Category: 2021

Armenia And Azerbaijan: The Business Of Reconciliation

Maral Takmazian
International Business Times
Jan 24 2021
By Georgi Vanyan AND Emin Milli on 1/24/21 at 10:07 am est

  • The recent conflict caused many Armenians to flee Karabakh, tragically mirroring events of the 1990s.
  • Peace must be girded on mutual economic dependence, as France and Germany demonstrated with the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community in the wake of the Second World War.
  • Reconciliation founded on economic exchange is the ultimate means for a durable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
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In the recent conflict between our two nations, Armenia and Azerbaijan, the diplomatic hand of the West has been conspicuously absent. Tellingly, the first talks between our respective leaders since the November ceasefire took place with one other person in the room – President Vladimir Putin.

President Joe Biden has stated a resolve to change this, chiding the Trump administration’s passivity during the conflict. Yet others may question why it’s necessary, given America’s geographical remoteness from the South Caucasus. Is it perhaps not preferable for Russia to lead peace efforts?

Given the entanglement of NATO in the region, and the risk – were these efforts to fail – of regional conflagration at the junction of Europe and the Middle East, the U.S. cannot let events unfurl. Given limited progress in recent talks, the ceasefire shall remain fragile because it doesn’t provide for reconciliation between our communities, the fundament for lasting peace. Rather, economic engagement – between the nations, its peoples and from the West – holds that promise.

This is not to say acrimony simply dissolves in prosperity. History has shown us that arguments for a peace dividend are no match for the emotion of nationalist rhetoric. Yet in affording a mechanism for exchange where contact can be established, reconciliation between Armenians and Azerbaijanis can find some purchase. Because it is a lack of connection we must first resolve.

Where once we used to live as neighbors, our communities now know nothing of the other. During the 1990s conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh – the region at the heart of the dispute – approximately one million of our peoples became refugees. Azerbaijanis fled Armenia and vice versa. Hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis were forced to leave Karabakh. Then an impassable border fell. Segregated, fear and mistrust of the other grew. Seeping into our national psyches, it bound our identities against the enemy across the border.

National identity may not be negotiable, but the price of tomatoes is. It therefore makes an easy starting point: a human-level contact to begin demystifying the fog between us; stripping existential anxiety of the other for trust. Where nationalists may blather about incompatibility, Azerbaijanis and Armenians trading would be its living refutation.

But for this, we must live together once again. The recent conflict caused many Armenians to flee Karabakh, tragically mirroring events of the 1990s. Now they must be encouraged to return, as should Azerbaijanis, through economic incentives – whatever form (tax benefits, business grants or subsidies) this may take. For many, at first, this will not be enough: The wounds of the conflict remain raw. However, for others, it will: all that is needed for drip-drip-drip of reconciliation to begin, and the path to be lit for others to feel safe in following.

Further illumination can flow from initiatives that actively encourage partnership. Seed money, for instance, could be provided for joint enterprises between Azerbaijanis and Armenians to start businesses together. Schemes like this that bake in collaboration can reveal what a future together holds.

We need not wait for the final details of a negotiated peace deal to begin. Indeed, the longer it takes the benefits of peace to flow, the more precarious it shall become. Conversely, tangible economic development can give people a vested interest in supporting political compromise, making it easier for the governments to sell to their respective domestic audiences. Though economics is never sufficient for peace, in this way it can strengthen processes towards settlement.

It also paves the way for an incremental renormalization of relations between our two nations. Peace must be girded on mutual economic dependence, as France and Germany demonstrated with the establishment of the European Coal and Steel Community in the wake of the Second World War. The force of logic is even stronger today: It makes no sense to deepen integration in the global marketplace whilst ignoring our closest neighbor.

Though the West may feel side-lined, it can deploy its tools of soft power to encourage these kinds of initiatives. In addition, its governments could open the door to private industry to bring investment to bear on the much-needed reconstruction of infrastructure that – in providing immediate jobs and a platform for opportunity – will help cement the peace.

Many of these things will no doubt need to happen in concert with the two leading major peace brokers– Turkey and Russia. Whilst some in the West may not relish this prospect, it is what the situation demands if stability is our ambition. Biden appears reconciled to these compromises, as his commitment to re-join the Iranian Nuclear deal alongside Moscow and renew the Russian-U.S. nuclear treaty later in January suggest.

The opportunity, therefore, must now be grasped. Reconciliation founded on economic exchange is the ultimate means for a durable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan. At the same time, it offers the West an opportunity to re-establish its influence and shape events in the region. As the economic lingo goes, that’s a ‘win-win’.

Georgi Vanyan is Chairman of the Caucasus Center of Peace-Making Initiatives. Emin Milli is Founder and former director of Meydan TV, Azerbaijan’s largest independent media outlet.

Tehran: Iran, Armenia ink MOU on expansion of trade ties

Emil Lazarian
Tehran Times, Iran
Jan 24 2021
  1. Economy
– 11:46

TEHRAN – Iran, and Armenia signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Saturday for the expansion of trade ties between the two countries.

The MOU was signed by Iranian Industry, Mining and Trade Minister Alireza Razm Hosseini and the Armenian Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan in Tehran.

Heading a trade delegation, Kerobyan arrived in Tehran on Friday to discuss the expansion of trade relations between the two countries.

Speaking on the sidelines of the signing ceremony, Razm Hosseini put Iran's exports to Armenia at about $300 million and noted that the signing of this MOU will be a great step towards improving the level of trade between the two neighbors.

Pointing to Armenia’s position as one of the members of the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), with which Iran has recently signed a preferential trade agreement, Hosseini said Iran is seeking to become a permanent member of the EAEU and Armenia could be of significant help in this regard.

According to the Iranian minister, areas like the mining industry, foodstuff, and home appliances could be good opportunities for the two countries to develop mutual cooperation.

Kerobyan for his part expressed his government’s readiness for cooperation to boost mutual trade and produce joint products and to pave the way for Iran to enter the markets of third countries.

“We are ready to support Iranian traders to use Armenia for entering third countries,” he said.

Iran focusing on trade with neighbors

The Armenian minister also met with the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran (CBI) Abdolnaser Hemmati and discussed banking issues and ways of increasing the level of trade between the two sides.

In this meeting, Hemmati noted that Iran is currently focusing on enhancing its trade ties with the neighboring countries.

The official pointed to Armenia’s significant geographical position and noted that the country can have a tremendous impact on the development of trade relations between the two countries and also between Iran and the EAEU as a whole.

"Iran's economic situation is improving despite the pressures imposed by the U.S. sanctions, and we have been able to achieve positive economic growth this year," Hemmati said.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the current level of trade between the two neighbors, saying: “Unfortunately, the volume of trade relations between the two countries is not reflecting their long history of bilateral cooperation; therefore, we hope that by holding similar meetings, we will be able to further strengthen mutual relations and witness the development of economic relations.”

Kerobyan also called for the development of trade and economic relations between the two nations, especially the fields of investment and production.

Iranian trade with some partners resuming

Elsewhere in his remarks, Hemmati pointed to the ineffectiveness of the U.S. sanctions in disrupting Iran’s trade ties with its major partners and said: “We believe that the sanctions are not viable; Iran's trade relations with some countries are currently resuming and it is a good time for Armenia, as a friend and neighbor, to expand its relations with Iran.”

He finally stressed the importance of resolving the banking issues of the two countries and proposed to travel to Yerevan to pursue specialized banking issues and financial exchanges with the governor of the Central Bank of Armenia.

During his five-day visit to Iran, Kerobyan is going to visit some of the major Iranian production centers, and he will also make a trip to Isfahan Province.

EF/MA

Tehran: Iran, Armenia Sign Trade Agreement

Diana Dabaghian
Tasnim, Iran
Jan 24 2021
  • January, 24, 2021 – 09:45
– Economy news –

The agreement was signed by Iran’s Industry Minister Alireza Razm Hosseini and Armenia’s Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan on Saturday.

In remarks at the event, the Iranian minister said the agreement is going to boost commercial exchanges between the two countries, noting that the value of Iranian exports to Armenia stand at around $300 million at present.

"Armenia is a Eurasian country and we have a positive attitude towards trade with Eurasia," Razm Hosseini said, stressing the need for continued negotiations to allow Iran to join the Eurasian Economic Union.

There are suitable grounds for trade cooperation between Iran and Armenia in various fields, such as mining industry, foodstuff trade, and home appliances, IRNA quoted him as saying.

For his part, the visiting Armenian minister highlighted Yerevan’s readiness for trade ties with Iran, saying his country offers a big market for the Iranian business people willing to work with the third countries.

In another meeting on Saturday, heads of a number of Iranian and Armenian small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) discussed the ways to establish of a technology exchange center.

Earlier in January, a marketing official at the Trade Promotion Organization of Iran said Armenia is willing to import over 2,000 items from Iran after announcing bans on imports from Turkey.

He said Armenia has plans to replace 2,250 Turkish items with products made in Iran, describing it as an opportunity for Iranian companies.

On December 31, 2020, a ban on the goods imported from Turkey took effect in Armenia. The Armenian government announced the ban in late October following Turkey’s heavy backing of the Republic Azerbaijan in the recent war in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

The ban would be in effect for only six months, as that is the maximum period that member states of the Eurasian Economic Union can implement unilateral embargos of this type.

Iran, Armenia ink MoU to boost bilateral trade ties

Markos Nalchajian
Mehr, Iran
Jan 24 2021

TEHRAN, Jan. 24 (MNA) – Islamic Republic of Iran and Republic of Armenia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for enhancing and increasing bilateral trade-economic relations.

Iranian Minister of Industry, Mine and Trade Alireza Razm-Hosseini in a meeting with Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Karubian on Sunday pointed to the development of bilateral cooperation between the two countries of Iran and Armenia and put the current value of Iran’s export of non-oil products to Armenia about $300 million.

Upon singing and sealing the Memorandum of Understanding, trade volume exchange between the two countries of Iran and Armenia will register a considerable hike, Razm-Hossein added.

The Iranian minister of industry described Armenia as an important country in Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and said that Islamic Republic of Iran has a positive evaluation of trade with EAEU member states.

At the special emphasis of Iranian President to join EAEU, Republic of Armenia can play a leading role for increasing and developing trade-economic relations in this respect, he continued.

He reiterated that Iranian government will throw its weight behind private sectors of the two countries for developing trade exchanges regarding products with economic justifications.

Armenian Minister of Economy Vahan Karubian, for his part, said that his country is ready to pave suitable ways for the Islamic Republic of Iran to enter target markets of other countries.

He placed special emphasis on facilitating trade and economic exchanges as well as removal of barriers facing traders of the two countries.

MA/FNA13991105000269

Jerusalem: Armenians unite in prayer across the Israeli-Jordanian divide

Jack Hunanian
Jerusalem Post
Jan 24 2021
By TOVAH LAZAROFF  

JANUARY 24, 2021 22:45
Armenian priests stood in two different countries but chanted the solemn epiphany service together from both sides of the Jordan River on Sunday.
“Physically we are divided,” Chancellor of the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem Koryoun Baghdasaryan told The Jerusalem Post after the ceremony. 
“But on this feast, spiritually all of the Armenians both the Armenians of Jordan [on] the other side of the river, and the Armenians of the Holy Land here – and the Armenians communities from different diasporas they are together.
“Spiritually they are united. Despite the physical division, they are together on this feast,” he said.
Baghdasaryan wore a black frock and hood. He held his hands apart and then brought them together as he spoke to emphasize the unity had he just experienced.
He stood in a historic spot in the National Park and Nature Reserve site at Qasr al-Yehud, where John is said to have baptized Jesus, an event the epiphany service marks.
Here where the muddy brown water slowly ripples, the Jews were said to have crossed the Jordan River into the land of Israel. From here as well, the biblical Jewish prophet Elijah is said to have ascended to heaven.
It is a history that has taken place in the sensitive geographical territory, known as Area C of the West Bank, which is under Israeli military and civilian control, but is not part of sovereign Israel.
It was part of the territory Israel captured from Jordan during the Six Day War.

Historically, Christians have made pilgrimages to the site. Baghdasaryan said the Armenians have been doing so since the fourth century, when they established a presence in the Holy Land. There were times, he said, when the ceremony would be held on a boat in the middle of the river.
Now the river – no wider than the space of a city street, such that it is possible to speak across it – marks the border between Jordan and the Israeli-controlled territory of the West Bank.
Christian worshipers can pray together on either side of the rivers banks, but they cannot cross, because such travel can only happen at an official border site, such as the nearby Allenby Bridge crossing.

 

Prior to the Six Day War, the land between what is now Route 90 in the West Bank and the Jordan River was home to a number of monasteries. Priests, however, were forced to abandon the area when cross-border violence between Israel and Jordan during the war of attrition made it unsafe to worship in the monasteries or by the river.
Israel placed thousands of mines at the site to prevent Jordanian infiltration, and the area was a closed military zone.
Peace and worship has returned slowly to the area in the aftermath of Israel’s 1994 peace treaty with Jordan, which made Sunday’s ceremony possible.
Already two decades ago, the site was opened by the IDF for special ceremonies. Then in 2011 it became a national park, a move that has fostered Christian pilgrimage to the area, particularly in January, when a number of Christian denominations hold epiphany events by the Jordan River.
This year there were six, starting with the Franciscan Order on January 10, followed by the Greek Orthodox and the Ethiopians on 18th, then the Syrian and the Coptic Churches on the 19th, and ending with the Armenians on Sunday.
Since 2017, the Israel National Mines Action Authority, the international NGO HALO Trust and the IDF have deactivated the land mines and are in the process of opening up the church that had been abandoned. Israel would like to see the area, dubbed Land of the Monasteries, open for tourism.

 

As a result of that project, the Franciscan Order was able to access and worship the epiphany service in its church at the site, for the first time in 54 years. The Ethiopian Church, however, is structurally unsound and as a result, the Ethiopians held the first part of their service on a small asphalt road outside the church before heading to the river.
Baghdasaryan said that these services are typically attended by thousands of worshipers, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, only the priests and a small number of guests could attend.
Jericho District Coordination and Liaison Office head Lt.-Col. Amos Twito said: “COGAT’s Civil Administration has been especially busy in recent weeks arranging for the baptism ceremonies to be performed in keeping with the guidelines and restrictions. It’s all part of the effort to maintain freedom of worship and freedom of religion for all the Christian denominations, while safeguarding the security and health of the worshipers.”

Sharon Regev, director of the Department for World Religions in the Foreign Ministry, who also helped ensure that the services took place, said: “It is important that tradition and worship continues.”
“When the pandemic is over, we want to invite worshipers from all over the world to return to see the beautiful mosaic of the religious landscape here in the holy land,” she said.
Among those who attended Sunday’s ceremony was Narek Ghazaryan, consul for the Republic of Armenia’s Embassy to Israel in Tel Aviv. Although the countries have had relations for close to three decades, Armenia opened an embassy in Israel only last year and then withdrew its ambassador that same year to protest Israeli arms sales to Azerbaijan.
 

This “is the first time that the representative of the State of Armenia is present at this ceremony,” Ghazaryan told The Jerusalem Post.
“It is kind of a historical moment for the Armenian Church, that the representative of the Republic of Armenia is here and standing by the side of the church,” he said. It symbolizes “the unity of the state and church of Armenia.”
Ghazaryan said he hopes “maybe next year we will be represented here on a higher level.”
https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/armenians-unite-in-prayer-across-the-israeli-jordanian-divide-656573

NGO report accuses Turkey, Azerbaijan of genocidal intent in Nagorno-Karabakh offensive

Emil Lazarian
The Christian Post
Jan 24 2021
By Jackson Elliott, Christian Post Reporter 
Turkey and Azerbaijan’s Armenia offensive intended genocide: NGO – The Christian Post

A new report by International Christian Concern accuses Muslim-majority Turkey and Azerbaijan of having an intent to commit “genocide” when they launched a weeks-long military offensive in an ethnic Armenian territory last year. 

ICC, a U.S.-based advocacy organization, published the new report “The Anatomy of Genocide: Karabakh's Forty-Four Day War” last Friday. 

The report asserts that the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh (known as the Republic of Artsakh in Armenia), which lasted from September until November 2020,  had strong religious freedom concerns that should alarm human rights advocates and governments worldwide. 

According to ICC, Turkey and Azerbaijan destroyed churches and other religious sites, abused prisoners of war and hired known extremists, including members of the Islamic State, as mercenaries to help regain control of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

The disputed territory is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but has been controlled by ethnic Armenians for decades. 

“Chatter on the Syrian side showed that they were being recruited using jihad terminology against Christians,” the ICC reports of the mercenaries. 

“For example, AsiaNews quoted a source from Syria who explained that they were going to fight alongside Azerbaijan ‘because it is part of the Jihad; it is a holy war of Muslims against Christians.’ Syrian mercenaries reported that they were offered monetary bonuses based on different actions, such as beheading Christians.”

According to the report, one of the more pressing humanitarian issues that have emerged from the offensive is Azerbaijan’s treatment of Armenian Christian prisoners of war, “both military and civilian.”

“Rationalization and justification tactics have been displayed throughout this entire process concerning the POWs,” ICC notes. 

Videos have emerged showing how captors have dismantled prisoners’ “sense of identity and choice.” 

“They are not simply taunted or beaten. Their captors use their power for control and coercion in a manner which reinforces the narrative used to justify the war,” the report reads, adding that ICC viewed one video showing the treatment of three Armenian men dressed as civilians.

“One lies on the ground, presumably deceased. While the other looks on, the captors beat one demanding that he affirms their belief that Karabakh is Azerbaijani,” ICC reports. “He eventually does for the camera. Given the nature of Pan-Turkism, what he is being asked is more than a question of nationality. He is being asked to ignore every aspect of his identity, including his faith.” 

Videos widely shared on social messaging platforms show Azerbaijani soldiers beheading two Armenian civilians who were reported to be non-combatants. Those videos were among several others that have emerged depicting shocking atrocities committed by Azerbaijani soldiers against civilians and prisoners. 

These crimes implicate Turkey because the Turks trained these soldiers, International Christian Concern contends. 

“Indeed, many of the footage of war crimes committed during the conflict show troops wearing the dual patches of Azerbaijan and Turkey, making it hard to distinguish the actual nationality of the perpetrator,” the report explains. 

“As an impression management tactic, this makes accountability challenging by redefining the concept of state while also making clear that whatever this redefined concept of state means, that is who is responsible for initiating the war. Blurring the definition so profoundly reduces the ability for accountability.” 

In places the Turks and Azerbaijanis invaded, they destroyed churches and ancient Christian crosses called “khachkars,” the report said. Video evidence shows the destruction was intended. ICC accused the two governments of holding “Karabakh’s Christian cultural sites hostage.”

“Khachkars are often centuries old, are individually and uniquely crafted, and tell the story of Christianity in that specific location,” ICC stressed.  “Destroying a church prevents corporate worship. Destroying a khachkar erases Christian history.”

For many ethnic Turks in Azerbaijan and Turkey, being Turkish means being Islamic, according to the report. 

As they attempted to destroy evidence of Christian history, Turks and Azerbaijanis emphasized their own history, the report added. Both Turks and Azerbaijanis trace their heritage back to the Ottoman Empire, and Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan refers to the countries as “one nation, two states.” 

Azerbaijan and Turkey were both parts of the Ottoman Empire, which committed the 1915 Armenian genocide. Both nations still argue the murder of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman government wasn’t genocide.

Erdogan triumphantly invoked the names of leaders involved in the Armenian genocide in a speech delivered after military victories against Armenia.

“Today, may the souls of Nuri Pasha, Enver Pasha, and the brave soldiers of the Caucasus Islam Army be happy,” he stated, according to the Armenian Mirror-Spectator. 

Enver Pasha was the Ottoman Minister of War during the genocide, and Nuri Pasha led troops in the Caucasus that were responsible for carrying out the genocide against the Armenians. 

“Our iron first embodies both our unity and strength. That iron fist broke the enemy’s spine and crushed the enemy’s head. If Armenian fascism ever raises its head again, the result will be the same. Again, Azerbaijan’s iron first will break their back,” said Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the same event, according to The Mirror-Spectator. 

To hide violence against Armenians, Turkish and Azerbaijani national media distorted the truth, ICC’s report alleges. 

Media outlets claimed that there was no historical Christian presence in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and that the region originally belonged to non-Armenian people. The Turkish and Azerbaijani state used these claims to justify their offensive. 

“The first narrative denies the historic presence of Christianity in Karabakh. The second narrative redefines it, not as Armenian, but as originally belonging to either the ethnic Udi or Albanian communities,” the ICC report summarizes. 

“In regards to the second, it is noteworthy that at these Christian sites, it is the Armenian language which is written and often engraved onto the stone. Both narratives share in common that they are meant to dismantle and discredit attempts at framing this war within religious freedom terminology. It also sends the subtler message that they will tolerate Christianity only on very specific terms.”  

ICC concludes that the world should take note that the “strategic planning by Turkey and Azerbaijan show an intent of mass extermination, thereby genocide, of Karabakh’s Armenian residents because of their combined faith and ethnic identity.”

“Azerbaijan has made it clear that though they want territorial ownership over Artsakh, they do not want a caretaker role over the residents who live there unless those people validate a particular identity,” the report concluded.

“Both Azerbaijan and Turkey have made it clear these actions are taken because of a Pan-Turkic ideology that prefers conformity to Islam, with some exception for very specific versions of Christianity. These two countries have pursued their actions in a way which elevates and echoes the 1915 genocide of ethnic Christians.”

Over 50,600 refugees return to Nagorno-Karabakh – Russian defense ministry

Antranik Varosian
TASS, Russia
Jan 24 2021

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, 137 refugees were delivered by buses from Yerevan to Stepanakert

MOSCOW, January 24. /TASS/. More than 50,600 refugees have come back to Nagorno-Karabakh since the ceasefire entered into force in the region, the Russian Defense Ministry told reporters on Sunday.

"Today 137 refugees were delivered by buses from Yerevan to Stepanakert. In total, 50,658 people have returned to their places of residence in Nagorno-Karabakh," the ministry said.

Russia’s peacekeepers are in Nagorno-Karabakh in accordance with the agreements confirmed by the November 9 joint statement on a full ceasefire in the region made by Russian President Vladimir Putin, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh is comprised of units from the 15th separate motor rifle (peacekeeping) brigade of the Central Military District.

The Russian peacekeepers have set up observation posts along the engagement line in Nagorno-Karabakh and along the Lachinsky corridor that connects Armenia with the enclave to exercise control of the ceasefire observance. The peacekeeping mission’s command is stationed in the area of Stepanakert, the de facto capital of Nagorno-Karabakh. The situation is being monitored round-the-clock.

Sports: UFC 257: Armenia’s Arman Tsarukyan defeats Matt Frevola of US

Albert Nalbandian
Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 24 2021
UFC 257: Armenia’s Arman Tsarukyan defeats Matt Frevola of US
UFC 257: Armenia’s Arman Tsarukyan defeats Matt Frevola of US – Public Radio of Armenia

Arman Tsarukyan of Armenia defeated Matt Frevola of United States in UFC257 lightweight martial arts match, Newsday reports.

He won the match with unanimous decision with a score of 30-27, 30-27, 30-26 in Etihad Arena on “Fight Island” in Abu Dhabi.

Tsarukyan raised the Armenian flag to celebrate the victory.

“I watched Matt’s fights and decided, like, I have a new opponent, I have to do a new game plan and I’m really happy I won,” Tsarukyan said after the fight.

The loss ended a two-fight win streak for Frevola (8-2-1, 2-2-1 UFC), who hadn’t fought since 2019 as three scheduled bouts in 2020 were canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic, a positive COVID-19 test from a cornerman and an injury.

Tsarukyan (16-2, 3-1) pressured Frevola from the start of the bout with his grappling and body control. Frevola defended well in the first round and landed two good shots in the closing seconds.

But Tsarukyan continued to show his grappling advantage as the fight went on, landing 10 of 12 takedowns and mixing in some effective striking. Frevola, who trains at Gracie Tampa South at Longo and Weidman MMA, fought back in the second round, connecting on a big right hand while standing on one as Tsarukyan held his other leg in the air. That shot opened a cut on the 24-year-old Russian, but he again used his grappling to minimize any further damage.

The third round opened up with Tsarukyan slipping under a right hand from Frevola and taking him down. Frevola got back to his feet rather quickly. On another successful takedown by Tsarukyan midway through the round, Frevola attempted a guillotine choke. He needed a finish to get the win, but his opponent was able to slip out and end up in top position.

“I wanted to choke him, but this guy, he has a very good Brazilian jiu-jitsu, he’s a brown belt, he’s not easy,” Tsarukyan said of Frevola. “I tried sometimes, but he has good defense. It was very hard, but my freestyle wrestling is better and so was my control, my striking, and I can do everything.”

Tsarukyan said he wants to fight a top-15 lightweight next and then called out Frevola’s teammate, Wantagh’s Al Iaquinta.

“I want to fight with Iaquinta because he doesn’t have a fight,” he said. “All guys in the top 15 have fights, except him. If he doesn’t want to fight or… then get out of the top 15, I want to take his place.”

Databases on Armenian traditional games and edible plants in Armenian cuisine available online

Emil Lazarian
Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 24 2021
– Public Radio of Armenia

With the support of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of the Republic of Armenia, and on the initiative of Vanadzor-based Civil Society Development NGO “Center,” electronic databases entitled “Armenian Traditional Games” and “Edible Plants in Armenian Cuisine” were created within the framework of the “Let’s Play Armenian” program. Ten video master classes were also created within the framework of the project.

The purpose of databases and master classes of traditional Armenian dishes is the preservation and dissemination of intangible cultural heritage related to games and food in ten communities of Tumanyan region of Lori marz of RA (Chochkan, Shamut, Chkalov, Shnogh, Dsegh, Artsatsag, Kachachut, Akori, Mghart, Odzun).

The database of Armenian traditional games contains important information about many traditional Armenian games that have already been forgotten. The staff of the program has already started presenting some traditional Armenian games to the beneficiaries of the organization by advertising their practical application.

The database of Armenian traditional games is available online at the NGO “Center” website and Facebook page.

The “Edible plants in Armenian cuisine” database of Lori region of the Republic of Armenia was compiled as a result of field work, study of existing literature, various sources and interviews with masters of Armenian cuisine. The database is available here.

The master classes are available online on the NGO Center’s YouTube channel.

Armenian games and national cuisine is one of the important manifestations of intangible cultural heritage that must be preserved and passed on to future generations.

His Holiness Aram I congratulates Joe Biden

Ani Kharatian
Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 24 2021
– Public Radio of Armenia

His Holiness Aram I congratulated president Joe Biden on his inauguration as the 46th president of the United State of America.

“We stand ready to work with you and your administration to protect our common values, strengthen U.S.-Armenia ties, and advance the cause of peace across Eurasia, the Middle East, and around the world,” Aram I told president Biden in a letter.

“Our community appreciates the friendship and fellowship you have shown towards Americans of Armenian heritage during your years in the U.S. Senate. Then as now, we share your vision of a world that respects human rights and upholds universal humanitarian values – a global community committed to democracy, self-determination, and genocide prevention,” added Aram I in his message.

“Our Church and our community look forward to working with your administration to deepen the bonds that have drawn together the American and Armenian people for more than a century. We also look forward to establishing, at long last, official U.S. recognition and ongoing remembrance of the Armenian Genocide,” said Catholicos Aram I.