THE ARMENIAN MIRRORc SPECTATOR Since 1932 Volume LXXXXII, NO. 2, Issue 4694 JULY 31, 2021 $2.00 Ambassador Says Senator Chris Van Hollen: ‘You Know A Good Ambassa- US Rejects Use of dor When You See One’ By Haykaram Nahapetyan Force in Border Mirror-Spectator Video Correspondent POTOMAC, MD — On Wednesday, July Delimitation 21, 2021 Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) YEREVAN (Arka) — U.S. Ambassador wrapped up his working meetings early to Armenia Lynne Tracy visited on July 26 in order to go to community activist and the Gegharkunik province, which has ex- Armenian Assembly of America’s board tended border with Azerbaijan, Armenian member Annie Simonian-Totah’s beautiful Defense ministry reported. It said the Am- residence for a farewell party for Varuzhan bassador was accompanied by representa- Nersesyan, the ambassador of Armenia to tives of the ministry. the United States. Finishing his tenure in The commander of a military unit, Major Washington, D.C., Nersesyan is ready to General Arayik Harutyunyan informed the depart to London to his new assignment as Ambassador about the situation on the Ar- the next ambassador of the Republic of Ar- menian-Azerbaijani border, after which the menia to the United Kingdom. ambassador and the accompanying persons see FAREWELL, page 10 visited a border section near Verin Shorzha village. On the Path to Integration: The First Armenian Mural in Burbank Unveils Armenian-American Identities. Story on page 12 The ambassador cuts his farewell cake together with his wife and daughter, US Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Aliyev Rules Out Talks with Annie Totah, at right, applauding Tracy at the Gegharkunik border region Azadian’s Newly Published Tracy reiterated the United States’ con- On Karabakh Settlement Anthology of Baikar cern over incidents on the Armenian-Azer- MOSCOW (RFE/RL) — Azerbai- must not be allowed,” he said. baijani border, stressing that the United jani President Ilham Aliyev has again In a joint statement released in April, Editorials Feted in States rejects the use of force in the delimi- claimed that Azerbaijan resolved the U.S., Russian and French media- Yerevan’s Tekeyan Center tation of the border. the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh tors co-heading the Organization for YEREVAN – Edmond Y. Azadi- Tracy also stressed that the United during last year’s war and will not hold Security and Cooperation in Europe an’s new Armenian-language book, States, as a co-chair of the Organization talks with Armenia on the ter- Azkayin-kaghakagan hortzanudi for Security and Cooperation in Europe ritory’s status. mech [In the National Political Vor- (OSCE) Minsk Group, remains committed Aliyev said on Thursday, tex] was presented on July 6 in Ye- to working with all parties to achieve a last- July 22, Yerevan should rec- revan’s Tekeyan Center, hosted by ing political solution to the Nagorno-Kara- ognize instead Azerbaijani the Tekeyan Cultural Association bakh conflict. sovereignty over Karabakh of Armenia. This first volume of a At the same time, according to Tracy, the through a “peace treaty” pro- two-part series is an anthology of United States urges the parties to return to- posed by Baku. editorials from the weekly newspa- negotiations as soon as possible under the “The Azerbaijani people are per Baikar, of which he is one of the auspices of the Minsk Group co-chairs. rightly unhappy to see state- founders and principal editors. The On May 12-14, Azerbaijani troops ments … made in France and prolific Azadian previously had pub- crossed several sections of the border America to the effect that the lished nine volumes of his collected and advanced a few kilometers into Ge- conflict must be resolved,” he Armenia - French Ambassador Jonathan writings in English and Armenian. gharkunik and Syunik provinces. Yerevan told Azerbaijani state televi- Lacote arrives for a news conference in see ANTHOLOGY, page 20 has repeatedly demanded their uncondi- sion. “I am again telling them Yerevan, Dec. 12, 2017. tional withdrawal. Baku maintains that that I, the president of Azer- they did not cross into Armenian border. baijan, have already resolved that is- (OSCE) Minsk Group called on Ar- Armenia officially asked the Collective sue, period. There is no Nagorno-Kara- menia and Azerbaijan to resume nego- Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to bakh, no status.” tiations on a “comprehensive and sus- take action against Azerbaijani incursions Speaking one day after meeting with tainable” resolution of the Karabakh into its territory. Russian President Vladimir Putin in conflict based on their pre-war peace On May 25, an Armenian contract ser- Moscow, Aliyev claimed that Moscow proposals. They expressed readiness viceman, V. Khurshudyan, was fatally agrees with his stance. “Russia and to facilitate such talks, including with wounded in a shootout that began after Azerbaijan believe that the war is over renewed visits to the conflict zone. see BORDER, page 3 and revanchist tendencies in Armenia see SETTLEMENT, page 4 ARMENIA NEW YORK FRANCE Armenia to Build ACYOA Leads Young Cecile Zarokian Its Biggest Solar Adults on a Virtual Creates Perfume to Power Plant Tour of Armenia Evoke Ani Page 3 Page 11 Page 14 2 SATURDAY, JULY 31, 2021 ARMENIAN MIRROR-SPECTATOR ARMENIA NEWS from ARMENIA Azerbaijani Forces Continue Attacks on Yeraskh Armenia’s Gevorg Avanesyan Wins Silver in By Raffi Elliott on Armenia’s North-South highway, part pro quo dynamic: if Armenia “renounc- Special to the Mirror-Spectator of which lies exposed to Azerbaijani fire. es” Karabakh, Azerbaijan will ‘renounce’ Int’l Biology Olympiad Once a hub for regional rail and freight Zangezur [Syunik],” writes academic and YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN. YERASKH –– Sporadic armed clashes transport, the glory days of the Soviet rails Caucasus specialist Laurence Broers. Net) — Armenia student Gevorg have reportedly taken place throughout the service may seem long gone for the vil- According to Broers, Baku’s attempted Avanesyan has won a silver medal week between Armenian and Azeri forces lagers, with its now-abandoned rail yard “coercive bargaining” serves to maximize in the 32nd International Biology both on Armenia’s eastern border with oc- repurposed as a checkpoint for Russian pressure on Armenia, remind Russia of Olympiad (IBO) 2021, the Minis- cupied Karvajar and along the Azeri-con- border guards facing the Turkish border. its obligations, keep Azerbaijan mobilized try of Education, Science, Culture trolled exclave of Nakhichevan. According But if one clause in last November’s Rus- around the axis of the conflict and keep the and Sport reported on July 27. to the Armenian Ministry of Defense, one Organized and hosted by Portu- Armenian serviceman died of his wounds gal, the Olympiad was held online following a firefight near the strategic bor- from July 18 to July 23. More than der village of Yeraskh in south-western Ar- 304 students from 76 countries menia on July 14, while the local mayor and participated in the event. Arman several Azeri soldiers were also wounded. Hayrapetyan, Vahe Gabrielyan and According to the MOD, the situation Astghik Harutyunyan, also repre- on the Armenia-Nakhichevan border re- senting Armenia, participated in mained strained throughout the week. The the competition. exchange of fire has mostly been limited to small arms though grenade launchers Karabakh Continues were also deployed. Armenian air defense units reportedly downing an Azeri UAV Search for Those Missing in on July 24 in the vicinity of Yeraskh. That War same day, Azeri state media announced STEPANAKERT (PanARME- that an Azeri soldier was fatally shot by NIAN.Net) — The Nagorno-Kara- an Armenian sniper across the country in bakh rescue teams have been de- Gegharkunik, where Armenian and Azeri Russian and Armenian flags near Yeraskh with Azeri-controlled Nakhichevan in ployed in Mataghis to continue forces have been engaged in a tense stand- the background (Photo: Raffi Elliott) looking for the remains of the vic- off since May. The Azeri military vowed tims of the 44-day war, Karabakh retaliation. Three Armenian soldiers were sian-brokered ceasefire between Azerbai- focus off discourses of self-determination. authorities reported on July 27. slightly injured in the ensuing firefight. jan and Russia gets realized, the town’s Still, so far, Armenia has refused to be in- Additional information about the The town of Yeraskh remained quiet role as a rail hub may very well be revived. timidated by Azerbaijan’s repeated provo- results of the search mission will when this reporter visited on June 22, how- That specific clause in the agreement –– cations. On Tuesday, July 27, the Armenian be provided later, the State Service ever. Villagers there confirmed that gunfire Article 9, which calls for the reopening of Foreign Ministry released a statement ac- For Emergency Situations of Art- could be heard throughout the week, but all border and transport links between the cusing Baku of stalling the peace process sakh (Karabakh) said. none of it had been aimed at the village two countries –– has been interpreted quite through its aggressive actions. “The com- Since November 13, the rescue itself. One worker from the Yeraskh Wine differently in Yerevan and Baku. Azerbai- plete implementation of the process of teams have found the bodies and Factory, a small wine manufacturer whose jani officials have repeatedly insisted that repatriation of prisoners of war, hostages remains of 1,615 people, including facilities literally lean onto one of the Ar- it gives them a right to a sovereign “Zange- and other detainees held in Azerbaijan may dozens of civilians, who had failed menian defense perimeter’s dirt barriers, zur corridor” connecting the Nakhichevan create a constructive environment for the to leave their homes when their set- insisted that the company continued its exclave to the rest of the country along the implementation of the November 9 State- tlements went under Azerbaijan’s work undisturbed throughout the shootout.