Tuesday, August 9, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

Moscow Worried About Armenian Outcry

by Contributor
July 22, 2013
in Armenia, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories
13
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—Russia’s government signaled concerns on Friday about the possible impact on Russian-Armenian relations because of an uproar in Yerevan sparked by the controversial treatment of an Armenian man prosecuted for a deadly traffic accident near Moscow.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin met the Armenian ambassador in Moscow, Oleg Yesayan, to discuss the fallout from last week’s collision of a heavy truck and a public bus that left 18 people dead and more than 30 others wounded.

The truck was driven by Hrachya Harutiunian, an Armenian migrant worker. He was arrested and charged with manslaughter and violation of traffic rules.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, Yesayan offered “sincere condolences” in connection with the bus crash at the meeting. “It was confirmed from the Russian side that there will be a thorough and objective investigation into that case, which will certainly respect the legal rights of the accused,” the ministry said in a statement.

“Mutual concerns were expressed regarding ongoing, undignified attempts to exploit this tragedy in order to inflame sentiments which run counter to the spirit of Russian-Armenian friendship,” the statement added without giving further details.

It was a clear reference to the furious reaction in Armenia to what many people there see as Harutiunian’s degrading treatment by Russian law-enforcement and a xenophobic coverage of the case by the Russian media. A visibly shocked Harutiunian was made to wear a women’s bath robe when he appeared before a Moscow court on Monday. Russian state television emphasized his nationality in its reports on the tragedy.

The driver’s wretched appearance led to a barrage of criticisms from Armenian state officials, opposition and civic figures, and especially the media. Some media commentators accused the Russian government of deliberately humiliating the Armenian citizen.

The Russian TV images also triggered angry protests outside the Russian Embassy in Yerevan. The embassy on Wednesday accused “certain individuals” of exploiting the affair to whip up anti-Russian sentiment in Armenia. It insisted that the fatal crash had “no ethnic implications” but stopped short of criticizing Harutiunian’s televised treatment.

According to a spokesman for the Armenian Embassy in Moscow, Russian officials have assured embassy officials that their handling of the arrested suspect was an unintentional “result of haste.”

However, a report in the “Moskovsky Komsomolets” daily on Friday suggests that the Moscow police are unrepentant about their actions. Citing unnamed police sources, the paper said the Russian investigators consider the scandal the result of a “ploy” by Harutiunian’s lawyers. It said they think that the lawyers “might have deliberately not brought him new clothes so that he appears before the court in a miserable way that will cause pity.”

One of the lawyers, Aleksandr Meltsev, said on Thursday that the defense team would have promptly provided Harutiunian with appropriate attire in hospital if it had been asked to. “We would have brought him new clothes in half an hour,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.

Meanwhile, Armenia’s state human rights ombudsman, Karen Andreasian, announced that he will travel to Moscow on Sunday to meet with the arrested driver, his lawyers and “a number of officials dealing with the matter.” Earlier this week, Andreasian condemned Harutiunian’s ill-treatment and asked his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Lukin, to help ensure the due process of law in the investigation.

Russia already faced unusually strong criticism in Armenia after it emerged last month that it has begun delivering $1 billion worth of offensive weapons to Azerbaijan. The Armenian media, opposition politicians and pundits accused Moscow of betraying its sole regional ally. Top Russian security officials dismissed these accusations when they visited Yerevan later in June. The Armenian government, for its part, refrained from publicly deploring the Russian arms supplies to Baku.

Russia’s traditionally close relationship with Armenia is further called into question by signs that Moscow is unhappy with Yerevan’s reluctance to join a Russian-led Eurasian Union of ex-Soviet states and its plans to sign an “association agreement” with the European Union. Vyacheslav Kovalenko, until recently Russia’s ambassador to Armenia, warned of serious damage to bilateral ties earlier this month. Konstantin Zatulin, a prominent Russian pundit and former parliamentarian close to the Kremlin, likewise criticized “the disdainful attitude towards the Eurasian integration project in Armenia” on July 16.

Still, Sergey Markedonov, a respected Russian analyst, downplayed the significance of these developments. In an interview with the Yerevan daily “Haykakan Zhamanak” published on Thursday, Markedonov blamed the “very inadequate behavior” of the Armenian and Russian media regarding the fallout from the Moscow bus crash. “I don’t think that it will somehow affect Russian-Armenian relations,” he said.

Markedonov, who is a visiting fellow at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies, also argued that neither President Vladimir Putin nor any other Russian leader has publicly disapproved of Armenia’s European integration drive. “Russia needs Armenia, and Armenia needs Russia,” he said. “The two have mutual interests.”

Contributor

Contributor

Next Post

Ten Armenian Musicians Ready for World’s Biggest Festival

Comments 13

  1. Raffi Boyadjian says:
    9 years ago

    The problem is nothing affects Armenian-Russian relations even arms sales to Azerbaijan. Russia treats us like dirt and we don’t do anything. The arms sales and the treatment of this veteran are warning signs.

    Reply
    • bigmoustache says:
      9 years ago

      I agree completely.
      furthermore the “Eurasian Union” is nothing but a new Soviet Union, a counter to NATO. The Soviet Union was disastrous for Armenia and Armenian culture. It’s going to take a long time for us to remove the traces of Russian culture from Armenia.
      The arms sale to Azerbaijan was a punishment to Armenia for refusing to join the Eurasian Union. We have to stand our ground and not take any bullying from Russia. We have to create our own arms industry to learn self-reliance and create more jobs for Armenians while still having Russia as our ally. Russia must remember that we are their only ally in the region and that we have shed enough blood and sweat for them during the Soviet Union.

      Reply
  2. Padova says:
    9 years ago

    I agree with Sergey Markedonov that “Russia needs Armenia, and Armenia needs Russia,” They have to get along. Both have regional enemies that are ready to annihilate them.

    Reply
  3. Garo says:
    9 years ago

    Armenia needs Russia and Russia needs Armenia, is a correct statement, it’s the reality. I don’t know what are the benefits for Armenia going with the Europeans. Usually what matters for the West/ Europe is what they will gain from a relationship with Armenia and not how Armenia can benefit from such a relationship. The fact that Europe follows NATO, mayl affect Armenia’s position with regards to it’s national and historic aspirations. A stronger relationship with Russia can be more advantageous for Armenia. Not sure if Azerbaijan will be part of the Eurasian Union and if that’s the case, then there is a lot of thinking to do on Armenia’s side.
    I think Armenia has overreacted over the accident in Russia. There was no need to be so emotional and should have resorted to official channels first. The fact that there was a tragic accident that left many casualties, was a sad incident that first needed comforting and healing rather than inflaming regardless who was at fault and justice will take it’s course.

    Reply
    • bigmoustache says:
      9 years ago

      I disagree, I think the Armenian government reacted just fine. it was the people who protested against Russia for Hratch Harutunian with just cause but Russia can not blame our people for their opinions, nor can it accuse the Armenian government of intentionally stirring anti-Russian sentiments in Armenia. We have proven time and again that we are their only ally in the region.
      also, Azerbaijan is not in the Eurasian union and has no plans of joining and neither should Armenia. the Eurasian union is nothing but a new soviet union and were still trying to rebuild Armenia from the problems that were caused by the soviet union. Armenian culture in Armenia has been tainted with Russian, unemployment and apathy

      Reply
      • bigmoustache says:
        9 years ago

        we should have been more outraged at Russias arms sale to Azerbaijan which was punishment and pressure for us refusing to join the Eurasian union. as if their base in gyumri, which will be there for another 60 years, wasn’t enough to prove our loyalty as allies. we have to stand firm to any bullying tactics from the Russians and not let them limit us as to who we can be allies with.

        Reply
        • GeorgeMardig says:
          9 years ago

          The West will only bring headach to Armenia, a simple recognition of the Armenian Genocide after almost 100 years is still a big issue, for them Geopolitics overides values, decency, and justice,

          Reply
  4. Vazken says:
    9 years ago

    Russian authority should have open mind and consider this “accident” as a monstreous terrorist act by enemies of Russia and Armenia instead of blaiming Hrachya Harutiunian.
    As this may look like an accident, but, the owner of the truck and/or employer of the Hrachya Harutiunian is unknown in the news coverage; it won’t be far fetched to think that` terrorist groups can plan and execute such “look like accidents”, all they need is a manipulated truck with heavy loads of gravel- knowing who ever drives the truck will endup killing and maiming scores of innosent people to undermine one country’s public outrage against another.
    It’s easy to guess which country will benefit from the result …

    Reply
  5. GeorgeMardig says:
    9 years ago

    Unbiased and extensive investigation should be carried out including the media

    Reply
  6. arziv says:
    9 years ago

    This is beginning to look like a terrorist act. The driver claims that the brakes failed ? Surely he must have activated the brakes before along the route ? At what speed was the truck being driven ? Was the driver in a sober condition and in full control of his faculties ?The driver did not have a license ? Why was it employed without a license ? . Someone mentioned that the truck company was also owned by a compatriot ? Was the truck company license to operate, or did it have some fake license papers issued by some corrupt municipal department ? There are many questions which need to be answered. The accidental act of one man can not sour centuries old historical relations between the two nations. It is still an enigma the irrational and absurdly emotionally charged reactions from some sections of Armenian society. It was well organized by human rights activists and NGO operatives. Anything goes for these groups as long as it serves the purpose of causing friction between the two nations. It is correct to criticize the Russian judicial system, and proper complaints to be lodged. Harutunyan should not have been hauled into court dressed the way he was. That is unacceptable from any judicial system.

    Reply
  7. wd4ty says:
    9 years ago

    The result for such treatments is that Armenians are not united like “ever” and government trying harder without having any thing to offer to Russian`s people, been seen Armenians as ” peasants” that hanging to their shore. If Armenians owned the lands as Azeries token from them in past, they would be a very different story with having those oils revenue Armenia would be a most respected people in the world. “unite “and get what you have lost ! the time is now before they are a big power in your backyard !

    Reply
  8. al says:
    9 years ago

    Armenia wont survive wt Russia……….whoever disagrees..does not know the history or the reality……

    Reply

Leave a Reply to bigmoustache Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Russian Border Guards Set Up Checkpoints In Meghri

Russian Border Guards Set Up Checkpoints In Meghri

8 hours ago
Azerbaijan to Connect to Nakhichevan Through Iran

Azerbaijan to Connect to Nakhichevan Through Iran

8 hours ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • asbarez.com
    • August 9, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to