Press: Why did Karen Karapetyan return to Armenia?

  • 01.02.2019
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  • Armenia:
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VERELQ presents the most notable publications of the Armenian press.


“Right” the newspaper writes. “Former Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Karen Karapetyan was sent to Armenia. According to the information we have, his return is not accidental, the Russian authorities hope that he will resolve the disputes with the Armenian authorities regarding the price of gas. By the way, according to the rumors, besides this, it also has other goals. He does not come to terms with the idea that he is leaving Armenia for the second time leaving his position half-finished, while he announced that it would not be like that. Therefore, he is trying not to be left out of the Armenian political processes, with whom he is in a team, it is not yet known.”


“time” the newspaper writes. “There is serious dissatisfaction among the employees of the tax service of Armenia, head of the SRC From Davit Ananyan: 2018 was the only year when tax service employees were not paid bonuses. We are talking about rank-and-file and mid-level employees of the service. Before the New Year, Ananyan cut about 130 people from the system, thereby creating an atmosphere of fear among employees, and distributed the entire bonus fund between himself and his relatives. It is natural that ordinary employees cannot rebel against their boss, but it is a fact that there is a deep hatred towards him in the institution he leads.”


“time” the newspaper writes. “Guardian of the Ararat cement factory Arrival Sargsyanhas become a real threat and headache for the factory employees and the people of Ararat. Enjoying the factory owner’s Gagik Tsarukyan confidence – he became the “problem solver” at the factory. Anyone who does not obey his whims or whom he “doesn’t like” is dismissed from work, threatened with reprisals if they complain. The cement factory is the only place of work in Ararat, where those who are fired without reason end up unemployed on the street. Galust Sargsyan’s wife recently managed to convince Tsarukyan to close the kindergarten for the children of the factory workers, whose director she was fired from.


“People” the newspaper writes: “Mothers of soldiers who died in peaceful conditions protested again, claiming that the law enforcement system is not doing anything to reveal the crimes. Moreover, they declare that the former Prosecutor General of RA has a major role in covering up these cases Gevorg Kostanyan. In the conversation with “Zhoghovurd” daily, Kostanyan claimed that the cases suspended during his tenure were reopened, and an officer was even convicted in one of them. At the same time, Kostanyan made a remarkable comment about the criticisms directed at him. “You should think about why the arrows are pointing at me, because I don’t understand, I don’t want to go with the assumption that some people want to use this circumstance to discredit me. I haven’t been the Attorney General for three years, so why haven’t the cases been solved? And one more thing: I was appointed a military prosecutor in 2011, and these cases are 1, 5, 10 years before my appointment. I didn’t have an unsolved case, you make the rest of the conclusions.”


“Realist” the newspaper writes. “Along with the structural discussions of the government Nikol Pashinyan The issue of changing the Prosecutor General is also included in the upcoming plans. We were informed about this by a government source. The ground is also being prepared for this, news about the bad work of the prosecutor’s office, bribery from within the government itself is regularly circulated. After the change of power, Nikol Pashinyan could not manage this change immediately, because he did not have the appropriate votes in the parliament. Let’s remind that 3/5 of the votes of the deputies, that is, 79 votes, are needed for the election of the Prosecutor General. This means that having a majority in the parliament – 88 deputies – Pashinyan can Arthur Davtyan easily replaced by any of his teammates.”


“People” the newspaper writes: “Yesterday Prime Minister of RA Nikol Pashinyan President of the Republic Armen Sargsyan presented the recommendation on the pardon petitions. In general, let’s note that the topic of pardon is the most discussed recently, especially the life sentence Mher Enokyanwithin the framework of the case, because supporters are actively fighting for his release. And here, a proposal related to Mher Enokyan was also sent to the president. No government agency details the exact decision that was made. According to the press service of the president, the president signed the relevant decree without objections. In any case, it is not clear whether Nikol Pashinyan proposed to forgive or not to forgive Mher Enokyan. According to the circulating news, the offer to pardon Yenokyan was rejected. Let’s add that those decisions have already been sent to the Ministry of Justice, however the latter’s news service told the “Zhoghovurd” daily that they will make a statement in this regard only today and cannot reveal other details. At the same time, “Zhoghovurd” newspaper received reliable information that the prime minister has clearly instructed all relevant departments to carefully study all the cases, discuss them from many angles and then present them to the prime minister so that the public does not have any doubts or other questions in this regard. Nikol Pashinyan put that question very clearly.”


“Publication” the newspaper writes. “The Armenian broadcasting field is in the process of reorganization. For a long time, they were talking about selling the H3 TV station, but they answered us that they have no such intention, but it is possible for the “management” of the house. “Ararat” JSC, transformed into the 5th channel, is being seriously re-equipped. Some do not rule out that the TV company will be subjected to “sanctions” for its one-sided, biased “reporting” by the Armenian National Congress, whose president was the former editor of “Hayk” newspaper Tigran Hakobyan. TV 5, located in the “black” building of the RPA, will be moved to a new, renovated area – “Erebuni Plaza” after being re-equipped. Kocharyan the media “empire” associated with the name gathers under one roof. Until the end of the month, the “Armnews” TV station, which has been equipped with the latest technology and expanded its coverage area, will also start its activities, which is going to provide only news (only that function is written in the license) with the “logic” of CNN. In other words, every hour, with 24-hour broadcasting. To remind, these works are carried out by the “Quartet” of former MPs who broke away from the RPA: Samvel Farmanyan, Karen Bekaryan, Arman Saghatelyan, Mihran Hakobyan composition”.


“Fact” the newspaper writes. “As it is known, a respectable delegation of RPA representatives left for Germany the other day. It is noteworthy that this visit coincided with the Prime Minister Pashinyanwith a visit to Germany. According to our sources, this is not a coincidence. According to the source of the newspaper, the members of the RPA present the internal political situation of Armenia during their meetings in Germany. On the other hand, the visit is related to the upcoming reforms and modernization process in the party, in other words, rebranding. According to some reports, the Republicans want to apply the German experience of parties. The members of the RPA, taking advantage of the opportunity, also talked about the issues arising from the interests of RA during the meetings. In particular, there were discussions about the ratification of the RA-EU agreement in the Bundestag. according to our information, it will take place by September of this year. The next issue raised by RPA members is related to visa liberalization with Germany. According to our source, the German partners emphasized that it is still too early to talk about this problem, because the European Parliament elections are expected in the near future, and, as we know, migration issues are very acute in Europe, and it is quite risky to manipulate them during the pre-election period.


“time” the newspaper writes. The “Bright Armenia” faction of the National Assembly has come forward with a legislative initiative, proposing to amend the NA Rules of Procedure and add a provision according to which the ambassadors of the Republic of Armenia and/or the heads of diplomatic missions accredited to foreign countries and international organizations, after being nominated, meet with the members of the NA Foreign Relations Committee before being appointed. Such meetings may also take place after their appointment in the course of their work. This is an accepted order in many democracies of the world and is meant to ensure parliamentary control over diplomatic missions.”

Armenia has become more visible and more audible for the civilized world. Pashinyan

  • 01.02.2019
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  • Armenia:
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 17

As part of his official visit to Germany, RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with representatives of the German-Armenian community and local community structures in the presbytery of the German Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Cologne.


Prime Minister Pashinyan, welcoming the attendees, specifically noted:


“It is a great honor for me to be in the Presbytery of the Diocese of Germany of the Armenian Apostolic Church today. Basically, we can say that Cologne is the capital of the Armenian community in Germany, and it is no coincidence that we start our official visit from this city.


It is a great pleasure for me to have the opportunity of such a meeting today, and I want to emphasize what a major change has taken place in Armenia, around Armenia and in the relations between Armenia and the world.


I can say the following. After the famous changes, the Republic of Armenia has become more visible and more audible to the civilized world. This is indeed a reality. sometimes a little uncomfortable situation arises for me, when representatives of various powerful civilized countries of the world directly say during discussions and contacts with us that we have a lot to learn from you. This is, of course, a very strange expression, and to be honest, sometimes I don’t know how to behave because the situation is awkward. ? But by and large, when one, two, three, four such phrases are repeated, I think we should not hesitate to record. yes’, we have problems in many areas, but there is one area in which we are truly considered a leading country in the world today. it is the sphere of building a society free of violence and achieving changes without violence, where we can say that we are a leading country in the world, yes.


Today, political change and keeping public life in general free of violence is one of the greatest challenges that exists in the world, and today the world recognizes that we have achieved great success in this area. I want to emphasize that I am not saying this as a reason to brag or be arrogant, but so that we can record this situation and with this every representative of our people and we as a collective have more confidence in the way of building our future, our homeland, our state.


Today we can record that we are on the way to or already are at least in the family of civilized nations. We say this not to be arrogant, as Paruyr Sevak rightly stated at one time, and we are faithful to that formula today: we do not prefer ourselves to anyone, but we must also state that we really have something to say and do in the modern world. That action is positive, carries universal logic, and what is said and done is interesting to the world and civilization.


This is a very important record, and I think that what happened could not have happened with the efforts of a single group, individual, party. This is the result of our nationwide efforts that we have been able to invest in the process of putting our country on a great path of transformation. We showed an unprecedented example of nationwide cooperation in April-May, and in fact, every Armenian contributed to the changes that took place in the Republic of Armenia.


And, finally, I am very happy to record that for the first time in the Republic of Armenia, parliamentary elections were held, the free, fair, legality of which is not disputed not only by the international community, but also within Armenia, for the first time we had elections, the results of which are not contested in the Constitutional Court.


These are indeed important changes, but we face an even greater challenge. We need political changes to be transformed into economic changes, to move from a political revolution to an economic revolution, so that the level of social protection, economic activity and well-being of people in our country continuously increases. This is our mission, and this is not the task of an individual party, individual, or even the government. This is a nationwide thing to do, and I am convinced that our people have enough potential to continuously strengthen and strengthen their homeland and international to occupy a larger and more permanent place among civilized nations and states in society.


I hope that we will really be able to use the potential that we have created for the sake of our national dreams and goals and to bring our next and no less important meaning to the modern and future civilization.


Long live freedom, long live the Republic of Armenia, long live us and our children who live and will live in a free and happy Armenia.”


Referring to the vision of the economic revolution, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan presented the government’s approach to this issue. “Our idea has not changed, it has remained the same. just as the political revolution was not possible and could not be carried out without the participation of every citizen, the economic revolution will not be carried out without the participation of our compatriots, citizens. How did we carry out the political revolution? we created an opportunity for every citizen to express his position and we guaranteed that the moment the RA citizens, the majority of the public, will register and show their position, will do their part to bring about changes, we guarantee that these changes will happen. The same applies to the economic revolution, where every person is required to be willing to contribute to the economic revolution.


The modern world, modern Armenia is even more a country of opportunities, and our greatest task is to realize these opportunities, to make them realistic. Who changes the world, who changes reality? that’s what people do. The 21st century is the time of people who believe in their own power. Now is the time for us and our people to believe in their own strength.”


Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan answered the questions of representatives of the German-Armenian community and community structures, which were related to the negotiation process of the Artsakh conflict settlement, structural changes related to the Ministry of Diaspora, Armenia’s energy security, activities of the Armenian community in Germany, etc.


In particular, referring to the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Prime Minister Pashinyan said. “I have announced several times from the podium of the National Assembly and said: why is everyone asking us whether we are ready for compromises or not? And who said that we are the primary subject answering that question? Why doesn’t anyone ask Azerbaijan if they are ready to compromise or not? And therefore I have said several times publicly that we will not answer that question until Azerbaijan does not answer.”


In response to the question regarding the Ministry of Diaspora, Nikol Pashinyan informed. “The staff of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia will have a special assignment ambassador for the Diaspora, who will be the representative of the Prime Minister’s staff in relations with the Diaspora. Our understanding is as follows: the functions of the Ministry of Diaspora should be redistributed. The Ambassador with Special Assignments will have nothing to do except gather Diaspora-related issues, propose solutions, and implement those solutions through the Prime Minister. Therefore, we have thought of allocating the functions of the Ministry of Diaspora according to branch ministries, and having an ambassador with special assignments in relations with the Diaspora, who will work in the Prime Minister’s office under the direct supervision of the Prime Minister.


Our whole aim of optimizing the composition of the government is that every function should be handled by one body. For example, the Ministry of Diaspora always sent textbooks for Armenian educational centers abroad, but the training of Diaspora teachers was carried out by the Ministry of Education and Science. And we very often have situations when teachers are trained under the program of one ministry and receive textbooks from another ministry. It turns out that the use of that textbook and the training of teachers becomes ineffective. The Ministry of Education should be the one dealing with the issue of education. of these circumstances As a result, we have one policy of Armenian education in the Diaspora, and another in Armenia. The same is the case in the field of culture,” the Prime Minister said, emphasizing that the cornerstone of the policy should be bringing the identity of the Diaspora and the Armenians of Armenia closer together.

Nikol Pashinyan will leave for Iran on an official visit

  • 01.02.2019
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  • Armenia:
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1
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RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will leave for the Islamic Republic of Iran on an official visit on February 27. The Prime Minister announced this during a meeting with the Armenian community in Cologne. 

To remind, these days the delegation headed by Pashinyan is in Germany. A meeting with the Chancellor of Germany is scheduled today Angela Merkel with

A Dutch Protestant church ends 24/7 service protecting Armenian asylum-seekers from deportation – Government will review the decision

A Dutch Protestant church ends 24/7 service protecting Armenian asylum-seekers from deportation – Government will review the decision

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19:10,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. A Dutch Protestant church has ended a non-stop service that started in October to protect a family of Armenian asylum-seekers from deportation after the government announced changes to its immigration policy, ARMENPRESS reports, citing The New York Times.

The Bethel Church, a small chapel in a Hague residential neighborhood, announced the end of the 24-7 service Wednesday, a day after the Dutch ruling coalition announced it will review hundreds of asylum applications by children that previously were rejected.

Church official Theo Hettema said in a statement that “we are incredibly grateful for a safe future in the Netherlands for hundreds of refugee families.”

The round-the-clock church service began Oct. 26 to protect the Tamrazyan family — parents, their two daughters and a son. Dutch law prohibits authorities from entering a church building while a service is underway.

John Bolton, Ilham Aliyev discuss NK conflict settlement

John Bolton, Ilham Aliyev discuss NK conflict settlement

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19:22,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. US President Donald Trump’s national security advisor John Bolton has announced that he discussed with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev the issue of Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.

“Today I spoke with President Aliyev of Azerbaijan. We discussed a number of shared interests, including energy security, security cooperation, and U.S. support for a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict”, ARMENPRESS reports Bolton tweeted.

Earlier, on January 23, he had a telephone conversation with Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan, during which he congratulated Pashinyan on being elected Prime Minister. Pashinyan announced after the conversation that they did not discuss Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement issue.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan




Armenia "continues working in direction of acquiring” SU-SM30 fighter aircraft

Armenia “continues working in direction of acquiring” SU-SM30 fighter aircraft

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22:54,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is working in the direction of purchasing Russian SU-30SM multi-role fighter aircraft, defense ministry spokesperson Artsrun Hovhannisyan told ARMENPRESS.

“Yes, we are working in this direction, but I won’t [disclose] anything specific,” Hovhannisyan said.

When asked to specify whether or not the aircraft have been purchased already, Hovhannisyan said : “Purchasing will happen when the [fighter aircraft] will be in Armenia and will be displayed”.

Earlier unconfirmed media reports said that the acquisition process of the SU-30SMs has been completed.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan





“Armath” proposes to issue securities which will bring additional benefits to state

“Armath” proposes to issue securities which will bring additional benefits to state

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09:18,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS. The Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) has initiated and is implementing for already several years the introduction of “Armath” engineering laboratories in the schools of Armenia and Artsakh. As of January, 2016, 252 engineering laboratories-groups, including nearly 6.300 children, are operating across Armenia. The “Armath” laboratories enable the students to master principles with mathematics and exact sciences, engineering, programming and robotics basics, project and manage UAVs.

UATE Executive Director Karen Vardanyan told Armenpress that this program is unprecedented. It launched in 2014 and gained a broad international recognition within a short period of time. “Armath” received awards at WITSA Global Excellence Award as a Sustainable Development program. A number of countries (India, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Namibia, Mongolia and Spain) are negotiating with the UATE to introduce the Armath laboratories in their schools.

“”Armath” has become an Armenian high-technology educational brand which acquires great recognition all over the world. Today there is an international competition not only between the universities, specialists, but also schools. Armenia has acquired major experience in teaching engineering subjects at schools, and this is the main knowledge we are going to export as Armenia’s educational brand”, he said.

Karen Vardanyan noted that the “Armath” laboratories have proved their effectiveness in a short period of time. He presented the results of the analysis by the Grant Thornton according to which the net present cost of one group is 254 million drams.

“The internal rate of the profitability of one group is estimated 88%. In case of introduction in Armenia’s 1200 schools, the net present cost of all groups will comprise 298 million drams. Taking into account the direct effect of the operating groups only, the impact of the economic animator can be 2.3 times more. The research showed that 84% of the “Armath” graduates have been admitted to the university. 39% of them is also working in line with the study, 4% are only working. 45% of those employed are engaged in the programming sector, 12% have set up a startup, 29% are involved in other activities of IT sphere. The rest carry out engineering and technical works. 37% of the students is a potential employee of the IT sector after graduation”, he said.

The UATE, based on the Grant Thornton’s research, has developed a business plan which has calculated what economic impact the introduction of “Armath” in all, 1250 schools will have on the Republic, how much tax entries will be ensure, in how many years the “Armath” will bring the invested money back and etc.

“Summing up all this it becomes clear that the program will bring the money invested for it back within three years. The UATE calculations have also been checked by the Central Bank’s specialists who expressed their satisfaction and stated that there is even less calculation for “Armath’s” impact on the country’s GDP growth”, Karen Vardanyan said.

The UATE has applied to the government with the request to issue 5-6-year-old “Armath” securities worth 15 billion which will bring over 60 billion AMD benefit to the state.

“By this we are showing that education is the most profitable sector, and by this program we not only raise the level of education of the children, but also bring addition benefit to the state by ensuring Armenia’s international competitiveness. We hope that by the introduction of this program we will be able to restore the technological level and reputation Armenia had during the Soviet Union within 5-6 years and view Armenia as one of the most leading countries on the technology map”, Karen Vardanyan said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Armenian PM’s official visit to Germany kicks off from Cologne with multiple meetings ahead

Armenian PM’s official visit to Germany kicks off from Cologne with multiple meetings ahead

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09:57,

COLOGNE, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS. Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan’s official visit to Germany has kicked off in the city of Cologne. The PM’s aircraft landed at the Cologne airport late Thursday evening, ARMENPRESS’s Anna Gziryan reports from the German city.

Pashinyan has a rather busy agenda from early morning today with multiple meetings.

The PM will have a meeting with KfW’s Director for Eastern Europe Olaf Zymelka, followed by a visit to the Cologne Technical University where a meeting with the academic staff is expected. The Cologne Technical University and the Armenian National Polytechnic University are expected to sign a memorandum of cooperation.

Next, the PM will visit the Cologne City Hall to have a meeting with Mayor Henriette Reker.

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Minister for Federal, European and International Affairs Stephan Holthoff-Pförtner will host an official dinner in honor of the Armenian PM.

The PM will then visit the Cologne Cathedral and then the Primacy of the Diocese of Germany of the Armenian Apostolich Church. A meeting with the local Armenian community is also scheduled.

Then, the Armenian delegation, which also includes FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, will visit Berlin. A dinner with Members of Parliament is planned.

The Armenian PM will have meetings with President of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel and President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Schäuble.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Asbarez: Community Bands Together to Condemn Hate Crimes at Armenian Schools

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer addressed a press conference at Ferrahian School’s Avedissian Hall on Jan,. 29. (Photo by Garin Kevoian)

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

“It is the equivalent of putting a Nazi swastika on the side of a Jewish school.” This is how Los Angeles City Councilmember Paul Koretz described the hanging of Turkish flags on Tuesday morning on the premises of the Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School in Encino and the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School in Canoga Park, which law enforcement officials are calling a hate crime and a hate incident.

Koretz, whose district includes the Ferrahian school, was speaking at a press conference on Tuesday evening at the school’s Avedissian Hall, organized by the Armenian Genocide Committee, a grouping of more than 18 community organizations and churches, which has been working together since 2015, primarily to organize the March for Justice for the Armenian Genocide protests at the Turkish Consulate on April 24.

More than 200 community activists, school faculty, staff and students, representatives of organizations and churches, as well as city and law enforcement officials came together Tuesday evening to be briefed on the incidents, which sent shockwaves through the community and created unease and concern on the campuses of two prominent Armenian schools in the Los Angeles area.

Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School Principal Sossi Shanlian speaks to reporters about the hate crime on the school campus on Jan. 29.

Officials of Ferrahian and Manoogian-Demirdjian schools arrived at the school premises early Tuesday morning to find the buildings covered with Turkish flags. The administrations at both schools immediately went into action to first protect the safety of the student bodies and also report the incidents, which, upon investigation, were being treated as hate crimes by the Los Angeles Police Department. Things were back to normal at both schools on Wednesday morning, as the community was attempting make sense of this brazen violation and attack.

Addressing the community Tuesday evening, Captain Ernest Eskridge, the commanding office of the LAPD West Valley Division reported that the incidents took place almost two hours apart from one another, the first at around 2:30 a.m. at the Manoogian-Demirdjian location and the second at around 4 a.m. at Ferrahian. He said the LAPD and a special task force are working around the clock to ensure safety at the schools and have initiated special procedures to monitor both locations around the clock. The LAPD, according to Eskridge, is also working with the Glendale Police Department for further intelligence. He said school surveillance videos as well as images from city cameras were being carefully studied to identify the suspects of what he called “a serious crime.”

“We are truly committed to make sure this community, the Armenian community is safe,” said Eskridge, who also applauded school for their response to these incidents.

Los Angeles City Attorney Mike Feuer, while unequivocally condemning the incidents, also applauded the schools for making what had happened into a teachable moment for the students and to drive home the message of rejecting intolerance.

“Those who suffered through, who endured the Armenian Genocide, view the placement of Turkish flags, at a school of all places, as an affront—an assault—particularly when the Turkish government continues to refuse to acknowledge the Genocide, and to use that term,” said Feuer.

“I applaud the school for using this as a moment to teach our kids. This is the time for our children to recognize not only the significance of the Genocide, but what it means to be one community, where we reach out to each other, when we stand up for one another,” added Feuer.

“Let’s teach our kids that we can be one community. Let’s teach all adults that the Genocide happened, and let’s make sure no one is allowed to tear us apart. That’s why we are here,” commented Feuer.

Echoing Koretz’s sentiments and anger, LA City Councilmember Bob Blumenfield, who represents the area where the Manoogian-Demirdjian is located, expressed solidarity with the community and pledged the City Council’s resources in attaining justice for this crime.

A flag is a flag, but when someone puts it on an Armenian school, that’s an attempt to intimidate. We cannot stand for that. We stand here in solidarity,” said Blumenfield.

Turkish flags were hung on the premises of Holy Martyrs Ferrahian school on Jan. 29.

Ferrahian Principal Sossi Shanlian and Manoogian-Demirdjian Principal Arpi Avanessian both spoke at the event, which had attracted a significant portion of the Los Angeles press corps. Also present at the event were Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Vicar-General of the Prelacy of Armenian Apostolic Church, Holy Martyrs parish priest Rev. Razmig Khachadourian, and Lisa Gaboudian the chairperson of the Board of Regents of the Prelacy Armenian Schools.

The press conference was being moderated by Nora Hovsepian, the chairperson of Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region, which is part of the AGC. In her remarks, she reminded the audience that the schools were founded more than five decades ago by survivors of the Armenian Genocide to ensure the preservation of a culture and identity that Turkey attempted to extinguish through the Armenian Genocide.

Monday’s incident drew wide condemnation from federal, state and local officials, who issued statements calling for justice and advocating tolerance.

Rep. Brad Sherman, who represents both schools in Congress, called on law enforcement agencies to make it a high priority to arrest the vandals responsible for the incident. He also suggested that the incidents may constitute a violation of federal hate crime laws, and as such, he pledged to urge the F.B.I. to prosecute the crimes “to the full extent of the law.”

“I strongly condemn this hateful act of vandalism. It is particularly cruel to those whose family members died in the Armenian Genocide,” said Sherman in a statement.

“These schools are attended by many descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, and I stand with the Armenian community in condemning this act of hate,” said a statement posted by Rep. Adam Schiff on his Facebook page.

In a Twitter post, Congressional Armenian Caucus co-chair Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) said hanging of the flags “were clearly meant to be a hateful, direct threat against the children taught within them. The perpetrator of this crime must be brought to justice by the LAPD.”

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti condemned the attack in a statement saying, “Every child has a right to attend school without fear. The Armenian-American community deserves to know who is behind any act of intimidation, and I know that LAPD will not stop working until we discover who did this.”

In a statement, L.A. City Councilmember Paul Krekorian called the incident a “grotesque orchestrated attack.”

“Both the Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School and the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School are vital parts of the Southern California Armenian-American community. These two schools have long provided sanctuaries of safety, education, culture and dream-building for thousands of young students, and they are institutions that are cherished by parents and educators, and our entire community, including my own family,” said Krekorian.

“This grotesque orchestrated attack on these schools is a disgusting act of hate, designed to terrorize children and an entire community. The City of Los Angeles will treat these cowardly and hateful acts extremely seriously. My office has already received assurance from the Los Angeles Police Department that it will pursue the perpetrators of these crimes and will also take all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our students. I will continue to work closely with the LAPD and my colleagues and friends, Councilmember Koretz and Councilmember Blumenfield, to ensure that the City and its resources are focused on pursuing justice and protecting our community,” added Krekorian.

“The perpetrators of acts like these are cowards who are attempting to strike fear. They will fail — today and always. The Armenian-American community and the City of Los Angeles stand united in rejecting the dogma of hate, and we stand united against those who would embrace it,” said Krekorian.

“In the Valley, we’re proud of our diversity, which includes our vibrant Armenian community. I condemn these hateful acts in the strongest possible terms and am proud to stand in solidarity with the Armenian community. My office is committed to doing everything possible to support the affected schools and students so that we can send a powerful message that hate is not welcome in the Valley,” said State Assemblymember Jesse Gabriel, whose district includes both schools, in a statement.

“Despicable acts of hate and harassment have no place in our communities. We are committed to working with local law enforcement to ensure our children are safe and free of fear,” said State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian in a statement.

On Wednesday, Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian, a Ferrahian alumnus, visited both campuses

On Wednesday, Nazarian, a Ferrahian alumnus,  along with California Highway Patrol officials and LAUSD Board member Scott M. Schmerelson visited both schools and spoke to administrators, faculty and students reassuring them that hate crimes are taken seriously.

“So sad by this hateful action We are so much better than this. Sending positive thoughts to students, teachers, admin and families,” expressed State Senator Anthony Portantino in a Facebook post on Tuesday.

The ANCA-WR strongly condemned that attacks on Tuesday, saying it “will not stand for any acts that promote intolerance.”

“This type of behavior can be credited due to the lack of accountability of the Armenian Genocide and its ongoing denial by Turkey. It also serves as a reminder of why fighting for justice for the Armenian Genocide remains at the forefront of our priorities,” added the ANCA-WR statement.

“The Consulate General strongly condemns manifestations of hatred directed at the Armenian educational institutions and the entire Armenian Community in Los Angeles, sturdily supporting the common stance of the Los Angeles Armenian Community on this issue,” said Armenia”s Consulate General to Los Angeles in a statement of Wednesday.

Manifestation of such hatred in the schools founded by a generation of the Armenian Genocide survivors is an affront to the memory of the Genocide martyrs and their descendants,” said the Consulate.

“We will follow up together with the Community organizations, the Los Angeles City, and the law enforcement on the police investigation and the process of uncovering and punishing criminals in order to completely exclude its recurrence in the future,” added the Consulate’s statement.

The safety of the students was a high priority for school officials. In condemning the attack, the Board of Regents of the Prelacy Schools also sought to quell rightful concerns by parents and the community about the safety of students.

“We would like to assure you that the safety of our Schools and Preschools is our primary focus and all our efforts and resources are being utilized to ensure the safety of our students. In this regards, the Board of Regents, School Boards of Prelacy Armenian Schools, Principals and Preschool Directors are working together to ensure that our campuses remain safe and remain open for instruction,” said the Board of Regents in a statement on Tuesday.

“The Board of Regents strongly condemns these acts, whether committed against students attending Prelacy Armenian Schools or any other Armenian School or institution, and hopes the perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” added the Board of Regents.