Author: Edgar Tavakalian

Glendale City Council approves Armenian-American Museum design plans

Edgar Tavakalian
ArmenPress, Armenia
Aug 3 2018
Glendale City Council approves Armenian-American Museum design plans


YEREVAN, AUGUST 3, ARMENPRESS. The Glendale City Council unanimously approved the Armenian-American Museum’s Stage II Design plans and environmental compliance, Asbarez reports.

The $1-per-year Ground Lease Agreement with the City of Glendale will locate the Armenian-American Museum in Glendale Central Park. The initial term of the Ground Lease Agreement will be 55 years with options to extend the lease term for 40 years with a ground lease rate of $1 per year.

Museum Executive Chairman Berdj Karapetian expressed gratitude to the Glendale Mayor, the City Council members for helping to implement the project. “We will together embark on the next phase of this important journey with a vision for a cultural campus that will enrich the community, educate the public on the Armenian American story, and empower individuals to embrace cultural diversity and speak out against prejudice”, he said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

168: Armenia proposes CSTO states to launch process of replacing Secretary General of the Organization

Edgar Tavakalian
| 13:13 | July 28 2018
Category
World

Armenia proposed the partner states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) to start a process of replacing the Secretary General, Tigran Balayan – foreign ministry spokesperson, told Armenpress.

“This is a strictly internal legal process, and an Armenian citizen is involved within the ongoing criminal case being investigated in Armenia. Given that the talk relates to the case involving the person which currently is serving as the CSTO Secretary General and attaching great importance to the Organization’s reputation and uninterrupted normal activity, Armenia has suggested the CSTO partner states to launch a process of replacing the Secretary General. Armenia strictly adheres to the commitment on strengthening the CSTO and will continue to be actively involved in the joint activities on this path”, he said.

Davit Ananyan: There was no word about $ 100, there is a video (video)

Edgar Tavakalian
  • 18:23 | July 26,2018 | Social
  • Armenian:
  • Rus

Today’s incident at Bagratashen customs service was clarified by the State Revenue Committee Chairman Davit Ananyan. He answered journalists’ questions in the government.

David Ananyan denied rumors that the citizen was demanded $ 100 for washing machine.

He said: “The people say that the legislation is such that there is customs clearance, but no $ 100 has been mentioned, there is video recording. We declare that, in any case, it is prescribed by law that we carry out our ‘sacred’ duty and make a customs declaration. If a person decides that he should take a PR action, break his washing machine, what should we do? Should we prevent him from videotaping and sharing on the Internet?”

Family of Ex-Armenian Leader Sargsyan Targeted by New Authorities

Edgar Tavakalian
Transitions online, Czech rep.
July 5 2018

Two brothers of ousted former president face legal probes, along with other members of the old ruling elite.

5 July 2018

The new Armenian government’s anti-corruption drive has now caught two brothers of the ousted former president in its net.

 

Former President Serzh Sargsyan’s (pictured) younger brother Aleksander (Sashik) was detained yesterday by security officers. Last week, the State Revenue Committee opened criminal proceedings against another Sargsyan brother, Levon, and his family on suspicion of tax evasion, Asbarez.com reports.

 

Aleksander Sargsyan’s son, Hayk Sargsyan, was also taken into custody.

 

Aleksander Sargsyan was detained and then released last week, after he and Serzh Sargsyan’s former bodyguard, Vachakan Ghazaryan, were taken into custody on weapons possession charges. Officers seized $2 million from Ghazaryan, who was formally charged with illegal enrichment.

 

Since opposition activist Nikol Pashinyan led a wave of popular unrest to the prime ministership just under two months ago, doubts have been raised about his ability to crack down on the endemic corruption of Serzh Sargsyan’s decade in power.

 

But as bne Intellinews writes, law enforcement agencies seem to have been emboldened to take on officials of the former ruling Republican Party and its allies.

 

Protesters have stepped up calls for the ouster of Yerevan Mayor Taron Markaryan following the release of a video showing footage of his “lavish property,” Intellinews says, citing RFE/RL.

 

In mid-June, two senior officials in the Yerevan city government were arrested on 14 June on corruption charges related to a municipal fund overseen by Markaryan, who is affiliated with the Republicans.

 

 

  • National Security Service agents confiscated several bags containing firearms from Aleksandar Sargsyan’s residence, according to Asbarez.

 

  • Proceedings against Levon Sargsyan began shortly after the Revenue Committee said it had fined a company linked to him $1.7 million for tax evasion.

 

  • The security chief of businessman-politician Gagik Tsarukyan has been detained on suspicion of causing grave bodily harm, an adviser to the Armenian Investigative Service told RFE/RL on 3 July.

 

  • Tsarukyan’s parliamentary faction played the role of loyal opposition party under Serzh Sargsyan’s administration, but switched sides and endorsed Pashinyan, “playing a key role in his election and becoming a de-facto member of the Pashinyan-controlled ruling majority in parliament,” last month.

Compiled by Ky Krauthamer

Turkey’s denial policy is concerning and condemnable, says Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmzanov

Edgar Tavakalian 
ArmenPress, Armenia
Turkey's denial policy is concerning and condemnable, says Deputy
Speaker Eduard Sharmzanov
YEREVAN, JUNE 20, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Speaker of Parliament Eduard
Sharmazanov, who is the head of the Armenia-Greece parliamentary
friendship group, had a meeting on June 19 with Konstantinos Morfidis,
head of the Greek delegation at the Parliamentary Assembly of the
Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC) during his visit to Albania.
During the meeting, Sharmazanov attached importance to strengthening
the existing relations between Armenia and Greece and expanding
cooperation areas.
Speaking about cooperation of parliamentary delegations of the two
countries in international structures, the sides attached importance
to the need to support each other.
Sharmazanov expressed hope that the Greek parliament will soon ratify
the EU-Armenia CEPA.
Speaking about the international recognition process of the Armenian
Genocide, the Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Armenia thanked Greece
for adopting the law on criminalizing the denial of genocides. He
reminded that the Armenian parliament in turn has adopted the
resolution on condemning the 1915-1923 genocide of Greeks and
Assyrians committed by the Ottoman Turkey.
“Armenians and Greeks are peoples who survived genocides. Turkey’s
destructive and denial policy is concerning and condemnable”,
Sharmazanov said.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

VICENZA – Terre di Nairì, parole e suoni d’Armenia

Edgar Tavakalian

tviweb-Italia
8 giu 2018


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PER ESSERE AGGIORNATO SULLE NOTIZIE DI CRONACA DI VICENZA ISCRIVITI AL GRUPPO FACEBOOK: SEI DI VICENZA SE… CRONACA E SICUREZZA

Le terre di Nairì, antico nome dell’Armenia, sono l’ispirazione del secondo concerto di musica da camera delle Settimane Musicali al Teatro Olimpico. Sabato 9 giugno, con inizio alle 21, Sonig Tchakerian invita sul palco palladiano l’attore Paolo Kessisoglu e la pianista Stefania Redaelli: insieme daranno vita ad un affresco di parole e suoni, presi dalla tradizione antica e da autori contemporanei. Lo spettacolo, che si realizza con il patrocinio dell’Ambasciata della Repubblica di Armenia in Italia, si snoda attraverso la poesia di Daniel Varujan, con Il canto del pane, composto nel periodo in cui il poeta armeno si stava avvicinando al cristianesimo, e rimasto incompleto per la morte dell’autore nel 1915, durante il genocidio.

A queste poesie si accostano i racconti, ironici e divertenti, di William Saroyan, nato nel 1908 a Fresno, in California, da una famiglia armena scampata alle persecuzioni. Autore della semplicità, scrisse moltissimi racconti, con il solo desiderio di “mostrare la fratellanza degli uomini”, come lui stesso dichiarò. In apertura, un brano del racconto Gibilterra, tratto da Angab Oraghir (Diario slegato) di Vahram Mavian, poeta della diaspora armena, nato a Gerusalemme nel 1926, da genitori sopravvissuti al genocidio. «La serata nasce dall’incontro con Paolo Kessisoglu – racconta Sonig Tchakerian – con il quale abbiamo preparato un percorso, all’insegna dell’alternanza: tra antico e moderno, tra musica e parole, e tra il registro serio, sentimentale, e quello più leggero e arguto. Paolo, attore estremamente versatile, sente molto forti le sue radici armene, ed è felice di partecipare a questo raro progetto. Sarà al suo debutto in Olimpico; in questa avventura ci accompagnerà Stefania Redaelli, con la quale collaboro invece da molto tempo e che è spesso presente alle Settimane Musicali.» Gli autori delle musiche sono Arno Babadjianian, Aram Khachaturian, Grigor Hakhinyan e Padre Komitas. Di Arno Babadjianian (1921/1983) si eseguirà il primo movimento della Sonata per violino e pianoforte dedicata a Dmitrij Šostakovič, oltre ad una Elegia; di Aram Khachaturian (1903/1978) l’Allegro ma non troppo dalla Sonata per violino e pianoforte, mentre di Grigor Hakhinyan (1926/1991) verrà interpretata la Toccata dalla Sonata – Improvvisazione. Infine, di Komitas (1869/1935), che all’inizio del ‘900 soggiornò tra i pastori del Caucaso, raccogliendone gli antichi canti della tradizione orale, che poi trascrisse armonizzandoli per diverse formazioni musicali, si eseguiranno i brani intitolati Cinares, Grunk, Andunì. L’organizzazione del festival lancia la promozione “la musica ti fa giovane”, 50 posti al prezzo speciale di € 10,00 acquistabile, fino ad esaurimento, al botteghino del Teatro Olimpico in stradella del Teatro Olimpico aperto dal martedì alla domenica dalle 10,30 alle 13,30 e dalle 14,30 alle 16,30.

PER ESSERE AGGIORNATO SULLE NOTIZIE DI CRONACA DI VICENZA ISCRIVITI AL GRUPPO FACEBOOK: SEI DI VICENZA SE… CRONACA E SICUREZZA




Deputy Speaker of Parliament responds to Azerbaijani counterpart’s threats to launch war

Edgar Tavakalian
| 17:53 | June 13 2018
Categories
Artsakh
Politics
Region

Deputy Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Eduard Sharmazanov has reacted to the statement of Azerbaijan’s First Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ziyafet Asgarov who claimed that Azerbaijan, under the UN Charter, is entitled to solve the Nagorno Karabakh conflict militarily.

Speaking to reporters today in the parliament, Sharmazanov stressed that the Azeri senior lawmaker is explicitly talking about resuming the war, which is inadmissible. “Last year I gave a clear response to him in the State Duma, but he didn’t understand well enough so I will repeat: Let no one think that any political power in Armenia, including our political power – the HHK – can record regress in the international recognition process of Artsakh,” he said.

Sharmazanov said that there is no government and opposition when it comes to Artsakh or the Armenian Genocide, and everyone are the guarantors of security of Artsakh.

He mentioned that the HHK’s stance hasn’t changed in the matter of Artsakh.

Converse Bank has finalized the results of MEET THE CHAMPIONS campaign

Edgar Tavakalian
| 12:01 | June 1 2018
Category
BUSINESS & ECONOMY

Converse Bank has finalized the results of MEET THE CHAMPIONS campaign. The Campaign had been launched in March for MasterCard and Maestro cardholders of Converse Bank to encourage customers and to expand noncash transactions.

“In the course of the Campaign, starting from March 26 through May 10, both the quantity and the amount of noncash transactions with MasterCard and Maestro cards of Converse Bank grew substantially versus the same period in the past year. In particular, the turnover of noncash transactions with the Bank’s cards grew by 23%, and the number of noncash transactions grew by 77%,” the Bank representative said.

Simultaneously, when making noncash shopping in the partnering network of the Bank, the Campaign participants enjoyed cashback and accumulation of Converse points, and the top 10 participants won various prizes in a lottery, of which 6 cash prizes at AMD 100,000 each, 3 cash prizes at AMD 250,000 each, and 1 ticket for 2 persons for UEFA Champions League Final (including air ticket and accommodation).

It is important to note that the cardholders having made at least 25 noncash transactions to a total amount of AMD 400,000 (equivalent foreign currency) had been qualified to take part in the lottery.


Monitors compliment Armenian people on peaceful change of power

Edgar Tavakalian
| 20:39 | May 29 2018
Categories
Politics
World

The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Armenia, Giuseppe Galati (Italy, EPP/CD) and Yuliya Lovochkina (Ukraine, SOC), have congratulated all political forces, and above all the Armenian people, on the restraint and political maturity displayed during the recent protest and subsequent change of power in Armenia, which took place peacefully and in line with constitutional provisions and principles.

“The manner in which the change of power took place, and the subsequent appointment by Prime Minister Pashinyan of an inclusive and broad-based cabinet, highlights the maturity of the political system as well as the commitment of all political forces to the consolidation of democracy in the country. All political forces should be rightfully lauded for this,” said the co-rapporteurs.

The co-rapporteurs noted the extremely high expectations of profound and rapid reforms in the country placed by the Armenian people in the new authorities. In that context, the rapporteurs highlighted that the appointment of a politically inclusive cabinet, and the new Prime Minister’s clear intention to create a stable and democratic environment, had created the necessary conditions for on-going democratic reforms and the national security of the country.

“In addition, the signals given by the new Prime Minister and his political allies that the justice system will be fully independent and will operate free from instructions and political interference should lay to rest any fears of political retribution, which we heard calls for during our visit,” said the co-rapporteurs, while stressing that there can be no impunity for criminal actions by politicians, irrespective of their political colour. At the same time they reiterated their concern about “hate speech” against the previous authorities on social media, which they called on all political actors to condemn.

During their visit from 23 to 25 May 2018, the co-rapporteurs were informed by the authorities of their wish, and the need, to organise pre-term elections as soon as the conditions would be right for their democratic conduct. In addition, they understood that the authorities, to create these conditions, wished to amend the election code, based on a broad consensus between all political forces. While expressing their full understanding of the call for early elections, the rapporteurs highlighted the standards of the Venice Commission with regard to stable election legislation before elections, as well as the need to allow sufficient time for all political stakeholders to prepare themselves properly for these pre-term elections.

The co-rapporteurs welcomed the clearly expressed wish by the new authorities to continue furthering and deepening the human rights legislation in the country. In this context the rapporteurs expressed their hope that the adoption of the anti-discrimination law in final reading, as well as the ratification of the Istanbul and Lanzarote conventions, would soon be placed on the agenda of the National Assembly.

The co-rapporteurs stressed the readiness of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly to assist Armenia on its path of democratic consolidation.

Memorandum of Artsakh Republic Foreign Ministry Circulated in UN

Edgar Tavakalian
  • 16:56 | May 25,2018 | Politics
  • Armenian:
  • Rus

On May 8, 2018, a memorandum prepared by the Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh was circulated in the United Nations (UN). The document reflects the position of the Republic of Artsakh on a wide range of issues related to the settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Artsakh. On May 18, the document was published on the UN official web-site and is available at http://undocs.org/en/A/72/858.

The document provides arguments and facts demonstrating the inadequacy of both historical and legal arguments of the Azerbaijani side, which in their totality are a kind of manifesto about Azerbaijan’s intention to further impede the realization by the people of Artsakh of their inalienable individual and collective human rights.

The memorandum emphasizes that, by a twisted interpretation of the norms  of the international law, Azerbaijan is making hopeless attempts to justify its destructive policy of isolating Artsakh and impeding the peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Artsakh: “Undermining any peacebuilding initiatives, aggressively imposing the logic of confrontation, trying to unleash a new war, the Azerbaijani authorities hope to change the course of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement, in which the tendency to an ever-greater recognition of the decisive role of the people of Artsakh in determining its future is clearly traced”.

“The Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, which began with the mass violations of the rights of the Armenian population of Artsakh, continues to this day precisely because of the unwillingness of the Azerbaijani side to abandon its policy of denying the individual and collective rights of citizens of the Republic of Artsakh. This policy, expressed, inter alia, in an effort to isolate Artsakh, together with the ongoing military provocations by the Azerbaijani side, is not only a violation of Azerbaijan’s international obligations, but also a serious threat to peace and security in the South Caucasus”, the memorandum concludes.