Author: Arsine Chaltikian

ANCC Statement on Armenia’s Early Parliamentary Elections

Arsine Chaltikian

Armenian
National Committee of Canada

Comité
National Arménien du Canada

 

Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622

E-mail/Courriel:[email protected]

www.anccanada.org

 

-PRESS RELEASE-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

                                                                         Contact:
Sevag Belian (613) 235-2622

 

 

ANCC Statement on Armenia’s Early
Parliamentary Elections

 

Today, the Armenian National
Committee of Canada (ANCC) joins the international community in welcoming the
fair and democratic conduct of Armenia’s early parliamentary elections that
were held on Sunday, December 9th.

 

Sunday’s early parliamentary
elections were praised as being the most fair and democratic elections held in
Armenia, since gaining independence in 1991.

 

In their preliminary official statement
released today, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s
(OSCE) international observer mission stated, “The 9 December early
parliamentary elections were held with respect for fundamental freedoms and
enjoyed broad public trust that needs to be preserved through further electoral
reforms.”

 

Following Election Day, the head
of the OSCE/ODIHR Observer Mission, Ursula Gacek said, “Armenia has never had
such elections”, dubbing it as the most fair and democratic one in
Armenia’s history.

 

Commenting on the elections, ANCC
President Shahen Mirakian said, “These elections give us a sense of assurance
that Armenia has solidified its commitment to democratic standards and is on a
path to becoming an exemplary model in its immediate region.”

 

“In a geographical area identified
by autocratic and rogue states, Armenia now stands as a beacon of hope and
progress, and we are particularly proud that today, Canada stands as a proud
partner in Armenia’s promising future” concluded Mirakian.   

 

 

 

-30-

 

******

 

 

The ANCC is the largest and the most influential Canadian-Armenian
grassroots human rights organization. Working in coordination with a network of
offices, chapters, and supporters throughout Canada and affiliated organizations
around the world, the ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Canadian-Armenian
community on a broad range of issues and works to eliminate abuses of human
rights throughout Canada and the world.

—
Sevag Belian – Executive Director
Armenian National Committee of Canada
T: (613) 235-2622 | C: (905) 329-8526
E:

Governor Jeff Colyer Speaks at 30th Anniversary of Spitak Earthquake in Armenia  

Arsine Chaltikian
The Office of the Governor of Kansas, USA
December 8, 2018 Saturday


TOPEKA, Kan.

Governor Jeff Colyer spoke Friday at an event commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Spitak Earthquake in Armenia, a disaster Gov. Colyer assisted with as a medical first responder in 1988. Gov. Colyer was sent to Armenia by then President Ronald Reagan after the earthquake hit. He was one of the first medical responders to arrive in the country after the 6.8 magnitude earthquake destroyed Spitak within 30 seconds, killing 25,000 people and injuring nearly 140,000 people.

“The disaster I saw 30 years ago was tragic, and through the tragedy the Armenian nation showed courage and resilience,” said Governor Jeff Colyer, M.D. “Many lives were lost, and many other lives were changed that day. It is important that as humanitarians we always answer the call for help when others need it.”

Kansas Adjutant General Maj. Gen. Lee Tafanelli also attended the commemoration with Gov. Colyer. Kansas and Armenia first established a bilateral affairs agreement in June 2003. Fifteen years later, the partnership continues to foster strong relations between the United States and the Republic of Armenia. Kansas and Armenia enjoy an enduring relationship built upon mutual understanding, trust and genuine friendships shared across and throughout our forces. Collaborative efforts between Kansas and Armenia have paved the way for the modernization of the Armenian Armed Forces in the areas of defense reform, enhanced interoperability, defense education reform and civil emergency planning.

“These types of partnerships are critical to international security cooperation,” said Tafanelli. “The United States is most successful when it partners with friends and allies to achieve mutual security goals. Armenian peacekeepers have trained alongside Kansas Guardsmen as a result of the State Partnership Program, and many other enduring relationships have been developed benefiting both Armenia and the United States.”

Pictures from the anniversary event can be found online at the following news links:

https://news.am/eng/news/485019.html

https://www.mediamax.am/en/news/society/31474/

Canberra: Sen. Keneally Delivers Speech on Armenian Genocide

Arsine Chaltikian
Australian Parliament News
December 4, 2018 Tuesday 4:21 PM EST
 
 
SEN KENEALLY DELIVERS SPEECH ON ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
 
 
 
Senator KENEALLY (New South Wales) (19:33): I rise today in support of a motion that was debated in the House of Representatives on 25 June. On that day, a number of my colleagues from both sides of the aisle spoke of recognising our country’s first major international humanitarian relief effort. In 1917, Australians from all across the country began raising money for the survivors of one of the worst humanitarian disasters of the 20th century. Two years prior, a program of extermination had been inflicted on the Armenian people across the Ottoman Empire. The population were forced from their homes and subjected to involuntary labour, starvation and rape as they were marched across the ancestral homelands they had occupied for nearly three millennia.
 
All told, it’s estimated that 1½ million people perished during this period. Their stories echoed so strongly here at home because many of our brave Anzacs bore witness to it. Our soldiers were brought into direct contact with the extraordinary suffering of the Armenian people while serving our country in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. Their accounts inspired the thousands of stories that were published in Australian newspapers at the time detailing the systemic attempt to eliminate the Armenian people and their culture. These newspapers reported ‘atrocities’, ‘massacres’ and ‘decimation’ but never used the term ‘genocide’, simply because we hadn’t yet invented a word that could fully encapsulate the myriad cruelties that were inflicted on the Armenian people.
 
In response to this tragedy, Australians from all walks of life banded together to raise funds to assist the orphans and survivors of the Armenian genocide, as well as other Christian minorities such as the Greeks and the Assyrians. The Armenian Relief Fund raised the modern-day equivalent of $1.5 million, and sent supplies on the government steamer Hobson’s Bay to aid survivors. This is a proud moment in our history, and more than a century later the Armenian-Australian community is one of the many groups that contribute to the rich cultural tapestry of this nation. But we have not forgotten—indeed, we cannot forget—the special history we share.
 
As a Catholic, I was stirred by the words of Pope Francis in 2015 when he called on the entire human family to heed the warnings of this tragedy to ‘protect us from falling into a similar horror’. Pope Francis called the genocide:
 
… the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims …
 
And warned that:
 
Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it.
 
As a former member of the New South Wales parliament, and indeed Premier of the great state of New South Wales, I am proud that a motion was passed in 1997 that acknowledged the Armenian genocide and honoured its victims. Today, that historic action is still commemorated with a memorial on the ninth floor of the New South Wales parliament building. Taking the step to recognise this event is so profoundly important to our society. It shows proper respect to survivors and it reinforces our steadfast opposition to any violent crime that seeks to dehumanise and destroy.
 
While I acknowledge that the word ‘genocide’ invokes sensitivities, I believe our failure to recognise these events undermines our relationships with our friends and allies. Australia plays a crucial role in promoting peace and human rights in the Asia-Pacific and across the globe. The harsh reality of the 21st century is that not all in the international community have learnt from the horrors of the era that preceded it. Ethnic and religious violence continues to plague countries around the world, and it serves only to undermine the fundamental laws of human rights that we hold to be true. We play a crucial role on the international stage in promoting these values but we fall short if we are not willing to acknowledge these acts when they occur, and particularly one that is so intertwined with the legacy of the Anzacs and our emerging nation.
 
If we are to stop the bleeding, we must denounce crimes against humanity whenever and wherever they occur. I am proud that our great nation helped the Armenian people in their time of need and that our actions served a community who today contribute so much to our modern multicultural society. It is important that we recognise our history, both our own and the one we share with the people of Armenia. I join my colleagues who have spoken in this house and in the other, both past and present, in calling on the federal parliament to acknowledge our first humanitarian effort as a country and to recognise the Armenian genocide.
 

Human rights activist: Ill-treatment, torture continue in Armenia

Arsine Chaltikian
Panorama, Armenia
Nov 28 2018

The studies conducted by both local and international organizations reveal continuous ill-treatment and torture cases in Armenia, human rights activist Avetik Ishkhanyan said at the conference on the Human Rights Defender’s 10 years of activity in torture prevention launched in Yerevan on Wednesday.

Ishkhanyan, who heads the Helsinki Committee of Armenia NGO, stressed the situation in police has always raised concerns.

“The cases of inhuman or degrading treatment and torture in police were generally revealed to the public after those cases had a tragic outcome or the victims of violence were political activists who voiced about them,” he said.

The situation, according to the lawyer, was somehow changed after Armenia joined the Council of Europe in 2001, but no serious changes have taken place so far.

Armenia’s first Ombudsman Larisa Alaverdyan, in attendance of the conference, drew attention to the fact that sometimes expired medications are given to convicts at Armenia’s penitentiaries.

Meantime, she stressed the situation of the women rights violations in jails has gone worse in the recent years.  

Junior Eurovision: Poland wins Junior Eurovision 2018, Armenia comes 9th

Arsine Chaltikian
Public Radio of Armenia
Nov 25 2018
Poland wins Junior Eurovision 2018, Armenia comes 9th

2018-11-25 21:33:54

Roksana Węgiel from Poland became the winner of the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2018 with her song Anyone I Want To Be. France and Australia finished in second and third places respectively. 

The results of the 2018 Junior Eurovision Song Contest were determined by an online audience vote and by national juries that consisted of 3 music industry professionals and 2 children. The public vote counted for 50% of the final result, the other 50% came from the national juries.

RFE/RL – Armenian PM Holds ‘Atonement’ Rally

Arsine Chaltikian
November 25, 2018
  • Anush Muradian

Armenia – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his supporters march through Yerevan, .

Read the comments

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian acknowledged “possible mistakes” made by his government after marching through Yerevan with supporters for nearly ten hours on Saturday.

“Today we have held the longest march in the history of the Third [Armenian] Republic. Our march lasted for 9 hours and 25 minutes. We walked 37.5 kilometers,” he said at the end of the marathon rally held two days before the official start of campaigning for the December 9 parliamentary elections.

“First of all … we have once again demonstrated that our will is stronger than a rock and our spirit never surrenders and nobody and nothing can stop us on the path of building a free and happy Armenia because we enjoy the trust of our people,” he said outside the prime minister’s office in Yerevan.

“In a sense, it was a walk of atonement,” Pashinian went on. “We have been leading Armenia for six months in a governmental capacity. And this was a march of atonement for possible mistakes made by us. This was a march of atonement for those citizens who have become embittered at some point and experienced disappointment during this time.”

The premier did not specify those mistakes.

Walking through various parts of Yerevan, Pashinian wore blue jeans and a black cap and chanted his trademark slogans through a megaphone in scenes that were meant to be reminiscent of this spring’s “velvet revolution.”

Armenia – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his supporters march through Yerevan, .

Pashinian began the long march from the city’s northern Nor Nork district where he was joined by hundreds of supporters in the morning. He again declared there he has delivered on all the promises which he made to Armenians when leading the mass protests that brought him to power in May.

He argued that he launched a crackdown on corruption and broke up economic monopolies after taking over the government, and prevented fraud in local elections subsequently held in various parts of the country. He said his government has also ensured that everyone is equal before the law.

Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) during the rally, Pashinian reiterated his pledges to carry out an “economic revolution” that will improve the lives of many Armenians. He said his government has already created a level playing field for all businesses and is planning major tax cuts that that will boost the real incomes of 350,000 Armenians in the coming months.

Pashinian also stated that the government is now helping unnamed private investors to launch $500 million worth of investment projects that could lead to the opening of several manufacturing plants already next year. He refused to give details of those projects.

Pashinian’s political opponents, notably former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK), accuse him of lacking clear economic plans. They say that economic growth in Armenia has slowed down since the revolution.

Some critics also pounced on attendance at Saturday’s demonstration, which was visibly lower than during similar marches staged by Pashinian in April and May.

The premier hit back at them later in the evening.

“To those who talk about the allegedly small number of participants of today’s march, I say: walk 37 kilometers and see how many people from your family will join you and whether you will reach your destination at all,” he wrote on Facebook. He insisted that tens of thousands of people took part in the march in one way or another.

Pashinian’s My Step alliance is widely expected to win the upcoming elections.

https://www.azatutyun.am/a/29619735.html?fbclid=IwAR0lnkKG0RGW4zOSWjxh70S6qqUu_v3nixtjdpDK-6L4R5uCaOq-Fz0XUwY

Armenian church dragged into Russia-Ukraine feud

Arsine Chaltikian
EurasiaNet.org
Nov 21 2018

Ani Mejlumyan Nov 21, 2018 
           
Armenia’s top church official, Karekin II, at a ceremony to consecrate a new church in Novosibirsk, Russia. While in Russia he weighed in on the dispute between the Russian and Ukrainian churches. (photo: Facebook page of Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin)

Armenia’s top religious official has been dragged into a feud between the Russian and Ukrainian churches and appears to have sided with Russia.

Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II was consecrating a new Armenian church in Novosibirsk, Russia, made from Armenia’s trademark pink tuff stone, when he was asked about the schism that has rocked the Orthodox Christian world. In October, the Russian Orthodox Church announced that it was cutting ties with the Constantinople Patriarchate, following the latter’s declaration of support for an independent Ukrainian church.

The Armenian church is not part of the Constantinople Patriarchate and does not have a direct stake in the conflict, unlike many of the other national Orthodox churches that are being forced to take sides in the dispute. Karekin nevertheless weighed in.

“The Armenian Apostolic Church is a supporter of canonicity. And in this regard, one can never welcome steps that are aimed towards division, dismemberment of the church,” Karekin said at the November 19 ceremony.

Both Russians and Ukrainians interpreted that as a vote of support for Moscow. And some Ukrainians said it was a manifestation of Yerevan’s pro-Russia foreign policy. “It’s not the Catholicos of All Armenians who speaks here, but the Kremlin,” analyst Andriy Datsiuk told the Ukrainian TV network Priamyi. “Because today Armenia is politically, economically and militarily dependent on the Russian Federation. Therefore, whatever they say, the statement is dictated by political motives.”

But one senior Ukrainian church official denied that Karekin had taken a side in the dispute. “Some understood the statement as condemnation of the provision of the Tomos to Ukraine. Where did you see any note regarding Tomos in the statement of Karekin II?,” said Archbishop Yevstratiy, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, referring to the official granting of autonomy, or autocephaly, to the Ukrainian church.

He added that the Armenian church – the first official church in the world, after Armenia adopted Christianity in 301 – had no direct relation to the Ukrainian or Russian churches. And he blamed Ukrainian journalists for mistakenly reporting the story by following Russians’ lead.

Karekin and other church officials, meanwhile, failed to clarify the church’s official position, and Armenian media have left the story alone.

Ani Mejlumyan is a Yerevan-based journalist.

Armenia’s loss of CSTO secretary general’s post expectable: Republican faction head

Arsine Chaltikian
Aysor, Armenia
Nov 19 2018
Read Aysor.am inTelegram

The CSTO is a big family with the whole world following it, head of the Republican faction Vahram Baghdasaryan told the reporters today, referring to the situation created between Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan.

He said the rhetoric between the mentioned countries is unacceptable.

As to loss of post by Armenia in the CSTO, the faction head said they warned the authorities about the possibility. “We have warned them. If they were going to file a criminal case and arrest Yuri Khachaturov they should have warned the organization beforehand,” he said.

“It has not been done, the relations became tensed, thus the loss of post was expectable,” Baghdasaryan stated.

Earlier acting PM Nikol Pashinyan stated that they would demand explanations from the Belarusian side over discussion of CSTO secretary general appointment issue with Azerbaijani ambassador. In response the Belarusian Foreign Ministry released a statement saying that Armenia’s acting PM seems to consider himself international prosecutor.

Armenia to introduce new banknotes from November 22

Arsine Chaltikian
Public Radio of Armenia
Nov 19 2018
Armenia to introduce new banknotes from November 22
2018-11-19 11:32:17 

                           

New third-generation banknotes will be put into circulation starting from November 22 to mark the 25th anniversary of the Armenian dram.

The new generation banknotes are printed on high quality composite materials, which will allow the banknotes to be used 3-4 times longer.

New banknotes have the best protective features currently available.

The first banknotes were put into circulation on 22 November 1993, two years after Armenia proclaimed independence.

The second series of banknotes were issues on 22 November 2017.

Asbarez: CSTO Postpones Decision on New Secretary-General

Arsine Chaltikian
  • Armenia

    •  

  • Artsakh

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

10 hours ago

Leaders of the CSTO nations in Astana, Kazakhstan on Nov. 8, 2018. Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is at the far left

YEREVAN (Azatutyun.am)—Leaders of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) met in Astana, Kazakhstan, on Thursday to discuss some of the pressing issues of the Russian-led security grouping, including the appointment of a new secretary-general after Armenia recalled its representative.

Earlier this month, the CSTO confirmed the dismissal of Yuri Khachaturov from the senior post held by an Armenian representative as part of the rotation principle.

Khachaturov was appointed to the post in May 2017, but after the change of government in Yerevan he was charged as part of a reopened investigation into post-election violence in 2008 during which the colonel-general served as Armenia’s deputy defense minister.

Khachaturov was formally charged in late July with overthrowing Armenia’s constitutional order by using the army for the violent repression of the opposition-led protests in which eight demonstrators and two police officers were killed.

After coming to power on the wave of anti-government protests in May, Armenia’s new Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that revealing the circumstances of the killings would be one of the priorities of his administration.

As part of the investigation former President Robert Kocharian was also charged with overthrowing Armenia’s constitutional.

Unlike Kocharian, who spent more than two weeks in custody in July-August, Khachaturov was granted bail and went back to Moscow to continue his duties as CSTO secretary-general. Armenia, however, initiated a formal process of recalling him from the post, which was completed on November 2.

Prior to the summit in Kazakhstan several senior Armenian officials spoke in favor of Armenia’s retaining the post until 2020. Armenia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, however, did not deny that other options might also be considered.

On November 7, Russian news agency TASS quoted Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov as saying that three options were being considered at the moment. Among them he mentioned Armenia’s retention of the post, the rotation of the post to Belarus, which is next in line alphabetically, and placing the interim secretary-general in charge until Minks takes over in two years.

A press release issued by the office of Armenia’s acting prime minister, who attended the CSTO summit on November 8, said that “the issue of the appointment of a new CSTO secretary-general was also addressed during the meeting.”

“The sides agreed to continue discussions on the issue during a meeting in St. Petersburg on December 6. At the same time, work will be undertaken to elaborate relevant norms regulating the issues related to the early termination of powers of the secretary-general,” it said.

According to the official report, at the summit the leaders of the CSTO member states, including Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan, met in a narrow format before continuing talks in an extended session.

They, in particular, discussed issues of international and regional security, cooperation between CSTO member states within the organization and in the international arena.

The summit adopted a number of documents, including the final declaration of the CSTO Collective Security Council and a joint statement on mutually agreed measures in relation to persons who participated in armed conflicts as part of international terrorist organizations.

“The Heads of State adopted decisions of the Collective Security Council aimed at improving the CSTO’s crisis response, countering illegal migration, developing a coordinated information policy, organization of collective forces and specification of their composition, and confirming the candidacy of the Chairman of the Interstate Commission for Military-Economic Cooperation,” the official report said.