Author: Khoyetsian Rose

Sports: Armenian weightlifters’ last training camp before European C’ship

Khoyetsian Rose
MediaMax, Armenia
April 5 2019
 
 
Armenian weightlifters’ last training camp before European C’ship
 
 
 
Armenia national men’s weightlifting team will depart for Batumi tomorrow, where they will compete in the European Championship from April 9.
 
The last training camp of the team took place in Abovyan, and Mediamax Sport was present.
  
The Armenians to participate in the event are Armen Grigoryan (73kg), Andranik Karapetyan and Rafik Harutyunyan (81kg), Hakob Mkrtchyan and Davit Hovhannisyan (89kg).
 
Arsen Martirosyan and Samvel Gasparyan (102kg), Simon Martirosyan (109kg), Ruben Aleksanyan and Gor Minasyan (+109kg) will also depart for Batumi.

Sports: Two Armenian boxers through to semi-finals of Nikolay Pavlyukov Memorial

Khoyetsian Rose
Panorama, Armenia
April 5 2019

Two Armenian boxers have been qualified for the semi-finals of the International Youth Boxing Tournament “Nikolay Pavlyukov Memorial” taking place in Anapa, Russia.

Boxers Rudolf Garboyan (49kg) and Rafael Hovhannisyan (75kg) won their bouts at the quarter-finals and have already secured at least bronze medals at the tournament, the Boxing Federation of Armenia told Panorama.am.

The Armenian boxing team left for Anapa led by head coach Karen Aghamalyan and coach Garik Baghdasaryan. 

EU, Russia Optimistic After Pashinyan, Aliyev Meeting

Khoyetsian Rose
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Pashimyan and Aliyev met in an expanded format that, in addition to the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs included the participation of the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Elmar Mammadyarov, as well as Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office

Encouraged by the reported “positive” results of last week’s meeting between Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan on the Karabakh conflict resolution process, the European Union and Russia voiced optimism and pledged to support efforts to resolve the conflict.

Federica Mogherinim the EU’s High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said the results of the meeting inspired hope for a lasting resolution to the conflict.

“The recent meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani leaders in Vienna was positive. In line with the Paris agreement in January, the high-level contacts and significant reduction in ceasefire violations, it gives us certain hope that the process will move forward, and the two countries will fulfill their commitments and will hold negotiations without preconditions,” Mogherini said at a press conference in Brussels after a session of the EU-Azerbaijan Association Council.

The European Union fully supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in the resolution process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, told reporters Wednesday.

“The mediation mission over the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict is being carried out by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, and they completely guide this process. As for the European Union, we fully support the efforts of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” he added.

Following the March 29 Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Vienna, both leaders announced that they deemed the meeting a “success” and directed their foreign ministers to continue talks for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict.

Also on Wednesday, Moscow pledged to provide the necessary support to Baku and Yerevan to implement the results of the recent Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting, said Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, according to TASS.

“Supporting the sides in the Karabakh conflict resolution process is one of the key foreign policy priorities for Russia. This fact attaches specific importance to the ongoing mediation activities, determines great attention to its results,” said Zakharova.

“The negotiation process for the resolution of the Karabakh conflict continues. The sides have shown intent to continue the work aimed at reaching the peaceful settlement,” added Zakharova.

“We welcome the prevailing constructive approach in the negotiations. We will provide necessary support to the sides in order to implement the ideas over which a consensus was reached in the capital of Austria,” explained Zakharova. “However, as it has been repeatedly stated by the presidents of the co-chair countries, the responsibility to put an end to the conflict lies on the sides to the conflict. The most important aspect is to demonstrate political will.

Tigran Avinyan on dismissal of Konstantin Orbelyan: There can be no privileged in any field, including the cultural sector

Khoyetsian Rose
Arminfo, Armenia
April 1 2019
Naira Badalian

ArmInfo.”Everyone is equal before the law,” Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said in an interview with journalists, referring to the release of Konstantin Orbelyan  from the post of Director of the National Academic Theatre of Opera  and Ballet after A. Spendiaryan.

“Respecting the merits of Mr. Orbelyan, nevertheless, privileged in  any sector, including the sector of culture, cannot be,” he said.

When asked whether it’s a violation of the law that Deputy Culture  Minister Nazeni Gharibyan herself (who signed the order for  Orbelyan’s release, Ed. note) has dual citizenship to France and  Armenia, and occupies a state post, Avinyan said that there should be  no violation of the law. “The post of minister does not allow you to  have dual citizenship, the deputy minister is allowed. In general,  the issue is very sensitive, and if we want to further involve  representatives of the diaspora in our public and political life,  then I am sure that this policy needs to be revised,” vice premier.

Earlier today, the staff of the National Academic Theatre of Opera  and Ballet after A. Spendiaryan held a protest outside the building  of the Government of the Republic, demanding the cancellation of the  order acting of Minister of Culture of Armenia Nazeni Gharibyan on  the dismissal of director of the theater Konstantin Orbelyan. Prime  Minister Nikol Pashinyan received culture workers. “At the moment we  are satisfied with the meeting with the Prime Minister of Armenia  Nikol Pashinyan,” said the conductor Harutyun Arzumanyan, who,  together with 6 other employees of the theater, met with the Prime  Minister. According to him, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers  guaranteed that no one would be appointed to the position of director  today before the theater staff studied the reasons for the dismissal  of Konstantin Orbelyan.

The duties of the director of the Opera will be assigned to the  deputy director, and Orbelyan will continue to perform the functions  of artistic director. “The guarantees are valid until the theater’s  staff refuted the arguments presented to the prime minister by the  ministry, on the basis of which Orbelyan was dismissed.  A number of  the ministry’s arguments be out of character to reality Mr Prime  Minister said that if at least one of the points presented by the  Ministry of Culture was false, the one who submitted them would  immediately be punished and released from work, “the conductor noted.

To recall, First Deputy Minister of Culture of Armenia, Nazeni  Gharibyan, by decree of March 28 of this year relieved Konstantin  Orbelyan of the post of Director of the National Academic Theatre of  Opera and Ballet after A. Spendiaryan. As the basis of K. Orbelyan’s  release from office, the Ministry of Culture cites article 15 of the  Law of the Republic of Armenia ,  which states:

Preparations for the World IT Congress in Armenia presented in Minsk

Khoyetsian Rose
Public Radio of Armenia
Preparations for the World IT Congress in Armenia presented in Minsk

2019-03-29 15:34:01

After the visit of the chairman of World Information Technology and Service Alliance Yvonne Chiu to Armenia, the president of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) Alexandr Yesayan accompanied the head of the Alliance during her visit to Minsk to attend the annual meeting of the organization.

During the first day of the corporate visit, with the support of the Armenian trade representative in Belarus Karen Yesayan, meetings with the Belarusian IT industry representatives were held. At the meeting with the president of Digital Business Confederation Vladimir Basko, WCIT 2019 Project Director Syuzanna Azoyan presented the ongoing organizational procedures, the list of the participating countries, the topics discussed with the speakers and other details. Vladimir Basko and Alexandr Yesayan have discussed the perspectives of bilateral cooperation, which was later presented in the meeting to the president of Business Angels network Valery Astrynski. Alexandr Yesayan invited his Belarusian colleagues to take part in the world’s largest IT event held in Yerevan on October 6-9, 2019.

On the second day of the visit, the President of UATE Alexandr Yesayan, who is also a WITSA board member, presented a report at WITSA BOD meeting on the organizational process of the WCIT 2019 and the support of the Armenian Government to host the event at a very high level.

A meeting with Armenian Ambassador to Belarus Armen Ghevondyan is also planned.

World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT 2019), has been established by the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA). WCIT 2019 will be held in Yerevan on October 6-9, 2019. The congress is hosted by Armenia and is organized with the support and under the high patronage of the Government of the Republic of Armenia. The organizational works are carried out by the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises-UATE.

Members of Congress Substantially Increase Aid Amounts for Armenia & Artsakh

Khoyetsian Rose

INCREASE AID AMOUNTS FOR ARMENIA & ARTSAKH

 

Armenian Assembly Calls for $100 million in Democracy-Building and
Economic Assistance to Armenia

 

WASHINGTON,
D.C. – Today,
Members of Congress sent a letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on
State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs that significantly increases
prior aid requests to strengthen United States-Armenia relations and outlines
key priorities for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, reported the Armenian Assembly of
America (Assembly). With sweeping cuts across the State Department’s budget,
the Administration proposed $6.75 million for Armenia. A prior congressional
effort requested $70 million, but today’s action increases the request to a
total of $100 million for Armenia and Artsakh. The Assembly truly appreciates
today’s action, and will continue working for further increases to Artsakh and
Armenia.

 

Spearheaded by Congressional Caucus on
Armenian Issues Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) along with Armenian
Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Armenian Caucus Co-Vice Chair
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the letter is signed by Rep. Salud Carbajal (D-CA),
Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI),
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA), Rep. TJ Cox (D-CA), Rep. Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Rep. Ted
Deutch (D-FL), Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Rep. Jimmy
Gomez (D-CA), Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Rep. Jim Himes (D-CT), Rep. Sheila
Jackson Lee (D-TX), Rep. Andy Levin (D-MI), Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), Rep. Raja
Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), Rep. Daniel Lipinksi (D-IL),
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Rep. Carolyn Maloney
(D-NY), Rep. James McGovern (D-MA), Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Rep. Donald
Norcross (D-NJ), Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA), Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN), Rep.
Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD),
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rep. Albio Sires (D-NJ), Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY), and
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV).

 

“What Congress appropriates money for
reflects the nation’s values and priorities. Supporting Armenia as it undergoes
momentous democratic change embodies these values and should be a top priority.
That’s why I’ve joined with my colleagues to call for increased democracy
assistance and other foreign aid for Armenia,” Rep. Speier said to the
Armenian Assembly.

 

The Caucus initiative requests:

•          $60
million for economic governance and rule of law assistance to Armenia through
State Department and USAID accounts;

•          $10
million for military aid for Armenia through Foreign Military Financing (FMF)
and International Military and Education Training (IMET) programs;

•          $20
million for Armenia to be a regional “safe haven” for refugees;

•          $6
million for Artsakh de-mining, rehabilitation programs, and water supply
systems;

•          $4
million for implementation of the Royce-Engel peace proposals, including
placement of OSCE-monitored, advanced gunfire locator systems;

•          That
the State Department and USAID lift any official or unofficial restrictions on
U.S. travel, communication, or contacts with Artsakh government officials; and

•          The
suspension of U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan until it has been verified to
have ceased all attacks against Armenia and Artsakh.

 

The letter states in part: “In the wake
of the Republic of Armenia’s remarkable Velvet Revolution, we are writing to
thank the Subcommittee for its longstanding leadership in support of both
Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh). As you prepare the
Fiscal Year 2020 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations
bill, we ask you to include… provisions supporting a broad-based strategic
upgrade of a U.S.-Armenia partnership based upon shared interests and common
values.”

 

The Members of Congress also called for
stricter provisions of Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act to ensure that
Azerbaijan not take hostile actions against Armenia or Artsakh, and pledge to
demonstrate its commitment to pursuing lasting peace through solely non-violent
means.

 

The letter concludes: “Taking these
steps will continue to build on the U.S.-Armenia strategic relationship and
help to grow the seeds of pro-democratic and civil society institutions in Armenia.
We urge the Subcommittee to invest in peace and assist Armenia and Artsakh at
this exciting time of continued development.”

 

“The Armenian Assembly welcomes this
increased request in funding to Armenia. Given the remarkable democratic
transformation last year in Armenia, we know that the community expects even
more,” Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny said. “Moreover, the
OSCE’s Election Observation Mission Report stated that the elections ‘were held
with respect for fundamental freedoms and enjoyed broad public trust that needs
to be preserved through further electoral reforms.'”

 

Additionally, the Organization for Security
and Co-Operation in Europe’s (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights (ODIHR) reported that “election day proceeded calmly,
peacefully, free of pressure on or intimidation of voters” and “the
constitutionally guaranteed freedom of _expression_ was respected.”

 

Earlier this month, Assembly Co-Chair Van
Krikorian, in testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee, requested
$100 million in democracy and economic assistance, at least $10 million in
Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and International Military Education Training
(IMET) to Armenia for Fiscal Year (FY) 2020, and $20 million to help resettle
and provide a safe haven for Christians at risk in Syria and throughout the
Middle East, with at least $25 million in assistance to Artsakh. Krikorian
cited Armenia’s remarkable year as more than a reason to significantly increase
humanitarian aid, suggesting to the Subcommittee that the United States should
“reward people who have made progress towards democracy.”

 

Krikorian applauded the Subcommittee for
holding the important hearing, and greatly appreciated “Chairwoman Nita
Lowey’s leadership and steadfast support for Armenia and Artsakh.”

 

Given Turkey and Azerbaijan’s ongoing
blockades, the Assembly’s written testimony also shed light on the importance
of aid to Armenia and Artsakh, the need to fully enforce Section 907 of the
FREEDOM Support Act, and targeted assistance for economic development and
job-creation programs in the Samtskhe-Javakheti region of the Republic of
Georgia. The Armenian Assembly’s submitted testimony for FY 2020 is available
online.

 

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of
America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting
public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a
non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

 

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NR#
2019-011


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