Author: Andranik Taslakhchian

Music: Dresden Opera Ball sent a new invitation to Armenian soprano following the scandal

Andranik Taslakhchian
Panorama, Armenia
Jan 23 2020
Culture 22:43 23/01/2020 World

Semper Opera Ball reviewed its decision regarding the cancellation of the performance of renowned Armenian singer Ruzan Mantashyan at the planned Semper Opera Ball in February.
As world-famous opera singer Hasmik Papian wrote on her Facebook page, a new invitation was sent to the Armenian soprano. Mantashyan is expected to perform Tatiana aria from Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin on February 7. 

As reported earlier, the Armenian singer was invited to perform at The Semper Opera Ball and was scheduled to sing a duet with an American tenor; however, he was unavailable to perform. As a result, the opera house replaced the American tenor with Azerbaijan’s Yusif Eyvazov. The latter reportedly refused to share the stage with Mantashyan, citing her nationality and demanded she be fired from the program.

“The decision of the Semper Opera Ball is a victory. By raising this matter, we helped the German side to review their decision and restore the justice at the same time save their face,” Papyan wrote.

Armenian MP sends letter to Bundestag over ethnic discrimination scandal

Andranik Taslakhchian

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 20:16,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the National Assembly Standing committee on Science, Education, Culture, Diaspora, Youth and Sport Mkhitar Hayrapetyan sent a letter to the colleagues of the German Bundestag on behalf of the members of the committee over the incident that Azerbaijani singer Yusif Eyvazov refused to sing with Armenian singer Ruzan Mantashyan in Dresden on February 7, citing her being Armenian.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, the letter reads as follows,

“Honorable Mrs. Budde, the participation of soprano Ruzan Mantashyan living in Hamburg in Dresden Opera Ball scheduled on February 7 has been cancelled by the request of Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov, who refused to sing with a singer of Armenian origin.

Such xenophobic incidents in the sphere of culture are inadmissible. It’s an obvious disrespect towards culture. Culture was and remains one of the most effective platforms for establishing dialogue and new bridges between nations, which goes beyond politics and ethnic belonging. Respect and equality of artists presenting various nations and cultures should be preserved here.

We draw the attention of our colleagues at the Bundestag to this concerning fact. We hope that you, being supporters of the struggle against racial discrimination and xenophobia, will keep the issue in focus”.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

Court sends back Armenia Justice Minister’s lawsuit against activist

Andranik Taslakhchian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 22 2020
Court sends back Armenia Justice Minister’s lawsuit against activist Court sends back Armenia Justice Minister’s lawsuit against activist

15:42, 22.01.2020
                  

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan has filed a lawsuit against activist Narek Malyan, but it was sent back by the court for being flawed. Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned about this from the judicial information system.

Badasyan filed a lawsuit against Malyan seeking compensation for damages caused to his honor, dignity, and business reputation.

The Yerevan court of general jurisdiction, however, has decided to return the claim.

The respective statement released in the judicial information system notes, in particular, that the court found that the requirements for the form, content, and attachments of this lawsuit were not complied with.

“The deficiencies in the lawsuit can be eliminated and presented to the court within three days,” the statement also reads.

Armenpress: Mirzoyan says Armenians of Artsakh cannot live in safety under Azerbaijani sovereignty

Andranik Taslakhchian

Mirzoyan says Armenians of Artsakh cannot live in safety under Azerbaijani sovereignty

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 12:16,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Under the light of the Armenian massacres of Baku, Sumgait and Kirovabad 30 years ago and the anti-Armenian policy of Azerbaijani authorities it’s impossible that the Armenians of Artsakh can live in safety under Azerbaijani sovereignty, ARMENPRESS reports President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said on January 18 during the special sitting of the Inter-Parliamentary Committee on Cooperation between the Republic of Armenia and Artsakh in Yerevan.

“As the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, I want to once again record and reaffirm that the massacres of Sumgait, Baku and Kirovabad, the periodical nature of those massacres and their reoccurrence a number of times during one century, the other manifestations of anti-Armenian policy before and after those massacres make the physical safe existence of the Armenians of Artsakh under Azerbaijani sovereignty impossible. Therefore, the only way for the Armenians in Artsakh to exist is the self-determination of Artsakh with the Republic of Armenia as the guarantor of Artsakh to implementer their right”, Ararat Mirzoyan said.

Thirty years ago Azerbaijanis began a state-sponsored massacre of the Armenian population in Baku, which became known as the Bako Pogroms.

Tens of thousands of Armenians fell victim to the cruel atrocities or forced displacement.

The Baku Pogrom began in 1990 January 13th and lasted until January 19th. It was a state-sanctioned pogrom organized by the Azerbaijani Popular Front. After the six days of atrocities, Baku – the city once having an Armenian population of 250,000 – had no Armenian left.

The anti-Armenian hysteria in Azerbaijan had risen back in late 1988 and early 1989.

On January 13, 1990 a mass rally took place with the attendance of thousands. Afterwards, the crowd separated into smaller groups and started attacking and murdering Armenians in their homes with extreme cruelty. The perpetrators had the addresses of their would-be victims. The mob would defenestrate their victims from their apartments, kill them with metal pipes and knives, women were raped, and many were burnt alive.

Only six days later, when the Soviet authority was jeopardized in Baku, Mikhail Gorbachev ordered a state of emergency in the Azerbaijani capital to restore public order. More than a dozen militants were killed during an armed resistance with the troops, and many were arrested.

Since evidence and facts were concealed and covered up, the exact number of Armenians who were killed during the pogroms was impossible to be revealed, but according to various estimated at least 500-600 were murdered from 1988 to 1990. The anti-Armenian pogroms went on even after 1990 January, leading to a complete and forced exodus of Armenians.

Despite the Azerbaijani denialist policy, the Baku Pogroms, and the preceding Sumgait Pogrom of 1988, as well as in Kirovabad (Gyanja), have been condemned by a number of international organizations. The pogroms against the Armenians were condemned by the European Parliament in resolutions adopted in 1988, 1990 and 1991.

Eyewitness accounts, as well as the above-mentioned resolutions, indicate that the anti-Armenian actions in Baku and Sumgait were of organized nature or at least were carried out at the permission of the then-Azerbaijani authorities.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

The Curious Case Of Rudy Giuliani, Iran, and Armenia

Andranik Taslakhchian
The Daily Wire
Oct 16 2019
 
 
 
 
The Curious Case Of Rudy Giuliani, Iran, and Armenia
 
By  Jesse Bogner
 
 
As former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani finds himself squarely engulfed in the Ukraine scandal and impeachment inquiry surrounding President Donald Trump, one piece of the puzzle simply does not seem to fit.
 
If anything is a given about contemporary Republican Party foreign policy, it is a hawkish stance on Iran. That unified front is led by a president who pulled the U.S. out of the 2015 nuclear deal and continues to impose new sanctions against Tehran. Giuliani, too, talks tough towards the Iranians — most recently backing regime change and declaring “down with the tyrants in Iran” when he spoke at a rally outside U.N. headquarters in September.
 
 
 
Yet Giuliani was on the cusp of making a paid appearance at the Armenian-hosted conference of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), a gathering held October 1st–2nd amid the formalization of Iran’s future membership in that Russian-led trade alliance that consists of five former Soviet republics. Although Giuliani ultimately cancelled his 2019 EAEU appearance, he attended the same conference last year and is coming under rising scrutiny for his mysterious overseas travel — including to Armenia.
 
Created to counter the influence of the European Union, the EAEU’s anti-Western approach is particularly apparent through its embrace of Iran, the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism. After the Moscow-based EAEU reached a free trade deal with the Iranians last year, EAEU member Armenia this past April signed a memorandum of understanding on customs cooperation with Iran in which the two countries agreed to exchange information on the value of goods and vehicles transported through their shared border. In other words, commerce between Tehran and Yerevan flows without restrictions.
 
On a broader strategic level, both the free trade and customs deals were envisioned as pillars of a bridge linking Iran, the EAEU, and the EU. The final pillar will be cemented on October 27th, when Iran formally joins the EAEU and gains the ability to have its goods “exported to [Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia] with almost zero tariffs,” according to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Simultaneously, Iran is prepared to increase the natural gas its supplies to Armenia, Rouhani said at the EAEU conference.
 
It should come as no surprise that the rapid growth of EAEU-Iran ties is spearheaded by Armenia, the only EAEU member which shares a border with Iran. Armenia is also the only EAEU state which maintains a “Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Agreement” with the EU, meaning that the warm economic ties between Tehran and Yerevan could have a domino effect throughout Europe.
 
Further, Armenia has a long and ongoing history of offering Iran an escape route from international sanctions. Reuters has reported that Armenian banks help the Iranian regime “obfuscate payments to and from foreign clients and deceive Western intelligence agencies trying to prevent it from expanding its nuclear and missile programs.” In August, the U.S. levied sanctions on two Armenian companies over their business ties with Iran. And upon meeting with Rouhani at the EAEU gathering, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan affirmed that despite U.S. sanctions, Armenia’s “relations with Iran must be beyond geopolitical influences.”
 
 
All of which brings us to the recent EAEU conference, where Giuliani was set to participate in a panel led by Sergey Glazyev, a longtime adviser to Russian President Vladimiar Putin who has been subjected to U.S. sanctions since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2014. Giuliani had been the only American scheduled to speak at the gathering.
 
How did this former Republican presidential candidate make his way onto an anti-Western conference’s agenda this year, while actually attending the same summit last year? According to ProPublica, Giuliani’s 2018 EAEU appearance was funded by Ara Abramyan, chair of the Union of Russian Armenians and president of the World Armenian Congress.
 
Abramyan also sits on the advisory board of TriGlobal Strategic Ventures, which has been organizing trips to Russia and Ukraine since 2004 for the ex-mayor’s Giuliani Partners, and has been described by The New York Times as “a company that provides image consulting to Russian oligarchs and clients with deep Kremlin ties.”
 
Before he cancelled his 2019 EAEU appearance, Giuliani had quipped in comments to The Washington Post that he would “try to not knowingly talk to a Russian until this is all over.” Yet it is no laughing matter. By opening the door to free trade, the EAEU has set in motion a slippery slope that may lead Iranian businesses directly to the EU. It is a nightmare scenario in which anti-West meets West, and shockingly, one of its enablers is a high-profile Republican who is presumably aligned with his peers when it comes to cracking down on Iranian aggression.
 
That is why despite his eventual pullout from the EAEU conference, the question remains: Why would Giuliani even consider attending?
 
 
 
Jesse Bogner is an author and journalist. His memoir and social critique, The Egotist, has been translated into five languages. His work has been featured in The Daily Caller, MSN, and The Huffington Post.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Turkmenistan is interested in mutually beneficial cooperation with Armenia

Andranik Taslakhchian
  • 11.10.2019

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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s working visit to Turkmenistan has begun.


On the morning of October 11, Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with the President of Turkmenistan Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov in Ashgabat.


The President of Turkmenistan welcomed the Prime Minister of Armenia in Ashgabat and highlighted his visit in the context of discussing the prospects of deepening both bilateral and multilateral relations.


“Dear Nicole Vovai,


allow me to welcome you to Turkmenistan and thank you for accepting our invitation to participate in the summit of CIS member states. I think we have a good opportunity to discuss the issues of our future cooperation in the interest of ensuring the well-being of our peoples,” said the President of Turkmenistan.


Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov expressed his satisfaction with the development of Armenian-Turkmen relations and noted that Turkmenistan is interested in mutually beneficial cooperation with Armenia, expanding ties in various fields.


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan noted that he is happy to visit Turkmenistan and have the opportunity to exchange ideas on the progress and development of Armenian-Turkmen interaction.


“Dear Gurbanguly Myalikguliev,


I would like to thank you for the invitation to visit Turkmenistan and for the warm welcome. It was nice to be in Ashgabat. This is my first visit to Turkmenistan, during which we have the opportunity to discuss issues related not only to the multilateral agenda, but also to our bilateral cooperation. I am sure that we will manage to discuss all topics of mutual interest,” said Nikol Pashinyan.


The RA Prime Minister noted that Turkmenistan is one of Armenia’s important partners in Central Asia, with which our country has effective, constructive relations, and economic cooperation should be activated in line with the high-level political dialogue.


The Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Turkmenistan referred to the agenda of interaction in bilateral and multilateral formats, the revitalization of economic ties and trade circulation, and the issues related to the realization of existing potential in various fields. Prospects of cooperation in the field of hydrocarbons were discussed. The interlocutors agreed that the friendship of the two peoples is an important basis and potential for closer relations between Armenia and Turkmenistan, and expressed mutual willingness to promote mutually beneficial projects and initiatives as much as possible.


The parties exchanged ideas on the importance of the activities of the Council of Heads of CIS member states, the development of cooperation within the framework of the CIS and other issues.

Armenia’s military development budget will be doubled in 2020. minister

Andranik Taslakhchian
  • 11.10.2019

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Armenia’s military development budget next year will be doubled. This was announced today by RA Minister of High-tech Industry Hakob Arshakyan during the “Unification of Science and Technology” conference in Yerevan.


He noted that Armenians have always been good scientists and researchers, and in Soviet times Armenia was famous for its scientific institutes. 


“We had not only talented scientists, a favorable environment for scientific research was created here,” he stressed.


The minister assured that efforts are being made to restore the former Armenian scientific reputation.


“We want to recreate this environment. It will help both our economy and our defense,” Minister Arshakyan said.

ABMDR New England’s 8th Walkathon Raises Funds for Life-Saving Mission

Andranik Taslakhchian
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WATERTOWN, Mass.,—The Armenian community of New England came together in support of the eighth annual Walk of Life of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. The beloved pan-Armenian event, which took place in Watertown, MA drew avid youth participation, with large numbers of students from area schools and colleges, as well as the support of numerous community organizations. The walkathon took place on Saturday, September 28.

Once again, Walk of Life received support and sponsorship from several large and small businesses, including PROMETRIKA LLC of Cambridge, the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Armenian-American Pharmacists’ Association, Watertown Savings Bank, ThermOil, Inc., several other local businesses, the Armenia Tree Project, the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center, and the AGBU New England District. PROMETRIKA LLC has been a consistent supporter of the ABMDR; its CEO and founder, Miganush Stepanians, was awarded the Volunteer of the Year Award at the ABMDR 20th anniversary Gala in Los Angeles in August.

At the walkathon’s opening ceremony, which was held on the grounds of ACEC, Lori Yogurtian of ABMDR New England welcomed the participants. “Seventy-five percent of [affected] patients’ lives depend on finding a matched unrelated donor,” she said. “This is already a difficult situation. However, the unique genetic make-up of Armenians makes it nearly impossible for them to find suitable matches among the existing international registries. Every person the ABMDR informs, swabs, and registers is another chance for a patient’s life to be saved.”

On his part, Jack Antounian, lead marshal of the walk and President of the Armenian Business Network, provided safety guidelines to the walkers. This year, the ABN marshals were joined by several volunteer members of ABMDR New England. Walk of Life concluded at Watertown Square, where participants enjoyed great music, dancing, and food, along with thousands of people attending the annual Faire on the Square festival.

In his remarks during the closing ceremony, Shant Der Torossian of ABMDR New England said, “We’re touched to see so many individuals and community organizations participate in our eighth walkathon. A big ‘thank you’ to all those who assisted in promoting this event among their co-workers, friends, and family. We couldn’t do this without you!” Der Torossian went on to convey the New England Walk of Life Committee’s deep gratitude to the event’s sponsors and the walkathon marshals from the ABN for their continued support.

Following Der Torossian’s remarks, Alec Der Sirakian, Lilit Hovnanian, and Sossy Yogurtian (on behalf of the AAPA) were awarded the first, second, and third top-fundraiser awards, respectively. For the seventh consecutive year, the Armenia Tree Project will plant commemorative trees in Armenia in honor of the walkathon winners, as part of the #LivingCentury Initiative.

Aside from planning the Walk, ABMDR New England volunteers have been working to spread awareness about ABMDR. In the weeks leading up to the walk, volunteers participated in a number of local community events to educate the public about bone marrow donation and ABMDR in general, and recruited new donors.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to volunteer with this organization,” said ABMDR New England volunteer Lori Yeterian. “It has been a humbling experience to work with a group of passionate people who share a common goal: helping to save lives. I hope for the continuation of the ABMDR mission for many years to come!”

ABMDR New England is encouraging community members to join the team. Interested readers can contact ABMDR New England via email.

Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 31,000 donors in 33 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 33 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call 323.663.3609 or visit the website.

Sports: Flying drone with Nagorno-Karabakh flag interrupts football match in Luxembourg

Andranik Taslakhchian
JAM News
Oct 5 2019
JamNews, Baku, Yerevan
JAMnews
October 5, 2019

Armenian football hooligans have claimed responsibility for the provocation

The match between Azerbaijani football club “Karabakh” and the Luxembourg “Dudelange” ended in scandal when a drone with the flag of the unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh flew into the field.

• Starting life again: How a family of IDPs from Karabakh successfully set up a life in Baku

The match was interrupted for 25 minutes. During this time, fights broke out in the stadium parking lot.

In the end Qarabag won the match and social media is still in an uproar.

Responsibility for the provocation was claimed by Armenian “ultras,” a group of fanatic football hooligans.

The match between Azerbaijani football club “Karabakh” and the Luxembourg “Dudelange” ended in scandal. Photo Reuters

Azerbaijan’s football club “Karabakh” was playing the Dudelange club the evening of October 3 at the Jozi Bartel stadium in Luxembourg when a drone appeared during the first half of the match.

At that moment, the score was 2-0 in favor of “Karabakh.”

NKR is an unrecognized republic in the South Caucasus around which the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict broke out in the early 1990s.

When the drone descended toward the field, one of the defenders of “Karabakh” kicked the ball in its direction – missing.

Meanwhile, indignant Azerbaijani fans rushed to the field, leading to two arrests.

During a forced break, fights broke out in the parking lot and several cars were looted.

After about 25 minutes, the drone went on its way.  It turned out that it had been launched from the roof of a high rise not far from the stadium.

The Minister of Sports of Luxembourg apologized to everyone and said that their country had nothing to do with this provocation.

Despite the disturbance, the drone had no effect on the outcome of the game: “Karabakh” defeated “Dudelange” 4 to 1.

After the incident, the Azerbaijan Football Association (AFFA) released the following comment:

“The incident casts doubt on the safety of the players, and we hope that measures will be taken to prevent this kind of action in the future. We are confident that UEFA will investigate and make a decision. We want to thank the Karabakh players for their professional behavior and control of emotions” .

AFFA also recalled that the Karabakh club is from Agdam, which is now located in the territory controlled by Armenia.

Comment of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan:

“The accredited ambassador was instructed to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg and make sure that those responsible for the provocations will be found and bear the corresponding responsibility” .

Meanwhile, Azerbaijani social media erupted in anger, with some users even pointing the finger at the authorities in Luxembourg:

“Dudelange must be excluded from the European League, the country should not be allowed to attend European competitions, or something worse even – the drone could have seriously injured the players” .

On Armenian social networks, the incident did not go unnoticed.

Social network users were divided into two camps. Some considered this act a very vivid and successful way to bring attention to the issue of Karabakh. Others considered such a trick inappropriate.

Some comments from Armenian social media:

“Well done, our guys!”

“Full bacchanalia. The match is paused. And all this, sitting at the screens and from

the stands in a good mood, the Armenians watched. ”

“If they run away from the flag alone, how will they“ liberate ”Karabakh? Flags hang everywhere. ”

“As a result, most likely, the Football Federation of Armenia will be fined a tidy sum.”

“One should not be proud of the piece of fabric on which the symbol of the division and colonization of Armenia is reflected. If you wanted to release a drone with a flag, you would have taken the flag of Armenia.

PS On the same day, a young and strong guy died on the border. Our guy! ”

There are no official comments from Armenia.



Music: Two-time Grammy winner Pinchas Zukerman to perform in Yerevan

Andranik Taslakhchian
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 5 2019
Culture 20:00 05/10/2019 Armenia

On October 7, legendary violinist Pinchas Zukerman will give an exclusive one-night-only performance at Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in Yerevan. The concert will be held in the frames of the 20th edition of “Yerevan Perspectives” International Music Festival and will feature Beethoven Violin Concerto and Concerto for 2 Violins by Bach. As the Armenian State Philharmonic Orchestra reports, the concert under baton of conductor Eduard Topchjan will also feature young violinist, first awardee of Menuhin competition Diana Adamyan.

Zukerman launched his conducting career in 1970 with the English Chamber Orchestra, and served as director of London’s South Bank Festival from 1971 to 1974. Zukerman was music director of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra from 1980 to 1987. He later directed the summer festivals of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra (1991–1995) and the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (1996–1999). In 1999, he became Music Director of Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) in Ottawa, stepping down from the post in 2015. He has served as Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra since 2009.
Zukerman plays the “Dushkin” violin of 1742. His honors include the King Solomon Award, the National Medal of Arts, the Isaac Stern Award for Artistic Excellence, and an honorary doctorate from Brown University. His recordings have received 21 Grammy nominations, and two Grammy wins.

“Yerevan Perspectives” International Music Festival is an annual, year round festival which invites to Armenia top famous classical musicians, orchestras, ensembles and so on. The festival also organizes special projects by cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of Armenia and with the other structures.