Category: 2022

Balanced position should be cornerstone: experts comment on Pashinyan’s latest Russia visit

Arsine Chaltikian

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 16:16, 27 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recent visit to Russia, the documents signed, are positive. In this difficult period they give an opportunity to get some security guarantees and work on this direction on the one hand, and to boost the economic cooperation, on the other hand, Expert at Orbeli information-analytical center Jony Melikyan told a press conference in Armenpress.

“During the visit documents have been signed which relate to the future cooperation formats, outline inter-state visits and a cooperation between different ministries. On the background of these complex geopolitical processes it is very important to assess soberly the situation, work with partners in order to reduce all possible risks”, Melikyan said.

Political analyst Hakob Badalyan thinks that the statement of the Armenian PM and the Russian President is balanced. According to him, in such complex geopolitical situation getting a document which reflects the targeted directions that are important for Russia from security perspective and also contains important formulations for Armenia. “Besides, in this difficult situation they have avoided wording, content that would be associated, say, with any positioning in the Ukrainian war. My description is the following, it is a balanced document that actually covers all areas. It is a working base on which the future activity should be built”, Hakob Badalyan said.

Another expert of the Orbeli center Artak Khachatryan believes that one of the key foreign political cornerstones of Armenia should be the balanced policy. He says they see these steps in the efforts directed to Nagorno Karabakh or Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

“In the current geopolitical race, such step of Armenia’s foreign policy is welcome, trying to align and make closer the interests of the sides and the corners of the Armenian interests”, he said. He said that it was not a coincidence that the Brussels meeting was followed by a visit to Moscow. And in both cases the main focus was on security issues.

Taron Hovhannisyan, an expert of the Orbeli center, outlined point 24th of the statement of the Armenian PM and the Russian President, which pointed out Nagorno Karabakh and the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

“It was stated that the conflict is not settled, which is very important in a sense that after the war Azerbaijan is constantly trying to claim that the conflict is over, there is no Nagorno Karabakh. This remark could have been stayed as a remark if we haven’t heard at least statements by internationally involved actors that the Artsakh issue exists and is not solved yet. Here the opinion of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries comes to the fore. Russia not only is a Co-Chair country, we all understand quite well that it is a country having a serious influence and presence in the region”, Taron Hovhannisyan said.

How Racine’s Armenian community honored Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day with a 200-year-old chalice

Kalantarian Kevo
The Journal Times 
WI – April 27 2022
RACINE — For the first time since the pandemic, members of the Armenian community gathered to remember those killed and the survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day is on April 24, which this year fell on a Sunday.

Four Armenian churches in the southeast Wisconsin area — including Racine’s two Armenian churches and two from Milwaukee — gathered at St. Hagop Armenian Church, 4100 Newman Road, to commemorate with a full Divine Liturgy.

Deacon Levon Saryan said to commemorate the occasion, the Holy Communion was prepared with the Armash Chalice, which dates to 1820 and was named for the Holy Mother of God Monastery at Armash (located outside of Istanbul) where it came from.

The chalice is in a private collection in Milwaukee. Saryan said the owner was gracious and allowed the chalice to be used for the service.

“It was a very moving service,” Saryan said. He added that church members gathered together afterward for fellowship.

He added there was a lot of good feeling among the attendees, who seemed relieved the pandemic was behind them, so they were able to meet again in fellowship.

Historians generally date the start of the Armenian genocide to April 24, 1915, the day around 250 Armenian intellectuals in Constantinople (now Istanbul) were seized and taken to holding camps. Few of those who were seized survived long.

Ottoman Empire leaders seized the intellectuals believing, that if the Armenian people were deprived of leadership, it would be more difficult for them to organize and resist religious oppression.

Outside of Constantinople sat the Armenian community of Armash, where there was a monastery and seminary to train priests for the church, an important center for Armenian religious life.

During the genocide, the community of Armash was seized and sent on a death march across the Syrian Desert. The monastery and seminary were looted, destroyed and the location was used for a new mosque.

The exact figures are not known, but historians estimate 1-1.5 million died as a result of the forced marches across the Syrian Desert. Those left behind, primarily women and children, were forced to adopt Islamic religion and culture.

One belonged to Saryan and the other to Chuck Hajinian, a member of St. John the Baptist Armenian Church in Greenfield, who has family ties to Racine.

Both men are collectors of Armenian artifacts and together they purchased the chalices as part of a collection of historic items from an estate sale.

Saryan and Hajinian researched the chalices and discovered both dated from the 1800s and were donated to the Armenian seminary of Armash, located outside of Istanbul, in the 19th century.

While they aren’t certain of what happened to the chalices following the genocide, initially the collectors theorize the chalices eventually reached the antiques market in Europe, Saryan said.

However, with further research, Saryan said it was also likely that a priest was able to procure them and they stayed in his family. “It’s hard to know.”

He and Hajinian purchased them from the estate of another Armenian collector.

Both Saryan and Hajinian said from an emotional standpoint, that they feel the chalices belong to the monastery and the Armenian people.

For that reason, Saryan donated his chalice to the Armenian Church in New York City, the headquarters for the local churches. From there, the archbishop took the chalice to Beirut, Lebanon, and donated it to the Armenian Museum.

Few elected officials addressed Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day this year. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, was one of them. His statement, issued Sunday, is as follows:

“Today, April 24, is the day to remember the 1.5 million Armenians murdered by Turkey before during and after World War I.

The Armenian Genocide was the Ottoman government’s systematic extermination of 1.5 million Armenians, mostly citizens within the Ottoman Empire. The starting date is conventionally held to be 24 April 1915, the day that Ottoman authorities rounded up, arrested, and deported from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to the region of Ankara, 235 to 270 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders, the majority of whom were eventually murdered. The genocide was carried out during and after World War I and implemented in two phases—the wholesale killing of the able-bodied male population through massacre and subjection of army conscripts to forced labor, followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly, and the infirm on death marches leading to the Syrian Desert.

Driven forward by military escorts, the deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic robbery, rape, and massacre.

Millions murdered.

Turkey says it never happened.

The Armenian genocide occurred during the twilight of the Ottoman Empire, which allied itself with Germany during World War I. After their ill-fated invasion of Russia, Turkish leaders became suspicious of the empire’s Armenian Christian minority and began a years-long persecution.

Armenian leaders in Istanbul were detained, deported and killed on April 24, 1915 — widely considered to be the beginning of the genocide — and the campaign spread from there. Hundreds of thousands were killed, and others were forced from their homes on long marches into the Syrian desert, where many more died.

Never Forget…”

President Joe Biden last year became the first U.S. president to actually refer to the genocide as a “genocide.” On Sunday, he issued another statement in memory of the 1.5 million Armenians “who were deported, massacred or marched to their deaths in a campaign of extermination” by Ottoman Empire forces.

Turkey responded by claiming Biden’s declaration was ”incompatible with historical facts and international law.”

 

Armenian opposition takes to streets, calls society to ‘wake up’

Christine Harutyunian

April 28 2022


  • JAMnews
  • Yerevan

Opposition demands prime minister’s resignation

The Armenian opposition continues protests demanding Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan to resign. Demonstrators block streets and bridges in Yerevan, hold protests in front of state institutions, and organize marches from the regions to the capital.

The Hayastan opposition parliamentary faction (Armenia) began a series of permanent street actions on April 25 under the slogan “Get up, Armenia”, “Get up, Artsakh”. The second oppositional force of the parliament, the I Have the Honor faction, started the fight earlier, but less spectacularly. Its head, Artur Vanetsyana, has been holding a sit-in strike on Freedom Square in downtown Yerevan since April 17.

The opposition accuses the current government of intending to make unacceptable concessions on Nagorno-Karabakh, and claims that the Pashinyan government “intends to recognize Artsakh as part of Azerbaijan“.

Opposition forces operate separately from each other, even though they have one goal – a change of power. They believe that at the moment decentralized struggle is the most effective.

  • Armenian opposition takes to streets – will there be a second Velvet Revolution?
  • PM Pashinyan, President Putin meet amid war in Ukraine and tensions in Armenia
  • What should be expected from Karabakh talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan?

Deputies of the Hayastan opposition faction and their supporters have been holding “awareness marches” on different streets and squares of the capital since April 25. These are actions that “explain to people” what the opposition accuses the current authorities of. At the same time, this is a call to join the struggle for its overthrow.

Young people are also actively involved in the movement. For the second day in a row, they organize actions in universities, calling on students to join the fight. On April 27, they brought a “gift” for the prime minister to the government building – “essential items that he will use in prison”. However, the police did not allow them to leave the “gift” on the steps of the government building.

Since April 25, a group of oppositionists has been marching to Yerevan from the city of Ijevan, Tavush region. On the 26th, a similar march began from the village of Tigranashen in the Ararat region.

Ijevan is the birthplace of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, and Tigranashen is one of the enclaves of Soviet Azerbaijan that have been reclaimed since the 2020 Karabakh war.

The purpose of the marches is to “wake people up from hibernation”, and to help them see “the threats that Armenia is facing”.

All street actions of this political force will continue until May 1. According to Ishkhan Saghatelyan, an MP from the Hayastan faction, and Vice Speaker of the Parliament, “much more concrete actions” will begin after that.

On April 17, leader of the opposition “I Have the Honor” faction Artur Vanetsyan began a sit-in strike in the Freedom square in Yerevan. Why has the internal political situation in Armenia escalated?

The action of the head of the I Have the Honor opposition faction on Freedom Square will continue until the second stage of the struggle begins. Then, according to Artur Vanetsyan, the steps that the opposition intends to take to save the country will be announced. So far, both opposition forces have not reported anything about their plans.

Behind both factions are former presidents of Armenia, known for their pro-Russian past. Serzh Sargsyan is behind the I Have the Honor faction and Robert Kocharyan is behind the Hayastan bloc.

In the meantime, Artur Vanetsyan welcomes the street struggle of the Hayastan faction. According to him, “somewhere at some point, all the actions will definitely intersect, because everyone has the same goal” – the security of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, and it can only be achieved with a change of power. Moreover, the oppositionist believes that it should take place in a constitutional way, that is, in parliament.

In the meantime, deputies from both opposition factions do not participate in the work of parliament. The ruling party accuses them of not going to work, but getting paid. In response, the opposition deputies say that they do not intend to give up their mandates yet, they keep them in case “there is a need to reach a final resolution of the issue in parliament”.

Results of the Putin-Pashinyan negotiations: the Prime Minister of Armenia summarized the results of his recent talks with the President of Russia and assessed them as ‘productive’

“The opposition has declared war on the world in order to seize power”, said Hayk Konjoryan, leader of the ruling Civil Contract party. He says that the opposition in every possible way rejects the idea of peace in Armenia, scares people with it, calls to join them in order to prevent the idea of “traitorous authorities” from reconciling with Azerbaijanis:

“This is a very strange idea, but with whom should we go to peace? You have to put up with those with whom you are at war. Is not it? In this case, with the Azerbaijanis”.

According to the deputy, the opposition is trying to use the idea of peace as “a club to strike at the current government” in order to regain power.

“Whose interests does the opposition serve? In whose interests are the Armenian people, the Republic of Armenia always in the cycle of wars and conflicts?”, Konjoryan asks.

According to the deputy from the ruling power, the opposition, which at one time was in power, then frightened the people with war:

“Today, the same former government, the current opposition is already scaring the people with peace, saying: “Dear people, come on, help us come to power, otherwise there will be peace”. This is a very dangerous, extremely ugly policy that can have extremely dangerous consequences for the Armenian people, the Republic of Armenia”.

Hrachya Hakobyan, another deputy from the ruling faction, believes that the opposition cannot achieve a change of power, as there is no public demand, and the oppositionists do not have a specific agenda.

Referring to the Prime Minister’s sensational statement about the need to “lower the bar on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh”, which was the reason for this movement, Hakobyan said:

“The opposition understood this, that Artsakh is being “surrendered”. Now the prime minister has said at a government meeting that no action will be taken without broad public discussion. Didn’t they hear it? He said that Artsakh is not a thing to pass on”.

In Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, the statements of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, are actively discussed. Many experts perceive them negatively, while the EU special representative described them as ‘far-sighted’

Political observer Hakob Badalyan finds it difficult to assess the effectiveness of the opposition’s actions and say how events will develop. He says that so far the opposition is only copying the methods of struggle of the Velvet Revolution of 2018, led by the current Prime Minister Pashinyan. The opposition is not doing anything else yet, its behavior is uncertain, the expert believes.

According to him, one should understand what the goal of the opposition is, and not listen to the propaganda theses announced by them about the mistakes of the authorities.

“Undoubtedly, the task is to stimulate the crisis situation as much as possible”, says Hakob Badalyan.

But at the same time, he believes that the proclaimed goal of a change of power is still unattainable since there is not enough support from society:

“On the other hand, they may have sufficient human and material resources and are able to maintain constant tension for a long time, create an atmosphere of chaos, thereby forcing the political authorities to reckon with them”.

According to the observer, it is impossible to achieve political success by simply copying the methods of struggle of the last revolution, and the opposition does not have support from the population:

“The main reason is that this opposition is the former government. Society still feels the influence, to put it mildly, of the inefficiency of that power and a number of other factors arising from this circumstance. Because of this, it is practically impossible to have such a level of public support that will force the authorities to take into account all the demands of the opposition, including the resignation of the government.

The expert does not rule out that there may be external events that will affect the balance of power between the opposition and the authorities. But, according to him, this factor “contains the prospect of chaos and destabilization and not some kind of political solution”.

Hakob Badalyan believes that if the situation does not become unmanageable, this opposition movement can play in favor of the Armenian authorities, in particular, during the negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh:

“In other words, this rebellion of the opposition, the protest can become an argument, a trump card in the hands of the political authorities for maneuvering in the external field. Especially at the moment, when we see that the external situation for Armenia, to put it mildly, is unfavorable”.

Beyond Yerevan: touring Armenia’s unexplored wilderness

Anna Tamamian
UAE – April 28 2022
Melanie Swan
Apr 28, 2022

On the streets of Yerevan, Armenia’s capital, harsh Soviet structures belie the centuries-old history, rich culture and breathtaking wilderness that this small Caucasian country has to offer.

Home to at least six microclimates, the 30,000-square-kilometre, landlocked territory of only three million people offers scenery and outdoor adventures that are unrivalled even in much larger countries.

Armenian painter Martiros Saryan once said that to experience the soul of Armenia, one has to leave Yerevan. And travelling around the country, I understand why.

During Soviet rule, the capital’s heritage was all but razed, but leave Yerevan and Armenia’s unique spirit becomes apparent. From Alpine meadows and deep forests to rugged mountain terrain and the majestic Lake Sevan, there is surprising diversity to be discovered here.

Armenia’s capital, Yerevan. Photo: Levon Vardanyan / Unsplash

Its wild frontiers entice in summer and winter, and offer adventure-seekers opportunities for horse riding, rafting, skiing and zip-lining. At every turn, there are centuries-old monasteries, caves and fortresses, which remain in place in spite of centuries of empirical invasion, whether from the Ottomans, Safavids, Persians or Russians.

My tour starts with the help of Galust Hovsepyan, a veritable encyclopaedia, whose depth of knowledge brings the country to life. This is not a destination that’s easy to traverse without a translator or driver — roads are rugged and internet coverage is patchy.

Armenian and Russian are the primary languages and even in the capital, people are often too shy to speak English. Starting at $50 per day, our guide is a worthy investment as his local knowledge offers invaluable insight into the people and culture.

We weave and wind our way around the country, starting at the 1st century Garni temple, the only remains of the country’s pagan history. Nearby is the Symphony of Stones, a marvel of nature in the Garni Gorge made of huge symmetrical hexagonal and pentagonal basalt columns that tower almost 50 metres above us.

The Symphony of Stones in Garni, Armenia. Photo: Davit Simonyan / Unsplash

Hovsepyan takes us to the best dining spots, including Restaurant Sergey Gabrielyan in Garni, a former cottage that has been transformed into an Armenian eatery serving up delicious local produce. We feast on fish, meat, homemade lavash bread and home-grown fruits and vegetables under a natural canopy of walnut trees. A plentiful lunch costs just $25 for three people.

Sitting at the crossroads of the Silk Road and Black Sea, Armenia has been shaped by many influences, from Middle Eastern to Eastern European and Mediterranean, and this is evident in the cuisine. This is coupled with the country’s diverse microclimates, which results in home-grown produce that rivals even the best of what’s available in Europe.

In the small village of Tsaghkunk, in the Sevan Lake region, local celebrity chef Yura Sargsyan has created a French-inspired farmhouse concept where fine dining meets authentic Armenian hospitality. A feast for four costs us about $80, and all produce is sourced from nearby farms.

Close by, the Mikayelyan family farm specialises in artisanal cheeses and offers tastings of some of the 15 unique varieties that “Mama Marina”, a welcoming former biochemist, created after moving her family of six away from Yerevan in a bid to reconnect to a more simple way of life.

Such innovation in Armenia’s villages and towns is vital in a country where more than a quarter of the population live below the poverty line, according to the Asian Development Bank. Travel and tourism are essential, contributing nearly 11.8 per cent of the country’s GDP in 2019 and accounting for 12.5 per cent of total employment, according to the ministry of economy.

Lake Sevan in Armenia. Photo: Alexandra Dementyeva

Near Sevan Lake, we meet Tigran Baghishjanyan of ASP Riding Club. He welcomes us to his humble stables with Armenian coffee and stories of his passion for horses, before taking us on an introductory ride with his budding equestrian family.

Visitors can join the horse breeder for riding experiences and camping tours that can last for hours or days, and take in the area’s spectacular mountain scenery. Wildlife here includes falcons, eagles, wolves and bears, but — Baghishjanyan assures us — they steer clear of groups of travellers and horses.

The country also offers breathtaking hikes, particularly in the Lori Canyon, which I explore with a guide from Lori Canyon Treks.

The roughly three-hour hike takes us through a multitude of terrain, whether winding around the mountain’s edge, wading through shallow waters, or stopping at two notable 12th century monasteries. Our guide Saro passionately points out every detail, including the original frescoes.

Under the canopy of the Yenokavan forests, the Lastiver hike serves up more challenging terrain, up and down undulating rocky surfaces, before depositing us at a beautiful waterfall on the Khachaghbyur River. The roughly two-hour hike starts from Yell Extreme Park and is one of several experiences at Armenia’s first such facility, which includes activities such as zip-lining, horse riding and a via ferrata, with a day pass costing $16 per person.

Heading south of Yerevan, the scenery takes a dramatic turn, from greens and yellows to pinks and oranges, with pretty valleys rolling through the mountains like works of impressionist art. Our first stop is a luxurious log cabin in the 4,500-hectare Caucasus Wildlife Refuge, an ecolodge run by Sunchild Eco Tours where money raised funds conservation efforts under the Foundation for The Preservation of Wildlife and Cultural Assets.

An eco lodge run by Sunchild Eco Tours in the Caucasus Wildlife Refuge. Photo: Harutyan Khachatryan

As we arrive, a dramatic thunderstorm begins. The large wood cabin offers picture-perfect vistas of the Dahnak mountains, home to an abundant array of wildlife, including bears and wild mountain goats.

Sunchild Eco Tours works closely with local villagers in nearby Urtsadzor, who now offer home stays for as little as $16 a night, introducing new revenue streams and opportunities for them to sell their handicrafts and traditional foods.

It is the perfect place for an isolated escape — the sound of silence in the rocky surrounds offering a stark contrast to city life. Off-road cycling, hiking, horse riding and 4×4 tours are some of the activities on offer, in addition to wildlife tours and bird watching, all exclusive to guests within the reserve.

The large wood cabin offers picture-perfect vistas of the Dahnak mountains. Photo: Sunchild Eco Tours

My final stop is Gnishik, which, with its pink rocky landscapes that are unlike anything else in Armenia, is without a doubt worth the three-hour drive from Yerevan. The eco-guest house here is also run by Sunchild and we enjoy a full-board feast of home-cooked foods by Harut, who at just 20 years old cooks authentic Armenian delights with the finesse of a professional chef.

We are able to visit the protected Bear Cave, which is only accessible to Gnishik guests. At three kilometres, it is the longest cave in the country and not for the faint-hearted. However, its crystal formations make it feel like an Aladdin’s Cave as we climb and crawl through the nooks and crannies of the mountainside hideaway with our eager ranger leading the way.

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Translator Elada provides motivation as he mutters: “Just think like a snake; I’m a snake,” as he grunts and puffs his way through tiny cracks.

After nine nights traversing the country, we discover that its natural beauty is surpassed only by its generous and warm people. Staying at small village retreats allows us to immerse ourselves in village life and experience true Armenian hospitality.

How to get there: Flydubai, Air Arabia and Wizz Air both operate flights to Yerevan from Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi.

E-visas are needed for several nationalities, so check online at https://evisa.mfa.am before you go. They cost around Dh25 ($6).

Covid-19 PCR tests are needed on arrival for non-vaccinated visitors.

Updated: April 28, 2022, 2:45 PM

Evangelical Initiative “Different Perspective” Has Been a Blessing for Armenia

Karakhanian Suren
ANN – Adventist News
April 28 2022
ARMENIA | INFORMATION DEPARTMENT, SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST CHURCH ARMENIA

APRIL 28, 2022

The Ararat Valley blossomed as soon as the spring sun began to warm it. This is an incredible sight. Inhaling the aroma of blooming apricot orchards, you can enjoy the landscape of the Ararat mountains covered with snow. These large blocks of stone rise high, directing the gaze of a person to the sky. Watching the contrasting landscapes of either spring or winter, you understand that to some extent, this is emblematic of the state of society. In someone’s life, there is spring and joy, which are reflected by an ardent desire to study the Holy Scriptures and strive for God, but in someone else’s heart, there is winter—a lack of interest in spiritual realities.

The special time in which the modern generation lives confirms the truth of the words of the Saviour. It is time to think about spirituality, and therefore God, directs all the forces of the church to preach the gospel. Spring is yet to come in many hearts. Every believer understands only God can do this. He can melt the ice in people’s hearts and warm them with His love.

The “Different Perspective” program in Ararat was exactly such an event that God used for His glory and the salvation of people. Pastor Roman Mikhailovich Kisakov, director of the Youth Ministries Department of the Euro-Asian Division, helped listeners delve into the words of Jesus Christ, which are filled with deep meaning and life. For nine evenings, the small congregation would come together to sing and meditate on the Word of God. This has not happened in the city of Ararat for a long time. The number of visitors exceeded three times the number of members of the local Adventist Church. It was truly God’s providence and a response to the ministry of Pastor Gregory Sahakyan and the local community. God blesses when his children work.

[Photo Courtesy of the Euro-Asia Division]

Intensified prayers, carrying out the Mission Jeremiah project in the local community, the renovation of the church building itself—all this is a dedicated work that God has blessed.

Pastor Kisakov, thanks to deep reflections, openness to communication and acquaintance, and visiting guests in their homes, also endeared himself to the audience.

Dr. Samvel Sargsyan, from Yerevan, helped the audience learn the principles of a healthy lifestyle and shared inspiring tips, while Mariam Sargsyan brightened the meetings with her wonderful singing.

In nine days, the church and all the guests became a real family, and thus, the parting was filled with genuine sadness.

The “Different Perspective” program ended with the baptism of two sisters who made a covenant with God and wished to start new lives. It was especially joyful that among the people who attended the program, there were those who wanted to continue studying the Bible and make a covenant with God in the near future. Program participants received Bible lessons, books and a special gift: Bibles, in printed and electronic versions, to continue their spiritual path in the future.

The community of Ararat thanks God for His care and the administration of the Euro-Asian Division for helping to conduct a blessed evangelistic program. Adventists in Armenia believe God will bless the service of the church to society, helping to change the spiritual winter into the eternal spring of spiritual rebirth.

This article was originally published on the Euro-Asia Division’s news site

Author Chris Bohjalian to Speak with Globe’s Stephen Kurkjian at Armenian Museum

Adrine Hakobian
MA – April 28 2022

The following information comes from the Armenian Museum of America:

Twelve years later, New York Times bestselling author of 23 books, Chris Bohjalian, returns to the Armenian Museum of America to talk about his latest novel The Lioness with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Stephen Kurkjian. This event will be held on Wednesday, May 18 at 7:00 p.m. at the Armenian Museum of America, 65 Main St., Watertown, MA.

The discussion between the two is highly anticipated in Boston and its surrounding communities. Bohjalian’s most recent novel, Hour of the Witch, was published in May 2021 and was an instant New York Times, Publishers Weekly, USA Today and IndieBound bestseller. It’s a novel of historical suspense set in 1662 Boston, a tale of the first divorce in North America for domestic violence—and a subsequent witch trial. The Washington Post called it “historical fiction at its best.” The New York Times called it “harrowing.”

His 2018 novel, The Flight Attendant, debuted as a New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publishers Weekly, and National IndieBound Bestseller. It is now an HBO Max series, starring Kaley Cuoco that has been nominated for numerous Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe awards. It was recently renewed for a second season. Bohjalian’s work has been translated into 35 languages and three times have become movies.

When Bohjalian spoke at the museum in 2012, he discussed the Armenian-themed The Sandcastle Girls, a sweeping historical love story that probes the depths of love, family, and secrets during World War I. Now, in contrast, The Lioness tells the story of a luxurious African safari that turns deadly for a Hollywood starlet and her entourage. Set in 1964 in Tanzania, actress Katie Barstow and her new husband have invited a glittering entourage of co-stars, managers, and publicists for a safari adventure. Envisioning candlelit dinners and capturing wildlife on film, the group instead face a team of Russian mercenaries and a botched kidnapping as violence and rebellion rage next door in the eastern Congo.

Stephen Kurkjian is one of the most acclaimed investigative reporters in the country. A 40-year veteran of the Boston Globe, he is the paper’s former Washington bureau chief and a founding member of its investigative Spotlight Team. Kurkjian has won more than 25 national and regional awards, including the Pulitzer Prize on three occasions.

“We are delighted to host the two esteemed authors under the auspices of the museum’s Library Committee, since books continue to be an integral part of our mission and our collection,” says Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “We are proud to share the launching of on-site events since 2019 with Chris Bohjalian and Steve Kurkjian. We hope you will mark your calendars and join us on this very special evening.”

Signed copies of The Lioness will be available for purchase at the event, which is free and open to the public.

Registration is required via Eventbrite, click here.



Turkey says third round of talks with Armenia to be held in Vienna on May 3

Kanayan Tamar
India – April 28 2022
Reuters

Special envoys from Turkey and Armenia will hold the third round of talks to normalise ties after decades of animosity on May 3 in Vienna, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Thursday.

Turkey has been working to normalise relations with Armenia in coordination with Azerbaijan since December. The neighbours have held two rounds of talks so far, which led to a first meeting between their foreign ministers in years last month.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Azerbaijan’s False Shot at Biden on the Armenian Genocide

Garo Vardanian
April 28 2022
Nisan Ahmado

“The attempts to misrepresent the events that happened a century ago and politicize the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ are unacceptable.”

Source: Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry, April 24, 2022
FALSE

On April 24, the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry protested remarks made by U.S. President Joe Biden on Armenian Remembrance Day.

Biden issued a statement commemorating the 107th anniversary of the start of the genocide, in which between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians died though various atrocities during World War One, including executions, forced migration and abuse and neglect in concentration camps.

More than 20 countries worldwide officially recognize the Armenian genocide, including the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany and Russia.

In 2019, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution “affirming the historical facts of the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Empire, and honoring the memories of its 1,500,000 victims.”

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry said the White House distorted history.

“The attempts to misrepresent the events that happened a century ago and politicize the so-called ‘Armenian genocide’ are unacceptable.”

That is false. There is no misrepresentation.

Biden was the first U.S. president to officially use the term genocide in reference to the massacres of Armenians in that era. Previous presidents refrained from using it to avoid complicating relations with Turkey, a NATO defense member allied with the U.S. and European nations.

Turkey maintains that the mass killings and treatment of Armenians of 1915-17 are exaggerated or the result of armed conflict and were not a systematic campaign of extinction.

The Azerbaijan Foreign Ministry’s statement is in line with Turkey’s view. Turkey also rejected Biden’s April 24 statement, saying it was “incompatible with historical facts.”

The genocide, however, has been thoroughly documented.

Armenians are an ethnic group native to Armenia region, which is comprised of northeastern Turkey and the neighboring republic of Armenia. Mostly Christian, they faced historic religious persecution during Russian campaigns against the Persians and Turks in the 18th and 19th centuries.

In the start of the 20th century, about 2.5 million Armenians lived in the once-dominant Ottoman dynasty. The centuries old regional power was crumbling after a series of military defeats, and in 1908, a group of army officers, the Young Turks, seized power and started taking measures against Armenians.

By 1914, the Young Turks had sided with Germany during World War I against Britain, France and Russia. They portrayed the Armenians as a pro-Russian “fifth column” and inside threat.

By scholarly and many other accounts, the genocide began in April 1915 with the arrests of Armenian intellectuals and politicians, followed by mass executions and the systematic deportation of Armenians, who were sent in convoys on a 600-mile journey to camps in Syria.

The Armenian Film Foundation archive contains testimony from 400 Armenian genocide survivors, recorded between 1972 and 2005, including the story of Haroute Aivazian, who was age 10 when the genocide began.

His account, recorded in 1993 in Britain, was archived by the University of Southern California Shoah Foundation, a nonprofit that compiles audio-visual interviews with survivors of the Holocaust and other genocides.

Aivazian said that even though his father had served in the Ottoman army, authorities still confiscated his family’s vineyard in the town of Marash and deported the family. His mother, knowing they might be marched to their deaths, dropped off Haroute and his brother in an orphanage built by German missionaries for Armenian children.

Later, Haroute’s father returned to Marash to learn that his wife had been deported to Iskenderun in Turkey. Many didn’t survive the harsh winter conditions, though Haroute’s mother was an exception.

“Even though I did survive, we lost something very precious, something which is the birthright of every person, childhood. We lost our childhood, and even now I have nightmares about it,” Haroute says in his account.

Descendants of survivors also have documented their families’ stories.

In 2016, Nouritza Matossian, a British-Armenian, told the BBC that her family was among those deported from Gaziantep in Turkey to Deir ez-Zour in Syria. “Driven across these deserts starving, without water, stripped naked, their clothes were torn off their backs everything was taken from them,” said Matossian.

About 100,000 descendants of deported Armenians still lived in Syria before the 2011 civil war broke out between rebels and the Bashar Assad regime.

Hundreds of news articles reporting on the Armenian genocide were published between 1915 and 1923, including in U.S. newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post. Many of those articles described the horrific treatment of Armenians.

In the 1916 Oregon Journal report, the paper’s correspondent wrote that men were simply assassinated en masse, while the elderly, women and children were dispatched to the Syrian desert.

“The tortured progress of these unfortunates, at the mercy of their brutal gendarme escorts who attacked them on the road, affords one of the most poignant pages in history,” the story said.

An archive of photographs, most collected by the Armenian National Institute in Washington, visually documents the atrocities Armenians suffered.

In 1920, after the Ottomans’ demise, the Soviet Red Army invaded Armenia and local communists took power. Only after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in late 1991 did Armenia gain independence.

Now, Azerbaijan has close ties with Turkey and a hostile relationship with neighboring Armenia due to a dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

In a breakout of armed hostilities between Azerbaijan and Armenia two years ago, hundreds of soldiers have been killed on both sides. Nagorno-Karabakh officials said 1,177 of their troops and 50 civilians were killed. The United Nations children’s agency said 130,000 civilians have been displaced.

Nagorno-Karabakh is a predominantly Armenian area. The Soviets had established the region as autonomous, but in 1988 the region’s legislature decided to join Armenia.

The International Association of Genocide Scholars reports that more than 1 million people were killed in the Armenian genocide, based on numerous studies.

“We want to underscore that it is not just Armenians who are affirming the Armenian Genocide but it is the overwhelming opinion of scholars who study genocide,” the IAGS wrote in 2005 in a letter to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was then Turkey’s prime minister and is now president.

https://www.polygraph.info/a/fact-check-azerbaijan-armenia/31825356.html

Violinist Ara Malikian takes Spanish Plana Calleja travel show to Armenia

Markos Nalchajian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – April 28 2022
April 28, 2022, 13:56

 1 minute read

Jesús Calleja of Spanish Cuatro TV and his team have traveled to Armenia for the new episode of the Plana Calleja program. Featuring world-famous Armenian violinist Ara Malikian, the episode was broadcast on April 27.

During his trip on Planeta Calleja, Ara Malikian tell how his grandparents had to flee Armenia in 1915 because of the genocide that the country suffered: “It was a time of trouble all over the world, with the First World War and all against all, where no one controlled what was happening in Armenia. All my paternal family died except my grandfather. On my mother’s side, my grandfather was a kind of hero and saved his whole family.”

Speaking about his career as violinist, Ara says “I have been playing the violin since before I was born because my father was obsessed with me playing it.”

he further explains: “In his family there was a violin that would have saved my grandfather’s life during the genocide. When he was 15 they killed his entire family and he saved because a European band of musicians left him a violin so he could pretend to be part of the band. He pretended to be a musician and was able to run away with them.”

Congressman Pallone calls for robust aid to Armenia and Republic of Artsakh

Maral Takmazian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia – April 28 2022
April 28, 2022, 20:57

 2 minutes read

A bipartisan letter to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, spearheaded by Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) and cosigned by over 60 Members of Congress, calls for a robust aid package to Artsakh and Armenia in the Fiscal Year 2023 House Appropriations Bill, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

In the letter, the lawmakers call for $100 million in security, economic, governance, and rule of law assistance to Armenia through State Department and USAID accounts, $50 million for assistance to Artsakh, and the suspension of U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan.

“The people of Artsakh continue to face severe hardships caused both by the deadly 44-day war Azerbaijani forces provoked in 2020 and their ongoing provocations against innocent civilians to this day,” according to the letter addressed to the Chairwoman of the Appropriations Subcommittee Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ranking Member Hal Rogers (R-KY). In addition, the lawmakers cited the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), which affirms that 88 percent of the approximately 90,000 refugees from Artsakh are women, children, and the elderly.

“The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) also acknowledges that an ‘acute humanitarian crisis’ continues for many of these families, including those who have been able to return to Artsakh.” Regarding prohibition on U.S. military aid to Azerbaijan, the lawmakers note that “President Ilham Aliyev began his brutal 2020 assault on Artsakh not long after receiving over $100 million in security assistance through the Section 333 Building Partner Capacity Program in Fiscal Years 2018 and 2019. Azerbaijani forces used advanced Turkish drones, cluster munitions, and white phosphorus to indiscriminately attack homes, churches, and hospitals killing thousands in the 44-day war.”

They also highlight the recent report by the 2022 Government Accountability Office Report (GAO) that “the State Department likely violated Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act in sending this and other assistance to Azerbaijan from 2014 to 2021.”

Despite a ceasefire statement signed on November 9, 2020, the lawmakers call attention to the fact that “Azerbaijan continues its aggressive behavior in the region with troop movements and other escalatory measures into Armenian and Artsakh territories…It is equally concerning that Azerbaijani troops continue to carry out the desecration of Armenian Christian holy sites, weaponize major sources of natural gas for civilians, and illegally detain and abuse Armenian prisoners of war.”

In addition to Armenian Caucus leaders, Reps. Pallone, Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA) and Adam Schiff (D-CA), cosigners include: Reps. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA), Jim Banks (R-IN), Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA), Don Beyer (D-VA), Cheri Bustos (D-IL), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cárdenas (D-CA), Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Judy Chu (D-CA), Lou Correa (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Danny Davis (D-IL), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Jim Himes (D-CT), Steven Horsford (D-NV), Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Jim Langevin (D-RI), Andy Levin (D-MI), Mike Levin (D-CA), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Jim McGovern (D-MA), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Richard Neal (D-MA), Donald Norcross (D-NJ), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Abigail Spanberger (D-VA), Haley Stevens (D-MI), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Dina Titus (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Susan Wild (D-PA).