Category: 2021

Aurora and UN Armenia’s Christmas Market to Include a gift-sharing program

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 6 2021
December 6, 2021, 14:11

 1 minute read

The Christmas Market organized by the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and UN Armenia and held in partnership with the Tovmasyan Charity Foundation will take place very soon, on December 12, 2021, from 10:00 am till 8:00 pm in the festively decorated Dvin Music Hall (40 Paronyan Street, Yerevan, Armenia).

The event will raise funds for Aurora’s programs and the UN projects in Armenia, contribute to the appreciation of charity, and promote giving back. Everyone is also invited to take part in the Market’s Gift-Sharing Program that offers exciting gifts from the organizers. In addition, all guests will be able to see a live performance while purchasing local goods and supporting a good cause.

For just AMD 1,000 per coupon,anybody can participate in the Gift-Sharing Program: companies may buy a bigger number of coupons in advance to surprise their clients, partners, or employees and individuals can donate via this link and will receive the appropriate number of coupons by email. And of course, when you attend the Christmas Market, you can make a donation and receive your coupon or coupons in person. A range of exciting gifts awaits the lucky ones: a festive Christmas Brunch with live music, vouchers for wellness and spa treatments or a tête-à-tête dinner, a weekend for two in an exclusive Yerevan hotel, wine, jewelry and many more. The two main gifts are offered by the Co-organizers: an exclusive invitation to the 2022 Aurora Prize Ceremony – wherever it may take place – and an invitation to attend the high-level ceremony dedicated to UN’s 30th anniversary in Armenia.

At the Market, the Quartet of the Armenian Philharmonic and some local Armenian and Artsakh talents will perform holiday music live, lifting the spirits and enhancing the atmosphere of Christmas cheer.

 An event organized by the Tarber Book Club will take place in the reading corner, where children are invited to discuss “The Blue Arrow” by Gianni Rodari with host Sergey Sargsyan.

The drawing of the coupons for the Gift-Sharing Program will take place at 6.30 pm when participants will be able to find out whether they are the lucky ones to receive the coveted gifts from the organizers and partners of the Christmas Market.

Baroness Cox asks UK Government to assess ceasefire violation by Azerbaijan, failure to return Armenian POWs

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 6 2021
December 6, 2021, 19:10

 2 minutes read

Member of the House of Lords, Baroness Caroline Cox has asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of violations of the Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire agreement by the government of Azerbaijan, and the number of Armenian military and civilian personnel who have yet to be released by the government of Azerbaijan.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park, the Minister of State, Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, said: “The Minister for Europe and Americas has repeatedly highlighted the need for both countries to avoid provocative actions. She has also raised the long-standing issues of prisoners of war, detainees and the missing or deceased in calls with both Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Bayramov and Armenian Foreign Minister Mirzoyan. We urge both Governments to engage in substantive negotiations to settle all matters relating to the conflict.”

Baroness Cox stressed that the impunity enjoyed by Azerbaijan has encouraged continuing violations of the ceasefire agreement by Azerbaijan. “As Azerbaijani forces continue to advance into Armenian territories, a few weeks ago I visited a village, Davit Bek, in Syunik province, and witnessed the suffering of the Armenian people there. Azerbaijan also refuses to release Armenian prisoners, subjecting many to torture and killing. What will Her Majesty’s Government do to require Azerbaijan to stop violations of the ceasefire agreement and of human rights?” she asked.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park said: “The UK has engaged very actively both during and after the conflict. The Minister for Europe and Americas, Wendy Morton, speaks regularly with her counterparts in both countries. She continuously urges de-escalation and a return to the negotiating table under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group, and she has condemned the alleged war crimes, including the deliberate shelling of civilian areas, videos purportedly showing beheadings of soldiers, and alleged deliberate use of white phosphorus against civilians. The allegations come from both sides in this conflict.”

Lord Bishop of Coventry said he visited the border inclusion area of Syunik province, at an earlier stage than Lady Cox. “In Khoznavar, the incursion had cut off the nearby village from its main water source, and access to grazing land had been denied, threatening the survival of this poverty-stricken village. Following my letters of 7 July to the Foreign Secretary and of 5 November to the Minister for Europe and Americas, what further steps are Her Majesty’s Government taking to challenge those illegal incursions, to ensure the integrity of Armenia’s borders and to press for the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops according to the terms of the November 2020 ceasefire?” the Lord asked.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park responded that “the UK notes the ceasefire agreement reached in November last year.” “Both countries had to make difficult decisions to secure stability and peace, and it is important that remaining issues relating to the conflict are resolved through negotiation. In particular, the OSCE Minsk Group is the obvious and key forum for this, facilitated by France, Russia and the US. The UK is not a formal member of the OSCE but we continue to support its efforts to negotiate a permanent and sustainable settlement,” he added.

Lord Risby emphasized that the major cause of tension and violence has been the lack of a clear and mutually acceptable demarcation of the international border and asked whether the UK considers assisting or promoting the process. “The UK supports the OSCE Minsk Group process and, alongside that, the basic principles. Last updated in 2009, these include a return of the occupied territories and the acceptance of a free _expression_ of will on the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region,” Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park noted.

When I am sad: Armenian-French animated film selected for six international festivals

Karapet Navasardian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 6 2021
December 6, 2021, 23:40

 Less than a minute

Filmed with the financial support of the National Cinema Center of Armenia, the joint Armenian-French animated film “When I’m Sad” has been selected by six international film festivals after its world premiere at Animest International Animation Festival (Romania) on October 15.

The festivals include:

BIAF – Bucheon International Animation Festival (South Korea)
Cinanaima (Portugal)
Olympia International Film Festival for Children and Young People (Greece),
BASTAU International Film Festival (Kazakhstan),
Colombo International Women’s Film Festival (Sri Lanka)
Paris Courts Devant (France)

Production company: Hoshkee FILM
Co-production: Folimage, France
Director: Lilit Altunyan
Scriptwriters Lilit Altumyan, Armine Anda
Producer: Armine Anda, Coproducer Reginald de Guillebon
Composer: Mikayel Voskanyan
Starring Armine Anda (Armenian Voice), Nairi Khatchadourian (French Voice), Victoria Aleksanyan (English Voice).

TUMO’s program expanding to Lyon

Garnik Zakarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Dec 6 2021
December 7, 2021, 00:21

 1 minute read

TUMO’s program is expanding to Lyon. The official opening is slated for January 26.

It will be the first international center to have boxes connected to it and will welcome up to 1,500 local teens and offer 8 learning areas.

During the presentation of the center, the President of uvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region Laurent Wauquiez said: “I am proud that the Region is the first partner of TUMO Lyon, which offers new innovative activities to all young people aged 12-18.”

“When I visited the TUMO center in Yerevan, I was impressed by the new ways of learning, the passion of the speakers, as well as the enthusiasm of the middle and high school students who attended,” he added.

The center will be the 7th outside Armenia and the 2nd in France.

Pashinyan tries to present his team’s setbacks in Sunday’s local elections as an achievement

Markos Nalchajian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 6 2021

The Civic Contract party led by Nikol Pashinyan suffered defeats in local elections in 15 out of 36 enlarged communities of Armenia on Sunday.

This time as well, Nikol Pashinyan attempted to shift the blame on the former authorities and present his team’s defeat as an achievement for the country.

“No matter how obvious it may seem that the priorities of our agenda are related to external challenges, I must state, however, that this quality of local self-government elections, where the citizen is the Master and Decision Maker, is a long-held dream come true,” he wrote on Facebook on Monday.

“I understand the point of view that it is better to rig elections but have a higher level of security, however I have been and remain convinced that it was the long-standing practice of election fraud which undermined the state resistance system formed in the early 1990s and led to security disasters as a result of chain reactions,” he noted.

“The statehood and state institutions must be the guarantee of our future,” Pashinyan added.

Many people in the comments below his post confessed their love for “Mr. Prime Minister” and urged him to act more decisively, use the “hammer and put an end to the velvet”.

In the meantime, most users simply lashed out at Pashinyan.

“The master of the country is indeed its citizens, but instead of citizens you yourself decided to raise the prices of water, which is their property,” one of them wrote.

Another person accused him of having no idea of the concept of statehood, calling him a “dilettante, who has ceded lands”.

“You ruined the core of the nation, and now you’re talking about elections… step down and leave, the Armenian people don’t accept you,” one of the users said.

Some people also criticized Pashinyan for repeatedly putting the blame on the former authorities.

“Only the weak men blame others for their failures. The strong men admit and fix their mistakes and move forward,” a user commented.

Dadivank monastery entrance and exit always under control, the Primate of the Artsakh Diocese says

Mary Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 6 2021

Dadivank monastery complex, located in Artsakh’s Shahumyan district, which fell under the control of Azerbaijani forces as a result of the 2020 Artak war, has not accepted Armenian pilgrims since May of the ongoing year, the Primate of the Artsakh Diocese His Grace Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan told reporters on Monday. 

“Our clergymen continue their service at the presence of Russian peacekeepers. During a prayer service, of course, every bishop would like to turn back and see the faithful in front of him. If the church is empty they feel the need to see worshippers as soon as possible. We are working hard to change this reality, however, our efforts have not yielded success yet,” Bishop Abrahamyan said. 

The Primate of Artsakh Diocese stressed that the lives of Dadivank clergymen are not endangered as Russian peacekeepers are carrying out their service there. 

Asked by Panorama.am reporter to comment on earlier reports, suggesting six clergymen are in the church and unable to get out as the exit is blocked, Bishop Vrtanes Abrahamyan said: ” The entrance and exit of Dadivank monastery have always been under control. It would be false to claim the opposite and insist the entry is free. If Dadivank is under Azerbaijani control, entering the church or leaving it is problematic,” he said. 

As to the clergymen blocked inside the church, the Primate said all necessary measures are taken to ensure their basic, medical and other needs related to Yerevan or the Mother See in Holy Echmiadzin. 

During local elections authorities suffered defeat in places where they had claimed victories – opposition lawmaker

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 6 2021

The best assessment of the local elections held in Armenia on Sunday was given by Nikol Pashinyan himself, who actually admitted that the rulingCivic Contract party had failed, opposition lawmaker from ‘Armenia’ bloc Artur Khachatryan told a briefing in parliament. In the words of Khachatryan, Pashinyan was trying to justify the defeat by their busy activities around external challenges. 

The MP remarked that authorities were denying the case of vote-buying, however, both in yesterday’s and previous local elections the state was quite generous in offering social assistance to residents of the same communities which couldn’t come as a coincidence. 

Moreover, per Khachaturian, authorities mobilized all administrative resources prior to and during the elections, yet they lost the elections in 15 communities out of 36.   

He reminded that opposition forces can gain majority in  Council of elders of 8 communities and in 13 if they form coalitions. In total, the opposition can theoretically get control of the power in 21 communities, he added.

Armenian Church in Turkey’s Diyarbakir transferred to the possession of the local university

Tambiyan Samvel
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 6 2021

SOCIETY 19:52 06/12/2021 REGION

The Armenian Catholic Church in Turkey’s Diyarbakir has transferred to the possession of the local university for  a term of ten years after restoration by the state. As Ermenihaber reports, the Catholic Church along with other historical christian buildings had been expropriated by the Turkish government. 

Located in Diyarbakir’s Sur district, the St. Hovsep Church was heavily damaged during Turkish-Kurdish clashes in 2015. The restoration was carried out by the Directorate General of Foundations of Turkey.

According to the report, the Church will be now used by the local Dicle University for educational and cultural purposes. At the same time, the right of Armenian catholic community to hold  and attend masses is preserved. 

After the restoration of the church,  the spiritual leader of the Armenian Catholics of Turkey Archbishop Levon Zekiyan had consecrated the church and served a mass after a long break. 

Armenia local elections: Bloc named after incumbent mayor wins in Sevan

Kalantarian Kevo
News.am, Armenia
Dec 6 2021
00:15, 06.12.2021

The Sargis Muradyan Bloc, led by the incumbent mayor of Sevan, Armenia, Sargis Muradyan, has achieved a convincing win in Sunday’s Sevan Council of Elders elections.

According to the Central Electoral Commission data, after counting the votes cast in 22 out of 24 polling stations of this now-enlarged community, 77.95% voted for the aforesaid bloc, the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation-ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party is in second place, with 12.1% of the votes, and ex-PM Aram Sargsyan’s Republic Party, which received 9.88% of the votes, came in last.

Voter turnout in Sevan was 40.7 percent.

It is noteworthy that Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract Party did not run in the local elections in Sevan.

Armenia local elections: Lack of alternative, record low voter turnout ensure ruling party’s win in Armavir

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 6 2021
02:09, 06.12.2021

The ruling Civil Contract Party (CCP) recorded a Pyrrhic victory in the absence of any alternative political force in Sunday’s local elections in Armavir, Armenia.

As only the CCP ran in the elections in this now-enlarged community, there was no competition, and as a result, the voter turnout was at a record low of 20.73 percent.

According to the Central Electoral Commission data, the results of 23 out of 29 polling stations in Armavir have been processed, and according to which the only political force running received 100% of the votes.

Extremely low voter turnout—25.78%—was also registered in Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin) city, as a result of which the CCP won there as well. The results of 14 out of 25 polling stations have been processed so far in Etchmiadzin. The ruling party has received 56.56%, and the opposition Etchmiadzin Bloc has garnered 35.5 percent. In third place is the little-known Master of the Homeland party, which received 4.57 percent. In fourth place is the Real Democratic Party (1.95%), and in last place is the Bright Armenia Party, which garnered 1.05% of the votes.

In a relatively high voter turnout (34.16%), however, the ruling party won in Metsamor city, with 81.23% of the votes. Here, as the only opposition, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation-ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party received 18.77 percent.