Armenpress News Agency , Armenia Friday Senior Armenian lawmaker highlights Middle Eastern developments from perspective of security of Armenia and Artsakh YEREVAN, DECEMBER 22, ARMENPRESS. Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign Relations of the National Assembly of Armenia Armen Ashotyan highlights Middle Eastern developments, since that region is located near Armenia. In an interview with reporters on December 22 Ashotyan emphasized that the developments in that region are important from the perspective of the security of Armenia and Artsakh and regional stability. “Next year this will become an important direction of parliamentary diplomacy”, ARMENPRESS reports the MP saying. He noted that in Armenia people often speak about the relations of Yerevan with Moscow or Brussels, but often forget about the Middle East. According to Ashotyan, Armenia should activate relations with the Islamic world. “When I say Islamic world, I mean both the Arabic countries and Iran, as well as the major Muslim countries that have very little information about Armenia”, Ashotyan clarified. He reminded that Baku leads a very dangerous policy for Armenia, trying to generate hostile attitude between Armenia and the Islamic world. Azerbaijan is not yet able to achieve any success, but these challenges exist and Armenia just has to activate and expand interactions and relations with Islamic countries and peoples.
Author: Liana Toganian
Turkish Press: Greece says Erdogan’s visit freed up frozen relations
Anadolu Agency (AA) Turkey Wednesday Greece says Erdogan's visit freed up frozen relations Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias says talks between Turkish president, Greek prime minister were 'sincere' By Furkan Naci Top ATHENS Greece's foreign minister on Wednesday said the Turkish president's visit last week was successful as it had freed up communication channels between the countries which had been frozen. Nikos Kotzias was speaking to journalists in a briefing after meeting Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan in Athens. "The visit was successful because we restored the necessary communication channels that were frozen. It was successful because a series of new negotiations are being prepared," Kotzias said. Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras talked "sincerely," he added. Kotzias also said Greek Migration Minister Ioannis Mouzalas would visit Turkey soon, adding that a High-Level Cooperation Council meeting between Turkey and Greece would be held in February. Erdogan paid a historic two-day visit to Greece on Dec. 7-8, the first by a Turkish president in 65 years. Anadolu Agency website contains only a portion of the news stories offered to subscribers in the AA News Broadcasting System (HAS), and in summarized form. Please contact us for subscription options.
Double-Standard Approach of RA Government to Family Values
Yet another manifestation of RA Government’s ambiguous attitude towards the concept of “traditional, family values” was the support expressed by Serzh Sargsyan towards the statement on “Support to the Family Institute and Traditional Family Values” during the meeting of CIS Council of Heads of State in Sochi on October 11.
It is worth reminding that during the last few weeks, a number of politicians from the Republican Party had started a campaign against the bill on domestic violence. Thus, for instance, RPA Speaker, RA National Assembly Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov announced on October 30, “The preliminary version of the Bill on Prevention of Domestic Violence and Protection of the Victims of Domestic Violence does not correspond to the ideology of the Republican Party of Armenia. We are a national conservative party. Of course we are against violence, we are bearers of traditional values, namely, church, family, traditional family”.
Armenia Supports…
While the aforementioned bill was being discussed in Armenia and some claimed that it is “forced by Europe”, RA President Sargsyan announced in Sochi, “We support the statement on Support to the Family Institute and Traditional Family Values, realizing that family is the basis of the society, and a factor unifying people”. However, it is unclear what we support since the statement text was not introduced to the Armenian public beforehand.
Children’s Rights
Based on the inquiry by Union of Informed Citizens NGO, the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs provided the text of the aforementioned statement. In particular, the document mentions that “the parties highlight the need for cooperation in solving issues related to prevention and investigation of cases of domestic violence, violation of children’s rights, as well as reduction of child mortality rates…” Moreover, the document highlights the importance of establishing efficient legal procedures for adopting children.
The hasty signing of this statement containing a clause related to children’s rights is interesting in light of the fact that Ararat TV company, which de facto belongs to the Republican Party of Armenia (they even share the same headquarters), has been actively spreading disinformation related to the Bill on Prevention of Domestic Violence and Protection of the Victims of Domestic Violence, stating that the law is unacceptable since it is aimed at alienating children from their families and depriving parents of their parental rights. However, the bill does not have any mention of children’s adoption in contrast to the aforementioned Sochi statement.
Gender Equality
The Sochi document also addresses gender equality. It is worth reminding that during the discussion of 2013 amendments to the RA Law on Equal Rights and Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, some people had turned the word “gender” into an international scandal, which resulted in substitution of the formulation “gender relations” with “equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men. A number of Republican Party deputies were also against using the word “gender”.
Thus, it turns out that the Sochi document proposed by Russia and immediately accepted by Serzh Sargsyan contains items that on many occasions have been proclaimed as “evil” by the Armenian audience, namely, fight against domestic violence, prevention of violation of children’s rights, gender equality.
Double-Standard Approach
In fact, when it comes to legislative initiatives supported by the EU the RA authorities and the pro-Russian forces start to remember about their traditional values in order to get as much concessions as possible from the EU. Meanwhile, the documents proposed by the Russian side are accepted without reservation irrespective of their “anti-traditional” nature, similar content and even items related to children.
Anna Pambukhchyan
“Union of Informed Citizens”
New “gallery” of rock art discovered near Armenia mountain
News.am, Armenia
Oct 28 2017
New “gallery” of rock art discovered near Armenia mountain (PHOTOS) New “gallery” of rock art discovered near Armenia mountain (PHOTOS)
16:30, 27.10.2017
The small gorge, which is located between Ughtasar and Iskhanasar Mountains nearby Sisian town in the Syunik Province of Armenia, seems to be a picture gallery. There are two rows of stones there parallel to each other, and with prehistoric drawings on them (PHOTOS).
The best-known place with such drawings here is the Ughtasar Mountain peak, which many tourists visit.
But our guides, Gagik Navasardyan, a local branch employee of the Agency for the Protection of Monuments of History and Culture, and Hrach Hakobyan, a local resident, claim that there have been no visitors yet at where we are.
Navasardyan informed that rock pictograms, as a rule, date back to between 5th to 4th millennia BC and 3rd to 1st millennia BC.
“They give so much important information about human activity of those times,” he added. “These are works of art by the Stone Age man, and which depict the fight against the forces of nature.
“The rock pictograms can be classified as world historical heritage. This isn’t the treasure of only Syunik; this is one of the first phases in the development of all mankind.”
The Ughtasar archeological monument is full of rock pictograms. By and large, hunting scenes, man’s surrounding nature, and rituals are depicted on them. In addition, they represent the cosmic conceptions of the prehistoric man.
Armenia and Iran to expand cooperation in veterinary medicine
Vestnik Kavkaza
Oct 5 2017
Armenia’s government has approved an interstate agreement with Iran on cooperation in veterinary medicine at today’s meeting.
The agreement is designed to help develop bilateral cooperation in the prevention, control and monitoring of animal diseases, the government press service said.
It said the document provides for stimulating interaction on data exchange between research and scientific centers of the two countries in the field of preventing and eliminating animal diseases, as well as for exchange of information on legislation and procedures for control of import, export and transit of veterinary cargo, ARKA reported.
Festival of beards to be held in Armenia
PanArmenian, Armenia
Sept 8 2017
Festival of beards to be held in Armenia
A festival of beards will be held in Armenia, director of Areni Fest Foundation Nune Manukyan told a press conference on Friday, September 8.
According to her, the decision to hold such an event was made spontaneously. While no exact date has been set and no venue has been chosen yet, the festival will most likely be held in 2018.
During the festival, contests for the longest, shortest and funniest beards will be organized.
Manukyan did not exclude the possibility of inviting bearded famous people to participate in the event.
Pro-Azerbaijani group created in PACE
Aravot, Armenia Sept 4 2017 Pro-Azerbaijani group created in PACE As we have already informed, a sitting of the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) took place in Paris, during which a decision was made to confirm the creation of a new free democrats group rejected by the June session. Let us remind, that in June, the Bureau rejected the creation of a pro-Azerbaijani group, arguing that on June 1, the group members still had membership in other groups, in addition, the initiators were blamed that the charter of the group was copied from the liberal charter. Arpine Hovhannisyan, Chair of the Armenian Delegation to PACE, told Aravot.am, that those shortcomings have been eliminated, so the Bureau has confirmed the creation of the group. The group will be created by September, which means that they will not have funding for 2018. And if there is no financing, they will not be able to take seats in different committees in 2018. This group could not fail being formed, as the regulation requires twenty people out of six different delegations to express their will. The Bureau only accepts the decision made by twenty members”. Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
Hidden Agenda? Daughter and Son-In-Law of Gyumri Mayor Purchase Company in Prague
21:21,
The daughter of Samvel Balasanyan, the current mayor of Gyumri (Armenia’s second largest city), and her husband, have purchased a real estate and bread/confectionary company in Prague.
37-year-old Adelina Balasanyan and 40-year-old Davit Samvelyan purchased the company, VRN Group Invest LLC, in 2016. Adelina owns 40% and Davit, 60%.
The company was registered in February 2015 with charter capital of 120,000 Czech Kronua (US$5,400).
The new owners have since changed the name of the company to Samvelyan.
The company is registered at Lípová 1444/20, Nové Město in downtown Prague.
Not surprisingly, the Samvelyans own at confectionary business in Gyumri called Anusharan LLC.
In 2006, Adelina Balasanyan founded Urartu-Adelina, a breadmaking business in Yerevan. The Czech Demographic Office reports that from 2011-2017 no bread or confectionary had been exported from Armenia to the Czech Republic.
The Czech State Real Estate Registry reports that Samvelyan LLC owns no property in the country, but this doesn’t mean that the company isn’t conducting business there.
Hetq wrote to Gyumri Mayor Balasanyan, asking if he could confirm what kind of business the company is conducting in Prague.
It’s a well-known fact that foreigners often register, or buy, a company in the Czech Republic in order to purchase real estate and facilitate citizenship later.
Sona Arakelyan, the mayor’s press secretary, wrote back, advising us to directly contact the Samvelyan family. It would appear that the mayor is hiding something.
There are other “Armenian” companies registered at the same address in Prague as Samvelyan LLC.
Pargev Virabyan, the founder of VRN Avia Ltd. (specializing in cargo (freight and airmail) transportation in Armenia, Russia and the Czech Republic) has apartments in the same building. Virabyan’s two daughters, Liana and Nelly, also own apartments there.
It turns out that Davit Samvelyan, the son-in-law of Gyumri Mayor Balasanyan, lives in Yerevan’s Kanaker district, close to where the Virabyan family’s residence is registered.
Adelina and Davit have conveniently registered their company in one of the Prague apartments owned by Pargev Virabyan, their friendly Yerevan neighbor.
Other companies with an Armenian connection are also registered at the Lípová 1444/20, Nové Město address.
Book: ‘Forced into Genocide’
The Armenian Weekly
Aug 16 2017
“I remember it as if it was yesterday—after spending the night on the banks of the Halys River, the grisly caravan that included my family was woken and driven up the Kartashlar Yokush Hill. They were scaling the Armenian Golgotha. I stood there and watched my mother and entire extended family climb over that hill never to be seen again. In total, I lost 51 members of my family that day.”
The cover of Forced into Genocide
Like many Armenians of his generation, Yervant Alexanian was an eyewitness to the massacre and dislocation of his family and fellow countrymen in Ottoman Turkey during World War I. Alexanian was conscripted into the Turkish army—but unlike others so conscripted, he survived.
Forced into Genocide recalls Yervant Alexanian’s death-defying experiences in the center of the Armenian Genocide. Translated from Alexanian’s hand-written Armenian-language chronicle, the memoir includes never-before-seen documents and photos preserved by the author. Through his eyes, we relive the astonishing cruelty of the Genocide’s perpetrators, and we witness rare, unexpected acts of humanity between victim and oppressor.
The book is edited by Adrienne G. Alexanian, with an introduction by Sergio La Porta and a foreword by Israel W. Charny.
“Moving, uplifting, and richly detailed… a gift to the Armenian community and, indeed, humanity,” said Dr. Vartan Gregorian, president of The Carnegie Corporation, about the book.
Adrienne G. Alexanian is a 2010 recipient of the Ellis Island Medal, an educator, and the daughter of Yervant Alexanian. Sergio La Porta is Haig and Isabel Berberian Professor of Armenian Studies at California State University, Fresno. Israel W. Charny is executive director of the Institute on the Holocaust and Genocide in Jerusalem and past editor of the award-winning Encyclopedia of Genocide.
Alexanian will be presenting Forced into Genocide at the St. Sarkis Armenian Apostolic Church of Douglaston, N.Y., on Oct. 15, following church services.
Ecologist: The link between ecology and health is evident
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 14 2017
15:42, 14 Aug 2017
Armenia is one of World leaders by the number of deaths caused by cancer, Karine Danielyan, ecologist, former Minister of Ecology of Armenia told news.am.
According to Danielyan, the data was published by the World Health Organization (WHO).
The Ministry of Healthcare of Armenia claimed that the conclusion has been made according to wrong data. “I took the data of the Ministry of Healthcare. It turned out that we are between the second and the third places. This does not make things much better”, Danielyan said.
According to her, a survey has been implemented on the influence that environments and climate changes have on children’s health: “We talk about the most polluted territories, naturally. Especially the territories which are polluted by heavy metals. The link between ecology and health is evident. Lori, Syunik and Yerevan are at the first place”.