19:51,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 17, ARMENPRESS. The ratification of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court testifies to Armenia’s commitment to international law and the protection of human rights, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said in a post on X.
''Every accession brings us closer to universal participation and to ending impunity for the most serious crimes,'' Borrell added.
15:10,
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. Russia has reiterated its readiness to host a foreign ministerial meeting between Armenia and Azerbaijan with its mediation.
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Mikhail Galuzin confirmed readiness to host such a meeting but did not mention possible timeframes.
“We’ve numerously confirmed our readiness to provide the Moscow platform for further dialogue on the level of foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan, around issues of normalization of bilateral relations and signing of a peace treaty. Our readiness remains unchanged. Whenever we agree upon the timeframes of such an event, we will announce about it,” Galuzin told reporters.
18:14, 8 November 2023
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the Nagorno-Karabakh capital city of Stepanakert, now under the Azerbaijani control, stated that Azerbaijan does not need a new war with Armenia.
"We don't need a new war. We have achieved what we wanted," Aliyev said.
At the same time, the Azerbaijani President noted that issues related to the army building will continue to remain a priority for them.
NEW YORK—Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Eastern Armenian Prelacy, has announced with great anticipation the visit of His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia to Armenian communities on the east coast of the United States.
“At this time of turmoil internationally and in Armenia, Vehapar is taking this long journey to bring his message of faith and hope, and also to express his great support to Artsakh and its brave people,” the Prelate stated.
The Catholicos arrived at Dulles Airport in Washington D.C., on Monday, November 6, and will remain until Tuesday, November 21, when he will depart from New York’s JFK Airport. His schedule is packed with welcoming Hrashapar services, visits, lectures and meetings with religious, humanitarian and governmental leaders.
In the nation’s capital, the Catholicos will give the opening prayer in the U.S. Congress on Thursday, November 9, pay visits to the Lebanese and Armenian embassies, present a lecture at George Washington University on Friday, November 10, and conduct a youth forum on Saturday, November 11. On Sunday, November 12, he will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at Soorp Khatch Church in Bethesda, Maryland.
Catholicos Aram I will then visit the church communities of Philadelphia, including the Armenian Sisters’ Academy; New Jersey, including the Armenian Missionary Association of America and the Hovnanian School; Troy, New York; New Britain, Connecticut; and New York City, including the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
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On Saturday, November 18, there will be a unique and profound ecumenical service at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral in New York, honoring the 850th anniversary of St. Nerses Shnorhali, a renowned priest, poet and musician. His legendary and holy “I Confess in Faith” will be recited in 24 languages during the Ecumenical Service, followed by a fellowship hour in the church hall and a youth conference at St. Sarkis Church in Douglaston, New York.
On Sunday, November 19, Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Prelate of the Western Prelacy, will celebrate the Divine Liturgy at St. Illuminator’s Cathedral with the Catholicos, delivering the homily. A Thanksgiving gala banquet will follow at the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center, with a reception at 2 p.m. and a luncheon at 3 p.m.
The trip will conclude with several board meetings at the Armenian Prelacy with the Karagheusian Foundation, the Armenian Medical Fund Board, the Near East Foundation Board and with Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Gabriele Caccia, as well as with a visit to St. Vladimir’s Seminary.
Born in Beirut in 1947, Catholicos Aram I was consecrated leader of the Great House of Cilicia in 1995. His extensive educational background includes studies at the American University of Beirut, the Ecumenical Institute in Switzerland, England’s Oxford University and New York’s Fordham University, where he earned two master’s degrees and a Doctorate of Philosophy.
His Holiness Catholicos Aram I of the Great House of Cilicia
A prolific writer of many articles and books in Armenian, English and French, he was an early advocate of the international ecumenical movement. A multi-year member of the World Council of Churches, he is currently one of its eight presidents and one of the founding members of the Middle East Council of Churches, serving as its president since 2007.
The Catholicos first visited the Eastern Prelacy in 1997. This was followed by visits in 2001 for the 1700th anniversary of Christian Armenia; 2005 for the 75th anniversary of the Cilician See’s Theological Seminary; 2012 for a Pontifical visit; 2015 for the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide; and 2016 for the 20th anniversary of his spiritual leadership as Catholicos.
A Commissioned Trip to Artsakh Refugees
The Eastern Prelacy Prelate, Archbishop Tanielian, recently returned from a trip to Armenia, with a group commissioned by Catholicos Aram I. The group also included Bishop Donoyan, Jirair Habibian of the Prelacy of the Arab Gulf Countries, and Hagop Lousararian, member of the Executive Council of the Lebanon Prelacy.
The group had meetings with Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II and refugees from Artsakh in several provinces, especially among the 40,000 refugees in the Kotayk province, giving them cash donations.
Archbishop Tanielian pointed out that Kotayk is especially unique in that it has no borders with any neighboring countries.
His Eminence called the trip to the Artsakh refugees “emotionally devastating. Not only have they lost their homes, schools, churches and been cut off from their ancestral land, but they cannot visit the tombs of their loved ones. And now they don’t know what the future holds. This is a renewal of the Genocide.”
Regarding the current trip of Catholicos Aram I to the eastern U.S. communities, Archbishop Tanielian stated, “The presence of Catholicos Aram I in this current situation will bring us, especially the young generation, new hope and faith in our community at large, as well as a new understanding of the Diasporan role in pan-Armenian advancement.”
13:34, 8 November 2023
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 8, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan held a meeting on November 8 with US Senior Advisor for Caucasus Negotiations, U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Louis Bono.
Grigoryan and Bono discussed the efforts aimed at establishing lasting peace and stability in the region and the Armenia-Azerbaijan normalization process, Grigoryan’s office said in a readout. Grigoryan presented the position of Armenia in this context.
Other issues of bilateral interest were also discussed.
15:47, 2 November 2023
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Large numbers of forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh are applying for Armenian citizenship, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has said.
“We were certainly expecting this process,” Pashinyan said at the November 2 Cabinet meeting.
“Our objective is to organize this work as quickly as possible. But this also has some legislative nuances that must be maintained,” he added.
17:10, 3 November 2023
YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ararat Mirzoyan and German Minister of Foreign Affairs Annalena Baerbock are discussing the bilateral agenda and regional issues during their ongoing meeting in Yerevan, foreign ministry spokesperson Ani Badalyan has said.
“Both Armenian-German bilateral agenda and regional issues are being discussed during meeting between Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Germany at Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia,” Badalyan said in a statement on Facebook.
On October 7, 2023, the Modern Art Museum of Yerevan held an exhibition entitled, “Retrospective – 35 Years of Artistic Creation,” in honor of Lebanese-Armenian painter Mireille Goguikian.
“This exhibition shows my resilience as an Armenian artist. This exhibition is me taking a stance with Artsakh. I wanted to share my Retrospective with my Armenian people,” Goguikian said. Now, visitors of the Modern Art Museum of Yerevan can see two of Goguikian’s works in the museum’s permanent collection.
Retrospective in honor of Lebanese-Armenian artist Mireille Goguikian
Born and raised in Beirut, Goguikian’s true artistic talent remained undiscovered until she was 17 years old studying to become an architect. Her professors and peers encouraged her to change paths and pursue art. Three years deep into her architecture program, Goguikian decided to take the risk, changed her major and studied visual arts. One year into the degree, Goguikian’s paintings began to stand out, earning multiple honorary prizes and distinctions, such as the first Samir Tabet Prize and the second prize of the Béchir Gemayel. After graduating from the Lebanese Academy of Fine Arts (ALBA) in 1988, she started regularly exhibiting in local galleries and even taught in an academy for a year before she left for Paris.
The next five years of Goguikian’s life in Paris witnessed a creative shift in her career, as she fully committed to her artistic path. “During my stay in Paris, I got more involved in the Armenian community. Even though I didn’t speak very good Armenian, they welcomed me with open arms. This was when I started searching for my Armenian roots,” Goguikian said.
Throughout her career, Goguikian participated in 50 international exhibitions in Tokyo, London, Paris, Italy, Seoul and so on. She also presented 17 solo exhibitions, the latest being her first-ever solo exhibition in Yerevan.
Titled “Mireille of Cities” and “Queen of Colors” back home in Beirut, Goguikian mainly paints cityscapes. “I paint cities just like I imagine them in my head, cities filled with light and love, where chaos doesn’t exist,” Goguikian explained.
“You can see the sun and the light as recurring themes in most of my paintings. In many ways, the sun also represents Armenia,” she continued. All of the red paintings in her collection are about Armenia. For Goguikian, the strength and the passion of the color red represent Armenia.
Chaleur Rouge, 2021 by Mireille Goguikian. Oil on canvas 50x70cm.
“I wanted to offer some light and positivity despite these challenging times,” Goguikian said regarding her exhibit in Yerevan. “I believe this was a successful exhibition, and we Armenians needed it.” Many people attended the opening reception of Retrospective, all eager to see and learn more about the Lebanese-Armenian artist and painter.
Goguikian’s works have appeared in several collections, both private and public, and they are exhibited in many cultural foundations and museums worldwide. Despite her popularity in the broader art scene, Goguikian has always wanted to share her talent through educational activities, especially with those in her community. She is a member of the National Federation of French Culture and the Armenian Artists of France and a previous art teacher at Hamazkayin’s Toros Roslin Fine Arts Academy.
Lebanese-Armenian artists Rita Massoyan Yedalian, Mireille Goguikian, Raffi Yedalian and director of the Toros Roslin Art Academy Hagop Handian
In addition to her ongoing contributions to the Armenian art community, Goguikian continues to represent a valuable resource for Armenia by actively engaging in international exhibitions. For the XIll Biennale in Florence, Goguikian was selected as a participating artist to showcase seven paintings, “Shards of Beirut,” and she won the very selective Jury Prize. In 2021, she won the Caravaggio Prize in Milan and the International Prize in Barcelona in November 2022. In the near future, Goguikian will have a collective exhibition in Dubai and a solo exhibition in Beirut Kaleem Art Space in April.
21:59, 24 October 2023
12:41,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Canada will send two observers to Armenia to join the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA), Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Paruyr Hovhannisyan has said.
The observers will arrive in a short period of time, he said.
“The Canadian Foreign Minister said that Canada is the first country outside of EU that has expressed willingness to send observers to Armenia, and two observers will arrive to Armenia in a short period of time. We hope that Canada will enhance its contribution in the future,” Hovhannisyan told reporters in Jermuk during Canadian FM Melanie Joly’s visit.
He described the opening of the Canadian embassy in Yerevan as a sign of special attention towards Armenia.
“During the visit the Canadian foreign minister addressed humanitarian support issues, Canada tripled its assistance, and all directions for deepening the cooperation were outlined. Canada is interested in the prospect of increasing its support to the democratic and human rights reforms in Armenia and numerous issues were discussed in this regard. Politically, the minister numerously stressed that Armenia’s independence, territorial integrity and inviolability of borders are important for Canada,” the Armenian Deputy FM said.
Hovhannisyan said Joly’s visit to the town of Jermuk was meaningful and symbolic. “The minister observed the situation on the ground and is now meeting with the refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh, and before that she observed the Azerbaijani military that invaded Armenia’s sovereign territory in September 2022. It’s no secret that Canada is a powerful country whose voice is rather influential in international organizations,” Hovhannisyan said, adding that Joly’s visit created very good prerequisites for deepening cooperation between Armenia and Canada.
On October 26, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly visited the European Union Mission in Armenia (EUMA) operating base in Jermuk. Then, together with EUMA observers, Joly visited an Armenian military position outside Jermuk to become acquainted with the situation on the border with Azerbaijan. She then met with forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh who have been accommodated in Jermuk.
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