Author: Karakhanian Suren

Commemoration of the fathers of the Armenian Church

Karakhanian Suren
Panorama, Armenia

On March 23. The Armenia Church marks the commemoration of the fathers of the Armenian Church – St. John the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Armenian Patriarch St. John of Otzoon, St. John of Vorotan and St. Gregory of Datev.

Qahana.am reports that According to hagiographers, St. John (Hovhannes) of Otzoon possessed both spiritual and mental brilliance. During the 11 years of his reign (717-728), Catholicos Hovhannes managed to withstand Byzantine and Arab pressures and incursions, while struggling mightily against sects. Hovhannes of Otzoon endowed to us a rich and priceless literary legacy. His work entitled “Canons of the Armenians” is the first voluminous collection in Armenian history, which contains ecclesiastical canons and laws. He is also famous as the author of numerous sermons and church hymns.

The names of Vartabeds (church divine or archimandrite) St John (Hovhan) of Vorotan (1315-1388) and St. Gregory of Datev (1346-1410) are closely interrelated. Gregory of Datev, the greatest Vartabed and theologian of the Armenian Church, studied under Hovhan of Vorotan, and later raised the famous school founded by his teacher in the Monastery of Datev. Gregory of Datev authored numerous significant theological works. Included in his literary legacy are the “Book of Questions” and the collections of his sermons.

Finally, the blessed memory of St. John the Patriarch of Jerusalem is commemorated on the same day, along with the aforementioned three fathers of the Armenian Church. St. John was Patriarch of Jerusalem in the 4th Century. He is remembered to this day as being a great orator and a defender of Christianity through his sermons.

Prosecutors appeal the release of Dink murder suspects

Karakhanian Suren
Panorama, Armenia

Turkish prosecutors on Thursday appealed a court order for the release of suspects in the 2007 murder of Hrant Dink, a prominent Armenian-Turkish journalist, local sources reported. To remind, early Thursday, an Istanbul High Criminal Court ordered the conditional release of two suspects in the murder.

Ercan Gun and Muharrem Demirkale were released with a travel ban abroad, while the court ordered the continued detention of Ramazan Akyurek and Ali Fuat Yilmazer. They are all charged with premeditated murder and attempting to overthrow the constitutional order.

Dink, the editor-in-chief of the Istanbul-based Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, was shot dead at the age of 52 in broad daylight by an ultranationalist outside his office in central Istanbul on January 19, 2007. In 2011, Ogun Samast was sentenced to 23 years in prison for the killing. Samast, who was 17 years old in early 2007, claimed he killed Dink for “insulting Turkishness.”

Although Samast is the only person to be jailed for the murder, speculation on the involvement of others has persisted.

Ambassador Karen Grigoryan delivers credentials to President of Egypt

Karakhanian Suren

Ambassador Karen Grigoryan delivers credentials to President of Egypt

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19:08,

YEREVAN, MARCH 12, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Armenia to Egypt Karen Grigoryan delivered his credentials to President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi on March 12.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, during the brief conversation Ambassador Grigoryan conveyed the greetings and best wishes of Armenian President Armen Sarkissian to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, as well as his readiness to host him in Armenia.

Congratulating the Armenian Ambassador on delivering the credentials, Egypt’s President highly assessed the historically friendly relations between Armenia and Egypt and wished Ambassador Grigoryan success in his mission.

The Armenian Ambassador thanked President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi for his readiness to develop the relations between Armenia and Egypt.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan




Pashinyan in deadlock – 168Hours

Karakhanian Suren
ARKA, Armenia

YEREVAN, March 12. /ARKA/. Analysts at 168Hours think that today’s emergency meeting of the Armenian National Security Council in Artsakh has been prompted by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs’ recent statement. 

In their opinion, the statement came as co-chairs’ response to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s proposal to include Artsakh (Karabakh) in the negotiation as part of it. 

They say that the co-chairs reject the Armenian premier’s proposal finding it an unacceptable attempt to change the present scheme of the talks.  

The media source hopes that the Armenian authorities have found themselves in a deadlock – on one side, Pashinyan can’t withdraw his proposal related to Artsakh’s participation in the talks, but on the other side, he can’t take part in the negotiation that omits this proposal. 

It will become known later what statement will be issued after the meeting. 

The newspaper also doesn’t rule out that the meeting is being held in a bid to give ahead of Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders’ meeting a false impression of Artsakh’s direct participation in the negotiations. –0—-

Iran official dismisses talk of change of strategy toward Azerbaijan

Karakhanian Suren
Mehr news agency, Iran
March 5 2019
Iran official dismisses talk of change of strategy toward Azerbaijan

[Armenian News note: The below is translated from Persian]

The head of Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organisation has dismissed speculations about change of Tehran’s strategy towards Baku and said that the Supreme Leader has always defended the rights of the people and the government of Azerbaijan Republic, Mehr news agency reported on 5 March.

Abouzar Ebrahimi Torkaman made these remarks in Persian and Azeri during a special news conference in Tehran after certain incidents during the Armenian Prime Minister’s visit to Tehran last week led to speculations about souring of relations between Iran and the Azerbaijan Republic.

“In the past few days, unfortunately, a misunderstanding has upset the endeared people of Azerbaijan [Republic] and led to rumours and suspicions that the Islamic Republic of Iran has changed its strategy towards the nation and the government of Azerbaijan Republic… As the spokesman of our Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also underlined, the slogans chanted on the margins of the meeting of the Armenian Prime Minister with the Armenian community in Iran, do not reflect the Islamic Republic’s views at all,” Mehr quoted Torkaman as saying.

He described Azerbaijan as one of the “most important countries of the region” among the 15 neighbouring countries of Iran and stressed that Tehran always uses official channels to announce its position.

Torkman went on to add that Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has always defended the rights of the people of Azerbaijan. He said: “The Supreme Leader of the Islamic revolution has always shown that he is kind and fond of the people of Azerbaijan Republic. That opinion of his has remained unchanged today.”

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Iran last week and met the Supreme Leader and President Hassan Rouhani. In his meeting with Supreme Leader, Khamenei advised Yereven and Baku to “continue talks” on the issue of the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh and offered Iran’s mediation to resolve the dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan Republic.

In the recent months several Iranian and Azerbaijani delegations, including one headed by the Chief of Staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, Maj-Gen Mohammad Baqeri, visited each other’s capitals. As Torkman was making the reconciliatory remarks on 5 March, Tehran hosted the Azerbaijani minister of economy.

Helsinki Commission Hastings Commemorates Anniversary of Sumgait Pogrom

Karakhanian Suren
Targeted News Service
Thursday 8:20 AM EST
Helsinki Commission Hastings Commemorates Anniversary of Sumgait Pogrom
 
 WASHINGTON
 
The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe issued the following statement by Helsinki Commission Chairman Alcee L. Hastings:
 
“Today we commemorate the victims of the Sumgait pogrom, part of the tragic human toll of inter-ethnic conflict that culminated in the Nagorno-Karabakh war and the stark division of Armenian and Azeri societies.
 
“On this day in 1988, an ethnically driven and violent campaign drove thousands of innocent Armenians out of Azerbaijan.
 
“I hope ongoing talks between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will contribute to the effort to bind these wounds and serve the ultimate cause of peace and reconciliation.”
 
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan remains one of the world’s most intractable and long-standing territorial and ethnic disputes. Its fragile no-peace, no-war situation poses a serious threat to stability in the South Caucasus region and beyond.

Armenian and Egyptian business people set to expand cooperation

Karakhanian Suren
ARKA, Armenia
Feb 28 2019

YEREVAN, February 28. /ARKA/. The Armenian-Egyptian Business Association and the International Council for the Support of Business Relations signed today a cooperation agreement designed to help step up economic ties between Armenia and Egypt.

Under the agreement, the Egyptian Ambassador to Armenia, Bahaa El Din Bahgat Disukii, the Armenian-Egyptian Business Association and the International Council for the Support of Business Relations will implement a number of projects that will benefit both countries. Also in 2019, they will organize a set of Armenian-Egyptian economic conferences and exhibitions.

Disukii emphasized the agreement for the development of cooperation between the two countries. He said Armenia and Egypt enjoy excellent political and cultural relations, which is not the case when it comes to economic relations. He said both sides need to work hard to change this situation.

The president of the Armenian-Egyptian Business Association Eduard Manukyan stressed that the bilateral agreement should serve the development of economic relations between Armenia and Egypt. “Our job is to present Armenian businesses in Egypt and vice versa. And also help Armenian and Egyptian business people with reciprocal visits,” said Manukyan.

Mariam Manukyan, the president of the International Council for the Support of Business Relations, said an Armenian delegation is to visit Cairo in July to discuss with their Egyptian peers how to increase trade. -0-

Armenia to introduce the position of chief commissioner for Diaspora

Karakhanian Suren
MediaMax, Armenia
Feb 8 2019
 
 
Armenia to introduce the position of chief commissioner for Diaspora
 
 
 
Yerevan /Mediamax/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has announced that the discussions on the government structure are completed.
 
Politics | 2019-01-10 11:44:00
 
Pashinyan on reducing the number of ministries: The aim isn’t to save money
 
“Armenia will have twelve ministries. Prime Minister’s staff will include a chief commissioner for Diaspora affairs, who is going to serve as the Prime Minister’s representative in contacts with the Diaspora and manage Armenia-Diaspora relations on behalf of the PM,” Pashinyan said in a Facebook post.
 
The changes to the government structure include the merge of Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources with the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Infrastructure.
 
Transport and high technologies will be managed by different bodies after the foundation of a ministry of high technologies and military industry.
 
The Ministry of Agriculture will be included in the Ministry of Economic Development and Investments.
 
The ministries of culture and sport are supposed to form parts of the Ministry of Education and Science.
 
The new government structure first must be approved by the National Assembly of Armenia.

Asbarez: All-Armenian Student Association Organizes Nationwide Stain of Denial Protest

Karakhanian Suren
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9 hours ago

LOS ANGELES — On Tuesday, February 5, the All-Armenian Student Association (All-ASA) coordinated the annual “Stain of Denial” silent protest against the continuous denial of the Armenian Genocide. The protests were simultaneously held by ASA chapters and affiliated organizations on their respective college and university campuses. “Stain of Denial” was initiated in 2011 as a silent protest in order to raise awareness of the ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide and the need for recognition and reparations.

The students, faculty, and community members who participated on Tuesday stressed that the Armenian Genocide is not an issue only reserved for the month of April, but it has a profound effect on Armenians every day. Whereas April 24th is traditionally the day that the world commemorates the Armenian Genocide, the memory of the genocide and its ensuing denial continues to be a daily struggle. The All-ASA prioritizes this campaign because Armenian students in college, where the free interchange of ideas and perspectives is encouraged, continuously find that the denial of their history is an injustice that they are blatantly faced with.

The campaign also included an online component, as those who were not able to attend raised awareness through social media, by incorporating the hashtags #StainofDenial, #ArmenianGenocide, and #Armenianschoolstrong into their online posts. While the protests highlighted the history of the Armenian Genocide and the consequences that still continue, it also tied the protest back recent vandalism and hate crimes on Ferrahian and AGBU schools on Jan 29th, 2019. It is clear that aspects of the genocide continue as denial is perpetuated, attacked young Armenian students and primary schools.

Stain of Denial

This year, Armenian students from various schools in the West coast and East coast organized on their respective campuses. The participating schools in this year’s protests were: UC San Diego, UC Riverside, UC Los Angeles, UC Santa Barbara, UC Irvine, University of Southern California, Cal Poly Pomona, Cal State Northridge, Loyola Marymount University and Columbia University in New York. Members from the following organization also participated: ARF Shant Student Association, Armenian Youth Federation, Alpha Gamma Alpha, and Alpha Epsilon Omega. Schools participated despite the cold and rainy weather.

Thousands of Armenian students, community members, and faculty, both Armenian and non-Armenian, took a stand and reiterated that the Armenian Genocide is not just a “day in April,” but a year-round struggle for justice.

The All-Armenian Student Association (All-ASA) works to unite various Armenian-American college student organizations and serve the greater Armenian-American community through cultural, social, educational, and activist programming. As the largest confederation of ASAs in the nation, All-ASA is dedicated to collaboration among its constituent organizations, leadership development of its members, and community service.