Author: Hambik Zargarian

 – On April 24 the Museum of the Memory of Rosario, Argentina, inaugurated a permanent space on Armenian Genocide.

The Museum of the Memory (Museo de la Memoria) was opened in 1998 to promote access to knowledge and research on the situation of human rights and political memory of Argentina and Latin America. The patrimony includes material about human rights violations in Latin America and the world, particularly on the actions of state terrorism during the last military dictatorship in Argentina.

The exhibition shows the research work of the Armenian Chair of the National University of Rosario. During the inauguration, sponsored by the Armenian Embassy in Argentina and Aeropuertos Argentina 2000, a number of students were present. Viviana Nardoni, director of the Museum of the Memory, Vice-President of the National University of Rosario Fabian Biccire and Nicolas Sabuncuyan, director of the Armenian National Committee of Argentina also attended the inauguration.

The Turkish Ministry of Foreign affairs has issued a statement, condemning and rejecting ‘in strongest’ terms the resolution adopted by the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic on Armenian Genocide and other crimes against humanity.

“We are also disappointed by President Zeman’s letter of 24 April 2017 addressed to the Armenian diaspora in his country with regard to the events of 1915, as it includes serious inconsistencies,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“President Zeman, while stating in his letter that history should not be interpreted by politicians, and exposing the fact that politicians abuse history for their political interests, and that the past should first and foremost be analyzed and interpreted by historians; contradicts his own words as he makes political assessments with regard to the events of 1915,” the Ministry said.

The Ministry of Foreign affairs has conveyed the reaction to these political actions to the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Ankara.

The adopted accused the Ottoman Empire of carrying out systematic genocide against Armenians, as well as other Christian minorities.

In 2017 on April 21^st “HayPost” CJSC cancelled and put into circulation a postcard with one stamp dedicated to the theme “Anoush opera. Avag Petrossian”. The cancellation took place in the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet after A. Spendiarian.

The postcard has been designed with a print run of 500 pcs. The author of the postcard’s design is the designer of “HayPost” CJSC David Dovlatyan.

The postage stamp of the postcard depicts the RA People’s Artist, tenor Avag Petrossian in the role of Saro and the RA People’s Artist, soprano Gohar Gasparian in the role of Anoush against the background of the building of the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet after A. Spendiarian.

The bottom left corner of the postcard depicts the old posters of “Anoush” opera under the theater curtains.

The participants of the postcard signing ceremony were the RA Deputy Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Mr. Arman Khachatryan, the RA Minister of Culture Mr. Armen Amiryan, the son of Avag Petrossian, a conductor and pianist Mr. Ara Petrossian, Acting Chief Executive Officer of “HayPost” CJSC Haik Avagyan.

Date of issue: April 21, 2017
Designer: David Dovlatyan
Printing house: “Asoghik”
Stamp size: 25,0 x 35,0 mm
Postcard size: 150,0 x 110,0 mm
Print run: 500 pcs.

The Human Rights Watch has excpressed gratitude to creators of The Promise film.

“Thank you Eric Esrailian & The Promise Film for supporting Human Right Watch’s work against the worst atrocities,” the NGO tweeted.

Thank you @EricEsrailian & for supporting ‘s work against the worst atrocities.

— Human Rights Watch (@hrw)

The Promise tells the story of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey at the outset of WWI. It was written by Terry George and Robin Swicord and directed by Terry George, who also directed Hotel Rwanda. The Promise stars Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, Charlotte Le Bon, and Angela Sarafyan. It was produced by Open Road and Survival Pictures. Eric Esrailian is the producer of the film.

Photos: Paul Chinn, The Chronicle

 

– Drivers headed into San Francisco over the Bay Bridge got a world history lesson without even asking Monday when a huge banner commemorating the 1915 Armenian genocide was displayed above the mouth of the Treasure Island Tunnel.

For the third consecutive year, the 70-foot-by-10 foot banner was unfurled on the span about 9 a.m. to mark the anniversary of the genocide — a historical event that has yet to be recognized by many world leaders.

The “genocide is very personal to us. We are grandchildren and great-grandchildren of genocide survivors,” said Alex Bastian, a member of the Bay Area Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee. “It is something that has really wounded our soul, wounded our community, wounded our people.”

Nearly 30,000 Armenians in the Bay Area contributed money for the hanging of the sign that read, “Armenian Genocide 1915” and “.”

“We want to have recognition for everyone coming across the bridge to understand our story,” said Kim Bardakian, also a member of the Bay Area Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee.

Increased female employment offers great potential to Armenia’s economy. Currently, women constitute 67 percent of Armenia’s economically non-active population and their unemployment rate is almost double that of male unemployment (51.5 percent female vs. 21.8 percent male).  According to World Bank estimates, Armenia loses as much as 14 percent of its potential GDP due to unequal opportunities for women to participate in employment and entrepreneurship.  To highlight the importance of women’s leadership and economic empowerment in Armenia, on March 29 the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard M. Mills, Jr. met with a group of female representatives from Armenia’s IT industry who have benefited from USAID assistance.

During the meeting, held at the USAID-supported Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center, Ambassador Mills discussed with the participants their career challenges and successes, and inquired about their ongoing projects.  “Too often, I’m afraid, the stereotype of a successful IT professional is still of a man.  But in reality, women play an increasingly important role in coding, product development, web design, and all aspects of IT work.  That is especially true in Armenia, as demonstrated by the wealth of talent and expertise gathered today in this room. You are a group of IT professionals, all women, who are working to boost Armenia’s economy through your creativity, problem solving, and technical knowhow.  I’m proud that the United States, largely through USAID, has been able to support you and help you fulfill your potential and your aspirations,” said Ambassador Mills.

USAID has supported female Armenian IT entrepreneurs through multiple activities, including the establishment of three innovative technology centers.  Working in partnership with the Armenian government, universities, and the private sector – including Microsoft, National Instruments, and IBM – USAID has established the Microsoft Innovation Center Armenia (www.micarmenia.am), the Armenian National Engineering Laboratories (anel.am), and the Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center (istc.am).  As one of the fastest growing sectors in the Armenian economy, IT presents a real opportunity for women to become leaders in innovation and to make major contributions to the country’s overall economic advancement.

Recognizing the need for gender equality and the vital role women play as drivers of economic growth, USAID has been promoting Armenian women’s participation in the economy for over two decades, helping them unleash their potential in areas that span from agribusiness and hospitality to textiles and IT.

Belarus and Armenia are close peoples, and will remain so, Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said as he met with Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia, Armenia’s permanent representative at the CIS Armen Khachatryan on the occasion of the completion of his diplomatic mission in Belarus.

The President emphasized that Belarus and Armenia have absolutely identical positions on all issues on international agenda. “We understand the policy that is pursued by the current leadership of Armenia and was pursued by the previous leadership,” the head of state continued.

The President also remarked: “There are issues of concern for Armenians and Belarusians. For example, Nagorno-Karabakh. I will openly say that it is not our issue, not my issue. We have nothing to do there. There are conflicting parties that must handle the issue. We have a univocal position: Armenia and Azerbaijan should sit at the negotiating table and solve this problem without any strong or weak mediators. If they want to use someone as a guarantor, they must make this decision together. It is the right time to solve this issue today.”

The President also spoke about the extradition of blogger Alexander Lapshin. “Does Armenia have anything to do with it? Armenia has never told me anything about Lapshin. Only one country, Azerbaijan, put him on the wanted list. When he was apprehended here I though why it happened right here. He could have gone anywhere else. Belarus would not have been involved in it. But he was. Interpol caught knew about it. We had to report and we did it as law-abiding people. What did we have to do with him? We had to extradite him to the country which had put him on the wanted list. Moreover, I will say it in public for the first time: no one wanted to take him back. They started to play this card later. He is the citizen of three countries, and neither of them needed him. They just wanted to get rid of this problem. Therefore, there are always subtexts in all issues which will be always used to someone’s advantage.”

The head of state continued: “You should know the main thing: we have been close people and will remain so. Armenia may have a different attitude to Azerbaijan, but Azerbaijan is also a close state and close people for us. We lived in one country some time ago. Why should we quarrel with Azerbaijan or Armenia? Perhaps, we will be useful for Azerbaijan and Armenia someday. Not as mediators. Therefore, I do not want to interfere. This position derives from the wisdom of the Belarusian and Armenians peoples.”

Azerbaijan should recognize the right of Artsakh people to self-determination, Vice-President of the Armenian National Assembly, has said.

“Resisting security challenges in today’s world requires swift, flexible and exact decision-making,” Vice-Speaker Edward Sharmazanov said, addressing the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.

“Today the CSTO faces new challenges. We live in a rapidly changing world and escalation of tensions in the area of CSTO responsibility, including the South Caucasus, is obvious,” he added.

“Azerbaijan resorted to military adventurism at Armenia’s state border during the fall and spring sessions of CSTO PA, thus violating the 1994 ceasefire agreement and the agreements reached at Vienna and St. Petersburg summits. Such behavior is impermissible and condemnable,” Sharmazanov said.

“The CSTO officially condemned the act of sabotage, labeling Azerbaijan’s actions ‘provocation’,” Sharmazanov reminded. He noted, however, that none of the CSTO partners except for CSTO Secretary General and Russian lawmakers condemned the provocative actions of Azerbaijan.

Noting that Baku’s behavior is a provocation not only towards Armenia, but also the CSTO as a whole, Sharmazanov said “condemning statements by CSTO PA representatives are more than necessary.”

“Our parliamentary delegation stands for exceptionally peaceful resolution of conflicts in CSTO area, particularly the one in Nagorno Karabakh. We have to do the utmost to establish stability in the region. However, to reinforce stability Azerbaijan first needs to recognize the full realization of Artsakh people’s right to self-determination,” the Vice-Speaker said.

The tomb of Jesus has been resurrected to its former glory, the reports.

Just in time for Easter, a Greek restoration team has completed a historic renovation of the Edicule, the shrine that tradition says houses the cave where Jesus was buried and rose to heaven.

Restorers have now cut a small window from the shrine’s marble walls for pilgrims to see – for the first time – the bare stone of the ancient burial cave.

Gone is the unsightly iron cage built around the shrine by British authorities in 1947 to shore up the walls and the black soot on the shrine’s stone façade from decades of pilgrims lighting candles.

And gone are fears about the stability of the old shrine, which hadn’t been restored in more than 200 years.

‘If this intervention hadn’t happened now, there is a very great risk that there could have been a collapse,’ Bonnie Burnham of the World Monuments Fund said.

‘This is a complete transformation of the monument.’

The fund provided an initial $1.4 million for the $4 million restoration, thanks to a donation by the widow of the founder of Atlantic Records.

Jordan’s King Abdullah II and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas also chipped in about 150,000 euros each, along with other private and church donations, Burnham said.

The limestone and marble structure stands at the center of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, one of the world’s oldest churches – a 12th-century building standing on 4th-century remains.

The shrine needed urgent attention after years of exposure to environmental factors like water, humidity and candle smoke.

Three main Christian denominations – Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Churches – jealously guard separate sections of the church, but they put aside their longstanding religious rivalries to give their blessing for the restoration.

Ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee Rep. Adam Schiff delivered powerful testimony Thursday before key House foreign aid appropriators, calling for the expansion of U.S. assistance to Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Armenia, and the implementation of measures to check escalating Azerbaijani aggression, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

The California Democrat, who also serves as a Vice-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, offered his recommendations during a hearing of the U.S. House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations, led by Chairman Hal Rogers (R-KY) and Ranking Democrat Nita Lowey (D-NY), as this panel prepares the Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) foreign aid bill.

“We appreciate Congressman Schiff’s leadership in supporting a broad array of Armenian American foreign aid priorities, including continued U.S. support for Artsakh, increased assistance for Armenia’s international peacekeeping missions, and a substantial contribution to Yerevan’s efforts to settle Middle East refugees,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We will continue to work with members of the State-Foreign Operations Subcommittees in both the House and Senate and with appropriators in both chambers to strengthen the U.S.-Armenia partnership and promote a durable and democratic peace for the Republic of Artsakh.”

In voicing his support for increased U.S. assistance to Artsakh, Rep. Schiff noted that he is “deeply disturbed by the escalation of violence in the last year and the major military assault by Azerbaijani forces against the people of Artsakh,” noting the “strong evidence of human rights abuses on the part of Azeri troops, and the appalling desecration of the bodies of Armenian and Artsakh citizens.” Rep. Schiff went on to outline three concrete steps Congress can take to address these concerns, including implementation of the Royce-Engel peace proposals, the suspension of U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, and the expansion of humanitarian aid to Artsakh.

Rep. Schiff stressed that the U.S.-Armenia relationship “is founded upon a shared commitment to freedom and democratic values,” citing Armenia’s participation in U.S. led peacekeeping deployments. He emphasized the importance of ongoing foreign military financing assistance for peacekeeping purposes, funding for U.S. training opportunities for Armenian officers, and recommended no less than $40 million in U.S. economic assistance to Armenia.

Rep. Schiff also focused on the important role Armenia has played as a “regional safe haven for Middle East refugees,” noting that over 20,000 individuals from Syria have found a new home in Armenia. The Congressman requested that the Subcommittee’s proposed FY18 foreign aid bill include provisions supporting Armenia’s efforts through aid and international organizations.