Author: Emil Lazarian

Tsirani vosp apur gets its distinctive earthy, tangy flavor from apricots, the country’s national fruit.

The two countries have also agreed to begin direct cargo flights in both directions, despite their strained relations.

Armenia and Turkey have agreed in normalisation talks to open their common border for third-country nationals and to begin direct cargo flights, according to the Turkish foreign ministry and Interfax news agency citing the Armenian foreign ministry.

Relations between the two countries have been strained for decades and the land border between the two neighbours has been closed since 1993, in the wake of clashes between Armenia and ethnically Turkic Azerbaijan.

Envoys for Ankara and Yerevan “agreed to enable the crossing of the land border between Türkiye and Armenia by third country citizens visiting Türkiye and Armenia respectively at the earliest date possible,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement – also on Friday.

“They also agreed on commencing direct air cargo trade between Türkiye and Armenia at the earliest possible date and decided to initiate the necessary process to that effect,” the statement said.

The Turkish and Armenian officials also “discussed other possible concrete steps that can be undertaken towards achieving the ultimate goal of full normalisation between their respective countries,” it added.

“Finally they reemphasised their agreement to continue the normalisation process without preconditions,” the statement said.

The statement was issued after Turkish Ambassador Serdar Kilic and Armenian National Assembly Deputy Speaker Ruben Rubinyan, both special representatives for the normalisation agreement, held their fourth meeting in Vienna, Austria, on Friday.

Turkey and Armenia restored diplomatic contacts in December 2021 after they were suspended for years.

In January 2022, special envoys from Ankara and Yerevan began talks to fully restore ties “without preconditions”.

Turkish and Armenian envoys met for the second time in Vienna on February 24, and the third meeting was held on May 3 in the Austrian capital.

A three-day celebration of athletic achievement and Armenian heritage kicked off this weekend in Los Angeles after a two-year hiatus.

The 45th anniversary of the Navasartian Games is put on by the L.A. chapter of Homenetmen, which spans five continents and has 30,000 members.

“Launched in East Los Angeles in 1975, now it boasts the participation of 300 teams, 3,200 athletes, 1,100 scouts and attracts over 35,000 spectators over a period of eight weeks each year,” the Navasartian Games said on their website.

The organization is dedicated to serving children within the community through athletics, scouting and public service.

“I feel like I have been inspired to keep trying and even if I lose, I can just keep trying to win and get better,” said athlete Mila Festekjian.

Festekjian’s parents played basketball for the organization in the 1980s, and she and her sister Ava are keeping alive the tradition and legacy founded more than a century ago by Shavarsh Krissian, who died during the Armenian genocide.

“I think it’s amazing that his vision was fulfilled through the work of the generations that followed him,” said Katy Simonian of the Victory Ball Committee.

Everyone is welcome to participate. Hrashq, which means “miracle” in Armenian, is Homenetmen’s program for athletes with special needs. Founding members created a coaching system, tailored to the needs of every child.

Nanor Kabakian’s son Aren has autism with a severe apraxia of speech.

“For years, I’ve been dreaming to be able to have my son participate in a community organization alongside his brother, who does not have any challenges,” Kabakian said.

Aren wrote a poem about his experience.

“We’re all different, yet alike in that we all want to be loved,” he wrote.

For Homenetmen member Quint Chemnitz, it’s all part of the mission.

“We always say it’s in our blood. We want to elevate ourselves and others with us,” he said.

U.S. Embassy Compound
Thursday, June 30, 2022

Deputy Prime Minister Matevosyan, honorable guests, friends, fellow Americans.

I am so happy to welcome you all to our July 4th Celebration.  This is first time in three years that we have been able to gather in person!

I want to express appreciation to our sponsors for their support of our Independence Day reception.  And, offer a big thanks to local businesses and my entire Embassy team for all their hard work to make this event a success.

Today we are celebrating the 246th anniversary of America’s independence.

246 years ago, nothing was certain about the America’s experiment in democracy.  We declared our independence with a bold statement of our principles, aspirations, and vision – “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.  That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.”

But American democracy did not begin and end with this declaration and the creation of a constitution.  We fought two wars to secure our independence and a civil war to end slavery.  For over 150 years since then, progress toward our aspirations of freedom and equality for all has come only with long, hard struggle.  And, we still aren’t done.  In the United States, we continue to wrestle with the meaning of our constitution and to make choices as citizens.  Because democracy is not static.  It is a process, a continued renewal of commitments to fundamental principles.  By its nature, it takes work to sustain – and at times, it can seem fragile.  But, I have no doubt that we Americans will continue the process of perfecting our democracy and pursuing accountability and integrity within our institutions of government.

Today, we are also celebrating the long partnership between our two nations, including over the last 30 years of Armenia’s independence.

It has been a privilege to represent the United States in this culturally rich country, and it has been my honor to support Armenia’s democratic journey, particularly in a period of great challenges for Armenia.  I am not alone in this endeavor.  Harry Gilmore, our first Ambassador, forged the bonds of partnership in the early years of Armenia’s independence during a time of darkness, hardship, and uncertainty.  Each of the eight Ambassadors who followed throughout the last 30 years, leading a spectrum of U.S. government agencies, have worked to support the aspirations of Armenians for a peaceful, prosperous, and democratic future.  And, I am very grateful to my predecessors and the Embassy’s long-serving national staff for sharing their memories of partnership as well as President Khachaturyan who recalled Ambassador Gilmore’s tenure for our Facebook storytelling celebration of the 30th anniversary of U.S.-Armenia relations.

The stories of our partnership encompass support for democratic institutions, civil society, free and fair journalism, economic growth, energy diversification, inclusive education, improved healthcare, access to water, security cooperation, preservation of cultural heritage, exchange programs, and humanitarian needs.  We have partnered with Armenians in and out of government, like-minded diplomats and international organizations, and American citizens, including proud Armenian-Americans.  The tie that has animated this cooperation has been a shared sense of values.  And, it is the power of these partnerships that has helped drive the significant progress we have seen in Armenia over the past thirty years.

In closing, I would like to echo the words of President John F. Kennedy who once said, “Partnership is not a posture but a process- a continuous process that grows stronger each year as we devote ourselves to common tasks.”  May the next 30 years and more see the U.S.-Armenia partnership continue to grow in strength as we pursue a shared vision of a peaceful, democratic future for our countries.

I wish everyone a Happy Independence Day!

Thank you.