Author: Badalian Vardan

CRAIG KOHLRUSS ? THE FRESNO BEE

By Carmen George ? The Fresno Bee

It is the music that stays with you.

Hundreds of voices singing together in an ancient language, beneath
the boughs of old oak trees.

They sang to celebrate Fresno’s 100th anniversary of the blessing of
the grapes during a traditional Armenian sermon Sunday morning at the
California Armenian Home.

Woven within the songs is the secret of how the tradition has survived
in the community for a century, said Luceen Chirinian Israelian, a
choir member for Holy Trinity Armenian Apostolic Church in Fresno.

“I feel I’m an Armenian when I hear the music, in my blood,” Israelian
said. “Each word, the way it’s written — the music is exactly the
meaning of the words, that’s why it’s so beautiful.”

To explain, she smiled and sang the word “holy” three times, each
time, with a new richness.

“Our church consists of music,” she said.

Israelian, a resident of Fresno for 20 years, was born in Beirut,
Lebanon, where her family moved during the genocide of 1915 that
killed an estimated 1.5 million Armenians.

Watching the priests in their decorative robes, praying and blessing
the grapes, she said, “We see ourselves in this sermon.”

“I start dreaming,” she said. “I see the pictures of all my history,
from before the massacre … even though I’m not in my homeland in
Fresno, it’s OK, I’m joining with my tradition. I feel I’m in historic
Armenia because what we are doing is coming from there.”

Close to 2,000 people attended Sunday’s grape blessing and festival,
which included live music, dancing and food, said Varoujan
DerSimonian, chairman of the church’s board of trustees.

The blessing of the grapes dates back before Jesus Christ.

Traditionally, priests went into vineyards to bless the fruit before a
fall harvest, asking for protection from the elements and for a
bountiful crop.

Armenians consider grapes the “queen of all crops” because of their
association with wine, symbolic of the blood of Christ, DerSimonian
said.

To honor Fresno for carrying on the tradition for the past 100 years,
Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian of the Western Prelacy of the
Armenian Apostolic Church of America led this year’s Holy Badarak, or
“Divine Liturgy,” at Sunday’s blessing of the grapes.

He said tradition based on faith is the “light of the Armenian
nation.”

This year also is the “Year of the Armenian Mother,” symbolizing love,
sacrifice, faithfulness, dedication and the role model of all mothers,
the Virgin Mary, he said.

Next Sunday, the church will celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin
Mary into heaven, also the date of another blessing of the grapes to
be held by the St. Paul Armenian Church at California Armenian Home.

For 60-year-old Sam Bagdasarian, a lifelong Fresno resident, the
blessing of the grapes ceremony has survived because of the bond
shared by the area’s Armenian-Americans and their desire to pass
tradition on to the next generation.

“You come out and see family and friends and everyone sharing it
together,” Bagdasarian said as he held the hand of his 3-year-old
granddaughter Lenna. “That makes a big difference.”

As the traditional music began to play Sunday, the youngest stepped
onto the dance floor first — five girls, ages 4 to 6, the
great-granddaughters and great-nieces of a Fresno Armenian grape
farmer, now deceased.

As the girls joined the circle of dancers, swaying with hands linked,
the daughter of the now-gone grape farmer, Laura Abrahamian, said
tearfully that her father would be very proud.

The reporter can be reached at (559) 441-6386 or [email protected].

Read more here:

ANASTASIA VOLOCHKOVA OPENS FINE ARTS CENTRE IN YEREVAN

10:12, 16 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 16, ARMENPRESS. Merited Artist of the Russian
Federation Anastasia Volochkova has established centre of fine arts
bearing her name in Yerevan. The opening ceremony of the centre is
scheduled to be held on September 15 of the current year.

Anastasia Volochkova herself will attend the opening ceremony.

She has been engaged in the process of creation of the centre since
2011 along with a group of professionals. In a conversation with
“Armenpress” the co-founder of the centre Zara Mkheyan noted that
relevant construction and re-equipment activities are ongoing in
the centre.

Among other things the co-founder of the centre Zara Mkheyan
highlighted: “The centre offers a special program for harmonic
formation of the people, which is aimed at the development of
children’s individual abilities and etiquette.”

Anastasia Volochkova is a renowned Russian prima ballerina.

Between 1994 and 1998, Volochkova danced as a soloist with the
Mariinsky Ballet at the Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg,
performing in productions of Don Quixote, Giselle, La Bayadère,
Le Corsaire, Raymonda, Scheherazade, The Firebird, The Fountain of
Bakhchisarai, The Nutcracker and The Sleeping Beauty. Together with the
Mariinsky Ballet, she also got to tour all around the world, including
Great Britain, Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Austria, Germany,
Denmark, Norway, Bahrain, South Korea, Japan,Canada and the USA,
making her US debut at the Metropolitan Opera House in 1995.

>From 1998 to 2000, Volochkova danced as prima ballerina with the
Bolshoi Ballet at the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, guided by Ekaterina
Maximova. Volochkova performed in productions of Giselle, La Bayadère,
Raymonda, Russian Hamlet, Swan Lake and The Sleeping Beauty, touring
throughout Europe as well.

Additionally, she also headlined a performance at the Kennedy Center
in Washington, D.C., the USA.[7] In 2001, Yury Grigorovich personally
invited her to return to the Bolshoi Ballet to dance the double-role of
Odette-Odile in Swan Lake at the Bolshoi Theatre, for which Volochkova
was awarded the prestigious Prix Benois de la Danse in 2002. In the
same year, she was also awarded with the title of Honoured Artist
of Russia.

HRAPARAK: ARMENIAN PLANT OWES UNPAID WAGES TO STAFF

10:26 16.08.13

Employees of the Vanadzor Chemical plant reportedly complain that
they haven’t been paid salaries for several months.

According to the paper, they claim that Chimprom administration owes
them 3-4 months’ salary. But that’s only for this year, the paper
says, adding that there are also debts from the previous years. The
plant’s staff didn’t receive 2-3 months’ salary in 2011 and 3-4
months’ salary – last year, the paper continues. Thus, on average,
the plant owes nine months salary to its employees, adds the paper.

The salary amount is in the range of 80,000-150,000 ($196-$368) Drams,
which means the total debt makes up a huge sum, the paper says, noting
that the plant has a total of 930 employees in its three subdivisions.

“The Chimprom administration and the CEO, Alexander Snegiryov, also
agree that they owe money to the employees. But they say there are
no debts from the previous years, the past two months’ salary being
the only unpaid amount. As for the debt for the current year only,
it topd 100 million Drams [$ 245,894],” says the paper.

Armenian News – Tert.am

LEZGHIN: STATEMENT BY UNPO GENERAL SECRETARY

Brussels, 13 August 2013

UNPO General Secretary Marino Busdachin urges the authorities of
Azerbaijan to abide by international standards and release prisoners
from the Lezghin community recently arrested on highly questionable
charges.

The Lezghin people are an ethnic group residing predominantly in
Dagestan and Azerbaijan, lacking a legal status which would secure
their rights as a distinct historical community and nation in the
territory of their traditional residence.

All of the three prisoners arrested are related to Federal Lezghin
National and Cultural Autonomy (FLNKA) officials, suggesting the
apprehensions are part of Azerbaijan’s political agenda to silence
pro-Lezghin activities. This is in light of Azerbaijan’s presidential
election scheduled in October, which will almost guarantee the
re-election of President Aliyev, whose family has been in power since
the 1960s.

Eldar Mamedov, who is an Azeri citizen, was arrested in the town of
Oguz on 28 July 2013. He was seized by men in plainclothes without
warning and explanation. Later, authorities stated they “discovered
drugs” belonging to the detainee and he was subsequently accused
of possession of illegal substances. Mr Mamedov is a respected
businessman who has no history dealing with drugs, while the Azeri
authorities often employ this tactic of drug planting in order to
arrest political dissidents. Therefore, the claims made by the Azeri
authorities should be challenged.

Similarly, Javid Babaev, a Russian citizen and nephew of the FLNKA
president, Mr. Arif Kerimov, was detained by the Azeri Department for
Fighting Extremism on 6 August 2013 as he and his family were visiting
his parents in Baku. Drugs were reportedly planted in his possession
which led to charged being pressed. In this process, the Azeri
authorities have neglected Mr Babaev’s rights as a foreign national,
as they failed to notify Russian authorities of their actions.

On 9 August 2013, Tariel Sarkarov, who is the brother of FLNKA
Executive Direction Amil Sarkarov, was arrested when he travelled
from his native Russia to Azerbaijan to visit relatives. He has been
detained due to the accusation that his brother is “undertaking
anti-Azerbiajan activities,” and has been held in custody without
the ability to contact his relatives.

FLNKA President Arif Kerimov cut short his travels to Europe in order
to address the problem, stating that “peoples’ rights protection
unfortunately cannot do without victims.”

UNPO urges the Azeri authorities to cease the arbitrary arrests and
imprisonment of Lezghin individuals and their families, as such actions
are threatening the principles of democracy and self-determination.

– See more at:

TURQUIE : CODES RACIAUX SECRETS

Publié le : 16-08-2013

Info Collectif VAN – – ” Imaginez quelque chose
de ce genre : un citoyen allemand d’origine juive tente d’obtenir une
copie de son dossier d’identité au bureau du recensement et il se
rend compte que le bureau a gardé une trace des personnes d’origine
juive en leur allouant un code secret. Que se passerait-il après
cette révélation ? Ce scandale créerait très probablement un
tremblement de terre qui serait suffisamment fort pour entraîner la
démission de nombreux responsables gouvernementaux haut placés et il
provoquerait certainement un grand débat sur la question de savoir
si la période nazie a réellement pris fin. Eh bien, un incident
similaire n’a rien causé du tout en Turquie. ” Rappelons que le
ministère de l’Intérieur a confirmé l’existence de codes secrets
pour les minorités ethniques et religieuses le 4 aoÔt 2013, sans
les remettre en cause. Le Collectif VAN vous propose la traduction
d’un article en anglais paru sur le site du journal turc TodaysZaman
le 13 aoÔt 2013.

Une histoire de discrimination longue d’un siècle

ORHAN KEMAL CENGÄ°Z

13 aoÔt 2013

Imaginez quelque chose de ce genre : un citoyen allemand d’origine
juive tente d’obtenir une copie de son dossier d’identité au bureau
du recensement et il se rend compte que le bureau du recensement a
gardé une trace des personnes d’origine juive en leur allouant un
code secret. Que se passerait-il après cette révélation ?

Ce scandale créerait très probablement un tremblement de terre
qui serait suffisamment fort pour entraîner la démission de
nombreux responsables gouvernementaux haut placés et il provoquerait
certainement un grand débat sur la question de savoir si la période
nazie a réellement pris fin.

Eh bien, un incident similaire n’a rien causé du tout en Turquie. Une
dame arménienne, dont la famille s’était convertie a l’Islam, est
redevenue chrétienne et a été baptisée. Elle a souhaité inscrire
son enfant dans une école arménienne d’Istanbul. Cependant, elle a
vite compris que cette inscription ne serait pas aussi facile qu’elle
l’avait pensé. L’école dans laquelle elle voulait inscrire son enfant
lui dit qu’elle devait d’abord obtenir un document du ministère de
l’Ã~Iducation nationale indiquant que son fils pouvait être inscrit
dans une école arménienne.

La famille se rendit au bureau local du ministère de l’Ã~Iducation et
fit la demande du document qui autoriserait l’enfant a être inscrit
dans l’école arménienne. La réponse écrite du bureau du district de
Å~^iÅ~_li a Istanbul fut choquante : ” Il est nécessaire de savoir
si la mère de l’élève devant s’inscrire a changé de religion,
de nom, de secte, par une décision du tribunal. Par conséquent,
son code confidentiel ancestral doit être obtenu dans le registre
de la population [conservé] depuis 1923. Ledit élève peut être
inscrit si le code ancestral de sa mère est ” deux ” sur le
registre principal de la population et de la citoyenneté. ” Des
recherches et des interviews menées par le journal Radikal avec des
responsables officiels, suite aux articles parus, ont confirmé une
histoire de discrimination durant depuis un siècle. Les registres
d’immatriculation de la population utilisant des ” codes raciaux
” remontent a l’époque du traité de Lausanne en 1923. Selon les
découvertes de Radikal, la Direction de la Population utilise le
code 1 pour les Grecs, le 2 pour les Arméniens et le 3 pour les Juifs.

Il a été dit que les codes raciaux étaient la uniquement pour
permettre de réguler qui est autorisé a s’inscrire dans une
institution éducative pour les minorités. Des recherches plus
approfondies ont cependant révélé que ceci est un prétexte. C’est
devenu clair quand on a découvert que les Syriaques avaient le code
4 et d’autres non-musulmans le code 5. Les minorités codées 1,
2 et 3, ont de fait leurs propres écoles, mais pas les Syriaques et
les autres minorités.

Et que s’est-il passé après que tout ceci a été révélé
? Rien. Cette nouvelle a fait la une de quelques journaux, deux
ou trois jours seulement. Et après ce court intervalle, cette ”
information ” a été tout simplement oubliée et la Turquie poursuit
son chemin comme si rien d’important n’avait été révélé.

Une blague, qu’un de mes amis d’origine juive a faite après avoir lu
les articles concernant ce scandale, m’en a appris beaucoup. Il a dit:
” Ayant lu tout ceci, je suis vraiment indigné. Comment diable les
juifs peuvent-ils être numéro 3 ? Nous devrions être numéro 1 dans
cet ordre ! ” Comme nous le montre cette blague douloureuse, ce n’est
pas une information nouvelle pour les non-musulmans de ce pays. Ils
ont probablement toujours su que quel que soit le nom qu’ils prennent,
quelle que soit la religion a laquelle ils se convertissent, l’Ã~Itat
turc saura toujours qui ils sont. S’ils changent leur nom d’Ishak a
Ä°smail, si le mot ” Islam ” est écrit sur leur carte d’identité,
ils seront toujours reconnus dès qu’ils seront en contact avec ”
l’Ã~Itat ”.

S’ils voulaient s’inscrire dans une Ã~Icole militaire ou souhaitaient
devenir policier, d’une manière ou d’une autre, ils étaient refusés.

Quelles que soient les raisons invoquées, ils sentaient probablement
que ce refus était sans doute lié a leur ” origine ”.

Eh bien, ils savent maintenant que l’Ã~Itat a toujours été en mesure
de les ” reconnaître ”. Ce ” savoir ” les aidera-t-il a vaincre
une discrimination longue d’un siècle ? C’est une autre question
dont nous pouvons débattre.

©Traduction de l’anglais C. Gardon pour le Collectif VAN – 14 aoÔt
2013 –

Retour a la rubrique

LA RECONSTRUCTION DE GYUMRI LOIN D’ETRE TERMINEE

ARMENIE

Au moins 1500 familles dans la deuxième ville de l’Armenie de
Gyumri n’ont toujours pas un logement adequat malgre les promesses
du gouvernement pour mener a bien la reconstruction prolongee des
zones devastees par un tremblement de terre catastrophique en 1988.

Le gouvernement a lance en 2008 un programme de 250 millions de
dollars pour construire plus de 4600 appartements et maisons. Les
representants du gouvernement ont dit a l’epoque que pratiquement
toutes les personnes vivant dans des habitations de fortune dans
les regions frappees par le seisme se verront fournir de nouveaux
logements d’ici 2013.

Plus de 2800 appartements ont ete construits depuis a Gyumri,
selon la municipalite locale. Une entreprise de construction privee
contractee par le gouvernement devait commencer a construire e 420
autres appartements l’an dernier. Cependant, la construction n’a
pas encore commence apparemment a cause d’un manque de financement
du gouvernement.

La liste d’attente pour un logement gratuit inclut egalement plus de
mille autres familles de Gyumri. En l’absence de nouveaux plans de
construction annoncees par le gouvernement jusqu’a present, ils sont
confrontes a un avenir encore plus incertain. En outre, il y a environ
200 menages qui ne sont pas sur la liste, malgre qu’ils se blottissent
aussi dans des prefabriques en metal qui ont ete places dans Gyumri
peu de temps après le tremblement de terre de 1988, qui a tue 25000
personnes et laisse des centaines de milliers d’autres sans abri.

Artyom Davtian, chef du service du logement a la municipalite Gyumri,
a declare qu’il y a encore moins de 4000 de ces prefabriques, appele
par les habitants edomiks “, restant dans la ville. Beaucoup d’entre
eux sont abandonnes.

” Le maire [Samvel Balasanian] nous a demande de preciser le nombre
exact de personnes sans-abri ” a dit Artyom Davtian au service armenien
de RFE / s ‘RL (Azatutyun.am). Il a dit que les autorites doivent
avoir cette information avant d’annoncer le nombre de construction
de logements a Gyumri dans les annees a venir.

vendredi 16 août 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

SHEER GREECE LIGHTNING

Northern District Times (Australia)
August 14, 2013 Wednesday

REVIEW by Gregory Blaxell Music of Ancient Worlds: Ryde Hunters Hill
Symphony Orchetra, Ryde Civic Centre

The concert was programmed to be in two parts, but turned out to
be in three. The concert began with Greek music, with the orchestra
augmented with wonderful singing and bouzouki playing by George Doukas.

While I had no idea what the words were expressing, the music told
the tale. It was as if I were in a Greek taverna about to have a meal
of grilled fish or lamb, washed down with retsina.

Tears actually slid down my face as the music captured love, sadness,
pride, joy; a raft of emotions.

The combination of forces and the sensitive plotting of the emotional
course was a tribute to conductor George Ellis.

He and the orchestra loved the experience.

The guest vocalist/bouzouki player also clearly loved it as he
communicated the essence of the music with every note played, every
phrase sung and every human emotion reflected in his facial expressions
and body language.

The bracket ended with Theodarakis” Zorba the Greek and compere George
Donikian promising more of Zorba and, perhaps, dancing in the aisles?

This emotional roller-coaster was followed by the orchestra playing
Haydn”s Symphony No 99 . This symphony was seventh of the 12 that
Haydn wrote for visits to London. These 12 became known as the London
Symphonies.

Number 99, which premiered in 1794 in anticipation of Haydn”s second
trip to London, was the de facto second part of the program.

Assistant conductor Rob Nijs guided the orchestra very competently
through the work, the slow movement being particularly beautiful.

Haydn, however much you admire his work and his contribution to the
symphonic-form, was such a different character, form and texture to
the music that preceded it.

By comparison, it was almost an emotional backwater, a stagnant
billabong, compared with the rapids of the Greek music. It was out
of place and out of time.

The second half of the concert introduced what was perhaps the most
interesting piece of the whole concert.

It was written by Armenian composer, Arno Babajanian”s and titled
‘Heroic Ballade” for orchestra and solo piano.

The taxing piano playing was brilliantly carried off by Christopher
Nazarian. This music was romantic in style familiar in many ways to
Khachaturian and even Rachmaninoff, but infused with Armenian national
rhythm and intonations. It was a showpiece for both orchestra and
piano: dramatic music with many chordal leaps that taxed the capacity
of the piano.

Then, it was back to the Greek music of Xarhakos and Theodorakis with
George Doukas and the orchestra having fun with maestro conductor
Ellis.

The audience, appreciative and keen, were invited by George Donikian,
to dance with Zorba, remembering the film with Anthony Quinn and Alan
Bates and that phrase: ‘Teach me to dance!”And they danced.

AZERBAIJAN MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR PEOPLE TO FIND THEIR NAMES IN BLACKLIST THROUGH SEARCH ENGINES

18:59 15/08/2013 ” SOCIETY

“It would seem that punishment comes first, while legislation will
be passed only later,” editor Margarita Akhvlediani questions the
legality of Azerbaijan’s blacklist, informs the War and Peace Reporting
Institute (WPRI).

Akhvlediani, who was shocked to see her name in that list, notes:
“I have worked as a journalist editor across the whole of the Caucasus
for more than 20 years, and I regularly visit various regions, because
journalistic work requires one to be there in person, otherwise one
might miss significant trends and views, particularly in remote areas.

Azerbaijan still has a rule that you only need to get approval for
visit to Nagorno Karabakh if you need a visa to enter Azerbaijan,
[but] Georgian citizens don’t need a visa. Azerbaijan is now planning
to change the law … and it’s possible new requirements will be put
in place.” Akhvlediani visited Nagorno-Karabakh Republic in 2011.

Another journalist Zarina Sanakoeva states, “It’s an ill-conceived
move, and unjust in purely human terms, I think it’s doubtful that
there’s any political benefit to be gained from it.” WPRI writes that
Sanakoeva is from South Ossetia, which broke away from Georgia just
when Nagorno Karabakh became independent. She is also banned from
entry to Azerbaijan because of her visit to Nagorno Karabakh.

Head of Human Rights Center in Azerbaijan Eldar Zeynalov is convinced
that government can refuse entry to certain people, but what will
Azerbaijan gain from including journalists, charity workers, and
artists in that list? According to Zeynalov the list looks “rather
incomplete.” Some names have photos next to them, others don’t,
there are specific explanations for the refusal for some individuals,
but not in all of them. “All this suggests that the document was
prepared in a hurry, primarily for internal consumption,” Zeynalov
says and notes that the names are transliterated, which means that
individuals can’t find their names in the list by using search engines.

Azerbaijan has included 335 individuals in the blacklist of personae
non gratae. The list includes politicians, journalists, artists,
photographers, and others. The reason is visiting Nagorno Karabakh
Republic without the permission of Azerbaijan. Moreover, Spanish
opera singer Montserrat Caballe’s visit to Nagorno Karabakh caused
a minor diplomatic row between Baku and Madrid.

The blacklist includes parliamentarians from Britain, Canada, France,
Russia, Argentina and Uruguay, 8 members of the European Parliament,
journalists, and so on.

Source: Panorama.am

“BEYOND WAITING…STORIES FROM TURKEY-ARMENIA BORDER” MULTIMEDIA EXHIBITION TRAVELS TO ARMENIA

14:32, August 15, 2013

“Beyond Waiting…Stories from Turkey-Armenia Border” will be exhibited
in Yerevan, Armenia at the Armenian Center for Contemporary and
Experimental Art (ACCEA) from August 27 to September 7, 2013.

The Hrant Dink Foundation, YIC Youth Initiative Centre in Gyumri,
Galata Fotografhanesi and Free Press Unlimited are jointly holding the
multimedia exhibition “Beyond Waiting… Stories from Turkey-Armenia
Border”.

The five multimedia documentaries jointly produced by Aleksey Manukyan,
Anıl Cizmecioglu, Anush Babajanyan, Arif Yaman, Armenuhi Vardanyan,
Deniz Pekkıyıcı, Eren Aytug, Marianna Vardanyan, Sofia Danielyan
and Volkan Dogar will be open for visitors from August 27th to
September 7th 2013, at ACCEA/NPAK Armenian Center for Contemporary
and Experimental Art, in Yerevan.

Sealed in 1993, the Turkey-Armenia border continues to divide people,
villages, railway tracks, children’s laughter and memories. “Beyond
Waiting” captures the daily lives of people in the border cities Kars
and Gyumri as well as the years of interrupted dialogue. The station
workers waiting for years and years for a train that never comes;
Gyumri’s Kima who have been waiting for years for a guest from Turkey
to come and knock on her door; the children of Bayandur who break
the silence of the border with their music; Sofia whose path crosses
with the inhabitants of a Kars neighbourhood awaiting demolition due
to urban gentrification plans, while she was looking for the traces
of her grandfather; a Kurd and an Armenian whose voice try to reach
each other as they face their past traumas do all call us to listen,
speak and act “beyond waiting”.

The five multimedia documentaries, to be exhibited in Yerevan thanks to
the support of the Embassy of the United States, were produced within
the scope of the “Multimedia for Dialogue” project supported by the
Consulate-General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the British
Embassy. The project aims to create an enabling environment for the
joint productions of young photographers from Turkey and Armenia,
to strengthen their voice through new forms of storytelling and to
contribute to dialogue between the two neighbouring countries.

ARMENIA’S PM DEVASTATED COUNTRY’S ECONOMY – OPPOSITION MEMBER

August 15, 2013 | 14:18

YEREVAN. – After the change in power in Armenia, we will bring angels
to church and give the cross to the man’s hand so that he may become
spiritual.

Opposition politician Gurgen Yeghiazaryan stated the abovementioned
during a press conference on Thursday.

Yeghiazaryan also noted that the office of the PM was given to Tigran
Sargsyan and, now, they cannot take it away from him.

“Now, what should we do to be rid of Tigran Sargsyan? This man has
devastated the [country’s] economy; he walks around with a smile,
[and] plays guitar,” he said.

But the other speaker of the press conference, ruling Republican
Party of Armenia board member Lernik Aleksanyan, stated that Tigran
Sargsyan is very knowledgeable.

Incidentally, Gurgen Yeghiazaryan noted that, in fall, Armenia’s
political opposition will hold rallies at Liberty Square in capital
city Yerevan.

Also, the opposition is not nominating an MP candidate in Election
District No. 38 of Syunik Region because, as per Yeghiazaryan,
nominating a candidate is senseless in a “concentration camp.”