1 – Cautiously Optimistic about Success of
Biden/Harris in Presidential Elections
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
2- Armenia Sends Humanitarian Aid to Beirut, Welcomes Repatriates
3 – Armenian Gov’t plans to end state of emergency, reopen
schools in September
4- Letters to the Editor
5- Commentary: Dismantling Dasaran: Armenian Minister of Education
Undermines Award-Winning Armenian-Made Ed-Tech Solution
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1 – Cautiously Optimistic about Success of
Biden/Harris in Presidential Elections
By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com
On November 3, 2020, the American public, including
Armenian-Americans, will vote for the next President of the United
States.
As to whom should we elect on Nov. 3 to be President and Vice
President is a highly controversial subject. There are strong and
passionate feelings for and against Biden or Trump, often expressed in
rude and offensive terms.
Given Pres. Trump’s pro-Turkishness; non-existent position on Armenian
issues; and his erratic behavior, I decided to vote for the
Biden/Harris ticket. In doing so, I am motivated not just by the
merits of their candidacies, but even more so by the failings of the
Trump/Pence duo. Therefore a vote for Biden/Harris is necessarily a
vote against Trump/Pence. Four years ago, I did not vote for either
Trump or Hillary Clinton, given my total disappointment with both
candidates. However, I cannot remain neutral this time around because
four more years of Trump would be the death knell of democracy in the
United States and American relations with the world. The United States
cannot continue to be held hostage by the minority of radical
right-wing U.S. citizens who form Trump’s base. Trump was saved in
2016 by the Electoral College, despite getting three million less
votes than Hillary Clinton.
As far as Armenian issues are concerned, given the Armenian
community’s disappointment with previous U.S. Presidents’ lavish
pre-election promises which they ignored afterwards, I am not
optimistic that what Biden/Harris are promising now will be fulfilled,
should they be elected. Nevertheless, we have repeatedly witnessed
Trump’s love affair with Turkey’s dictator Recep Tayyip Erdogan—which
is not about to end any time soon.
However, Turkish leaders are clever enough to woo Biden/Harris, if
elected, to their side as they have done to Trump and many other
previous presidents. This will be a critical battle between Turkish
and Armenian lobbyists which regrettably has been won repeatedly by
Turkey.
Presidential candidate Joe Biden and Vice Presidential candidate
Kamala Harris have clearly expressed their strong support for the
recognition of the Armenian Genocide.
In a letter to the Armenian National Committee of America on Sept. 16,
2019, Presidential candidate Biden stated: “The United States must
reaffirm, once and for all, our record on the Armenian Genocide. We
must never forget or remain silent about this horrific and systematic
campaign of extermination that resulted in the deaths of 1.5 million
Armenian men, women, and children and the mass deportation of 2
million Armenians from their homes. If we do not fully acknowledge,
commemorate, and teach our children about genocide, the words ‘never
again’ lose their meaning. The facts must be as clear and as powerful
for future generations as for those whose memories are seared by
tragedy. Failing to remember or acknowledge the fact of a genocide
only paves the way for future mass atrocities.”
While this is a very supportive statement, Biden has left out from his
text the name of the perpetrator of the Armenian Genocide: Ottoman
Empire or Turkey. Biden has a long record of supporting various
Armenian genocide resolutions as a U.S. Senator, but when he was Vice
President, President Barack Obama thwarted all efforts in Congress to
recognize the Armenian Genocide, breaking his multiple campaign
promises. Instead, Pres. Obama repeatedly used the term “Meds Yeghern”
(Great Crime) to describe the Armenian Genocide, which was copied by
Pres. Trump in the past four years. It is ironic that the two
Presidents disagree on almost everything, except for their agreement
to avoid the term Armenian Genocide.
Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris, as a U.S. Senator, sent a
letter to the Armenian Assembly on Sept. 16, 2019, expressing her
support for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Harris wrote: “I
am proud to be an original cosponsor of Senate Resolution 150, which
ensures that American foreign policy appropriately reflects and
acknowledges the horrors of the Armenian genocide. When it comes to
crimes against humanity, we can never be silent—we must always speak
uncomfortable truths about the past, lest we repeat it.”
Given the adoption of Armenian Genocide resolutions by the U.S. House
of Representatives and the U.S. Senate last year, Armenian issues are
no longer limited to the reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide. There
are several other important issues such as providing a larger amount
of foreign aid to Armenia and Artsakh, improving U.S.-Armenia
relations, supporting the independence of the Republic of Artsakh, and
pressuring Turkey to remove the blockade of Armenia. These are some of
the key issues that Armenian-Americans should demand that Biden/Harris
take a strong position on before they are endorsed for President/Vice
President.
Ali Chinar, President of Turkish Heritage Organization, wrote in the
Turkish newspaper Daily Sabah on August 12, 2020, describing Biden’s
negative views about Turkey:
“– He is against storing nuclear weapons at the Incirlik Air Base [in Turkey].
– He is against Turkey’s military operations in Syria and stated that
YPG/PKK was betrayed by the U.S.
– He made statements relating to concerns about freedom of the press
and human rights in Turkey.
– He emphasizes that, in collaboration with its allies in the Eastern
Mediterranean, Turkey must be isolated.
– He sides with Turkey’s withdrawal of Russian S-400 missiles;
otherwise, he demands sanctions.
– He has not made any statements about the Gülenist Terror Group
(FETÖ) or the extradition of its members to Turkey, and nothing was
done on the issue during his vice presidency.
– He criticized the decision to turn Hagia Sophia into a mosque.
– He said that he would recognize the so-called Armenian genocide.”
Between now and the Nov. 3, 2020 Presidential election, there is much
more to be said in future articles about Biden and Trump and their
positions on Armenian and Turkish issues.
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2- Armenia Sends Humanitarian Aid to Beirut, Welcomes Repatriates
By Raffi Elliott
YEREVAN (The Armenian Weekly)—At least three planeloads full of
emergency supplies from Armenia have been delivered to Lebanon this
week, with most of the aid destined for the city’s Armenian
neighborhoods most heavily affected by the explosion that rocked
Beirut on August 4.
Thus far, the number of Armenian dead stands at 13, with at least 300 injured.
Aircraft chartered by the Armenian government unloaded 36 tons of
medical equipment, medicine, construction material, masks and
foodstuffs—including several boxes from Artsakh—on the tarmac at
Beirut’s Rafic Hariri International Airport before returning to
Armenia with Lebanese-Armenian refugees looking to resettle in
Armenia.
According to the Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs,
over 100 ethnic Armenians were ferried from Beirut to Yerevan aboard
the three relief flights. At least 300 Lebanese-born Armenians had
repatriated to Armenia in the days immediately before the explosion,
fleeing the worsening socio-economic situation which has rocked the
Mediterranean country for months.
High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs Zareh Sinanyan, who was in
Beirut as part of an Armenian government delegation to coordinate aid
delivery and refugee evacuation, estimates that several hundred more
Armenians have expressed a desire to repatriate to Armenia in the
coming months once personal matters are settled. Sinanyan announced
the Armenian government’s intention to assist them as well. “We’re
ready to help those who want to remain and will tell those who wish to
come to Armenia that the homeland is waiting for all Armenians with
open doors,” the High Commissioner said.
Notably, in contrast to previous evacuation efforts by the Armenian
government in war-torn Syria and Iraq, Sinanyan announced that
evacuation flights and resettlement packages to Armenia were open to
all Lebanese citizens and not limited to ethnic-Armenians. This
announcement was not universally well-received in Armenia. However,
political scientist Emil Sanamyan pointed out on Twitter that
Armenians would benefit from tolerance towards other cultures. “What
insular, xenophobic people around the world need to understand is that
best measure of success of your society is desire of others to be part
of it,” Sanamyan tweeted.
The Armenian Embassy in Beirut has facilitated the arrival of affected
people in Armenia, lifting visa and even passport requirements for
some. Annie Tarpinian, a repatriate from Beirut now living in Armenia
told the Armenian Weekly that her elderly mother Shoghig Vodalazian
lived in an apartment building directly across from the port in the
city’s now-obliterated Mar Mikhael neighborhood. “My mother’s building
was completely destroyed,” she said. “My mom’s survival was nothing
short of a miracle.” However, like many of the victims from the blast,
Mrs. Vodalazian lost virtually all her possessions, including travel
documents. Eleven people in her building were killed in the explosion
with 30 more in her neighborhood. Her daughters were initially
informed that their mother had also died in the blast. They were very
relieved to hear she had survived.
According to Tarpinian, the Armenian Embassy immediately arranged for
a seat for her mother—a Lebanese citizen with no legal status in
Armenia—on the first flight to Yerevan last Sunday morning, without
any paperwork. Her son-in-law was also allowed to accompany her to
Armenia at no expense before returning to Beirut several hours later
on the next humanitarian flight.
While grateful to the Armenian government for its decisive response,
the experience has nonetheless shaken Tarpinian and her mother. “When
I saw my mother at the airport in Yerevan, she was visibly disturbed,”
she recalled. Having since recovered from her mild physical injuries,
Mrs. Vodalazian continues to show some signs of lingering trauma,
being slow to respond, seemingly in a daze at times.
Several other survivors from Mrs. Vodalazian’s building were also on
the flight and were greeted by representatives of the Diaspora High
Commission and the Repat Armenia foundation. Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinyan announced that Armenian authorities had been conducting a
needs assessment study for those arriving in Armenia who have lost all
their possessions, being rendered effectively homeless in order to
facilitate their comfortable resettlement in Armenia. “Welcome to
Armenia, dear compatriots,” Pashinyan posted on Facebook, “We are
happy to receive all of you, and we’ll do everything possible to
organize the return of the citizens who want to return to Armenia.”
A relief fund established by the AGBU to assist those affected by the
blast has raised over $2 million in less than a week. “We have been
impressed by the surge of impressive contributions in less than one
week,” noted AGBU President Berge Setrakian. The Armenian
Revolutionary Federation (ARF) has also mobilized to help rebuild
critical structures in Beirut—including the Shaghzoyan Center in Bourj
Hammoud, which houses the ARF Bureau and Central Committee offices,
editorial offices of the Aztag Daily Newspaper, and the Armenian
National Committee (ANC) of Middle East—all of which suffered damage
in the disaster.
In Yerevan, volunteers from United Armenian Relief, a local youth-led
grassroots initiative providing humanitarian aid to impacted
communities in Lebanon, have set up several donation distribution
points. Organizer Katya Hovnanian Alexanian has been asking donors to
collect medical supplies and non-perishable food items, as well as
household necessities such as battery-powered radios, flashlights,
garbage bags and matches. Collected goods will be flown to Lebanon on
chartered Middle East Airlines planes with assistance from the
Tovmasyan Foundation and distributed on site through local charities
Offer Joie and Bonheur de Ciel.
Despite these overtures, Tarpinian says she is still trying to reach
the relevant state bodies in order to clarify her mother’s legal
status in Armenia and receive other forms of assistance. “There are a
host of issues we still have to deal with, from arranging my mother’s
documents, purchasing clothes, and finding the locally available
equivalents to her prescription medication,” she says.
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3 – Armenian Gov’t plans to end state of emergency, reopen
schools in September
(Azatutyun)—As of Monday, August 17, Armenia has recorded a total of
41,701 COVID-19 cases. A total of 34,655 of these patients have since
recovered while 6,222 remain active. The death toll as a direct result
of complications from COVID-19 stands at 824.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on August 12 that Armenia has the
chance to be in a “state of overcoming” in autumn as the coronavirus
safety guidelines are showing results and the numbers are dropping.
“Today we have a chance to be in an entirely different state in
autumn, in a state of overcoming, regardless of what will be happening
in the world. This is in case we learn to live with the coronavirus.
This means one thing—an exclusive discipline of mask wearing. If we
secure a proper level of mask wearing we can note that practically
we’ve solved the coronavirus problem. If not, we will once again
return to what we had in July,” the PM said at a Cabinet meeting,
referring to the high numbers of new infections during the previous
month. However, even if that were to happen, the healthcare system is
ready for it, he added.
Pashinyan said the healthcare sector has been supplemented with new
capacities lately, which will help it be ready for various health
issues regardless of the coronavirus.
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said on August 12 that hopefully
the coronavirus-related state of emergency won’t be extended again
after it ends in one month.
“I hope today the state of emergency is being extended for the last
time,” Avinyan, the head of the COVID-19 response task force in charge
of enforcing the state of emergency restrictions told lawmakers in
parliament. “Today we assess the epidemiological situation in the
country to be as average to mild. In terms of the healthcare system
the situation is under full control,” Avinyan said, noting however
that the daily new cases are still high, 100-200 people on an average.
The government extended the state of emergency, originally declared in
mid-March, until September 11.
Schools in Armenia that have remained closed due to the coronavirus
pandemic since March will open their doors to students on September
15, according to Education Minister Arayik Harutiunian.
Harutiunian said on August 10 that the issue was discussed by senior
government officials coordinating the coronavirus state of emergency
earlier that day.
The minister added that vocational training colleges, music and art
schools will also reopen on September 15.
All establishments must comply with sanitary and hygienic rules set by
the government, Harutiunian stressed.
According to the minister, decisions on universities and a number of
other educational institutions will be made within the next week.
“Authorities overseeing the state of emergency, other our colleagues
and the ministry have jointly developed detailed procedures and
guidelines on all issues, which will be published and shared in the
coming days,” Harutiunian said in a Facebook post.
“Dear teachers, parents and students, in the coming weeks we must work
together to ensure a successful start and a smooth course of the
academic year, taking into account the restrictions caused by the
pandemic and excluding media provocations,” the minister added.
All schools, universities and other general education institutions
have remained closed since the beginning of the coronavirus epidemic
in March when they switched to distance learning to ensure the
continuity of the educational process.
The extended coronavirus-related state of emergency will also have
milder restrictions than before, Justice Minister Rustam Badasyan said
at a Cabinet meeting on August 12.
Armenia is also open to foreign travelers as the ban on entry of
non-citizens is being lifted.
“At the same time, it is envisaged that upon entering Armenia, if the
traveler isn’t hospitalized they must self-quarantine for 14 days,
however there is one innovation, they can get tested during these 14
days and in case of a negative result the self-quarantine regime is
changed,” Badasyan said.
The nationwide ban on assemblies and strikes are also lifted and
replaced with a regulation on authorization, with the condition of
maintaining safety guidelines. Assemblies can take place only if
participating persons wear masks and maintain 6-feet distance from
each other.
Organizing celebrations and entertainment events are also allowed, but
with a maximum of 40 participants and maintaining coronavirus
guidelines.
The possibility of enforcing restrictions on shipments through the
customs border is also lifted. The electronic surveillance regulation
is narrowed down.
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4- Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor:
Harut Sassounian knows Zareh Sinanyan much better than I do.
Sinanyan has been in charge of the Diaspora Office for well over a
year and I know nothing about what he or his staff have done. I have
been a very active Diasporan in Toronto, yet I have not heard a word
or a single e-mail from that office.
We already have a problem in Armenia where Iranians and Indians are
coming with money and marrying the Armenian girls. And because of the
lopsided demographics where our boys are in Russia for work, our girls
are marrying non-Armenians because they are worried that they will not
find anybody to marry.
This so-called Diaspora Office should be totally revamped, with a new
director who will focus on the Diaspora proper, as Harut Sassounian
says in your column (August 13, 2020), before more damage is done.
I am very frustrated.
Migirdic Migirdicyan
Toronto, Canada
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5- Commentary: Dismantling Dasaran: Armenian Minister of Education
Undermines Award-Winning Armenian-Made Ed-Tech Solution
By Suren Aloyan
Amidst Covid-19 disruptions to the lives, businesses and economies of
nations worldwide, daily public education for over 350,000 public
school-students across Armenia didn’t have any disruption.
That’s because as Armenia went into an emergency shutdown on March 16,
the EdTech platform DASARAN launched distance learning feature to
allow over 37,000 public-school teachers to administer online lessons
and quizzes to over 350,000 students across Armenia and Artsakh.
DASARAN’s team worked around the clock to accommodate the distant
learning feature, to maintain, under dire financial strains, its
mission to democratize education for all children across Armenia.
Now Armenia’s Education Minister is threatening to dismantle
DASARAN—to build their own platform from bottom-up.
Having at its disposal a national educational platform—which unifies
all the country’s public schools and serves all school-students,
parents, teachers, administrators and educational decision-makers
(over 1.2M users, one-third of Armenia’s population)—as DASARAN, the
Ministry made a decision to force another hastily made solution onto
schools and push the privately owned DASARAN out of the market.
This untimely decision, amidst COVID19-affected education systems—with
schools closed in 138 countries and 1.37 billion out-of-school
students (UNESCO)—totally disregards DASARAN’s contributions over the
last decade as the largest educational platform in Armenia, which has
greatly mitigated challenges inside Armenia. The Minister also
disregards the fact that relying on DASARAN platform, teachers and
students ensured uninterrupted learning process—bringing large
international notice and praise.
Since its founding in 2009, DASARAN has empowered Armenia’s K-12
education ecosystem with an award-winning ed-tech system. DASARAN,
recognized among world’s top 5 innovative enterprises by UNDP’s
Accelerate 2030 Initiative, received highest praises from SAP experts,
and recently received the EdTech Breakthrough Award for “Student
Information System” Solution of the Year.
DASARAN always suggested Public-Private partnership model as a proven
standard to create long-term gains in terms of cost-efficiency and
result-oriented effectiveness. Coming to power in 2018, the incumbent
Government incorporated democratization strategies, declared citizens
as central to power and private enterprises as pivotal to economic
growth. And so, we leave it to the public’s judgment to conclude
whether it’s beneficial to keep among its members high-level officials
who work against these values and undermine principles of “Velvet
Revolution” which Armenians fought hard to achieve.
So, based on grounds of anti-competitive conditions created for
DASARAN, RA State Commission for the Protection of Economic
Competition initiated a proceeding against the Ministry, and the 1st
hearing was already organized.
From my perspective, in the new, more democratic Armenia such actions
shouldn’t have any place as they undermine the potential and
motivation of highly talented local expertise to advance their
initiatives locally and to benefit national development. Such
undermining actions from the Ministry will undoubtedly and potentially
lead to further brain-drain from Armenia.
As Armenia’s IT sector is the fastest growing and globally recognized
industry, it’s also a top priority in the Government’s strategic
vision for economically profitable future. Even if a priority requires
close collaboration with the private sector, what we rather see is
hindrance of local private initiatives.
Suren Aloyan is the Founding President/CEO of DASARAN Ed-Tech Company.
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