Monday,
Armenia Partly Closes Iran Border Due To Coronavirus
• Susan Badalian
Iran -- Iranian women wearing protective masks to prevent contracting a
coronavirus walk at Grand Bazaar in Tehran, February 20, 2020
Armenia partly closed its border with Iran and suspended flights between the two
neighboring states for two weeks on Monday, citing the need to guard against a
new coronavirus that has killed at least 12 people in the Islamic Republic.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian announced the decision at a meeting of an
interagency commission coordinating Armenian government’s precautionary measures
against the deadly virus. He made clear that it does not apply to cargo traffic
through the Armenian-Iranian border.
“Cargo shipments will continue to be carried without restrictions,” said
Pashinian. “It’s just that there will be special monitoring of [truck] drivers
carrying out cargo shipments and a special regime for cargo shipments.”
“There will be no restrictions on citizens’ return [to their countries,]” he
went on. “We are talking about citizens of Iran who are currently in Armenia and
Armenian citizens who are currently in Iran. They are free to return to their
homelands.”
Pashinian also said that the government will review the travel restrictions two
weeks later. “We will be in closer contact with official representatives of the
friendly Islamic Republic of Iran so that we have a more complete evaluation of
the situation and jointly decide our further actions in that direction.”
Iran -- People wearing protective masks shop at a pharmacy in the capital
Tehran,
Iran is a major trading partner of Armenia and one of the landlocked country’s
two transport conduits to the outside world.
The Armenian government faced calls to close the Iranian border shortly after
the first cases of coronavirus were reported in Iran last week. Health Minister
Arsen Torosian publicly objected to such a measure as recently as on Sunday.
Pashinian announced later in the day, however, that the Armenian authorities
will suspend travel between the two countries.
Iran’s Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi said on Monday that 12 people have
died and up to 61 have been infected with coronavirus in the country. Most of
the cases in Iran have been in Qom, a Shi’ite Muslim holy city 120 kilometers
south of the capital Tehran.
No coronavirus cases have been reported in Armenia so far.
The travel ban comes less than a month before an annual influx to Armenian of
thousands of Iranian tourists celebrating Nowruz, the ancient Persian New Year.
Iranians do not need visas to travel to Armenia.
Armenia also had a visa-free regime with China until this month. Yerevan
suspended it on January 31 to prevent the possible spread of coronavirus.
New Karabakh Army Commander Named
Nagorno-Karabakh -- Major-General Jalal Harutiunian (L) at a staff exercise in
Stepanakert, February 20, 2020.
The commander of Nagorno-Karabakh’s Armenian-backed army, Lieutenant-General
Karen Abrahamian, was dismissed and replaced by his first deputy on Monday.
Bako Sahakian, the outgoing Karabakh president, signed relevant decrees five
days after the sacking of two senior military officials in Armenia.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian fired the heads of the Armenian military police
and an army department in charge of military moral following a spate of
non-combat deaths of soldiers who served in Armenia and Karabakh.
Five of those soldiers are believed to have committed suicide in separate
incidents investigated by law-enforcement authorities. The shootings caused
public outrage and cast a renewed spotlight on the chronic problem of hazing and
other abuses in the army ranks. Armenia’s political and military leadership
pledged to improve military discipline in response to the outcry.
Nagorno Karabakh - Karen Abrahamian (L), the Karabakh army commander, inspects
frontline troops, November 6, 2019.
Pashinian and Sahakian chaired a meeting of top military officials in
Stepanakert on Saturday. The participants included Abrahamian, Armenian Defense
Minister Davit Tonoyan and army chief of staff Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian.
Few details of the meeting were made public.
The new commander of the Karabakh Defense Army, Major-General Jalal Harutiunian,
served as Abrahamian’s first deputy and chief of the army’s General Staff until
now.
Like his predecessors, Harutiunian, 45, is a decorated veteran of the 1991-1994
war with Azerbaijan. He joined newly formed Karabakh forces in 1992 at the age
of 17 and mostly served in artillery units during and after the war.
Harutiunian rose through army ranks after graduating from a Russian military
academy in the early 2000s. In 2016, then Karabakh army chief Movses Hakobian
described him as one of the army’s best officers.
Harutiunian was promoted to the rank of major-general in July last year.
Armenian Chief Justice Sues Pashinian For ‘Slander’
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (R) and Constitutional Court Chairman
Hrayr Tovmasian shake hands ahead of a 2018 meeting in Yerevan.
Hrayr Tovmasian, the chairman of Armenia’s Constitutional Court, has filed a
defamation lawsuit against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in response to recent
verbal attacks on him.
Pashinian again lashed out at Tovmasian late last month in a continuing bitter
dispute with the latter and most other members of the court. In particular, he
charged that Tovmasian “offered his services” and cozied up to him following the
2018 “Velvet Revolution.” He said he rebuffed those overtures because he did not
want to cooperate with “representatives of the corrupt former regime.”
Tovmasian, who has been under strong government pressure to resign in recent
months, rejected the claim as untrue while challenging Pashinian to come up with
“credible evidence” of it. He said will take legal action if Pashinian fails to
do that.
The prime minister responded by posting on Facebook a photograph of an expensive
pen which he said Tovmasian gifted him at a 2018 meeting in Yerevan. He
portrayed the gift as proof of “the weirdest flattery I’ve ever seen.”
Tovmasian said through his lawyers afterwards that he will press ahead with the
lawsuit.
According to court records publicized on Monday, he wants Pashinian for retract
the “slanderous” statements and apologize for them.
The case has already been assigned to a district court judge in Yerevan, Gayane
Khachatrian. She has not yet scheduled the first court hearing.
The legal action followed Pashinian’s controversial decision to hold a
referendum on dismissing Tovmasian and six other judges of the 9-member
Constitutional Court who had been installed by Armenia’s former governments.
Opposition groups have denounced the April 5 referendum as unconstitutional.
Pashinian and his political allies have defended the legality of the vote.
Pashinian stepped up his verbal attacks on Tovmasian immediately after the
latter pledged to take him to court. He said law-enforcement authorities’
allegations that Tovmasian illegally became the head of the country’s highest
court shortly before the 2018 revolution are “effectively proven and
irrefutable.”
The Special Investigative Service (SIS) claimed in October that the former
Armenian parliament elected Tovmasian court chairman as a result of an illegal
seizure of the judicial authority by a “group of officials.” It said that took
the form of forgery committed by former parliament speaker Ara Babloyan and one
of his top staffers. Both men strongly deny corresponding accusations leveled
against them.
Armenian prosecutors have twice declined to endorse those coup accusations,
ordering the SIS to conduct an “additional investigation.”
Armenian Speaker Confident Of Referendum Win
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan (C) chairs a parliament debate on
constitutional changes, Yerevan, February 6, 2020.
Parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan expressed confidence on Monday that Armenia’s
political leadership will win the upcoming referendum on its bid to oust most
Constitutional Court judges.
To pass, corresponding constitutional amendments drafted by Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian’s My Step bloc have to be backed by a majority of referendum
participants making up at least one-quarter of Armenia’s 2.57 million or so
eligible voters.
Mirzoyan, who is a close associate of Pashinian, insisted that the authorities’
possible failure to garner around 650,000 votes needed for a referendum victory
is not a “realistic” scenario.
“I believe that the referendum will take place [as planned on April 5] and
citizens of the Republic of Armenia will deliver a sufficient number of votes in
favor of the proposed changes,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
Mirzoyan dismissed suggestions that even for many government supporters
Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasian’s ouster will not be enough of an
incentive to turn out and vote on April 5.
“It’s not about Hrayr Tovmasian,” he said. “There are many more layers and
in-depth nuances connected with this issue.”
The ruling political team says that Tovmasian and six other judges of the
9-member Constitutional Court must go because they are linked to Armenia’s
“corrupt former regime.” Critics say that that Pashinian is simply keen to
replace them by judges that would be loyal to him.
The country’s leading opposition groups have denounced the referendum as
unconstitutional. At the same time they have decided not to actively campaign
against the draft amendments.
Although campaigning for the vote officially began on February 17 My Step has
held no rallies or in-door gatherings so far. Mirzoyan said it will launch its
campaign for a “Yes” vote at a fundraiser that will be held in Yerevan on
Tuesday.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Month: February 2020
The California Courier Online, February 27, 2020
1 – Turks Attack Each Other:
Cypriot Turkish Leader Criticizes Turkey
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Syria’s Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide
3 – Armenian chef Karen Torosyan awarded a Michelin Star
4- AEF Holds 12th Annual School Supply Project at Chamlian School
5- AIWA 2020 Hasmik Mgrdichian Scholarship Accepting Applications
*****************************************
******************************************
1 – Turks Attack Each Other:
Cypriot Turkish Leader Criticizes Turkey
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
Turkish columnist Orhan Kemal Cengiz wrote an article in the Turkish
website “al-Monitor” on February 18, 2020, titled: “Why is Turkish
Cypriot leader declared ‘enemy’ in Turkey?” The article provided the
details of the antagonism between the government of Turkey and the
leader of Turkish Cyprus.
Ever since the Turkish occupation of Northern Cyprus in 1974, the
Republic of Turkey has spent billions of dollars and stationed
thousands of Turkish troops to preserve its foothold on the island.
In recent months, the Turkish media has publicized the hostility
between the government of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leader.
“Turkish officials and politicians visiting the Turkish Republic of
Northern Cyprus, which is recognized as a state only by Ankara, have
refused to meet with its president, Mustafa Akinci, since October,”
wrote Cengiz.
The conflict started with the Turkish invasion of Northern Syria last
October, when Akinci dared to criticize the “Sultan” of Turkey, Recep
Tayyip Erdogan: “Now, even if we call it [the Turkish invasion of
Syria] Operation Peace Spring, what is being spilled is not water but
blood. For this reason, it is my greatest wish that dialogue and
diplomacy come into play as soon as possible.” Hundreds of Turks in
Turkey have been imprisoned for criticizing the Turkish military
campaign in Syria. Going beyond Syria, Akinci expressed his
disagreement with Turkey regarding its invasion of Northern Cyprus:
“Even though we called it Operation Peace, it was a war and blood was
spilled in 1974.” According to Cengiz, “by drawing a comparison
between the two interventions, Akinci was obviously trying to say that
military operations in foreign lands create lasting problems and,
therefore, he was inviting Turkey to consider other options in Syria.”
Even though Akinci’s criticisms of the Turkish military invasions were
well-meaning, Erdogan, who does not tolerate dissent, was furious,
stating that Akinci had “exceeded his limits” and adding that the
electorate will soon teach him a “lesson.” Turkish Vice President Fuat
Oktay also condemned the Turkish Cypriot leader. Cengiz reported that
“in Northern Cyprus, meanwhile, Akinci received death threats, for
which he requested a judicial investigation.”
Columnist Cengiz further reported that “Akinci’s remarks made him a
scapegoat in Turkey and fueled an unprecedented wave of reactions, the
harshest that any Northern Cyprus representative has ever seen.
[Turkish] MHP leader Devlet Bahceli called on Akinci to immediately
resign. ‘Akinci and his supporters should not forget that Cyprus is
Turkish and will remain Turkish,’ Bahceli said. He also suggested that
Akinci move to the Greek Cypriot south. AKP spokesman Omer Celik urged
Akinci to apologize, while Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said the
Northern Cyprus leader was being ‘hostile to Turkey’ and that he had
never seen ‘such a dishonest politician’ in his life. With the tone
set like that by top politicians, pro-government newspapers were even
harsher. ‘The Crusaders’ Akinci should resign immediately,’ one paper
said, while another declared that Akinci was ‘like an enemy.’”
Cengiz explained in his article that “it is Turkey that pays the bills
in Northern Cyprus through direct and indirect financial aid.
Therefore, Cypriot Turks should always be grateful to Ankara. Turkey
is ‘the mother’ and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is her
‘baby.’ Anything that goes beyond this notion of subordination would
threaten the status quo.”
In an interview with The Guardian on February 6, 2020, Akinci warned
the “permanent partition of its [Cyprus’s] Greek and Turkish
communities unless an agreement is swiftly reached involving an
‘equitable’ federal solution.” Akinci said he disagreed with Erdogan’s
vision of the relationship between Ankara and Nicosia as one of
“mother and baby…. I want independent, brotherly relations,” he
explained. He acknowledged the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus had
to do more to make its economy less reliant on Turkey, which pays the
government’s bills. To do this he needed support from the [Greek]
south, Akinci told The Guardian.
“Akinci—who on Wednesday evening [Feb. 5, 2020] launched his
re-election campaign—said the only viable solution to Cyprus’s nearly
half century of division was reunification under a federal ‘roof’….
‘If this failed to happen,’ Akinci told The Guardian, ‘the north would
grow increasingly dependent on Ankara and could end up being swallowed
up, as a de facto Turkish province.’”
“Akinci’s vision, which is shared by many Turkish Cypriots, calls for
a bi-communal, bi-zonal Cyprus with political equality and a single
‘personality,’ he told The Guardian. It is based on a shared identity
of being islanders of Cyprus, rather than being Turkish or Greek,”
Cengiz wrote.
“Akinci’s likely election run-off rival is Ersin Tatar, an outspoken
pro-Ankara populist who opposes reconciliation with the south. Tatar,
the current prime minister, favors a two-state solution. He enjoys
strong support from Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and from
settlers who have arrived in unquantified numbers from the mainland,
changing the island’s religious and cultural makeup,” The Guardian
wrote.
“I’m not going to be a second Tayfur Sökmen,” Akinci told The
Guardian, referring to the president of Hatay, who in the 1930s merged
his republic—formerly part of French-mandated Syria—with Turkey after
a referendum.
The dispute between Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leader is deviating
the Turkish government’s attention away from a slew of other serious
conflicts Turkey has with Armenia, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Libya, Greece
and Cyprus.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
2- Syria’s Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide
The Parliament of Syria on Thursday, February 13 voted unanimously to
recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide.
The resolution was introduced by the Syria-Armenia Parliamentary
Friendship Commission.
Parliament Speaker Rami Saleh said that while the parliament had
previously commemorated the victims of the Armenian Genocide, the
resolution needed to be adopted.
Turkey was quick to condemn Thursday’s vote, calling it “hypocrisy.”
“This is a picture of hypocrisy on the part of a regime which has for
years committed any kind of massacre on its own people… which has
displaced millions and which is well known for its use of chemical
weapons,” the foreign ministry says in a statement.
Syria’s Ambassador to Armenia Mohammad Haj Ibrahim attached importance
to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, saying that the
successors of those who committed the Genocide are committing the same
crime today against the Syrian people through terrorists.
“Recognition is important, because only Lebanon from Arab countries
has recognized the Armenian Genocide so far.” he said.
“Today’s terrorist organizations, who are committing horrifying acts
against the Syrian people, are the grandchildren of those who
committed genocide against the Armenians and others in the past,” said
Ibrahim during a press conference in Yerevan on Thursday.
“When during the Armenian Genocide the Armenians reached Syria, they
became an integral part of the Syrian society, they safely resumed
their life in Syria—preserving their identity, religion, studying in
Armenian schools. There are numerous churches which are eternalizing
the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, most importantly
the Armenian Genocide Memorial Church in Deir ez-Zor, the Forty
Martyrs’ Church in Aleppo, as well as the Holy Martyrs of Armenian
Genocide square in Damascus,” added Ibrahim.
Speaking about the Syrian parliament’s unanimous adoption of the
Armenian Genocide resolution, the Ambassador said that Syria has
always commemorated the memory of the victims of the massacres against
the Armenians.
“This issue has been studied long time ago, and the Syrian Government
has treated with utmost respect the Syrians who have Armenian roots.
They have always been an integral part of the Syrian society. The
Armenian pogroms have always been commemorated in Syria, through the
events held in the Armenian-populated regions,” explained Ibrahim.
Chair of the Syrian Parliament’s Arab and Foreign Affairs Committee
Boutros Morjana emphasized that the Armenian Genocide is a historical
fact, which was followed by the massacres of Assyrians and Arameans in
northern Syria.
“It is time to recognize and condemn these inhumane actions and
prevent their repetition, especially that many countries have
recognized the Armenian Genocide,” said Morjana.
The adoption of the resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian
Genocide by the People’s Council of Syria is clear evidence of the
centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Syrian peoples. It’s
an important contribution to the restoration of historical justice and
prevention of genocides, said a statement issued by Armenia’s Foreign
Ministry.
Below is the text of the ministry’s announcement.
We highly appreciate the adoption of the resolution recognizing and
condemning the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire by
the People’s Council of the Syrian Arab Republic.
The genocide unleashed by the government of the Young Turks a major
part of which was carried out in the territory of Syria that was under
the Ottoman rule at that time, is a part of the shared memories of the
Armenian and Syrian peoples.
The Syrian people, witnessing the calamity facing the Armenian people,
were one of the 1st to extend a helping hand to the genocide
survivors. Thousands of survivors re-found their new motherland in
Syria, establishing one of the most flourishing Armenian communities
and had their contribution to the development of Syria.
This resolution is a brilliant evidence of the centuries-old
friendship and reciprocal sympathy between the Armenian and Syrian
peoples. It’s an important contribution to the restoration of
historical justice and prevention of genocides.
On February 13, in a letter to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad, His
Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, warmly
welcomed the passage of an Armenian genocide resolution by the
People’s Council.
“We are confident that you and your father have played an important
role in condemning the genocide. On this occasion, we would also like
to emphasize that the Syrian people, with its constituent elements,
its state and all structures, recognized the Armenian Genocide 100
years ago when it welcomed all the surviving children of the Armenian
Genocide victims on its land,” His Holiness said.
“The Syrian people shared their bread and water with Armenians that
fled the genocide, which is why our people in the Diaspora welcome
this decision of the Syrian Parliament with special warmth. We would
like to express our appreciation to the Syrian Parliament, Your
Highness and the people of Syria,” the Catholicos continued.
He wished peace and wellbeing to Syria.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
3 – Armenian chef Karen Torosyan awarded a Michelin Star
Armenian chef Karen Torosyan of the Belgian Bozar restaurant has been
awarded a fourth Michelin Star.
“When we love we don’t count,” he captioned a photo on Instagram.
Bozar Restaurant located in the heart of Brussels in Belgium is the
place where Torosyan shares his vision on gastronomy with the world.
Torosyan is one of the most remarkable chefs in Belgium, if not all of
Europe. Torosyan originally hails from Armenia and arrived in Belgium
at the age of 18. He finished his hospitality studies at INFOBO and
gained experience in various restaurants such as Michelin-starred
Bruneau and Chalet de la Forêt.
It was at these restaurants that Torosyan discovered real French
cooking and the need for structure and hard work in the kitchen. At
the famous La Paix restaurant of Chef David Martin, Karen also learned
the business aspects of running a restaurant.
It was under the wings of Martin that Torosyan got the opportunity to
go his own way with the start of Bozar Brasserie. After a few years he
became fully independent and quickly earned a strong reputation in the
culinary world.
Bozar Restaurant is housed on the ground floor of the famous center
for Fine Arts in Brussels, and Torosyan took part in the renovation
and restoration of the whole building.
************************************************************************************************************************************************
4- AEF Holds 12th Annual School Supply Project at Chamlian School
Vahan & Anoush Chamlian Armenian School students and Armenian
Educational Foundation volunteers joined forces on February 9 to help
pack 470 backpacks for students in six AEF sponsored schools in the
Shirak region, as well as three AEF-sponsored schools in the
Araghtzoten region in Armenia.
The School Supply Project was initiated by the Savadian family, who,
upon visiting village schools in Orgov, Armenia, were shocked by the
lack of essential school supplies students needed during their
schooling. The Savadians took it upon themselves to collect various
school supply donations from friends and relatives to ship to the
students in Orgov.
Since 2007, the AEF has fully sponsored and executed the SSP, which
entails gathering and delivering backpacks filled with school supplies
to students in the most rural and hard-to-reach schools in Armenia,
Artsakh, and Javakhk. Since then, SSP has delivered backpacks and
school supplies to 20,155 students.
The collaboration with the Chamlian School students gives the
participants the opportunity to engage in community service. As
project Chair Ruby Baghdassarian notes, “Young volunteers learn the
importance and challenges of raising funds to support a humanitarian
project. Not only do they help organize, pack, and prepare the
backpacks, but they also learn about the regions and the circumstances
facing these communities. Our volunteers prepare for TV interviews and
learn the importance of communicating their mission to an audience.
All these skills are essential for these middle school students who
aspire to be our community’s future leaders and advocates.”
AEF’s School Supply Project is made possible with the generous $1,000
sponsorship from the Chamlian School. This year, donations were also
made by Adventist Health Glendale, which provided over 500 “To Go”
first aid kits placed alongside basic school supplies for the student
recipients.
School Supply Project Co-President Michael Baghdassarian, who has been
a volunteer since 6th grade, stated, “Each year we face new challenges
but, in the end, we complete the project successfully. What I love
about volunteering for this project is that we are making a
difference.”
For more information, please contact AEF by phone 818-242-4154, or
visit www.aefweb.org
************************************************************************************************************************************************
5- AIWA 2020 Hasmik Mgrdichian Scholarship Accepting Applications
LOS ANGELES—The Los Angeles Affiliate of the Armenian International
Women’s Association (AIWA) has announced that applications are being
accepted for the Hasmik Mgrdichian Scholarships. The Hasmik Mgrdichian
Scholarships were established in 2011 to annually award scholarships
to female university students. Thanks to the continued generosity of
Hasmik Mgrdichian each year $5,000 is awarded to five students.
Applications are now available online.
In order to be considered for the scholarship, candidates must: be a
female California resident of Armenian Descent; provide financial
verification (First 2 pages of 2018 income tax returns. If not
available, please provide first 2 pages of 2017 tax returns.); be a
Full-time Student at an accredited University/College; be in her
Sophomore, Junior or Senior Status or Graduate Student (2019-2020
Year); have 3.2 Minimum GPA; provide certified Copy of
University/College Transcripts; provide Two letters of Recommendation
(One from an Academic Instructor/Advisor, One from a Community
Representative); submit a small (Passport Size) Photograph.
Completed applications must be submitted and postmarked no later than
April 19, 2019. Applicants may submit a scholarship application
annually; former scholarship recipients also may reapply. Winners will
be announced in June 2020
Applications will not be considered unless all required information is
mailed by April 17, 2020 to: Scholarship Committee, Armenian
International Women’s Assn., LA, 2311 Roscomare Road, #10, Los
Angeles, CA 90077.
“Our scholarship program was created by Hasmik Mgrdichian, one of the
founders of the Los Angeles Affiliate. The scholarships are a tribute
to her memory and continue to recognize her legacy to assist in the
education of young Armenian women. She would be proud of the young
women her scholarship awards have assisted through the years to
accomplish their goals,” said AIWA-LA president Nicole Nishanian.
The Scholarship Committee, chaired by Lily Balian with committee
members Hermine Janoyan, Cindy Norian, Diane Cabraloff, Diana
Hekimian, Houry Aposhian, and Lysa Gregorian, granddaughter of Hasmik
Mgrdichian. They are committed to reaching out to all California
universities and colleges to inform women students of the opportunity
to submit an application for the scholarship awards. Flyers and
notices are being sent to Armenian Schools, organizations and
churches.
In addition to the Hasmik Mgrdichian Scholarship Awards from the Los
Angeles Affiliate, other scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 are
available through the AIWA International Board in the names of Olga
Proudian, Ethel Jaffarian Duffett, Agnes Missirian, Lucy Kasparian
Aharonian, Hripsime Parsekian, Dr. Carolann S. Najarian, Rose A.
Hovanessian and others. The application may be located and downloaded
at: www.aiwainternational.org.
For more information, email [email protected].
************************************************************************************************************************************************
***********************************************************************************************************************************************
California Courier Online provides viewers of the Armenian News News Service
with a few of the articles in this week’s issue of The California
Courier. Letters to the editor are encouraged through our e-mail
address, However, authors are
requested to provide their names, addresses, and/or telephone numbers
to verify identity, if any question arises. California Courier
subscribers are requested not to use this service to change, or modify
mailing addresses. Those changes can be made through our e-mail,
, or by phone, (818) 409-0949.
Number of HIV cases increased in Armenia in 2019
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 24 2020
ArmInfo. According to the Ministry of Healthcare, from January to December 2019, the number of people infected with HIV in Armenia increased by 2.10%.
According to official figures, in 2018, 429 cases were registered, and in 2019 – 438 cases, of which 135 are women.
It should also be noted that according to the data of the National Statistical Service of Armenia, in recent years, the presence of AIDS has not been in the list of registered infectious diseases since 2016.
Speakers of Armenia and Moldova`s parliaments: Our states cannot allow themselves luxury and be dependent on one pole of geo-political relations
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 24 2020
ArmInfo. On February 24, the President of the RA National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan received the delegation led by the President of Parliament of the Republic of Moldova Zinaida Greceanii, who had arrived in Armenia on an official visit.
During the private talk with Zinaida Greceanii, welcoming the guest Ararat Mirzoyan underlined that her visit would give new impetus to the development of relations between Armenia and Moldova. The NA President has noted that the relations between the two countries develop on the basis of mutual understanding and respect, the role of the parliaments is of great significance in those relations, and the delegations of Armenia and Moldova effectively cooperate also on the international different platforms.
The Heads of the parliaments of Armenia and Moldova shared with the procedure of reforms going on in two countries.
Zinaida Greceanii has told her colleague about the political changes occurred in Moldova, has given details on the judiciary reforms going on in Moldova and amendments held in the Constitutional Court (CC), particularly how the CC former members of Moldova, who have worked under the pressures of one person, who has usurped the power, have courage to consider invalid the illegal decisions made by them and have resigned, and now the newly formed Constitutional Court works for the benefit of the country, defending the Constitution.
Zinaida Greceanii has noted that after the resignation of the whole staff of the Constitutional Court of Moldova judiciary serious reforms are held in Moldova.
The Speaker of Moldovan Parliament has noted that she is impressed by the road construction works done in Armenia. “We are looking forward to your Prime Minister’s visit to Moldova, the experience that you have after the revolution, is very important for us. We are also interested in your experience of bringing investments,” Zinaida Greceanii said. She invited the President of the RA National Assembly Ararat Mirzoyan, as well as the Friendship Group with Moldova to her country for more thoroughly discussing the issues of cooperation.
Ararat Mirzoyan has stated that though the development of the events in Armenia and in Moldova is different, but there are also many commonalities. The NA President informed that on April 5 Constitutional Referendum would be held on April 5, as the CC members of Armenia, unlike the ones of Moldova did not voluntarily resign, though they were given opportunity to make use of the right of getting untimely pension.
During the meeting in an extended format Ararat Mirzoyan, welcoming the guests expressed confidence that their visit would promote the development of bilateral relations and strengthening of further cooperation.
He has stressed that Armenia is interested in close cooperation with Moldova in the political, economic, humanitarian and information technologies spheres. Ararat Mirzoyan has underscored that the two countries have great potential of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, 22 documents on cooperation in different spheres is signed between Armenia and Moldova, and in recent years during political contacts a number of meetings of high level have been held, including on the international platforms, particularly in the CIS, the CSTO, the EEU, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and other structures.
Ararat Mirzoyan once again emphasized the important significance of the inter-parliamentary in the context of the two countries’ relations and expressed confidence that the dynamic work of the Friendship Groups of the parliaments of Armenia and Moldova would be aimed at new directions of cooperation and achievement of personal contacts. “We are inclined to actively work in the future as well as on forming a wide agenda of cooperation. I am sure that the high level of constructive cooperation will allow us carrying on our centuries- old partnership between our parliaments and countries,” the President of the RA National Assembly said.
Thanking her colleague for the invitation Zinaida Greceanii has noted that she is in Armenia for the first time and is very impressed by the hospitality and preservation of traditions.
“Your experience after the revolution, the cooperation and your reforms are really very interesting for us. Your judiciary reforms that you make thinking in order the system will not serve to any political interest are very interesting for us. We have a lot to learn from each other and we are ready to work in all directions. Armenia is a friendly country for us, and we shall keep that friendship,” the Head of Moldovan Parliament said.
Ararat Mirzoyan has shared Zinaida Greceanii’s opinion, noting that Armenia and Moldova cannot allow themselves luxury and be dependent on one pole of geo-political relations. “We cooperate with everybody. We welcome your readiness sharing with experience,” Ararat Mirzoyan noted.
At the end of the meeting Zinaida Greceanii left a note in the Book of the NA Honourable Guests and planted a friendship tree in the Parliament Park.
Magnitude 5.8 quake hits Iran, felt in Armenia
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 24 2020
The Seismic Protection Service of Armenia’s Ministry of Emergency Situations detected a magnitude 5.8 earthquake in the territory of Iran on Sunday, at 9:53am local time (GMT 5:53am).
The earthquake struck 25km southwest of the Iranian city of Salmas at a depth of 10km.
The tremor measured magnitude 8 at the epicenter.
The jolts were felt in the Armenian capital of Yerevan with magnitude 3-4, as well as in Ararat and Syunik Provinces with magnitude 3.
Armenia’s former PMs to provide personal guarantees in court for ex-president Kocharyan
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 24 2020
Former Prime Ministers of Armenia Vazgen Manukyan, Khosrov Harutyunyan, Karen Karapetyan as well as former PM of Artsakh Republic Anushavan Danielyan plan to submit personal guarantees in court to change the detention measure for Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan currently held in custody.
As Kocharyan’s defense team reported in a press statement, the necessary documentation is currently being prepared by the lawyers to file the respective petition during the upcoming court hearing.
To remind, in 2018 similar petition was submitted by Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan and second President of Artsakh Arkady Ghukasyan who provided a public guarantee necessary for Kocharyan’s release from custody until the end of trial. The court under the presiding judge Davit Grigoryan heard the motion then and released Kocharyan from pre-trial custody.
’s-former-PM/2244623
Major-general Jalal Haroutyunyan was appointed Artsakh Republic defense minister, commander of the Defense Army
Aravot, Armenia
Feb 24 2020
Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree releasing lieutenant-general Karen Abrahamyan from the position of the Artsakh Republic defense minister, commander of the Defense Army.
According to another presidential decree major-general Jalal Haroutyunyan was appointed Artsakh Republic defense minister, commander of the Defense Army, being released from the position of first deputy commander – chief of staff of the Artsakh Republic Defense Army.
CENTRAL INFORMATION DEPARTMENT
OF THE OFFICE OF THE ARTSAKH REPUBLIC PRESIDENT
Art: ‘My work is about trauma’: Armenian-Syrian artist Hrair Sarkissian describes his artwork
The National, UAE
Feb 24 2020
The artist discusses the complex sound installation he’s bringing to Sharjah next year
A photograph of Latakia from Hrair Sarkissian’s series ‘Execution Squares’ (2008). Hrair Sarkissian
Armenian-Syrian artist Hrair Sarkissian. Hrair Sarkissian
Even on the scale of artists tackling difficult subjects
, Sarkissian’s work stands out. His first major piece was the photography series Execution Squares (2008), which shows the sites in Syrian cities where public hangings used to take place
. With Homesick (2014), he addressed the
fighting itself, and what it is like to experience the conflict from a distance. He built a mock-up of his parents’ home in Damascus, and then smashed it repeatedly. The two actions are shown on separate video channels, such that his blows never reach the house itself, and it appears to crumble of its own accord. In Final Flight (2018), he was inspired by
the extinct species of northern bald ibis, a bird whose migration
path
was between Palmyra
in Syria
and Ethiopia, in a metaphor for the Syrian refugee crisis
.
Sarkissian built a mock-up of his parents’ home in Damascus for the video ‘Homesick’ (2014). Hrair Sarkissian
His artworks are all rooted in his own life, starting with a personal memory, or facet of his biography. Unlike most artists, he didn’t go to formal art school until much later in his career. His parents, who are Armenian
, continued the tradition between Armenians and photography: in the Ottoman era, because many Armenians worked as chemists and goldsmiths, they were among the first to operate photography studios, which required specialist chemical training.
I find it really hard when somebody looks at the images, and say they’re a beautiful work. I find it hard to put that word to the work
Sarkissian’s father was the first to open a colour lab in Syria, Dream Colour, in 1976, and Sarkissian went to work there after graduating from high school. (He made an artwork about that time, too: Sarkissian Photo Cent
re, 2010, a series of photographs.)
After he had learn
t as much as he could at the lab,
he applied to art school, winning a place at the prestigious Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. He moved to London after
graduating.
Since then, his work has tracked the progress of conflict in the region, in which cuts of deep violence are hidden underneath apparently quotidian or objective images. The 14 images
in his series Execution Photographs, a selection of which is on view at Forth Worth, appear to be large-plan views on to the Syrian cities of Damascus, Latakia
and Aleppo. They are full of the details that make photographs visually and historically interesting: a tiled fountain in Latakia, with six spouts no longer gushing water, in perhaps an indication of the city’s falling fortunes; an impressive clocktower in Aleppo, presiding over a less impressive
car park, with two semi-ornate lampposts.
It is empty
, the light is thin. It’s what’s not in these images that counts
. These are sites of former executions.
A photograph of Aleppo from Hrair Sarkissian’s series ‘Execution Squares’ (2008). Hrair Sarkissian
“I photographed them at 4.
30 in the morning, when the sun comes up,” Sarkissian
says. “This was the time when they used to set up the wooden platform for the execution to take place. They would leave the bodies hanging until
9
am or 10am
, so everyone can see them on their way to work or school. This is what happened to me. I was 11 years old and on the way to school. I saw three hanged bodies on one of the squares near my father’s shop. Their eyes were wide open and they were topless, and covered with paper sheets. On the sheets was written their names, their dates of birth, their punishment
and what they committed as a crime.”
As Sarkissian’s work has developed, he has moved f
arther
from photography, but has retained
the art form’s idea
that the land itself can bear witness to what has happened on it. In another life, he might have simply been an archaeologist, excavating the earth for lost histories. Even his non-photographic work, such as Final Flight, for which he 3D-printed the skulls of the extinct species of the
northern
bald ibis
, is rooted in a connection to the land
.
A 3D-printed skull from Sarkissian’s ‘Final Flight’ (2018). Hrair Sarkissian
Sarkissian will be the subject of a
major show, also curated by Kholeif, next year at
the Sharjah Art Foundation, and the work he is producing for
it takes digging for clues literally. It’s a series of seven episodes focusing on
abduction, when a person has been kidnapped because of police violence, civil war
or dictatorship. The family waits for their return, not knowing if they are dead or alive. He has spoken to 11 families so far –
mostly mothers – and asks them about the last place they saw the person kidnapped.
“It started from the idea of being in my parents’ house, when my parents were no longer there,” he says. “How would I live in the space? People are waiting for the person to come back, or for their remains to come back. How do they live with this phantom?”
Sarkissian will develop the work as a sound installation, of the noise of forensic archaeologists digging in the ground – which is close to how the idea began in his mind. He was inspired by the excavation of mass graves in Spain, part of a generational reckoning with the Franco period. But
, he says, “
Somehow, this project also started with me.”
“When I was young I went to Deir Ezzor
– the biggest mass grave of Armenians, and formerly a pilgrimage site for Armenians. It has now been bombed by ISIS. There is a hill called Margadeh. It’s just a basic hill, but once you start digging with your fingers, pieces of bone start to appear. This idea stayed in my mind. It was something I could never erase.”
Sarkissian is travelling to eight countries –
Lebanon, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Kosovo, Bosnia, South Africa and Spain –
to show the global scale of the problem, and interview
the family members about their losses. It
has not been an easy process: after returning from Beirut, he says, where he spoke to a family whose son had been kidnapped in the
civil war, it took him two months to recover. And he says
he can’t know how the audience will react.
“I find it really hard when somebody looks at the images, and say they’re a beautiful work. I find it hard to put that word to the work. But I have a more important message to deliver here. I can’t restrict people. Curators come and start crying in my studio. It makes it hard. But we have to do it.”
F
ocus: Hrair Sarkissian will run
at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, Texas, until Sunday, March 15
Updated: 03:03 PM
Sports: Roma want to sign Henrikh Mkhitaryan permanently
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 24 2020
Roma boss Paulo Fonseca has told Sky Sports News he wants to sign on-loan duo Chris Smalling and Henrikh Mkhitaryan to permanent deals.
Smalling has made 26 appearances in all competitions for Roma this season and revealed earlier this week he is open to extending his stay in the Italian capital beyond the end of the season.
On-loan Arsenal attacking midfielder Mkhitaryan, who was also team-mates with Smalling at United, has seen his temporary spell with Roma disrupted by injuries.
But he scored and contributed an assist in Roma’s 4-0 win over Lecce on Sunday, and Fonseca revealed he is also keen on signing Mkhitaryan on a permanent basis.
“Mkhi during this season got some injuries but he is returning now and he is proving his quality,” Fonseca said.
“Let’s see. He is a player with great decisions on the pitch and I would also like to keep Mkhi in our team.”
Azerbaijani press: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly of Pakistan adopts resolution on reaffirming respect to territorial integrity of Azerbaijan
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb.22
Trend:
On February 21, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly of Pakistan adopted a resolution on reaffirming the respect to territorial integrity of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Trend reports with reference to Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.
In the resolution the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa values the strategic partnership between Pakistan and Azerbaijan based on principles of respect, trust and mutual understanding and underlines the shared cultural values, common perceptions on global and regional issues and close cooperation in international arena between the two countries.
The resolution states with appreciation Azerbaijan’s unequivocal support for the principled stance of Pakistan on Jammu and Kashmir issue based on norms and principles of international law and active membership of Azerbaijan in the OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir.
The Assembly reaffirms the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Azerbaijan within its internationally recognized borders and condemns the occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan by Armenia and the genocide committed by Armenian armed forces in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly on February 26 1992, against the civilian population and ignorance of the OIC and UN resolutions and supports the efforts of the Republic of Azerbaijan to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by peaceful means. The Assembly reiterates that diplomatic relations will not be established with Armenia until it withdraws from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and genuine peace between the two countries is achieved.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is one of the four administrative provinces of Pakistan and located in the northwestern region of the country and it is the third-largest province of Pakistan by the size of both population and economy. The Provincial Assembly is a unicameral legislative body consisting of 145 elected members.
The relevant resolutions recognizing the Khojaly genocide and urging the immediate withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied Azerbaijani lands, supporting the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan were adopted by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Senate of Pakistan in 2012 and the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs of the Pakistani National Assembly in 2017.