Author: Parkev Tvankchian

On 18-19 May, Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian will visit Nicosia to participate in the 127th Session of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Incumbent Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan cast his ballot at polling station 1/19 in Avan administrative district.

Speaking to reporters after the voting, Taron Margaryan said he voted “for better Yerevan, for a more prospering capital.”

The Mayor said they managed to present the development program for the coming five years to the residents of Yerevan.

He also thanked reporters for their good work during the election campaign.

Photo: Getty Images

 

Boeing has temporarily halted test flights of its new 737 MAX aircraft due to possible issues with the engine, the BBC reports.

The stoppage came days before the US planemaker was due to make its first delivery of the aircraft to a customer.

But Boeing said it was sticking with plans to begin MAX deliveries this month, adding that production of the jets would continue.

American Airlines, Southwest, and China’s Shandong Airlines are among those who have placed orders.

The MAX fleet is designed to be a more fuel-efficient version and replaces Boeing’s previous 737 model which has been a best-seller for the aerospace giant.

Photo: Reuters

 

South Korea’s new President Moon Jae-in has been sworn in, vowing to address the economy and relations with the North in his first speech as president, the BBC reports.

He said that he would even be willing to visit Pyongyang under the right circumstances.

Mr Moon took his oath of office in Seoul’s National Assembly building a day after his decisive win.

The former human rights lawyer and son of North Korean refugees is known for his liberal views.

Mr Moon has also vowed to unify a divided country reeling from a corruption scandal which saw his predecessor, Park Geun-hye, impeached.

In his inauguration speech, Mr Moon said he would “do everything I can to build peace on the Korean peninsula”.

“If needed I will fly to Washington immediately,” he said. “I will also go to Beijing and Tokyo and even Pyongyang in the right circumstances.”

He added that he would have “serious negotiations” with the US and China over the controversial deployment of anti-missile system Thaad.

United star Henrikh Mkhitaryan was in a generous mood as he enjoyed a Bank Holiday lunch with pals, according to .

The winger was spotted giving a homeless man a fiver and stopping to pose for a selfie with a fan after lunch at celeb haunt San Carlo.

Onlookers say the Armenian parked his top-of-the-range £70k Mercedes C63 on double yellow lines outside the King Street West Italian restaurant before spending an hour inside.

But it may have been a expensive lunch for the  star after a traffic warden clocked his dodgy parking. And just as a traffic warden was about to slap him with a £60 fine.

An onlooker said: “Because it was Easter Monday there weren’t that many parking wardens about, but one eventually did show up and started taking down the car’s details.

“But then Mkhitaryan came out of the restaurant and the traffic warden stopped what he was doing and just started gawping.

“Mkhitaryan then posed for a selfie with a fan, gave a homeless man a fiver and left. He seemed very relaxed.

President Serzh Sargsyan today offered condolences to the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi over the deadly blasts at St. George’s Church and St. Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria, which claimed the lives of dozens of innocent people.

“The Republic of Armenia strongly condemns these inhumane acts and reaffirms its solidarity to fight against international terrorism.

At this difficult time for Egypt I express my deepest condolences to you, to the friendly people of Egypt and to families of the victims, wishing them fortitude and a speedy recovery to the injured,” President Sargsyan said in a letter.

Photo: AFP

 

Prime Minister Theresa May is to officially notify the European Union next Wednesday that the UK is leaving, the BBC reports.

Downing Street said she would write a letter to the EU’s 27 other members, adding that it expected negotiations to then begin as quickly as possible.

The move comes nine months after people voted 51.9% to 48.1% in a referendum.

Talks on the terms of the departure and future relations are not allowed under the Article 50 process until the UK formally tells the EU it is leaving.

If all goes according to the two year negotiations set out in the official timetable, Brexit should happen in March 2019.

Photo: Reuters

 

A letter has exploded at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) office in Paris, injuring the employee who opened it, police say, the BBC reports.

The IMF employee was injured in the hands and face, and staff evacuated.

In another development, German finance ministry in Berlin intercepted a parcel bomb sent to Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Wednesday.

A Greek far left group, the Conspiracy of Fire Cells, said on a website that it had sent the device.

The IMF is one of three organisations, along with the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB), which bailed out the Greek government after it came close to defaulting on its debts.

Asbarez – On February 26, the Eve of Great Lent (Great Barekendan), a Divine Liturgy was celebrated at St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of Singapore by Very Reverend Father Zaven Yazichyan, Pastor of the Armenian Spiritual Pastorates of Singapore, Myanmar and Bangladesh and the Representative of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians to The Far East. The event was planned with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians.

The day was significant and momentous. The celebration of the Divine Liturgy was an proclamation for Great Lent which lasts 48 days beginning on the Eve of Great and lasts till the Eve of the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Holy Easter). According to the church traditions during the fasting period, people not only refuse of certain kinds of food, but also of ill habits – talkativeness, lying, swearing, and other sins, and increases mercy, kindness and kindheartedness.

The Divine Liturgy was attended by Haig Didizian of London, UK and Tunyan family of Singapore, the benefactors of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin as well as the members of the community and committee of Armenian Church in Singapore, friends and visitors. Gayane Vardanyan, one of the prominent and talented members of Armenian community in Singapore, assisted Father Yazichyan during Holy Mass by her brilliant singing and organ playing.

In his pastoral message, Father Zaven Yazichyan expressed his appreciation for the community for their devotion and dedication to the Armenian Church. Father Yazichyan explained that Great Lent is a spiritual journey and time for reflection to ourselves; it is not only about refusing from some kind of food, but also it is about avoiding the sin; without it would be useless.

The period of Great Lent consists of seven remarkable Sundays. Each Sunday during this period is named after a parable and the Scriptural readings for each Sunday underscore the day’s lesson. The Sunday of the Expulsion, the Sunday of the Prodigal Son, the Sunday of the Steward, the Sunday of the Judge, the Sunday of Advent is the sixth and last Sunday of Lent, when the church recalls the revelation of the Savior, who sacrificed His life for mankind. This day is devoted to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ; Great Lent ends with Lazarus Saturday, which recalls how Jesus raised His friend from the dead.

This episode foreshadows Resurrection of Jesus Christ and serves to remind us of the promise of new life to those who love Him. Palm Sunday, celebrates the victorious entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, when He was hailed as the Messiah and King of Israel. The Eve of Great Lent (Great Barekendan) which is the manifestation of the virtues of the soul, through which people can transform mourning to joy, and torment to peace. It is with this comprehension, with bowing of our souls, penitence, fasting and hope for mercy, that each Christian individual should take his first step on the long, forty days journey of Great Lent, culminating with the Glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ” – said Father Yazichyan

Following the Divine Liturgy, the curtain on the Holy Alter was closed off; the first visual appearance of Lent in the Armenian Churches. This the last opportunity for the faithful to eat and drink abundantly, which symbolizes the spirit of innocent joyfulness during man’s days in Eden. The closed curtain symbolized the expulsion of Adam and Eve from paradise, when God brought them out of the joy of Eden, and ordered the Cherubim to guard the way to the tree of life by the flame of the flashing sword. During Great Lent the curtain will be closed and the Divine Liturgy would be celebrated with closed curtain.

The day was concluded with the special Requiem service. The prayers were offered in memory of Marine Tunian, who unexpectedly past away in Armenia.

Although a small community, the Armenians of Singapore have played a very vital role in shaping the early history of Singapore. The Armenian Church, the first-ever Christian Church built in Singapore, located at Armenian Street and Hill Street which is currently the central business ward in Singapore is one of the proud testimonial of the rich legacy of Armenians.

In 1827 Reverend Grigor Hovhannes became the first priest appointed to serve as the Pastor of the Armenian Community in Singapore. In 1835 the Armenian Community was granted the land to build the Church and in the same year the construction of the Church building was completed. In 1836 the Church was consecrated.

The Armenian Church of St. Gregory the Illuminator, undoubtedly the finest masterpiece of the renowned architect George Drumgoole Coleman, was designated. The Armenian Church was officially acknowledged as a national monument on June 28, 1973 by the Preservation of Monuments Board of Singapore.

As an unfortunate consequence of the rapidly diminishing numbers of the Armenian community in the overall population of Singapore, the last Armenian resident priest had to leave in the 1930’s. After a long lapse of more than 80 years finally on March 29, 2016 by the Pontifical Order of His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, Very Reverend Father Zaven Yazichyan has been appointed to serve as the Pastor of the Armenian Spiritual Pastorates of Singapore, Myanmar and Bangladesh and as the Representative of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians to the Far East.

Father Zaven Yazichyan, currently based in Yangon, Myanmar till the completion of the renovation work of the rectory-church house in the church compound. The parsonage was built in 1905 by Nanajan Hovhannes in memory of her late husband, Shanazar Sarkisian and was donated to the Armenian Church to use as the residency of the pastor. As part of a broad government strategy to protect and preserve buildings and monuments in a city that has so rapidly modernized and developed that its precious heritage is on the verge of disappearing, on May 20, 2016, eight national monuments in Singapore received a $2.22 million direct grant from the Government for restoration of heritage monuments. Playing an active and serious role in this regard, the Singapore government has also created and distributed a new class of funds that are especially intended to be utilized for regular maintenance and repair of these buildings and monuments postrestoration.

Among those selected being the Roman Catholic Churches, Indian Muslim Heritage Centre and other heritage monuments, the St. Gregory the Illuminator Armenian Apostolic Church of Singapore is the first-time recipient. Due to ongoing repair works more than six couple of months Armenian Community in Singapore did not have an opportunity to worship, celebrate the Divine Liturgy and Sacraments․ Fortunately, today the major restoration works in Armenian Church has been accomplished and it stands proudly on its all beauty. However, the parsonage is still under ongoing renovation work.

The Referendum on the draft Constitution of Artsakh Republic took place on Monday, February 20. According the Central Electoral Commission’s announcement, 87.6% (69,540 votes) of citizens voted in favor of the drafted constitutional amendments, 9.7% (7,686 votes) opposed. The invalid percentage of votes was 2.8% (2,202 votes). 76.44% of eligible voters participated in the referendum.

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) deployed a mission of eight professional, highly experienced independent observers from Spain, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, and Slovenia to observe the Referendum.

The short-term observers who visited 48 polling precincts in all eleven constituencies reported transparent, well-organized and orderly electoral process. The isolated cases of irregularities did not influence the general outcome of the Referendum.

After the observation, the four deployed teams presented positive reports about the electoral procedures. They mentioned the high level of awareness of the population about the voting procedures, as well as the competence and professionalism of commission members referring to the majority of the precincts.

The electoral procedures were in general executed in an efficient way and in correspondence with the electoral law, despite several irregularities connected to non-competent actions of some commission members.

“This is already the second short-term observation mission that is deployed by our organization to follow the electoral process in Nagorno-Karabakh, the first being the Parliamentary Elections of May 2015,” said EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian.

“This time, again, for the referendum on Artsakh constitution we had employed a team of eight independent observers, as we believe observation of electoral processes are part of establishing a democracy. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the European Union (EU), and other international organizations should also deploy teams of official observers, as such observations contribute greatly to the democratic process of every state, whether it is recognized or not,” Karampetian added.

“Moreover, it is another step towards breaking the isolation of Artsakh imposed by the Azerbaijani government. We are glad to receive very positive feedback from independent STOs about transparent and free Referendum in accordance with international standards,” he concluded.

Prior to the referendum, the short-term observers had a chance to meet with the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Nagorno-Karabakh. During the meeting, the observers were provided with thorough information about the electoral processes and on competencies and responsibilities of the CEC.

The observers also met the President of the Republic, Bako Sahakian, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karen Mirzoyan, as well as Artsakh civil society organizations, where they were familiarized with the realities facing the young Republic.