DECEMBER 12, 2020 MMirror-SpeirTHEror-SpeARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXXI, NO. 22, Issue 4664 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 IN BRIEF Armenian President Talks to Start as Situation Stabilizes, Wants Government Says Foreign Minister To Return $100M MOSCOW (Tass) — Comprehensive talks on the settlement of the conflict around Karabakh will Donation begin after the situation in the conflict zone stabi- lizes, Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Aivazyan said YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — President Armen on December 7, after talks with Russian Foreign Sarkissian has criticized a pan-Armenian Minister Sergey Lavrov in Moscow. charity for donating to Armenia’s govern- "Key top priority matters remain for comprehen- ment most of $170 million raised by it for sive talks that will begin immediately after the situ- Nagorno-Karabakh during the recent war. ation in the conflict zone stabilizes. I share Sergey Sarkissian said the unusual move under- Lavrov’s opinion that there is cautious optimism in mined donors’ trust in the Hayastan All- that context. I think we all must do our utmost to Armenian Fund. He urged the government prevent any recurrence of the tragedy that hap- to release a detailed report on how it has pened in the recent two months," he said. used the economic and humanitarian aid to Karabakh. Dadivank Monastery Hayastan All-Armenian Fund launched Evidence on Use of an international fundraising campaign immediately after the outbreak of the war Chemical Weapons by What Will Happen to Armenian on September 27. Hundreds of thousands of Armenians from around the world Azerbaijan Unveiled Treasures under Azeri Control? responded to its appeal for urgent aid to YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net) — Armenia's Karabakh and its population severely affect- Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan has visited ed by the fighting. They donated roughly the National Burn Center and obtained new evidence By Florence Avakian $170 million to the group within weeks. Special to the Mirror-Spectator of the use of weapons of mass destruction contain- It emerged afterwards that the charity, ing chemical elements (possibly white phosphorus NEW YORK — It was five years ago that I vis- headquartered in Yerevan, redirected more munitions) by the Azerbaijani armed forces in ited the crowning glory of Artsakh, the Dadivank than $100 million of those proceeds to the Nagorno-Karabakh, it was reported on December 7. Monastery. Inside the almost bare church, except government. The Armenian Finance Open-source evidence has proved that Azerbaijan for fresco paintings and numerous Armenian Ministry said on November 24 that the used phosphorus and incendiary munitions to start inscriptions, was an elderly woman lighting a can- hefty donation will finance the govern- large forest fires in Armenian-controlled areas in dle. I approached and asked, “Mayrig Jan, what ment’s “infrastructure, social and health- Karabakh. Videos of the use of white phosphorous are you praying for?” She replied without hesita- care expenditures” necessitated by the six- started appearing on social media outlets in early tion, “Khaghaghoutiun” (Peace). Boldly I asked week war. November. her age, thinking she was in her 90s. “Sixty-five,” In a statement issued on Sunday, Doctors now report that injuries and swelling she said, her beautiful face lined with wrinkles, December 6, Sarkissian’s office revealed (especially of upper limbs) due to the use of chemi- reflecting the suffering she had endured for her The destruction of Armenian that he objected to the financial contribu- cal weapons, persist for a long time. Burn wounds family that she had lost in the first Karabakh war. monuments in Nakhijevan tion approved by most members of are deep in some places, have charred edges, bleed see MONUMENTS, page 6 at times and are difficult to treat. According to doc- tors, burns of varying severity in most people dif- fered from those they encountered in their practice. OSCE Minsk Group Foreign Two Charged For Attacks on Armenians Ministers Issue Joint Statement PARIS (PanARMENIAN.Net) — The prosecutor's office of Vienne on December 3 charged two ethnic TIRANA — The heads of the delegation the Republic of Armenia, and President Turks for attacking Armenian demonstrators in late of the Organization for Security and of the Russian Federation from October, Ermenihaber.am reported. Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk November 9, 2020. The Armenian community of France was rallying Group Co-Chair countries — Foreign The Co-Chair countries of the OSCE President Armen Sarkissian speaks during in Vienne to demand the recognition of Artsakh Minister of the Russian Federation Sergey Minsk Group call upon Armenia and an official ceremony at the presidential when several Turks attacked the peaceful Armenian Lavrov, Deputy Secretary of State of the Azerbaijan to continue implementing fully palace in Yerevan. demonstrators with knives, batons and hammers. United States Stephen E. Biegun, and their obligations under the November 9 The two — father and son aged 45 and 21 — were Minister for European and Foreign Affairs statement, in Nagorno-Karabakh and the arrested by the police but a court decided to release of France Jean-Yves Le Drian — released a surrounding districts, as well as their pre- Hayastan’s board of trustees headed by the them on bail and ordered to not leave the territory statement on December 3. The statement vious ceasefire commitments. The Co- Armenian president. It said he believes the of France. is reproduced in its entirety below. (See Chair countries highlight the significance decision left the fund’s donors suspecting The father and son are now charged with injuring related editorial.) of measures taken by the Russian that “their trust has been abused.” two and three civilians each. We welcome the cessation of military Federation, in agreement with Azerbaijan According to the statement, Sarkissian activities in the area of the Nagorno- and Armenia, to guarantee the non-renew- has sent a letter to the board members Karabakh conflict in accordance with the al of hostilities. They also call for the full arguing for “urgent steps” that should be statement by the President of the and prompt departure from the region of taken before the donors’ “trust in the Republic of Azerbaijan, Prime Minister of see OSCE, page 3 see DONATIONS, page 2 INSIDE NE Patriots Showcase Armenian-Themed Twitter Sneakers, Call World Attention to Armenia By Aram Arkun LOS ANGELES — If there is a silver lining to the Armenian Mirror-Spectator Staff dark clouds of the Artsakh defeat, it is the strong sup- port for Armenia demonstrated publicly by prominent Page 7 Armenians and non-Armenians during this crisis. One unexpected arena for this in the US is that of professional football. The National Football League (NFL) con- ducts a My Cause My Cleats campaign, in which custom sneakers or cleats can INDEX be worn on the field before final auction for philanthropic purposes. Berj Najarian, director of football/head coach administration of the New England Armenia . 2-4 Arts and Living . 12 Patriots, has a pair of Armenian-themed shoes which were shown off on the field Community News. 7 by quarterback Cam Newton after the December 6 Patriots-Chargers game in Los Editorial . 18 Angeles. Proceeds go to the Armenia Fund, and as of December 8, their auction International . 5-6 price had surpassed that of all others in the campaign. Cam Newton with Berj Najarian’s see CLEATS, page 20 custom shoes (photo courtesy of Maddie Mullin/NE Patriots) 2 S ATURDAYDECEMBER 1 2 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Armenian Authorities Expect First COVID-19 Vaccines in February YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — The Armenian govern- ment has commissioned 600,000 doses of coron- avirus vaccines from World Health Organization- backed COVAX Facility and hopes to receive their first batch in February, a senior official said on Friday, December 4. They will be enough to vaccinate 300,000 people making up roughly 10 percent of Armenia’s popula- tion. According to Gayane Sahakyan, the deputy direc- tor of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention, medical and social workers, seniors and people suffering from chronic diseases will be the first to get vaccine shots free of charge. COVAX is a global partnership which aims to finance COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed fairly to more than 180 countries that have joined it. It Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and dignitaries lay flowers at the earthquake memorial should give them access to several vaccine candi- dates in development globally. Vaccine manufactur- ers and suppliers will be chosen by the COVAX administration. Armenia Commemorates 32nd Anniversary of Quake The Armenian government’s supply contract with COVAX is worth $6 million. YEREVAN (PanARMENIAN.Net) — On December 7, well as about 60 villages, leaving al least 25,000 people dead, Late last month the Russian Ministry of Health Armenia marked the 32nd anniversary of the devastating 100,000 wounded and 500,000 homeless. donated several dozen doses of the Russian vaccine earthquake that hit the northwestern regions of the country. All material, financial and labor opportunities of the USSR Sputnik V to Armenia. It emerged on Friday that On that day in 1988, at 11:41 a.m. local time, northwestern were mobilized for reconstruction work, as 45,000 builders Health Minister Arsen Torosyan and his deputy Armenia was hit by a magnitude 6.9 earthquake, followed by from all the member states arrived to help reconstruct the Artyom Smbatyan are among Armenian volunteers a magnitude 5.8 aftershock four minutes later. In the epicen- areas destroyed. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the vaccinated with Sputnik. ter — the village of Nalband — the tremors were reported to restoration program was suspended.