Author: nina hovnanian

Let’s Help Talish Village in Artsakh

16-08-2013 20:27:53 | | Announcements

All Armenian Media Association (AAMA) and “Defender of Talish” NGO
initiated a program of assistance for the village of Talish in Artsakh
in the border with Azerbaijan. The first phase of the program is to
provide the village and especially the village school with
high-quality and free internet access.
Due to the studies of the specialists it became clear that in order to
provide the village with stable and high-quality Internet access, it
is necessary to create a special tower with necessary equipment on one
of the countryside hills. To acquire the necessary equipment and to
build the tower 3000 U.S dollars are needed.

“Defender of Talish” NGO and All Armenian Media Association (AAMA) ask
turning to everyone to provide all possible financial assistance to
the program. In case of financial assistance, the school of Talish can
be connected to the Internet at the beginning of this academic year.

Note, that the Internet access will provide the basis for other
programs initiated by our company, including:
– E-learning courses for the rural students
– Searching and establishing relations with international partners and sponsors)
– (Organizing regular meetings of the village community with artists
from Artsakh, Armenia and the Diaspora through videoconferences)
– Online meetings, discussions to solve other numerous problems of the village
– To overcome the rural isolation of the village
– from the outside world to help implement new investment programs

About Talish

Talish is a north frontier village in Artsakh, the population of which
was deported by the Azerbaijans during the Artsakh liberation war. The
country was in captivity for two years and was fully destroyed and
burnt. After the liberation, the population of Talish returned and now
the village is inhabited by 150 families. There is a school and a
kindergarten functioning
in the village. Talish, which has a 50 km of border with Azerbaijan,
has a lot of problems related to social welfare requiring immediate
solution.

– The water irrigation system is out of order because of the
water-pipe is located in a area controlled by the Azerbaijan armed
forces
– Drinking water is available once in 2 days with only an hour and a
half and the water tubes need repairing
– Roads leading to the village and the inner village roads are in poor condition
– The population of the village is deprived of the opportunity to
watch any TV channel. Only a few families were able to acquire the
necessary equipment to watch satellite TV.
– There is no telephone network and the cellular network is extremely
bad and does not cover the whole area of the village
– There is no Internet connection in the village

Almost the entire village is isolated from the outside world

To assist the program the financial transfers can be made to the bank
account of “Defender of Talish”.
AMD, USD, EURO – 2470101017460010
Russian Rouble 2470101017460020

Contacts

Yerevan, Isahakyan 28, 3rd floor
Telephone: 374 60 276461, 094473431, 055
509050, E-mail. [email protected]

President of `Defender of Talish’ NGO,
Commander of `Combat Brigade’ of Talish,
Reserve Lieutenant Colonel
Miqayel Apresyan

President of All Armenian Media Association,
President of Noyan Tapan Media Holding
Dr. Tigran Harutyunyan

– Announcements
News from Armenia and Diaspora – Noyan Tapan
– See more at:

Armenian soldier’s funeral to be held in St. Sarkis Cathedral of Damascus

14:22, 17 August, 2013

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS: The funeral ceremony of the Armenian
soldier Vrezh Keshishyan serving in Idlib region and
killed in the result of the continuous collisions in Syria, will be
held at the Saint Sarkis Cathedral of Damascus on August 17.
Armenpress was reported about it by the Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Church in Damascus.

Vrezh Keshishyan was born in 1991. He was passing military service in
the Syrian Army. Vrezh was killed in the region of Idlib.
His relatives were informed about his death on August 15.

Our sources in Aleppo told us that the internet connection is being
interrupted very frequently along with electricity. Generally the
situation is calm. Notwithstanding it’s still dangerous in the city.

Shooting might be heard quite frequently.

PRESS RELEASE
Homeland Development Initiative Foundation
Contact: Executive Director Tate Vardanian
Tamanyan Street 6, apartment 14
Yerevan 0009, Armenia
Tel: (+374 98) 448306
Email: [email protected]

Tavush Spiritual Revival Foundation
Contact: Siranoush Melikyan
Levon Bek street 10
Berd 4200, Armenia
Tel: (+374 77) 555133
Email: [email protected]

The Homeland Development Initiative Foundation(HDIF) and the Tavush
Spiritual Revival Foundation(TSRF) are very excited to announce that the
second annual Shamshadin Honey and Berry Festival will be held in Soran
Park in Berd, Tavush on Sunday, August 18th from 12:00 to 19:00.

This year’s festival will be the biggest and best ever.
-Bee and berry themed giant balloons and bounce houses have been
specially imported for the occasion, never seen before in Armenia.
-The women of the villages of Shamshadin are busy at work making both
traditional and new recipes using their delicious honey and berries-
pakhlava, gata, cakes, muffins and more!
-Local manufacturers of jams, jellies, kompot and much more will be
-present. Several local restaurants will be offering their freshly
-made dishes.
-An outdoor bakery will be serving fresh breads to dip into jars of
honey and jams!
-Local entertainment will be on the main stage during the entire
festival

Bus tickets from Yerevan to Berd and back are available by calling HDIF at
094-997759.

The festival is supported financially by the Jinishian Memorial
Foundation, the Fund for Armenian Relief, and David Bek Supermarkets
in Berd. Logistically, the festival is supported by HDIF, TSRF as
well as the Berd Women’s Resource Center Foundation(BWRCF) and Berd
Municipality.

For further information, please contact:

HDIF at [email protected] or 094-997759

TSRF at [email protected] or 077-555133

BWRCF at [email protected] or 055-752594

We look forward to seeing you all in Berd on Sunday. Come hungry, as you
will be feasting on the best of Shamshadin foods all day long!

TURKISH PRESIDENT REMINDS ALIYEV ABOUT NEED FOR PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT TO KARABAKH CONFLICT

August 16, 2013 | 11:53

Turkey’s President Abdullah Gul does not share the belligerent
disposition by his Azerbaijani counterpart, Ilham Aliyev.

During the Cooperation Council of Turkic Speaking States (CCTS)
summit which was held in Gabala, Azerbaijan, Gul stated that, “The
Nagorno-Karabakh issue is the primary from all the problems of the
Turkic speaking world,” the Azerbaijani media inform.

But as tradition, Gul added that, “The situation concerning the
occupied territories of Azerbaijan is unacceptable.”

The Turkish leader also noted that the Karabakh conflict must be
resolved in the shortest possible time.

“We will assist, to the best of our abilities, in the peaceful
settlement of the matter, [and] within the framework of Azerbaijan’s
territorial integrity,” Gul stressed.

At the same time he expressed the wish that, in the future, the CCTS
summit would be convened in Nagorno-Karabakh.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

CATHOLICOS’S RESIGNATION

[ Part 2.2: “Attached Text” ]

[eng137663335732.JPG] 13 public organizations of Armenia are
against publication of the letter of Patriarch Nurhan of Jerusalem
to Catholicos Garegin II. The patriarch of Jerusalem demanded
the resignation of the Catholicos, explaining that he is busy
with material, not spiritual affairs. The abovementioned public
organizations think there is no need to put such issues to public
discussion.

This approach is not quite understood because if the church is
undergoing inner healing, it should be announced in a loud voice
rather than silenced. The habit of hiding problems has so far ended
in decay. And problems often are not resolved because they are not
discussed publicly.

The Armenian Apostolic Church belongs to the entire nation, not
only the high-ranking clergy. The youth organizations are right when
they say that the problem is the structure, not personalities. And
if certain personalities do not fit the structure or the new
configuration, it is necessary to preserve the structure rather than
to cling to personalities.

The church is undergoing global reformations all over the world.

After his election Pope Francis actively called people to refrain
from the material cult and think more on the spiritual, moral bases
of life. He supports his appeals with his own ascetic life style.

So far the church has been one of the pillars of the cult of the golden
calf, encouraging luxury and wealth. However, the system built on this
cult is doomed to failure, and Pope Francis is the first sparrow of
the new worldwide system.

Now the question is whether the Armenian Church will stay where it
is or will have the courage to move forward and lead its people. The
church has always had a significant role in Armenia but not always
an unequivocal one. The attempts to hide real problems will only harm
the church.

If the catholicos resigns, it will be the first case in the history of
the Armenian Church. It would prove that business and the opportunities
to live in luxury are not important for the clergy. And it would also
be a good way of proving the viability of the church, its orientation
to the future, not the past.

Naira Hayrumyan 10:09 16/08/2013 [footer_logo.png]  Story from
Lragir.am News:

SCORES OF AZERIS FIGHTING AMONG REBELS IN SYRIA AND ELSEWHERE

Thursday, August 15th, 2013

Azeri fighters are members of a sabotage unit called Jaish
al-Muhajireen wal-Ansar

BAKU-The number of Azeris known to be fighting in the armed opposition
against Syrian president Bashar al-Assad was revealed on August 1.

Azeri news sources, citing Syrian opposition Web sites, report that
there are 60 Azerbaijanis among the ranks of the many different armed
rebel groups battling the Syrian government army.

The sources also reported that some 30 Azeris have been killed
during clashes.

Furthermore, fighters have come not only from Azerbaijan, but also
from Afghanistan (from among the fighting ranks of the Taliban),
Russia (from the Northern Caucasus), and other countries.

According to the same source, the great majority of the Azerbaijani
fighters are members of a sabotage unit called Jaish al-Muhajireen
wal-Ansar, whose leader is probably an Azerbaijani, Abu Yahan.

All the same, conflict analyst Arif Yunus revealed back on July
11 that there are more than 300 Azerbaijani fighters in Syria,
Afghanistan and Pakistan, from which 100 are in Syria. News sources in
Azerbaijan with an oppositionist slant wrote in the middle of July,
“There are 400 Azerbaijanis fighting among the terrorist groups in
Syria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, of which 3 are women.”

AHMET DAVUTOGLU: “THE LIBERATION OF NAGORNO KARABAKH REGION AND OTHER OCCUPIED AZERBAIJANI TERRITORIES STILL REMAINS THE MAIN DIRECTION OF OUR FOREIGN POLICY”

by David Stepanyan

Thursday, August 15, 20:51

“Turkey is ready to do its best to stop the occupation of the
Azerbaijani territories by Armenia,” said Turkey’s Foreign Minister
Ahmet Davutoglu addressing at the meeting of Foreign Ministers’
Council of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-Speaking States (CCTS)
in Gabala, APA reports.

He said that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict impedes the stability
in the South Caucasus: “The liberation of Nagorno Karabakh region
and other occupied Azerbaijani territories still remains the main
direction of our foreign policy, we will continue working in this
direction. We strongly protest against the occupation of 20 percent
of the Azerbaijani territories and displacement of our Azerbaijani
brothers. We are seriously concerned over the ineffective negotiations
that have been underway for 20 years towards the peaceful solution of
the conflict. It will be difficult to ensure peace and stability in
the South Caucasus and Middle East unless the Nagorno Karabakh conflict
is solved peacefully within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan.”

Davutoglu noted that the Nagorno Karabakh conflict should be
resolved basing on the international legal norms and principles within
Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and Turkey will continue its efforts
in this direction: “Though the negotiations over the solution of the
Nagorno Karabakh conflict have been underway for more than 20 years,
no result has been achieved. This is a very sad fact.”

KREMLIN PRESS STATEMENT FOLLOWING RUSSIAN-AZERI TALKS IN BAKU

The President of the Russian Federation
Aug 14 2013

Press statements following Russian-Azerbaijani talks August 13, 2013,
18:15, Baku

PRESIDENT OF RUSSIA VLADIMIR PUTIN : Mr Aliyev, colleagues, friends,

It’s been a long time since my last visit to Azerbaijan, which was
in 2006. A lot of time has passed since then. Azerbaijan is changing
rapidly and vigorously, it is a dynamic country that is developing
very quickly. Its economic growth rate is one of the highest in the
world. That’s impressive, and we wish our friends further successes.

Azerbaijan is one of Russia’s long-standing, traditional and reliable
partners. We work closely in the Caucasus, the Caspian Region, within
the CIS, and in leading international institutions. Our cooperation
is founded on strong traditions of friendship and mutual respect
between our countries and peoples.

We discussed key areas of Russia and Azerbaijan’s strategic partnership
in detail and outlined plans for its further development, naturally
first and foremost in trade and economic spheres.

In this regard, I can point out that despite the well-known global
economic slump our trade relations have and continue to develop
successfully. According to various estimates, they grew last year
between 37 and 47 per cent. This is currently an obvious record in
the relations between the two countries.

Russia has traditionally been one of Azerbaijan’s leading trading
partners, holding second place. Italy holds first place, but we
all know that this is mainly due to deliveries of hydrocarbons
to Italian and European markets. As experts say, trade between
Azerbaijan and Russia is much more balanced and distinctive. It
includes machinery, equipment and food, namely everything that is
vital to both Azerbaijan’s economy and that of the Russian Federation.

Intensive interregional and cross-border ties contribute considerably
to attaining such high indicators. Suffice to say that more than 70
Russian regions have close business ties with Azerbaijan.

Let me point out that more than 500 Russian companies operate in
Azerbaijan, and their activities cover a wide range of the most
important sectors for socioeconomic development, including energy,
car industry, finance, insurance, and healthcare sectors. And it is
well-known that quite a large number of Azerbaijani citizens work in
Russia (while this occurs at the household level, it is nonetheless
economically significant). They number in one million or even more
than that, and taking into account Azerbaijanis who hold Russian
citizenship, the number exceeds two million people.

Russia and Azerbaijan are major international players in the energy
sector, where they are engaged in mutually beneficial cooperation. I
do not want to repeat what we’ve already said, but the volume of work
we do is very large and continues to expand. You just witnessed the
signing of the relevant agreements between Russia’s state oil company
Rosneft and its Azerbaijani partner.

New directions and forms of cooperation in the energy sector are
being explored. As you know, I have already talked about this, we
signed agreements that are calculated to last 15 or 20 years. That is,
they lay a good foundation for our cooperation for many years to come.

Our humanitarian ties play a special role in strengthening our
friendly, neighbourly relations. During this visit we approved an
interstate cooperation programme until 2015 in this area. We discussed
preparations for the 3rd Baku International Humanitarian Forum,
which will take place from October 31 to November 1 in Baku. We can
say with confidence that since it was first held in 2011, this forum
has become a major social event.

During our talks we paid a great deal of attention to resolving
problems in the Caspian region. We are interested in seeing this region
become one in which peace and cooperation reign. There are still many
unresolved issues here, relating to security, border delimitation,
conserving biological diversity in the Caspian Sea and so on. We have
a vested interest in resolving all these problems, naturally taking
into account the interests of all littoral states.

It is symbolic that our talks coincide with a friendly visit of a
detachment of the Russian Caspian Flotilla to Baku. The Dagestan
missile ship and the Volgodonsk small artillery ship are among the
vessels. At the end of 2013 Azerbaijani sailors plan to make a return
visit to Astrakhan.

Naturally, during our talks we touched on current international issues,
including the Nagorno Karabakh [Nagornyy Karabakh] conflict. I would
like to emphasise that Russia is actively facilitating the conflict’s
accelerated settlement, which is only possible through political means.

In conclusion, I would like to note that our talks once again
demonstrated our shared commitment to strengthening multifaceted
cooperation between our countries.

I would like to once again thank all of our Azerbaijani friends and
colleagues for their kindness, hospitality, the business-like manner
in which our work today was conducted, and for the results achieved.

Thank you very much for your attention.

FILA POSTPONES TURKISH WRESTLER’S SUSPENSION

Xinhua General News Service, China
August 14, 2013 Wednesday 5:10 AM EST

ANKARA Aug. 14

Wrestling’s governing body (FILA) has delayed Turkey’s Riza Kayaalp’s
suspension for racism, announcing that the case will be reviewed
after next month’s World Championships, Turkish media reported Tuesday.

Turkish wrestler Kayaalp had targetted Greeks and Armenians in his
tweets posted during the Gezi Park unrest in Turkey. He advocated
that “Armenians” were at the root of the Gezi protests in a series
of tweets he later deleted.

Kayaalp was handed a six-month ban by FILA earlier this month, but
the Turkish Wrestling Federation (TGF) appealed the decision. FILA
then ruled to postpone the case, opting to review the case against
the former world and European champion athlete’s anti-Armenian tweets.

A day earlier, TGF Chairman Hamza Yerlikaya defended Kayaalp, calling
the ban, which barred him from next month’s World Championships, was
“unlawful” and vowed to take the issue to Court of Arbitration for
Sport (CAS) if their appeal to FILA was not successful.

TURKISH WRESTLER’S BAN FOR ALLEGED RACISM LIFTED

Associated Press International
August 14, 2013 Wednesday 1:14 PM GMT

ANKARA Turkey

A Turkish official says that world wrestling’s governing body has
temporarily lifted Olympic bronze medalist Riza Kayaalp’s six-month
ban for alleged racist remarks while it reviews his appeal.

Turkish Wrestling Federation chairman Hamza Yerlikaya told The
Associated Press on Wednesday that Kayaalp will take part in the
world championships in Hungary next month.

The International Federation of Associated Wrestling Styles suspended
Kayaalp from competition this week for allegedly posting a racist
tweet against Greeks and Armenians.

The Turkish federation appealed the ban, insisting that there was no
evidence Kayaalp had posted the Twitter message and arguing that the
wrestler wasn’t given the opportunity to defend himself.