Agence France Presse Sunday 2:49 AM GMT From Ataturk to Erdogan: Five things to know about modern Turkey Ankara, The modern state of Turkey emerged out of the wreckage of the Ottoman Empire to become a powerful strategic nation that borders Greece to the west and Iran to the east. It has been ruled since 2002 by the Islamic-rooted conservative party of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. He has overseen some of the biggest changes since modern Turkey was created in 1923. But in presidential and legislative polls on Sunday, Erdogan and his party will face the biggest test at the ballot box to their one-and-a-half-decade grip on power. Here are five things to know about Turkey. - Successor to an empire - At its peak, the Ottoman Empire ruled a swathe of territory extending from the Balkans to modern Saudi Arabia, including the holy sites of Islam. But the Empire suffered centuries of decline and its end was confirmed by defeat in World War I, in which it had fought on the side of imperial Germany. After a War of Independence, Turkish military leaders including Mustafa Kemal Ataturk were able to salvage a modern state extending from Thrace to Mesopotamia, declaring the creation of the Republic of Turkey in 1923. Under Erdogan, Turkey has sought to rebuild its Ottoman-era influence in the Middle East, notably in Syria and Iraq as well as the Balkans and also Africa. - Secular, Western democracy - Ataturk, Turkey's first president until his death in 1938, turned the country towards the West and made secularism one of its founding principles. Multi-party democracy was introduced in 1946. Under Ataturk's successor Ismet Inonu, Turkey remained neutral in World War II. In 1952 it joined NATO along with its one-time foe Greece with the strong backing of the United States, keen to ensure Ankara never fell into the orbit of the USSR. Critics have accused Erdogan of increasing authoritarianism, presiding over a creeping Islamisation and changing Turkey's Western tilt. But the president insists he is committed to a secular republic anchored in NATO. - Scarred by coups - Turkey's powerful military ousted incumbent governments in coups in 1960, 1971 and 1980. The 1960 coup was followed by the hanging of ousted prime minister Adnan Menderes -- Erdogan's political hero -- along with two ministers. After coming to power, Erdogan clipped the wings of the military in a bid to make political interventions by the army far less likely. But in July 2016 he survived a coup attempt by a renegade army faction. Erdogan said that attempt was ordered by his one-time ally, the US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen, who denies the charges. Erdogan then declared a state of emergency that has seen some 55,000 people arrested in an unprecedented purge. He -- and the opposition -- have vowed to lift the emergency after the elections. - Host to refugees - The country of more than 80 million has sought to boost its influence, staunchly opposing the regime of President Bashar al-Assad in Syria's civil war but then working closely with his ally Russia to end the conflict. Turkey has taken in around 3.5 million Syrian refugees, who live mainly in the southeast and Istanbul, as well as smaller numbers from Iraq and Afghanistan. In 2016, it signed a deal to limit the flow of refugees to Europe after one million crossed the Aegean through Turkey in 2015. The deal was seen as a boost to Turkey's hopes of joining the European Union but the process has floundered ever since. Turkey has given passports to a few tens of thousands of Syrian refugees but critics say the country lacks a strategy to deal with their long-term presence. - 'Kurdish problem' - The non-Muslim minorities on the territory of modern Turkey were forced out in the 20th century and only small populations remain today. Armenians regard the killings and massacres of their ancestors as genocide, a term vehemently disputed by Turkey. Most Greeks left the country in the population exchanges of 1923. By far Turkey's largest ethnic minority are the Kurds. They make up a fifth of the population and have long complained of being denied their rights in what they call the "Kurdish problem". The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) took up arms in 1984 in a bloody insurgency that has left tens of thousands dead. Erdogan in the first years of his rule took unprecedented steps towards giving the Kurds greater rights and opened talks with the PKK. But a ceasefire unravelled in 2015 and violence continues, with still no peace deal in sight. acm-jmy-sjw/je/kaf
Author: Tatoyan Vazgen
Pashinyan: Armenia supports Artsakh’s political course of
News.am, Armenia
Pashinyan: Armenia supports Artsakh’s political course of
YEREVAN. – Armenia support Artsakh’s political course unconditionally, PM Nikol Pashinyan said during his meeting with the President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan in Stepanakert.
He congratulated new members of the Artsakh government and welcomed Bako Sahakyan’s readiness to make real and meaningful changes.
“I would like to express my unconditional support for the counterparts from Artsakh and personally President Sahakyan,” he emphasized.
During the meeting, Pashinyan and Sahakyan discussed a wide range of issues on army building, economy and other sectors, underscoring importance of exchanging experience and deepening cooperation between the state agencies
We will not take grants from international organizations for the fight against corruption. minister
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On the initiative of the RA Ministry of Education and Science and the Armenian office of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), a meeting with international partner structures in the field of education was organized today, in which Minister Arayik Harutyunyan participated. In his welcoming speech, Shane Rosenthal, director of the Armenian office of the Asian Development Bank, highlighted the importance of the meeting, stressing that a new day has dawned in Armenia, and international partners working in the field of education aim to jointly find the best ways to develop the sector. This is reported by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
In his speech, the Minister of Education and Science Arayik Harutyunyan presented the future vision of education development for 5-10 years. “Having a dream is very important for education and any progress in general. It was this dream that allowed us to make revolutionary changes in our country. I am convinced that when there is a dream, the important half of the work is already done. We can have one of the best education systems in the world in the next 10-15 years. There are all the necessary prerequisites for that. and our traditions in the field of education, and the resources available in the Republic of Armenia today allow us to dream and talk about it,” the minister noted. In this context, Araik Harutyunyan singled out several important principle goals that should become an educational result. “For example, what final result do we expect in the field of general education? a student graduating from school should be a thinking, analyzing, free citizen. We have inherited the Soviet education system, where citizens guided by stereotypes were mostly formed. One of the stereotypes of the Soviet tradition was to evaluate the quality of education by the mechanical volume of accumulated knowledge, which is one of the obstacles to the development of our system. We want to have a free teacher, whose task is not only to transfer knowledge, but also to teach the student to learn,” the Minister of Education noted and added that in the new program of the Government, education is first of all considered a right, the implementation of which must be ensured by the state. Education should be accessible to everyone. this is the next important principle. “At the recent ministerial summit of the member states of the Bologna process held in Paris, the question of accessibility and access to education was fixed in the final communiqué. The problem of access to education is characteristic of many countries. education is not accessible to all, but to certain strata, and this is a global problem. In this regard, Armenia should implement a number of steps both in the short-term, medium-term and long-term,” the minister emphasized.
In the short term, the primary problems of the education sector, according to the minister, are two: the de-partisanship of the system and the fight against corruption. “In recent years, a vicious tradition has been formed in schools and universities, when leaders with different party affiliations have been guided by their political interests in the field, which has created an unhealthy environment. What about the fight against corruption? Over the years, various organizations have provided large loans and grants to fight corruption. And although there were no noticeable results in this regard, some of our international partners continued to provide such funds, which was surprising. I want to emphasize that we will not take any grant for the fight against corruption from any international organization, because we believe that to eliminate corruption, first of all, political will is necessary, and the new government has that will,” the minister stressed.
Among the medium-term programs, Arayik Harutyunyan singled out the transformation of the National Institute of Education, the radical reform of the teacher certification and training system, widespread access to preschool education in all communities, the introduction of an effective management model for schools with a small student body, the substantive improvement of the 12-year education system, and the provision of an effective connection between the professional education system and the labor market.
The minister emphasized that the optimization model of small schools adopted by the previous government was not effective, on the contrary, education became more inaccessible. Referring to widespread public complaints related to 12-year education, the minister emphasized that the public is convinced that in the last 3 years in the public education system, students do not receive education. “The reason is that proper level programs were not developed along with the introduction of the system. Our task is to give new content to the 12-year education system in order to dispel widespread dissatisfaction. As an approach, I emphasize that maintaining the 12-year system is very important,” said Araik Harutyunyan.
Turning to the issue of training specialists oriented to the demands of the labor market, the minister noted that there is a need for serious steps to review the list of specialties in universities. In this context, the role of quality secondary professional education is also important. “Studying at a college or university” allows you to enter the labor market in a shorter way. In many cases, people prefer to go to the university, because the college and the school do not provide quality education, but this is an extremely important field,” said the minister.
From the point of view of the correlation between the volume of state allocations in the field of science and the gross domestic product of the country, the Minister of Internal Affairs considered it a worrying issue. “It is certainly necessary to increase the funding of education and science. However, the preliminary study of the budget shows that if the available resources are correctly and purposefully distributed, it is also possible to provide an effective solution to many issues,” Arayik Harutyunyan said.
During the meeting, the minister answered the questions of representatives of international organizations, which were related to the introduction of a new model of school management councils, reforms of the university system, clarification of the provisions of the new government program and action plan. Araik Harutyunyan emphasized that he expects effective cooperation with all structures, particularly emphasizing the support in the direction of institutional changes and the creation of sustainable values.
Stepanakert should partake in Karabakh talks of OSCE Minsk Group – Armenian FM
Interfax – Russia & CIS Diplomatic Panorama
May 25, 2018 Friday 7:04 PM MSK
Stepanakert should partake in Karabakh talks of OSCE Minsk Group – Armenian foreign minister
YEREVAN. May 25
YEREVAN. May 25
The unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) should be involved in the Karabakh settlement talks, Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told reporters on Friday.
“Our primary objective is to involve [Karabakh] in the negotiating process exclusively within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group,” Mnatsakanyan said.
Speaking of U.S. President Donald Trump’s opinion that the Karabakh conflict could be resolved in the coming months, he said everyone wanted the soonest solution.
“However, the solution should reflect our interests, aspirations, and goals. Of course, this is about compromise, but it should rest upon our goals and interests and the right of the people of Karabakh to self-determination,” Mnatsakanyan said.
It is also necessary to preserve dynamics of the negotiations, he said.
Azerbaijan objects to the participation of the unrecognized NKR in the negotiating process and says it is not a party to the conflict.
A ceasefire between Armenia and the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, for one part, and Azerbaijan, for the other part, was established in May 1994.
Nowadays, negotiations are being mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group founded in 1992 to search for a peaceful solution to the Karabakh conflict. The group includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Sweden, Finland, and Turkey. It is co-chaired by Russia, France, and the United States.
Press: In a month, Nikol Pashinyan and Serzh Sargsyan will no longer be neighbors
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VERELQ presents the most notable publications of the Armenian press.
“Publication” the newspaper writes. “According to our information, the Goa after one month Serzh Sargsyan will allocate the special guest house in the Monument, which was once built by Serzh Sargsyan himself for high-ranking KGB guests. It used to rest there Vladimir Putin, when he arrived in Armenia. After a month actually Nikol Pashinyan and Serzh Sargsyan will no longer be neighbors.”
“People” the newspaper writes. “Nikol Pashinyan The government headed by On May 19, the director of the RA NSS Artur Vanetsyanduring a meeting with media leaders, he announced that in the near future the corrupt and illegally enriched people will be brought to justice. The NSS director also promised that clear steps in that direction will start from May 23. “Zhoghovurd” daily learned that there are already more than 20 people detained. Moreover, these people are employees of large companies. However, according to the news that has reached us, the number of those detained will not end there, because the number of people is increasing. However, the NSS news service did not elaborate on who exactly were the detainees. They only informed that it was happening investigation, there are already people detained, and other details of the case will be presented in the near future.”
“time” the newspaper writes. “Everyone is eagerly waiting for the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan when will the topic of governors be addressed, when will the current RPA governors be released and when will new ones be appointed to represent the new government? But the appointments of the governors are delayed because the new government is facing a very serious problem, it cannot decide who can be entrusted with such important positions. Now the new government is looking for people who can really destroy the old system, can do what Nikol Pashinyan did in the fight against the central government.”
“Realist” the newspaper writes. “They say that PAP has been busy for a long time with the strengthening of its structures, with the serious involvement of young people and is preparing for the upcoming elections in a very “institutional” way, because it thinks that when two “fight”, the third is always lucky. PAP is also trying to strengthen their political bloc. According to our information, PAP will return again Vahe Hovhannisyan, Stepan Margaryan, Elinar Vardanyan “trio”, which recently, at Vigen Sargsyan’s urging, was engaged in public activities. Although individual members of the “trio” do not confirm this yet, let’s remember that Vahe Hovhannisyan has always been a “sayer” in PAP and enjoyed Gagik Tsarukyan high support. Moreover, Vahe Hovhannisyan’s “arrangement” at this stage From Khachatur Sukiasyan is more interesting. he Աշոտ Բլեյանի is the son-in-law who is Nikol Pashinyan’s godfather and “teacher” at all times.
“time” the newspaper writes. According to “Zhamanak”, the head of the staff of the State Revenue Committee may be appointed Edgar Gevorgyan: The latter is currently the head of the staff of the Ministry of Finance, and since the SRC president David Ananyan The SRC came from Finland and decided to bring the chief of staff with him.”
“time” the newspaper writes. «Խոսակցություններն այն մասին, որ վարչապետ Nikol Pashinyanis going to participate in the extraordinary parliamentary elections only with the “Civil Agreement” party, they are not confirmed. In private conversations, Pashinyan stated that he intends to preserve the “Exit” alliance and go to the elections with the alliance. Pashinyan explained this by the fact that with the support of other parties of “Exit” it was possible to ensure the victory of the popular movement.”
“Fourth Power” the newspaper writes. “Former police chief Vladimir Gasparyanteammates leave the system one by one. He wrote a resignation letter through his post: Alik Margaryan, who is the first deputy head of the main department for combating organized crime (the 6th department). Gasparyan brought him from the military police. It should be noted that Alik Margaryan is a member of the National Assembly Samvel Aleksanyan is his aunt’s son, he is no less active in the police force than bodyguard Arshak. If the latter was in control of the traffic police system, Vladimir Gasparyan’s son-in-law was curating the criminal sector, appointing and firing millpets and department heads. Now, in fact, Alik Margaryan’s air is closed, that’s why he decided to write an application.”
“Publication” the newspaper writes. “Yelk” faction of the parliament still has no leader. The “debate” is ongoing Edmon Marukyan-Lena Nazaryan տանդեմում։ Decisions in “Yalk” are made by consensus. if someone does not agree, no decision is made. The team is waiting Aram Sargsyan, սակայն մինչ այդ եւս մեկ դիսկուրս է սկսվել «Ելք»-ում․ Edmon Marukyan was offered to become one party and go to the elections that way, he did not agree, “KP” said that they will go alone. Are there really serious disagreements in “Yelk”, we asked Lena Nazaryan. “There are always disagreements in “Yalk”, there have been and there will be, and that is normal. we have always had pluralism.” As the leader of the faction, do you find yourself more suitable or Edmon Marukyan? “If you ask me, of course, me.” Ոչ Էդմոնի՞ն։ “Well, that option can also be discussed, I think that all members of the faction have the right to apply for that position. we will sit around the table and decide.” Will there be a vote, by consensus or by political decision? “We never followed the path of numerical majority, we made all decisions by consensus. we will go that way.”
“Fact” the newspaper writes. “Chairman of the Armenian Administrative Court Agassi DarbinyanHe presented his 2018 report to the Ethics Committee of High-Ranking Officials. declaration of assumption of office. According to the declaration, Darbinyan owns five immovable properties: a private house, an apartment, an apartment building, a plot of land and a production building. There are three cars: “GAZ 24”, “GAZ 322132” and “RANGE ROVER SPORT Supercharged 5.0”. As of the day of assuming office, the funds amounted to 52 million drams, and the incomes – 1 million 849 thousand drams, of which 1 million 71 thousand drams are salaries, and 777 thousand 950 drams received loans. In addition to all this, the official also had loans that amounted to 30 million 817 thousand 200 drams. Wife: Gayane Darbinyan, declared only monetary funds, which amounted to 44 million 200 thousand drams.”
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/23/2018
Wednesday,
Pashinian Again Urges End To Continuing Protests
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks to reporters in Yerevan, 21 May
2018.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Wednesday again demanded an immediate end to
road closures and other protests going on in Armenia, saying that they smack of
“sabotage” against his newly formed government.
Pashinian already made a similar appeal on May 17 as groups of citizens blocked
streets and highways across the country and demonstrated outside government
buildings in Yerevan. Virtually all of those protests stopped as a result.
In particular, a major Yerevan street was unblocked by dozens of other people
demanding the release of jailed members of a radical opposition group that
launched a deadly attack on a police station in 2016. But they continued to
picket a court building as well as prosecutors’ headquarters in the Armenian
capital on a virtually daily basis.
Also, a group of residents of the southeastern Vayots Dzor province blocked for
the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday all roads leading to a massive gold
mine which is being built by a British-American company, Lydian International,
at the Amulsar deposit. They demanded a permanent halt to all construction and
mining operations there. Hundreds of other people working for Lydian and its
Armenian contractors were thus unable to go to work.
“Dear compatriots, I am again asking, urging and demanding that you stop all
civil disobedience actions without any exception and work with the government
for solving issues preoccupying you,” Pashinian wrote in a Facebook post.
“Taking civil disobedience actions against a government enjoying the people’s
trust means taking civil disobedience actions against yourself or carrying out
acts of sabotage against the government enjoying the people’s trust,” he said.
He warned that failure to heed his appeal would “receive an evaluation by the
people.”
Pashinian also aired a live video message on Facebook late on Tuesday in an
apparent response to the tense situation around the Amulsar mining site. He
announced that he will order government inspections of “all metal mines” in the
country to verify and, if necessary, ensure their compliance with environment
protection norms and their tax obligations.
Pashinian made clear at the same time that his government favors an “explicitly
balanced approach” to the domestic mining sector which generates a considerable
part of Armenia’s export revenue. “We cannot say that we are going to shut down
the Armenian mining industry,” he stressed.
“All our actions must be professional and strictly comply with the law so that
there are no negative consequences for Armenia in international bodies and also
in relation to this positive background for the investment climate,” stressed
the premier.
Armenia - The U.S.-based company Lydian International builds a gold mine at the
Amulsar deposit, 9Dec2017. (Photo by Lydian Armenia)
Lydian started building its gold mining and smelting facilities at Amulsar
2016. It has since hired more than 1,000 Armenian workers for the construction
which it says will cost $370 million in investments. Work on the mine is due to
be completed before the end of this year. Armenia’s gold exports should
increase sharply as a result.
Armenian environment protection groups are opposed to the Amulsar project.
Lydian maintains that it will use advanced technology and prevent any damage to
the local ecosystem.
The mining project is strongly supported by the U.S. and British governments.
The U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Richard Mills, argued last year year that it
has been deemed “fully compliant” with environment protection standards set by
the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).
Tsarukian Said To Aim For Election Victory
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Businessman Gagik Tsarukian speaks at an election campaign rally in
Yerevan, 28Mar2017.
Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) insists on the conduct of
fresh parliamentary elections and believes it can win them, a senior BHK figure
said on Wednesday.
The BHK, which is part of the broader Tsarukian Bloc, backed the recent popular
uprising that led to the resignation of the country’s longtime leader, Serzh
Sarkisian. It also helped the protest leader, Nikol Pashinian, become prime
minister and joined him in calling for snap elections.
“We all need to realize that there has emerged an unconventional political
situation in the country which can only have one legal solution: pre-term
parliamentary elections,” the BHK’s Naira Zohrabian told reporters. “Prosperous
Armenia is ready to participate in them as early as tomorrow. But we also
realize that we need to solve a number of legal issues before the elections.”
Zohrabian cited the need to modify the existing electoral system and enact more
safeguards against vote rigging. Pashinian and his political team are also
seeking such changes.
The 42-year-old premier has suggested that the general elections will likely be
held before the end of this year. Zohrabian described this time frame as
“realistic.”
Armenia - Opposition leaders Gagik Tsarukian (L) and Nikol Pashinian speak to
reporters after a meeting in Yerevan, 2 May 2018.
Senior representatives Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK), which
still holds a majority of seats in the current parliament, have spoken out
against the idea of fresh elections. The HHK is in a position to block their
conduct.
Zohrabian made clear that should such elections be the BHK will “aspire” to
winning control over the next parliament.She pointed to her party’s “political
clout” and “great public trust in our leader.”
Tsarukian’s political force finished second in Armenia’s last three
parliamentary elections held in 2017, 2012 and 2007.
Asked whether Tsarukian is now more popular than Pashinian, Zohrabian said:
“Gagik Tsarukian is one of Armenia’s most popular politicians and I will be
greatly surprised if anyone calls his approval rating into question.”
Tsarukian, who is one the country’s richest men, received five ministerial
posts in Pashinian’s cabinet formed earlier this month.
Armenian PM Rejects ‘Threats’ From Jailed Oppositionists
• Artak Hambardzumian
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and members of his government attend a
parliament session in Yerevan, .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian rejected on Wednesday what he called “threats of
violence” made by the leaders of a fringe opposition group imprisoned by the
former Armenian authorities.
He reiterated that he will not try to pressurize courts into releasing Zhirayr
Sefilian, Varuzhan Avetisian and other jailed members of the Founding
Parliament movement that seized a police station in Yerevan in 2016.
Sefilian and Avetisian, who lead Founding Parliament, criticized Pashinian’s
reluctance to exert such pressure on Tuesday. In an open a letter to the
recently elected premier, they said the continued imprisonment of these and
other “political prisoners” could have “severe consequences” for Armenia.
“As you know the process of the release of political prisoners has begun and
will continue,” Pashinian said, commenting on the letter. “But I want to make
one thing clear: one must not speak to the people with threats of violence and
hints at threats of violence.”
“I hope we all understand that if there has been a change of political
situation that change of political situation must also occur in everybody’s
behavior,” he told reporters.
Pashinian also dismissed Sefilian’s and Avetisian’s claims that he seems to
have “washed his hands” of radical opposition activists and supporters jailed
during former President Serzh Sarkisian’s rule.
“We have to verify what it means to wash one’s hands,” he said. “If it’s about
my statements that I’m not going to issue instructions to judges, then I stand
by that position because starting a process of instructing judges for any
purpose means starting a process of ‘SerzhSarkisianization.’ I won’t put myself
into such a process because even if we issue an order to a court just once that
court will never operate without our orders.”
“We attach great importance to the establishment of an independent judicial
system in the Republic of Armenia and see two practical tasks in that regard,”
Pashinian went on. “First, to make sure that no illegal orders are issued to
courts from government offices or anywhere else. And second, to make sure that
no judge hands down a ruling in return for a bribe.”
Pashinian pledged to seek the release of all “political prisoners” immediately
after he swept to power in a democratic revolution earlier this month. But he
made clear that he will use solely legal mechanisms for that purpose.
Sefilian was arrested in June 2016 and subsequently sentenced to 10.5 years in
prison for plotting an armed revolt against the government, a charge he
strongly denies.
Sefilian’s arrest came less than a month before three dozen Founding Parliament
members led by Avetisian seized a police base in Yerevan’s Erebuni district to
demand his release and Sarkisian’s resignation. The armed group calling itself
Sasna Tsrer laid down its weapons after a two-week standoff with security
forces, which left three police officers dead.
Pashinian has publicly listed Sefilian, but not Avetisian and other jailed
gunmen, among the individuals who he believes were jailed for political
reasons. He said last week that the Sasna Tsrer case is “a bit different”
because of the three casualties. He said it should be resolved as a result of
public “discussions” that must involve relatives of the three slain policemen.
Man Linked To Armenian MP Held For Attacking Protesters
• Nane Sahakian
Armenia - Parliament deputy Mihran Poghosian at a session of the National
Assembly in Yerevan, 19 May 2017.
A man working for a controversial Armenian parliamentarian affiliated with the
former ruling Republican Party (HHK) has been arrested on suspicion of
assaulting anti-government protesters in Yerevan last month.
The incident occurred in the city’s northern Kanaker-Zeytun district on April
21, two days before HHK leader Serzh Sarkisian resigned as prime minister amid
massive street protests against his decade-long rule. A group of men reportedly
beat up and smashed the cars of people taking part in the protests led by Nikol
Pashinian.
The Armenian police detained one of the presumed attackers, Andranik Isoyan, on
Tuesday. He turned out to be an assistant to Mihran Poghosian, a wealthy HHK
lawmaker who has long held sway in Kanaker-Zeytun.
Poghosian on Wednesday expressed hope that the arrest is the result of a
“misunderstanding” and that Isoyan will be cleared of any wrongdoing. “I regret
the fact that my assistant has found himself among a number of individuals who
have been arrested or summoned by relevant bodies lately,” he said.
A senior member of Pashinian’s Yelk alliance, Zaruhi Batoyan, claimed earlier
that the attackers arrived at the scene of the incident in cars belonging to
Poghosian and his associates. Batoyan said she suspects that the
parliamentarian was in one of those cars during the assault.
Poghosian categorically denied that. He also insisted that he did not order
Isoyan or anybody else to attack the protesters.
Armenia - Mihran Poghosian, head of the Service for the Mandatory Execution of
Judicial Acts (SMEJA), at a news conference in Yerevan, 25Jan2013.
Poghosian, who will turn 42 next week, ran an Armenian state body enforcing
court rulings until getting embroiled in a corruption scandal two years ago.
Citing leaked documents known as the Panama Papers, the Hetq.am investigative
publication reported that he controls three shadowy companies registered in
Panama.
After his initial denials of the report, Poghosian announced his resignation
later in April 2016. Armenia’s Special Investigation Service (SIS) launched a
criminal investigation at the time.
The SIS said in January 2017 that it will not press criminal charges against
Poghosian because it has found no evidence of his involvement in “illegal
entrepreneurial activity.” Shortly afterwards, the ruling HHK nominated him as
a candidate for parliamentary elections held in April 2017.
Independent media outlets have for years accused Poghosian of having extensive
business interests thanks to his government position and connections. In
particular, he is widely regarded as the main owner of a company that enjoyed a
de facto monopoly on banana imports to Armenia until recently.
The former official has also faced opposition allegations that a charity
controlled by him bought votes for the HHK and Serzh Sarkisian in presidential
and parliamentary elections. He has always denied them.
Press Review
“The team that came to power in Armenia as a result of the velvet resolution is
slowly but steadily reinforcing its positions,” writes “Haykakan Zhamanak.” “As
was expected, the team is grappling with numerous and different issues. The
most sensitive of those issues is to do with relations with the business
community. Over the decades big business in Armenia grew intertwined with
government and became an integral part of state governance. The state was
guided by the interests of big business, while big business served as the main
resource for the ruling regime’s reproduction.”
“Now everything has changed and an interesting situation has emerged,”
continues the paper edited by Nikol Pashinian’s wife, Anna Hakobian. It says
that wealthy entrepreneurs are no longer “sponsored” by the government and are
“rapidly losing their privileges and getting quite dexterous competitors just
as rapidly.”
“Zhoghovurd” reports that Serzh Sarkisian visits the Yerevan headquarters of
his Republican Party (HHK) and meets its senior members on a practically daily
basis these days. “At those meetings, he initiates discussions on various
topics, hears views and himself expresses them but does not share his actions
and plans with anyone,” the paper says. It suggests that the former president
and prime minister is “looking for ways of returning to power.”
Speaking to “Hayots Ashkhar,” Samvel Nikoyan, an HHK parliamentarian,
challenges Pashinian to explain what he means by a “government of national
accord.” “This is a typical coalition government,” Nikoyan says of Pashinian’s
cabinet.
“Aravot” says that many university rectors, school principals, teachers and
academics in Armenia indeed joined the HHK for various, less than altruistic
reasons. The paper says that the new government must not waste time on getting
them to leave the former ruling party. “The principals and rectors will
themselves quickly assess the situation and leave the former ruling party
because membership in the HHK will only harm them now,” it says.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
PM appoints two deputy ministers of education and science
Categories
Official
Politics
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has appointed two deputy ministers of education and science.
Mr. Hovhannes Hovhannisyan and Ms. Arevik Anapionsyan were appointed to the posts, the government’s press service said.
Nicosia: House Speaker in Armenia on official visit
Cyprus News Agency
May 18, 2018 Friday
House Speaker in Armenia on official visit
House Speaker Dimitris Syllouris departs on Sunday evening for Armenia on a three-day official visit at the invitation of the President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ara Babloyan. The Cyprus Delegation includes MPs Nicos Tornaritis, Yiorgos Τ. Georgiou, Christos Orpanides and Yiorgos Perdikis and Vartkes Mahdessian, the Representative of the Armenian community in the Cyprus House of Representatives.
Syllouris and his delegation will hold meetings with the President of the National Assembly, the Armenian President Armen Sarkissian, the Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian. They will also be received by the Catholicos of All Armenians, Garekin II.
Cyprus House Speaker will deliver a speech at the National Assembly and will lay a wreath at the Monument for the Armenian Genocide.
The President of the National Assembly will host an official dinner for Syllouris while the Vice President Eduard Sharmazanov will host a lunch for the members of the delegation. Syllouris and the Cyprus MPs will also visit places of historic and cultural importance.
The delegation returns home on Thursday.
The California Courier Online — May 17, 2018
The California
Courier Online, May 17, 2018
1- Commentary
American
Lawyers Sue Turkey
For
Hundreds of Millions of Dollars
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Nikol Pashinyan Elected Prime Minister of Armenia
3 – Pashinyan,
Artsakh Leaders Mark Shushi Liberation
4 – Former California Governor George Deukmejian
Dies at 89
5 – Catholicos Karekin II Confirms New Diocesan
Primate
6 – Commentary: Hello, New Armenia. Goodbye, Old Friend.
By Rostom
Sarkissian
7- Trinity
College Student Awarded
$10,000 Project for Peace Grant
8- St.
Stephen’s Student Vartan Arakelian
Wins
Kangaroo International Math Competition
******************************************
1 – Commentary
American
Lawyers Sue Turkey
For
Hundreds of Millions of Dollars
By Harut
Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
On May 16, 2017, during Turkish Pres. Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s
visit with Pres. Donald Trump in the White House, Erdogan’s bodyguards,
unprovoked viciously attacked Kurdish and Armenian protesters who had gathered
outside the residence of Turkey’s
Ambassador in Washington, D.C. Nine demonstrators were seriously
injured!
According to the Washingtonian, “at a news conference on
June 14, D.C. police chief Peter Newsham said that ‘rarely have I seen in my 28
years of policing the type of thing I saw in Sheridan Circle.’ The House of
Representatives approved a resolution, 397–0, calling ‘for perpetrators to be
brought to justice and measures to be taken to prevent similar incidents in the
future.’”
Last July, a federal grand jury charged with assault 19
members of Erdogan’s bodyguards, most of whom had diplomatic immunity. As a
result, they could not be arrested and were allowed to fly back to Turkey. Two
Turkish-Americans were arrested and later sentenced to a year and a day in
jail. Several months after this incident, the charges against most of Erdogan’s
bodyguards were dropped on the eve of U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s
visit to Turkey.
Fortunately, a group of Washington,
D.C. lawyers was so outraged by the attacks
and escape of Erdogan’s bodyguards back to Turkey that they decided last week
to sue the Turkish government, two Turkish-Americans and three Turkish
Canadians for “violations of international law and hate crimes, as well as
assault, battery and false imprisonment.” On May 3, another American law firm
filed a separate lawsuit by five of the protesters against Turkey.
The Washingtonian
reported: “With the U.S.
government unable or unwilling to obtain justice for the Sheridan Circle victims, a group of DC
lawyers set out to do so themselves. Douglas Bregman had little inkling of the
riot, let alone what had provoked it. But what he saw on the news that night
horrified him: ‘This guy [Erdogan] gets to come to our country, speak to the
President at the White House, then send his thugs to bloody up American
citizens just for speaking out?’”
The Washingtonian added: “Bregman, 68, runs a civil-practice
law firm in Bethesda.
Originally from suburban Philadelphia, he got a
law degree from Georgetown
University in the 1970s
and put down roots. He lectures there and at Columbia University
law school. Having participated in protests during the 1960s, he sees a need to
defend freedom of speech from threats ‘like abuse of power,’ he says. Bregman
phoned one of his associates, Andreas Akaras, a litigator at Bregman, Berbert,
Schwartz and Gilday. ‘Did you see what happened today at Sheridan Circle?’ he asked. Akaras had
joined Bregman’s firm after seven years as an aide to Maryland congressman John Sarbanes. He’d
worked on a range of issues related to southeastern Europe and the
Mediterranean and developed contacts in Turkey,
Greece, Cyprus, and Israel. Bregman asked him to
investigate whether any legal restitution was available to the victims.”
Bregman then contacted fellow longtime DC attorney Steve
Perles. “I have this case that will rely on the Foreign Sovereign Immunities
Act [FSIA],” Bregman said. “You’re the guy who can do it.” Perles has a long
experience successfully suing Germany
for Holocaust reparations and Iran
and Libya
to pay for damages for “terrorist acts.”
The Washingtonian reported: “working with Bregman and
Akaras, Perles is preparing to file suit for hundreds of millions in damages
from the Republic
of Turkey. ‘Any foreign
head of state who unleashes his security force against US citizens exercising
their lawful rights on US soil has no protection under FSIA,’ Perles says.
Other lawyers agree. A team headed by Agnieszka Fryszman of Cohen Milstein
filed a victim-impact statement representing 13 victims of the Sheridan Circle
attack, including Murat Yasa and Heewa Arya. The legal team has added Michael
Tigar, who successfully sued the government of Chile for assassinating Orlando
Letelier with a car bomb at Sheridan
Circle in 1976.… Tigar says students at American University
law school are putting together the case against Turkey. He’s confident in its
strength. ‘It took 16 years, but we got to get $4 million from Chile,’ he
says.”
Bregman told the Washingtonian: “Somebody needs to be
punished. We are willing to put in the time and resources to push back against
a fascist government so our clients are vindicated. It is well worth the effort.”
The Washington Post concluded: “under U.S. law, the
Turkish government may fight, settle or refuse to defend against the lawsuits.
In a refusal, a judge could enter a default judgment for the protesters.”
**************************************************************************************************
2- Nikol
Pashinyan Elected Prime Minister of Armenia
YEREVAN (Combined
Sources)—Earlier today, Armenia’s
National Assembly elected Nikol Pashinyan as the country’s prime minister.
Fifty-nine votes were cast in favor of Pashinyan, while 42
Members of Parliament voted against him. Three parliamentary factions—the Yelk
alliance, Tsarukyan faction, and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(ARF)—supported Pashinyan’s candidacy. The Republican Party of Armenia (RPA),
which has a majority in Armenia’s National Assembly, announced ahead of the
vote that—despite the fact that the party is against Pashinyan’s candidacy—10
plus one of its members would vote for him and allow for him to get elected, in
order “stabilize” the situation in the country.
Speaker of the National Assembly Ara Babloyan opened the
parliamentary session by recognizing that May 8 was the 26th anniversary of the
beginning of the liberation of Shushi. Pashinyan—the sole candidate for PM—was
then introduced by fellow Yelk alliance member Lena Nazaryan, who presented
Pashinyan’s biography.
Pashinyan then took to the podium and addressed the members
of the National Assembly, the tens of thousands of citizens gathered at Yerevan’s Republic
Square, and those following along across the country and throughout the
Armenian Diaspora. He congratulated the people on the anniversary of Shushi’s
liberation and highlighted the fact that the vote was taking place on the same
day as the historically significant event.
Throughout his address, Pashinyan promised to implement
“very serious reforms” to democratize the country and reaffirmed his pledge to
hold fresh elections, which he said will not be fraught with widespread fraud
and bribery like elections in the past. He also pledged that his government
would conduct a review of the electoral code.
Pashinyan then promised to continue the peaceful
negotiations for the resolution of the Artsakh conflict and stressed that it is
vital for Artsakh to become an active part of the peace process and join the
negotiation “as indicated by a decision of the [Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe] OSCE Minsk Group
leaders.” He then promised to continue Armenia’s
efforts in regards to international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and to
allow Armenia
to become a leader in ensuring that similar crimes are prevented throughout the
world.
Pashinyan’s government, according to the new PM, will also
work to advance women’s rights in Armenia and work to engage more
women in government. He also stressed the importance of the Armenian Diaspora
and the significant role it must have in Armenia’s future.
Pashinyan’s election on May 8 came exactly a week after the
National Assembly failed to elect him as PM on May 1.
Immediately following his election, Pashinyan took the
podium once again and proclaimed, “I will serve the people of Armenia and the Republic of Armenia.”
Pashinyan did not provide any details regarding the composition of his cabinet.
Speaking to reporters on his out of the National Assembly chamber, Pashinyan
noted that his ministers will be chosen as a result of discussions and
consultations with his colleagues and other political groups.
“My election isn’t the victory here,” Pashinyan said at
Republic Square following the vote. “The fact that you—the citizens of Armenia—decided
who will be your Prime Minister is the real victory today.” In his address, he
reiterated his pledge to serve the Armenian people, the Armenian nation, and
the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.
“Congratulations to Nikol Pashinyan, the new Prime Minister
of Armenia,”
the message reads. “After a turbulent period of mass protests and political
upheaval, Armenia
has emerged with a new government and new hopes for the future. While Armenia continues to face many threats and
challenges, this peaceful revolution gives Armenia the opportunity to tap the
full talents of its people and chart a promising new course. I will continue
doing everything I can in Congress to help Armenia succeed in its remarkable
reformation,” said Congressman Adam Schiff in a statement.
“The Armenian General Benevolent Union congratulates Nikol
Pashinyan on his momentous election as prime minister of the Republic of Armenia.
He has come to office against a backdrop of renewed hope and inspired vision
among the people, marked by a vibrancy in the civic life of the country. The
potential for constructive change, national unity and a new era of prosperity
is palpable as Armenia
turns the page to a new chapter in governance,” said the organization in a
statement.
“Armenia’s peaceful,
constitutional, domestically-driven political transition—through today’s
election of Nikol Pashinyan as Armenia’s Prime Minister—has been welcomed
across the Washington, DC foreign policy community. It has raised Armenia’s profile among U.S.
policymakers as an independent, reliable, and democratic partner in advancing
shared regional and international priorities,” said Armenian National Committee
of America executive director Aram Hamparian.
“I would like to congratulate Nikol Pashinyan on his
election as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia.
This wasn’t just an ordinary election; it was a public and national victory.
For the first time in its history, the Third Republic of Armenia earned a leader
who represents the people, and earned the opportunity to begin carving a truly
democratic country. I believe in Nikol Pashinyan, and as one representative of
the Diaspora, I call on my colleagues and fellow entrepreneurs to come to Armenia and
join in helping our homeland truly prosper. My participation in that enterprise
will be more encompassing and on a deeper level than ever,” said Children of
Armenia Fund founder Garo Armen. ***************************************************************************************************
3 – Pashinyan,
Artsakh Leaders Mark Shushi Liberation
STEPANAKERT—Armenia’s
newly elected Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on May 9 paid his first working
visit to the Republic
of Artsakh, where he
participated in the events dedicated to the Victory in the Great Patriotic War,
the formation of the Artsakh Defense Army and the Liberation of Shushi.
On May 8, Pashinyan and Artsakh President Bako Sahakian,
accompanied by high-ranking officials from Armenia and Artsakh, marched from Renaissance
Square in Stepanakert to the Stepanakert Memorial, where they laid flowers and
wreaths at the memorial of freedom-fighters and soldiers killed during the
Great Patriotic War and the liberation of Shushi.
The Prime Minister then visited the cemetery where freedom
fighters killed in the Artsakh War are interred, laid flowers at their tombs
and paid tribute to martyred freedom fighters. Later on, the high-ranking
officials of the two republics laid flowers at the Shushi Tank
Monument, Sparapet Vazgen
Sargsyan’s and Nelson Stepanyan’s statues, honoring their memory.
Pashinyan and Sahakian then attended at the opening of the Armenian Dram
Museum in Shushi, which was
established with the technical and professional assistance of the Central Bank
of Armenia.
They visited the museum and got acquainted with the exhibits.
The museum features coins and notes from the ancient Armenian Tsopk
Kingdom, Tigran the Great, Artavazd
II, Artashes II, Cilician Armenia, Russian Empire and USSR, and all the editions of the Armenian Republic.
The museum has a special place dedicated to Artsakh, the
coins minted in Tigranakert, silver coins minted in Shushi in the 19th century,
contemporary souvenir banknotes and coins, as well as commemorative coins
issued by the Central Bank of Armenia.
*********************************************************************************************
4 – Former California Governor George Deukmejian
Dies at 89
(Combined Sources)—George Deukmejian, a two-term California
governor who was admired by Republicans and Democrats alike for his willingness
to cross party boundaries, and who quietly shepherded the state through a
period of rapid growth and sustained prosperity, died on May 9 at his home in
Long Beach, Calif. He was 89.
As governor, Deukmejian appointed more than 1,000 judges,
many of whom are still serving in California’s
courts.
In the 1982 race for governor, he defeated the mayor of Los Angeles, Tom Bradley,
by about 90,000 votes out of nearly eight million cast, a victory so narrow that
some news reports prematurely pronounced Bradley the winner.
When Deukmejian took office in 1983, a recession had caused
unemployment in California
to jump to 11.2 percent and eaten away at the state’s coffers. Billions of
dollars had been used to shore up local governments after the adoption of
Proposition 13, the 1978 voter initiative that radically cut property taxes.
Instead of raising taxes, Deukmejian pared spending and
balanced the budget. “Our fiscal policy was to do everything we could to live within
our means,” he said in 2012.
In 1986, Deukmejian, the son of Armenian immigrants,
surprised some conservative colleagues when he took a public stand against the University of California’s
investments in South Africa
during apartheid.
In a 2005 memoir, David Gardner, who was president of California’s university
system in the 1980s, wrote of the governor’s stand on apartheid, “All of this
killing and violence, directed mostly against blacks, reminded Deukmejian of
the Turkish massacres of Armenians in World War I.”
Recalling the episode in 2012, Deukmejian said, “My feeling
was, there but for the grace of God go I.”
Gardner had strongly opposed
divestment, but at the governor’s urging, the state pulled some $3 billion in
stock holdings out of South
Africa. During a visit to California
after his release from prison, Nelson Mandela said the action by the University of California—the
first large public institution to take a stand—played a critical role in ending
white minority rule in South
Africa.
Deukmejian won a second term in 1986, again defeating
Bradley, this time with 60 percent of the vote.
In 1988, Deukmejian was approached by an official for Vice
President George Bush’s presidential campaign, telling him he was being
considered as a potential running mate.
“I was apparently on a so-called short list,” he said in
2012. But he declined to be considered any further.
“I said, ‘Well, I have a lieutenant governor in the other
party, and if I were to join the ticket, the whole executive branch of the California government
would go over to the Democrats,’” he said. “They already had control of the
legislature. I couldn’t do something like that for my own benefit. So I took
myself out of contention.”
A staunch fiscal conservative, Deukmejian was a consistent opponent
of new taxes and government spending increases, to the point where his
Republican colleagues in the legislature nicknamed him “The Iron Duke” for
repeated vows to veto spending bills.
He later took credit for eliminating a $1.5 billion deficit,
telling lawmakers in a State of the State address that he had “taken California from I-O-U to
A-O.K.” But by the time he left office, having chosen not to seek a third term
in 1990, tax receipts had slumped under the weight of a national economic
slowdown, and his successor, Pete Wilson, a fellow Republican, entered the
governor’s mansion facing a deep budget deficit.
Courken George Deukmejian Jr. was born on June 6, 1928, in Menands, N.Y., north of Albany. His parents had
emigrated from eastern Turkey
in the early 1900s. His father worked in a series of jobs—as a photographer,
Oriental rug dealer and paper wholesaler. His mother worked in a necktie
factory.
Deukmejian attended Siena
College in Albany County,
graduating in 1949 with a bachelor of arts in sociology. He received a law
degree in 1952 from St. John’s University School
of Law in Queens.
He entered the Army in 1953, and after infantry basic
training was assigned to the Judge Advocate General’s Corps based in Paris, where he assisted
in the settlement of claims made by French nationals against the Army.
In 1955, at the urging of his sister, who had moved to California, he drove across the country and put down
roots in Los Angeles, where he was appointed a
deputy counsel for Los Angeles
County.
In 1957, he married Gloria Saatjian, a bank secretary, and
the couple moved to Long Beach,
where Deukmejian opened a small law practice on the second floor of a bank
building, specializing in “anything that walked in the door,” he once told an
interviewer.
Deukmejian entered politics in 1962, when he won a seat in
the California Assembly; four years later he was elected to the State Senate.
While in the state legislature, and later as attorney general, he pushed hard
for the death penalty.
Deukmejian was known to be especially tough on crime. While
governor, he presided over the building of more than a dozen prisons.
After leaving office in 1991, he became a partner in the Los Angeles office of Sidley & Austin, commuting from
his house in Long Beach,
which he and his wife had lived in since 1960.
He is survived by his wife, Gloria; their children, Leslie,
George and Andrea; and six grandchildren.
“Today, we mourn the loss of George Deukmejian, our father,
and our mother’s loving husband of 61 years. Our father passed away at home
with his family by his side a few weeks short of his 90th birthday. The son of
Armenian immigrants, he lived a wonderful life. He was a fine, decent man of
integrity and character who was tremendously proud of his Armenian heritage. He
loved his family and his friends and was forever grateful to the many loyal
people who believed in him and served in his administrations. We miss him deeply. Our family will hold
private services and, at a date to be determined, a public memorial,” the
Deukmejian family said in a statement.
***************************************************************************************************
5 – Catholicos Karekin II Confirms New Diocesan
Primate
On Tuesday, May 8, His Holiness Karekin II, the Supreme
Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, confirmed the election of the Very
Reverend Fr. Daniel Findikyan as the 12th Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the
Armenian Church of America.
Fr. Findikyan was elected as Primate on May 4, by the
delegates to the 116th Diocesan Assembly. The gathering of representative from
all the local parishes of the Eastern Diocese met from May 3 to 5 in Westchester County, New
York.
He succeeds Archbishop Khajag Barsamian, who earlier had
announced he would conclude his term as Primate after holding the office for 28
years and seven terms of office, making him the longest-serving Primate of the
Eastern Diocese.
“With this letter we approve your election as Primate, and
with prayers to God we ask that the Lord will support your zealous service, so
that the lofty responsibility entrusted to you may be productive, strengthening
the national and spiritual life of the Eastern Diocese, and bringing brightness
upon our Apostolic Holy Church,” said the Catholicos in his letter.
His Holiness’ official confirmation of the election result
paved the way for authority to be formally transferred from Archbishop
Barsamian to Fr. Findikyan.
This was accomplished via a short enthronement ceremony in
St. Vartan Cathedral on the afternoon of May 8. About a dozen clergymen,
including two of episcopal rank, took part in the service, which went forward
before a group of Diocesan staff members and guests from the surrounding
locale.
In the course of a procession of priests and deacons before
the cathedral altar, Archbishop Barsamian transferred the Primate’s sign of
office—a ceremonial walking stick known as the “asa”—into the hand of Fr.
Findikyan. The new Primate thereupon took his place on the Primate’s throne, as
the clergy approached him to kiss his hand and receive his blessing.
Officially representing Catholicos Karekin II at the
ceremony was Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisian, visiting the Eastern Diocese from
Holy Etchmiadzin. He read aloud the letter of the Catholicos of All Armenians,
and offered some gracious words of congratulations to the Diocese, its new
Primate, and Archbishop Barsamian.
As outgoing Primate, Archbishop Barsamian spoke gratefully
about his years of service, and expressed warm optimism for the ministry of his
successor. “With his intelligence, his spirituality, and his skill at
communication, Fr. Daniel will speak to and help broaden our appeal to the
younger generation, and draw all our people more deeply into the life of the
church,” he said.
He revealed that the silver-headed walking stick, or “asa,”
had originally belonged to the late Catholicos Karekin Hovsepian, who prior to
becoming Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia served as Diocesan Primate,
from 1939 to 1944. Archbishop Barsamian addressed the new Primate as a worthy
recipient of the late Catholicos Karekin Hovsepian’s staff.
In his first remarks following his confirmation as Primate,
Fr. Daniel Findikyan addressed the gathering in Armenian, recalling the honored
names of the previous primates of the Diocese. He thanked Archbishop Barsamian
and Archbishop Hovhannisian, and expressed brotherly affection for all the
clergy.
“It’s an almost unimaginable honor for me to stand before
you as Primate of the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church of America,” said
Fr. Findikyan. He said that he has taken up the role with some trepidation, but
mostly with hope and joy, adding that it was deeply humbling to receive the
staff previously held by some of the greatest Armenian churchmen of the 20th
and 21st centuries.
Addressing himself to the broad body of clergy and faithful
throughout the Eastern Diocese, he said: “I take great strength from the
thought that by your faith and strength, the Lord will guide us all.”
*****************************************************************************************************
6 – Commentary:
Hello, New Armenia.
Goodbye, Old Friend.
By Rostom
Sarkissian
On May 8, the yin and yang of the universe brought us a new
Armenian politics, and took an old American-Armenian politician.
On May 8, Parliament voted for Nikol Pashinyan to be Armenia’s next
Prime Minister. It was a major victory for those protesting the corrupted
system in Armenia.
As with the May 1 vote though, the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) once again
maintained their unified opposition to Pashinyan, while “allowing” 11 of their
MPs to vote for him as a means of averting a full blown constitutional crisis
in Armenia
and the ensuing snap election which would have completely swept them out of
power. This should serve as a wake-up call that while parliament has a new
head; the corrupt and rotting body politic of Armenia will be harder to
dismember.
On the flip side of coin, an LA Times obituary piece by
George Skelton extolled former Governor George Deukmejian’s tenure by focusing
on his honesty, integrity, transparency, humility and steadfast leadership.
Deukmejian was a leader who was driven by his moral compass, which allowed him
to work with the opposing party on issues that were important to Californians,
even if they went against his party’s dogma. This is the type of brave
leadership that we need today, both in America
and in Armenia.
The timing of these two events was coincidental, but we
should take meaning from their synchronicity, and apply the lessons of
effective leadership to help rebuild a stronger, safer and more prosperous Armenia.
*************************************************************************************************
7- Trinity
College Student Awarded
$10,000 Project for Peace Grant
HARTFORD, Conn.—Trinity College student Mariam Avagyan ‘18, has
been awarded a Projects for Peace grant to implement her self-designed project
with the goal of promoting peace around the world. The grant awarded to Avagyan
is valued at $10,000. Avagyan’s project will offer a two-week robotics
programming summer camp for middle school students in Armenia.
In the its 12th year, the Projects for Peace program is an
invitation to undergraduates at the American colleges and universities in the
Davis United World College Scholars Program to design grassroots projects that
they will implement during the summer of 2018. The projects judged to be the
most promising and feasible will be funded at $10,000 each. The objective is to
encourage and support today’s motivated youth to create and try out their own
ideas for building peace.
The initiative was inspired by the late Kathryn W. Davis, an
accomplished internationalist and philanthropist. Upon the occasion of her
100th birthday in February of 2007, Davis, mother of Shelby M.C. Davis who
funds the Davis UWC Scholars Program, chose to celebrate by committing $1
million for 100 Projects for Peace. Trinity students have received funding for
15 projects in the past 12 years.
Avagyan, who grew up in Armenia and is completing a double
major in mathematics and engineering (electrical), first learned about the
Projects for Peace grant opportunity through the Interdisciplinary Science
Program (ISP) during her first year at Trinity. While she has always had a
desire to make a positive impact on the world, it wasn’t until April 2016 that
Avagyan realized what she wanted to do. “On April 1, 2016, I woke up to tragic
news that Azerbaijan
had attacked the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region [where 95 percent of the
population is Armenian], killing civilians and soldiers. Some of these soldiers
were my peers, friends, and classmates, and I felt terrible for not being there
for my country and nation during the difficult times,” she said.
Now that Avagyan had a clear idea of whom she wanted to
help, all she needed was an idea of how to actually promote peace in this
region, which came to her the summer before her senior year at Trinity. “I had
the opportunity to work with MIT, Learntribute LLC, and NASA to teach middle
school students how to program SPHERE satellites that are currently on the
International Space Station for research purposes,” she said. “The children had
the chance to participate in the Zero Robotics competition by NASA.”
Avagyan partnered with YES Armenia,
a non-governmental organization, to design this summer’s two-week robotics
programming camp in Armenia,
which became the focus of her project proposal. As Avagyan wrote in her
proposal, “We wish to give children hope for peace and a bright future through
education. As children are taught to stay away from machines, such as tanks,
drones and guns, people fear and detest engineering. We want to show how
engineering, instead of being used to create warfare, can be used to create
products that will help people lead a better life.” With the Davis Projects for
Peace grant, paired with a matching grant from World Vision, she hopes to make
a major impact with her project, ZeRoRo.
Avagyan said that Alison Draper, director of Trinity’s Interdisciplinary Science Center,
introduced her to the grant through the ISP seminar. Draper uses Projects for
Peace as a grant-writing assignment, as she said it is important for scientists
to have the experience of writing proposals. Draper is optimistic about
Avagyan’s project. “Mariam is an amazing student who has changed Trinity for
the better, and it is fantastic–but not surprising–to see her start to change
the world for the better,” Draper said. “She is someone who will exceed
anyone’s expectations and I have no doubt that her Project for Peace will be
enormously successful.”
************************************************************************************************
8- St.
Stephen’s Student Vartan Arakelian
Wins
Kangaroo International Math Competition
WATERTOWN, Mass.—St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School
(SSAES) announced on May 9 that fourth grader Vartan Arakelian ranked 1st
statewide and 1st nationwide in the March 2018 Math Kangaroo International
Competition.
“This is a great honor for Vartan, his family, and St.
Stephen’s Armenian
Elementary School. We are
very proud of his exceptional performance,” said Principal Houry Boyamian.
This is the fourth year that students from SSAES have
participated in this international math competition. Arakelian also performed
well in 2016 and 2017, placing in the 99th percentile both nationally and
statewide.
Math Kangaroo is an international competition that
originated in Australia
in 1980. The various participating countries work together each year to choose
the problems for the contest.
In 2017, more than 28,000 students participated nationwide
in the competition covering 12 levels, of which 4,748 were 4th graders. In Massachusetts, 626
students took the Level 4 exam in 2017, according to the official Math Kangaroo
website. The total number of participants for 2018 has not yet been published.
The top prize winners of the 2018 competition will participate in the Award
Ceremony on May 19, at Bridgewater
State University.
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Play dedicated to April War heroes premieres at Gyumri Drama Theatre
Panorama, Armenia
A new play dedicated to the heroes of the 2016 April War premiered at Gyumri Drama Theatre named after Vardan Ajemyan, with the premiere of a video based on the play’s music held on Wednesday.
The video is directed by filmmaker, Honored Art Workder Hrachya Keshishyan, with its music written by People’s Artist of Armenia Hayko.
As Panorama.am learnt earlier from the theatre, based on the novel by Anahit Aghasaryan, the play, entitled “Wedding in the Rear” is directed by Lyudvig Harutyunyan, music is written by Hayko. The play features Susanna Baghdasaryan, Anahit Harutyunyan, Hovhannes Hovhannisyan, Tigran Gaboyan and other well-known actors.
The play centers around a story of a family symbolizing the Armenian people with its past, present, and future. The family is about to mark a wedding ceremony of the son, as the April war in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) starts, crushing the hopes for a new beginning, a new family and generation. People get together and go to the frontline to fight for their future and the right to life.