17:21,
YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS. Foreign minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan is participating in the ministerial meeting of the EU’s Eastern Partnership via video conference, the Armenian MFA said on Facebook.
The FM will deliver remarks at the video conference meeting.
The ministerial video conference meeting will be followed by a press conference.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
18:37,
YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS. The 566 new cases reported in Armenia on June 10 is the reflection of the quality of the preservation of anti-pandemic rules 7-14 days ago, ARMENPRESS reports Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan said during a briefing following the session at the Commandant’s Office.
‘’We are confident that the preservation of the rules set by us will lead to 0 cases. The results of the preservation of the rules by us will be seen 7-14 days later, because this is the incubation period. We did not adequately preserve the anti-pandemic rules 7-14 days ago’’, Pashinyan said.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
18:42,
YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian sent a congratulatory message to Russian President Vladimir Putin on the occasion of Russia Day.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Armenian President’s Office, the message runs as follows,
‘’Honorable Vladimir Vladimirovich,
Please, accept my sincere congratulations on the national holiday of Russia, the Russia Day. This remarkable day was a turning point in the history of the country. It’s closely related with the deep-rooted reforms aimed at the improvement of the welfare of the citizens of Russia.
We record with satisfaction that the strategic partnership between Armenia and Russia, which are based on the centuries-old fraternal relations between our peoples, steadily strengthen and cover the whole spectrum of our cooperation in the political, economic, military and humanitarian spheres.
The foundation of this strategic partnership was and must always be in the future the high level of trust between our peoples.
Today the deepening of our relations become more and more significant in regional economic projects, particularly, in the spheres of high technologies, AI, innovations and food security, as well as the expansion of cultural, humanitarian and educational projects.
Honorable Vladimir Vladimirovich, I wish you good health and success, and peace, happiness and welfare to the fraternal people of Russia.
I am sincerely convinced that Russia will successfully overcome the hardships resulted by the spread of coronavirus and will confidently continue the path of development and progress’’.
Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
20:00,
YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan convoked a working consultation on harvest issues on June 11.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of Artsakh President’s Office, the Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Territorial Administration and Development, director of the State Service of Emergency Situations, director of the Countryside and Agriculture Assistance Fund, heads of the regional administrations participated at the consultation.
Minister of Agriculture Ashot Bakhshiyan delivered a report. He particularly noted that in 2020 more than 88 thousand hectares of land have been cultivated. More than 70 thousand hectares have been sown with winter grain crops, about 17 thousand hectares have been sown with various spring crops. At the moment, 7090 hectares have been harvested with an average yield of 16,8 centner per hectare. There is no shortage of combine harvesters and machines in the fields. The price of barley, set by the Countryside and Agriculture Support Fund, is 100 drams per kilogram, in case of obligations it is 105 drams, which in both cases is 5 drams more than in the previous year,” said Bakhshiyan.
According to the report made by director of the State Service of Emergency Situations Karen Sargsyan, there are fire stations in all the necessary areas of the fields, which are on duty around the clock. All duty groups, according to Sargsyan, are provided with necessary technical means and in case of possible fires they are ready to respond quickly and efficiently.
The President rated positive the initial stage activities of organizing the harvest and gave a number of instructions on its proper continuation. Arayik Harutyunyan also noted that, taking into account the danger of the spread of a novel coronavirus, all the conditions must be created in a short period of time so that all those involved in the harvest work strictly follow the established rules.
19:51,
YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian side is confident in its readiness to start the visa liberalization talks with the EU. Armenia is even ready to rapidly move to the completion of those talks, the result of which will be liberalization, ARMENPRESS reports Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said at the National Assembly.
‘’We consider that we have reached a level where the talks can be started. This is our approach based on adequate arguments’’, Mnatsakanyan said.
He noted that quite a lot of countries support Armenia in this issue, but added that this issue requires the consent of all the Member States. ‘’This is one of Armenia’s priorities in its relations with the EU’’, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said, emphasizing that the visa liberalization has also political importance.
‘’People’s interactions has quite a significant importance for expanding and deepening relations’’, he emphasized.
Reporting by Anna Grigoryan, Editing and Translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
20:18,
YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS. Former Speaker of the National Assembly of Artsakh Ashot Ghulyan has assumed the position of advisor to the Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, ARMENPRESS reports Vahan Kostanyan, assistant of Ararat Mirzoyan, wrote on his Facebook page.
‘’Ashot Ghulyan has assumed a position at the office of the Speaker of the National Assembly and will continue contributing to the process of forming a joint agenda of the legislative bodies of the two Armenian states in the position of advisor to the parliament Speaker’’.
21:32,
YEREVAN, JUNE 11, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan convened an enlarged working consultation on June 11 dedicated to the tightening of measures aimed at combating the novel coronavirus, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Artsakh President’s Office.
Minister of State, Commandant of the republic Grigory Martirosyan, acting healthcare minister Arayik Baghryan, National Assembly deputies, Mayor of Stepanakert David Sargsyan, heads of regional administrations and other officials attended the consultation.
The acting healthcare minister delivered a report on the situation. According to Arayik Baghryan, the intensity of the spread of the virus in the country has increased in recent days.
Commandant Grigory Martirosyan, MPS, heads of concerned bodies delivered speeches.
The Head of the State instructed to further tighten the applied procedures demanding to be consistent in the implementation of the adopted decisions. The President also instructed to set up a professional group with the participation of healthcare officials, which will be directly involved in the fight against the pandemic.
By Joshua Keating June 08, 20206:18 PM Move over, George Soros: There’s a new nefarious mastermind behind the ongoing political turmoil in the United States. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday and, according the state-run Anadolu Agency, told him,“Those behind the recent violence and looting during protests in the U.S. are working with the YPG/PKK, a terrorist group operating in northern Syria.” The Turkish government has spent the past few days blaming the YPG for instigating violence during the massive protests against police brutality in the U.S. Last week, Matthew Petti of the National Interest reported on a graphic released by the Turkey Directorate of Communications, tying antifa—the loose movement of militant activists that Trump has threatened to designate as a terrorist organization—to the Kurdish YPG rebels. What is going on here? While completely preposterous, the theory has a certain logic. But it requires some understanding of the strange bedfellows in this conflict. The YPG, the Kurdish rebel group that controls a large swath of northern Syria, has been the U.S. military’s main ally against ISIS. It is also an offshoot of the PKK, the Turkey-based group that has fought the Turkish government for decades and whom the U.S. considers a terrorist organization. The YPG follows the ideology of the PKK’s imprisoned founder, Abdullah Öcalan, which is heavily influenced by the American anarchist philosopher Murray Bookchin and his writings on “libertarian municipalism.” Some number of American leftists and anarchists have traveled to Syria to fight with the YPG. It’s not inconceivable that some of these Americans may have put in time with antifa as well. Does this mean that the YPG is coordinating with antifa—which by all accounts is not a formal organization—or orchestrating acts of violence and vandalism in America? Of course not. (One American YPG volunteer hilariously told the National Interest, “Are we meant to believe that YPG had the time to train people on how to [defecate] in a fish pond or how to draw penises on the side of a church building?”) It does, however, make complete sense that Erdogan would try to push this narrative into Trump’s brain. (Erdogan, like many other world leaders, has condemned the killing of George Floyd, though Turkish police dispersed and arrested activists taking part in a Floyd-inspired rally against police violence in Istanbul last week.) In another phone call last October, Erdogan convinced Trump to pull back U.S. troops ahead of a planned Turkish military invasion into Kurdish-held territory in Syria. In the ensuing days, Trump dismissed the Kurds as “not angels” and “more of a terrorist threat in many ways than ISIS,” seemingly parroting the Turkish government’s talking points. After seeing Trump railing against “terrorists” and “anarchists” of antifa in recent days, why wouldn’t Erdogan try to tie the two groups together? It’s not crazy for him to hope Trump might take the bait again.
When COVID-19 spread around the world and directly impacted students at AUA, the University reached out to its community of supporters to help address many challenges. The Youredjian Family Charitable Foundation responded with compassion, supporting AUA students generously so that they can continue with their education in the face of crisis.
Jack Youredjian was born in Jerusalem. He attended the American University of Beirut and knows first hand the impact a western-style education has on advancing regions of the world. Jack received his doctorate of pharmacy from the University of Southern California. After working a few years in a hospital, he opened his first pharmacy followed by multiple pharmacies over time. In 1980 he started Western Drug/Lifeair, which now has eight divisions across California.
Jack, like many students at AUA, received assistance from Armenian philanthropists and foundations to attend university. “My higher education would not have been possible without the support of AGBU and The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation,” Jack says. “I hope I can make a difference in the lives of the coming generations. I strongly believe that education is the future of our motherland.”
“As Armenians, we are very proud of AUA and the wonderful work that the University does in educating the future leaders of Armenia,” Jack and Zarig state. “We remember Dr. Mihran Agbabian fondly and applaud his efforts and hard work that he put in to move his vision forward by establishing a remarkable institution like AUA in Armenia.”
The entire AUA community is very grateful to the Youredjian Family who makes the AUA dream possible for many bright minds in Armenia. These minds then go on to build a stronger and more prosperous country thanks to the knowledge and skills they acquire at AUA.
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Margarit Hovhannisyan | Communications Manager
Margarit Hovhannisyan|: Communication manager
+374 60 612 514,
mhovhannisyan
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American University of Armenia
Republic of Armenia, 0019, Yerevan, Marshal Baghramyan Ave. 40:00
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by Cengiz Candar Turkey needs the support of the United States more than it did months ago to implement its regional agenda in Libya and beyond. Throughout the Cold War, for almost 50 years, the United States and Turkey were close allies. The backbone of the alliance was military cooperation. Shared values of democracy between the two members of the “free world” was secondary to their attachment to the collective security and strategic interests. The pillars of the ties had been the Pentagon in the United States, and the Turkish army in Turkey. Back then, the chief-of-staff of the Turkish army outranked the minister of defense. With the end of the Cold War, this bilateral relationship began to transform, and with the 2003 Iraq war, mistrust between the two allies reached a peak. In 2003, American troops stationed in Iraqi Kurdistan arrested a group of Turkish soldiers in Sulaimaniyah, outraging the Turkish public. The distance between the two countries grew further by Ankara’s policy choices that led Turkey to drift away from the Western security bloc. The election of President Donald Trump has marked a new era for the United States and Turkey. The personal ties between Erdogan and Trump have upstaged the institutional ties in the bilateral relations, as the two leaders have many similarities. Namik Tan, a former Turkish ambassador to Washington (2010-2014), pointed out this similarity in a May 29 tweet after Trump took a page from Erdogan’s playbook and moved to impose control over social media in response to the protests over the murder of George Floyd. “While we were saying Turkey will become a little America, America became a big Turkey,” Tan wrote. Trump’s green light for Turkey’s 2019 military operation against the Syrian Kurdish groups, Washington's strongest allies in the fight against the Islamis State in Syria, has been the most striking example of the strong personal ties between the American and Turkish leaders. The result of the operation was a geopolitical earthquake in Syria and the Middle East with global ramifications. "Confusion ensued in Syria and Washington in the hours after Trump agreed during a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to move US troops out of northeastern Syria to clear the way for a Turkish military operation in the area,” NBC reported after the greenlight. “According to multiple current and former US officials, the White House's announcement of the decision late Sunday night blindsided not just America's Kurdish partners in the fight against the Islamic State militant group … in Syria, but almost everyone — senior officials at the Pentagon, the State Department and the White House, lawmakers on Capitol Hill and US allies in Europe and the Middle East." Erdogan seems to have similarly big expectations from his latest conversation with Trump on June 9. The discussion will “transform Turkish-American relations,” he said in a live interview with Turkey’s state-owned TRT channel, stressing the intimacy between the two during the phone call, including a joking exchange that Erdogan mentioned without providing further detail. Apparently, aside from conveying information about the latest military situation in Libya, Erdogan also told his American counterpart that there was a “terrorist Kurdish” involvement behind the protests in the United States. Trump is so obsessed with the amorphous international leftist movement known as antifa that he has drawn a connection between it and the 75-year old man marauded by police in Buffalo. Erdogan said he told Trump that there was “a significant association” between antifa and Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units, which Turkey considers a terrorist organization. Erdogan added that he “expect his American counterpart to be sensitive on this issue.” One of the interviewers, a chosen sycophant, polished Erdogan’s argument, asking, “You had warned him before, hadn’t you? … And terror struck back at America. That was you had been preaching all along: If you feed terrorism, it will strike you.” The Turkish president ended the lengthy interview by saying, “Yes, one day it rebounds and hits you.” Yet the realpolitik in his approach to Trump should not be missed. Erdogan’s endeavor to enlist the American president as his soulmate is not solely emotional. The military success in Libya that put Turkey on the map as the main supporter of Libya's internationally recognized Tripoli-based Government of National Accord (GNA) heralds potential confrontation with Russia in Libya and Syria. Perhaps more importantly, Turkey’s Libya adventure will put Turkey in a dangerously escalating position vis-a-vis Greece, Cyprus, France and some other EU countries. The maritime agreement Turkey reached with the GNA in 2019 overlaps Greece's Exclusive Economic Zone and thus considered a violation of sovereignty by Athens. The conflict continues to escalate as Greece recently signed a maritime agreement with Italy in response to Turkey’s move. From Syria to Libya, from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean, Erdogan now figures that Turkey needs America politically and strategically more than it did some months ago. He learned by experience that getting the United States on board by making Trump his personal friend is easier than any other way.