Author: Badalian Vardan

ENP PACKAGE, COUNTRY PROGRESS REPORT – ARMENIA

Europa.eu

May 15 2012

The European Commission and the High Representative of the Union
for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy published on 15 May 2012 the
annual “neighbourhood package”, consisting of a joint communication
(“Delivering on the new European Neighbourhood Policy”) making
an assessment of the first year of implementation of the new ENP
adopted in 2011, a separate joint communication proposing an “Eastern
Partnership Road Map”, a report on the “Partnership for Democracy and
Shared prosperity” with Southern Mediterranean (including a roadmap
for future action), an Eastern Partnership progress report, 12 country
reports (on developments in 2011 and with a set of recommendations
for the future), including one on Armenia, and a statistical annex.

Within the Eastern Partnership, the negotiations for an EU-Armenia
Association Agreement (AA) progressed at a good pace. Armenia made
substantial progress in implementing the “key recommendations” allowing
for the launching of negotiations on a Deep and Comprehensive Free
Trade Area (DCFTA). Overall, Armenia made good progress in the areas
of Democracy and Human Rights.

On the basis of this year’s report and with a view to sustained
implementation of the ENP Action Plan in 2012, Armenia is invited to:

Ahead of the upcoming presidential elections scheduled in 2013,
address the shortcomings identified by OSCE/ODIHR concerning the
May 2012 Parliamentary elections, in order to fully meet recognized
international democratic standards Step up efforts with Azerbaijan
to reach agreement on the Madrid Principles in accordance with the
commitments made by the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in the
framework of the Minsk Group.

Provide unconditional access for representatives of the EU to Nagorno
Karabakh and surrounding regions.

Fully investigate the deaths that occurred during the clashes of
March 2008 and the allegations of ill-treatment in police custody
and violation of due process.

Ensure finalisation and implementation of the National Human Rights
Strategy and Action Plan.

Adopt amendments to the legislation on broadcasting in compliance
with the recommendations of the OSCE and the Council of Europe,
and ensure pluralism in the broadcasting media.

Finalise the draft law on Conscience and Religious Freedoms, in
line with international standards as well as the legislation on
alternative civilian service, in conformity with Venice Commission
and OSCE recommendations.

Adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation, including further
steps leading to the harmonisation of legislation with the EU acquis
in the areas of gender equality and non-discrimination.

Strengthen enforcement of the Anti-Corruption Strategy and boost
capacity for combating corruption.

Strengthen the implementation of the reform agenda presented by
the Armenian authorities, including measures to reform public
administration and the judicial sector (especially increase the
independence of the judiciary, improve the training of judges, review
the code of criminal procedure, pursue the Police Reform Programme).

Continue to advance sectoral reforms and regulatory approximation to
the EU acquis in trade and trade-related areas based on the key and
additional recommendations identified in the preparation for the DCFTA.

Work towards the earliest possible closure of the Medzamor Nuclear
Power Plant and adopt a detailed decommissioning plan for this plant,
taking into account the result of stress tests.

Political dialogue and reform In the area of deep and sustainable
democracy, positive steps were taken to prepare the country
for upcoming elections, with changes in the electoral code and a
presidential amnesty for the remaining persons detained for charges
related to the March 2008 events. There are however concerns about
media freedom relating to the limitations on TV broadcasting and
to suits for insult and defamation. Significant restrictions to the
freedom of assembly and association remain.

Despite a strong reform effort, public trust in the judiciary continues
to be low, and perception of corruption high.

Civilian control over the security forces is effective. Despite
information about incident being published by the Ministry of Defence,
impunity for human rights violations committed by members of the
security forces is a matter of concern.

No significant progress occurred in the area of freedom of religion
and belief. The alternative civilian service continues to remain
a problem in 2011 both in legislation and practice. The government
was active in strengthening the legal framework to ensure children’s
rights and gender equality. As regards civil society, registration
requirements for non governmental organizations (NGOs) are cumbersome
and time-consuming, while labour organisations are weak and relatively
inactive in practice.

The National Preventive Mechanism under the Optional Protocol to the
UN Convention against Torture should be further strengthened. Cases
of torture and ill treatment among military conscripts, in prison
facilities and police stations are not adequately investigated.

Negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict within the Minsk Group
led to no tangible results in 2011. Amidst increasing tension along
the Line of Contact, mediation efforts resulted in marginal progress
on the investigation of the violation of the ceasefire agreement.

Economic and social reform As the authorities maintained prudent
macroeconomic policies and introduced several structural reforms,
Armenia showed encouraging signs of recovery (4.6% growth rate in 2011)
after the severe recession that resulted from the international crisis
in 2009.

The economy was supported by an IMF financing arrangement and
exceptional donor assistance, including Macro-Financial Assistance
from the EU worth EUR 100 million.

Armenia continued to progress towards meeting the objectives of the
Action Plan in the area of macroeconomic policy, poverty reduction
and social cohesion. Longer-term growth prospects are very uncertain
due to lack of diversification, low competitiveness and closed borders
with two out of four Armenia’s neighbour countries.

In 2011, 6 % of the population was unemployed and 36% was below the
poverty line. The implementation of Armenia’s Sustainable Development
Programme on poverty reduction 2008-2021 continued to be suspended
in 2011.

Trade-related issues, market and regulatory reform Bilateral trade
continued to improve in 2011 from the 2009 slowdown with 18.2%
increase year-on-year. EU exports to Armenia increased by 15.7%,
while EU imports from Armenia increased by 23.3%.

Armenia made substantial progress in implementing the “key
recommendations” for the launching of negotiations on a Deep
and Comprehensive Free Trade Area, in particular legislative and
institutional reforms in the areas of Technical Barriers to Trade,
Sanitary and Phytosanitary Standards and Intellectual Property Rights.

It adopted for example a food safety strategy.

23 laws were adopted between February and April with the aim of
improving business climate and to facilitate company establishment.

Cooperation on justice, freedom and security Following adoption of
the 2010 Border Security and Border Management Strategy 2011-2015,
Armenia approved an implementation Action Plan in April. A National
Action Plan 2012-2016 for the implementation of the Concept for the
Policy of State Regulation of Migration was adopted in November.

Directives for the negotiation between the EU and Armenia of visa
facilitation and readmission agreements were adopted by the EU in
December and were launched on 27th February 2012. In October 2011, the
EU-Armenia Mobility Partnership was established, proposing cooperation
in four major areas (mobility, legal migration and integration;
migration and development; fight against irregular immigration;
asylum and international protection).

Armenia adopted national strategy and programmes or legislative
amendments to improve effectiveness of the fight against organised
crime, terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering and trafficking
in human beings.

Transport, energy, environment, the information society, research and
development Transport: Armenia continued to implement its 2009-2020
transport strategy. In July, Armenia became a full member of the
Organisation for International Carriage by Rail.

Energy: Armenia started updating its energy strategy and adopted a
renewable energy roadmap. The EU continues to request the closure
of Medzamor Nuclear Power Plant as soon as possible, as it cannot be
upgraded to meet internationally recognised nuclear safety standards.

Armenia expressed readiness to undertake with the EU a comprehensive
risk and safety assessment of the plant, taking account of EU
standards. Armenia became observer of the Energy Community.

Climate change: The government adopted a five year action plan for
the implementation of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC). Armenia is encouraged to engage in the new carbon market
mechanism to be developed following the UNFCCC COP 17, as well as to
fully implement the Cancun and Durban agreements.

Environment: Armenia started preparing a new environment action
plan post 2012. The Regional Environmental Centre for the Caucasus
continued its activities in 2011; its founders want to see its role
enhanced in the years to come and tried to find a solution to its debt
problem Research and innovation: Armenia continued to increase the
number of applications to the 7th Framework Programme (24 research
organisations involved in 22 projects).

People-to-people contacts, education and health Education: Higher
education reform continued to benefit from EU-Armenia cooperation and
support via the Tempus IV programme (two additional projects), the
Erasmus Mundus programme (49 scholarships and mobility grants), the
Marie Curie scheme (seven institutions and six individual researchers)
and the Jean Monnet programme (one module awarded to Yerevan State
University).

Culture: Armenia participated in four projects under the 2010 Special
Action for ENP countries under the Culture Programme. The Youth
Parliament of the Armenian National Assembly started its work in May
2011. Youth organisations continued benefitting from the exchange
opportunities under the Youth in Action programme (380 participants).

Health: Reform continued with a view to improving, within the limited
available financial means, access to, availability of and quality
of health care services. Special attention was paid to address the
burden of tuberculosis.

EU-Armenia – BACKGROUND THE POLICY The European Neighbourhood Policy
governs the relations between the EU and Armenia. Since 2009 the EU
implements the Eastern Partnership, the Eastern dimension of the ENP
framework, aiming at substantially upgrading engagement with the six
Eastern neighbours via:

– a Bilateral track, whose objectives include the establishing of
Association Agreements with Deep and Comprehensive Free Trade Areas,
once conditions have been met, as well as progress on visa and mobility
issues, and

– a Multilateral track (i.e. intergovernmental platforms and Flagship
Initiatives).

This approach allows for gradual political association and deeper
economic integration.

FACTS AND FIGURES 1999: Entry into force of the EU-Armenia Partnership
and Cooperation Agreement.

2006: Approval of the EU-Armenia Action Plan.

2009: EU Advisory Group to Armenia (financed by the EU) started its
activities with the aim of supporting the Armenian authorities in
the implementation of the key areas of the ENP Action Plan

2009: Neighbourhood Investment Facility committed EUR 14.6 million in
grants and technical assistance for two projects in the transport
sector. Armenia is also eligible for three regional projects,
committing EUR 24 million in the energy and financial sectors

2007-2010: The ENPI1 envelope for Armenia stands at EUR 98.4 million

2011-2013: The new National Indicative Programme (NIP) 2011-13 for
Armenia was adopted in March 2010 and has a budget of EUR 157.3
million. The programme is geared towards supporting the achievement
of key policy objectives as outlined in the EU-Armenia Action Plan
and pursues three priorities: (1) democratic structures and good
governance, (2) trade and investment; regulatory alignment and reform,
and (3) socio-economic reform and sustainable development.

2011: Establishment of the EU-Armenia Mobility Partnership.

2011: Armenia became observer of the Energy Community.

More info at:

1 :

the European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument

TWO SKINHEADS GO ON TRIAL IN MOSCOW MAY 16

ITAR-TASS
May 14, 2012 Monday 11:20 PM GMT+4
Russia

The Moscow City Court begins on May 16 to consider on the merits the
cases of two Muscovites, members of an extremist group, accused of
attacks and murder out of ethnic hate.

It will be an open trial, a source in the court’s press service told
Itar-Tass. The panel of jury was formed on Monday. “The sides selected
twelve main jurors and two extras,” said the source.

According to investigators, Georgy Golovanov who is underage and his
acquaintance Yevgeny Marenchuk in April-May 2010 committed out of
ethnic hate a number of cruel grave crimes against citizens of Central
Asian countries and people from the Caucasus. Thus, on April 27 the
youths, having arms, attacked an Armenian citizen in the Maryina
Roshcha district of Moscow. Golovanov stabbed the man, killing him,
and then the youths took his mobile telephone and fled.

“On May 12, near the Moscow -Stankolit railway platform, they attacked
citizens of Tajikistan and Mongolia. The Tajik was stabbed in the
abdomen and the Mongolian citizen in the chest,” sources in the
investigation department said.

In the same area on May 5, the youths stabbed an Uzbek citizen who
died of knife wounds. On May 8 the defendants wounded a man from
Kyrgyzstan in Streletskaya street.

The defendants fully confessed to their crimes, except for the murder
of the Armenian citizen, as each of them tries to shift the blame on
the other.

‘ACCIDENTAL WAR’ WAITING TO HAPPEN ON EU PERIPHERY

EUobserver.com
May 14, 2012 Monday 10:25 AM GMT

If or when a full-blown conflict erupts between Armenia and Azerbaijan,
it will probably begin like this.

According to a senior source in the Armenian defence ministry, on
27 April Azerbaijani troops sneaked over the Armenian border in the
north-east province of Tavush and took up positions on either side
of a road connecting the villages of Movses and Aygepar.

At around 2am local time – the source said – they opened fire
from close range at the windscreen of an approaching car carrying
out-of-uniform Armenian soldiers. The ambush killed 28-year-old David
Abgaryan, 21-year-old Arshak Nersisyan and 26-year-old father-of-one
Aram Yesayan.

The killing is a “clear provocation,” the source told EUobserver in
Yerevan on 5 May. He added: “We have not reacted yet. I underline
‘yet’.”

The Azerbaijani foreign ministry told this website that the incident
never took place. It says Armenia staged the hoax to create an
atmosphere of crisis to help the ruling party in elections on 6 May.

Disturbing claims and counter-claims are nothing new in the
25-year-long “frozen” conflict over the disputed territory of
Nagorno-Karabakh. But in this case outside observers favour the
Armenian line.

The Minsk Group – a club of French, Russian and US diplomats trying
to mediate between Baku and Yerevan – in a statement on 27 April
condemned “such senseless acts.” A senior Yerevan-based EU diplomat
told EUobserver the Armenian account is “credible.”

The 27 April incident marks an escalation because killings normally
take place along the “line of contact” on the Nagorno-Karabakh border,
not in Armenia or Azerbaijan proper.

It also comes in a dangerous new environment.

Open conflict used to be unlikely because neither side could win. But
petro-rich Azerbaijan has altered the balance of power. According to
the Stockholm-based research institute, Sipri, it spent $11 billion
on weapons in the past five years compared to less than $2 billion
by Armenia.

Its latest purchase – $1.6 billion of high-tech drones and missiles
from Israel – could be decisive if Israel also builds a joint training
and maintenance facility.

Peter Semneby, until recently the EU’s special envoy to the region,
told this website: “The danger of an incident spiralling out of
control is gradually increasing.”

‘Accidental war’

Richard Giragosian, a US analyst who used to advise the CIA and
the Pentagon, said Azerbaijan killed the Armenian soldiers to look
important before assuming the rotating presidency of the UN Security
Council on 1 May. He also noted that the risk of an “accidental war”
in which a minor incident blows up is getting bigger.

If it does, it will be felt far beyond Nagorno-Karabakh.

In terms of direct threats to EU interests, it would increase oil
prices by destroying the BTC pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the
Mediterranean. It would also halt EU plans to reduce energy dependence
on Russia by building a gas pipeline through the region.

Meanwhile, Russia – which has 5,000 soldiers at its base in Gyumri,
Armenia – is obliged to intervene under the terms of the Nato-type
Collective Security Treaty Organisation. The US has 300 diplomats
and thousands of Armenian-American passport holders in Yerevan at
any given time.

Looking further afield, Turkey is a historic ally of Azerbaijan and
Iran is unhappy about the installation of Israeli weapons on its
northern flank.

The EU has so far limited its role to offering cheap visas and free
trade for Armenia and Azerbaijan if things go well.

For his part, Giragosian says it can do more: “It needs to send
a message to Azerbaijan that there is a price to pay for ceasefire
violations and to put pressure on Armenia to take positive unilateral
steps, such as pulling back snipers [from the line of contact].”

But with EU firms, such as Austria’s OMV and Germany’s RWE currently
negotiating gas contracts with Azerbaijan, there is little appetite
for annoying Baku.

‘How many will I lose?’

Amid the geopolitical considerations, Armenia is sure of one thing: if
fighting escalates, its big friends will leave it to its own devices.

“If something goes wrong on Nagorno-Karabakh … what will happen?

Let’s do a scenario. The EU will say: ‘We seriously condemn this and
we call on all parties to halt immediately.’ The UN Security Council
will debate a resolution calling on all sides to do this or that.

There will be a commission,” Armenian deputy foreign minister Zohrab
Mnatsakanian told EUobserver.

Looking back to the recent funerals of David Abgaryan, Arshak Nersisyan
and Aram Yesayan, he added: “How long will it all take?

Three days? Five days? How many people will I lose during these three
days? This is the way we think.”

INFORMAL CIS SUMMIT OPENS IN KREMLIN
Alexei Nikolskiy

RIA Novosti
15/05/2012
MOSCOW

The leaders of 11 former Soviet republics have begun their informal
summit in the Kremlin.

Last year’s “shirt-sleeves” summit in Moscow on December 20 marked the
20th anniversary of the post-Soviet CIS alliance, a Kremlin spokesman
said on Tuesday.

Addressing the summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin praised the
economic and cultural ties between CIS nations.

“We can hardly develop and function efficiently without each other,”
the spokesman quoted Putin as saying.

The meeting in the Kremlin follows a session of a CIS security
structure, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, held on
Tuesday morning.

The informal CIS summit is expected to consider ways of further
integrating natural resource, technological, intellectual and labor
potentials of the countries, the Kremlin source said.

Last October, the countries signed an agreement on free trade within
the CIS.

This year, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan instituted a common economic
space that provides free movement of commodities, services and capital
through the partners’ borders.

Combined with the Customs Union between these three countries,
the common economic space is designed as a step toward the Eurasian
Economic Union proposed by Kazakhstan in 1994.

The CIS alliance includes Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Tajikistan, and Moldova,
with Turkmenistan as an unofficial member and Ukraine de facto
participating. This year Turkmenistan holds the rotating presidency
in the alliance.

ARMENIAN EXPERT ON OSCE MG CO-CHAIRS’ STATEMENT ON CULTURAL HERITAGE

tert.am
15.05.12

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs proved to be too late with their
statement on preservation of historical and cultural heritage, the
political scientist Alexander Manasyan told Tert.am.

He appreciates the co-chairs’ approach as the cultural aspect is one
of the aspects of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process.

“Other mechanisms, such as the economic and cultural ties, can be
applied in the peace process. Mutual understanding is impossible to
establish without them,” the expert said.

“The co-chairs made the right step by placing emphasis on the
preservation of monuments. However, they are too late because numerous
monuments have been destroyed,” Manasayn said.

CSTO STATES’ LEADERS ADOPT DECLARATION ASSESSING ORGANIZATION’S ACTIVITY

PanARMENIAN.Net
May 15, 2012 – 19:21 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On May 15, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
participated in Moscow-hosted summit of CSTO Collective Security
Council dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the Collective Security
Treaty and 10th anniversary of CSTO.

In the framework of the meeting, CSTO heads of state discussed
international issues, global and regional challenges, as well as
outcomes of 10-year operation of CSTO.

Upon completion of the meeting, a joint declaration was adopted,
assessing the key development trends and CSTO activity.

The heads of state reaffirmed commitment to principles and goals of the
Collective Security Treaty, readiness to develop and deepen cooperation
in international relations, military and military-technical sector,
as well as in countering security and stability challenges.

YEREVAN MAYOR NEVER TO ACCEPT FOREIGN INNOVATIONS

news.am
May 15, 2012 | 18:13

YEREVAN. – Yerevan city Mayor Taron Margaryan congratulated on the
International Day of Families on Tuesday.

The Mayor said in his congratulatory letter that it is not a secret
that the greatest base for the existence of the Armenians is their
love and devotion to the family. Welcoming innovations in the everyday
life, the Mayor anyway remains a traditional Armenian and believes
he would have never accepted any innovations.

On congratulating all the Armenians on the Day of Families, he wished
strong, traditional families based on mutual respect and love.

CONCEPT OF ‘FAMILY’ UNDERGOES CRISIS IN ARMENIA-EXPERT

news.am
May 15, 2012 | 15:21

YEREVAN. – The concept of a family is undergoing crisis in Armenia,
which is reflected more vividly in socially vulnerable families,
head of the International Association of Lawyers and Psychologists,
expert Khachatur Marozyan said at a press conference on Tuesday.

According to him, part of the Armenian traditional families, where man
is the head of the family, stops being so when the man loses his job,
thus his image for encouraging children is damaged.

As a result, woman earns for living, which brings forth her
self-establishment, gradually leading to the leadership in the family.

And all these factors partly bring forth to the collapse of the family,
adds the expert.

Among other degrading points of the family is globalization,
introduction of European values, which are foreign to Armenian
families, as well as lack of minimal literacy on sexual life, which
leads to divorces. Couples in the family are unable to discuss even
trivial sexual problems, let alone global ones.

To support such families and the young generation Marozyan claims
that their association would submit to the government “Strategy of
Family Development.”

CLOTHES WITH ARMENIAN FLAG’S TRICOLOR ARE SOLD IN DOWNTOWN BAKU (PHOTOS)

May 15, 2012 | 16:17

BAKU. – Women’s clothing imported from Turkey are being sold in the
stores of Azerbaijan’s capital, Baku, and the colors on these clothes
are the same as the tricolor of Armenia’s national flag.

At first, the female salesclerks, who were working at a clothing
store in Baku’s Azadliq Boulevard, did not believe that the clothing
they were selling had the same colors as those of the Armenian flag,
and they stressed that these clothes were brought from Turkey. But
when they saw Armenia’s flag on the Internet, they immediately
removed those clothes from the showcase window, Ucnoqta website of
Azerbaijan informs.

The website also notes that this matter is not yet closed because
Baku’s numerous other clothing stores likewise sell these clothes.

Also, the salesclerks noted that this piece of clothing was also
worn by the heroine of a television series being aired on the Turkish
ATV television.

KEEPING FAITH IN GEORGIA: TBILISI ARMENIANS STRUGGLE TO SAVE THEIR CRUMBLING CHURCHES FROM NEGLECT
By Gohar Abrahamyan

ArmeniaNow
15.05.12 | 12:03

Photo: Gohar Abrahamyan/ArmeniaNow.com

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The collapse of the bell tower of the Armenian St. Nshan Church in
Tbilisi Sunday night again reminded the local Armenian community
about the defenseless status that Armenian churches have in Georgia.

While the main reasons for the collapse is considered to be an
earthquake that hit the territory a few days before as well as
unprecedented showers during the past few days in the Georgian capital,
specialists still consider that had repairs been done in time it would
perhaps have been possible to avoid such a situation. The Armenian
side has long accused Georgians of neglecting the condition of the
church and sought to take possession of it in order to make all
necessary restoration works.

Enlarge Photo

Enlarge Photo An estimated 300,000 ethnic Armenians live in Georgia
where there are also more than 300 Armenian churches. Only 40
of these churches, however, are operating ones. St. Nshan Church
is one of the six churches that are a matter of dispute between
the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Georgian Orthodox Church
(the others are St. Norashen, Mughnetsots St. Gevorg, Yerevantsots
St. Minas, Shamkoretsots Surb Astvatsatsin (St. Mary) and St. Nshan
in Akhaltsikhe).

Still in July where the status of legal entities was granted to a
number of religious organizations operating in Georgia, including
to the diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church, it seemed that the
situation would somehow be settled, however the poor condition of
local Armenian churches still remains a matter of contention.

St. Norashen Church built in 1467 is in the center of Tbilisi (in
Leselidze Street, the old Armenian market, sharing the yard with
(former Greek) Orthodox monastery Jvris Mamis, has been locked already
for many years. While the church still stands, the wide cracks on
its walls do not bode well for the construction.

The Yerevantsots St. Minas Church, which was built in 1790 in Tbilisi’s
Armenian Havlabar district is in an even poorer condition.

Inside the walls of the half-dilapidated church almost nothing reminds
of its former magnificent self. Today this church is more used as a
storage for residents of the neighboring to keep their old, useless
and forgotten items. Plastic bags with garbage are dumped on its altar.

“The diocese was registered as a legal entity, but now we must try
to register all our churches and get them back in order to maintain
them in good order. For this purpose we are drawing up a list of our
churches with all historical bases,” says Fr. Vazgen, a local Armenian
priest, adding that the matter concerns hundreds of cathedrals that
do not function today, are in a half-ruined condition and have been
Georgianized.

While the Armenian side is taking steps to recover its historical
heritage, two Armenian churches in Tbilisi continue to function for
the local Armenian community.

In one of Tbilisi’s central squares there is the St. Gevorg Church.

Last Sunday it had attracted more people for the service than usual.

The thing is that the Liturgy was performed by Fr. Tachat Davidian,
who is the spiritual head of the Ararat Patriarchal Diocese’s Youth
Association. A pilgrimage from Armenia to Georgia was organized on
that occasion (with the author of this article accompanying the group).

Armenians of Tbilisi had been gathering in the church yard from early
in the morning to attend the service.

“An Armenian always needs spiritual food, and the church, especially
for those living outside Armenia, becomes a connecting link. It is
very pleasant to guests coming from the homeland,” said 52-year-old
Tbilisi resident Tariel Mirzoyan, who says he attends church every
Sunday together with his grandchildren.

Fr. Samvel Torosyan, the priest at St. Echmiadzin Church in Tbilisi,
told ArmeniaNow that in order to strengthen the link between the
Church and the local Armenian youth a cultural and educational youth
center called “Hayartun” had been established at the Armenian Church’s
diocese in Georgia. There, he said, young ethnic Armenians are enabled
to maintain their links to the homeland and keep their ethnic identity
through participation in studies of the Armenian history, ethnic songs,
dances, and other activities.