Anadolu Agency
Turkish Press: ‘Basmala’ found on 195 million-year-old marble
discovered in Turkey
Feb. 12, 2022
Markings that appear to form the Arabic word basmala ("In the name of
God") were found on a marble slab uncovered in a marble quarry in
Turkey’s Mediterranean province of Antalya.
The discovery was made in the marble business area of Antalya Marble
Industry and Trade Company in Taşkesiği village of the Antalya
Korkuteli district.
The figure that appeared on the stone attracted the attention of
miners while the stone was being processed in the quarry. Removing
dust from the stone, workers noticed the marking appeared to spell
"basmala" in Arabic letters.
The slab was then sent to Suleyman Demirel University in Turkey's
southwestern Isparta province for analysis.
Scientists Fuzuli Yağmurlu, Rasit Altındağ and Nazmi Şengün made an
interesting discovery in their analysis.
While 195 million-year-old remains were found in the content of the
marble, the marking is believed to have occurred naturally.
Bioclastic remains of fossils belonging to sea creatures that lived
195 million years ago during the Jurassic period were found in the
dolomitic limestone that formed the plate.
It was also noted that the remains are concentrated in parts of the plate.
The report said the figures on the plate that formed the word basmala
were completely "natural" formations and the writings were formed as a
result of the fragmentation, deformation and arrangement of the
remains of heart-shaped shellfish over time.
According to a scientific report given by Ahmet Ögke, Dean of Akdeniz
University Faculty of Theology, the Arabic figures on the marble are
the same characters as Basmala mentioned in the Quran.
Author: Garo Vardanian
Artsakh President signs decree on making changes in government’s structure
16:45, 9 February, 2022
STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. On February 9, President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan signed a decree “On making changes and amendments to the Artsakh Republic President’s decree ‘On the structure of the Government of the Artsakh Republic’ ” dated on 17 December, 2020, his Office said.
According to the decree:
– Ministry of Labor, Social and Migration Affairs was renamed to the Ministry of Social Development and Migration;
-the economic block has been separated from the Ministry of Economy and Agriculture and attached to the Ministry of Finance,
– The State Control Service (the successor of the current Control Service of the President of the Artsakh Republic) and the newly-created Committee on Material Damages have been added to the structure of public administration bodies.
Blinken and Cavusoglu discuss normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations
News.am
Armenia – Feb 8 2022
22:59, 08.02.2022
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the process of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations.
According to the State Department, the interlocutors discussed the normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations and additional steps the US could take to support these efforts.
The sides also discussed ways to further coordinate and unify NATO against the threat of further Russian escalation and aggression against Ukraine. The Secretary of State emphasized a shared commitment to Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and highlighted Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s willingness to support a diplomatic solution.
They also discussed opportunities to maintain a strong bilateral relationship between the US and Turkey.
Sports: Sargis Adamyan’s first training with Brugge
News.am
Armenia – Feb 1 2022
Armenian national team forward Sargis Adamyan, who moved to Brugge from German Hoffenheim on loan, had his first training with the Belgian club, the club’s press service reported.
The contract runs until the end of the season.
The 28-year-old footballer joined Hoffenheim in 2019, played 46 matches in the Bundesliga and scored 8 goals.
Investigation: Armenian President was ineligible for post due to secret second citizenship
Jan 25 2022
25 January 2022
Armen Sarkissian. Official photo.
An investigation by Armenian investigative outlet Hetq has revealed that former Armenian President Armen Sarkissian was not eligible for the office due to holding citizenship in Saint Kitts and Nevis, a small Caribbean nation.
Sarkissian, who announced his resignation from the presidency on Sunday night, had reportedly done so shortly after being contacted for comment about his Saint Kitts and Nevis citizenship by journalists.
In his resignation announcement, Sarkissian wrote that he was leaving the position because he lacked ‘tools’ to properly influence Armenia’s domestic and foreign policy. He did not mention the investigation.
[Read more: Armenian president resigns]
The Armenian Constitution stipulates that to be eligible for president, a candidate must have held only Armenian citizenship for six years prior to assuming office. Sarkissian had previously only acknowledged holding dual Armenian-British citizenship and had claimed he had renounced the latter in 2011 — seven years before becoming president.
According to Hetq, when approached for comment, Sarkissian confirmed that he had been a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis as late as 2017. He also reportedly said that he had become a citizen of the small island country and noted tax haven unwittingly through a citizenship-for-investment scheme after he invested into a hotel. ‘My motivation was to make investments, and I was not interested in my passport at all’, Hetq reports him as saying.
He also claimed that he had instructed his legal counsel to initiate a process of renouncing the citizenship in 2013, but, in 2017, when he was offered the Armenian presidency he discovered that the process was not carried out.
For now, Hetq has not made clear when Sarkissian initially became a citizen of Saint Kitts and Nevis. ‘We cannot provide many details of the investigation at this stage as it is a cross border investigation and not yet complete’, the Hetq article reads.
Bill Calls for Naming Part of 101 Freeway for Katcho Achadjian
The late Katcho Achadjian
A bill introduced by Republican California Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham on Wednesday seeks to name a portion of the 101 Freeway for the late lawmaker Kacho Achadjian, the San Luis Obispo Tribute reported.
Achadjian, who passed away in March, 2020 was beloved member of the California State Assembly, representing San Luis Obispo for six years, before which he was a 12-year member of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors.
“Katcho was my friend and mentor,” Cunningham said in a press statement Wednesday.
“He was an American success story and a true public servant who always put the Central Coast first. His legacy of energetic representation, consensus-building and public service is a model for all that seek elected office. While he will always be missed by the Central Coast community, the renaming of this segment of Highway 101 ensures that he will never be forgotten.”
“Katcho was the heart and soul of his family,” his wife, Araxie said in Cunningham’s news release Wednesday. “His love for his community was unconditional; his contributions to society were innumerable; his pride for this nation was unmatchable. … Thank you to Assemblyman Cunningham and this legislative body for honoring Katcho’s memory in such a meaningful way. We are sincerely grateful for their efforts.”
Achadjian, who grew up in Lebanon and moved to California, was a life-long member of the Homenetmen. In 2016, he and his wife, were named honorary presidents of the Navasartian Games.
In 2013, Achadjian joined the first California State delegation to Armenia and Artsakh led by the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region, and upon his return worked with his colleagues to create the first California Armenian Legislative Caucus.
A recipient of the Mkhitar Gosh Gratitude Medal bestowed by Artsakh President Bako Sahakian, Achadjian was also honored as the ANCA-WR Legislator of the Year at its annual gala banquet in 2013.
Throughout the six years of his tenure, he generously assisted in ensuring the success of numerous ANCA-WR events, including annual Advocacy Days in Sacramento, serving as a panelist at the 2015 ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference, traveling to Los Angeles from San Luis Obispo to enthusiastically support ANCA-WR town halls and banquets, and highlighting the ANCA-WR by recognizing its chair, Nora Hovsepian, as one of 80 Women of the Year in the State Capitol in 2015.
In 2016, Achadjian ran for Congress in California’s 24th District.
Deputy PM, Swedish Ambassador highlight immediate return of Armenian POWs, civilian captives from Azerbaijan
14:00,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 26, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister Hambardzum Matevosyan received today Ambassador of Sweden to Armenia Patrik Svensson, the deputy PM’s Office reports.
Deputy PM Matevosyan welcomed the current positive dynamics in the Armenian-Swedish bilateral relations and highly appreciated the interest of the Swedish government to contribute to Armenia’s reform agenda and its support provided during the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh war.
The Ambassador highlighted the partnership with Armenia and expressed the readiness of the Swedish government to contribute to the development of democracy, rule of law and human rights in Armenia.
At the meeting the sides highlighted the immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives held in Azerbaijan, and agreed that the resumption of negotiations around the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict must be carried out under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.
The meeting also touched upon the humanitarian problems caused by the war, as well as the Armenia-Turkey normalization process, and the efforts for establishing lasting peace and stability in the region.
While discussing issues on the agenda of the Armenian-Swedish cooperation, deputy PM Hambardzum Matevosyan highlighted the presence of Swedish companies in Armenia, particularly in road infrastructure construction processes, as well as the intensification of mutual partnership in judicial reforms, fight against corruption and protection of human rights.
CivilNet: Understanding the Impact of Armenia’s President’s Resignation
CIVILNET.AM
25 Jan, 2022 08:01
In this edition of Insights With Eric Hacopian, Eric unpacks Armenian President Armen Sarkissian’s resignation, and the impact it will likely have on the country in the long run.
Place in Paris to be named after Hrant Dink
10:33, 20 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. A place in Paris will be named after late Istanbul-Armenian journalist, editor of Agos daily, Hrant Dink, Deputy Mayor of Paris in charge of international relations and francophonie Arnaud Ngatcha said.
In a statement on social media, the Paris Deputy Mayor said that January 19 marks the 15th anniversary of the death of Hrant Dink who was killed in Istanbul. He reminded that Dink received the Oxfam Novib PEN Award for his activities in freedom of speech and reconciliation of Armenians and Turks.
“Paris will honor his memory by naming a place after him in the 13th arrondissement of the city”, Arnaud Ngatcha said.
List of 1000 top taxpayers of Armenia of 2021 published
15:45,
YEREVAN, JANAURY 24, ARMENPRESS. The State Revenue Committee of Armenia has published the list of 1000 major taxpayers of 2021.
The total amount of taxes paid by them to the state budget in 2021 comprised more than 1 trillion 206 billion drams.
The list is topped by Zangezur Copper and Molybdenum Combine (48,842,019 drams).
The next one is Gazprom Armenia (47,825,132 drams).
The third is the Staff of the Defense Ministry of Armenia (42,656,806).
The top 10 list of the taxpayer companies also include Grand Tobacco (42,157,046), Geopromining Gold (20,839,147), International Masis Tabak (20,235,400), CPS Oil (18,139,549), MTS Armenia (15,715,402), Flash (15,482,097) and Teghut (15,325,378).