Author: Jalatian Sonya

Economy, finances, artificial intelligence – “Summit of minds” has large agenda

11:02, 8 June, 2019

YEREVAN, JUNE 8 ARMENPRESS. The founder of “Monthly barometer”. Which is the organizer of “Summit of minds” Thierry Malleret is confident that it’s a good opportunity for new projects and ideas. The correspondent of ARMENPRESS informs Thierry Malleret noted that this is the first time that the summit goes out of the French city Chamonix.

“My friends and I are very proud for holding the summit in Dilijan. We will refer to various issues – Economy, finances, artificial intelligence and so on”, he said. Thierry Malleret noted that this summit is an opportunity for developing personal connections, since people with unbelievable intellectual and social capital representing 27 different countries have gathered in one place.

“Each one is a leader in his sphere – business, investments, politics. Spending here 3 days we have a chance to interact and get to know each other better, there will also be investment proposals. We will put a small stone on the building of the development of the country, fostering the welfare of the public”, Thierry Mallere said.

Among the participants of the event are French Prime Minister (2005-2007) Dominique de Villepin, United States National Security Advisor at Obama administration, retired United States Marine Corps general James Jones, Special Presidential Representative for International Cultural Cooperation and Ambassador at Large Mikhail Shvydkoy,  Director of Investment and Enterprise at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) James Zhan, Former UK Health Minister, Professor Ara Darzi, President of the Italian National Research Council Massimo Inguscio, Siemens CEO Jan-Marc Lischka and others.

Speaker of Parliament of Armenia receives UAE State Minister

15:37, 3 May, 2019

YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan on May 3 received State Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Co-Chairman of the Armenia-UAE Intergovernmental Commission Ahmed Ali Al-Sayegh and his delegation, the Parliament told Armenpress.

Welcoming the guests in the Armenian Parliament, Speaker Mirzoyan congratulated on the launch of the first session of the Armenia-UAE Commission, stating that it’s a favorable platform for boosting the bilateral commercial cooperation, observing the two markets, making investments in different sectors and further expanding the partnership. The Speaker of Parliament highlighted the great potential existing in different fields of the Armenian-UAE relations, such as economy, IT, agriculture, energy, tourism, culture, science, education and etc.

The Speaker said Armenia views the UAE as an important hub to the Gulf region and in its turn can serve as a bridge to the markets of CIS and EAEU states.

“We highly value the warm relations existing between our countries and peoples and are ready to maximally develop and expand them”, Ararat Mirzoyan said.

In the context of political dialogue he highlighted the importance of parliamentary diplomacy, especially the role of friendship groups. Mirzoyan informed that he has invited his UAE counterpart to visit Armenia to discuss wide range of issues of bilateral interest.

In turn the UAE State Minister thanked for the warm reception and stated that it’s a great honor for him to participate in the first session of the Armenian-UAE Intergovernmental Commission, and this platform is the proof of the great interest the UAE has for developing the relations with Armenia. On behalf of the UAE leadership the State Minister assured that they are ready to develop the bilateral mutual partnership in all directions, political, economic and humanitarian. Ahmed Ali Al-Sayegh also highlighted the cooperation in various international platforms and expressed hope that it will be continuous. “Not only the governments, but also the two friendly peoples have a great will to further develop the relations, which is the guarantee for effective cooperation”, he said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

After my workout, I was waiting for the eggs to boil so I could have breakfast. In the few minutes I had that morning before work, I decided to check social media to see what interesting things happened overnight.

One headline caught my attention.

A gentleman from Milwaukee, B. Artin Haig, had just passed away at age 104. I never met Mr. Haig, but he was a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, and so I was interested in his story.

I wondered if he or his family came across my great-grandparents or grandparents while on that horrid march from their homes into the desert. A line in the news article (http://www.milwaukeeindependent.com/articles/b-artin-haig-armenian-genocide-survivor-and-milwaukee-photographer-dies-at-104/) from the Milwaukee Independent touched my heart. 

Although I can’t confirm, I bet Mr. Haig was one of the last Armenian Genocide survivors.

What he saw was similar to the stories of many families. My grandfather left an audiotape of what he witnessed during the genocide and in it, he also saw families torn apart due to the orders of the Ottoman Turkish leadership, and the handpicking of women and children by Ottoman Turkish soldiers.

These thoughts saddened me. Before I could finish the story, my son came into the room.

“Baba, hold me,” he said. He had just woken up because of a dream. Perhaps it was the noise I made in finding a pot to boil the eggs in.

I held him tight for about a minute. What my 4 year old didn’t realize was I needed a hug at that moment more than he did.

Wanting to see the names of other Armenian Genocide survivors, I decided to drive through the Ararat and Masis cemeteries on Belmont Avenue.

The story of the cemeteries go that K.P. Peters, M. Marcarian, and S. Keshishyan purchased a small portion of land in 1885 from a local businessman, and that was the beginning stages of the area where many of Fresno’s Armenian Americans have been laid for their final resting place.

Today the land is approximately 16 acres.

As I drove by the many gravestones, one line on a stone caught my attention. It read, “Native of Dikranagerd.” Dikranagerd, known now as Diyarbekir, is located in Turkey along the Tigris River. In the late 1800s tens of thousands of Armenians and Assyrians were massacred there. In 1915, the city was completely cleansed of its Christian population.

An Armenian church damaged during the genocide was renovated as a sign of reconciliation. However, in 2016, the Turkish government confiscated the church during the clashes with the area’s Kurdish population.

As April 24^thapproaches, Armenian Genocide commemoration activities begin to take form. As much as we want to say that we should be thankful that we survived, words won’t take away or quantify the loss suffered by Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. Many of the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren of the survivors are still wounded by the pain from the stories of those who survived.

Three commemorative Fresno events will take place on April 24^th:

▪ City Hall, 10 a.m.: The longstanding tradition of raising the United States and Armenian flags in front of Fresno City Hall will occur, sponsored by the Armenian National Committee of America–Central California and the Armenian Cultural Foundation.

▪ Fresno State, noon: The Armenian Students Organization will have its event at the Armenian Genocide monument. The students have led a commemoration for many years.

▪ Fresno State, 6 p.m.: The Armenian Genocide Commemorative Committee of Fresno will have a civic and religious service at the Armenian Genocide monument. This year, student written essays will be presented and read out loud. 

That day my drive ended at the graves of my grandparents. This year is the first without my grandpa. He always shared stories of his family’s horrific survival of the genocide.

I’ll look out at the audiences at the various commemorative events and remind myself that I am there for him, and the others who are no longer with us. Our wounds are a reminder of human resilience. 

Artsakh will continue efforts to bring to justice those responsible for April war – MFA Artsakh

19:54, 2 April, 2019

YEREVAN, APRIL 2, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of Artsakh has issued a statement on the occasion of the anniversary of the April war of 2016, underlining that all necessary measures will be taken in case of any attempt to solve the conflict through use of force. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Artsakh, the statement runs as follows,

”Three years ago, in the early morning of April 2, the Azerbaijani side, grossly violating the ceasefire regime established by the May 12, 1994 agreement on full cease-fire and cessation of hostilities, launched a war along the entire border with Artsakh. Employing heavy equipment, artillery and military aircrafts, the Azerbaijani armed forces shelled not only the advanced positions of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh, but also peaceful settlements, causing casualties, also among civilians. Only four days later, on April 5, 2016, Azerbaijan, suffering considerable losses, was forced to ask for the cessation of hostilities through Russia’s mediation.

The scale and intensity of offensive actions, the number of military equipment and manpower involved, as well as the statements of the Azerbaijani authorities indicate that the April events were nothing more than a pre-planned military aggression. Azerbaijan planned to seize the entire territory of Artsakh and thereby resolve the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict by force, but these plans were thwarted due to the decisive actions of the Artsakh Defense Army.

The actions of the Azerbaijani armed forces were accompanied by gross violations of international humanitarian law and by war crimes. Artsakh’s foreign ministry had worked consistently towards bringing the inhumane atrocities to the attention of the international community, including specialized structures and agencies. Being sure that such crimes do not have a statute of limitations, the Republic of Artsakh will continue to make efforts to bring those responsible to justice.

Three years have passed since the end of the hostilities, but it is still urgent to take international political and diplomatic measures to deter the aggressive ambitions of Azerbaijan for ensuring the complete implementation of the May 12, 1994 and February 6, 1995 agreements. It is also necessary to establish international mechanisms for monitoring the ceasefire regime, and especially through the implementation of the agreements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg after the April War.

The Republic of Artsakh reiterates that in case of Azerbaijan’s attempt to resolve the conflict by force, all the necessary self-defense measures will be taken in line with the UN Charter to protect the rights of its citizens to live freely and securely in their homeland”.