The California Courier Online,
1- Gallup Poll Shows 89% of Armenians
Oppose Placing Artsakh Under Azeri Rule
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Michigan’s Armenian community rejects Pashinyan’s Diaspora Envoy
3- Najarian, Asatryan Win in Glendale Council Elections
4- ANSEF: Supporting Armenia’s Scientific Researchers
5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
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1- Gallup Poll Shows 89% of Armenians
Oppose Placing Artsakh Under Azeri Rule
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
In a May 26-28, 2022 Gallup International Association poll, 89.3% of
Armenia’s surveyed citizens said it was unacceptable for them “if the
population of Artsakh will be granted the status of a national
minority within Azerbaijan.” Only 4.4% of those surveyed found it to
be acceptable.
51% of the survey respondents were negatively inclined toward the
results of the May 22 trilateral meeting of Armenia’s Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijan’s Pres. Ilham Aliyev and European Union
President Charles Michel in Brussels. Only 34.7% of the respondents
positively assessed the meeting. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan
had agreed to unblock transport links between the two countries and
establish a road between mainland Azerbaijan and Nakhichevan crossing
Armenia’s territory.
Those who were surveyed thought that Armenia could receive weapons
from: Russia (48.1%), France (13.9%), United States (6.4%), Iran
(1.7%), CSTO — Collective Security Treaty Organization (1.1%), NATO
(0.5%), and UN Security Council (0.1%).
In an earlier poll conducted on April 2-6, 2022 by Gallup
International Association, 57.2% of the respondents did not believe
that “the current Armenian authorities will be able to sign a peace
agreement with Azerbaijan on acceptable terms in the interests of
Artsakh and Armenia.” 30.4% thought it would possible.
In response to the question as to who is responsible for the tension
created in and around Artsakh, 43.8% said it was Azerbaijan, 27% held
Armenia’s authorities responsible, 14.1% said the Russian
peacekeepers, 6.1% said the Artsakh authorities, and 3.5% put the
blame on Turkey.
47.7% of those surveyed gave a negative evaluation of Prime Minister
Pashinyan’s work,” while 38.8% thought it was positive.
The survey respondents were almost evenly divided between those who
said Pashinyan should resign (41.7%), and those who said he should not
(38.7%).
When asked which political party they would vote for if the elections
were held nowadays, 20.4% said they would support the ruling “Civil
Contract” party, 12% expressed support for the two opposition
parliamentary parties, and 1.7% for “Prosperous Armenia.” However,
28.8% of those surveyed said they would not vote for any party. The
ruling party’s rating has declined precipitously from 70.4% when
Pashinyan first came to power in 2018, and decreased even more from
the 53.9% of the votes his party received in the June 20, 2021
parliamentary elections.
When asked how they “assessed the current political situation in
Armenia,” 66.5% (two-thirds) of those surveyed gave a negative reply,
while only 22.3% had a positive opinion.
When asked for their solution to the current political situation in
the country, 27.6% saw no need for a change, 26.6% suggested that new
parliamentary elections be held, 21.8% favored the formation of a
transitional government, and 11.4% wanted more pressure exerted on the
opposition.
45.6% were against the recent street protests by the opposition, while
32.5% said they were supportive.
46.1% supported the confrontational conduct of the Armenian police
with the protesters, while 37.2% were critical.
In response to a question as to whether the survey respondents were
“for establishing diplomatic relations with Turkey without
preconditions and opening the borders,” 68% said they were against it,
while only 26.3% were in favor.
In conclusion, the Armenian society is sharply divided regarding the
country’s internal problems. There are those who support Prime
Minister Pashinyan and those who prefer that he be replaced.
Nevertheless, Pashinyan’s popularity has deteriorated significantly in
Armenia and most probably in the Diaspora compared to his initial
extraordinary popularity in 2018.
On critical issues facing Armenia vis-à-vis Azerbaijan and Turkey,
most Armenians are very negatively disposed toward any concessions in
order to improve relations with their two hostile neighboring
countries.
Respondents to several of the above questions have left no doubt that
the Prime Minister’s frequent claim that he has “the people’s mandate”
is no longer true. Pashinyan’s and his political party’s ratings have
diminished substantially, particularly after Armenia’s devastating
defeat in the 2020 war. His political party won last year’s
parliamentary elections with around 25% of the registered voters,
which is a small percentage of Armenia’s total population.
Since no such polls are conducted throughout the Diaspora, no one
knows Pashinyan’s exact rating among Diaspora Armenians. All
indications are that his rating in the Diaspora has suffered a
precipitous plunge just as in Armenia. Therefore, despite the Prime
Minister’s extremely high rating when he first came to power in 2018,
his followers now form a much smaller portion of Armenians in Armenia
and the Diaspora.
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2- Michigan’s Armenian community rejects Pashinyan’s Diaspora Envoy
(The Armenian Weekly)—The Republic of Armenia’s High Commissioner for
Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan publicized an official visit to
Michigan that was not announced to the entire community. “Instead, we
learned of Sinanyan’s Michigan public relations efforts in our state
through various social media posts and press releases issued by
Sinanyan’s office,” Michigan’s nine major organizations wrote in a
joint statement. “Those press releases falsely stated that he met with
‘community leaders from various Armenian churches, educational and
cultural organizations in the Greater Detroit area.” In fact, the
press statements from Sinanyan’s official office do not reflect the
reality of what really occurred while Sinanyan was in Michigan,” the
joint statement said.
“We are a strong community with many organizations and four Armenian
churches. However, during his Michigan visit, Sinanyan only visited
one church, where he met with a handful of selected community members.
No official announcements from Sinanyan’s office nor any formal
invitation to meet was extended to Michigan’s three other Armenian
churches and community organizations,” the group wrote in its
statement.
“It is disgraceful that the Government of Armenia, through Sinanyan’s
official office, falsified the truth of Sinanyan’s Michigan visit and
the pretenses under which it was made. It is clear that the reason
Sinanyan’s visit was handled in the above manner was to use Michigan’s
Armenian community to present the appearance that the Pashinyan
regime’s agenda was advanced here. Sinanyan operated in secrecy in a
failed effort to isolate and divide our community, following the usual
blueprint of the Pashinyan regime and its divisive strategies and
policies. The Armenian Diaspora is an essential pillar of the Armenian
nation. We will not allow anyone—including any representative of the
Pashinyan regime—to intrude on our community and attempt to divide our
unity,” the statement said.
“Contrary to the picture presented by the press releases from
Sinanyan’s office, Sinanyan failed to advance Nikol Pashinyan’s agenda
in Michigan to gain supporters for his traitorous agenda which gives
away Artsakh, normalizes relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan at the
expense of the security and sovereignty of Armenia and Artsakh and
jeopardizes the fight for full justice for the martyrs of the Armenian
Genocide. Sinanyan does not represent the Armenian Diaspora, and he
certainly does not represent the Armenian community of Michigan,” the
statement concluded.
The joint statement was signed by St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic
Church, St. Vartan Catholic Church, Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF) Azadamard Gomideh Detroit, AYF Detroit “Kopernik Tandourjian”
Junior and Senior Chapters, Armenian Relief Society (ARS) Tzolig,
Maro, Shake, Sybille and Zabel Chapters, Hamazkayin Armenian
Educational & Cultural Society of Detroit, Homenetmen of
Detroit,,Armenian National Committee (ANC) of Michigan, and Friends of
Artsakh.
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3- Najarian, Asatryan Win in Glendale Council Elections
In the June 7 municipal elections, Glendale City Councilman Vrej
Agajanian lost his seat after receiving 11,701 votes. He was replaced
by newcomer Elen Asatryan (pictured, top right) who got 13,121 votes.
City Councilman Ara Najarian (pictured, top left) was re-elected with
11,843 votes.
Two non-Armenian candidates, married to Armenians, lost: Anita
Quinonez Gabrielian received 9,817 votes, while Isabel
Valencia-Tevanyan received 3,055 votes.
Suzie Abajian was elected Glendale City Clerk after receiving 16,397
votes. She defeated Greg Krikorian who received 14,716 votes.
Rafi Manoukian (pictured, bottom right), who ran uncontested, was
re-elected Glendale City Treasurer with 24,297 votes. In the Glendale
Unified School District board elections, Lerna Amiryans and Armina
Gharpetian lost. Shant Sahakian (pictured, bottom left), who ran
uncontested, won.
In other elections, Harout (Art) Kaskanian lost his election to the
Gardena City Council. Sasha Zaroyan lost in the Monrovia City Council
elections.Ciran Hadjian lost in the Pasadena City Council elections.In
the Los Angeles Unified School District elections, Gentile
Barkhordarian lost.
Cong. Adam B. Schiff was re-elected with 101,970 votes (62.48%) in
California’s 30th District defeating Johny J. Nalbandian who got 7,663
votes (4.70%).
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4- ANSEF: Supporting Armenia’s Scientific Researchers
By Florence Avakian
The Armenian National Science and Education Fund (ANSEF), started 22
years ago with the support from the Fund for Armenian Relief.
This project was initiated by Drs. Gregory Adamian, Mihran Agbabian,
Aram Chobanian, Garabed Eknoyan, Vartan Gregorian, Anahid
Kazanjian-Longobardo, Edgar Housepian, Tavit Najarian, Yervant
Terzian, Yervant Zorian, and others.
The project has helped stop the ‘brain drain’ of top scientific
researchers and instructors from Armenia, and bringing international
recognition to Armenia, its extraordinary science and research
programs, and its talented individuals.
Dr. Artur Ishkanyan, a prominent physicist and the
Academician-Secretary of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia,
related that ANSEF is “one of the unique cultural structures created
by the Diaspora.”
The story of one of the ANSEF grant beneficiaries revealed the
extraordinary benefits that resulted. Dr. Victor Vardanyan wanted to
understand the intrinsic causes of child epilepsy. This had interested
him since he had taken his PH.D. studies in molecular neuroscience at
the University of Hamburg, Germany in the early 2000’s. Now, a 2022
ANSEF grant recipient, he and his research team is hard at work to
find an answer.
Dr. Aram Chobanian, one of the founders of ANSEF, was President
Emeritus of Boston University from 2003-2005, and is a world-renowned
cardiologist and formerly Dean of Boston University’s School of
Medicine. He was the first recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award
in Hypertension by the American Heart Association, and served as
Director of the Hypertension Specialized Center of Research funded by
the National Institute of Health from 1975 to 1995. He went to Armenia
in 1991 and 1992 to see the clinical condition of the hospitals. The
ANSEF pioneers created the program in 2000 with five research grants.
“The grants increased, reaching 100 to 150,” Dr. Chobanian said.
Dr. Vatche Sahakyan, who received his PH.D. in Theoretical Physics,
including cosmology, and the fundamental laws of nature, from the
University of Chicago, has taught as a professor at Harvey Mudd
College for 19 years. In the last 22 years, ANSEF has received 200 to
300 research proposals annually, he related. “ANSEF is funding
approximately $150,000 per year,” Dr. Sahakian said. He is one of six
professionals on the Executive Board of ANSEF.
ANSEF Executive Board member Dr. Anna Ohanyan, born in Armenia, and
now a professor of International Relations at Stonehill College in MA,
organized an international conference in Armenia, as a Fulbright
scholar in 2021. She reviews ANSEF proposals in the humanities and
social sciences, which, she said, were not paid as much attention to,
compared to the natural sciences in the USSR.
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5- Armenia Continues Fight Against COVID-19
More than 2.2 million doses of the coronavirus vaccine have been
administered in Armenia since commencing the vaccination program a
year ago, authorities said on Monday, June 20. For the second week, no
new cases or deaths were reported. Armenia has recorded 423,104
coronavirus cases. Armenia has recorded 8,629 deaths; 412,661 have
recovered.
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