Author: Arsine Chaltikian

Armenian police detain activists, lawyers rallying outside Arabkir department

Arsine Chaltikian
Panorama, Armenia

Police officers detained a group of activists and lawyers who were rallying outside the Arabkir Police Department to support lawyer Ruben Melikyan and several others apprehended earlier on Friday for refusing to stop a protest action outside the parliament.

Among the detained citizens were Artur Danielyan, the leader of Adekvad party highly critical of the Armenian government, lawyer Arsen Babayan and dozens of other citizens, with some of them taken to other police departments.

Before being detained Danielyan insisted police did not move to disperse the rally as they were unable to clarify PM Nikol Pashinyan’s position on the matter, since the latter was addressing the parliament over the extension of the state of emergency at the time.

“I can’t get it what problem they are solving by detentions. Ruben Melikyan was standing alone in front of the National Assembly, but he was detained. At the moment, about 60 people are gathered here, but they are not being detained. We can’t follow the logic here,” he said, suggesting police officers took no action as they had not received an order from the premier yet.

ANCA Glendale Committed to Meaningful Action Against Racism

Arsine Chaltikian
June 8, 2020

ANCA Glendale

While millions of Americans take to the streets to demand racial justice, the Armenian National Committee of America – Glendale Chapter (ANCA Glendale) stands with activists protesting the brutal murders of George Floyd and many others as a result of police brutality.

The tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and countless other people of color speak to the racist policies that have plagued this country in the same way they have defined the everyday realities of individuals who face intolerance, discrimination, and marginalization.

Solidarity for the Black Lives Matter movement needs to be demonstrated locally. Anti-racist policies and practices must be adopted by community leaders and city officials in order for Glendale to truly be a Jewel City. As residents of Glendale, we can neither forget our city’s dark past of sheltering white supremacy, nor can we be silent about racial injustice in our society today.

As a community-based organization devoted to justice, ANCA Glendale supports the ongoing peaceful demonstrations as well as people’s constitutional right to protest. By translating solidarity into concrete action, we meaningfully participate in the Black Lives Matter movement. Moving forward, ANCA Glendale remains committed to coordinate action with city stakeholders in the ongoing fight to confront racial inequities.

ANCA Glendale advocates for the social, economic, cultural, and political rights of the city’s Armenian-American community and promotes increased civic participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.

Positive-tested PM Pashinyan and family members show no coronavirus symptoms

Arsine Chaltikian

 

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 19:16, 4 June, 2020

YEREVAN, JUNE 4, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia NIkol Pashinyan and his family members, who have been tested positive for COVID-19, show no symptoms of the disease, Pashinyan said in a briefing following the session at the Commandant’s Office.

”We underwent a detailed medical examination and at the moment have no symptoms. We have no fever, pneumonia or anything else. Though there is possibility that our health condition will worsen, the analysis of previous cases show that the chances are rather low”, ARMENPRESS reports the PM as saying.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

President Armen Sarkissian sends congratulatory message to King of Sweden

Arsine Chaltikian

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 13:30, 6 June, 2020

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS.   President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a congratulatory message to King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden on the occasion of the National Holiday of the country.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of teh President’s Office, the President emphasized that Armenia highlights the expansion of friendly cooperation and constructive diologue with Sweden both on bilateral format and in the sidelines of the European Union. Armen Sarkissian expressed confidence that the two countries will continue to strengthen the friendly, warm and mutually beneficiary relations in the future.

He wished Carl XVI Gustaf and the Royal Family good health and welfare to the friendly people of Sweden.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

Bulgaria sends medical supplies to Armenia

Arsine Chaltikian
Public Radio of Armenia
June 3 2020


The Bulgarian Government has sent medical supplies in support to Armenia’s fight against coronavirus, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs.

On June 3, on behalf of the Government of Bulgaria, the Ambassador of Bulgaria to Armenia Maria Pavlova Tsotsorkov-Kaymaktchieva handed over 500 sets of medical supplies (protective uniforms, helmets and goggles) to Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan.

“We appreciate the support of our partners and this friendly step in our united struggle against the epidemic,” the Foreign Ministry said.

Artsakh president signs summer conscription decree

Arsine Chaltikian

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 14:12,

STEPANAKERT, MAY 30, ARMENPRESS. President of Artsakh Arayik Harutyunyan has signed an order on launching the routine summer conscription for mandatory military service of male citizens who have reached the age of 18 by June 30, 2020.

Servicemen who completed their 2-year mandatory service will be discharged by July 31.

Yerevan to host Olympic rating tournament of beach volleyball

Arsine Chaltikian

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 14:51,

YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. One of the upcoming Olympic Games rating tournaments of women’s beach volleyball will take place in Yerevan, the National Olympic Committee said citing the Easter Europe Volleyball Association.

The tournament will take place in late August.

Editing and translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Eurovision Song Celebration 2020: Armenia’s Athena Manoukian featured

Arsine Chaltikian
Public Radio of Armenia

Video at link below

Armenia ex-Ambassador to Vatican: Nikol Pashinyan is not a populist

Arsine Chaltikian
News.am, Armenia

23:14, 12.05.2020

Is Nikol Pashinyan a populist or not? This comes as a surprise, but no, he isn’t a populist. This is what ex-Ambassador of Armenia to the Vatican Mikayel Minasyan declared in his video posted on his Facebook page.

“There are two groups formed in Armenia. There is a group of people who didn’t live the good life in the past, but now live a great life at the expense of the people, and there is a group of people who lived neither well nor bad in the past, but now live very bad and are living and will live worse every week. Today we will talk about the first group,” he said.

According to Minasyan, the first group is headed by Nikol Pashinyan, his family and few close people who are benefiting from power and living at the expense of the people. “These people aren’t populists, just like Nikol Pashinyan isn’t a populist because he has violated the unwritten laws of populism. For example, ex-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili was considered a populist. Right from the first day of his term of office, he said he would reject all the advantages that the former authorities had and would cut off all ties and not be like them. As for Nikol Pashinyan, he not only started using the whole package, but also added to that package right from the first day of taking over.

He didn’t even wait for his political opponent Serzh Sargsyan to leave the state mansions and entered the so-called mansions and started going live on Facebook to show that he was going to live there. Nikol Pashinyan spent $2,000,000 and repaired a mansion that, I assure you (I have been in that mansion for reasons known to everyone), didn’t need to be renovated. One of his three big dreams was to live better than the famous and wealthy businessman Gagik Tsarukyan because only the latter could allow himself to have the quality of life that Nikol Pashinyan has,” Mikayel Minasyan said, adding the following:

“Nikol Pashinyan purchased cars worth more than $600-700,000 for him and his family and personal security vehicles. I assure you there have not been so many personal security vehicles in the past 30 years in Armenia as there are for Nikol Pashinyan and his family. This has absolutely nothing to do with populism. A populist wouldn’t take his wife to travel to different sites around the world at the expense of the people and by spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to visit La Scala in Milan or the St. Lazarus Island in Venice. Nikol Pashinyan spent a tremendous amount of money for nothing, managed to have a quarrel with the President of the Senate of Italy and declared that Mikayel Minasyan is hiding in the basement of the Vatican. The bonuses worth billions have nothing to do with populism. Nikol Pashinyan isn’t a populist. He is a state oligarch because he is living like an oligarch with the money of the State and the people,” he said.