13:36,
YEREVAN, JULY 29, ARMENPRESS. Lernayin Artsakh FC vs. Van FC will kick off the 2022/23 Armenian Premier League football championship on July 29.
On July 30, FC Noah will face Alashkert FC and Pyunik FC will play against Ararat FC.
The BKMA (CSKA) vs. Shirak and Urartu vs. Ararat-Armenia matches will take place on July 31.
PanARMENIAN.Net – The Azerbaijani military on Thursday, July 28 opened fire towards the Armenian communities of Taghavard and Karmir Shuka in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh).
Local police reported that the shooting continued for some 20 minutes, with the Azerbaijanis using various caliber firearms.
No casualties were reported on the Armenian side. Russian peacekeepers deployed in the region since the end of the war are reportedly on the ground.
Catmandoo participants witness a sunrise in Artsakh
Summer is always about having fun outside away from noisy city life and immersing oneself in nature. Summer camps are the best solution for these getaways. At camp, young people learn to be closer to nature and find themselves in such situations which they have to cope with on their own. Generally, attending camps during childhood is beneficial for personal growth and making lifelong friendships. It’s a stage that youth should pass in the school of life.
This year in Artsakh, there were a number of summer camps organized for elementary and university students alike. They are all different, but they have one thing in common: to make the younger generation of Artsakh happier and stronger and inspire them with new ideas for their futures.
Catmandoo is a tourist camp established in the village of Patara in the region of Askeran in 2014.
Campground
“The main goal of this camp is to raise a generation which knows its country, its nature and history and to teach them the art of surviving and orienting in the wild and in nature with great ease,” says founder and camp director Albert Andryan.
Albert Andryan
Over one-thousand young people from different parts of Artsakh and the world have attended this camp over the last eight years.
David Arzumanyan
David Arzumanyan of Stepanakert has been attending Catmandoo since he was six years old. “I love the tranquility and happiness at this place. I made new friends, and I am also known as ‘David Photographer.’ I like taking photos and making these happy moments live forever.”
This year, there were more than 200 students who applied to participate in summer camp. Because of the demand, organizers decided to make two groups: one attended the camp from July 5 to 14. The other group would attend from July 15 to 24. Organizers did their best to accommodate as many students as possible, including children of displaced families and the sons and daughters of martyred soldiers during the 2020 Artsakh War. Participants from Aghavno were also excited to be at camp and interact with their friends from different parts of Artsakh.
Bonding around the campfire
There are a range of activities offered at the camp: hiking, excursions, art of survival, lectures on Artsakh history and geography, volleyball, table tennis, soccer, intellectual games, dancing, acting classes, singing and of course, engaging conversations around the campfire.
Former campers and current organizers Tamar Grigoryan (24) and Lusine Abrahamyan (23) arranged what they called Camp Quest. Campers had five hours to finish their assigned tasks to win one of the most desired prizes: a huge biscuit cake. Grigoryan and Abrahamyan mentioned that they wanted to make something good for the camp, because the camp gave them the best memories and friends over the years.
“This is how we wanted to express our gratitude to Catmandoo,” said Grigoryan. “The Quest will help participants develop creative and analytical thinking. They will have no choice but to work together as a team and spend quality time together.”
Camp is divided into five groups; each group has its own name and motto and they all compete with each other over the course of 10 days.
Nare Harutyunyan
This summer marked Nare Harutyunyan’s second time at Catmandoo camp. “I like spending my summer here with new, talented and amazing people,” said the 15 year old from Stepanakert. “There is something magical in this place which keeps us charmed and makes us come back again and again.”
Swimming in the river
Besides all the activities, the location of the camp itself is favorable as it is in one of the most beautiful forests of Artsakh, near the river where children can swim and have fun after lunch. Everything about this camp qualifies it as a piece of heaven on earth.
Emilia Khachaturyan
Emilia Khachaturyan is an 11 year old from Moscow who visits Artsakh during the summer. “When I learned about Catmandoo camp, I decided to participate in it. That was the best decision, as I made new friends here. I had an amazing time. I liked the friendly atmosphere and delicious food. I will definitely come back next year.”
The closing ceremony for Catmandoo Summer Camp 2022 took place on July 23. It was a celebratory event with traditional khorovats (Armenian barbecue), an award ceremony and dances until the morning. Both the organizers and the campers have already begun counting down the days for the next camp session and will work hard to make it even more unforgettable in 2023.
Catmandoo participants and staff
We need to note a few things so that what we have to do is clear. Political scientist Stepan Danielyan of Armenia wrote this on Facebook.
“[PM] Nikol [Pashinyan] is condemned to go to repressions, and their volume is going to get bigger. He has no other choice, it is a matter of life and death for him; [if] he lost power, he will lose everything. And apart from repressions, he no longer has any other tool to keep the power. However, his pillars are not kamikazes like him; that is his weakness.
We [i.e., Armenia] don’t have civil society, human rights advocates, and similar things; their bubble has burst a long time ago. Let’s note that as well once and for all.
The situation in which the Armenian people are now is not a political problem; it is a value crisis, and the solution is not in the hands of political parties, but in the arena of public movement, which should bring value changes by wording them in advance.
Let’s just note these for future actions”, the political scientist added.
Lawmakers from Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party approved in the second reading on Thursday a government-drafted bill to make the Armenian army chief directly subordinate to the defense minister.
Under the new measure, the chief of the Armenian military’s General Staff will also automatically serve as first deputy defense minister.
Also, the amendments to the defense law call for clarification of the powers of Armenia’s Defense Ministry, the General Staff and their heads.
Opposition MPs criticized the bill, accusing the ruling team of politicizing the military and ensuring control over it.
“We have been talking about it for 4-5 months now, about 4 months ago we even submitted written proposals and observations to the Defense Ministry and the General Staff, but for the authorities this is a political decision and that’s it. That is why they did not even respond to us. Their task is to pass amendments in the National Assembly,” MP Tigran Abrahamyan of the opposition Pativ Unem bloc wrote on Facebook.
“The Civil Contract party is only interested in ensuing control over the army. They are not concerned about other opinions,” he said.
At just 21 years old, Fresno-born photographer John Kasaian discovered he has a passion for documenting the effects of global conflict up close.
The Bullard High School graduate hopped on a plane in February, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine, to capture wrenching scenes of refugees fleeing tanks and missile attacks. He said he was motivated to help Americans become more aware of the turmoil that often exists outside the “perfect bubble of the world” most in the United States enjoy each day.
Related Story: Fresno Photographer Captures Images of Ukrainians Fleeing to Safety
Just a few months after that eye-opening experience, Kasaian headed back overseas. This time his focus was on his ancestral home of Armenia. There, the long-simmering dispute with neighboring Azerbaijan over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh continues to take lives, despite a cease-fire from a six-week war that erupted in 2020.
“I wasn’t very in touch with my Armenian heritage, I guess,” Kasaian said of his familiarity with the country before his trip. Once he arrived, though, the experience was almost overwhelming.
“The culture shock of actually being in Armenia almost distracted me from the project that I was there to document,” he said.
In a GV Wire exclusive, Kasaian shares his powerful images and observations about his first-ever visit to Armenia in late May.
By John Kasaian, Special to GV Wire
Since 1988 the Yerablur Military Memorial Cemetery has become the burial place for Armenian soldiers that have lost their lives in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
The cemetery is perched up on a hill on the outskirts of Yerevan where a nice view of the city greets the eye. I do not find it too common to ever see a cemetery being built. A more disheartening feeling is knowing that this cemetery will only ever stop construction once this conflict comes to an end.
Leaving an eerie feeling in your stomach as you walk around this hillside, you see the stone tiles and wet cement litter the lower half of the cemetery in preparation for new graves.
On the evening of May 23, I came to visit the cemetery. It was at the end of a long stormy day. Many vases were left windblown over the graves, with flowers that had fallen from vases creating a sort of neglected feel. There is a distinct smell of days-old roses, which anyone who has been to a cemetery knows.
The combination of the muddied water, wilting flowers, and the sight of toppled ceramic vases set the scene for what could only be described as emotionally paralyzing. Surrendering any visitor to the realities of this conflict and giving an understanding of the sheer size of the casualties the conflict has produced.
With the current state of the cemetery, it was a relief to see people come out to clean up the graves; reset the vases and flowers, sweep the leaves off the newly poured concrete, and return them to their previous state. At the end of our walk around the cemetery, the trail pushed us towards a large monument. An inscription reads “Death is immaterial death, death is immaterial immortality.” Translated, it means “Death unknown is death, death known is immortality”.
A few notable people are buried at this cemetery. They include Vardan Stepanyan, better known as the Dushman Vardan, who was a commander in the first Nagorno Karabakh war from 1988 to 1994 and was widely known as a hero in Armenia. There’s also Sose Mayrig. Born as Sose Vartanian, she was surnamed Mayrig for her maternal care over the youth of Armenia and her bravery.
And, then I come across the grave of Monte Melkonian. Originally from Visalia in the Central San Joaquin Valley, he was an Armenian-American commander who served bravely in the first Nagorno Karabakh war and was buried with full honors. A crowd estimated at 100,000 people celebrated his death as his casket was walked through the city center.
Walking through this cemetery reminded me of the impact this war has had on its country, the mourning faces of mothers, and confused siblings seeing the grave of their 17-year-old brother. Armenia is in a war they never wanted to fight.
https://gvwire.com/2022/06/28/fresno-photographer-shoots-hot-spots-from-ukraine-to-armenia-new-video-tells-his-story/
The Armenian opposition will hold its next rally in Yerevan on July 8, ARF Armenia chair and opposition leader Ishkhan Saghatelyan said, addressing protesters in central France Square on Friday evening.
In advance of the rally, a march is scheduled for July 5 marked as Constitution Day in Armenia.
Saghatelyan reiterated the opposition movement aimed at toppling PM Nikol Pashinyan “is not dying down”.
“We are going to give fresh impetus to the movement. We are doing a great deal of work, the results of which will be visible soon. The outcome of this struggle is important for us,” the leader said.
Also, he denounced the authorities for military call-up of several dozen opposition activists being held in custody, including 2020 war participant Taron Manukyan.
Saghatelyan says the move indicates that the Armenian leadership is “terrified” by the opposition movement.