Author: Christine Harutyunian

Armenia voices its disagreement with unilateral decisions by backing UN resolution rejecting Trump’s decision on Jerusalem – expert

Christine Harutyunian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 22 2017

Making unilateral decisions over the recognition of Jerusalem as the Israeli capital is wrong, as it is inappropriate to make one-sided decisions on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process, an Armenian expert said on Friday.

Speaking to Panorama.am, Tevan Poghosyan, who also heads the International Center for Human Development NGO, stated such issues need to be negotiated in a comprehensive manner, with an agreement reached between all the sides, as he commented on the newly adopted resolution by the United Nations General Assembly on the status of Jerusalem.

The UN General Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution that will make US President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize Jerusalem as the Israeli capital have no legal effect.  The draft resolution tabled by Turkey and Yemen was adopted 128-9 with 35 abstentions. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed satisfaction over the decision.

Touching upon the fact Armenia voted for the mentioned resolution, the expert highlighted by backing the measure the country did not voice its support to Turkey, but rather expressed disagreement with the process of adopting a one-sided decision  to be imposed later to the entire world.

“Armenia’s vote should be viewed more globally. Dealing with the Artsakh conflict, we have to condition any voting with that issue, taking into the effects it can leave on ourselves. A similar approach was adopted when voting on the issue of Ukraine. The thing refered to an initiative where it was impossible to oppose the right to self-determination and to put the Ukrainian-Armenian community at risk,” Tevan Poghosyan said.

The expert noted that the consequences of Armenia’s voting in the UN will largely depend on how our country will support its vote to the American and Israeli sides. Moreover, Armenia should immediately explain this step, instead of waiting for various comments to release.

“If we do not delay, there will be no consequences, but if we defer we will be reminded of our vote, as we are reminded of a number of previous votes. If any pressure is exerted on Armenia our vote will certainly be recalled at that time,” he added.

Summing up, Mr. Poghosyan stated the UN resolution will no way affect the policies pursued by the US and Israel, as evidenced by a series of UN-adopted decisions against Israel, which however did not hinder that country to move forward.

As far as the US is concerned, the country, according to the expert, will run a policy of self-interest towards those 128 countries, which backed the UN General Assembly’s resolution.

Dense fog on roads of Artashavan, Ashtarak, Masis and Artashat

Christine Harutyunian
  • 15:44 | December 22,2017 | Social
  • Armenian:
  • Rus

The Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies of Armenia informs that on December 22, at 14:30, there was dense fog on the roads of Artashavan, Ashtarak, Masis and Artashat regions, the visibility was 20-40 meters.

All the interstate roads and roads of republican importance are open.

Sitcom about Armenian, Azerbaijani students coming to YouTube in 2018

Christine Harutyunian
Pan Armenian, Armenia
Dec 23 2017
– 16:28 AMT
Sitcom about Armenian, Azerbaijani students coming to YouTube in 2018

A group of like-minded people in Germany have started production of a sitcom about three students from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia who, by coincidence, come to settle in the same apartment in Berlin and are forced to live and study together.

The comedy series will be available to viewers as early as 2018, BBC reports.

According to one of the creators of the series, Oliver Musser, they already have the script, while the first season of the show will be available on YouTube in 2018.

“Dolma Diaries” is the the first option of the title.

“Armenians and Azerbaijanis disagree about territory, history, food, international influence, and we thought that food could be used for the title of a comedy series,” Musser said.

Despite the fact that dolma is a purely Armenian dish, it was registered as a “traditional Azerbaijani dish.”

Stem-Cell Donors Sought to Help Save Armenian Patient’s Life in L.A.

Christine Harutyunian
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A scene from the recruitment drive

ABMDR holds donor-recruitment drive, encourages community members to register as donors

LOS ANGELES—The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry held a donor-recruitment drive at St. Gregory Armenian Church in Glendale on December 6, in support of an Armenian patient in Los Angeles, Constantin Malek Andrasians, as well as other patients across the world. Malek Andrasians, 65, is suffering from a life-threatening blood-related illness. His only chance of survival is to have a bone marrow stem-cell transplant, which would be possible only if he is matched with a stem-cell donor.

The recruitment drive was organized jointly with members of Malek Andrasians’ family. The family was also instrumental in raising public awareness of their loved one’s plight.

Prior to the registration of new donors, Dr. Frieda Jordan, President of ABMDR, informed the attendees about the simple process of becoming a potential donor, as well as the steps involved in donating bone marrow stem cells — which in turn would lead to saving someone’s life through a transplant.

ABMDR volunteers and members of Constantin Malek Andrasians’ family

“We hope to find a matched donor for our patient and all patients who are desperately waiting to have a life-saving transplant through a matched donor,” stated Dr. Jordan, who also emphasized ABMDR’s ongoing commitment to supporting and closely working with families of patients. “We treat each family as our own, sharing their concerns at every step of the way and assisting them in their hours of need,” she said.

With ABMDR volunteers on hand to answer questions, give out vital information, and administer a simple swab test, a total of 72 supporters joined the ranks of ABMDR as potential bone marrow donors.

A scene from the recruitment drive

Fimi Mekhitarian, ABMDR’s West Coast Recruitment Officer, underscored the fact that the more people join the Registry, patients like Constantin Malek Andrasians will have a better chance of being matched with a donor. “We’re encouraging every Armenian person in good health, between the ages of 18 and 50, to register with ABMDR as a potential stem-cell donor, for the deeply rewarding opportunity to help save someone’s life one day,” she said.

Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 29,000 donors in 30 countries across four continents, identified over 4,190 patients, and facilitated 30 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.

Ambassador Samantha Power Joins the Aurora Prize Selection Committee

Christine Harutyunian 
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
December 1, 2017 Friday
Ambassador Samantha Power Joins the Aurora Prize Selection Committee
Yerevan December 1
Marianna Mkrtchyan. Today, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative
announces Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations
Samantha Power as the newest member of the Aurora Prize for Awakening
Humanity Selection Committee. As a part of the Selection Committee,
Ambassador Power will join the other esteemed humanitarians, human
rights activists and former heads of state to determine future
recipients for the annual $1.1 million Aurora Prize.
"We are very excited to welcome Ambassador Power to the Aurora Prize
Selection Committee. With her notable experience on the world stage,
she has made great strides in aiding those in the developing world and
standing up for the most vulnerable members of our global community,"
said Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative.
"With her unparalleled expertise in human rights around the world, we
are honored that she will review Aurora Prize nominations and help
shape the future of the Aurora Prize."
Ambassador Samantha Power served as the 28th U.S. Permanent
Representative to the United Nations and as a member of President
Obama's cabinet, and became known as one of the country's foremost
thinkers on foreign policy. Prior to her work at the United Nations,
she served on the U.S. National Security Council as Special Assistant
to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and
Human Rights, where she focused on atrocity prevention, United Nations
reform, LGBT and women's rights and the promotion of religious
freedom, among other issues. She also authored the Pulitzer
Prize-winning book, "A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of
Genocide." Given her influential work in human rights and democracy,
she has been recognized several times over, including as one of TIME's
"100 Most Influential People" and Foreign Policy's "Top 100 Global
Thinkers."
"The Aurora Prize and its laureates recognize that, while it is
essential to remember past atrocities, we each have the power to
assist those who are saving lives in the present," said Ambassador
Power. "I take great pride in being part of the Prize's Selection
Committee, which seeks to honor those who make great sacrifices to
help others, and who find a way to mobilize human kindness and
persevere amid steep odds." She will join current Aurora Prize
Selection Committee members Nobel Laureates Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi
and Leymah Gbowee; former president of Ireland Mary Robinson; former
president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo; human rights activist Hina
Jilani; Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at
Imperial College London Lord Ara Darzi; President Emeritus of the
International Crisis Group and former foreign minister of Australia
Gareth Evans; Medecins sans Frontieres Founder Bernard Kouchner;
President of Carnegie Corporation of New York Vartan Gregorian; and
Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian George Clooney The Aurora
Prize, now in its third year, was founded on behalf of the survivors
of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors. The
Selection Committee will convene in Berlin, Germany on December 4,
2017 to review nominations from this year's process, which gathered
750 submissions from 115 countries. Concurrent to their meeting in
Berlin, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative will host its first Aurora
Dialogues outside of Armenia, titled "Millions on The Move: Need for
Development and Integration." The Aurora Dialogues Berlin is a joint
effort of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Global Perspectives
Initiative, Robert Bosch Stiftung and Stiftung Mercator, and will be
held on December 4-5, 2017. Speakers will address the state of the
global migration crisis and look at the role of different actors in
advancing positive change.
The 2018 Aurora Prize finalists will be announced on April 24, 2018,
the day of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in 1915. The Aurora
Prize, established on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide
and in gratitude to their saviors, provides the laureate with a
$100,000 grant and the opportunity to continue the cycle of giving by
nominating organizations to receive a $1,000,000 award. The third
annual Prize will be announced on June 10, 2018, at a ceremony in
Armenia.

Vatican Issues Stamp Commemorating Pope’s Armenia Trip

Christine Harutyunian
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The Vatican’s commemorative stamp, designed by Daniela Longo, depicts the pope in front of Dzidzernagapert

VATICAN—The Vatican has issued stamps commemorating the pontifical visits made by Pope Francis in 2016, among them his visit to Armenia in June of that year.

The stamp marking his visit to Armenia is designed by Daniela Longo and depicts the pope in front of the Dzidzernagapert Memorial Monument where he visited on June 25 of that year, accompanied by President Serzh Sarkisian and His Holiness Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians.

Upon arriving in Armenia on June 24, 2016, the pope broke from his officially-prepared remarks and denounced the Armenian Genocide calling it the “First of Deplorable Catastrophes” of the 20th century.

“The occasion was the commemoration of the centenary of the Metz Yeghern, the ‘Great Evil’ that struck your people and caused the death of a vast multitude of persons. Sadly, that tragedy, that genocide, was the first of the deplorable series of catastrophes of the past century, made possible by twisted racial, ideological or religious aims that darkened the minds of the tormentors even to the point of planning the annihilation of entire peoples,” said Pope Francis in Armenia.

“I pray here with sorrow in my heart, that there might never again be tragedies like this one, that humanity might never forget, and might know how to overcome evil with goodness; may God grant to the beloved Armenian people and to the whole world peace and consolation. May God preserve the memory of the Armenian people. The memory must neither be watered down nor forgotten; memory is the fount of peace and of the future,” the pope wrote in the book of memories at the Dzidzernagapert Memorial Complex.

Film: Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan to get Lifetime Achievement at IFFI

Christine Harutyunian 
United News of India
 Saturday
Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan to get Lifetime Achievement at IFFI
Panaji, Nov. 18 -- Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan will be
bestowed the Lifetime Achievement Award at 48th International Film
Festival of India (IFFI) 2017 which begins on November 20.
Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Smriti Irani tweeted,
''Acclaimed Canadian filmmaker, Atom Egoyan will be bestowed the
Lifetime Achievement Award at #IFFI2017. @IFFIGoa will also honour his
work with a special film section that will screen 3 films produced by
him.''
An accomplished Director, Writer and Producer, Egoyan has made a mark
in the mainstream and alternate cinema all over the world. His work is
often credited for exploring different themes that carry a rich amount
of emotions and effective use of Technology.
Born to Armenian - Egyptian parents, Egoyan discovered a lot about his
heritage when he attended the University of Toronto, and started to
study Armenian history. He developed a sudden interest in the 1915
Genocide in which up to 1.5 million of Turkey's Armenian population
were killed. He describes this moment as the motivation to make films
that highlight the history which is otherwise suppressed.
Egoyan directed 15 full-length films thereafter, several television
episodes, and a few shorter pieces. His debut film 'Next of Kin' won a
major prize at the International Film Festival Mannheim-Heidelberg.
His commercial breakthrough came with the film 'Exotica' (1994) for
which he won a lot of accolades including the FIPRESCI Prize at the
Cannes Film Festival and eight Genie Awards.
His film 'Ararat' was the first feature film on the Armenian genocide
and received critical acclaim and appreciation for taking a bold stand
on this sensitive topic. It won Best Film on Human Rights by The
Political Film Society of Hollywood.
Celebrated as one of the best Contemporary filmmakers on the
international scene, Egoyan's brilliant depiction of his artistic and
flawless scenes and capturing the emotions of the audience is widely
appreciated.
This year, at IFFI 2017, three of the best films by Atom Egoyan will
be screened namely 'Exotica', 'The Sweet Hereafter' and 'Remember'.

Azerbaijani TV company: Actions of Armenia’s Eurovision rep unacceptable

Christine Harutyunian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Nov 15 2017
16:25 (UTC+04:00)
The Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company (ITV) of Azerbaijan has sent a letter to Director General of the European Broadcasting Union Noel Curran, the public relations department of ITV told Trend on November 15.

According to the letter, the fact that the Armenian representative Michael Grigoryan’s attempt to lead to a political sabotage in the Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017 in Georgia, has raised concerns in Azerbaijan, about 20 percent of territories of which are occupied by Armenia.

The Public Television and Radio Broadcasting Company states that it is unacceptable that Grigoryan demonstrates a flag of the illegal regime created in the occupied Azerbaijani territories under the pretext of being a Khankandi-origin, and says that he is a member of the “Voices of Artsakh” music group.

The ITV believes that the European Broadcasting Union, which has repeatedly and insistently stated that it is far away from political games, will grasp Azerbaijan’s position in this sensitive issue, will prevent the political sabotage, and will not allow the children to become victims of separatism and instruments of political tricks, says the letter.

The Junior Eurovision Song Contest 2017 is a music platform and this magnificent event should bring joy to all children of the whole world, and good memories, added the ITV in its letter.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.