Month: October 2016

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Herbert Salber.

Noting that all previous meetings with the EU Special Representative were conducted in an open and frank atmosphere, the President expressed hope that this meeting too would be of the same nature.

Serzh Sargsyan highly praised the EU commitment to establishing an atmosphere of confidence between the parties of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in order to reach a peaceful resolution of the issue.

President Sargsyan and Herbert Salber exchanged views on the recent developments in the NK peace process after the meetings in Vienna and Saint Petersburg and on the current situation.

Serzh Sargsyan presented Armenia’s efforts made with the mediation of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and reiterated that the Armenian side is ready to continue to make constructive steps for the benefit of peace and security in the region.

The EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Herbert Salber noted that in the framework of his visit to Armenia, he is having meeting with the representatives of the civil society, including the residents of the border regions of Armenia.

At the meeting, the parties also exchanged views on the regional developments.

Photo: AFP

 

Kurdish fighters say they have launched a large-scale operation east and north of Mosul, as an offensive to oust so-called Islamic State (IS) militants from the Iraqi city continues, the BBC reports.

The Kurds say the operation aims to tighten the noose around the militants’ last major stronghold in Iraq.

The Iraqi army has been moving from the south, and special forces have now joined the offensive.

There are signs that IS leaders have fled Mosul, the US military says.

There are thought to be up to 5,000 IS fighters still in the city.

Asbarez – Armenian Studies Program Director Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian announced that Krikor Beledian’sFifty Years of Armenian Literature in France has been published by the Armenian Series of The Press, at California State University, Fresno.

Translated from the original French into English by Christopher Atamian, Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France is a groundbreaking study of the Armenian literary scene in the important Armenian Diaspora community of France.

“This volume will provide a wealth of material useful to both scholars and to the reading public,” said Der Mugrdechian.

Beledian’s publication examines Armenian literature as it emerged in France between 1922 and the beginning of the 1970s. It retraces the literary history of the period starting with Armenian immigration until the passing away of the movement’s main representatives. It also examines the most significant works published in that period, studying the issues raised by a literature of exile, one born after an event that was experienced and interpreted as a “national catastrophe.”

This work is a major addition to the study of Armenian literature with its in-depth analysis of the various figures and periods in Armenian literature in France. Among those figures are Arshag Chobanian, Minas Cheraz, Shavarsh Missakian, Mguerditch Barsamian, Shavarsh Nartuni, Hratch Zartarian and Vazken Shushanian, to name only a few.

Fifty Years of Armenian Literature in France is a work that provides a context for Armenian literature of the Diaspora, while at the same time focusing on the works of authors living in France.

“The work is a valuable addition to the growing number of critical studies of Armenian literature produced in the Diaspora,” said Der Mugrdechian. “It provides a theoretical foundation for understanding the intellectual, emotional, and existential challenges faced by Armenian authors in France.”

Author and literary critic Krikor Beledian has lived in Paris since 1967, and has become intimately aware of the Armenian literary scene in France. He is an accomplished writer in his own right, as well as prolific critic.

Beledian has produced a comprehensive and fascinating view of the Armenian literary landscape in France, one that will be of lasting significance to the study of Armenian literature.

As part of its 2016 fundraising events worldwide, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has launched its donations-through-Haypost campaign in Armenia. This year’s fundraising efforts, which include the forthcoming Thanksgiving Day Telethon, are being organized under the slogan “My Artsakh.”

As in previous years, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has joined forces with Haypost, Armenia’s postal service, to encourage supporters to make donations at Haypost offices throughout the republic. All contributions will be used to help rebuild war-ravaged communities in Artsakh.

The Haypost campaign will run from October 20 until the end of the year. Every single donation helps implement a vital project.

The Azerbaijani government has renewed its vicious crackdown on critics and independent groups, Human Rights Watch said in a report released today. The European Union and international financial institutions have a rare opportunity to insist on human rights reforms, as Azerbaijan actively seeks financial and other partnerships to offset a recent economic downturn.

The 75-page report, “,” documents the government’s concerted efforts to undermine civil society. Human Rights Watch found that in 2016, the authorities used false, politically motivated criminal and administrative charges to prosecute political activists, journalists, and others. The government has built a restrictive legal and policy framework to paralyze the work of independent groups. Lawyers willing to defend critics have faced retaliation and disbarment. Although the authorities released several human rights defenders and others in early 2016, many others remain in prison or fled into exile.

“With the release of some wrongfully imprisoned activists earlier this year, there were high hopes that Azerbaijan was turning a corner,” said Giorgi Gogia, South Caucasus director at Human Rights Watch and author of the report. “But optimism is fading fast as the government relentlessly pursues critics and tries to shut down independent groups.”

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 90 human rights defenders, leaders of independent organizations, journalists, lawyers, and political party activists.

has released a private, high level email exchange within the Hillary Clinton campaign about the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) informs.

The letter dated April 19, 2015 authored by John Podesta, Chairman of the 2016 Hillary Clinton presidential campaign to Jake Sullivan, a top foreign policy advisor to Hillary Clinton’s 2016 election.

The letter reads:

Friday is the 100th Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. I presume the Armenian groups will be looking for a statement or a signal from the campaign on whether she will call it a “genocide” if she is elected president. As a Senator and candidate, she was unequivocal in recognizing the genocide. As Secretary of State, she did not use the term genocide but rather focused on future reconciliation between Turkey and Armenia.

The White House has studiously avoided using “genocide” so far. There is an internal debate now about whether to change that posture given that it is the 100th anniversary. But in all likelihood they won’t change.

Two questions:

Do you all agree that she should embrace the position she took as Senator and candidate, even though she did not take it as SecState?

Do you all agree that we should just wait until we are asked as opposed to doing something proactive?

Sorry to bother with this, but as you all know this matters enormously to Armenian-Americans.

10 guides will travel to Germany for an international training as a result of the cooperation of Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the Matenadaran.

On October 8, the Feast of the Holy Translators, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative has decided to grant US $20,000 to the Yerevan Mesrop Mashtots Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, the Matenadaran, to facilitate making Armenian culture more accessible to foreign visitors.

The grant will fund the training of ten Matenadaran guides. They will travel to Germany to visit museums and cultural centers in Germany to identify and learn the newest principles of museum management and presentation, and to develop skills necessary for museum guides who work in foreign languages.

“Matenadaran has always valued the importance of sharing information. We pay huge attention to professional competence of our guides. This project is enormously important and we are pleased that this partnership grows and is becoming strategic,” said Ara Khzmalyan, Advisor to the Director of Matenadaran.

The Yerevan Mesrop Mashtots Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts has the biggest flow of foreign visitors in Armenia as a research and cultural institution.

“Deciding on this grant on the feast of Holy Translators is not just symbolic. With this grant, we are proud to continue in the tradition of the 5th century translators who were instrumental in integrating Armenia and Armenians into world culture.  Better representation of Armenian culture through better-trained guides is very important, and an appropriate fit within the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative,” said Ruben Vardanyan, Co-Founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.

This is the second instance of cooperation between the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the Matenadaran as a project of the Armenian Memory Act. In 2015, the Matenadaran received US $25 000 grant to purchase a special scanner to digitize manuscripts making them more accessible for researchers and the wider public. 700 manuscripts and rare archive documents have been digitalized since the beginning of the project. The process of digitization is ongoing. The Armenian Memory Act, subproject of Aurora Initiative, is committed to enhancing the preservation and use of archives and documentation of the Armenian experience.

High ranking political leaders from different countries have offered their support to the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office said in an interview with Azernews newspaper.

With regards to criticism of the OSCE MG, Kasprzyk said co-chairs are informed in detail about the developments around the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

“The Chairmanship of the OSCE is paying constant attention and is informed in detail about developments. The Chairperson-in-Office, Dr Steinmeier, visited the region and the resolution of the conflict was high on the agenda of his trip. The CiO and other high ranking political leaders from different countries have offered their support to the activity of the MG,” he said in an e-mail, further mentioning that the conflict is a frequent subject of public debate in other international organizations besides the OSCE.

Kasprzyk, commenting on the armistice between the sides on the frontline, said that his office follows the situation on a daily basis.

“According to information obtained and from our own observations, from the end of May 2016 the situation along the front lines has been relatively stable, though there were still reports about ceasefire violations and, regrettably, recently about casualties. Every casualty is a tragedy and causes grief and sorrow for the family and friends of the deceased. I share these sorrows,” he said, adding that “the ceasefire will only hold based on the political will of the parties.”

“Finally, I would like to stress that the monitoring exercises are not investigations, nor are they a peacekeeping measure. They provide a ‘snapshot’, an effective and consistent way of accessing information regarding the situation on the ground. With the support of the sides, we will continue our activity,” he continued.

As for the expansion of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Kasprzyk said that his mandate and the modalities of work of his Office would be unaffected.

The government of the Republic of Armenia aims to ensure protection, dignity, improved living conditions, justice for its citizens, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan said as he presented the government program to the National Assembly today. The government is obliged to reveal the obstacles on the way of reaching the goals and find optimal solutions, he added.

“We have entered a new stage of regional developments, which envisages low paces of economic growth with our immediate economic partners, thus restricting the opportunities of rapid growth due to common trends. In this environment the current structure of the Armenian economy will not be able to ensure the pace of progress, which goes in line with our challenges, if standard approaches of development are applied,” the Prime Minister said.

“Today the government is tasked with obtaining a precise diagnosis of the system of governance and the state of economy, analyzing the most important issues and proposing both short-term measures and long-term reform programs,” he added. He informed that a “Center for Strategic Initiatives” comprising the leading specialists and experts from Armenia, Diaspora and abroad has been set up under the government to address the strategic questions.

Speaking about the strategic issues, PM Karen Karapetyan stressed that “defense and security” is number one challenge. “The military threats facing our country require an efficient, permanently improving and modernizing defense system enjoying the rust and support of the society.” He assured that the government would spare no means and efforts to neutralize the military threats facing Armenia and Artsakh, creating sufficient military capacities and maintaining military balance in the region.

Among other important issues the Prime Minister emphasized the implementation of the Constitution amended in 2015. He attached importance to measures ensuring to the development of democratic institutions, creation of confidence-building measures to raise the trust in political process and institutions. The Prime Minister said “the reforms should start from the government.”

According to him, elimination of corruption is the primary condition for the effectiveness of the state governance system. “We’ll promote the state-private cooperation to ensure better governance at the local level and reduce the corruption risks,” he added.

The Prime Minister said “the government pursues the ideology of liberalized economy and sees the perspectives of economic development in the growth of exports.” “Our primary goal is to ensure a free and fair competitive environment for business,” he added.

Karen Karapetyan noted that “the improvement of the business environment is a permanent process.” In this respect he attached importance to the monitoring, exposure and elimination of legal norms and practices hindering the economic activity.

The Prime Minister said tourism, development of modem infrastructures will also be in the spotlight. “The government will pursue the deepening of cooperation with the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,” he added.

PM Karapetyan stressed that “stable economic growth is the fundamental means for fighting poverty and unemployment.” “This is the reason why we emphasize the importance of forming free, fair and competitive economic conditions,” he added.

In the field of education and science, the government will aim to ensure high-quality education and an opportunity for obtaining practical knowledge for all. Special attention will be paid to children in rural areas.

According to the Prime Minister, the government will also pursue the maintenance of national cultural values, at the same time ensuring openness for adopting the best values of other cultures. It will also strive to maintain the unique nature of Armenia.

“Together we have to undertake the honored task of creating strong grounds for the long-term development of the country. Every day we’ll work together to take steps that will bring us closer to having a competitive, economically strong and fair Motherland based on national values,” the Prime Minister concluded.

Four Armenian cities – Sisian, Sevan, Dilijan and Gyumri – have joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC).

More than 1,000 cities and communities around the world have become or are in the process of becoming learning/educating cities. These cities are keen to benefit from participating in international policy dialogue, action research, capacity building and peer learning, and to effectively use learning city approaches to promote lifelong learning for their citizens.

The overall aim of the GNLC is to create a global network to mobilize cities and demonstrate how a city’s resources can be used most effectively to provide learning opportunities to citizens. The goal is to enrich human potential, promote equality and social justice, maintain social cohesion, and create sustainable prosperity.

The GNLC is intended to help cities create a better future for their citizens and the planet by transforming themselves into learning cities.

The UNESCO GNLC offers members the opportunity to be acquainted with best practice and tools to advance lifelong learning in their communities. Members of the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities may also be motivated to aim for recognition for their actions by applying for the UNESCO Learning City Award. The next Awards will be conferred to cities that have shown exemplary progress in implementing the Key Features of Learning Cities in 2017.