Author: Garnik Tadevosian

Another scandal connected with Russian military base in Armenia

Garnik Tadevosian
JAM News
JAMnews, Yerevan
Artur Xachatryan

A sharp reaction from Prime Minister Pashinyan as surprise military exercises cause panic among residents of Panik village

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan described the exercises conducted by the 102nd Russian military base in Panik village as a provocation against the sovereignty of Armenia and that it affects Armenian-Russian relations.

“Those responsible for the incident must be identified and brought to justice,” Pashinyan said.

Explosions and shots in the village caused panic among residents, as they were not warned about the exercises.

Karen Sarukhanyan, the governor of Shirak region where the base is located, met with base representatives. He said that the military had apologized:

“They say that all this was a force majeure situation; they were not going to implement it in this place, for which they apologized and assured that it will not happen again.

“An official investigation is being conducted whereafter the guilty will be punished. They said they will organize an open day event and invite the residents, so that no hostility arises. They said that we are fraternal countries, it was just negligence.”

Read more on the crimes and tragedies related to the Russian military base in Gyumri.

Pashinyan’s statement was criticized by the representative of the former ruling Republican Party, Armen Ashotyan. In his opinion, there was no need to react so sharply to the incident in Panik village:

“It is unequivocal that any encroachment on the sovereignty of Armenia is unacceptable. But this case was not that. Since yesterday, the incident with the exercises could be considered exhausted in the public discourse. Accept the apologies of the Russian military and continue relations in their working order, excluding such cases in the future.”

According to Ashotyan it is dangerous to give assessments that do not correspond to the strategic depth of Russian-Armenian relations.

Balayan: Statement on conflicts in NATO summit declaration reflects Armenian side’s approach

Garnik Tadevosian
Arminfo, Armenia
Balayan: Statement on conflicts in NATO summit declaration reflects Armenian side’s approach

Yerevan July 16

Marianna Mkrtchyan. The Armenian Foreign Ministry is familiar with the various comments and assessments regarding the excerpts in the declaration of the latest NATO summit, the Armenian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Tigran Balayan stated at a briefing on July 16. At the same time he added that he do not want to conduct a linguistic analysis on this issue during the briefing. “One thing is clear: the 67th paragraph of the declaration of the latest NATO summit envisages that negotiations or conflicts should be settled in the current formats and on the basis of the principles of international law, in particular, on the basis of the UN Charter and the Helsinki Final Act.” This is what we are talking about – based on international norms and in the current format, “Balayan summed up.

To note, the final declaration of the NATO summit in Brussels contains a call for the peaceful resolution of conflicts in the South Caucasus. In paragraph 67 of the Declaration, it is noted: ” We continue to support the right of all our partners to make independent and sovereign choices on foreign and security policy, free from external pressure and coercion. We remain committed in our support for the territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and the Republic of Moldova. In this context, we continue to support efforts towards a peaceful settlement of the conflicts in the South Caucasus, as well as in the Republic of Moldova, based upon these principles and the norms of international law, the UN Charter, and the Helsinki Final Act. We urge all parties to engage constructively and with reinforced political will in peaceful conflict resolution, within the established negotiation frameworks”.


Luxembourg ratifies Armenia-EU Agreement

Garnik Tadevosian
| 18:05 | June 29 2018
Category
World

The Chamber of Deputies of Luxembourg has ratified the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA), the Armenian Embassy in Brussels said on Twitter.

58 MPs voted in favor of the Agreement.

Thus, Luxembourg is the 6th EU state that has ratified the Armenia-EU Agreement.

Armenia and the EU signed the CEPA in Brussels on November 24, 2017.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Poland have also ratified the Agreement.

The Armenian Parliament unanimously ratified the CEPA on April 11.

On June 27 the Agreement has also been ratified by the lower house (Chamber of Deputies) of the Romanian parliament.

Foreign ministry urges to rely on official Armenia military info as Azeri media start disinformation campaign

Garnik Tadevosian
| 11:57 | June 18 2018
Categories
Artsakh
Politics
Region

Armenia’s foreign ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan says the Azerbaijani media reports on capturing 11,000 hectares of land in the Nakhivejan section are disinformation.

He urged to solely rely on the official information of the defense ministry of Armenia.

“The latest conversation that we had with our colleagues from the defense ministry was half an hour ago, Azerbaijani media reported about the 11,000 hectares yesterday evening and today in the morning that serious battles are underway, an attack is being planned. This all is false, I am asking to rely only on the official information of our defense ministry, which hasn’t given any reason for doubt during these years,” he said.

He said that diplomats of Armenia are notifying the international community about Azerbaijan’s military build-up at the Armenian border and the Artsakh line of contact.

Speaking about the fact that Azerbaijan is carrying out these actions during the regional visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Balayan said: “Our approaches are public, we gave a special commentary regarding the killing of a soldier in Artsakh a day ahead of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ visit. A provocation, which resulted in the death of a defense army soldier, this once again shows Azerbaijan’s contemptuous treatment to its commitments and first of all towards the Co-Chairing countries and the institution of Co-Chairmanship.”

Danny Tarkanian wins Nevada GOP congressional primary

Garnik Tadevosian
Public Radio of Armenia
16:43, 14 Jun 2018

Photo: David Becker/Getty Images

 

Republican Danny Tarkanian, son of legendary UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian, and Democrat Susie Lee, a Las Vegas philanthropist, have captured their parties’ nominations in southern Nevada’s 3rd District, where incumbent Democratic Rep. Jacky Rosen advanced to face GOP Sen. Dean Heller in what promises to be one of the most important races for the U.S. Senate, the Associated Press reports.

Former one-term Reps. Steven Horsford, a Democrat, and Cresent Hardy, a Republican, also prevailed to set up a rematch in the 4th District. It stretches from north of Las Vegas through four rural counties in the western battleground state that Democrat Hillary Clinton carried in her loss to President Donald Trump in 2016.

Both House seats will be up for grabs in November and could play an important role in Democrats’ hopes of cutting into GOP majorities in Congress.

Tarkanian — who had won three previous GOP primaries, but lost five general elections — lost to Rosen in 2016 by fewer than 4,000 votes in the 3rd District, which covers much of suburban Las Vegas.

He launched a combative primary bid to knock off Heller, but bowed out of the race in March under pressure from President Trump and others, and announced his candidacy for what promises to be the costliest congressional race in Nevada this fall.

According to The Hill, Danny Tarkanian is projected to win his Republican congressional primary on Tuesday in the race to replace outgoing Rep. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) in November.

Festival: Armenian cuisine festival in photos and video

Garnik Tadevosian
Jam News
Tigranuhi Martirosyan, Yerevan. Photos and video: Sirakan Abroyan, JAMnews
Naira Martikian

Passers-by were rteated with over 100 dishes in the centre of Yerevan


The centre of Yerevan was filled with delicious smells for two days this week, enticing foodies from all over to come and join.

Armenian songs and dances added to the atmosphere of Yerevan’s Taste festival, which featured traditional Armenian dishes on 20 pavilions in the tourist friendly downtown area which was chosen for visibility reasons. Locals and tourists alike were offered to try popular dishes, some common to everyday Armenian cooking as well as dishes prepared according to old recipes that are rarely made, if at all.

“The festival was held for the fourth time. This year more than 60 festive, even ritual dishes, which are usually prepared for the New Year or for some religious holidays, were made. This year the festival was dedicated to the 2 800th anniversary of our beloved capital – Yerevan,” said Gevorg Orbelian, the head of the Yerevan City Hall Tourism Department.

To prepare many of these traditional dishes, old utensils, which were also displayed, are used. For example chnotsi [churn], which is a special earthenware or wooden barrel suspended via a rope from logs, and in which milk is beaten to obtain oil, sour cream and tana [a sour milk drink -ed].

Few use it nowadays, though cooks say that without the old utensils you can’t get the right flavour.

According to ethnographer Khoren Grigoryan, there are many complex dishes in Armenian cuisine. Some of the ingredients grow only in Armenia, some seasonings and products have no analogues to replace them, and the cooking process takes a long time:

“The ingredients of some dishes are slowly boiled or marinated for 10-12 days. For example, Akandzhapur, meat balls in dough soup also known as ‘ears’, is prepared by the whole family – it is impossible to cook it alone, because many ingredients are used – and everything needs to be cooked separately. It is a whole ritual. Food was given great importance, and the cohesion [of the family, which jointly prepared it -ed] was appreciated.”

The ethnographer says that in Armenian cuisine there are a lot of dishes made with lamb, veal, pork and poultry. Among them, a special place is reserved for arisa. This is a porridge made with wheat and chicken, which is cooked all day long. The tradition of preparing arisa is kept in many Armenian families, and each has its own secret recipe for how to cook the dish.

Sedrak Mamulyan , the chairman of the Preservation and Development of Armenian Culinary Traditions organization, explained the aims of the festival:

“The main thing for us [the organizers of the festival -ed] is that our people should know the fundamentals and roots of their holidays and national cuisine. And, of course, this is the best way to spread Armenian traditions and stimulate tourism.”

Mamoulian, a famous chef in Armenia, considers it important that people try traditional konchol soup, which is made from bread, eggs and greens. She also hopes to inspire people to start cooking gapama at home again (gapama is a pumpkin stuffed with rice made with honey and dried fruits, and that the youth learn about mshosh, a dish made of lentils and dried apricots.

The festival attracted many tourists. Organizers believe that by trying Armenian dishes, they get acquainted with the traditions of the country and its culture, as well as mentality and character of the local residents. And since the guests will take with them these impressions and share them in their own countries, it will attract other tourists here.


Ashot Manucharyan: People should make corts serve them (video)

Garnik Tadevosian
  • 16:35 | May 24,2018 | Politics
  • Armenian:
  • Rus

Ashot Manucharyan, a member of the Karabakh Committee, believed that the “Sasna Tsarer” group members could be considered political prisoners because the reasons for their actions were purely political. The previous government has eliminated and equated all the paths and levers of zero through which it would be possible to fight.

According to Manucharyan, after the revolution, there was an institute called the Revolutionary Committee, which is now the decision maker concerning the situation in the country.

“Pashinyan declared it. He says he will not put pressure on the courts, which is right. It would not be okay if Nikol Pashinyan or someone else dictated to the court. There are many courts in Armenia, prosecutors, they must be independent, but the situation is not the case. There are no worse things that serve the country but them. But the people, whom Nikol Pashinyan called the revolutionary committee, and the revolutionary people created a revolutionary committee and dictate now. He must ask these judges to serve the people. That is what the people consider fair, it is right. ”

Ashot Manucharyan also drew parallels with the 1988 Karabakh Movement.

“Frankly speaking, I was against Nikol Pashinyan entering the government. There could be someone else there. It was Karabakh Committee’s gross mistake that he entered the government. That is why we lost the revolution and lost the organized people. There is nothing higher than people governing,”said Ashot Manucharyan.


For years, at building of government, on demand of justice (video)

Garnik Tadevosian
  • 17:25 | May 24,2018 | Social
  • Armenian:
  • Rus

As every Thursday, it iwas crowded near the government building. Hovsep Muradyan, his son’s photo in his hands, has been standing at the government building for years, demanding justice. His soldier son, Arman Muradyan, died five years ago in peaceful conditions.

“My son was killed by a weapon not belonging to him. Artur Davtyan, if you declare that you did not fail, why haven’t you answered our letter so far? You are a criminal, you have to leave.”

Teacher Kima Hovakyan demands from the state her 7-year pension. She left for abroad in 1997 and returned 10 years later.

“They have given to me only three years’ pension. I demand my work to be returned to me, I do not want mercy. ”

In order not to pay utility charges, the woman appeared in court as a defendant.


Fire breaks out in car on Halabyan Street

Garnik Tadevosian
  • 20:44 | May 22,2018 | Official
  • Armenian:
  • Rus

On May 22, at 17:34, the 911 hotline received information that a fire broke out on a car in Yerevan’s Karo Halabyan Street.

It turned out that a “Dodge” car was on fire in front of #11 Halabyan street. There are no victims.

The fire was isolated at 17:47 and extinguished at 18:03.

The car was partially burnt.

Pashinyan certain in upcoming productivity of his Cabinet

Garnik Tadevosian
| 16:09 | May 15 2018
Category
Politics

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he is convinced that the government will work productively.

Pashinyan was talking to reporters about discussions on the appointments of young officials in the Cabinet. “They are saying he is inexperienced, without experience of administration about me too. We are beginning a new chapter. I think the composition of the government is balanced. Both the experienced and inexperienced are inexperienced in being ministers and not in life and political career.

A minister’s activity isn’t a specialized, rather a political activity: I am convinced that the government will work productively. If issues relating to productivity arise in terms of individual officials and ministers, they will be quickly solved, but I am convinced that everything will be good,” PM Pashinyan said.