region (UN SC Resolution 853) and removal of all obstacles to communications and transportation (UN SC Resolution 874). It is no secret that Azerbaijan and Turkey imposed blockade on Nagorno Karabakh and the Republic of Armenia from the outset of the conflict. The Azerbaijani President in his statements even takes pride in this fact promising his own public that direction would remain the priority of Azerbaijan’s foreign policy.”
 
“The above mentioned UN Security Council Resolutions called upon Azerbaijan to establish direct contacts with Nagorno Karabakh. Azerbaijan refused to establish any direct contacts with Nagorno Karabakh, which was a legally equal party to the Cease-fire Agreement concluded in 1994 as well as a number of other international Agreements; moreover, Azerbaijan preaches hatred towards people it claims it wants to see as a part of their State.”
 
“None of the UN Security Council Resolutions identifies Armenia as a conflicting party. Our country is called upon only ‘to continue to exert its influence’ over the Nagorno Karabakh Armenians (UNSC Resolutions 853, 884) in order to cease the conflict. Armenia has fully complied, and due to its efforts a Cease-fire Agreement was concluded in 1994. All UN Security Council Resolutions recognize Nagorno Karabakh as a party to the conflict.”
 
“Azerbaijani authorities have failed to implement the fundamental demands of the Security Council Resolutions, including abiding and sticking by the humanitarian norms.”
 
“Incidentally, Azerbaijan has been gravely violating this demand every now and then. Azerbaijan’s cruel and inhumane treatment of the Armenian civilian prisoners of war regularly results in their deaths. Although, I think, one shall not be surprised about it because it is the same State that suppresses and exercises the most inhumane treatment of its own people. A clear proof of it was the decision of the UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture to suspend its visit to Azerbaijan due to obstructions it encountered in the conduct of official Baku.”
 
“The Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group is the only specialized structure that has been dealing with the Nagorno Karabakh issue according to the mandate granted by the international community. While Azerbaijan is very well aware that it could not possibly deceive or misinform the Minsk Group, which is very-well immersed in the essence of the problem, it attempts to transpose the conflict settlement to other platforms trying to depict it as a territorial dispute or exploiting the factor of religious solidarity. That is ironic, since Armenia traditionally enjoys very warm relations with the Islamic nations both in the Arabic world or, for instance, with our immediate neighbor Iran.”
 
I would like to summarize my key points regarding Azerbaijan’s distortions of the four UN Security Resolutions:
 
1)    The UN Security Council Resolutions were adopted in 1993 during the height of the war between Artsakh/Armenia and Azerbaijan. These Resolutions reflect the conditions on the ground at the time. Since then, the situation has dramatically changed.
2)    Despite the cease-fire that was signed in 1994 between Armenia, Artsakh and Azerbaijan, the latter keeps violating both the ceasefire and the UN Security Council Resolutions by its frequent attacks on both Artsakh and Armenia.
3)    Azerbaijan opposes Artsakh’s participation in the negotiations, thus violating the UN Security Council Resolutions.
4)    The Minsk Group co-chairs, composed of the United States, France, and Russia, are the official mediators of the Artsakh conflict, not the UN Security Council and not the UN General Assembly.
5)    In fact, when Azerbaijan brought the Artsakh issue to the UN General Assembly in 2008, all three Minsk Group co-chairs voted against it. Azerbaijan’s proposal was adopted by a small number of States. The overwhelming majority abstained.
6)    By blockading Artsakh, Azerbaijan is violating the four UN Security Council Resolutions.
7)    Importantly, Armenia is mentioned in the UN Security Council Resolutions, not as a party to the conflict, but only as an intermediary to persuade Artsakh Armenians to comply with these Resolutions. Azerbaijan’s President Heydar Aliyev acknowledged this fact during his speech to the Parliament on February 23, 2001: “Four resolutions have been adopted in the United Nations Security Council…. It is written in these four resolutions that the occupational army should leave occupied lands of Azerbaijan. But there is not a word “Armenia”, that is, there are no words “the Armenian armed forces”. But in one of resolutions it is written to demand from Armenia to exert influence on Mountainous Garabagh (Nagorno-Karabakh). In reality, it is an Armenian-Azerbaijan war. In reality, Armenia has made aggression against Azerbaijan. However, nobody recognizes Armenia as an aggressor in a document of any international organization….”
 
Azeris who continue to distort the four UN Security Council Resolutions should follow former President Heydar Aliyev’s statement and refrain from accusing Armenia of violating these Resolutions when in fact Azerbaijan is the one not complying with them.



How Azerbaijan distorts UN Security Council Resolutions, ANCA conference Artsakh (Karabagh) liberation struggle.

By

Harut Sassounian, all-day conference, occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Artsakh (Karabagh) liberation struggle

Harut Sassounian, all-day conference,  Artsakh (Karabagh) liberation struggle (Photo by Gagrule.net)

By Harut Sassounian

Publisher, The California Courier

The Armenian National Committee of America, San Fernando Valley West chapter, held an all-day conference on March 17 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Artsakh (Karabagh) liberation struggle. The conference was held at the Ferrahian Armenian High School in Encino, California. The speakers were: historian Garo Moumdjian, Ph.D, California Courier publisher Harut Sassounian, ANCA National Board Member Steven Dadaian, Esq., A.R.F. Western US Central Committee Member Levon Kirakosian, Esq., and A.R.F. Western US Central Committee Member Vache Thomassian, Esq.

Here are excerpts from Harut Sassounian’s remarks at the conference:

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 four Resolutions are often cited by the Azerbaijani media which is under the strict control of the government of Azerbaijan. In the past 25 years, the Azeris have repeatedly condemned Armenia for not abiding by these UN Security Council 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 opinion. 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 four UN Security Council Resolutions which were adopted unanimously by all 15 member states. I have added my comments in bold letters at the end of some of the clauses of these four Resolutions:

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.

(Continued next week)

ANCA & US Armenians should sue The Daily Caller and Forbes Magazine – Sassounian

By

Harut Sassounian

Harut Sassounian

By Harut Sassounian

In recent years, scores of ‘hired pens’ have written derogatory commentaries about Armenia and Armenian-Americans. Many of these anti-Armenians commentators are paid by the governments of Azerbaijan or Turkey.

It is sad that some countries resort to such cheap tricks to repair their damaged reputation and disparage others. These countries have serious domestic problems widely known throughout the world without anyone getting paid to publicize them. The governments of Azerbaijan and Turkey have paid millions of dollars to public relations and lobbying firms in the United States and Europe trying to whitewash their tarnished images. Political leaders in Washington, London, Paris, Berlin and Moscow are not fooled by these tricks. They know well the extent of miserable conditions and human rights violations in these two Turkic countries.

Today, I feel obligated to respond to a particularly deceitful article that appeared on Feb. 5, 2018 in the Daily Caller which is “a conservative American news and opinion website based in Washington, D.C. It was founded by political pundit Tucker Carlson and Neil Patel, former adviser to former Vice President Dick Cheney,” according to Wikipedia. Carlson left the website to focus on his Fox News television program “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

The Daily Caller’s article, written by Raoul Contreras, is titled: “Armenian Influence Presents a Case Study on the Foreign Agents Registration Act.” The writer quotes from earlier article published by Forbes Magazine on Nov. 27, 2017 which falsely claims that “the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is purported to be a ‘non government organization’, but is widely believed to have deep ties to Russian influence. The Committee betrays Armenia’s post-Soviet nation’s longstanding tradition as a proxy to its former motherland.” This sentence is a complete lie as ANCA does not represent the policies of Russia or any other country. It solely represents the views of a large segment of the Armenian-American community. The writer of the Forbes article is Mfonobong Nsehe, an Africa specialist, who knows very little about Armenia or ANCA.

Based on the falsehood published by Forbes, The Daily Caller claims that “ANCA represents views of the government of Armenia and, by proxy, the Russian government. Without registration, that may violate FARA [Foreign Agents Registration Act] and lobbying laws.”

Contreras highlights the fact that Armenia has signed a military treaty with Russia, but, fails to understand that Armenia has no choice but to enter into such a defensive pact. Should Armenia recklessly risk its existence when someday Azerbaijan and Turkey put into practice their hostile and threatening warnings? Contreras ignores the fact that Armenia also enjoys close economic, political and military relations with Western Europe and the United States.

The Daily Caller’s Contreras concocts another lie in referring to contributions made by Armenian-Americans to U.S. political candidates. He falsely calls them “questionable campaign contributions.” A small amount of political donations are given by ANC PAC (Political Action Committee) which is a separate entity from ANCA and perfectly legal. Furthermore, Contreras does not seem to know that ANCA is a 501(c)(4) IRS (Internal Revenue Service) entity that has the right to make political endorsements. Contreras wrongly calls the ANCA’s endorsements “potentially illegal.” They are not illegal under American law!

Contreras then brings up a long-settled issue — the 2009 complaint by CREW (Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics) in Washington with the Justice Department, the IRS and the Congress, alleging that ANCA violated FARA by not registering as a “foreign agent.” This complaint was thoroughly reviewed and dismissed nine years ago! Contreras does not have the honesty to report that CREW’s complaint had been dismissed by the IRS!

Contreras goes on to recount ANCA’s success in blocking the Senate confirmation of Matthew Bryza as Ambassador to Azerbaijan. This is a great accomplishment and ANCA is rightly proud of it.

Finally, Contreras quotes from a Washington Post editorial of 2010 which claims that ANCA’s “lobbying has made reconciliation between Armenia and Turkey, and between Armenia and Azerbaijan, more difficult — thus helping perpetuate Armenia’s impoverishment and overdependence on Russia.” It is laughable when non-Armenians like Contreras, U.S. publications, and hostile nations like Azerbaijan and Turkey, tell Armenians what is in their best interest. Armenians know much better than anyone else what is in their interest. They don’t need a lecture from anyone!

Rather than suggesting that ANCA should register as a foreign agent, Contreras himself should do so for propagating the interests of Azerbaijan and Turkey in the United States!

ANCA and Armenian-Americans should consider suing Contreras, The Daily Caller and Forbes for anti-Armenian defamation. The Daily Caller noted at the end of its article that “the views and opinions expressed in this commentary are those of the author and do not reflect the official position of The Daily Caller.” Forbes published a similar note at the end of its article. Publishing lies is defamatory and nothing to do with the writer’s opinion. These two publications must be held responsible for disseminating falsehoods.

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com