Month: March 2023

Asbarez: ‘The Fabric of Memory’: New Group Exhibition to Open at Tufenkian Gallery

Ani Kharatian
by Contributor

 

 March 3, 2023

 

in Art, Arts & Culture, Latest, News, Top Stories

"The Fabric of Memory" exhibition flyer


Tufenkian Fine Arts announced a new group exhibition, entitled “The Fabric of Memory,” featuring a selection of recent paintings and sculptures by Carlos Beltran-Arechiga, Sam Grigorian, Carolyn Mason, Luis Moreno, and Gretel Stephens. This exhibition will be on view from March 4 through April 22, with an opening reception to be held at the gallery on Saturday, March 4 from 3 to 6 p.m.

The artists in “The Fabric of Memory” share a visual lexicon that emphasizes raw aesthetic elements, biological and organic structures, as well as the use of discarded and found materials. The overlapping aesthetics of the works in this exhibition demonstrate the breadth and dexterity of these artists’ practices: densely layered and collaged paintings, pared down canvases, and sculptures that explore the use of texture, structure, and coloration. “The Fabric of Memory” aims to depict the underlying psyches and rooted experiences of these artists through their assemblage of carefully considered choice materials.

Carlos Beltran-Arechiga paints implied and explicit structures which question the arrangement of the systems and policies that determine access and equity. Beltran-Arechiga uses his paintings to confront the promise of the “American Dream” and the “Promised Land” in a state of chaos and order; desolate and fertile. As a first generation Mexican-American immigrant, the artist populates his canvases with edifices that are meant to evoke the archetypal homes affirmed by the legacy of the “American Dream.” Using drop cloth as the canvas for these works, the artist memorializes the material’s accumulated construction stains, reflecting on the idea of how those who contribute to the sustainment of pre-established systems may not necessarily be designed by or for them.

Although incidental references to notational factors such as writing and musical notation recur in his work, Sam Grigorian is principally interested in texture, structure, and muted coloration. Grigorian’s material of choice is paper, and by folding, bending, crushing, ripping, scraping, plastering it, and painting over it, only to tear strips out of it again, he is able to achieve a relatively uniform (if still vital) “skin” on the canvas. Grigorian’s Armenian roots become visible through his special relation to paper, which he makes by hand before using it. As the artist strips back layers on the canvas, enigmatic signs begin to appear. These newly arranged signs become elements of a coded language of personal marks blended together with emblems of traditional symbols, making the loss of the oral tradition in the Armenian diaspora visible and tangible.

Carolyn Mason’s practice privileges the use of materials that have personal history whose significance emerges after thoughtful consideration. Mason’s use of wool and pinecones in her sculptures make reference to her childhood home which was full of weaving and craft projects as well as the summers she spent in the Sierra Nevada mountains foraging in the wilderness. Inspiration for her work comes from the marvels of biological life both aesthetically and metaphorically: patterns of flowers, vines, and fungus; the magic and regeneration of underwater plants; the mesmerizing serpentine movement of snakes.

The work of Luis Moreno draws from a vivid palette of everyday materials — masa, clay, gum, hibiscus, chocolate, dead flowers, dirt — to produce a fragmentary, provisional record of otherwise undocumented lived experiences. What is made is less of an _expression_ of individualism, it is one of many possibilities of a moving subject open to the desires of materials, things, and others. The resulting objects are abstracted forms evoking an imagined architecture, a lived terrain, and a place simultaneously familiar and estranged.

Gretel Stephens’ artworks are meditations on atmosphere, material, and the internal dialogue between color and composition. Stephens’ paintings achieve their vaporous luminousness through an intensive process of dry brushing layer upon layer of oil paint onto raw linen. The resulting veils of color and organic forms seem to undulate freely across the surface of the canvas, bringing movement to work that a moment before was wholly still and contemplative. For Stephens, the tactile pleasures of the raw linen canvas and the physical sensation she associates with its rugged surface evokes an expressive desire to paint.

Asbarez: UCLA Promise Armenian Institute Announces Kerr Family Lectureship

Hagop Kamalian
by Contributor

 

 March 3, 2023

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

Ann Kerr and family


LOS ANGELES— The UCLA Promise Armenian Institute and the Kerr Family have come together to create an endowed lectureship with the aim of amplifying the stories of heroes and heroines who dedicated themselves to providing humanitarian support for victims and survivors of violence and mass atrocities in times of crisis.     

The lectureship will be named in honor of the Kerr Family, whose progenitors include Professor Stanley and Elsa Reckman Kerr, who not only worked for many years with the Near East Relief organization, rescuing and caring for survivors of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–23, but also documented their experiences. The Kerrs’ descendants include the late Malcolm Kerr, former UCLA professor and president of the American University of Beirut, and his wife, Ann Kerr, who has served UCLA for many decades as the Coordinator of the Fulbright Enrichment Program.   

The first Kerr Family Lecture at UCLA will feature documentarian Ani Hovannisian, who will present the extraordinary humanitarian work of Stanley and Elsa Kerr during and after the Armenian Genocide in Marash, Aleppo and Beirut. Hovannisian has gathered and will share extensive archival material and footage on the history of the Kerrs and their longstanding contributions, which continue through their family to the present day. Historian and UCLA Professor Emeritus Richard Hovannisian, who knew the Kerrs and wrote the introduction to Stanley Kerr’s 1973 memoir, “The Lions of Marash,” will deliver an introduction and commentary prior to the talk. 

The inaugural Kerr Family lecture will take place in person on Wednesday, April 12 at 7 p.m. PST at the UCLA Mong Learning Center (Engineering VI Building). Pre-registration is required for the hybrid event, which will offer remote online participation. To register for in-person attendance or participation via the Zoom webinar platform visit the event website.

Stanley, Elsa, and Marion (sister) in Marash with the Near East Relief, 1921

Subsequent lectures in the Kerr Family lecture series, which aims to inspire courageous humanitarian efforts by future generations, will focus on the contributions of individuals — especially those who are not widely known — who have played similarly critical roles in helping alleviate the suffering of those facing war, famine, genocide and other mass atrocities. Annual talks provided by distinguished scholars will make the life stories of these heroes more widely known.  

“It is particularly fitting that the Promise Armenian Institute will host this annual lecture series. The actions of numerous heroes during the Armenian Genocide no doubt inspired and found parallels throughout the century that followed and well into the 21st century. Drawing such connections in a visible way, year after year, will encourage future scholarly research and humanitarian action in response to mass tragedies,” remarked Steve Kerr, head coach of the Golden State Warriors and a grandson of Stanley and Elsa Kerr.    

“As a scholarly organization with a focus on Armenia and Armenians — an ethnic group that has unfortunately suffered subjugation and genocide, as well as a century of systemic denial of that genocide — it is fitting for the PAI to celebrate not only the Kerr family’s contributions, but those of unsung heroes associated with other mass atrocities,” said Ann Karagozian, director of PAI and distinguished professor in the UCLA Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.    

“The commemoration of both historical and contemporary events will place the Armenian experience within a global context and clearly demonstrate the chilling effect that indifference, denial and lack of accountability can have on the repetition of mass violence, as we are witnessing even today,” she noted.    

For registration and event details visit the event website.   

For more information on this event, please contact the UCLA Promise Armenian Institute at [email protected], 310-569-6325, or visit its website.

AW: Local author announces release of new Armenian book, alphabet flashcards

Garnik Zakarian
March 3, 2023 Weekly Staff Literary Corner 0

Meghri Dervartanian, the author of «Դէպի Արարատ Լեռ»

BELMONT, Mass. — Local children’s book author Meghri Dervartanian is proud to announce the publication of her newest book «Դէպի Արարատ Լեռ» “Tebi Ararat Ler” (Toward Mt. Ararat), inspired by her trek to the historic mountain in 2019.

“Throughout my childhood, I was always surrounded by images of our Mt. Ararat. In 2019, those images became reality when I planted my feet atop our holy mountain,” explained Dervartanian of her life-changing experience. “After that journey I made it a personal mission to encourage everyone that a journey to Mt. Ararat is more than a dream, but rather something that one can and will do. That is when I decided to one day write a children’s book about Mt. Ararat.” 

«Դէպի Արարատ Լեռ» is a dialogue between Nareh and Haig, who share their ideas about how to measure the height of the mountain. They ultimately decide to climb Mt. Ararat together and raise the flags of Armenia and Artsakh on its mountaintop where they belong. “If we can’t put our tricolored flag on the summit ourselves, then who will?” asserts the author.

This is Dervartanian’s second Western Armenian offering for young readers, digitized once again by her friend and Weekly layout designer Nanar Avedessian. In November 2020 following Armenia’s loss in the 2020 Artsakh War, Dervartanian marked the release of «Հպարտ Հայ» (Proud Armenian), which was financially backed and supported by the AYF Eastern Region and Hamazkayin Boston—organizations that Dervartanian has long served as a proud member.

Armenian flashcards created by Meghri Dervartanian

In addition to this newest publication, Dervartanian has also designed and illustrated a durable and vibrant collection of Armenian alphabet flashcards for young children. “I hope to fill Armenian households with enjoyable tools for young children to fall in love with their language and create with it because that is how our next Toumanians and Baruyr Sevags will be born,” said Dervartanian.

Dervartanian is also the creator of the social media page Armenian Crash Course, where it is “never too late or early to learn Armenian.” Dervartanian writes and produces colorful and animated educational content and also appears on-camera to offer clear explanations of commonly confused Armenian grammar and spelling rules. “Before I started Armenian Crash Course, I was always looking for ways to transfer my love and passion for the Armenian language to those around me, to let everyone know that this language is not only my language, not only our ancestors’ language, but it is a language that everyone needs to call their own,” explained Dervartanian. “Through my books, posts and initiatives, I hope to pass along one message: have fun with our beautiful language. Speak it. Use it. Create with it.”

Order forms for «Դէպի Արարատ Լեռ» and the Armenian alphabet flashcards are available online.




AW: ANCA California community leaders consult with Congressman Schiff on breaking Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh

Emil Lazarian
March 3, 2023 ANCA ANCA News 1

Over 40 ANCA national and local leaders consulted with Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) on ramping up efforts to break Azerbaijan’s Artsakh blockade during a virtual town hall held on February 27th.

GLENDALE, Calif. – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) leaders from across the State of California held a virtual briefing with Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) to discuss the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Artsakh as a result of Azerbaijan’s blockade – now in its third month. The briefing included the participation of a broad number of ANCA stakeholders – along with ANCA grassroots leaders across the country – to urge the Biden administration to take immediate steps to pressure Azerbaijan to end its genocidal campaign against Artsakh’s indigenous Armenian population.

“The blockade of the Lachin Corridor, an unconscionable act of aggression by Azerbaijan, has created a humanitarian crisis,” said Congressman Schiff. “Since the beginning of the blockade more than two months ago, innocent men, women, and children in Artsakh have suffered through freezing temperatures and rolling blackouts. The United States must use every diplomatic and economic tool at its disposal to end this illegal blockade, and cut off all aid to Baku.”

Congressman Schiff continued, “The work of the ANCA, its local chapters, and the many members who volunteer their time and dedication is so important, and ensures their voices are heard in the halls of Congress. I look forward to continuing to work closely with the Armenian National Committee of America to stand with the people of Armenia and Artsakh, as well as the members of the diaspora, and speak out against this violence, demand real action from the US, and bring peace and prosperity to Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Congressman Adam Schiff represents the single largest Armenian-American constituency in the United States and has been a stalwart friend and ally of the community throughout his tenure. Having fought over decades for US recognition of the Armenian Genocide, H.Res.296 – authored and introduced by Rep. Schiff in 2019 – was passed with overwhelming bipartisan support in the House, with an identical measure adopted in the Senate by unanimous consent shortly after. In his role as chairman of the influential House Intelligence Committee, Congressman Schiff also championed the inclusion of language in successive National Intelligence Authorization Bills mandating the US Government to conduct assessments of the threat Azerbaijan posed to Armenia and Artsakh, and the impact of US military assistance on the balance of power in the region. Congressman Schiff is the first member of US Congress to have called for the recognition of Artsakh’s independence, and at President Biden’s last State of the Union address invited Artsakh’s Permanent Representative Robert Avetisyan to attend as his guest in order to draw attention to Artsakh and Azerbaijan’s ongoing blockade.

Over 30 leaders from ANCA chapters across California, including the ANCA’s San Francisco, Silicon Valley, Fresno, San Fernando Valley, Glendale, Burbank, La Crescenta, Pasadena, Hollywood, Orange County, and San Gabriel Valley chapters, participated in the meeting, which also included insights by ANCA National Board Members Zanku Armenian and Aida Dimejian, along with ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan and Programs Director Alex Galitsky.

ANC Artsakh Executive Director Gev Iskajyan, who moved to Artsakh from California a year ago, provided a briefing from the ground on the latest dire humanitarian crisis unfolding in Artsakh. “What we are witnessing in Artsakh is nothing short of a genocide by attrition,” remarked Iskajyan. “As Azerbaijan seeks to starve the Armenian people to the brink of extinction, it is vital the U.S. take tangible action to hold Azerbaijan to account. Congressman Schiff has championed efforts to hold Turkey and Azerbaijan accountable throughout his career, and we look forward to working with him to maximize pressure on the Biden Administration to ensure this blockade is lifted.”

In addition to his powerful advocacy to secure Congressional, and ultimately Presidential, recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Congressman Schiff has recently led efforts to condemn Azerbaijan’s ongoing detention and torture of Armenian prisoners of war (POWs) through the introduction of H.Res.240 – as well as the condemnation of Azerbaijan’s assault on Armenia in September 2022 with the introduction of H.Res.1351. As co-chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, Congressman Schiff is also one of the lead co-authors on H.Res.108 – the ANCA-backed bipartisan resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh and calling for an immediate end to U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan.

During the virtual town hall with Rep. Schiff, ANCA San Francisco’s Roxanne Makasdjian drew attention to the dire implications of Azerbaijan’s state-sponsored anti-Armenian hate speech in the U.S., citing the hate crimes perpetrated against the Armenian community in the Bay Area.

In response to Congressman Schiff’s decades of advocacy on behalf of Artsakh – ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan remarked, “this is a bipartisan Congressional wake-up call for the Biden Administration to end its unconscionable military assistance program with Azerbaijan. American taxpayers should not be subsidizing Baku’s attempts to ethnically cleanse Artsakh’s Armenians. Thanks to Rep. Schiff’s leadership over the years, the will of Congress is clear. It is long overdue for the Administration to stand with the freedom-loving people of Artsakh, and hold Azerbaijan accountable for its brazen aggression.”

During the virtual town hall with Rep. Schiff, ANCA San Francisco’s Roxanne Makasdjian drew attention to the dire implications of Azerbaijan’s state-sponsored anti-Armenian hate speech in the U.S., citing the hate crimes perpetrated against the Armenian community in the Bay Area.

During the call, Congressman Schiff fielded a range of questions from local chapter leaders on a number of pressing community priorities. Roxanne Makasdjian of ANCA San Francisco drew attention to the dire implications of Azerbaijan’s state-sponsored anti-Armenian hate speech in the US, citing the hate crimes perpetrated against Armenian community property and school in the Bay Area where the community center was set on fire and the school was vandalized and shot at with guns. ANCA Hollywood’s Lara Yeretsian noted the failure of successive administrations to deliver reports mandated by statute on the impact of US military assistance to Azerbaijan. ANCA Orange County representative Haig Minasian spoke of how USAID has failed to deliver any direct assistance to Artsakh since the 2020 Artsakh War despite congressional mandates, and the community’s disappointment with the Administration’s and USAID’s Samantha Power’s refusal to characterize the blockade as a humanitarian crisis.

During the virtual town hall with Rep. Schiff, ANCA San Francisco’s Roxanne Makasdjian drew attention to the dire implications of Azerbaijan’s state-sponsored anti-Armenian hate speech in the U.S., citing the hate crimes perpetrated against the Armenian community in the Bay Area.

“Not a single member of our community is untouched by the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Artsakh today,” remarked ANCA National Board Member Zanku Armenian. “Much of our community are descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, and see what is happening today as a direct continuation of that crime because Turkey and Azerbaijan have not been held accountable. Our community’s extensive grassroots, led by our ANCA local chapters, remain united in common purpose to ensure our government acts immediately to hold Azerbaijan’s dictatorship to account – and we look forward to continuing to work with Congressman Schiff to ensure the Biden Administration honors the pledge he made when he recognized the Armenian Genocide to prevent atrocities whenever and wherever they occur.”

Since the first day of the blockade, the ANCA has been working with the White House, State Department, and Congressional leaders – urging them to stop U.S. military assistance to Azerbaijan and to send emergency humanitarian assistance to Artsakh. Thousands have already used the ANCA online portal to call, tweet and write the White House and Congressional leaders to immediately address this growing Artsakh humanitarian crisis.

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The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


RFE/RL Armenian Report – 03/03/2023

Emil Lazarian 
                                        Friday, March 3, 2023


Baku Accused Of Ignoring UN Court Order On Karabakh Corridor


Nagorno-Karabakh - Customers visit an almost empty food store in Stepanakert, 
January 7, 2023.


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Friday urged the international community to 
press Azerbaijan to comply with a UN court order to reopen the sole road 
connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia.

In a “provisional measure” requested by Yerevan, the International Court of 
Justice (ICJ) acknowledged on February 22 that the land link was “disrupted” by 
Azerbaijani protesters more than two months ago. It said Baku should “take all 
measures at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and 
cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions.”

The Azerbaijani government afterwards stood by its claims that traffic through 
the lifeline road was never blocked.

“Unfortunately, despite the decision made by the International Court of Justice, 
Azerbaijan has still not reopened the Lachin corridor,” Pashinian told members 
of the German parliament’s foreign relations committee during a visit to Berlin.

“I think that this is a situation that needs to be discussed at the 
international level because it is unacceptable to leave the decision of the ICJ 
without reaction amid the continuing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh,” 
he said. “An international response is imperative.”

On Thursday, the Vienna-based Permanent Council of the Organization Security and 
Cooperation in Europe discussed the matter at a meeting initiated by Armenia. 
Armen Papikian, the Armenian ambassador to the OSCE, accused Baku of showing 
“contempt” for the ICJ order.

Papikian’s U.S. opposite number, Michael Carpenter, welcomed the order and 
reiterated Washington’s calls for the lifting of the Azerbaijani blockade.

“Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken raised this in his engagement with Prime 
Minister Pashinian and with President Aliyev in Munich on February 18,” 
Carpenter said during the Permanent Council meeting. “The Secretary underscored 
the need for free and open commercial and private transit through the Lachin 
Corridor, and we reiterate that today.”

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has also called on Azerbaijan to comply 
with the UN court’s decision.



Russian Group To Build Two Power Plants In Armenia


Armenia - Russian-Armenian businessman Samvel Karapetian inaugurates an energy 
lab at the National Polytechnic University in Yerevan, 5Jun2017.


A Russian business conglomerate owned by Armenian-born billionaire Samvel 
Karapetian announced on Friday plans to invest at least $150 million in the 
construction of two thermal power plants in Armenia.

In a statement, Karapetian’s Tashir Group said one of those gas-fired plants 
will be built near Noyemberian, a small town close to the Armenian-Georgian 
border.

The 126-megawatt facility will generate electricity not only for Armenia but 
also Georgia, it said, adding that Tashir will upgrade dozens of kilometers of 
high-voltage transmission lines in both countries for that purpose.

“Work on the thermal power plant will start this year and last for about two 
years,” said the statement.

It said the other, much smaller plant will be built in the central Armenian town 
of Hrazdan by the end of 2024.

Both facilities will be equipped with German turbines that will “reduce 
emissions into the atmosphere and minimize the impact on the environment,” 
according to Tashir.

Karapetian’s group headquartered in Moscow already owns Armenia’s largest 
thermal power plant also located in Hrazdan. The obsolete plant has been 
reportedly decommissioned in recent years.

Armenia’s electricity distribution network and second most important 
hydroelectric complex are also owned by Tashir. Speaking at a Russian-Armenian 
business held in Yerevan in 2021, Karapetian pledged to invest up to $600 
million in the Armenian energy sector in the coming years.

Karapetian, 57, was born and raised in Armenia. He moved to Russia in the early 
1990s, making a huge fortune there in the next two decades.

His Russian conglomerate comprises over a hundred firms engaged in construction, 
manufacturing, retail trade and other services. With total assets estimated by 
the Forbes magazine at $3.8 billion, Karapetian is apparently the richest ethnic 
Armenian in the world.



Karabakh Lauds Germany’s Scholz

        • Karlen Aslanian
        • Gayane Saribekian

Nagorno-Karabakh - Thousands rally in Stepanakert to protest Azerbaijan's 
blockade of Karabakh's only land link to Armenia, December 25, 2022.


Nagorno-Karabakh’s leadership on Friday praised German Chancellor Olaf Scholz 
for advocating an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace deal that would respect the 
Karabakh Armenians’ right to self-determination.

Scholz called for a “peaceful settlement based on the territorial integrity of 
Armenia and Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh citizens’ right to 
self-determination” after holding talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on 
Thursday.

“These principles are equally applicable,” he told a joint news conference in 
Berlin.

“We welcome Olaf Scholz’s statement that the conflict should be settled 
peacefully on the basis of equal principles of [territorial] integrity & right 
to self-determination of the Nagorno-Karabakh people,” tweeted Arayik 
Harutiunian, the Karabakh president. “Settlement is impossible without fully 
considering our fundamental/collective rights.”

Peace plans jointly drafted by the United States, Russia and France prior to the 
2020 Armenian-Azerbaijani war upheld the Karabakh Armenians’ right to 
self-determination, which would be exercised through a referendum.

Successive Armenian governments for decades championed that principle in peace 
talks with Azerbaijan. Pashinian effectively stopped doing that a year ago. He 
and other senior Armenian officials have since spoken instead of the need to 
protect “the rights and security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

Germany - German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian shake hands during a news conference in Berlin, Mar 2, 2023.

Pashinian repeated that phrase and did not comment on Scholz’s remark when he 
addressed the German Council on Foreign Relations, a Berlin-based think-tank, 
after his talks with the chancellor. He again called for an “international 
mechanism” for discussions between Baku and Stepanakert but shed little light on 
that negotiating format sought by Yerevan.

At the same time, Pashinian deplored the “growing aggressiveness of Azerbaijan 
towards Nagorno-Karabakh.” He accused Baku of seeking to subject Karabakh’s 
population to “ethnic cleansing,” citing the Azerbaijani blockade of the Lachin 
corridor connecting the region to Armenia.

Karabakh’s leaders and main political groups have repeatedly criticized 
Pashinian over the past year. They were mostly recently irked by his January 10 
claim that the international community has always regarded Karabakh as an 
integral part of Azerbaijan and that the Armenian government must only deal with 
Armenia’s problems.

Pashinian’s political opponents in Armenia have been even more critical, 
accusing him of planning to recognize Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh. The 
Armenian opposition staged daily street protests in Yerevan for several 
consecutive weeks after the prime minister signaled in April 2022 his readiness 
to “lower the bar” on Karabakh’s future status.



Russian, Armenian FMs Meet In India


India - Foreign Ministers Sergei Lavrov of Russia and Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia 
meet in New Delhi, March 3, 2023.


Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called for a quicker implementation of 
Armenian-Azerbaijani agreements brokered by Moscow during talks with his 
Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan held in India on Friday.

The two ministers met in New Delhi on the sidelines of a conference on 
international security attended by many foreign leaders.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said they discussed Russian-Armenian relations as 
well as “regional issues” and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in particular. It 
said Lavrov stressed the importance of “intensifying efforts on all tracks of 
the Armenian-Azerbaijani normalization in accordance with the agreements between 
the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry likewise reported that Lavrov and Mirzoyan 
reviewed progress towards the normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations, 
the restoration of transport links between the two South Caucasus states and the 
demarcation of their long border. Azerbaijan’s continuing blockade of the sole 
road connecting Karabakh to Armenia was also on the agenda, it said in a 
statement.

The Russian readout of the talks made no mention of the blockade. Russia has 
repeatedly called for its lifting as have the United States and other Western 
powers.

Visiting Baku earlier this week, Lavrov also indicated Moscow’s opposition to 
Azerbaijan’s desire to set up a checkpoint at the Lachin corridor. He said this 
would run counter to the 2020 ceasefire agreement that placed the corridor under 
the control of Russian peacekeepers.

Azerbaijan -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and his Azerbaijani 
counterpart Jeyhun Bayramov hold a joint press conference in Baku, February 28, 
2023.

Speaking after talks with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, Lavrov 
also reaffirmed his readiness to host talks between his Armenian and Azerbaijani 
counterparts. He noted that Yerevan “has not yet given its final consent.”

The three ministers were scheduled to meet in Moscow in late December. The 
Armenian side cancelled the meeting in protest against the Azerbaijani blockade. 
Moscow criticized the move.

Russian-Armenian relations have soured in recent months because of what Yerevan 
sees as Russia’s reluctance to support its main regional ally locked in the 
protracted conflict with Azerbaijan. Armenian leaders have also accused the 
Russians of doing little to unblock the Lachin corridor.

Russian officials have strongly denied that. They have chided Yerevan for asking 
the European Union to send monitors to Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan.

The Russian Foreign Ministry has claimed that the EU’s monitoring mission 
launched last month is part of the West’s efforts of squeeze Russia out of the 
South Caucasus and use the Karabakh conflict in the standoff over Ukraine.

The ministry said that Lavrov’s latest meeting with Mirzoyan took place “in a 
friendly and trusting atmosphere.”

While in New Delhi, the Armenian minister also met with the EU’s foreign and 
security policy chief, Josep Borrell. His press office said both men praised the 
recent deployment of some 100 EU monitors to Armenian border areas.

The EU’s top official, Charles Michel, is now understood to be trying to host a 
fresh Armenian-Azerbaijani summit in Brussels.


Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Sophie Scamps MP signs initiative to recognise Greek, Armenian and Assyrian genocides

Tatoyan Vazgen
The Greek Herald
March 3 2023

Federal Member for Mackellar, Dr Sophie Scamps, has signed the Joint Justice Initiative’s Affirmation of Support calling for the Australian Government to recognise the 1915 Armenian, Assyrian and Greek genocides perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire.

Dr Scamps joined over thirty of her parliamentary colleagues to support the Greek, Armenian and Assyrian communities in Australia.

Executive Director of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC-AU), Michael Kolokossian, said in a statement: “We thank Dr Sophie Scamps for affirming her support and working constructively with the ANC-AU to advance national recognition of the genocides.”

“Australia must recognise the 1915 Genocides and hold the perpetrators accountable to ensure crimes against humanity are never repeated,” Mr Kolokossian said.


US says Uzbekistan and Armenia used to evade Russian sanctions

Shushan Frangulian
Uzbekistan – March 3 2023





AKIPRESS.COM - The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS), the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC), and the Department of Justice issued  a joint compliance note on the use of third-party intermediaries or transshipment points to evade Russian- and Belarussian-related sanctions and export controls.

The compliance note highlights one of the most common tactics used to evade Russia-related sanctions and export controls: the use of third-party intermediaries or transshipment points to circumvent restrictions.

Routing purchases through certain transshipment points commonly used to illegally redirect restricted items to Russia or Belarus. Such locations may include China (including Hong Kong and Macau ) and jurisdictions close to Russia, including Armenia, Turkey, and Uzbekistan.

https://akipress.com/news:696406:US_says_Uzbekistan_and_Armenia_used_to_evade_Russian_sanctions/


Armenia: call for innovation grants on hazardous waste management

Kanayan Tamar
March 3 2023

The EU-funded project ‘Capital Cities Collaborating on Common Challenges in Hazardous Waste Management – Yerevan, Warsaw, Tirana’ has launched a call for innovation grants. The aim is to introduce innovations and smart solutions in Municipal Waste Management and Household Hazardous Waste Management. 

The call is open to SMEs, research and/or development institutions and higher education institutions that are keen to develop new and ingenious solutions in the field.

The EU will finance 90% of the value of the selected actions. The proposed budget should fall between €25,000 and €45,000.

The deadline for applications is 7 April.

All interested applicants are invited to participate in an online information session on 10 March. Please, register to take part.

Find out more

Press release

Call guidelines

April 7, 2023
Calls for proposals
https://euneighbourseast.eu/opportunities/armenia-call-for-innovation-grants-on-hazardous-waste-management/

Pashinyan in Germany – "The EU is one of Armenia’s main partners"

Emil Lazarian
March 3 2023
  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Pashinyan on Armenia-EU partnership

An agreement is expected to be signed in the near future regulating the presence of an EU civilian mission on the border of Armenia, according to Prime Minister of Armenia Nik Pashinyan at a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

“Now the presence of the EU monitoring mission is regulated by mutual official letters. But we also have an agreement that the agreement regulating the presence of the mission should be agreed upon and signed,” Pashinyan said.

Since February 20 a new EU civilian mission has been operating in Armenia according to a preliminary plan of two years. Like the previous two-month mission, it is monitoring the Armenian-Azerbaijani border from the territory of Armenia. The mission includes a hundred unarmed observers. According to the EU, its goal is “to promote stability in the border areas of Armenia, to build confidence and security, and to provide an environment that will facilitate efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.”

On March 1, the mission opened its headquarters in the city of Yeghegnadzor in southern Armenia.

Pashinyan is in Germany on a working visit and met with Chancellor Scholz, visited the German Foreign Policy Society (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Auswärtige Politik – DGAP), and took part in a discussion on the topic “Security and Stability in the South Caucasus: Prospects for Armenia”. During a joint press conference with the German Chancellor and discussions of Armenia’s foreign policy in the DGAP, Pashinyan talked about the importance of hosting an EU monitoring mission in Armenia and deepening bilateral relations with the European Union.

  • “The EU mission in Armenia is not directed against anyone” – Toivo Klaar
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The Prime Minister of Armenia considers the role of the EU mission conducting monitoring on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border vital, one which will play a decisive role in ensuring security and stability in the region, as the observers will “timely and reliably” report on the situation to partners from the EU.

Assessing the work of the first observer mission deployed in Armenia for two months at the end of last year, he said that it was an important step “to de-escalate the situation.” Pashinyan thanked all EU member states, including Germany, for responding to Armenia’s request and sending a new, already long-term mission.

“I am very proud of this mission as a whole. It is a great contribution, we will develop this mission and we will see what happens,” the German Chancellor said during a joint press conference, answering a question from journalists whether an increase in the number of observers can be expected.

Olaf Scholz said that Germany supports the mediation efforts of European Council President Charles Michel to bring stability to the region, including by involving its staff in the observer mission. He said that the new EU mission in Armenia will be headed by an officer of the German federal police.

Pashinyan also talked about the current geopolitical “tectonic shifts”. According to him, Armenia came into contact with the “first sprouts” of today’s challenges and “a devastating blow to the European security architecture in the region” back in 2020, during the 44-day war. He also commented on “the latest military aggression of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on the sovereign territory of Armenia” in September 2022, when Azerbaijani troops “occupied more than 150 square kilometers” of Armenian territory.

“Deepening geopolitical instability, growing tensions and unpredictability weaken the world order and the international security system, creating even greater challenges, especially for Armenia. They make a democratic country more vulnerable in this difficult region,” he stated.

What can be expected from the EU mission given the experience of Georgia, where EU observers were deployed after the Russian-Georgian war in 2008

During discussions at the German Foreign Policy Society, Pashinyan stated that the European Union is one of Armenia’s main partners in completing democratic reforms in the country, underlining that “according to the latest indicators of the Eastern Partnership Evaluation Index”, Armenia had topped the “Democracy and Good Governance” rating table.

The prime minister also touched upon the role of the “Velvet Revolution” that took place in Armenia in 2018 and the early parliamentary elections in 2021. He believes that these political events proved “the irreversibility of Armenia’s democratic path of development.”

According to Pashinyan, Armenia is now an internationally recognized democratic country, but one facing serious questions:

“Is the Armenian democracy able to provide security? This is an issue that legitimately worries the Armenian society today, and a problem that our government must solve.”

Yet dspite all the challenges, the Armenian government believes that “the country’s security architecture cannot be comprehensive without respect for human rights, the rule of law and democracy.” In Pashinyan’s words, “democracy is the strategy” of official Yerevan.

https://jam-news.net/pashinyan-on-armenia-eu-partnership/

Sports: Armenia star Eduard Spertsyan told he’d fit in at Guardiola’s Manchester City

Christine Harutyunian
 HITC 
March 3 2023
Dan Owen

Krasnodar forward Eduard Spertsyan would fit in under Pep Guardiola at Premier League giants Manchester City, CSKA Moscow’s youth coach Mkhitar Davidyan tells MetaRatings. 

A quick glance at the Armenian’s numbers highlight a footballer ready for the next step. A footballer outgrowing the relatively small pond that is Russia’s top flight. 

Spertsyan, in 16 Russian Premier League games this season, has nine goals (11 in all competitions) and six assists from his attacking midfield role. Form that had some suggesting he could replace Cody Gakpo at PSV Eindhoven. 

The 26-year-old has even been linked with Real Madrid. 

And, while accepting that La Liga is probably the most feasible destination for a player of his technical talents, Davidyan believes that Spertsyan would not look out of place alongside Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Riyad Mahrez at the Etihad Stadium either. 

“I think that PSV is not the last club to pay attention to him. With the help of Krasnodar, Eduard will be able to prove himself and show all his talent,” Davidyan says. 

“The top clubs in La Liga are the most suitable (for him). Eduard is a very creative and smart football player. I think the Spanish league is what he needs. 

“Even if we take England, then, in my opinion, Spertsyan would not be lost with Guardiola at Manchester City. Because Pep promotes the kind of football that is close to Eduard in terms of his style of play and intellect.” 

Spertsyan recently claimed Armenia’s Player of the Year award for 2022; winning the gong ahead of Inter Milan’s former Arsenal, Roma, Borussia Dortmund and Shakhtar Donetsk forward Henrikh Mkhitaryan.  

“I repeat, in terms of Spertsyan’s potential and style of play, Spain is the best option for him,” Davidyan adds. “Even just being at such clubs and training with such players, you are progressing.” 

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2023/03/03/armenia-star-eduard-spertsyan-told-hed-fit-in-at-guardiolas-manchester-city/