Author: Badalian Vardan

Istanbul Patriarch Election Application Submitted

Badalian Vardan
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3 hours ago

Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya (center) met with Archbishop Aram Ateshian (left) and Bishop Sahak Mashalyan (right)

The Istanbul Patriarchate Vicar General Archbishop Aram Ateshian and Bishop Sahak Mashalyan, the chairman of the Patriarchate’s religious council met with Istanbul Governor Ali Yerlikaya to submit an official application to begin the process of electing a new patriarch, following the death of Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian, who despite being incapacitated, was recognized as the patriarch by state officials.

After offering condolences on Mutafian’s passing Yerlikaya pledged to submit the application to Turkey’s Interior Ministry and provide a quick response to the Patriarchate leaders.

The Religious Council on Tuesday decided that the process will be organized under the leadership of Archbishop Ateshian.

Mutafian, who was elected Patriarch in 1998, was diagnosed with dementia in 2008 and was incapacitated to complete his duties. Ateshian was appointed as Vicar General. However, the Patriarchate’s religious council in 2017 began planning an election for a new patriarch, which was thwarted by Ateshian himself, as well as the local authorities who declared the council’s effort against the law.

State legislature declares 2019 ‘Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide’

Badalian Vardan
The Turlock Journal
 
 
State legislature declares 2019 ‘Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide’
Turlock resident Deacon Daniel Aydenian, representative of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, poses for a picture with the Consulate General of Armenia in Los Angeles Ambassador Armen Baibourtian and members of the California State Senate and Assembly on April 22 following the passage of a Joint Resolution commemorating the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. – photo by Photo Contributed
Krisitna Hacker
Turlock Journal
Updated: , 3:19 p.m.
 
Members of the California Legislature commemorated the 104th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 22.
 
Armenians commemorate the mass killings on April 24 because on that date in 1915 a group of Armenian intellectuals was rounded up and assassinated in Constantinople by the Ottoman government. On April 24, Armenians worldwide commemorated the 104th anniversary of the genocide which continued until 1923. Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians as genocide. Turkey denies the event to this day.
 
The Assembly Joint Resolution recognizes California as being home to the largest Armenian American population in the United States.
 
“Armenians living in California have enriched our state through their leadership and contribution in business, agriculture, academia, government, and the arts, many of whom have family members who experienced firsthand the horror and evil of the Armenian Genocide and its ongoing denial; and
 
“WHEREAS, Every person should be made aware and educated about the Armenian Genocide and other crimes against humanity; and
 
“WHEREAS, The State of California has been at the forefront of encouraging and promoting a curriculum relating to human rights and genocide in order to empower future generations to prevent the recurrence of genocide.”
 
The resolution designates 2019 as “State of California Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923” and April 24, 2019, as “State of California Day of Commemoration of the 104th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923.”
 
Local State Senator Andreas Borgeas said he was “humbled to present SR 31 to the Senate, commemorating the 104th anniversary” of the Armenian Genocide.
 
The Senator gave an impassioned reading on the Senator floor of the personal account of his wife’s grandmother, who as a 10-year-old was miraculously able to flee the genocide on a boat because she was wearing an American flag on her arm.
 
“Without papers, without money and without resources, they made Greece their home before coming to America in the 1970s. This story of tragedy and survival is shared throughout the Armenian, Greek and Assyrian communities,” said Senator Borgeas.
 
He went on to urge the President and Congress to “have the courage to finally declare what went on from 1915 to 1923 as what is was — genocide. We hope that President Trump will recognize that Turkey is neither a loyal friend nor a true NATO ally and justice should not be subordinated to political convenience.”
 
 
 

ICRC: Our Work in Armenia in2018

Badalian Vardan
International Committee of the Red Cross
April 5 2019
OUR WORK IN ARMENIA IN 2018

Armenia

The following information was released by the International Committee of the Red Cross:

In Armenia, the ICRC focuses on providing civilians living along the international border, missing persons and their families, mine victims and people deprived of their liberty with assistance. In addition, we promote the dissemination and implementation of the International Humanitarian Law (IHL) among national authorities, academics, students and military personnel. Our key partner in Armenia is the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) with whom we coordinate activities aimed at helping people affected by the conflict.

In 2018, we continued helping the most vulnerable households in communities located along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, where the socio-economic situation is particularly challenging. As a result, 145 families in Dovegh and Aygepar villages of Tavush region received financial assistance to start small-scale businesses. Additionally, we provided multipurpose cash assistance to 50 extremely vulnerable families who were unable to manage business activities because of their age, health condition or other circumstances.

We supported the border villages of Sarigyugh, Baghanis, Koti and Aygepar through construction of a pumping station and a water intake, installation of plastic reservoirs, water meters, public taps, pipelines, concrete manholes and other technical components.

3300 people gained better access to water.

In the Soviet times, Sarigyugh received its drinking and irrigation water from a reservoir in neighboring Berkaber. As a result of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, water supply networks in the village were badly damaged and the residents were left without this critical resource for about 20 years. We constructed water intake and pumping station, installed public taps and water collecting tanks. 800 residents of Sarigyugh have got a better access to water. CC BY-NC-ND/ICRC/Arshaluys Barseghyan

We also continued to construct safer spaces, wall in exposed windows, and build protective walls for kindergartens, schools and other public buildings, part of which were done thanks to a partnership with the ARCS and the German Red Cross.

1335 people enhanced their safety and benefited from reduced exposure to conflict-related hazards.

Nearly 25 years of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, border schools in Armenia and Azerbaijan still feel the need to keep their children secure. CC BY-NC-ND/ICRC/Gohar Ter-Hakobyan

Along with instructors of the ARCS, we organized first-aid courses, provided life-saving skills and first-aid boxes to around 200 members of civil protection rescue teams of the Ministry of Emergency Situations.

We continued to collect biological reference samples in the form of buccal swabs from blood relatives of those who had gone missing in connection with the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Until now, in Armenia, we have collected samples from 1,122 blood relatives of 344 missing persons.

In 2018, over 320 mine victims and members of their families improved their living conditions through our supported micro-economic initiatives, the house repair programme and unconditional cash grants.

In November, the Government of Armenia approved a bill enabling Armenian and foreign detainees without possibility of short family visits to contact their families via a video-call service. We supported the implementation of a video-call service pilot project as well as donated computers and IT accessories to penitentiaries across the country.

3000 detainees were visited for monitoring of their treatment and conditions and supported to maintain family contact.

We introduced the rules of IHL to members of the Armenian Armed Forces, trained and briefed around 390 military instructors, commanders and deputy commanders of border units as well as troops departing for peace support missions abroad. In addition, we ran four sessions on the ICRC mandate and IHL basics to troops stationed along the international border in Tavush region.

In 2018, we expanded the scope of our national-level summer course on IHL and launched the first Regional Summer School. We also organized the national moot court competition and supported the 11th edition of the IHL International Conference for Young Researchers in Yerevan, thus engaging students, experts and practitioners from Armenia and across the world.

For more information please read our overview of activities and facts and figures in 2018.

Sports: Dutch Willem II terminates contract with Armenia’s Aras Özbiliz

Badalian Vardan
PanArmenian, Armenia
April 5 2019
April 5, 2019 – 13:35 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian midfielder Aras Özbiliz has left Willem II. The Dutch club terminated the lease agreement with the 29-year-old after his refusal to replace a teammate in the 27th round Eredivisie match against Fortuna Sittard.

Thus, the Armenian player will return to the Turkish Besiktas, from which Willem II had rented him in August 2018, Sport24.com reports.

Ozbiliz played 18 matches for Willem II, scoring two goals and contributing with two assists.

Aras signed a 4.5-year contract with Besiktas in January 2016 and went to Spain’s Rayo Vallecano on loan shortly afterwards. He returned to Turkey half a year later.

In February 2018, the Armenian attacking midfielder signed a contract with Moldova’s Sheriff, the club’s official website revealed then.

Constantine Orbelian Dismissed From Yerevan Opera

Badalian Vardan
Opera Wire


By Polina Lyapustina  

Grammy nominee maestro Constantine Orbelian was dismissed from the post of the National Opera theatre director by the acting Armenian Culture Minister Nazeni Gharibyan.

Gharibyan supported her decision by noting that the director cannot be engaged in other paid activities except scientific, pedagogical, and creative work; Orbelian served as the general director in addition to the position of the artistic director.

The Actors and staff of Armenian National Opera have openly opposed this decision and protests  against the Ministry of Culture’s actions are scheduled for April 1, 2019.

There’s also a petition to the Prime Minister of Republic Armenia Nicol Pashinian, which was signed by more than 2,500 people as of this writing.

Lithuanian/Armenian soprano Asmik Grigorian gave a comment to OperaWire,
“I can’t believe it could happen. I know how much Constantine (Orbelian) did for the theatre, and it finally started to work and live the way it should. They never gave a chance to my father (Gegham Grigoryan) to bring his ideas to life there, but Constantine has got the ball rolling. And the biggest fear is that there’s literally no one to replace him.”

Orbelian was appointed the artistic director of Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet in 2016. He’s also a Principal conductor of the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra in Lithuania.

Antilias – THE HOLY FATHER WILL LEAVE FOR ALEPPO

Badalian Vardan
Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication and Information Department
PO Box : 70 317 Antelias – LEBANON
Tel: (+961-4) 410 001 / 3
Fax: (+961-4) 419724
E-mail: [email protected]

THE GLORIOUS FATHER WILL LEAVE
ALEPOP

 

Tomorrow morning, His Holiness the Patriarch will leave for Aleppo, where he will perform the consecration of the Holy
Mother Church of Forty Children. On this occasion, His Holiness also held meetings and visits
must have.

His Holiness will stay in Aleppo for 4 days. Fathers of the congregation should be friends with him
Representatives of the National Central Administration.

—


Communication & Information Department

Yerevan to have Europe Square

Badalian Vardan

Yerevan to have Europe Square

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15:02,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. The city of Yerevan will have a Europe Square.

The City Council of the Armenian capital unanimously approved the proposal made jointly by the foreign ministry and Ambassador Paruyr Hovhannisyan, Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the Council of Europe, on naming a square after the Council of Europe or Europe in downtown Yerevan.

City Hall official Armine Vardanyan noted that 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of establishment of the Council of Europe.

She said the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) will visit Armenia in March 26-28, and the inauguration of the square will take place during the visit.

An area within Northern Avenue has been chosen as the location for the new square.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




‘My respect for CSTO, EEU has grown significantly’- Pashinyan

Badalian Vardan

‘My respect for CSTO, EEU has grown significantly’- Pashinyan

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16:03,

YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. A new secretary general cannot be appointed at the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) without taking into account Armenia’s opinion, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told a news conference today.

He noted that Armenia’s stance at the CSTO is very clear. “We believe that the term there is ours, however our colleagues disagree with us because they say this issue isn’t regulated and there’s space for comment. Therefore we are saying let’s bring clarification in the charter before appointing a new secretary general. If for some reason the term in office of the secretary general remains incomplete, we will know how the issue gets regulated. It seems we have reached an agreement over this issue”.

He reminded about the harsh pessimistic comments from certain segments of the society when the government recalled Yuri Khachaturov from the post of Secretary General of the CSTO.

“Very apocalyptic assessments were being voiced on what happened. However, actually nothing happened. We were saying that everyone is equal before the law, and we proved this. In this process Armenia’s interests have fully been protected. The talks that we had in the CSTO format were very useful, these types of conversations have never taken place during the entire period of the CSTO’s existence,” he said.

The Armenian PM highly assessed the atmosphere in both the CSTO and the EEU.

“Unfortunately, the big part of work in these organizations takes place behind closed doors, and the public doesn’t have the opportunity to see in what spirit discussions happen there. I have to say, these are very substantive, deep, interested, sometimes heated discussions, which has significantly increased my respect for these organizations. I think this is an objective and accurate assessment,” Pashinyan said.

Armenian general Yuri Khachaturov was sacked as CSTO Secretary General in November of 2018 after Armenian law enforcement agencies pressed criminal charges against him over the March 1 case. Then the Armenian government recalled Khachaturov from the post.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Senate Committee on California, Armenia and Artsakh reauthorized

Badalian Vardan
PanArmenian, Armenia
– 10:53 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – At the request of State Senator Anthony J. Portantino, the California State Senate Rules Committee re-authorized the State Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art and Cultural Exchange. The Committee aims to explore innovative ways of strengthening cultural and economic ties between our great state, Armenia and Artsakh. Senator Portantino will continue chairing the committee throughout the 2019-2020 legislative session.

Last September, Portantino joined a delegation of legislators, business and non-profit leaders on a trade trip to Yerevan and Gyumri. The trip marked his second visit to Armenia and introduced participants to the many facets of the tech and education communities in Armenia’s two largest cities.

In February, Senator Portantino introduced SB 302 to reestablish the California-Armenia Trade Office in hopes of formalizing a positive economic relationship with Armenia. The legislature has a history of encouraging trade between California and Armenia. In 2002, Governor Gray Davis signed SB 1657 authored by Jack Scott establishing the Trade Office, which functioned as a key point of contact for improving California and Armenian business development until it was closed by Governor Schwarzenegger during the great recession.

“I am very grateful to Senate Pro Tem[Toni G.] Atkins and the Senate Rules Committee for re-authorizing our historic and important Select Committee. California is home to a vibrant and thriving Armenian American Community. Our committee presents the perfect forum to build stronger economic ties that will benefit California and Hayastan and act upon the exciting new leadership in Sacramento and Yerevan,” commented Senator Portantino.

Immediately following its establishment in 2017, the Select Committee held its inaugural event, an advanced screening of Terry George’s film, The Promise. In 2018, Portantino convened the first public hearing of the Select Committee commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Sumgait Pogrom while providing an update on the University of California student led Divest Turkey initiative.

Portantino represents California’s 25th Senate District, which is home to the largest Armenian American community in any legislative district across the nation. Upon assuming office, he successfully worked to secure an additional $3 million state investment for the Armenian American Museum in Glendale.

During his tenure as Chair of the Senate Budget Subcommittee on Education, Portantino worked with his colleagues and the Genocide Education Project to allocate $500,000 from the 2018-2019 State Budget for the creation of study guides to properly teach all California students about the Armenian Genocide.

In addition to Chairman Portantino, the Senators on the select committee are Atkins, Senators Bob Archuleta, Andreas Borgeas, Maria Elena Durazo, Melissa Hurtado, Susan Rubio, Henry Stern, Scott Wiener and Scott Wilk.

To evict the media, Yerevan Municipality resorts to the help of the Police

Badalian Vardan
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 28 2019
Alina Hovhannisyan

ArmInfo. The control service  of the Yerevan City Hall discovered discrepancies between the actual  and fixed in the contracts of the territories that are leased or used  by them on a gratuitous basis, some organizations located in the  building located at Buzandi 1/3.

 In this building are the media, which wants to evict the mistress of  the building in the face of the city hall.According to a report  provided by the mayor’s office, the results of the study revealed  obvious offenses. The data was transferred to the 6th Division of the  RA Police on Combating Organized Crime.Recall that a number of  Armenian media outlets, which are located in the building at 1/3  Byuzand, located on the balance of the Yerevan Municipality, received  a notice from the city administration, in which they were  unreasonably invited to leave the occupied territories as soon as  possible. Similar notifications from the State Property Management  Committee of the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments of  the Republic of Armenia were also sent to the current media at 28  Arshakunyats and Isahakyan.Note that in the building at 1/3 Buzand,  there are the editorial offices of the newspaper Hraparak, A1 +  channel, ARKA news agency, Hetq news agency of investigative  journalism, Ayely.am portal. 

Similar media reports (including ArmInfo news agency), operating at  Arshakunyats 2 and Isahakyan 28 (press houses), which are on the  balance sheet of the State Property Management Committee at the  Ministry of Economic Development, received similar notifications.