Month: October 2019

AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Website: www.agbu.org
  
PRESS RELEASE
  
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
  
THE GURDJIEFF ENSEMBLE CONNECTS NEW YORK AUDIENCES TO KOMITAS WITH A UNIQUE 
TWIST
The Peter Jay Sharp Theatre at New York's renowned Symphony Space was filled 
with applause as hundreds of Komitas enthusiasts, Armenian and non-Armenians 
alike, stood to their feet for an encore from the critically acclaimed 
Gurdjieff Ensemble on the night of Friday, September 27th. The concert, 
organized by AGBU's Performing Arts Department (PAD) in celebration of Komitas' 
150th Anniversary, was the second stop in the Ensemble's American debut tour, 
performing only one day after appearing before a packed house at the World 
Music Festival in Chicago. 
The performance was planned with AGBU's PAD's mission in mind to support and 
present emerging and established artists as well as continuing its initiatives 
to connect rich Armenian art to diverse audiences. Akin to Komitas, composer 
and spiritual leader G.I Gurdjieff, the namesake of the Ensemble, travelled the 
world collecting and preserving ethnographic melodies. With over a century 
separating Komitas and audience members, the Ensemble's concert linked people 
from all over New York to the rich cultural legacy of Armenian music. 
The AGBU PAD has been proudly collaborating with the Gurdjieff Ensemble since 
2013 through AGBU's Musical Armenia Program (MAP), which connects students to 
the best Armenian musicians in Yerevan. Director Hayk Arsenyan was excited to 
present the Gurdjieff Ensemble because of its unique approach of interpreting 
Komitas' music. "The concert was programmed to showcase American music spanning 
thousands of years," Arsenyan noted,  "from the pre-Christian dances of Msho 
Shoror to the 10th century music of St. Gregory, and later the music of 
Gurdjieff and Komitas." 
Lusine Grigoryan, one of Armenia's most preeminent pianists, captivated the 
audience with her piano performance, which was showcased to mirror the 
Ensemble's performance of piano works. Musical Director Levon Eskenian 
explained that most of the original music of Gurdjieff was composed for the 
piano, thus the Ensemble was faced with the challenge of interpreting piano 
notes to an assortment of different instruments. Yet, it tackled this challenge 
with grace and spirit, using traditional Armenian instruments such as the tar, 
kamancha, duduk, zurna, oud, and kanon. Aramayis Nikoghosyan, oud player of the 
Ensemble, added his own spin by including the kshots, the flabellum used in the 
Armenian Divine Liturgy (Badarak), emphasizing the spiritual elements of 
Gurdjieff's traditions.
Not only were audience members taken through a voyage through time, they were 
also taken to various regions of the world. The program featured music from 
Karin, Mush, and other areas of Asia. 
Moments of haunting duduk notes were juxtaposed with vibrant percussion sounds 
of the tmbuk, taking the audience on an expedition through the vast extent of 
Armenian music. "There is a new language in classical music based on Armenian 
music and instruments," Eskenian remarked. 
The Gurdjieff Ensemble did indeed share this new language with audience 
members, as many musicians took turns using several different Armenian 
instruments in the span of one song. In total, 16 different instruments were 
used in their performance, illustrating the harmonious expertise of each 
musician.
Msho Shoror, the final work performed before the encore, was originally "an 
ancient piece from seven traditional dances that thousands danced to in the St. 
Garabed Monastery, which is no longer standing, explained Eskenian. The 
Monastery predates Christian times and later became an important pilgrimage 
site. "Though the monastery was destroyed, we still have the music."
Evidently, attendees left with a lingering connection to the music of the 10th 
century and the historic melodies preserved through the genius of the Gurdjieff 
Ensemble.
  
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the world's largest non-profit 
organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational, 
cultural and humanitarian programs. Each year, AGBU is committed to making a 
difference in the lives   of 500,000 people across Armenia, Artsakh and the 
Armenian diaspora.  Since 1906, AGBU has remained true to one overarching goal: 
to create a foundation for the prosperity of all Armenians. To learn more visit 
www.agbu.org.

                                        Wednesday, 
Pashinian Sees ‘New Impetus’ To Russian-Armenian Ties
Armenia -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Russian President 
Vladimir Putin meet in Yerevan, October 1, 2019.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian met twice with Russian President Vladimir Putin 
in Yerevan late on Tuesday for talks which he said will give a boost to 
Russian-Armenian relations.
The meetings followed a summit of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) 
held in the Armenian capital earlier in the day.
Putin emphasized the “strategic character” of Russia’s close relationship with 
Armenia and praised “positive results” of the summit in his opening remarks at 
the first meeting with Pashinian held in a Yerevan hotel. He pointed to the 
EEU’s trade agreements with other countries, notably Iran and Singapore.
“You are the one who made utmost efforts for such productive work,” he told 
Pashinian. “I therefore want to congratulate and thank you.”
The Armenian premier described the meeting as “brilliant.” “Our strategic 
relations are undergoing dynamic development,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
The two leaders met again at Yerevan’s Zvartnots airport before Putin flew back 
to Moscow at around midnight. In another Facebook post, Pashinian said on 
Wednesday that their “detailed conversation” there “will give new impetus to 
Russian-Armenian relations.” He gave no details of the talks.
Putin’s visit to Armenia, the first since the 2018 “Velvet Revolution” that 
brought Pashinian to power, was officially confirmed only at the end of last 
week. Some Armenian pro-opposition media outlets and commentators had 
speculated that he may cancel the trip or avoid bilateral meetings with 
Pashinian due to the Armenian authorities’ refusal to free Robert Kocharian, a 
former Armenian president facing corruption and coup charges.
Putin again heaped praise on Kocharian when he congratulated the latter on his 
65th birthday anniversary on August 31. He met with Kocharian’s wife Bella 
shortly before his departure from Yerevan.
In early September the Armenian Migration Service fueled more talk of friction 
between Moscow and Yerevan after granting asylum to a Russian anti-government 
activist who moved to Armenia after serving a four-year prison sentence in 
Russia.
The unprecedented move came almost one month after the Russian authorities 
refused to extradite Mihran Poghosian, a former senior Armenian official 
charged with corruption in Armenia. Moscow also refused late last year to 
extradite Mikael Harutiunian, a former Armenian defense minister wanted by the 
Armenian authorities on coup charges.
Putin Meets Kocharian’s Wife
        • Artak Khulian
Armenia -- Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting of the Supreme 
Eurasian Economic Council in Yerevan, October 1, 2019.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with the wife of Robert Kocharian, his 
former Armenian counterpart arrested on controversial coup and corruption 
charges, late on Tuesday at the end of his latest visit to Armenia.
Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, and Kocharian’s spokesman, Victor 
Soghomonian, confirmed Armenian media reports about the meeting but gave no 
details. Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service, Soghomonian shed no light on 
issues that were discussed by Putin and Bella Kocharian.
Putin reportedly spoke to her at the Russian Embassy in Yerevan right after 
holding talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on the sidelines of a 
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) summit. The Russian president then headed to 
Yerevan’s Zvartnots international airport where held another meeting with 
Pashinian before returning to Moscow.
The Yerevan daily “Hraparak” quoted a spokesman for Pashinian as saying that 
the two leaders did not discuss Kocharian’s prosecution.
Putin has repeatedly signaled support for Kocharian ever since the latter was 
arrested and charged in connection with the 2008 post-election violence in 
Yerevan shortly after Pashinian came to power in last year’s “Velvet 
Revolution.” The Russian Foreign Ministry openly alleged political motives 
behind the criminal case in July 2018. Armenia’s government and law-enforcement 
authorities deny such motives.
Russia -- Armenian President Robert Kocharian (L) with Russian President 
Vladimir Putin meet in Sochi, 24Jan2007
Putin heaped praise on Kocharian when he congratulated the latter on his 65th 
birthday anniversary on August 31. He described the former Armenian president 
as a “true friend of Russia” who had strengthened Russian-Armenian relations 
and contributed to regional security.
Putin already made a pointing of telephoning Kocharian on his previous birthday 
anniversary. The phone call came shortly after the former Armenian president 
was released from custody.
Kocharian was again arrested in early December. He received New Year greetings 
from Putin two weeks later.
The ex-president, who ruled Armenia from 1998-2008, was also charged with 
bribery early this year. He denies all accusations leveled against him as 
politically motivated.
Kocharian was again released from jail five days after going on trial on May 
13. The Russian ambassador to Armenia, Sergey Kopyrkin, met with him on June 
13, prompting criticism from Pashinian’s political allies. Kopyrkin was 
summoned to the Armenian Foreign Ministry because of that.
Kocharian was arrested for a third time on June 25 after Armenia’s Court of 
Appeals overturned a lower court’s May 18 decision to free him pending the 
outcome of his trial.
Armenian officials maintain that Moscow’s gestures of support for Kocharian 
have not damaged Armenia’s close political, economic and military ties with 
Russia. The ex-president’s loyalists claim the opposite.
Tsarukian Refuses To Back Bid To Oust Constitutional Court Head
        • Gayane Saribekian
Armenia -- Gagik Tsarukian and other deputies from his Prosperous Armenia Party 
attend a parliament session in Yerevan, July 9, 2019.
Gagik Tsarukian said on Wednesday that his opposition Prosperous Armenia Party 
(BHK) will not join the ruling My Step bloc in trying to oust the embattled 
chairman of the country’s Constitutional Court, Hrayr Tovmasian.
Senior My Step lawmakers drafted last month a parliamentary resolution urging 
the eight other members of the court to replace Tovmasian. It denounces, among 
other things, Tovmasian’s handling of Robert Kocharian’s appeals against the 
legality of coup charges brought against the former Armenian president.
The Constitutional Court partly accepted one of those appeals on September 4. 
It declared unconstitutional an article of the Armenian Code of Procedural 
Justice used against Kocharian.
The non-binding resolution needs to be backed by at least 80 members of the 
132-seat National Assembly. My Step controls 88 parliament seats, making its 
passage all but a forgone conclusion.
The bloc led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has been trying to get the two 
other political groups represented in the parliament to also back it. One of 
them, the Bright Armenia Party (LHK), said late last month that its 18 deputies 
will vote for the measure.
Armenia -- Gagik Tsarukian talks to journalists, Yerevan, October 2, 2019.
Tsarukian said that he and the 25 other BHK deputies will not vote on the 
proposed measure because he believes that it is based on “very weak” legal 
grounds. He did not elaborate.
“It’s up to the Constitutional Court to decide [Tovmasian’s fate,]” Tsarukian 
told reporters. “Our parliamentary group has decided not to take part in that 
vote.”
Lilit Makunts, My Step’s parliamentary leader, criticized the BHK’s stance, 
saying that it is “incomprehensible.” She insisted that the ruling bloc has put 
forward “weighty” arguments in support of removing Tovmasian.
The 90-page resolution backed by the Armenian government accuses Tovmasian of 
committing serious procedural violations during the consideration of 
Kocharian’s appeal. It says the court chairman should not have dealt with the 
case also because of his personal ties to one of Kocharian’s lawyers and past 
membership in the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK).
Pashinian attacked Tovmasian in July, saying that the latter was elected 
Constitutional Court chairman by the former parliament in March 2017 as a 
result of a dubious political deal cut with HHK leader and then President Serzh 
Sarkisian. Incidentally, BHK lawmakers voted against Tovmasian at the time.
Tovmasian will lose his post if at least six other Constitutional Court judges 
back the parliamentary resolution and vote against him.
Russia, Armenia Negotiating On New Gas Price
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
        • Artak Khulian
Russia -- A view shows a sign of a petrol station of Gazprom Neft company and 
the headquarters of the Russian natural gas producer Gazprom in Moscow, 
February 24, 2015
Russian and Armenian officials are holding negotiations over a new agreement on 
the price of Russian natural gas delivered to Armenia, Deputy Prime Minister 
Mher Grigorian said on Wednesday.
Russia’s Gazprom giant raised the gas price by 10 percent, to $165 per thousand 
cubic meters, following similar talks concluded in late December. The figure 
was set for this year, meaning that the two sides need to negotiate a new 
supply contract for 2020 and possibly the following years. Reports in the 
Armenian press have claimed that Gazprom is planning another, shaper price hike 
for Armenia.
Grigorian gave few details of the ongoing Russian-Armenian talks, saying only 
that they are being conducted “in a constructive format.” “Before the end of 
this year we will have a final idea about their outcome,” he said during the 
Armenian government’s question-and-answer session in the parliament.
Grigorian assured an opposition lawmaker that a possible price rise would not 
be immediately felt by Armenian consumers. “I am sure that we will not have a 
situation where we have to organize a discussion and declare in December that 
the gas tariff will go up starting from January 1,” he said.
“Whatever agreement is reached it will not be subject to implementation the 
next day, the next month or even three months later. I don’t think that the 
tariff will be revised upwards during the winter months,” added the deputy 
premier.
The issue was on the agenda of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s talks with 
Russian President Vladimir Putin held in Yerevan on Tuesday.
“They could not have bypassed the gas topic,” Pashinian’s spokesman, Vladimir 
Karapetian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “Naturally, it was discussed by the 
two leaders as a component of [Russian-Armenian] economic cooperation, but I 
think that the final, commercial decisions will be made by economic entities.”
Pashinian personally announced the increased wholesale price of Russian gas 
last December following a series of discussions with Putin. Despite that price 
increase the retail cost of gas supplied to Armenian households and corporate 
consumers has remained unchanged so far.
Press Review
“Aravot” says that Russian President Vladimir Putin took part in Tuesday’s 
Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) summit in Yerevan despite “ominous” predictions 
made by critics of the Armenian government. “Those who claimed the opposite and 
probably rejoiced at that prospect two or three weeks ago will certainly not 
say ‘Sorry, we were wrong,’” writes the paper. It says this is sad because 
political affiliations and positions must not be placed above Armenia’s 
international standing and national interests. The holding of the EEU summit in 
Armenia and Putin’s as well as Iranian President Hassan Rouhani’s participation 
in it are “positive facts for us,” it says.
Lragir.am says that Putin underlined “the strategic character of 
Russian-Armenian relations” at his meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
held on Tuesday. He said that those relations have been cemented by the 
“centuries-old history of contacts between our peoples.” Putin also thanked 
Pashinian for “good results” of the EEU summit. The publication says these 
statements disproved claims made by former Armenian officials and other critics 
of the current government in the run-up to the summit.
“Zhamanak” says that the existing situation in Armenia is profoundly at odds 
with what is happening in Russia and other EEU member states. “After the Velvet 
Revolution Armenia is really interested in the entrenchment of a democratic 
value system, anti-corruption policies and the formation of a legal governance 
system,” writes the paper. “On the other hand, other EEU member states have 
their own internal sociopolitical realities and systems based on 
totalitarianism, autocracy, corruption, and that is not a secret.”
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

                        Armenian News's Calendar of events
                        (All times local to events)
                =========================================
What:           Panel discussion "Armenia: Determined to Change"
                with Dr. Andranik Aslanyan, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor
                at the German Bundestag, CDU / CSU, Manfred Grund MdB (Member
                of the Bundestag); Dr. iur. Gurgen Petrossian, Chairman of the
                German-Armenian Lawyers Association and Research Associate at
                the Chair of Criminal and Criminal Trial Law, International
                Criminal Law and International Law at the
                Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuernberg;
                Dr. Christoph Plo, MdB (Member of the Bundestag), CDU / CSU,
                Country Reporter Armenia of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group
                in the European Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag;
                Moderator: Dr. Raffi Kantian, Chairman of the German-Armenian
                Society
When:           Oct 11 2019 7pm
Where:          Haus der Geschichte Baden-Wuerttemberg,
                Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse 16, 70173 Stuttgart, Germany
Misc:           Armenia's relations with German and European institutions have
                received another important impulse with the signing of CEPA,
                for the implementation of which the "Velvet Revolution" has
                created very good conditions. The panel discussion will use
                selected examples to explore the reform process in Armenia in
                cooperation with German and European institutions.
Online Contact: [email protected]
Web:            
***************************************************************************
Armenian News's calendar of events is collected and updated mostly from
announcements posted on this list, and submissions to Armenian [email protected].
To submit, send to Armenian [email protected], and please note the following
important points:
a) Armenian News's administrators have final say on what may be included in
        Armenian News's calendar of events.
b) Posting time will is on Thursdays, 06:00 US Pacific time, to squeeze in
        a final reminder before weekend activities kick in.
c) Calendar items are short, functional, and edited to fit a template.
d) There is no guarantee or promise that an item will be published on time.
e) Calendar information is believed to be from reliable sources. However,
        no responsibility by the List's Administation or by USC is assumed
        for inaccuracies and there is no guarantee that the information is
        up-to-date.
f) No commercial events will be accepted.
        (Dinners, dances, forget it. This is not an ad-space.)
g) Armenian News is a non-commercial, non-partisan, pan-Armenian outlet.
*******************************************************************
    The Critical Corner
    The Literary Armenian News
    Review & Outlook
    World News
    The Entertainment Wire
    Probing the Photographic Record
    Armenia House Museums
    ...and much more
© Copyright 2019,  Armenian News Network / Armenian News, all rights reserved.
Regards,
--
Armenian News Network / Armenian News
Los Angeles, CA     / USA