Author: Boris Nahapetian

The Armenian National Committee of America Eastern Region (ANCA-ER) announced today the launch of its new GoHye fundraising and social media challenge campaign. The aim of the campaign is to ensure the sustainability and expansion of the range of organization’s programs and activities throughout the region.

In 2016 alone, the ANCA Eastern Region has registered many successes, including:

·         Expansion of its strong local ANC network into Minnesota, Kentucky, South Carolina, North Carolina, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, Northern Ohio, and Central Florida;

·         Halt of an anti-Armenian resolution in Kentucky State Senate;

·         Passage of an Artsakh independence recognition resolution in the state of Georgia;

·         West Virginia becoming the 44th state to officially affirm the Armenian Genocide;

·         Protest and coordinated campaign against the genocide denial ads and billboards, which resulted in formal policy changes and apologies issued to our community;

·         Commemoration of the atrocities committed against Armenians during Sumgait and Baku Pogroms;

·         Dozens of meetings with elected officials in Washington, DC and in the districts to advocate for the issues our community cares most about – deeper U.S.-Armenia partnership; safety for the Syrian-Armenians; independence of Artsakh; truth and justice for the Armenian Genocide;

·         And so much more.

“These are challenging times everywhere. The Armenian Nation especially is faced with many challenges in the Diaspora as well as in the Homeland,” said ANCA Eastern Region Chairman Stephen Mesrobian. “ANCA-ER has been on the front-lines advocating on behalf of our nation in all corners of the Eastern United States. We are asking our friends and supporters to join our GoHye campaign for us to be able to go higher and achieve even more together.”

While there have already been many achievements, there is a lot more work ahead, and today – more than ever – there is a need for greater community involvement and engagement to rise up to the challenges facing us. By joining the GoHye campaign and making a symbolic donation of $19.15 per month, community members can help ensure that the ANCA Eastern Region has the necessary resources to continue to get the job done.

In an effort to raise awareness about the campaign, ANCA-ER has also launched a GoHye challenge encouraging Armenians to share their cultural pride on social media. The GoHye Challenge is very simple:

1.    Record video on what makes you proud as an Armenian (what makes you GoHye?)

2.    Tag and challenge three of your friends, giving them 48 hours to complete the challenge

3.    Share the video on social media and use the #GoHye hashtag

Participants have 48 hours to respond to the challenge or they have to donate to ANCA Eastern Region Endowment Fund to support its activities.

 

 

 

The activities of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) are aimed at ensuring the security of the member states, CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha said at the opening of the ArmHiTec-2016 international exhibition of Arms and Defense Technologies in Yerevan.

“The main efforts are targeted at ensuring security through political means, utilizing the whole political potential that exists in our countries. However, the logic and trends of the developments prove the need to reinforce the organization’s military potential,” Bordyuzha said.

“This is the reason behind the close cooperation between CSTO member states,” the Secretary General said. He added that bases have been created around the CSTO to ensure the sovereignty and integrity of the member states.

Nikolay Bordyuzha said the forces should be equipped with advances armaments to be able to resist any challenge. He added that the CSTO Council is doing its best to ensure military-political and military-economic cooperation between the member states.

The CSTO Secretary General said “the exhibition is a testament to the close cooperation between the member states and shows the potential for the creation of new military technologies,  establishemnt of joint ventures and renovation of the existing armaments.”

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the BBC reports.

Judges in Norway praised him for his peace deal with Farc rebels, signed last month after four years of negotiations.

But the agreement was narrowly rejected by Colombians in a referendum last weekend.

The 52-year conflict has led to the deaths of an estimated 260,000 people with more than six million people internally displaced.

Asbarez – President Barack Obama issued a letter Wednesday congratulating Armenia on the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s Independence. The Armenian National Committee of America called the letter “largely generic” with key omission about Armenia’s current realities.

“On behalf of the United States, I congratulate you and the people of Armenia as you celebrate 25 years of independence this September 21,” said Obama in his letter.

“The United States has been a steadfast partner of Armenia from the first days of its independence. We remain committed to the promise of those early years, when Armenians proudly raised their tricolor flag for the first time since 1920. Today, we again affirm our belief that a secure, prosperous, and democratic Armenia is essential for the security for the Armenian people and for the region more broadly,” added Obama.

“We thank Armenia for its support of our shared goals, particularly its response to the Syrian refugee crisis and its contributions to global peacekeeping operations and nuclear security. We will continue to work together to help Armenia realize its full potential. I wish you and the people of Armenia all the best as you celebrate 25 years of independence,” concluded Obama’s letter.

“The letter is also notable for what it leaves out, namely any mention of the Armenian Genocide, the issue that the President so very prominently used to secure Armenian American votes in 2008, but that he quickly abandoned once elected,” the ANCA response posted on its social media sites said.

“It also does not reference the President’s signature Armenian initiative in office, the Turkish-Armenian Protocols. Looking back, it’s clear that the President, having secured Armenia’s backing for these recklessly flawed (and now demonstrably failed) accords in the first months of his first term, never held Ankara to account for walking away from its agreement to end its illegal blockade of Armenia,” added the ANCA response.

“Also, no mention of Artsakh, which, in the context of Azerbaijan’s April offensive, represents a missed opportunity to challenge Baku’s aggression and press the case for peace. This silence sends a dangerous signal to the Aliyev regime,” said the ANCA.

On 19 September Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received Grigor Soghomonyan, Representative of the Armenian National Committee of Australia.

Issues related to the Karabakh conflict settlement, presentation of truthful information about Artsakh in various international instances were on the agenda of the meeting.

President Sahakyan rated high the activity of the Hay Dat in this direction expressing hope that close cooperation with the structure would be maintained further on.

In connection with the 25th anniversary of the Artsakh Republic and for the contribution in the recognition of the NKR’s independence the Hay Dat commission in Australia was awarded with the “Gratitude” medal. Bako Sahakyan handed in the medal to Grigor Soghomonyan during the meeting.

– Soldiers from the Swedish and the Armenian armies graduated from the Basic Leader’s Course (BLC) at the 7th Army Training Command’s (7ATC) Noncommissioned Officer Academy (NCOA) here Sept. 8.

The six Swedish service members and the one Armenian NCO were the first from their countries to attend the BLC here.

Hosts from other countries learn about the BLC when they visit 7ATC which helps to spread the word of the capabilities of the course, said First Sgt. Eric D. Lowery, the outgoing deputy commandant at the NCO Academy.

“The strategic location of the academy makes us unique and different from every other academy in the U.S. Army,” said Lowery. “Having international students here is a great learning opportunity for U.S. Soldiers and Allied partners.”

U.S. Soldiers that attend the BLC here are at an advantage because they get to expand their knowledge by sharing the leader development experience with international students, in which they would not be able to do stateside.

“Soldiers that come through this course are very fortunate because they get the opportunity to partner with people they’re probably going to be fighting with in an institutional environment,” said Lowery.

While U.S. Soldiers are able to build relationships with allies, the international soldiers are able to compare and contrast the U.S. Army’s NCO corps to their own army’s leadership development.

The 7th Army NCO Academy’s mission is to train and develop future leaders who are adaptive, disciplined and ready to lead effectively at the squad and team levels. Elements of the course include the Army Physical Fitness Test, daily physical training, classroom instruction, drill and ceremony, land navigation and the culminating training exercise at the end of the 30-day course.

According to Sgt. Wincent Truong, a squad leader assigned to the P4 Skaraborg Regiment in the Swedish Army, the U.S. Army and the Sweden army share some similarities in the following areas: physical training goals; marching commands; calling cadences; and having an Army-wide program to prevent and respond to sexual harassment and assault.

Sgt. Vahram Zohrabyan, a squad leader assigned to the Armenian Peace Keeping Brigade, also shares some similarities such as conducting land navigation back at his home unit.

Although Zohrabyan conducts physical training at his home unit, he found that conducting physical training immediately upon wake up from a night’s rest was challenging.

The students were able to not only learn the course material but some leader characteristics as well.

Zohrabyan said that one of the most valuable characteristics he learned from the instructors was confidence, an area that he wishes to improve.

“When I see the instructors, I see confidence,” Zohrabyan said as he was describing one of the instructor’s abilities to teach a class without hesitation.

Both service members are now able to take the skills they’ve learned to their country and teach to their fellow service members. But not just the skills, they’re also able to share their experience with training alongside American Soldiers.

“I’m happy to communicate with the American Soldiers, build a relationship with them and to take in more experience from the instructors,” Zohrabyan said as he advises other international students to attend the BLC here.

“It’s a good experience to be in another country, cooperate with other Soldiers, see how they see things and build some balance between America and Sweden,” said Truong.

Truong said that he hopes to remain in contact with his newly found American friends thanks to course.

System of A Down frontman Serj Tankian has finished a song for the Armenian Genocide-themed “The Promise” produced by Kirk Kerkorian’s Survival Pictures.

“I am really excited to have finished a beautiful song I did with my friends the Authentic Light Orchestra for “The Promise” soundtrack. The film produced by Survival Pictures and Eric Esrailian and directed by Terry George stars Oscar Isaac and Christian Bale along with my friend Angela Sarafyan in a powerful love story during the last, genocidal days of the Ottoman Empire,” Tankian said in a Facebook post.

“The Promise,” the Armenian Genocide-themed feature produced by Kirk Kerkorian’s Survival Pictures will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. The festival also announced on Tuesday that “The Promise” will be featured as one of the event’s coveted opening weekend galas on September 11.

“Michael, a humble Armenian apothecary, leaves his village to study medicine in cosmopolitan Constantinople. Chris, an American photojournalist who has come to the country to partly cover the geopolitics, is in a relationship with the talented Ana, a Paris-educated, Armenian artist. When Michael meets Ana, their shared heritage sparks an attraction that explodes into a romantic rivalry between the two men. After the Turks join the war on the German side, the Ottoman Empire turns violently against its own ethnic minorities. Despite their conflicts, everyone must find a way to survive — even as monumental events envelope their lives,” reads the film synopsis on the TIIF website.

The Armenian Police informs that 136 citizens were detained last night on suspicion of resorting to actions dangerous and non-dangerous for the life and health of representatives of the authorities.

In all cases when the suspicion has not been grounded within the period prescribed by law the detainees have been released from Police or have been sent to investigation bodies for further probe.

Un unidentified number of people have been arrested, the Police said. Exact numbers will be available later.

A group of intellectuals has issued an appeal to Jirair Sefilian , urging him to interfere and prevent the undesirable development of events by calling on his friends to lay down arms and surrender to the authorities.

The statement reads:

“Dear Jirair,
We appeal to you assured that you value and attach importance to the word of intellectuals, their request and kind advice.

Your friends, who are our compatriots, have resorted to a radical step – an armed attack – and have taken people hostage, a Police Colonel has been killed.

Relying upon your good sense and patriotism, we are confident that with your wisdom and calls you will interfere and prevent this irresponsible  and short-sighted situation and undesirable consequences of the developments  by urging your friends to lay down weapons and surrender to the authorities.

We are confident that your and your friends’ further reasonable and watchful steps will be targeted at national unity, peace and security.”

The appeal has been signed by:
Ruben Babayan, director
Hovhannes Chekijian, director
Edward Topchyan, conductor
Tigran Mansurian, composer
Perch Zeituntsyan, writer
Yervand Manaryan, actor and director
Robert Elibekyan, artist
Ruben Matevosyan, singer
Sasun Paskevichyan, composer
Levon Malkhasyn, jazzman,
Alexander Grigoryan, director
Arthur Grigoryan, composer
Norayr Mehrabyan, choreographer
Sona Hovhannisyan, choir conductor
Shushan Petrosyan, singer
Narek Hakhnazaryan, musician
Nune Yesayan, singer
Zhirair Dadasyan, director
Robert Mlkeyan, choir conductor
Vahan Badalyan, director
Arev Petrosyan, artist-designer
Narek Duryan, actor
Sergey Smbatyan, choir conductor
Roland Sharoyan, writer
Alla Levonyan, singer
Nikolay Tsaturyan, director
Gevorg Hakobyan, singer
Ruben Hovsepyan, writer

A new stamp dedicated to European Football Championship “Euro 2016” will be put into circulation on July 15.

The background of the stamp depicts the national stadium of France,  “Stade de France”, colored with the colors of the French flag symbolizing the hosting country of the championship.

On the foreground of the stamp the  “Euro 2016” trophy and two football players in playing positions are depicted.