Category: 2018

ArmenPress, Armenia

March 15 2018

Congressmen and ANCA representatives hail visit of Artsakh’s President to USA

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. In a first-ever visit to the U.S. Capitol by an Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) head of state, President Bako Sahakyan delivered a powerful pro-peace and prosperity message to the American people, thanking U.S. legislators for ongoing aid programs and encouraging continued U.S. leadership toward a durable, democratic resolution of outstanding Artsakh-Azerbaijan status and security issues, ARMENPRESS was informed from the official website of the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“Our people are building an independent, sovereign, democratic state and civil society,” said President Sahakyan. “We are committed to these ideas consciously. They have been inherited from generation to generation, constituting part and parcel of the Armenian civilization.”

Citing Artsakh’s democratic and economic progress over the past 25 years, President Sahakyan noted “Representatives of numerous countries, including the United States, who periodically visit Artsakh, carry out observation missions in various elections also point to our achievements registered on this path. Artsakh people have earned the right to become a full member of the international community and to be integrated into the civilized world.”

President Sahakyan concluded, noting “Washington has a tangible role in maintaining peace and stability in our region, peaceful and just settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict conducting its mediation mission as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk group. Cementing and deepening ties with the United States of America have always been and will remain among the fundamental directions of our foreign policy.”

“Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan’s visit to Washington, DC marks a major milestone in U.S.-Artsakh relations – representing both a clear rejection of Baku’s reckless bid to block bilateral dialogue and a bold reaffirmation of America and Artsakh’s shared commitment to open discourse as the only viable path to peace,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “As we’ve long said, Artsakh is a very American story, the victory of a free people over foreign rule. So it’s particularly meaningful that Artsakh’s head of state was – in the spirit of the bilateral U.S.-Artsakh Travel and Communication Resolution – so very warmly welcomed in our U.S. Capitol.”

The Artsakh briefing and reception on Capitol Hill featured Congressional participation by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA) and David Valadao (R-CA), Vice-Chair Adam Schiff (D-CA), and Representatives David Cicilline (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), and Brad Sherman (D-CA). They each welcomed the President and his delegation, which included Foreign Minister Masis Mayilian, Parliamentarians David Ishkhanian and David Melkoumyan, and the President’s Deputy Chief of Staff David Babayan. They were accompanied by Artsakh’s Representative in the United States, Robert Avetisyan. Also in attendance was Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Grigor Hovhannisian and his Embassy team.

Opening up the Congressional briefing, Rep. Pallone cited the importance of lifting artificial barriers to dialogue and travel to Artsakh. “When we were there (in Armenia) in September,” explained Rep. Pallone, “we were strongly urged by the Administration, by the State Department not to go to Artsakh, which I think is very wrong that they continue to do that. That is one of the reasons that we introduced this bill (H.Res.697) – to make it clear that travel and communications with Artsakh – even though it is not recognized by the United States – is very important.” Support for H.Res. 697, introduced in January, 2018, is growing with 12 cosponsors to date. Congressman Pallone went on to stress the importance continued visits to Artsakh as well as the continuation of U.S. assistance to Artsakh and the implementation of the Royce-Engel proposals for peace in the region.

Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Jackie Speier (D-CA), one of two Members of Congress of Armenian descent, announced that she would be leading a Congressional delegation to Armenia and Artsakh this year “to help everyone understand and appreciate what a grand and prosperous country it is and how important it is for Artsakh to be recognized as part of Armenia.”

Following the briefing, Rep. Schiff told the ANCA of the importance of implementing the Royce-Engel proposals. “That [the proposals], of course, are supported by Artsakh and Armenia but opposed by Azerbaijan, which has consistently been a belligerent and aggressor, but in the absence of that kind of deterrent, there is a grave risk that Azerbaijan may provoke a conflagration in the region,” said Rep. Schiff. “As Aliyev struggles with conflicts and unpopularity at home and spends billions on his military, there is a great temptation to use that, and we have to insist upon the peace as well as hold those who violate it accountable.”

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA), also of Armenian and Assyrian descent and from Rep. Speier’s neighboring district, spoke fondly of her trip to Armenia last September, and of her “Armenian family” present on Capitol Hill and across the United States, all dedicated to advancing pro-Armenia and Artsakh priorities.

During the Congressional luncheon and briefing, President Sahakyan announced the awarding of Presidential Medals of Gratitude to a number of U.S. legislators, including Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY), and Representatives David Cicilline, Jim Costa, Brad Sherman, Adam Schiff, and David Valadao. The Medal of Gratitude is awarded to individuals, organizations, and collectives for significant contribution in restoring and developing the economy, science, culture, social spheres of the NKR as well as for defending and promoting international recognition of the Republic.

After thanking President Sahakyan for the honor, Rep. Cicilline noted, “I know that the relationship between Artsakh and the United States is a strong and important one and we will continue to do everything we can to support the aspirations of your countrymen and women and be sure that they enjoy freedom and independence and self-determination.” He went on to praise the active efforts of the Armenian community in his state in support of Artsakh freedom and recognition. “Rhode Island was the first state in the country to recognize the independence of Artsakh,” said Rep. Cicilline, citing the efforts of ANC-Rhode Island leader Ani Haroian and his own staff member Lisa Sarkisian Tatarian.

Immediately after the briefing, Rep. Cicilline issued a separate statement marking the occasion of President Sahakyan’s visit, noting, “Since the fall of the Soviet Union, a new generation in Artsakh has grown up in freedom and under a democratic government of its own choosing. Artsakh has continued to strengthen its democracy, having held several parliamentary and presidential elections. Freedom House has consistently rated Artsakh more democratic than Azerbaijan.”

Rep. Sherman explained that “For 22 years I have served on the Foreign Affairs Committee – and Mr. President, this award is very important to me because one of the first things I did on the Committee was to introduce an amendment which would provide direct aid to the people of Artsakh. The State Department opposed it on the theory that it would be an implicit recognition of your independence. I thought, as they say in Silicon Valley, that’s not a bug, that’s a feature. And so, we secured $12 million to help people who needed help, who were suffering as a result of war and hostility – and we implicitly recognized the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh – now the Republic of Artsakh,” noting the important next step of explicitly recognizing Artsakh’s independence.

“It was a great honor to be the first member of Congress in over a decade to touch soil in Nagorno Karabakh and see it for myself,” said Central Valley California Congressman David Valadao (R-CA), who travelled to Artsakh in September, 2017, after having successfully spearheaded the Valadao Amendment securing $1.5 million in U.S. assistance for ongoing demining efforts through the HALO Trust. “I still remember driving around Nagorno Karabakh and seeing all the families, the kids outside their living lives. You hear on the outside of the shelling, the sniper fire and the rocket fire in such a small country but people are living their lives just like our families here. So the resilience, the strength, the courage, of so many people is amazing to see,” concluded Rep. Valadao.

“It was an honor to be awarded the Gratitude Medal by President Sahakyan today,” said Rep. Costa. We must continue to do all that we can to support the democratic independence of the Republic of Artsakh and the nation’s rightful exercise of self-determination.” On February 27th, Rep. Costa issued a powerful video statement marking the 30thanniversary of the Sumgait pogroms against Armenians. He was later joined by Representatives Pallone and Schiff in condemning the attacks and calling for justice for the victims.

President Sahakyan is on a week-long working visit to Washington, DC, where, in addition to meetings with Congressional leaders, he and his delegation will be meeting with media representatives and think tank experts.

English –translator/editor:Tigran Sirekanyan

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia

March 14, 2018 Wednesday

 

 

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, ARMENPRESS. A signing ceremony between Aleppo Compatriotic Charitable Organization (Aleppo-NGO) and the Embassy of Japan in Armenia took place on March 14 on the premises of the Aleppo Cuisine Center. The ceremony officially inaugurated a grant of $40,635 US dollars from the Embassy of Japan to Aleppo-NGO, allocated to cover the costs of construction work of Aleppo Cuisine Center’s facility, ARMENPRESS was informed from “ALEPPO” Compatriotic Charitable Organization.

 

The cuisine center is an employment-based social enterprise geared towards the economic integration of Syrian refugees in Armenia. After months of preparation, the center will open its doors around April 30, 2018 and begin serving delicious Middle Eastern dishes at its on-site dining facility. In addition, the center will offer catering and delivery services, and produce a wide array of frozen foods for distribution to grocery stores and restaurants across Armenia. The center’s employment program specifically focuses on supporting women, persons with developmental disabilities and other vulnerable Syrian community members.

 

The honorable guests of the opening ceremony included Eiji Taguchi, the Ambassador of Japan to Armenia, Ruzanna Zakaryan, representative of Yerevan Municipality, Christoph Bierwirth, Representative of UNHCR in Armenia, Lusine Stepanyan of Armenian Caritas, Karine Simonyan and Martin Hiebsch of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and correspondents of different media outlets. The ceremony commenced with the opening remarks of Mrs. Tsovik Paytaryan, Vice-President of Aleppo-NGO, who welcomed the guests to Aleppo Cuisine center and expressed her gratitude towards Eiji Taguchi and the Embassy of Japan in Armenia for their assistance in construction work of the premises. “On behalf of Syrian refugees in Armenia and Aleppo-NGO, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the people of Japan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo, Ambassador Taguchi and the entire staff of the Embassy of Japan in Armenia for their generous support for the creation of Aleppo Cuisine,” said Sarkis Balkhian, executive director of Aleppo-NGO.

 

“I hope Armenia can one day reach Japan’s high levels of economic, technological and, most importantly, human development standards and emulate Japan’s Grassroots Human Security Project grant program by supporting other nations in need.” Following Mr. Balkhian’s address, Ambassador Taguchi expressed his excitement to cooperate with Aleppo-NGO within the framework of Aleppo Cuisine. “On behalf of the Japanese Government I am glad to be here at the signing ceremony of Aleppo Cuisine Center. I am very pleased that we can contribute to the improvement of the lives of refugees in Armenia in cooperation with GIZ and other stakeholders, and follow UNHCR’s recommendation. It is important to note that the Japanese government also supports Syrian refugees in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon. But our support for Aleppo Cuisine’s unique business model will be a new experience for us. I hope this project is successfully implemented.” In celebrating this occasion, Balkhian gave a brief introduction to Aleppo Cuisine center and highlighted its unique approach towards easing the financial burden of Syrian refugees in Armenia.

 

The project’s innovations include its focus on women and individuals with developmental disabilities, its commitment to offering flexible working hours to refugees with family obligations, and its re-investment of 100% of profits into humanitarian relief programs and new job-creation for vulnerable populations. The center hopes to employ 70-90 Syrian refugees within the first 5 years of operation and aims to alleviate growing and acute poverty amongst Syrian households by providing secure employment with strong wage-earning potential, paired with skill acquisition and advanced training to strengthen upward mobility. Mr. Balkhian closed by acknowledging and thanking the partners and supporters of Aleppo-NGO who have thus far contributed to the establishment of Aleppo Cuisine center. The purchase of Cuisine’s real estate property was made possible by the Parish Council of St. Kevork Armenian Apostolic Church in Houston, Texas, and in large part, thanks to its then-Chairman Mr. Vreij Kolandjian, as well as generous donations from Dr. Robert and Mrs. Nyree Österbauer-Tanielian and other anonymous donors. The German Development Agency (GIZ) has allocated high-quality kitchen equipment and supplies for the Aleppo Cuisine in addition to technical training for the center’s future staff.

 

Since 2013, Aleppo-NGO has served to protect, support, and empower more than 6,100 Syrian refugees in Armenia; develop and implement sustainable programs such as Aleppo Cuisine to contribute to their settlement and integration; and ensure the protection of refugees in the social, cultural, economic, and educational spheres.

 

The Aleppo Cuisine Center aims to support the self-realization of the war affected Syrians refugees with disabilities in the civic life in Armenia. The center will allocate 100% of its net profit towards the provision of humanitarian assistance and the creation of further employment opportunities for Syrians refugees and other vulnerable populations in Armenia.

 

English –translator/editor:Tigran Sirekanyan

Impact News Service

March 14, 2018 Wednesday

 

 

Washington: Office of the MP Adam Schiff has issued the following news release:  

 

Last week, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Vice-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, submitted a statement to the Congressional Record honoring the lives of those lost in the pogrom thirty years ago.

 

Schiff’s full statement is below:

  

“Mr. Speaker, I rise to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the pogrom against the Armenian residents of the town of Sumgait, Azerbaijan. On February 27 1988, and for three days following, Azerbaijani mobs assaulted and killed Armenians. The violence left hundreds of Armenian civilians dead and injured, women and girls were raped, and some victims were burned alive. Thousands were forced to flee their homes, leaving behind their belonging.

 

“The pogroms came about as the result of years of vicious, racist anti-Armenian propaganda by Azerbaijani authorities, dehumanizing Armenians. Azerbaijan authorities made little effort to punish those responsible, instead attempting to cover up the atrocities in Sumgait to this day, and denying the government role in instigating the killings. Indeed, even today, racist propaganda against Armenia and Armenians is prevalent in Azerbaijan.

 

“The assault on ethnic Armenian civilians in Sumgait helped touch off what would become a direct conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan which took thousands of lives and dislocated millions more. The anniversary of Sumgait is a reminder of the consequences when aggression and hatred grow unchecked.

 

“Mr. Speaker, this April we will mark the 103rd Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, an event the Turkish government, Azerbaijan’s closest ally, goes to great lengths to deny. We must not let such crimes against humanity go unrecognized, whether they occurred yesterday or 30 years ago or 100 years ago. Today, let us pause to remember the victims of the atrocities of the Sumgait pogroms. Mr. Speaker, it is our moral obligation to condemn crimes of hatred and to remember the victims, in hope that history will not be repeated.”

ArmenPress, Armenia

March 15 2018

Armenia to present very best of cuisine, crafts in debut participation at Folklife Festival in Washington, USA

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. Armenia will participate for the first time in the annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington D.C., USA, due in summer.

Participants are currently in the active phase of preparations for the event.

Ethnographer Levon Abrahamyan, corresponding member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, who is in charge of coordinating the country’s participation in the upcoming US festival, told ARMENPRESS they are doing their best for delivering a top level participation of Armenia.

The Smithsonian Institution is organizing the Folklife Festival for 50 years. In addition to Armenia as a first time participant in the event, Catalonia will also mark its debut in the festival.

“Folklife isn’t an ordinary exhibition festival, it presents in a live style the household life, crafts, cuisine and other aspects of the given country. Various themes and directions are features each year. The main character this year is the master, through whom the crafts, traditions and cuisine will be displayed, by maintaining the tie with the past. The idea is how the crafts have been preserves and passed on to generations,” Abrahamyan said.

The program of Armenia’s participation has the following idea behind it – From Nature To Home.

Pottery, wood craft, carpet weaving and cross-stone art will be presented.

“By the way, all of this will not simply be displayed. The cross-stone artist will show his work during the entire process, and will finish his work on spot. We also plan to have a blessing ceremony of that cross-stone. Blacksmiths will also show their crafts. Carpet weavers will make several types of carpets,” he said.

Syrian-Armenians will display embroidery crafts.

Cuisine is also an important component of Armenia’s participation in the festival. Organizers spare no effort to present the very best of Armenian cuisine at the event.

Visitors will have the chance to see how lavash is being made, and taste the well-known Armenian bread. Pakhlava, cheese, dolma, dried fruits, wine and many other Armenian cuisine specials will be presented.

“The festival will begin June 27 and run through July 8. July 4th is Independence Day in the US, and usually a large number of visitors arrive in Washington. Estimates show that half a million visitors come to the festival on an average basis,” Abrahamyan said, stressing that Armenia’s participation is very important in terms of developing tourism.

The government of Armenia allocated 49 million drams from the reserve fund for the country’s participation in the event.

English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan

ArmenPress, Armenia

March 15 2018

Superman actor Dean Cain highlights need for recognition of Armenian Genocide in Israel

YEREVAN, MARCH 15, ARMENPRESS. American actor, producer and TV show host Dean Cain, who is in Israel these days, highlighted the need to call the Armenian Genocide what it was in an interview to The Jerusalem Post, Armenpress reports.

Cain said he wouldn’t tell a foreign country what to do, but he hopes every government would recognize the Armenian Genocide, because “it’s a historic fact.”

“I do understand the political ramifications in the US – it’s because we have diplomatic relations with Turkey. For anyone who studies genocide or history, it’s very clear the genocide took place. It’s not the people of Turkey today who did it, or even the government… It was horrible – call it what it was,” Cain said.

Dean Cain recently co-produced Architects of Denial, a film about the Armenian Genocide, for which he was awarded the Order of Armenia.

In Israel he already met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In a video Netanyahu posted on Facebook, Cain, who starred as Clark Kent in Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, is seen calling the prime minister “the real Superman”.

English –translator/editor: Aneta Harutyunyan

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia

Friday

 

 

 

 

Yerevan March 16

 

Ani Mshetsyan. The National Library of Estonia hosted the opening of the exhibition “Armenia on the most ancient maps” on March 14.

 

The event was attended by high-ranking officials from Estonia, public, political and cultural figures, ambassadors accredited in Estonia, journalists and representatives of the Armenian community.

 

As the RA Ambassador to Estonia Tigran Mkrtchyan noted, the purpose of the exhibition is to present the ancient history of Armenia to the international community. “These maps show the era of the country’s recession and upsurge,” Mkrtchyan said. The ambassador condemned “encroachments” on the history of Armenia on the part of neighboring states. Mkrtchyan also said that the state, which arose on the political map of the world 100 years ago, is now trying to distort the history of Armenia, and such actions must be condemned.

 

Expert Ruben Galichian, presenting the maps, noted that in the world libraries and museums there are 60 different maps, on which Armenia is represented throughout its history. “Of course, it is impossible to imagine the history of the country solely with the help of maps, at the same time, it is possible to visually perceive its history,” Galichian said.

 

The exhibition, organized with the assistance of the Estonian National Library and the Union of Armenians of Estonia, will be open until April 4.

 

PanArmenian, Armenia

Ahval

Anadolu Agency (AA) Turkey

March 14, 2018 Wednesday

 

Ali Hasanov says Turkey’s Afrin operation in Syria is a ‘rightful combat’ against terrorists

 

 

By Ruslan Rehimov

BAKU, Azerbaijan

 

Azerbaijan’s Deputy President Ali Hasanov on Wednesday supported Turkey’s ongoing Operation Olive Branch in Syria’s Afrin region, calling it a “rightful combat”.

 

“We view the combat against terrorists as Turkey’s rightful combat. We consider the combat as a fight against threats to Turkey’s territorial integrity and security,” Hasanov said during a meeting with Anadolu Agency Director General Senol Kazanci and TRT Director General Ibrahim Eren in Baku.

 

Kazanci and Eren arrived in the Azeri capital along with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim to attend the 6th Global Baku Forum.

 

On Jan. 20, Turkey launched Operation Olive Branch to clear YPG/PKK-Daesh terrorists from Afrin, northwestern Syria.

 

According to the Turkish General Staff, the operation aims to establish security and stability along Turkey’s borders and the region as well as to protect Syrians from the oppression and cruelty of terrorists.

 

Speaking about a motion passed in the Dutch parliament supporting Armenian allegations about the events of 1915, calling them a “genocide”, Hasanov said: “We told them it would be better to discuss an event which actually took place, such as the Khojaly Massacre, rather than bringing a non-existent event to the agenda of the parliament.”

 

The Khojaly Massacre is regarded as one of the bloodiest and most controversial incidents of the war between Armenia and Azerbaijan for control of the now-occupied Upper Karabakh region.

 

On the heels of dissolution of the then Soviet Union, Armenian forces took over the town of Khojaly in Karabakh on Feb. 26, 1992, after battering it with heavy artillery and tanks, assisted by an infantry regiment.

 

When the massacre happened, the population of the town was more than 11,000.

 

The two-hour offensive killed 613 Azerbaijani citizens, including 116 women and 63 children and critically injured 487 others, according to Azerbaijani figures. One hundred and fifty of the 1,275 Azerbaijanis that the Armenians held during the massacre remain missing.

 

Asserting the presence of a smear campaign on social media against Turkey and Azerbaijan, he said: “We must combat these activities together. We must further enhance the cooperation between our diasporas.

 

“Our media organizations must enhance cooperation. I welcome the activities of Anadolu Agency and TRT. The more we enhance our cooperation the stronger we are.”

 

Kazanci, for his part, asserted that Anadolu Agency does not separate the developments in Azerbaijan from the ones in Turkey.

 

He said: “We closely follow the matters such as the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the 100th anniversary of the Republic, as well as the visits of state officials.

 

“The matters that are sensitive to Azerbaijan are also affect us,” Kazanci added.

 

Eren expressed solidarity with Azerbaijan and said TRT is preparing news and programs on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Republic.

 

*Merve Aydogan contributed to this story from Baku

 

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