Author: Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS

PM’s Press Secretary responds to Baku’s statements: Azerbaijan continues strategy of deepening enmity in the region

Emil Lazarian

 20:02,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS.  The press secretary of Armenian Prime Minister Nazeli Baghdasaryan has responded to several statements from official Baku, specifically noting that Azerbaijan continues its strategy of deepening enmity in the region, which poses a continuous threat of destabilization, Baghdasaryan wrote this on her Facebook page.

In response to several announcements from official Baku, I am authorized to announce:

The legislation of the Republic of Armenia is an internal matter of the Republic of Armenia, and no external force has the right to interfere in the internal affairs of our country.

As for territorial claims, Armenia is committed to the agreements reached with Azerbaijan on international platforms to recognize each other's territorial integrity on the basis of the Alma-Ata Declaration, to conduct the demarcation and delimitation of the borders between the two countries based on the Alma-Ata Declaration, to open the regional communications on the basis of the sovereignty, jurisdiction, the principles of equality and reciprocity.

Azerbaijan regularly violates these agreements by persisting in aggressive rhetoric, using force and the threat of force, that contradict the written agreements reached at international platforms. Additionally, Azerbaijan continues to occupy 31 vital territories belonging to the Republic of Armenia. All this shows that Azerbaijan continues the strategy of deepening enmity in the region, which is a continuous threat of destabilization.

Armenia will continue its efforts to establish peace and again offers Azerbaijan the withdrawal of troops, based on the 1991 border line, which will be a cornerstone step for stability and mutual trust in the region. As for the peace treaty, there is an already agreed-upon point in the draft being negotiated between Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to which the parties cannot refer to their legislation to refuse to fulfill any provision of the peace treaty.

 We repeat: Armenia and Azerbaijan have already reached an agreement on this point, and the statements from official Baku contradict this agreement as well.

Sts. Vartanantz Church in Providence celebrates Vartanantz Day

Emil Lazarian
 Guest Contributor Community News, Diaspora 0

His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian celebrating the Divine Liturgy at Sts. Vartanantz Church in Providence on February 11, 2024

PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Sts. Vartanantz Armenian Apostolic Church joyfully celebrated its name day under the auspices of His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian on Sunday, February 11. A full church of faithful parishioners gathered together as Archbishop Tanielian celebrated the Divine Liturgy and ordained Matthew Burke to the rank of acolyte. The son of Jon and Paula (Markarian) Burke, Matthew is a Sunday School student and dedicated altar server. His family, including sisters Melissa and Mia, humbly watched as Burke was ordained.

Following the ordination ceremony, Archbishop Tanielian offered an inspirational message, asking parishioners to ponder on Jesus’ great sacrifice for the sins of our foreparents. His Eminence offered an analogy about the glory of God and the pricelessness of what He gives to us. Archbishop Tanielian said that if you give the choice of a toy or a diamond to a child, they will choose the toy, because they don’t know the value of the diamond. In the same way, God has provided us with the most beautiful and gracious diamond: eternal life. So, let us knowingly and consciously appreciate all that God has given to us. His Eminence closed by asking that, in celebration of Vartanantz Day, we become spiritual warriors and use our gift of free will to follow Christ’s mission.

Providence Homenetmen Scouts during the Divine Liturgy celebrated by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian

The annual Vartanantz Day dinner, prepared and served by the church’s Ladies’ Guild and Men’s Club, was held in the Aramian Auditorium after the Divine Liturgy. Welcoming remarks were provided by Board of Trustees chairman Levon Attarian, who also served as emcee for the afternoon. Attarian invoked memories of attending these always sold-out events on Vartanantz Day as a child. “This is what Sundays are all about – coming together for worship and being around friends and family – this is what makes us Sts. Vartanantz Church,” he said.

His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian and Rev. Fr. Kapriel Nazarian with new-ordained acolyte Matthew Burke

Attarian once again congratulated Burke and his family. “You are a great ambassador of our Sunday School,” he said. “Your dedication of serving the altar is an inspiration to the future of our church and brings promise that you will be a future leader of this community.”

In keeping with His Holiness Catholicos Aram I proclaiming 2024 as “The Year of Human Resource Development,” Rev. Fr. Kapriel Nazarian and the Board of Trustees selected Raffi Rachdouni as this year’s Vartanantz Day honoree. Rachdouni has been involved in church life since early childhood. He plays a vital role at the church’s summer Bible Camp and is the music instructor for the Mourad Armenian Saturday School and for the Eastern Prelacy’s Siamanto Academy. Rachdouni is also co-creator of the Mourad Armenian School Dzapig-Tatig program for children from one-and-a-half to three years old. “He touches the lives of the youth of our community and the Prelacy, ranging from infants to high school students,” Attarian said.

Honoree Raffi Rachdouni (2nd from left) pictured with Board chairman Levon Attarian, His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian and Rev. Fr. Kapriel Nazarian

Rachdouni has held various leadership roles in the Homenetmen, Armenian Youth Federation and Armenian Revolutionary Federation. “These organizations have taught him organizational and leadership skills, instilled a sense of duty and responsibility and a love for his Armenian nation, all of which he applies through his work with the church and within the church community and make him the leader he is today,” Attarian said. Rachdouni is married to Bethany (Sousa), and they are the proud parents of Marcos, Tomas and Rafael.

Raffi Rachdouni and Matthew Burke with R.I. State Senator David Tikoian, who presented them with citations from the R.I. Senate

Rachdouni and Burke both received certificates from Archbishop Tanielian, along with his kind remarks. State Senator David Tikoian began his remarks with words of praise for Archbishop Tanielian and his bond with the Rhode Island community. The senator then addressed Rachdouni and Burke before presenting them with citations from the Rhode Island Senate, saying, “I just read somewhere recently that said if you put God first, everything else will fall into place. I can’t think of two better examples than these two individuals.” Sen. Tikoian expressed his pride in requesting the citations, saying that not only is it the right thing to do as a proud Armenian, but also that “it showcases the good things that the Armenian community is doing,” which are then reflected at the State House.

Rachdouni then took the podium and expressed his appreciation for receiving the Vartanantz Day honor. “I’m a proud servant of Sts. Vartanantz Church, working with our wonderful Armenian youth,” he said. “I’m grateful that my family and community enriched my life with music and culture. It is my humble pleasure to educate and pass on those traditions to the future generations.”

Rev. Fr. Nazarian also congratulated Burke and his family for their dedication to serving our church and praised Rachdouni as a great example for his peers. Archbishop Tanielian offered the closing remarks, blessing those in attendance. To conclude the afternoon, everyone sang “Giligia.”




U.S. supports ‘continued dialogue’ between Armenia and Azerbaijan

Emil Lazarian

 10:10,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The United States believes that 'continued dialogue' is the best way to reach sustainable settlement between Armenia and Azerbaijan, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller has said.

“We do obviously support continued dialogue around that issue. We believe it’s the best way to reach a sustainable end to the conflict, and we will continue to pursue it,” Miller said at a press briefing when asked on the Armenia-Azerbaijan negotiations process.

Miller declined to comment when asked on the U.S. position on the sides trying to negotiate without mediators.

Despite the ongoing peace efforts, Azerbaijan perpetrated yet another unprovoked attack against Armenia: Azeri forces on February 13 opened cross-border gunfire at an Armenian military position in Syunik province, killing 2 soldiers and wounding others.

Int’l community must condemn Azeri actions, call for withdrawal of occupying forces from Armenia – diplomat

Emil Lazarian

 12:19,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador-at-large Edmon Marukyan has released a statement on Azerbaijan’s latest deadly border shooting targeting an Armenian military position in Syunik province.

The Azeri gunfire killed 2 Armenian soldiers and wounded others.

“According to the statement of the State border guard service of Azerbaijan, tonight, they carried out the "Revenge" operation by attacking the border guard position located in the sovereign territory of Armenia, as a result of which two Armenian servicemen were killed and several others were injured.

“First, Azerbaijan declares that there was fire from the Armenian side, as if there was a wounded person, then the Armenian side declares that it will investigate the incident, and the Azerbaijani side attacks and kills and injures people without waiting for any investigation, thus showing that they were prepared for an attack and were just looking for a cause.

Thus, it is obvious that Azerbaijan does not give up its "traditional" criminal, aggressive behavior and first spreads unchecked, one sided, fake news as if there was a shooting from the Armenian side, and then carries out a ready-made operation in the sovereign territory of Armenia, killing and distorting new lives. This chain of criminal acts carried out by Azerbaijan must be stopped. The international community must condemn this chain of vile unprovoked actions carried out by Azerbaijan and call Azerbaijan to withdraw its occupying forces from more than 215 square kilometers of sovereign territory of Armenia, which is an aggression by virtue and provocation against Armenia,” Marukyan said on X.

In delimitation process with Azerbaijan no new borders should be created, says FM Mirzoyan

Emil Lazarian

 19:54,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 13, ARMENPRESS.  In the process of delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan no new border has to be created, but the borders confirmed by the Alma-Ata declaration and later reaffirmed by the parties should be reproduced on the ground, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said at the end of  the fifth meeting of the EU-Armenia Partnership Council during the  joint press conference with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell.

"I reiterated Armenia’s commitment to agreements reflected in statements adopted in quadrilateral meetings in Prague in October 2022 and in Granada last autumn as well as the agreements, announced by the President of the European Council Charles Michel following the trilateral meetings with leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Brussels on May 14 and July 15, 2023.

We remain convinced that Armenia and Azerbaijan should reaffirm that they recognize each other's territorial integrity based on the 1991 Alma-Ata Declaration and the most recent maps elaborated by competent and authorized bodies of the Soviet Union should become the basis for the delimitation of the borders between the two countries. This means that in the process of delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan no new border has to be created, but the borders confirmed by the Alma-Ata declaration and later reaffirmed by the parties should be reproduced on the ground," said the Foreign Minister.

Armenian Speaker of Parliament visits Bulgaria

Emil Lazarian

 10:15,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan is leading a delegation to Bulgaria on an official visit on February 14-17.

The Speaker of Parliament will have meetings with President Rumen Radev, Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov, Speaker of Parliament Rosen Zhelyazkov and Members of Parliament included in the Bulgaria-Armenia Parliamentary Friendship Group.

‘Use of force undermines negotiations,’ U.S. State Department comments on Azeri attack on Armenian troops

Emil Lazarian

 10:25,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. The United States has expressed ‘concern’ over what it described as ‘military-to-military clashes’ on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border on February 13, when Azeri troops shot and killed 4 Armenian soldiers in Syunik Province. Another soldier was wounded in the shooting. 

‘We are concerned by the reports of deadly military-to-military clashes which resulted in several casualties,’ State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a press briefing. ‘We offer our heartfelt condolences to the families of those killed and injured. The use of force undermines negotiations. The only way to a sustainable peace is at the negotiating table. Any ceasefire violations should be investigated and properly addressed. As the Secretary continually emphasizes, the United States is committed to Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations.’

Miller did not reveal whether U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is planning to meet with the Armenian and Azeri leaders during the upcoming Munich Security Conference (MSC) 2024.

The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned the February 13 Azeri military provocation and said that Baku is constantly trying to derail the peace process.

SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival unveils its 11th edition of narrative and documentary features

Emil Lazarian
 Guest Contributor Film, Diaspora, Culture 0

NEW YORK—The 11th anniversary edition of the SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival (SRFF) will open in New York City on March 13 at the Maysles Documentary Center, March 14 at MRHS, March 15-17 at Cinema Village, and March 18 at the National Arts Club for the Awards Ceremony. The online section will start on March 19.

The 11th edition of the SR Socially Relevant™ Film Festival covers a broad range of socially relevant human interest stories. The Official #SRFF2024 Selection was unveiled at a Zoom session on Press Day on Thursday, February 8 to press and media, cultural representatives, sponsors and partners in New York City. A video will be posted on the SRFF YouTube Channel.

The SRFF 2024 Competition Categories are Narrative Feature, Documentary Feature, Narrative Short, Documentary Short, Women Directed films and Rejoice Resist: BIPOC Films and Filmmakers.

The films, program groupings and synopses are posted on the website under the 2024 Program. The trailer and the Meet the Filmmakers interview series can be found on the Festival YouTube Channel.

“Eleven years have gone by quickly. We are proud to have had the opportunity to present over 700 socially relevant films from 40 countries, the work of talented and dedicated filmmakers that have offered us the bonus of learning about the human condition, filmmaking and engaging an audience as the first step towards raising awareness of social issues,” said Festival Founding Artistic Director Nora Armani.

SRFF was founded by actress and filmmaker Armani in 2013 as a response to the proliferation of violence and violent forms of storytelling in media and entertainment. Following a family tragedy that cost the lives of two of her dearest and nearest, namely her cousin Vanya and uncle Jack Exerjian, Armani founded the festival to commemorate them in a meaningful way. SRFF believes in the power of the film medium in raising awareness of social issues and promoting positive social change. This new edition deals with topics such as climate change, family and adoption, LGBTQ rights, home and health, disability, incarceration and freedom, New York City, racism and BIPOC cultures.

The mission of the SRFF is to shine a spotlight on filmmakers who tell compelling, socially relevant human-interest stories, across a broad range of social issues without resorting to violence and violent forms of storytelling.

Early Bird $5 single, $12 trio and $75 elite trio tickets and $100 all-access passes are available for a limited time on sale here. Regular passes are $175, and in-person tickets are $15.

The SRFF will have a special screening of Barev Yes Em (Hello It’s Me!) in celebration of the 100th anniversary of Armenian cinema. This will be the North American premiere of the Armenian film by Frunze Dovlatyan. One of the historic milestones of Armenian cinema, Hello It’s Me! was inspired by the lives of two physicists and includes three actors from Soviet cinema’s hall of fame: Rolan Bykov (Andrei Rublev by Andrei Tarkovsky), Armen Dzhigarkhanyan (Zero City and The Assassin of the Tsar by Karen Shakhnazarov) and Margarita Terekhova (The Mirror by Andrei Tarkovsky) in her film debut. The film was selected in Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 1966. Hello It’s Me! was released in the Soviet Union in the spring of 1966 and attracted 10 million viewers. It was presented in a restored copy at the Cannes Film Festival 2023 in the Cannes Classics section.

The SRFF will also feature the following films by Armenian filmmakers and with Armenian themes: 

Blockade by Hagop Melkonyan

For 30 years, the inhabitants of Chinari, an Armenian village, have been trying to survive the war between Azeris and Armenians and the difficult conditions imposed by a blockade. Through the daily life of an Armenian family, the film immerses us into the heart of this forgotten conflict.

Manuscripts Don’t Burn by Mariam Ohanyan

The film tells the story of the Armenian origin of Lyiv (Western Ukraine), particularly through the writings of Armenian traveler Simeon Lehatsi, who lived in Lyiv, and the history of the Armenian church, which was closed during the Soviet era. 

Partings and Landings by Kardash Onnig

The film is the story of the four generations of the filmmaker’s Armenian Genocide survivor family who migrated from their ancestral home in Turkey to Syria, then Lebanon, and finally to the United States. The film offers refugees everywhere the hope that they can rebuild their lives by integrating into a new culture.

The Forgotten Homeland by Essam Nagy

A documentary about life at the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, telling the stories and life accounts of refugees who were uprooted from their historical lands in Artsakh and are currently living in Goris.




Artur Atabekyan appointed as judge of the Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation

Emil Lazarian

 20:13,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS.  Based on Part 3 of Article 166 of the Constitution, as well as the Resolution of the National Assembly of February 8, 2024 "On electing Artur Atabekyan as a candidate for judge of the Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation" NAD-84-A, President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan has signed a decree on appointing Artur Atabekyan to serve as judge of the Civil Chamber of the Court of Cassation, the Presidential Office said.

Armenia’s Malkhas Amoyan will fight for the third European gold

Emil Lazarian

 21:23,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS.  Member of the Armenian Greco-Roman wrestling team Malkhas Amoyan has reached the finals of the European Championship held in Bucharest, the capital of Romania, and will fight for the third championship.

In the semi-finals,  Malkhas Amoyan (77 kg) competed with Moldavian Alexandrin Gutu and won 2:1.

Amoyan's opponent in the final will be Turkish Emre Basar.

In the semi-final of the 55 kg weight category, Manvel Khachatryan, a member of the Armenian national team, competed against Artem Dileanu, representing Moldova.

The match ended with a score of 2:2, and since the last point was scored by the athlete from Moldova, he reached the final. Manvel Khachatryan will compete for the bronze medal of the European Championship. The match will take place on February 13.