Your Namak for Sunday, July 3
Armenia and Turkey agree to partially open border, Berdzor will be handed over to Azerbaijan, and Armenia gets first female prosecutor general.
Hi there, here’s your weekly briefing of Armenian news in English, curated, reported and fact-checked by journalists Astrig Agopian and Maral Tavitian.
Armenia and Turkey Agree to Partially Open Border
In a major breakthrough in normalization talks, representatives of Armenia and Turkey agreed on July 1 to open their land border to citizens of third countries. In a statement, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the two sides committed to opening the border and commencing direct air cargo trade “at the earliest date possible.”
Berdzor (Lachin) Will Be Handed Over to Azerbaijan, Aghavno’s Fate Unclear
President of Nagorno-Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan said that the town of Berdzor (Lachin) in Nagorno-Karabakh will be handed over to Azerbaijan in accordance with the November 9, 2020 ceasefire agreement. There are no residents left in Berdzor. The village of Aghavno, located under the Lachin corridor and home to about 200 people, might also be handed over despite the population’s refusal to leave. Harutyunyan said negotiations to keep the village under Armenian control are ongoing.
Armenia Gets First Ever Female Prosecutor General
The National Assembly elected Anna Vardapetyan to become Armenia’s next prosecutor general. The parliamentary opposition boycotted the vote, saying that her appointment was a political choice. Vardapetyan will replace Artur Davtyan whose tenure expires in September. She formerly worked as an advisor to the Minister of Justice and later as an assistant to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Chairman of Armenia’s Supreme Judicial Council Resigns
Gagik Jahangiryan, the acting chairman of Armenia’s Supreme Judicial Council, resigned citing health reasons. Jahangiryan submitted his resignation following the leak of an audio tape in which he appeared to blackmail his predecessor Ruben Vardazaryan, telling him to resign from the position of chairman.
In lieu of a profile this week, we are pleased to publish a selection of photos from Project Bright Eyes. Astrig Agopian and Margos Margossian distributed disposable film cameras to kids in two villages of Nagorno-Karabakh (Kolkhozashen and Mokhratagh) in 2022.
The purpose of this ongoing project is to encourage youth to express their creativity in a photo series that can be self-reflective and describe belonging, while also providing a hopeful look inside the region for people outside.
The project was supported by Awesome Foundation Artsakh and Sunrise Stepanakert Art Festival, during which a selection of 20 photos were exhibited.
The photos in Kolkhozashen were taken by Helen Hovhannisyan, Nare Babayan, Martin Grigoryan, Nushik Mirzoyan, Nana Grigoryan, Inna Grigoryan, Knar Khatchatryan, Vahagn Harutyunyan, Avik Khachatryan, Meri Avetisyan, Maria Grigoryan and Kim Sargsyan. Special thanks to their English teacher Ashot Gabrielyan.
The photos in Mokhratagh were taken by Nare Melkumyan, Sona Abrahamyan, Harut Harutyunyan, Meline Avagyan, Vladimir Sayiyan, Alvard Vorskanyan, Seda Hakobyan, Lermont Voskanyan, Sophie Abrahamyan, Elizabeth Sargsyan and Meline Israyelyan. Special thanks to their Armenian language teacher Astghik Keshishyan.
Instead of several recommendations, we would like to highlight just one project we have already mentioned in Namak. The Sunrise Stepanakert Art Festival was born in the aftermath of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh War, and its second edition took place throughout the past week.
Here is a short statement about the aim of the project: “We believe that the practice of culture is a critical tool for post-war recovery and healing. Through promoting art, we aim to revitalize Stepanakert after the devastating past months, emphasizing the importance of cherishing the city and the land.”
The festival is organized by Shoushan Keshishian, Lilit Akopyan and Sonya Avagyan. You can check out moments from the event here.
That’s it for today, see you next week!
Questions? Story ideas? An urge to say barev/parev? You can send us a secure email at namaknews@protonmail.com.