17:24,
YEREVAN, 16 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 16 June, USD exchange rate stood at 386.54 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 4.17 drams to 423.30 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate stood at 4.62 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 4.79 drams to 494.46 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 42.88 drams to 24262.92 drams. Silver price down by 5.22 drams to 290.87 drams.
WASHINGTON—The Philos Project on Friday concluded a three-day trip that introduced American Christian and Jewish thought leaders to Armenia’s rich history and the existential threats that face this Christian country from its neighbors. The trip, which comes nearly six months after Azerbaijan initiated a blockade of Armenian Christians in the adjacent Nagorno-Karabakh region was led by Philos Project President Robert Nicholson and former Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom Sam Brownback.
Participants included leaders of Christian advocacy groups, like David Curry, President and CEO of Global Christian Relief; Carlos Duran, Founder and President of the National Association of Hispanic Pastors of America; Travis Weber, Vice President for Policy and Government Affairs at Family Research Council; and Denise Bubeck, Deputy Director of the Church Ambassador Network at “The Family Leader,” among others. They were joined by Jewish leaders and experts from several think tanks, including Michael Ruben, Greg Schaller, and Gregg Roman, as well as journalists from both secular and religious publications.
Since December 12, Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor has cut the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, largely Armenian Christians, off from the outside world. The siege has created a humanitarian disaster that may soon become untenable for the 120,000 residents, precipitating what some have warned may be a Second Armenian Genocide. Constant, aggressive rhetoric from Azerbaijan’s president Ilham Aliyev, a self-proclaimed ally of the United States, seems to lend credence to such warnings.
That same month Nicholson began examining the challenges Armenians face in an in-depth series on his podcast, The Deep Map. In January he stepped up his advocacy, sending a letter to President Biden urging his administration to help lift the blockade, provide humanitarian aid, and work toward a lasting and just resolution of the long-standing dispute. In May, he appealed to the House Committee for Foreign Affairs, yet the blockade remains.
Nicholson and Brownback co-led this trip to help American thought leaders better understand the crisis in the region and consider how Christian and Jewish communities might contribute to potential solutions. Participants visited medieval monasteries, conversed with local residents affected by Azerbaijani aggression in the city of Jermuk, and met with Armenia’s President, Vahagn Khachaturyan. In a video statement, Ambassador Brownback expressed his gratitude to the president for spending “a huge amount of time” with the delegation discussing the “breadth of the issues,” confiding that “central to all of this is the building of the relationship” between Armenia and American Christians that so far “hasn’t been fully actualized.”
“We cannot allow the crisis in Armenia to be dismissed as a simple territorial dispute,” said Philos Project Founder Robert Nicholson. “This is a dispute about values.”
“Advocates for human rights, Christians concerned about preserving their historic roots, and Jews who know all too well the struggle against genocidal forces, all have a stake in advocating for Armenia’s Christians,” Nicholson added.
The Las Vegas Golden Knights flag on top of Mount Ararat, with Masis in the background
BY ADROUSHAN ANDY ARMENIAN
The Las Vegas Golden Knights hockey team flag made it to the top of Mount Ararat on August 21, 2019 in anticipation of the team winning the Stanley Cup.
My friend, Levon Gulbenkian, who is a staunch supporter of the Golden Knights hockey team, had asked me to carry the flag to the top of Mount Ararat during our four-day trek. On the morning of August 21, along with my daughters Hera and Carnie, we first raised the Armenian tricolor flag, followed by the Golden Knights flag.
It was historic moment in time for the Las Vegas Golden Knights; The team was established in 2017, and within six years they were able to become the best hockey team and win the Stanley Cup.
The flag that made it to the top of Mount Ararat was presented as a gift to the “Kalavan Time Land Center,” located in the village of Kalavan, Armenia.
I was fortunate enough to be in Kalavan for the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the “Kalavan Time Land Center,” which is an education and tourism center financed by private donors, specifically the USAID, the Russian Federation, and the United Nations Development Program.
My friend, Robert Ghukasyan, the driving force to get the funding and see the project to its completion, spearheaded the Kalavan Time Land Center project to develop ecotourism in the region. Ghukasyan currently serves as the Governor for the Syunik Province in Armenia, bordering with Iran and Azerbaijan.
We hope that the 2023 Stanley Cup winning team flag, that made it to the top of Mount Ararat and is currently in the Village of Kalavan, will have a magical effect and lead to another victory, this time for Syunik and Armenia.
Adroushan Andy Armenian is the former Honorary Consul of the Republic of Armenia in Las Vegas and a proud supporter of the Las Vegas Golden Knights Hockey Team.
GLENDALE—The Armenia School Foundation announced that it will be celebrating its 20th anniversary with a fundraiser art show. This special event, marked with a captivating art exhibition and a cocktail reception on June 22 and 23 at the Tufenkian Fine Arts Gallery, aims to celebrate the foundation’s two decades of empowering education and supporting the Armenian community.
Since its establishment in 2003, the Armenia School Foundation has been at the forefront of promoting educational opportunities and preserving Armenian cultural heritage. With the generous support of donors, volunteers, and community members, the foundation has made significant contributions to the development of Armenian schools, ensuring quality education for Armenian children and fostering a strong sense of cultural identity.
The 20th anniversary fundraiser art show will serve as a platform to raise vital funds for the foundation’s ongoing initiatives. The event will feature a remarkable collection of artworks from acclaimed Armenian artists, showcasing a diverse range of styles and themes. Attendees will have the unique opportunity to immerse themselves in the beauty and creativity of Armenian art while supporting a noble cause.
The cocktail reception, scheduled on the 22 from 6 to 9 p.m., promises to be a memorable evening and provides a networking opportunity for individuals passionate about education, culture, and the Armenian community. The exhibition will be on view on June 23 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tufenkian Fine Arts Gallery is located at 216 S Louise St. Glendale, CA 91205.
“We are thrilled to celebrate our 20th anniversary with this special art show,” said Moneh Der Grigorian, a representative of the Armenia School Foundation. “Through the years, our foundation has worked tirelessly to provide educational opportunities for Armenian children, and this event allows us to reflect on our achievements while looking forward to a brighter future. We invite everyone to join us in this celebration of art, culture, and community.”
The 20th anniversary fundraiser art show is made possible through the collaboration of the Armenia School Foundation and numerous talented Armenian artists. The event is open to the public, and all proceeds will go directly towards supporting the foundation’s educational programs and initiatives.
For more information, please contact [email protected] or visit the Armenian School Foundation’s website or their Instagram and Facebook pages.
The Armenia School Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of education and the preservation of Armenian cultural heritage. Its main objective is to provide all children in Armenia and Artsakh with a safe and supportive learning environment. ASF has been working tirelessly to meet their goal by providing new furniture to schools to schools in Armenia and Artsakh. Through fundraising efforts and community support, the foundation works towards providing educational resources and improving the quality of education in Armenian schools.
Armenia will build a new checkpoint at the Iran border.
Ground for the new facility was broken on Friday in a ceremony attended by Chairman of the State Revenue Committee Rustam Badasyan, Head of the Yerevan Office of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development George Akhalkatsi, Syunik Governor Robert Ghukasyan, representatives of international and other state bodies, Public Radio of Armenia reported.
The reconstruction and modernization of the Meghri Border Checkpoint are being carried out with credit facilities and grants provided by the European Union and EBRD.
Armenia and EBRD signed an agreement for a loan worth €21,146,263 on Feb. 7, 2020.
The current infrastructure at the Meghri checkpoint is outdated. Its operational, technical, engineering, environmental and safety conditions need to be improved to meet modern safety and security requirements and adhere to international border management standards.
The project aims to reconstruct and modernize the road border checkpoint facilities at the Meghri checkpoint. The project involves the demolition of outdated buildings, construction of new modern facilities and installation of modern equipment for undertaking border, customs and other controls in line with modern standards.
The construction work will be carried out by Tana Energy Management Company, winner of an international tender and Roughton International Limited Company will carry out technical quality control of the construction work.
19:25, 7 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. The Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the German Bundestag Michael Roth hopes that Azerbaijan will also agree to the activities of the EU civilian mission on the Azerbaijani side, but no optimistic signals have been received in this regard, ARMENPRESS reports, Roth said this in a conversation with journalists in Yerevan.
“We are grateful to the Armenian government for inviting the EU civilian mission to carry out its monitoring in Armenia. We are happy to state that the EU mission will expand its activities in the near future. And we fully hope that the Azerbaijani side will also agree to the activity of such a mission on the Azerbaijani side,” said Roth.
However, as for the establishment of such a mission on the Azerbaijani side, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs of the German Bundestag said that they did not receive any optimistic signals from Azerbaijan, although they consider that the issue of peace and stability is not only Armenia’s issue.
“Azerbaijan should also become a participant in universal regional security and stabilization of peace. This is a proposal that we present to the parties and are waiting for their response,” he said.
15:16, 6 June 2023
YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Mher Grigoryan has met with EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar in Yerevan.
The Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin also attended the meeting.
“The interlocutors discussed regional developments, including prospects of restoring and organizing the Yeraskh-Julfa-Meghri-Horadiz railway connection, and issues related to the future works of the commission on delimitation and border security,” Grigoryan’s office said in a readout.
Russian presidential spokesperson Demitry Peskov
“Sensitive Moments” in Moscow-Yerevan Relations
Russia is committed to the implementation of the agreements reached between Moscow, Yerevan and Baku during the past two years, the Kremlin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday as Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan kicked off talks in Brussels with the mediation of the European Council President Charles Michel.
Those agreements, Peskov said, will allow for a settlement in the South Caucasus. He added that there are no other alternatives that can be used as basis for resolution of the situation.
“We affirm that they [the agreements] remain the unequivocal basis for settlement,” Peskov said.
On numerous occasions Yerevan has announced that provisions of the November 9, 2020 agreement continue to be violated, among them Azerbaijan’s blockade of the Lachin Corridor and the ongoing captivity of Armenian prisoners of war.
Peskov, the Kremlin spokesperson, also said that relations between Russia and Armenia have a bright future, although there are “sensitive moments.”
He called the Moscow-Yerevan alliance a “special relationship—a partnership,” which have historic roots, but did not specify the “sensitive” aspects that he references.
Armenia has called on Russia to fulfill its obligations as they relate to the Lachin Corridor, which has been blockaded since December 12.
Armenia’s National Security Chief Armen Grigoryan said in an interview with Novayagazeta that Armenia has not received the military equipment it has ordered and paid for from Russia.
Responding to question regarding Yerevan’s continuous changes in its political approach, Grigoryan said that in recent years the security landscape in the world, and especially in the region, have changed.
“The obligations outlined in the agreements are not being implemented. Our entire security outlook has been based on this, but there is a new approach. This is a crisis,” said Grigoryan who added that in the current situation it is imperative to seek alternative mechanisms and sources of military assistance.
Grigoryan said that he is referring to several such agreements, the provisions of which have not been fulfilled.
He also recalled that Yerevan has yet to receive the proper assessment from the Collective Security Treaty Organization after Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia last year. Grigoryan said that at time there were event discussions about leaving the CSTO.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan meets with presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev in Sochi on Oct. 31
President Vladimir Putin of Russia has said that in light of heightened tensions on the Armenia-Azerbaijan he did not anticipate talks with the leaders of the two countries, the Kremlin said on Thursday.
Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov told the RIA Novost news agency that Russia is a mediator in the Karabakh issue and called for restraint “from Armenia and Azerbaijan.” He said Moscow will continue its communications with Baku and Yerevan.
“”Literally the day before yesterday, Putin had a private conversation with the Prime Minister of Armenia [Nikol] Pashinyan, who was in Moscow on the occasion of Victory Day [anniversary],” Peskov said.
“Russia will continue to perform its functions that are provided according to the tripartite documents. We, of course, expect a restrained approach from the parties, and call on [them] not to take any action that could lead to an increase in tension,” Peskov told reporters.
There was no mention of whether a scheduled meeting between the foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, Ararat Mirzoyan and Jeyhun Bayramov, scheduled for May 19 was still going to take place given Thursday’s attack on Armenia.