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Author: Boshkezenian Garik

Armenia’s TUMO Center for Creative Technologies eyeing presence in PHL

Boshkezenian Garik
The Philippines –
| 6:33 pm

TUMO.ORG

Armenia-based free educational program TUMO Center for Creative Technologies said it is looking to expand into the Philippines.

“We are just at the start of discussion… to build those relationships and networks, to understand what the narrative is for the country, where the need is, and if we can, hopefully, find the right partners to launch our first center in Manila,” said Chris Shahinian, TUMO’s director of development. 

TUMO is a free educational program founded in 2011 that empowers teenagers to take charge of their learning. It recently developed a new approach to promoting learning among young people by using their interest in the digital world to make links to creativity, learning, and education.   

The program is built on a hyper-personalized approach to learning where students select the skills that most interest them and then create learning paths based on those skills.  

Students get a diploma by way of an online portfolio where all their work created during the program is displayed.  

This hyper-personalization, Mr. Shahinian said in a March 28 Zoom call, “allows each student or teenager to have a personal learning path that is adapted to their pace of development and interest over time.”  

Engagement is the underlying important factor that increases learning accuracies, he told BusinessWorld.  

The program teaches students additional skills such as collaboration, problem-solving, and creative thinking, which are essential for success in the world.

“Kids hate to study but love to learn. Choice is super important. You need to give them enough choice for them to find their path and what they’re passionate about,” Mr. Shahiniam said.  

TUMO said it has expanded to four locations in Armenia and eight international locations, including Paris, Beirut, Moscow, Tirana, Berlin, Kyiv, and Lyon.   

There are also plans to open centers in Seoul, Tokyo, and Syndey.

TUMO’s story started off very Armenia-centric, Mr. Shahinian said. There is a need to create a program for Armenia’s youth “to make sure they have access to technical literacy and creative thinking outside of the traditional education system,” he said. As TUMO expanded globally, it found that this deficiency in Armenia was also present in many other parts of the world. 

“We aren’t saying that we can better the traditional educational system. We are complementary to it,” Mr. Shahinian said.

TUMO covers over 20 focus areas, including animation, computer programming, robotics, writing, and sustainable cities. — Patricia B. Mirasol


Russia Warns Armenia Against Siding With ICC After Putin Arrest Warrant: ‘Serious Consequences’

Boshkezenian Garik


By Craig Peters

Russia is warning Armenia that there would be “serious consequences” if the latter were to follow through on plans to become a member state of the International Criminal Court. 

The state-run RIA news agency cited a source in the Russian Foreign Ministry as saying that Armenia’s ICC plans as “unacceptable.” 

Russian President Vladimir Putin chairs a meeting on the social and economic development of Crimea and Sevastopol via a videoconference at the Moscow’s Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Friday, March 17, 2023. (Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

It said Russia had warned Armenia’s government there would be “extremely negative consequences” between their two nations if it were to become a state party to the Rome Statue – a move that would need to be ratified by the Armenian parliament after approval by the constitutional court. 

“Moscow considers official Yerevan’s plans to accede to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court to be absolutely unacceptable against the background of the recent illegal null and void warrants of the ICC against the Russian leadership,” the Russian Foreign Ministry source reportedly said. 

PUTIN ALLY SAYS RUSSIA HAS ‘WEAPONS CAPABLE OF DESTROYING ANY ADVERSARY, INCLUDING THE UNITED STATES’

Armenia has been a traditional ally of Russia. The two nations have a mutual defense pact and Russia maintains troops and a military base in Armenia. 

But relations have soured in recent months. Yerevan accuses Moscow of failing to uphold a 2020 ceasefire treaty it helped broker between Armenia and Azerbaijan to end a war over Nagorno-Karabakh – an Armenian-populated region of Azerbaijan. 

The ICC said earlier this month it had issued an arrest warrant for Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine. The Kremlin condemned the move as a meaningless and outrageously partisan decision. 

It was the first time the global court had issued a warrant against a leader of one of the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council. 

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 


YEAs in Armenia: More EU in the Armenian schools

Boshkezenian Garik

On 20 February, Armenian YEAs organised school visits in Oshakan and other communities of the Aragatsotn region. During the session, they shared information about the YEAs initiative, EU projects and about EuroClub in Oshakan. The YEAs from Armenia also provided comprehensive information about the core values of the European Union and the ways in which the EU contributes to Armenia’s progress, fostering volunteerism, and promoting active citizenship.

The main purpose of the event was to provide a piece of comprehensive information about the core values and principles of the European Union, thus increasing their awareness of the EU’s role in promoting democracy.

As a result, more than 25 young Armenians from Oshakan were informed how to get enrolled on the projects organised by the YEAs and the EuroClub in Oshakan. Moreover, the participants of the event raised their awareness of the significance of youth activism and the importance of becoming active citizens.

Former MP: Armenia-Azerbaijan conflict is not only about Artsakh

Boshkezenian Garik
Panorama
Armenia –

Former MP Artem Tsarukyan accused the incumbent Armenian authorities of “utter failure” in national security, foreign policy and defense.

Speaking at a debate on Tuesday, he underscored the Turkish-Azerbaijani duo seeks to gain control not only over all of Artsakh, but also internationally recognized territories of Armenia.

“It testifies to the fact that the conflict is not only about Artsakh,” the ex-deputy said.

He stressed Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev eyes a land corridor to Nakhichevan passing through Armenia’s Syunik Province through the blockade of the Lachin Corridor.

“It would close the last chapter of Armenia’s history,” he claimed.

Tsarukyan states as far as Armenian-Russian relations are deteriorating, Aliyev’s rhetoric is getting tougher and he is putting forward new demands.

“We have to fight for ourselves, and the allies must help us. There are a lot of issues concerning Russia and France that I do not understand. But the lack of information, of course, does not allow for a proper assessment of the state of affairs,” he said.

Azerbaijani troops open fire at Armenian border positions

Boshkezenian Garik
Panorama
Armenia – March 14 2023

Azerbaijani troops opened fire at the Armenian border positions near the village of Verin Shorzha in a fresh ceasefire violation on Monday, the Defense Ministry reported.

“On March 13, from 7:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., the Azerbaijani armed forces opened fire from different caliber firearms towards the Armenian combat positions located near Verin Shorzha,” it said in a statement.

The Armenian military suffered no casualties.

“As of 10:00 p.m., the situation on the frontline is relatively stable,” the ministry added.

https://www.panorama.am/en/news/2023/03/14/Armenia-MoD/2806505

A year in, Armenian war probe questions its first general

Boshkezenian Garik
March 15 2023
Arshaluis Mgdesyan Mar 15, 2023

Over a year since the Armenian parliament set up a commission to probe the causes and course of the 2020 Second Karabakh War, precious little information has been shared with the public. Whatever it concludes will likely stay classified.

The parliamentary opposition has boycotted the commission’s work, dismissing it as a sham aimed at absolving the government of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Yet its work continues. On February 23 the investigative commission got around to interviewing its first high-ranking witness: Eduard Asryan, currently the chief of the General Staff, who served as head of the Operations Department of the Armed Forces during the war.

Andranik Kocharyan, the ruling Civil Contract party MP who heads the commission, assured the public that the general “conveyed important information that could be decisive for our conclusion.“

That could be the extent of what the public comes to know about his testimony.

Kocharyan said Prime Minister Pashinyan, who founded Civil Contract and who presided over Armenia’s defeat in the war, would be summoned to the commission as well.

Individuals are testifying on a voluntary basis so far, he said, adding that he was working on changing parliamentary regulations to compel those who don’t want to appear.

The Second Karabakh War between Armenia and Azerbaijan ended in November 2020 with a Russian-brokered ceasefire agreement. According to official data, 3,812 Armenians died in the war, and 217 are considered missing.

After several months of recriminations and domestic turmoil, Pashinyan’s party, Civil Contract, held on to its mandate in a snap parliamentary election in June 2021.

Since then, there have been calls from various parties for an investigation into the circumstances of the conflict, with Pashinyan’s supporters and the opposition publicly blaming each other for the war and law enforcement agencies opening criminal cases against individual soldiers. After extended rancorous debate, the parliamentary commission was established on February 10, 2022. It was tasked with studying the political, military and diplomatic aspects of the conflict, as well as assessing the activities of state institutions and persons responsible for managing the war. Initially, the term of the commission’s activity was set for six months, but in October it was decided to extend that for another six months.

From the very start, it has faced legitimacy concerns.

The parliamentary opposition, which consists of two blocs, the Armenia alliance and I Have Honor, view the commission as pointless and boycott its work.

“The culprits of the war and the defeat in this war are the current authorities. This commission is called upon not to reveal the circumstances of the war, but to appoint the perpetrators. We cannot participate in this,“ Hayk Mamijanyan, chairman of the parliamentary faction of the opposition bloc I Have Honor, told Eurasianet.

To ensure broader representation on the commission, the authorities invited representatives of extra-parliamentary forces and relatives of dead servicemen to participate.

Later, the leader of the Liberal party, Samvel Babayan, who served as secretary of Nagorno-Karabakh’s security council during the 2020 war, quit the commission. Explaining his decision, he said: “The rules of the game are not respected.”

Two other political forces, Fair Armenia and Sovereign Armenia, whose leaders periodically meet with the prime minister within the format of consultations with extra-parliamentary forces, continue to work with the commission.

Mkrtich Harutyunyan, 58, from the Ararat region of Armenia, whose son Karapet Harutyunyan, 29, has been missing in action since 2020, told Eurasianet he is optimistic about the commission’s work.

He hopes to find out details about the criminal case regarding the disappearance of his son, though he acknowledges that may not happen soon.

He has viewed videos showing PoWs captured during October 2020, around the time his son disappeared and believes Karapet is currently in Azerbaijani captivity.

Harutyunyan blames the higher army command for the capture of his son, who signed up as a volunteer.

“During the war in October 2020, our sons were taken by bus towards Zangilan and left there. They were taken prisoner. A criminal case has been initiated. There is an investigation. We, the parents, were assured by the director of the National Security Service of Armenia [Armen Abazyan] that very soon all the circumstances of the case regarding our sons would be revealed,“ Mkrtich Harutyunyan said. (Zangilan is a region of Azerbaijan that had been controlled by Armenian forces prior to the 2020 war.)

Over 2,000 criminal cases have been initiated on various episodes of the war. Experts say this approach is unlikely to yield a general picture of the causes and course.

“It is necessary to investigate and answer questions regarding the root causes of the military failures of the Armenian side. For example, how was the military-political situation in the region assessed before the start of the war, how good was the armament of the Armenian army, were there any omissions in the management of the army that led to irreversible consequences? How did intelligence work? It is also necessary to investigate the orders of higher-ranking military and officials during the war, which caused the death of many military personnel,“ Artur Sakunts, head of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly, said in an interview with Eurasianet.

Many doubt that the public will ever come to learn such details.

In 2019, before the Second Karabakh War, there was a similar probe into the four days of fighting in April 2016. Then, too, the authorities promised answers to the public’s burning questions. But the findings of the probe were classified.

That probe was also chaired by Andranik Kocharyan, the head of the commission looking at the 2020 war.

Sakunts told Eurasianet: “We do not know what conclusion the authorities came to as a result of the previous investigation. In this regard, I do not think that this time the circumstances of the 2020 war will be fully disclosed and the society will receive answers to its questions.”

Arshaluis Mgdesyan is a journalist based in Yerevan.

https://eurasianet.org/a-year-in-armenian-war-probe-questions-its-first-general


Armenpress: Armenian Deputy FM and Iraqi parliamentarians discuss issues of regional security and stability

Boshkezenian Garik

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 21:00,

YEREVAN, MARCH 16, ARMENPRESS. On March 16, Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Vahan Kostanyan received the delegation of the Iraq-Armenia Friendship Group of the Council of Representatives of the Republic of Iraq, headed by Mօhammed Siddik Mohammed, the Chairman of the Group, ARMENPRESS was informed from MFA Armenia.

Welcoming the members of the delegation, Vahan Kostanyan highly appreciated the positive development dynamics of the multi-faceted relations with Iraq, particularly emphasising the role and efforts of the parliaments of the two countries.

The sides discussed a wide range of issues on the agenda of bilateral cooperation, including Armenian-Iraqi cooperation in the spheres of economy, healthcare, education and tourism. The activation of the works within the framework of the Armenian-Iraqi Intergovernmental Commission, as well as political consultations between Foreign Ministries were stressed.

During the meeting, regional security and stability issues were discussed. The Deputy Minister briefed on the normalisation process of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, as well as the situation in the region resulting from the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan. Vahan Kostanyan underscored the inadmissibility of Azerbaijan’s speculations of the religious factor, as well as the groundless attempts to disrupt the traditional warm relations between Armenia, the Armenian people and the Arab world, noting that Armenia has traditionally friendly relations with the vast majority of Arab states. Vahan Kostanyan expressed gratitude to friendly Iraq for its unbiased position.

Marc Mamigonian to Celebrate 25 Years with NAASR

Boshkezenian Garik
by Contributor

 

 March 6, 2023

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories
Marc Mamigonian


The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research will host an in-person and online program celebrating its Academic Director Marc A. Mamigonian’s 25 years at NAASR on Thursday, March 16, at 7 p.m. Mamigonian will engage in a dynamic conversation with Khatchig Mouradian on a quarter century of developments at NAASR and in Armenian Studies generally, and a multitude of other topics, followed by an open discussion with the audience.

This will be an in-person event and also presented online live via Zoom and YouTube. For those attending in person, NAASR recommends the wearing of masks to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. A reception will follow the program.

Marc A. Mamigonian is the Director of Academic Affairs of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), where he has worked since 1998. He is the co-author of the volume “Annotations to James Joyce’s Ulysses” (Oxford University Press, 2022; with John N. Turner and Sam Slote) and is the co-author of annotated editions of James Joyce’s “A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man” (Alma Classics, 2014; with John N. Turner) and “Ulysses” (Alma Classics, 2015, with John N. Turner and Sam Slote). He has served as the editor of the “Journal of Armenian Studies” and the volume “The Armenians of New England” (Armenian Heritage Press, 2004), and has published articles in “Genocide Studies International,” “James Joyce Quarterly,” “Armenian Review,” “Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies,” and elsewhere.

Dr. Khatchig Mouradian is the Armenian and Georgian Specialist at the Library of Congress, lecturer in Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies at Columbia University, and member of the NAASR Board of Directors.

For more information about this program, contact NAASR at [email protected].

Shootout in Karabakh; casualties reported

Boshkezenian Garik

March 5 2023


  • JAMnews
  • Baku-Yerevan

Shootout in Karabakh

Early morning today, Sunday March 5, in the area of Karabakh controlled by the Russian peacekeeping contingent there was an armed skirmish between Azerbaijani soldiers and the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Dead and wounded are reported on both sides.

Gunfire was heard both in Khankendi (Stepanakert) and in Shusha (Shushi), eyewitnesses say.

  • Two video stories about the life of people in NK after the blockade of the Lachin corridor
  • “Integration with Azerbaijan is out of the question.” Opinion on contacts between Baku and NK Armenians
  • Official contacts between Baku and Armenians of Karabakh initiated

Armenian eyewitnesses of the beginning of the movment discuss how it started and what they remember

According to the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, early in the morning the Azerbaijani army received a message about transportation of weapons, ammunition and manpower from the territory of Armenia along a dirt road detour of the Lachin road.

After that, the operational group of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan advanced on the road to conduct a check on the ground. When they tried to stop an Armenian vehicle reported to be transporting the items, the passengers of the latter opened fire, which the soldiers returned.

The scene circled on the map.

The Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan reports losses on both sides, though the exact number of dead and wounded is not known.

“Today’s incident once again shows that Azerbaijan needs to install the appropriate checkpoint on the Lachin-Khandi road.

The fact that Armenia still carries out military cargo to the Karabakh economic district of Azerbaijan proves its aggressive stance.

All responsibility for provocation lies with the military-political leadership of Armenia,” their statement reads.

Official contacts of Baku and Khankendi – According to Ramin Mammadov, mainly humanitarian issues were discussed

The Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan made a statement about the incident.

“Similar acts of aggression and provocations once again demonstrate that Armenia has not renounced its occupation policy against Azerbaijan, that the views of Armenia on a peaceful agenda are nothing more than hypocrisy, that Armenia is not interested in establishing peace and security in the region. These actions once again prove the need for border control between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

In order to prevent such military provocations, Azerbaijan requires the terms of the tripartite statement be observed, termination of supplies from Armenia of illegal weapons and ammunition, personnel and mines, the immediate withdrawal of the Armenian armed forces from Azerbaijani territory,” the statement says.

Photo: Open sources

The Armenia media report that “the Azerbaijani sabotage group fired at members of the visa and passport department. The incident occurred in the area known as Hripal.”

Three dead are reported — Lieutenant Colonel Armen Babayan, Major David Danielyan and Lieutenant Ararat Gasparyan. Lieutenant David Hovsepyan received a gunshot wound to the chest and is in hospital

The day before, the command of Russian peacekeeping forces deployed in Nagorno -Karabakh reported violations of the ceasefire in Martuni and Shushi districts.

The authorities of the unrecognized republic deny that weapons and ammo were being transported along the road.

“Police officers were traveling in a passenger car from the Artsakh side to our police station, there were no weapons or ammunition in the car,” state minister Gurgen Nersisyan said.

He called Azerbaijan’s ststament “a frank attempt to mislead everyone.”

According to Nersisyan, “the Artsakh authorities have all sorts of evidence” which “will be communicated through the Foreign Ministry as soon as possible.”

Nersisyan stated that the Azerbaijani military has been active in the area clearing settlements and other structures.

Russian peacekeepers at the fired car. Photo: Open sources

Yerevan calls the incident “nothing more than terrorism”.

“In parallel with the actions aimed at blocking the Lachin corridor and the creation of a humanitarian catastrophe in Nagorno -Karabakh, Azerbaijan continues to terrorize the Armenian population of Artsakh with the ultimate goal of ethnic cleansing,” the statement reads.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry calls on the international community, countries and international organizations interested in establishing a real world in the region, “to condemn the use of power and threats by Azerbaijan”, “take active measures to exclude further violations by Azerbaijan of its own international obligations.”

Yesterday NK and Azerbaijan representatives once again met at the HQ of the Russian peacekeeping forces

“A preliminary analysis of the circumstances of the murder of police officers allows you to regard the actions of the Azerbaijani side as a war crime.

The penetration of the Azerbaijani sabotage group into the territory of Artsakh and an attack on the police officers of Artsakh is another egregious violation of a tripartite statement of November 9, 2020 and indicates Azerbaijan’s desire to escalate,” the statement says.

“It is noteworthy that these attacks were made immediately after contacts on unblocking the Lachin corridor held on March 1 between representatives of Artsakh and Azerbaijan. Baku openly demonstrates the denial of negotiations as a means of reaching decisions on any issues.

This incident once again indicates the true goals of Azerbaijan and its intention to carry out ethnic cleansing in Artsakh. Clearly they have taken the international community’s lack of adequate counter-measures for carte blanche.”

The statement calls on all parties and the international community to “revise their approaches and take effective and arising from international law steps to suppress the terrorist and genocidal policy of Azerbaijan.”

Ukraine denies crossborder sabotage raid in Russia

Boshkezenian Garik

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 16:19, 2 March 2023

YEREVAN, MARCH 2, ARMENPRESS. Russian officials accused Ukrainian saboteurs on Thursday of crossing into western Russia and attacking local villages, an accusation that Ukraine denied and alleged would be used by Moscow to step up attacks.

Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak described the Russian reports as “a classic deliberate provocation.”

Russia “wants to scare its people to justify the attack on another country (and) the growing poverty after the year of war,” he tweeted, suggesting that the attack was the work of Russian partisans.

Meanwhile, Korrespondent news outlet reported that the Russian Volunteer Corps – a group of anti-Kremlin fighters – has claimed responsibility for the raid.

The Russian Volunteer Corps called itself a “liberation army that came to its own land” and urged Russians to “take up arms and fight Putin’s bloody regime” in a video posted to social media.