Author: Karagyozian Lena

Pashinyan sends condolence letter on the death of Louise Manoogian Simone

Karagyozian Lena

Pashinyan sends condolence letter on the death of Louise Manoogian Simone

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20:14,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan sent a condolence letter to the family of Louise Manoogian Simone on the occasion of her demise.  As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia, the condolence letter runs as follows,

“It was with deep grief that I learned about the death of Louise Manoogian Simone, a great philanthropist of Armenian origin and outstanding national figure. Her death is really a great loss for our entire people to whom she served with endless devotion and great responsibility.

The contribution of Louise Manoogian Simone to the mission of preservation of the Armenian identity, development of independent Armenia and empowerment of the Armenian Apostolic Church is invaluable. Living far away from the Motherland, she was closely tied with Armenia, showing caring attitude toward her compatriots and serving as an example and inspiration for many other philanthropists.

Assuming the high post of the Armenian General Benevolent Union in a decisive period for Armenia, she spared no efforts for the elimination of the consequences of Spitak earthquake and the Artsakh war. Thanks to her efforts numerous educational, cultural, and charity projects came into life in Armenia and communities with large Armenian population in the Diaspora.

With her patriotic and productive activities Louise Manoogian Simone has left a lasting trace in the modern history of the Armenian people and Armenia.

I offer my deep condolences and solidarity to all the relatives of and friends of Louise Manoogian Simone and our entire people on the occasion of this bereavement”.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan




Armenian authorities uncover “embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds” with FBI’s support

Karagyozian Lena

Armenian authorities uncover “embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars in state funds” with FBI’s support

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15:17,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 19, ARMENPRESS. Investigative Committee chief Hayk Grigoryan has held a meeting today with U.S.’s Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) regional legal attaché assistant Matthew Boyden, the Investigative Committee said in a news release.

“During this brief period of time of activities of the Investigative Committee we have already felt the unconditional support of the U.S. partners, an individual demonstration of which is the duly legal assistance of the FBI in concrete criminal cases investigated by the Investigative Committee, including a case of embezzlement of hundreds of thousands of dollars of state funds,” Grigoryan said.

Grigoryan also attached importance to a training program organized by the FBI earlier in 2017, which led to the creation of a direct e-communication platform between the legal assistance department of the U.S. Department of Justice and the Investigative Committee’s international inquires department. He also attached importance to visits of Armenian investigators to the FBI headquarters at the invitation of the American side, during which agreements were reached on conducting training of Armenian investigators in the U.S., which is already in stage of implementation.

Boyden thanked for the reception and congratulated Grigoryan on assuming office.

“I highly appreciate all the achievements you mentioned that we have had during our joint activity. I am sure that the developed relations will have deeper roots,” he said.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Hay Dat qualifies the Egyptian President`s statement on the Armenian Genocide as a prerequisite for acknowledgement of this crime.

Karagyozian Lena
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 18 2019
Asya Balayan

ArmInfo. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, in his report at the Munich Security Conference, referred to the Armenian Genocide without using the term “genocide”.   In particular, he noted that Egypt, 100 years ago, received and  sheltered Armenians who survived a massacre.

The Egyptian Committee  “Hay Dat” considers the presidential statement a prerequisite for the  further recognition of the Armenian Genocide. “Despite the fact that  the President of Egypt did not use the term” genocide “, however, he  took the first step in this direction,” the message says.

The Aydat Committee of Egypt welcomed the step taken by the  President, taking it as a positive response from a key player in the  Middle East and North Africa and a promise to join the Armenian civil  initiative to ban and prevent future genocides.

Armenia confirms plans to acquire additional Su-30SM combat aircraft

Karagyozian Lena
Defense Blog
Feb 14 2019
 
 
Armenia confirms plans to acquire additional Su-30SM combat aircraft
 
Feb 14, 2019
in Aviation, News
Photo by Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation
 
Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan has confirmed plans to acquire more Su-30SM (Flanker-H by NATO classification) multirole combat aircraft from Russia.
 
Defense Minister stated during Wednesday’s briefing that Armenia is considering the procurement of the more Su-30SMs in addition to four recently ordered aircraft.
 
“Yes, we do not plan to be limited only by four units of this type of military equipment,” Tonoyan said in response to a question about whether Armenia plans to purchase additional Su-30SM aircraft.
 
The four Su-30SM aircraft will be the first new Russian-made combat air platforms acquired by Armenia in the last 20 years.
 
He added: “the already purchased fighters will be delivered to the country within the deadline stipulated in the agreement.” “Today, Su-30SMs are the best modern multifunctional fighters, and this is why we wish to acquire them,” the minister noted.
 
The multirole Su-30SM Flanker-H is designed to win supremacy in the air and for strikes at ground and surface targets. The aircraft also acts as a command-and-control platform within a fleet of combat aircraft performing joint missions.
 
The fighter is adapted to the requirements of the Russian Air Force for radar, communication, and IFF systems, as well as weaponry, ejection seat, and a number of supporting systems.
 
Deliveries of Su-30SM aircraft to the Aerospace Forces of the Russian Federation are underway since 2012, to the Russian Navy – since 2014, to the Defence Ministry of the Republic of Kazakhstan – since 2015.
 

President Sarkissian and Nestlé Waters CEO discussed opportunities for cooperation

Karagyozian Lena
ARKA, Armenia
Feb 11 2019

YEREVAN, February 11, /ARKA/. In the framework of his working visit, Armenian President Sarkissian met last week in Paris with the Executive Director of the Nestlé Waters company Maurizio Patarnello, his press office reported.

Noting that Armenia is rich with natural resources and drinking water, the interlocutors spoke about possible cooperation in this area.

They concurred that there are serious perspectives for cooperation and agreed that the Executive Director of the Nestlé Waters Company would visit Armenia shortly to continue the dialogue and to bring the discussions to a more practical level. At the meeting, discussed were also issues of the efficient management of the water resources.

Nestlé Waters is part Nestlé Group company, which is one of the world’s leading companies in the production of bottled water. Nestlé Waters also carries out research and educational programs to show water’s importance in the human life and healthcare. -0-

Armenian Government confirms opening embassy in Qatar

Karagyozian Lena

Armenian Government confirms opening embassy in Qatar

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11:34, 6 February, 2019

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Government has made a decision to establish an Embassy of Armenia to Qatar, stationed in Doha.

According to the government, the decision came taking into account “friendly relations of Armenia with Qatar, the high standard of living and investment opportunities of the country, growing tourism between Armenia and Qatar, as well as growing trade turnover”.

Qatar has also expressed readiness to open its own embassy in Yerevan in case Armenia makes the decision to open its representation in Doha.

In addition, Qatar is ready to provide nearly 110,000 dollars annually for three years, a territory for the embassy building, a residence for the ambassador and two vehicles.

The 110,000 dollars provided by Qatar will cover the maintenance expenses of the embassy, which is a total of 192,584 dollars annually.

Qatar is presently covered by Armenia’s Ambassador to the UAE, however after this decision a new and separate ambassador is expected to be named for Qatar.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Writing in Armenian letters in internet becomes trendy

Karagyozian Lena
ARKA, Armenia
Feb 7 2019

YEREVAN, February 7. /ARKA/. February 7 is marked in Armenia as the Day of Using Armenian Letters on the Internet.  It was first held in 2012, when a blogger Zohrab Yeghanyan asked Internet users to use Armenian letters instead of transliterating Armenian words in Latin and Cyrillic letters. Since then, along with the development of technology, more and more users are switching to the Armenian alphabet.

 “In fact,  writing in Armenian letters has become trendy, especially given the availability of Armenian keyboards on smartphones, tablets and other gadgets” Liana Galstyan from Internet Society public organization, told reporters on Thursday.

“Armenian users began to write more often in the Armenian language on the Internet, moreover, a reverse tendency has appeared when Russian and English words are also written in Armenian transliteration,” Galstyan said.

She said the use of Latin or Cyrillic letters when writing Armenian words caused certain difficulties due to some linguistic nuances and the impossibility of transcribing some Armenian letters in other languages.

Switching to the Armenian alphabet allowed registering unprecedented advances in the technology market; in particular, the Armenian keyboard layout and applications in Armenian appeared not only on computers, but also smartphones, in the Android operating system, in Windows, and also in Apple gadgets.

Armenians began using Latin letters in the mid-90s of the 20th century, when the first mobile phones appeared in the country without Armenian keyboards. –0—

Holocaust Memorial Day in Derby reflects on Armenian Genocide

Karagyozian Lena
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 8 2019
Politics 12:41 08/02/2019 World

The activities of the Holocaust Memorial Day in Derby, England, this year extended over 5 days from 28 January to 1 February and included a variety of commemorative and remembrance events and multi faith religious services, The Armenian Mirror Spectator reports.

The commemoration service at the Chapel of St. Mary on the Bridge was memorable. It was an opportunity for remembrance and hope with readings from the Bible, the Qu’ran, and the Jewish Kaddish, accompanied by a roll call of genocides and music from the Cathedral Choir that also involved local school students. During this solemn reflection the poem by Paruyr Sevak, “We are Few, but we are called Armenians” was read in Armenian and in English.

Following the Service of Reflection, the Act of Commemoration took place at the memorial trees on Cathedral Green where stones were placed around the trees in commemoration of the victims of Holocaust and all Genocides.

The program of activities was opened by the Mayor’s reception in the City Council rooms. In attendance were diplomatic representatives from Jewish, Bosnian, Ukrainian and Armenian communities. The Armenian community was represented by the Consul of the Armenian Embassy in London Hayarpi Drmeyan, and the representatives of the Armenian Community Council in the UK headed by the Vice-Chairman Dr. Hratch Kouyoumjian and members, Viken Halajian and Vahan Krikorian. The Armenian Consul thanked the Mayor for his efforts in recognising and remembering the Armenian Genocide in the commemoration events. In their turn the ACC delegation thanked the Mayor, the Councillors and the HMD committee for their steadfastness in remembering and recognising the Armenian Genocide. The mayor was presented with several books on the Armenian Genocide and the remembrance pin.

The day of commemoration and celebration continued with performances and presentations by communities that have found sanctuary and safety in Derby. The afternoon program significantly included a reflection on the Derby response to the Armenian Genocide.

Derby became in 2019 the first major city in England to recognize and remember the Armenian Genocide, following a unanimous vote to do so, thanks to the efforts of photojournalist Russell Pollard and HMD member; a staunch supporter of historical facts. It should be also remembered that Edinburgh in 2005-2006 became the first city in the United Kingdom to have done so despite political pressure and representations from various quarters including the Turkish Embassy.

1st President of Armenia interrogated as witness over March 1 case

Karagyozian Lena

1st President of Armenia interrogated as witness over March 1 case

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19:26, 7 February, 2019

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. First President of Armenia Levon Ter-Petrosyan has been interrogated as a witness at the Special Investigation Service in the sidelines of the criminal case of March 1, ARMENPRESS reports Arman Musinyan, spokesperson of the 1st President, informed.

“The interrogation lasted 1.5 hours”, Musinyan added.

There were media reports that on February 6 3rd President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan was also interrogated, but the Special Investigation Service did not comment on the information.

2nd President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan is kept in detention pending trial over March 1 case. He is accused of overturning constitutional order in 2008.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan




Armenian pundit concerned about PM’s ‘unscheduled’ meetings with Azeri leader

Karagyozian Lena
News.am, Armenia
Jan 26 2019
Armenian pundit concerned about PM’s ‘unscheduled’ meetings with Azeri leader

The following is the text of unattributed report published on the website of the Armenian Internet news agency News.am on 26 January headlined “Expert: The fact that meetings between Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders are unscheduled causes concern”:

The fact that meetings between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev] are unscheduled causes concern, political analyst Aghasi Yenokyan has told News Armenia – News.am.

He said that it was the format of the meetings that caused concern, not the meetings proper.

“Such meetings must be organised by the OSCE Minsk Group [the USA, France, and Russia that mediate in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh],” he noted.

The expert stressed that it is unclear why such meetings were to be held just for the sake of conversations.

“I do not think that Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev are close friends and they met to discuss personal issues. Therefore, it is natural that only issues related to the states and security matters are discussed at the meetings. It causes concern that such serious issues are discussed without preliminary preparations,” he noted.

The expert also noted that Nikol Pashinyan’s statement that he could not speak on behalf of the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh raised questions.

“This may make you think that an attempt is made to lay all blame for the possible disastrous result of the negotiating process on [Nagorno-Karabakh capital] Stepanakert [Xankandi] and relieve Armenia of some part of responsibility without taking into account Yerevan’s role in the conflict. Such an approach may ultimately lead to an impasse in the negotiating process or decisions extremely undesirable for us. If we adhere to the principle that Azerbaijan must hold negotiations with Karabakh, Baku may simply reject them [negotiations] and use force,” he noted.

Aghasi Yenokyan added that although Nikol Pashinyan did not say in his speeches that Armenia was the guarantor of security of the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, in one way or another, Armenia assumed responsibility for the resolution of the conflict by participating in the negotiations.

We would like to remind you that at his briefing in Moscow held after the Eurasian Council in Moscow on 25 January, answering a question of journalists on the results of his meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that no results were planned and it would not be ethical to reveal details of the conversation.

At the same time, Nikol Pashinyan stressed that he talked with Ilham Aliyev only on behalf of Armenia [not Karabakh]. “I have said on many occasions that I can represent Armenia, but not the republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, because citizens of Karabakh have not elected me. They elect their own president and parliament,” the Armenian prime minister said in conclusion.