Author: Edgar Tavakalian

Asbarez: Former State Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian Passes Away

Edgar Tavakalian
March 6, 2020

Khatcho Achadjian at the Homenetmen Navasartian Games where he was honorary president in 2016

ANCA-WR, Homenetmen Western U.S. Mourn his passing

Former three-term California State Assemblymember, long-time Homenetmen member and staunch supporter of the Armenian National Committee of America Khatcho Achadjian passed away Thursday. He was 68. Cause of death was attributed to longtime health issues.

Achadjian passionately represented his San Luis Obispo constituents in the California State Assembly, always known for advancing the interests of his constituents and “getting things done.”

An Armenian immigrant from Lebanon, Katcho was a true patriot and active member of our community, helping to mentor young Armenian-Americans to engage in politics and setting an example for many by proudly highlighting his Armenian heritage while so ably representing his constituents of the 35th Assembly District of San Luis Obispo and surrounding areas.

After being elected as the first Armenian-American immigrant to the California State Assembly in 2010, Katcho took the lead in promoting the Armenian Cause in Sacramento and beyond. He spearheaded numerous initiatives in the state legislature, including Armenian Genocide education in public schools, promoting the Divest Turkey campaign, supporting the independence of Artsakh, calling upon Turkey for the return of Armenian churches, and condemning Azerbaijan for its ongoing aggression against Armenia and Artsakh.

In 2013, Achadjian joined the first California State delegation to Armenia and Artsakh led by the ANCA-WR, and upon his return worked with his colleagues to create the first California Armenian Legislative Caucus.

Achadjian at Dzidzernagapert during the first California State delegation trip to Armenia and Artsakh led by the ANCA-WR in 2013.

A recipient of the Mkhitar Gosh Gratitude Medal bestowed by Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan, Achadjian was also honored as the ANCA-WR Legislator of the Year at its annual gala banquet in 2013. Throughout the six years of his tenure, he generously assisted in ensuring the success of numerous ANCA-WR events, including annual Advocacy Days in Sacramento, serving as a panelist at the 2015 ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference, traveling to Los Angeles from San Luis Obispo to enthusiastically support ANCA-WR town halls and banquets, and highlighting the ANCA-WR by recognizing its chair, Nora Hovsepian, as one of 80 Women of the Year in the State Capitol in 2015.

Achadjian was highly respected for his humble and proud nature, exemplary ethics, passionate commitment to his beliefs, and his ability to bridge the gap across political divides. As a testament to his dedication toward uniting opposing sides to achieve results, Achadjian was the only Republican to be appointed as a committee chair by Speaker John Perez, a Democrat.

Achadjian pictured with annual ANCA-WR Advocacy Day participants in Sacramento.

Following his service in the California State Assembly, Achadjian made an unsuccessful run for Congress then returned to his self-made business career. He remained a generous supporter of the Armenian community, serving with his beloved wife Araxie as Honorary Presidents of Homenetmen’s 2016 Navasartian Games.

“Leaving an indelible mark both in California politics and the Armenian Cause, Katcho Achadjian’s legacy will live on forever. On behalf of the entire ANCA Western Region family of local chapters, grassroots activists and dedicated volunteers, and especially those who had the honor and privilege of working with our beloved Katcho, the ANCA-WR Board of Directors extends its heartfelt condolences to his wife Araxie, his son and daughter-in-law Hratch and Nina, and his daughter Nyri, and joins them in mourning the loss of a true Armenian-American patriot,” said a statement by the ANCA-WR board.

“The Homenetmen Western U.S. Board members and its chapters would like to express their sincere condolences to his wife, K. Madame President Araxie, his children Hratch and Nyri and the entire Achadjian family,” said a post on the organization’s Facebook page. “He is gone from our sight, but never from our hearts! May his soul Rest In Peace.”

Ex-president Kocharyan’s prosecution should be suspended due to violation of his presumption of innocence – lawyer

Edgar Tavakalian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 29 2020

The criminal proceedings against Armenia’s former president Robert Kocharyan should be suspended, since the president’s presumption of innocence has been violated, one of the members of the former president’s defense team Aram Orbelian stated on Saturday. The lawyer’s remarks came at a conference entitled “The March 1 case in post-revolutionary Armenia”.

“Article 140 of the Armenian constitution clearly states that during the term of his powers and thereafter, the president of the republic may not be prosecuted and subjected to liability for actions deriving from his or her status. Note, no reasonable person on the planet may state that signing of the decree on declaration of state of emergency cannot be considered an action deriving from the president’s status. This the classic case when the immunity from prosecution is guaranteed by the constitution,” Orbelian added.

He next recalled number of ECHR rulings on suspension of court hearings due to grave violations of the criminal proceedings. “The case may not have a fair verdict as it has proceeded with violation of Kocharyan’s presumption of innocence. That violation has been confirmed by a court ruling, appealed at the Court of Appeals and remained unchanged,” Orbelian said.

Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Armenia close Iran borders for coronavirus

Edgar Tavakalian
Jerusalem Post
Feb 23 2020
By JERUSALEM POST STAFF  

FEBRUARY 23, 2020 18:24
Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Armenia announced on Sunday that they would close their borders with Iran as a precautionary measure to halt the potential spread of coronavirus after the neighboring country reported 43 cases of the disease.
All highways and railways will be closed as of 5 p.m. (14:00 GMT) on Sunday and flights from Iran suspended, Turkish Health Minister Fahrettin Koca told reporters. Eight people have died in Iran, the highest death toll from the new coronavirus outside of China.
The Office of the National Security Council in Afghanistan announced on Sunday that it would suspend all passenger movement by air and ground to and from Iran. The import of poultry products from its neighbor has been suspended as well. The Afghani ministries of Finance and Interior will work to prevent the smuggling of masks outside of the country and set aside resources for public health.
Pakistani authorities closed the border crossing with Iran in Taftan on Sunday as well, according to Radio Pakistan. The transit gate and joint markets at the border have been closed, and trade and travel have been suspended. Precautionary and protective measures are being taken in Taftan, including a 100-bed tent hospital that is being established to deal with the emergency situation along the Pakistan-Iran border.
In addition, Armenia is also closing its border with Iran for two weeks and suspending air traffic after reports of coronavirus cases there, Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a Facebook post on Sunday.
Iran has confirmed 15 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing the total to 43 with a death toll of eight. Most of the infections have been in the Shi’ite Muslim holy city of Qom.
https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/Turkey-closes-Iran-border-due-to-coronavirus-outbreak-report-618495

US interest to Armenia significantly grows – Armenian Assembly of America

Edgar Tavakalian

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 10:01,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. The US interest towards Armenia has significantly increased, Co-chair of the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA), lawyer Anthony Barsamian told Voice of America.

Mr. Barsamian said if in 2019 the Armenian-American relations were marked with the events of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the two chambers of the US Congress and providing nearly 60 million dollar US aid to Armenia, this year the prospects are much broader.

Anthony Barsamian said Armenia’s progress is also observed within the US leadership circles.

“The US side shows interest to supporting Armenia’s new democracy, as a country which is recording progress on this path day by day. As an American-Armenian I expect more from my government and during my meetings with the US leadership I state that it’s the best time to help Armenia to carry out real judicial reforms”, he said.

He said while the fight for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide will continue until the recognition of this tragedy also by the US President, as Ronald Reagan [40th US President] did in the 1980s, the commercial and investment prospects should play much greater role in the agenda of the Armenian-US ties. Barsamian said Armenians living abroad should be engaged in the promotion of these issues.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Chinese tourist dies in France from novel coronavirus

Edgar Tavakalian

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 16:45,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. The first lethal case of the novel coronavirus has been identified in Europe – a Chinese tourist who contracted the disease died in France, Agence France-Presse said citing the French health minister, reports TASS.

According to the official, the 80-year-old Chinese citizen was rushed to hospitals with novel coronavirus symptoms in late January.

A pneumonia outbreak caused by the COVID-19 virus (previously called 2019-nCoV) was reported in China’s city of Wuhan – a large trade and industrial center in central China populated by 11 million people – in late December. The WHO declared it a global emergency, describing the outbreak as an epidemic with multiple foci.

The virus spread to 25 more countries, apart from China: Australia, Belgium, Cambodia, Canada, Egypt, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, India, Italy, Malaysia, Nepal, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States and Vietnam. Chinese authorities have confirmed more than 66,400 cases of the disease, over 1,520 people died, while more than 8,000 people are reported to have recovered.

Syrian Ambassador to Armenia: We urge all parliaments in the world to recognize and condemn the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire

Edgar Tavakalian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 13 2020

ArmInfo.The resolution on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, adopted today by the Syrian parliament, confirms that the Armenian Genocide was committed by the  Ottoman Empire in the territories of Syria and Western Armenia. The  Ambassador of Syria to Armenia Mohammed Haj Ibrahim announced this at  a press conference.

“The Syrian parliament today recognized and condemned the Armenian  Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century.  It also condemns any attempt by anyone to deny this crime and distort  historical truth. The resolution confirms that this crime is one of  the most cruel, most heinous crimes against humanity, “the Ambassador  emphasized.

According to Haj Ibrahim, the Syrian parliament also calls on all  parliaments of the world and the international community to recognize  and condemn the 1915 Armenian Genocide. “Today, terrorist groups that  commit terrible acts against the Syrian people are the grandchildren  of those who once committed genocide against Armenians and other  peoples. Turkey is now aggressing against Syria, and terrorist groups  operating in Idlib and elsewhere are supported from the Turkish  government, “he stressed.

The Syrian Ambassador to Armenia stated that the Armenians who  survived the Genocide and moved to Syria have always been an integral  part of Syrian society. According to him, the Armenians in Syria  continued to live in safety, preserving their religion, language and  identity. There are many churches in Syria that perpetuate the memory  of the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and this year the history of  the Armenian Genocide will appear in history textbooks.

Asked why only today the Syrian parliament adopts a resolution  recognizing the Armenian Genocide, the Ambassador replied: “This  issue has long been studied, and the Syrian government treats Syrians  of Armenian descent with all respect and sympathy. Mass pogroms of  Armenians have always been mentioned in Syria as part of those events  held in the Armenian-populated areas of Syria. In 2015, the then  speaker of the Syrian parliament took part in events dedicated to the  100th anniversary of the genocide, and this year the parliament  issued a statement stating that that genocide was committed against  Armenians. “

It should be noted that on February 13, the Syrian parliament  unanimously adopted a resolution on the recognition and condemnation  of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. Thus, the Syrian  parliament joined the more than 30 parliaments of the world that  adopted resolutions on the recognition and condemnation of the  Armenian Genocide.

The fact of the genocide of the Armenian people in the Ottoman  Empire, whose victims in 1915 were up to 1.5 million ethnic  Armenians, is recognized by many states. Uruguay was the first in  1965, followed by France, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Poland,  Russia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, Greece, Cyprus,  Lebanon, Canada, Venezuela, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Vatican,  Bolivia, Czech Republic, Austria, Luxembourg. The European Parliament  and the World Council of Churches also recognized the Armenian  Genocide.

Sports: Armenian wrestler: I am not happy with bronze

Edgar Tavakalian
News.am, Armenia
Feb 12 2020

By Lusine Shahbazyan

Armenian Greco-Roman wrestler Karapet Chalyan is not happy with the bronze medal at the European Championships, he told NEWS.am Sport.

Chalyan who is representing Armenia in 77-kilo weight class had to clash with Bulgaria’s Hayk Mnatsakanyan for the bronze, but the latter refused because of an arm injury.

“I am not happy with bronze. I failed to reach the final and to fight for the gold. But, I was happy to beat 2017 World Champion Viktor Nemes,” he said.

Armenia to hold referendum on Constitutional Court in April

Edgar Tavakalian
Reuters
Feb 9 2020
 
 
 
 
YEREVAN (Reuters) – Armenia will hold a referendum on suspending the powers of a majority of members of its Constitutional Court, a move seen by political analysts as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s attempt to remove judges who have opposed him.
 
A bill on holding the referendum on April 5 was adopted by parliament earlier this week and signed by President Armen Sarkissian on Sunday.
 
The constitutional amendments would suspend the powers of seven judges who were appointed before a peaceful revolution against corruption and cronyism which brought Pashinyan to power two years ago. The court’s two other judges, who were appointed later, will maintain their powers.
 
Pashinyan on Thursday called the Constitutional Court’s decisions a “threat to democracy”.
 
Last September the court ruled that a criminal case against Armenia’s former president Robert Kocharyan was partly unconstitutional. Kocharyan has been charged with acting unlawfully by introducing a state of emergency in March 2008, following a disputed election.
 
“The only hope of the former corrupt regime is pinned on the Constitutional Court and its president Hrayr Tovmasyan,” Pashinyan told parliament on Thursday.
 
Tovmasyan was charged in December with abuse of power while he was the country’s justice minister. He has denied the charges.
 
The seven judges were appointed by the Republican party, who ruled the country at the time, and former president Serzh Sarksyan.
 
Members of the Republican party, now in opposition, criticized the decision to hold the referendum.
 
“This is an illogical, illegal and unconstitutional change,” the party said in a statement.

Armenpress: France one of main guarantors of peaceful negotiations for NK conflict settlement – Macron

Edgar Tavakalian

France one of main guarantors of peaceful negotiations for NK conflict settlement – Macron

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 11:46, 30 January, 2020

PARIS, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. France is one of the main guarantors for the continuation of peaceful negotiations on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, French President Emmanuel Macron said during the annual gala dinner of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF).

“In the settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict France plays its role within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship and is one of the main guarantors for the continuation of peaceful negotiations”, President Macron said.

The French President said he is in contacts with both the Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan, stating that ensuring the operative connection between the Armenian PM and the Azerbaijani President is one of the key steps to ease tension.

“France is just ought to stand with Armenia taking into account the democracy created by the efforts of a very young state of a millennia-old nation, as well as the achievements that are now being recorded thanks to the recent revolution”, the French President said.

The CCAF annual gala dinner was also attended by famous Turkish historian Taner Akcam who recognizes the Armenian Genocide.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




New Ambassador of Ukraine presents credentials to Armenian President

Edgar Tavakalian

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 16:29,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Newly-appointed Ambassador of Ukraine to Armenia Ivan Kuleba presented today his credentials to President Armen Sarkissian, the Armenian President’s Office told Armenpress.

The Armenian President congratulated and wished success to the Ambassador, expressing confidence that he will serve his experience and abilities for the strengthening of the relations between the two countries.

The sides stated that the peoples of the two countries are connected with each other with deep historical roots which creates a firm base for the further development of the Armenian-Ukrainian relations.

President Sarkissian said it’s time to take practical steps in the bilateral relations, noting that the cooperation opportunities are much more than the current level.

The Ukrainian Ambassador said during his tenure he will do the utmost to further strengthen and push forward the bilateral mutually beneficial cooperation in various areas.

Talking about the expansion of economic cooperation the officials attached importance to the activities of the Armenian-Ukrainian joint inter-governmental commission on economic affairs. In line with the traditional cooperation sectors they also highlighted the cooperation in new technologies, agriculture, food safety, etc.

The sides highly valued the role of the Armenian community in Ukraine’s public-political, economic and cultural life.  

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan