09:28,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense of Armenia Suren Papikyan is leading a delegation to Kazakhstan on an official visit.
In a statement, the Ministry of Defense of Armenia said Papikyan’s trip is taking place at the invitation of his Kazakh counterpart.
12:15,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. The EU Foreign Affairs Council, chaired by High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, will discuss Armenia and Azerbaijan, among other issues, at its January 22 meeting in Brussels, the Council of the European Union said in a press release.
“The Foreign Affairs Council will discuss current affairs, during which ministers will be able to exchange views on recent events and on fast-moving developments in external relations. The High Representative will touch on Azerbaijan and Armenia in light of recent developments. He will touch on the need to enhance efforts on the normalisation process and on the ongoing work on strengthening EU-Armenia relations.
“After Azerbaijan’s military operation in Nagorno-Karabakh on 19-20 September 2023, the European Council on 26-27 October 2023 underlined its continued support for advancing a sustainable and lasting peace between the two countries, and expressed its support for the Brussels normalisation process. At the November 2023 Foreign Affairs Council, ministers agreed on stepping up EU support to Armenia by strengthening the EU Mission in Armenia (EUMA) and exploring options to provide non-lethal support to Armenia under the European Peace Facility as well as for a visa liberalisation dialogue. In December 2023, EU Ministers of Foreign Affairs held an informal exchange of views with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and discussed how to strengthen EUArmenia relations, EU support to Armenia and the prospects for Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization,” reads the press release.
21:24,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan received the EU special representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar.
The Head of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia, Ambassador Vassilis Maragos also attended the meeting.
The parties discussed regional developments during the meeting, Grigoryan’s Office said.
Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan presented the “Crossroads of the World” project, which clearly outlines the prospects, structure, logic, and basic principles of unblocking transport and other infrastructure communications in the region. The parties also discussed issues related to the principles and legal foundations of the border delimitation process.
The 100,000 Armenians who fled en masse after Azerbaijan seized control of Nagorno-Karabakh — the enclave known to Armenians as Artsakh — last September are now facing a bitter winter as homeless refugees in Armenia.
They and their Church leaders are urgently seeking Canada and the international community’s help in reclaiming their homeland and retrieving their Christian history and heritage in Artsakh, which they fear is being deliberately destroyed by Azerbaijan.
Grieving the loss of their beloved homeland, and haunted by fears of an erasure of their 1,700-year-old history as a Christian nation in Artsakh, their collective anguish can only be described by the Welsh word “hiraeth” (a mixture of yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness and an intense longing for a lost homeland.)
“It’s now over three months since I lost my home,” Siranush Sargsyan, from Stepanakert, Artsakh’s capital, told The Catholic Register. “At the beginning (of the exodus), most people were relieved to be still alive. But now we are going through another stage. We can’t accept the reality that we can’t go back home.”
Sargsyan is an Armenian journalist who has documented through her own experience the persecution and ethnic cleansing of her people by Azerbaijan. Like the thousands who fled Artsakh, she now lives as a refugee in Armenia.
Archbishop Papken Tcharian, Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Canada, and Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Eastern U.S., appealed to political leaders and the worldwide Christian community for help.
“I appeal to fellow Christian churches to raise their voice and support Armenia, the first nation to adopt Christianity in the year 301 AD as a state religion,” said Tcharian. “Otherwise, the confiscated churches, monasteries and khachkars (Armenian crosses) of Artsakh will be desecrated by Azerbaijan, and the authorities of Baku will distort the history of Armenian Christian Artsakh. In the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., ‘In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.’ ”
Tanielian exhorted the international community to take a lesson from past genocides, including that of Armenians in 1915, and from the ongoing persecution of Christians elsewhere, to stop the aggressors’ actions before it’s too late.
“The best and most effective step the international community and Canada can take, without any delay, is to put into practice the same measures that they usually apply to despots: freezing all the assets of the corrupt government of Azerbaijan; establishing sanctions over their resources, and implementing all resolutions by international bodies,” he said.
He called on Canada to take a leading role in helping to restore the rights of the people of Artsakh.
“The Canadian government is well-positioned to play an important role in this regard,” he said. “It provided a substantial amount of money via the Red Cross in the first days after the forced evacuation — better to say ‘ethnic cleansing’ or even ‘genocidal attempt’ — of the population of Artsakh.”
He praised Canada’s role in stopping the sale of arms in 2022 to Azerbaijan’s allies that are “bent on erasing the Christian presence in the land of Mount Ararat.” (The mountain where Noah’s Ark is believed to have come to rest).
The sense of loss washed over Sargsyan and her countrymen with particular intensity on Jan. 6 when Armenians — most of whom belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, an Orthodox Christian denomination — celebrated Christmas.
“Today is Armenian Christmas, and it’s very important to celebrate it at home with family and friends,” she told The Register. “But now we don’t have a home — a homeland, yes, but not a home.”
Christmas, even under bombardment, is preferable to one without a home, she continued.
“Last year, we celebrated Christmas under siege,” she said. “And we thought it was the most difficult ever, but this year is even worse.”
The destruction of their tangible Christian heritage, and the fear of erasure of their 1,700-year history in Artsakh caused by Azerbaijan’s revisionist policies, is another source of excruciating pain, she emphasized.
“One year ago, Christmas was under siege in Artsakh, but at least in the homeland. Now our churches in Artsakh stand silent, devoid of prayers and liturgy,” Sargsyan said.
“We have not only lost our homeland, our homes, memories, but also the cultural heritage of our millennial history,” she continued, adding that dozens of churches, as well as tens of thousands of khachkars and tombstones have been razed to the ground.
She misses the beauty of the landscape, the rhythm of life in the village where she grew up and the iconic Amaras monastery, one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world.
“I grew up near the Amaras monastery built in the fourth century where Mesro Mashtots, the monk, opened the first Armenian school and developed the Armenian alphabet,” she said. “It’s in the Amaras valley and surrounded by mulberry orchards and vineyards, where we worked and eagerly waited for the autumn harvest. It was a family tradition, which we have also lost. All our memories and traditions have been destroyed.”
Although warmly received by her compatriots in Armenia, she, like other refugees, is grappling with financial problems and physical hardship since arriving with little more than the clothes on their backs.
“If we were lucky, we could bring some documents but not much else. The government (of Armenia) and some international organizations provide some help, but it’s nowhere near enough for our basic needs,” she said.
The onset of winter, the lack of winter clothing and fuel for heating homes, not to mention inflated rental prices due to the influx of Russian refugees escaping the war with Ukraine, are multiplying the burdens of a traumatized community, she added.
https://www.catholicregister.org/home/international/item/36348-armenians-won-t-accept-loss-of-artsakh
On Thursday, , His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America paid a special visit to His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, the primate of the Eastern Diocese of America of the Armenian Church, to extend his warmest greetings on the joyous occasion of Armenian Christmas celebrated on January 6.
The visit was marked by heartfelt exchanges of warm wishes for peace, prosperity, and harmony among their respective communities. This momentous occasion not only strengthens the spiritual bonds between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Armenian Church, but also exemplifies the spirit of reconciliation and the quest towards unity that transcends confessional boundaries.
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros was joined during this visit by His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, Rev. Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian and Deacon Petros Gomez.
https://www.goarch.org/-/archbishop-elpidophoros-visits-bishop-mesrop-during-the-season-of-armenian-christmas
16:22,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has praised the police and emergency services for their work which has contributed to the country being ranked 7th safest country in the world in terms of crime rate and safety by Numbeo analytical platform.
According to the Crime Rate and Safety Index by Country report by Numbeo in 2023, Armenia ranks 7 out of 142 countries. Yerevan city has been ranked 20th safest city out of 416, which is the highest score in the region.
The figures were reported to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Thursday.
The Prime Minister was pleased to hear the results and said, “Of course this data is very good, we are very happy at this stage, but I hope that we have set more serious objectives before ourselves in terms of the international image. If today we are unfortunately seventh, according to the organization, in terms of domestic safety, this means that we have to set an objective to advance further, and our objective must be to become the safest country. And the same goes for the capital city Yerevan. Tourism agencies pay a lot of attention to such things while developing their packages. We must keep the finger on the pulse all the time, and wherever we see regress or don’t see progress we ought to study and understand the reasons. Of course, first of all this process relates to the work of the police and the rescue service, meaning, this is the most important thing. Every year we must have this guideline while evaluating the work of our rescue service and police.”
11:18, 4 January 2024
YEREVAN, JANUARY 4, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the Urban Development Committee Armen Ghularyan has been fired.
His dismissal was approved by the Cabinet during its January 4 meeting.
Ghularyan was serving as Chairman of the Urban Development Committee since January 2021.
By the end of 2023, a heartbreaking 114 million people globally were forcibly displaced due to war, violence, persecution and the impact of climate-related disasters. Families struggling through longstanding crises in Syria, Myanmar and Ukraine continued to need protection while new violence in Sudan and an escalation of conflict in Armenia uprooted millions of people — many for a second time in their lives.
Despite these challenges and increased need, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) was on the ground working tirelessly to provide lifesaving aid, protection and hope to displaced communities.
Learn about six humanitarian crises that pushed displaced communities to the brink in 2023 and how UNHCR stepped in to provide lifesaving aid.
Sudan Conflict
On April 15th, 2023, deadly armed conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan and the resumption of inter-communal violence in the Darfur region forced more than 7 million people from their homes.
Since the violence erupted, civilians have been killed and wounded, while hundreds of thousands of families have been uprooted, both within the country and across borders to neighboring countries like Egypt, Chad, South Sudan and Ethiopia.
The UN Refugee Agency has been working with government authorities and partners to support new arrivals, set up transit centers where people can rest and receive essential protection services and emergency supplies, and has established and expanded camps where they can access longer-term support.
Armenia Refugee Crisis
At the end of September 2023, following the escalation of a decades-long conflict in the South Caucasus region, a large number of refugees rapidly started arriving in Armenia. Within a week, 100,000 refugees crossed the border and arrived in Goris, a small border town in southeastern Armenia.
The total number of new arrivals represents 3.3 percent of Armenia's entire population. Of the 101,800 refugees who have sought refuge in Armenia, 52 percent are women and girls, 31 percent are children and 18 percent are older persons. Many of these new arrivals are particularly vulnerable, including the elderly, people with disabilities, pregnant women and newborns.
Since the start of the crisis, UNHCR has been on the ground working closely with the Armenian government to closely monitor the situation, provide immediate assistance and assess the needs of refugees. UNHCR has also offered protection, counseling and information to refugees, as well as technical equipment to support the government's registration of refugees and new arrivals.
Conflict in The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
In October 2023, ongoing fighting between the Congolese army and non-state armed groups in eastern DRC intensified and continued to displace individuals in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri. The conflict has affected over 7 million people, and as of early December 2023, has displaced more than 450,000 civilians across the region.
The severity of the crisis has been further exacerbated by the limited humanitarian access to those in vital need, primarily due to the obstruction of major routes. Cut off from essential humanitarian aid, nearly 200,000 internally displaced people (IDPs) have been stranded and continue to face dire conditions. Disease outbreaks, including cholera and measles, continue to ravage IDP sites in North Kivu which are already facing overcrowding and lack of drinking water. The spike in violence has also had a devastating impact on the lives of children, who are facing an alarming number of serious violations of their rights.
Amidst this insecurity, UNHCR and its partners continue to provide lifesaving aid to displaced populations and leads the humanitarian response responsible for shelter, protection and camp coordination and camp management (CCCM) — which offer vital services to vulnerable populations, like women, children and the elderly.
Climate Emergencies in the Horn of Africa, Libya and Afghanistan
In 2022, nearly 32 million people were displaced due to weather-related hazards, and that number is expected to rise as climate emergencies such as drought in the Horn of Africa, floods in Libya and earthquakes in Afghanistan uprooted millions from their homes in 2023.
Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia experienced their sixth failed rainy season, causing millions from around the region to struggle to feed their children and forcing them to flee their homes due to scarce water sources, hunger, insecurity and conflict. UNHCR works with partners across the region to provide cash-based assistance and lifesaving aid, including clean water, food and sanitation items to refugee and internally displaced families facing food insecurity.
In early September of last year, Storm Daniel and the collapse of two dams in Derna, Libya, claimed thousands of lives and left thousands more missing. The floods displaced an estimated 42,000 people, including 16,700 people in Derna and 4,850 people in Al Bayada. Since the onset of the emergency, UNHCR has been on the ground providing emergency aid, healthcare, shelter, and essential supplies such as tarps, blankets, solar lamps and soaps.
In October of last year, two deadly earthquakes hit Afghanistan, severely destroying and damaging more than 30,000 homes, and resulting in at least 1,480 deaths and the displacement of thousands. Since the devastating earthquakes, UNHCR and its local partners have been on the ground, assessing people's needs and delivering tents, blankets, solar lamps and other vital necessities to those in need.
How to help…
In 2023, UNHCR worked tirelessly to ensure that displaced people and their host communities received the life-saving aid, protection, and hope they needed amidst the uncertainties and challenges they faced.
This year, you, too, can help ensure that the needs of all displaced communities are met by becoming USA for UNHCR’s newest monthly donor. Through your kindness and generosity, displaced families can receive cash assistance, core relief items and other vital necessities needed to survive.
https://www.unrefugees.org/news/six-humanitarian-crises-that-impacted-refugees-and-displaced-communities-in-2023/
For La Crescenta resident Sarineh Ghazarian, decorating a float in the upcoming 2024 Rose Parade is a family affair.
Ghazarian, her nephew and two children spent some of their winter break volunteering to decorate the American Armenian Rose Float Association’s sixth parade float. It was the first year to decorate for the children, who are of Armenian descent, and a special memory Ghazarian will always cherish.
The 55-foot-long “Armenian Melodies” float — decorated with pomegranates, drums, and birds playing musical instruments — features aspects of Armenian culture, symbolism, history, current events and more. It’s the sixth year the association has participated in the annual Rose Parade.
The 2024 float is among a line-up of new and returning entries, special guests and performances that aim to reflect diversity represented in the parade’s theme: “Celebrating a World of Music: The Universal Language.”
At the center of “Armenian Melodies” is a mother, dressed in vibrant, traditional garb, holding her child. The figures are surrounded by important symbols of Armenian heritage, such as cranes. Cranes are known as “krunk,” which are long-depicted symbols in Armenian art and folklore, organizers said.
Armenian birds play a major role on the float — such as the crane, chukar and the little ringed plover; a bird indigenous to the Armenian Highlands — surrounding the mother and child.
The mother’s dress, called a Taraz, is designed with red Christmas mums, whole pomegranates, dried apricots, cranberry seeds and green Ti leaves. The crane and other birds are decorated with orange lentil, blue and purple statice, red cranberry, lima beans, kidney beans and yellow strawflower. Drums seen on the front and back of the float are made of flax seed, blue and pink statice, black onions, ground rice and other materials.
Float designer Johnny Kanounji, one of the founders of the American Armenian Float Association, said that cranes are often seen as a symbol of hope. He said the float’s design pays respect to both Armenian culture and current events in Armenia. All the float details, down to which fruits are represented on the float, are connected to Armenian lore.
Apricots, one of the fruits, are so often associated with Armenia that Kanounji said they are sometimes called “Armenian apples.” Pomegranates, known as “noor” in Armenian, symbolize good fortune and prosperity, especially in fertility, Kanounji said. Armenian culture is “very matriarchal.”
“The mother symbolizes everything to the Armenian community. She is the root of all that holds the family together,” said Kanounji. “Mothers show daughters what Armenian culture, music, and everything is; passing the torch from mother to daughter.”
Kanounji, a Pasadena resident, said that each year’s parade entry aims to highlight different aspects of Armenian culture, lifestyle, and even Los Angeles County — home to over 200,000 Armenians.
This year’s float called for “nearly $350,000” of fundraising, a feat Kanounji said “wasn’t easy.” But with the amount of money used towards the project, Kanounji said he wants to make sure to design thoughtful floats each year.
Past parade entries from the American Armenian Float Association have also won awards — including the President’s trophy — in 2015, 2017 and 2018, respectfully.
“We like to give back to the community,” Kanounji said. “We want to engage our people. So this has become its own community… it’s a happy occasion, not a sad occasion… we’re saying ‘Hey, we’re here.’”
Lana Ghazarian, Sarineh’s daughter, said the float’s continued presence is “a big deal because of what’s happening right now in Armenia.”
The mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh — known as Artsakh to Armenians — is in the middle of a decades-long feud between the ethnic Armenians who live and have organized there, and Azerbaijan, according to Reuters. Though Nagorno-Karabakh is geographically recognized as part of Azerbaijan, tensions in the area have risen over the past year, after reports of increasing military presence and road blockades cutting off access to goods. In September, Azerbaijan forces conducted a deadly attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, causing almost all Armenian people to flee.
“It shows how us Armenians care and that we’re strong,” Lana Ghazarian, 12, said. “We’re such a small country, and representing ourselves shows who we really are. It makes me feel really proud because (of) our community coming and helping; (it) shows how we care about the people that are struggling right now.”
Her brother Alex Ghazarian, 13, said that the mother depicted on the float, holding her child, shows “how strong the Armenian women are during the war right now, and how they took care of family members.”
The “Armenian Melodies” float pays homage to the “tapestry” of the Armenian spirit, volunteers say, while staying in the Rose Parade’s overall musical theme.
Traditional woodwind instruments are heavily featured — such as the duduk, shvi, blul and parkapzuk — some of which are native to the Armenian Highlands. The blul is deeply rooted in pastoral traditions, according to Kanounji. The crane, seen at the front of the float, plays a duduk, similar to a flute.
The dhol and nagara, both percussion instruments, round out the float’s “floral orchestra,” organizers said.
The float’s most prominent colors are red, blue and orange, representing the Armenian flag. Organizers said the purposeful use of forget-me-not flowers serves as a reminder of the Armenian genocide of 1915. Many local Armenians fear another Armenian genocide could happen in Artsakh.
“What’s happening in Armenia is not very good,” volunteer Haig Nahapetian, 14, reflected. “There’s a lot of Armenians living in this area, especially Glendale… so representing Armenia on television is always great.”
https://www.pasadenastarnews.com/2023/12/29/rose-parade-2024-armenian-melodies-float-pays-tribute-to-heritage-motherhood-and-struggle/ fbclid=IwAR1JEqfPuCDpF28s0TNYC_9WCYmM4YnF-EpqeCnFiuil2-NfEdQaFTlnNeo