15:42, 4 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 4, ARMENPRESS. One person died and two others were injured following a shooting at a supermarket in Baku on Saturday, according to local media reports.
Gunmen attacked “cash couriers” in a supermarket in the Azerbaijani capital’s Khatai district, according to the reports.
Other details weren’t immediately clear.
16:46, 4 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 4, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan on Saturday met with the External Affairs Minister of India S. Jaishankar within the framework of the Raisina Dialogue conference in New Delhi.
A readout issued by the Armenian foreign ministry said that FM Mirzoyan and his Indian counterpart were pleased to note the dynamics of enhancement of Armenia-India political dialogue and highlighted the role of high-level mutual visits and regular contacts in various platforms in this regard.
Bilateral agenda items in a number of sectoral directions were discussed, covering the intensification of trade-economic cooperation and business ties, development of relations in high technologies, education, culture, tourism and other areas.
The importance of intensifying parliamentary cooperation, as well as strengthening partnership in multilateral platforms was underscored.
Regional and international security issues were also discussed. FM Mirzoyan briefed his Indian counterpart on the latest developments around the Armenia-Azerbaijan settlement process. The humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan was also discussed. In this context, the need to launch possible mechanisms for the implementation of the February 22 International Court of Justice ruling on provisional measures against Azerbaijan was highlighted.
In turn, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar said on Twitter that he discussed bilateral and multilateral partnership with Mirzoyan. “Glad to welcome FM Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia. Reviewed our bilateral and multilateral partnership. Discussed broad-basing the agenda of cooperation,” Jaishankar tweeted.
The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin Corridor is blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ARMENIAN AMERICAN MUSEUM ANNOUNCES ELEVATE GALA CHAIR DIANA TIMURYAN
Glendale, CA () – The Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center of California has announced that Diana Timuryan will be serving as the Chair of the Elevate Gala to be held on Sunday, March 19, 2023 at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles.
“It is truly an honor and a privilege to work alongside the dedicated individuals in our community to ensure the ongoing success of the Armenian American Museum,” stated Elevate Gala Chair Diana Timuryan. “I have no doubt that with our continued efforts, we will ensure that the Elevate Gala will be an evening to remember, and the landmark project will be a pillar for our community and future generations to come.”
Diana Timuryan was born in Yerevan, Armenia and immigrated to the United States with her parents and siblings at a young age. She and her family were able to set the foundation of a promising future in Los Angeles, California. Grounded in her cultural upbringing and a deep connection to her roots, she was able to excel in the banking industry and cultivate an extensive relationship with the Armenian American community as well as diverse non-profit organizations and communities. She has dedicated herself to teaching financial literacy to young people and giving back to the community. She currently serves as the Vice President Relationship Manager of Pacific Western Bank and serves as a member of the Armenian American Museum Board of Governors.
The Elevate Gala Committee includes Mayda Altounian, Alvard Barseghian, Angela Bedoyan, Ani Bekarian, Araxie Boyamian, Garine Depoyan, Hilda Fidanian, Aida Gharakhani, Marie-Jean Harmandayan, Natalie Hariri, Christine Hovnanian, Tanya Kalaydjian, Maro Kasparian, Dr. Alexia Kevonian, Erika Toriz-Kurkjian, Carmen Libaridian, Margaret Mgrublian, Narine Mouradian, Aleen Orucakciel, Dzovig Zetlian, and Elizabeth Zoryan.
The Elevate Gala will celebrate the completion of the first phase of construction featuring the museum parking garage and building foundation and mark the next exciting chapter for the Armenian American Museum as the landmark center is elevated to the horizon as a destination for education, enrichment, and inspiration for generations to come.
The Armenian American Museum is a world-class educational and cultural institution that is currently under construction on the museum campus at Glendale Central Park. The museum will offer a wide range of public programming through the Permanent Exhibition, Temporary Exhibitions, Auditorium, Learning Center, Demonstration Kitchen, Archives Center, and more.
Learn more about the Elevate Gala at https://ArmenianAmericanMuseum.org/Gala.
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AYF Camp Haiastan, Franklin, Mass.
FRANKLIN, Mass. — AYF Camp Haiastan is excited to announce an upcoming visit with the Armenian community of Detroit.
A presentation will be held on Sunday, March 12th at the Armenian Community Center gymnasium on 19310 Ford Rd., Dearborn, MI 48128 at 1 p.m.
Executive Director Kenar Charchaflian will discuss programming, camper registration, logistics and staffing opportunities. Community members are invited to ask questions and learn all about the 2023 camping season. Earlier this month, Charchaflian traveled to Chicago and hosted a similar informational meeting with community members and future campers.
AYF Camp Haiastan, the first Armenian camp in the United States, has been serving Armenian youth for over 70 years as the premier Armenian camping experience for youth ages 5 to 16 years old.
21:04, 22 February 2023
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 22, ARMENPRESS. The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch has published an article depicting the humanitarian crisis created in Nagorno-Karabakh as a result of the blocking of the Lachin Corridor by Azerbaijan.
ARMENPRESS reports, the publication reminds that from December 12, 2022, Azerbaijan blocked the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh to Armenia and the outside world, as a result of which the Armenian people of Nagorno Karabakh found themselves in a difficult situation.
40-year-old Armine, who lives with her family in Nagorno-Karabakh, told Human Rights Watch that her husband lost his job as a taxi driver due to lack of fuel, and now she is the sole breadwinner of the family. And the 12- and 14-year-old children only recently returned to school when the school was heated with wood stoves. However, some schools remain closed due to lack of heating. Food is becoming scarcer, not affordable as prices have skyrocketed. Armine said that she waited two hours even in cold weather to buy eggs.
Armine plans her day around power outages. During the few hours when there is electricity, she has to cook and do housework, heat the children’s room and help them with their homework.
Human Rights Watch emphasized that Armine’s story is not an exception. The blockade of the Lachin Corridor has disrupted access to essential goods and services for thousands of Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh. Many remained in Armenia and cannot return to their homes.
It is noted that the authorities of Azerbaijan deny that they are responsible for the closure of the road, but support the rallies.
The disruption of the Lachin Corridor is creating a humanitarian crisis as many needs remain unmet. The publication of Human Rights Watch presents the difficult situation with a concrete example. Armine’s father is sick with cancer and has to travel regularly from the village to Stepanakert, but due to lack of fuel and transport, he missed his last medical visits.
“Azerbaijani authorities and Russian peacekeeping forces must ensure that the protests do not deprive Armine and other residents of Nagorno-Karabakh of their rights, including access to healthcare, basic services and goods, as well as the right to free movement,” the publication emphasizes.
Russian peacekeeping forces at the Lachin Corridor
Representatives of Artsakh and Azerbaijan met with the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping command on Saturday, Artsakh’s presidential office reported. The blockade, however, has not been lifted.
Presidential spokespersons Lusine Avanesyan said issued related to the lifting of the Artsakh blockade, stable and uninterrupted gas and electricity supplies were discussed.
During the meeting a agreement was reached on ensuring the uninterrupted operation of the Armenia-Artsakh gas pipeline, the repair of the power grid at the Shinuhair-Stepanakert road and the complete restoration of the power supply.
“We are waiting for appropriate steps from the Azerbaijani side, which will enable our specialists to reach the place of power supply failure, assess the damage and start repair work,” Avanesyan said.
“As for the removal of the roadblock, according to our data, the Russian side continues to make efforts in that direction, and we hope that there will be a positive change in that regard in a short period of time,” Avanesyan added.
Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh began on December 12 when a group of civilians posing as environmental activists closed the Lachin Corridor, the only road linking Artsakh to Armenia and thus the outside world. This has created an acute humanitarian crisis, with Azerbaijan cutting Artsakh gas and electricity supply from Armenia, forcing the population to make unforeseen sacrifices to confront the shortages.
Azerbaijan, especially its president, Ilham Aliyev, had demanded the Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan be removed form his position. After attempts to resist, Artsakh president Arayik Harutyunyan dismissed Vardanyan on Thursday, a step many view as a concession to Baku. This demand reportedly was voiced last Saturday when Aliyev and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who hosted talks on the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in Munich.
Russia, whose peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh has been tasked to control the Lachin Corridor, per the November 9, 2020 agreement, was seen as doing little to resolve the situation, causing a rift between Yerevan and Moscow.
This is a developing story.
15:16,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with the President of Latvia Egils Levits within the framework of the Munich Security Conference.
Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Levits discussed the Armenian-Latvian relations and other issues of mutual interest, the Prime Minister’s Office said in a read-out.
Prime Minister Pashinyan spoke about the ongoing institutional reforms in Armenia and attached importance to the EU’s continual support in effectively implementing them. The PM noted that the development and strengthening of democracy is of strategic importance for the Armenian government.
Prime Minister Pashinyan and President Levits exchanged views around the processes taking place in the South Caucasus region and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
Both sides attached importance to the EU civilian mission’s activities in Armenia. The Armenian PM and the Latvian President expressed hope that the mission will contribute to peace and stability.
Lawyer Raffi Aslanyan, a former prosecutor of Yerevan, has sharply criticized the Public TV Company for airing an interview with Sasun Mikayelyan, a pro-government MP and chair of the Yerkrapah Volunteers Union, on Friday.
“The Public TV Company had no right to broadcast Sasun Mikayelyan’s interview,” he wrote on Facebook on Saturday.
“It indicates that the state-controlled media wasting public funds couldn’t stand above that level,” the lawyer stated.
In the interview aired late on Friday, Mikayelyan responded to his critics using foul language which was censored.
The ANCA and ANCA Rhode Island are pressing US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo to block the sale of US assault rifles to Azerbaijan.
WASHINGTON, DC – The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) national and Rhode Island affiliate have called on Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo to oppose any consideration of granting a license to permit the export of rifles to Azerbaijan.
In a February 13th letter, ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian and the local ANC chair from Secretary Raimondo’s home state of Rhode Island Steve Elmasian explained, “As you know, from your long friendship with Americans of Armenian heritage in Rhode Island and across the United States, our community is deeply troubled by the US military aid program to Baku, and even more shocked by the possibility that American offensive weaponry may be deployed against Armenians in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia. The victims of Azerbaijan’s attacks are, very often, the relatives and friends of Armenian American citizens.”
News of a possible sale of US rifles – including assault-style and semi-automatic sniper models – to Azerbaijan broke on February 1st when Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chair Robert Menendez (D-NJ) announced his “deep concern and strong opposition” to the effort.
In a letter to Secretary Raimondo, Sen. Menendez explained that Azerbaijani atrocities against Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia are well documented, citing the September 2022 attack on sovereign Armenian territory and the now two-month blockade of Artsakh, which has left the 120,000 indigenous Armenian population without sufficient food, medicine and rolling gas stoppages in freezing conditions. Sen. Menendez also highlighted Azerbaijan’s ongoing extrajudicial killings, torture and unlawful treatment of Armenians following the 2020 Artsakh war, as documented in the State Department’s 2021 Country Report on Human Rights.
“The export of weapons to an authoritarian country that wages war against a neighbor, blockades a vulnerable population, and commits rampant human rights violations at home is not consistent with the Administration’s commitment to democracy and human rights,” Sen. Menendez stated. “Further, the consideration of this export license further compounds my dismay that the Administration continues to allow the export of assault-style and sniper rifles abroad – even while supporting an assault-style rifle ban domestically – and deepens my reservations about the Department of Commerce having jurisdiction over such exports,” concluded Senator Menendez.
As Rhode Island general treasurer and later governor, Secretary Raimondo worked closely with the ANC of Rhode Island and the state’s Armenian American community, attending community events and taking a principled position condemning the Armenian Genocide.
During the 2017 Armenian Genocide commemoration, then-Governor Raimondo remarked, “We come together today as a community to remind ourselves of the Genocide and of the atrocities; and also to provide comfort to members of the community who are still struggling with loss and painful memories; but, probably most important, to commit ourselves to the cause of peace and tolerance and diversity – so that it never happens again. And I think now if you look around at what’s happening in the world, and even in this country, it’s very troubling – it is deeply troubling – when I see, sometimes in this state, expressions of religious intolerance and racism. And as your Governor, I want you to know there is no place for that in Rhode Island. And I reaffirm to you our core value of diversity, of religious freedom, and of tolerance here in Rhode Island. […] Today, we stand shoulder to shoulder to remind ourselves of the Genocide and to recommit ourselves – and remember, every time you hear an _expression_ of hatred, of intolerance, of racism or religious discrimination – don’t be silent, speak out.”
In her 2018 gubernatorial proclamation on the “Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide,” Governor Raimondo wrote, “we must do our best to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide, not only because it is an undeniable chapter of world history, but also because learning more about this unconscionable tragedy will help us better understand the necessity of eliminating hatred from our own.”
The ANCA and ANC RI look forward to meeting with Secretary Raimondo to block the sale of assault rifles to Azerbaijan as part of a broader campaign to end US military assistance to Azerbaijan, aimed at preventing a second genocide against Artsakh’s Armenian population.
13:03,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan’s visit to Syria is being planned, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting. He said the purpose of the visit is to express Armenia’s support following the earthquake.
Pashinyan said that Armenia was one of the first countries to send humanitarian aid to the quake-hit Syria.
“I have to say that I find our work in the direction of Syria to be highly important as well. You know that there were objective and subjective circumstances that were making humanitarian aid to Syria less accessible. I have to state that Armenia was one of the first countries that made a decision and sent humanitarian aid to Syria. We are planning the Foreign Minister’s visit to the Syrian Arab Republic. We will organize it soon if our colleagues in Syria won’t mind. I think that the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs must also definitely visit Syria to express our support,” the PM said.
The PM added that Armenia will maintain contact with the Syrian and Turkish governments with the purpose of supporting the quake-hit countries as much as it can.