11:44,
STEPANAKERT, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. Access to Facebook has been restored in Nagorno Karabakh after a brief blackout on May 18, ARMENPRESS correspondent reports from Stepanakert.
The cause of the shutdown wasn’t immediately clear.
Author: Edgar Tavakalian
Armenia’s top security official, NATO Deputies Committee members discuss regional security, partnership
16:17,
YEREVAN, MAY 15, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan has met with NATO Deputies Committee members during a visit to Brussels.
Grigoryan’s office said in a readout that “issues relating to the regional security environment” were discussed.
“The Secretary of the Security Council presented the security situation around Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh and the crisis in Nagorno Karabakh, which contains risks of ethnic cleansing. Armen Grigoryan called on the international community to react to not allow the abovementioned. The Secretary of the Security Council also presented details on the recent Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations in Washington D.C., and Brussels. He attached importance to the Armenian side’s commitment on normalizing relations with Turkey without preconditions. Issues of the development of Armenia-NATO bilateral partnership, namely the Individual Partnership Action Plan were discussed,” Grigoryan’s office said
Knowledge is power: Idram Junior participated in the International Mental Arithmetic Olympiad
17:48, 10 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. On May 6 and 7, the fourth international mental arithmetic olympiad was held at the Karen Demirchyan sport/concert complex, in which participated more than 600 children from different parts of Armenia and Russia. The Olympiad was organized by IQ Center Global Education, a large-scale activity in the field of additional education.
According to the director of IQ Center Yulia Gasparyan, IQ Center, being the founder of the Association of Mental Arithmetic of Armenia and the sole and official representative of the international associations PAMA Global and SAMA Global, the founders of mental arithmetic in the world and in the region, has been providing thousands of children in Yerevan and regions with the opportunity to study mental arithmetic for six years now.
“We are glad that the Idram company, which emphasizes education and promotes children’s financial literacy, supported the main educational event of the year with its Idram Junior application. Idram Junior prepared many gifts for the participating children”. According to Tatevik Hovhannisyan, head of Idram’s marketing department, Idram does not only value financial literacy. “We cooperate with those companies and are on the side of the events that contribute to raise the educational level and general development of children.”
According to Sevak Shirachyan, head of marketing projects of Idram company, Idram Junior is the only financial application in Armenia for children that enables children to make contactless payments, top up their phone number and make transfers to their family members. “It is important for us that children learn to be financially literate from childhood, to be able not only to shop, but also to manage their finances. We will soon have news in the application, so follow us on our social media pages,” Sevak Shirachyan says.
There will be an exhibition throughout the event for more than two thousand parents accompanying and supporting the participants. The Olympiad will be summed up with an award ceremony. All 600 participants will receive special gifts from IQ Center Global Education. And dozens of winners will receive special gifts from sponsors and partners of the Olympiad.
THE COMPANY IS CONTROLLED BY CBA
Azerbaijan falsely accuses Armenia of planning operation
10:52,
YEREVAN, MAY 11, ARMENPRESS. The Azerbaijani Ministry of Defense is falsely accusing the Armenian military of planning an operation, the Armenian Defense Ministry warned on May 11.
In a statement, the Armenian Ministry of Defense said that the Azerbaijani allegation is a disinformation. The Armenian Ministry of Defense denied planning any operation.
Armenian positions near Sotk came under heavy Azerbaijani gunfire early morning Thursday. 4 Armenian troops were wounded.
As of 10:45, the situation was relatively stable, the ministry said.
PM Pashinyan attends Victory Day Parade in Moscow
11:47, 9 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 9, ARMENPRESS. The Victory Day parade has started in Moscow’s Red Square.
The parade is marking 78 years since Nazi Germany surrendered to the Soviet Union in the Second World War.
President of Russia Vladimir Putin, joined by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and leaders of Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan, are in attendance at the celebration.
Artsakh’s FM receives senior staff members of ARF Dashnaktsutyun
18:50, 4 May 2023
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. On 3 May, Minister of Foreign Affairs Sergey Ghazaryan received Chairman of the ARF Hay Dat Central Council Hakob Ter-Khachatryan, member of the ARF Bureau, Head of the Hay Dat Central Office Giro Manoyan and Special Programmes Manager of the ARF Hay Dat Central Office Gevorg Ghukasyan, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Foreign Ministry of Artsakh.
Interlocutors discussed the challenges caused by the complete blockade of Artsakh by Azerbaijan and possible ways to overcome this situation, as well as the main directions of further co-operation.
Samantha Power continues dodging questions about lack of USAID assistance to Artsakh
WASHINGTON, DC – US Agency for International Development (USAID) administrator Samantha Power has established a two-year pattern of dodging straightforward Congressional inquiries – both in-person during legislative hearings and in writing from dozens of legislators – regarding the lack of USAID programs in Artsakh, a troubling trend that was on display, once again, during her most recent appearance before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Asked straightforward questions about the status of US aid for Artsakh by the panel’s chairman, Bob Menendez, Power – who has been in office two years – again deferred, refusing to answer his question or even meaningfully address the senator’s broader point, by saying, “I don’t have that figure off the top of my head.” Power took credit for conducting “two assessment missions to the region,” failing to note that these were only conducted belatedly as a result of a Congressional mandate spearheaded by Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA). Asked to provide the Foreign Relations Committee with these assessments, Power agreed.
“Clever dodges and mumbled deferrals don’t distract anyone from the fact that USAID – under President Biden and Administrator Power – has operated zero U.S. humanitarian assistance programs in Artsakh,” said ANCA executive director Aram Hamparian. “After countless Congressional inquiries during its two years in office, it is all too clear that they lack the will to help Artsakh, the strength to stand up to Azerbaijan, or the courage to take ownership of this deeply flawed policy.”
In his opening remarks at the April 26th Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Chairman Menendez complained that at times USAID’s response to crises is “slower than molasses,” noting, “Case in point: The humanitarian crisis for Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh is only getting worse. Where are we? Why aren’t we airlifting humanitarian supplies to those Armenians facing blockade? We need to respond to events quickly and we also need to address root causes.”
With strong support from the ANCA, Congresswoman Lee was successful late last year in including language in the Consolidated Appropriations Act (P.L.117-103) directing that the US Department of State and US Agency for International Development provide Congress with an “assistance strategy for addressing humanitarian and recovery needs arising from the [Artsakh] conflict” that identifies the US “resources and programs,” available for this purpose. The Artsakh provision included a 60-day timeline for the Biden Administration to report back to Congress. The deadline to submit the assistance strategy was March 1st; Senate and House members have yet to gain access to the report.
St. Mark’s Armenian Church showcases a female vocal ensemble in Springfield
Massachusetts –
Published: Apr. 29, 2023 at 5:45 AM GMT+3|Updated: 16 hours ago
SPRINGFIELD, MA. (WGGB/WSHM) – St. Mark’s Armenian Church held a concert on Friday evening in Springfield.
The event started at 7 p.m. and featured a female vocal ensemble from Armenia.
The church ensemble performed classical spiritual music.
Karen Belezarian’Tesini, the event’s organizer said more events like this are in the works.
“We are the first community in the United States to be able host this wonderful ensemble so we’re very privileged,” said Belezarian’Tesini.
The performance was open to the public for all to enjoy.
Actor Joe Manganiello discusses his Armenian roots and culture
GLENDALE, Calif. – Actor Joe Manganiello may be known for his hit roles on ‘Magic Mike’ and ‘True Blood’, but he’s now sharing the story of his family’s history, roots, and Armenian culture.
He spoke about his family’s past in Armenia during an Armenian Genocide commemorative event at the Alex Theater in Glendale Monday night.
He told the story of his great-grandmother who survived the 1915 Armenian Genocide and moved to America.
In 1915, 1.5 million Armenians were massacred at the hands of the Ottoman Empire (modern day Turkey). Armenians were taken from their homes, tortured, starved, and killed. The land in Western Armenia was also taken by the Ottoman Empire. His great-grandmother survived, but was sent to live in a relocation camp and was impregnated by a German officer.
She gave birth to a German-Armenian girl, Manganiello’s grandmother, and eventually moved to Worcester, Massachusetts and married an Armenian man.
Manganiello said it’s important to share the stories of our ancestors and spread awareness of the issues.
“I didn’t realize how underrepresented the Armenian story is out there, I didn’t realize how me telling my great-grandmother’s story, just simply she survived therefore I can be here today to tell her story and say her name and have a show like Dr. Gate’s show ‘Finding your Roots’, to have the ability to have me tell her story. I didn’t realize how many of those stories haven’t been heard and how many people don’t know the story of the Armenians,” he said at the event.
April 24, 2023, marked the 108th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. To this day the Turkish government denies that the genocide occurred. In 2021, President Joe Biden became the first US president to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide.
And even though the genocide occurred over a century ago, an ethnic cleansing of Armenians is occurring now in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, also known as Artsakh.
“There are still atrocities happening now. It is definitely true for the Armenians; if there could have been some sort of repercussion you wonder if what happened in World War II couldn’t have been avoided,” Manganiello stated.
SUGGESTED: Armenian History Month: Learn about the music of the ancient Kanun
“When you have a Diaspora, when you have a displacement of a group of people, it then gets kept alive through food, through culture, through language, through religion. So, the idea that my great-grandmother escaped and took that with her, I understand why it was so important for her.”
Manganiello found out about his family’s past and multicultural roots through the genetics test 23 and Me. He also shared his story and learned more about it when he appeared on an episode of the PBS show ‘Finding your Roots with Henry Luis Gates’. He said the entire process took him about 10 years.
His ancestry includes African, Armenian, German, and Italian.
“So, like I said, it’s been this big discovery process. But I think as an artist, what’s amazing to me is that now I know. And now I can spend my time exploring all of those things and then finding ways to talk about them in different ways,” he said.
His mother was Armenian, so Manganiello and his brother grew up surrounded by Armenian food, culture and language.
“My mother was Armenian, and so, you know, that’s the food I grew up with. I grew up with grape leaves, I grew up with lahmajoun, I grew up with sujuk and eggs, I grew up with pilaf and tabbouleh, which is not my thing, but I ate tons of it. And being around my mother, that’s what she cooked for us.”
SUGGESTED: Popular chef Ara Zada puts a unique twist to classic Armenian food
Manganiello and his brother also used to protest in front of the Turkish Consulate.
He hasn’t visited Armenia yet but plans to visit soon with his brother due to a new project he’s working on.
He said knowing his family’s history and sharing it with the world makes him complete and encourages all people to share their ancestor’s story and to not forget where you came from.
“I will always be proud of what my great-grandmother went through so that I could be here. I will always carry that with me, and I think that every Armenian should be proud of their ancestors and what they did so that we could all be here”.
https://www.foxla.com/news/actor-joe-manganiello-discusses-his-armenian-roots-and-culture