15:45, 9 March, 2020
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, ARMENPRESS. The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction has approved the Special Investigations Service’s motion on remanding businessman Samvel Mayrapetyan, for whom an arrest warrant remains outstanding since March 3.
Mayrapetyan is charged with Article 38-311 of the Criminal Code (assisting in receiving a bribe).
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan trains of the South Caucasus Railways which is the rail operator of Armenia, announced on Saturday it will stop its operation from March 14 to 24. The decision is made as part of precautionary measure aimed at preventing the spread of novel coronavirus.
The company extends apologies for a caused inconvenience to its passengers and thanks for understanding. To remind, after consultations and mutual agreements, the Armenian and Georgian governments announced a decision to restrict the air and land communication till March 24.
The restriction doesn’t apply to the citizens of Armenia and Georgia returning to their home countries and their family members, to the holders of legal residency status, to the staff of diplomatic missions and their family members, as well as to the officials holding mutual official visits.
The regular cargo transportation between Armenia and Georgia will not be interrupted.
13:58, 6 March, 2020
YEREVAN, MARCH 6, ARMENPRESS. Soon Armenia will launch large-scale live-fire military exercises, Ministry of Defense spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan told the Hayastani Hanrapetutyun newspaper.
He said the military will likely also use the new SU-30SM fighter jets in the drills.
“Heavy equipment, including missiles, are used during large-scale exercises with live fire. During such exercises the SU-30SM fighter jets will also perhaps be used,” he said.
Speaking about the multi-role fighter jets, which Armenia bought from Russia in December 2019, Hovhannisyan said that the acquisition has doubled Armenia’s military capabilities. “This kind of an air force has multi-functional significance, both defensive and offensive”, he said.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Armenian singer to visit Racine
RACINE — Laurel Semerdjian, a mezzo-soprano singer with The Florentine Opera, will hold a meet and greet at noon Sunday, March 8, at St. Hagop Armenian Apostolic Church, 4100 N. Newman Road.
Semerdjian is of Armenian decent and her grandmother grew up in Racine. She is looking forward to meeting people from the four Armenian churches.
Semerdjian will perform as Carmen in The Florentine Opera production of “Tragedy of Carmen” March 13, 15, 21 and 22 at Vogel Hall in Milwaukee. For tickets, go to florentineopera.org.
A family gets a home
of their own 32 years after the earthquake
The heads
and teams of Viva-MTS and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia continue visits
to beneficiary families. This time the partners left for Gyumri to visit one of
the families assisted through the 2019 housing program; the family, living in a
metal container house, has now finished the construction of their semi-built house.
The teams had already visited the family last fall for a volunteering
initiative to participate in the construction of the house. Six months later,
everyone is back together, this time to celebrate a housewarming.
The
Tadevosyan family living in Gyumri had to live in a metal container for years
after the 1988 earthquake. 32 years later the hard memories are left behind.
“After so many years, finally, my family feels this
happiness. Having a home of our own is a big and awaited event in our life.
After the earthquake, we had to live in a metal container. And now we have a
home of our own with all necessities. Our happiness can’t be put into words. We
are grateful beyond words,” said Kristina.
Owing to the housing project, 5 houses were built,
renovated or purchased in 2019; in the course of years overall 12 houses have
been built as a result of the partnership in Shirak region.
Viva-MTS
and the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia consider all aspects of the positive
impact of the project important. Heads of partner organizations reported that
families who already live in decent home strive to get rid of not only the
memories of the metal containers, but also by physically dismantling those structures.
“When a family who has spent years in a
metal container house, gets up on its feet to open a new page of life, it means
that it has the power to dream, and that is a good sign. And when that family
seeks to remove the iron shelter from the view, we can say that we have all
succeeded. I am glad to state that we have been particularly successful
recently. Gyumri should not remain a city of metal container houses whether in
memory or in terms of architecture,” Viva-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian
said.
“Families
living in metal containers are in the center of our attention. Since the
earthquake, this family has lived in a metal container. The childhood of three
children in this family passed inside the walls of the metal container.
Together with Viva-MTS we stretched a helping hand to the Tadevosyan family.
Now that they have finished the construction of their home, I am sure the new
home will bring joy and good memories,” said Fuller Center for Housing Armenia
President Ashot Yeghiazaryan.
###
Viva-MTS (MTS Armenia CJSC) is Armenia’s leading telecommunications
operator, having the widest network reach and spreading a wide range of Voice
and Data services all across Armenia. Having the best of the Armenian people
interest at heart since its launch on the 1st of July Y2005, and in
a short period of time, Viva-MTS has managed to build a nationwide network and
a considerable customer base. Viva-MTS drives innovation and aims at always
being at the forefront of any development serving the Armenian mobile
communications market. The company follows the guidance provided by ISO
26000 (International Standard of Social Responsibility) and ISO/IEC 27001:2013
(Information Security Management System). For more information, visit www.mts.am
Mobile TeleSystems PJSC (“MTS”) is the leading
telecommunications group in Russia and the CIS, offering mobile and fixed
voice, broadband, pay TV as well as content and entertainment services in one
of the world’s fastest growing regions. Including its subsidiaries, the Group
services over 86.8 million mobile subscribers in Russia, Armenia and
Belarus. Since June Y2000, MTS’ Level 3 ADRs have been listed on the New York
Stock Exchange (ticker symbol MBT). Additional information about the MTS Group
can be found at: www.mtsgsm.com
Fuller Center for
Housing Armenia is a non-governmental, charitable organization that supports
community
development in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh by
assisting in building and renovating simple, decent and affordable
homes, as well as advocating the right to a decent shelter as a matter of
conscience and action. FCHA provides long-term,
interest-free loans to low-income families. The monthly repayments flow into a
Revolving Fund,
which is used to help
more families, thereby providing a financial foundation for sustainable
development. Since
2008 the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has assisted
over 800 families. For more information, please visit or
email us at [email protected]
YEREVAN, February 20. /ARKA/. Damage to the state from crimes related to economic activity in amounted to AMD 21.1 billion in Armenia in 2019, which is 8.8% less than in 2018. This was reported by the press service of the Prosecutor General Office of Armenia.
According to the report, 9.5 billion drams were recovered from the amount of damage over the past year, which is 10.5% more than the previous year.
The State Revenue Committee alone revealed 15.9 billion drams of damage in 2019, of which 8.6 billion drams were recovered.
During the reporting year, 931 criminal cases were opened for crimes related to economic activity, which is 37% more than in 2018. Of these, 279 were instituted on the State Revenue Committee. Some 269 criminal cases were taken for consideration against 177 cases in 2018.
In total, in 2019, 1,200 criminal cases related to economic activity were investigated, 580 of which were in the State Revenue Committee in the event that in 2018, 857 cases were investigated in total. Thus, over the past year, the workload of the preliminary investigation bodies and prosecutors increased by 40%. At the same time, during 2019, 8.5% more criminal investigations were conducted than in the previous year.
Over the same period, 31 criminal cases against 39 people were sent to the court with indictment. Compared to 2018 (22 cases against 29 people), the growth of cases sent to court amounted to 36%, and the number of persons brought to court increased by 34.5%.
16 persons were convicted in 16 criminal cases related to economic crimes, 14 of which were imprisoned. At the same time, the number of criminal cases completed by a judicial decision increased by 23% compared to 2018, and the number of persons deprived of their liberty by 29%.
In order to eliminate the damage caused to the state in 2019, sanctions of 2.6 billion drams were imposed on the property and assets of the defendants. In addition, in the framework of the reviewed and completed criminal cases, the prosecutor’s office filed lawsuits demanding seizure in favor of the state budget in the total amount of 160 million drams. All claims were satisfied.
In 2019, some 382 cases of evasion of tax, duties or other obligatory payments were investigated in the framework of legal proceedings, which is 188 cases or 33% less than in 2018. ($ 1 – 478.63 dram). –0—
Today, February 19, marks the 151st birthday anniversary of renowned Armenian poet, writer, translator, literary and public activist Hovhannes Tumanyan.
The great poet’s birthday is annually celebrated in Armenia as the Book Giving Day aimed at increasing people’s access to and enthusiasm for books.
Hovhannes Tumanyan was born in 1869 in the village of Dsegh, Tiflis Governorate, Russian Empire (now Lori Province, Armenia). His father, Aslan, was the village priest known by the name Ter-Tadevos. His mother, Sona, was an avid storyteller with a particular interest in fables. Young Tumanyan was the oldest of eight children.
From 1877 to 1879, Tumanyan attended the parochial school of Dsegh. From 1879–1883 he went to a school in Jalaloghly. Tumanyan moved to Tiflis in 1883, where he attended the Nersisyan School from 1883–1887. He wrote his first poem at the age of 12, while studying in Jalaloghly school. He lived at the teacher’s house for a while and fell in love with the teacher’s daughter Vergine. Since 1893, Tumanyan worked for Aghbyur, Murtch, Hasker and Horizon periodicals and also was engaged in public activism.
In 1899, Tumanyan came up with an idea of organizing meetings of Armenian intellectuals of the time at his house on 44 Bebutov Street in Tiflis (present-day Amaghleba 18, in Sololaki). Soon it became an influential literary group, which often gathered in the garret of Tumanyan’s house. Vernatun means garret in Armenian, which was the name the group was referred to. Prominent members of the collective were Avetik Isahakyan, Derenik Demirchyan, Levon Shant, Ghazaros Aghayan, Perch Proshyan, Nikol Aghbalian, Alexander Shirvanzade, Nar-Dos, Vrtanes Papazyan, Vahan Terian, Leo, Stepan Lisitsyan, Mariam Tumanyan, Gevorg Bashinjagyan and many other significant Armenian figures of early 20th century. With some pauses, it existed until 1908.
In 1912 Tumanyan was elected the president of the Company of Caucasus Armenian Writers.
In the fall of 1921, Tumanyan went to Constantinople to find support of Armenian refugees. After months spent there, he returned ill. After surgery in 1922, he started to get better. But in September, Tumanyan’s disease started to persist again. He was transferred to a hospital in Moscow, where he died on March 23, 1923.
Tumanyan is usually regarded in Armenian circles as “All-Armenian poet”. He earned this title when the Catholicos of Armenia had ordered that Armenian refugees from the west not enter certain areas of his church and house, since he is considered to be “The Catholicos of all Armenians”. Tumanyan in response decried that decision claiming that the refugees could seek relief in the Catholicos’ quarters under order of “The Poet of all Armenians”.
Tumanyan wrote poems, quatrains, ballads, novels, fables, critical and journalistic articles. His work is simple, natural and poetically inspired at the same time. It is not by mere chance that dozens of phrases and expressions from Tumanyan’s works have become a natural part of people’s everyday language, their sayings, adages, and maxims.
Many films and animated films have been adapted from Tumanyan’s works. Two operas – Anush (1912) by Armen Tigranian and Almast (1930) by Alexander Spendiaryan – were written based on his works.
ArmInfo. During the discussion in Munich between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, the statements of the Prime Minister were not very convincing. Political analyst Alexander Minasyan stated this at a press conference on February 17.
He noted that such discussions should be well prepared, as it is very different from the closed-door meeting when it is not known what was being discussed. Here, in fact, a press conference at which the heads of two states present their arguments and viewpoints on a very important issue for the countries.
According to the political analyst, Pashinyan’s arguments about Tigran the Great and the revolution in the country are very weak, the most interesting is that even the moderator after these statements by the prime minister was puzzled. “In fact, this kind of argument is not to the liking of countries like the USA and Russia, the EU will not like it either, since during the above period of time many states didn’t exist either, which, in turn, could wounded their self-esteem. And since Pashinyan decided to bring these arguments, they could be presented more tactfully so as not to cause a negative reaction, “Minasyan emphasized, noting that it did not make sense to go so deep into history. The expert noted that the legal side of this issue was no less important than the historical one. Indeed, in the legal aspect in the 20th century, Karabakh’s independence from Azerbaijan was confirmed three times, in particular, in 1918, in 1920 and in 1991.
“The fact that the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group are visiting Karabakh suggests that they recognize Artsakh as a party to the conflict. In this situation, Karabakh should not wait for the demands of Baku, but must put forward its own conditions. And it would be right for Azerbaijan to apologize to Armenians for the massacre of the Armenian population in Azerbaijan and Karabakh, “Minasyan noted. As for the tragedy in Khojaly, the expert noted that according to the position of the Armenian side, the Popular Front of Azerbaijan bears all responsibility for what happened, since it was the representatives of this organization that carried out the massacre of the civilian population.
It should be noted that on February 15, during a security conference in Munich, a discussion took place between Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Aliyev, in particular, noted that Karabakh is part of Azerbaijan and the settlement of the conflict is possible only if it is returned to the AR. He also added that Artsakh’s belonging to Azerbaijan is recognized by the international community, and it is an integral part of Azerbaijan. Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, reacting to these attacks of Aliyev, advised the latter not to go so deep into history, recalling that not only before our era, but also in the later period, the Azerbaijani people in the Caucasus did not exist in principle.
“If President Aliyev wants to delve deeper into history, then I can remind him that during the time of the Armenian king Tigran the Great, there was no country called Azerbaijan in the South Caucasus. Armenians, Georgians, but not Azerbaijanis lived here historically,” he added. The prime minister said: “Karabakh was never part of independent Azerbaijan. It was included in Azerbaijan only during the existence of the Soviet Union. Therefore, when we talk about the territorial integrity of the state, we must first decide which state is in question,” he said , recalling that Artsakh withdrew from the Azerbaijan SSR and the Soviet Union in the same way as the Azerbaijan SSR from the USSR. “
The Armenian Foreign Ministry has released a statement in connection with the resolution of the People’s Council of Syria recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.
Below is the full text of the statement publicized by the ministry’s press service.
“We highly appreciate the adoption of the resolution by the People’s Council of the Syrian Arab Republic on recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire.
The genocide, unleashed by the Young Turk Government, a significant part of which was perpetrated in the territory of Syria under the rule of the Ottoman Empire at that time, is a part of common historical memory of Armenian and Syrian peoples.
Syrian people, having witnessed the genocide, perpetrated against the Armenian people, were among the first to lend a helping hand to the victims of the genocide. Thousands of survivors refound a new homeland in Syria, establishing one of the most flourishing Armenian communities and contributing to Syria’s progress.
This resolution is a vivid illustration of century-old friendship and mutual affinity between the Armenian and Syrian peoples. This is a solid contribution to restoration of historical justice and prevention of genocides.
Today, as Syrian people go through ordeal, we convey our solidarity and support to them to overcome the existing challenges.”
16:48,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Turkish historian Taner Akcam’s books on the Armenian Genocide – “A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility” and the Killing Orders …Talat Pasha’s Telegrams and the Armenian Genocide”, have been translated, published in Arabic and now are available to a broad audience.
Translator Kivork Khatoun Wanes, who is from Syria, has Armenian origins, but currently lives in Belgium, told Armenpress that the most important motive behind the translation of these books was the enrichment of the Arab Library on this subject which is rarely known to the Arab readers in addition to the courage, credibility, objectivity and impartiality of the writer.
“A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility” was published in August 2017, and the second one in September 2019 in Lebanon by Dar Alfarabi international alliance of independent publishers. These two books are available online via the following websites: www.neelwafurat.com, www.Jamalon.com.
“At the beginning of 1915, under the cover of the World War I, a whole nation was deliberately killed. More than one million Armenians lost their lives as a result of massacres, forced deportation and starvation. Although many countries and historians accept the deliberate plan to kill the Armenian people, the Turkish authorities still deny that this shameful act has taken place.
In this amazing work Turkish historian Taner Akcam deeply and thoroughly examines this deliberate action carried out by the Ottoman government relying mainly on the Ottoman sources, such as military notes, court hearings, parliamentary protocols and reports. In this work Taner Akcam explores the plan of extermination and its implementation by the state agencies, the army and the ruling party”, the translator said in the summary of the book “A Shameful Act”.
In the summary of the book “Killing Orders”, Kivork Khatoun Wanes says: “In this work Akcam, who was called the “Sherlock Holmes of Armenian Genocide” in New York, presents the telegrams existing in the memoirs of Naim Efendi up to the smallest details and compares them with the thousands of documents received from the Ottoman archives (coding methods, signatures of Aleppo governor, telegram dates, mentioned people and events)”.
The Killing Orders is also available in French.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan