Author: Hambardsumian Paul

Legislative blow to monopolies. Khachatur Sukiasyan is against it

Hambardsumian Paul
  • 26.04.2019

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MPs of the RA NA “My Step” faction Babken Tunyan, Hayk Gevorgyan, Gevorg Papoyan, Tigran Karapetyan, Karen Hambardzumyan and Argishti Mekhakyan put into circulation the original project to amend the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On Geographical Indications”.


It is proposed to replace the word “except” with the words “including” before the words “natural and mineral waters” in part 2 of Article 1 of the Law HO-60-N of May 22, 2010 (hereinafter referred to as the Law) of the Republic of Armenia “On Geographical Indications”.


What and why is it proposed to change?


The amendment to the RA Law “On Geographical Indications” is due to the fact that under the existing legislative solutions, the business entity that registered the name of a geographical location as a trademark has the opportunity to prohibit the business entity that sells products produced in the given geographical location from using the name of the given geographical place in its trademark or other means of personalization, which has a negative effect on the competitive situation in the field of sale of natural and mineral waters, leading to the given product market increasing concentration.


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In other words, according to the current legislation, several business entities have an advantage compared to their competitors, which contradicts the “Constitution of the Republic of Armenia” and the principle of free and equal economic competition guaranteed by the Law “On the Protection of Economic Competition of the Republic of Armenia”.


It is proposed to extend the right of legal protection established by the law “On Geographical Indications” also to natural and mineral waters.


Adoption of the project will enable many competing companies operating in this market and to be opened in the future, which will comply with other conditions of the law, will be able to use the geographical name on the product they produce, which will lead to a decrease in market concentration, this artificial obstacle created for the development of small companies will disappear.


Mineral waters and Khachatur Sukiasyan’s denial


It is noted that as a result of this change, the monopoly of “Jermuk Group” will disappear. Some websites wrote today that this change is for the sake of businessman Khachatur Sukiasyan. Moreover, they stated that “Sil Group” will become “Bjni” after the changes. But this cannot be for a simple reason: to use the name of the place on mineral water, you need to have a factory and a well in the same village or city. And in Bjni village there is only 1 factory and 1 well, which belongs to the current “Bjni” company, that is, the legislative change cannot have any effect on “Bjni”.



Businessman Khachatur Sukiasyan, who is one of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s political comrades-in-arms, also touched on the topic. made a post on his Facebook page about the news related to him regularly recently.


He stated on his Facebook page that he was one of the initiators of the current law. “I myself would be against the proposed changes, because the current law allows to ensure the popularity of the product type according to the geographical locations of Armenia and the development of the institute of brands.



For those who are not familiar with the law, let me give a simple example to make my point clear. For example, the wine factory operating in Tavush marz cannot produce wine under the name “Areni”, and the brandy factory of Proshyan cannot produce wine under the “Ijevan” brand. This law protects the rights of both consumers and producers.


Being an advocate of freedom of speech, I once again feel pain that by spreading such misinformation, a number of mass media are discrediting the role of the press and freedom of speech in Armenia,” the businessman wrote.

Asbarez: ReflectSpace Presents ‘Threshold: Armenian Passages’ on April 19

Hambardsumian Paul
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‘Threshold: Armenian Passages’ will run from April 19 to June 16 at Glendale Library’s ReflectSpace

New Exhibit Reflects on the Migratory Restlessness of the Armenian Diaspora

GLENDALE—”Threshold: Armenian Passages” explores the idea of a threshold as a physical, emotional and historical passage. This exhibition reflects on the migratory restlessness of the Armenian Diaspora. Thresholds happen at the beginning as well as the end of journeys: often ambiguous crossings that embody all the experiences of the before and after.

ReflectSpace Gallery has commissioned three contemporary artists–Sophia Gasparian, Kaloust Guedel, Gegam Kacherian—to create new work and site-specific installations to reflect on this idea of a threshold, specifically sourced and reflecting on their own personal experiences as global citizens and Armenians who share similar journeys. The Gallery is located inside the Downtown Glendale Central Library, 222 E. Harvard Street.

The exhibition will run from April 19 to June 16, with an opening reception to take place from 7 to 9 p,m on April 19 at ReflectSpace Gallery.

The programmatic element of the exhibit will include a curatorial talk at 6 p.m. on Thursday, April 25, which will be followed by presentation at 7 p.m. entitled, “Parallel Histories,” during which artists and scholars drawn from two years of ReflectSpace exhibitions consider their interconnected histories of injustice.

On Thursday, May 23 at 7 p.m. Gasparian, Guedel and Kacherian will reflect on their work and life journeys.

This exhibition is made possible with support from the Glendale Library Foundation.

About the Artists
Sophia Gasparian
Social identity, dislocation, human and woman’s rights are integral parts of Sophia Gasparian’s consciousness and artwork. Both intertwine in unexpected and surprising ways creating a narrative that is at once steeped in sociopolitical critique but also strangely childlike. She employs caricature, stencils, stickers, spray paint, and nontraditional media as if she is on the street, painting on walls. Gasparian’s journey started in Armenia and landed her in Los Angeles where her work has evolved to incorporate subtle but effective elements of her culture, as well as her immediate surroundings. For Threshold, Sophia will install a mixed-media mural that is semi auto-biographical while also providing a glimpse of the contemporary arc of Armenian history.

Kaloust Guedel
Kaloust Guedel is an artist, curator and progenitor of an art initiative called “excessivism” which is a direct critique of the excesses of Capitalism. His work takes many forms—painting, sculpture, installation, and public art—but always with a social and political undertow. Often he employs translucent material and vivid colors using vinyl as a surface: stretched, painted and extended as a sculptural form into space.

Guedel’s work tends to be abstract which allows him to explore boundaries of all types: physical ones between materials like painting and sculpture or spiritual ones between ideas of being and becoming. Kaloust’s journey began in Cyprus and continues now in Los Angeles. His installation for Threshold will reflect on his multi-continent passage and exploration of borders.

Gegam Kacherian
One would be hard-pressed to classify Gegam Kacherian’s work. Hallucinogenic? Psychedelic? Dreamlike? His paintings are dynamic compositions that defy fixation. All is in flux and in motion—what seems like a fixed element, like a person, a building or animal, will often morph into splotches of color or clouds or get lost into a vortex of paint-space-time. There is a certain liminal presence in Kacherian’s work, a here and not-here, elements in his paintings seem to cross hidden thresholds and either get lost completely or reappear elsewhere. This kind of in-betweeness is part of his journey as an artist and an Armenian. This is at the core of the work that Kacherian is producing for Threshold: a massive 3-canvas piece, nearly 12 feet in length.

ReflectSpace is an inclusive exhibition gallery designed to explore and reflect on major human atrocities, genocides and civil rights violations. Immersive in conception, ReflectSpace is a hybrid space that is both experiential and informative, employing art, technology and interactive media to reflect on the past and present of Glendale’s communal fabric and interrogate current-day global human rights issues.

Glendale’s Library, Arts & Culture Department began in 1907 and includes six neighborhood libraries as well as the Brand Library & Art Center, housed in the historic 1904 mansion of Glendale pioneer Leslie C. Brand, and the Downtown Central Library, a 93,000 square foot center for studying, learning and gathering. For more information call Library, Arts & Culture at 818-548-2030 or see the website

According to Henley & Partners Armenia ranked 78th in ranking of countries with most "powerful" passports

Hambardsumian Paul
Arminfo, Armenia
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. Armenia occupied the 78th position in the ranking of countries with the most “powerful” passports, compiled by the Swiss Henley & Partners company. 

According to the information published on the Henley & Partners  website, Armenia has improved its position by two points compared to  last year. Armenian citizens can visit 62 countries without a visa.

To note, the first position in the ranking was taken by Japan.  Holders of a Japanese passport can visit 190 countries without  needing to get an entry visa.

The second place was shared by Singapore and South Korea, whose  residents have the right of visa-free entry to 189 countries. The top  three are France and Germany, with an indicator of 188 countries  each.

Next in the ranking are Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Italy (187),  Luxembourg and Spain (186), Austria, the Netherlands, Switzerland and  Portugal (185). Following them are Australia, Iceland and New  Zealand, whose citizens can visit 181 states and territories without  visas.

Armenia’s partners in the EAEU Russia takes the 47th place, setting a  visa-free regime with 118 countries of the world, Belarus – 64th  place (77 countries), Kazakhstan – 65th place (76 countries).

Neighboring Azerbaijan occupies the 73rd place. Azerbaijanis can  visit 67 countries without visas, and Georgia – 49th place (119  countries).

The most modest possibilities for visa-free entry are holders of  foreign passports of Pakistan (33), Somalia and Syria (32), as well  as Afghanistan and Iraq (30).

The Henley & Partners Passport Index is an international ranking of  countries in terms of freedom of movement that they provide to their  citizens. Henley & Partners has thoroughly studied the visa  regulations of all countries and territories and compiled a ranking  of countries of the world in terms of freedom of movement, i.e. the  number of other countries that citizens of a specified country can  visit without a visa.  The passport index is the first in the history  of the international rating of countries on the freedom of movement  of citizens, reflecting international relations and the status of  countries on the world stage. Since 2018, the Passport Index is  updated several times a year in order to promptly inform about  changes in the visa-free regime of countries.

For the first time in 2019, the Henley & Partners Global Mobility  Report was published with the Passport Index. The report  international experts talk about migration trends in different  regions of the world. Much attention is paid to the “openness” and  “closedness” of different countries, and the impact of this on their  economic development. The report also considers trends in obtaining  citizenship through investments as an option to increase mobility. 

A1+: Armenian team already in Sarajevo (video)

Hambardsumian Paul
  • 09:20 | March 22,2019 | Sports
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The Armenian national football team and the Armenian Football Federation (FFA) delegation have already arrived in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital, Sarajevo, where the first round of Euro-2020 qualifying round J’s group Bosnia and Herzegovina-Armenia will be held on March 23.

As the FFA press service informs, our team settled at Sarajevo’s Rado Plaza hotel. On March 22, at 18:30 at local time, Armenia will have a pre-match training at the Graubica Stadium in Sarajevo.

Karabakh conflict settlement possible only if Baku speaks to Stepanakert directly: Artsakh MP

Hambardsumian Paul
Aysor, Armenia

After March 12 session of the Security Councils of Armenia and Artsakh, Aysor.am spoke with the head of Revival faction head of Artsakh’s National Assembly Hayk Khanumyan about the results of the session.

– Mr Khanumyan, how do you assess the session of Security Councils of Armenia and Artsakh that took place recently in Stepanakert and qualified by Armenia’s prime minister as unprecedented?

– I think conduction of the session in Stepanakert fits in Pashinyan’s statement on raising Artsakh’s role. I do not see any extraordinary thing in it. As to the statements voiced at the session, we may fix that Pashinyan is consistent in his promise to return Artsakh to the table of negotiations and finds that the format fixed at 1994 Budapest summit must be restored. The current distorted format does not justify itself. It is logical that solution of the issue is possible only if Baku speaks directly with Stepanakert. In general, conflict’s history shows that progress was registered only when Baku and Stepanakert spoke directly.

– Mr Khanumyan, in the recent statement the Minsk Group co-chairs urged the parties to refrain from change of the format but Pashinyan, in fact, insisted on his proposal at the session. Will it result in confrontation, in your opinion?

– The Minsk Group co-chairs say that the change of the format must take place with the consent of all the parties, and they just urged to talk it over with the other party. Probably, Aliyev and Pashinyan will speak about it. At the same time, they also urge Azerbaijan to refrain from blackmailing with war. They are trying to say something to the both parties for balance. It is normal as they are implementing mediation mission which, overall, is a technical work.

– How do you imagine Artsakh’s return to the table of negotiations? By signing a memorandum?

– Frankly speaking, I do not imagine Azerbaijan to agree to it ever. Today the parties are rather far from any resolution option.

– Does the process continue over nothing?

– The parties will try to show that they are ready for negotiations and are constructive. My opinion is that Azerbaijan will never agree to the restoration of the format – Artsakh’s participation. Azerbaijan will not do it, especially today. Armenia, in its turn, may accuse Azerbaijan of being unconstructive.

– So, the issue goes to a deadlock.

– The issue is in the deadlock from the very beginning. There is no resolution to the issue through negotiations due to very different positions of the three parties. Azerbaijan wants everything while we are not ready to concede anything. Consequently, in such case the issue cannot be resolved through negotiations. We must think over solving the issue in our favor. Naturally, the most important issue is resettling the semi-resettled regions as Artsakh’s population has not grown in number due to war and the policy of past 70 years.

‘He will remain in our memories as an unforgettable spiritual leader’ – MP Garo Paylan on Mesrob II’s death

Hambardsumian Paul

‘He will remain in our memories as an unforgettable spiritual leader’ – MP Garo Paylan on Mesrob II’s death

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16:10, 8 March, 2019

YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. Turkish-Armenian Member of Parliament of Turkey Garo Palyan has extended condolences over the death of Mesrob II, the Armenian Patriarch of Constaninople.

“Patriarch Mesrob II isn’t with us any longer. He will always remain in our memories as an unforgettable spiritual leader. May he rest in peace. My condolences,” Palyan said on Facebook.

Mesrob II died on March 8 in an Istanbul hospital.

He was in a dementia-related coma since 2008.

President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan offered condolences to Archbishop Aram Atesyan, the patriarchal vicar.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Asbarez: Pallone’s New Bill Seeks to Break Down Barriers to U.S.-Artsakh Travel, Communication, and Cooperation

Hambardsumian Paul
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8 hours ago

US Artsakh Travel and Communication.jpg: Pro-Artsakh advocates are encouraged to urge their U.S. legislators to cosponsor Rep. Pallone’s U.S.-Artsakh Travel and Communication Resolution by visiting anca.org/USArtsakh

ANCA Backs Bipartisan Resolution Promoting Direct Dialogue, Strengthening Cease-Fire, and Returning Artsakh to the Peace Process

WASHINGTON—Congressional Armenian Caucus founding Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) was joined Thursday by a dozen of his House colleagues in introducing the U.S.-Artsakh Travel and Communication Resolution, a bipartisan measure that aims to break down artificial barriers to unrestricted travel and open communication between the United States and Artsakh, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

Joining Rep. Pallone as original co-sponsors of the legislation are Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Jackie Speier (D-CA), Vice-Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), and Brad Sherman (D-CA).

“We thank Congressman Pallone and his House colleagues for their bipartisan leadership in support of a durable and democratic peace between the republics of Artsakh and Azerbaijan,” said ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian. “Outdated and obsolete U.S. restrictions, adopted decades ago under pressure from Azerbaijan, prevent direct dialogue – artificially handcuffing our diplomats and blocking the path to peace.”

Hamparian called for broad bi-partisan support for the measure during a trip to the Republic of Artsakh airport.

Similar to the resolution introduced in the previous Congress, the U.S. – Artsakh Travel and Communication Resolution praises the Artsakh Republic for having “developed democratic institutions, fostered a pluralist political system, and, over the past quarter-century, held parliamentary and presidential elections that have been rated as free and fair by international observers.” It also highlights Artsakh’s commitment to common-sense peace initiatives, first advocated by former House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and current Chairman Eliot Engel (D-NY), calling for the removal of snipers and heavy artillery from the Artsakh-Azerbaijan line of contact, the deployment of additional Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) monitors, and the placement of gun-fire locator systems along the lines of contact. The measures, which have been embraced by Armenia, Artsakh, and the OSCE Minsk Group peace negotiators, have been thus far blocked by Azerbaijan.

The U.S.-Artsakh Travel and Communication Resolution notes that current State Department policies place “self-imposed restrictions on travel and communications between the United States and Artsakh, limiting oversight of United States taxpayer-funded assistance programs and discouraging the open dialogue and discourse that can contribute to a peaceful resolution of Artsakh-related status and security issues.”

The measure calls for a U.S. policy which would:
1. allow officials at all levels of the United States Government, including cabinet-level national security officials, general officers, and other executive branch officials, to travel to the Artsakh Republic and openly and directly communicate with their Artsakh counterparts;

2. encourage ongoing open communication, meetings, and other direct contacts between officials of Artsakh and the Executive and Legislative branches of the United States, state and local governments, and American civil society; and

3. seek the full and direct participation of the democratically-elected government of the Artsakh Republic in all OSCE and other negotiations regarding its future.

Pro-Artsakh advocates can encourage their U.S. Representative to support the measure.

Rep. Pallone is the most traveled U.S. Congressman to the Republic of Artsakh since its independence in 1991. He last visited the region in September, 2017, joined by Representative Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) and former Representative David Valadao (R-CA). In remarks before the Artsakh Parliament, Rep. Pallone touted the Republic’s commitment to democracy, self-determination and economic development and discussed the Armenian Caucus’ on-going efforts to share Artsakh’s powerful story of peace and freedom with Congress and the Administration. “Whatever we do, we will always insist that Artsakh has to be Armenian and it has to be able to exercise its right to self-determination,” Rep. Pallone told Artsakh Parliamentarians.

Rep. Pallone is currently serving his 16th term in Congress, representing New Jersey’s sixth Congressional District, which covers most of Middlesex County, as well as the Bayshore and oceanfront areas of Monmouth County. He is the Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which has jurisdiction over issues pertaining to energy, environment, health care, commerce, and telecommunications.

As founder and a Democratic Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, Rep. Pallone has been a leading voice on Armenian American issues since 1988. He has been a consistent cosponsor of Armenian Genocide legislation. Working with his colleagues, he has initiated calls for expanded U.S. assistance to Armenia and Artsakh and spoken out about the plight of Armenians and other Christians in the Middle East. He has been a perennial participant at Armenian American community events, including the Armenian Genocide Observance at Times Square.

What Unifies Us as A Nation

Hambardsumian Paul
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Young Armenians waving the tri-color in Yerevan

BY STEVEN J. DER-HAROUTUNIAN

The recent call for replacing the national anthem, Mer Hairenik, with the former Soviet Armenia anthem can only be viewed as an attempt to drive a wedge between our people when in fact the purpose of the revolution was to unify our nation.

When the obvious why is asked, we are given some dribble about musicality, why of course citing the trivial and impertinent armchair criticisms of some otherwise respected musicologists as the basis. While I will defer to others to scientifically debate the merit of one tune over another an anthem on the other hand cannot simply be judge in that manner. A National anthem doesn’t exist in a vacuum.

How an anthem can be solely measured by its musical quality 100 years after its adoption is shocking to the conscious of most of our nation who has answered the call of that anthem and its flag and all those symbols which represent Armenia and give character to the long struggle of the Armenian nation for its freedom and independence.

That anthem captures the sacrifice made by countless patriotic men women and children in that struggle for independence whether that was standing on the front at Saradarabad in 1918, standing in a hall in Davenport Iowa in 1946, on the cliffs of Shoushi in 1992 or holding onto the faith as a family in the darkest days in the early 1990s and standing firm on their small plot of land and choosing to stay without food, warmth and often without adequate shelter and tough it out as Armenians on their ancestral land rather than to leave for the chance of a better life in Russia, Europe or America as thousands of others did.

That anthem tells their story. A sacred story. A story of faith, struggle for freedom to live and if necessary die as Armenians for Armenia rather than to live and then to disappear among other nations un-moored to their land and lost like flotsam in the sea.

That is what is so confusing about this whole artificial controversy. Why is the musicality of the anthem now being challenged and called for replacing? Who are these adventurist political figures that today call for that?

Mer Hairenik does not need to win a Grammy award or be at the top of a charts to be our anthem. Its musicality is judged by what is represents and that is first and foremost freedom. No alternative song blessed by those who took away that freedom and held Armenia as a vassal state in their empire can ever ever be our anthem no matter how pleasant a rhythm and lyrics it have upon the ear, it is an insult to the heart and soul of our freedom and independence and what was spent and it spent to keep it in blood, sweat and treasure.

Which brings us to the question: Why would anyone raise this issue today?

When the Prime Minister has stated that repatriation, economic investment and military preparedness are the goals of this new government, how does replacing a 100-year-old national anthem accomplish any of those? In fact all this toxic divisive proposal has done is divide our nation, when in fact we should be standing united to face the real challenges our country faces such as population loss, unemployment and under employment, economic dependence and exploitation, poverty, inadequate healthcare and the need for a vigilant defense.

Today we as a nation look to leaders who will address those existential threats to Armenia and in doing so once again unify us as a nation. Mer Hairneik is one of the key symbols that does that.

Our nation looks to the Armenian government to responsibly act to unify us a nation not allow for dangerous opportunists to divide us.

One of last Armenian Genocide survivors dies in Argentina aged 106

Hambardsumian Paul

One of last Armenian Genocide survivors dies in Argentina aged 106

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19:36,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 25, ARMENPRESS. Lusine Beredjiklian – Khatcherian, one of the last survivors of the Armenian Genocide, died on  February 21, aged 106, ARMENPRESS reports, citing Prensa Armenia.  She was born on January 7, 1913 in Ayntap.

“When I remember, I cannot sleep”, Lusine Beredjiklian told in 2015, when the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was commemorated.

Beredjiklian told that her father, Abraham, was a jeweler. He sent his elder sons to Aleppo when WWI just started an later the entire family decides to go to Syria. O the way to Aleppo they were looted. Her mother, pregnant at that time, dies on the way, while Abraham dies in Damascus. After that her brothers move to Argentina, but Lusine remains in Syria with her sister until 1929, after which they also move to South America.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan




Armenian Church commemorates Bishop St. Mark, Priest St. Pion and other saints

Hambardsumian Paul
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 25 2019

The Armenian Apostolic Church commemorates Monday Bishop St. Mark, Priest St. Pion, Deacons St. Kyuregh (Cyril) and St. Benjamin and holy martyrs Sts. Abdlmseh, Vormzdana and Sayen, Qahana.am reports.

St. Mark was the Bishop of Aritus in the half of the 4th century. Famous theological doctrines are ascribed to him. During the period of reign of the king Julianus the Betrayer he was subjected to torments, then he was exiled to a remote island, where he passed away dedicating the last years of his life to Christian preaching.

Priest St. Pion also has been one of the devoted advocates of Christianity. It is known that he has served in Smyrna, where he has been martyred for preaching Christianity.

Deacon St. Kyuregh (Cyril) and St. Benjamin have been martyred for the sake of Christian faith. Accusing Kyuregh (Cyril) in destroying heathen temples, Julianus the Betrayer allowed the heathen priests to judge him and the heathen priests subjected him to severe torments. Deacon St. Benjamin was martyred during the period of reign of the Persian king Hazkert I for preaching Christianity among the Persians.

Among the victims martyred during the period of reign of Hazkert I were Vormzdana, minister of the Persian royal palace, and Sayen, a Persian noble. Both of them being deprived of royal and noble pleasures and privileges continued to remain loyal to Christian faith and were martyred for the sake of Christian faith.

Abdlmseh was the son of rich Jews living in Persia. While pasturing his father’s cattle  Abdlmseh was acquainted with other Christians of the same age, who baptized him and renamed Abdlmseh, which means “Servant of Christ.” Becoming aware of his son’s converting to Christianity and not succeeding to force him to renounce of Christianity, his father stabbed him in the same place where the saint had been baptized.