Author: Arpi Talalian

High-level Sharjah Department of Government Relations delegation (UAE) meets senior Armenian government officials

Arpi Talalian
Zawya, UAE
High-level Sharjah Department of Government Relations delegation meets senior Armenian government officials   

Sharjah DGR and Armenia Explore Cooperation in Scientific Cultural Fields

During the delegation’s meeting with the Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports – Arayik Harutyunyan

Press Release

Sharjah: As part of continuous mission to strengthen relationships with cities around the world a high-level delegation from the Sharjah Department of Government Relations (SDGR) was in Armenia recently to meet high-profile government officials.

The visit was focused on discussing how their long-standing bilateral relations can be further enhanced by exploring new areas of cooperation in scientific and cultural fields, in which Sharjah has continued to display leadership and innovation.  

Led by HE Sheikh Fahim Al Qasimi, Chairman of SDGR, the Sharjah delegation comprised Sheikh Majid Al Qasimi, the Department’s Director, and top officials from the department. They were received by Vahagn Melikian, Secretary-General at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia; Mr. Arayik Harutyunyan, Armenian Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport; Hakob Arshakyan, Armenian Minister of High Tech Industry, and Mr. Tigran Khacatryan Minister of Economic Development and Investments.

Armenia has lauded the focal role played by Sharjah on pan-Arab and global levels to strengthen diplomatic as well as business relations, under the vision and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah. They also praised the emirate for leading a unique cultural journey over 40 years, and for clearly establishing the basis of sustainable national development in books, education and historical preservation.

Sheikh Fahim bin Sultan Al Qasimi, noted: “Sharjah and Armenia enjoy notable ties in various fields, including culture. On a visit by the President of the Republic of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, Sharjah took on a series of initiatives aimed at preserving and restoring many Armenian heritage sites, as well as academic programmes. Without a doubt, Armenia is a country with great cultural, archaeological and social wealth, which prompts us to continue cooperation and activate new partnerships with them. Through these, we seek to promote and advance cultural and academic opportunities for both sides.”

UAE Ambassador to the Republic of Armenia, Mohammed Issa Al Qattam Al Zaabi, was also in attendance and praised Sharjah’s continues efforts to build on relations, which the UAE and Armenia have enjoyed over 20 years. This particular visit, he said, was instrumental to furthering bilateral relations by exploring investment opportunities in the sectors of education and culture that hold immense potential and would add to existing relations.

In recent years, trade has increased significantly, especially between 2014 and 2017, with the annual growth rate touching 14 percent, while in 2017, the trade turnover increased by 78 percent compared to 2016.

The Sharjah delegation was taken to Armenia’s Hagardzin Monastery built in the 10th century. They also visited the prestigious University of Dilijan, learning about the university’s faculties and its achievements on regional and European levels.

His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II: Sharjah Ruler’s efforts to build peace and international friendships are exemplary

During Sharjah delegation’s visit to Hagardzin Monastery, His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II hailed the great efforts exerted by Sharjah under the vision and guidance of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Al Qasimi, citing their generous initiative to restore the 1,000-plus years old Hagardzin Monastery, which the emirate declared in 2011. He pointed out that the initiative has further strengthened cultural and humanitarian ties between the two countries, and offered a gateway to explore bilateral cooperation in the fields of knowledge and culture.

The Department of Government Relations was established in 2014, following the vision and directives of the Sharjah Ruler, to provide the emirate and its international partners a platform for cooperation and diplomacy. As the centre of culture, education, and innovation in the UAE, the emirate’s international reach spans the globe. The department supports this outreach through representing Sharjah abroad, welcoming international delegations, and partnering with strategic cities that share Sharjah’s core values.

Dept. of Labor, health & human services, and education, and related agencies appropriations act 2020.

Arpi Talalian
Impact News Service
June 20, 2019 Thursday

DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2020; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 103 (Extensions of Remarks – June 19, 2019)


Washington: The Library of Congress, The Government of USA has issued the following Speech:

speech of HON. STEVE CHABOT of ohio in the house of representatives Thursday, June 13, 2019 The House in Committee of the Whole House on the state of the Union had under consideration the bill (H.R 2740) making appropriations for the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and related agencies for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020, and for other purposes: Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Chair, I believe that additional Congressional emphasis on demining efforts in Nagorno-Karabakh is unnecessary at this time since demining will be complete next year, according to the Halo Trust. Moving forward, we all hope that peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is on the horizon. And it very well may be. In a few weeks, senior U.S negotiators will meet with the Foreign Ministers of both Azerbaijan and Armenia to advance the prospect of peace in Nagorno-Karabakh under the Minsk Process. As we watch this process which is clearly working, Congress should let negotiations play out.

Azerbaijani Press: Pashinyan’s totalitarian democracy

Arpi Talalian
Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijani (Opposition) Press
Saturday
Pashinyan’s totalitarian democracy
 
by: ASTNA.biz
 
Since then, the author of the democratic “Velvet Revolution” is increasingly showing signs of a totalitarian way of governing Armenia. In the first year of Pashinyan”s rule, his rally threats to “roll up the asphalt” of internal opponents were explained by the political inexperience of the new Armenian leader, in the second year, the inexperience of the attacks on democratic values cannot be explained. Pashinyan”s dictatorial receptions began to receive attention even in international and European organizations after the Prime Minister blocked Armenian courts for half a day on May 20, 2019, mobilizing crowds of his admirers for this.
 
“We wish to express our concern in connection with the appeal of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to his supporters about blocking all courts,” said Sadjad Karim, head of the European Parliament”s EU-Armenia parliamentary cooperation committee, who also expressed concern about the “idea vettinga “(checking the judges for compliance with the position).
 
In Armenia, they write that “Pashinyan broke loose” after Robert Kocharian was released from the courtroom. In June, Nikol Pashinyan and his supporters in the government announced the need for a “hard response” to the actions of the opposition and even demanded reprisals against the participants of the anti-Pashinyan flashmob in Yerevan. Pashinyan again began to talk about conspirators, this time pointing to a new opposition group in black T-shirts. Three weeks ago, he made an official speech in which four pages four times said about the conspiracy. The most interesting thing for Azerbaijanis is that Nikol linked the conspirators with the possibility of defeat in the war with Azerbaijan.
 
The author of the blog “Political Geography of the South Caucasus” reports about a unique phenomenon, new to the region: posters were posted in Armenia offering citizens to “knock” on committing criminal acts. Since the political opponents of the Prime Minister are now called “conspirators”, it is therefore suggested that citizens should inform the police about political actions against Pashinyan.
 
Yerevan analysts explain Pashinyan has accustomed totalitarianism by its economic failures caused by the premier”s inability to create an effective government. Within the framework of government reform, the ministries are united. However, it turned out that the ministries are unable to perform new functions, in particular, the Ministry of Economy cannot work for the Ministry of Agriculture, and the Ministry of Territorial Administration does not fulfill the functions of the Ministry of Energy. The reform was delayed, starting in January, but until recently, the reduced five ministries continued to operate in a passive mode, where the former deputies combined the activities of the minister.
 
Ministers and Deputy Ministers (26 deputies) were reduced. On June 7, Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan resigned. The reason for the resignation is not reported, but Zeynalyan responded to the prime minister”s call this way to block the courts and check the professionalism of the judges. Far from all the candidates who are offered this agree to the new appointments, as they fear that they will have to take responsibility for what they cannot predict, a Yerevan-based blogger reports.
 
Pashinyan’s methods led to the emergence of new political organizations that chose harsh methods of dealing with the current government. The party “One Armenia” becomes the most moderate in the right, conditionally speaking “Ter-Petrosyan” political field, in which, judging by its name, the occupied Karabakh is already included in the state with its capital in Yerevan. The second right political force is the National Agenda party. Against Pashinyan are Dashnaks and the Sargsyan RPA, and his most ardent enemies are the new movements – Adekvad and VETO, which chose tough methods of fighting Pashinyan. In addition, at the head of Adekvad is Pashinyan”s recent associate in the rally events.
 
In Armenia, they speak of a high, 82%, popular support for Pashinyan. The blogger believes that the premier”s popularity cannot but decrease, since he has not fulfilled any task declared at the rally. Armenia”s relations with Azerbaijan began to deteriorate even more; last week, after a long lull, snipers again fired at the fronts, yesterday Armenians launched a missile at the Azerbaijani combat aircraft, the day before yesterday Azerbaijani positions were fired at by Armenian mortar gunners. There are those killed on both sides, Defense Minister Tonoyan awarded saboteurs who killed our soldier. Pashinyan”s populist program on creating confidence-building measures between Armenians and Azerbaijanis failed. Four months ago, local elections were held, where out of 20 communities, the authorities won only two.
 
Armenia discusses Pashinyan”s lack of a personnel reserve. He appoints to high positions not on a professional, but on an ideological basis. This quality makes Pashinyan related to the former President of Georgia M. Saakashvili; currently he is considered a criminal in Georgia. Pashinyan continues to rule Armenia with the power of the crowd; now they say that the next ones he will send to the bestial supporters will be the Yerevan media and the authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh. Moreover, he openly threatened to do so.
 
People in Yerevan write about the character of the prime minister: impulsive, unstable, “may not react to any information channel, but reacts sharply to it with a delay. And vice versa – reacts sharply, and then gradually “passes back”, that is, it is very difficult to predict behavior of Pashinyan, which is a dangerous quality for a leader, because it impedes him in the formation of informal coalitions and in the formation of strategic relations,” the aforementioned blogger writes.
 
We talked about the similarity of Pashinyan to Saakashvili. In Pashinyan”s rhetoric, analogies are also traced with Azerbaijani political propaganda from the authorities. The most frequently repeated thesis of official Baku was the statement about the “no-tax” development of the Azerbaijani economy. Pashinyan expressed at a recent economic forum with the participation of Italian businessmen: “One of the government’s priorities is the abrupt development of the country’s economy… For one year politically, we were able to eradicate systemic corruption, eradicate monopolies politically… An unprecedented situation is also in world history, when, after a revolution, a country is not experiencing economic shocks, and is not on the recessionary stage. This means that in Armenia there are special and interesting conditions for economic activity… It is planned to create such an ecosystem in Armenia so that every talented person has the opportunity to realize his talent, enrich and enrich,” said N. Pashinyan on June 10, 2019.
 
In the same speech, he reported that in the first quarter of this year, 7.1% economic growth was recorded in Armenia and the indicator of economic activity in April of this year amounted to 9.2%. The official figures of the Armenian economic statistics are commented on by the opposition with irony and distrust. They report a significant drop in exports of the main Armenian goods exported abroad. Export of only brandy increased, by 8%.

Vanetsyan warns: NSS knows everything

Arpi Talalian
Arminfo, Armenia
Tatevik Shahunyan

ArmInfo. There is a small group of people who are targeting the NSS.  This was stated by the Director of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan in an interview with Shant TV.

“These people just have to take into account the fact that the National Security Service, on the basis of its authority, immediately learns about their secret meetings and goals. Yes, we do not advertise it, but we know everything, we also know by whom these actions are directed, “he said.

Vanetsyan stressed that this a small group of people, who target the National Security Service, because for some reason they don’t benefit from a high rating of the Service. At the same time, the head of the NSS assured that he always perceives healthy criticism positively:  “If we make a mistake, we can apologize, but slandering the Service is unacceptable, since groups that try to weaken the NSS undermine the foundations of the state”.

Armenpress: AArmenia to expand cooperation with China in forest restoration, environment monitoring and ecotourism fields

Arpi Talalian

Armenia to expand cooperation with China in forest restoration, environment monitoring and ecotourism fields

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10:13,

BEIJING, APRIL 26, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and China signed a cooperation agreement aimed at expanding the partnership and exchange of experience in forest restoration, environment monitoring and ecotourism sectors.

After the signing ceremony of the Memorandum, Armenian minister of nature protection Erik Grigoryan, who is in Beijing in order to attend the Belt and Road Forum on International Cooperation, told ARMENPRESS correspondent that the MoU will serve a base for the further subjective cooperation.

The MoU has been signed between the Armenian ministry of nature protection and the Chinese ministry of ecology and environment.

“We have a program proposal within the framework of the document which supposes conducting forest restoration works. China has a good experience in the forest restoration works in degraded lands by the use of new technologies is desert and semi-desert zones. We have proposed to carry out a similar pilot program in Armenia”, minister Grigoryan said.

He informed that the next cooperation direction is the monitoring of environment which will completely change this system in Armenia. “Previously, the monitoring of environment in Armenia was distributed between different agencies: some was under the jurisdiction of the agriculture ministry, and the others under the ministry of emergency situations. But now, based on the decision of the government, the Hydrometeorology Service will join the nature protection ministry, and a single monitoring system will be formed. I think here as well we have a great cooperation framework with China”, the minister said.

He also proposed his Chinese partners to provide certain assistance to the development of ecotourism in Armenia. “During my meeting with the Chinese minister of ecology and environment we stated that we consider priority the cooperation within the frames of knowledge, technologies and capacity, rather than the standard financial aid, because even if there are right decisions, financial means, which are not based on knowledge, will not be used effectively”, the minister said, adding that the Armenian and Chinese teams worked very quickly for the MoU to be ready for signing.

Interview by Karen Khachatryan

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Surprise discovery reveals lost Armenian family history

Arpi Talalian
Ahval News
 
 
Surprise discovery reveals lost Armenian family history
 
Tiny Url

An American-Armenian man revealed a lost family history when he made the surprise discovery of a photograph of his relatives from Ottoman Armenia, the Fresno Bee reported.
 
Fresno man Michael Rettig discovered the photograph while going through his grandmother’s family archives, and initially thought it was of his ancestors’ family friends from the eastern Anatolian province of Bitlis.
 
Rettig later discovered a legal document drafted to sue the Ottoman Empire for family property lost during the Armenian genocide, and realised the photograph was of the family of his great-great grandfather, Mardiros Gashagortzian, who drafted the document.
 
There is widespread international recognition that the Ottoman Empire perpetrated a genocide of its Armenian population starting in 1915, with the most widely cited figure saying 1.5 million people were killed.
 
The Turkish Republic accepts that hundreds of thousands were massacred, but denies that a genocide took place, saying the killings occurred under wartime conditions and were not centrally organised.
 
Mardiros’s document describes the deaths of many members of his family, including some who Rettig identified in the photograph.
 
I realized the photograph of the unknown family included Mardiros’s mother (my great-great-great-grandmother Mary), and his brother Harutyoon’s family in Bitlis in 1912. Mary is pictured seated on the right, proudly holding a portrait of Mardiros and his family that they had taken and mailed upon arriving in America. Her second son, Harutyoon, is seated in the middle next to his wife, both of whom would be murdered by Turkish soldiers three years after the photograph was taken.
 
The document describes how four of Harutyoon’s children were killed during the genocide, with the two eldest boys killed alongside other Armenian men early on, and a younger daughter killed during one of the death marches Ottoman troops forced the displaced Armenians on.
 
However, two of Harutyoon’s children survived, with one daughter fleeing to Aleppo and a son hiding his Armenian heritage by assuming the Turkish name Cemal. Rettig discovered letters from both relatives in the archive.
 
“These letters from the few who survived, the family picture, and Mardiros’s legal document constitute all that remains of Harutyoon’s family. They were massacred, torn from their homeland, their land and property confiscated,” Rettig said.
 
Their story is but one example of the devastation the Ottoman Turks inflicted upon Armenian families during the genocide, but it also an example of their failure. That I am sitting here today, 104 years later, with this picture of the Gashagortzians in my hand and the memory of Harutyoon, Jarjis, Khoshvart, and Siranoosh in my heart, and that Armenians around the world continue to gather on April 24 to keep the memories and stories of their ancestors alive year after year, is a testament to this failure. We are still here, and we still remember and honor those we have lost.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 04/01/2019

Arpi Talalian 
                                        Monday, 
Pashinian Rebukes Aliyev After Fresh Summit
        • Emil Danielyan
Austria -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian greets the U.S., Russian and 
French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group before talks with Azerbaijan's 
President Ilham Aliyev, Vienna March 29, 2019.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Monday accused Azerbaijan’s 
leadership of making misleading statements on his latest meeting with 
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.
Pashinian at the same time stood by his largely positive assessment of the 
peace talks held in Vienna on Friday.
“I think that we have a new atmosphere, a new situation, new messages, new 
prospects and new understandings in the negotiations, and it is not clear why 
the Azerbaijani side should avoid or be afraid of accepting these facts,” he 
said in a live Facebook broadcast.
Pashinian was specifically upset with Aliyev’s claim that “the format of 
negotiations remained unchanged” as a result of the Vienna summit. The 
Azerbaijani leader referred to Pashinian’s regular calls for Nagorno-Karabakh’s 
direct involvement in Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks which have been rejected 
by Baku.
“When the Azerbaijani side says ‘the important thing is that the negotiating 
format remains unchanged’ they mean to imply that they emerged victorious from 
these discussions,” complained Pashinian. “This is first and foremost incorrect 
within the framework of the logic which we have agreed upon. Namely, not to 
look for winners and losers.”
Ever since he swept to power in May last year, Pashinian has repeatedly said 
that he does not have a mandate to negotiate on behalf of Karabakh’s ethnic 
Armenian leadership and that the latter should therefore become a full-fledged 
negotiating party.
He again claimed on Monday that this does not mean Yerevan is seeking changes 
to the negotiating format, arguing that the Karabakh Armenians were directly 
involved in the peace process in the 1990s. He said he and Aliyev discussed the 
matter at Vienna but failed to reach any agreements.
“Does this mean that the issue has been removed from [the agenda of] 
discussions?” the Armenian premier went on. “Of course not. It means that we 
are going to continue discussions on this topic.”
Austria -- Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (L) and Armenian Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian meet in Vienna, March 29, 2019.
​The Vienna summit, which lasted for over three hours, was Pashinian’s and 
Aliyev’s fourth face-to-face contact since September. In a joint statement with 
the U.S., Russian and French mediators, the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign 
ministers described it as “positive and constructive.” The two leaders 
discussed “key issues of the settlement process and ideas of substance” and 
“recommitted to strengthening the ceasefire,” according to the statement.
Pashinian and Aliyev echoed that assessment in their public comments made in 
the Austrian capital. “The negotiating process has been given new impetus,” the 
Azerbaijani president told the TASS news agency.
It remains unclear whether two sides made any progress towards a compromise 
settlement favored by the United States, Russia and France. A framework peace 
accord drafted by the three mediating powers over a decade ago calls for 
Armenian withdrawal from virtually all seven districts around Karabakh. In 
return, Karabakh’s predominantly ethnic Armenian population would be able to 
determine Karabakh’s internationally recognized status in a future referendum.
The U.S., Russian and French diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group 
reaffirmed this peace formula, also known as the Madrid Principles, in a joint 
statement issued on March 9. They said “any fair and lasting settlement” must 
involve “return of the territories surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani 
control; an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh providing guarantees for 
security and self-governance; a corridor linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh; 
future determination of the final legal status of Nagorno-Karabakh through a 
legally binding expression of will.”
Speaking at a March 19 news conference in Yerevan, Pashinian said that the 
Madrid Principles are open to different interpretations and therefore need to 
be clarified. He said on Monday that he raised the matter with Aliyev and the 
mediators at the Vienna meeting.
“Can we say at this point that we received those clarifications and answers to 
our questions?” added the prime minister. “No because these are very extensive 
questions, and unfortunately it was not possible to get answers to those 
questions as a result of a single discussion.”
Nevertheless, Pashinian said, he and Aliyev agreed to continue discussions on 
the proposed settlement, including through their foreign ministers.
Armenian Vice-Minister Held For ‘Bribery’
Armenia -- The main entrance to the National Security Service building in 
Yerevan.
An Armenian deputy minister of health was arrested while allegedly receiving a 
hefty bribe over the weekend.
Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) said on Monday that the official, 
Arsen Davtian, was caught red-handed in his office. It claimed that the unnamed 
director of a medical institution paid Davtian a “particularly large amount of 
money” in return for securing greater government funding for his hospital.
An NSS statement said both men will be prosecuted on corruption charges. It 
said that unlike Davtian, the hospital chief was not arrested because of his 
old age and poor health.
The security service added that it is continuing to investigate possible 
corrupt practices in payment of government subsidies to state-owned and private 
hospitals, a process which has been overseen by Davtian.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian, who helped Davtian become vice-minister in May, 
said later on Monday that his deputy will deserve “strict” punishment if 
convicted. “Such [corrupt] practices are inadmissible and condemnable,” he 
wrote on Facebook.
“We voice our support for law-enforcement bodies in their fight against 
corruption,” Torosian added on behalf of his staff. “We sincerely believe that 
disclosure of corruption and other illegal practices in the [healthcare] system 
will help to root them out and make the system healthy.”
Davtian was detained one month after Torosian effectively engineered the arrest 
of two government officials accused of attempting to personally benefit from 
government-funded supplies of medical equipment to three hospitals.
The indicted officials held senior positions at the State Oversight Service 
(SOS), a government agency tasked with combatting financial irregularities in 
the public sector. They both deny the corruption charges.
Torosian has repeatedly pledged to eliminate widespread corruption in the 
Armenian healthcare system. In July, the minister sacked Ara Minasian, the 
longtime director of Yerevan’s Surb Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center, after 
accusing him of embezzling at least 545 million drams ($1.1 million) in public 
funds.
Law-enforcement authorities brought corruption charges against Minasian shortly 
afterwards. The latter rejected them as baseless and politically motivated.
A prominent doctor, Minasian is the father of former President Serzh 
Sarkisian’s son-in-law Mikael Minasian, who enjoyed considerable political and 
economic influence in Armenia until last spring’s “velvet revolution.”
Sacking Of Armenian Opera Chief Sparks Protests
        • Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia - Artists of the Armenian national opera theater protest outside the 
main government building in Yerevan, April 1, 2019.
Amid continuing angry protests against the sacking of the acclaimed 
Armenian-American director of Armenia’s national opera theater, the government 
pledged to at least delay the appointment of his successor on Monday.
Constantine Orbelian, a San Francisco-born conductor and pianist, was named as 
artistic director of the Alexander Spendiarian National Opera and Ballet 
Theater in Yerevan in 2016 and became its director general as well a year 
later. He is widely credited with breathing a new life into one of the 
country’s most important cultural institutions chronically underfunded by 
successive post-Soviet governments.
Acting Culture Minister Nazeni Gharibian dismissed Orbelian as chief executive 
on Thursday, saying that he is not legally allowed to combine the two 
leadership positions. She also argued that the 62-year-old U.S. citizen is not 
fluent in Armenian.
Orbelian rejected the decision as illegal and said he will challenge it in 
court. Most actors and musicians of the state-run theater also condemned his 
dismissal, demanding that Gharibian be sacked instead.
Armenia- Artists of the nationla opera theater stage a protest action in 
support of Constantine Orbelian, 30Mar2019.
In an unprecedented protest, many of them walked on stage just before a ballet 
performance on Sunday to voice their indignation in front of hundreds of 
spectators. They threatened to go on strike if Orbelian is not reinstated. The 
audience responded with applause.
Scores of other artists, among them the directors of other state-run theaters, 
voiced support for the protesting staff by signing an open letter to Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Dozens of opera and ballet staffers rallied outside outside the main government 
building in Yerevan on Monday, leading Pashinian to meet with their 
representatives.
Pashinian defended the legality of Orbelian’s dismissal at the meeting. He also 
pointed to the latter’s frequent trips abroad and, citing the Armenian Finance 
Ministry, alleged financial irregularities committed by the theater 
administration in 2017.
Armenia - Constantine Orbelian, the director of the national opera theater 
controversially sacked by the government, Yerevan, March 29, 2019.
Pashinian at the same time made clear that he is open to hearing the artists’ 
counterarguments. In that regard, he announced that the theater will be run by 
one of Orbelian’s deputies for the time being.
“Keep working as usual,” the premier told them. “I will wait for your arguments 
and we will jointly make decisions.”
Gharibian said on Friday that she has already appointed a new opera director 
and will introduce him or her to the theater staff on Monday. The acting 
minister did not attend Pashinian’s meeting with the protesters’ 
representatives even though she was seen entering the prime minister’s office.
The protest leaders seemed satisfied with the meeting. One of them, conductor 
Harutiun Arzumanian, said they will study written justifications for Orbelian’s 
sacking and respond to Pashinian in writing.
“The prime minister said if it turns out that even one of the submitted 
[government] arguments is false the official who submitted them will be 
immediately fired,” Arzumanian told reporters.
Russia ‘Thanked’ For Karabakh Mediation
Russia -- Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Armenian Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian (L) in the Kremlin, December 27, 2018.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on the 
latest Armenian-Azerbaijani summit and reportedly praised Russia’s efforts to 
help resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict during a phone call on Monday.
In a statement, the Kremlin said Pashinian “informed” Putin about the results 
of his March 29 talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev held in Vienna 
and “expressed gratitude to the Russian side for its weighty mediating role in 
the negotiation process.”
“Vladimir Putin reaffirmed Russia’s readiness to further assist in the search 
for solutions to the key aspects of the [Karabakh] settlement, including in the 
OSCE Minsk Group framework,” added the statement.
Russia has long been co-heading the Minsk Group with the United States and 
France. Diplomats from the three mediating powers were present at the Vienna 
summit along with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers.
An Armenian newspaper claimed last week that Foreign Minister Zohrab 
Mnatsakanian paid a confidential visit to Moscow ahead of the summit. The 
Foreign Ministry in Yerevan did not deny the report.
Pashinian’s press office likewise said that the prime minister discussed the 
Vienna talks with Putin. It did not elaborate.
The two leaders also discussed Russian-Armenian ties, the office said, adding 
that they stressed the importance of the upcoming meeting in Moscow of a 
Russian-Armenian intergovernmental commission on bilateral cooperation. The 
commission mainly deals with economic issues.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

Armenia Prosecutor General on coming to terms with Nikol Pashinyan

Arpi Talalian
MediaMax, Armenia
Armenia Prosecutor General on coming to terms with Nikol Pashinyan Armenia Prosecutor General on coming to terms with Nikol Pashinyan

15:07, 29.03.2019
                 

Armenia’s Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan hasn’t faced any problem with adapting or not adapting to Armenia’s Premier Nikol Pashinyan and the new government. This is what Davtyan declared during a briefing at the National Assembly on 29 March, responding to the question on how he came to terms with Nikol Pashinyan and the new government.

“Questions about adapting or coming to terms are inappropriate and aren’t addressable questions. I was elected by the National Assembly. I haven’t faced any obstacles, and I continue to perform my duties without having to adapt or come to terms on any occasion or in any situation,” he said.

Romania, Honduras recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

Arpi Talalian

Romania, Honduras recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital

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09:53,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Romania and Honduras on March 24 declared recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez delivered their announcements Sunday at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee’s annual conference in Washington.

Both countries intend to move their embassies to Jerusalem.

However, according to media reports the Romanian president has said the prime minister has not consulted the move with him.

Earlier in 2018, U.S. President Donald Trump had recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Armenia PM: Do we need waste recycling plant? Or energy?

Arpi Talalian
News.am, Armenia
Armenia PM: Do we need waste recycling plant? Or energy? Armenia PM: Do we need waste recycling plant? Or energy?

13:06, 23.03.2019
                

YEREVAN. – A working group is now working. Our resources will be studied. The study has come, reached a dilemma: Do we need a waste recycling plant? Or energy?

The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, told the above-said to reporters during the nationwide Saturday volunteer labor day in the country.

“You get another result from waste recycling, whereas you get energy in the other case,” he said. “Here it’s not an issue of political decision, but experts shall check the structure of the waste created, and say which option it will be.”

“I would consider the revolution [that took place in Armenia] has really reached its objective when we get rid of waste: car scraps, rusty kiosks,” the PM noted.

Pashinyan stressed that capital city Yerevan needs a second waste management operator, but added that the respective process will last at least six months.