Please find the attached press release of the Ministry of Diaspora. Sincerely, Media and PR Department: ( 374 10) 585601, internal 805 ---------------------- Sincerely Department of Press and Public Relations ( 374 10) 585601, extension 805
101. Hranush Hakobyan received the leader of the Armenian Diocese of Tehran.docx
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Chef Ilona Daniel says Easter was a time when her Hungarian and Armenian backgrounds intertwined in the food her family ate. (Submitted by Ilona Daniel)
Egg Wash (make sure all ingredients are at room temperature)
Makes 72 cookies.
Submitted by Ilona Daniel
Weekly
update
17 MARCH 2018
CNN reports, that “President Donald Trump announced
Tuesday that he has fired Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and will nominate
CIA Director Mike Pompeo to succeed him, replacing his top diplomat ahead of a
potential high-stakes sitdown between the US President and North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un.”
Tillerson
extended his gratitude to the American people, his State Department staff and
the nation’s extensive network of diplomats in his farewell statement on March
13. CNN further
reports, that “Trump has wanted Pompeo as his secretary of state for months.”
President told reporters that he and Pompeo are “on the same
wavelength” and “the relationship has always been very good and that
is what I need.”
He
also tweeted about his
decision: “Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of
State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!
Gina Haspel will become the new Director of the CIA, and the first woman so
chosen. Congratulations to all!”
Gina Haspel, the newly
nominated first-ever female director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA),
is a career intelligence officer with more than 30 years’ experience. She ran a
prison in Thailand, the so-called “black sites”, where suspected
al-Qaeda members were tortured by waterboarding in 2002.
On March 4
Russian spy Sergei Skripal and
his daughter were deliberately poisoned by a nerve agent, named Novichok, developed by
Vil Mirzoyanov who called it “a weapon of mass murder.” Mrs May said Russia is “culpable” for
the attack and she expelled 23 Russian
diplomats. As The New York Times reports,
“she vowed to crack down on Russian spies, corrupt elites and ill-gotten wealth
in Britain.”
U.S. Senator
John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the
following statementon the poisoning
of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury,
England:
“As we hope for
the recovery of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, we must recognize the brutal reality:
whether in the shadow of the Kremlin or in a peaceful town in the English
countryside, Putin will not hesitate to engage in state-sponsored assassination
and endanger the lives of innocent bystanders. He must not be allowed to treat
the United Kingdom or any other nation as a venue for political murder. The
precedent set by inaction would be disastrous.
The United
States and all of Britain’s allies must stand firmly alongside the United
Kingdom and be prepared to take resolute and appropriate steps to hold Russian
authorities accountable for this outrageous crime – a crime that demonstrates
so perfectly Putin’s contempt for the sovereignty of a free people.”
Shortly after
that, a statement followed
from the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom on the attack
in Salisbury: “We, the leaders of France, Germany,
the United States and the United Kingdom, abhor the attack that took place
against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, United Kingdom, on March 4,
2018. A British police officer who was also exposed in the attack remains
seriously ill, and the lives of many innocent British citizens have been
threatened. We express our sympathies to them all, and our admiration for the
United Kingdom police and emergency services for their courageous response.
This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia,
constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second
World War. It is an assault on the United Kingdom’s sovereignty and any such
use by a state party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention
and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all. The
United Kingdom thoroughly briefed its allies that it was highly likely that
Russia was responsible for the attack. We share the United Kingdom’s assessment
that there is no plausible alternative explanation, and note that Russia´s
failure to address the legitimate request by the government of the United
Kingdom further underlines Russia’s responsibility. We call on Russia to
address all questions related to the attack in Salisbury. Russia should, in
particular, provide full and complete disclosure of the Novichok program to the
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Our concerns are
also heightened against the background of a pattern of earlier irresponsible
Russian behavior. We call on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as
a member of the U.N. Security Council to uphold international peace and
security.”
On March 15 the
U.S. Department of the Treasury imposed new sanctions on Russia. “The
Administration is confronting and countering malign Russian cyber activity,
including their attempted interference in U.S. elections, destructive
cyber-attacks, and intrusions targeting critical infrastructure,” said Treasury
Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “These targeted sanctions are a part of a
broader effort to address the ongoing nefarious attacks emanating from
Russia. Treasury intends to impose additional CAATSA (Countering
America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act) sanctions, informed by our
intelligence community, to hold Russian government officials and oligarchs
accountable for their destabilizing activities by severing their access to the
U.S. financial system.”
Today’s action
counters Russia’s continuing destabilizing activities, ranging from
interference in the 2016 U.S. election to conducting destructive cyber-attacks,
including the NotPetya attack, a cyber-attack attributed to the Russian
military on February 15, 2018 in statements released by the White House and the
British Government. This cyber-attack was the most destructive and costly
cyber-attack in history. The attack resulted in billions of dollars in
damage across Europe, Asia, and the United States, and significantly disrupted
global shipping, trade, and the production of medicines. Additionally,
several hospitals in the United States were unable to create electronic records
for more than a week.
Since at least
March 2016, Russian government cyber actors have also targeted U.S. government
entities and multiple U.S. critical infrastructure sectors, including the
energy, nuclear, commercial facilities, water, aviation, and critical
manufacturing sectors. Indicators of compromise, and technical details on
the tactics, techniques, and procedures, are provided in the recent technical
alert issued by the Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of
Investigation.
In addition to
countering Russia’s malign cyber activity, Treasury continues to pressure
Russia for its ongoing efforts to destabilize Ukraine, occupy Crimea, meddle in
elections, as well as for its endemic corruption and human rights
abuses. The recent use of a military-grade nerve agent in an attempt to
murder two UK citizens further demonstrates the reckless and irresponsible
conduct of its government. To date, this Administration has sanctioned more
than 100 individuals and entities under our Ukraine and Russia-related
sanctions authorities, including 21 individuals, nine entities, and 12
subsidiaries that are owned 50 percent or more by previously sanctioned Russian
companies on January 26, 2018. These sanctions are in addition to other
ongoing efforts by Treasury to address destabilizing activity emanating from
within Russia, including our sanctioning of Russians targeted for activities
related to the North Korea sanctions program, the Global Magnitsky program, and
the Sergei Magnitsky Act.
As a result of
today’s action, all property and interests in property of the designated
persons subject to U.S. jurisdiction are blocked, and U.S. persons are
generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with them.”
Sanctions
include the designation of three entities and 13 individuals pursuant to E.O.
(Executive Order) 13694, as amended, which targets malicious cyber actors,
including those involved in interfering with election processes or
institutions. Sanctions also include the designation of two entities and six
individuals pursuant to section 224 of CAATSA, which targets cyber actors
operating on behalf of the Russian government — Federal Security Service (FSB)
and Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU).
Prepared by Marina Muradyan
Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil have silenced critics, insists Arsene Wenger
by Sean Kearns, Sunday 11 Mar 2018 12:42 pm
Arsene Wenger believes Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Mesut Ozil are ‘combining well together’ and have quashed talk that the pair can’t play together.
Mkhitaryan, 29, joined Arsenal in January in a swap deal for Alexis Sanchez and scored his first goal for the club against AC Milan on Thursday after a slow start to life at the Emirates.
The Armenian’s arrival has prompted a tactical shift in some matches with Ozil and Mkhitaryan playing off a central striker as opposed to the German having free rein at number 10.
Many questioned whether the pair could play with one another given they both prefer an attacking midfield position but Wenger believes the duo can play together in the long-term.
‘Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored his first goal for us and Mesut Ozill added two more assists [against AC MIlan],’
Wenger wrote in his programme notes for the Watford game.
‘They are combining well and I always think when you have a good understanding of the game you can always play together. ‘That’s a little bit the art of combining. The anticipation and technical quality.
‘I could never understand the idea that good players could not play together, which is basically what people were saying’.
A delegation led by Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili will arrive in Armenia on an official visit March 2.
The Georgian Prime Minister is expected to have meetings with his Armenian counterpart Karen Karapetyan and President Serzh Sargsyan.
Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan and Georgia’s Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili will hold a private meeting, which will be followed by an expanded format meeting of the delegations.
The sides will make statements on the results of the talks afterwards. PM Kvirikashvili will also visit the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial in Yerevan to pay tribute to the Armenian Genocide victims. Giorgi Kvirikashvili will also visit the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies.
PanARMENIAN.Net – One theory is that midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan would have made a difference in Arsenal‘s latest clash against Manchester City, Fansided says in an article, claiming that the defeat was a clear result of not having enough attacking force.
The Armenia international was cup-tied, having made a substitute appearance for Manchester United and was unavailable for the match.
As such, Mesut Ozil didn’t have his creative mate there with him, and with both Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey sitting deeper, there was pure isolation that, hypothetically, could have been alleviated by Mkhitaryan.
“It’s hard to say what different Mkhitaryan would have made. Chances are we would have benefited from a few more chances, but one guy isn’t enough to change a game that got that lopsided. Not by a long shot,” the article says.
The Armenian boxers continue their performances at the 69th International Boxing Tournament Strandja 2018 taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria from 19 to 25 February.
In the third day of the competition, Armenian boxer Hrayr Shahverdyan (60 kg) defeated his Azerbaijani opponent. Gurgen Madoyan (69 kg) beat the Bulgarian representative, while Hambardzum Hakobyan (75 kg) lost his bout against Brazil’s athlete.
Five Armenian boxers have so far made it through to the quarter-finals of Strandja 2018 tournament, the Boxing Federation of Armenia told Panorama.am.
Another Armenian boxer Artur Hovhannisyan (49 kg) will fight his first bout on Thursday. In case of winning, he will secure at least a bronze medal.
SOUTHFIELD, Mich.—The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) “Tzolig” chapter of Greater Detroit, celebrated the Paregentan (Mardi Gras) weekend on Feb. 10, with comedian and entertainer Kev Orkian, at the Armenian St. John’s Church Banquet Hall in Southfield.
The Armenian Relief Society (ARS) “Tzolig” chapter of Greater Detroit, celebrated the Paregentan (Mardi Gras) weekend on Feb. 10, with comedian and entertainer Kev Orkian, at the Armenian St. John’s Church Banquet Hall in Southfield (Photo: ARS “Tzolig”)
In spite of a snowstorm and blistering cold weather, the community had come out to see—and laugh with—the London-based entertainer.
A shot of the crowd at the capacity event (Photo: ARS “Tzolig”)
The evening started with the blessing of the food by Der Hrant Kevorkian. After dinner, ungerouhi Tamitza Dakessian opened the program by inviting ungerouhi Helena Bardakjian to sing the American, Armenian, and ARS anthems.
Kev, during his piano performance (Photo: ARS “Tzolig”)
Ungerouhi Dakessian then welcomed attendees and thanked them for being present despite the unfavorable weather conditions. She then gave a brief report about the organization’s various projects and the “Tzolig” chapter’s involvement in regional and international ARS efforts. The ungerouhi then thanked all the chapter’s supporters and members, who worked hand in hand to make the event a success for the ARS.
Part of the proceeds from the event will be donated to an ARS-funded military hospital in Yerevan
Master Rubik has been making duduk, zurna, flute, bagpipe, blul and pku for 54 years. He started from flute.
He made it, learnt by himself and started playing in a self-employed group. Then he was invited to the Ensemble of the House of Trade.
As instrument acquisition was a big problem, he began to make them for musicians.
“By gradually preparing me, I was able to master the musicians’ desires,” says Master Ruby. And when I prepared a shade for Vache Hovsepyan, the radio authorities began to inquire and order the tool. And so did master Rubik. ”
“Gradually, by making the instruments, hearing the musicians wishes and realizing them, I mastered,” says master Rubik. ” And when I prepared a flute for Vache Hovsepyan, the radio authorities started ordering instruments. So, I became master Rubik.”
He has been awarded with silver and gold medals by the Ministries of Culture of Russia and Armenia, and presented 65 instruments at the exhibition organized in France.
Master Rubik says that every instrument has the peculiarity and the secret of its preparation. For example, an important condition for making a good duduk is that the apricot tree should grow on dry, unstable soil. The master needs to be energized before working, so that the instrument had a good sound.
“The Armenian instruments should speak Armenian. No matter how much a Frenchman plays the duduk, he does not play like an Armenian. Even the Armenian who has not grown up in Armenia will not be able to play well.”
Master Rubik is concerned about the lack of students.
“This age-old masters slowly pass away, but who knows who will replace them tomorrow?”
Master Rubik does not understand how much TV courses can be spent for cooking. “We are people with art and crafts, but it seems as if we have forgotten that, being busy with eating.”