Armenian chess player Tigran Harutyunyan has won the Aeroflot Open 2020 B Tournament in Moscow.
The Armenian player celebrated 5 victories and drew 4 games to win the tournament with 7 points, the Chess Federation of Armenia reported.
Meanwhile, another Armenian player Manuel Petrosyan took the 8th place with 6 points in A Tournament.
In C Tournament, Artur Gharagyozyan finished 9th with 6.5 points.
“ANCA 360: Policy | Priorities | Results” is an eight-page deep dive into the ANCA’s advocacy efforts to advance community concerns
Latest Policy Document Spotlighted as Global Advocacy Conference Kicks-Off in Armenia and Artsakh
WASHINGTON—The Armenian National Committee of America has rolled out an in-depth look at its full-spectrum advocacy priorities, outlining its policies on a broad array of mutually-supportive issues – from defending Artsakh to securing justice for the Armenian Genocide, and strengthening U.S.-Armenia relations.
The updated publication of “ANCA360: Policy, Priorities, Results” coincides with the kick-off of the global Hai Tahd (Armenian Cause) conference, hosted by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, which has brought together representatives of over 20 Armenian National Committees from around the world, to share best practices in advancing community priorities in each of their respective countries. The 5-day conference, taking place from February 24th to 28th in both Armenia and Artsakh, was preceded by a meeting with Armenia Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, who shared the Armenian Government’s focus on a range of issues from ensuring a peaceful future for Artsakh to ongoing efforts to secure international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
The ANCA discussed its 360-degree advocacy priorities with Armenia Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan during a 2-hour seminar held on the eve of the global Hai Tahd (Armenian Cause) conference, being held in Armenia and Artsakh from February 24th to 28t
In interviews with Armenian media during the conference, ANCA Chairman Raffi Hamparian placed special emphasis on the ANCA’s pro-Artsakh advocacy, including the latest effort to expand U.S. aid for demining and rehabilitation efforts. Hamparian stressed that over 10,000 ANCA advocates had already contacted their legislators to include Artsakh assistance in the Fiscal Year 2021 foreign aid bill, with more taking action every day through the anca.org/aid advocacy portal.
Last week, ANCA Government Affairs Director Tereza Yerimyan submitted testimony to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Operations outlining the ANCA’s argument for Artsakh aid as well as calling for $90 million in aid to Armenia and parity in military assistance to Armenia and Azerbaijan.
“ANCA360: Policy, Priorities, Results” outlines the following policy items and stresses the ANCA’s commitment to broader youth civic engagement through its signature Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program and ANCA Leo Sarkisian Internship program, as well as newer initiatives like ANCA Rising Leaders and Maral Melkonian Avetisyan internship.
U.S. Policy on Artsakh | Peace & Freedom: Generate increased U.S. support—in principle, policy, and practice—for the security and prosperity of the independent Artsakh Republic, through initiatives challenging Azerbaijan’s aggression, strengthening U.S.-Artsakh ties, appropriating direct U.S. aid, and supporting the OSCE Minsk Group’s efforts to resolve Artsakh-Azerbaijan status and security issues.
U.S. Policy on Genocide | Truth & Justice: Leverage near-unanimous U.S. House (405-11) and unanimous Senate (100-0) passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution (2019) to end Executive Branch complicity in Ankara’s denials, as a pivot toward a policy of sustained U.S. pressure on Turkey to abandon its denials, accept its responsibilities, and engage with Armenia and relevant Armenian stakeholders toward a truthful, just, and comprehensive international resolution of its crimes.
U.S.-Armenia Ties | Partnership & Progress: Upgrade the strategic U.S.-Armenia partnership—expanding trade, increasing aid, further developing mutually-beneficial political, economic, security, military, and peacekeeping cooperation, and elevating the frequency of bilateral visits at the level of head of state/government.
U.S. Foreign Assistance | Aid & Trade: Shape U.S. foreign aid policy in support of the ANCA’s regional priorities, by advancing provisions in the annual State-Foreign Operations bill that mandate increased direct U.S. humanitarian investments in Artsakh, substantially expanded development assistance to Armenia, fully funded U.S.-Armenia military cooperation, and common-sense restrictions on U.S. military and security assistance to Azerbaijan.
U.S.-Turkey Ties | Integrity & Accountability: Restore balance to the U.S.-Turkey relationship by ending a century of appeasement of Ankara, and holding Turkey accountable for its increasingly anti-American orientation and openly anti-Armenian actions.
ANCA Youth | Inspiration & Empowerment: Empower the next generation of Armenian Americans by training university students as effective advocates and helping recent graduates start promising policy, political, government, and media careers in Washington.
Chief of Staff of Armenia’s Constitutional Court Edgar Ghazaryan will not take part in a referendum on the constitutional changes.
He took to Facebook on Tuesday to urge his friends and relative to boycott the constitutional referendum as well, denouncing it as a “mockery”.
“Following Armenia’s domestic developments, the emergence of fake agendas and empty issues, unconstitutional and illegal processes, I have decided for the first time in my life not to take part in this mockery organized under the name of a referendum on April 5, 2020,” he wrote.
“I don’t want to be connected in any way to the great illegality that the incumbent authorities want to impose on our people, once again abusing their noble motives and feelings.
“I call on all my friends and relatives not to take it for granted, ignore the fake agenda, deal with your own issues and in no way become part of this intrigue,” the post read.
The constitutional changes proposed by deputies of the ruling My Step bloc would dismiss Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan and the judges of Armenia’s highest court elected prior to April 9, 2018.
19:40,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia NIkol Pashinyan met with European Commissioner for Budget and Administration Johannes Hahn in the sidelines of Munich Security Conference.
The correspondent of ARMENPRESS reports from Munich, PM Pashinyan said during the meeting that the EU has become Armenia’s key partner for the implementation of the reform agenda. “We are in the stage of the implementation of the anti-corruption strategy. We assess this package o reforms as the last part of the 1st part of the reforms, after which we have to work to make everything better and better. The cooperation with the EU is very important on our path. I want to emphasize that all types of assistance, be it consultative, financial or political, are very important for us. I am thankful for today’s opportunity to discuss the future cooperation plans”, PM Pashinyan said.
Johannes Hahn noted that during his visit to Armenia they discussed the issue of Armenia-EU Investment forum, which will take place in Luxembourg.
“That forum is a good opportunity for you to present your country. We have much experience in organizing such investment forums and I think this time again we will have good audience. As you mentioned, reforms are underway in Armenia, and in some sense this can be guarantee for your potential partners that your country can be an excellent partner for them”, he said.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
He will perform as a speaker at the quantum policy discussion in the framework of Munich Security Conference, said the presidential press service.
Armen Sarkissian is going to present his quantum theory and speak about fast developments in the world, global risks, new quantum technologies and system, and the quantum “behavior” of politics.
During the working visit to Germany in November 2018, President Sarkissian announced he had finished writing his book, “Quantum behavior of global risks”.
“Events and policies will not unfold in familiar, classic ways. The ongoing situation is the world is the evidence,” said President Sarkissian then.
13:56, 8 February, 2020
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire regime nearly 190 times in one week, the Ministry of Defense of Artsakh said in a statement.
Artsakh’s military said the Azerbaijani forces fired more than 1200 shots at their troops between February 2-8.
The Defense Ministry said the Artsakh troops “mostly refrained” from countermeasures and continued “confidently carrying out their combat mission”.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
17:05, 6 February, 2020
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will participate in parliamentary debates of the ruling bloc’s bill that envisages the termination of powers of Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan and some other justices.
Deputy Speaker Alen Simonyan told ARMENPRESS that the procedure enables the PM to deliver remarks at the debates.
“If it is a Constitutional amendment, the Prime Minister is allowed to have a speech before the vote,” Simonyan said.
On February 6, the parliament convened a special session with one item on the agenda, the bill introduced by the ruling My Step bloc which seeks Constitutional amendments aimed at resolving the crisis around the Constitutional Court.
The parliamentary majority’s bill on making constitutional amendments seeks to enable replacing the Constitutional Court justices who were appointed under the previous constitution.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
BAKU, Azerbaijan, Jan. 30
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers discussed the possible next steps to resolve the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Trend reports referring to a joint statement made by Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers and co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
“The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stéphane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the US) met separately and jointly with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov in Geneva on January 28-30,” the message said. “They were joined in their meetings by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk.”
“Over three days of intensive discussions, the co-chairs and the ministers discussed the following agenda items: implementation of agreements and proposals discussed in 2019 and possible next steps to prepare the populations for peace; principles and elements forming the basis of a future settlement; and timing and agenda for advancing the settlement process,” the message said.
“The co-chairs reiterated their full commitment to helping the sides find a peaceful solution to the conflict and the principle of confidentiality in the settlement process, as well as the need for creativity and a spirit of compromise to achieve a fair and lasting peace,” the message said. “The ministers agreed to meet again in the near future under co-chair auspices.”
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
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THE TRIANGLE. Prominent Armenian violinist Sergey Khachadrian has received the annual award of Credit Swiss Bank and was recognized as “The Best Young Musician of the World”. As reports “Armenpress” citing novostink.ru, the award-giving ceremony was held in Vienna on January 18. The Lucerne Festival artistic director Michael Haefliger headed the jury.
Also, Sergey Khachadrian received 75,000 Swiss Francs, which is among the “most expansive” prizes in the world music. It also implies that the Armenian musician will participate in a concert with Gustavo Dudamel and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, which will be held on September 13.
Born in Yerevan, Armenia, Sergey Khachadrian won First Prize in the VIII International Jean Sibelius Competition in Helsinki in 2000, becoming the youngest ever winner in the history of the competition. In 2005 he claimed the First Prize at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels.
Sergey has performed with orchestras such as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Orchestre National de France, Orchestre de Paris, London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, NHK Symphony, Munich Philharmonic and the Tonhalle Orchestra in Zurich.
Sergey plays the 1740 ‘Ysaye’ Guarneri violin on kind loan from the Nippon Music Foundation.