Ani Tigranian – Page 63 – Armenian Directory & News

Konstantin Zatulin: Armenia-EU agreement is not a threat to Russia’s national interests

December 20, 2017March 12, 2026 Ani Tigranian

18:29 | December 19,2017 | Politics
Armenian:
Rus

We do not consider that signing an agreement with the European Union is a threat to Russia’s national interests, if, of course, it does not violate Armenia’s responsibilities in the EAEU, afret signing the Armenia-EU agreement, said Konstantin Zatuli, director of the CIS Institute, Russian analyst, to reporters, speaking about the possibility of becoming a bridge between Armenia, Russia and the EU.

“Yes, we have the right to consider not only Armenia, but also the fact that the Armenians of the world have positive attitude towards Russia and its policy, and often it is expressed by Armenians living in other countries,” he said.

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Armenia moving to bar use of GMOs

December 12, 2017March 12, 2026 Ani Tigranian

Pan Armenian, Armenia

Dec 11 2017

Armenia moving to bar use of GMOs

Armenia may bar genetically modified organisms (GMOs). The issue was discussed at the first session of a working group established to ensure biosafety to GMOs in the country, presided over by minister of agriculture Ignati Arakelyan.

A genetically modified organism (GMO) is any organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques (i.e., a genetically engineered organism)

As a result, those attending the meeting decided that the legislative regulation of the use of GMOs will be guided by “the principle of precaution”, given that science has yet to prove their safety, which means that the use of GMOs must be prohibited.

Arakelyan instructed the working group to study the original version of the law on the biosafety of the use of GMOs in Armenia to provide diverse opinions within two weeks.

Debate about the use of GMOs in Armenia erupted after the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan organized a business conference to connect Armenian companies involved in the agricultural sector with the expertise, products, and technology of U.S. companies Valmont and Monsanto.

Following the conference,System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian urged Armenia ‘to stay clear and free of’ Monsanto, an American multinational agrochemical and agricultural biotechnology corporation.

Newspaper: Fight within Armenia ruling party to remain at helm of power in 2018 enters new phase

December 10, 2017March 12, 2026 Ani Tigranian

News.am, Armenia

Dec 9 2017

Newspaper: Fight within Armenia ruling party to remain at helm of power in 2018 enters new phase Newspaper: Fight within Armenia ruling party to remain at helm of power in 2018 enters new phase

11:18, 09.12.2017

YEREVAN. – Even though 2018 has not started yet, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan has given 14-point instructions to the provincial governors for the coming year, according to Zhamanak (Time) newspaper of Armenia.

“He has ordered to develop and submit to the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Development, by the end of the year, the annual action plan for each province, in which the 14 directions, or indicators, proposed by him at least must be included.

“Perhaps with that initiative, K. Karapetyan is going against his own party by changing the priorities with the provincial governors.

“At any rate, it is apparent that the fight within the RPA [the ruling Republican Party of Armenia] to remain at the helm of power in 2018 goes on also at the level of instructions,” wrote Zhamanak.

Bako Sahakyan visitis Hadrout

November 29, 2017March 12, 2026 Ani Tigranian

19:39 | November 28,2017 | Official
Armenian:
Rus

On November 28, Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan visited the Hadrout region and inspected on site the implementation of a range of agricultural projects.

The Head of the State highlighted coordination of the carried out activities and gave concrete instructions to the heads of relevant bodies for proper realization of the planned activities.

Sports: Armenian arm-wrestlers return home with medals

November 26, 2017March 12, 2026 Ani Tigranian

Panorama, Armenia

Nov 25 2017

Sport 17:10 25/11/2017Armenia

Three Armenian arm-wrestlers claimed medals at the Arm-wrestling World Cup for Disabled 2017 held in Rumia, Poland. As the National Olympic Committee reported, Major of the Armenian Armed Forces athlete Sargis Stepanyan claimed won two gold and one silver medals. Stepanyan was victorious at the PIDH-sitting event (athletes with upper limbs impairment) in the 80kg weight class, with the second gold conquered in the 75kg PID-sitting (athletes with mobility impairment). The athlete also snatched a silver in Senior men left PID OPEN event.

Another Armenian athlete Khachatur Saribekyan took the second prize at the PIDH-sitting event in the 80kg weight class, while Ashot Addamyan, competing in the 63kg weight class, won a bronze.

Culture: Armenian Dolmas: a Thanksgiving treat

November 24, 2017March 12, 2026 Ani Tigranian

Benitolink: San Benito County News

Nov 23 2017

posted on Thu, 11/23/2017 – 07:54am by Becky Bonner-Leland, Reporting for BenitoLink

Hollister resident Keith Bonner prepares traditional Armenian dolmas to share with his family on Thanksgiving Day

Gage Jumper stops by his grandfather’s house and checks on the dolmas as they cook

Ground beef, tomato sauce, rice, salt, pepper, onion, and parsley make up the filling of the dolma’s

Bonner mixes all ingredients together before rolling them in grape leaves

Grape leaves are laid out and topped with the mixed filling

Bonner rolls the grape leaf from the bottom while tucking in the corners to keep the filling in

Once fully rolled the dolmas are placed in a pot to prepare for cooking which takes one hour

Keith Bonner moved to Hollister from San Jose six years ago to be closer to three of his four adult children. Wanting to share his heritage, Bonner was found this holiday season preparing traditional Armenian dolmas to share with his family on Thanksgiving Day. Bonner learned this recipe from his “mother who was full blooded Armenian,” who in turn learned this recipe from her mother who was born and raised in Armenia. When it comes to dolmas, Bonner said, “We have had it (dolmas) since we were little. It’s always been a family dish at get-togethers. My mother had six siblings and when we got together we always ate these and other Armenian dishes.”

Bonner’s grandparents moved to the United States from Armenia in 1912 to, as he explained, “escape the persecution of the Turks against the Armenians”. This persecution would lead to the Armenian Genocide three years later during WWI. The Armenian National Institute’s website estimates that of the two million Armenians found in the Ottoman Empire prior to WWI, one and a half million died between the years of 1915 and 1923.

Wanting to keep his heritage alive on Thanksgiving Day, Bonner prepared his family recipe, just as his mother did, to share the dish he grew up eating with his own family. “It is a tradition to pass down so you don’t forget your Armenian roots,” Bonner serves dolmas on Thanksgiving Day, next to the traditional turkey and stuffing.

Once cooked dolmas can be served both hot or cold. Bonner’s family recipe is listed below.

DOLMAS Recipe ingredients – one pound of ground beef or desired ground meat, one jar of grape leaves, half of a large onion, half a cup of long grain white rice, salt and pepper to taste, one eight ounce can of tomato sauce, and half a handful of parsley.
Step 1 – Mix raw meat, rice, salt, pepper, tomato sauce, diced onion, and parsley together.
Step 2 – Roll out grape leaves from jar.
Step 3 – Place desired amount of mixture onto the base of the grape leaf.
Step 4 – Roll the grape leaf from the bottom, folding in the sides as you go.
Step 5 – Place rolled dolma in a pot until the pot is full.
Step 6 – Once full fill the pot with enough water to cover the bottom layer of dolma’s.
Step 7 – Place the pot full of dolma’s on the stove. Bring the pot to a a boil with the lid covered.
Step 8 – Once the water boils, turn the stove down to a low boil, like cooking rice, and heat for one hour.

                                        Thursday, 
Russia `Not Acting Separately' In Karabakh Settlement
 . Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian, 16Nov, 2017
The Russian foreign minister's upcoming Karabakh-related discussions
in Yerevan and Baku will be "within the format" of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation's Minsk Group co-chairmanship, a senior
Armenian official said on Thursday.
Speaking to reporters following a government session, Deputy Foreign
Minister Shavarsh Kocharian acknowledged some recent activity in the
Karabakh talks that included the announcement earlier this week that
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov will tour the region early next
week and his meetings in the Armenian and Azerbaijani capitals will
also focus on the Karabakh conflict settlement.
When asked by reporters whether Lavrov's planned trips mean that he
will bring with him some fresh Russian settlement proposals, Kocharian
said: "The Russian foreign minister is not acting separately. He is
acting within the format of the [OSCE Minsk Group] co-chairmanship. In
this sense, it is a bit strange when constant attempts are being made
to separate [Lavrov's activities]. Moreover, he [Lavrov] himself
publicly denied it on several occasions."
This week has brought some diplomatic activity to the issue of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement as regional issues were, in
particular, discussed at the November 13 meeting in Sochi between
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep
Tayyip Erdogan. The following day, on November 14, Armenian Foreign
Minister Edward Nalbandian met in Moscow with the Russian, American
and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group. And on Wednesday
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian held a meeting with Putin. The
Armenian president's press office said the parties also addressed the
Karabakh issue during their meeting, but gave no details. Finally, an
upcoming visit of Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov to the region was
announced.
"You know, on the one hand, the visits that you mention are scheduled
ones# The same is true about Lavrov's visit, which is connected with
the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations
between our countries. On the other hand, it is obvious that there is
certain activity on the part of the co-chairs connected with the
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict," Armenia's Deputy Foreign
Minister Shavarsh Kocharian said. "It is natural that during such
meetings foreign ministers are always free to discuss issues that are
important."
According to Russian state-run TASS news agency, Lavrov said on
Tuesday that during his meetings in Yerevan and Baku "we will try to
understand at what stage our efforts on the Nagorno-Karabakh
settlement are after the meeting of the presidents of Armenia and
Azerbaijan in Geneva."
During their talks in the Swiss city on October 16, Armenian President
Sarkisian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Ilham Aliyev pledged to
intensify the peace process and bolster the cease-fire regime in the
region's conflict zone.
In a statement issued today on the results of their November 14 and
November 16 meetings with the foreign ministers of Armenia and
Azerbaijan OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov, of Russia, Stephane
Visconti, of France, and Andrew Schofer, of the United States, said
that Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov have agreed to hold a
meeting on the sidelines of an OSCE Ministerial Meeting in Vienna,
Austria, in December.
Eastern Partnership Summit Declaration Again Stymied Over Karabakh Wording
 . Heghine Buniatian
EU, Eastern Partnership logo
The final declaration of the Eastern Partnership summit, which is due
to be held in Brussels next week, has again reached a deadlock because
of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. While the rest of the document is fully
agreed, official Yerevan and Baku have yet to come to terms on the
conflict-related wording, RFE/RL correspondent Rikard Jozwiak reports
from Brussels.
On Wednesday, the ambassadors of all 28 European Union member states
agreed on a declaration apart from one paragraph, which has to do with
regional conflicts. The ambassadors left this paragraph open as
Armenia and Azerbaijan want to include language on Nagorno-Karabakh
that is obviously very conflicting. The declaration is basically now
ready, but Armenia and Azerbaijan are still fighting over wording on
Nagorno-Karabakh.
According to RFE/RL's correspondent, officials in Brussels are now
quite worried. Differences over Karabakh-related wording nearly
derailed the adoption of a similar declaration at the Eastern
Partnership summit two years ago. After failing to achieve a desired
wording, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev refused to attend the
summit, and Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov for hours would not
sign the declaration and even left the session hall, leaving EU
leaders in uncertainty.
"The reason why the EU is very afraid now is that in 2015 at the Riga
summit there were fights about this throughout the whole
summit. Aliyev even threatened not to sign the declaration and it was
delayed by lots of time. So this is something that can lead to a drama
on the actual day. It might happen again that [Armenian President
Serzh] Sarkisian and Aliyev will refuse to sign this document because
of Nagorno-Karabakh wording or non-wording," RFE/RL's correspondent
reports from Brussels.
European diplomats talking to RFE/RL on condition of anonymity said
that this time in order to avoid a similar scenario Brussels has
decided not to separate the existing conflicts by name and limit
itself to a general wording. The preliminary version of the
Declaration that has become available to RFE/RL, in particular,
without addressing one issue or another, calls for "renewed efforts to
promote the peaceful settlement of conflicts in the region on the
basis of the principles and norms of international law."
"The resolution of conflicts, building trust and good neighborly
relations are essential to economic and social development and
cooperation," the document reads, in particular. It is not clear what
specific wording Azerbaijan and Armenia oppose or what they are
seeking to add.
Responding to RFE/RL's inquiry, Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson
Tigran Balayan said that "negotiations on this issue are still
ongoing, so I cannot give details."
Two years ago, after the summit in Riga, the Armenian foreign minister
did give some details to RFE/RL. In an exclusive interview with RFE/RL
Armenian Service Director Harry Tamrazian Edward Nalbandian, in
particular, insisted that Baku opposed the European Union's referring
in the joint declaration to the statements of the leaders of the OSCE
Minsk Group co-chairing countries -- Russia, the United States and
France -- that the conflict should be resolved on the basis of non-use
of force, territorial integrity and the right to self-determination.
Opposition Criticizes Government Over 2018 Draft Budget
 . Astghik Bedevian
MP Naira Zohrabian (Tsarukian Alliance)
Members of the opposition factions in parliament leveled harsh
criticism at the government over the draft budget for next year,
claiming that it falls short of the ruling party's promise of
increased pensions and salaries in 2018.
Lawmaker Lena Nazarian from the opposition Yelk faction said: "The
public must know that the Republican Party of Armenia and the
government have failed to live up to their promise of raising pensions
and the minimal salary."
The opposition lawmaker reminded that while speaking in a television
show ahead of the April parliamentary elections Prime Minister Karen
Karapetian said that pensions and the minimal salary will be raised in
2018 "if everything continues at the same rate."
Naira Zohrabian representing the Tsarukian Alliance's parliamentary
faction also mentioned the failture to raise pensions and salaries
among the reasons for not voting against the government-drafted
budget. "Besides, this budget does not curb disgraceful inflation, it
cuts more than 5,500 jobs in the public sector, reduces spending for
education and health," she said.
The oppositionist also described the country's demographic situation
as "catastrophic". She disagreed with Prime Minister Karapetian's
statement that how people feel economic growth is an immeasurable
factor. "No, Mr. prime minister, this is quite a measurable factor. If
you and your team felt at least for one day what an ordinary Armenian
citizen feels, then you would surely not say that economic growth is
an immeasurable factor," Zohrabian charged.
The government promises to ensure a 4.5-percent growth of the Gross
Domestic Product in 2018. It expects the industrial and services
sectors to provide the bulk of this growth.
Deputy Parliament Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, who represents the
ruling Republican Party of Armenia, responded to the opposition's
criticism. "Instead of giving fish to our people we should teach them
how to fish. With our contribution we should enable people to create
conditions for themselves to catch that fish," he said.
Press Review
"168 Zham" talked to Polish analyst Konrad Zasztowt on the November 15
visit of Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian to Moscow. According to
the analyst, now it is quite a hard time for Russia as despite the
desire to restore full relations with Turkey, the Russian president
does not want Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to participate in
the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process, since it is Russia's
monopoly. "Russia already considers it a concession that in this issue
it takes into account the positions of the United States and France,"
the paper quotes the Polish analyst as saying.
"Zhamanak" notes a sharp rise in military spending proposed in the
2018 draft budget: "The government explains this rise very easily as
it plays on society's patriotism as well as fear. The thing is that
during the 10 years of President Serzh Sarkisian's rule not only the
army's funding has increased, but the funding of police and other
silovik structures has also increased# We have all grounds to assume
that what motivated the authorities to increase that spending was not
the desire to raise the country's security and defense capabilities,
but to strengthen their own support base."
"Zhoghovurd" comments on the decision by students protesting against a
controversial law restricting the right to draft deferments to suspend
their protests pending a roundtable discussion with government
representatives and other stakeholders. "The government took advantage
of the fact that the protesting students are inexperienced and
convinced them to at least temporarily halt their struggle. Even if
this struggle is resumed after a pause it will hardly gain momentum,"
the daily suggests.
(Anush Mkrtchian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

Author: Ani Tigranian

Konstantin Zatulin: Armenia-EU agreement is not a threat to Russia’s national interests

Armenia moving to bar use of GMOs

Newspaper: Fight within Armenia ruling party to remain at helm of power in 2018 enters new phase

Bako Sahakyan visitis Hadrout

Sports: Armenian arm-wrestlers return home with medals

Culture: Armenian Dolmas: a Thanksgiving treat

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 11/16/2017

RA and RF are working on the road map of the joint investment fund. president

Statement by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian at General Policy Debate of the 39th Session of the UNESCO General Conference

In our country, people can follow and record to another person in order to make decisions in the future – Marina Poghosyan