Your Central Valley, CA
July 20 2017
You are about to see four lives in Gyumri, Armenia .. Change in an instant..
Siranush Galoyan, her mother Farida, and two daughters Shushan and Anahit, just found out they’re about to have a fully furnished, permanent home. Their first ever. An anonymous donor from Los Angeles gave $25,000 to change these four lives. Through the work of the Armenia Fund in the western U-S.
We’ve seen first hand the work of this 23 year old non-profit and its mission to rebuild the Armenian Homeland. Two years ago, we toured some of the large scale projects: roads, new schools, community centers. 200 million dollars in projects funded by generous donations. But sometimes it’s the small projects, like a new home, that can touch your heart. “It’s an indescribable moment. So many bad things have happened in my life. I just can’t believe that something good can actually happen to me.” Galoyan says.
Armenia Fund Executive Director Sarkis Kotanjian says what has happened to Galoyan and her family is meaningful. “It’s one of those projects that you really feel that you’re making a difference,” says Kotanjian.
Siranush and her mom and kids are the 28th family to receive a donated home from the Armenia Fund. Two more will receive the life-changing news later this year. “This is more of a personal kind of project for us. People who work in Armenia Fund, because we really get connected to these families,” Kotanjian says.
Siranush is like many in Gyumri. She’s a hairdresser and works hard, but barely makes ends meet. KSEE Photographer Kevin Mahan and I were touched two years ago, when we met Arusyak Barseghyan, a widow raising three kids in what was essentially a packing shed. We were thrilled this trip to see a more relaxed looking Arusyak in her wonderful home. “We’re finally living as decent people. And the only thing is I would like to have a constant job. There is an issue with that. But we still create. We still create,” Barseghyan says.
Armenia has it’s challenges. High Unemployment. Poor infrastructure. And in Gyumri, a devastating earthquake in the late 80’s that left the region and it’s people in shambles. The Armenia Fund is one of many organizations to step in and offer help. “The government has done a lot of work. There are a lot of great humanitarian organizations who did their part, but still there are several hundred families that are kind of caught in between,” Kotanjian says.
We had the privilege of accompanying Siranush as she took her first steps into her new apartment. A new home free and clear. What she earns now can be focused on providing for her family. “God bless them. God bless everyone that will help families like us,” Galoyan says.
According to Kotanjian, “Every Armenian should at least contribute something. And the majority of our donors are regular people that donate $10, $20, 50’s and the occasional 100.” Regular people giving a gift, that can dramatically change lives, in an instant.
For more information about the Armenia Fund, follow this link:
Aliyev declares Karabakh, Armenia ‘historical Azeri lands’
Interfax - Russia & CIS Military Newswire July 20, 2017 Thursday 3:26 PM MSK Aliyev declares Karabakh, Armenia 'historical Azeri lands' BAKU. July 20 Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has called on the public and media of the country to intensify their efforts to communicate to the global community Baku's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "Not only Nagorno-Karabakh, but also today's territory of Armenia are historical Azeri lands. One cannot compare the weak Armenia to the strong Azerbaijan. Our only weak point was the mass media," Aliyev said on Thursday. He called on the Azeri state structures, public organizations and the mass media to intensify the work on reporting on Baku's position on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "It is necessary to have unified policies on this matter and these policies should be reinforced," the president said. av ng kf
Vice-Speaker Arpine Hovhannisyan holds meeting with US Ambassador
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia Friday Vice-Speaker Arpine Hovhannisyan holds meeting with US Ambassador YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. Vice-Speaker of Armenia’s Parliament Ms. Arpine Hovhannisyan, who also acts as the leader of the Armenia-USA friendship group, held a meeting on July 21 with US Ambassador to Armenia H.E. Richard Mills. Hovhannisyan attached importance to the continuous efforts of the United States aimed at strengthening the democratic institutions in Armenia, effectiveness of the anti-corruption fight, development of the civil society and implementation of reforms. The US Ambassador highly valued Hovhannisyan’s personal contribution and efforts in deepening bilateral relations, and expressed confidence that the cooperation with the legislative body will be as effective as it was with the executive. “The friendship and partnership of our states is long lasting, strong and versatile. We expect to continue our partnership with the parliamentary friendship group – with your skilled leadership. Together we will strengthen parliamentary ties between the USA and Armenia and will form new opportunities for cooperation”, the US Ambassador said.
Ministry says reports on preparations of meeting between Armenian, Azerbaijani presidents in Moscow contradict reality
ITAR-TASS, Russia July 20, 2017 Thursday 11:47 AM GMT Ministry says reports on preparations of meeting between Armenian, Azerbaijani presidents in Moscow contradict reality MOSCOW July 20 HIGHLIGHT: Reports that Moscow allegedly proposed to organize a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan contradict reality, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department Artyom Kozhin said on Thursday. MOSCOW, July 20. /TASS/. Reports that Moscow allegedly proposed to organize a meeting between Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan contradict reality, Deputy Director of the Russian Foreign Ministry’s Information and Press Department Artyom Kozhin said on Thursday. "We have paid attention to an article in Izvestiya of July 17 dubbed ‘Moscow organizes meeting between Armenian, Azerbaijani leaders,’" he said. "We would like to point to some factual inaccuracies made in the publication. It quotes Russian Foreign Ministry sources, saying that a proposal to organize a meeting between the Transcaucasian states in Russia was made during alleged talks between Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers said to be held on the sidelines of the unofficial meeting of the OSCE Council of Foreign Ministers in Mauerbach." "This contradicts reality," Kozhin stressed. "Not all ministers of the above-mentioned were in Austria at the time," he went on. "Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers were meeting in Brussels that day. The consultations were organized by the ‘trio’ of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen (Russia, France and the US). The meeting focused on the issues related to further work on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, the ‘trio’s’ mediatory efforts, including a proposal to hold a regular Armenian-Azerbaijani summit before the end of the year. The summit venue was not discussed extensively."
Fun Armenia tourism campaign kicks off
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia Friday Fun Armenia tourism campaign kicks off YEREVAN, JULY 21, ARMENPRESS. The FUN ARMENIA Campaign has kicked off with the assistance of the state tourism committee. The campaign is organized by the eli.fun leisure and tourism platform and the Armenian office of PicsArt photo design and editing network. Fun Armenia’s purpose is to discover and present every single part of Armenia. Both Armenians and Artsakhis, as well as foreign tourists can take photos and share the tourism “other” Armenia. People can publish photos, which will show the uniqueness of Armenia and Artsakh. An official from the state tourism committee said this is a good platform for presenting Armenian tourism sightseeing locations and opportunities from another point of view, and discovering new locations. The committee said the best photos will be used on the Armenia.travel website, while surprises await the winners. Tigran Tchorokhyan from eli.am said the winners will have a chance for a crazy vacation in Armenia. He says there is a misconception among locals that vacationing in Armenia is more expensive than abroad, however this in untrue. Armenia offers numerous tourism opportunities, ranging from nature tours, cultural and adventure tourism, and alternative options. Everyone who is willing to take part can simply login to PicsArt or a social network and post the photos using the #funArmenia hashtag and add a short comment.
Azerbaijan jails travel blogger for 3 years for trip to disputed land
Deutsche Presse-Agentur July 20, 2017 Thursday 9:53 AM EST Azerbaijan jails travel blogger for 3 years for trip to disputed land DPA POLITICS Azerbaijan conflict Armenia Azerbaijan jails travel blogger for 3 years for trip to disputed land Moscow A court in the former Soviet republic of Azerbaijan sentenced Russian travel blogger Alexander Lapshin on Thursday to three years in prison for visiting the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region, which comprises about 4,500 square kilometres within predominantly Muslim Azerbaijan, is controlled by Christian Armenian separatists. Azerbaijan and neighbouring Armenia have fought over the land for decades. Lapshin, who also has Israeli and Ukrainian citizenship, was found guilty of crossing into the region from the Armenian side without Azerbaijan's authorization. He was detained in Belarus last year and extradited to Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan convicts blogger Lapshin to 3 years in prison for traveling to Karabakh
Interfax - Russia & CIS Military Newswire July 20, 2017 Thursday 1:50 PM MSK Azerbaijan convicts blogger Lapshin to 3 years in prison for traveling to Karabakh BAKU. July 20 The Baku Court on Grave Crimes on Thursday found prominent blogger Alexander Lapshin, a citizen of Russia and Israel, guilty of illegally visiting Nagorno-Karabakh and sentenced him to three years in a general security penitentiary, an Interfax correspondent reported from the courtroom. The prosecution had asked the court to sentence Lapshin to six years and six months in prison last Friday. Delivering his last plea, Lapshin regretted his visit to Nagorno-Karabakh without Baku's consent. "I have to apologize to the Azerbaijani people only because my actions caused their moral sufferings. I understand how much Nagorno-Karabakh is important to Azerbaijan. I have never established any criminal links with the Armenian government," Lapshin said. He said he hoped the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh would be settled through preserving Azerbaijan's integrity. Lapshin's lawyer Eduard Chernin asked the court to acquit his client. During the proceedings, Lapshin pleaded not guilty of the charges brought against him and said that Nagorno-Karabakh is Azerbaijan's territory. He said he had traveled to Nagorno-Karabakh for purely touristic purposes and his trips did not have any political agenda. According to Baku, Lapshin, a Russian-Israeli citizen, illegally visited Nagorno-Karabakh without obtaining Azerbaijan's official permission in April 2011 and October 2012, thus violating the laws on Azerbaijan's state border and on passports. Apart from that, Lapshin called for the recognition of the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on social networks on April 6, 2016 and June 29, 2016. Lapshin was put on the 'black list' for having visited Nagorno-Karabakh without the consent of Azeri authorities. Such people cannot enter Azerbaijan. However, Lapshin was able to enter Azerbaijan through Georgia in June 2015, producing a Ukrainian passport with a different spelling of his name. The investigative department for grave crimes of the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case on charges of repeated public calls against the state and illegal crossing of Azerbaijan's state border. A person convicted of these charges may receive a sentence of five to eight years in prison. On December 16, 2016 it emerged that Lapshin had been detained in Belarus at the request of Azerbaijan. The Belarusian Supreme Court rejected Lapshin's appeal against his extradition to Azerbaijan on February 7. He was extradited on the same day. Va kf ng
Russia to demand extradition of blogger convicted in Azerbaijan
Interfax - Russia & CIS General Newswire July 20, 2017 Thursday 3:27 PM MSK Russia to demand extradition of blogger convicted in Azerbaijan MOSCOW. July 20 The Russian Foreign Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office may demand the extradition of blogger Alexander Lapshin, Russian Human Rights Commissioner Tatyana Moskalkova said. Such negotiations are under way, she said. "The Foreign Ministry and the Prosecutor General's Office may demand his [Lapshin's] extradition under the 1993 and 2007 international convention on legal assistance in criminal matters and seek his extradition for criminal proceedings on the territory of our country. As I know, such work is being conducted, negotiations are underway,' Moskalkova told reporters on Thursday. The extradition of Lapshin by Belarus to Azerbaijan is a violation of the rights of a Russian citizen, she said. "I had asked Belarus not to extradite him to Azerbaijan. But unfortunately, a different decision was made. It seems to be it's a violation of the rights of a Russian citizen," Moskalkova said. The Baku court for grave crimes on Thursday sentenced blogger Lapshin, a citizen of Russia and Israel, who was charged with illegally visiting Nagorno-Karabakh, to three years in jail, an Interfax correspondent reported from the courtroom. According to the court decision, Lapshin will serve his sentence in a general-security prison. According to earlier reports, Lapshin did not admit his guilt at the trial, saying that Nagorno-Karabakh was a territory of Azerbaijan. He said he had visited Karabakh as a tourist and had no political purposes. According to Baku, Lapshin, a Russian-Israeli citizen, illegally visited Nagorno-Karabakh without obtaining Azerbaijan's official permission in April 2011 and October 2012, thus violating the laws on Azerbaijan's state border and on passports. Apart from that, Lapshin called for the recognition of the independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic on social networks on April 6, 2016 and June 29, 2016. Lapshin was put on the 'black list' for having visited Nagorno-Karabakh without the consent of Azeri authorities. Such people cannot enter Azerbaijan. However, Lapshin was able to enter Azerbaijan through Georgia in June 2015, producing a Ukrainian passport with a different spelling of his name. The investigative department for grave crimes of the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General's Office opened a criminal case on charges of repeated public calls against the state and illegal crossing of Azerbaijan's state border. A person convicted of these charges may receive a sentence of five to eight years in prison. On December 16, 2016 it emerged that Lapshin had been detained in Belarus at the request of Azerbaijan. The Belarusian Supreme Court rejected Lapshin's appeal against his extradition to Azerbaijan on February 7. He was extradited on the same day. av ng kf
Germany reconsiders its policy towards Turkey amid worsened ties
ITAR-TASS, Russia July 20, 2017 Thursday 1:50 PM GMT Germany reconsiders its policy towards Turkey amid worsened ties BERLIN July 20 HIGHLIGHT: Germany will review its policy towards Turkey and may cut investments to Ankara as bilateral relations have deteriorated, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Thursday. BERLIN, July 20. /TASS/. Germany will review its policy towards Turkey and may cut investments to Ankara as bilateral relations have deteriorated, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said on Thursday. Turkish-German relations have been severely strained after Turkey detained six human rights activists, including a German citizen Peter Steudtner, earlier this week accusing them of assisting the activity of terrorist groups. "We need to review our policy towards Turkey," Gabriel said. "The situation in Turkey is not transparent and we should call a spade a spade," he said. "We expect that Ankara will return to European values." "We cannot advise investing in a country that lacks security and where enterprises are equaled to terrorists," the minister said. "I don’t see how the German government can guarantee safety of German investments in Turkey when they may face measures taken due to political motives." Gabriel said it is impossible to continue talks between the European Union and Turkey on setting up a customs union under the current circumstances. "I cannot imagine talks on expanding the EU customs union when Turkey detains EU citizens without any grounds," he said. "We should discuss the future of framework investment contracts, loans and providing German assistance," he said. In the coming days, Gabriel plans to discuss relations with Turkey with his EU colleagues. German authorities have also decided to toughen recommendations for their citizens on trips to Turkey. "The situation around (human rights activist Peter) Steudtner shows that German citizens in Turkey cannot be protected from arbitrary detention," he stressed. "Any German citizen may fall victim" to Turkey’s arbitrariness, he noted. Gabriel called the detention of six human rights activists in Turkey "well-planned steps," describing accusations against them as "unfounded and far-fetched." He called on Turkey’s authorities to resume dialogue "based on European values." He said the detained German citizen attended a human rights seminar and was not an expert on Turkey. Steudtner doesn’t have any acquaintances among local politicians and he has never made any publications in local media. German Chancellor Angela Merkel sided with the foreign minister. "Chancellor Merkel considers that the measures announced by the foreign minister on Turkey in the light of recent events are necessary and inevitable," German Government Spokesman Steffen Seibert wrote on Twitter. Turkish Presidential Spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said the latest statements of German politicians are linked to the current political situation in the country, which is gearing up for parliamentary elections in September. "We will not accept these statements and expect that soon Germany will abandon them." The spokesman stressed that Turkey wants to maintain relations with Germany "which are at a good level now." He assured that "there is no danger for German citizens traveling to Turkey." Relations between Turkey and Germany started worsening last year when the German parliament unanimously passed a resolution calling the killings of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire "genocide." The Turkish leadership demanded that Berlin should publicly distance itself from the resolution. Besides, Ankara was angered by a satire show on Germany’s TV insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. This spring, Turkish politicians planned to make a tour of European countries and address their countrymen ahead of the referendum on a constitutional reform boosting Erdogan’s powers. The German government said their goal was to carry out propaganda in Germany and banned them from holding these events, sparking criticism in Ankara, which accused Berlin of using "Nazi methods" against Turks. Germany is home to around 1.5 million natives of Turkey, who still hold a Turkish passport. At the referendum, nearly two thirds of them voted in support of Erdogan’s reforms, alarming local observers and politicians. Amid tensions between Ankara and Berlin, analysts voice concerns over the fate of a deal on refugees reached between the EU and Turkey. At the height of the migration crisis, hundreds of thousands of them entered the EU through Turkey’s territory and moved to Germany, what led to a drop in Merkel’s rating and strengening the positions of the right-wing Alternative for Germany party.
Turkey hits back at Germany’s sanctions threat over activist arrests
Deutsche Presse-Agentur July 20, 2017 Thursday 6:34 PM GMT Turkey hits back at Germany's sanctions threat over activist arrests Friederike Heine in Berlin Berlin (dpa) - The Turkish Foreign Ministry has hit back at Germany, accusing Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel of "xenophobia" after he warned German citizens they could face arbitrary arrest in Turkey and threatened the country with sanctions. Gabriel's warning came after the recent arrest of six human rights activists in Turkey, including a German national. In retaliation, the Foreign Ministry in Ankara vowed to make "the necessary response" to what it called efforts to score political points at home through "xenophobia against Turkey and Turks." On July 5, Turkish authorities detained six human rights activists - including Idil Eser, director of Amnesty International's Turkey branch, Ali Gharavi of Sweden and Peter Steudtner from Germany - at a conference on digital security in Istanbul. Amnesty says they are accused of supporting an armed terrorist organization without being members. Gabriel warned that any German travelling to Turkey was at risk of arrest and that the country had revised its travel advice to better protect citizens. Gabriel said Steudtner "never wrote about Turkey, he had no contacts in the political establishment ... and never appeared as a critic," and that any Germany national travelling to Turkey could suffer the same fate. Among the diplomatic and economic sanctions being considered by Germany are the withdrawal export guarantees and the reduction of millions of euros in funding to Turkey from the EU, Gabriel said. A statement from the Turkish Foreign Ministry said: "Our relations should not be carried out with extortion and threats, but rather on the basis of internationally recognized norms and principles." It added that Turkey wishes to maintain Germany as an ally. Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, said that law-abiding Germans had nothing to fear in Turkey. He added that by demanding the release of Steudtner, Germany was demonstrating a "lack of respect" and attempting to "give orders" to the Turkish judiciary. Gabriel said that he would work with Chancellor Angela Merkel and European Union officials to decide on diplomatic and economic sanctions against Turkey. In 2016, the German government guaranteed 20.6 billion euros (23.7 billion dollars) worth of exports to Turkey. Total exports to Turkey that year from Germany amounted to 1.2 trillion euros. The EU allocates an average of 600 million euros per year in pre-accession funds to Turkey. Merkel considered new measures against Turkey "necessary and inevitable in light of the development," her spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Twitter. Margaritis Schinas, spokesman for the European Commission, said there would be no withdrawal of EU funds to Turkey without the approval of all of the bloc's member states. "I don't see how we can continue guaranteeing companies' investments in Turkey," Gabriel said, in an apparent reference to Erdogan's decision to blacklist dozens of German companies it suspects of supporting terrorism. Local media reported Thursday that Ankara had suggested swapping German nationals being held in Turkey for Turkish asylum seekers in Germany it suspects of the coup attempt. "There is no official offer of a swap," Gabriel said. "There has been no correspondence and no phone call" in which such a swap was suggested, he added. Germany and Turkey have sparred over a numerous topics in recent months, including the pre-trial detention of a Turkish-German journalist Deniz Yucel and Germany's refusal to extradite asylum seekers Turkey says were involved in a coup attempt last year. Berlin has also been frustrated by Ankara's frequent refusal to let German lawmakers visit soldiers at two air bases, as well as attempts by Turkish politicians to hold campaign rallies in Germany. A decision last year by the Bundestag, Germany's lower house of parliament, to declare the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks during World War I a genocide sparked outrage in Ankara.