Author: Kanayan Tamar

Engineer Armenia: Sustainable solutions for the homeland

Kanayan Tamar
July 26, 2023 Talar Keoseyan Non-Profit 1

Family home built in Jrashen, 2019

“When I think of how this organization started, I reflect on myself at 16 years old,” Karina Khadarian, founder and CEO of Engineer Armenia, said, “when I went to Armenia and Artsakh for two and a half weeks with my school. I loved every minute of it, but I left feeling like I was merely a tourist in my own homeland. I still felt a sense of disconnect.” In 2015, Khadarian spent her summer in Armenia and Artsakh as an AYF Youth Corps volunteer. This was the first time she truly formed a connection with the land and its residents on more than just a surface level. She immersed herself in the communities of Armenia, and that connection was liberating for her.

She was just two years into college as a chemical engineering undergraduate when she decided that she had to do something to impact change in the homeland. While staying with host families, she gained insight into the challenges they faced on a daily basis. She knew that infrastructure, water and waste management in Armenia were in need of serious improvement. She believed she could tie these issues together through education. In July of 2015, she founded Engineer Armenia. “To engineer is to use innovation, creativity, knowledge and resources to find a sustainable solution to a problem. We are to engineer our homeland,” Khadarian told the Weekly.

“You have to actively be Armenian. It’s not enough to preserve our culture and learn and share about our history. It’s not only about the genealogy. Patriotism is not just loving your country blindly,” Khadarian said. “You have to see the homeland for all its beauty, but also its flaws, and work proactively to get it to the level that it deserves.”

She was 20 years old, and she knew that her homeland needed her. She went back to foster relationships with her former host families and students. She investigated potential projects and grew the Engineer Armenia network with local municipalities, authorities and residents. Were the residents ready to invest in themselves and their own communities? Could they donate their time, skills, equipment or money? These were areas to discuss and seriously consider.

Engineer Armenia volunteers at work

She developed a team at the University of California, Irvine, (UCI) starting with 19 volunteers, most of whom were not of Armenian descent and had no relationship with Armenia. As a student volunteer in other engineering organizations on campus, she began by networking with and recruiting UCI students. As someone who had volunteered her time and skills for projects in Madagascar and Honduras, countries she did not have a personal connections with, she knew she could engage both her Armenian and non-Armenian peers by presenting it as the hands-on experience all engineering students needed to become desirable candidates for future employment opportunities. 

“We have to be strategic in how we get both our own community members and our non-Armenian friends, colleagues and even strangers involved in such development projects. Sell it as a hands-on experience, or a networking opportunity, or a way to grow your list of references,” Khadarian urged. “Do what you can to engage more people and secure more resources, whether it be for intellect and skills, or for financing and connections. Be strategic, be smart, and above all, always think of ways to help our beloved homeland.”

Since its inception and early years, Engineer Armenia’s membership, network and projects have grown. Engineer Armenia has projects in Gyumri, Tavush and Meghrashen in Shirak; Vanadzor, Jrashen and Hartagyugh in Lori; Hatsik and Karakert in Armavir; Goris in Syunik; and Nngi in Artsakh. Projects address water, waste management, infrastructure, engineering, education or consulting. They include design-heavy initiatives to renovate or retrofit civil or commercial infrastructure, treat and improve drinking or irrigation water quality, and install proper waste management processes. 

Engineering camp, Hartagyugh, 2022

Engineer Armenia also has education programs such as their annual summer engineering camp. During the camp, students are immersed into different engineering fields through interactive activities and competitions to demonstrate their new skills. At the end of camp, students present their original projects addressing how they can use engineering to develop the homeland. The projects involve at least one field of engineering and include detailed project scope, estimated costs, labor, materials and project timeline. This final project not only highlights the topics and skills students learn at the camp but also fosters a collaborative environment, improves their public speaking and presentation skills, and inspires them to take ownership of their work. This is a wonderful way of working on a growth mindset to encourage innovation and engage the next generation of Armenian engineers in homeland development, self-reliance and sustainability projects.

Engineer Armenia has also collaborated with start-up companies for prosthetics and 3D printing. “There are a lot of brilliant minds in Armenia with great ideas, but sometimes there is a gap between the conception of the project or business idea and the actual implementation and scale-up,” Khadarian said. To help bridge that gap, Engineer Armenia has helped with business proposals and grant writing. One of the groups secured a $10,000 grant to use for a startup.

Engineer Armenia is committed to helping our homeland with its dedicated volunteer staff throughout the Diaspora, Armenia and Artsakh. 

“The concept of being actively Armenian is on all of us. We all have something we can bring to the table to help our homeland. In fact, it is our civic duty to do so,” Khadarian said.

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Talar Keoseyan is a mother, educator and writer. Talar’s book called Mom and Dad, Why Do I Need to Know My Armenian Heritage? is available on Amazon. Tigran’s Song is available at Abril Bookstore. She has been an educator for 25 years and resides in Los Angeles, CA. She can be reached at


Miscarriages triple in besieged Karabakh – Official

Kanayan Tamar
Armenia –
– 11:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Pregnant women don’t have access to nutrient-rich foods in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) amid Azerbaijan’s total blockade, Vardges Osipov, the executive director of Mother and Child Health Care Center of Stepanakert told Artsakhpress on Wednesday, July 19.

“Naturally, the situation has had a very negative impact on both fertility and all kinds of complications that we already encounter during our daily practical work,” Osipov said.

“I should mention that in the last month, the rate of miscarriages has increased almost three times.”

In recent months, he said, perinatal mortality rates have increased too.

“Naturally, all this is caused by both the stressful situation and lack of a balanced diet.”

https://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/308664/Miscarriages_triple_in_besieged_Karabakh__Official

Tangible results visible in justice sector amid reforms, says deputy minister

Kanayan Tamar

 12:02,

YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Cooperation between the Armenian Justice Ministry, the EU and the UNDP has rather long and productive history. Within the framework of the partnership, Armenia is basically covering the main direction of reforms in the justice sector, achieving very tangible results which are already visible in the justice system, the Deputy Minister of Justice Karen Karapetyan on Friday said during an event dedicated to the launch of the e-platform of the 2022-2026 Strategy and Action Plan of Judicial and Legislative Reforms.

“Judicial and legislative reforms are among the priorities of the Armenian government,” Karapetyan said.

He said that the results of any reform should be visible to the citizens, the direct beneficiaries of the reforms.

“The platform not only has a main function of public awareness, but also enables all stakeholders to include their reports and performance reports directly, swiftly, productively and with modern mechanisms to both government agencies and the society,” he added, thanking international partners for support and cooperation.

The platform was developed as part of the “Accountable Institutions and Human Rights Protection in Armenia” project, funded by the European Union (EU) and implemented jointly by UNDP, UNFPA, and the OSCE.

CSTO deployment depends on Armenia’s decision, says Russia

Kanayan Tamar

 14:50,

YEREVAN, JULY 20, ARMENPRESS. Russia has said that the deployment of a CSTO mission in Armenia would have a significant contribution in stabilizing the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova said at a press briefing that the possible deployment of the CSTO mission depends on Armenia’s decision.

“The deployment of the organization’s mission in Armenia would have a significant contribution in stabilizing the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. The ball is in the Armenian side’s court,” Zakharova said.

She noted that Nagorno Karabakh is not in the CSTO area of responsibility.

Blinken accuses Russia of ‘weaponizing food’ with move to halt Ukraine grain deal

Kanayan Tamar

 10:27,

YEREVAN, JULY 18, ARMENPRESS. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday accused Russia of “weaponizing food” after Moscow halted its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, which has kept food supplies flowing out of Ukraine despite the war.

The deal was brokered by the United Nations and Turkey.

“So the result of Russia’s action today – weaponizing food, using it as a tool, as a weapon in its war against Ukraine – will be to make food harder to come by in places that desperately need it, and have prices rise.  We’re already seeing the market react to this as prices are going up,” Blinken said at a press conference.

He said that the deal had a “tremendously positive benefit”.

The U.S. Secretary of State added that Washington and Kiev ‘will look at whether there are any other options’.

“….the Ukrainians and we, others will look at whether there are any other options, but the challenge is this:  If Russia is ending this initiative and sending a message that grain cannot and other food products cannot leave Ukraine unimpeded, even if there are other options, I think it will likely have a profound chilling effect on the ability to pursue them as other countries, companies, shippers, et cetera will be very concerned about what happens to their ships and to their personnel if Russia is opposing the – any export of food products from Ukraine.  The whole point of this was to have a voluntary agreement that involved all of the relevant parties that was endorsed by the United Nations to make sure that there was safety, security, predictability in moving food out of Ukraine and to places that were desperately in need of it. So in the absence of that, I think, yes, we’ll look at – to see what else can be done to find other ways to get Ukrainian food products on the world market, including, again, as we’ve, as Ukraine has already been doing, moving things out through rail and by road.  But in terms of the volumes necessary, it’s really hard to replace what’s now being lost as a result of Russia weaponizing food,” he said.

Moscow announced on Monday it wouldn’t extend the Ukraine grain deal over alleged non-compliance by other parties. In a statement reported by RT, the Russian Foreign Ministry added that Russia will no longer provide security guarantees for civilian vessels traversing the formerly exempted corridor in the Black Sea.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that this latest decision “means the recall of maritime navigation security guarantees, the discontinuation of the maritime humanitarian corridor [and] the reinstatement of the ‘temporarily dangerous area’ regime in the north-western Black Sea.” Russian diplomats went on to accuse Ukraine of using the humanitarian corridor to carry out attacks on Russian targets.  

As for the Ukrainian grain shipments that were facilitated by the deal, the ministry claimed that the vast majority of those ended up in Europe, with several countries there allegedly lining their pockets.  

The statement pointed out that the whole mechanism, which was launched last summer, had ostensibly been designed to help avert famine in poorer nations.

AW: AYF Camp Haiastan establishes new tradition with Armenia Tree Project

Kanayan Tamar
 Armenia Tree Project Nonprofit News, Diaspora, Youth 0

Camp Haiastan Wishing Tree

Franklin, Mass.—Since 1951, AYF Camp Haiastan has welcomed campers to the shores of Uncas Pond for an enjoyable experience. Campers experience all the fun activities of summer camp while learning about their Armenian heritage, making friends from all over the Armenian diaspora and creating lifelong memories. This summer, Armenia Tree Project helped campers create a new memory by creating a wishing tree tradition.

Campers in the Teen Session, ages 15 and 16, learn about organizations working in Armenia and the diaspora. Armenia Tree Project’s (ATP) team was invited to join the campers and discuss ATP’s work. ATP was founded in 1994 but is part of a strong tradition in Armenia’s long history of valuing trees and nature. Armenians have always cherished their connection with trees. Pre-Christian and early Christian Armenian art prominently features the tree of life and pomegranate trees. Ancient kings of Armenia, notably Anushavan Sosanver, were dedicated to a cult of plane trees and believed that sounds made by the rustling of the leaves were messages from the divine.

Throughout Armenia to this day, a visitor may find trees or shrubs near churches which are covered in strips of cloth. These are wishing trees, an ancient practice which has continued throughout the Christian era. Each cloth tied to a branch represents a wish or prayer. For example, a piece of clothing belonging to a sick family member may be tied to a branch along with a wish for restored health.

After explaining the work of ATP and the wishing tree tradition, the ATP team gave each camper a ribbon and asked them to write their wish or prayer on it. The wish could be for themselves, their family, Camp Haiastan or Armenia. Some campers shared their wishes with the group, while others preferred to keep them private. A few wishes shared were “for the safety of the soldiers in Armenia;” “that I might visit Armenia someday;” and “for my family to be healthy and happy.”

The campers tied their wish ribbons to the branches of the designated tree, each taking a moment to silently share their wish with the tree. They were reminded that each time they visit Camp and pass by the tree, they should reflect on their wish, allowing the tree to serve as a reminder of hope and the importance of following your dreams.

“This was an especially meaningful activity for the Teen Session campers. For many of them, this is their final summer as campers and they are thinking a lot about what the future holds while reflecting on the great memories they’ve created at Camp Haiastan,” Camp director Nairi Koroghlian said. “We look forward to continuing this tradition with ATP every year.”

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Armenia Tree Project (ATP) is a non-profit program based in Woburn and Yerevan conducting vitally important environmental projects in Armenia’s cities and villages and seeks support in advancing its reforestation mission. Since 1994, ATP has planted and restored more than 6,000,000 trees, and hundreds of jobs have been created for Armenians in seasonal tree-related programs.


Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 17-07-23

Kanayan Tamar

 17:37,

YEREVAN, 17 JULY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 17 July, USD exchange rate up by 0.13 drams to 386.14 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.57 drams to 433.67 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.01 drams to 4.27 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 1.18 drams to 504.92 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 45.82 drams to 24254.58 drams. Silver price up by 6.43 drams to 307.51 drams.

Armenpress: EU’s Michel emphasizes the need to unblock the Lachin Corridor. details from the trilateral meeting in Brussels

Kanayan Tamar

 20:33,

YEREVAN, JULY 15, ARMENPRESS. Charles Michel, the President of the European Council, considers it necessary to unblock the Lachin corridor and notes that the created situation is not in the interests of any party, the correspondent of ARMENPRESS reports from Brussels that Michel made such a statement in a conversation with journalists after the tripartite meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.

“Clear steps were discussed to help the situation return to its normal course again. I emphasized the need to open the Lachin Corridor, noted Azerbaijan’s readiness to deliver humanitarian aid through Aghdam. The European Union continues to be involved in order to start negotiations between the representatives of the former autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh and Baku, which is important for discussing the rights and security issues of the local Armenian population,” said the President of the European Council.

The President of the European Council drew attention to the fact that the people of Nagorno Karabakh are facing a humanitarian crisis and emphasized that the current situation around the Lachin Corridor is unstable.

According to him, at the meeting, the parties reaffirmed that they recognize each other’s territorial integrity.

The President of the European Council added that the delimitation of the borders, which has become the subject of discussion, should be carried out according to the Almaty Declaration. Michel emphasized that the issues of prisoners and soldiers who crossed over to the other side by mistake were discussed at the tripartite meeting.

Michel reminded that another five-party (Armenia, Azerbaijan, EU, France, Germany) meeting with the participation of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan is planned in the fall in Granada.

Nagorno-Karabakh Separatists Urge Russia to Open Corridor to Armenia

Kanayan Tamar

Voice of America
AFP –
YEREVAN, ARMENIA — 

A separatist official in Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan on Thursday called on Russia to ensure free movement on the only road linking the breakaway region to Armenia, warning of dire humanitarian consequences.

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan earlier announced fresh EU-mediated peace talks, as Western engagement grows in a region where Russia, distracted by its war in Ukraine, appears to be losing influence.

Karabakh has been at the center of a decades-long territorial dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have fought two wars over the mountainous territory, mainly populated by Armenians.

On Tuesday, Azerbaijan said it was shutting the only road linking the region to Armenia, accusing the Armenian branch of the Red Cross of smuggling.

State Minister Gurgen Nersisyan called on Russia, which helped broker the latest cease-fire between the two countries, to step in.

“We ask to ensure unimpeded movement, transportation of people and cargo along the corridor connecting Artsakh with Armenia,” Nersisyan said, using the Armenian name for the region.

Russia sponsored the latest cease-fire that ended six weeks of fighting in autumn 2020 and saw Armenia cede swaths of territories it had controlled for decades.

Under the deal, the five-kilometer Lachin Corridor was to be manned by Russian peacekeepers to ensure free passage between Armenia and Karabakh.

‘Terrible’ situation

Since Azerbaijan shut the corridor there have been concerns about a humanitarian crisis in the restive enclave, which is experiencing food shortages and where locals lack access to health services, according to separatist authorities.

“The situation is terrible. In a few days we will have irreversible consequences,” Nersisyan said.

This week, AFP spoke to locals in the rebel region’s main city, Stepanakert, who reported food shortages and critical problems with access to medical services.

Nersisyan called on residents to gather at in the Stepanakert Renaissance Square on Friday at 9 a.m. (0500 GMT) to “begin a peaceful struggle for our existence.”

Armenia, which has relied on Russia for military and economic support since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, has accused Moscow of failing to fulfill its peacekeeping role in Karabakh.

With Russia bogged down in Ukraine and unwilling to strain ties with Azerbaijan’s key ally Turkey, the United States and European Union have sought to repair ties between the Caucasus rivals.

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Pashinyan announced a next round of peace talks with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on Saturday in Brussels under the mediation of European Council President Charles Michel.

An EU official said the trilateral meeting, the sixth in nearly two years, would cover humanitarian issues, border delimitation, the peace treaty, rights and security of Karabakh Armenians, and connectivity.

“We consider the leaders-level engagement essential to promote peaceful settlement and to prevent escalation,” the official said in Brussels, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Pashinyan also said the “illegal blockade” contradicts a ruling of the International Court of Justice.

The U.N.’s top judicial body ordered Azerbaijan in February to ensure free movement along the Lachin Corridor, Karabakh’s sole land link with Armenia.

https://www.voanews.com/a/nagorno-karabakh-separatists-urge-russia-to-open-corridor-to-armenia-/7179999.html

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https://www.digitaljournal.com/world/karabakh-separatists-urge-russia-to-open-corridor-to-armenia/article

Ararat Mirzoyan, Josep Borrell discuss Armenia-EU cooperation

Kanayan Tamar

 15:39, 8 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 8, ARMENPRESS. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met with the Vice President of the European Commission, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell within the framework of the Dubrovnik Conference, ARMENPRESS reports, Mirzoyan wrote on Twitter.

“Within the framework of the Dubrovnik conference, we exchanged ideas with Josep Borrell on Armenia-EU partnership,” Mirzoyan wrote.