The US House of Representatives passed the Cardenas-Schiff-Sherman Amendment demanding the release of Armenian POWs currently captive in Azerbaijan.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan has called for a return to the Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group.
This AUA capital campaign aims to raise $15 million for the construction and furnishing of a new Science and Engineering Building deemed imperative for advancing science and technology and keeping pace with the rapidly changing technological landscape in Armenia and beyond. The planned construction accommodates cutting-edge laboratories designed to realize innovative drone solutions, pioneering outcomes to chemical-mechanical challenges, electrical engineering transformations, machine learning-based innovations, renewable energy solutions, and other discoveries through Geographic Information Systems (GIS). With the addition of this research and innovation center, AUA will augment its involvement and impact in engineering the future of Armenia by measurably boosting the country’s development potential and advancing its prosperity and resilience.
Over the past 30 years, the University has continuously enriched its teaching and learning processes, growing from one building at its inception to an expanded campus that now accommodates 16 graduate and undergraduate academic programs and five certificate programs, enhanced learning and research platforms, and spaces for interdisciplinary collaborative endeavors. Moving into the fourth decade, the need to advance STEM education has become higher than ever before, driven by the visibly widening societal and educational gaps, and issues of economic stability and national security.
“In this era of advanced technologies, we have the unique responsibility to grow Armenia’s human capital by preparing and educating multi-skilled and competent leaders who are adept at turning information and knowledge into innovation, insight, and impact on a large scale,” remarks AUA President Dr. Karin Markides.
In advance of the launch of the ‘Build a Better Future With AUA’ capital campaign, AUA has successfully raised half of its $15 million goal. “We are incredibly grateful for the remarkable generosity of our growing donor community and proud of what we have been able to accomplish together. The results we have achieved to date speak to our strong influence as a first-class institution of higher learning and to the belief that AUA supporters hold in the mission of our University and this new capital campaign,” says Gaiane Khachatrian, Vice President of Development. Articulating her enthusiasm for attaining the set goal, she expressed confidence in the goodwill and commitment of individual visionaries in the diaspora as well as other benevolent foundations who will help AUA reach the finish line.
To learn more about the campaign, visit: in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, affiliated with the University of California, and accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission in the United States. AUA provides local and international students with Western-style education through top-quality undergraduate, graduate, and certificate programs, promotes research and innovation, encourages civic engagement and community service, and fosters democratic values.
—
Margarit Hovhannisyan | Communications Manager
Margarit Hovhannisyan|: Communication manager
+374 60 612 514,
mhovhannisyan@
__________________________________________
American University of Armenia
Republic of Armenia, 0019, Yerevan, Marshal Baghramyan Ave. 40:00
40 Baghramyan Avenue, Yerevan 0019, Republic of Armenia
30 AUA_Engineer the Future.jpg
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Rendering of the new AUA Science & Engineering Building designed by Marlene Imirzian & Associates Architects.png
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Thursday,
Pashinian Orders Strict Enforcement Of Vaccination Measure
Armenia - A medical worker holds a vial of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus
vaccine at a policlinic in Yerevan, April 28, 2021.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian told relevant authorities on Thursday to properly
enforce an administrative measure designed to accelerate the slow pace of
COVID-19 vaccination in Armenia.
A controversial directive signed by Health Minister Anahit Avanesian last month
obligates virtually all public and private sector employees refusing vaccination
to take coronavirus tests twice a month at their own expense.
Pashinian and other senior officials discussed its enforcement at a meeting in
Yerevan that also touched up the broader epidemiological situation in the
country.
“The prime minister instructed relevant state structures to do their part to
ensure compliance with the directive effective from October 1,” the Armenian
government’s press office said in a statement on the meeting.
The requirement has been condemned as illegal by some critics of the government
and individuals opposed to any vaccination. Avanesian has defended it, saying
that vaccines are the most effective way to minimize coronavirus infections.
The minister spoke at Thursday’s meeting of a “positive dynamic” in the
vaccination process. She said a record 9,900 people were inoculated against
COVID-19 in Armenia on Wednesday.
According to the Ministry of Health, nearly 367,000 vaccine shots were
administered in the country of about 3 million as of September 19. Just under
130,000 of its residents were fully vaccinated.
The daily number of officially confirmed coronavirus cases has been slowly but
steadily rising since June. The Ministry of Health reported on Thursday morning
939 new cases and 19 coronavirus-related deaths.
Avanesian said that Armenian hospitals treating COVID-19 patients are
increasingly overwhelmed by the latest resurgence of the disease. The
hospitalized patients include 25 children and 30 pregnant women, she said.
Local Officials Slam Government Plans To Merge Armenian Communities
• Karine Simonian
Armenia - Lawmakers, local and central government officials and experts attend
parliamentary hearings on government plans to consolidate Armenia's local
communities, Yerevan, .
Local officials from various regions of Armenia have denounced government plans
to merge virtually all cities and villages into much bigger communities.
The Armenian parliament will start debating on Friday a government bill that
would reduce from 441 to 37 the number of the country’s local communities. Most
of them already consist of multiple villages and/or small towns consolidated by
the former government.
The new administrative units would essentially match Soviet Armenia’s districts
that were dissolved and merged in the mid-1990s into ten provinces run by
governors appointed by the central government. The provinces comprise
communities with elected mayors and local councils.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s cabinet drafted the bill this summer, saying
that it will improve local self-government and make budgetary spending on
communities more efficient. Pashinian said the measure is the result of a
“political decision” made by his administration and will not be reversed if it
sparks protests.
Such protests have been staged in recent weeks by residents of some mostly small
and rural communities across Armenia.
“Enlarged communities have more possibilities and resources to organize
themselves and address local self-government issues more effectively,” Deputy
Minister of Territorial Administration and Infrastructures Vache Terterian
insisted during parliamentary hearings on the bill held on Wednesday.
Local government officials attending the hearings strongly disagreed, saying
that the new administrative division sought by the government is illogical. They
also criticized the government for not consulting with local residents and
administrations and demanded that the bill be put on hold.
One of the disgruntled officials, Emilia Martirosian, represented the
administration of Margahovit, a village in Lori province. The government wants
to make it part of a Lori community centered around the larger village of Pambak.
Martirosian argued that Margahovit and Pambak have no common administrative
boundary or a road directly connecting them. “On what grounds are you going to
unite Margahovit with Pambak?” she asked.
In Gegharkunik province, the government wants to merge the village of Tsovagyugh
with Sevan, a town located 17 kilometers south of it. The Tsovagyugh mayor,
Armen Amiraghian, claimed that fewer government-funded infrastructure projects
would be implemented in his village as a result.
“Tsovagyugh will not develop, but Sevan and other towns will,” Amiraghian said.
“There won’t be any development in villages.”
Other community heads saw political motives behind the community consolidation
which would require the conduct of fresh local elections.
One of them, Hakob Avetian, runs Geghamasar, a Gegharkunik community comprising
several villages close to the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. Under the
controversial bill, they as well as three dozen other villages would be
incorporated into the nearby town of Vartenis.
Avetian said during the hearings that the government wants to oust him in this
way because he supported the main opposition Hayastan bloc in the parliamentary
elections held in June.
Edgar Ghazarian, a former governor of Vayots Dzor province very critical of
Pashinian, said the government is seeking to unite the provincial town of Vayk
with Zaritap, a nearby rural community, for the same reason. He pointed out that
the mayors of both communities also supported the opposition during the
parliamentary race.
Sergei Bagratian, a pro-government lawmaker from Vayots Dzor, dismissed
Ghazarian’s claims. He said that the current authorities are on the contrary
trying to “correct” politically motivated mergers carried out by their
predecessors.
The former government consolidated and enlarged local communities in 2016-2017
on a smaller scale. It too met with resistance from many of their residents.
Armenia, Azerbaijan ‘Not Negotiating’ On Border Demarcation
• Astghik Bedevian
ARMENIA -- Azerbaijani (L) and Armenian outposts at the Sotk gold mine on the
Armenian-Azerbaijani border, June 18, 2021
Armenia and Azerbaijan have still not started negotiations on demarcating their
long and contested border, a senior Armenian official said on Thursday.
Tensions have run high in recent months at several sections of the border where
Azerbaijani troops reportedly advanced a few kilometers into Armenian territory
in mid-May.
Responding to a continuing military standoff there, Russia, the United States
and the European Union have repeatedly called on Baku and Yerevan to start
delimiting and demarcating the frontier. Moscow has offered to act as a mediator
in such talks.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian stated later in May that the talks are
conditional on an Azerbaijani withdrawal from Armenia’s “sovereign territory”
and the release of dozens of Armenian prisoners held in Azerbaijan one year
after the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. But he indicated in early August that his
government is ready to negotiate without any preconditions.
Eduard Aghajanian, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian parliament
committee on foreign relations, confirmed that Yerevan now stands for the
unconditional start of demarcation talks. He said the Azerbaijani troop
withdrawal and release of the Armenian prisoners would create a “positive
background” for them.
Aghajanian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that the talks have not started yet.
He said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev is linking them to a “peace treaty”
that would commit Armenia to recognizing Azerbaijani sovereignty over Karabakh.
“Naturally, this cannot be acceptable to us,” added the former chief of
Pashinian’s staff.
Tigran Abrahamian, a lawmaker representing the opposition Pativ Unem bloc,
criticized the Armenian government’s negotiating strategy.
“They are trying to make people believe that the demarcation process will
quickly solve all contentious issues,” said Abrahamian. “In fact, it will never
solve those issues. We are well aware what the negotiations conducted by these
authorities for the past three years led to and what tragic consequences they
had.”
Opposition politicians and other critics of the government have for months been
alleging that Pashinian is ready to cede more Armenian territory to Baku as a
result of the planned demarcation process. The prime minister and his allies
deny that.
Armenian, Russian Officials Discuss Azeri Roadblock
Armenia - Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikian (R) meets with Russian Ambassador
Sergei Kopyrkin, Yerevan, .
Deputy Prime Minister Suren Papikian on Thursday discussed with Russia’s
ambassador in Yerevan continuing disruptions in Armenia’s trade with Iran caused
by an Azerbaijani checkpoint set up on the main highway connecting the two
neighboring countries.
The road runs from Goris, a town in Armenia’s Syunik province, to the provincial
capital Kapan and further south to the Armenian-Iranian border. The Armenian
government controversially ceded a 21-kilometer section of it to Azerbaijan last
December, saying that it is located on the Azerbaijani side of the Soviet-era
Armenian-Azerbaijani border.
The government said at the time that travellers in Armenia will continue to use
the strategic highway without any road checks. Russian border guards deployed in
Syunik following last year’s Armenian-Azerbaijani war were supposed to guarantee
their safety.
They reportedly began escorting Armenian cars driving along the
Azerbaijani-controlled stretch one week after Azerbaijani authorities set up the
checkpoint on September 12 to stop and tax Iranian trucks. Many of the truck
drivers have refused to pay hefty “road taxes.”
Armenia - Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin talks to Russian
soldiers deployed in Syunik, June 3, 2021
The disruption was on the agenda of Papikian’s meeting with Russian Ambassador
Sergei Kopyrkin which the government said focused on a wide range of issues of
mutual interest, including defense, security and energy.
“We also discussed the situation at the Goris-Kapan highway section, emphasizing
Russia’s important and constructive role in terms of reducing tensions and
finding solutions to arising problems,” Papikian wrote on his Facebook page. He
did not elaborate.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, said last week that
the road crisis underscores the need to demarcate the Armenian-Azerbaijani
border. She said Moscow submitted relevant proposals to Baku and Yerevan and is
awaiting their responses.
“In the meantime, we will continue joint efforts to unblock transport and
economic links in the region in line with the implementation of
[Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani] agreements reached at the highest level,” added
Zakharova.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2021 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: SEPT. 23, 2021
CONTACT: RUPEN JANBAZIAN
DIRECTOR, PUBLIC RELATIONS
YEREVAN +374-98-222-5578
[email protected]
The Hakobyan family residence is the sixth of a total of 16 homes in the Martuni region that the Tufenkian Foundation is renovating and restoring
Martuni, Artsakh (TUFENKIAN FOUNDATION)—Thirty-year-old Martuni resident Hayk Hakobyan, who was injured during last year’s war against Azerbaijan, was given the keys to his renovated family home on Sept. 16, following a successful crowdfunding campaign organized by the Tufenkian Foundation.
The courtyard of the Hakobyan home was hit by an Azerbaijani shell during last year’s war while Hayk volunteered on the front lines. “Not only was our son injured in the war, but he also returned to a damaged home in dire need of repair,” explained Hayk’s mother Ninel Hakobyan. Hayk, who lives with his mother and brother, was wounded while fighting in Koghak. He sustained injuries on his head, ear, and lung while fighting alongside his brother Harout.
Since the 2016 April War, the Tufenkian Foundation has been actively supporting wounded soldiers and their families. Focusing on the area of accessible housing, Tufenkian provided assistance to veterans disabled during the first Artsakh War in the early 1990s, the April 2016 war, as well as those injured during other attacks along the line of contact over the years. “Unfortunately, last year’s war drastically increased the number of wounded soldiers and damaged homes,” explained Tufenkian Foundation operations director Greg Bedian. “We have identified veterans and families of fallen soldiers who require immediate assistance regarding accessible housing. Today, we are proud to hand over this house to Hayk, who so bravely volunteered to protect his people,” Bedian added.
The renovation and furnishing of the Hakobyan home were made possible through a crowdfunding campaign, which was organized by the Foundation and concluded in late July. “Thanks to the generous contributions of our friends and supporters, we surpassed our goal and raised more than $43,000,” explained Tufenkian Foundation public relations director Rupen Janbazian. The funds secured through the campaign also financed the reconstruction of another wounded veteran’s family home. The second home, which belongs to 27-year-old Hayk Hayiryan, is slated to be handed over in October.
The Hakobyan family residence is the sixth of a total of 16 homes in the Martuni region that the Tufenkian Foundation is renovating and restoring following the perils of the 2020 war. “We at Tufenkian have a long track record of assisting our wounded soldiers and the families of our fallen heroes—we proudly matched the first $10,000 raised in this particular campaign. Our Wounded Soldier Support and Damaged Home Reconstruction and Repairs initiatives will go on to help several other families throughout the region,” Janbazian added.
* * *
Established in 1999, the Tufenkian Foundation addresses the most pressing social, economic, cultural, and environmental challenges facing Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabagh). Since its inception, the Tufenkian Foundation has supported various community initiatives as well as civic activism and public advocacy campaigns to help improve life in Armenia, while providing housing, education, social, health, and livelihood support for the Armenians of Artsakh.
###
ATTACHED IMAGES:
1. Hayk Hakobyan’s mother Ninel stands at the entrance of the family’s renovated home in Martuni (Photo: Tufenkian Foundation)
2. Tufenkian Foundation operations director Greg Bedian (far R) toasting the Hakobyan’s new home. Hayk is pictured second from the left. (Photo: Tufenkian Foundation)
3. Before (L) and after (R) images of the interior of the Hakobyan home. (Photos: Tufenkian Foundation)
—
Rupen Janbazian
Armenian FM urges to add pressure on Baku to ensure NK people’s rights at UN Ministerial meeting
21:51,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 23, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly, the Ministerial meeting of the “Alliance for Multilateralism” platform took place, where the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan made a speech.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, highly appreciating the opportunity of holding a Ministerial meeting on the Alliance for Multilateralism platform and the opportunity to participate, Mirzoyan noted that Armenia reaffirms its strong commitment to multilateralism, which gains further importance today in the face of growing disasters around the world.
Speaking about Covid-19 pandemic, Mirzoyan noted that it has had a severe impact on every state, hindering economic progress and disrupting the security environment both in the region and in the world.
“In the light of the global pandemic, the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh and its people led to a humanitarian catastrophe. Even today, Azerbaijan continues to block the entry of humanitarian missions to Artsakh, depriving civilians of access to humanitarian aid“, Mirzoyan said, adding that since one of the main goals of the Alliance is protect, preserve and develop the international law, including the international humanitarian law, ‘’We call on all the members not only to strengthen pressure against Azerbaijan for ensuring the rights of the people of Nagorno Karabakh and returning the Armenian POWs, but to also support the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group for finding a lasting political solution to Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
15:11,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. The Defense and Security Affairs committee of parliament is setting up a working group on the border situation in Syunik province, the committee’s chair Andranik Kocharyan said during a meeting in response to opposition Hayastan MP Artur Ghazinyan’s offer to do so.
“The working group is being formed for next week. Committee member Armen Khachatryan is now in Syunik regarding organizational matters,” Kocharyan said.
Earlier a similar proposal was made by opposition Pativ Unem MP Tigran Abrahamyan, who had said that the committee should form a task force to get acquainted with the border situation and give accurate assessments.
Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan
18:05,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. The President of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon sent a congratulatory message to Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Armenia. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of the Prime Minister, the message runs as follows,
‘’Dear Nikol Vovaevich,
With kind regards, I extend our sincere congratulations to you and the entire friendly people of Armenia on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the indepedence of the Republic.
During these years, Armenia has recorded a range of achievements in the socio-economic development of the country, the improvement of the welfare of the people, and the strengthening of its position in the international arena.
Tajikistan highly appreciates the historical relations of friendship, multilateral partnership with Armenia, intending to strengthen and develop them in all directions.
I am confident that with joint efforts we will be able to give greater intensity and dynamics to the Tajik-Armenian cooperation, which is in line with the fundamental interests of our peoples. We are determined to make every effort to achieve that goal.
Dear Nikol Vovaevich,
On this festive day, I wish you health and success, and peace and welfare to the friendly people of Armenia’’.
Pro-government lawmakers voted down a proposal of opposition Armenia faction MP Artur Ghazinyan to discuss the situation on Armenia’s borders at the meeting of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Defense and Security on Wednesday.
“Today the proposal to discuss the issue in an emergency mode was rejected by the ruling force, it was not put on the agenda, while the need to address the same issue in the future has arisen,” Ghazinyan said at the meeting.
He noted that the proposal was specific and was about the establishment of a working group, as provided by the Rules of Procedure, but it was rejected.
The appointment of the deputy chairman of the Armenian parliament’s Standing Committee on Defense and Security is being thwarted for various reasons, MP Tigran Abrahamyan from the opposition I’m Honored bloc told reporters on Wednesday.
His comments came after the ruling Civil Contract faction MPs voted against the candidacy of opposition Armenia faction MP Artur Ghazinyan for the post for the fourth time.
Abrahamyan said that the failure to appoint a deputy chair disrupts the activity of the Committee on Defense and Security.
“There is another aspect, too. It is unacceptable that the committee holds a meeting to discuss an issue, which has no significance for the public. There are priorities that have been set and presented during this period. They are related to the problems on the border, the concept of army reforms, as well as the situation on Goris-Kapan interstate road, but are not put on the agenda,” the lawmaker said.
He considers it inappropriate to constantly delay the appointment of the deputy chairman of the committee against the backdrop of such important issues.
“It goes to show that the authorities are deliberately disrupting the work of the committee,” Abrahamyan said.
Referring to the nomination of another candidate, the opposition MP noted that it’s not for the authorities to decide which candidate should be nominated by the opposition.
“At the moment we have decided to take a common position on the issue of candidates. We won’t be guided by the whims of the authorities,” he said, underlining that security issues are a priority for him.
by Ambassador Lynne M. Tracy, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia
Exactly thirty years ago, the Armenian people overwhelmingly voted to secede from the Soviet Union, taking the first step to regain their status as an independent, sovereign nation.
Today, as we commemorate the 30th anniversary of its independence, I see the strength and resiliency of the Armenian people and the commitment to building a better future despite the unprecedented challenges of a global pandemic and war Armenia has faced in the last year. I see an old nation that has used its independence to chart a new history. An Armenia that is taking a path of democratic reform and developing economic opportunities for its citizens while seeking to address critical security concerns. For thirty years, these have been the bases of U.S.-Armenia partnership rooted in shared values.
Building a Broad and Deep Partnership
We opened the first U.S. Embassy in Yerevan in 1992, shortly after Armenia’s independence; but the U.S.-Armenia partnership predates the official establishment of diplomatic relations between our two countries. As far back as 1919 under President Woodrow Wilson’s administration, the American government provided relief support to Armenians throughout the region impacted by the Genocide.
The United States later played an active role in helping Armenia recover from the devastating 1988 earthquake, with the U.S. government and private citizens providing technical and financial assistance to aid in recovery efforts and help those displaced by the disaster. The overwhelming U.S. response underscored both the scale of the tragedy but also the depth of the people-to-people ties between our countries. And it would be impossible to talk about our people-to-people ties without acknowledging America’s vibrant Armenian diaspora community that has been an enduring source of strength for both our countries and our relations.
With the establishment of official diplomatic relations between the United States and Armenia, the door opened wider on the possibilities for our partnership. Indeed, three decades later and having provided nearly $3 billion dollars in U.S. assistance, our ties are stronger than ever. Building and maintaining strong democratic institutions, advancing the rule of law and combating corruption, providing humanitarian support to the vulnerable, improving the capacity of the security structures, unlocking and promoting economic opportunities, strengthening health care systems, preserving cultural heritage, expanding access to education, investing in people through exchange programs, and supporting regional peace initiatives underscore the broad bilateral relationship that Americans and Armenians have worked together to establish and strengthen.
Resiliency Amid Challenges
A key thread that ties together our diverse partnership is the aim to improve people’s lives, to keep us all healthy and safe, and to leave a better world for our children. As President Biden stated earlier this year in his commemoration of the Armenian Genocide: “Let us also turn our eyes to the future — toward the world that we wish to build for our children. A world unstained by the daily evils of bigotry and intolerance, where human rights are respected, and where all people are able to pursue their lives in dignity and security.”
The last twenty months have been trying, yet they again showed the resiliency of the Armenian people and the strength of Armenia’s democracy. This summer we saw a parliamentary election which was not only praised by international observers for upholding fundamental freedoms but was also a source of pride for many Armenians who saw the country’s democratic institutions stand strong in the face of adversity. And while we will not forget the challenges, tragedies and hardships which persist to this day, we should not lose sight of all that Armenia has achieved and potential to achieve.
Building on the strong foundation of ties developed over the last thirty years, we continue to see a positive future for the U.S.-Armenia relationship – and continue to look with confidence at the future for Armenia — a sovereign, prosperous state accountable to its people and secure with its neighbors. We look forward to our continuing partnership as Armenia follows the path it began on September 21, 1991.