Author: Arbi Tashjian

ACNIS reView from Yerevan #2, 2020_Weekly Update_18-25 January

Arbi Tashjian
Weekly Update   

26 JANUARY 2020  

 

  • President Xi Jinping said China was facing a “grave situation” as the death toll from the coronavirus outbreak jumped to 41, overshadowing celebrations of the Lunar New Year that began on Saturday, REUTERS reported. China also announced further transport restrictions. With more than 1,400 people infected worldwide, most of them in China, Hong Kong declared a virus emergency, scrapped celebrations and restricted links to mainland China. Australia confirmed its first four cases on Saturday, Malaysia confirmed four and France reported Europe’s first cases on Friday, as health authorities around the world scrambled to prevent a pandemic.
  • Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan believes that the President of Azerbaijan, the President of Artsakh and the Prime Minister of Armenia personally bear responsibility for peace and stability in the region, Armenpress said. “We are ready for constructive, normal work, as much as we understand how difficult of a work that is,” the PM said at a news conference on January 25. “But that’s our responsibility in the region. I have told my colleagues, that now we – the President of Azerbaijan, the President of the Republic of Artsakh and the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia – are personally bearing the responsibility of the future of peace and stability in the region. This is a personal responsibility, and to some extent also a common responsibility, and bearing this responsibility and [dealing] with it with honor is a very difficult task,” he said. Asked to elaborate on the NK talks, the PM emphasized that there is no secrecy around the negotiations.  “It is described and termed in my speech at the 2019 March joint Security Council session of Armenia and Artsakh in Stepanakert”, Pashinyan said. “In that speech I had outlined our circle of discussions in the negotiations process. It is this circle that we are now talking about. Currently there is no paper on the table for us to discuss. And we must work together to approach a more specific, more substantiated discussion phase,” the Armenian PM added.

 

  • A gunman surrendered to the Armenian police after reportedly bursting into an office building in Yerevan and opening fire there on Thursday, RFE/RL’s Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) said. Police officers rushed to the Erebuni Plaza Business Center and cordoned it off shortly after the gunfire. “The situation is under control,” a police spokesman told reporters outside the building. In an ensuing written statement, the national police service said that its acting chief, Arman Sargsian, personally negotiated with the gunman and that the latter handed his weapon and surrendered as a result. The unidentified man was then taken to a police station in Sargsian’s car, according to the statement, “No citizens were injured,” added the statement. “All circumstances of the incident are being clarified.” The police said nothing about the man’s demands or motives.

 

  • Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said he is ready to meet his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov in the near future, News.am said. When asked about the meeting by MP Arman Abovyan, Mnatsakanyan said they have certain arrangements. The Minister also noted that he attaches great importance to the participation of Karabakh in negotiations. “The issue of Karabakh’s participation in the peaceful settlement of the conflict remains on the agenda, and we have repeatedly explained the reasons. It is very important to have direct participation of an entity that has elected authorities, a political entity,” he added.

 

  • In the framework of the World Economic Forum in Davos, President Armen Sarkissian met with the President of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) Suma Chakrabarti, the Presidential Office informed. Noting that Armenia and EBRD are long-standing partners, President Sarkissian noted with satisfaction the efficient cooperation between the two and successful implementation of different projects in various areas. Suma Chakrabarti in his turn underscored the effective cooperation with the government of Armenia and said that EBRD was resolute to continue assistance to Armenia. President Sarkissian reiterated Armenia’s proposal to hold the 2021 annual meeting of EBRD in Armenia. The parties exchanged views on the prospects of implementation of new projects, development of the financial market, and new opportunities of cooperation in the IT area.

 

  • According to BBC, President Donald Trump’s legal team, representing him at his impeachment trial, has demanded that he is immediately acquitted by the Senate. In a brief submitted on Monday, they called the impeachment “a dangerous perversion” of the constitution. Meanwhile House impeachment managers submitted their own brief, saying Mr Trump engaged in “corrupt conduct… to cheat in the next election”. Impeachment hearings will begin on Tuesday at 13:00 (18:00 GMT). Mr Trump is charged with abusing his presidential power by asking Ukraine to investigate Democratic political rival Joe Biden – and of obstructing Congress as it looked into his conduct.

 

Sources: https://www.president.am, https://www.azatutyun.am/en, https://armenpress.am, https://news.am/eng/, https://www.reuters.com/, https://www.bbc.com/.

 

 

Newspaper: Armenia authorities trying to influence Constitutional Court judges’ decisions

Arbi Tashjian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 1 2020

09:34, 01.02.2020
                  

YEREVAN. – Past daily of Armenia writes: Referring to the situation surrounding the Constitutional Court [(CC)] the other day, [PM] Nikol Pashinyan said that “it will be resolved soon.” And Vice Speaker of the NA [National Assembly], Alen Simonyan, even mentioned [respective] timeframes yesterday, saying that the topic of the Constitutional Court will be permanently closed within the next 1-2 months.

Other representatives of the ruling party have also touched upon this topic. Some have even mentioned that some CC judges will make use of the possibility of early retirement. Add to that the talk of dissolving the CC with constitutional amendments.

The sources in Past newspaper claim that such statements actually contain elements of manipulation, or, as some analysts already call them, “a political-information bluff” that aim, on the one hand, to form public opinion and, on the other, to influence on the decision of the CC judges.

However, according to our information, the authorities will not go the way of dissolving the CC because they are concerned about the expected sharp response from the international structures. As for the judges, the same sources claim that they are not going to make use of early retirement, which experts have called “bribery by law.”

Arpine Hovhanisyan denied inclusion to constitutional reforms commission due to ‘political decision’

Arbi Tashjian

Arpine Hovhanisyan denied inclusion to constitutional reforms commission due to ‘political decision’

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 14:43,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Former Deputy Speaker of Parliament Arpine Hovhannisyan has been denied inclusion into the Specialized Commission for Constitutional Reforms due to a “political decision”, Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan told reporters.

“Lawyer-academicians and representatives of NGOs have been elected to the commission. We appreciate Arpine Hovhannisyan’s sincere motivations that she is ready to help. I am not questioning Arpine Hovhannisyan’s professional skills, but I have to note that the persons included in the commission do not have political affiliations,” Rustam Badasyan said.

Hovhannisyan served as Justice Minister from 2015 to 2017.

Badasyan said they didn’t whatsoever have any objective of selecting oppositionist or pro-governmental candidates to the commission.

“She was involved in the 2015 constitutional amendments works, and this was mentioned in her application, which in itself can’t deserve positive assessment. Having participated in those works in 2015 couldn’t have been considered a positive thing in the selection of this phase, but I have noted that Ms. Hovhannisyan is willing to help us with sincere motives, we will not refuse from that help,” Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan said.

On January 29, the Ministry of Justice released the results of the selection of members of the Specialized Commission of Constitutional Reforms. The Justice Ministry selected lawyer-academics Anahit Manasyan, Artur Ghambaryan, Armen Mazmanyan, Arsen Tavadyan, Levon Gevorgyan and Tigran Markosyan; NGO representatives Karen Zadoyan (Armenian Association of Lawyers) and Daniel Ioannisyan (Union of Informed Citizens).

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Las Vegas’ St. Garabed Church Celebrates Name Day

Arbi Tashjian

St. Garabed Church of Las Vegas celebrated its name day with Episcopal Divine Liturgy, blessing of madagh, and the second annual Harissa Festival. The celebrations were held from January 25 to 26.

Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian presided over the festivities, which began on Saturday evening with the preparation of harissa and dinner at “Koujakian” Hall. Consul General Dr. Armen Baibourtian participated in the events, which were sponsored by Jack and Louise Balabanian.

The program began with opening remarks made by Board of Trustees Chair Arpi Hicks. Prelate Mardirossian delivered the invocation, after which guests enjoyed a meal prepared by the Church Ladies Auxiliary. Archpriest Vahan Gosdanian and Master of Ceremonies Hagop Havanjian gave a brief overview of the feast day, the tradition of the harissa, as well as the history of St. Garabed Monastery of Mush. The Prelate and Consul General both conveyed their congratulations and commendation to the parish family. During the celebrations, the parish honored Siran Nersessian, Manoushag Ourfalian, Lilly Sagherian, Liana Havanjian, Hovig Bayramian, and Gabriella Gueyikian for their service to the church.

Guests then headed to the courtyard where the Prelate, accompanied by the Consul general, Parish Pastor, Honorary Consul Adroushan Armenian, and sponsors began the process of churning the harissa, while members of the Armenian Dance Academy of Las Vegas performed Armenian national dances.

On Sunday morning, Prelate Mardirossian celebrated Divine Liturgy, delivered the sermon, and conducted the blessing of madagh. Homenetmen “Artsakh” chapter scouts participated in the Prelate’s procession. Parish Pastor Archpriest Vahan Gosdanian and Archpriest Avedis Torossian assisted at the altar, and Archpriest Mesrob Galstanian from the Isfahan Prelacy participated in the service. Among the faithful in attendance were Andy Armenian, representatives of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation “Ishkhan” Gomideh, Armenian Relief Society “Shushi” chapter, and Homenetmen “Artsakh” chapter.

In his sermon, the Prelate first spoke about the feast of the birth of St. John the Baptist, which marks the name day of St. Garabed Church, referencing the writings of the Evangelists on St. John as the forerunner who prepared the way of our Lord Jesus Christ, adding that St. John was regarded as the greatest of the prophets, the prophet of the Most High, and apostle of the Son of God; yet, despite all of this acclaim, he remained humble and dutiful, deflecting attention from himself toward Jesus stating, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”

Prelate Mardirossian noted that St. John prepared the way for Christ and prepared the people for the coming Messiah, summoning them to repent for the kingdom of heaven. He added that the answer to how one can attain this salvation proclaimed by St. John the Baptist is found in the day’s Gospel reading from John 3:13-21, in the words of Jesus Himself, “whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”

The Prelate stressed that as St. John drew the people to the Lord, we too must draw others to Christ and to our Church, for we too are called to be disciples, and everyone, whether clergy or laity, has a duty to become witnesses to that Light, so that through us, all might believe. “The Church – this Church – is not just a building; it is a body of believers united in Christ, and when we unite here in His name, His is present among us. Through our participation in the life of the Church, we are nurturing and maturing our faith, we are being sanctified and transformed. When you look with your physical eyes at the cross adorning the top of this Church, see also with your spiritual eyes the love, sacrifice, life-changing, and life-giving message represented through that cross. It is my wish that within this community, St. Garabed Church becomes the haven that unites the people, the lighthouse from which the unfading Light of Christ radiates and enlightens the people,” stated the Prelate.

He concluded by conveying his blessings and congratulations to the parish family, urging for the name day celebration to be a day of renewal and recommitment of our faith, belief, and trust in the Lord, our submission to Him, and to choosing goodness and light over evil and darkness so that we may be worthy of inheriting the everlasting life promised to us by our Lord Jesus Christ.

At the conclusion of the service, the Prelate made his way to the Church courtyard in a procession to conduct the blessing of the madagh. The service closed with singing of “Cilicia” and the Armenian national anthem.

The blessed harissa was later served at the luncheon held at “Koujakian” Hall.

On behalf of the City of Los Angeles, Greg Martayan Director of Public Safety and Special Assignments for Councilmember Paul Koretz presented a certificate of appreciation to the parish. Remarks were delivered by Andy Armenian and Fr. Vahan, expressing gratitude to the Prelate for presiding over the celebration and thanking all for their hard work and participation.

Sports: Henrikh Mkhitaryan named Armenia’s Best Footballer of 2019

Arbi Tashjian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Jan 29 2020

– 16:57 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been named the Best Footballer of 2019 in Armenia, the country’s Football Federation of Armenia revealed on Wednesday, January 29.

Head coaches and captains of Armenian Premier League clubs as well as media representatives gave 109 points to Mkhitaryan.

This marks the 9th time the Arsenal playmaker who is currently on loan with Roma is voted the player of the year in Armenia.

Armenian national team and TSG Hoffenheim striker Sargis Adamyan came in second with 104 points, followed by national team and FC Astana striker Tigran Barseghyan with 61 points.

PM Pashinyan receives foreign minister of Netherlands

Arbi Tashjian

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 18:18,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received on January 23 the delegations led by Foreign Minister of the Netherlands Stef Blok, who is in Armenia on an official visit.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan welcomed the visit of Stef Blok to Armenia and expressed confidence that it will give a new impetus to the development and expansion of the relations between the two countries. Highlighting the organization of high-level visits, the PM added that this year he also plans an official visit to the Netherlands, which will be the 1st visit of the leader of Armenia to that country since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. According to Nikol Pashinyan, the Government of Armenia highlights bilateral cooperation in politics, economy, as well as the humanitarian sphere.

PM Pashinyan talked about the development of democracy in Armenia, struggle against corruption and reforms in the judicial and other spheres and emphasized that the Government of Armenia has set an ambitious agenda in the mentioned directions and makes consistent steps to bring it to life.

Nikol Pashinyan saluted the ratification of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU by the parliament of the Netherlands.

Thanking for the warm reception, Stef Blok noted that the democratic developments and reforms in Armenia are obvious and emphasized that the Government of his country is ready to cooperate with Armenia for bringing them to life. The Foreign Minister of the Netherlands noted that there are opportunities for economic cooperation, particularly in the spheres of agriculture and IT. Stef Blok expressed confidence that Pashinyan’s visit to the Netherlands will promote the bilateral agenda between the two countries.

The sides also exchanged views on Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement process and other regional issues.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

Artsakh president congratulates Catholicos of All Armenians on the 20th anniversary of enthronement.

Arbi Tashjian
Panorama, Armenia
Nov 2 2019

Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan sent a congratulatory letter on Saturday to the Supreme Patriarch Catholicos of All Armenians His Holiness Garegin II, press department at the President’s Office reported.

The letter runs as follows:
“On behalf of the Artsakh people, authorities and myself personally I extend my heartfelt congratulations to You on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Your enthronement.

You carry out a patriotic mission aimed at selflessly serving the native people, making the Mother Church more prosperous and powerful, strengthening the Christian faith.
During all these years we have always felt Your caring and special attitude towards Artsakh, Your assistance and support in solving its problems, for which we are grateful to you.

I once again congratulate You, Your Holiness, on this memorable jubilee and wish peace, robust health and longevity. May God protect You and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin for the well-being and prosperity of our Motherland!”

David Ignatius: Grateful heroes save lives in world’s most dangerous regions

Arbi Tashjian
Billings Gazette
Oct 24 2019
 
 
David Ignatius: Grateful heroes save lives in world’s most dangerous regions
 
By DAVID IGNATIUS
 
YEREVAN, Armenia — With so much bad news in the world these days, it was invigorating to spend last weekend here celebrating some courageous human-rights activists who reminded me of what’s best in the human spirit.
 
The event was this year’s awards ceremony of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity. The group was founded several years ago by three Armenians who wanted to give thanks for their people’s survival of the 1915 genocide by recognizing heroism and compassion in our time. They called their movement “gratitude in action.”
 
This year’s three finalists were so extraordinary that I’ll describe each of their stories about struggling to save desperate people at great personal risk. We use the word “hero” so often that its meaning is dulled, but these three are the real thing.
 
Saving Yazidis
 
The first nominee was Mirza Dinnayi, a Yazidi activist from Sinjar, Iraq. He has been rescuing fellow members of his persecuted minority and evacuating them to Germany since al-Qaida began attacking the Yazidis in 2007. When the Islamic State began all-out genocide against the Yazidis in 2014, Dinnayi repeatedly risked his life on rescue missions.
 
In late 2014, a helicopter he was on crashed. Dinnayi was badly injured, but he soon went right back to the struggle. He explained his motivation to the Aurora selection committee: “Wherever the victims are, if you know about them and you say, ‘I don’t care,’ you will forever feel guilty.”
 
Captives freed
 
A second nominee was Zannah Bukar Mustapha, a lawyer and schoolteacher from Maiduguri, Nigeria. He founded a modern school there that enraged the Boko Haram militants, who abducted 276 girl students from the nearby town of Chibok. At great personal risk, Mustapha went to a secret meeting with Boko Haram representatives in October 2016 and persuaded them to release 21 of the girls. Thirteen months later, he helped gain the release of another 82.
 
Mustapha expressed the philosophy of tolerance that guides his school, even amid terror and rage: “Everybody is part of it. Nobody thinks, I’m on my own, I’m not part of this. … This is a school where every child matters.”
 
Torture stopped
 
A third nominee was Huda al-Sarari, a lawyer from Aden, Yemen. As civil war ravaged her country, she investigated a network of secret prisons where Yemenis had been tortured. After her reports helped free some of the prisoners, her car windows were smashed and she was personally threatened, but she didn’t stop. She told the Aurora committee that her goal was to establish the rule of law in Yemen, so that even al-Qaida suspects could be detained and interrogated legally.
 
I heard these gripping personal stories while serving as master of ceremonies for the awards presentation. I’ve performed this role since the awards began in 2016, as a way of supporting Aurora and the vision of its founders, Vartan Gregorian, the head of the Carnegie Corporation of New York; Noubar Afeyan, founder of a life-science company called Flagship Pioneering in Boston; and Ruben Vardanyan, a brilliant Russian-Armenian businessman and philanthropist who had the original vision for Aurora.
 
One reason the Aurora idea of “gratitude in action” appealed to me is that my father’s family is Armenian, and some of my relatives perished in the 1915 genocide. I liked the idea that Aurora would look outward to the world rather than inward, praising modern-day activists who save lives today in the way that Armenians were saved during their persecution.
 
I don’t know how the judges made their decision among these three remarkable finalists. The selection panel included Nobel Peace Prize laureates Oscar Arias from Costa Rica, Shirin Ebadi from Iran and Leymah Gbowee from Liberia, and it was chaired by Lord Ara Darzi, a prominent British physician and humanitarian.
 
Before a thousand people gathered in Freedom Square here on Saturday night, Aurora announced the selection of Dinnayi, the Yazidi activist. This was partly a recognition by Aurora that genocide continues in our world, even after the Nazi Holocaust against the Jews and the vow “Never again.” The previous three winners had also saved lives amid genocides — in Rwanda, Sudan and Myanmar.
 
On a clear day in Yerevan, you can see the peak of Mount Ararat, where legend has it that Noah’s ark came to rest after the flood, and mankind had a second chance to repair the world. We all have small versions of that second chance every day to affirm our common humanity against hatred and injustice. Gratitude in action is a good slogan for a world that’s far too burdened with rage and intolerance.

Sports: Mkhitaryan resumes trainings after an injury of thigh strain

Arbi Tashjian
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 19 2019
Sport 17:46 19/10/2019 World

The Armenian national team captain and Roma attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has resumed training after being out of action for three weeks. “Coming back after my injury,” Mkhitaryan wrote on Instagram along with a photo from AS Roma training ground.

As Italian sources reported earlier, the Armenian is expected to get back in late October.

Mkhitaryan suffered a thigh strain in the match against Lecce and was out of action for three weeks. The Armenian has scored and assisted in his first four appearances for Roma since arriving from Arsenal. 

In Armenia’s Pink City

Arbi Tashjian
The Hindu, India
Oct 18 2019
Raul Dias | Updated on Published on  
 

Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, has an impressive cache of Soviet-era buildings

While I had heard a lot about the Armenian nationalistic pride — with the words “bordering on jingoism” loosely bandied about — I couldn’t have been more ill-prepared for what I was about to witness. And I had not even landed on Armenian soil. All it took was the sight of Mount Ararat in all its snow-capped glory, emerging from a cloudy veil on the port side of the aircraft, for pandemonium to ensue in the narrow cabin.

The man to my left quickly whipped out his phone for a series of selfies with the mountain in the background and the elderly woman to my right muttered something in Armenian, making the sign of the cross every 10 seconds or so. All this while reverently looking at the mountain where Noah’s Ark is said to have come to a rest after the great flood mentioned in the Book of Genesis.

Star of the Soviet

It was only a few hours after landing at Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan does the irony of it all strike me. Mount Ararat, one the greatest symbols of Armenia (emblazoned on everything from bottles of brandy and beer to chocolate bars) isn’t even located in the Armenian territory. In fact, it can be found just over the border, in present-day Turkey.

As I stroll through leafy Yerevan, with its Parisian-style boulevards and drinking water fountains called pul pulaks at every corner, I soon realise that for the former USSR country, symbolism is everything. How else does one explain the continued presence of a five-point Soviet star atop the main spire of the city’s Central Railway Station? A likeness of Mount Ararat below the said star is perhaps why the station still uses the Soviet coat of arms.

Reclaiming glory

Speaking of which, Yerevan’s grand Republic Square was once known as Lenin Square with a giant, mid-stride statue of Vladimir Lenin that was taken down post Armenia’s independence in the autumn of 1991. Today, the square is surrounded by grand architectural examples of Soviet modernism. The brutalist façades in the indigenous pink volcanic stone called tuff gives Yerevan its ‘Pink City’ moniker.

At another popular attraction — the hilltop Victory Park overlooking Yerevan — another former Soviet leader has been dethroned.Replacing Joseph Stalin’s monumental statue and seated at the same pedestal is the sword-brandishing, 22-m tall Mother Armenia made from hammered copper. Here, too, symbolism is on display. The statue is said to not only show peace through strength, but also mirror the role of prominent female figures who joined the men in fending off Turkish troops during the 1915 Armenian genocide.

Joining a group of the Yerevan Couchsurfing chapter on a post-beer walkabout the city, I learn about how in 2010 a Facebook group called “SAVE Cinema Moscow Open-Air Hall”, successfully petitioned the Armenian government to stall the demolition of the open-air hall of the Moscow Cinema on the city’s arterial Abovyan Street. Built in 1936 in the constructivist-style, a form of modern Soviet architecture, the cinema itself replaced the 5th-century St Peter and Paul Church. It remains one of the city’s premier recreational spots with its giant chessboard set shadowed by Armenian artist Ara Alekyan’s gigantic sculpture of a spider.

Parting shots

We walk towards the Republic Square Metro Station, where I notice how well the Soviet style of almost harsh, geometric accents is merged with the more oriental features of the station. The entrance has a decorative fountain of an eight-petal concrete flower in bloom, with a huge vaulted ceiling held up by plain columns with sculpted eaves in the shape of bird heads.

From Republic Square we take a metro train ride (100 dram or ₹15) to Charbak a few kilometres away to get the real feel of Soviet suburban Yerevan with its many ‘Khrushchyovkas’. Developed all over the Soviet Union during the early ’60s, these concrete-panelled apartment buildings were named after Soviet statesman Nikita Khrushchev and provided low-cost housing in a gargantuan communal setting.

It is from the terrace of one of these 15-storey (and elevator-bereft!) buildings that I spy the ultimate remnant of the Soviet past a few yards away, eerily backlit by the setting sun. Constructed in such a way that they spell out the alphabets CCCP (which is ‘USSR’ in the Cyrillic script) when seen from above, I’m told that they were built so that the Soviets could feel patriotic as they flew in from Moscow.

Truly, one man’s Mount Ararat is another’s Khrushchyovka.

Raul Dias is a food and travel writer based in Mumbai

https://www.thehindubusinessline.com/blink/takeaway/yerevan-armenias-pink-city/article29732640.ece#