JULY 18, 2020 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXXI, NO. 1, Issue 4643 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 IN BRIEF Azerbaijan Resumes Azeri Embassy in Paris Shelling Border Marked with Anti-War Towns In Armenia Graffiti PARIS (Armenpress) — The entrance of the Numerous Deaths Embassy of Azerbaijan in Paris was covered with anti-war messages of “No to War” and “Stop YEREVAN (Combined Sources) — Four Aliyev,” Zartonk Media reported. Armenian officers and seven Azerbaijani The notes were made on the night of July 14, servicemen, including an army general, as a sign of protest against the recent Azerbaijani and were killed on Tuesday, July 14, in attack on Armenia. fierce fighting that continued on the The door of the embassy was also covered in Armenian-Azerbaijani border for the third red paint. consecutive day. Shushan Stepanian, the spokeswoman for Armenia’s Defense Ministry, said Major Garush Hambardzumian and Captain Sos ECHR Rejects Request Elbakian were killed by enemy fire as were To Apply Interim Junior sergeants Smbat Gabrielyan and Anouch Toranian, second from left on Grisha Matosyan. Measure in bicycle, campaigning with her team In addition, three Armenian contract ser- vicemen were wounded in Azerbaijan’s Constitutional Changes shooting from across the border on Anouch Toranian Monday, July 13, she added. In Armenia Azerbaijan’s aggression against the secu- STRASBOURG (Panorama.am) — The Elected Deputy rity of the civilian population of Armenia European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) decid- will receive a proportionate response, ed on Wednesday, July 9, not to apply an interim Mayor of Paris Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Anna measure requested in the case of Gyulumyan, et. Naghdalyan said Tuesday, July 14. al v. Armenia concerning the recent amendments By Aram Arkun “The Azerbaijani side continues its to the Constitution of Armenia. Mirror-Spectator Staff Anouch Toranian, left, with Anne Hidalgo aggression on the Armenian-Azerbaijani The four applicants, Alvina Gyulumyan, Hrant border, deliberately targeting civilian infra- Nazaryan, Feliks Tokhyan and Hrayr Tovmasyan, PARIS — Anouch Dzagoyan Toranian was elected as deputy mayor of Paris on structures and population, and expanding who were judges of the Constitutional Court July 3, after being elected as councilor on June 28 in the second round of Parisian the geography of escalation. Today the civil- (CC) of Armenia at the time of the constitutional municipal elections. She is one of the youngest of 37 deputy mayors, and will be ian infrastructure of the city of Berd was reform, requested in particular that the responsible for community life, the participation of citizens, and public debate. She shelled by unmanned combat aerial vehi- European Court indicate to the Armenian gov- has become the first French Armenian to reach such an influential position and is cles,” Naghdalyan said. ernment that they freeze enforcement of the con- a member of the Socialist Party in alliance in this election with the Europe Ecology “The aggression against the security of stitutional amendments and preserve their the Greens (Europe Écologie les Verts or EELV) and French Communist parties. the civilian population of Armenia will offices. Toranian was in charge of the list of Paris en Commun, l’écologie en action receive a proportionate response, for which The court decided to reject the request as out- (Paris in Common, Ecology for Paris), which supported the reelection of the the Azerbaijani side bears full responsibility.” side the scope of application of Rule 39 (interim socialist sitting mayor Anne Hidalgo, in the 15th arrondissement or district. Defense Ministry spokeswoman Shushan measures) of the Rules of Court, since it did not Toranian was born and grew up in this arrondissement. The most populous dis- Stepanyan said earlier that no casualties involve a risk of serious and irreparable harm of trict in Paris, the 15th is usually a bastion of the right, while, as Toranian wrote were reported in the combat drone attack a core right under the European Convention on in a June 26 tweet, “The strength of Paris in Common is the union of the left and on Berd. Human Rights. the ecologists.” Azerbaijan launched two failed infiltra- ECHR noted that in 2015 the Constitution of see TORANIAN, page 4 tion attempts on the border with Armenia Armenia was amended, introducing a 12-year see SHELLING, page 2 non-renewable term of office for Constitutional Court judges and establishing a 6-year non- Erdogan Signs Decree Allowing Hagia Sophia to Be Used as a Mosque Again renewable mandate for the president of Armenia’s highest court. ISTANBUL (New York Times, AP) — the world. But it has been a However, pursuant to a transitional arrange- President Recep Tayyip Erdogan issued a source of Christian-Muslim ment, judges who had been appointed before the decree on Friday, July 10, ordering Hagia rivalry, having stood at the cen- entry into force of these amendments were to Sophia to be opened for Muslim prayers, an ter of Christendom for nearly a continue serving under the old rules, according action likely to provoke international furor millennium and then, after to which CC judges were appointed until their around a World Heritage Site cherished by being conquered, of the retirement. Similarly, the president of the CC was Christians and Muslims alike for its reli- Muslim Ottoman Empire, when to keep his mandate until retirement gious significance, for its stunning struc- it was last used as a mosque. Recently, it was decided to amend the ture and as a symbol of conquest. Erdogan’s decree transferred Constitution in a manner that all judges of the The presidential decree came minutes control of the site to the CC would have a 12-year term of office, regard- after a Turkish court announced that it Religious Affairs Directorate, less of their date of appointment. had revoked Hagia Sophia’s status as a sealing the removal of its muse- museum, which for the last 80 years had um status and allowing Hagia made it a monument of relative harmony Sophia to become a working Celebrations outside the Hagia Sophia (Reuters photo) and a symbol of the secularism that was mosque once again. part of the foundation of the modern It was a decision long sought INSIDE Turkish state. by conservative Muslims in Turkey and 18 years atop Turkish politics. Built in the sixth century as a cathedral, beyond, but one which opponents say In a post on Twitter that included a copy Hagia Sophia stands as the greatest exam- Erdogan intends to stir his nationalist and of the decree, Erdogan simply wrote ple of Byzantine Christian architecture in religious base as his popularity wanes after see MOSQUE, page 5 Discussing White House Mention of Armenian Race Genocide Receives Media Coverage Page 7 WASHINGTON — White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany on July 6 used the term Armenian Genocide in passing while discussing the desecration of memorials by protestors in the INDEX US. She related President Donald Trump’s position on “extreme Armenia . 2-3 indoctrination and bias” in the educational system and referred to Arts and Living . 13 the Denver Armenian khachkar monument dedicated to the vic- Community News. 7 tims of the Armenian and other genocides which had been Editorial . 17 International . 4-6 defaced in late May during the course of the Black Lives Matter see MEDIA, page 12 Kayleigh McEnany 2 S ATURDAY J ULY 1 8 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Azerbaijan Resumes Shelling Alcoholic Beverage Production Slashed in Border Towns in Armenia First five months SHELLING, from page 1 the region,” the Russian Foreign Azerbaijan’s side. Of 2020 whose troops immediately identified the Ministry said in a statement. “We are Incidentally, Russian President saboteurs and thwarted them back to calling on the conflicting sides to Vladimir Putin and his Turkish coun- YEREVAN, July 14. /ARKA/. Production of alco- their positions on Sunday, July 12. On show restraint and strictly adhere to terpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke holic beverages in Armenia in the first five months Monday morning, the Azerbaijani mili- the ceasefire regime.” by phone on Monday. Their press of 2020 decreased compared to the same period in tary resumed attacks and continued “For its part, the Russian Foreign offices did not list the Karabakh dis- 2019, according to numbers, released today by the firing on Armenian positions. Ministry is ready to provide necessary pute among the issues discussed by National Statistical Committee (NSC). A source told PanARMENIAN.Net, support for stabilizing the situation,” the two leaders. According to NSC, production of vodka, liquor and meanwhile, that the Armenian Armed added the statement. other alcoholic beverages in January – May 2020 Forces have now “occupied” a new Foreign Ministers Zohrab Leaders in Armenia in Turmoil slashed by 29% year-on-year to 1,151,600 liters. Cognac position in the province of Tavush, Mnatsakanyan of Armenia and Elmar The Supreme Patriarch and production dropped by 14.9% to 12,550,800 liters. which neutralizes the communication Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan stood by Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II Production of grape wine declined by 28.3% to 3, routes of one of the largest their countries’ official versions of led a July 13 meeting to receive 274,900 liters. Production of sparkling wine (cham- Azerbaijani bases in the region. events during their separate phone updates and issue a statement on the pagne) decreased by 31.9% to 137,200 liters. As for The Armenian Army has made avail- conversations with Lavrov. previous day’s attempt to penetrate beer production, it fell by 16.1% to 7,090,200 liters.