Author: Arsine Chaltikian

Easter Festival to be organized for first time in Armenia

Arsine Chaltikian

Save

Share

 11:09,

YEREVAN, APRIL 15, ARMENPRESS. The first Easter Festival will take place on April 17 in Yerevan.

The event is organized by the Children’s Special Creative Center, with support from the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport.

The festival will take place near the Saint Anna Church and Saint Katoghike Church in central Yerevan.

The Easter Festival will feature musical performances and presentation of handicrafts made by children.

The symbolic color of the festival is red, and organizers asked attendants to wear any red clothing or red accessory if possible.

Mount Ararat and Egyptian pyramids: Ceremonial postmarking on 30th anniversary of Armenian-Egyptian diplomatic ties

Arsine Chaltikian

Save

Share

 15:47,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. On April 12, a special envelope was postmarked dedicated to the 30th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Egypt, HayPost reported.

The postmarking was carried out by the Acting High-Tech Industry Minister Davit Sahakyan, HayPost CEO Hayk Karapetyan, the Head of the Division of Middle East and African Countries at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Armen Melkonyan, the Ambassador of Egypt to Armenia Bahaa El Din Bahgat Dessouki and the President of the Union of Philatelists Hovik Musayelyan.

The envelope pictures Mount Ararat and Egyptian pyramids, and reads “Diplomatic Relations Between the Republic of Armenia and the Arab Republic of Egypt” in Armenian and English languages, stamped with the post stamp dedicated to the anniversary.

Photos by Gevorg Perkuperkyan




Armenia’s Gabriel Sargissian shares first place with Mattias Bluebaum in European Individual Chess Championship

Arsine Chaltikian
Public Radio of Armenia
April 5 2022
April 5, 2022, 21:57

 

Armenian Grandmaster Gabriel Sargissian shares the first place in the European Individual Chess Championship after scoring victory in the 10th round.

Playing with whites, Sargissian defeated Azerbaijan’s Abdulla Gadimbayli and is now level on 8 points with Germany’s Mattias Bluebaum.

The latter defeated Maxime Lagarde of France in the 10th round.

U.S. Signals Willingness to Approve Controversial F-16 Sale to Turkey

Arsine Chaltikian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 April 6, 2022

 

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

Turkey wants to buy F-16 fighter jets

The Biden administration believes a potential sale of F-16 fighter jets to Turkey would be in line with U.S. national security interests and would also serve NATO’s long-term unity, the State Department said in a letter to Congress that fell short of explicitly supporting the deal, Reuters reported.

Turkey made a request in October to the United States to buy 40 Lockheed Martin-made F-16 fighters and nearly 80 modernization kits for its existing warplanes. Washington has so far refrained from expressing any opinion on the sale, saying it needs to go through the standard arms sales process.

The sale of U.S. weapons to NATO member Turkey became contentious after Ankara acquired Russian-made defense missile systems, triggering U.S. sanctions as well as Turkey’s removal from the F-35 fighter jet program.

A bipartisan group of over 50 U.S. Representatives joined Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Hellenic Caucus Co-Chair Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) in pressing the departments of State and Defense to block the sale of next-generation U.S. F-16 fighter jets and upgrade kits to Turkey President Erdogan’s increasingly hostile regime, the Armenian National Committee of America reported in February.

The State Department letter, first reported by Reuters, is dated March 17 and signed by the agency’s top legislative official Naz Durakoglu. She acknowledges the strained relations while at the same time describing Turkey’s support for and defense ties with Ukraine as “an important deterrent to malign influence in the region.”

While the letter does not provide any assurance or a timeline for the sale, it emphasizes that Washington’s punitive actions after Ankara’s purchase of the Russian S-400 systems represent “a significant price paid.”

“The Administration believes that there are nonetheless compelling long-term NATO alliance unity and capability interests, as well as U.S. national security, economic and commercial interests that are supported by appropriate U.S. defense trade ties with Turkey,” the letter said.

“The proposed sale will require a Congressional notification if the Department of State were to approve it,” it added.

Artur Davtyan and Vahagn Davtyan win World Cup

Arsine Chaltikian
NEWS.am
Armenia – April 5 2022

Armenia’s leading gymnasts Artur Davtyan and Vahagn Davtyan won the World Cup.

The International Gymnastics Federation announced the results of the World Cup.

Artur Davtyan took the first place in the men’s vault with 90 points. He was 10 points ahead of Ukraine’s Nazar Chepurnyi, who came in second.

Vahagn Davtyan took first place in rings exercise with 85 points. The Turkish athlete Ibrahim Colak took the second place with 80 points, the third was Armenian athlete Artur Avetisyan with 53 points.

Bad peace is preferable from any war: Kyrgyz Parliament Speaker says at meeting with Armenian counterpart

Arsine Chaltikian

Save

Share

 15:34, 28 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS. On March 28, Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of Jogorku Kenesh (Parliament) of the Kyrgyz Republic Talant Mamytov, the Armenian Parliament’s press service said.

The sides discussed the perspectives of cooperation within the framework of the IPA CIS, recording the necessity of the parliamentary diplomacy and the active cooperation of the Friendship Groups.

The Parliament Speaker highlighted the constructive cooperation of the delegations of the two countries in the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly on other parliamentary platforms.

The Kyrgyz counterpart reminded about the protocol on the ceasefire of the Nagorno Karabakh signed in Bishkek in 1994, documenting that the bad peace is preferable from any war. Touching upon the issues of the establishment and peace of the region, both sides emphasized the support of the peace agenda.

Ideas were exchanged also over the decentralized cooperation among wide circle of discussions. In this context the upcoming exchange programs between the two second cities Gyumri and Osh, as well, as Shirak and Osh relevant universities were singled out.

Armenian criminal gang dismantled in France over counterfeit cigarettes

Arsine Chaltikian
EUROPOL
March 30 2022

A total of 11 individuals suspected of being part of an Armenian organised crime group involved in the large-scale import and distribution of counterfeit cigarettes have been arrested by French Customs (judicial investigation unit of the Ministry of Finance) with the support of Europol’s European Financial and Economic Crime Centre (EFECC).

Open in modal

On 15 March, over 40 judicial customs investigators, with the support of special intervention teams of the French National Police (RAID) and two Europol experts deployed on the ground, simultaneously searched 13 sites, including industrial premises as well as private residences, in and around the city of Lyon.

In addition to the arrests, over 2.5 tonnes of counterfeit cigarettes were seized, worth about EUR 1 250 000 in France, alongside EUR 100 000 in cash and EUR 150 000 in winning lottery tickets bought by the criminals to launder the profits. Four guns and many types of ammunition were seized.

The French investigators have since then been able to uncover that the counterfeit cigarettes were imported from different European countries, before being stored in warehouses located in industrial areas and then sold on the black market in several French cities.

Coordination by Europol

Europol’s EFECC supported the investigation by providing its secure communication platform and facilitating international cooperation between France and a number of other European countries, running cross-checks and providing analytical support and operational expertise. Two of its experts were deployed to Lyon to support the French Customs on the action day.

Excise fraud is currently an EU law enforcement priority. Strategic and operational plans have been developed under the European Multidisciplinary Platform Against Crime Threats (EMPACT) Excise Fraud Project. Under this umbrella, a total of 24 countries led by Belgium are working together on countering the illicit production of cigarettes in the European Union.  
 

Community Invited to Prayer Service ‘For the Sake of the Homeland’ on Sunday

Arsine Chaltikian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 March 31, 2022

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

The public is invited to join Primate of the Western Diocese Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Bishop Mikael Mouradian of the Armenian Catholic Eparchy of North America, and Very Rev. Hendrik Shanazarian who will lead a prayer and requiem service for the Homeland and in memory of fallen soldiers.

This special event being dubbed “For the Sake of the Homeland,” will take place on Sunday, April 3 at 7 p.m. at St. Leon Armenian Cathedral (3325 N. Glenoaks Blvd., Burbank, CA 91504).

“As Armenians around the world prepare to celebrate Feast of the Holy Resurrection, we renew our commitment to peace through collective prayer, especially in such turbulent times in our homeland and our ancestral land of Artsakh. It is our moral obligation to stand by our Motherland and our Republic spiritually,” said an announcement about the event.

“Therefore, let our collective prayer resoundingly echo in our hearts the call of our valiant ancestors —‘For the sake of faith, for the sake of the Homeland,’” concluded the announcement.

Moon Knight Receives Praise And Backlash For Acknowledging The Armenian Genocide

Arsine Chaltikian
The Gamer
April 2 2022
BY RHIANNON BEVAN
It is illegal to acknowledge the genocide in Turkey.

The latest Marvel show, Moon Knight, has come under fire, due to its acknowledgement of the Armenian genocide of 1915 to 1917. The throwaway line that appears in the show’s first episode has inspired some to review bomb the show, bringing its average user rating down to 7.4/10 on IMDb.

The Armenian genocide is mentioned by name in one scene between Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant, and antagonist Arthur Harrow, played by Ethan Hawke. Many reviews in Turkish are negative because of this, with the acknowledgement that the genocide took place still being illegal in the country.

The scene in question is when Steven meets with Arthur, discussing the sins that humanity has committed over the years. Arthur cites the holocaust, Pol Pot’s war crimes in Cambodia, and the Armenian genocide as examples of humanity’s sins.

Stating that the genocide took place is commonly seen as a breach of Turkey’s article 301, which makes it an offence to “publicly denigrate” the country of Turkey, its government, the judicial system, the military, and the police. This has been used to silence journalists who say that the deaths happened, and were caused by the Ottoman Empire.

Backlash to the line can be seen in Moon Knight’s one-star user reviews on IMDb. One review, titled “I hate political correctness” reads: Your given information about Armenian Genocide is totally lie. Turkish Governmental Archives are open the international visitors. If you blame the us this reason, first of all you must be objective.” Another says, “There is no Armenian genocide you liars[…]they should keep away politics from super [h]ero shows”.

“You really think that is true? You are writing scenario with lies. Please stop making lie. Learn history”.

Alternatively, the show has also been praised by others for including the line. With Disney’s international market in mind, it has been known to censor aspects of its films and shows that may receive backlash in certain regions, especially LGBTQ+ characters. Many are pleased to see that the writers were allowed to keep this line, despite the expected controversy.