Armenia’s defense minister Davit Tonoyan visited the Republic of Artsakh Defense Army, during his working visit to Artsakh within the framework of the military cooperation program between the two Armenian republics, press service of the Defense Ministry reports.
Tonoyan, accompanied by Artsakh Defense Minister and Defense Army Commander Karen Abrahamyan, went to several military facilities and discussed the future plans under the cooperation program.
“Forest Summit: Global Action and Armenia” will tackle a number of issues presented by the Paris Agreement, including Armenia’s commitment to increase its forest cover to 20 percent by 2050
YEREVAN—As anticipation builds for October’s Forest Summit: Global Action and Armenia, forestry professionals and political leaders alike are emphasizing the importance of the conference, and the significance of its timing and location.
The event brings education, dialogue, and networking among the leading minds in forestry to Yerevan from Sunday, October 20 through Wednesday, October 23. The keynote address at the inaugural summit will be delivered by Dr. Anthony S. Davis, dean and professor at the College of Forestry at Oregon State University which is recognized as one of the world’s leading forestry research, teaching, and extension institutions.
Joining Dr. Davis will be Dr. Glenn Bush, an environmental economist at Woods Hole Research Center, Dr. Omri Bonneh, Chief Forester at KKL-JNF, Israel’s largest afforestation organization; David Mathenge from the Green Belt Movement – an organization whose founder won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2004 for the group’s activism and reforestation work in Kenya; Dr. Maya Nehme, Executive Director of the Lebanon Reforestation Initiative; and Carmen Argüello of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
“We welcome the initiative of American University of Armenia’s Acopian Center for the Environment and Armenia Tree Project to host the inaugural Forest Summit this month. From what we’ve seen so far, the list of speakers is impressive, from local and international organizations,” said Vardan Melikyan, Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Environment. “We have an ambitious national goal to double Armenia’s forest cover by 2050, so this event is a constructive step for bringing the various stakeholders together to collaborate on our forestry issues.”
Scientists, political leaders, and citizens of all nations have come to recognize climate change as one of the most pressing issues of the 21st century, and the expansion of forests has been identified as one of the leading courses of action to help mitigate this disaster. Forests help to sequester carbon dioxide which contributes to climate change, and provides other valuable ecosystem services including water purification and habitat for birds and animals.
Armenia has seen a re-emergence of the Caucasian Leopard in the Khosrov Forest Reserve, which is widely considered to be a conservation success story. At the same time, the country has pledged to double its forest cover by 2050 as part of its commitment to the Bonn Challenge and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. This Forest Summit will address many of these issues.
In addition to the insights and addresses from these talented speakers and panelists, the conference will provide field visits to tree planting sites in Armenia and to the beautiful Dilijan National Forest. At its core, the conference will foster discussion and collaborative dialogue on the conservation and reforestation efforts much needed in Armenia and countries across the world.
For more information about the conference, AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, or Armenia Tree Project, please visit the website.
The AUA Acopian Center for the Environment, a research center of the American University of Armenia, promotes the protection and restoration of the natural environment through research, education, and community outreach. The AUA Acopian Center’s focus areas include sustainable natural resource management, biodiversity and conservation, greening the built environment, clean energy, and energy efficiency, as well as information technology and the environment. Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values. For more see information, visit AUA’s website.
Armenia Tree Project, a non-profit program based in Massachusetts and Yerevan, conducts vitally important environmental projects in Armenia’s cities and villages. Since 1994, ATP has made enormous strides in combating desertification in the biologically diverse but threatened Caucasus region. More than 5,700,000 trees have been planted and restored, and hundreds of jobs have been created for Armenians in seasonal tree-related programs. ATP works to further Armenia’s economic and social development by mobilizing resources to fund reforestation. These vital new trees provide food, wood, environmental benefits, and opportunities for economic growth. ATP has a full time staff of over 80 in Armenia. The Yerevan office manages four state-of-the-art tree nurseries and two environmental education centers, partners with villagers to create tree-based micro-enterprise opportunities, creates urban green belts for public use, restores degraded forest lands, and employs hundreds of part-time workers to plant new forests. For more information, visit ATP’s website.
Monday,
Global IT Forum Starts In Armenia
• Emil Danielyan
Armenia -- A panel discussion is held during the World Congress on Information
Technology in Yerevan, October 7, 2019.
More than 2,000 technology professionals, business executives and government
officials from around the world are taking part in the latest World Congress on
Information Technology (WCIT) that began its work in Yerevan on Monday.
The three-day forum is held under the aegis of World Information Technology and
Services Alliance, a global consortium of national IT associations. It will
feature more than a dozen keynote speakers and over 80 prominent panelists.
The participants include senior executives of tech giants like Google, Siemens
and Ericsson as well as Armenian-American celebrities such as reality TV star
Kim Kardashian, the Reddit social media platform’s co-founder Alexis Ohanian
and rock musician Serj Tankian.
Armenia -- A sign at the entrance to the main venue of the World Congress on
Information Technology in Yerevan, October 7, 2019.
Kardashian arrived in Yerevan early on Monday together with her children and
sister Kourtney. Organizers have said that she will speak, both as a “special
keynote speaker” and panelist, about “how decentralized technologies have
democratized the worlds of entertainment, media, and journalism.”
Armenia is using the WCIT conference to promote its burgeoning IT industry that
employs some 15,000 engineers and generates more than 6 percent of the
country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian touted the industry’s achievements and tax
breaks granted to it by the current and former Armenian governments in his
speech at the opening session of the conference. “As a result, the IT sector
grew nearly fivefold over the past seven years, boasting a sustained 20-25
percent annual growth,” he said.
“Hosting such a major event is a great honor and pleasure for us, because it is
a great opportunity to talk to you and to the international community about our
strategy to make Armenia a high-tech country,” declared Pashinian.
Armenia -- An exhibition is held as part of the World Congress on Information
Technology in Yerevan, October 7, 2019.
“I hope that this truly memorable event will change a lot in the technology
world’s relations with the Republic of Armenia,” he added.
The Armenian tech sector is dominated by local subsidiaries of U.S.
corporations as well as a growing number of homegrown firms. Some of them,
notably the U.S. software giant VMware, are among the sponsors of the 2019 WCIT.
VMware’s chief operating officer, Rajiv Ramaswami, met with Pashinian later in
the day. He noted that the number of IT engineers working at his company’s
Armenian branch has increased more than tenfold, to 200, since it was opened in
2010.
“We are very happy to invest in human talent which is available in Armenia,”
Pashinian’s press office quoted Ramaswami as saying. “We have only one request
to you: please increase human talent, invest in technology education.”
Armenia -- The Armenian branch of the U.S. software firm VMware takes part in
the annual Digitec Expo in Yerevan, October 6, 2018.
A shortage of skilled personnel is widely seen as the main challenge facing the
local IT sector. Industry executives have long complained about the inadequate
quality of education at IT departments of Armenian universities. Many of their
students require additional training after graduation.
In a bid to alleviate the problem, an Armenian organizer of the WCIT, the Union
of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE), has opened over the past decade over
284 engineering labs in schools across the country. They offer schoolchildren
extracurricular robotics and computer programming courses mostly financed by
the government. The Armenian Education Ministry announced last week a sharp
rise in government funding for the UATE which will be used for doubling the
number of those labs by the end of this year.
Global IT Forum Starts In Armenia
• Emil Danielyan
Armenia -- A panel discussion is held during the World Congress on Information
Technology in Yerevan, October 7, 2019.
More than 2,000 technology professionals, business executives and government
officials from around the world are taking part in the latest World Congress on
Information Technology (WCIT) that began its work in Yerevan on Monday.
The three-day forum is held under the aegis of World Information Technology and
Services Alliance, a global consortium of national IT associations. It will
feature more than a dozen keynote speakers and over 80 prominent panelists.
The participants include senior executives of tech giants like Google, Siemens
and Ericsson as well as Armenian-American celebrities such as reality TV star
Kim Kardashian, the Reddit social media platform’s co-founder Alexis Ohanian
and rock musician Serj Tankian.
Armenia -- A sign at the entrance to the main venue of the World Congress on
Information Technology in Yerevan, October 7, 2019.
Kardashian arrived in Yerevan early on Monday together with her children and
sister Kourtney. Organizers have said that she will speak, both as a “special
keynote speaker” and panelist, about “how decentralized technologies have
democratized the worlds of entertainment, media, and journalism.”
Armenia is using the WCIT conference to promote its burgeoning IT industry that
employs some 15,000 engineers and generates more than 6 percent of the
country’s Gross Domestic Product.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian touted the industry’s achievements and tax
breaks granted to it by the current and former Armenian governments in his
speech at the opening session of the conference. “As a result, the IT sector
grew nearly fivefold over the past seven years, boasting a sustained 20-25
percent annual growth,” he said.
“Hosting such a major event is a great honor and pleasure for us, because it is
a great opportunity to talk to you and to the international community about our
strategy to make Armenia a high-tech country,” declared Pashinian.
Armenia -- An exhibition is held as part of the World Congress on Information
Technology in Yerevan, October 7, 2019.
“I hope that this truly memorable event will change a lot in the technology
world’s relations with the Republic of Armenia,” he added.
The Armenian tech sector is dominated by local subsidiaries of U.S.
corporations as well as a growing number of homegrown firms. Some of them,
notably the U.S. software giant VMware, are among the sponsors of the 2019 WCIT.
VMware’s chief operating officer, Rajiv Ramaswami, met with Pashinian later in
the day. He noted that the number of IT engineers working at his company’s
Armenian branch has increased more than tenfold, to 200, since it was opened in
2010.
“We are very happy to invest in human talent which is available in Armenia,”
Pashinian’s press office quoted Ramaswami as saying. “We have only one request
to you: please increase human talent, invest in technology education.”
Armenia -- The Armenian branch of the U.S. software firm VMware takes part in
the annual Digitec Expo in Yerevan, October 6, 2018.
A shortage of skilled personnel is widely seen as the main challenge facing the
local IT sector. Industry executives have long complained about the inadequate
quality of education at IT departments of Armenian universities. Many of their
students require additional training after graduation.
In a bid to alleviate the problem, an Armenian organizer of the WCIT, the Union
of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE), has opened over the past decade over
284 engineering labs in schools across the country. They offer schoolchildren
extracurricular robotics and computer programming courses mostly financed by
the government. The Armenian Education Ministry announced last week a sharp
rise in government funding for the UATE which will be used for doubling the
number of those labs by the end of this year.
Trial Judge Denies Bias Against Kocharian
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- Judge Anna Danibekian presides over the trial of former President
Robert Kocharian and three other former officials, Yerevan, October 7, 2019.
The judge presiding over the trial of Robert Kocharian dismissed on Monday his
lawyers’ claims that she is biased against the Armenia’s arrested former
president and must therefore recuse herself from the case.
The lawyers voiced the demands after the district court judge, Anna Danibekian,
twice refused to release Kocharian from custody last month.
Danibekian took over the trial from another judge, Davit Grigorian, who ordered
Kocharian’s release in May. Grigorian was controversially charged with forgery
and suspended in July.
The lawyers petitioned Danibekian to free Kocharian and drop coup charges
brought against him after Armenia’s Constitutional Court declared
unconstitutional on September 4 a legal provision used by investigators against
their client. Danibekian ruled on September 17 that the Constitutional Court’s
decision does not apply to the former president. Three days later she also
refused to grant him bail.
“You have a negative biased attitude towards Kocharian,” one of the defense
lawyers, Hayk Alumian, told Danibekian on Monday.
Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian (R) talks to his lawyer Hayk
Alumian during his trial, Yerevan, October 7, 2019.
Alumian accused her of deliberately and illegally delaying decisions on
petitions submitted by Kocharian’s legal team in August. He also alleged
serious procedural violations in judicial authorities’ decision to assign the
case to Danibekian. They knew that she will not rule in the ex-president’s
favor, claimed Alumian and other defense lawyers.
The trial prosecutors defended the judge, saying that she is impartial and did
not breach any laws or legal procedures. After a short deliberation, Danibekian
rejected the lawyers’ latest demands.
The coup charges leveled against Kocharian and three other former senior
Armenian officials stem from the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan which
left eight opposition protesters and two police personnel dead. The prosecutors
say that Kocharian illegally used Armenian army units against protesters
demanding the rerun of a disputed presidential election. They also accuse him
of large-scale bribery.
Kocharian, who ruled Armenia from 1998-2008, rejects the accusations as
politically motivated. The three other defendants also deny any wrongdoing.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
“The US should provide no military aid to Azerbaijan, since Azerbaijan is very aggressive and demonstrated that aggression in 2016,” Member of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Co-Chair of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone has told Armenpress news agency in an interview.
“They should get no military assistance from the USA. We, the members of the Congress did not know that the amount of the military assistance to Azerbaijan was so large, over 100 million USD in the last 3 years, and recently learned about that. And that’s much more than the assistance provided to Armenia. And traditionally, under the section 907 of the Freedom Support Act you cannot provide military assistance to a country that has been actively aggressive, like Azerbaijan was in April 2016,” Pallone has said.
In the Congressman’s words, the respective letter have sent to the Department of State and Department of Defense saying no military assistance should be provided to Azerbaijan, and they would like to know the justification for providing military assistance.
“There is a paradigm that whatever you do for one country, you have to do the same for the other country. But I don’t say that we should give hundreds of millions of dollars of military assistance to the two countries, since we want peace, we do not want to encourage war. At this moment we are very upset that Trump’s administration has done that, but we want them to stop giving money to Azerbaijan,” added Pallone.
The interview in its entirety is available here.
With Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan set for a spell on the sidelines, AS Roma coach Paulo Fonseca has accused Arsenal of loaning the midfielder despite being injured, Futaa.com reports.
Since his move from Manchester United, Mkhitaryan has failed to hit the heights he once hit at Borussia Dortmund. The Armenian joined Roma on a season-long loan from Arsenal this summer and scored on his Serie A debut and provided another assist in the weekend win over Lecce.
Speaking before their clash against Wolfsburg, Fonseca was asked if Mkhitaryan was already injured when he joined the club, “He was already complaining of a discomfort to the adductor and with this density of matches it was clear he could feel some discomfort.
“As a preventive measure I had kept him out against Atalanta and he had recovered well. Then he got hurt against Lecce.”
Photo: PM of Armenia
Leaders of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), Iran and Singapore will convene today for the first day of the regular session of the Supreme Eurasian Economic Council. The signing of a new free trade agreement will top the agenda.
Both the Framework and Non-Services & Investment Agreement and the Armenia-Singapore Services & Investment Agreement will serve as benchmark agreements for cooperation between the EAEU and ASEAN.
The Eurasian Economic Union has sought to expand into the ASEAN sphere in states like Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan to balance and diversify against China’s growing Belt and Road Initiative.
An example of EUEA’s efforts to create a common market with ASEAN states is the Transit Potential of the Eurasian Continent initiative. The initiative will implement large-scale infrastructure projects and transportation networks that connect Central Asia, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
China is ASEAN’s biggest economic partner behind the United States. Additionally, China is the largest trading partner of each of the five countries that make up the Eurasian Economic Union. While further steps are forecasted to strengthen economic ties between the EUEA and ASEAN, it is unlikely that business with China will waver for either of these blocs.
By Trend
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited Los Angeles on September 22 and addressed a public rally organized by the local Armenian community.
The same day, airplanes carrying a banner reading “Karabakh is Azerbaijan! End the Occupation” were flown all over Los Angeles, informing a large number of the city residents about the brutal occupation and ethnic cleansing Armenia committed against Azerbaijan and its civilian population.
Banners soaring in the sky over Los Angeles during the day aroused interest among local residents, Trend reports referring to the Consulate General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles.
Moreover, trucks displaying banners on the truth about the realities of Karabakh were driven around various parts of Los Angeles and informed citizens about the aggressive policy of Armenia. The posters presented information on the occupation of 20 percent of the territory of Azerbaijan, about a million Azerbaijanis who became IDPs and refugees, about vandalism against the cultural monuments of Azerbaijan committed in the occupied territories, and the Khojaly genocide, among other things.
On the eve of the aforementioned visit, Consul General of Azerbaijan in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev sent letters to the city authorities protesting the visit of the prime minister of Armenia, which continues the policy of occupation against Azerbaijan.
Moreover, Pashinyan’s visit to Los Angeles was criticized in the US media. As such, the Los Angeles-published Jewish Journal, the largest Jewish publication in the US, and the NewzBlaze newspaper published articles on the topic. The articles noted the unacceptability of the visit to Los Angeles of the prime minister of a criminal country which pursues an aggressive policy against a neighboring country, continues to grossly violate all international rights, declares Nazi generals its national heroes, and in which anti-Semitism is widespread.
Articles were distributed on social networks, and ordinary Americans sharply criticized the visit of Pashinyan.
Los Angeles is home to the largest Armenian community in the US, where half a million Armenians reside.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
FM Mnatsakanyan considers EU stable partner for Armenia
16:17,
YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan considers the European Union a very stable partner for Armenia.
“We already have the roadmap for the implementation of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the EU, we have the formed mechanism in the inter-agency commission led by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan. In practical terms we already entered the stage in which we already view the implementation. We have quite a broad agenda. The EU is a very stable and engaged partner for Armenia. We didn’t have any problem with them”, the FM said.
Talking about the support provided by the EU, the minister said the support volume almost doubled, reaching 65 million Euros and still continues.
Commenting on the visit of Katarina Mathernova, Deputy Director-General for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations at the European Commission, to Armenia, the FM said she is the one among the numerous partners they are working with. “We have a constant, continuous dialogue will all our partners who play a direct role in the Armenia-EU relations. The main dialogue issues with Mathernova relate to on how we are going to continue the practical steps regarding the implementation of the agreement”, the minister said.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross was celebrated in Prelacy Churches with Divine Liturgy, the traditional blessing of the four corners of the earth (antasdan) and blessing of basil this week.
Given that the feast marks the name day of Holy Cross Cathedral in Montebello, Western Prelate Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian celebrated Divine Liturgy and delivered the sermon at Holy Cross Cathedral. Vicar General, Bishop Torkom Donoyan, conducted services at St. Garabed Church in Las Vegas. The feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross also marks the commencement of Sunday Schools. Thus, Sunday school directors, teachers, and students attended Divine Liturgy at their local churches and received Holy Communion.
Prelate Mardirossian was assisted at the altar by parish pastor Rev. Ashod Kambourian. Parish dean, Very Rev. Muron Aznikian, participated, as well. During the service, the Prelate conducted the “antasdan” service and blessing of basil, after which he delivered his sermon.
The Prelate gave thanks to the Lord for the opportunity to once again collectively celebrate the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, to be spiritually fulfilled by the message of the Cross, strengthened by the power of the Cross, and renewed in our faith by embracing the Cross, and to commit to living our lives with faith, hope, goodness, sacrifice, devotion, and love.
“Every time we make the sign of the cross or lift up the Cross, we see in it strength, faith, hope, peace, sacrifice, loyalty, obedience, and love. Glory to the Holy Cross and glory to the Crucified One Who came to this world as the greatest manifestation of God’s love and shed His innocent blood on the Cross to liberate us from the binds of sin and grant us salvation, so that when we look to the Cross and believe, if we carry our cross and follow Christ as His faithful disciples, we too will be saved,” he stated.
Prelate Mardirossian joyfully greeted the parish family and, in particular, the Sunday school family, which begins a new year bolstered by the message of the Cross. He then gave a brief overview of the historical events relating to the recapture and return of the Cross to Jerusalem. The Prelate noted that we continue to celebrate this feast centuries on, for the Cross is the foundation of the Church and the hope of all believers; the Cross restored us from death to eternal life.
“This feast day is an opportunity to reflect and recommit ourselves to live according to the Way of the Cross, a life of love and sacrifice, turning to the Cross for comfort and haven in times of despair, strength and protection amid storms, light in the darkness, freedom from the binds of sin, spiritual nourishment in our hunger and thirst, and as an armor of protection against all enemies of our faith and nation. Furthermore, the message of the Cross invites us to emulate the faithfulness and obedience of our Lord Jesus Christ toward God the Father, to dedicate ourselves to our church and nation with faith and love, to make sacrifices for others, and to transform our homes and families into altars of God,” concluded the Prelate.
At the conclusion of Divine Liturgy, Prelate Mardirossian was led in a procession to “Bagramian” Hall for the blessing of the madagh. Afterward, attendees enjoyed the madagh luncheon hosted by the parish Ladies Aid. Fr. Muron conveyed welcoming remarks and members of the Cathedral youth group presented a program dedicated to the Cross. The Prelate once again congratulated the parish on its name day and urged all to continue their service to our church strengthened by the power of the Holy Cross.