Author: Arpi Talalian

Sports: Staying in their lane: Junior Olympics, Armenian Youth Olympics bringing events to Clinton

Arpi Talalian
Jan Gottesman

The Item

CLINTON – How attractive are the Clinton track and field facilities across from Clinton High School on Route 110?

Two large events – the Junior Olympics of the U.S. Track and Field of New England and the Armenian Youth Olympics – will be taking place there this summer.

The USTF event is Saturday, June 18, and the Armenian Youth Olympics is Sunday, Sept. 4.

“Both of these all-day events will be held at our prestigious Veterans Athletic Complex and we anticipate 1,000 competitors and 3,000 spectators throughout the day for The Junior Olympics,” according to the Clinton Athletics Facebook post. “The track and the surrounding parking lots will be in extreme use on those days.”

“These organizations reached out to me because of hardships that have occurred for scheduling events as some college venues are still not prepared to host these types of events,” Clinton Athletic Director John Smith said. “I spoke to David Vanasse about it since we all know Dave is a highly respected track enthusiast throughout Central Mass. and he took the ball and got it rolling.”

In addition to coach Clinton High track, Vanasse is also the district’s food service director.

Vanasse said the USTF thought Clinton was a good location because of its central location in New England.

“I brought the director here and he loved it. The facility had everything he wanted,” Vanasse said. That includes an eight-lane track. “There are not any at a high school level that has eight lanes all around, and not just the straight away. “He fell in love with the facility.”

Part of the requirements were parking, and the three lots – between the Veterans Complex, the middle and high schools – met their need. So did facilities like bathroom and concession stand. Vanasse said the agreement includes that the concessions will be run locally and benefit the Clinton Track program.

The concession stand is a “state-of-the-art concession stand” that was updated and used during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the food services department used all facilities available to run its program and deliver meals to students working remotely.

“It was another area we could prepare food and work out of,” Vanasse said.

The person organizing the Armenian Youth Olympics was also impressed by the facilities and decided to hold that event in Clinton.

The USTF program will be the larger of the two. In 2019, they had 800 elite athletes compete, ages 8 to 18, so they are geared up to handle 1,000 to 2,000 spectators.

The Armenian event should have 100 to 150 competitors.

For the June 18 competition, there will be police officers to help pedestrians cross Route 110 and an EMT on site. Vanasse will be there as the director of the track to make things go smoothly. The competition is scheduled for 9 a.m. to about 6 or 7 p.m.

“I was thinking outside the box and how phenomenal it will be for the town and Clinton track,” Vanasse said. “People will ride by and see thousands of people enjoying the facility and it could bring people to town to shop at businesses in the future. This is the first time we have done something like this and hopefully they will come back.”

Armenian government expands annual police budget

Arpi Talalian
Panorama
Armenia –

The annual spending on Armenia’s police will be increased by more than 2 billion drams, according to a decision approved by the government on Friday.

The major part of the sum, 1 billion 980 million drams, will be used to pay police officers’ salaries and bonuses, while 215,100,000 drams will be used to provide meals to the external police service staff outside the canteen (3 times a day at a competitive price of 2,970 drams).

The draft decision published on the government website says the increase in the police budget is attributed to higher salaries for employees of the newly established patrol service in Yerevan, Shirak and Lori Provinces.

“The allocated funds, due to the current headcount, are not enough to maintain the nominal wages formed in 2019-2021 based on individual positions. An otherwise equitable situation would result in a decrease in annual nominal salaries. In order to avoid it, it is suggested to allocate additional 1.980.0 million drams,” the draft decision says.

Combat training and combat readiness of troops General Staff`s priority before "army reforms" – opposition MP

Arpi Talalian
ARMINFO
Armenia – June 7 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.Armenia’s Minister of Defense [Suren Papikyan] is not so far informed that the tasks related to combat training and combat readiness of troops were the  priority of the General Staff before “what he has called reforms,”  Tigran Abrahamyan, a member of the opposition parliamentary faction  With Honor, stated in response to the defense minister’s statement on  reforms in Armenia’s Armed Forces and appointment of the chief of the  General Staff. 

“The minister says reforms will be implemented in the army, and the  armed forces will defend the country and deal with combat readiness,  the work they are supposed to do. And thee government decided to  grant the status of first deputy minister to the chief of the General  Staff,” Mr Abrahamyan said. 

The government thinks that by making the chief of the General Staff  subordinate to the minister of defense they will prevent statements  similar to those made by the ex-chief Honik Abrahamyan. 

So it turns out that the ex-chief of the General Staff, who was  subordinate to the premier, made a statement the government  considered undesirable. And, according to the government, that  statement would not have been made if the chief of the General Staff  had been deputy minister of defense. 

“Moreover, the General Staff and the Ministry of Defense have  departments with identical functions. And these are expected to be  reorganized by means of reforms. But it does not require appointing  the chief of the General Staff deputy minister of defense.  Furthermore, it causes more problems than provides solutions.  They  are saying the General Staff is supposed to deal with combat  readiness alone, but they are making it part of the Ministry of  Defense thereby confusing things,” Mr Abrahamyan said. 

In an interview with the Public TV of Armenia, Minister of Defense  Suren Papikyan stated after reforms in the country’s Ministry of  Defense the first minister of defense will be chief of the General  Staff. 

Using Armenian Professionally

Arpi Talalian
June 8, 2022 Kristi Rendahl Reflections 0

Dr. Kristi Rendahl, Belmont, Mass., May 28, 2022 (Photo: Lalai Manjikian)

Sometimes we’re asked a question and only later do we wish we had paused and been more thoughtful in our response. And so it was when a participant at the Hamazkayin Cultural Retreat in Boston in May asked if Armenian has served me professionally, at once wondering how they could make the case for young people to prioritize learning Armenian. 

At face value, the answer would be that I don’t use Armenian on a daily basis in my job, but the question – and especially the driving sentiment – deserves more consideration than that. 

What does it even mean to be a professional and when have we arrived? Armenians ask “inch masnaget es,” and I’ve never had a simple answer. I studied music and communication in undergraduate university. I moved to Armenia; studying music and communication helped me communicate with Armenians. Armenians helped me grow into myself which, long story short, led me to where I am today.  

When I lived in Armenia 25 years ago, everywhere I looked the Armenian language was an entrance to something new, foundational, essential. 

My friend Gayane patiently spoke Armenian with me as I clumsily responded, occasionally surprising her with a new word: xraxusel impressed her one day. My friend Tom knew Armenian so well he followed the laws of the newly independent Armenia as fast as they were drafted. Hagop and Anahit taught me songs in Armenian with melodies that helped me understand pain and loss better than any history book or conversation ever could. 

Armenians spoke of love and pain in ways unfamiliar to me as someone from a stoic culture that spoke of neither. Armenian invited me to be me in new ways.

On a basic level, Armenian is just an extension of the vocabulary I learned before the age of 21. Another participant at the Hamazkayin event noted that children do not distinguish between languages until grownups tell them to do so. Children simply know to use this word with this person and that word with that person.

Words are building blocks, and if you ask most any kid, they’ll tell you that more blocks are better. Armenian, as a flexible language in many respects, is ideal for the person who wants to build cool things, including ideas, stories and ways of being.

As an odar (and I know that there is some negative connotation with that word but I use it with no such baggage attached), Armenian differentiates me. It sounds like nothing else, it looks like nothing else, it makes me feel like nothing else. 

I hadn’t spoken much Armenian the past couple of years, so for two weeks before the event, which was conducted in a mixture of Eastern and Western Armenian, I sat on my couch and read Kristine Sargsyan’s book out loud each morning with a cup of coffee. My mouth and ears and mind reoriented to another way of communicating.

And it’s a language, sure, or an extension of a vocabulary, however you wish to see it, but it’s also a powerful statement about survival. I’d say resilience, but I’m sort of bored of that word; I know plenty of people who wish they weren’t so remarkably resilient and that life were just more peaceful. 

It is possible that speaking Armenian is in fact revolutionary.

Survival is something else. A scar is beautiful, why? Because it’s evidence that you survived. A language, however many or few words remain in collective memory, is indicative that people have made it through, identity intact, one generation conveying to the next the stories they deem most valuable, or at least readily accessible in their mind. It is possible that speaking Armenian is in fact revolutionary.

The Armenian language is not only about oppression, genocide and transgenerational trauma though. It is also one that expresses the mundane and points guests to the best nearby coffee shop and wrestles with complex social issues of right now and relates to complicated societies around the world in deeply empathetic ways. It is a framework for understanding this moment in time and one that is as relevant as any other framework.

The language, whether Eastern or Western, is more than syllables and a reluctant accommodation for more commonly used languages. I have spoken Armenian in Ethiopia, Mexico, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Canada, England, Turkey, Greece, the United States, Artsakh and elsewhere. This is notable because it requires effort to provide the world with such tangible evidence of your presence. Doing so would seem to suggest that much more is possible, too. 

You could say that Armenian as a second, third or fourth language is impractical and superficially of little value, but this is not a zero-sum game. There is room for a much bigger vocabulary: one that includes words that we call Arabic, words that we call French, words that we call Spanish. 

To leave out words that we call Armenian is, in a way, casting doubt on people’s capacity for building. And if I’ve learned anything about Armenians, it’s that no one should second guess their capacity to learn, create and contribute. Were it not for this truth, I wouldn’t speak Armenian.

  •  Bio
  •  Latest Posts
Kristi Rendahl is associate professor and director of the nonprofit leadership program at Minnesota State University, Mankato. Prior to starting with MSU in 2017, she worked for over 20 years with nongovernmental organizations on several continents, including living in Armenia from 1997-2002. She speaks Armenian and Spanish.


ANCA welcomes high school leaders to Washington for Summer Academy

Arpi Talalian
June 6, 2022 ANCA ANCA News 0

Applications are open for the second annual ANCA Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy set for August 1st to 5th, 2022

WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian American high schoolers and rising university first-year students are invited to apply for the second annual Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Haroutioun & Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy, a week-long program introducing future leaders to advocacy and career opportunities in the nation’s capital.

The week-long program will take place from August 1 to 5, 2022. Applications are available online and must be submitted by June 30th.

“The ANCA is thrilled to welcome the best and brightest Armenian American high schoolers to Washington, DC for an intensive one-week session to learn pro-Artsakh/Armenia federal advocacy best practices, explore future career opportunities, and make friends for life,” said ANCA Programs director Alex Manoukian. “The Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy’s innovative program will open up exciting new academic and professional horizons for these students.”

The determined participants of the 2021 ANCA Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy on Capitol Hill.

Summer Academy participants, ages 17 to 19, are chosen based on a rigorous application process focusing on academic excellence and proven pro-Artsakh/Armenia efforts through groups, including the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF), Armenian churches and organizations, schools, student groups and individual initiatives.

ANCA Summer Academy participants will stay at the ANCA Aramian House, a landmark property in downtown Washington, DC which serves as the home and permanent headquarters of the ANCA’s signature youth programs. The Aramian House is named in honor of the late community leader and philanthropist Martha Aramian of Providence, Rhode Island.

During the inaugural session of the program in 2021, Summer Academy participants explored Armenia and Artsakh’s diplomatic challenges and opportunities in discussions with former US Ambassador to Armenia John Evans and Artsakh Representative to the US Robert Avetisyan. Big Whig Media founders Ken and Keith Nahigian discussed the broader Washington, DC political media scene and effective communication strategies during a tour of their state-of-the-art multi-media studio located just blocks from the White House. Battling Armenian Genocide denial in academic and community settings took center stage during a discussion with Dr. Khatchig Mouradian, the Armenia and Georgia Area Specialist at the Library of Congress.

During the 2021 program, the ANCA’s Washington, DC team focused on teaching best practices in Armenian American grassroots advocacy, with interactive sessions on the organization’s 360-degree agenda to defend Artsakh safety and security, promote stronger US-Armenia ties, secure justice for the Armenian Genocide and support at-risk diasporan Armenian communities in the Middle East and around the world.  Summer academy participants were also introduced to a wide range of career opportunities on Capitol Hill, international development, advocacy, and consulting by accomplished Armenian Americans in each of the areas.

Vana Dakarian, a 2021 Summer Academy alumna from Elgin, IL, explained, “It was an honor to participate in the ANCA Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy. In just five short days, we spoke with professionals, learned about advocating for the Armenian Cause, and explored careers in politics, policy, and media. I encourage all Armenian youth to participate in this one-of-a-kind opportunity, to learn, explore the nation’s capital and form great friendships.”

Garni Khanzadian, who was an incoming freshman at University of California, Riverside, concurred. “After the Artsakh War in 2020, many Armenian youth were left feeling helpless, and this program opened my eyes to all the things we can do to help our brothers and sisters. The guests who spoke to us during this trip came from all different backgrounds, and we got a chance to listen to so many stories about them helping to spread the Armenian Cause. Thanks to the Haroutioun & Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy, I met lifelong friends from all over the country, and made memories that will last forever.”

Video introductions to the 2021 Summer Academy alumni are available on the ANCA YouTube channel.

The ANCA Summer Academy is named in honor of Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian in recognition of their lifetime of selfless service and sacrifice for the Armenian community and cause, through a generous grant by their daughter and son-in-law, Arsho and Adour Aghjayan and grandson Nareg. It is the latest in the series of youth empowerment and career development programs including the Leo Sarkisian Internship Program, Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program, Maral Melkonian Avetisyan Fellowship, and the ANCA Rising Leaders Program – which features the Lucine Kouchakdjian Capitol Hill Day.

Members of inaugural 2021 ANCA Haroutioun and Elizabeth Kasparian Summer Academy

  •  Bio
  •  Twitter
  •  Latest Posts
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters and supporters throughout the United States and affiliated organizations around the world, the ANCA actively advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.


Louvre visitor smears cake on Mona Lisa

Arpi Talalian

Save

Share

 12:40, 30 May 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 30, ARMENPRESS. A young environmental activist has thrown a cake at Italian painter Leonardo da Vinci’s painting Gioconda (Mona Lisa) on display in the Louvre in Paris, TASS reports citing the BFM TV channel.

According to it, the incident took place on Sunday. The video footage posted on Twitter shows a young man throwing a piece of cake and smearing it on the armored glass that protects one of the world’s most famous artworks. He was able to get as close as possible by disguising himself as a disabled woman; there is a special passageway in front of the painting for wheelchair users, which is closer than the corridor for regular visitors.

“Think about the Earth. There are people who are destroying the Earth. Think about that. Artists tell you, ‘Think of the Earth.’ All artists, think of the Earth. That’s why I did this. Think about the planet”, he said in one of the videos, which shows him rolling a wheelchair accompanied by museum security.

The Louvre itself has not yet released any statement about the incident. According to the TV channel, employees of the Louvre washed armored glass, the painting was not damaged.

Armenpress: About 60-100 Ukrainian servicemen killed, 500 injured daily — Zelensky

Arpi Talalian

About 60-100 Ukrainian servicemen killed, 500 injured daily — Zelensky

Save

Share

 09:56, 1 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. The daily casualties of the Ukrainian armed forces amount to about 60-100 servicemen killed and around 500 injured, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said in an interview to the Newsmax television, reports TASS.

“The situation is very difficult; we’re losing 60-100 soldiers per day as killed in action and something around 500 people as wounded in action”, he said, as quoted by TASS.

Zelensky claimed the Ukrainian armed forces were “holding our defensive perimeters” in the east of Ukraine and “counter-attacking and pressing” in the Kharkov region.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a special military operation in response to a request for help from the heads of the Donbass republics.

Mirzoyan: Ankara synchronizes Armenian-Turkish process with Armenian-Azerbaijani relations

Arpi Talalian
ARMINFO
Armenia – May 25 2022
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo.Ankara synchronizes the Armenian-Turkish process with the Armenian-Azerbaijani relations. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated this on May 25 from the rostrum of the parliament during the government hour.

Thus, in response to the MP’s question about the role of meeting  places between the representatives of Armenia and Turkey, the  minister admitted that he does not attach importance to the place of  the meeting and did not rule out that in the future the above  meetings will be held both in Yerevan and Ankara.

“At the moment, I can only say that, unfortunately, no matter how  verbally it is asserted about the process without preconditions,  nevertheless, our Turkish partners, to a certain extent, synchronize  it with the relations developing between Armenia and Azerbaijan. They  do this as part of their narrative,” Mirzoyan said.

According to him, this, of course, does not become a precondition,  but such an approach does not give constructiveness to the process  and the environment.

“Discussions are ongoing. But, unfortunately, there is no tangible  progress yet. Armenia’s position remains the same. Armenia wants and  is ready to normalize relations and open borders. We would like to  see the same attitude from Turkey. I have already said about the  Azerbaijani narrative and various gestures of the head of the Turkish  Foreign Ministry,” Mirzoyan summed up.

It should be noted that the third meeting of the Special  Representatives of Armenia and Turkey Vice Speaker of the National  Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan and Ambassador  Serdar Kilic to normalize relations took place in Vienna on May 3.  The special representatives confirmed that the ultimate goal of the  talks is a full-fledged settlement between Armenia and Turkey, which  was agreed upon during their first meeting in Moscow on January 14.   The start of the normalization process was announced on December 13,  2021 by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. At the same time,  he stressed that Ankara will act in coordination with Azerbaijan  regarding steps to normalize relations with Armenia.

Police use force against protesters blocking highway in Armenia

Arpi Talalian
Panorama
Armenia –

Opposition protesters blocked the Yerevan-Sevan highway near the town of Charentsavan in Armenia on Friday as part of the ongoing civil disobedience campaign to topple Nikol Pashinyan.

Demonstrators paralyzed the road, chanting “Armenia without Nikol!” and “Nikol the traitor!”.

After some time, the police started to use force, pulling the activists off the road to restore traffic.

Addressing a rally on Thursday evening, deputy parliament speaker and opposition leader Ishkhan Saghatelyan said the acts of civil disobedience would resume in Yerevan on Friday morning, with protests also planned in Armenian regions. The opposition will not hold a rally this evening.

Video at 

Asbarez: Warsaw Stock Exchange to Acquire 65% Stake in Armenia’s Securities Exchange. What Does it Mean?

Arpi Talalian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

The Warsaw Stock Exchange wants to acquire majority stake in Armenia’s Securities Exchange


BY ARA KHANJIAN

The Central Bank of Armenia, which controls 90.05 percent of the Armenian Securities Exchange on Tuesday agreed to sell a 65.05 percent stake to the Warsaw Stock Exchange (GPW).

The AMX is the only securities—mainly bonds—market in Armenia. After the proposed acquisition by the GPW, the CBA will control only 25.02 percent of AMX shares, while the remaining 9.95 percent will continue to be controlled by the AMX.

The CBA said that the partial sale of the AMX to the GPW will contribute to the development of bond and stock markets in Armenia because GPW’s proposed development program intends to improve the infrastructure of these markets, such as development of the trading system and the introduction of the most recent technological mechanisms.

The CBA also said that the investment of GPW in AMX will contribute to the integration of the Polish and Armenian capital markets, which could create new opportunities for both Armenian and Polish investors and companies.

Most of AMX transactions involve bonds, which are issued mostly by the government and the banking sector. A relatively small fraction of the bonds that are traded on the AMX are issued by companies. This implies that at this stage the Armenian Securities Exchange, functions more as a bond market than as a bond and stock market. In other words, the AMX raises capital for corporations and governments mainly through the trade of bonds. A bond is a financial instrument that a corporation or a government sells to individuals and institutions.

When Corporations and governments issue new bonds and sell them, basically, they are borrowing money from individuals or institutions with the promise of paying back in the future, for example in six months, two years, or 10 years, plus interest. Through stock and bond markets, corporations and governments generate funding directly from individuals and institutions for their investments, growth and expenditures. This implies that for the economy of a country to grow, it is essential to generate a developed stock and bond markets, besides a well-developed banking sector.

For example, if an entrepreneur starts a successful business or if a group of individuals create a successful cooperative and if they need additional funding to build a new factory and buy new machines, they will need large amount of new funds. If in that country there is a developed bond market, then they could sell new bonds there and borrow money for their investment, contributing to the economic development of the country.

According to the CEO of the Armenian Stock Exchange, Hayk Yeganyan, one reason that the stock market in Armenia is not developed is lack of trust. The prospective stock buyer in Armenia has doubts about whether investment will be safe and profitable. For this reason, most of them buy government-issued bonds, because there is a lower probability that Armenia’s government will go bankrupt than a private Armenian company. Also, in general, stocks are riskier than bonds because when a company goes bankrupt, first bond holders are paid and then stock owners. According to Yeganyan, for the development of the stock market it is essential for the country to adopt the necessary laws and to create the necessary regulations and a regulatory agency, which could increase transparency and could invest boost confidence to buy stocks, indirectly contributing to the development of a stock market.