Author: Maral Takmazian

Prime Minister attends thesis defense of high school students at the "Mkhitar Sebastatsi" educational complex

Maral Takmazian

 18:06, 15 January 2024

YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan attended the defense of the thesis of high school students of Mkhitar Sebastatsi educational complex in Yerevan, the PM's Office said.

The research project of the student in the high school-research college of the educational complex is determined by the state standard of general education. The defense of research works for the 2023-2024 academic year began in the January camp 2024, will continue until the end of the academic year (one group per week, according to the readiness of the students).

Today, the second group of students presented their research work. The Prime Minister attended the defense at the invitation of one of them, Davit Muradyan, who is studying in the 10th grade. The topic of David's research work was "Non-verbal communication in politics". Then other students also presented their research works.

According to the source, the Prime Minister thanked and noted that such research works are interesting. According to Nikol Pashinyan, the implementation of research works in schools as part of the educational process is already a mandatory condition by the new standard of general education. 

"Today we made sure that it was the right decision and that the research component should be highlighted. In general, we believe, and this is the most important segment of our reforms in the field of education, that education and research are closely interconnected. What we heard and saw is clearly useful. First of all, why are we interested in such meetings and discussions? Because we constantly talk about that we should go after the decisions we made and see how they are expressed and maybe we need to improve and change them. This is also the reason why we are interested in attending such events," said the Prime Minister.

Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Holds Armenian Christmas Event

Maral Takmazian
Jan 16 2024

Giancarlo Diaz
Glendale News-Press

PHOTO GALLERY

Dignity Health Glendale Memorial Hospital celebrated Armenian Christmas in the facility’s auditorium on Jan. 4.
Inclusion is one of the core values of Dignity Health and the event was a way for their community, staff and supporters to gather and share their values.
Dignity Health Glendale President Jill Welton was in attendance, along with City Manager Roubik Golanian, the clergy from St. Mary’s Church, and members of the Glendale Police Department and Glendale Fire Department, among others.

First published in the January 13 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.


Armenian Christian Refugees Need Help and Hope

Maral Takmazian
Jan 12 024

Exhausted, malnourished and traumatized.

That was how they arrived in Armenia last September.

Do you remember?

Do you remember those dreadful few days when almost 120,000 Armenian Christians fled their beloved homeland, Nagorno-Karabakh, to seek safety in Armenia?

They had already endured over nine months of deprivation and near-starvation, due to an Azerbaijani blockade. Then Azerbaijan invaded and seized the territory in which Armenians had lived for 2,500 years. Almost the entire population of Nagorno-Karabakh crammed themselves into cars or other transport and joined the line to cross the narrow mountain pass into Armenia.

“On September 25, we left our house with seven people in our own car and were on the road for three days,” recalls Elizaveta, whose husband is hearing impaired. It was a journey that would normally take a few hours.

Elizaveta (left) and Hasmik with her baby born during the blockade – just three of the thousands of Christian refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh whom your gifts are helping

How are they living now?

“We live by the grace of God, giving glory every evening and morning. It gives us strength to cope,” says grandmother Anahit.

Armenia is a poor country. Its government is struggling to help the refugees. But the Church, with funding from Barnabas, is supporting the neediest families – and giving them spiritual counsel too.

Elizaveta is using the money to buy food for her family.

Hasmik, a biology teacher, has used it to buy winter clothes and shoes for her children. The youngest is a baby born during the blockade.

Our project partner describes the positive effect on the refugees’ emotional wellbeing: “By providing financial aid and spiritual support, the program has brought hope, comfort and a sense of solidarity.

What next?

Some of the refugees are staying with distant relatives. Others are staying in church gyms or similar. This temporary situation cannot continue for long.

The newcomers need jobs so they can support themselves and rent proper accommodation. Then they will need furniture and equipment for their new homes.

Barnabas stands ready to help them. Will you join with us?

$36 could help with emergency needs for one Armenian Christian refugee from Nagorno-Karabakh

https://www.barnabasaid.org/us/latest-needs/armenian-christian-refugees-need-help-and-hope/

Economic growth in 2023 to be around 8,3-8,5%

Maral Takmazian

 16:24, 8 January 2024

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s economic growth in 2023 will stand around 8,3-8,5%, Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan has said.

“We assume that economic growth in 2023 will be around 8,3-8,5%,” Kerobyan said at a press conference.

GDP per capita is projected to be $8,280.

In 2017, Armenia was 122nd among 196 countries according to GDP per capita; Armenia improved its position to 112 in 2020, and according to IMF projections the country will be 86th with 2023 data.

Armenpress: Governor of Armavir dismissed

Maral Takmazian

 18:03, 5 January 2024

YEREVAN, JANUARY 5, ARMENPRESS. According to the decision of the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Eduard Hovhannisyan has been relieved of the post of governor of Armavir Province.

The text of the decision has been published on the Government's website.




Asbarez: AMAA Orphan & Child Care Event in New York Raises Funds for Displaced Artsakh Armenians

Maral Takmazian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Artsakh, Latest, News, Top Stories

Attendees at the Basquiat x Warhol exhibit at Brant Foundation in New York


As we celebrated the birth of Christ, and in the spirit of charity, a fundraiser was organized by the Armenian Missionary Association of America NY/NJ Orphan & Child Care Committee to raise critical funds for families displaced from Artsakh. The AMAA continues to advance its mission to support these families, help restore their normal lives, and meet their long-term needs. A private, curated museum tour of the exhibit, which featured artwork by Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, was held on December 13 at the Brant Foundation in New York City.

Art enthusiasts, old friends and new acquaintances — many traveling by a chartered bus from the Armenian Presbyterian Church in Paramus, NJ — gathered at the Brant Foundation to view the unprecedented, private exhibition that displayed the collaborative art of Warhol and Basquiat, led by Contemporary Art Advisor Aileen Agopian, and the Brant Foundation’s Docent, Mario Fasani. Agopian’s authoritative input about Warhol and Basquiat, their place and impact on contemporary art, informed those present and enhanced their appreciation of the two icons.

Guests viewing the private exhibition featuring the collaborative art of Warhol and Basquiat

Fasani spoke in detail about Warhol’s emphasis on consumerism, his celebration of pop culture, and elevating everyday items like lemons, apples, soda bottles, and soup cans. Warhol painted mundane items to depersonalize himself from his art, Fasani noted. He also spoke about Haitian American, Brooklyn-born artist Basquiat’s expressionism and highlighted his extraordinary collaboration with Warhol, where the two expressed themselves creatively on the same canvas at times, and “reforestation of each other’s art” at other times, as shown in this special exhibit. The artists used mediums such as silk screen ink, acrylic, synthetic polymer paint, watercolor, and oil stick on linen, canvas, wood panels, and even punching bags.

After being treated to an exceptional experience, the guests had the opportunity to pose questions and be privy to Fasani’s and Agopian’s expert elucidation.

According to the Brant Foundation, the “Basquiat x Warhol, is an exhibition of works from the artists’ influential collaboration in the early eighties. Curated by Dr. Dieter Buchhart and Peter M. Brant in collaboration with Dr. Anna Karina Hofbauer, this is the first time this iconic collaboration has been the subject of a major New York exhibition in over twenty-five years.” Peter Brant is one of the most important collectors in New York. He began collecting contemporary art at 19, focusing on and supporting young emerging artists, often upon the recommendation of eminent art dealer since the 1960s, Leo Castelli.

AMAA NY/NJ Orphan & Child Care Committee Chairs Vicki Hovanessian and Seta Nalbandian

Those in attendance included members from the NY/NJ Evangelical community as well as the NY/ NJ Armenian Relief Society, the Tekeyan Cultural Association, the ADL, the daughters of Vartan, the Diocese, the Prelacy, and guests from California, Colorado, and Chicago.

After the tour, the attendees gathered at Yara Lebanese restaurant in New York City, in a convivial atmosphere of fellowship. The festive dinner of Middle Eastern delicacies was preceded by a thoughtful prayer filled with expressions of gratitude by Jennifer Telfeyan-LaRoe.

True to her magnanimous nature, Vicki Hovanessian spoke of the impetus for the event and had a kind word to say about each guest. The attendees echoed co-chair Seta Nalbandian’s remarks about chairlady Hovanessian’s phenomenal contributions and myriad accomplishments, amid further testimonials and appreciative applause.

AMAA NY/NJ Orphan & Child Care Committee members

An impromptu birthday celebration for committee member Dr. Celeste Telfeyan Helvacian was a much-appreciated gesture before everyone departed the venue with hearts filled with the spirit of giving and a sense of benevolence.

Founded in 1918, the Armenian Missionary Association of America serves the spiritual, educational, and social needs of Armenian communities in 24 countries around the world including Armenia and Artsakh. For additional information, you may visit the website.

Schiff Urges House, Senate Leadership to Include ‘Robust’ Humanitarian Aid for Armenia

Maral Takmazian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

Rep. Adam Schiff speaks at a protest in Washington demanding the immediate lifting of Azerbaijan's blockade of Artsakh in February


WASHINGTON—Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) sent a letter to House and Senate leadership on Friday urging them to include robust humanitarian aid for Armenia in President Biden’s National Security Supplemental funding request. This comes as Armenia is supporting more than 100,000 refugees displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) by the unprovoked military attacks by Azerbaijan in September 2023, and up to 150,000 refugees in total since the 44 Day Conflict in 2020.

“After systematically starving the people of Artsakh with a 10-months-long blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road that connected Artsakh with the outside world, Azerbaijani forces launched a large-scale attack on Artsakh on September 19, resulting in at least 200 dead and 400 wounded, including children, women, and the elderly, and prompting nearly the entire population to flee for their lives. By the time a UN mission was sent—far too late—to review conditions on the ground, the team reported hearing that only ‘between 50 and 1,000 ethnic Armenians remain in the Karabakh region.’ The majority of those refugees are now in Armenia, where they arrived in desperate condition and in need of aid,” Schiff wrote in the letter.

“We understand the Armenian government has identified a need to allocate more than $1.5 billion toward the long-term housing needs of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, but significant and sustained support from the international community and United States will be needed to address the short- and medium-term needs of refugees. Alleviating human suffering and meeting the urgent humanitarian needs of the refugees now in Armenia must be a top priority. The national security supplemental must include a robust level of U.S. humanitarian assistance for Armenia sufficient to address the scope of the challenge and demonstrate the U.S. commitment to Armenia’s flourishing democracy, as the Armenian people continue to face unprovoked military aggression and threats of genocide at the hands of its autocratic neighbor,” Schiff added.

“While the security and human rights situation in the South Caucasus remains complex, the United States must also continue to push for accountability for crimes committed in the context of Azerbaijan’s unprovoked military attacks against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh since September 2020, take steps to deter future Azerbaijani aggression, and reaffirm support for Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Alleviating human suffering and meeting the urgent humanitarian needs of the refugees now in Armenia must be a top priority. The national security supplemental must include a robust level of U.S. humanitarian assistance for Armenia sufficient to address the scope of the challenge and demonstrate the U.S. commitment to Armenia’s flourishing democracy, as the Armenian people continue to face unprovoked military aggression and threats of genocide at the hands of its autocratic neighbor,” Schiff also said in the letter.

Armenian Government’s vision significant from perspective of regional development, says Georgian Deputy Foreign Minister

Maral Takmazian

 16:17,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. In his address at the Ministerial Meeting of Landlocked Developing Countries held in Yerevan, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Lasha Darsalia said that the Armenian government's vision and initiatives related to the development of the Caucasus region are very valuable.

Darsalia noted that Georgia supports its good friend and partner, Armenia, lauding Armenian government’s efforts, which are important for the entire region.

"We are waiting for an important decision, according to which, we hope, Georgia will receive EU candidate status. The Foreign Minister of Georgia is on an important working visit to Europe, therefore, he instructed me to attend this meeting. Georgia is definitely in favor of regional cooperation,” said Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs of Georgia, Lasha Darsalia said.

“The Armenian Government also has many important initiatives. The South Caucasus is becoming an increasingly important region from the perspective of communications and the Middle Corridor. In this context, the approaches of the Armenian government are important,’’ Darsalia said, adding that Armenia can expect Georgia’s support in this regard.

Türkiye welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan confidence-building steps

Maral Takmazian

 10:32, 8 December 2023

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Türkiye has welcomed the latest Armenia-Azerbaijan agreements.

In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said that Ankara wants Armenia and Azerbaijan to sign a peace treaty as soon as possible.

“We welcome the decision to take some concrete confidence-building steps between the two countries, announced in a joint statement by the Presidential Administration of Azerbaijan and the Office of the Prime Minister of Armenia; We support the decision to continue discussions on adopting additional confidence-building steps. We wish that the peace agreement between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be signed as soon as possible, which will constitute one of the most important developments for the establishment of permanent peace and stability in the South Caucasus,” the Turkish foreign ministry said in a statement.

Following the talks between the Office of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia and the Presidential Administration of the Republic of Azerbaijan, an agreement has been reached on taking tangible steps towards building confidence between two countries.

Driven by the values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill, the Republic of Azerbaijan releases 32 Armenian military servicemen.

In its turn, driven by the values of humanism and as a gesture of goodwill, the Republic of Armenia releases 2 Azerbaijani military servicemen.

As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Armenia supports the bid of the Republic of Azerbaijan to host the 29th Session of the Conference of Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, by withdrawing its own candidacy. The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan do hope that the other countries within the Eastern European Group will also support Azerbaijan’s bid to host. As a sign of good gesture, the Republic of Azerbaijan supports the Armenian candidature for Eastern European Group COP Bureau membership.

The Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan will continue their discussions regarding the implementation of more confidence building measures, effective in the near future and call on the international community to support their efforts that will contribute to building mutual trust between two countries and will positively impact the entire South Caucasus region.




Iran welcomes Armenia’s step towards peace and security

Maral Takmazian

 12:08, 5 December 2023

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Iran welcomes the latest steps made by the Armenian government for peace and security, Ambassador of Iran to Armenia Mehdi Sobhani has said.

“We support Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we support lasting and sustainable peace in the region,” the Iranian Ambassador said at a forum entitled New Regional Reality and the Crossroads of Peace.

Ambassador Sobhani spoke about the historic relations between Armenia and Iran and the good-neighborly relations between the two governments which enable the side to further develop ties.

He said that Armenia and Iran have the shortest common border which has always been a border of friendship and peace.

Ambassador Sobhani mentioned the growing trade between the two countries, and that turnover is already reaching 1 billion dollars.

“Our two countries have mutually beneficial agreements in infrastructure development and energy. We are trying to reveal untapped potential for the benefit of the relations between the two countries. Undoubtedly, the opening of transit infrastructures and connection routes will contribute not only to the development of the economic and trade relations between the two countries, but will pave the way for regional participation. We believe that connection corridors from India up to the Chabahar Port, Armenia and the Black Sea, will provide a reliable road for shipping goods to the north, to Europe. The development of this route will safeguard our countries from foreign harm. In this context, we attach importance to India’s role in the development of the Chabahar Port, and we welcome the Armenian participation in this work. I believe that if the countries have more connection routes, they will acquire a more significant role in the international arena. This is the new concept of power,” the Ambassador said.

[see video]