Five Armenian POWs have returned to Armenia from Azerbaijan.
The US Senate Appropriations Committee announced its budget for 2022, in which $2 million is set aside for demining works in Artsakh.
Armenia will gradually replace current government vehicles with electric cars.
18:22,
YEREVAN, 20 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. The development of the potential of the CSTO parliamentary diplomacy for moving in the direction of establishment of common and indivisible area, establishment of dialogue in the platforms of international organizations and assemblies is one of the priorities of the Presidency of the Republic of Armenia at the CSTO, Deputy President of the National Assembly of Armenia Hakob Arshakyan announced, commenting the results of the session of the permanent committee of political issues and international cooperation.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the National Assembly of Armenia, citing the official website of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CSTO, according to the Deputy President of the National Assembly of Armenia, during 2022 the Presidency of Armenia at the CSTO includes also taking measures aimed at further institutionalisation of the CSTO parliamentary platform, the continuous efforts of approximation and harmonisation of national legislations of the CSTO member states in the field of ensuring national security, taking into account new challenges and threats.
18:53,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received the Ambassador of Brazil to Armenia Agemar de Mendonça Sanctos.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, the Armenian FM and the Brazilian Ambassador emphasized the importance of activating political dialogue by holding consultations between the foreign ministries and organizing high level mutual visits.
The interlocutors expressed readiness to make efforts to deepen cooperation in areas of mutual interest, specially emphasizing the spheres of high and information technologies, space, human contacts, agriculture.
Foreign Minister Mirzoyan and Brazilian Ambassador Agemar de Mendonça Sanctos praised the bridging role of the Armenian community in Brazil in the relations between the two countries.
The parties also expressed satisfaction with the effective cooperation on various international platforms. Prospects for cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union and MERCOSUR were discussed.
During the meeting FM Mirzoyan also referred to the humanitarian situation caused by the Azerbaijani-Turkish agression, emphasizing the unconditional necessity for returning the Armenian POWs and civilian hostages.
19:50,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS. Turkish Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu arrived in the capital of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Tehran, on October 20, ARMENPRESS reports, citing IRNA.
During the meeting with his Iranian counterpart Ahmad Vahidi, the parties will hold a final discussion on the Memorandum of Understanding on Security and Law Enforcement Cooperation.
20:05,
YEREVAN, 20 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vahe Gevorgyan received the newly appointed Ambassador of the Republic of Malta (place of residence Valletta) George A. Said Zammit on October 20 on the occasion of presenting the copy of credentials.
As ARMENPRESS was informed from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, congratulating the Ambassador on the occasion of appointment, the deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia wished fruitful and productive work.
Thanking for reception and good wishes, the Ambassador noted that he will try to maximum promote the deepening and strengthening of the relations between the two countries.
The interlocutors discussed a broad scope of issues related to Armenian-Maltese relations, including prospects of agenda-setting in bilateral political, economic, scientific and cultural fields.
20:44,
YEREVAN, 20 OCTOBER, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan Jeyhun Bayramov had a telephone conversation with US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried, ARMENPRESS was informed from Azerbaijani media.
Among other issues the sides referred also to the issue of normalization of Armenian-Azerbaijani relations and the situation in the region. Karen Donfried highlighted the normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan and expressed the readiness of the United States in supporting the sides in this issue.
Sitting of trilateral working group chaired by Deputy PMs of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan takes place
22:19,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 20, ARMENPRESS. The Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Mher Grigoryan, the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation Alexei Overchuk and the Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan Shahin Mustafayev held a sitting of the trilateral working group, ARMENPRESS was informed from the office of Mher Grigoryan.
The parties held the first part of the 8th sitting of the Trilateral Working Group in Moscow on October 20, during which the prospects of restoration of transport communications in the South Caucasus region were observed and the further course of the work carried out within the framework of the January 11, 2021 statement signed by the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, President of the Russian Federation and President of the Republic of Azerbaijan was discussed.
The sides agreed to hold the second part of the 8th sitting in the near future.
TEHRAN, Oct. 20 (MNA) – The Minister of Territorial Development and Infrastructure of Armenia announced efforts to build a strategic highway with Iran with the participation of Russian and possibly Iranian companies.
Armenia expects Russian companies to take part in the tender for the construction of the strategic North-South highway leading to Iran, Minister of Territorial Development and Infrastructure of Armenia Gnel Sanosyan said on Tue. on the sidelines of the 8th Armenian-Russian Interregional Forum, TASS news agency reported.
“During this Forum we did not discuss the participation of Russian companies in the construction of the North-South project, but, you know, that we will have a rather extensive tender process in which various international construction firms will participate. I think that our Russian partners will participate in the tender,” he said.
According to Sanosyan, the Iranian side is also interested in taking part.
Earlier, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that the government intends to spend about $1 billion on the construction of the North-South road.
“It is very important for us to establish rail communications with Russian Federation and Islamic Republic of Iran,” he emphasized.
MA/PR
A memorial plaque is located on the ground in the Roger Tatarian Memorial Plaza at Fresno State outside of the McKee Fisk building. (Zaeem Shaikh/The Collegian)
Following a tense debate, the Fresno Unified school board voted to rename Forkner Elementary after H. Roger Tatarian, a Fresno State alumnus and former journalism professor, on Wednesday.
The board’s vote was unanimous to rename the school. Tatarian is the first Armenian to have a school named after him in the Fresno district.
The school was previously named after J.C. Forkner, who was famously known for developing Fig Garden, which spans 12,000 acres. But journalist and author Mark Arax discovered controversial history in Forkner’s past that sparked a debate in the summer to rename the elementary school in northwest Fresno.
Arax uncovered that Forkner separated and excluded various races from homeownership in parts of Fresno. These restrictions eventually developed into a plan of redlining and residential segregation.
In an advertisement promoting Fig Garden, Arax said in a Fresno Bee editorial that Forkner wrote “those who buy [here] will be fully protected from resale of property to undesirables.”
Paragraphs in real estate documents uncovered by Arax in the editorial state that Forkner said properties could not be sold or leased to anyone who wasn’t white.
A few weeks after Arax gave this evidence to the school board and published the editorial, the district received a letter on June 21, requesting the name of the school be changed. The discussions developed over the next several months, emblematic of the nationwide debate to remove signs of historical figures who are symbols of systemic racism.
Following a Sept. 8 meeting, the board put the renaming of the school as an action item for discussion and approval on Wednesday. Feedback was mixed among community members.
While the name change was cheered on by many, including those in the Armenian community, parents, teachers and administrators tied to Forkner in attendance didn’t view it in the same light.
Jessica Bedwell, a teacher at Forkner Elementary, said the history uncovered by Arax is an embarrassment to her city and school district, but it should not be met with a knee-jerk reaction rooted in politics.
“Singling out one school over a large school district sets the precedent that this board and the district will randomly and inconsistently consider the renaming of schools without a deeper analysis by a committee,” she said.
Others echoed her opinion. Arielle Meisner Dipinto said she walked onto Forkner Elementary as a kindergarten student two decades ago. She said that, although Forkner made mistakes, he still made major advances for the community, saying the name change would teach students “cancel culture.”
Ryan Duff, the principal of Forkner Elementary, was not opposed to the idea of renaming the school. However, he was opposed to the timing of the debate, saying it has become a huge distraction and causing a great deal of emotional stress on campus.
“It’s very hard telling a little 7-year-old [with] tears in his eyes why his school name might be changed,” Duff said. “They absolutely love their school. It has nothing to do with the person it was named after.”
Several other members in the audience spoke in support of Tatarian and denounced Forkner.
Danielle Shapazian, a 40-year resident of northwest Fresno, said she never met Tatarian but knew he understood the value of education from reading his newspaper columns. Marshall Moushigian said Tatarian is a role model while nobody has said that about Forkner.
“I’m sure this entire board and everybody in this room and everybody in this city cannot live with separating and excluding people based on their race nor should we continue honoring somebody at an elementary school whose claim to fame or infamy was just that,” Moushigian said.
Arax was one of the last members of the audience and defended his findings.
“We’ve been doing this for six months… This is not about culture wars, masks, vaccines,” Arax said. “This is not Fox News. This is about history, J.C. Forkner is the most consequential racist in Fresno history.”
Arax added that the restrictive real estate covenants put in place by Forkner affected his own family, and also countless Black, Asian and Latino families. He urged Duff and Bedwell to use this as a teaching moment to see the damage Forkner did to Fresno.
Following a motion to rename the school by Trustee Keshia Thomas, the board unanimously voted for the name change. Officials weren’t clear exactly when the name change would occur, but staff recommended it in the summer.
It comes months after several Armenians in the community asked the district officials to name Fresno Unified’s newest campus at Ventura and 10th, which is projected to open in 2023.
District staff launched a survey for the community to give a list of names and geographical locations for the school. The survey had over 1,600 submissions, and Tatarian had almost 1,000 nominations while the next highest name – longtime Fresno Unified administrator Dolphas Trotter – had a little more than 100 votes.
Instead, the board voted 5-2 on May 19 to name the school after Murray and Francine Farber, who are both known for giving thousands of dollars to local education according to The Fresno Bee.
Members of the Fresno State community praised the board’s decision including Fresno State journalism professor Jim Boren.
“In my almost five decades in the news business, I never met someone who had a stronger
impact on our profession than Roger Tatarian,” Boren said. “He had a high ethical standard that was not subject to compromise, and he brought out the best in every writer as he guided them in developing their stories.”
Fresno State Professor and Berberian Coordinator of the Armenian Studies Program Barlow Der Mugrdechian said the decision by the board “was long overdue, considering the long history of Armenians in the San Joaquin Valley and their many contributions to the success of the Valley.”
Who was Roger Tatarian?
Tatarian was born in Fresno and became interested in journalism when he was a high school student at Longfellow Junior High School. He graduated from Fresno State College in June 1938 with a bachelor’s degree in political science.
After graduating from Fresno State, Tatarian began working as a reporter for United Press International (UPI), a news organization that rivaled the Associated Press in the 20th century, covering stories throughout the world. At UPI, Tatarian held several roles: general news manager, UPI bureau chief for London and Rome and news editor in Washington D.C.
He eventually became the vice president and editor-in-chief in 1967 and then retired from the global news organization in 1972. After leaving a career in news, Tatarian returned to Fresno State and taught journalism for 15 years.
In the final years of his life, Tatarian wrote a weekly column for The Fresno Bee and served as a consultant to newspapers. Boren said Tatarian was a mentor to him during this time since he was also working there.
“We had coffee several times a week, and I never left a conversation without learning something important from him,” Boren said.
In 1995 – the same year he passed away at the age of 78 – Fresno State established the Roger Tatarian Endowed Chair in journalism. The Roger Tatarian Journalism Grant was also established in his honor.