2020 – Page 1035 – Armenian Directory & News

Ani Hovannisian to Keynote 4th Genocide Education Luncheon

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Emil Lazarian

Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian

LOS ANGELES—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region’s Education Committee announced that filmmaker Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian will deliver the keynote address at the 4th Annual Armenian Genocide Education Awards Luncheon. This year, the luncheon will be held on Saturday, March 7 at the De Luxe Banquet Hall, located at 237 E Olive Ave, Burbank, CA 91502.

Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian will lead this event, which celebrates and honors K-16 educators from public schools who have gone beyond the call of duty to ensure that the next generation is well informed and aware of the history of the Armenian Genocide and its lasting legacy. Hovannisian-Kevorkian is the daughter of this year’s Armenian Genocide Education Legacy Award recipient, Dr. Richard Hovannisian whose lifetime efforts have pioneered Armenian Studies for students of all ages.

“The ANCA-WR Education Committee is proud to have Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian as a keynote speaker and honored guest at the 4th Annual Armenian Genocide Awards Luncheon. Ani’s commitment to documenting and preserving our history is critical work,” remarked Alice Petrossian, Chair of the ANCA-WR Education Committee.

Over the span of her professional career, Ani Hovannisian-Kevorkian has produced and directed hundreds of inspiring true stories for television and other international audiences. Most recently, after four journeys deep into Historic Western Armenia – two with her father – she has just completed her first feature documentary. “The Hidden Map” depicts the gripping encounters of an American-Armenian traveling through Turkey in search of her forbidden ancestral home and a solitary Scottish explorer she meets along the way. Together, the duo digs beneath the surface of modern-day Turkey, discovering lonely relics, silenced voices, and stories of an ominous past while unearthing buried secrets and the hidden map.

“This is living history,” Hovannisian-Kevorkian said. “Everywhere we turned, people and ruins and stones came alive with stories to tell… undeniable, breathing stories and evidence of magnificent creation, merciless destruction and even hopeful redemption.” Now beginning to debut in festivals, the film has been recognized with an ImpactDocs Award, Independent Shorts Silver Award, Toronto Pomegranate Film Festival Best Documentary and Audience Choice Honorable Mention Awards, and Official Selection of the ARPA International Film Festival. The Hidden Map will be featured at the inaugural Montreal Pomegranate Film Festival on March 1.

Active in the Armenian-American community since childhood, Ani was a news anchor and reporter at TeleNayiri and Horizon Armenian Television in Los Angeles for more than a decade, and remains closely involved with the Armenian and wider communities. A member of the Directors Guild of America, Television Academy, and International Documentary Association, she continues to produce stories that weave the Armenian experience into the global human landscape. Ani graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa from the University of California, Los Angeles with a BA in Mass Communications, and from the University of Southern California with an MA in Broadcast Journalism. She and husband Armenio Kevorkian have two children, Sophene and Daron, named after the native Armenian lands of their great-grandparents.

All community members are invited to the 4th Annual Armenian Genocide Education Awards Luncheon, to show their appreciation, and celebrate and honor educators for their dedication to teaching about the Armenian Genocide. This year’s luncheon is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. at De Luxe Banquet Hall in Burbank, CA. Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available online. Please reserve your tickets immediately as last year this event sold out early. For additional information, visit the ANCA-WR website or call (818) 500-1918.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian-American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Consul General Pays Working Visit to Arizona

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Garnik Tadevosian

Scenes from Consul General Armen Baibourtian's working visit to Arizona

ARIZONA—Consul General of Armenia in Los Angeles Ambassador Armen Baibourtian paid a working visit to the State of Arizona, where he held meetings with state and city senior officials, as well as with Arizona’s Armenian-American community.

In Phoenix, Ambassador Baibourtian met with Arizona’s state House Speaker Russell “Rusty” Bowers. They discussed various ways of boosting relations between Armenia and Arizona and outlined areas of mutual interest. Special attention was paid to the mining industry in the State of Arizona, and in particular copper mining. At the request of Consul General Baibourtian, Speaker Bowers referred to the highest environmental standards that the local mining industry adheres to. Bowers expressed readiness to share the best practices in responsible mining applied in Arizona’s local mining industry, which are based on stringent environmental regulations. The interlocutors agreed that it would be useful to put Armenian government experts in touch with Arizona’s corresponding departments. Rev. Zacharia Saribekyan, the parish priest of Arizona’s St. Apkar, and Chairman of the Parish Council Rafi Hagopian also took part in the meeting.

Consul General Baibourtian’s next meeting was with Tony Rivero, Chairman of the Arizona House State and International Affairs Committee. The interlocutors discussed the steps for developing bilateral cooperation. Ambassador Baibourtian emphasized that, in the spectrum of activities of the Consulate General of Armenia, the task of developing relations with different Western U.S. states, in addition to California, is viewed as a priority. He presented mutual advantages of establishing relations with Armenia.

Ambassador Baibourtian also had a meeting with Mayor of Scottsdale W.J. “Jim” Lane. During their meeting, they exchanged views on efficient ways of establishing partnerships between cities, including “sister city” relations. Mayor Lane presented his city’s appropriate experience in developing effectual framework for constructive cooperation. The Consul General specifically mentioned the role of the Armenian community in advancing bilateral relations with the state of Arizona. He also emphasized that Armenia’s strategic geographical location could become a platform for mutually beneficial business interactions between business communities of Armenia and Arizona, especially in the fields of tourism and services, where Scottsdale gained an extensive experience. Rev. Zacharia Saribekyan and Dr. Stephen Ovanessoff also attended the meeting. The City of Scottsdale has over a quarter million residents. Each year, Scottsdale hosts 9 million visitors. That’s a bright example of utmost efficiency in local tourism governance. The New York Times described downtown Scottsdale as a “desert version of Miami’s South Beach.” Built in 2009, St. Apkar Armenian Church is located in Scottsdale.

During his visit to Arizona, Ambassador Baibourtian was also hosted at the Melikian Center for Russian, Eurasian, and East European Studies of the prestigious Arizona State University. The President of the Advisory Board of the Melikian Center, Ramona Lee Melikian, and her mother Emma Ordjanian Melikian welcomed the Armenian Consul General and, along with the administrative leadership of the Center, briefed him on its programs. The Center received its name in 2007, in recognition of the generous support of Commander Gregory Melikian and his spouse Emma Ordjanian Melikian.

Ambassador Baibourtian also visited the Armenian Genocide memorial at the Wesley Bolin Memorial Plaza. The plaza is located directly across the Arizona State Capitol in Downtown Phoenix.

At St. Apkar Armenian Church, Ambassador Baibourtian met with the Armenian-American community of Arizona. The Consul General delivered an extensive speech, in which he highlighted the role of the Armenia community in establishing multifaceted bonds of cooperation between Arizona and Armenia. Ambassador Baibourtian presented to the community the profound changes taking place in the homeland, as a result of which Armenia has found itself in the positive focus of the international community. The Consul General also discussed the economic environment in Armenia, existing business opportunities, and prospective areas for conducting business in the homeland. He also answered a number of questions presented by the public. At the end of the program, Ambassador Baibourtian commended parish priest Rev. Zacharia Saribekyan for his dedication and outstanding service, after which he presented an official certificate of appreciation to the Reverend.

Arizona is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous (7.2 million) of the 50 U.S. states. The state’s major industries include healthcare, mining (copper, gold, and silver), tourism (40 million visitors annually), transportation, IT, and electronics. More than 12,000 Armenians live in the State of Arizona.

L.A. City College to Host Armenian Cultural Day

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Elizabeth Jabejian

Los Angeles City College will be hosting an Armenian Cultural Day on Feb. 20

LOS ANGELES—Los Angeles City College has announced that it will be hosting an Armenian Cultural Day. The event will be held on Thursday, February 20 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on the 3rd floor of the Student Union Building at L.A. City College, located at 855 N Vermont Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90029.

Outstanding guest speakers of the cultural day include Professor Siobhan Nash-Marshall and L.A. County Chief Deputy Anna Mouradian. Featured guests include Hratch Demiurge from Rose & Alex Pilibos Armenian School and Rev. Serop Megerditchian of the Armenian Cilicia Evangelical Church.

Professor Siobhan Nash-Marshall has been part of efforts to support Armenians in Artsakh by sending American educators to lead courses in English, Logic, and Ethics. An experienced educator, Dr. Siobhan Nash-Marshall holds the Mary T. Clark Chair of Christian Philosophy at Manhattanville College and degrees from Fordham University, Universita Cattolica di Milano, New York University and Universita di Padova.

Anna Mouradian is Chief Deputy to L.A. County Supervisor Kathryn Barger. With the Supervisor’s involvement, she recently visited Armenia with an official California state delegation, helped raise $1 million in support of Glendale’s Armenian American Museum, and helped host the official visit of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to Los Angeles.

Hratch Demiurge will present his published translation of “Pagan Songs” by Daniel Varoujan. Varoujan was brutally murdered following his arrest on April 24, 1915.

Rev. Serop Megerditchian, who pastored an Armenian church in Aleppo, Syria from 1997 to 2015, will give a presentation on Vartanantz Day and its modern meaning.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 02/19/2020

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Emil Lazarian

                                        Wednesday, 

Serzh Sarkisian’s Trial To Start On February 25

        • Naira Nalbandian
        • Marine Khachatrian

Armenia -- President Serzh Sarkisian (R) and Agriculture Minister Sergo 
Karapetian (L) visit Armavir province, April 7, 2011.

Armenia’s former President Serzh Sarkisian will go on trial next Tuesday on 
corruption charges which he rejects as politically motivated.

The Special Investigative Service (SIS) charged Sarkisian in early December with 
organizing the “embezzlement by a group of officials” of 489 million drams (just 
over $1 million) in government funds allocated in 2013 for the provision of 
subsidized diesel fuel to farmers.

The SIS claimed that Sarkisian interfered in a government tender for the fuel 
supplier to ensure that it is won by a company belonging to his longtime friend, 
businessman Barsegh Beglarian, rather than another fuel importer that offered a 
lower price. It also indicted Barseghian, former Agriculture Minister Sergo 
Karapetian, his former deputy Samvel Galstian and another former government 
official.

All five suspects deny any wrongdoing. None of them has been held in pre-trial 
detention.

Galatian’s lawyer, Vachagan Kosian, said on Wednesday that during the trial he 
will petition the court to throw out the accusations leveled against his client. 
He claimed that the latter is unfairly prosecuted for only relaying a “verbal 
order” issued by Karapetian to another Agriculture Ministry official.

Karapetian headed the ministry during the alleged embezzlement. The high-profile 
criminal case is reportedly based on his incriminating testimony against 
Sarkisian and Beglarian.

According to Beglarian’s lawyer, Nikolay Hakobian, the ex-minister stood by that 
testimony when he and the wealthy businessman were brought face to face and 
interrogated by the SIS earlier this month.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Hakobian described as “baseless” 
investigators’ claims that his client “prodded” Sarkisian to have the fuel 
supply contract awarded to his firm.

Sarkisian’s lawyers and the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) 
still headed by the 65-year-old ex-president strongly deny the embezzlement 
charges. They say that he is prosecuted in retaliation for his public criticism 
of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Sarkisian, who ruled Armenia from 2008-2018, accused Pashinian’s government of 
jeopardizing democracy and stifling dissent in a November 20 speech at a 
congress of the European People’s Party held in Croatia. He had kept a low 
profile since resigning in April 2018 amid mass protests against his continued 
rule led by Pashinian.

Pashinian has repeatedly implicated Sarkisian, his family and political 
entourage in corruption both before and after coming to power in the “Velvet 
Revolution.”




Senior Military Officials Sacked


Armenia -- Generals Artur Baghdasarian (C) and Aleksan Aleksanian (second from 
right) at a meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Yerevan, February 17, 
2020.

The chief of Armenia’s military police and another army general were dismissed 
on Wednesday following a spate of non-combat deaths of soldiers.

President Armen Sarkissian fired Major-General Artur Baghdasarian and 
Major-General Aleksan Aleksanian in separate decrees requested by Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian.

Baghdasarian has headed the military police since May 2017. He was promoted to 
the rank of army general as recently as on January 24.

For his part, Aleksanian was the chief of an Armenian army department tasked 
with monitoring and maintaining military morale. He had been appointed to that 
post last November.

Pashinian promised major “personnel-related decisions” after meeting with 
Armenia’s top military and law-enforcement officials on Monday to discuss recent 
weeks’ increase in the number of soldiers dying in non-combat circumstances.

The Armenian military has reported 13 such deaths since the beginning of this 
year. Eight of these soldiers have died in accidents and other circumstances not 
related to their military service.

The five other victims are believed to have committed suicide or been shot dead 
by other servicemen in separate incidents investigated by law-enforcement 
authorities. The shootings have caused outrage in Armenia and cast a renewed 
spotlight on the chronic problem of hazing and other abuses in the army ranks.

The chief of the army’s General Staff, Lieutenant-General Artak Davtian, on 
Tuesday briefed lawmakers on ongoing efforts to root out the “criminal 
subculture” and strengthen discipline in the army ranks. Speaking after that 
meeting, he confirmed that “personnel changes” within the top army brass are 
imminent.

Davtian also said that a number of other officers have already been demoted or 
discharged from the armed forces this month because of the non-combat 
fatalities. He expressed confidence that military investigators will identify 
those directly responsible for them.

Pashinian stressed on Tuesday that the number of non-combat deaths among 
Armenian military personnel fell to a “historical low” last year. “Our objective 
is to maintain this dynamic,” he wrote on Facebook.




Armenian Tax Audits ‘Far More Effective In 2019’


Armenia -- The entrance to the State Revenue Committee headquarters in Yerevan, 
November 29, 2018.

Armenia’s State Revenue Committee (SRC) said on Wednesday that it more than 
doubled last year the total amount of additional taxes collected as a result of 
tax audits.

The head of the government agency, Davit Ananian, stressed that it achieved the 
sharp increase despite reducing the number of the audits of company accounts by 
12.5 percent.

“In 1,020 audits conducted in 2019, we mandated the payment of 83 billion drams 
($174 million) in additional sums,” the Armenpress news agency quoted Ananian as 
telling journalists.

By contrast, he said, the SRC conducted in 2018 1,166 audits but raised only 
about 36 billion drams as a result.

The SRC’s overall tax receipts rose by 16 percent, to just over 1.5 trillion 
drams ($3.2 billion), last year. Government officials say this sizable increase 
was made possible by SRC’s continued efforts to improve tax administration and 
combat tax evasion. Faster economic growth recorded in Armenia also contributed 
to it.

During such audits companies inspected by the SRC are allowed to adjust their 
revenues and avoid penalties. They will risk criminal proceedings if tax 
inspectors suspect them of deliberately underreporting their earnings.

One of Ananian’s deputies, Eduard Hovannisian, said in December that the SRC is 
now conducting 330 criminal investigations into suspected instances of serious 
tax fraud.

The Armenian government’s tax revenues are projected to reach almost 1.7 
trillion drams (US$3.6 billion) this year.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

University Business Center to host presentation on Armenian refugees after WWI

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Alex Nanijanian

Panorama, Armenia

Feb 19 2020

Dr. Ari Sekeryan will speak on “The Survivors: Armenian Orphans and Refugees After the First World War (1918-1923)” at 7:30pm on Thursday, March 5, 2020, in the University Business Center, Alice Peters Auditorium, Room 191 on the Fresno State campus. The presentation is part of the Spring 2020 Lecture Series of the Armenian Studies Program and is supported by the Clara Bousian Bedrosian Fund.

Dr. Sekeryan was appointed the 16th Henry S. Khanzadian Kazan Visiting Professor in Armenian Studies for the Spring 2020 semester and the March 5 lecture will be his second public presentation of the semester, Massis Post reports.

Following the First World War and the Armenian Genocide, protecting the lives of Armenian orphans and refugees was the greatest challenge that the community leadership faced. During the Armistice period, with the help of the Allied Powers and humanitarian aid organizations, thousands of Armenian orphans and refugees were rescued and brought back to community life. The lecture presents the story of Armenian orphans and refugees by employing Armenian and Ottoman Turkish media sources published in Istanbul and Anatolia during the Armistice period. It explores the nature of the aid campaigns organized by the community leadership and the importance of the contribution of the Armenian intellectuals, press and the community members to these aid campaigns.

Dr. Sekeryan will give his final public lecture on “The Armenian Patriarchate, Politics and the Postwar Settlement in Istanbul: the Story of Patriarch Zaven, on Thursday, April 2.

Dr. Sekeryan graduated from the Department of Oriental Studies at the University of Oxford, defending his dissertation entitled, “The Armenians in the Ottoman Empire after the First World War (1918-1923).” In the 2018-2019 academic year, Dr. Sekeryan was an Honorary Fellow at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Institute for Research in the Humanities. Sekeryan was a Visiting Lecturer in the Faculty of Oriental Studies at Yerevan State University (summer of 2018) and a Research Assistant in the Department of Sociology at the University of Oxford in 2016.

EU removes Armenia from tax havens ‘grey list’

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Jack Hunanian

Big News Network

Feb 19 2020

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenia has been removed from the EU 'grey list' of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions, according to a decision approved by the Council of the European Union.

The EU 'blacklist' of non-cooperative tax jurisdictions includes overseas tax territories that do not effectively co-operate with the EU. Countries on the 'grey list', meanwhile, are qualified as tax havens and have promised reforms.

The Council on Tuesday, February 18 adopted revised conclusions on the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions for tax purposes.

Joining Armenia in the list of jurisdictions that managed to implement all the necessary reforms to comply with EU tax good governance principles were Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cabo Verde, Cook Islands, Curaçao, Marshall Islands, Montenegro, Nauru, Niue, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Vietnam.

In addition to the 8 jurisdictions that were already blacklisted, the EU also decided to include the following jurisdictions in its list of non- cooperative tax jurisdictions: Cayman Islands, Palau, Panama, and Seychelles.

The EU first set up its list of tax havens in 2017 in an attempt to put pressure on countries to crack down on tax havens and unfair competition. Blacklisted countries face difficulties accessing EU funding programmes and European companies doing business in those jurisdictions have to take additional compliance measures.

The European Commission said in March 2019 that Armenia was among the 34 jurisdictions that have already taken many positive steps to comply with the requirements under the EU listing process, but should complete this work by the end of 2019 to avoid being blacklisted in 2020.

Book: Danish-language travel book on Georgia and Armenia is on its way

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Emil Lazarian

PanArmenian, Armenia

Feb 19 2020

– 17:29 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Denmark's leading daily newspaper Politiken has produced a 144-page Danish-language travel book about Georgia and Armenia, Georgia Today reports.

The book provides plentiful insights into the history, geography, culture and traditions of the two countries and is intended primarily for those who plan to travel there.

The book also aims to draw attention of Danish citizens to Georgian and Armenian skyrocketing tourism opportunities.

"Politiken now features for the first time a solid guide book on Georgia and Armenia, available in the book stores from early March. The travel guide, written by Tom Trier and Søren E. Hansen, zooms in on the two small countries in the South Caucasus. With short but insightful introductions to society and culture, it provides a wealth of background and also practical information for the traveler and introduces the most important sights, including UNESCO world heritage churches and monasteries, spectacular mountain hiking routes and some of the best restaurants, eateries and wine yards the South Caucasus has to offer", reads a Facebook post by the Embassy of Georgia in Denmark.

A launch reception for presenting the travel book is scheduled for March 19 and is set to be hosted by the Georgian Embassy.

Bryza: OSCE MG recognized only two parties to Karabakh conflict Armenia and Azerbaijan

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Diana Dabaghian

MENA FN

Feb 19 2020

Date

2/19/2020 5:32:29 AM

US congressmen to send election observers to Artsakh

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Albert Nalbandian

Panorama, Armenia

Feb 19 2020

Several US Congress members have unveiled their intention to send representatives to Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) to observe the March 31 presidential and parliamentary elections in the country in response to an invitation by the Artsakh authorities.

Speaking to Voice of America’s Armenian service, Congresswoman Jackie Kanchelian-Speier said they are interested in the conduct of free and fair elections in Artsakh.

Azerbaijan, which does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh, brands all the electoral processes in the country as a "political show in occupied territories."

Jackie Kanchelian-Speier, who is of Armenian descent, is convinced that life in Artsakh will proceed as normal despite Azerbaijan’s position. She also highlighted the continuity of the ongoing democratization process in the country.

Congressman Frank Pallone’s senior legislative assistant James Johnson will be among the congressional staff members to observe the elections.

The legislator hailed all the previous ‘free, fair and transparent’ elections in Artsakh and expressed hope that they will be free this time as well.

Congressman Frank Pallone stressed the need for raising global awareness about the established democracy in Artsakh.

Despite a group of congressmen’s decision, the US Department of State has never recognized the elections in Karabakh.

Expert comments on Munich debate between Armenian, Azerbaijani leaders

February 20, 2020February 20, 2020 Ani Basmajian

Panorama, Armenia

Feb 19 2020

Armenian expert in Azerbaijani studies Taron Hovhannisyan commented on the outcomes of Saturday’s public debate between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Munich.

The expert stated the Azerbaijani president had attended the discussion without having a clear agenda.

“He came for a show, which proves that Azerbaijan is not ready to resolve the conflict,” he said.

In Hovhannisyan’s words, Aliyev spoke of a key norm of the international law – the right to self-determination – with contempt, advising Armenians to “find other places on earth to self-determine themselves for the second time, not in Azerbaijan.”

"Aliyev confirmed their demands that they need Karabakh without Armenians, or rather the whole region without Armenians," the expert noted, adding that Azerbaijan is not ready to be confined to any territory and has further-reaching plans related to Zangezur.

Taron Hovhannisyan stressed the importance of removing the term "territories" from the Karabakh peace process and hailed the prime minister's attempt to classify the conflict as a matter of security, which had been done before as well.

According to the expert, it is crucial to show Azerbaijan’s destructive policy during events similar to the Munich debate, but the Armenian side failed to do it.