Category: 2022

Azerbaijan says Armenia accepts steps toward normalization

Emil Lazarian
Mehr News Agency, Iran

TEHRAN, Apr. 10 (MNA) – , Azerbaijani President said on Saturday that Armenia has accepted the document submitted by Azerbaijan on five principles to normalize bilateral ties following the 44-day war between the two countries.

Ilham Aliyev made the remarks to Russian President Vladimir Putin during a phone call in which the leaders exchanged views on relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the post-conflict period, Azerbaijan’s presidency said in a statement, according to Turkish Anadolu Agency.

“President Ilham Aliyev recalled the document submitted by Azerbaijan on five principles for establishing interstate relations with Armenia, and the fact that the Armenian side accepted these principles,” the statement said.

“President Ilham Aliyev recalled the document submitted by Azerbaijan on five principles for establishing interstate relations with Armenia, and the fact that the Armenian side accepted these principles,” the statement said.

KI/PR

Music: The Aznavoorian Duo Releases Debut Album, "Gems From Armenia"

Karakhanian Suren
April 1 2022
by Marissa Tomeo Apr. 10, 2022  

        

Today, celebrated Armenian American sisters Ani (cello) and Marta (piano) Aznavoorian release their debut duo album, Gems from Armenia, on Cedille Records. The Chicago-based Aznavoorian Duo celebrates the sounds of their ancestral homeland through a panoramic survey of Armenian classical music, including works by composers Komitas Vartabed, Aram Khachaturian, Arno Babajanian, and Avet Terterian; contemporary Armenian composers Serouj Kradjian, Alexander Arutiunian, and Vache Sharafyan; and the world premiere recording of a new piece by Peter Boyer. The duo will perform a recital featuring works from the album on Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 3:00pm at Nichols Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston.

The Aznavoorian Duo comments, “The idea for this CD sprung out of gratitude to the proud and soulful people of Armenia and our homage to the historical challenges they have overcome and continue to engage with.” In the liner notes, Gary Peter Rejebian writes, “Gems from Armenia voices a range of opposing emotions across three periods of time: some ringing clear in their own right, others but a whisper of other peaks and valleys in the Armenian story.”

The album opens with five ancient folk songs arranged by early 20th-century Orthodox priest, composer, and musicologist Komitas Vardapet. Rejebian says, “Komitas strove not merely to capture melodic tunes, but to evoke the very life and heartache of the people who passed down poetic lyrics in song over centuries as he documented them for the ages.”

He continues “Soviet-era composers Aram Khachaturian, Arno Babajanian, Avet Terterian, and Alexander Arutiunian collectively represent a musical renaissance for the Armenians; a period of greatness analogous to the first millennium ‘Golden Age’ of the Armenian kingdom… Khachaturian’s glorious ode to his hometown (Yerevan) and Babajanian’s tribute to Khachaturian, his mentor (Elegy), speak with impassioned fondness in very different voices. Terterian’s Sonata, first performed in 1956, precedes the symphonies and stage works for which he is best known… As a snapshot of his lively style inspired by memorable folk melodies, Alexander Arutiunian composed his Impromptu in 1948.”

A third era, of contemporary music, is embodied by Serouj Kradjian, Vache Sharafyan, and Peter Boyer. Rejebian shares, “Lebanese-born pianist and composer Kradjian arranged Sari Siroun Yar (Beautiful Mountain Girl) as a faithful retelling of the troubadour Ashod’s ballad about a mountaineer pining for his beautiful village love… Sharafyan composed his Petrified Dance through multiple iterations of string-piano combinations for Harutyun Khachatryan’s documentary about Armenian street artist Vahan Ananyan.”

“Boyer composed Mount Ararat for the Aznavoorian Duo specially for this project as a reflection of how Armenia’s biblical heritage resonated with a composer from a completely different background,” Rejebian writes.

About The Aznavoorian Duo
Cellist Ani Aznavoorian and pianist Marta Aznavoorian are Armenian American siblings renowned for their passion, artistry, and energy. The Los Angeles Times describes Ani as a cellist “who shows great sensitivity and great virtuosity at all moments” while The Boston Globe praises Marta as a pianist of “exceptionally finished technique and purity of musical impulse.”

Ani Aznavoorian, 15-year principal cello of Camerata Pacifica, is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician with some of the country’s most recognized ensembles and has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras. Marta Aznavoorian has performed to critical acclaim throughout the world as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and educator, and has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. She is a founding member of the Lincoln Trio and has a vast discography.

The Aznavoorian Duo has toured France, Armenia, and Finland, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and presented numerous programs in their hometown of Chicago. They have individually worked with leading contemporary composers including John Harbison, Clarice Assad, Lera Auerbach, William Bolcom, Osvaldo Golijov, Shulamit Ran, Peter Boyer, Augusta Read Thomas, and Stacy Garrop, among others. Separately, the Aznavoorians have recorded for the Warner Classics, Cedille, ARTEC, and Erato labels.

Ani proudly performs on a cello made in Chicago by her father, Peter Aznavoorian. Marta is a Steinway Artist. Learn more at www.aniaznavoorian.com and www.martaaznavoorian.com.

About Cedille Records
Launched in November 1989 by James Ginsburg, Grammy Award-winning Cedille Records (pronounced say-DEE) is dedicated to showcasing and promoting the most noteworthy classical artists in and from the Chicago area. The label’s catalog of more than 200 front-line albums brims with attractive, off-the-beaten-path repertoire from the Baroque era to the present day. Works from the classical canon, when they do appear, are usually heard in particularly imaginative pairings.

Cedille has recorded more than 180 Chicago artists and ensembles, with over 80 making their professional recording debuts on the label. Its catalog includes the world premieres of more than 400 classical compositions.

The audiophile-oriented label releases every new album in multiple formats – physical CD, 96 kHz, 24-bit, studio-quality FLAC download, and 320 Kbps MP3 download – and on major streaming services.

An independent nonprofit enterprise, Cedille Records is the label of Cedille Chicago, NFP. Sales of physical CDs and digital downloads and streams cover only a small percentage of the label’s costs. Tax-deductible donations from individual music-lovers and grants from charitable organizations account for most of its revenue.

Cedille’s headquarters are at 4311 N. Ravenswood Ave., Suite 202, Chicago, IL 60613; call 773-989-2515; email: [email protected]. Website: www.cedillerecords.org.

Cedille Records is distributed in the Western Hemisphere by Naxos of America and its distribution partners, by Naxos Music UK, and by other independent distributors in the Naxos network in classical music markets around the world.

www.aniaznavoorian.com

www.martaaznavoorian.com

Armenian Church celebrates Palm Sunday

Chmshkian Vicken
Public Radio of Armenia
, 12:13

 1 minute read

One week before the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Armenian Church celebrates the Feast of Palm Sunday, celebrating the Triumphant Entry of Christ into Jerusalem.

Jesus comes into Jerusalem riding atop a donkey and the people gather to meet Him with reverence, thus fulfilling the words of the prophet from the Old Testament.

The Gospel of St. Matthew, in relating the story, refers to the prophecy, “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled, that which was spoken by the prophet, saying “Tell the daughter of Zion, Behold, your king is coming to you! He is humble and sitting on an ass, and a colt, the foal of an ass.” (Mt 21:4-5).

On His arrival, a large crowd of people gathers to greet Him, and spread their cloaks on the road before Him, while others cut branches from palm trees and place them on the path. The crowd exclaims: “Hosanna!  Blessed is the King of Israel that comes in the Name of the Lord” (Jn 12:13).

On Palm Sunday, churches are decorated with branches from willow trees and palm trees.  Following a solemn morning service, the blessed branches are distributed to the faithful. This passage from the Gospels reminds each of us about the Coming of Christ, and teaches us to live in a manner that can make us worthy to stand before the Lord and exclaim: “Hosanna (Praise God)! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

Armenia reaffirms its commitment to ensure the right of the people of Artsakh to a free, secure, dignified life in their homeland

Aram Torosian
Public Radio of Armenia
, 19:11

 1 minute read

The Republic of , and emphasizes the urgency of the international community’s efforts to prevent threats to existential security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the 30th anniversary of the Maragha massacre.

The statement reads:

30 years ago, on April 10, 1992, the Azerbaijani armed forces carried out an unprecedented massacre of peaceful population in the village of Maragha in the Martakert region of Artsakh, which resulted in complete annihilation of the Armenian settlement with a population of about 5,000.

The war crimes in Maragha are documented in the reports of international human rights organizations, including Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International, which state that the atrocities committed against Armenians resulted in the brutal murder of at least 50 people, and 30 women, 29 women and 9 children were taken hostage, the fate of 19 of whom is still unknown.

The massacre in Maragha, which was the continuation of the pogroms of Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad and Baku, was another manifestation of the policy of ethnic cleansing and hatred against Armenians by the Azerbaijani authorities.

The impunity of the masterminders and perpetrators of the massacres of Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh and in the Armenian-populated cities of Azerbaijan, their glorification, and the anti-Armenian policy pursued for years laid the foundation for committing new massacres.

Currently, the consistent targeting of the Armenian peaceful population in Nagorno-Karabakh and creation of humanitarian crisis by the Azerbaijani armed forces, as well as the incursion into the area of responsibility of the Russian peacekeeping forces since March 24, 2022, resulting in forcible displacement of more than 400 people, demonstrate the real objective of the official Baku – the complete ethnic cleansing of Artsakh.

Today we pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Maragha massacre. The Republic of , and emphasizes the urgency of the international community’s efforts to prevent threats to existential security of the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Russia restores air service with 50 more countries

Hagop Kamalian

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 10:15, 9 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Russia withdraws COVID-related flight restrictions to 52 more countries, Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin announced, reports TASS.

The federal anti-Covid crisis center informed that Russia withdraws restrictions for regular and charter flights to the following countries: Algeria, Argentina, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Brazil, Venezuela, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Egypt, Zimbabwe, Israel, Indonesia, Jordan, Iraq, Kenya, China, North Korea, Costa Rica, Kuwait, Lebanon, Lesotho, Mauritius, Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Morocco, Mozambique, Moldova, Mongolia, Myanmar, Namibia, Oman, Pakistan, Peru, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Serbia, Syria, Thailand, Tanzania, Tunisia, Turkey, Uruguay, Fiji, Philippines, Sir Lanka, Ethiopia, South Africa and Jamaica.

While restrictions for some countries have already been lifted earlier, flights to these destinations were limited with quotas. Air service with the rest is being restored for the first time in two years.

In early March, Russia also mutually lifted flight restrictions with Armenia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Iran and Azerbaijan. Currently, flight restrictions have also been lifted with Belarus, Dominican Republic, Egypt, UAE, Turkey, Finland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, South Korea and Cuba.

Armenian, Slovak governments sign agreement on economic cooperation

Emil Lazarian

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 10:17, 9 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. The signing of the agreement on economic cooperation between the governments of Armenia and Slovakia was held in the Armenian Ministry of Economy on April 8.

The document was signed by Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan and Ambassador of Slovakia to Armenia Miroslav Hacek.

The agreement envisages development of mutually beneficial cooperation and diversification in all economic areas of mutual interest. It enables to develop and deepen long-term economic relations between the two countries based on equality and mutual benefit in such areas as industry, tourism, energy, agriculture, small and medium enterprises, transport and infrastructure, environment protection, information and communication technologies, etc. The document also envisages creating an inter-governmental commission.

Before the signing of the document, the Minister of Economy and the Ambassador of Slovakia held a meeting discussing the development prospects of the commercial ties. Vahan Kerobyan said Armenia highly values the development of the relations with Slovakia and stated that it’s the time to take steps to put the existing potential in the bilateral relations on practical grounds. The minister also presented the current priorities of Armenia’s economy.

The Ambassador in turn proposed to view EU member state Slovakia as a European hub, through which Armenia will be able to strengthen its economic ties with other European countries. The foreign diplomat said Slovakia views Armenia as a country with a great development potential, with highly qualified human resource, highlighting the unprecedented rapid development of Armenia in IT sector as a prospective field.

As a direction for cooperation, the Ambassador also highlighted the agriculture sector which, he said, could be interesting for the Slovak businessmen. In this context, Miroslav Hacek informed that the visit of the Foreign Minister of Slovakia to Armenia is expected soon, accompanied by a group of businessmen for establishing cooperation opportunities in Armenia.

The Ambassador also said that Armenia’s good economic relations with Iran make it more attractive for Slovakia.

Armenia reports 19 daily coronavirus cases

Kajoyan Gevork

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 11:07, 9 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. 19 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 422,662, the ministry of health said.

2853 tests were conducted on April 8.

The recoveries rose by 15 in a day, bringing the total number to 410,310.

1 death case has been registered. The death toll stands at 8620.

As of April 9, the number of active cases is 2052.

Saudi Arabia to allow 1 mln Haj pilgrims this year

Hovhannisian John

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 11:12, 9 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Saudi Arabia will let up to 1 million people join the Haj pilgrimage this year, greatly expanding the key event to participants from outside the kingdom after two years of tight COVID restrictions, Reuters reports citing the state media.

Pilgrims to Mecca this year must be under age 65 and fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, the ministry of Hajj and Umrah said in a statement carried by the SPA news agency.

Participants from abroad will be allowed this year but must present a recent negative COVID PCR test, and health precautions will be observed, it said.

American actor Will Smith banned from attending Oscars for 10 years over slap

Ani Tigranian

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 11:40, 9 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Actor Will Smith will not be allowed to attend the Academy Awards for the next 10 years, as a result of his slapping comedian Chris Rock on stage during this year’s Oscar ceremony, CNN reports citing the statement of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.

“The Board has decided, for a period of 10 years from April 8, 2022, Mr. Smith shall not be permitted to attend any Academy events or programs, in person or virtually, including but not limited to the Academy Awards”, Academy President David Rubin and CEO Dawn Hudson said in a statement on Friday.

The decision was made during a Board of Governors meeting held earlier in the day in Los Angeles. The meeting, initially scheduled for April 18, was expedited after Smith announced his resignation from the Academy last week.

Smith issued a quick, concise statement on his ban from the Oscars for the next decade.

“I accept and respect the Academy’s decision”, the actor said in a statement to CNN.

Armenian, Cypriot FMs reaffirm excellent level of bilateral relations

Emil Lazarian

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 12:48, 9 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 9, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus Ioannis Kasoulides held a telephone conversation, discussing the bilateral relations, the Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Cyprus Demetris Demetriou said on Twitter.

“Warm and cordial teleconversation between Cyprus FM Kasoulides and the FM of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan. Reaffirmed the excellent level of bilateral relations and reiterated Cyprus support and solidarity with the Armenian people, in view of the upcoming negotiations”, the Spokesperson said.