Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijani Opposition Sunday Azerbaijan Newspaper Threatens West and Recognizes Political Motives for Mehman Aliyev's Arrest Baku / 10.09.17 / Turan: The official state newspaper Azerbaijan published a lengthy editorial in its September 9 issue (Stereotypes of Obama Times in USA), which announced a "slander campaign" launched by "certain Western circles" against Baku. In particular, the article expresses dissatisfaction with the publications in the Western press of the investigations of the international journalistic network OCCRP about the involvement of Azerbaijani companies and officials in money laundering, the statement of the US State Department representative demanding the release of the director of the Turan news agency Mehman Aliyev, the initiative of US Senator R. Durbin to impose sanctions in relation to persons involved in the criminal prosecution of the journalist, and criticism of official Baku by international human rights defender organizations. As stated in the publication, "the Soros people and the Armenian lobby, taking advantage of this opportunity, went over to actions to undermine the US-Azerbaijan relations and strategic partnership". The Azerbaijan paper complains that "official Washington still cannot get rid of the stereotypes of the Obama era, when various lobbying groups influenced the official policy of the state with strong levers." The newspaper warns that "if the anti-Azerbaijani circles and the lobbying interests of the United States take the upper hand and the Global Magnitsky Act applied to Russia will spread to Azerbaijan, official Baku may review the policy of partnership with the West and take "adequate steps." It is recalled that despite the pressure of large regional actors, Baku preferred a multi-vector, balanced policy and developed a strategic partnership with the United States and the European Union. However, as stated in the article, "sanctions and similar erroneous steps can force official Baku to reconsider its foreign policy and give preference to a one-sided choice." "And this will be a serious loss for the United States and Western countries that have great interests in the region," the article continues. Another response of Baku, according to the editorial, may be repressive actions against activists and journalists, which the publication refers to as the "fifth column" (meaning traitors) and "friends" of the West. "Those who sanction a new campaign against Azerbaijan today, naively believe that in this way they will be able to defend the "fifth column" and their friends. Over the years, official Baku tried to turn a blind eye to the tyranny of Khadija Ismail, Mehman Aliyev, Emin Milli and other similar anti-national elements, NGOs and the Western media network, although Baku saw that they specifically fulfilled a well-known mission, and patiently treated them. However, when the activities of this network began to shake the foundations of the state, there was a need to take preventive measures, and appropriate steps were taken. And the new demarche of the West can create a serious basis for further deepening of these steps," the article says. The official newspaper actually confirms the political motives for the persecution of Mehman Aliyev. So, while according to law enforcement agencies Aliyev is accused of committing economic crimes, the Azerbaijan paper accuses the director of Turan news agency of an activity "shaking the foundations of the state", without specifying what it was. The Azerbaijan paper's editorial was completely reprinted by many pro-government media, which gives reason to believe that it contains messages from official Baku. -06D--
Author: Emil Karabekian
Fire in Jajur: firefighter gets scalds (video)
On September 7, at 11:37 am information was received that a fire broke out in the nearby hillsides of Jajur village, Lori marz.
Three firefighting crews and the operative group left for the scene.
The fire was isolated at 3:31 pm, extinguished at 3:47 pm. Vegetation is burnt down (nearly 50 hectares).
87 people from Jajur(52), Kamo(15), Jajuravan(10) and Krashen villages, the village heads, 15 employees of Akhuryan Police Department, 30 soldiers of N military unit, 9 employees of SNCO “Armenian Forestry”, 38 employees of Shirak regional rescue department, 3 fire-rescue cars and 1 S171 tractor, took part in firefighting activities.
One firefighting command was on duty at the fire scene.
Fire and rescue squad commander, Sub-captain G. Voskanyan, got 3rd degree burns in the wrist and head sections during firefighting work and was hospitalized to Gyumri MC.
The doctors assessed the victim’s health condition serious but stable.
GALAS Calls for Meeting With Fresno School Board President
GALAS–The Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society
LOS ANGELES—The Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society has penned an open letter to the president of the Fresno Unified School District, Brooke Ashjian, who last week, during comments at the school board meeting equated the LGBT community to Ottoman Turks who perpetrated the Armenian Genocide.
Below is the GALAS letter to Ashjian.
Mr. Ashjian,
GALAS, the leading voice of LGBTQ Armenian-Americans, is disturbed by your recent comments equating LGBTQ activists to Ottoman Turks. It is irresponsible and offensive.
As president of the Fresno Unified School District, it is your duty to ensure all children are treated equally with respect and dignity. As part of our public-school system, the goal of Healthy Youth Act is LGBTQ-inclusive sex education to raise awareness among future generations of American children and to combat bullying against LGBTQ youth in our state.
As Armenians, we take offense with your outlandish comparison of LGBTQ activists to Ottoman Turks for various reasons. First, not all Ottoman Turks were perpetrators of the Armenian Genocide and should not be vilified or singled out as a group.
Second, equating peaceful LGBTQ activism to genocide is callously misleading. LGBTQ activism exists because of the need to ensure social equality for LGBTQ individuals, and should never be compared to egregious crimes against humanity such as the Armenian Genocide. Although freedom of speech is one of the pillars of our great country, its purpose is not to marginalize, discriminate or exclude anyone.
Advocacy for recognition of the Armenian Genocide is the responsibility of every Armenian-American and those who are committed to advancing human rights. We welcome efforts to achieve genocide recognition in a more constructive and progressive way, without divisive comparisons to LGBTQ activism.
Mr. Ashjian, we are demanding an immediate public apology. Further, we believe only through dialogue you’ll be able to empathize with the social inequalities LGBTQ individuals face on a daily basis. We remain alarmed and concerned for the children in the Fresno Unified School District who find themselves more vulnerable after your comments. We would like to meet with you directly to discuss LGBTQ inclusiveness in efforts to put this unproductive quarrel to rest. Mr. Ashjian, let’s start the healing process together.
Respectfully,
Gay and Lesbian Armenian Society
Tourism: Yerevan at Night: New route for tourists visiting Armenia’s capital
PanArmenian, Armenia
Aug 25 2017
– 14:04 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Yerevan City Tour, the route program developed by the municipality will from now own offer tourists and residents a new route called Yerevan at Night.
The new line will start operating from Friday, August 25, scheduled to launch a 45-minute trip from the Republic Square in downtown Yerevan.
The tourists visiting the Armenian capital, as well as the residents will have the opportunity to enjoy the city at night, the new musical program of the singing fountains at the Republic Square, as well as tour Yerevan’s most iconic and interesting places and delight in the capital city’s panoramic view from the Cascade.
The route will operate on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only.
Sports: Summer Universiade: Artur Tovmasyan wins in the rings
MediaMax, Armenia
Aug 23 2017
Artur Tovmasyan won gold medal in the rings, repeating his success in the World University Games held in 2015, Gwangju, South Korea.
He won 15.02 points and took the first place. Turkish athlete Ibrahim Colak was the second with 14.958 points.
First Tovmasyan was qualified as a reserve in the rings. Later Armenian finalist Artur Davtyan left the competition in favor of his teammate, and Tovmasyan won the 1st place, justifying the expectations.
E-platform for Yerevan transport reforms kicks off
MediaMax, Armenia
Aug 11 2017
Aug 11 2017
Yerevan /Mediamax/. The e-platform for community collaboration on Yerevan public transport reforms was officially launched today.
According to Deputy Mayor of Yerevan Vahe Nikoyan, the platform was created to engage different groups of society in the process of reforms and decision-making.
The website allows participating in online discussions and polls and presenting offers and opinions.
“Public transport reforms are something unprecedented in Armenia and they require detailed research in all areas. Citizens’ awareness and participation in the process are very important to us. We have no right to make mistakes, as our errors may result in a paralyzed transportation system,” said the Deputy Mayor.
Vahe Nikoyan informed that the consulting company will introduce the final version of the transport system this September.
“If we approve that version, we’ll have the finalized image in about a month. The prices, the number of buses and other points will be clear then,” he said.
Project Director of the Sustainable Urban Development Investment Program Nora Martirosyan noted that the official e-platform will work together with active pages in social networks, which will enable the public to become involved in the process.
Mediamax finds it noteworthy that WYG International and Ameria CJSC implement the new bus route network, integrated fees, and ticket system program on the order of Yerevan Municipality.
Niagara’s immigrant soul
Lockport Union-Sun & Journal
Contributed PhotoZozan and Arshag Gamboian’s wedding photo circa 1930. Zozan came to Niagara Falls as a small child through an illegal effort to assist children of the Armenian Genocide, after her entire family was massacred.
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I will always see Niagara Falls as a delicious melting pot of cultures, languages and traditions.
Just last summer, I found myself at an international crossroads while sitting on a bench at the state park. It seemed the world passed me by as I snacked on an ice cream cone.
Women strolled by wearing colorful Indian saris or Middle Eastern hijabs. Men presented themselves with Hasidic tendrils or donning Sikh turbans. My ears discerned voices speaking every manner of language imaginable. I could even smell the traditional spices of the world’s cuisines mix and mash with the rising mist as these men and women marveled at the brink of the great cataract. Some things never change.
Niagara Falls is a great American story. Throughout the years we have nurtured a sacred tradition in which we have welcomed and embraced people from every corner of the world.
Our history includes the stories of brave refugees of war, genocide and famine.
So many came to Niagara Falls to make a new start. At the dawn of the past century and for many decades afterwards, the factories and the railroads brought in thousands of much-needed workers and their families. They came from the cotton fields of the Deep South, from depression-ravaged towns.
Some came from exotic countries — utterly desperate souls — and occasionally with only false papers, as they would never have been allowed in the lawful way. They crowded onto sea vessels with nothing but the clothes on their backs. They said their last farewells to their loved ones and to their homelands—and most often, never again stepped foot on the land of their ancestors. Niagara Falls was the last hope for so many.
Our new book, “Melting Pot: Niagara’s Rich Ethnic Heritage,” published by the Lewiston Public Library, is a celebration of these people and their stories.
Over the past few years, as the local history librarian, I have collected the stories of our immigrant ancestors for the purpose of sharing their struggles, as well as their triumphs. As you read through the narratives, you will see that often times great hardships precipitated remarkable achievements. Despite differences in ethnicity, these Niagarans shared common housing, jobs, and churches and even married into each other’s families.
They shared meals with one another and learned bits and pieces of each other’s languages and traditions. They crafted businesses out of what they did best and introduced our area to unique foods, music and customs. They also valiantly fought prejudice and bigotry whenever it arose — from the violent threats of the Ku Klux Klan to racist intimidations from unkind neighbors.
Some of the personal stories mentioned include insightful histories of African Americans in Niagara Falls. These chapters highlight the importance of “family” as well as leadership in the African American community at Niagara Falls.
Other stories in “Melting Pot” include: the brave and invincible Armenians, heroes and heroines who defied all odds in their own Holocaust before coming to our city; the industrious Germans, who dominated local industry and business; the story of coalmining Italians who ventured into Niagara Falls from a dismal life in Pennsylvania; Polish tales of hardship at Ellis Island, and lost connections with the Old Country; the children of Spanish immigrants who had worn the customary clothes of Spain to American schools; the ancient Ukrainian tradition of the painted Easter eggs, or pysanky; and recipes from a war bride from Wales.
Many of our Irish stories were submitted by the local chapter of the Ancient Order of the Hibernians. Another Irish chapter, written by Niagara Gazette columnist Don Glynn, reveals a modern day friendship with ties to the Lynch and Buttery families. Yet another tells the story of St. Mary’s Church. Melting Pot also contains precious family recipes, collected and written with great care, family photos and nostalgic news clippings.
The front cover of Melting Pot proudly displays the marriage of Lithuanian born Zygmont Puisys and Ursula Anna Zugzda at Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in 1912. Ursula, an orphan, had been raised in a church rectory in Igliauka, Mirijampole, Lithuania. It was said that Zygmont had escaped his homeland under a hail of gunfire. Their story is representative of how many of our Niagara Falls stories begin … with despair and gunfire.
“Melting Pot; Niagara’s Rich Ethnic Heritage” will be available at the Book Corner, located at 1801 Main St. in Niagara Falls and through Amazon.com. We welcome any new family stories for future volumes.
Michelle Ann Kratts is a librarian and genealogist at the Lewiston Public Library.
Armenian Ombudsman’s report on Azeri shelling of Chinari village to be submitted to international structures also in French
Panorama, Armenia
A special report aimed at informing the international community on the provocations and the targeted shelling of the civilian settlements of Armenia’s Chinari village by the Azerbaijani armed forces is now available in French as well.
The report, published by the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, features the five major incidents registered during 2016 and 2017, with the fact-finding mission conducted with an internationally accepted special method.
The reports are available in all languages in the official website of the Armenian Ombudsman’s Office – .
Criminal cases launched into Azerbaijan’s targeting Armenian settlements
news.am, Armenia
Criminal cases launched into Azerbaijan’s targeting Armenian settlements
18:40, 24.07.2017
YEREVAN. – A criminal case has been launched in the Criminal Department of the Tavush Investigative Department of the Armenian Investigative Committee into the shelling by the Azerbaijani armed forces of Chinari village of Tavush province, its kindergarten, destroying and damaging the property of villagers and attempting to kill minors on July 20.
From 1:00 pm to 6:30 pm on July 20, the Azerbaijani armed forces fired in the direction of Chinari village, targeting peaceful residents, the Investigative Committee informed Armenian News – NEWS.am.
In particular, shots were fired in the direction of a minor (born in 2000) in the Chinari village cemetery, who hid behind a tomb in order to protect himself from the bullets of the adversary and remained there for about two hours.
The village was subjected to lengthy shelling, as a result of which the kindergarten of the village, houses of the villagers, their property and grass heaps were damaged. According to the preliminary data, the incurred loss amounts to more than 12 million AMD.
Five criminal cases have been launched in the Investigative Department of Tavush provincial Investigative Department.
Music: 9 days with classical music
Aravot, Armenia
A true feast of the classical music – the 1st “Armenia” International Festival and Competition has come to the end. “Armenia” satisfied even the capricious connoisseurs of the classical music, presenting both masterpieces of classical music and pieces by contemporary composers.
The “Armenia” International Festival and Competition held between July 4-12, 2017 was not another regular cultural event. It was an event that managed to unite three major collectives – the Armenian National Philharmonic, the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia and the National Chamber Orchestra under one umbrella! It was an exceptional case in Armenian cultural life.
A festival and competition – two in one: here is the formula for success of the “Armenia”. Famous cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan, pianists Nareh Arghamanyan and Lilit Grigoryan, violinists Roman Kim and Fedor Rudin, Khachaturian Trio, Abgar Muradyan Duo performed during 9 festival concerts. And, undoubtedly, the peak of the festival was the performance of the world famous violinist Maxim Vengerov.
“There are lots of music festivals, but the “Armenia” International Festival and Competition is unique. A festival-competition format is special for the young performers.
I have heard about the “Armenia” International Festival and Competition in different countries, specifically in France and Germany, and from various sources. It is a great pleasure for me to be a part of the first festival”,-world famous violinist Maxim Vengerov noted before his performance.
Cellist Narek Hakhnazaryan added: “I am very happy that Armenia hosts such high-level Competition and Festival. The Armenian audience enjoys high-level music”.
Within the framework of the festival, famous artists presented masterpieces of classical music to the audience. The compositions by the composer-in-residence of the festival Alexey Shor were also performed.
The piano competition was held parallel to the festival and 48 pianists from 14 countries competed. During their visit they got a chance to discover Armenia, to enjoy the concerts of the festival and communicate with world famous artists and gain huge experience!
The total prize fund of the competition was 20 000 Euro (the 1st prize – 10 000 Euro, the 2nd prize-5000 Euro, the 3rd prize- 3000 Euro and special prize-2000 Euro). The first prize winner was Hripsime Ahgaqaryan (Armenia), the second prize winner was Khachik Andreasyan (Armenia), the third prize received Dominik Wizjan (Poland). The special prize was awarded to Seolhwa Kim (South Korea). The best 5 finalists were granted vouchers of participation to Malta International Piano Competition held within the framework of the Malta International Music Festival.
The jury of the competition consisted of world-famous musicians Paolo Baglieri (Italy), Ratko Delorko (Germany), Vladimir Ovchinnikov (Russia), Valerian Shiukashvili (Georgia). They were headed by the jury chairman professor, pianist Armen Babakhanyan.
“The festival was really impressive with its scope: three orchestras, four conductors, many international stars and the majority of them were from Armenia. I would like to highlight the piano competition that was held within the framework of the festival. It was a pleasure to see that my compositions were included as a mandatory program for the competition”,- Alexey Shor noted.
The most important cultural event of the year was organized by the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia and European Foundation for Support of Culture. It was held under the high patronage of the first lady of the RA Rita Sargsyan and with the support of RA Ministry of Culture.
It should be mentioned that this was not the first time that the Youth Orchestra organized a high scale international event. For four and thirteen years it has been organizing the Khachaturian International Festival respectively, which has managed to find its unique places in the Armenian cultural life.
The Artistic Director of the festival and competition Sergey Smbatyan noted that the “Armenia” has been a huge project with its content and mission. Maestro added that this festival once again proved to the world that Armenia is a platform where high-level international events are implemented.
…Another important event has come to the end and the world revealed a constellation of talents. We will undoubtedly see them on the international stages. The next step is Malta International Piano Competition. During the event, Armenia will be represented by two talented pianists. The expectations are very high.
Anahit Gevorgyan