Author: Antonian Lara

Azerbaijani authorities continue intense fake news campaign, again falsely accuse Armenia of border gunfire

Antonian Lara

 13:50, 4 September 2023

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 4, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani authorities released their third disinformation on Monday, once again falsely accusing the Armenian military of opening fire across the border, the Armenian Ministry of Defense warned in a statement Monday afternoon.

“The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan continues to spread disinformation. The statement disseminated by the [Ministry of Defense] of Azerbaijan as if on September 4, at around 11:20 a.m., the units of the Armenian Armed Forces opened fire at the Azerbaijani combat outposts located in the southwestern part of the border, is another disinformation,” the Armenian Ministry of Defense said.

The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense has been spreading fake news nearly every day in recent days, with what has been described by Armenian authorities as a sign of Baku plotting new provocations.

Rally against nine-month Armenian blockade held in Uptown Waterloo (Canada)

Antonian Lara
iHeartRadio, Canada
Sept 3 2023


A group gathered in Uptown Waterloo Saturday to bring attention to the nine-month supply blockade in Armenia.

The blockade has been happening in a separatist region of the country and is home to roughly 120,000 people.

“The only corridor between Armenia and Artsakh is being blocked by Azerbaijan,” said Levon Sarmazian, chair of the Armenian National Committee of Southwestern Ontario.  “Currently there is a very big humanitarian crisis going on where there is no medicine, no food, and no transportation between those regions.

“We’re hoping that the Canadian government can put pressure on Azerbaijan, which is a big player in the world with oil and trade. Hoping they can put pressure on them to open up the corridor and to stop this crisis from continuing.”

Last month the Armenian UN Ambassador wrote a letter to the Security Council asking them to intervene. It came after the international criminal courts former chief prosecutor released a report warning, “there is a reasonable basis to believe that genocide is being committed.”

Representatives for Azerbaijan have dismissed the report saying it, “contains unsubstantiated allegations.”

The region was claimed by both Azerbaijan and Armenia following the fall of the Russian empire.

It broke away in the early 1990s before Azerbaijan retook the area three years ago.

Opinion | Is Armenians’ Ethnic Cleansing Happening Once More?

Antonian Lara
VIGOUR TIMES
Sept 2 2023
September 2, 2023 by Mat Hutchison

The war in Ukraine is already horrifying, with Russian torture chambers and the slaughter of civilians. However, there is another country taking advantage of the chaos to commit its own crimes against humanity.

Allow me to introduce Azerbaijan.

You may not be familiar with Azerbaijan’s brutality towards the ethnic Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, but it definitely deserves our attention. Luis Moreno Ocampo, the former chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, who I’ve known since he sought accountability for the genocide in Sudan’s Darfur region, now compares the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh to a genocide.

In a recent report, Ocampo wrote, “There is an ongoing genocide against 120,000 Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

When we think of genocide, we typically imagine mass killings. However, according to the 1948 Genocide Convention, it encompasses a broader definition that includes “acts committed with intent to destroy” a specific ethnic, racial, or religious group, even without mass killings.

Ocampo argues that Azerbaijan is carrying out this genocide by blockading Nagorno-Karabakh, causing people to die or flee and effectively erasing an ancient community. Starvation, he emphasizes, is the invisible weapon of genocide. Without immediate intervention, he warns that this group of Armenians will be destroyed within weeks.

Labeling this as genocide is of critical importance, according to Ocampo. It is crucial for the United States, Britain, and other world powers to step up pressure on Azerbaijan.

The concept of genocide emerged in response to the mass killings of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and 1916, making Azerbaijan’s starvation tactics a chilling echo of history. Organizations like Genocide Watch, the Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention, and the International Association of Genocide Scholars have all issued warnings about the risk of genocide and called for Azerbaijan to be held accountable for its crimes against humanity.

The crisis began when Azerbaijanis began blockading the only road into Nagorno-Karabakh, the Lachin corridor to Armenia, which is essential for the territory’s supply of food and medicine.

Reports from Nagorno-Karabakh paint a bleak picture. “People are fainting in the bread queues,” says a local journalist quoted by the BBC. The Halo Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to clearing minefields, had to suspend operations because its staff were too exhausted from queuing for bread all night and returning home empty-handed. A third of deaths in Nagorno-Karabakh are attributed to malnutrition, according to local authorities. While I cannot independently verify these reports, the evidence suggests a dire situation that is worsening day by day.

Unfortunately, it seems that the West is fatigued and focused on its own internal issues. It has shown little attention to global crises beyond Ukraine, from atrocities in Ethiopia to Sudan’s warlords slaughtering civilians. Dictators find this to be an opportune time to commit war crimes.

To understand the conflict, it’s essential to note that authoritarian Azerbaijan has a predominantly Muslim population speaking a Turkic language, while Nagorno-Karabakh has a mostly Christian population that speaks Armenian. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Nagorno-Karabakh sought independence. A war ensued, ending with a stalemate where the enclave operated autonomously but maintained close ties with neighboring Armenia. In 2020, Azerbaijan waged a brief war, retaking most of the enclave and now aiming to reclaim the rest, likely intending to displace much of the ethnic Armenian population.

While the world, including Armenia’s prime minister, recognizes that Nagorno-Karabakh’s sovereignty belongs to Azerbaijan, Azerbaijan argues for the political and economic integration of the territory with the rest of the country. However, what Azerbaijan is doing is not integration; it is starvation. Both the United States and Russia agree that Azerbaijan should reopen the Lachin corridor and end the suffering.

One potential compromise is outlined by Benyamin Poghosyan of the Applied Policy Research Institute of Armenia. Azerbaijan would open the Lachin road while Nagorno-Karabakh simultaneously opens one or more roads into Azerbaijan. The U.S. State Department hinted at this approach in a statement condemning the blockade. As part of the compromise, Azerbaijan would guarantee the freedom of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Admittedly, this compromise is unsatisfactory, as it rewards Azerbaijan for starving civilians, and there is skepticism about Azerbaijan’s promises. However, diplomats often have to devise flawed agreements that are preferable to the alternatives. In this case, a defective deal is better than mass starvation and ethnic cleansing of Armenians.

https://vigourtimes.com/opinion-is-armenians-ethnic-cleansing-happening-once-more/

Armenia reiterates need for international fact-finding mission in Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh

Antonian Lara

 11:38,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 31, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said that his administration will continue to advance the need for dispatching an international fact-finding mission to Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh, something he described as an “absolute necessity.”

Speaking at the August 31 Cabinet meeting, PM Pashinyan said that the Armenian government must continue efforts to draw international attention on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rulings of 22 February and 6 July must be in the focus.

“With these rulings, the ICJ ordered Azerbaijan to take all steps at its disposal to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The court emphasized that the ruling is binding by law for Azerbaijan. The explicit disregard for this ruling by Azerbaijan is an overt manifestation of its policy of dispossession, because disregard for binding rulings is characteristic to the conduct of those who are committing such policy. And we must tirelessly advance the idea of sending an international fact-finding mission to Lachin Corridor and Nagorno-Karabakh, because especially now this is an absolute necessity,” PM Pashinyan said.

The Armenian Prime Minister added that ensuring access of essential humanitarian aid to Nagorno-Karabakh is a priority task.

Europeans started to see that Azerbaijan has gone too far – Armenian Ambassador ahead of Belgian FM’s visit

Antonian Lara

 11:15, 21 August 2023

BRUSSELS, AUGUST 21, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Armenia to Belgium and Head of the Mission of Armenia to the European Union Anna Aghadjanian has lauded the very high-level political dialogue between Armenia and Belgium.

In an interview to ARMENPRESS ahead of the Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib’s visit to Armenia, Ambassador Aghadjanian spoke about the current relations between the two countries and the areas with potential for cooperation.

Lately, Armenia and the region have been under the focus of the EU and its member states, and Belgium’s decision to open an embassy in Armenia attests to that.

“Currently there is a rather high-level political dialogue. The Belgian side has been displaying active interest for us in the recent period,” the Ambassador told ARMENPRESS Brussels correspondent Lilit Gasparyan.

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib’s visit to Armenia aims at boosting ties, she said.

“The main goal of the visit is to boost relations, further develop political dialogue and identify new areas of cooperation. A delegation of the Belgian chamber of commerce plans to carry out an exploratory visit to Armenia in October. In a sense, Minister Lahbib’s visit will lay the political foundation for trade-economic relations. Now Belgium is very interested in the region. In the past they used to say ‘we are part of the EU stance, we don’t have an individual stance, we are not making statements’. But the opening of an embassy in Armenia is a serious signal, especially given that in the past years they were saying that they don’t have material resources and are forced to shut down embassies. But I have to emphasize that Lahbib played a very serious role in the decision to open an embassy of Belgium in Armenia,” the Armenian Ambassador said.

“I think the decision on opening an embassy is a result of treating the region more seriously and willingness to be involved in processes, a result of understanding that Armenia could be a foothold in the region,” she added.

Noting Belgium’s recognition of the Armenian Genocide not only on the legislative level but also the executive, the Armenian Ambassador said that Belgium had the courage to do so in person of the then-Prime Minister Charles Michel.

“Now we can say the same about the Artsakh conflict. The federal and regional parliaments and the Senate were very active during the war, they adopted serious resolutions, an urgent resolution was adopted regarding the return of prisoners of war. Last year, the friendship group visited Armenia days after the Azerbaijani military invasion into Armenia. Member of Parliament George Dallemagne visited Armenia and Artsakh during the war. There’s been attention for Artsakh at least during my tenure,” the Ambassador added, lauding the Belgian government officials for their willingness to be informed in detail on Artsakh.

A month after the 2020 war ended, the Belgian foreign ministry donated a serious sum of money to the Zinvori Tun (Soldier’s Home) Rehabilitation Center to support the recovery of Armenian war veterans, in what the ambassador commended as a “very beautiful and touching” gesture. Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib will visit the Soldier’s Home during her upcoming trip.

Noting the great potential for cooperation in the political and economic areas, Ambassador Aghadjanian said that areas of potential partnership in economy include IT, services, high-tech agriculture, pharmaceuticals and other sectors.

Aghadjanian’s term as Ambassador will end in September.

Asked on the difficulties and challenges during her tenure, she said: “For many years we were viewed as a pro-Russian country, a country depending on Russia. Set aside whether or not this is justified. But this has become a stereotypical viewpoint in the EU, also due to the fact that we did not sign the EU Association Agreement in the last moment. Naturally, this had its reasons, but it’s not up to me to judge. But that was a ‘disaster’ for a European politician thinking within a clearly defined circle, like, ‘look they went to the Russians, they are bad, they are pro-Russian’. However, when we look at our cooperation objectively, it has always been very broad. In some areas we were even ahead of some other countries who are considered to be closer to the EU. But since we’ve never expressed ourselves against Russia, we’ve been perceived as a country depending on Russia. Our serious reforms helped us for the EU to try and break this stereotype of Armenia not having chosen the European path. Some lawmakers who used to criticize us claiming that we were not democratic are today calling for helping Armenia because it is advancing on the path of democracy. This is the most important assessment for me. On the other hand, the fact that our region wasn’t a priority for the EU was a challenge. The approaches changed when the war in Ukraine began, and now our region is more important for the EU. I have to mention that the EU itself is in a difficult condition today. Virtually all financial resources are directed to Ukraine, and if they find some resource for us today, we should appreciate it. We must also appreciate that parallel with the issue of Ukraine, which is of principled importance for the EU, the EU is dealing with our region and conflicts. It’s not up to us to assess whether it’s done good or bad. In the recent weeks, there’s been significant ‘enough is enough’ approach by the Europeans, referring to Azerbaijan having gone too far. Somethings we’ve been saying, but they wouldn’t believe. We were warning that Azerbaijan will start a war, they were telling us not to overreact and exaggerate. Now we’ve come to a point when they are trying to speak in a strict language.”

Asbarez: Yerevan Says U.S. Can Push for UN Security Council Resolution to Resolve Artsakh Crisis

Antonian Lara
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

The UN Security Council meets to discuss Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh on Aug. 16


Official Yerevan said that it anticipates that the United States will play a role in resolving the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh, stemming from Azerbaijan’s more than eight-month blockade of the Lachin Corridor

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan told reporters on Tuesday that the U.S. can play a role in advancing a resolution by the United Nations Security Council to resolve the crisis.

Mirzoyan’s was responding to a reporter’s question about media reports suggesting that the U.S. actively obstructed the adoption of a resolution by the UN Security Council after it held an emergency session last week to discuss the Artsakh crisis.

An overwhelming majority of the countries represented last week at the UN Security Council session called on Azerbaijan to end the blockade and ensure free movement along the Lachin Corridor. However, no tangible statement or resolution emerged from the meeting aside from declarations of support for the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace talks.

The U.S. joined the European Union, France, Russia, China and other states to firmly reject the blockade.

“I have to note that the UN Security Council emergency meeting, which was convened at the request of Armenia, was open, and not only Armenians but the entire world had the opportunity to hear the positions of participating countries, including the United States,” Mirzoyan told reporters.

“In instances where the world is witnessing Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, I don’t think the United States would want to or plans to be part or contribute to a policy of ethnic cleansing in any way or form,” added Mirzoyan. “It would be difficult to imagine that.”

“I think and I hope that the US very well realizes the extent and the alarming pace of the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh, and also realizes that a possible resolution in the UN Security Council would come to resolve this situation and return the parties to the negotiations agenda,” Mirzoyan said.

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry on Monday downplayed the UN Security Council’s failure to formally demand an end to Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh.

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan told reporters in written comments that the format of the meeting did not “presuppose the adoption” of any such document.

“Besides, only the 15 (permanent and non-permanent) members of the UN Security Council have the right to draft UN Security Council resolutions and initiate voting. Armenia, not being a member of the UN Security Council, does not have such authority,” Badalyan added.

“The discussion at the UN Security Council provides an important platform, an opportunity to focus the attention of the international community on the possible catastrophic consequences of the situation, to activate the Council’s efforts to address it and to foster their possible coordination and to outline the further steps,” explained Badalyan.

She added that the Armenian foreign ministry will continue its efforts within the UN and other arenas.

“Today, the international community, the members of the UN Security Council interested in real, lasting stability in the region must take clear steps, unite efforts in order to lead the developed understanding regarding the importance of reopening the Lachin corridor and the immediate resolution of the problem with effective use of existing mechanisms,” Badalyan said.

Life-long educator Houry Boyamian to be honored at ANCA Eastern Region Gala

Antonian Lara
 ANCA-Eastern Region ANCA News 1

BOSTON, Mass.—Houry Boyamian, longtime former principal of St. Stephen’s Elementary School in Watertown, Massachusetts, will be honored with the ANCA Eastern Region’s inaugural Excellence in Education Award at the ANCA Eastern Region Endowment Fund’s 17th Annual Gala, to be held on Saturday, October 7, 2023, at the Royal Sonesta Hotel in Cambridge. Boyamian will be joined by other award recipients, including Dr. Michael Rubin, who will receive the inaugural Advocacy Award, and other deserving activists and leaders who will receive the ANCA Eastern Region Vahan Cardashian Awards and Freedom Awards.

Boyamian, who has a French baccalaureate in literature and philosophy from the College Protestant Francais, also holds a bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from St. Joseph University and a master’s in education from the University of Massachusetts. She is also a graduate of Nishan Palandjian Djemaran and is fluent in Armenian, English, French and Arabic. 

During her 35-year tenure as the founding principal of St. Stephen’s Elementary School, she launched various initiatives to properly modernize and equip the school with state-of-the-art technology. She fundraised for several expansion projects for the school, including the construction of a preschool building in 1998, a new kindergarten building in 2012, a teacher retention program in 2018, and a new student financial aid program in 2019. Boyamian also introduced new extracurricular activities for students, including chess, art, science, music, robotics and sports, along with a STEM initiative launched in 2011. Under her tutelage, St. Stephen’s became the first Armenian-American day school in New England to be accredited by the Association of Independent Schools in 2003.

As a descendant of an Armenian Genocide survivor, Boyamian has volunteered her time in various development workshops for genocide education, presenting her family history to teach about the Genocide. She also commissioned an English translation of her father Karnig Panian’s memoir of childhood and orphanhood, titled Goodbye, Antoura, published by the Stanford University Press on April 24, 2015. The book has been translated into French, Turkish and Russian and is widely studied by both professors and students in U.S. universities, offering an emotional and lesser-known part of the Armenian Genocide to the world.

“Witnessing the positive changes that the school has undergone throughout the years is largely due to Principal Boyamian’s efforts. Her work speaks for itself as we witness the success of the school, now entering its 39th year with more than 190 students. Her dedication to education and culture also extends beyond the walls of St. Stephen’s, as she is also a champion for Armenian Genocide education,” said Tsoler Avedissian, 17th annual gala committee member and former student of Boyamian.

For Boyamian, her biggest sense of achievement and fulfillment arises from her students – many graduates are active in the New England community in various capacities, serving several Armenian organizations, and have gone on to attend top colleges and universities, becoming successful leaders in their respective fields. 

In recognition of her achievements, Boyamian has received the Mesrob Mashdots medal from the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia in 2005 and the Queen Zabel medal from the Armenian Prelacy in New York City, as well as a proclamation from the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 2008. In 2018, she also received a certificate of honor from the Ministry of Diaspora of the Republic of Armenia.

“This recognition is a testament to her unwavering dedication, visionary leadership and profound impact on shaping the lives of countless Armenian students, including mine. Her commitment to fostering a nurturing and enriching learning environment has left an indelible mark on all of us who had the privilege of being under her guidance. This award not only acknowledges her exceptional contributions but also serves as an inspiration to us all, reaffirming the lasting influence of her legacy in the realm of education in the greater Boston Armenian community,” concluded Avedissian. 

Tickets for the gala, which include a cocktail reception, silent auction and seated dinner can be purchased at www.givergy.us/ancaer. For more information about this year’s gala, visit our website or contact [email protected].

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The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region is part of the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization, the ANCA. Working in coordination with the ANCA in Washington, DC, and a network of chapters and supporters throughout the Eastern United States, the ANCA-ER actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


11 killed, 6 injured in minibus crash in NW Armenia

Antonian Lara
MEHR News Agency
Iran – Aug 14 2023

TEHRAN, Aug. 14 (MNA) – 11 people died and 6 injured in a car crash involving a minibus and a truck on the Yerevan-Gyumri highway on Monday, authorities said.

A Volkswagen passenger minibus and a ZIL truck collided around 00:30, August 14, near the village of Lanjik in Shirak Province, northwestern Armenia, the Rescue Service said in a press release.

11 people died and 6 others were injured in the crash. The 6 injured victims, aged 27, 34, 33, 38, 23, and 39 were taken to the Gyumri Medical Center, Armenpress reported.

The 33-year-old driver of the ZIL truck is among those injured.

AMK/PR

AW: Experience Vanadzor with Boo Mountain Bike Park

Antonian Lara
 Paul Vartan Sookiasian Travel 0

Vanadzor (Photo: Paul Vartan Sookiasian)

Once the industrial heart of Soviet Armenia and still the country’s third largest city, Vanadzor has struggled to regain its former glory since the collapse of the Soviet Union. The city has spent the past thirty years in the shadow of decaying factories and a shrinking population, but over the past couple of years a new momentum has been jump-started by the opening of a number of new establishments. Despite the city’s industrialized history, Vanadzor is set amid some of Armenia’s most breathtaking nature, and Emma Petrosyan and Vagho Skarnet identified immense potential in its green hills. Though practically unknown in Armenia, the sport of mountain biking has a growing popularity globally, which fits perfectly with the country’s rocky terrain. Seeking to combine their passion for cycling with their expertise in the hospitality industry, Petrosyan and Skarnet opened Boo Mountain Bike Park & Cafe in October 2022 to breathe new life into Vanadzor’s outdoor adventure scene while fostering a vibrant sense of community.

The work partners discovered the city in 2017 while pitching their vision to Yana Mkrtchyan, co-founder of Vanadzor’s EcoLab Foundation, which has provided invaluable support and connections to the municipality and Lori regional government. Encouraged by the example of the foundation’s nearby Boo Alt House, Petrosyan and Skarnik decided to settle in this picturesque location, which would allow their park to be close to a city and yet immersed in nature. They also reached out online to various companies engaged in the mountain biking space and received an enthusiastic response from VeloSolutions with advice. Due to the relatively nascent biking culture in Armenia, VeloSolutions suggested starting with a pump track – a paved circuit with banked turns that riders navigate by “pumping” up and down rather than pedaling. This approach allows newcomers to develop skills and confidence before venturing into the surrounding forests and mountains.

Cyclists at the Boo Mountain Bike Park (Photo: Paul Vartan Sookiasian)

Plans and a budget were drawn up, but the project faced setbacks due to the pandemic and the traumatic 2020 war. This inspired VeloSolutions to sponsor the planning of the track itself, including the salaries of international specialists and their travel costs, which was vital as the expertise doesn’t exist within Armenia. “We just provided the machinery and materials, which were funded by the European Union and GiZ, though some loans also became necessary as construction costs rose drastically when the war in Ukraine started, causing the budget to fall short,” said Petrosyan. In addition, the Vanadzor municipality, recognizing the park’s potential for tourism development, provided the land free of charge for a ten-year lease.

As Skarnet described, “There were still obstacles, which came from doing something nobody has done before, but coming here was the best choice we could have made, because Vanadzor has people and a sense of community you won’t find anywhere else. Even though there has been some resistance from skeptical residents, the tight-knit nature of Vanadzor means trends get transmitted quickly, and people here are always willing to help others in need. All the problems we’ve ever faced have been solved with the general support of this community network.”

Years of hard work culminated in the first-of-its-kind pump track for not only Armenia but the entire Caucasus region. Boo gets its name from the Armenian word for the owls that call the surrounding forests home. Since opening on October 22, 2022, the track has become a hub for riders of all ages seeking an escape from digital screens and a connection with the great outdoors. So far, a large percentage of customers have been from the displaced Russian population, as the sport is bigger back home in Russia, along with local cycling clubs from Yerevan, experienced riders and children just starting out. “We have kids coming to ride and are so happy to welcome them. That is the future of mountain biking,” said Petrosyan. “That’s also why VeloSolutions supported us. We’re part of their mission to grow the future of the sport globally.”

One of the park’s recent visitors was Tatev Torabyan, a marketing professional from Yerevan who made her first visit this spring. She described the experience as more than just cycling but also a journey of personal growth: “There are a lot of challenges we face in everyday life, and a big aspect of overcoming them is mental. Coming here to ride the pump track gives you the confidence that you can overcome these fears.” The physical and mental health benefits of biking are clear, and to ensure this experience is accessible to everyone, using the pump track is completely free of charge.

In order to sustain the park’s operations, revenue is generated through bike rentals and an adjacent cafe, which was built with funds from the United Nations Development Program. The cafe plays a crucial role as a central meeting point, fostering a vibrant atmosphere where riders and visitors can socialize. Perched on stilts, the cafe’s contemporary Scandinavian mountain hut design offers a commanding view of the city, providing a beautiful setting for visitors to enjoy a cup of coffee or engage in work. It has become a popular destination for Vanadzor’s progressive youth, who now have a place to gather and express their creativity. Special events such as dee-jayed music events, cinema nights featuring English movies with subtitles to learn the language, morning yoga and photography workshops further enhance the cafe’s appeal.

Presently, the park features a beginner-friendly trail that leads from the cafe to the enchanting ruins of an abandoned Soviet camp. Weekly mountain bike tours are organized to explore a nearby scenic gorge, providing riders with the opportunity to discover the region’s breathtaking landscapes. With ambitious plans for expansion, the founders envision creating four kilometers of trails catering to more advanced riders and ultimately establishing a comprehensive bike park with different skill sections. They also hope avid bikers from the Armenian diaspora will lend their trail-building and riding expertise to further elevate the park’s offerings. They aim to inspire other Armenian cities to develop their own trails, while demonstrating to policymakers the economic potential of bike tourism. As the park ignites a sense of adventure among Vanadzor’s residents, it brings notice to this resilient community determined to shape its own future.

Cyclist at the pump track (Photo: Paul Vartan Sookiasian)

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Paul Vartan Sookiasian is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has worked in Armenia as the English language editor at CivilNet and as a project associate for USAID programs. More recently he served as one of the organizers of the World Congress on Information Technology 2019 Yerevan. He is also a historian who researches and brings to light the long and rich history of Philadelphia’s Armenian community.


Court jails Sergey and Armen Smbatyan in pre-trial detention

Antonian Lara

 10:09, 31 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 31, ARMENPRESS. A Yerevan court has approved a customary 2-month remand term for Sergey Smbatyan, the Principal Conductor of the Armenian State Symphony Orchestra and his father Armen Smbatyan, a former Armenian ambassador to Russia and Israel, a day after the two men were arrested.

The prosecution said that the Smbatyans are suspected of large-scale real estate fraud which caused nearly 1 billion drams in damages to the state.

Authorities said that a third suspect is also in custody. The latter was identified as entrepreneur Arman Petrosyan.