Teams of both boys and girls, consisting of pupils from 8-12 grades of the Artsakh Republic public schools, became winners in volleyball competitions in the Spartacus program.
The second place for the boys’ teams was occupied by the team of Lori region, the third place was taken by the team of Gegharkunik province. The second place in girls’ competitions was won by Aragatsotn province’s team and the third place was taken by the team of Kotayk region.
Pashinyan proposes to set pre-election debate on live broadcast by legislation
11:13,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan proposed to form a tradition of live pre-election debate starting from the upcoming snap parliamentary elections, Armenpress reports.
“I think there is a need for an important tradition during the upcoming parliamentary elections which must later be fixed by legislation. Live debate with the participation of the top figures of all forces participating in the elections”, the acting PM sad on Facebook.
The early parliamentary elections in Armenia will be held on December 9, 2018. The parties and party alliances can submit their applications before November 14, at 18:00. The registration will be carried out by the Central Electoral Commission before November 19, at 18:00. The election campaign launches on November 26 and will end on December 7.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Withlov.am has introduced a curated series of products
New Two-Tier Pricing Introduced
LOS ANGELES—WithLove.am, an online marketplace aiming to bridge the gap between sustainable, artisanal small businesses in Armenia and customers in the United States, has released its fourth annual limited edition items especially curated to be sold in a new tiered setup.
For the first time, customers will have the option to choose from a ‘select’ three-item set and a ‘premium’ four-item set which includes complimentary shipping. The collection launches November 1, with pre-orders being accepted now.
Since 2015, WithLove’s team has been curating the best of the country’s artisan economy into a special, one-of-a-kind set sold annually during the holidays. This spirit of discovery is the root of the concept behind WithLove, an initiative of Sosé and Allen’s Legacy Foundation which establishes programs and supports existing programs aimed at bridging the gap between Armenia and its Diaspora, through an emphasis on education, repatriation, and volunteerism.
“[My sister] was always on the hunt to meet talented people doing creative things,” said Legacy Foundation director and younger brother to Sosé, Vaché Thomassian. “Whether it was the ceramic potter who made [her] wedding favors, the young jewelry maker that she bought earrings from after meeting on Facebook, the painter, the clothing seamstress, or the shoemaker, there was no shortage of amazing stuff that she was able to find in Armenia.”
Customer feedback over the course of the last 3 years had indicated a need for more range in price and product options. WithLove aims to move closer to this ideal with its two-tiered approach for 2018. The products in this year’s curation are:
Saroyan “Armenian Mountain” candle by Shabeeg
Saroyan “Armenian Mountain” candle by Shabeeg
Mary Sukiasyan captures the scent of Armenia with wild peppermint oil.
Saroyan “Armenian Mountain” candle by Shabeeg
Dried apricots by Chreni
Co-founder Daniel Ghevondian and his all-woman team dehydrate Armenia’s national fruit to maximize its flavor and shelf life without added preservatives or sugars.
Porcelain studs by Ooloong
Porcelain studs by Ooloong
Toxin-free earrings handmade by Lilit Gevorgyan using luster gold, inspired by her childhood times spent in the gold mines her father worked at.
Macheek Leather Wallet
Leather wallet by Macheek
Designed and handmade using traditional ornamentation by Davit Minasyan, who launched the brand within his father’s workshop. *This product is only available in the premium set*
To learn more about the stories behind the products and their makers and to purchase a set, visit the online store.
As of 20:00 of 3 reports on apparent electoral breaches committed during elections of local self-government bodies held in 49 communities of 9 RA provinces were received in territorial subdivisions of the RA Investigative Committee.
Two of the materials with apparent electoral breach refer to breach of confidentiality of ballot, one refers to attempt of double voting. Preliminary investigation of criminal cases initiated on the base of the mentioned reports is conducted in Kotayk Regional Investigative Department.
Investigation is conducted as prescribed by law to verify circumstances mentioned in the reports. Additional information about procedural decisions made on the base of the results will be provided.
We remind that by the instruction of the Chairman of the RA Investigative Committee Hayk Grigoryan the whole staff of RA IC regional investigative departments worked on October 21 conditioned by elections of local self-government bodies held in 9 RA provinces.
Our revolution has no way to be a failure – Pashinyan gives speech in Armavir
19:47,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 17, ARMENPRESS. Acting Prime Minister of Armenia, Board Member of My Step Block’s “Civil Contract” Party Nikol Pashinyan participated in the election campaign rally of Davit Khudatyan, My Step block’s candidate of Armavir city mayor.
“I am glad to see you happy with victorious eyes and free and proud citizen’s gaze”, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan as saying. He added that hereafter the winner of any election will be the people. “You will win always and in all elections because thereafter none of your votes will be falsified, no one will dare to steal your vote, no one will dare to steal your power and no one will doubt who the highest representatives of the power are in the Republic of Armenia”, he said.
According to Nikol Pashinyan, huge political changes have taken place and a Government has been established with an acting PM at the head which acts without a sense of obligation towards any separate group. “Our sole obligation is before the people and this is the key point of our revolution. This is the reason why our revolution has no way to be a failure”, Pashinyan said, noting that up till now hundreds of thousands of citizens of Armenia had the right to vote but had no voice.
Addressing the residents of Armavir, the acting PM introduced their candidate. “He is one of you who grew with you. Go to the polling stations and vote for Davit Khudatyan because these elections are not just city mayor elections, but the continuation of the revolution and the revolution we carried out in the squares now enters into polling stations”, he said.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
President Armen Sarkissian has initiatied consultations with parliamentary factions to discuss the existing situation in the country, the president’s office said.
The president held a meeting with Republican (HHK) faction leader Vahram Baghdasaryan.
Sarkissian commended the negotiations path adopted by the political forces recently and attached importance to the atmosphere of tolerance and solidarity in the country. The president once again stressed that the existing problems can be and should be solved through dialogue, within the framework of the Constitution and laws – being guided by national and state interests.
Baghdasaryan reiterated the HHK statement, whereby it said that it doesn’t indent and didn’t intend to nominate a candidate for prime minister, at the same time by not accepting the arguments on the need to hold the snap elections in December of this year.
At the same time, he said that the political forces should have proper time to prepare for elections.
Interfax - Russia & CIS General Newswire October 4, 2018 Thursday 11:11 AM MSK Armenian govt dismisses 6 governors representing parties Prosperous Armenia, Dashnaktsutyun YEREVAN. Oct 4 The Armenian government on Thursday decided to dismiss the governors of six regions from the parties Prosperous Armenia (Tsarukyan bloc) and Dashnaktsutyun. The governors Ashot Simonyan of the Aragatsotn region, Grant Margaryan of the Lori region, Aragats Sagatelyan of the Vayots Dzor region, Gagik Miridzhanyan of the Armavir region, Ishkhan Sagatelyan of the Gegharkunik region, and Karen Ambartsumyan of the Syunik region have been dismissed by the government decree. Six ministers from the parties Prosperous Armenia and Dashnaktsutyun were earlier dismissed. Relevant decrees were ordered by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at a rally in central Yerevan on Tuesday. The prime minister also said he would resign after the decree on the dismissal of the ministers and governors took effect. The Armenian government is composed mainly of representatives of the prime minister's party Civil Contract and the bloc Yelk, which unites the prime minister's party with two others. The party Dashnaktsutyun held the posts of agriculture minister and economic development and investment minister. The party Prosperous Armenia, which is led by Gagik Tsarukyan, one of the richest people in Armenia, held the posts of sports and youth affairs minister, emergency situations minister, and energy infrastructure and natural resources minister. Av mk
By Brian Love
PARIS (Reuters) – France bid farewell to Charles Aznavour on Friday in a tribute that reflected the late singer’s status as a national icon at home as well as the country of his roots, Armenia.
Pallbearers carried Aznavour’s coffin into the courtyard at Les Invalides military museum in Paris, where Napoleon is buried, to the sound of haunting music played from a duduk, an oboe-like wind instrument native to Armenia.
The singer-songwriter passed away this week at 94.
“In France, poets never die,” French President Emmanuel Macron said, standing before the coffin draped in France’s blue-white-and-red flag. Alongside the casket lay a wreath in the colors of Armenia.
Macron is expected to travel to Armenia next week on an official visit that Aznavour had hoped to take part in.
“Armenians of all countries today, I am thinking of you,” Macron said. “He was supposed to be one of us next week in Yerevan, his absence will leave a giant void.”
Celebrities including the now-frail actor Jean-Paul Belmondo and Macron’s two predecessors attended the ceremony under clear blue skies.
Aznavour, whose global reach was enhanced by his ability to sing in more than half a dozen languages, died at his villa in Mouries, a village in the southern French Alpilles region, in the night of last Sunday to Monday.
Among his best-known songs – he sold upwards of 100 million records – were “”Hier Encore” (Yesterday When I Was Young), “”Apres l’Amour” (After Love) and “”La Boheme”. Others of anthem-status included “She” and “Formidable”.
Aznavour was born in Paris on May 22, 1924, to Armenian parents. His birth name was Shahnour Aznavourian.
He grew up on the Left Bank of Paris and began performing at the age of nine. His first public performances were at Armenian gatherings where his father and older sister Aida sang while he danced.
He broke from the shadows penning songs for Edith Piaf in the years after World War Two, and later brought rapt audiences to their feet at venues as far away as New York’s Carnegie Hall.
Macron embraced and exchanged words with Aznavour’s widow Ulla and relatives before standing side-by-side with Armenian leaders for a ceremony that began with an army band rendition of Armenia’s national anthem, then France’s.
Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pachinyan paid tribute to the artist too, saying: “Charles Aznavour is the man who pitched the flag of Armenia on the roof of the world.”
YEREVAN, September 28. /ARKA/. The statement the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs issued after Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers met in New York on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly contains interesting messages, political analyst Angela Elibegova said Friday at a news conference.
OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs issued a statement yesterday cautioning the ministers about the threat of escalation of tension and urging the sides to take part in creation of a favorable environment and refrain from bellicose rhetoric.
The co-chairs stressed that a comprehensive settlement will require concessions from all the sides of the conflict.
“The co-chairs urge the sides to refrain from bellicose rhetoric and not to escalate tension,” Elibegova said. “It was taken on record that there are victims and things may lead to escalation. They called on the sides to resume talks and refrain from aggressive rhetoric. I think this, first of all, applies to Azerbaijan, since President Ilham Aliyev hardened his statements recently.”
In her opinion, the fact that the foreign ministers arranged for resumption of the negotiations despite the circumstance that there is no arrangement for any meeting between the counties’ leaders gives grounds for thinking that the talks are resuming, though slowly and heavily.
”Tension not only in Artsakh, but also on Armenia’s borders shows that escalation of the situation may produce a very dangerous effect, and time has come to resume the negotiation,” Elibegova said adding that Azerbaijan will make every effort to derail the process and shift responsibility onto Armenia.
The political analyst thinks that by acting this way the Azerbaijani side is trying to take advantage of the changes in Armenia, but it is necessary not to prevent that.
Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988 when Karabakh, mainly populated by Armenians, declared its independence from Azerbaijan.
On December 10, 1991, a few days after the collapse of the Soviet Union, a referendum took place in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the majority of the population (99.89%) voted for secession from Azerbaijan.
Afterwards, large-scale military operations began. As a result, Azerbaijan lost control over Nagorno-Karabakh and the seven regions adjacent to it.
Some 30,000 people were killed in this war and about one million people fled their homes.
On May 12, 1994, the Bishkek cease-fire agreement put an end to the military operations.
Тalks brokered by OSCE Minsk Group are being held over peaceful settlement of the conflict. The group is co-chaired by USA, Russia and France. -0—–
Azerbaijan urges the Armenian leadership not to repeat the mistakes of their predecessors, Deputy Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan Khalaf Khalafov said at the 39th Session of the UN Human Rights Council.
The deputy FM mentioned that the fundamental rights and freedoms of Azerbaijani refugees from Armenia and IDPs from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan have been violated for 30 years, seriously challenging the UN and its human rights mechanisms.
In this regard, Azerbaijan calls on the Human Rights Council, as well as its special mechanisms and the High Commissioner for Human Rights to make effective efforts to restore the violated rights of Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs as required by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, he added.
“We, in turn, continue to work for improving life standards of refugees and IDPs. I would like to mention that, in general, over the past 25 years more than $8 billion have been allocated for the social protection of this vulnerable group of people. Some 150 houses, school buildings, a kindergarten, medical institutions and other social facilities have been built in Jojug Marjanli village of Jabrayil district, which was liberated from the Armenian occupation in April 2016,” Khalafov said.
Armenia continues to ignore the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the General Assembly, Khalafov added.
“Unfortunately, latest statements of Armenia’s new leadership, in fact, undermine the peace negotiation process and they are aimed at consolidating the occupation of Azerbaijani territories, thereby putting the region face to face with new threats. We reiterate that all responsibility for disruption of the negotiation process and escalation of tensions in the region lies entirely on the Armenian leadership,” the deputy minister added.
“We urge the Armenian leadership not to repeat the mistakes of their predecessors and take a constructive stance on the issue of resolving the conflict on the basis of unconditional liberation of all the occupied Azerbaijani territories. We call on them to respect the sovereignty, territorial integrity and inviolability of internationally recognized borders of states,” Khalafov said.