Author: Hagop Kamalian

Horasis China Meeting 2020 in Armenia delayed due to COVID-19, to take place in 2021

Hagop Kamalian

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 12:50,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 27, ARMENPRESS. Horasis announced today that it delayed its Horasis China Meeting 2020, which was scheduled to take place in Yerevan, Armenia in October, due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, and will hold it in October 24-25, 2021 in Yerevan, the Armenian President’s Office told Armenpress.

The Horasis China Meeting 2021 will be co-hosted by ATOM Foundation and the China Federation of Industrial Economics under the auspices of the President of the Republic of Armenia.

More than 300 members of the Horasis Visions Community from business and government will join an intense two-day programme to discuss how to overcome the COVID-19 crisis.

Participants will discuss opportunities and challenges that Chinese firms need to identify and address successfully as they engage globally. Furthermore, the Horasis China Meeting will play an accelerating role in the rapidly expanding trade and foreign investment between China and Armenia – both countries enjoy broad prospects of cooperation within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Some of the functions will be attended by high-ranking Armenian and Chinese politicians and other public figures.

The Horasis China Meeting is a comprehensive platform for the CEOs of the world’s leading companies to actively engage with China and its leaders from both business and government. The event is the foremost annual gathering of Chinese business leaders and their global counterparts. The location of the meeting rotates annually, and has been held in Geneva/Switzerland (2005, 2006), Frankfurt/Germany (2007), Barcelona/Spain (2008), Lisbon/Portugal (2009), City of Luxembourg/Luxembourg (2010), Valencia/Spain (2011), Riga/Latvia (2012), The Hague/The Netherlands (2013), Lake Como/Italy (2014), Cascais/Portugal (2015), Interlaken/Switzerland (2016), Sheffield/United Kingdom (2017), Kyiv, Ukraine (2018) and Las Vegas, USA (2019).

On October 1, 2020, a remote session dedicated to the promotion of Armenia’s science-based economy will be held at the extraordinary meeting of Horasis, which will enable to discuss Armenia’s investment climate and growth prospects.

ATOM (Advanced Tomorrow): ATOM Foundation is planning and implementing educational, scientific, social, cultural and charity programs and events both in Armenia and abroad.

Horasis: The Global Visions Community is an independent international organization committed to inspiring our future. In addition to the Horasis China Meeting, Horasis hosts the Horasis Global Meeting as well as other regional events focusing on India and South East Asia.

Razminfo: Azerbaijan institutes cases against Armenian officer Gurgen Alaverdyan under 5 articles

Hagop Kamalian
News.am,  Armenia
Aug 26 2020

16:05, 26.08.2020
                  

UCLA Promise Armenian Institute to host first distinguished lecture series

Hagop Kamalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 26 2020

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The UCLA Promise Armenian Institute, in collaboration with the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR), the Ararat-Eskijian Museum, the UCLA Richard Hovannisian Endowed Chair in Modern Armenian History, and the UCLA Center for Near Eastern Studies, will present the first in its Distinguished Lecture Series, “When Was the Decision Made to Annihilate the Armenians?,” to be delivered by Professor Taner Akçam of Clark University. The webinar will take place on Monday, September 14. Professor A. Dirk Moses of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will serve as the discussant for this lecture.

In this presentation, Professor Akçam will introduce some newly unearthed documents from the Ottoman archives in Istanbul that indicate that the first decision to exterminate Armenians was taken on December 1, 1914, well before most scholars in the field ever suggested. In these documents, the Turkish term for extermination [imha] is openly used by local governors who were directly involved in the decision-making process to exterminate the Armenians. Akçam will also introduce a letter dated March 3, 1915, written by Bahaettin Şakir, the head of Teşkilat-ı Mahsusa (aka the Special Organization) and one of the main architects of the Armenian Genocide.

This letter conveys that the Central Committee of Union and Progress had already decided to exterminate the Armenians, giving the government wide authority to implement this plan. The scholarly world has long ignored or declined to cite this letter due to allegations that it was fake. Drawing on newly available documents, Akçam will show the authenticity of this letter and argue that the question of the decision(s) for the extermination of Armenians and the role of governors should be revisited.

Taner Akçam is the Kaloosdian and Mugar Chair in Modern Armenian History and Genocide in the Strassler Center for Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Clark University. Akçam is widely recognized as one of the first Turkish scholars to write extensively on the Ottoman-Turkish Genocide of the Armenians in the early twentieth century. His latest book is Killing Orders: Talat Pasha’s Telegrams and the Armenian Genocide (Palgrave 2018). He is the founder of Krikor Guerguerian Online Archive.

A. Dirk Moses is the Frank Porter Graham Distinguished Professor of Global Human Rights History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, arriving in July 2020. Raised in Brisbane, Australia, he was educated at the Universities of Queensland (B.A. 1987), St. Andrews (M.Phil. 1990), Notre Dame (M.A. 1994), and University of California, Berkeley (Ph.D. 2000). His first book, German Intellectuals and the Nazi Past (2007), was awarded the H-Sozu-Kult ‘’Historical Book of the Year’’ prize for contemporary history. Moses has also written extensively about genocide, memory, and global history. Prof. Moses’s latest book, The Problems of Genocide: Permanent Security and the Language of Transgression is in press with Cambridge University Press.

The Promise Armenian Institute (PAI) was established at UCLA in late 2019 as a hub for world-class research and teaching on Armenian Studies and for coordinating Interdisciplinary Research and Public Impact Programs across UCLA, and with the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora.


Visitors to Armenia may choose to either self-isolate for 14 days or take a PCR test

Hagop Kamalian
Panorama, Armenia
Aug 17 2020
From now on, if a person entering into the territory of the Republic of Armenia doesn’t have symptoms of the coronavirus and hasn’t been hospitalized, he or she may choose to either self-isolate for 14 days or take a PCR test during self-isolation and, if the person tests negative, he or she won’t have to self-isolate anymore. The new rule has been shared by Zvartnots airport. 
 
The Airport has also shared the list of COVID-19 testing laboratories in the country. Sampling for PCR testing for the causative agent of coronavirus is performed in almost all private medical centers in Yerevan, said the source. 
It should be noted that during self- isolation, PCR sampling should be performed exclusively by a laboratory specialists executed at the individual’s self- isolation location.
 
A person has no right to leave the place of self-isolation, until he or she receives a negative test result, the source said. 

BBC HARDTalk’s Stephen Sackur challenges Azerbaijan’s Aliyev after Pashinyan interview

Hagop Kamalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 17 2020

<img width=”733″ height=”499″ src=””https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/xStephen-Sackur-1.jpg.pagespeed.ic.wAggwmlmOj.jpg” class=”attachment-full size-full wp-post-image” alt=”” srcset=”https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/xStephen-Sackur-1.jpg.pagespeed.ic.wAggwmlmOj.jpg 733w, 300w, 220w” sizes=”(max-width: 733px) 100vw, 733px”/>

After extraordinary reactions to BBC HARDTalk’s interview with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, host Stephen Sackur expects an interview with the Azerbaijani President.

“The response to my interview with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan has been extraordinary – in both Armenia and Azerbaijan. The world needs to hear from both sides. So how about it President Aliyev? Or any other senior minister in Baku?” Sackur tweeted.

In an interview aired last week, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan talked about the Nakorno Karabakh conflict, Armenia’s response to coronavirus pandemic, democratic reforms, constitutional changes, relations with international partners, etc.

Armenia adopted the Declaration of Independence 30 years ago today

Hagop Kamalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 23 2020

<img width=”640″ height=”640″ src=””https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/xDeclaration-of-Independence-1.jpg.pagespeed.ic.eU_wB7ST9p.jpg” class=”attachment-full size-full wp-post-image” alt=”” srcset=”https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/xDeclaration-of-Independence-1.jpg.pagespeed.ic.eU_wB7ST9p.jpg 640w, 150w, 300w, 200w” sizes=”(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px”/>

On August 23, 1990 the Supreme Council of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia adopted Armenia’s Declaration of Independence, ending decades of Soviet rule and beginning a new chapter in history.

The adoption of the Declaration marked the start of the process of establishment of independent statehood positioning the question of the creation of a democratic society based on the rule of law.

The country was renamed the Republic of Armenia and a year later, on September 21, 1991 Armenia became an independent state.

То guarantee the security of the country and the inviolability of its borders, the Republic of Armenia created its own armed forces, internal troops, state bodies and public security under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Council.

Under the Declaration, the Republic of Armenia guaranteed the use of Armenian as the state language in all spheres of the Republic’s life, created its own system of education and of scientific and cultural development.

This declaration served as the basis for the development of the constitution of the Republic of Armenia.

ANCA Praises U.S. for Rapidly Committing over $48 Million in Aid to Lebanon

Hagop Kamalian
Asbarez
Aug 21 2020

Distribution of $18 million in emergency relief has already begun, with an additional $30 Million in grain assistance forthcoming

WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America praised both the Pentagon and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for rapidly delivering more than $18 million in food and medical assistance to Lebanon in the wake of the tragic August 4 explosion in Beirut.

The ANCA also said that it was encouraging that the U.S. Department of State’s Under Secretary for Political Affairs David Hale has announced that the Trump Administration is working with Congress to provide on an “urgent, interim basis” $30 million worth of grain that will be delivered through the World Food Program.

“The ANCA has been in direct contact with senior officials at the U.S. Department of State to encourage a robust U.S. humanitarian response to the explosion that rocked Beirut, Lebanon just over two weeks ago,” shared ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian. “We are pleased that Under Secretary Hale – at the direction of Secretary Pompeo and in cooperation with Defense Secretary Esper – are working to get relief supplies worth more than $48 million on the ground in Lebanon without delay,” Hamparian added.

Within hours of the explosion that killed and injured hundreds of people in Lebanon – including many Armenians – the ANCA worked with thousands of its grassroots supporters to urge Congress and the Trump Administration to provide a rapid assistance package for all of Lebanon’s citizens. In an August 5, letter to Secretary Pompeo, Hamparian praised the Administration’s immediate statements of solidarity with the people of Lebanon and encouraged that them to work with “USAID, the United Nations, and Armenian charitable groups to ensure that U.S. and international assistance reaches all vulnerable groups.”  In addition, the ANCA – in close cooperation with the Armenian Relief Society – held meetings with the U.S. Department of State to ensure that the humanitarian efforts of the United States reach all at-risk communities in Lebanon – including the Armenian community – which has been devastated by the explosion at the Port of Beirut.  Community members can continue contacting their legislators by visiting anca.org/lebanon.

On August 6, a U.S. Air Force C-17 airplane delivered desperately needed food, water, and medical supplies to Lebanon. According to General Frank McKenzie of the U.S. Central Command, “we [the United States] are closely coordinating with the Lebanese Armed Forces, and expect that we will continue to provide additional assistance throughout Lebanon’s recovery effort.” Subsequent to the delivery of this aid, Under Secretary Hale shared that America “is prepared to work with Congress to pledge up to $30 million in additional funds to enable the flow of grain through the Port of Beirut on an urgent, interim basis.”




Armenia totally open for tourism — shortened quarantines

Hagop Kamalian
Cyprus Mail
Aug 20 2020
By Andrew Rosenbaum

Armenia has opened its borders to air passenger tourists from all nations, with no requirement for previous testing for COVID-19, and with shortened quarantines.

The country has been open to tourist arrivals at airports from August 12, according to a statement by the Tourism Committee of the Ministry for the Economy. Entry via land travel is not yet permitted. More than 15 airlines have direct flights from major cities to Yerevan, the country’s capital.

All air passengers arriving are subject to immediate health check-ups at the airports to detect travellers infected with the novel coronavirus. Afterwards, all arrivals are sent into self-isolation quarantine.

“While this may last as long as 14 days,  travellers have the possibility (if they choose to) to undergo at their own expense, a coronavirus PCR test,” the statement says. “During the isolation, PCR sampling should be performed exclusively by a laboratory specialist executed at the individual’s self-isolation location. Based on the results of the latter, in case they are negative, the person can come out of the self-isolation before the 14 days are completed,” the statement explains.

Visitors to the country are encouraged to have health insurance that covers the novel coronavirus, although it is not a legal requirement.

While travelling through the country, wearing masks at public spaces both indoors and outdoors is mandatory, the statement adds.

The Tourism Committee has stated that it hopes, with this policy, to attract a much larger number of tourists — the policy should be particularly attractive to couples where each person is from a different country, and is thus covered by different travel bans in most destinations.

Armenia may also profit from the fact that visas are either not required for most countries in Europe, North America or South America, or a visa can be arranged on arrival. Some countries in Africa and Asia must request visas before coming to Armenia, however.


ADB Approves $750,000 Technical Assistance to Develop Distance Education Platform in Armenia

Hagop Kamalian
Indian Education Diary
Aug 18 2020
By

India Education Diary Bureau Admin

–

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a grant-financed $750,000 Knowledge and Support Technical Assistance project to help Armenia improve resilience to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and other disasters by developing and operationalizing a distance education platform.

The project will support the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport (MoESCS) to ensure quality and continuous education during times of emergency and normal situations. The assistance will improve the regulatory and institutional framework supporting distance learning, as well as the capacity of users through a training of trainers scheme for effective operation of the distance education platform.

“Providing access to quality and continuous education for all students nationwide is a key goal for the government and supports ADB Strategy 2030’s guiding principles of promoting innovative technology and providing integrated solutions,” said ADB Country Director for Armenia Paolo Spantigati. “ADB will continue its support to the education sector reforms in the country as one of the strategic directions of its Country Partnership Strategy.”

Under the program, a distance education platform will be developed to provide more learning modalities and information in a learner-friendly format. The platform will support kindergarten through grade 12 education institutions to deliver online courses and provide teachers and students with real-time feedback mechanisms, assignment distribution and monitoring, and other student-centric learning tools.

The program will help the government develop policies to provide equal opportunities for all to use the platform, which addresses the needs and diverse physical capabilities of learners, their caregivers, and teachers.

“ADB support to develop the distance education in Armenia is in line with one of the strategic goals of our ministry,” said Deputy Minister of MoESCS Artur Martirosyan. “The importance of the project is that it will enable us to move towards using the platform for distance education and will thereby help address the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ministry appreciates the productive cooperation with ADB.”

ADB is committed to achieving a prosperous, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable Asia and the Pacific, while sustaining its efforts to eradicate extreme poverty. Established in 1966, it is owned by 68 members—49 from the region.



Istanbul’s Bilgi University to provide tuition discounts for graduates of local Armenian schools

Hagop Kamalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 11 2020

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Istanbul’s Bilgi University will provide special tuition discounts to applicants who have graduated from the city’s Armenian schools, Ermenihaber.am quotes a press release from the Universality as saying.

The Bilgi University in Istanbul has started admission, the schedule of which has been changed due to the epidemic situation. Due to this situation, applicants can apply both online and by visiting the university.

In addition to the discount provided by the Measurement, Selection and Accommodation Center, a 25% discount will be provided for graduated from Armenian colleges.

Graduates of Yesayan, Sahakyan Nunyan, Kedronakan, Pangalti and Surb Khach schools of Istanbul will benefit from the discounts.