Category: 2021

CivilNet: US to Recognize Armenian Genocide This Year, Says Ian Bremmer Citing White House Sources

Emil Lazarian
CIVILNET.AM

23 Mar, 2021 01:03

By Emilio Luciano Cricchio

The White House will recognize the Armenian Genocide this year, says American political scientist and president of the Eurasia Group consulting company Ian Bremmer, citing his sources in the White House and State Department. 

According to Bremmer, a senior White House adviser told him that “Biden is a man of his word,” and that the announcement can be probably expected for April 24, which is Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day. 

Bremmer went to say that, in recent days, he has heard from both White House and State Department officials that President Biden was angry when Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan commented on his statement about Russian President Vladimir Putin, in which Biden stated that Putin was “a killer” and “lacked a soul.” Erdogan called Biden’s comments “unacceptable.”

Chairman of the Pan-Armenian Council of Western America, Doctor of Political Science Vigen Hovsepyan said in an interview with Tert.am, “Since his time as a senator, Biden has supported US Armenians fighting for the recognition of the 1915 Genocide. This year, we are full of hope that Biden will not disappoint us.”

On October 29, 2019, the U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed Resolution 296 recognizing the Armenian Genocide:

On December 12 of the same year, the US Senate too voted for resolution 150, officially recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

President Joe Biden promised to recognize the 1915 Genocide during his campaign, when the Biden-Harris released a position paper, promising a swathe of policy initiatives which have been considered favourable for Armenians. 

Other policy initiatives included reviewing security assistance to Azerbaijan and reinstating financial aid to the Halo Trust, which is a UK-based organization involved in demining in Nagorno-Karabakh, which had its funding cut by the Trump administration. 

Bremmer further commented on the wider context of Turkey’s situation, saying, “The last few weeks have been difficult for President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. A lot of things are going wrong for Turkey. They withdrew from the Istanbul Convention, a European agreement that protects women. Also in Turkey, the governor of the Central Bank was dismissed (making him the fourth governor in two years). The Turkish lira is depreciating, and Erdogan’s popularity is declining. As a result, he has been attacking the pro-Kurdish Peoples ‘ Democratic Party (HDP).”

“But the important news is that Erdogan faces another diplomatic challenge coming from the United States. As I heard from the White House, President Biden is going to recognize the crimes against Armenians in the Ottoman Empire in 1915,” Bremmer said. 

US-Turkey relations have been in the spotlight since the Democrats took over the White House and the Hill. 

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken referred to Turkey as a “so-called” ally, a few days after being nominated by President Biden. 

On top of this, there were reports in the media that President Erdogan was dismayed about not having phone talks with President Biden, especially after having what many saw as a close relationship with the former administration. 

It is worth noting however that this is not the first time a US President has promised to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. Both President Bill Clinton and President Barack Obama had promised to do so.

AGBU Celebrates International Women’s Month with Three Virtual Events

Khondkarian Raffi 
AGBU Press Office
55 East 59th Street
New York, NY 10022-1112
Website: 
 
  
PRESS RELEASE
  
Monday, 
  
As part of AGBU’s women’s empowerment initiative in the Republic of Armenia and 
its programs designed to close the gender gap in society and business, three 
AGBU groups in the organization’s global network observed International Women’s 
Month in March with virtual events organized in Lebanon, New York and Brussels. 
Each event served to address specific aspects of the ongoing struggle for 
women’s rights, and to show how the stories of Armenia’s women fit into the 
larger narrative of universal issues faced by women around the world. 
Arda Haratunian, AGBU Central Board Member and Co-Chair of AGBU EmpowerHer – a 
multi-faceted program that provides aspiring women in Armenia with the 
knowledge, skills, and support systems to succeed as entrepreneurs, employees in 
the IT sectors, or leaders in civic society – explained why Armenia’s women 
deserve recognition. “Their resilience and resolve to pursue their career goals, 
despite a year of devastating war and raging pandemic, is something all women 
can celebrate,” she stated. 
Agendas ranged from a film screening and panel discussion to networking 
opportunities and candid conversations with a successful Armenian film producer, 
all different yet all tackled various aspects of women’s rights and advancement 
in society. The first event, organized by AGBU Lebanon, highlighted a 
lesser-discussed aspect: the toll that lockdown isolation has taken on women’s 
rights. Women Coping with the Pandemic in a Warzone was held on March 5th with a 
diverse panel of women’s rights experts and nearly 100 participants. The 
thoughtful discussion raised awareness about the wide-reaching abuses of women 
since the pandemic which have been further exacerbated in conflict zones. “The 
pandemic is certainly global, but it is experienced in a radically different way 
if you’re a woman, and a mother, and responsible for families, especially in 
poor countries and warzones,” noted Dr. Carol Mann, Founder of Women in War 
Think Tank. This remark certainly rang true for the other speakers, including 
representatives from Arab Institute for Women, Shelter and Settlements at IFRC; 
AGBU Women Coders, AGBU Women Entrepreneurs (WE) programs; activists and 
doctoral candidates; Facebook MENA; Forward Film Production; KU Leuven; and 
Every Woman Treaty. 
“Emergencies never end when political crises end. In fact, for women, 
emergencies continue, and they take on new forms,” said the executive director 
of Arab Institute for Women Dr. Lina Abi Rafeh. “COVID has been a 
generation-defining event, but also a gender-defining event. The title of this 
conversation that we’ve been having is Women Coping with the Pandemic during a 
Warzone. That’s what we do. We cope constantly under every circumstance no 
matter what the world throws at us.” The panelists concluded that women have 
coped by effectively using social media and digital technology to speak out and 
stand up for greater gender equality. 
 
Building off AGBU’s sold-out 2020 “Women Shaping the World” where the landmark 
EmpowerHer program was launched, the second event served up the abridged 
“EmpowerHour” on March 11th – an interview with AGBU alumni Katherine Sarafian, 
a Senior Vice President and Head of Talent at Pixar Animation Studios, moderated 
by Kim Bardakian of the Kapor Center. AGBU Central Board member Arda Haratunian 
introduced the program with an update on the women’s entrepreneurship initiative 
that forged ahead in Armenia and Artsakh through the double-edged sword of the 
pandemic and war. “Women are more committed to these programs, figuring out how 
to pull our country together. They are the women who will change their 
communities, they will change their futures, and through that, they will change 
our nation.” The chat was followed by a networking session via small breakout 
rooms. Sarafian discussed her journey from AGBU to her role at the once-tiny 
startup Pixar, and how the Armenian community has supported her throughout her 
professional journey, which she felt as “a giant Armenian hug worldwide.” When 
asked how she balanced her work, personal life, and everything in between, 
Sarafian answered, “I don’t balance it. I’m getting used to stuff falling apart 
and breaking. I’m trying to get better at deciding what kind of breakage really 
matters to me.” Liberating oneself from guilt, Sarafian said, played a massive 
role in her decisions during the COVID-19 pandemic, in addition to learning to 
acknowledge priorities through evaluating worst-case scenarios. “I cannot be the 
fullest and best leader and at the same time the fullest and best mother. I try 
to be protective and focused and present in the time that I’m doing either 
thing.” 
 
The final event took place on March 15th from Brussels, in partnership with the 
Bozar Center for Fine Arts, with an online film screening and discussion with 
director, reporter, and photographer Silva Khnkanosian. Nothing to be Afraid of 
is an immersive documentary revealing the resilience of female mine-clearers in 
Artsakh working in the former combat zone of the Lachin Corridor. 
“Even though every one of these women has a very strong personal story which led 
them to work as deminers, my film is not about these stories,” said Khnkanosian. 
“What was really interesting to me was to show these women in the actual work 
process, fully concentrated in their task, in these very dangerous and difficult 
conditions.” Anita Khachaturova, a political scientist completing her Ph.D. 
research on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict wove in the current war into the 
question-and-answer portion of the event, noting the increasing importance of 
female mine-clearers. “So many banned weapons have been used on the territory of 
Nagorno-Karabakh in the last war, including at least three types of cluster 
munitions. It will take time to clear the region from all the new explosives.” 
The ensuing dialogue couldn’t have been more relevant and necessary, considering 
the effects of the 2020 Artsakh War and its burden on mothers and women who have 
lost loved ones. “The film screening was a great opportunity to shed light on 
women from a region that is still little known in Europe, despite being the 
theater of a conflict which has remained unresolved for decades now,” commented 
moderator and AGBU Europe communications manager Céline Gulekjian. Though the 
three events tackled varying topics from professional development, the effect of 
the pandemic on women, and using film as a way to portray the plight of women in 
Armenia, evidently, the main message was resoundingly clear - women worldwide 
have a vast capacity for resilience in the face of adversity, no matter their 
background, status, or lot in life.
The Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) is the world’s largest non-profit 
organization devoted to upholding the Armenian heritage through educational, 
cultural and humanitarian programs. Each year, AGBU is committed to making a 
difference in the lives of 500,000 people across Armenia, Artsakh and the 
Armenian diaspora.  Since 1906, AGBU has remained true to one overarching goal: 
to create a foundation for the prosperity of all Armenians. To learn more visit 
 .

CivilNet: Shurnukh’s Armenians Raise a 30-meter Flagpole in the Face of the Azerbaijani Army

David Nargizian
CIVILNET.AM

22 Mar, 2021 06:03

The residents of Shurnukh now find themselves as the inhabitants of a new frontier village, with Azerbaijani servicemen and flags clearly visible from the village. In the face of this, the villagers have raised a 30 meter high flagpole to signify the Armenian presence in the area. CivilNet’s team travelled to Shurnukh to gauge the situation.

Turkish press: Turkey’s ambassador slams Canadian university for canceling speech

Eduard Nalbandian
 ISTANBUL DIPLOMACY 
MAR 21, 2021 8:38 PM GMT+3
Turkey’s ambassador to Canada, Kerim Uras, attends a live event to commemorate the Çanakkale victory on March 18, 2021 (AA Photo)

The Turkish Ambassador to Canada, Kerim Uras, blasted a Canadian University’s decision to cancel an event on the Southern Caucasus after pressure by radical Armenian groups, as he called it a “sad day” for freedom of speech in Canada.

Uras was scheduled to attend the online event organized by the Montreal-based Concordia University’s Strategic and Diplomatic Society and the International Relations Society to discuss the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, which had recently been liberated by Azerbaijan from three decades of Armenian occupation.

The event, which was scheduled to take place on March 19, was canceled after radical Armenian groups, including the Armenian National Committee of Quebec put pressure on the university and the relevant student clubs to cancel it.

The ambassador criticized the cancellation, saying that he had accepted the university’s invitation weeks ago and that his participation would have enabled students of diplomacy to listen to every perspective and ask questions “for a better understanding of international issues and Southern Caucasus.”

“Radical Armenian groups can’t even tolerate a free exchange of views with a group of students. The students’ right to hear and analyze different views has been taken from them by bullying Armenian groups, who are fanatically hostile to #Turkey & #Azerbaijan & #Islamophobic,” Uras said on Twitter.

He continued by saying that it was “regrettable” that an academic institution bowed down to threats and intimidation by radical groups.

“The issues in the region are complex and rooted in history. Far better to discuss honestly… We will continue to encourage and work for #dialogue, #diplomacy, and mutual understanding to build lasting peace and stability,” the ambassador said.

Users on Twitter criticized the university for canceling the event.

One user slammed the university for double standards, as she noted that they did not cancel the speech of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in 2002 despite backlash from pro-Palestinian student groups.

Meanwhile, Gülnur Aybet, a senior advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, also criticized the move.

Relations between the two former Soviet republics over Nagorno-Karabakh have remained tense since 1991, but fresh clashes broke out on Sept. 27. Since then, Armenia has repeatedly attacked Azerbaijani civilians and forces, even violating three humanitarian cease-fire agreements.

About 20% of Azerbaijan’s territory has been under illegal Armenian occupation for nearly three decades. Baku liberated several strategic cities, towns and nearly 300 of its settlements and villages from the Armenian occupation during the recent fighting.

Turkey supported Azerbaijan throughout the 44-day-long battle, which ended on Nov. 10 with a Moscow-brokered cease-fire.

Asbarez: Armenia Tree Project Receives EU Grant

Emil Lazarian



ATP to “scale up” programs with grant from the European Union

Armenia Tree Project has been awarded a $830,000 grant from the European Union to increase environmental protection and climate change adaptation capacities in Armenia’s small regional cities and towns. ATP is the lead applicant of the grant, with the Jinishian Memorial Foundation and the Armenian Energy Agency Foundation as co-applicants.

The grant will finance the implementation of the action entitled “Green community – resilient future”: introducing green urban development model aimed at Armenia’s enhanced environmental protection and climate change adaptation.

Fifteen municipalities and their neighboring communities in the regions of Shirak, Lori and Tavush have been selected as beneficiaries. Funding will be used to:

  • Green targeted 15 municipalities;
  • Green 50 schools and 10 parks;
  • Enhance urban greening capacity in targeted communities;
  • Establish 100 hectares of forests in 10 areas adjunct to the cities and towns;
  • Establish 150 backyard nurseries, modeled after ATP’s award-winning backyard nursery program;
  • Establish 1 nursery near Gyumri, modeled after the successful Mirak Family Reforestation Nursery operated by ATP;
  • Create an online information sharing and learning portal;
  • Establish 10 Eco Clubs and enhance ATP’s existing 5 in said regions;
  • Engage 7,000 schoolchildren in environmental education activities;
  • Hold eco-camps and annual country-wide clean-up competition campaigns to increase environmental awareness.

ATP will be responsible for activities dedicated to advancing urban greening practices and the establishment of respective infrastructures as well as environmental education activities. The Jinishian Memorial Foundation will leverage its expertise and existing network of regional actors in the field of capacity enhancement to coordinate activities aimed at advancing regional and municipal dialogues with stakeholders. The Armenian Energy Agency Foundation will design and deliver sub-activities aimed at the promotion of ‘green energy,’ with particular focus on solar appliances, and energy efficiency practices.

New livelihood opportunities will be created in the selected communities as a result of the grant project. The project will help create additional income opportunities for a few hundred inhabitants who will be engaged in tree-planting activities.

“Through this grant project we will have a greater opportunity to scale up ATP’s programs to include more communities, and not only do greening projects but also help those communities set up sustainable practices and infrastructure that will carry them into the future,” said ATP Operations Manager Arthur Harutyunyan. “We are very grateful to be able to expand our environmental work and duplicate some of our most successful programs to contribute to the economic vitality of our communities.”

“We, at the Armenian Energy Agency foundation, are delighted about being a co-partner within this project, which is another opportunity for us to talk about green energy, benefits of renewable and efficient energy. I congratulate ATP and the Jinishian Memorial Foundation, and wish good luck to all of us to achieve our goals,” said General Director of the AEA foundation Luiza Vardanyan.

EU4Environment: “Green community – resilient future” was launched on March 1  in Armenia, and will go on for 36 months.

Funeral Notice: Vazken Madenlian

Christine Harutyunian


Vazken Madenlian

VAZKEN MADENLIAN
Born on September 18, 1946, Beirut, Lebanon

It is with great sorrow that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, father, grandfather, brother and relative Vazken Madenlian, who passed away on Saturday, March 13, 2021.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, April 22, 10 a.m. at Forest Lawn Glendale Mortuary Park, next to the Church of The Recessional, 1712 S. Glendale Ave, Glendale.
Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic, condolences will only be accepted after the funeral.

He is survived by his:
Wife, Seta Madenlian
Daughter, Maral & Nino Tavitian, daughters, Sevana and Areni
Daughter, Lorig & Armen Srourian, daughter, Nova
Brother, Ara & Sona Madenlian
Sister, Vergine Madenlian
Niece, Tamar & Peter Ashjian and family
Cousin, Razmig Madenlian
Cousin’s wife, Makrouhie Madenlian
Mother-in-law, Anissa Hamalian
Brother-in-law, Hagop Hamalian
Sister-in-law, Rita Kodjian
Sister-in-law, Elizabeth Hamalian
Niece, Hourig Kodjian and family
Nephew, Haig Kodjian and family
Nephew, Sarkis and Kristine Hamalian
Nephew, Aram & Nayiri Madenlian and family
Niece, Arpi Madenlian and family
Niece, Shushan & Ivica Zupic
Nephew, Garo Madenlian and family
In-laws, Setrak & Betty Tavitian and family
In-laws, Nichan & Salpi Srourian and family

And the entire Madenlian, Hamalian, Kodjian, Tavitian, Srourian and Ashjian families relatives and friends

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to: Chamlian Armenian School or Armenian Cultural Foundation (ACF Western USA Inc.)

Judicial Code bill heavily amended after first reading

Emil Lazarian

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 10:18,

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. The Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan announced that the bill on amending the Judicial Code has been heavily amended after the first reading in parliament.

He said the bill was amended as a result of cooperation between the government and lawmakers, given the “numerous concerns”.

Badasyan released the final version of the bill online.  

 

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

‘Everything will be done to liberate occupied territories of Artsakh’ – foreign ministry issues statement

Emil Lazarian

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 10:13,

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Ministry of the Republic of Artsakh has issued a statement on the 101-st anniversary of the massacre of Armenians of Shushi, the ministry told Armenpress.

The statement reads:

“Օn this day 101 years ago, the authorities of the Azerbaijani Republic, together with the regular Turkish army and numerous armed gangs, organized the massacre of the Armenian population of Shushi, almost completely destroying the historical capital of Artsakh. The Genocide in Shushi was the first manifestation of the aggressive policy pursued against Artsakh by an artificially created state called “Azerbaijan”. As a result of this monstrous crime, thousands of Armenians were killed, tens of thousands were forced to leave the town, the Armenian cultural heritage was destroyed, the people’s property was looted, and the sacred sites were desecrated.

This tragic event was a signal of what kind of policy Azerbaijan will adopt in the coming decades. The logical continuation of such misanthropic actions was the Armenian-phobia policy pursued by Azerbaijan since 1988 at the state level, accompanied by massacres, pogroms and ethnic cleansing.

The fact that the international community didn’t give a proper assessment to the genocidal policy of Baku and Ankara and the criminals remained unpunished led to a new aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh on September 27, 2020 with the support of Turkey and the participation of international terrorists, resulting in the occupation of the town of Shushi.

The massacres in Shushi in 1920 and its occupation in 2020 do not only testify to the genocidal policy against Artsakh and the Armenian people, but are also crimes against the mankind and humanity, a gross violation of international law.

The Armenians of Artsakh will never accept the loss of Shushi. Shushi was, is and will be an integral part of Artsakh, and everything will be done to liberate the occupied territories of the Republic and restore the historical justice”.

Revealing Their Abstraction: Moko Khachatryan and Vahan Rumelyan’s Debut Art Exhibit

Arsine Chaltikian



BY NARE GARIBYAN

As I entered the gallery at Tufenkian Fine Arts, in Glendale and began to view Moko’s and Vahan’s art, I appreciated the juxtaposition of their artwork adjacent to one another. Meanwhile, in another corner of the gallery, I was transported to the individual spaces of Moko and Vahan. They both create works of abstract expressionism, and at first glance, their work might seem similar, yet at a closer look, their style and sensibilities vary.

Vahan’s paint strokes are raw and orbital, containing tangible, almost edible, clumps of bold colored paint, chaotic, yet, reflective. The circularity found in his work, has also manifested onto an actual circular canvas, which gives his art multidimensionality.

Moko’s canvases have a meditative, confident, and strong quality, bright and dark paint expands and drapes along the canvas with a sense of verticality. Her placement of color on the canvas speaks to her visionary dexterousness.

In both instances, the viewer is enthralled and a dialogue is roused between the viewer, the artists and the viewer’s own sense of abstraction, which stems from an unconscious, authentic place.

When Vahan begins his process of creation, he says, “ I become part of my painting; I become that line, that gesture; I disappear, detached from my ego; I disappear from my being and become part of my painting, as if I find myself in a cosmic world, where I have been given the sole purpose to become what I must expose to my viewer.” Vahan’s work aligns with Arshile Gorky, Willem de Kooning, Jackson Pollock, and Franz Kline; “I am continuing their unfinished work,” Vahan affirms. His description of abstract art appears on the canvas, “it is really a psychological, transcendental reality, it is meditative.”

Moko roots abstract art in the unconscious, unworldly, and spiritual realms. She asserts that “abstract art is not drawing or painting, it is a mentality, a lifestyle, and it is a thought process that is deep and philosophical.” She thinks of Mark Rothko, Joan Mitchell and Helen Frankenthaler as she connects authenticity to abstract art. She comments that “in other art forms you can hide your feelings and disguise your inner world, but in abstract art you cannot lie to the viewer.” This is also evident in Moko’s description of her process; she works on a painting all day and decides to continue her work the next day. But the next day, “the painting completely changes because yesterday and today no longer coincide; I am the same person, but my essence for that new day does not coincide [with the work from the previous day], it is not repetitive because there can’t be repetition from yesterday and today.”

Thus it is not surprising that this mind and body connection, found in both Vahan’s and Moko’s art alludes to the influence of the aesthetics of Japanese art. Vahan says that the foundation of his art is based on Japanese calligraphy. He further describes that, “Japanese calligraphy is created with haste and speed, if it is created in a slower pace, it will not work. If I paint in a slower pace, it becomes fake and inauthentic. “ Moko appreciates the Japanese aesthetic that aligns with restraint and simplicity, which is visible in her work.

After the untimely death of Moko’s father, the internationally, renowned artist, Rudolf Khachatryan, she shares that “something happened to me…I have created so much work in the past 13 years since my father’s passing; I was working morning to night, everyday, it was all unbelievable what was happening to me.” Moko is proud to be an established artist. She started her abstract explorations at a much later time; “I started out as a figurative artist and slowly my style cleansed itself into abstraction.” She regrets that her father did not live to see her full developmental arc as an artist.

Both Vahan and Moko have exhibited extensively; solo or group shows, spanning various countries between them, from France, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, Lebanon, Kuwait, Armenia, and the US. Moko and Vahan are such prolific and active artists because they have found harmony between each other. Moko states, “we disturb and help each other, sometimes we live apart, and come back together as it is difficult to live as two serious artists under one roof.” But somehow it works for them. Moko and Vahan look forward to one day, performing together, creating live art, as the viewers watch in anticipation, waiting to decipher their abstraction.

Hope you enjoy the exhibition.

“Poetry in Space,” Moko Khachatryan and Vahan Rumelyan’s debut joint exhibit is on view at Tufenkian Fine Arts by appointment through April 23. Gallery hours are Tuesday to Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Visit the website to make an appointment online. Follow Tufenkian Fine Arts on Facebook and Instagram for updates about the gallery, new works, artist updates, and exhibition dates.