Author: Karagyozian Lena

Armenia seeks Turkish apology on genocide anniversary

Karagyozian Lena
Saudi Gazette, Saudi Arabia

April 24, 2020
                                    

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian

YEREVAN — Armenian prime minister has condemned what he called crimes against “civilization” and demanded an apology from Turkey as the country on the the 105th anniversary of the World War I-era massacre of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire.

In a televised address to the nation broadcast live from Yerevan’s Tsitsernakabert Memorial Complex PM Nikol Pashinian said: “The Armenian genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire was a crime not only against our ethnic identity but also against human civilization.”

Commemorative events were scaled back this year due to the coronavirus restrictions imposed throughout the country, and the Yerevan memorial was closed to the public.

Pashinian, along with President Armen Sarkisian, parliament speaker Ararat Mirzoyan, and Catholicos Garegin II, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, visited the hilltop memorial separately, observing social-distancing rules aimed at stopping the spread of the virus in the country.

“More than a century has passed but the consequences of the genocide have not been eliminated,” Pashinian said. “Turkey has not yet apologized for what it did.” He added that Yerevan “demands” that Ankara officially recognize the massacres as genocide.

Armenians say up to 1.5 million people were killed as the Ottoman Empire was collapsing during World War I which Armenia and some 30 other countries call it genocide.

Turkey fiercely rejects the genocide.

Yerevan has long demanded Ankara provide financial compensation and restore property rights to the descendants of those killed in the 1915-1918 massacres, which Armenians call Meds Yeghern or the Great Crime. — Agencies


Economy minister holds meeting with representatives of companies operating in light industry

Karagyozian Lena

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 15:20,

YEREVAN, APRIL 17, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy of Armenia Tigran Khachatryan had a meeting with the representatives of companies operating in the field of light industry, the ministry told Armenpress.

The ministers and the businessmen discussed the opportunities of organization of production during the current state of emergency.

The businessmen presented their notifications on the mandatory requirements of coronavirus preventive measures in production units. They mentioned the problems which can emerge in production units as a result of the minimum demands set by the Commandant’s office to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

The meeting participants also discussed the opportunities to make changes in the measures for eliminating the consequences of coronavirus.

The minister promised to discuss these issues with the other members of the government and provide response as soon as possible.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Armenia to support exercise of Artsakh people’s right to self-determination without any limitation

Karagyozian Lena

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 09:38,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. The ministry of foreign affairs of Armenia issued a statement on the completion of presidential elections in Artsakh.

Armenpress presents the MFA’s full statement:

“We congratulate the people, authorities and political forces of Artsakh, who through their joint efforts ensured the successful completion of the general election process in Artsakh on April 14. Through democratic and competitive procedure, the people of Artsakh elected their new president and members of parliament.

The formation of new authorities of Artsakh has been of utmost importance in terms of exercising human rights in Artsakh, ensuring security of the people of Artsakh and efficiently pursuing the peace process.

The Republic of Armenia will closely cooperate with the authorities representing the people of Artsakh in the peace process and will consistently support the realization of the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination without any limitation.

We are confident that the newly elected authorities of Artsakh will assume their key role in the negotiation process with particular responsibility”.

Turkey’s support to Armenia in fighting COVID-19 not on the agenda – MFA

Karagyozian Lena
Public Radio of Armenia
April 9 2020


Turkey’s support to Armenia in fighting the coronavirus is not on the agenda, Spokesperson for the Armenian Foreign Ministry Anna Naghdalyan has said.

The comments come after the Armenian Patriarchate of Costantinople said in a press release Turkey was offering assistance to Armenia in fighting the virus.

“We are familiar with the Patriarchate’s press release on the phone conversation with the Turkish President. As a third country, we would refrain from commenting on official information. In any case, there is no such issue on the agenda,” Naghdalyan said in comments to Armenpress.

She said the return of Armenian citizens from Istanbul has been organised in agreement with the Turkish and Georgian authorities.

“Armenia is taking all measures to organize the return of its nationals, and preference will be given to those in hardest-hit regions,” the Spokesperson noted.

The Foreign Ministry is financing the transportation of about 70 citizens through the Georgian territory. All citizens will be subject to 14-day quarantine upon arrival.

Armenia coronavirus cases reach 977

Karagyozian Lena

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 15:59,

YEREVAN, APRIL 11, ARMENPRESS. The number of coronavirus cases in Armenia has increased by 11 and the total cumulative number has reached 977, PM Nikol Pashinyan said on social media.

The PM said he is following the numbers online and these 11 cases will be reported on April 12th in the official statistics.

Earlier on April 11 the healthcare ministry reported 966 cumulative total cases.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Asbarez: Registration Begins for Pasadena’s Armenian Dual Language Immersion Program

Karagyozian Lena
April 6, 2020

Pasadene Unified School District begins enrollment for the Armenian Dual Language Immersion Program on April 6

Open enrollment for the new Armenian Dual Language Immersion Program in Pasadena has kicked off and students may begin registering online beginning Monday through August 6 for the 2020-2021 academic year, announced the Pasadena Unified School District Board on Friday.

During a meeting on March 26, the PUSD approved a new Armenian Dual Language Immersion high school program open to students in grades 9 to 12, which will be located at Blair School, home of the District’s  International Baccalaureate secondary school programs; students will have access to IB courses. Blair serves students in middle and high school and is composed of three adjacent campuses.

“This is a unique opportunity to expand PUSD’s bilingual and biliteracy academic options that now include our district’s first high school Armenian Dual Language Immersion Program,” said Superintendent Brian McDonald.  “The commitment that the parents and community have demonstrated by establishing a program that encourages families to remain in PUSD is remarkable, and I am pleased to welcome them to PUSD.”

PUSD currently offers Dual Language Immersion Programs in French, Mandarin, and Spanish.

To register, current PUSD students must submit an application between April 6 – 20, 2020, to enroll in the program. New-to-PUSD resident students and out-of-district students may apply online between April 6 through August 6, 2020.  Additional details are posted on PUSD’s Open Enrollment website at openenrollment.info

Classes, including language immersion, will be taught by fully-credentialed bilingual teachers who have additional preparation and expertise in teaching Armenian. The program will be located at Blair School, which serves students in grades 6-12 and has vibrant International Baccalaureate programs, an International Academy, a Health Careers Academy, and a Spanish Dual Language program.

Armenian DLIP will be open for students in grades 9-12. The model would be consistent with other DLIP high school programs in PUSD by offering one class per grade level when fully implemented at the high school level. The instructional model will follow the Guiding Principles for Dual Language Education. Staff will conduct additional planning and outreach to determine the selected program model for possible middle school and elementary school options, should the program expand in future years.

The new Armenian Immersion Program will offer the following classes in 2020-21: Armenian I, Armenian II, Armenian III, and Armenian IV (subject to minimum student enrollment). As the program expands, PUSD plans to offer additional courses including Armenian Literature and Armenian History and Culture.

Language course placement will be determined by the student’s ability in the target language as well as prior course completion.

“This was the finest example of collaboration and partnership between the Armenian community and the Pasadena Unified School District,” said Maro Yacoubian, a community member who advocated for the creation of the program. “With the unwavering commitment from parents and community members, we have not only filled a void in the community but have also created a groundbreaking educational opportunity.”

“By establishing this academy, PUSD will have the distinct honor of having created the first Armenian Dual language, history/culture, with IB program in the nation,” said community member Goldie Gastjan. “This unique program will present the opportunity for students beyond Pasadena to attend this school. Our community families are anxiously waiting, and we see a very bright future.”

“I am thrilled with the Pasadena Unified School District’s vote of approval to establish an Armenian Dual Language Immersion program at Blair School, the first of its kind in the U.S.” said Arsine Shirvanian, a community member who advocated for the program.

A welcome and program event will be planned once schools reopen. The first day of school for PUSD students is August 17, 2020.

The approval is conditional upon enrollment in the program of 150 students who are new to PUSD and is expected to draw interest from Pasadena-area families, including students who were previously enrolled at a soon-to-close private high school. The program will be capped at 250 students in the first year. If the program does not meet enrollment projections, course offerings and the program location are subject to change.

Turkish press: Anatolian women’s carpet design motifs researched, registered

Karagyozian Lena
  • March 30 2020 12:55:00

AA Photo

Motifs that have been designed by women on the world-famous Bünyan and Yahyalı carpets for centuries have been researched by the Kayseri Maturity Institute and their meanings have been registered.

The carpet looms found in almost every house in the Bünyan and Yahyalı districts of the Central Anatolian province of Kayseri have long been forgotten due to the emergence of factory-produced carpets and the greater involvement of women in business life.

A project named “Wedding of Knots” was prepared by the institute in order to register the carpet motifs to the country’s collective memory and to pass them down to the next generations.

A team of six people researched the types of motifs and their meanings in carpets woven in Yahyalı and Bünyan for two years within the scope of the project.

Some 24 motifs were recorded as a result of the research.

History teacher Zühtü Ulusoy, who worked in the research unit of the institute, said that carpet and rug weaving is the national art of Turks.

Ulusoy said that for centuries young girls and women have processed their feelings, thoughts, fears and expectations on the carpets.

Noting that these feelings are sometimes expressed with a tree, sometimes with flowers or a symbol, Ulusoy also stated that they learned that the historical carpets were sold for 200 liras as wood in Bünyan.

Pointing out that Pazırık carpet, known as the oldest carpet in the world, is woven with a Turkish knot, he said that carpet weaving tradition of Turks dates back 2,500 years ago.

“Other nations want to claim this [Pazırık carpet], but the fact that the weavings are Gördes Turkish knot shows that the carpet is Turkish carpet. It is also another indication that the tails of the horses in Pazırık carpet are knotted like in the Turkish ceremony,” he added.

Ulusoy also explained how the carpet motifs that disappeared were immortalized and recorded.

“We took photos from the shopkeepers and the staff in the design graphic section transferred the motifs to the paper. Then the motifs were woven on small carpet looms,” he said.

“The motifs on Yahyalı carpets were transferred from mother to daughter and from memory to memory. Motifs reflect the Yörük Turkmen culture. Weft, loop and everything of Yahyalı carpets are made of pure wool. Yahyalı is a more tight-knit place, so it is not affected by its surroundings in carpet motifs,” he noted.

“Bünyan is a more open region. Here we can see the effect of carpet motifs at that time in Istanbul. There are Armenian carpet weavers who went to the palaces in Istanbul. They somehow transferred the motifs they acquired to Bünyan,” he added.

Ulusoy said that the tree of life motif embroidered on the carpets tells about the long life, the universe and eternity, while the birds embroidered around it express the spirited souls.

The town of Bünyan is most famous for carpets, while Yahyalı is most renowned for rugs.

Rugs woven in finely knotted floral patterns retain a centuries-old tradition and locally produced items can be purchased only from carpet shops in Turkey.

Charter flight to repatriate Armenian citizens stranded in Moscow

Karagyozian Lena
Panorama, Armenia
April 4 2020

Armenian Embassy in Russia informs that “Red wings” air carrier has received one-time permission from the Russian government to conduct a Moscow-Yerevan charter flight (WZ4323) on April 6 at15.40 that will bring Armenians citizens stranded in Russia back home.

As the source informed, the tickets can be obtained at N94 ticket office of Moscow Domodedovo airport as well as from the airlines office at Yerevan Zvartnots airport.

For enquiries about the tickets the citizens are advised to contact through phone number +7-925-009-92-08, +7-926-618-29-18 in Moscow and +374-91-969612 in Yerevan.

It is noted that all citizens on board of the charter flight will be placed in a14-day mandatory quarantine upon their arrival in Yerevan.

The Embassy also calls on citizens to check the validity of their ID and travel documents and contact the Embassy Consular Service in case of inconsistencies. The contact details of the Embassy are as follows:
phone: 7 (495) 624 – 32 – 43
Emails:

CIVILNET.Human Rights Watch Questions Armenia’s New Citizens Surveillance Law

Karagyozian Lena
CIVILNET.AM

3 April, 2020 21:25 
73 more cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Armenia. The EU will send 51 million euros to help with Armenia’s coronavirus response. The health ministry announces that further hospitals will be rededicated to treating COVID-19 patients. And Human Rights Watch has questioned a new law which gives authorities access to citizens phone data․
 

Being Armenian is promising: Five facts to make Diaspora youth proud

Karagyozian Lena
Public Radio of Armenia
April 3 2020


     

The Diaspora High Commissioner’s Office has presented five facts that will make the Diaspora youth feel proud.

“There are a lot of reasons that Diaspora youth should be proud of Armenia, and these five facts are no exception!,” reads a post on the Office’s Facebook page.

Leading international organizations have recognized the Homeland in a variety of positive ways:
 In 2019, Armenia was included in the list of the safest countries in the world, tied for 6th-7th place with Switzerland.
Last year, we had the highest economic growth in the European and EEU region – 7.6%.
 A number of prestigious magazines, including Forbes, have included Armenia in the list of top 2020 tourism destinations.
According to Freedom House, an international human rights organization, Armenia is one of the leaders in Internet freedom worldwide – sharing the 8th position with France.
We have also been rated 7th out of 46 countries in the Happiness Index.

Therefore, the High Commissioner’s Office says “being Armenian is really promising and exciting” for these reasons and many more.