2018 – Page 270 – Armenian Directory & News

Meeting of Director of National Security Service of Armenia and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Armenia

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Chmshkian Vicken

18:02 | August 20,2018 | Official
Armenian:

Director of the National Security Service of Armenia Artur Vanetsyan on August 20 received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Armenia Seyed Kazem Sadjadi.

Welcoming the Ambassador, the NSS chief said Iran is a friendly country for Armenia with which the firm cooperation and working relations are very important.

Ambassador Sadjadi congratulated Artur Vanetsyan on appointment and touched upon the cooperation of the two countries. The Ambassador also affirmed that Armenia and Iran have been and will remain friendly countries, expressing confidence that the previous firm partnership will continue and will further deepen for the interests of the two countries. He said Iran has no restriction for Armenia and currently works are underway to find new cooperation directions.

Touching upon the already existing cooperation areas, the NSS Director said Armenia has a specific approach to tourism issues, attaches importance to the great interest and active flow of Iranian tourists to Armenia. He assured that everything is being done to ensure the security of tourists.

In his turn the Iranian Ambassador thanked the NSS chief for the warm reception and productive meeting.

Armenian defense minister departs for Russia on working visit

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Hovhannisian John

18:07 | August 20,2018 | Official
Armenian:

Armenia’s delegation led by defense minister Davit Tonoyan has departed for Moscow on a working visit at the invitation of Russian defense minister, General of the Army Sergei Shoigu, in order to participate in the opening of the Army 2018 International Military and Technical expo and the National Security Week forum.

During the visit minister Tonoyan will have several working meetings.

“Gutan” festival takes mission of preserving Armenian national-traditional music

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Emil Lazarian

18:47 | August 20,2018 | Politics
Armenian:

The mission of “Gutan” Armenian traditional song-dance festival is to preserve Armenian national-traditional music, and pass it through generations. The 5th annual cultural festival will be held on August 24 at 19:30 in the Cafesjian Sculpture Garden. The festival is held with the support of the RA Honored Artist Arsen Grigoryan and with the support of the Ministry of Culture of Armenia and Yerevan Municipality.

The festival will start two days before August 24. Starting from August 22, each group will perform a concert in any administrative district of Yerevan. On August 23, the flashmob will take place from the Cafesjian Sculpture Garden (Cascade) to North Avenue.

During the festival, films about the life and work of Armenia will be screened. The organizers of the festival hope that “Gutan” will be held in Artsakh as it did in previous years.

The “Gutan” Armenian traditional song-dance festival is being held since 2014.

Speaker Babloyan issues statement over domestic political situation (video)

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Ophelia Vardapetian

19:46 | August 20,2018 | Politics
Armenian:

President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ara Babloyan issued a statement over the domestic political situation, noting that he plans meetings with the President, Prime Minister, Ombudsman, Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia and representatives of international diplomatic missions to discuss the existing situation, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the parliament of Armenia.

The statement reads as follows,

“Dear compatriots,

I have attentively followed the activities of the Government during the 100 days and as the head of the parliament I expected to see a program aimed at the preservation of the country’s security, economic development, improvement of people’s welfare and of course further strengthening of democracy from my colleague, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan. 100 days might be little time for hearing the complete vision of the PM over these issues and the constructive ways to solve them.

Definitely, I find that it’s necessary to fight against corruption. It’s definitely necessary to fight against monopolies.

I am convinced that people’s voice should always be heard. People should be maximally informed and involved in making the key decisions, since, as we know, the power in Armenia belongs to the people. But when doing all these we must be guided by only and only by the Constitution and laws, as well as by the full respect towards the international commitments assumed by the Republic of Armenia.

In this regard I record with regret that I am deeply concerned by the situation in the country.

The normal social-political life of the country, the legal-constitutional relations of state power bodies and public solidarity are under risk. I see dangers tendencies of dividing the public into supporters of revolution and counterrevolution and deepening of intolerance.

My concerns further rise especially after hearing this remark during PM Pashinyan’s speech. I quote ‘So I advise everyone to think before speaking. And you say that we limit your freedom of speech. You should first learn to think before speaking and then think about your freedom of speech.’

I have to admit that it was such remarks were unexpected for me to hear from PM Pashinyan for the simple reason that it’s just an encroachment against pluralism.

And frightening the judges and threatening the dissidents by the National Security Service parallel to this is not only a pressure against the judicial body, but also against anyone in the country who holds an opposite opinion.

There were also messages in PM Pashinyan’s speech very dangerous for the Constitutional order of the Republic of Armenia, and the fundaments of statehood, that are in direct contradiction with the international commitments assumed by Armenia for establishing a legal and democratic country.

Particularly, the way of addressing the judges by the Head of the Executive in a way like this “sober up,” is a merely threat for the independence of the judiciary and an interference to all the ongoing and future judicial examinations and decisions. Under the theory of “transitional justice” an anti-legal hint of giving retroactive effect to the laws was made.

At the same time, the implementation of possible constitutional changes at the National Assembly of Armenia, moreover, with the threat to ensure the desired outcome, is an overt pressure and compulsion against the legislative branch.

For me, this is further incomprehensible given the fact that the opportunities for such discussions and making decisions at the parliament were not exhausted.

Therefore, taking into account the aforementioned, I plan meetings with the President, Prime Minister, Ombudsman, Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia and representatives of international diplomatic missions to discuss the existing situation.

Remaining faithful to my constitutional mission, I assure you that the National Assembly will continue to exercise the powers vested in it by the law.”

Asbarez: Kocharian’s Release Appealed as Search of his Mansion and Office Reported

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Hunanian Jack

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Former president Robert Kocharian during an interview last week with Yerkir Media

YEREVAN—Armenia’s Prosecutor General on Monday officially appealed a decision to release former president Robert Kocharian from pre-trial detention. Also on Monday, Armenia’s Special Investigative Service reported that Kocharian’s mansion and office were searched as part of the ongoing investigation into charges that the former president breached Armenia’s constitutional order in relation to the March 1, 2008 post-election unrest during which eight civilians and two police officers were killed.

The Prosecutor General’s office filed the appeal at Armenia’s Court of Cassation, a higher court, which will hear the case and make a decision on the appeal’s court ruling, which deemed Kocharian’s incarceration as un-constitutional given a provision in the constitution that shields Armenia’s leaders from being prosecuted even after they leave office.

Since his release on August 13, Kocharian has announced that he will enter Armenia’s political arena to challenge the current leadership, which he claims are not experienced enough to govern Armenia given the current geopolitical realities. Kocharian also has asserted that the charges against him are a “political vendetta” by the current regime.

On Monday, Armenia’s SIS confirmed that Kocharian’s mansion and office were searched in a raid. Its spokesperson, Marina Ohanjanyan, gave no details about the search when she spoke with Azatutyun.am.

But Kocharian’s representatives had a lot to say about the search and the motives behind why the news of the search was being publicized on the same day as the Prosecutor General’s appeal of a lower court decision to free him from pre-trial detention. Azatutyun.am reported that one of Kocharian’s attorneys, Haik Alumyan said that the SIS search did not yield any additional evidence in relation to the March 1, 2008 case.

Victor Soghomonyan, Kocharian’s chief of staff, to news.am that Kocharian’s office was search two to three weeks ago and claimed that releasing that information on the same day as the appeal was dubious.

“For some reason, they [the SIS] has decided to disseminate that information now,” Soghomonyan said. “As to why, I leave [it] to the readers’ imagination. I leave it to the readers as to what objective is being pursued by the delay in publicizing the news about the search.”

Soghomonyan confirmed the news about the search saying that only Kocharian’s office was searched. No other information was given by the former president’s chief of staff.

Another Kocharian attorney, Hovhannes Khudoyan, told News.am that his defense team could not comment further due to the confidentiality of the ongoing investigation.

During an interview with Yerkir Media last week, Kocharian complained about the confidentiality issues surrounding the case, saying that by doing so the investigative agencies could cherry pick the information that they want to release without giving the defense an opportunity to present its own case.

168: One of Armenian citizens injured in Georgia car crash dies

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Garnik Zakarian

| 15:03 | August 20 2018

168: Masis Mayor’s attorney submits appeal to Court of Appeals

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Andranik Taslakhchian

| 15:47 | August 20 2018

168: Prosecutor General’s Office to appeal decision to release 2nd President Kocharyan from custody to Court of Cassation on August 20

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Liana Toganian

| 17:11 | August 20 2018

The Minister of Diaspora summarized the results of his visits to Cyprus and the USA

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Lilit Nahapetian

Please find the attached press release of the Ministry of Diaspora.
Sincerely,
Media and PR Department:
( 374 10) 585601, internal 805
----------------------
Sincerely
Department of Press and Public Relations
( 374 10) 585601, extension 805

application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document

Armenian Assembly Completes Exceptionally Vibrant Internship Program in Washington, D.C.

August 21, 2018March 12, 2026 Jagharian Tania

———- Forwarded message ———
From: Armenian Assembly
Date: Mon, Aug 20, 2018 at 3:34 PM
Subject: Armenian Assembly Completes Exceptionally Vibrant Internship Program in Washington, D.C.
To:

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date:

Contact: Danielle Saroyan

Telephone: (202) 393-3434

Web: www.aaainc.org

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY COMPLETES EXCEPTIONALLY VIBRANT INTERNSHIP
PROGRAM IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Armenian Assembly of
America’s (Assembly) Washington, D.C. summer internship program ended on a high
note in a year that motivated interns experiencing an unusually rich calendar
of extraordinary events, such as the Centennial Celebration of Armenia’s First
Republic and the Smithsonian Folklife Festival Featuring “Armenia: Coming
Home.” This summer was especially valuable to our community’s next
generation of promising leaders. This year’s participants interacted with
government officials, policymakers, local leaders from various fields and
organizations, and internship program alumni.

Founded in 1977, the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program
in Washington. D.C. was the first internship program offered by an Armenian
organization in our nation’s capital, and has over 1,000 intern alumni. For
eight weeks each summer, the program gives college students of Armenian descent
an opportunity to learn about the policy-making process.

The Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program class of 2018
included:

·
Tamar Barsamian from Sherborn, Massachusetts attending Loyola
University of Maryland, interned at the Smithsonian Institute’s Center for
Folklife and Cultural Heritage.

·
Franklin Chelebian from Palos Verdes Estates, California attending
Chapman University, interned with Congressman Duncan Hunter (R-CA).

·
Catherine Conrow from Ross, California attending University of
California Berkeley, interned with Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA).

·
Ariana Cruickshank from Edgewater, New Jersey attending Ramapo
College, interned with Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ).

·
Artin DerSimonian from Kittery, Maine attending Champlain College,
interned at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the United States.

·
Robert George from Bethesda, Maryland attending Fairfield
University, interned at the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

·
David Karamardian from Newport Coast, California attending Duke
University, interned at Applied Predictive Technologies.

·
Victoria Khederian from Bloomfield Township, Michigan attending
University of Michigan, interned with Congressman Paul Mitchell (R-MI).

·
Alexander Keledjian from Los Angeles, California attending
Southwestern Law School, interned with Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-WI).

·
Aidan Mussalli from Glendale, California attending Glendale
Community College, interned with the Armenian National Institute (ANI).

·
Azniv Nalbandian from Andover, Massachusetts attending
Pennsylvania State University, interned at the Eurasia Foundation.

·
Nick Norian from Corte Madera, CA attending California Polytechnic
University, interned at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the United
States.

·
Lena Richardson from Shaker Heights, Ohio attending University of
Dayton, interned at the Armenian Assembly of America’s Public Affairs
Department.

·
Mireille Samra from Boca Raton, Florida attending Lynn University,
interned with Congressman Gus Bilirakis (R-FL).

·
Gurgen Tadevosyan from Yerevan, Armenia attending New York
University in Abu Dhabi, interned with the Armenian National Institute (ANI).

·
Lincoln Zaleski from Boston, Massachusetts attending the College
of William and Mary, interned with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA).

“As the summer comes to an end, so does my internship for
Armenian Caucus Co-Vice Chair Representative Gus Bilirakis. This internship was
invaluable and truly exceeded all of my expectations. I was able to learn so
much being in a fast-paced environment with an office of Floridians, who made
the office feel like home,” stated Mireille Samra.

Through the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program,
participants are offered extensive educational opportunities via the Capital
Ideas program, which provides interns a forum to ask questions to elected
officials about current topics, national and international. This summer’s
participants met with Senator Ed Markey (D-MA), Senator Chris Van Hollen
(D-MD), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Representative Ed Royce
(R-CA), Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and Rep.
Jackie Speier (D-CA), House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking
Member and Armenian Caucus Co-Vice Chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Armenian
Caucus Vice Co-Chair Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Rep.
Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), and the office of Rep. Brenda Lawrence
(D-MI).

With the backdrop of recent developments in Armenia, this summer’s
class had the unique opportunity to meet with Armenia’s President Armen
Sarkissian and First Lady Nouneh Sarkissian. In addition, Armenia’s First
Deputy Prime Minister Ararat Mirzoyan also met with the Armenian Assembly
summer internship participants and engaged in a conversation about democratic
developments in Armenia and the Velvet Revolution.

The group met and heard directly from Ambassador of Armenia to the
United States Grigor Hovhannissian and Artaskh (Nagorno Karabakh)
Representative to the United States Robert Avetisyan. These Representatives
offered their insights on the development and goals for the future, and held
in-depth conversations with the participants.

“The experience of working in Washington, D.C. this summer
with the Armenian Assembly of America was truly unmatched,” stated Lena
Richardson. “The opportunity to learn so much about U.S.-Armenia relations
in the nation’s capital through meeting with numerous prominent leaders and
professionals was a very unique experience, especially right after the Velvet
Revolution in Armenia. The Assembly provided us interns with unparalleled
experiences that taught us so much,” she added.

The students were in Washington, D.C. for an exceptional year,
including the chance to see Armenia featured on the National Mall as part of
the Smithsonian Institute’s 2018 Folklife Festival. They attended the Folklife
Festival’s narratives and talks about important topics, participated in traditional
dancing, and enjoyed the cooking demonstrations of food most familiar to them.

“Working at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival was really
touching and special to me. I had the opportunity to introduce Armenian culture
to everybody, both Armenian and non-Armenian, who came to visit Washington,
D.C. It was heartwarming to witness Americans learning about and appreciating
Armenian culture,” stated Tamar Barsamian.

As part of the Assembly’s Lecture Series, the intern class learned
about U.S. foreign policy toward Armenia and Artsakh. The Armenian Assembly
invites experts and leaders in their fields to review current political issues,
with a focus on the South Caucasus. This year’s group met with U.S. Department
of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection Program Manager Noris
Balabanian, Library of Congress Armenian and Georgian Specialist Dr. Levon
Avdoyan, Federal Communications Commission Attorney-Advisor and Armenian
Assembly intern alumna (class of 2002) Lauren Garry-Boggio, Eurasia Foundation
Program Manager Hrach Topalyan, American Jewish Committee (AJC) Political
Outreach Director Julie Fishman Ryman and Assistant Policy Director Benjamin
Rogers, and Armenian National Institute (ANI) Director Dr. Rouben Adalian.

The students explored Washington with special tours of the U.S.
Capitol, the Library of Congress, and the U.S. Department of State. They
attended hearings, briefings, and conferences, including the 22nd Vardanants
Day Lecture at the Library of Congress, the Congressional Briefing to
Commemorate the 44th Anniversary of the Illegal Turkish Invasion of Cyprus, The
Wilson Center’s Annual Haleh Esfandiari Forum: Protecting America’s Global
Leadership with Senator Chris Van Hollen, and more.

Following the success of last year’s week-long high school
internship pilot program, Colette Nishanian from Newport Beach, California and
Tiffany Martirossian from Ashburn, Virginia interned in the Armenian Assembly
of America’s office.

“Being interns at the Armenian Assembly of America, we are
provided with many opportunities to get a close look at what is happening in
our world today. We were also fortunate enough to visit the Library of Congress
and attend the 22nd Vardanants Day Armenian Lecture Series,” Nishanian and
Martirossian said. “Opportunities like this one, which we would not have
been given without the Armenian Assembly, occur once in a lifetime and are extremely
valuable in building our future careers,” they added.

The Armenian Assembly of America Summer Internship Programs – both
in Washington, D.C. and Yerevan, Armenia – have been celebrated and strongly
supported by the Armenian community with major gifts from the Richard Tufenkian
Memorial Fund, the John Hanessian Scholarship Fund, the Armen Astarjian
Scholarship Fund, the Ohanian Memorial Fund, Ann Hintlian, Ann Nahigian, James
and Connie Melikian, the Knights of Vartan, the Estate of Haig J. Boyadjian,
and the Estate of George Judge Karabedian (George Kay), as well as generous
contributions in memory of former Assembly Board Members Dr. Lionel Galstaun,
Peter Kezirian, and John O’Connor. In 2003, the Armenian Assembly’s Summer
Internship Program was renamed in honor of Aram and Florence Terjenian and
Annie Thomas after the announcement of their pace-setting $1 million donation to
the program.

“It has been an honor for me to coordinate the Armenian
Assembly of America’s Terjenian-Thomas Internship Program this summer. I am
very happy to have witnessed how rich the Armenian American community is with
the next generation of active and inquisitive students, and how passionate they
all are about strengthening U.S.-Armenia relations. These interns proved to be
wonderful young professionals, and all performed wonderfully at their
individual internship placements,” stated this summer’s internship program
coordinator, Milena Davtyan. She is a Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship
Program alumna (class of 2017) from Salt Lake City, Utah who attends the
University of Utah.

To find out more about the 2018 summer interns’ journey in
Washington, D.C., visit the Assembly’s Intern Blog, Facebook, Instagram, and
Twitter. Stay tuned for updates on the Armenian Assembly’s summer internship
program in Yerevan, Armenia!

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the
largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding
and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3)
tax-exempt membership organization.

###

NR#: 2018-037

Photo Caption 1: Some of the Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship
Program 2018 participants on Capitol Hill

Photo Caption 2: (Clockwise) Lincoln Zalenski and Senator Ed
Markey (D-MA); Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-MI) and Victoria Khederian; Ariana
Cruickshank and Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ); Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) and
Catherine Conrow; and Franklin Chelebian and Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA)

Photo Caption 3: (Clockwise) Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship
Program 2018 participants with Foreign Affairs Chairman Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA),
Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Jamie Raskin
(D-MD), Rep. Judy Chu (D-CA), and Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA)

Photo Caption 4: Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program 2018
participants with (top) Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian and First Lady
Nouneh Sarkissian and (bottom) Armenia’s First Deputy Prime Minister Ararat
Mirzoyan

Photo Caption 5: Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program 2018
participants enjoying the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall

Photo Caption 6: Terjenian-Thomas Assembly Internship Program 2018
participants with (top) Rep. Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and (bottom) Rep. Adam Schiff
(D-CA)

Photos available online

at: