Author: David Nargizian

President Serzh Sargsyan today sent a condolence letter on Kirk Kerkorian’s demise which reads as follows: “It was with great sorrow that I learned of the passing away of the great Armenian benefactor Kirk Kerkorian, the National Hero of Armenia.

I am sure everybody in Armenia, Artsakh and the diaspora share this sorrow. As an entrepreneur and businessman, he became a legend already in his lifetime and enjoyed international acclaim, setting an example of a revived Armenian and of a hard-working, wise, kind and modest man.

It was his Lincy Foundation that backed the Armenian people during hard times, helping them to overcome difficulties and embark on their path to development. The projects implemented by the foundation gave a breath of powerful fresh air to Armenia’s economy, seriously changing the nature of our country.

I strongly belief that the bright memory of the great Armenian and the National Hero of Armenia will live forever, and our people will remember him with a sense of pride and gratitude.

I condole with all of us in this great loss.”

President Serzh Sargsyan visited the Yerevan Zoo together with his grandchildren where for the first time large-scale works have been carried out as part of the 2014-2015 Yerevan Zoo Renovation and Development Program, President’s Press Office reports.

Accompanied by Mayor Taron Margaryan, the Armenian president toured the zoo, familiarized himself with the works aimed at the improvement and development of the municipal zoo and the conditions of the newly-built aid station saturated with modern technologies.

During the tour, the president was presented that prior to the renovation, out of the zoo’s 34-hectare area only seven had been inhabited by animals and had been of use, while presently this number has reached 16 hectare.

The lighting system of the zoo has been totally redesigned, as a result of which lightening will be provided through energy-saving light bulbs. According to the executives, the lightening will also get artistic solutions and all the external cables spoiling the appearance of the zoo have been lowered down into the ground. All the roads and alleys of the zoo have been asphalted and renovated. New drinking fountains have been installed and a 7000 m2 piece of land has been landscaped, new tree varieties and shrubs have been planted and flower design works have been carried out. Artificial waterfalls with original place solutions have been built. The playgrounds of the zoo have been improved and refreshed. A new playground has been built where for the first time inclusive playgrounds for children have been installed (1/3 part). Electric machines have been acquired and will be put into use to make walking at the zoo more convenient and interesting. The checkpoint of the zoo has been rebuilt to be equipped with devices for electronic inspection and registration.

Real Madrid has fired coach Carlo Ancelotti, one season after he led the club to its 10th European Cup title, the Associated Press reports.

Club president Florentino Perez said Monday that Ancelotti’s successor would be announced next week.

Madrid failed to win a trophy this season, finishing second in the Spanish league — two points behind archrival Barcelona — and losing in the Champions League semifinals to Juventus.

Speaking after a board meeting at the Santiago Bernabeu Stadium, Perez said it was time Madrid moved on and achieved “a new impetus.”

Ancelotti completed two years of the three-year contract he signed with Madrid in June 2013.

Ancelotti came to Madrid from Paris Saint-Germain, where he was replaced on the same day by former France coach Laurent Blanc.

– Following a six-month course of church doctrine and basic knowledge of Christian belief, 12 more Dersim Armenians took their first step back to Christianity with a collective baptism ceremony. Two married couples also held religious engagement ceremonies following the baptism ceremony held on 9 May 2015, Saturday at the Yeşilköy Surp Istepanos Church.

The efforts of forcibly Islamised Armenians to ‘return to their identity’ has accelerated in recent years. Such individuals display a desire to live and express their identity openly, which they are forced to conceal in their neighbourhood, at school and at their workplace, and to bring an end to the division of identities sometimes even experienced within the same family.

Dersim Armenians have thus organized collective baptism ceremonies at Armenian churches to officially rturn to their religion. Following a six-month course of church doctrine and basic knowledge of Christian belief, 12 more Dersim Armenians took their first step back to Christianity with a collective baptism ceremony. Two married couples also held religious engagement ceremonies following the baptism ceremony held on 9 May 2015, Saturday at the Yeşilköy Surp Istepanos Church.

A new life

Led by Father Dırtad Uzunyan, the baptism ceremony was presided over by Archbishop Aram Ateşyan. Nazar Binatlı, Pakrat Estukyan, Boğos Çolak, Kamer Karataylı ve Hagop Altınkaya were the godfathers of the Dersimians who returned to Christianity and took the names Karin, Derev, Naira, Lia, Arev, Arşaluys, Kristin, Hovnan, Rupen, Hovannes Minas, Lusin Mane and Minas. The couples Boğos-Sırpuhi Çolak and Hovannes-Lusin Çolak consolidated their marriage ties by repeating their vows in the presence of the Church. Yervant Dink and Kamer Karataylı acted as groomsmen for the couple.

We spoke to some of the Dersim Armenians who were baptized on Saturday at the Surp Istepanos Church, and asked them about their feelings.

Arev: ‘We are returning to our roots’

‘I am now experiencing the freedom of being able to defend myself against those who insult us. Today, I am the happiest person in the world. For years, Armenians suffered the greatest insults at my workplace, and I could not speak back, fearing I would lose my job. From now on, I will wear my cross around my neck. We dreamed of this day since our childhood. We are returning to our roots.’

Hovannes Minas: ‘We began as three, we ended up as twelve’

‘This is a very happy day for me. I have been both baptized, and we held our religious marriage ceremony. It is an inexpressible happiness. We never forgot our religion. We can live freely now. I had made a promise to my mother and father to bury them in an Armenian cemetery, I was able to keep that promise as well. We were three of us when we decided to become baptized, and we achieved our purpose as 12. We are very happy.’

Hovnan: ‘I will wear the Patriarchate’s cross around my neck’

‘I am very excited. We all received a course to become Christians. It was a beautiful experience to meet Archbishop Aram Ateşyan. The cross presented to us as a gift by the Patriarchate is very meaningful for me, I will wear it around my neck for the rest of my life. In the past, I could not defend myself on this issue, now I can. I feel much freer now, I can express my identity to everyone.’

Kristin: ‘I can now freely say I am a Christian’

‘I feel amazing. I have been waiting for this day for a long time. I no longer have to conceal my identity. I can now freely say I am a Christian. I felt, from time to time, both in the Armenian community and my circle of friends, that I was being excluded because I had not been baptized, but this emancipation will serve as a remedy.’

is ranked 89th in the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report released by the World Economic Forum. Spain tops league of most tourist-friendly countries, followed by France and Germany.

Other countries in the region are placed as follows: Russia – 45^th, Turkey – 44^th, Azerbaijan – 84^th, Georgia – 71^st, Iran – 97^th.

The theme of year’s Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report is “Growing through Shocks.” The Report analyzes the performance of 141 economies through the Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index (TTCI) and explores how the T&T sector has responded to economic, security and health shocks over recent decades. Understanding the nature and extent of the sector’s resilience to shocks is important, as a strong T&T sector is critical for job creation, economic growth and development in advanced and developing economies alike.

Published every two years, the Report provides a strategic tool for both business and governments: it allows for cross-country comparison of the drivers of T&T competitiveness, for benchmarking countries’ policy progress and for making investment decisions related to business and industry development. It also offers an opportunity for the T&T industry to highlight to national policymakers the challenges to T&T competitiveness that require policy attention, and to generate multi-stakeholder dialogue on formulating appropriate policies and action.

On Sunday, 10 May 2015, the Office of the Armenian Community Representative, Vartkes Mahdessian, in co-operation with the Armenian Prelature of Cyprus, organised the eighth annual visit-pilgrimage to the Sourp Magar Monastery (Magaravank), Gibrahayer EMagazine reports.

The first time was on 6 May 2007, when the Armenian-Cypriot community visited the occupied Armenian Monastery after 33 years. According to the Representative’s Office, around 100 Armenian-Cypriots visited the Monastery on Sunday, some of whom came especially from abroad.

On 8 May Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan attended the festive ceremony of lighting the torch of the 6th Pan-Armenian Games in Shushi and delivered a speech.

In his remarks President Sahakyan said that it was the second time the festive ceremony of lighting the torch of the Pan-Armenian Games took place in Artsakh, considering it a sign bearing profound meaning.

According to the President, the unique character of the Pan-Armenian Games lies in the fact that there are no losers and the gained victories are victories of the whole Armenian people.

Bako Sahakyan called the games an important means to appear before the world as a civilized, consolidated, self-reliant nation, which, despite being scattered across the globe, is inseparably connected with its historic homeland and does its best for the long-term development and strengthening of the independent Armenian statehood.

VOLUMES OF EXPORTED GOODS BY ARMENIA’S LARGE TAXPAYERS INCREASED BY AMD 9.3 BILLIONS IN FEBRUARY 2010

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 21, 2010 – 16:55 AMT 11:55 GMT

According to the Analysis of Summarized Indices of Large Taxpayers’
Monitoring in February 2010 by the Committee of State Revenues, the
volumes of goods exported by eight large taxpayers totalled AMD 19.8
billions in February 2010 that is 9.3bln higher as compared with the
same period of last year.

The volume of export only by eight large taxpayers of Armenia
(Zangezur copper and molybdenum combine, Rusal Armenal, Armenian Copper
Program, Pure Iron Plnt, Armenian Molybdenum Production, Deno Gold
Mining Company, Nairit Plant, Agarak copper and molybdenum combine)
amounted to 14.9 billions in February 2010 that is 9.8 billions higher
as compared with the same period of last year.

R. KIRAKOSYAN SAYS B. OBAMA WILL NOT USE THE TERM OF "GENOCIDE"

ARMENPRESS
APRIL 21, 2010
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS: US President Barack Obama will not use
on April 24 the definition of "genocide", Director of the Strategic
and National Research Center of Armenia Richard Kirakosyan made such
a forecast today at a meeting with journalists.

"I do not need that the US president says that what I already know
for sure. The fact of the genocide is undeniable, and I do not wait
for its ratification by Swedish or other parliaments," R. Kirakosyan
stressed. According to the analyst, recognition of the Armenian
Genocide by different countries is important, but more important is
its recognition by Turkey. "We should say that there is a progress
in Turkey. The "mental limits" are getting open. Turkish viewpoints
over the own history are changing," the speaker underscored.

According to him, April 24 unites all the Armenians, "That day
Armenians of all over the world think of one thing and act in one
direction. But only that is not enough. A Diaspora-Armenian should
look in the direction of his/her homeland and think of living here,"
R. Kirakosyan said.

ASSEMBLY OF TBILISI ARMENIANS COLLECTING 1915 SYMBOLIC SIGNATURES TO APPEAL TO GEORGIAN PRESIDENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
April 15, 2010 – 13:58 AMT 08:58 GMT

Assembly of Tbilisi Armenians (ATA) is collecting 1915 symbolic
signatures to urge the Georgian President, parliament Speaker, all
parliamentarians as well as all leading Georgian political parties
to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

The action will continue until April 18. ATA representatives will give
the letters to the addressees on Monday, ATA press service reported.

ATA unites several NGOs: Union of Armenian Veterans of Georgia,
Association for Protection of Rights of Armenians in Georgia, Forum of
Participants of Pan-Armenian Games, Public Council on Education, Nor
Serund Union of Armenian Youth of Georgia, as well as representatives
of Tbilisi Armenian community.