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

Celebrate summer with a traditional Armenian picnic in the Midcoast

Emil Lazarian
Maine – July 11 2022
by BDN Community

Hosted by Searsport Shores Oceanfront Campground,  Saturday July 23 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Summer in Maine is all about eating outdoors – the pleasure of long sunny days, and farm stands overflowing with heirloom tomatoes, glorious salad greens, local cheese, and baked goods galore. With beautiful picnic spots and delicious food around every corner, Astrig Koltookian Tanguay likes to say, “I think we should be called the ‘Picnic State’ instead of the ‘Pine Tree State’!” 

Astrig – whose family is originally from Armenia – and her husband Steve run the award-winning Searsport Shores Oceanfront Campground, where eating al fresco is a way of life. This will be their second year of hosting an Armenian picnic in conjunction with the Armenian Cultural Association of Maine and the Makers Guild of Maine. ”It’s a great way to celebrate our beautiful surroundings, the region’s wonderful produce, and share our cultural heritage with friends, neighbors and visitors to Maine, ” explains Astrig, “ Plus we had so many people asking us to do it again.”

There will be authentic shish kebab sizzling on the outdoor grill, and great bowls of fragrant rice pilaf, handmade hummus and vegetarian falafel. Armenian “pizza” – lamejun – will be baked to order in the wood fired oven along with puffy pita breads, and there will be trays of homemade paklava and other middle eastern sweets for dessert. Coffee lovers will get the rare chance to taste genuine Armenian coffee – a potent espresso like brew – boiled up in a traditional jazzve with sugar and spice to taste. 

Armenian and Middle Eastern music will be provided by master Oud player and recording artist Leo Derderian, accompanied by veteran musician Bob Arzigian and friends. There will also be traditional folk dancing and the opportunity to learn the steps and join in. 

Picnic-goers are invited simply to relax in the campground’s gardens with their spectacular views of Penobscot Bay or explore the rocky shoreline and woodland trails. “Middle Easterns are known for their hospitality” says Astrig, “and all are welcome!”

This exciting new addition to the Midcoast calendar is the latest in a long tradition of Summer Picnics organized by Armenian communities around New England. “The earliest of these American Armenian Picnics go back to the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, “Astrig explains. “When Armenians first sought refuge here, they were leaving behind farms, orchards, and villages that their families had lived in for generations. Many had to make new lives in industrial towns and cramped apartments. Summer picnics – often organized by the Armenian Church — became a lifeline, reconnecting communities with the outdoors and each other, and keeping memories, customs, and Armenian culture alive.”

Searsport’s Armenian Picnic is being sponsored by three organizations: (1) The Makers Guild of Maine, a local nonprofit that promotes the ongoing value of heritage skills – and making things by hand, or at home, or in the community. (2) The Armenian Cultural Association of Maine, a Portland based nonprofit dedicated to preserving and perpetuating the Armenian culture and heritage in all aspects of life through the enhancement of its language, education, art, music, dance, literature, singing, theater, and sports. (3) Flying Shoes of Belfast a nonprofit dedicated to bolstering the spirited dance and music community of Midcoast Maine.

Admission is free and food will be available for purchase, but advance booking is strongly recommended as last year’s feast sold out fast, 

Proceeds and donations from the event will be donated to the Mughdusian Studio Center in Yerevan Armenian. The Center was founded in 2014 with the goal of achieving social justice through art. 

Searsport Shores Ocean Campground is located at 216 West Main St. (Route 1) Searsport, Maine 04974.

Please bring friends and family, leave pets at home and wear comfortable walking shoes.  Handicapped parking is available.

For more information please visit: www.makersguildmaine.org/armenian-picnic/ or www.campocean.com or call the campground at 207-548-6059.

https://www.bangordailynews.com/2022/07/11/bdn-maine/celebrate-summer-with-a-traditional-armenian-picnic-in-the-midcoast/

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Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations not stalemated – Armen Grigoryan

Emil Lazarian
ARMINFO
Armenia – July 12 2022
Alexandr Avanesov

ArmInfo.Official Yerevan hopes for substantial meetings in the near future to discuss a peace agreement with Baku, Armen Grigoryan, Secretary of Armenia’s Security  Council, stated in an interview with the Public TV of Armenia. 

He disagrees with the opinion that the Baku-Yerevan peace talks are  stalemated. In this context, Mr Grigoryan recalled the vice-premiers’  meeting on the border, where they discussed border delimitation, as  well as their meeting in Saint Petersburg, where they discussed the  unblocking of transport links.  According to him, the sides attempted  to draw their positions closer. 

The next meetings are to take place in Moscow and Brussels. Mr  Grigoryan also hopes for a meeting with one of the aides to the  president of Azerbaijan. The meeting agenda is under consideration,  he said. 

“Let us hop for substantial meetings for discussing a peace agreement  in thee near future, and we can progress. The Ministry of Foreign  Affairs is working. So let us hope for progress in the near future,”  Mr Grigoryan said. 

In this context, he highlights the importance of the latest telephone  talk between the Armenian and Turkish leaders, which is one more step  toward rapprochement between the two nations. During their talk,  Nikol Pashinyan and Recep Erdogan discussed issues of cargo  transportation and opening of the border for residents of third  countries, which was earlier agreed on by the Armenian and Turkish  special envoys. Mr Grigoryan believes that the border will be opened  in the future for Armenian and Turkish citizens as well. 

“We hope and go on discussing the issue with out partners,” he said. 

The normalization process is going on without any preconditions, and  the public statements on the negotiations fully reflect the context  of the negotiations. Armenia is regarding normalization with Turkey  as a bilateral process, Mr Grigoryan said. 

As regards the implementation of the agreements reached at the  special envoys’ latest meeting in Vienna, Mr Grigoryan said that  great preparatory work has been carried out, and Armenia’s ruling  political team hopes that the agreements will be implemented in the  in the shortest possible time. Mr Grigoryan also voiced the opinion  that improved economic relations with Turkey will have a positive  impact on Armenia’s economy. He hopes that the Pashinyan-Erdogan  telephone talk will open up opportunities for meetings between  Armenian and Turkish representatives in Armenia and Turkey. Armenia  is informing Russia and all its partners of the negotiations.  “Since  Russian has been involved from the outset, it is being informed of  and participating in the whole normalization process,” M Grigoryan  said. 

Opposition MP: Artsakh, Armenia security, territorial integrity has been violated

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – July 12 2022
12:24, 12.07.2022

The security and territorial integrity of Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)] and Armenia has been violated, the enemy has seized a part of our homeland, massacred thousands of soldiers, and now it has set his sights on Syunik [Province of Armenia]. Artur Ghazinyan, a member of the opposition “Armenia” Faction in the National Assembly of Armenia, wrote this on Facebook.

“And what are we [i.e., Armenians] doing? With a pass by the Azerbaijani occupation regime, we are nationally discussing the matter of placing a statue of Jesus Christ on top of Mount Hatis. Our situation is dire; we are not getting serious in any way,” Ghazinyan added.

Rally in Yerevan: Protesters block North-South road under construction

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – July 12 2022
19:11, 12.07.2022

A large number of people blocked the North-South Road under construction in two directions from the Silikyan quarter to the Haghtanak quarter as a sign of protest, Shamshyan.com reported.

The protesters complain that construction works have been carried out on the above-mentioned section for over a month, and as a result, dust rises up. According to the protesters, they were recently told on behalf of Yerevan mayor that the problem will be solved, but no one is solving anything.

According to the website, the road is blocked on both sides and the traffic jam is several kilometers long.

I feel so at home here: Oscar-winning screenwriter, director Terry George is in Yerevan for Golden Apricot film festival

Emil Lazarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – July 11 2022


14:31, JULY 11

By Syune Arakelyan

Oscar-winning screenwriter and world-known director Terry George is in Armenia.  “The Promise” director is the head of the jury at the Golden Apricot international film festival the opening ceremony of which took place the day before at Aram Khachatryan concert hall in Yerevan. NEWS.am STYLE met the director on the red carpet and asked about his emotions for being in Armenia.  

It’s the third time that the director visits Yerevan, “I came here for research for “The Promise”, then I came here for the premiere of the movie and now I’m back again for this wonderful festival”.  

Terry George yet didn’t have chance to watch all the movies included in the program of the festival, but he knows for sure what he is looking for, “I have watched only one movie yet and we will see 11  movies over the next 8-9 days, so I’m looking forward to all of those. And also several of my movies will be showing-“Hotel Rwanda”, “Some Mother’s Son” and “The Shore”, so I’m delighted that I got the chance to show them to the people of Armenia. I think that the films included are independent ones, so I’m looking forward to the movies that have great humanity and tell stories. I think there are too many Marvel movies at the moment, too many movies that have no story, that just are popcorn”.  

The director also shared his impressions on Armenia, saying he sees some similarities between Armenian and Irish people, “What I like most here is the people, the food is great, the weather is excellent… I expected it to be much more humid.  And I think, that the Armenians are so similar with the Irish, that’s why I feel so at home here. They have the same spirit, I really love Armenia”.


Turkish press: Armenian foundations in Türkiye welcome growing momentum of ‘normalization process’

Emil Lazarian
Semra Orkan   |12.07.2022


ISTANBUL

Monday’s phone talk between the Turkish president and the Armenian premier on the normalization of ties took the growing optimism to a new level, said the Association of Armenian Foundations in Türkiye (ERVAP). 

Commenting on the positive atmosphere revolving around both countries’ relations, the association said in a statement that the discussion between President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has turned into a development that determines the agenda of the Armenian community in Türkiye.


“All institutions and organizations follow the exemplary leadership with hope and appreciation,” the statement said.

While the process of normalization between Türkiye and Armenia has led to great expectations recently, the setting created by the direct contact of the two leaders through the phone has added a new dimension to optimism, it said.

Stressing that the normalization of bilateral ties would pave the way for a positive climate, which would benefit social life and institutional activities, the statement further noted that the opportunities for dialogue and empathy to appear in line with the normalization were of huge importance for the future of both peoples.

“Our society, symbolizing the continuity of the tradition of co-existence of two ancient peoples, passionately backs this process of normalization with its rich network of institutions,” it said, adding that the leaders of foundations were determined to mobilize all of their experience in this “historical turning point.”

Bedros Sirinoglu, head of ERVAP, said all segments of the Armenian community in Türkiye welcomed the phone conversation between the two leaders, adding the steps to be taken by Ankara could potentially not only change the fate of the South Caucasus but also open a gateway to reshape the international balance.

“The anticipated full normalization is the primary goal that requires patience,” he said and called on all pro-peace people in both Türkiye and Armenia to support the vision set by the leaders.

In a social media post on Monday, Patrik Sahak II – the 85th patriarch of Armenians in Türkiye – welcomed the leaders’ phone talk, saying it built up people’s hopes for peace at a time when the world was disturbed by warfare.

“I pray that the peaceful methods of diplomacy become the winner, not death and wars,” he said, hoping that the discussion of leaders would open a new chapter in Turkish and Armenian relations.

On Monday, the Turkish presidency said in a statement that Erdogan and Pashinyan expressed their expectations for the immediate implementation of the issues agreed upon during the talks held on July 1 by the special representatives of both countries.


The first round of normalization talks was held in Moscow on Jan. 14, where both parties agreed to continue negotiations without any preconditions, according to a statement released after the meeting.

The Turkish and Armenian envoys met for the second time in Vienna on Feb. 24, and the third meeting was held on May 3 in the same city.

Also, a historic bilateral meeting took place between the foreign ministers of Türkiye and Armenia on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on March 12.

As part of the efforts, Türkiye and Armenia have also resumed commercial flights as of Feb. 2 after a two-year hiatus.  

* Writing and contribution by Ali Murat Alhas in Ankara

Armenian Foundation Hails Erdoğan, Pashinian Phone Call

Emil Lazarian
July 13 2022

By Joy Elise Last Updated Jul 13, 2022

The Association of Armenian Foundations in Türkiye (ERVAP) on Tuesday hailed the recent phone call between President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to improve bilateral ties.

Commenting on the positive atmosphere revolving around both countries’ relations, the association said in a statement that the discussion between Erdoğan and Pashinian has turned into a development that determines the agenda of the Armenian community in Turkey.

“All institutions and organizations follow the exemplary leadership with hope and appreciation,” the statement said.

While the process of normalization between Turkey and Armenia has led to great expectations recently, the setting created by the direct contact of the two leaders through the phone has added a new dimension to optimism, it said.

Stressing that the normalization of bilateral ties would pave the way for a positive climate, which would benefit social life and institutional activities, the statement further noted that the opportunities for dialogue and empathy to appear in line with the normalization were significant for the future of both peoples.

“Our community, symbolizing the continuity of the tradition of co-existence of two ancient peoples, passionately backs this process of normalization with its rich network of institutions,” it said, adding that the leaders of foundations were determined to mobilize all of their experience in this “historical turning point.”

Bedros Şirinoğlu, the head of ERVAP, said all segments of the Armenian community in Turkey welcomed the phone conversation between the two leaders, adding the steps to be taken by Ankara could potentially not only change the fate of the South Caucasus but also open a gateway to reshape the international balance.

“The anticipated full normalization is the primary goal that requires patience,” he said and called on all pro-peace people in both Turkey and Armenia to support the vision set by the leaders.

In a social media post on Monday, Archbishop Sahag II Mashalian welcomed the leaders’ phone talk, saying it built up people’s hopes for peace at a time when the world was disturbed by warfare.

“I pray that the peaceful methods of diplomacy become the winner, not death and wars,” he said, hoping that the discussion of leaders would open a new chapter in Turkish and Armenian relations.

On Monday, the Turkish presidency said in a statement that Erdoğan and Pashinian expressed their expectations for the immediate implementation of the issues agreed upon during the talks held on July 1 by the special representatives of both countries.


The first round of normalization talks was held in Moscow on Jan. 14, where both parties agreed to continue negotiations without any preconditions, according to a statement released after the meeting.

The Turkish and Armenian envoys met for the second time in Vienna on Feb. 24, and the third meeting was held on May 3 in the same city.

Also, a historic bilateral meeting took place between the foreign ministers of Turkey and Armenia on the sidelines of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum on March 12.

As part of the efforts, Turkey and Armenia have also resumed commercial flights as of Feb. 2 after a two-year hiatus.

Introduction of toolkits on screening and risk assessment of deliberate self-harm and suicide prevention in prisons of Armenia

Emil Lazarian

July 13 2022
ARMENIA 13 JULY 2022

Representatives of the Ministry of Justice, directors and deputy directors, as well as the security and medical staff of the penitentiary institutions were trained on the toolkits for screening and risk assessment of suicide and self-harm behaviour in penitentiary institutions in Armenia. The toolkits were developed within the Project in line with the Council of Europe standards.

Nine 2-day and two 1-day training sessions with 222 participants in total were organised. The trainings were preceded by the piloting of the toolkits in three selected penitentiary institutions in September 2021. The results of the piloting, introduction and usage of the toolkit, the involvement and role of the staff of different levels of the penitentiary institutions were among the main topics discussed during the workshops.

The participants agreed that the toolkits will enable the penitentiary staff to perform better the initial screening upon admission in a penitentiary institution in respect of the suicide and self-harm behavior in line with European standards.

The trainings were organised in March-June 2022 within the framework of the project “Enhancing health care and human rights protection in prisons in Armenia” implemented by the Council of Europe and financed by the Action Plan for Armenia 2019 -2022.


Armenpress: Mkhitaryan makes his first debut for Inter

Emil Lazarian

Mkhitaryan makes his first debut for Inter

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 09:53, 13 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 13, ARMENPRESS. Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan made his first debut for Inter Milan.

Inter beat Lugano 4-1 in their first pre-season friendly match in Switzerland.

Mkhitaryan was in the starting lineup and played the first half.

Inter’s next friendly match is with Monaco on July 16.

Wine routes to tell about Armenian winemaking by bringing a lot of tourists to Armenia

Emil Lazarian

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 10:36, 13 July 2022

YEREVAN, JULY 13, ARMENPRESS. Winemaking is one of the most prospective fields in Armenia. The sector is always full of new and interesting ideas and projects aimed at attracting tourists.

The Sea Of Wine program director Ani Manaseryan shared to ARMENPRESS another interesting program which is implemented for boosting the sector.

She said that the main purpose is to develop wine tourism in Armenia, but from a comprehensive perspective to position the partner countries of the Black Sea region as an important wine travel destination and help the concerned sides of wine tourism develop common approaches.

“I would like to note that in order to achieve this goal, wine routes have been developed during the program, and they are more than the routes with linear mapping, we have developed thematic routes “Wine and Art”, “Wine and Adventures”, “Wine and Gastronomy”, etc.

We have created a website for this which presents all winemaking factories in Armenia, their history and the list of wine tourism services. Trainings were also organized for winemaking concerned sides aimed at improving the tourism services”, Ani Manaseryan said.

She informed that one more event will be held soon entitled “Let’s Talk About Wine”. During the meeting the participants will discuss opportunities of improving the service quality of wine tourism.

The project is co-funded by the European Union and is being implemented by the International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education Foundation. The project involves Armenia, Georgia, Greece and Ukraine. “I want to note that Armenia is the coordinator of the project in the person of the International Center for Agribusiness Research and Education Foundation. We started it in 2020 August and will end by yearend”, she stated.