Month: February 2020

Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Palestine discussed Armenia`s position on peaceful settlement of Karabakh Issue

Boris Nahapetian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 26 2020

ArmInfo.At the 43rd session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad  al-Maliki. This was reported by the press service of the Foreign Ministry.

According to the source, the Palestinian Foreign Minister presented  the current situation around the Middle East peace process, recent  developments in this context and the position of the Palestinian  side. Minister Mnatsakanyan presented Armenia’s position on the  Middle East peace process, including the status of Jerusalem.   Ministers Mnatsakanyan and al-Maliki also addressed other regional  and international issues. The Foreign Minister of Armenia presented  to his colleague the principled position and approaches of Armenia in  the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.  

Servicewomen assure they are ready to overcome any challenge

Badalian Vardan
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 26 2020
18:31 26/02/2020Armenia

Defense Minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan was present today at a demonstrative hand-to-hand combat trainings of women servicemen. As the defense ministry press service reported, the women combatants of the RA MoD brigade of special importance demonstrated the practical skills and tactical tricks obtained during the trainings.

As the servicemen assured they are ready physically and psychologically to overcome any challenge along with males and upon necessity implement tasks of special importance in the battlefield.

The newly recruited members of the special brigade aim to acquire new skills, consistently improve their form and reach new professional heights.

‘There is a group living in Sumgait prepared to commit Armenocide at any point’: Mariam Avagyan

Anna Tamamian
Aravot, Armenia
Feb 26 2020

                                                       
February 26,2020 22:51 5

“The reality of Sumgait and the Sumgait phenomenon in general is not fully understood by the Armenian state, I would say. Until today, the Sumgait phenomenon has not received state, political, legal, moral, and humanitarian assessments. And, in a strange way, the genocidal machine placed in the west of the Caspian is still working and still in progress,” the coordinator of the Congress of Armenian Refugees from the Azerbaijani SSR, Mariam Avagyan, said during a press conference at the Tesaket press club.

She said that the Sumgait reality did not take place between February 26 and February 29, 1988, but it started at the end of 1987 when a falsified model was created by the massive resources of political technology and the entire process of how to carry out a massacre in Sumgait was established.

“This process is still being created by the same political technologies. The history of Sumgait is included in history textbooks in Azerbaijan with myths, of course, that the Armenians did it. And there is an interesting basis for this; they claim that Armenians say that the number of victims is too low so that they can avoid being blamed for it. When we speak to those who survived the Armenocide in Sumgait, they all confirm that the murderers were mostly children, particularly between 12-14 years old. Those children are now between 45-50 years old and their children are learning about the history of Sumgait in school. It seems that the plan to commit Armenocide is so deeply in place that, aside from the native, stateless people living in Sumgait, there is also a group living there that acts like a screw to hold the genocide machine in place. This group is prepared to commit Armenocide at any point as long as the opportunity arises,” Mariam Avagyan said.

Mariam Avagyan and the author of Sumgait… Genocide… Glasnost?, Hrayr Ulubabyan, spoke about how the authorities are not giving proper attention to the Sumgait issue. The state system is not speaking about the scale of those compensated for Sumgait because then they will be forced to make a political assessment. “It has been several years that the authorities are simply making statements that we cannot allow this to happen again. But no one says how that is possible,” Hrayr Ulubabyan said.

To find out more about the Sumgait massacre, you may read about it here.

Elina Ghazaryan



Asbarez: Maestro Tigran Mansurian Visits AMAA’s Avedisian School

Arbi Tashjian

Maestro Tigran Mansurian with Avedisian School students and staff

Living legend Maestro Mansurian was engaging. There were more students who wanted to ask questions than those who did not. Then he approached the piano, sat down slowly, his fingers touched the keyboard, and the sounds of his famous music from the film “A Little Sky” first spread then began to soar to great heights. Even the air became noble and the hall held its breath.

At the conclusion of this exciting event, School Principal Melanya Geghamyan presented the Maestro with a book about Komitas, “The Magnificent Song of All Armenians,” and a book about the Avedisian School. The students promised to continue their newly formed friendship with the Maestro by sending letters.

The meeting was not yet over, as the dear guest, who left the room, continued answering questions, signing autographs, and taking pictures with the students outside the Auditorium.

Established in 1988, the Armenian Missionary Association of America’s Khoren and Shooshanig Avedisian School is an educational institution that provides outstanding K-12 holistic, tuition-free education in a modern, environmentally friendly building, using state-of-the-art facilities in the low-income Southwest District of Malatia-Sebastia in Yerevan, Armenia.

Asbarez: Armenian Legacy of 18th Century ‘Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I’ Confirmed

Arsine Chaltikian

BALTIMORE, Md.—The National Museum of Armenian Ethnography and the History of the Liberation Struggle (Araks, Armenia) has announced that the 18th Century “Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I” – a stunning artifact held in the collection of Baltimore’s The Walters Art Museum – was recently given a new label that now attributes its remarkable jewelling to the Armenian, Hovhannes Agha Duzian.

“The Walters is incredibly fortunate to have this stunning and historic object as one of the highlights of our collection,” said Julia Marciari-Alexander, who is the Andrea B. and John H. Laporte Director of the Walters Art Museum.

The 55 inch-long (139.7 cm) gun – crafted in 1733 and bejeweled with countless diamonds, rubies, emeralds and other gemstones – has garnered international scholarly interest and as a result has been the subject of ongoing research. During a week-long exploration of the piece and an intensive study of its archival history, the crucial Armenian contribution to the gun’s manufacture took center stage.

Dr. Chookaszian, the Chair of Armenian Art History and Theory at Yerevan State University (left) and Julie Lauffenburger, and Director of Conservation at the Walters Art Museum (right), amid inspections of the bejeweled gun

At the request of counsel to the National Museum, Karnig Kerkonian of Kerkonian Dajani LLC, and upon the invitation of Marciari-Alexander, experts Dr. Ashley Dimmig, the Wieler-Mellon Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow in Islamic Art at the Walters, and Professor Dr. Levon Chookaszian, the Chair of Armenian Art History and Theory at Yerevan State University, joined Walters’ museum curators and archivists for a meticulous, week-long inspection of the treasured gun on location in Baltimore.

At the conclusion of this collaborative exploration, it was determined that the label of the artifact should be revised to reflect the valuable contribution of the Armenian Christian, Hovhannes Agha Duzian.

Duzian served as the Chief Goldsmith under Sultan Mahmud’s predecessor, Ahmed III, and continued to work in that esteemed position for Mahmud I. It was while serving as the Chief Goldsmith to the Ottoman court that Duzian created the gun’s most striking feature: its astonishingly ornate jeweling.

Dr. Chookaszian remarked that “the artifact itself constitutes a valuable component of the rich and storied history of Armenian art and, indeed, of Armenian civilization,” and commended this collaborative undertaking with the Walters “as an example of a sophisticated, exemplary approach to understanding and uncovering the depth and breadth of the Armenian contribution to the art of the era.”

Marciari-Alexander added that “our staff is honored to have had the opportunity to work closely with Prof. Dr. Chookaszian to restore the attribution of the gun’s remarkable jeweling to Hovhannes Agha Duzian.”

The two museums have also expressed an interest in further collaboration and exchanges. The new label and a full description of the “Jeweled Gun of Sultan Mahmud I” may be found on the Walters Art Museum website.

Asbarez: Ararat-Eskijian Museum to Host Talk on Politics of Early Armenian Migration to America

Arpi Talalian
February 25,  2020

Dr. David Gutman’s “The Politics of Armenian Migration in the Late Ottoman Empire: Sojourners, Smugglers, and Dubious Citizens”

Dr. David E. Gutman, Associate Professor of History at Manhattanville College, will present his recently published book “The Politics of Armenian Migration to North America, 1885-1915” (Edinburgh Univ. Press) at the Ararat-Eskijian Museum. The presentation will be held on Sunday, March 8 at 4:00 p.m. at the Museum’s Sheen Chapel, located at 15105 Mission Hills Road, Mission Hills, CA 91345. The program is co-sponsored by the Ararat-Eskijian Museum and the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research.

“The Politics of Armenian Migration to North America, 1885-1915” tells the story of Arme-nian migration to North America in the late Ottoman period, and Istanbul’s efforts to prevent it. It shows how, just as in the present, migrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries were forced to travel through clandestine smuggling networks, frustrating the enforcement of the ban on migration. Further, migrants who attempted to return home from sojourns in North America risked debarment at the border and deportation, while the retur

How an Armenian Scientist Created an International Company Using a Toy

Baghdasarian Karlen

In 1999, Dr. George Ambartsoumian founded GA International, a company that provides exceptional identification solutions for industries including biopharma, biotechnology, medical, biobanking, healthcare, construction, fashion retail, and more.

A scientist, Dr. Ambartsoumian graduated from Kazan State Academy of Veterinary Medicine in Russia, where he earned his Ph.D. He later earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Armenia’s Yerevan Veterinary Institute, and performed post-doctoral research at Montreal’s Concordia University, Notre-Dame Hospital, and the Shriner’s Hospital. While working in a lab at Shriner’s, Dr. Ambartsoumian realized that the labels used to mark the tubes in the lab were constantly falling off – even becoming wet – especially when stored in sub-zero temperatures.

Years later, Ambartsoumian decided to become an entrepreneur. At the time, an acquaintance of his was selling a small label-making toy called STIKA. Seeing this toy reminded Ambartsoumian of the barely adhesive labels at the Shriner’s lab. After learning all he could about plastic film, adhesives, and paper materials, Ambartsoumian went on to create a label that stuck to tubes even in sub-zero temperatures. He presented his idea to an organization in Laval, Quebec, and began promoting his labels to a number of labs.

In 2004, GA International comprised of George, his wife Armine, and one helper – all of whom worked out of a small office space. After years of dedication and hard work, the company steadily grew. Today, GA International has become the leading manufacturer and supplier of cryogenic and solvent-resistant labels worldwide. With more than65 employees, the company sells over 6,000 individual products.

Dr. Ambartsoumian started the company using only a small toy to make labels in his basement. He would eventually build his company into one of the world’s leading identification solutions companies, selling specialized labels and other products internationally to large companies and healthcare institutions. Ambartsoumian grew his company from a one-person enterprise to one of the worldwide leaders in laboratory identification solutions.

In 2019, exactly 20 years later, GA International won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2019 Award in the Quebec region and two MercadOr 2019 Awards in the “Innovative Exporter of Goods” and “Foreign Expansion” categories.

GA International is celebrating 20 years as a leading manufacturer of specialty labels, supplying laboratory identification solutions to biomedical research labs, hospitals, and other healthcare institutions. Since its inception, GA International has become a worldwide leader in cryogenic and chemical-resistant labels, with a strong dedication to R&D and customer service.

CIVILNET. Two of Armenia’s Former Presidents Face Criminal Charges, as Trial Against Serzh Sargsyan Begins

Hagop Kamalian

CIVILNET.AM

17:12

By Mark Dovich

February 25 marked the first day of the trial against Armenia’s former President Serzh Sargsyan, who served as president from 2008 to 2018. Prior to the beginning of his trial, Sargsyan addressed a crowd of supporters who had gathered outside the courthouse, urging them to “defend justice” and “never forget about the security of Armenia” and claiming that “Nagorno-Karabakh will never be a part of Azerbaijan”.

Sargsyan stands accused of embezzling nearly one million U.S. dollars of state funds during the awarding of a public tender in 2013 that provided subsidized diesel fuel to low-income farmers in Armenia’s rural areas. If convicted, Sargsyan faces up to eight years in prison.

Armenia’s Special Investigative Service (SIS) claims that Sargsyan interfered in the awarding of the tender so as to ensure that a company with which he had personal ties would win. The SIS has stated that the government could have purchased the fuel from another supplier at a significantly lower cost. 

Several senior members of the Ministry of Agriculture under Sargsyan’s administration, namely Sergo Karapetyan, Samvel Galstyan, and Gevorg Harutyunyan, as well as the owner of the company that was awarded the tender, Barsegh Beglaryan, face embezzlement charges in the case as well. Beglaryan is also the owner of one of Armenia’s largest petroleum importing companies.

At present, there are ongoing criminal cases against two former presidents in Armenia. Aside from the case against Sargsyan, charges have also been leveled against former President Robert Kocharyan, who served as president from 1998 to 2008. Kocharyan stands accused of attempting to overthrow the constitutional order during the events of March 1, 2008. He is currently in detention.

On that day, following a disputed presidential election, police violently dispersed protesters in Yerevan, resulting in the deaths of nearly a dozen people. Kocharyan then declared a state of emergency, imposed a citywide curfew, and brought army units into the capital. Current Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was himself one of the organizers of the protests and was briefly jailed afterward as a result.

In a separate development today, the judiciary announced that a decision on Kocharyan’s pending legal appeal will be made public on March 3. Kocharyan’s lawyers previously appealed to terminate his case on the grounds that the article of the Criminal Code under which he is being charged was adopted in 2009 and therefore does not apply retroactively to events prior to its adoption.

Pashinyan came to power following the 2018 Velvet Revolution, a series of mass protests that sprung up in response to Sargsyan’s attempt to retain power beyond his second consecutive term as president. Pashinyan also made numerous pledges to root out Armenia’s endemic corruption during the protests. Indeed, aside from Presidents Sargsyan and Kocharyan, legal action has been initiated against several other prominent figures from the prerevolutionary administrations, including Constitutional Court President Hrayr Tovmasyan, former National Assembly Speaker Ara Babloyan, and former Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Gagik Khachatryan.

https://www.civilnet.am/news/2020/02/25/Two-of-Armenia%E2%80%99s-Former-Presidents-Face-Criminal-Charges-as-Trial-Against-Serzh-Sargsyan-Begins/377071

—

Lilit Abovyan


Researcher
The Civilitas Foundation
One Northern Avenue, Suite 30
+37410.500119; +37494.800754

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 02/25/2020

Antonian Lara 
                                        Tuesday, 
Armenia To Evacuate Nationals From Coronavirus-Hit Iran
Iran -- Emergency first responders wearing protective masks stand along a street 
in Tehran, 
Armenia said on Tuesday that it will evacuate at least 65 of its citizens from 
neighboring Iran hit by the new coronavirus.
The announcement followed the Armenian government’s decision to close the 
Armenian-Iranian border for individual travel and essentially suspend flights 
between the two countries for two weeks.
The border will remain for open cargo shipments to and from Iran. Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian indicated on Monday that the drivers of Iranian trucks entering 
Armenia will be monitored by Armenian health authorities.
Pashinian also stressed that Armenian nationals living in Iran will be able to 
return to their home country by land or air. Iranians based in Armenia will 
likewise remain free to go back to the Islamic Republic, he said.
According to a senior official from the Foreign Ministry in Yerevan, Arsen 
Avagian, 65 Armenians in Iran have responded to an evacuation offer made by the 
Armenian Embassy in Tehran late last week. They are due to be flown to Yerevan 
on Wednesday, Avagian said in written comments to Aysor.am.
The official noted that some of these individuals are dual citizens of both 
Armenia and Iran.
IRAN -- IRAN -- A man disinfects the shrine of Saint Masoumeh against 
coronavirus in the city of Qom, 
A much larger number of Armenians lived and worked in China until the outbreak 
of coronavirus there last month. Around 200 of them returned to Armenia by the 
beginning of this month, according to government estimates. Many others had 
trouble doing the same due to the widespread cancellation of flights to and from 
China.
In an update posted on its website on Tuesday, the Armenian Ministry of Health 
said it has registered no “confirmed cases” of coronavirus in Armenia so far. It 
said it is continuing to take precautionary measures against the possible spread 
of the deadly virus.
“The ministry has acquired a new batch of test kits and has no problems now in 
terms of diagnosing [coronavirus,]” the statement said, adding that it is also 
trying to import more medical masks and disinfectants to the country.
In Iran, meanwhile, two more people infected with coronavirus died on Tuesday, 
raising to 14 the total number of coronavirus deaths reported by the Iranian 
authorities. Citing the authorities, the Reuters news agency reported that 61 
people were infected and around 900 other cases were suspected in Iran as of 
Monday.
To prevent the spread of the virus, the Iranian government has ordered the 
nationwide cancellation of concerts, soccer matches, closures of schools and 
universities in many provinces as a precaution.
Russian, Armenian FMs Discuss Karabakh
Switzerland -- Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian (R) of Armenia and Sergey 
Lavrov of Russia meet in Geneva, .
The foreign ministers of Russia and Armenia discussed international efforts to 
resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict when they met in Geneva on Tuesday.
According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Sergey Lavrov and Zohrab 
Mnatsakanian touched upon a “broad range of issues” during the talks held on the 
sidelines of a session of the United Nations Human Rights Council. Those 
included the “Nagorno-Karabakh peace process,” the ministry said in a statement.
A separate statement released by the Russian Foreign Ministry said the two men 
discussed “topical issues on the bilateral and regional agenda” and “exchanged 
views” on the unresolved conflict.
The official press releases gave no details of the meeting held less than a 
month after fresh high-level Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations.
Mnatsakanian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov concluded in 
Geneva on January 30 two days of what they called “intensive discussions” 
mediated by the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. In a 
joint statement with the mediators, they said they focused on “possible next 
steps to prepare the populations for peace; principles and elements forming the 
basis of a future settlement; and timing and agenda for advancing the settlement 
process.”
Two weeks later, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijan’s 
President Ilham Aliyev held a brief meeting before participating in a panel 
discussion on Karabakh held as part of an annual security conference in Munich. 
The two leaders publicly traded accusations during the discussion.
Mnatsakanian accused Baku on February 18 of hampering progress towards a 
Karabakh settlement with “maximalist” demands. Still, the chief Armenian 
diplomat said on Monday that the fact that Pashinian and Aliyev publicly debated 
the long-running conflict was “very positive” in itself.
Serzh Sarkisian’s Trial Starts
        • Anush Mkrtchian
        • Artak Khulian
Armenia -- Former President Serzh Sarkisian arrives at a courtroom in Yerevan, 
.
Nearly two years after resigning amid mass protests against his continued rule, 
Armenia’s former President Serzh Sarkisian went on trial on Tuesday on 
corruption charges which he rejects as politically motivated.
Sarkisian stands accused of giving privileged treatment in 2013 to his longtime 
friend and businessman Barsegh Barseghian which cost the state 489 million drams 
(just over $1 million) in losses. According to law-enforcement authorities, he 
made sure that a government tender for supplies of subsidized diesel fuel to 
farmers is won by Barseghian’s Flash company, rather than another fuel importer 
that offered a lower price.
Sarkisian is standing trial together with Barseghian, former Agriculture 
Minister Sergo Karapetian and two other former Agriculture Ministry officials 
also indicted as part of the criminal case. All five suspects deny any 
wrongdoing.
Sarkisian’s lawyers again dismissed the embezzlement charges leveled against him 
when they spoke during the first session of the high-profile trial at a district 
court in Yerevan. One of them insisted that they are based on “contradictory, 
incredible and illogical” testimony given by a single person.
Armenia -- Former President Serzh Sarkisian and four other defendants stand 
trial in Yerevan, .
The trial prosecutor, Arsen Martirosian, denied that, saying that investigators 
collected enough evidence to press the charges against the man who ruled Armenia 
from 2008-2018.
The incriminating pre-trial testimony was reportedly given by Karapetian. The 
former minister was jeered by the ex-president’s supporters when he entered the 
courtroom moments before the start of the trial. He refused to talk to reporters 
afterwards.
The defense lawyers also alleged numerous procedural violations committed by 
investigators. They accused Martirosian of being biased against their client and 
demanded his replacement by another prosecutor. The presiding judge, Vahe 
Misakian, adjourned the court hearing to consider the demand.
Sarkisian, 65, was greeted by more than 100 supporters rallying outside the 
district court building when he arrived for the hearing. Addressing the small 
crowd, he seemed to link the case against him to his position on the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
“From the highest podiums of the world I have periodically stated and will 
repeat now that Nagorno-Karabakh will never be part of Azerbaijan. This has been 
the supreme goal of my life and it will accompany me to the end,” the 
Karabakh-born ex-president said in a short speech greeted with applause and 
“President!” chants.
Armenia -- Supporters of former President Serzh Sarkisian rally outside a court 
building in Yerevan, .
The crowd included senior members of the former ruling Republican Party of 
Armenia (HHK) still headed by Sarkisian. In a statement issued earlier in the 
day, the HHK leadership similarly alleged a connection between the trial and the 
current state of the Karabakh negotiating process.
“With such steps the authorities aim to deflect the Armenian people’s attention 
from numerous internal and external problems that are becoming more acute by the 
day,” said the statement.
HHK representatives claimed earlier that their leader was indicted in early 
December in retaliation for his public criticism of Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian. Law-enforcement officials and Pashinian’s political allies brushed 
aside those statements.
Sarkisian accused Pashinian’s government of jeopardizing democracy and stifling 
dissent in a November 20 speech at a congress of the European People’s Party 
held in Croatia. He had kept a low profile since resigning in April 2018.
Pashinian repeatedly implicated Sarkisian, his family and political entourage in 
corruption both before and after coming to power in the “Velvet Revolution” led 
by him.
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.

Rustam Badasyan found it difficult to answer who will consider the issue of the legality of the results of the upcoming referendum

David Nargizian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 25 2020

ArmInfo. Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan found it difficult to answer the question of the deputy from the Enlightened Armenia faction Sergey Bagratyan, who  would consider the legality of the results of the upcoming referendum  on constitutional amendments.

He stated that this was a rather tricky question. “If there are  statements, then we will certainly discuss them,” Badasyan assured.  However, such an answer did not completely satisfy Bagratyan, who  stated that the minister appeared in parliament precisely to clarify  all tricky issues.

“The only ground on which parliamentary factions can appeal to the  Constitutional Court are violations that can affect the course or  results of the referendum. There are no other grounds for appeal to  the Constitutional Court,” the minister emphasized.

Note that the referendum on constitutional amendments will be held on  April 5. The campaign began on February 17 and will last until April  3. The draft amendments to the Constitution provides for the  termination of powers of the Chairman of the Constitutional Court  Hrayr Tovmasyan and members of the court appointed before the reform  of the Constitution in 2015.