Dr. Ani Aprahamian is a nuclear physicist, a Freimann Professor of Physics at Notre Dame in the US, and director of the Alikhanyan National Science Laboratory in Armenia.
She speaks with CivilNet’s Ani Paitjan about developing and improving the field of science in Armenia, and making it competitive at the international level.
Հունվար 16, 2022
Տիգրան Պետրոսյանի անվան շախմատի տանը կայացան Հայաստանի շախմատի առաջնությունների 5-րդ տուրի պարտիաները:
Տղամարդկանց մրցաշարում միանձնյա առաջատար դարձավ արցախցի գրոսմայստեր Մանուէլ Պետրոսյանը, որն ընթացիկ խաղում սևերով հաղթեց Զավեն Անդրիասյանին և վաստակեց 3,5 միավոր: Նրան հաջորդում են 5 շախմատիստ, որոնք ունեն 5-ական միավոր: Դրանք են նախկին առաջատարներ Սամվել Տեր-Սահակյանը, Հայկ Մարտիրոսյանը, Արման Փաշիկյանը և նրանց միացած Հովհաննես Գաբուզյանն ու Շանթ Սարգսյանը:
Կանանց առաջնության մրցաշարային աղյուսակը 5 տուրից հետո միանձյա գլխավորում է գործող չեմպիոն Սուսաննա Գաբոյանը, որն այս տուրում սևերով հաղթեց իր հետ հավասար ընթացող Նարե Առաքելյանին և վաստակեց 4 միավոր: Նրանից կես միավորով ետ են մնում գրոսմայստեր Մարիա Գևորգյանն ու միջազգային վարպետ Մարիամ Մկրտչյանը, որոնք այս տուրում նույնպես հաղթանակ տարան:
Վաղը կկայանան 6-րդ տուրի պարտիաները: Մանուէլ Պետրոսյանը սպիտակներով կհանդիպի գործող չեմպիոն Հովհաննես Գաբուզյանի հետ: Կանանց մրցաշարի առաջատար Սուսաննա Գաբոյանը սպիտակներով կխաղա հետնապահ Աստղիկ Հակոբյանի հետ:
TEHRAN, Iran
The narrow, winding lanes of the Jolfa neighborhood in Iran's central Isfahan province, along the southern bank of Zayandeh-Rud River, are still basking in the ambiance of Christmas and New Year’s celebrations.
The largest quarter of Armenian Christians in Iran, who make up the bulk of the country's Christian population, is situated in the heart of Iran's cultural capital and comes alive around Christmas every year.
Like many of his friends, for 34-year-old theater artist Kaveh Moallemi, a visit to Vanak Church, also known as the Holy Savior Cathedral, is an integral part of the annual Christmas festivities.
The 17th-century cathedral has long been a prime tourist attraction in Jolfa, which Moallemi refers to as a "mini country" of minority Christians in Iran.
"As an Iranian Christian, I feel at home in Jolfa," he told Anadolu Agency. "To listen to church bells, go for prayer meetings, attend cultural events and mix with fellow Christians — it can't get any better."
In the capital of Tehran, there are also a few popular meeting points for the city's small number of Christians, most notably St. Vartan Church on Dah Metri Aramaneh Street and St. Sarkis Church on Villa Avenue — not far from the city's busy nerve center.
Mirzaye Shirazi Street and Nejatollahi Street, in the vicinity of the churches, witness a large rush of shoppers for Christmas, looking for Santa Claus dolls, artificial pine trees, colorful lights and pastries.
Christians in Iran, mostly of Armenian background, as well as Assyrians, Catholics, Protestants and Evangelicals, number around 300,000 to 370,000, scattered across major Iranian cities like Tehran, Isfahan, Shiraz and Tabriz.
While they appear to have the freedom to practice their religion and engage in trade and business, there have been controversies about their preaching and conversions that have dominated the news over the years.
Christians in Iran
Most Christians in Iran are financially well-off owing to their presence in important businesses, most famously in food and confectionaries. They own and run many shops in central Tehran and other cities.
Many attribute it to the fact that all government jobs are not open to religious minorities like Christians in Iran, while some believe it is because Armenian Christians have traditionally been associated with business and trade.
"The question of freedom or religious tolerance vis-a-vis religious minorities in Iran has no easy answers, but the overall picture is not very grim," a member of the Iranian Christian Association based in Tehran told Anadolu Agency. He chose not to be identified for this piece.
He said government jobs are "fewer" for Christians but they have seats reserved in parliament — two for Armenian Christians and one for Assyrian Christians, voted by their respective community constituents.
Christian students, he elaborated, are free to apply for school and university admissions in Iran, as well as higher education scholarships. They also run their community-based schools, even though the curriculum is decided by the government.
"Having said that, some red lines have been earmarked that must not be crossed," he told Anadolu Agency, referring to religious conversions, which has resulted in many being jailed over the years.
The Christian Broadcast Network, a US-based conservative evangelical television station, in a 2018 report claimed that Christianity was "growing faster" in Iran "than any other country," pointing to the phenomenon of religious conversions in Iran that is banned by law.
According to official sources, dozens of Christian evangelists are currently imprisoned in Iranian jails, mostly for conversions and undermining security.
The Supreme Court in a path-breaking ruling in November said preaching Christianity through houses or churches does not constitute a crime, giving hope to many presently serving jail terms.
But it remains to be seen how the ruling will play out and whether the powerful clergy will give its nod.
Jews in Iran
In a country where "wiping Israel off the world map" is a popular rallying cry, a tiny minority of Jews also resides here, even though with little visibility in public spaces.
Quite remarkably, a popular synagogue in Tehran's Yusuf Abad neighborhood, close to the city's busiest intersection, functions without any security cover.
Siyamak More Sedgh, a Jewish Iranian politician and two-time member of parliament, cites it to make his point about religious tolerance in Iran.
"There are few countries where synagogues don't require any form of protection and Iran is one of them," Sedgh told Anadolu Agency, adding that there is "no record of organized crime" against religious minorities in the country where Islam is the state religion.
There are around 12,000 to 15,000 Jews in Iran, according to conservative estimates. Prior to the 1979 revolution, Iranian Jews numbered 150,000, many of whom fled abroad after the last monarch Mohammad Reza Pahlavi was deposed.
Some attribute mass the exodus of Jews to the execution of Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian on charges of spying for Israel after the revolution ended Iran's diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv.
Today, Iranian Jews, a minuscule minority in a country of 80 million, share a good rapport with reformists and conservatives. They have one reserved seat in parliament, which Sedgh held between 2008 and 2020.
What has helped them integrate into the predominantly Muslim Iranian society is the fact that they see themselves are Iranian first.
Sedgh, who also heads Dr. Sapir Hospital and Charity Center, a Jewish charitable institution in Tehran, said the difference between Europeans and Muslims is that Muslim nations "have always respected followers of other faiths."
"In Europe, the concept of religious tolerance became trendy when people turned their backs on religion and embraced laicism," he said.
Image source: azerfocus.com
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The restoration work in Karabakh entered the active phase in 2021 as several projects had been completed and the foundations for new ones were laid down. The restoration process in Karabakh started right after the November 10th declaration that ended the 44-Day War between Armenia and Azerbaijan. After the war, Azerbaijan liberated its territories that constituted about 20% of the total territory of Azerbaijan and were occupied by Armenian forces in the early 90s.
During the occupation, about thirty years, Karabakh was subject to ruthless destruction and looting by the occupants. As a result, most of the social infrastructure, including residential buildings, schools, and hospitals, were totally destroyed, and most parts of the occupied territories were left empty. Despite the fact that the total destruction in Karabakh makes the restoration process complex and time-consuming, Azerbaijan immediately started the restoration process. For this purpose, the plan for socio-economic development of the liberated territories was prepared, and for the implementation of this plan, “Coordination Headquarters” and 17 working groups on different areas were established. In 2021, $2.2 billion was allocated from the state budget for the restoration process. The same amount of funds is planned to be directed to the restoration process in 2022 as well. The allocation of the necessary financial resources and the establishment of the state bodies for the efficient organization of the recovery process led to the rapid implementation of projects in 2021.
The most notable project that was almost completed in 2021 was the Fuzuli International Airport. The inauguration of the airport took place in Azerbaijan’s liberated city of Fuzuli in Karabakh on October 26. It was the first airport built by Azerbaijan in the liberated areas, and its construction took only eight months. It was built in accordance with the highest international standards, which enables it to accommodate any type of aircraft. A runway with a length of 3000 meters and a width of 60 meters has been put into operation at the airport. The first test flight to Fuzuli International Airport was performed on September 5, 2021, when the largest passenger aircraft of Azerbaijan Airlines, named Karabakh, landed at the airport. Because of its location, the new airport is considered as an “air gate of Karabakh”. Along with Fuzuli airport, the foundations of the other two airports in Lachin and Zangilan districts were also laid down in 2021.
The year 2021 was also marked by the establishment of the Horadiz-Jabrayil-Zangilan-Agband highway. The foundation of this road was laid on October 26, with the participation of the leaders of Azerbaijan and Turkey. With a length of 124 km, it is part of the Zangezur Corridor, the establishment of which was envisioned in the November 10 declaration. The Zangezur Corridor is a very important project that is going to change the transportation architecture of the South Caucasus and its neighborhood. Its proximity to the Karabakh and connection to the main roads in the region will accelerate the restoration and development of the Karabakh.
Within the framework of the restoration process, another important event in 2021 was the foundation of the first “smart village” in Agali village in the Zangilan district on April 26. As of October, the construction work on more than 110 hectares in Agali village was underway. It includes the construction of 200 ecological houses, 4 non-residential buildings, a smart school for about 360 students, and a kindergarten for 60 children. Work on establishing smart agricultural infrastructure on approximately 600 hectares of land is also ongoing. According to the restoration program, it is planned to re-establish cities and villages in the liberated territories based on the “smart city” and “smart village” concepts. Thus, after the Agali village, this concept will be implemented in other areas of Karabakh.
In 2021, the highway that connects the Fuzuli and Shusha cities was also opened. As this highway passes through the territory that was used to liberate Shusha city, it has a symbolic meaning for Azerbaijan, and therefore it is named “The Road to Victory.” The Fuzuli-Shusha highway is part of the Ahmadbeyli-Fuzuli-Shusha highway, one of the main highways in Karabakh. It is 101.5 km in length and reduces the distance from the capital Baku to Shusha to about 363 km. The foundation of another important transport project, the Horadiz–Agband railway, was also laid in 2021 and its construction continues. This railway is 100 kilometers long and has strategic importance as it will connect the mainland of Azerbaijan with Nakhchivan, Azerbaijan’s landlocked exclave, through the Zangezur corridor.
Along with the mentioned roads, the opening ceremony of the 28-kilometer highway that connects the city of Tartar with the villages of Sugovushan and Talish took place in 2021. The length of this road is 28 kilometers, and as planned, the extension of this project will include 22 kilometers of highway from Talish to Naftalan. Construction and planning work on various transportation projects such as the Barda–Aghdam railroad, the Fuzuli-Shusa railway, and the Toganal-Kalbacar highway were also continued.
Comprehensive works in the energy sector were also carried out within the framework of the restoration program, based on the strategy for transforming the liberated territories into “green energy” zones and connecting the energy infrastructure in those territories to Azerbaijan’s general energy system. In 2021, with a total capacity of 20 megawatts, “Gulabird”, “Sugovushan-1” and “Sugovushan-2” small hydroelectric power stations (HPS) were reconstructed and put into operation in the liberated territories. In total, nine digital substations were built in the Karabakh and East Zangezur regions. Simultaneously, in the Aghdam and Jabrail regions, the construction of “Aghdam-1,” “Aghdam-2,” and “Jabrayil” substations as well as the Karabakh Regional Digital Management Center has been completed.
The other important project in the energy sector was the foundation of the Digital Station Management Center in Fuzuli. This project, implemented for the first time in the South Caucasus, allows through automation to reduce the impact of the human factor on the operation of the network, increase reliability and reduce losses during the transmission of electricity. All these projects in the energy sector serve to maintain the energy security in liberated territories and to transform these territories into “green energy” zone.
All the mentioned projects show that Azerbaijan has actively worked for rebuilding Karabakh in 2021. It will enable Azerbaijan to fully integrate the Karabakh economy into the Azerbaijan economy and to use its economic potential in upcoming years. As the liberated territories have great potential in sectors such as agriculture and energy, it will also positively affect the development of the non-oil sector in Azerbaijan. Implementation of all projects that were started in 2021 will not only contribute to the economic development of Azerbaijan, but will also transport Azerbaijan and Karabakh to the transport and economic center of the region.
Turkey and Armenia have opened talks in Russia to normalise bilateral ties in the expectation of establishing diplomatic relations and reopening the border which was closed in 1993.
A 2009 peace accord between the countries was never ratified and the 1915 slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire remains highly contentious.
Armenia and much of the international community call the mass killings a genocide while Turkey disputes the death toll and denies the killings were systematically organised or that they constitute a genocide.
Turkish drones were pivotal in Azerbaijan’s rapid victory during the September 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Turkey has accused Armenian forces of occupying Azerbaijan’s territory since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Armenia’s foreign ministry expects the Moscow talks between special envoys – former Turkish ambassador to the US Serdar Kilic and Armenia’s deputy parliament speaker Ruben Rubinyan – to begin the process of establishing diplomatic relations and opening the border, according to Russia’s state-controlled Tass news agency.
Turkey and Armenia have no direct trade routes with some goods passing through Georgia.
Armenia’s Economy Ministry announced at the end of the last year that it was lifting an embargo on Turkish imports imposed during the devastating 44-day war with Azerbaijan.
The 2020 conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh claimed more than 6,500 lives and ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire under which Armenia ceded to Azerbaijan territory it had controlled since the breakup of the Soviet Union.
Bilateral trade could also open a route to traders from Russia, Armenia, Iran and Azerbaijan.
Charter flights between Istanbul and Yerevan are due to begin in early February.
The European Union called Friday’s Moscow meeting “an important step forward”.
“Any further concrete steps towards the normalisation of relations would be good news for regional stability and prospects for reconciliation and economic development,” a statement from Brussels said.
Emre Peker of the Eurasia Group said Russian influence was vital if the talks were to succeed.
“Talks are likely to pave the way for more discussions in the coming months. But delivering a comprehensive, long-term pact will prove difficult due to the multifaceted nature of the talks and domestic political constraints in both countries. The bigger challenge will come from the question of historic reconciliation,” the analyst said.
ABU DHABI, 16th January, 2022 (WAM) — H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, has met with President Armen Sarkissian of Armenia at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi.
H.H. Sheikh Abdullah conveyed to the Armenian President the greetings of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan; His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai; and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, and their wishes for Armenia further progress and prosperity.
President Sarkissian, in turn, reciprocated the greetings and wished the UAE leaders continued progress and development.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed means of fostering ties across all domains. They also explored a number of regional and international issues of common interest, the coronavirus pandemic's developments, and the global efforts to contain its fallout.
They also reviewed the participation of the Republic of Armenia in Expo 2020 Dubai, a global platform for promoting international cooperation and building fruitful and sustainable relations among all participating countries.
Sheikh Abdullah welcomed the visit of President Sarkissian, highlighting the strong UAE-Armenia ties and their eagerness to boost them for the benefit of both countries and peoples.
The meeting was attended by Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, Minister of State and Chairman of Abu Dhabi Global Market.
On January 14, the first meeting of representatives of Armenian and Turkish diplomacy in many years was held in the Russian capital. The readiness of Armenia and Turkey to work on the normalization of their relations was welcomed in Moscow, Brussels, and Baku.
The meeting between the special representatives of Armenia and Turkey, Ruben Rubinyan and Serdar Kılıç, on the issues of normalization of bilateral relations was preceded by diplomatic preparations, which were actively promoted by Russian diplomacy. As a result of the one and a half hour meeting, the foreign ministries of the three countries published brief conclusions.
Although the Armenian Foreign Ministry expects to gradually establish diplomatic relations between the two countries without any preconditions, the mood of the Armenian side on the eve of the meeting was emphatically skeptical. Foreign Ministry spokesman Vahan Hunanyan expressed hope for the effectiveness of the upcoming talks, but Yerevan has no illusions that the Armenian-Turkish differences will be resolved by the results of a diplomatic meeting alone. Perhaps the skepticism is explained by the choice of the Turkish side to appoint 63-year-old Serdar Kılıç, the former Turkish ambassador to the United States, who is known as one of the most active opponents of the policy of Armenian lobbyists in the US Congress, as a special representative. 30-year-old Ruben Rubinyan, a young diplomat, a member of the "Civil Contract", for whom the meeting became a kind of baptism of fire, went from Yerevan to Moscow. Perhaps the Armenian side thus unwittingly emphasized the technical nature of the negotiations, allowing critics of the ruling political elite to assume that all significant issues will either be or have already been secretly settled through alternative channels of communication.
Now Ankara is making the most cautious steps towards Yerevan, not questioning the effectiveness of the Russian peacekeeping policy in the region, but at the same time, trying to influence the Armenian foreign policy doctrine. Turkey initiated the reset of the Armenian-Turkish talks. At the same time, the Armenian government is slowly trying to prepare the public for the opening of borders in Turkey. Many understand that the normalization of relations will benefit landlocked Armenia, both economically and politically.
It is also obvious that with the liberation of Karabakh and the reintegration of this region into Azerbaijan, a new page in history has been opened. However, the format of the last meeting does not affect the acceleration of the process of delimitation of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border: the special representatives don't have special political levers capable of significantly influencing this process. At the same time, in general, there is no need for anyone outside of Azerbaijan to supervise the Zangezur corridor project or put pressure on the Armenian leadership, since an agreement in principle on unblocking regional transport links has been reached. The atmosphere accompanying the signing of the document will allow Ankara to offer Yerevan to conclude a similar agreement, which will remove the remaining questions about any territorial claims from Armenia to Turkey.
One way or another, the negotiations that took place were predictably declarative. The published the Turkish and Armenian Foreign Ministries statements' texts are almost identical. It is still unknown when and where the next meeting will be held. It is possible that the intensity of the post-war settlement process will affect the timing of its implementation.