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

Oppositionist names three principled demands on Karabakh, which must be secured

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Sept 2 2022
(PHOTOS)
21:00, 02.09.2022

There are only three principled demands on Karabakh, which must be secured, said Ishkhan Saghatelyan, a representative of the Supreme Body of ARF Dashnaktsutyun and an MP from the opposition “Armenia” bloc, during the September 2 rally of the Resistance Movement on the French Square in the center of Yerevan (PHOTOS).

The Karabakh issue, he said, has existential significance for Armenia.

“Karabakh is our strength and our dignity. It can never become an object of bargaining. Nevertheless, Karabakh today is on the brink of an abyss. It is threatened by ethnic cleansing and expulsions of Armenians,” the oppositionist said.

He also listed the previously mentioned three main demands:

1. Any solution by which Karabakh can be incorporated into Azerbaijan must be excluded.

2. The enclave state of Karabakh should be excluded. That is, a reliable land connection must be established between Karabakh and Armenia.

3. Karabakh’s demilitarization should be excluded. That is, the Armed Forces of Armenia and Karabakh should participate in the creation of a unified security system.

The obligatory provision and subsequent implementation of these three requirements, according to Saghatelyan, can prevent attempts to evict Armenians from Karabakh.

“For all these three requirements, we have problems. But we, for the realization of these goals, will fight to the end!” the parliamentarian stressed.

Armenia, Iran plan to deepen bilateral economic ties and increase trade turnover

Emil Lazarian

 

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 17:41, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Armenia and Iran are planning to raise the bilateral economic relations to a higher level, increase the trade turnover volumes and boost the ties between the businessmen of the two countries. 

Yerevan hosted today an Armenian-Iranian Business Forum. 

Photos by Mkhitar Khachatryan

The delegation led by the Governor of Iran’s East Azerbaijan Province Abedin Khorram has arrived in Yerevan at the invitation of Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan. The Iranian delegation includes representatives of public sector, traders, businessmen who are going to meet with Armenian businessmen.

“We expect that these meetings will be productive. New business contracts will be signed which could be an important impetus for trade turnover”, Deputy Minister of Economy of Armenia Armen Arzumanyan said. 

The trade turnover between Armenia and Iran is growing. A huge growth has been registered in the first 6 months of 2022 compared to the same period of 2021. “It has been around 307 million dollars in 2022, and 224 million dollars in the same period of 2021. We expect to have more intensive growth in the second half of the year”, he said.

Arzumanyan assured that the ministry, the government, the embassy and the commercial attache of Armenia in Iran are making efforts to create all prerequisites for that. Thus, the two countries will try to expand the cooperation frameworks in many areas. Steps are also being taken to attract investments from Iran to Armenia and find new markets for Armenian exporters and manufacturers. 

Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Abbas Badakhshan Zohouri stated that Iran is attaching importance to the development of stable relations with its neighbors. “The East Azerbaijan is one of the economically powerful provinces of Iran. The visit of the delegation led by the Governor of the province speaks about the will of Iran to develop the economic relations with Armenia”, the Ambassador said.

He said that the Forum will help the two sides to get acquainted with each other’s economic and trade potential and give a logical development to the bilateral ties. 

In his turn Abedin Khorram said: “We are here in order to be able to further develop the bilateral relations. Our key goal is to develop the relations of the East Azerbaijan province with the Armenian side, so that as a bordering province to be able to increase that cooperation and the export volumes. He said that their goal is to contribute to raising the bilateral trade turnover to a higher level. The Governor of the province also talked about some problems existing in the customs sector, stating that efforts should be made to solve them. He expressed hope that serious achievements will be registered during the visit. “Taking into account the historical-cultural past of the two countries and their ties, let’s try to raise the relations of the countries to a high level also in the economic sector”, he stated.

Abedin Khorram stated that they also plan to enter the markets of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union (EU) through Armenia.

Justice Minister comments on proposal of Prosecutor General to impose death penalty for high treason

Emil Lazarian

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 18:05, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. The Council for Constitutional Reforms definitely discusses and pays attention to all opinions and proposals together with the Constitutional Reforms Commission, Minister of Justice of Armenia Karen Andreasyan said in an interview to ARMENPRESS, asked what is his position on the proposal of Prosector General Artur Davtyan to use death penalty for committing high treason and whether this issue will be discussed at the Council for Constitutional Reforms.

“The Council for Constitutional Reforms, jointly with the Commission, is definitely discussing and paying attention to all the opinions and proposals made, but no opinion could predetermine the outcome of the discussions”, the minister said. 

Earlier today, Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan proposed to create constitutional-legal basis that will allow using death penalty for committing high treason.

Armenian soldiers participate in East-2022 international military drills

Emil Lazarian

 

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 18:29, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. East-2022 military drills kicked off in Russia’s Far Eastern Federal District. 

The units of the armed forces of 14 countries, including Armenia, are participating in the military exercises, the Armenian ministry of defense said.

Welcoming the heads of the delegations and the servicemen, the Russian Deputy Minister of Defense, Colonel-General Yunus-Bek Evkurov highlighted the importance of such kind of large-scale military drills in the fight against the current challenges.

Commander of the Armenian troops, Colonel Sasun Badasyan expressed good luck to all participants and expressed confidence that the drills will be held at a high level and the units of the armed forces of participating countries will solve all of the tasks with joint efforts.

A total of 50,000 servicemen, 140 airplanes and 60 warships are participating in the East-2022 drills.

The drills will last until September 7.

Russia to suspend oil supplies to states that will impose restrictions on price of its oil

Emil Lazarian

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 19:59, 1 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 1, ARMENPRESS. Russia will suspend supplies of oil and petroleum products to states, which will decide to restrict the price of oil from the country, Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak told reporters today, reports TASS.

“As far as price restrictions are concerned, if they impose restrictions on prices, we will simply not supply oil and petroleum products to such companies or states that impose restrictions as we will not work non-competitively,” he said.

Asbarez: Applications Open for International Armenian Literary Alliance’s Creative Writing and Translation Grants

Emil Lazarian
by Contributor

 

 September 1, 2022

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories
International Armenian Literary Alliance’s Creative Writing Grant graphicThe application period is now open for the International Armenian Literary Alliance’s two $2,500 grants, one for a translation from Armenian into English, and one for contemporary creative writing. Applications will be accepted from September 1 to 30.

IALA’s Creative Writing Grant will award $2,500 annually to one Armenian writer whose work-in-progress shows exceptional literary and creative ability. In 2022, the grant will be awarded for a work of fiction, and in the coming years, to works of poetry and creative nonfiction, as well as other mixed genre forms. The 2022 grant will be judged by Raffi Wartanian, Aline Ohanesian, Aida Zilelian, and Nancy Agabian.

The Creative Writing Grant is meant to foster the development of contemporary Armenian literature in English through an annual monetary award. Additionally, IALA will support grant recipients in promoting their publications through marketing on our website and social media channels, through book reviews and readings and discussions. Click here to apply.  

IALA’s Translation Grant will award $2,500 to one translator working from Armenian source texts into English. In 2022, the grant will be awarded for any work of prose written in Western Armenian by a female author. Although preference will be given to more recent (post-20th century) works, we welcome works from any time period. The 2022 grant will be judged by Tatevik Ayvazyan, Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian, and Garen Torikian.

International Armenian Literary Alliance’s Translation Grant graphic

Given the traumatic history of the Armenian diaspora, many readers are unable to read works in the original Armenian, and therefore, have centuries of literature inaccessible to them. Translators working with Armenian texts have traditionally lacked resources in the publishing world, as well as access to other funding, due to the overwhelming influence of so-called “majority languages.” IALA’s Translation Grant is meant to foster the development of contemporary Armenian literature in English through a monetary award. 

Additionally, in partnership with the Armenian Institute and Mashtots Press, and with funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation – Գալուստ Կիւլպէնկեան Հիմնարկութիւն,  IALA will support the grant recipient in publishing and promoting the selected work. As Western Armenian is on UNESCO’s endangered languages list, we believe that it is imperative to bring more attention to Western Armenian literature. As female authors producing Armenian literature are a minority within a minority, it’s also necessary to highlight the works of these writers. Click here to apply.

For more information on both grants, visit the website. Please read the eligibility criteria and guidelines in full before applying. 

Both grants were made possible by a generous donation from the Armenian Allied Arts Association, an organization based in Southern California that discovered, encouraged and promoted new talent of Armenian descent for over eighty years.

For more information, please visit IALA’s website.


Tebi Worcester

Emil Lazarian
 Mark Gavoor Community News, AYF Olympics 3

It is that time of the year again. Time to get out the suitcases, charge up the camera batteries, suspend delivery of the mail and newspapers, print the boarding passes, arrange for a taxi to the airport, lay out the clothes and pack your bags. We are excited about our trip.  

Are we traveling to Europe? Asia? Hawaii? No, we are off to someplace even better, someplace even more special.  

We are going to Worcester, Massachusetts. 

When I told my colleagues where we were going, the reaction was “Where?” and even “Why? What for?” I would respond, “Well, that is where the Olympics are this year.” This would of course be followed with a lengthy explanation about the Armenian Youth Federation and why the annual gathering for athletic events and social activities we call the Olympics is so very important to us. Beginning with our grandparents and extending to our grandchildren, five generations of our family have attended this annual gathering. And we are not alone. I can name several other families that proudly claim this kind of generational participation. It wouldn’t surprise me if some families can even claim six or seven generations.

And Worcester… Wistah… Ooster is indeed where it all began.  

It is the city in the US where the Armenians first settled en masse. It is the city where we built the first Armenian church in the Western Hemisphere. It’s where my paternal grandfather Aram lived before settling in Watertown. It is an important city for all Armenians in the United States.

The last time the Olympics were in Worcester was 1974. I was 21 years old and in my senior year of college. It was during a time when you could go to the Olympics without having a room knowing you would “crash” someone’s room and, of course, contribute to the hotel bill. I distinctly remember walking into the lobby of the hotel, oud and suitcase in hand. The first people I saw were Rich Berberian, Ron Tutunjian and John Harotian with instruments and suitcases in their hands. Rich said, “Who are you staying with?” I said, “No one… yet.” They said, “Stay with us.” That was the start of an epic Olympic weekend. We had way too many people in the room; you could do that back in those days. But it didn’t matter. Music was our focus, not sleeping. We had our own hook-ups (those words meant something more innocent back in those days as well) which were about as much fun as I ever had at an Olympics. We played in the afternoons and after the dances.

Now, 48 years later, I go to Worcester, cameras, laptop and suitcase in hand. Due to Tom Vartabedian’s influence and charm, Bob Tutunjian (Ron’s older brother), Harry Derderian and I have inherited what Tom used to do all by himself. We write the articles for the Armenian Weekly documenting the weekend. I join Sona Gevorkian and Tamar Kanarian (who is actually missing this year’s festivities… what will we do without her) in taking all the photos of the various athletic and social events. It is a labor of love for all of us that extends a few weeks after the Olympics when the Special Issue is published.

Since golf and tennis take place first thing Friday morning, I travel to the host city on Thursday. This year, my good friend Ara Topouzian of Detroit is going to the Olympics with his family as it is time to bring his AYF Juniors Alec and Aline to the grand tradition. They went out early to make a longer vacation out of it. Of course, he texted me this afternoon, “Hey, I am in Worcester, I thought you would be here. Where are you?” Later in the evening, he sent a photo of a Worcester restaurant he highly recommends, again chastising me for not already being there.

Pictured left to right: David Melkonian, Ara Topouzian, and El Basha owner George Sakhat

It will be good to be back at the Olympics. I have not attended since 2019 in Chicago. The 2020 games were canceled due to Covid, but we still pulled off an Olympics Special Issue of the Weekly. Last year, the games were in Providence. Out of caution or being total wimps, we did not attend. The team still worked hard to have a magnificent Olympics Special Issue with Harry and I both working from home. This year, we are so happy to return to the Olympics and so happy that it is finally in Worcester again.

As always, I look forward to seeing one and all.  

Tebi Worcester.

  •  Bio
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Mark Gavoor is Associate Professor of Operations Management in the School of Business and Nonprofit Management at North Park University in Chicago. He is an avid blogger and oud player.


Opposition MP: Now discussions focus on whether Azeris built new Armenia-Artsakh road well or not

Emil Lazarian
Panorama
Armenia – Sept 1 2022

MP Tigran Abrahamyan of the opposition Pativ Unem faction, who stays focused on the security challenges facing Armenia and Artsakh, recalled that the Vardenis-Martakert highway linking Armenia to Artsakh was inaugurated on September 1, 2017.

“On this day five years ago, the inauguration of the Vardenis-Martakert highway, the second highway connecting the Republic of Armenia with Artsakh, took place,” he wrote on Facebook.

“I and many others like me stood proud and excited, assessing the importance of the event for Armenia and Artsakh.

“Then Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Bako Sahakyan were naturally the most enthusiastic, as they knew that it was one of the key undertakings in their lives and activities both in the military and economy.

“And what do we have now? The discussions focus on whether the Azerbaijanis built the new road linking Armenia to Artsakh well, whether the road has the status of a corridor or not, whether the Azerbaijanis will set up a checkpoint on it or not.” Abrahamyan said.

Armenia Police explain why Russia nationals’ assembly was interrupted in Yerevan, why they were detained

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Sept 1 2022
13:48, 01.09.2022

Mere notification does not mean that the holding of certain assemblies are permitted or possible. Deputy Chief of Police Ara Fidanyan stated this at the press briefing after Thursday’s Cabinet meeting of the government of Armenia—and responding to the question on what grounds a group of Russian citizens holding a peaceful anti-war protest at Freedom Square in downtown Yerevan were detained a few days ago.

“Even the law [of Armenia] on freedom of assembly clearly defines the limitation of freedom of assembly. It is noted there if there is information or certain actions aimed against public order are possible. The police had clear information, and it was already noted that there are also people with a different point of view in the given area, which means that clashes are not ruled out there. Due to this, a decision was made that the given assembly should be interrupted at that very moment,” said Fidanyan.

MP: Peace treaty will mean settlement of Artsakh issue in favor of Baku

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – Sept 1 2022
18:10, 01.09.2022

A peace treaty would mean a final settlement of the Artsakh issue in favor of Azerbaijan, Yerevan would make new concessions. The Armenian authorities have adopted the policy of peace at any price, which may cost the statehood in the end, and in these conditions everything is expected. This was stated by Andranik Tevanyan, an MP from the “Armenia” bloc, in a conversation with journalists on September 1.

According to his assessment, the last meeting in Brussels was held on the Azerbaijani agenda.

“Azerbaijan presented the five principles that should be the basis of the peace treaty. Yerevan responded to them very quickly and agreed to them. Then the Armenian authorities stated that they presented their six proposals that were supposed to supplement the five Azerbaijani proposals, but Baku simply ignored them. Yerevan responded to this with silence, actually accepting that the peace treaty should be on Azerbaijani conditions,” the MP said.

He reminded that Azerbaijan’s five principles did not presuppose any status of Artsakh, did not presuppose any conflict, and Aliyev stated that the Artsakh issue is closed and Armenians must reconcile with the total loss of Karabakh.

“If we compare the 5 Azerbaijani principles and Baku’s official statements, it becomes clear that the peace treaty will be on Baku’s agenda. Moreover, there is no word about Karabakh in Charles Michel’s statement, even the word “Karabakh” is not mentioned. “Earlier we argued that Michel did not use the term ‘Nagorno Karabakh’, which implies the entity, used the wording ‘the Armenian population of Karabakh’ and spoke about their rights and security guarantees, but now there is none of that either,” Tevanyan said.

He is sure that official Yerevan washed its hands of the Karabakh issue.

“After the 44-day war, Armenia has significantly lost its subjectivity in international relations, and in Artsakh, its statehood. Now we see that Armenia is being kicked like a soccer match by the Turks on one side, by Brussels on the other, and by Moscow on the third. Each is pursuing its own interests, but no one is promoting Armenia’s interests. The Armenian authorities are exclusively engaged in protection of their seats. If they find this protection in Turkey, they will serve the interests of Turkey. It will be the same with Brussels and Moscow,” the deputy added.

Based on his experience, Tevanyan concluded that the tasks Azerbaijan sets for itself get from Pashinyan.

“Now Baku talks about the same enclaves, but I don’t see any counterarguments based on the policy of the authorities. What happened in Lachin contradicts the November 9 statement, and even the Armenian authorities said that Azerbaijan’s demands are illegitimate. But a few days later, the proxies of the Armenian authorities in Artsakh said that the Armenians should leave Lachin. So in the end what Baku demanded happened,” the deputy concluded.