Wednesday,
Armenia’s Former Top Judge Wounded In Gun Attack
• Narine Ghalechian
Armenia - Arman Mkrtumian, chairman of the Court of Cassation, at a news
conference in Yerevan, 3 April 2009.
Arman Mkrtumian, the former powerful head of Armenia’s highest criminal court,
was shot and lightly wounded late on Tuesday in a reported armed attack on his
house carried out by gunmen.
Police said Mkrtumian’s 30-year-old son fired a gas pistol at the three masked
attackers armed with assault rifles when they burst into the villa located in
Dzoraghbyur, a village just outside Yerevan. One of the gunmen was wounded and
caught by the Mkrtumians while the two others fled the scene, firing random
gunshots in the process, according to a police statement.
The police also released a short video showing the alleged attacker who was
identified as Hovannes Ryzhenko, a 45-year-old resident of Gyumri. The man had
blood on his face and a bandage wrapped around his head.
“The neutralized person was detained,” Sona Truzian, a spokeswoman for
Armenia’s Investigative Committee, told RFE/RL’s Armenian service on Wednesday.
She said law-enforcement authorities are taking “all necessary measures” to
track down the other attackers.
The authorities did not immediately suggest any motives behind the gun attack.
The Investigative Committee opened a criminal inquiry under an article of the
Armenian Criminal Code dealing with “banditry.”
Mkrtumian received medical treatment at Yerevan’s Erebuni hospital shortly
after incident. A hospital official said he refused hospitalization despite
sustaining a gunshot wound. The retired judge made no public statements on the
attack.
Mkrtumian, 57, headed Armenia’s Court of Cassation for ten years. He resigned
in early June more than one month after mass protests brought down the
country’s previous government headed by Serzh Sarkisian.
Throughout his tenure Mkrtumian was accused by lawyers of severely limiting the
independence of lower courts. In June 2013, for example, about 200 lawyers went
on a two-day strike to protest against what they called arbitrary decisions
routinely made by the Court of Cassation.
Yerevan Hopes For Lower Russian Gas Price
• Tatev Danielian
Armenia - Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller speaks at a ceremony in Yerevan,
16Apr2015.
The Armenian government will ask Russia’s Gazprom giant to cut the price of its
natural gas supplied to Armenia during upcoming negotiations, Energy Minister
Artur Grigorian said on Wednesday.
Armenia currently pays $150 per thousand cubic meters of Russian gas imported
via Georgia. By comparison, the Russian gas price for Europe stands at around
$230 per thousand cubic meters.
The Armenian side and Gazprom were expected to review the tariff late last
year. But visiting Yerevan in October 2017, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry
Medvedev said the “special price” will remain unchanged until the end of 2018.
Alexei Miller, the Gazprom chairman, accompanied Medvedev on the trip.
Grigorian said that Armenian officials and Gazprom executives will start
negotiations on a new gas deal in November. “We will do everything to get a gas
price that’s lower than the existing one,” he told a news conference.
The minister did not specify the extent of the price reduction that will be
sought by Yerevan.
Armenia’s Gazprom-owned gas distribution network cut its retail fees for
households and corporate consumers in November 2016, more than two months after
Karen Karapetian was appointed as the country’s prime minister. Karapetian
managed the network from 2001-2010 and held senior executive positions in
Gazprom subsidiaries in Russia from 2011-2016.
He was replaced as prime minister by Serzh Sarkisian in April this year just a
few weeks before mass protests brought down Armenia’s former government. The
protest leader, Nikol Pashinian, took over as prime minister in early May.
So far the Russian government and Gazprom have given no indications that they
are ready sell gas to Armenia at a deeper discount. Some analysts have
suggested that with Karapetian no longer in government the Russians could
actually raise the existing price.
Gazprom accounts for over 80 percent of Armenia’s annual gas imports. The South
Caucasus country also buys gas from neighboring Iran. Officials in Yerevan have
for years insisted that Russian gas is cheaper than Iranian gas.
Grigorian revealed that Yerevan is now discussing with Tehran the possibility
of a lower Iranian gas price for Armenia. “I think that very soon we will have
the final gas price declared by the Iranian side, which will certainly be
compared with the price of Russian gas,” he said.
Press Review
“Robert Kocharian says that he is returning to active politics in order to
defend his honor and dignity,” “Zhamanak” writes in a commentary on the former
Armenian president’s interview with a Russian TV channel aired on Tuesday. The
paper says Kocharian essentially blamed Serzh Sarkisian for the recent
revolution in Armenia, saying that his successor should not have tried to cling
to power.
“Hayots Ashkhar” says Kocharian’s political comeback has been one of the most
important political developments of this summer. “This is only the beginning,”
the paper says in reference of the former president’s recent moves and
statements.
“Zhoghovurd” notes the readiness of Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia
(HHK) to cooperate with Kocharian. The paper finds it natural, saying that
Kocharian’s and Sarkisian’s interests “again converge now.” “They are now
united by the criminal investigation into the March 1 [2008 violence,]” it
says. “Driven by their self-defense instincts, they now have to join forces and
fight together.” The paper says that the HHK and its spokesman Eduard
Sharmazanov in particular criticized Kocharian in the not so distant past.
“During Serzh Sarkisian’s presidency Kocharian voiced criticism of the
authorities from time to time and Sharmazanov was the first to counter it,
often using crude language.”
“Even under the former authorities there were people who warned that enslaving
the judicial system is a dangerous path that lays the foundation of a vicious
tradition of courts serving some people today and others tomorrow,”
editorializes “Hraparak.” The paper says Kocharian and Sarkisian are now paying
the consequences of their tight grip on the judiciary. “[Kocharian] hopes now
that the judicial system is not that devastated and crushed and will dare to go
against the will of the new authorities and rule in his favor,” it says.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
Author: Kalantarian Kevo
PM advises to ask people’s opinion on 2nd President Kocharyan’s return to politics
Category
Politics
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan advises to ask the people’s opinion on the return of 2nd President Robert Kocharyan to politics.
In response to the reporters’ question whether he is concerned over Kocharyan’s return to politics, the PM said: “You are talking about scenarios which simply cannot take place. Ask people in the streets about their reaction to this issue. I am not the one who makes decisions, the decision-maker in this case are the people, and I think these questions should be asked to the people”, he said.
Asked whether he sees options that after his resignation for holding snap parliamentary elections the Republican Party will vote in favor of Kocharyan for the position of the PM, Pashinyan said: “Frankly, I don’t see an option. I have just wanted to show that it is necessary to assess the situation as it is in order to avoid additional difficulties. I think the Republican Party with its leadership continues assessing the situation not right”.
Asked what steps need to be taken in such situation, he said there is no need to take additional steps. “It’s just necessary to talk to people, present them the situation, help them to more really assess the situation, there is no need to take additional steps”, the PM said.
He informed that he will have meetings and discussions with the lawmakers so that they will have no additional concern. “For us it’s very important that our citizens, including the MPs, perceive correctly the content of the domestic political life”, he said.
Armenian Constructive Party demands Tigran Mukuchyan’s resignation
“The Armenian Constructive Party demands Tigran Mukuchyan’s resignation,” party leader Andrias Ghukasyan posted this on his Facebook page.
He is going to hold a rally in front of the Central Electoral Commission (CEC), if Tigran Mukuchyan does not resign till Friday.
State Revenue Committee’s operations in South Caucasus Railway CJSC still within confidentiality framework – SRC Chairman
Category
Society
The operations of the Armenian State Revenue Committee in the South Caucasus Railway CJSC are within the confidentiality framework, and the SRC cannot provide additional information yet, SRC Chairman Davit Ananyan told reporters after today’s Cabinet session.
“Some operations are being carried out which are within confidentiality framework. There were no masked persons, they have been in cars and in the end helped to move some documents”, Ananyan said.
Asked why the SRC conducted the operations at night, he said: “Because we received late the respective sanction by the court”.
Armenian Court of Appeal to resume considering Kocharyan lawyers’ motion today at 14:00
ARKA, Armenia
Aug 10 2018
Armenian occupation and "democracy": are they compatible?
Jerusalem Post
Armenian occupation and “democracy”: are they compatible?
by Arye Gut
After the fall of the corrupt and criminal regime of Serzh Sargsyan, it seemed that there will be a breakthrough in the Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations and the parties will agree on peace for the countries and peoples. However, this was only an illusion. Being in occupied Khankendi, new Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan stated that Nagorno Karabakh (a region of Azerbaijan which isoccupied by Armenia) should take a direct part in the negotiations on the settlement of the conflict, since Yerevan will speak only on behalf of Armenia. In addition, on Pashinyan’s opinion while Azerbaijan uses aggressive rhetoric and speaks about the seizure of the territories of Armenia, it is pointless to discuss mutual concessions.
In recent days, the Armenian propaganda has been making enormous efforts to put out a wave of fear of a possible war with Azerbaijan. This war, thanks to the irresponsible statements of the new Armenian authorities, has really ceased to be a ghost and has taken on real shape. Pashinyan made it clear that he would not continue negotiations on a peaceful settlement of the conflict. He hopes for his alleged “democratic image” and expects to use it to pressure the West from Baku. Such stupid hopes and frivolous calculations indicate to unprofessionalism, the lack of strategic thinking and the complete unfitness of Premier Pashinyan in big politics, as well as the fact that the war turns into the only way to achieve justice for Azerbaijan.
Populism, which have been adopted by the government of Nikol Pashinyan for armament, Azerbaijani side to expect the Armenian side to provoke military actions. In order to keep the “revolutionary” tone in society, the street people may well resort to military provocation. In conditions when the incompetence of the new government, the chaotic nature of its decisions, uncertain, erroneous first steps and its misunderstanding of the real situation in the fragile South Caucasus region are becoming more noticeable, a small victorious operation, or at least an occasion to fantasize about Pashinyan and his team need like air, especially in the light of the resonance from the military parade in Baku and the large-scale military exercises in Azerbaijan.
Especially the last statements from Russia are losing official Yerevan. They remembered with nostalgia that old days, when the sluggish negotiation process supported a comfortable temperature for the invaders around the conflict, and it seemed that this would always be so. The April battles in Karabakh on 2016 have significantly changed the status quo in favor of Azerbaijan, and immediately attracted the attention of world actors – the United States, Russia, the EU countries, which unanimously urged the parties to solve the problem by peace.
Official Baku has repeatedly stated and warned Armenia that it will never agree with the existing status quo. In response to the military provocations of Armenia and in order to prevent diversion and ensure the security of its citizens, the Azerbaijani army carried out a crushing military blow to the Armenian armed forces in early April 2016 and forced them to withdraw. Today, Azerbaijan is the country with the strongest and most powerful army in the South Caucasus, which has responded to the provocation from Armenia and demonstrated the strength and power of its army.
Delusional statements by the military and political leadership of the Republic of Armenia and representatives of the puppet separatist regime in Nagorno-Karabakh prove that they are seriously worried, in fear, hysteria and panic. The Azerbaijani army is ready for any development of events on the front line. Azerbaijan armed forces and the most powerful weapons systems capable of crushing power are capable of destroying all important military targets and strategic communications of Armenia in a short time. In order to achieve a political solution to the conflict, the occupation must be stopped first and the status quo changed. If Armenia is interested in resolving the conflict, which is important for the development of Armenia itself, it must stop the occupation, follow, and respect the resolutions of the resolutions of the UN Security Council.
The majority of the Armenian population do not live, they just exist. However, for some reasons they compare themselves to the French and Dutch and not to residents of Eritrea or Somalia. It seems that some kind of economic growth is starting now, but it should take at least 10 years to feel it. The population is dissatisfied with authorities, and no one directs their protest.
Do they in Armenia understand that the collapse of the economy and the mass outflow of the population are only consequences, and not the cause of the troubles? Armenia needs to fight not only consequences, but also the underlying causes of problems. Armenia today is like a sick person. This is equivalent to a doctor treating the consequences of the disease, and not the cause. Moreover, the reason lies in Armenian aggressive foreign policy and territorial claims to almost all neighboring states (excluding fundamentalist Iran, with which Armenia has very close, strategic and friendly relations) and in the unsettled Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. After all, these factors led to the economic isolation of Armenia in the region: today the borders of Armenia are closed not only with Azerbaijan, but also with such a large market as Turkey that supports Azerbaijan’s position in its conflict with Armenia.
The latest statements of Nikola Pashinyan and his political behavior is the bluff of the Armenian separatists as their goal is to justify their own aggression and occupation against Azerbaijan. It is obvious that the current leadership of Armenia is striving to declare itself as a supporter of “democracy” and hiding behind “democracy” to maintain the status quo that was established during the truce or even worse, to recognize the separatist puppet regime in Nagorno-Karabakh. Then the question automatically arises: “Can a democratic state be an advocate of occupation?
However, recent events in the region once again proved that official Baku will never agree with the existing status quo in the region and that Armenia should realize that Azerbaijan’s patience has limits. There is a red line and it is impossible to go back once you cross it. According to international law, Baku has the right to not only defend itself, but also to liberate the Azerbaijani territories occupied by Armenia.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this blog article are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the official position or viewpoint of The Jerusalem Post. Blog authors are NOT employees, freelance or salaried, of The Jerusalem Post
State Dept. Rep. Calls for Return of Religious Minority Properties
Kate Nahapetian, Executive Director of the ALC, emphasizes the need to return properties as a means of preventing religious persecution and genocide at State Department’s first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom.
WASHINGTON—Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC) Executive Director Kate Nahapetian emphasized the importance of property rights in the protection of religious freedom and genocide prevention during the State Department’s first-ever Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom, which convened on June Tuesday.
“If we are able to work to return properties, we eliminate the profit motive for persecution and genocide,” stated Nahapetian during the meeting plenary session, where she applauded the State Department’s recent successful efforts to return properties to religious minorities in Iraq.
Pat Davis, Director of Office of Global Programming at the State Department’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor agreed that the return of properties to religious minorities needs to be a focus in addressing religious persecution and atrocity crime prevention. “That is something we have started doing more and more of… as recognition of that exact same phenomenon that you talked about.”
The Armenian Legal Center has been collecting information related to religious and personal properties stolen or confiscated during the Armenian Genocide as part of a process for their eventual return or compensation. It is the only community organization to do so, understanding the importance of consolidating this information in one place as a means towards redress and accountability for the genocide. To submit documentation concerning stolen or lost properties from the Armenian Genocide, please visit: st1yle=”margin:0px 0px 10px”>More than 300 religious freedom leaders from 80 countries around the world — including Armenia – gathered in Washington DC for the Ministerial. Individual testimonies from religious minorities across the globe punctuated the program. In his opening remarks, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback highlighted the case of imprisoned American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who has spent nearly two years in a Turkish jail on baseless charges. Following White House and State Department pressure, and a Senate threat to block international financial corporation assistance for Turkey, the Erdogan regime moved Brunson from jail to house arrest on Wednesday.
Clark and Durbin Introduce Haiti and Armenia Reforestation Bill
Congressional Documents and Publications
Clark and Durbin Introduce Haiti and Armenia Reforestation Bill
Legislation authorizes USAID and the U.S. Forest Service to provide technical and financial aid to rebuild forests and fuel economic and environmental viability
Rep. Katherine Clark (D-MA) News Release
Washington, D.C.– Congresswoman Katherine Clark (MA-5) and Senator Dick Durbin (IL) today introduced the Haiti and Armenia Reforestation Act that would authorize the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Forest Service to provide financial assistance and technical resources to support reforestation in both countries. Centuries of deforestation in Haiti and Armenia has lowered land productivity, negatively impacted water quality, and exacerbated the effects of natural disasters. This bill would contribute to reversing those trends by creating economic benefits for local communities through reforestation and from the sustainable uses of forests.
“Forests play a crucial role in a country’s fiscal and environment health by providing shelter, food, water and jobs,” said Congresswoman Clark. “This legislation will help rejuvenate Haiti and Armenia’s natural resources and in turn, support their long-term economic vitality.”
“Continued deforestation will result in disastrous long-term environmental, health, and economic impacts in Haiti and Armenia,” said Durbin. “This bill supports the market-based sustainable restoration and rebuild of critical ecosystems to improve the overall vitality and quality of life in these countries. I have seen first-hand the impacts of deforestation in Haiti. We need to take action now to ensure people can make a livelihood while preventing future harm to the environment and global climate.”
“A healthy environment is directly tied to the public health of a community and a stable economy”, said co-sponsor Senator Bill Nelson (FL). This legislation empowers Haitians and Armenians to rebuild their forests and develop long-term economic opportunities.”
The bill supports efforts to create social and economic conditions for the environmental recovery of the forest by creating new sources of jobs, income, and investments in Haiti and Armenia. Ultimately, improved sustainable resource management will increase forest cover and reduce deforestation while providing economic opportunities to the populations.
The bill outlines three different funding mechanisms to accomplish these objectives. It authorizes the USAID and the U.S. Forest Service to provide direct financial and technical aid; sets up a grant program to allow non-governmental organizations with reforestation expertise to support the effort; and it allows for the purchase of Haitian debt at a reduced cost, as well as an exchange of Armenian debt, with the commitment of contributing to forest recovery in both countries.
“We would like to thank Rep. Clark for her leadership in introducing forward-leaning legislation to promote a constructive U.S.-Armenia partnership for healthy, sustainable forest growth in Armenia,” said ANC Eastern Massachusetts Chairman, Dr. Aram Kaligian. “We look forward to working closely with the Massachusetts Delegation and our community allies and coalition partners to secure the adoption of this common-sense measure.”
“We thank Senator Durbin, who was the first U.S. legislator to support sustainable Armenian and Haitian reforestation, including through the use of debt-forgiveness incentives to promote the growth of forest cover in both of these nations,” said ANC Illinois Chair Maral Vartanian Abrahamian. “The Haiti and Armenia Reforestation Act of 2018 – now introduced in both the Senate and House – sets clear timetables and establishes key benchmarks for progress toward vital reforestation initiatives in Armenia.”
Huge portions of the forest cover in Haiti and Armenia has been destroyed or degraded. In fact, archaeological records show nearly 35% of Armenia was initially forested and only 7% is forested today. Similarly, over 60% of Haiti was forested in 1923 compared to approximately 10% today. Forests play a crucial role in supporting human and animal ecosystems. More than 1.6 billion people around the globe depend on forests for their livelihood as forests provide food, fresh water, clothing, medicines, and shelter. They’re also the habitat for nearly 2/3 of the species on Earth, including species essential to medical research and agricultural productivity.
Deforestation has greatly reduced Armenia and Haiti’s ability to respond to and recover from natural disasters. In Haiti, hurricanes have killed thousands and displaced hundreds of thousands more, partly because of the clearing of large hillsides that enable rainwater to run off into residential settlements. The effects of Haiti’s January 2010 earthquake also reduced hillside stability and caused significant mudslides throughout the country.
In Armenia, deforestation has caused tens of millions of dollars in damage due to flooding and wildfires, including the recent devastation caused to the Khosrov Forest Reserve, which is among the oldest protected areas in the world. This bill aims to prevent these devastating consequences of deforestation.
Asbarez: ‘With Our Soldiers’ Delivers Emergency Medical Kits to Artsakh Defense Ministry
GLENDALE—In early June, members of Armenian Youth Federation Western U.S.’s “With Our Soldiers” Committee traveled to Artsakh with trained professionals of Code 3 Angels and donated 500 emergency medical kits to Artsakh’s Ministry of Defense. The kits, which included emergency bandages and tourniquets, were prepared by members of the committee beforehand in Pasadena.
These members also travelled to the military base in Tonashen and provided a review of First Aid/CPR training to some of the soldiers. The “With Our Soldiers” Committee had taken on this project with Code 3 Angels, a nonprofit organization that provides emergency medical services skills and training to people across the U.S. and in developing nations, as a part of its ongoing work to provide direct aid to Artsakh with the engagement of the Armenian Youth Federation membership.
In addition to preparing over 500 kits, members of the AYF also received the necessary training and became certified in order to assist the trained professionals of Code 3 Angels on their training sessions. This project will serve as just one of the next several steps that the “With Our Soldiers” committee plans to take on as a part of their consistent efforts in supporting our troops in the homeland.
As an update, the “With Our Soldiers” 2.0 campaign recently concluded a few months ago when our members completed dispersing funds to the 7 remaining families of fallen soldiers as a part of 2.0. The campaign provided each of these families with $1000, making the total amount delivered to the families of fallen soldiers of the 2016 Four Day War and the following months over $150,000.
Here is the information about these 7 soldiers:
Vardan Sargsyan (b. 1997) was a tall and extremely strong physically amongst his peers growing up and as a result spend his youth playing sports. Positionally, a defender during soccer, Vardan’s ability to excel in sports would transcend to other spheres of life including his ability to play instruments. Enjoying many wind instruments, among his favorite were the duduk and the zurna which he would often take to as a hobby and pastime. Vardan was killed on June 16, 2017 by Azerbaijani fire.
Vigen Petrosyan (b. 1997) was serving on the frontlines of Talish & Martuni and was at the frontlines during the April 2016 4-day war without the knowledge of his parents. The only person aware of the extent of Vigen’s involvement was his brother Vahe. Vigen was only 20 years old and one month shy of finishing his service when he was killed, alongside 2 of his fellow soldiers as a result of an Azerbaijani missile that hit a tree the soldiers were sitting under and detonated. He was killed on June 16, 2017.
Arayik Matinyan (b. 1998) was a sniper in the Artsakh Armed Forces. He was generally a hard worker and learned to survive off the land he lived on from his father. He was the oldest of three brothers and also had one sister. He was killed along with Vardan Sargsyan and Vigen Petrosyan on June 16, 2017 by Azerbaijan fire.
Vazgen Poghosyan (b. 1997) was serving in the eastern direction of the Line of Contact. He lived with his family in the town of Horbategh in the province of Vayots Dzor. Vazgen was posthumously awarded the “For Service in Battle” medal for bravery shown during his defense of the Artsakh border. He was killed on July 10, 2017 by Azerbaijani fire.
Narek Gasparyan (b. 1998) was a participant of the 2016 April War serving in Talish. According to family members, Gasparyan had one month before he was to be discharged from the Artsakh Armed Forces. Gasparyan’s brother also served last year and was recently discharged. Narek was known for being a very talented dhol player. Gasparyan was killed on June 17, 2017 by Azerbaijani aggression.
Arman Movsisyan (b. 1998) was a very active child growing up and liked to finish things fast and first. He was the only son in the family and had one sister. Arman enjoyed building things on his own and working on various projects. When he passed away, he left behind a bicycle that he was building as well as a garage he was building for his family. Arman was killed by Azerbaijani fire on August 14, 2017.
Artak Bisharyan (b.1991) was posthumously awarded the “For Service in Battle” medal for bravery and courage shown during his defense of his fatherland. Although he had finished his mandatory service he decided to remain and continue to carry out his duties for his nation and his people. Furthermore his brother is a police officer and thus for the Bisharyan family service to the state plays an integral role in their framework. Artak will be remembered as a kind-hearted individual who would always perform tasks and do things so that his friends would not have to and that is exactly how he spent his last few breaths. The Armenian military had a task to be fulfilled near the neutral zone and it was exactly then when the enemy infantry took aim, killing Artak. He was killed on August 27, 2017.
The AYF’s “With Our Soldiers” campaign, originally launched in 2012, provided medical services and assistance to more than 80 veterans of the Artsakh Liberation Movement. To learn more about the WOS campaign or to make a donation today, you can visit withoursoldiers.com.
Founded in 1933 with organizational structures in over 17 regions around the world and a legacy of over eighty years of community involvement, the Armenian Youth Federation is the largest and most influential Armenian-American youth organization in the world, working to advance the social, political, educational, and cultural awareness of Armenian youth.
Telma’s Crew
See attached- NEWS RELEASE For Immediate Release contact-Garen Yegparian 818/563-3918 [email protected] Telma’s Crew Northridge, CA – Telma Ghazarian Altoon is competing in the world’s toughest footrace in about one month. But no one achieves success in such events alone. All the racers are backed up by crews of three or four (the maximum allowed) people. Telma’s crew will consist of four, and is very international. Currently, one slot is open because two people who had planned on filling it were sidelined by health issues. The search is on for a replacement. Meanwhile, the other three are busily preparing for the big two-days in July the Badwater 135 race spans. The crew’s sole purpose for those days will be to see to the racer’s, Telma’s, needs. They will support her by running beside her not only to hand her water and food, but also to keep her from running too fast! They will spray her with water to cool down in the 120-130°F heat of the desert, make sure all supplies are immediately available (e.g fresh socks), keep the support van close for the brief naps she may take, etc. In short, they are there to make sure all Telma does is focus on the grueling task of running 135 miles and 14,600 feet of gain in the desert. Valod Shaverdian, an engineer born in Iran, is the crew chief, and responsible for making sure all the nitty-gritty arrangements are made and a tight schedule adhered to. He is the first Armenian to serve in that position in this three-decade old race. He is most proud of being his daughter, Audrey’s, dad. But he also brings a dozen years’ worth of hiking/mountaineering/running experience. Before seeing the documentary "Running on the Sun: The Badwater 135" in 2006, Valod had never been involved in any organized sports and claims “I couldn’t run to save my life”. But the film’s presentation of the human spirit and the extremes human bodies can endure fascinated him and he started running. Since then, he has finished eleven half marathons, four marathons, and two 50 kilometer races. His current passion is hiking. Besides summiting most of the major peaks in Southern California, he has climbed Mt. Ararat in 2014 and Mt. Elbrus (in Russia near Georgia, the highest mountain in Europe) in 2017, both dormant volcanoes. He aspires to complete a 50-mile event and climb South America’s highest peak, Aconcagua, in Argentina. Balmore Flores has been running since he was 13 in El Salvador where he was born. Immigrating to the USA at age 17, he ran the mile and two-mile for his high school track and cross-country teams for one season. After graduating, Balmore joined the US Navy and kept running for fun, but stayed away from competitive events except for a few marathons here and there. Like Valod, a film inspired him. In March 2013, seeing the film “Indulgence: 1,000 Miles Under the Colorado Sky” made him realize that running 100 miles or more is possible. After that, there was no stopping him. He has completed the LA and San Diego Marathons multiple times, along with the Santa Clarita, Mountains to Beach, and Boston Marathons. Among his “short” races are the Valley Crest Trail 1/2 Marathon and Xterra Trail 21K (“K” is commonly used in racing circles for kilometer). He has six 50K (33 mile) Ultra-Trail races under his belt – Bulldog (twice), Speedgoat (twice), Bandit, and Holcom Valley. He has the Leona Divide and Avalon Ultra-Trail 50 milers under his belt as well. Finally, in the 100 mile Ultra-Trail category, the Chimera (twice), Angeles Crest (twice), Bryce, Wasatch, and Born to Run (twice) have all seen the underside of his feet! He hopes to return to Central America upon retirement and is already signed up to run the Ultra-Trail Guatemala. However, he’s concerned that “it might not happen because the volcano Fuego has erupted twice already this year, and the race course goes up that volcano. I am looking into running Ulta-Trail Fuego Y Agua in Nicaragua in 2019.” Hakoop Abnoos, like Valod, was born in Iran and currently resides in Burbank. He is a black belt in karate. He was been passionate about track and field in his teenage years when he participated in multiple 400m, 1600m and 10k races in Iran’s Hamahaykakan (pan-Armenian) games, continuing into young adulthood. One of Hakoop's life-long dreams was to climb Mount Ararat. After achieving this goal in 2014, he got passionate about hiking and mountaineering and went on to climb Mount Orizaba – Mexico highest, and Chimborazo, Cayambe, Illiniza Norte, Pichincha, and Pasochoa in Ecuador. In 2015, he completed the LA marathon which reignited his passion for the sport of running. He has since completed four additional marathons, two 50Ks, two 50 milers, and several half marathons and 10k runs. He placed first for his age group in two of those competitions. His biggest goals are to qualify for the Boston Marathon, and participate in a 100-miler. All this running and training is necessary since the crew will also have to endure the same conditions as Telma, but will be taking turns in running with her. #####
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