Author: Maral Takmazian

Armenpress: International Jazz Day: China Moses, Andre Manoukian, Tony Karapetyan among stars of upcoming Yerevan concert

Maral Takmazian

International Jazz Day: China Moses, Andre Manoukian, Tony Karapetyan among stars of upcoming Yerevan concert

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 09:56, 27 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Renowned Armenian jazz bands and musicians will be joined by jazz stars from around the world for a concert on International Jazz Day – April 30.

The Armenian Jazz Association is organizing the event jointly with Yerevan City Hall.

The open-air concert will take place at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Cascade.

The founding Chairman of the Armenian Jazz Association Kamo Movsesyan told ARMENPRESS that they tried to bring together all renowned jazz musicians. “We have guests also from Russia, France and the United States. Tony Karapetian, a fine pianist and composer known all over Europe and America is invited from Russia. On that day, renowned American singer China Moses will perform on stage. Andre Manoukian from France will also perform, he is a renowned producer, musician and pianist. Everyone will perform on one stage,” Movsesyan said.

Asked why so much significance is given to jazz while Armenia doesn’t have a day marking Armenian national music, Movsesyan said: “The fact that national music isn’t celebrated is a problem that should be solved by state policy. I think we must have a day like that. But we have very deep roots with jazz coming from the past. In 1938 we already officially had a jazz orchestra with its traditions and musicians who were known all over the world. Armenian jazz, with its Armenian folklore elements, is rather well-known today in the world. The world knows Armenian musicians and Armenian jazz.”

Movsesyan said that they were able to change the society’s attitude for jazz thanks to dedicated musicians. “We were able to save and promote the music because every year, regardless of obstacles we are moving forward. Jazz is intellectual music and we want to develop it but keep its traditions.”

Meanwhile, the famous Armenian jazzman and keyboardist Gary Kesayan will perform on the same day at 20:00 at the Gary Kesayan and Friends concert.

Interview by Liana Sargsyan




Congressman Pallone calls for robust aid to Armenia and Republic of Artsakh

Maral Takmazian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – April 28 2022
April 28, 2022, 20:57

 2 minutes read

A bipartisan letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, spearheaded by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and cosigned by over 60 Members of Congress, calls for a robust aid package to Artsakh and Armenia in the Fiscal Year 2023 House Appropriations Bill, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

In the letter, the lawmakers call for $100 million in security, economic, governance, and rule of law assistance to Armenia through State Department and USAID accounts, $50 million for assistance to Artsakh, and the suspension of U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan.

“The people of Artsakh continue to face severe hardships caused both by the deadly 44-day war Azerbaijani forces provoked in 2020 and their ongoing provocations against innocent civilians to this day,” according to the letter addressed to the Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ranking Member Hal Rogers (R-KY). In addition, the lawmakers cited the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which affirms that 88 percent of the approximately 90,000 refugees from Artsakh are women, children, and the elderly.

“The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also acknowledges that an ‘acute humanitarian crisis’ continues for many of these families, including those who have been able to return to Artsakh.” Regarding prohibition on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, the lawmakers note that “President Ilham Aliyev began his brutal 2020 assault on Artsakh not long after receiving over $100 million in security assistance through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019. Azerbaijani forces used advanced Turkish drones, cluster munitions, and white phosphorus to indiscriminately attack homes, churches, and hospitals killing thousands in the 44-day war.”

They also highlight the recent report by the 2022 Government Accountability Office Report (GAO) that “the State Department likely violated Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act in sending this and other assistance to Azerbaijan from 2014 to 2021.”

Despite a ceasefire statement signed on November 9, 2020, the lawmakers call attention to the fact that “Azerbaijan continues its aggressive behavior in the region with troop movements and other escalatory measures into Armenian and Artsakh territories…It is equally concerning that Azerbaijani troops continue to carry out the desecration of Armenian Christian holy sites, weaponize major sources of natural gas for civilians, and illegally detain and abuse Armenian prisoners of war.”

In addition to Armenian Caucus leaders, Reps. Pallone, Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), cosigners include: Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Jim Banks (R-IN), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), Lou Correa (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Danny Davis (D-IL), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Jim Himes (D-CT), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Andy Levin (D-MI), Mike Levin (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Richard Neal (D-MA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Dina Titus (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Susan Wild (D-PA).

Traditional torchlight march in memory of victims of Armenian Genocide started in Yerevan

Maral Takmazian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Alina Hovhannisyan

ArmInfo.The traditional torchlight march in memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 started from the  Republic Square in Yerevan. Thousands of participants in the march,  which this year is held under the slogan “Zartnir, lao!” (Wake up, my  son>) with torches and flags, went to the Tsitsernakaberd memorial  complex.

The traditional march in memory of the victims began at 19:15, which  symbolizes the year of massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. The  organizers of the march are the Armenian Youth Union of the ARF  Dashnaktsutyun and the Student Union of the ARF “Nikol Agbalyan”. A  message spread a few days earlier by the organizers said: “The  torchlight march is a symbol of our rebirth, our just struggle and  unity. This year it is even more important. The Armenian people,  Armenia and Artsakh are going through the most difficult times in  their history.

By participating in the march, we will show the world  that we are the owner of our Homeland, that we will not tolerate  denial, betrayal. ” It should be noted that the 2nd and 3rd  Presidents of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, confirmed  their participation in the torchlight march a few days earlier.   Today, a torchlight march in memory of the victims of the Armenian  Genocide was also held in Aleppo. An march was held in Israel near  the Turkish Embassy, the participants of which condemned Turkey for  denying the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide and the latter’s  participation in the Artsakh war of 2020.

According to the Chancellery of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,  on April 24 at 10:30 a.m., a liturgy to commemorate the victims of  the Armenian Genocide will be held at the Church of St. Gayane in  Etchmiadzin.

The Torchlight March in Armenia in memory of the victims of the  Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 has been running  since 2000.

An agreement reached over several important issues during meeting with Putin, says Pashinyan

Maral Takmazian

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 14:20,

YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of his official visit to Russia, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan visited the State Duma and met with the Chairman of the State Duma Vyacheslav Volodin.

The latter welcomed the Prime Minister’s official visit to Russia, underlined the fact of the continuous development of the Armenian-Russian allied relations. “I know that you had fruitful talks with the Russian President, based on the results of which an important joint statement was adopted,” Volodin said, emphasizing that the visit of the Prime Minister of Armenia is a special event in the further expansion of bilateral relations. The Chairman of the State Duma also attached importance to the strengthening of inter-parliamentary ties, adding that there is a close dialogue in this direction. According to Mr. Volodin, the existing mutual trust between the two countries gives a good opportunity to further develop ties.

Prime Minister Pashinyan thanked for the warm reception, noting that such contacts give a new impetus to interstate relations and cooperation. The Prime Minister of Armenia also attached importance to the strengthening of inter-parliamentary cooperation and active dialogue. “We had a fruitful discussion with President Putin, we adopted a joint statement,” Nikol Pashinyan said, adding that they reached an agreement on a number of important issues, including the security of Nagorno Karabakh, the unblocking of regional infrastructure, and delimitation and demarcation processes of the Armenian-Azerbaijan border.

During the meeting the interlocutors exchanged views on the activities of the Armenian-Russian interparliamentary commission, the holding of the sitting of the CSTO Interparliamentary Assembly in Yerevan, the activities of Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh and other issues.

UCLA commemorates Armenian Genocide with week of talks and performances

Maral Takmazian
UCLA Newsroom
The events, organized by UCLA’s Promise Armenian Institute and its campus partners, are free and open to the public
UCLA Newsroom | 

Sunday, April 24, marks the annual commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, the systematic murder of 1.5 million Armenians by the forces of the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923. In tribute, the Promise Armenian Institute at UCLA and its partners are sponsoring a series of virtual and in-person discussions and performances over the coming days to recognize and explore that historical tragedy and to celebrate Armenian heritage.

Along with scholars from Armenia, Turkey, Germany and the U.S., the events will feature faculty and fellows from UCLA, including Robert Sukiasyan, a Fulbright visiting scholar at the Promise Armenian Institute; distinguished research fellow Serap Ruken Sengul and Professor Aslı Bâli of the Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA School of Law; and Melissa Bilal and Professor Movses Pogossian of UCLA’s Armenian Music Program.

Established in 2019, the Promise Armenian Institute serves as a focal point for advanced scholarship on Armenian society, culture and history — including the genocide, particularly through its Armenian Genocide Research Program — and for public programs and outreach aimed at strengthening Armenian communities in Los Angeles, the worldwide diaspora and Armenia itself. As part of these efforts, the institute supports a variety of ongoing projects in the social sciences, arts, health care, genetics and engineering.

“As an educational institute dedicated to research and teaching on Armenia and Armenians, commemorating the Armenian Genocide through scholarly events is a natural part of our mandate,” said Professor Ann Karagozian, the institute’s inaugural director. “The genocide was a momentous, tragic event in modern Armenian history and has become a significant part of the Armenian identity, particularly in the diaspora, which was largely formed by communities of genocide survivors. We are very pleased that this year’s commemorative events at UCLA, organized by our institute and our partner organizations, bring to the forefront the personal stories and experiences of survivors as well as victims of the genocide.”

All commemorative events are free and open to the public:

  • Wednesday, April 20, 7:30 p.m. | Hammer Museum
    In Remembrance: Treasures of Armenian Music
    Organized by the Hammer Museum and the UCLA Armenian Music Program, this in-person event highlights Armenia’s rich musical heritage with performances of works by celebrated Armenian composers, plus a world premier by Martin Ulikhanyan.
  • Friday, April 22, 10 a.m. | Zoom
    A House in the Homeland: Armenian Pilgrimages to Places of Ancestral Memory
    Author and scholar Carel Bertram discusses her book “A House in the Homeland,” which chronicles the journeys of the children and grandchildren of Armenian Genocide survivors to the former villages and towns of their ancestors in what is now eastern Turkey.
  • Monday, April 25, 9 a.m. | Zoom
    The Life of Eliza Binemeciyan: The Armenian Genocide’s Impact on Armenian Culture
    Organized by the Promise Institute for Human Rights, this presentation explores the decline of cosmopolitanism and the rise of nationalism in the Istanbul theater during and after the Armenian Genocide by focusing on the career of actress Eliza Binemeciyan (1890–1981) and her Armenian colleagues.   
  • Tuesday, April 26, 10 a.m. | Zoom
    Unearthing, Discovering, Unlearning: Armenian Indigeneity in Turkey
    Armenians born and raised in post-genocide Turkey — representatives of an annihilated indigenous population — have for years been forcibly denied access to their own indigenous history and heritage. This webinar explores the process of reexamining and reclaiming that indigeneity in Armenian ancestral lands.
  • Saturday, April 30, 4 p.m. | S. Artsakh Avenue, Glendale 91205
    Concert of Traditional Armenian Music and Dance 
    At this concert, organized by UCLA’s student-led Lernazang Ensemble, the ensemble will be joined by master musicians from Armenia for a performance of traditional songs and dances from western Armenia.
  • https://newsroom.ucla.edu/stories/ucla-commemorates-armenian-genocide-2022

City of Novi, Michigan, proclaims April 24 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Maral Takmazian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –
, 18:36

 Less than a minute

The city of Novi, Michigan has proclaimed April 24th as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. The document has been signed by Mayor Bob Gatt, reports the Armenian National Committee of Michigan (ANCI-MI).

The Committee thanked the City Council for bringing awareness to the “ongoing Genocide of the Armenians and joining the Armenian community in commemorating the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915 by issuing this important proclamation recognizing April 24th, 2022 as Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in the City of Farmington Hills.”

“The cycle of the genocide will continue unless we bring the perpetrators to justice,” ANCA-MI added.

https://en.armradio.am/2022/04/21/city-of-novi-michigan-proclaims-april-24-as-armenian-genocide-remembrance-day/

Armenian Genocide exhibition canceled 1 day before opening in Russia’s St. Petersburg

Maral Takmazian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
16:29, 21.04.2022

The “No to Genocide” exhibition dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day on April 24 has been canceled a day before its opening in Saint Petersburg, Russia, the Regional Youth Association of Armenia announced.

“For several days, we worked tirelessly to solve the problem, but it was not possible to solve it,” the aforesaid organization also said in its respective statement.

It added that they had tried to resolve this matter at the level of the Consulate General of Armenia as well.

The abovementioned exhibition was to open at the “Russia: My History” historical park, and now another venue to hold this event is being sought.

Experts of Armenia and other countries will discuss the challenges of teaching of Armenian Genocide

Maral Takmazian

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 18:19,

YEREVAN, 18 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. On April 20-22 at the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute an international scientific conference will be held entitled “The challenges of teaching of Armenian genocide in 21st century”. The director of Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Harutyun Marutyan said at ARMENPRESS media hall that 29 reports will be presented. The reporters are from different institutions of Armenia and there are participants also from the United States, Lebanon, Israel, Rwanda, Cambodia, Spain, Russian Federation.

“It’s one thing what we think, another thing is what the professional community thinks. It is very important to listen to the opinion of our partners: researchers, pedagogues. Today the information about the past is presented to children. Since the memories of the Armenian Genocide are one of cornerstones of our identity, it is very important, that the information not only be about the past, but a transition will be made to present. We should understand how it is possible to do so. The issue is what is educated and how is educated. Absolutely no task is set to strengthen the stereotype of victim, on the contrary, knowledge will be offered that will create a feeling of pride in the student. It will be presented how the Armenian people were able to resist with weapons, fight without weapons, survival, win. Those are important features, which should be presented to the children at that age”, said Harutyun Marutyan.

Here are the teachers, researchers who will try to find gaps, share experience, offer solutions.

Catholicos Aram I: Artsakh’s independence can’t be subject of bargaining

Maral Takmazian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
Catholicos Aram I: Artsakh’s independence can’t be subject of bargaining
19:27, 17.04.2022

Artsakh’s independence can’t be a subject of bargaining, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I.

“As Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, we and our people cannot remain indifferent and silent, we will tell the people of Artsakh that we are with you. Peace, independence and justice are God-given values and rights. The people of Artsakh collectively established and consolidated their independence in the land where they have lived and worked for centuries. Today, Armenia faces serious concerns, and we expect that the people of Armenia, as well as the people of Artsakh, will be able to firmly assert their collective will, declaring that the nation’s will to live freely, the right to live in peace cannot be undermined in light of the so-called geopolitical situation,” he said.

Nicholas Kristof concerned about Azerbaijani aggression toward Artsakh villages

Maral Takmazian
Panorama
Armenia –

American journalist and political commentator Nicholas Kristof has expressed concern over Azerbaijani aggression against Armenian villages in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

“Lots of concern about Azerbaijani aggression toward Armenian villages, including the “ethnic cleansing” of the area. The necessary focus on Ukraine shouldn’t allow other countries to get away with such behavior,” he said in a tweet on Thursday, sharing a statement of Baroness Caroline Cox.

“I receive almost daily reports of Azerbaijani military offensives against Armenian villages. By megaphones and loudspeakers, villagers are ordered to leave their homes. Women and children are evacuated, including recently from Karmir Shuka and Khnushinak in Martuni and Khramort in Askeran, where Azerbaijani forces continue to accumulate military equipment and manpower,” Cox said.