Category: 2018

GLENDALE—Armenian American Museum officials welcomed Armenia’s Minister of Diaspora Mkhitar Hayrapetyan to the City of Glendale on his first official visit to the Los Angeles community.

The momentous meeting began with a presentation about the Armenian American Museum’s mission, program, and design by Museum Executive Chairman Berdj Karapetian and Architect Aram Alajajian. Karapetian discussed the Governing Board’s vision for a cultural and educational center that will be a community asset honoring the past, recognizing the present, and building the future. Alajajian discussed the inspiration for the Museum’s iconic design and its message of unity for the global Armenian community.

“We are honored to welcome the Minister of Diaspora to the City of Glendale and have an opportunity to present the Armenian American Museum project,” stated Executive Chairman Karapetian. “The Museum is going to play a vital role in empowering our next generation, building our community’s future, and strengthening our Diaspora.”

Museum officials and Minister of Diaspora Mkhitar Hayrapetyan discussed opportunities for collaboration and how the Museum and Ministry can work together to strengthen ties between the Diaspora and Armenia. The Minister expressed his excitement and support for the project and recognized the cultural and educational center’s importance for the community.

“It makes me truly proud to see such a beautiful project and vision for the community with the Armenian American Museum,” stated Minister Hayrapetyan. “The Ministry is excited and looking forward to collaborating and working together with the Museum to strengthen ties between the Diaspora and Armenia.”

The meeting concluded with a tour of the future site of the Armenian American Museum in Glendale Central Park.

The Minister’s visit comes on the eve of a major milestone for the historic project. The Glendale City Council is scheduled to consider the Museum’s design, environmental, and entitlements on July 31st and is anticipated to take its final vote on the Ground Lease Agreement in August.

The Armenian American Museum is a developing project in Glendale, CA with a mission to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Armenian American experience. The Museum will serve as a cultural campus that enriches the community, educates the public on the Armenian American story, and empowers individuals to embrace cultural diversity and speak out against prejudice.

The governing board of the Armenian American Museum consists of representatives from the following ten Armenian American institutions and organizations: Armenian Catholic Eparchy, Armenian Cultural Foundation, Armenian Evangelical Union of North America, Armenian General Benevolent Union – Western District, Armenian Missionary Association of America, Armenian Relief Society – Western USA, Nor Or Charitable Foundation, Nor Serount Cultural Association, Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America, and Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

ENCINO—“We are at the service of the Diaspora,” said Armenia’s new Diaspora Minister Mkhitar Hayrapetyan on Sunday during a luncheon at Ferrahian School’s Dickranian Hall where at the invitation of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western US Central Committee representatives of its sister and affiliate organization, welcomed the minister on his first official visit to Los Angeles.

Hayrapetyan was greeted with thunderous applause by the luncheon attendees that included representatives of the Armenian Relief Society, the Homenetmen, the Armenian Youth Federation, ARF Shant Student Association, the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region, the Hamazkayin, the Board of Regents of the Prelacy Armenian Schools, members of the L.A-based ARF Gomidehs, as well as representatives of the Prelacy, its Executive Council and the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia Central Executive Council.

Western Prelacy Vicar General Bishop Tokom Donyan led the luncheon in a prayer, following which ARF Western US Central Committee’s political chairman Avedik Izmirlian welcomed the minister.

I his brief remarks, Izmirlian stated that the ARF had called for the creation of a Diaspora Ministry since the early days of Armenia’s independence and pledged his organization’s support for the advancement of the mission and activities of the ministry under its new minister and staff.

He welcomed the changes sweeping Armenia after this spring’s Velvet Revolution and said that the government’s pledges to institute social justice and advance the people’s socio-economic status is not only a vital part of reforms needed in Armenia but are also key tenets of the ARF.

Izmirlian also stressed the need to steer Homeland-Diaspora relations in a direction that will benefit the entire Armenian Nation and in pledging the ARF’s and its affiliate organizations’ resources at the disposal of the ministry, underscored the ARF’s mission of strengthening Armenia’s statehood.

In his turn, Hayrapetyan stressed that the Diaspora Ministry’s main objective is to work with all organizations and individuals with the Diaspora, adding that the ministry wanted to become a resource for communities and individuals and to foster efforts in strengthening the institutions in the Diaspora.

Saying that the ministry will no longer be an institution that awards medals and accolades, in reference to his predecessor’s practice of such awards, Hayrapetyan highlighted the important work that needed to be done in various spheres in Diaspora communities, among them assessing how best to assist educational institutions in different Diaspora communities.

“We welcome your input and participation in all facets of work with the ministry. Our doors are open to all of you,” said Hayrapetyan.

He, however, did say that important data was lacking in contributing to the effective approaches needed for the ministry and expressed hope that in due time such critical information will be culled to enable both the ministry and the communities to effectively chart a collaborative course for activities.

Hayrapetyan said that he spoke on behalf of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and the entire Armenian government in expressing his gratitude to those gathered at the luncheon and the in general the Armenian-American community for its continues support of Armenia and the crucial role that it plays in advancement of the nation.

He said he was looking forward to meeting organizational representatives and individuals who are engaged in this process.

“We are willing to work with any organization and individual who are ready to roll up their sleeves and work to advance Armenia,” said Hayrapetyan.

Organizational representatives briefly discussed the mission of their organization’s and briefed the minister about the ongoing projects each group has undertaken in Armenia, all of them expressing hope to advance those efforts, with the support of the Diaspora Ministry and the people of Armenia.

YEREVAN—Attorneys for former president Robert Kocharian, who was arrested and remanded into custody Friday on charges of breaching Armenia’s Constitutional order, said during a press conference on Saturday at Erebuni Plaza that their client was innocent and the case against him does not make sense.

One of his attorneys, Ruben Sahakyan said during the press conference that the case against Kocharian was “legally illiterate,” adding that it was a directive. He, however, did not elaborate as to from where the so-called directive was emanating.
“It was clear that this was a directive that needed to be carried out,” Sahakyab said. “Who is the directive from? Naturally, I can’t say. I can assume, [but] to voice [it]—no. I believe the [real] culprits can be found the Prosecutor General’s Office, [and] the Armenia’s Special Inestigative Service.”

Another attorney, Aram Orbelyan, said the criminal case launched against Kocharian is not well developed.

“We cannot understand the charges brought against Kocharian. The material presented [to us] contain no proof. I am unable to understand the charge, there are some facts, then comes the Article 300.1 [breaching the constitutional order]. I cannot understand the specifics of the criminal offense so that we can defend or not to defend him. I cannot understand whether he is accused of using the army or declaring state of emergency. There is no concrete charge for us to assess whether it is a crime or not,”,Orbelyan said adding that the entire process is illegal.
Viktor Soghomonyan, Kocharian’s spokesperson said that the former president would be released soon.

“We haven’t committed any wrongdoing, Kocharyan has no sense of guilt. He returned to Armenia with a clear conscience, he didn’t avoid any of the processes,” said Soghomonyan.
Kocharian was called into the SIS for questioning on Thursday and when he showed up he was officially charged with colluding with others to breach Armenia’s Constitutional order. After a lengthy arraignment hearing Friday, he was arrested and remanded into pre-trial custody, where he will remain for two months.

In an unprecedented interview with Yerkir Media on Thursday Kocharian vowed that he will fight the charges “to the end,” calling them a politically motivated “vendetta.”

“I will go. I will sit [in jail] but I will fight this until the end,” a visibly shaken Kocharian told Yerkir Media’s Gegham Manoukyan in an exclusive interview that aired on the channel Thursday evening.

During the more than 47-minute interview, during which he continuously repeated himself, Kocharian called the charges a “political vendetta” by the current regime, saying “they have already determined who the guilty parties are and are searching for ways to make the charges stick.”

“When I see that people are skilled at inventing such fabrications, I realize that for them nothing is sacred. They are capable of anything,” said Kocharian who called the entire episode “judicial surrealism” and warned that it will have a lasting impact on Armenia and its judiciary.

Also charged with “breach of Constitutional Order” was Yuri Khachaturov, who during the March 1 events was head of the internal security forces, and currently serves as the executive director of the Collective Security Treaty Organization—the post-Soviet regional security group, of which Armenia is a member.

Khachaturov was also arrested Friday. He was released after posting a 5 million dram (approximately $10,000) bail.

Earlier this month, the SIS charged Armenia’s Defense Minister at the time Mikael Harutiunyan with the same offense.

On July 3, SIS charged that on February 23, 2008, Harutiunyan secretly and illegally ordered the army to help enforce the official vote results. Military units began moving in to Yerevan in the following days and were actively engaged in the ensuing crackdown that resulted in the 10 deaths.

The SIS statement at the time said that the “de facto martial law” regime created by the deployment of the army violated constitutional provisions guaranteeing the military’s neutrality.

“A number of high-ranking officials of the acting authorities, including Defense Minister Mikael Harutiunyan, carried out actions aimed at violently breaching the constitutional order in the Republic of Armenia,” read the SIS statement based on which the charges were brought against the 72-year-old Harutiunyan, who served as the Armed Forces chief of staff from 1994 to 2007, before being named defense minister by Kocharian.