Author: Karagyozian Lena

Asbarez: Proposed Biden Trade Action Threatens over 700 Manufacturing Jobs in Armenia

Karagyozian Lena

June 9, 2021



Commerce Department is set to block Armenia’s aluminum foil exports to the U.S.

Department of Commerce Set to Block Armenia’s Aluminum Foil Exports to the United States

WASHINGTON—The Department of Commerce is set to undertake a punitive trade action against Armenal, Armenia’s sole producer and exporter of aluminum foil, a counter-productive proposal strongly opposed by the Armenian National Committee of America.

The ANCA supports a balanced “suspension agreement” that would put in place a managed bilateral trade regime to resolve outstanding issues in a mutually beneficial manner that protects domestic U.S. interests while avoiding devastating impacts on Armenia’s economy.

Armenal is a major taxpayer that contributes meaningfully to Armenia’s budget, directly employs over 700 skilled workers in the Arabkir region, and indirectly supports the livelihoods of thousands of families across Armenia. Armenal’s aluminum foil exports have, in recent years, accounted for as much as three-quarters of Armenia’s total exports to the United States, but represent only a small fraction of total U.S. imports, and an even smaller share of the total U.S. market.

“Now, more than ever, the Biden Administration needs to be pro-actively supporting Armenia’s sovereignty and Artsakh’s security – amicably resolving trade issues and energetically boosting U.S.-Armenia economic ties – certainly not targeting Armenian workers with punitive trade actions,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “A ‘suspension agreement’ will be a win-win, providing all stakeholders with the time and space to address this matter in a cooperative manner.”

The punitive trade action, currently being considered by the Commerce Department, comes amid Armenia’s ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the economic and refugee crisis caused by Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing of Artsakh last fall, and Baku’s ongoing aggression against Armenia.

Russian sports commentator Konstantin Genich has been denied accreditation for Euro-2020.

Karagyozian Lena
Public Radio of Armenia



The journalist initially received a letter from UEFA confirming his accreditation, but before he would get the ID he received a call from Baku, one of the host cities of the tournament.

According to Genich, his participation in the football tournament of the CIS and Baltic countries in Nagorno-Karabakh in 2009 was the reason for reversing the accreditation.

“I don’t really understand why mix politics and sports, especially on the opening day of the championship. I hope my issue will be resolved, and my accreditation will be confirmed, I will still be able to get it and work on this Euro. Well, if not … Baku, alas, I am disappointed,” Genich wrote on Telegram.

Accreditation of Another Russian journalist Nobel Arustamyan, who is of Armenian descent, was also blocked by Baku due to the same reason. He was later allowed to work at Euro.

Euro-2020 kicked off in Rome on Friday with Italy’s convincing 3-0 victory over Turkey.

The other host cities are Glasgow, Amsterdam, Baku, Bucharest, Budapest, Copenhagen, Munich, and Seville.

Twenty-four teams will be vying for the trophy between 11 June and 11 July.

Armenpress: Armenia election campaign: Day 4

Karagyozian Lena

Armenia election campaign: Day 4

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 09:00,

YEREVAN, JUNE 10, ARMENPRESS. The electoral campaign for the June 20 snap parliamentary elections officially launched in Armenia on June 7.

The campaign will last until June 18.

26 political forces – 22 parties and 4 blocs, have been registered for participation in the elections, but on June 8 one of the parties – “Armenian Eagles: United Armenia” has announced that they will not take part in the elections.

ARMENPRESS presents the schedule of the visits of the political forces.

 

Bright Armenia party led by Chairman Edmon Marukyan

Visit to Tavush province

-Ayrum, Haghtanak, Berdavan, Koghb, Noyemberyan, Koti, Achajur, Ijevan and Dilijan starting at 14:00

The party’s another group will continue the campaign in Yerevan starting at 11:00 in Arabkir district.

 

Sovereign Armenia party

Visit to Armavir province

-Etchmiadzin, Armavir (10:00)

-Back to Yerevan at 15:00 to hold awareness-raising campaign

 

“5165 national conservative movement” party

Visit to Ararat province

-Ararat town (13:00)

-Artashat

 

Civil Contract party led by caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan

Visit to Lori province

-Vanadzor (18:30)

 

“Armenia” bloc led by 2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan

Visit to Aragatsotn province

-Talin, Tsaghkahovit, Alagyaz

-Ashtarak

 

Armenian National Congress party

-Press conference at 14:00 in Elite Plaza hotel, to be delivered by party president, 1st President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan

 

Alliance With Honor

-Press conference at 12:00

 

Prosperous Armenia party

Visit to Tavush province

-Ijevan (18:00)

 

“Zartonk” party

-Davitashen administrative district, Yerevan (09:00)

 

“Our Home Is Armenia” party

-Party will present pre-election program’s political, economic and legal provisions at 11:00

Russian peacekeepers provide security during agricultural work in Artsakh’s Chartar village

Karagyozian Lena
Panorama, Armenia

Russian peacekeepers have begun to ensure the safety of local residents during agricultural work in the Martuni district of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), the country’s Defense Ministry reported. 

The Humanitarian Response Center of the Russian peacekeeping contingent receives daily requests for security from residents of settlements located near the line of demarcation of the parties. So representatives of the village of Chartar of the Martuni district appealed to the Center for Humanitarian Response, in order to ensure safety during work on agricultural fields.

“From today and during the next week, we will ensure safety during agricultural work,” said Alexander Vasiliev, a representative of the Center for Humanitarian Response.

Also, local residents create mineralized strips, in order to prevent the fall of grass, protect fields and settlements from fire.

“Thanks to the Russian servicemen who came to protect us, people can work here, thank you very much for helping us,” said Khachik Khachatryan, a local resident of Chartar village.

Azerbaijani press: Armenian people will have to choose the lesser of two evils – analyst

Karagyozian Lena
2 June 2021 16:39 (UTC+04:00)
494

By Trend

Provocations carried out by the Armenian military on the border with Azerbaijan have a serious impact on the formation of pre-election public opinion in Armenia, Azerbaijani political scientist Jeyhun Ahmadli told Trend.

“The results of a recent sociological poll in Armenia showed that 32 percent of respondents consider security to be the most pressing issue. Only 13 percent of those polled spoke about the importance of economic stability, despite the fact that the results of polls two months ago were exactly the opposite,” Ahmadli said.

He noted that the sharp change in public opinion is only because of incidents at the border.

“Apparently, the shameful situation, which the Armenian servicemen who committed the provocation found themselves in, as well as the fact that Azerbaijan will not give up even an inch of its land during the delimitation of borders, will have an impact to acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s electoral rating. So the current situation is beneficial to ex-President Robert Kocharyan and can create conditions for him to get more votes in the upcoming elections,” Ahmadli said.

“Generally, the course of events shows that following the election results, the blocs of Pashinyan and Kocharyan will share the first and second places. It is assumed that the bloc of Pashinyan will gain about 30 percent of the votes, but will not be able to stay in power. If it does not come to the second round of elections, then Pashinyan will be forced to share power with Kocharyan, that is, agree to a coalition government, because there is no other alternative political force,” Ahmadli said.

According to the political scientist, the results of opinion polls indicate that political polarization is increasing in the Armenian society.

“Pashinyan is at one pole, Kocharyan is at the other. In reality, the Pashinyan-Kocharyan coalition government will not be able to be stable and remain in power for a long time. Thus, if this happens, a serious crisis of power is inevitable in Armenia, therefore it is possible that the second round of elections will be held on the initiative of Pashinyan,” said the analyst.

“Today the Armenian people will have to choose the lesser of two evils. Neither Pashinyan, who came to power with slogans about democracy and human rights, nor Kocharyan, who previously ruled Armenia with criminal methods, can promise salvation to the people, and the Armenians understand this. Therefore, in all polls, the majority of respondents in Armenia declare that they do not believe any of these political forces, or have not yet decided who they will vote for in the upcoming elections,” Ahmadli said.

Early parliamentary elections in Armenia are scheduled for June 20.

Russia increases border troop strength in Armenia, ambassador says

Karagyozian Lena
TASS, Russia
June 4 2021
WorldJune 04, 16:21

YEREVAN, June 4. /TASS/. Moscow has increased the number of Russian border troops deployed to Armenia in accordance with its alliance obligations, Russian Ambassador to Yerevan Sergey Kopyrkin said at a meeting with Governor of Armenia’s Sinyuk region Melikset Pogosyan, the Russian embassy said in a statement on Friday.

“The parties discussed the situation in Armenia’s southernmost region, including its border districts. The diplomatic mission’s chief pointed out that Russia significantly contributed to ensuring Armenia’s security under its alliance obligations. In particular, the number of Russia’s border troops has been increased, extensive material and financial resources have been allocated to ensure their activities,” the statement reads.

The governor thanked Russia “for ending the bloodshed in the fall of 2020 and making an invaluable contribution to the post-conflict reconstruction, and commended the efforts of Russian border troops deployed to the region.”

The situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has remained tense since May 12, when the Armenian Defense Ministry said that Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces had attempted to carry out “certain activities” in the Syunik Province’s border district. The ministry added that the Azerbaijani troops halted their activities following some steps taken by Armenian forces.

On May 27, Azerbaijan said that six Armenian troops had been captured when trying to cross the two countries’ border to carry out a subversive activity. Armenia confirmed the capture, adding, however, that the troops had been engaged in engineering works in a border district of the country’s Gegharkunik Province.

Yerevan later said that it had contacted the Collective Security Treaty Organization with regard to border tensions. The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in turn, put forward a plan to ease tensions, which calls on the parties to withdraw troops and launch a border demarcation process with the Minsk Group’s assistance. Several sources confirmed to TASS on June 2 that Russia, Azerbaijan and Armenia had held consultations in Moscow, discussing ways to ease tensions in certain border regions of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

 

Sports: Weightlifting double for Armenia and another medal for Russia at Junior Worlds

Karagyozian Lena
Inside the Games
  • By Brian Oliver
  • Saturday,

Armenia won both medal events on the eighth day of the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) Junior World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Russia won another silver, taking its tally for the week to an impressive seven medals in total, one more than Turkey with two days to go.

The performance of the day came from Garik Karapetyan, who will not be 17 until next month.

He gained revenge over men who had beaten him in world and continental youth championships as he took the men’s 96 kilograms with 162-193-355.

Karapetyan trailed the 18-year-old Russian Artur Babayan in the snatch but Babayan – who had denied Karapetyan in the 2019 European Youth Championships – failed with his final attempt and was beaten by one kilogram.

The bronze medallist Ilia Moskalenko of Ukraine made 155-194-349, which highlighted just how good the performance of the week was.

It came from Rizki Juniansyah of Indonesia, who made exactly the same numbers, 155-194-349, way down in the 73kg category when he broke world records on the way to victory three days ago.

The action was far less spectacular today but Armenia will not see it that way as they enjoyed a golden double.

They took the women’s 81kg through Liana Gyurjyan, who made 98-125-223 to finish one kilogram ahead of Ucan Dilara of Turkey.

Ecuador’s Kelin Jimenez was third on 218kg.

The highlight of day nine is expected to be the performance in the men’s 102kg of the outstanding 17-year-old Kazakhstan lifter Rakhat Bekbolat, who holds world records at youth and junior level.

Armenian Catholic patriarch dies in Lebanon

Karagyozian Lena
  • Doreen Abi Raad

    catholic news service

BEIRUT — Armenian Catholic Patriarch Gregoire Pierre XX Gabroyan died in Beirut May 25.

The 86-year-old had served as patriarch since 2015.

Gabroyan “was a great leader, a servant-hearted leader, wise and realistic,” said Serop Ohanian, Lebanon field director for the Howard Karagheusian Commemorative Corp., which has served socially and economically vulnerable Armenian communities for 100 years.

“He was always close to the people, visiting the sick and the destitute, providing the necessary and needed support to them,” Ohanian told Catholic News Service. “It is a great loss to our community.”

The Middle East Council of Churches said Patriarch Gabroyan was “a most prominent supporter of the ecumenical movement and the MECC.”

A funeral Mass will be May 29 at the Cathedral of St. Elias and St. Gregory the Illuminator in Beirut.

Gabroyan was born in Aleppo, Syria, Nov. 15, 1934, to parents who had fled Marin, Turkey, as a result of the 1915 genocide. In 1938, his family settled in Lebanon.

He received his early education in Lebanon, including at the Bzommar Monastery School. He continued his higher studies at the Pontifical Armenian College in Rome and graduate studies in philosophy and theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University.

He was ordained a priest in Lebanon March 28, 1959.

Gabroyan served as principal of the Armenian Catholic Mesrobian School in Bourj Hammoud, Beirut’s main Armenian district, from 1960 to 1969. He was rector of the minor seminary of Bzommar from 1969 to 1976.

In 1976, he was appointed to serve Armenian Catholics in France and was ordained a bishop Feb. 13, 1977.

He retired Feb. 2, 2013, but that retirement was interrupted two years later when, at age 80, he was elected as the 20th patriarch after the death Patriarch Nerses Bedros XIX Tarmouni.

Military attaches of foreign embassies accredited in Armenia visit Syunik, record presence of Azeri militaries in Armenia’s territory

Karagyozian Lena
Aysor, Armenia
     

On May 20 Armenia’s Ministry of Defense organized the visit of the military attaches of foreign embassies accredited in Armenian to Syunik province to get familiarized with the situation created as a result of incursion of Azeri militaries into the territory of Armenia on spot.

Armenia MOD reports that the representatives of the commandership responsible sub-division of the Armenian Armed Forces briefed to the military attaches the situation created after May 12 and the developments, the actions undertaken by the Armenian side, answered to the questions the military attaches were interested in.

Accompanied with the commandership representatives, the military attaches visited the territory near Lake Sev, recorded the presence of the Azerbaijani militaries in the territory of Armenia, observed the deployment of the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces in the area.

Razm.Info: Azerbaijanis settle on top of mountain 6 km from Armenia Gegharkunik Province village

Karagyozian Lena
News.am, Armenia
(PHOTOS)
12:52, 22.05.2021

Azerbaijani users had shared another video on social media from the eastern border sector of Gegharkunik Province of Armenia, Razm.Info reported.

“It is clear from the locationing of the video that it was made on the top of a mountain about 6 km northeast of the village of Kut.

In this part, the border of Gegharkunik Province and the Karvachar region occupied by Azerbaijan passes through the peaks of the heights. The Azerbaijani side has occupied the very part of the peak—being the first to ensure its presence in this sector,” Razm.Info added, in particular.