Month: November 2016

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Andrei Galbur.

Minister Nalbandian noted that Armenia attaches importance to the deepening of friendly relations with Moldova.

The parties held detailed discussions on issues on bilateral and multilateral agenda, urgent international and regional issues.

The interlocutors exchanged views on steps towards further development of cooperation between the two countries, discussed the trade-economic ties, intensification of scientific-technical and cultural exchange.

Edward Nalbandian and Andrei Galbur referred to the intensification of inter-parliamentary ties, conduct of consultations between the Foreign Ministries and deepening of cooperation within the framework of international organizations.

The Armenian Foreign Minister briefed his Moldovan counterpart on the talks on a new Armenia-EU framework agreement.  Andrei Galbur, in turn, presented the latest developments in the process of Moldova’s European integration.

The issue of peaceful settlement of regional conflicts was also on the agenda of the meeting. The interlocutors agreed that all conflicts should be solved exceptionally in a peaceful way. In this context Edward Nalbandian presented the efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries aimed at furthering the negotiation process on the peacefull settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

At the end of the meeting the Ministers signed four documents on elimination of visa regime for citizens of the two countries, as well as agreements on cooperation in the fields of tourism, science and education. The parties also signed the 2017-2018 plan of consultations between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.

An Armenian immigrant Newport Beach physician who faked his own death to dodge a Medi-Cal fraud case 14 years ago pleaded guilty Tuesday to fleeing to evade justice after he was arrested in Egypt,  reports.

Tigran Svadjian, 58, entered his plea to a single federal count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, a felony that carries a five-year maximum sentence. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 9 in Los Angeles.

Svadjian was arrested in Egypt in July and escorted back to the U.S. by federal agents 14 years after he fled to Russia and later to Egypt, court papers show.

In 2002, he was facing federal health care fraud charges in Sacramento for allegedly bilking the state Medi-Cal program out of more than $2.4 million in fraudulent insurance billings.

After agreeing to cooperate with the government’s investigation, Svadjian was allowed to travel to Moscow to visit his ailing mother. But in October 2002, federal officials were notified that Svadjian died of pneumonia while in Russia and his remains had been cremated. The fraud charges were eventually dismissed.

Svadjian had been hiding in Egypt for much of the past 14 years, most recently working as a part-time scuba instructor. He was en route to Russia with a fake passport when he was apprehended.

Federal authorities indicated that the fraud charges would not be reinstated.

On behalf of the European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA), I express my deepest concern regarding the current tensions along the Line of Contact between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, and condemn the grave violations of the cease-fire agreements perpetrated by the Azerbaijani forces since the early hours of Friday, November 11.

The shelling of the military posts near Talish and Yarmja with 60mm and 82mm mortars is the most severe escalation of the fragile situation since the April Four-Day War and the agreements reached at the summits held in Vienna and in St Petersburg earlier this year.

Running in parallel with Azerbaijan’s largest-scale military exercises ever, with 60,000 soldiers, heavy weaponry and all sorts of military material near the border with Nagorno-Karabakh, these grave violations of the cease-fire indicate  the real intentions of Azerbaijan, already revealed by its recurrent war rhetoric: to impede, at any costs, the implementation of the agreed measures for more effective monitoring of the cease-fire, the investigation of incidents in the Line of Contact and, ultimately, the resumption of the peace negotiations.

Unfortunately, the otherwise positive news of the adoption by the Council of a mandate for the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with the Republic of Azerbaijan, could not have come at a less opportune time. What is being announced by the EU as an opportunity for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation will be portrayed by the regime in Baku as an endorsement of its domestic repression of political opponents, civil society and free media, as well as of its dangerous warmongering.

We urge the European Union and its member states not to look the other way, and use all means available to prevent Azerbaijan from launching yet another offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which would further jeopardise the peace efforts and could carry a heavy cost in human lives and infrastructure on both sides.

One of the classrooms in Yerevan’s basic school #147 will be named after Artsakh Hero Robert Abajyan.

Abajyan, who fell as a hero during the four-day war in April, was a graduate of the school. He would be 20 today.

Students and teachers of the school recalled stories from Robert’s life. The schoolchildren pledged to keep his memory bright and vowed to assume the sacred mission of defending the Motherland, if necessary.

The honor of opening of the classroom was reserved for Robert Abajyan’s father.

Ireland-based bookmaking giants Paddy Power have been forced to pay out at what is believed to be the highest price for a winning betting slip after Armenia’s win victory over Montenegro in a 2018 World Cup qualifier.

One lucky Coventry punter defied all odds to land an incredible 820,728/1 11-fold accumulator after placing a 25p bet at a city betting shop, the reports.

It was Gevorg Ghazaryan’s goal just seconds before the final whistle was due to be blown in Armenia’s Group E World Cup Qualifying game against Montenegro which landed the shock accumulator.

As a result, Ireland-based bookmaking giants Paddy Power have been forced to pay out at what is believed to be the highest price for a winning betting slip – and losing them £250,000.

Placed on Friday, the bet looked to be off as four of the eleven teams he selected were behind at one stage during their game – these being France, Plymouth, Cambridge United and Port Vale.

Incredibly, Port Vale netted a winner against Fleetwood Town in the 86th minute and the Czech Republic then scored a third goal for Czech Republic with just three minutes of time left.

However those results came nothing close to the shock that Armenia caused against Montenegro.

With a population of less than three million, the underdogs found themselves 2-0 down at half time – meaning Armenia had to score at least three times in 45 minutes for the bet to be landed.

Five minutes after half-time Varazdat Haroyan pulled one back, but Armenia only struck the equaliser after 74 minutes.

The clock ticked past 90 minutes, however with just seconds left in the game hero of the hour Ghazaryan scored – netting the city punter a massive £250,000.

A Paddy Power spokesman said the £250k win is one of the biggest on record from such a small stake.

They added: “We already took a beating after Donald Trump was elected as US president, and this Coventry lad has rubbed salt into our wounds by landing this miracle punt.

“I’ve no idea where Armenia is but hopefully this lucky fella will spend some of his winnings on a flight to thank them in person.”

The Freedom House has ranked Armenia as a “free”country in its annual   report.

“Internet freedom remained largely uninhibited in the past year, though Armenia’s overall score declined somewhat after police physically attacked journalists livestreaming protests in Yerevan,” the report says.

“The past year in Armenia has been marked by periods of civil unrest and regional conflict. However, historically the internet has remained relatively free in Armenia, with gradual improvements in infrastructure and accessibility connecting more of the population. Activists regularly use social media as a tool to promote their causes, and opposition and independent media flourish online,” the Freedom House says.

Armenia’s neighbor Georgia is also a “fee”cuntry, while Azerbaijan is “partly free. Turkey  and Iran are both ranked as “not free.”

Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan are all rated as “not free,” Kyrgyzstan is “partly free.”

Estonia and Iceland top the ranking. Other countries rated as “free” include Canada, the United States, Germany, Australia, Japan, United Kingdom, France, Georgia, Italy, South Africa, Philippines, Argentina, Hungary, Kenya and Armenia. Chine, Syria and Iran are at the bottom of the list.

Freedom on the Net provides analytical reports and numerical scores for 65 countries worldwide.

The Freedom on the Net index measures each country’s level of internet and digital media freedom based on a set of methodology questions developed in consultation with international experts to capture the vast array of relevant issues that enable internet freedom.

Given increasing technological convergence, the index also measures access and openness of other digital means of transmitting information, particularly mobile phones and text messaging services.

Gary Neville says he would leave out both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney from Manchester United’s starting XI, reports.

In a talk at the Oxford Union, the former United defender said he would play Marcus Rashford up front, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial both starting in wide positions.

Neville went for David De Gea in goal, a back four of Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Daley Blind, and a midfield trio of Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick.

Neville made his United debut in 1992 and went on to play 602 games for the club under Ferguson before retiring in 2011.

Agencia Prensa Armenia –  The Uruguayan ruling party Broad Front (“Frente Amplio” in Spanish) expressed its “solidarity” with the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) and with the “victims of the indiscriminate persecution in Turkey” in a declaration of the Political Office of the party.

The statement “calls on the democratic forces and parties, particularly from Europe, to ask the Turkish Government to put an end to this persecution.”

“After the raid at the houses and headquarters of the Party and the arrest of 11 parliamentarians of the Democratic Party of the Peoples of Turkey the past 4th of November” and considering “the Diyarbakir prosecutor’s office reports that there is an arrest warrant for 59 MPs of that party,” the Broad Front argued that “once again the Turkish Government of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan launches an antidemocratic offensive against the People’s Democratic Party, violating the civil and political rights of the people’s representatives.”

“These events are part of an authoritarian offensive, with opposition media closures (142 journalists arrested since last July), and against a party that had more than 6,000,000 votes and represents all the ethnic groups of Turkey (Assyrians , Kurds, Armenians, Arabs), different religious groups, women and social minorities. A Party that fights to build a democratic, ecological and antipatriarchal society.”

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s 17^th annual Pan-European Phoneathon, led by the fund’s French affiliate and with the participation of its affiliates in Germany and Switzerland, will take place during November 16-20, mobilizing Armenian communities throughout the three countries.

Proceeds from the large-scale fundraising campaign will be used to rebuild Artsakh communities that have sustained heavy damage as a result of the four-day war this year, to provide assistance to the Syrian-Armenian community, and to support the continued growth of agricultural-development projects in Armenia’s Tavush Region.

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s affiliate in Greece will have its own phoneathon, which will be held during November 19-20 in Athens. Proceeds from this campaign will be contributed to the construction of the kindergarten of Karin Tak, a village in Artsakh’s Shushi Region. The kindergarten-construction project, now underway, is slated to be completed in summer 2017.

Valérie Toranian, editor-in-chief of the French magazine Revue des Deux Mondes, and journalist and entertainer Nikos Aliagas will serve as the godmother and the godfather of the Pan-European Phoneathon, respectively, making appeals for unity and support throughout the five days of the event.

In the course of the Pan-European Phoneathon, more than 600 volunteers stationed in Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, and Lyon will make calls to Armenian households, businesses, and organizations, to request their support of far-reaching projects that will benefit Armenia and Artsakh, as well as our compatriots in Syria.

Last year, the Pan-European Phoneathon raised a total of over 1.3 million euros, which was used for various agricultural projects in Tavush, the construction of multifunctional community centers in Artsakh, and assistance to war-affected Syrian-Armenians and Iraqi-Armenians.

Armenian communities in Europe have held phoneathons for the past 16 years, consistently expanding their donor bases and fundraising totals. Hayastan All-Armenian Fund phoneathons are also held annually in South America, through the fund’s Argentinean and Brazilian affiliates. The Brazilian-Armenian community’s phoneathon, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s last major fundraising event for 2016, will be held during November 26-27.

A testament to the growing stature of these phoneathons — whether in Europe, South America, or elsewhere — is the fact that their volunteer corps continue to draw the participation of numerous non-Armenian individuals.

PHOTO: YUG/SHUTTERSTOCK

 

The , an essential resource that advises how to spend your time and money, ranks Armenia among the 13 easy countries for English speakers to travel. Excerpts from the article are provided below:

How many people speak English: 40%

What it’s like as an English speaker: Although bordered by Turkey and Iran, this cradle of Christianity on the western edge of Asia remains Europe’s final frontier and a blessing to English-only speakers. Armenians get languages: The country enjoys a 98% literacy rate, and most Armenians under 30 speak English with flair — often with a British accent (many attend schools there and it percolates). Although Americans rarely visit Armenia, Europeans do, so instead of translating a dozen languages for them, road signage, menus, and venues are also in English. Chances are high you’ll meet someone who knows where you’re from (they all have relatives living in the States), and you probably already know someone with Armenian roots. Eighty percent of Armenian surnames end in either -ian or -yan — think Washingtonian, Smithsonian, or OK, sure, Kardashian.

What Armenia has to offer: Picture ancient Europe but cooler and way cheaper. This Connecticut-sized country has thousands of mind-boggling monasteries and churches, several of which are uncrowded UNESCO World Heritage Sites. High living is low-cost; you can go to a world-class opera for the price of a movie ticket, while cabs, cafés, wine, beer, and groceries are enjoyed at 1960s US prices. It’s also on the legendary Silk Road, with one still-standing Armenian motel, Orbelian’s Caravanserai, built in 1331, where road-warrior merchants and their caravan-pulling animals rocked medieval happy hours, and so should you.

Other countries in the list include: Tanzania, Germany, the Philippines, Slovenia, Nepal, Cuba, Japan, India, Belize, Pakistan, Singapore and Malta.