Category: 2023

Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia receives Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy

Emma Jilavian

Save

Share

 19:17, 4 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. On April 4, the Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan received the delegation led by the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation of the Republic of Italy Edmondo Cirielli.

As ARMENPRESS was informed by the office of the Security Council of Armenia, at the meeting the parties emphasized the positive dynamics of the development of relations between Armenia and Italy.

At the meeting, reference was made to Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor and its consequences, within the framework of which the Security Council Secretary emphasized the need to send an international fact-finding team to the Lachin Corridor and Nagorno Karabakh.

The Secretary of the Security Council thanked the Italian partners for supporting the presence of the EU mission in Armenia.

Armenpress: Nikol Pashinyan, Swedish MPs discuss the cooperation agenda

Babken Chilingarian

Save

Share

 20:24, 4 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 4, ARMENPRESS. Today, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received the members of the Sweden-Armenia friendship group of the Swedish Parliament, headed by Björn Söder, the leader of the group, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Welcoming the visit of the Swedish parliamentary delegation to Armenia, the Prime Minister noted that the two countries have dynamically developing relations, and Sweden, as n EU member state, is an important partner for Armenia. Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of Sweden’s support to the reform agenda of Armenia, strengthening of democracy and noted the role of inter-parliamentary cooperation in deepening bilateral ties.

Björn Söder thanked the Prime Minister for the high assessment and noted that Sweden is also interested in the development of partnership with Armenia. Introducing the members of the delegation, he assessed the contacts with the Armenian partners as effective and shared the details of their visit.

Issues related to cooperation both in the bilateral format and in the framework of partnership with the European Union were discussed at the meeting.

The sides exchanged views on regional developments and security challenges. In this context, the role of the long-term observation mission of the EU was emphasized by both sides. In terms of ensuring stability and peace in the region, the need for continuous efforts of the international community was emphasized.

The members of the Sweden-Armenia friendship group reaffirmed support for democratic reforms in Armenia and noted that Sweden will continue to contribute to that process.

Asbarez: 90-Year-Old Time Capsule Unearthed at San Francisco’s Mt. Davidson Cross

Emil Lazarian
by Contributor

 

 April 4, 2023

 

in Commentary, Featured Story, Latest, Op-Ed, Top Stories

San Francisco Mayor London Breed and CA Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis stand alongside Sevag Kevranian, Chairperson of the Mt. Davidson Cross Armenian Council as they prepare to open the ninety year old time capsule


BY KIM BARDAKIAN DEMIRJIAN

A time capsule was unearthed from the foot of Mt. Davidson Cross in San Francisco on April 1 in front of a large crowd of onlookers. Ninety years ago to the day, San Francisco officials and community members gathered at the top of Mt. Davidson Cross to witness Boy Scouts of America Troop 88 bury a sealed copper box at the foot of the Cross to commemorate the first Easter Sunrise Service held there on April 1, 1923.

“Historic moments like these held at Mt. Davidson Cross illustrates how our Armenian-American communities can enrich and inspire society by bringing people together under the ancient canopy of our resilience and hope,” said Fr. Mesrop Ash, Pastor of St. John’s Armenian Apostolic Church in San Francisco and Board Member of the Mt. Davidson Cross Armenian Council. 

During the time capsule unearthing, representatives from the San Francisco Historical Society were present to delicately receive the items which will be prepared for archiving and placed on display for the public to view at their San Francisco museum in June. 

Among the items found in the capsule — which were much more plentiful than the organizers were expecting — were a leather-bound Bible, a San Francisco telephone book, pamphlets, a Boy Scout pin, a municipal record of 1933 and several newspapers including the March 27, 2932, edition of the San Francisco Chronicle, featuring a full front-page photo collage of an Easter celebration, and several other newspapers from the time, many with headlines referencing a murder case.

Following the unearthing of the old time capsule, a new, larger copper time capsule was buried at the same spot. Memorable items were presented by various local clergy leaders including Archbishop Salvadore Cordileone, Archbishop of the Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco and Metropolitan Gerasimos, Metropolitan of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of San Francisco.  

In front of the crowd, Archbishop Cordileone read a poignant quote from Pope Francis in 2015 during his visit to Tsitsernakaberd, the Armenian Genocide Memorial in Armenia and placed a copy of that inside the new capsule.

San Francisco clergy and religious leaders gathered together to honor the historic event Members of the event planning committee represented a variety of Bay Area organizations and churches

On behalf of the Armenian American community, Western Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian placed a New Testament Bible from Constantinople (Istanbul) from 1884 belonging to a Genocide survivor and an Armenian Cross Stone (Khachkar) made especially for this event into the new time capsule.

Aside from the clergy, it was an honor to have many state and city politicians in attendance for this historic event. CA Lieutenant Governor Eleni Kounalakis, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, as well as San Francisco Supervisors Myrna Melgar and Ahsha Safai all provided brief remarks and ceremonially added their own small San Francisco-related memento into the new time capsule.

Members of the Homenetmen San Francisco Chapter, along with members of Scout Troop 88 of San Francisco led the color guard to kick off the historic ceremony

The historic event was organized by the the Council of Armenian-American Organizations of Northern California, a coalition of more than 30 Armenian-American organizations that purchased the Mt. Davidson Cross through a City of San Francisco public auction in 1997. The CAAONC has renovated the Cross and maintains it and the hilltop as an offer of thanks to San Francisco for becoming a safe haven for survivors of the Armenian Genocide.

“The San Francisco Armenian American community was gratified to save the Cross from demotion in 1997 and serve as its caretaker for the past 25 years in memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Turkish government,” said Roxanne Makasdjian, Founding Board Member of CAAONC and event Mistress of Ceremonies.

“We do this as a way of thanking San Francisco for taking in the Armenian refugees a century ago, and as a way to honor our history, both as the first nation to adopt Christianity in 301 AD, and as descendants of Armenian Genocide survivors. For us, this Cross and this time capsule embody the importance and purpose of remembrance,” concluded Makasdjian.

ANCA-WR Hollywood and Regional Staff Meet with Councilmember Soto-Martinez

Hagop Kamalian
by Contributor

 

 April 4, 2023

 

in Community, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

LA Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez (center) and his staff meet with ANCA-WR Hollywood chapter and community organizations on Apr. 3


Members of the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region Hollywood Chapter and the ANCA-Western Region staff met with the recently-elected Los Angeles City Councilmember Hugo Soto-Martinez who represents the 13th Council District.

It was the first official opportunity for the ANCA-WR’s local Hollywood chapter to meet with the councilmember and discuss issues related to the district that includes the city’s Little Armenia neighborhood, within which operate the Rose and Alex Pillbos School, the Mary Postoian Pre-School and Kindergarten, the St. Garabed Armenian Church, the Armenian Cultural Foundation, the Armenian Relief Society Mayr Chapter, the Homenetmen Los Angeles Chapter, the Hamazkayin chapter, the Armenian Youth Federation Mousa Ler chapter, the Asbarez Daily Newspaper, the Horizon Armenian Television Channel and the ARS Social Services Center, among other institutions and organizations.

Soto-Maritnez was accompanied by his chief of staff, Alejandra Marroquin and district representative Aram Mardirossian.

The ANCA-WR local and regional delegation included ANCA Hollywood chapter chair and member Suren Seropian and Nane Avagyan, the chair of the Hollywood ACF chapter, Zohrab Mahdessian, the Editor of Asbarez, Ara Khachatourian, as well as the ANCA-WR Governmental Affairs and ANCA-WR Coalition and Community Development directors Ruben Karapetian and Edward Barsoumian.

At the beginning of the meeting, Soto-Martinez reflected on his background as a life-long organizer with deep roots in the city of Los Angeles and explained that his vision as the city council member is to engage and empower citizens to collectively confront the challenges facing the district and the city in order to register successes and advance the community, ensuring equal opportunities for all residents of the city.

A productive discussion took place about how the Armenian community can participate in the process and work alongside the city councilmember and his staff to ensure that the needs and concerns of the community are addressed and work together to engage the constituents, through the institutions working within the community, to elevate the district.

The ANCA-WR Hollywood members also discussed the group’s working relationships with area union and labor activists, including the Service Employees International Union, known as the SEIU and other labor groups.

“All of us at the ANCA-WR Hollywood Chapter thank Councilmember Soto-Martinez and his staff for meeting with us,” said Seropian the local ANCA chapter chair. “We very much look forward to many future opportunities to collaborate as we work together to empower the communities we serve to create better lives for themselves, their neighbors and by example our city.”

In his first days as a city councilmember, Soto-Martinez joined LA City Council President Paul Krekorian and fellow councilmember Monica Rodriguez in introducing a resolution condemning Azerbaijan’s blockade of Artsakh, through the closure of the Lachin Corridor and demanded the immediate opening of the road, which is the lifeline for Artsakh. The councilmember also attended the Education Committee’s Annual Armenian Genocide Awards Luncheon and was impressed with the organization’s breadth of work and engagement with public school educators. 

Barsoumian, the ANCA-WR Community Development Director also emphasized the organization’s commitment to outreach to a broad base of city’s diverse groups in an effort to partner for greater empowerment and human rights advocacy.

AW: GenEd welcomes 2023 Teacher Fellows

Jirair Kafian
April 3, 2023 Guest Contributor Nonprofit News 1

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.  — Fifteen secondary school educators from 14 US states have been selected to participate in the one-year GenEd Teacher Fellowship Program, which includes a 10-day intensive professional development trip to Armenia in July 2023, based at the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, after which the GenEd Teacher Fellows will lead their own teacher training activities for their peers. 

The 2023 GenEd Teacher Fellows gathered for the first time in March via video call, where they met each other and GenEd team members.

2023 GenEd Teacher Fellows

Brenda Boehler

Brenda Boehler (Tucson, AZ) is currently teaching IB Theory of Knowledge, World History and Western Civilization, while also serving as the chair of the Social Studies Department at Cholla High School. Boehler has lived and taught in England, Ukraine and Russia. Her most recent journey was a week-long pilgrimage in the Sacred Forest of Northern Italy. Boehler is currently exploring “Everyday Life in the USSR” as a fellow with the Davis Center on Eurasian Studies. In addition to teaching and travel, she enjoys advocating for animal rights, reading, hiking and practicing mindfulness. Boehler’s ultimate passion is to empower students with new possibilities.

Sarah Dixen

Sarah Dixen (Winona, MN) teaches AP World History, human geography, AP Government and service learning in Winona, MN. She taught and developed the curriculum for a masters in education program for 10 years and returned to high school teaching to work more closely with students and her content area. She serves as department chair, advises her school’s National Honor Society and Knowledge Bowl team. She is also an active member of her local community.

“I am looking forward to studying with others and then incorporating an understanding of the Armenian Genocide by developing a unit on genocide into our school’s human geography course, as it is imperative that the future generations understand this history,” said Dixen. 

Misty Ebinger

Misty Ebinger (New London, OH) is a social studies teacher at New London High School. An educator for 21 years, she teaches government and Chinese Communist Party history classes, along with several electives, including Holocaust and Genocide Studies. She also serves on the board of Ohio’s Holocaust and Genocide Education Network, representing small, rural school districts. She has previously traveled to Germany, Poland and Israel to study the Holocaust.

“I am excited to travel to Armenia, to learn from experts about the Genocide, in order to enhance my lessons at home about this little known, but incredibly important event in world history,” Ebinger enthused.

David Green

David Green (Acton, MA) has been a teacher for 28 years outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He has taught world history, US history and psychology. For the last eight years, he served as department leader for 20 social studies educators. Through his travels to places like Syria, Lebanon, Israel, eastern Turkey and Armenia, he has learned firsthand about the wide impact of the Armenian Genocide and far reach of Armenian culture. He is interested in formalizing these experiences and new insight gained by participating in the GenEd program into a new and innovative curriculum.  

“I am extremely excited to share the GenEd experience with such a dynamic and accomplished group of educators and to work firsthand with our Armenian counterparts on such a critically important topic,” shared Green. 

Leigh-Ann Hendrick

Leigh-Anne Hendrick (Chautauqua, NY) is the director of the Holocaust and Social Justice Education Program of Chautauqua and a co-founding director of the Chautauqua Country Summer Institute for Human Rights and Genocide. She is a social studies teacher with 24 years of experience and has worked as a consultant with the United States Department of Education where she presented both nationally and internationally. Hendrick has received training at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, DC and is a Museum Teacher Fellow. She strives to empower students and educators to take an active role in our shared humanity.

“Every person should know the horrors of history and the implications of being a bystander. These are the stories that repeat time and again and are evident in this history,” said Henrick. “I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn the history of the Armenian Genocide with a dedicated team of educators – to foster respect and empathy through the study of human rights.”

Don Jenkins

Don Jenkins (Oak Harbor, WA) is a teacher at North Whidbey Middle School in Oak Harbor, Washington. He has been teaching social studies for 30 years; his students have been learning about the Armenian Genocide in his Pacific Northwest history and US history classes. Last summer, he traveled to Poland with The Pilecki Institute with teachers from all over the world to learn about the impact of totalitarianism during the 20th century.

“I look forward to getting to know the people of Armenia during the study tour, collaborating with educators to integrate the Armenian Genocide in my classes and to share what I learn with other teachers in my network,” said Jenkins.

Cynthia Martinez

Cindy Martinez (Felton, CA) has been teaching social studies for the last 26 years. She currently teaches 12th grade economics and AP government, as well as 10th grade core world history at San Lorenzo Valley High School in Felton, CA. She also serves as department chair. Along with helping her school develop an ethnic studies program, Martinez’s most recent endeavor is working with GenEd to develop a curriculum unit on resistance in the Armenian Genocide.

“I’m so excited about all that I’ll learn and experience on this trip to Armenia, so much that I’ll be able to share with students and include in curriculum development,” shared Martinez.

Regina Bouroudjian Odishoo

Regina Bouroudjian Odishoo (Libertyville, IL) is a certified speech/language pathologist and special education teacher. She holds a doctorate in reading, language and literacy, which she uses in her roles at Libertyville High School, teaching literacy and co-teaching US history. Her experiences as a first generation Armenian/Assyrian American have been the catalyst for incorporating genocide studies into curriculum and emphasizing the development of students’ critical thinking in order to build a more inclusive and accepting society. 

“As a surviving legacy of the Armenian Genocide, this opportunity is surreal,” described Odishoo. “To connect my ancestral home to my home in the American public school system in order to educate and prevent further atrocities from happening again is an honor.” 

Mary Ellen Richichi

Mary Ellen Richichi (Jupiter, FL) teaches Holocaust/Genocide Studies, world geography and pre-AICE global perspectives at Independence Middle School (IMS). She brought the Holocaust elective course to her school and turned it into a growing program. Richichi runs the Culture Club and the UN Club, where students connect with peers around the world in real time. In 2021, she made IMS a No Place for Hate school through the Anti-Defamation League. In 2022, Richichi received the inSight Outstanding Holocaust Educator Naftaly Award. During spring and summer breaks, she organizes international educational trips for her students to see the world.

“The GenEd Project will deepen my knowledge about the Armenian Genocide every step of the way through educational cohorts, professional collaborations and travel experience to Armenia,” noted Richichi. “I truly look forward to this educational opportunity and to share what I learned with others.” 

Jennifer Sepetys

Jennifer Sepetys (West Bloomfield, MI) teaches social studies at West Bloomfield High School. She serves as the social studies department chair and teaches AP Government, global studies of genocide and positive psychology. She was honored as the Region 9 Teacher of the Year for 2022-2023 by the Michigan Department of Education. Last summer, she received a fellowship through the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial Foundation and traveled to Poland with educators from across the country. Sepetys is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in educational leadership at Oakland University. 

“The fellowship offers an incredible opportunity to learn more about Armenia and share my experience with students, teachers and the community,” she shared.

Katherine Todhunter

Katherine Todhunter (Northampton, MA) has been teaching about the history of genocide for 21 years at Northampton High School. She is also a lecturer in the history department at Smith College and the program supervisor for Smith’s student teachers in history. Over the years, Todhunter has been awarded fellowships and led study tours to Cambodia, Central and Eastern Europe, Guatemala, Japan, Rwanda and Turkey. She earned an undergraduate degree in Peace and Global Studies with a focus on Russia at Earlham College and visited Yerevan for the first time in 1990 when she was studying in the Soviet Union. It was then that she first learned of the Armenian Genocide. She holds graduate degrees in geography and international development from Clark University and a master’s degree in education from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. 

“I am most excited to learn about how Armenian people, in particular women, resisted and fought to keep their culture alive in the face of genocide,” said Todhunter. 

Debra Troxell

Debra Coram Troxell (Winston-Salem, NC) is a National Board Certified teacher from Winston-Salem, NC. She received her bachelor’s degree in history from Appalachian State University, a master’s degree in information studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a graduate certificate in geospatial technology from NC State University. Troxell teaches AP Human Geography, international relations and world history at West Forsyth High School. She serves as the social studies department chair, the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools district coordinator for National Boards and is in the Teacher Academy. 

“The best way to ensure a group of people ‘never again’ experience a genocide is to teach students and adults about ‘forgotten genocides,’” she asserts.

Kristi Ugland

Kristi Ugland (Mt. Pleasant, SC) is an English teacher at Palmetto Christian Academy in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. She teaches world literature, AP English literature and senior thesis seminar. Ugland has created and taught several courses on Holocaust and genocide history, 20th century history and literature and collective memory. She is a US Holocaust Memorial Museum Teacher Fellow and works with the South Carolina Council on the Holocaust. Ugland holds a master of arts in Holocaust and Genocide Studies. 

“To better understand the present and the future, students need to be aware of the past,” she believes. “It’s time for the history and effects of the Armenian Genocide to be widely taught and known.”

Emily Wardrop, PhD

Emily Wardrop, Ph.D. (Oklahoma City, OK) teaches interdisciplinary studies and several advanced topic history seminars (including a seminar on genocide) at Casady School in Oklahoma City. In addition to teaching, Dr. Wardropy serves as the history department chair, a member of the school’s academic leadership team and as a co-advisor to Casady’s Youth in Government club.  

“I am very interested in the ways in which events, especially instances of mass violence, are remembered, memorialized or forgotten,” she explains. “I particularly look forward to learning about the ways that Armenia and Armenians have remembered and memorialized the victims and the events of the Genocide.” 

Dr. Mike Xiarhos

Mike Xiarhos, Ph.D. (Warwick, RI) teaches philosophy, genocide studies and AP Psychology at Pilgrim High School in Warwick, Rhode Island. He also teaches theological studies at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island. Dr. Xiarhos has degrees in education, modern European history and philosophy. He has published articles in academic journals focused on ethics, religion and student travel. He has also taken over 300 high school students to over 20 countries during his 19-year teaching career. 

“I am honored for the opportunity to take part in this truly important work, and I’m grateful to have this experience with such dedicated and talented teachers,” said Dr. Xiarhos.

The GenEd Teacher Fellowship Program is made possible thanks to the generous donors and foundations who support The Genocide Education Project.




Asbarez: UN Human Rights Experts Call on Azerbaijan to Open Lachin Corridor

Eduard Nalbandian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 April 4, 2023

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

The Lachin Corridor has been blockaded by Azerbaijan since Dec. 12, 2022


Several United Nations human rights experts issued a statement calling the Azerbaijani government “to take urgent action to ensure the freedom and security of movement through the Lachine Corridor,” which has been blockaded since December 12.

The UN human rights experts emphasized that the Lachin Corridor is the only transport link that connects Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia and the outside world “and is of a great humanitarian importance. The blockade has disrupted the delivery of food, medicine, fuel and other essential goods to around 120,000 people living in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“The humanitarian situation aggravated due to periodic interruptions of gas supply, which undermined the functioning of medical institutions. Educational institutions have also been unable to operate and had stopped their activities,” said the experts.

They expressed serious concern that the prolonged blockade of the only road connecting Nagorno-Karabakh to the outside world can lead to dire humanitarian consequences on the population and violate their rights.

The communication was dispatched by the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food; the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities; the Special Rapporteur on the right to education; the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health; and the Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons.

The five UN experts, known as special procedures mandate holders, are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective.

According to the UN Human Rights website, the experts’ mandate allows them to intervene directly with governments on allegations of violations of human rights that come within their mandates by means of letters which include urgent appeals and other communications. The intervention can relate to a human rights violation that has already occurred, is ongoing, or which has a high risk of occurring. The process involves sending a letter to the concerned State identifying the facts of the allegation, applicable international human rights norms and standards, the concerns and questions of the mandate-holder(s), and a request for follow-up action.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 04/04/2023

Boshkezenian Garik 
                                        Tuesday, April 4, 2023
Radical Oppositionist Insulted, Threatened By Pro-Government Lawmakers
        • Gayane Saribekian
Armenia - Edgar Ghazarian (right) and pro-government deputy Artur Hovannisian 
attend a paliament committee meeting, April 4, 2023.
Pro-government lawmakers shouted verbal abuse and threats at an opposition 
candidate for the vacant post of Armenia’s human rights defender as he harshly 
criticized Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government on Tuesday.
The two opposition groups represented in the Armenian parliament reluctantly 
nominated Edgar Ghazarian, a maverick activist, late last month despite lacking 
votes to install him as the country’s next ombudsman.
Ghazarian as well as the ruling Civil Contract party’s candidate, Deputy 
Prosecutor-General Anahit Manasian, appeared before the parliament committee on 
human rights ahead of the ombudsman’s election expected next week. Opposition 
parliamentarians were conspicuously absent from the meeting, underscoring their 
apparent reservations about their candidate and Manasian’s almost certain 
election.
The meeting descended into chaos after Ghazarian lashed out at the government in 
his opening remarks. He urged Armenians to oust a “criminal regime whose tenure 
has been marred by widespread human rights abuses.”
Artur Hovannisian, the number two figure in Civil Contract’s parliamentary 
group, interrupted the speech to protest against that characterization.
Ghazarian further infuriated Hovannisian and other pro-government deputies when 
he described the 2018 “velvet revolution,” which brought Pashinian to power, as 
the root cause of Armenia’s current problems.
“The obvious decline of all democratic institutions and human rights in our 
country is the result of the Turkish-Azerbaijani revolution that happened in 
Armenia in 2018,” declared the radical oppositionist.
“We will cut the tongues and ears of anyone who will dare to call our people an 
Azerbaijani-Turkish group,” shouted Hovannisian.
“By describing the events of 2018 as a Turkish-Azerbaijani revolution I don’t 
mean the behavior of the Armenian people. I mean the beneficiaries of those 
events,” clarified Ghazarian.
The Civil Contract deputies attending the meeting doubled down on insults, 
taunts and ridicule directed at him. One of them, Narek Ghahramanian, noted 
mockingly that Ghazarian was beaten up by unknown assailants outside his home 
last October.
“Nobody is going to beat you up here,” Hovannisian told the opposition 
candidate. “But don’t provoke us. Come on, get out of here!”
Ghazarian served as a provincial governor and Armenia’s ambassador to Poland 
during former President Serzh Sarkisian’s rule. He became the chief of the 
Armenian Constitutional Court staff after Sarkisian was toppled in the 2018 
“velvet revolution.” He lost that post in 2020.
Ghazarian, who is currently not affiliated with any party, set up a fringe 
opposition group last summer to campaign for Pashinian’s resignation and 
prosecution on treason charges. It rallied several hundred supporters in Yerevan 
in August.
Ter-Petrosian Demands ‘Notorious’ Parliament Speaker’s Ouster
        • Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian speaks at a press conference in 
Yerevan, June 10, 2021.
Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian on Tuesday condemned parliament speaker 
Alen Simonian in unusually strong terms for allegedly spitting at an opposition 
heckler and said he must be ousted.
A Canadian-Armenian member of the opposition Dashnaktsutyun party claimed that 
Simonian ordered his bodyguards to overpower him and then spat in his face after 
he branded the latter a “traitor” on a street in downtown Yerevan on Sunday. 
Simonian did not deny spitting at the activist, Garen Megerdichian. He said he 
was gravely insulted and responded accordingly.
Leaders of Armenia’s main opposition groups condemned Simonian’s actions as a 
“hooligan” act that warrants criminal proceedings.
Ter-Petrosian added his voice to the condemnation in an article posted on 
ilur.am. He blasted “the notorious Alen Simonian’s unforgivable deed” as a 
“national disgrace.”
“As for the word traitor, it is not a domestic curse or a personal insult but a 
purely political assessment which should be countered by a correct and 
reasonable response, rather than vulgar speech or saliva … There has never been 
a leader of a more or less democratic state in the world who was not branded a 
traitor by his political opponents,” he wrote.
“I am not exaggerating at all: his action is the biggest damage done to the 
reputation of our statehood which can be eliminated only by his removal from 
office,” Ter-Petrosian went on. “This is the only way to restore the honor of 
our people in the eyes of the international community.”
He said Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s party, which controls the National 
Assembly, should initiate Simonian’s ouster “in order not to finally ruin its 
standing with the people.”
Armenia - Parliament speaker Alen Simonian (right) meets Slovak lawmaker Marian 
Kery, Yerevan, April 4, 2023.
Lawmakers representing the party on Monday defended the speaker and blamed the 
opposition activist for Sunday’s incident.
Simonian, who is a senior member of the party and close Pashinian associate, was 
quick to hit back at the 78-year-old ex-president who had ruled Armenia from 
1991-1998. “I’m not a traitor, I never was and never will be,” he wrote on 
Facebook.
“The historian president should know well what the unforgivable mistakes are and 
the price paid by country leaders who committed unforgivable mistakes in 
history,” he said.
Simonian, 43, is no stranger to controversy. In particular, he angered the 
families of Armenian soldiers taken prisoner during the 2020 war with Azerbaijan 
with disparaging comments made about them in late 2021.
Last year, Simonian defended his mother after she was caught on camera spitting 
at opposition protesters and showing the middle finger to them from the balcony 
of her Yerevan apartment.
Pashinian’s Son Denies Assault Claims
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and his son Ashot, May 26, 2018.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s son Ashot flatly denied on Tuesday claims by 
his father’s political allies that he was physically attacked in Yerevan at the 
weekend.
“There was no political or other attack against me,” he said in a statement. 
“Unfortunately, I have to personally refute the false information circulating 
about me.”
“As for the spread of the ‘information,’ I think the most surprising thing is 
who is quoting whom. I don’t even care why,” Ashot Pashinian added in what 
looked like a jibe at government loyalists who alleged the assault.
Parliament speaker Alen Simonian was the first to do that on Monday. Simonian 
said the “attack on the Armenian prime minister’s son” was part of “a series of 
provocations” organized by Armenian opposition groups.
One of those “provocations,” he said, was Sunday’s incident in downtown Yerevan 
during which Simonian allegedly spat at an opposition activist who branded him a 
traitor.
The embattled speaker refused to comment on Ashot Pashinian’s strong denial of 
his claim which was echoed by another senior pro-government lawmaker.
Unlike his mother and two of his sisters, the 22-year-old Pashinian Jr. has kept 
a low profile and not made political statements in recent years. Nor has he been 
seen accompanying his father on official or working trips abroad.
Yerevan To Have No Mayor Until End Of 2023
        • Narine Ghalechian
Armenia - Former Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian attends a session of 
Yerevan's municipal assembly, September 23, 2022.
The post of Yerevan’s mayor will remain formally vacant until the next municipal 
elections slated for this fall, Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party announced 
on Tuesday.
The tactical decision is clearly designed to boost the party’s and its mayoral 
candidate Tigran Avinian’s chances in the elections.
Yerevan’s last mayor, Hrachya Sargsian, stepped down on March 17 after only 15 
months in office. The Armenian capital has since been effectively run by 
Avinian, one of its deputy mayors.
Under Armenian law, the city council controlled by Civil Contract has to meet by 
April 11 to elect a new mayor. The council majority leader, Armen Galjian, said 
that he and the other pro-government members of the municipal assembly will 
boycott the vote and thus make it null and void.
“Our faction has decided not to elect a new mayor given that only a few months 
remain before the next elections,” said Galjian.
Isabella Abgarian, an independent member of the council, deplored the boycott. 
She said Armenia’s political leadership opted it for it simply because Avinian 
is not a council member and therefore not eligible for the post of mayor now.
“They can’t nominate someone else because that person could develop ambitions 
after becoming mayor, which would interfere with their plans,” Abgarian told 
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
Avinian will thus remain Yerevan’s de facto mayor and exploit his power of 
incumbency during the mayoral race, she said.
None of Armenia’s major opposition groups have fielded mayoral candidates so far.
The last municipal elections were held in September 2018. Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian’s won the overwhelming majority of seats in the city council and 
installed TV comedian Hayk Marutian as mayor. The council ousted Marutian in 
December 2021 after he fell out with Pashinian.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Senator Bob Menendez’s approach to a foreign policy based on the rule of law: A model to emulate

Christine Harutyunian
April 4, 2023 Tony Antoniou Opinion, Letters to the Editor 0

Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) condemns Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan’s attacks on Artsakh and asks Secretary of State nominee Antony Blinken, “Are you clear-eyed about Turkey under Erdogan?”

The following exchange between Senator Bob Menendez and Secretary of State Antony Blinken on March 22, 2023 exemplifies the Foreign Relations Committee chairman’s uncompromising commitment to human rights and the rule of law:

Senator Menendez: “What do you call a country: That violates another country’s airspace and territorial waters without provocation?

Drills in another country’s Exclusive Economic Zone?

Buys Russian military equipment in violation of US law?

That has more lawyers and journalists in jail than almost any other country and jails its main political opponent, right before elections?

That seeks by force to block the rights of an EU country to explore its energy deposits off its outer continental shelf?

Has not only NOT joined EU-led sanctions against Russia but HAS exported roughly $800 million worth of goods to Russia?

That continues airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, including against US partners like the Syrian Democratic forces?

That stopped the critical enlargement of NATO?

That continues to occupy an EU country with 40,000 troops and, in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions, seeks to open up an area that the United Nations has frozen?

That denies religious freedom to the religious leader of millions of citizens of the Greek Orthodox faith?

That converts a church into a mosque in violation of its UNESCO commitments?

That arrests and jails US Embassy locally employed staff?”

Blinken: “I think I will call that a challenging ally.”

Menendez: “Well, I call the country Turkey. And the reality is that I don’t believe that such a country deserves to have F-16s sold to it.”

The State Department must accept responsibility for Turkey’s current state. US officials appeasing the Turks over the years made them feel invincible.

Michael Rubin, a former Pentagon official, traced the US’ appeasement of Turkey and its adverse effects to 1974 when Henry Kissinger “green-lighted” the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.

“No matter their provocation, Turkish leaders now believe that Washington will defer to their size and throw any smaller country under the bus. Not only does the northern part of Cyprus, therefore, remain Europe’s last occupied territory, but Erdogan now believes force might win him possession of Greece’s Aegean islands,” he wrote.

“It will take crippling sanctions on Turkey…and further US deployments in the Eastern Mediterranean to right historical wrongs and deter new conflict,” Rubin stressed.

Menendez denounced Turkey for not acknowledging the Armenian Genocide. He condemned Azerbaijan’s aggression on Nagorno-Karabakh and Turkey for supporting Baku and enabling the massacre of innocent Armenian civilians.

Senator Menendez’s foreign policy approach, which goes beyond the Eastern Mediterranean and the South Caucasus, should be an example to emulate. It is morally right and in America’s paramount national interest to protect an international order based on the rule of law. The United States must hold on to this supreme interest and not relinquish it to other less critical considerations or short-term strategic objectives. Turkey’s aggression is a frightening example of what can happen when states believe they can defy international law and violate human rights.

  •  Bio
  •  Latest Posts
Tony Antoniou is a social science educator from Queens, New York


Armenpress: Azerbaijan violates agreement with Russian peacekeepers, bars civilians from returning to Nagorno Karabakh – UPDATED

Hagop Kamalian

Save

Share

 01:47, 5 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan violated on Tuesday an agreement reached with Russian peacekeepers in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) and barred a group of Nagorno Karabakh Armenians – including children – from returning home after being stranded in Armenia due to the blockade of Lachin Corridor.

“27 civilians separated from their families for several months – including elderly, children and people with disabilities – were en route from Armenia’s Goris to Stepanakert on April 4, around 15:30, under an agreement with and accompanied by the Russian peacekeepers,” Nagorno Karabakh’s Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan said in a statement. “Despite a previously reached agreement on the return, the Azerbaijani government agents posing as eco-activists in the blockaded section of the Goris-Stepanakert highway in the Shushi section barred the passage of the Russian peacekeepers’ vehicles carrying the civilians. This resulted in the citizens being stranded there for over five hours. The vehicles are now returning to Goris after ineffective negotiations between the Russian side and the Azerbaijanis.”

Some of the Azerbaijanis even entered one of the vehicles.

During that time, four civilians in the cars felt sick and three of them lost consciousness. The Russian peacekeepers took them to the Republican Medical Center in Stepanakert. The remaining 23 people are returning to Goris.

Stepanyan added that this incident once again proves  the Azerbaijani authorities’ “explicit and obvious” conduct of lying and misguiding the international community with its fake narrative claiming that there is no blockade.

“Furthermore, by allowing people to exit Artsakh in different ways, but banning entry, Azerbaijani authorities are explicitly carrying out ethnic cleansing, as Ilham Aliyev had admitted in his January 10 statement,” Stepanyan said.

He added that while hundreds of civilians in Goris are deprived of the opportunity to reunite with their families, Azerbaijan is exploiting the atmosphere of impunity and is not cooperating neither with the Russian peacekeepers, nor the ICRC or other international organizations over this issue.

Stepanyan added that the reason of Azerbaijan’s brazen behavior and disregard for the ICJ ruling and calls from the international community is the impunity, the disregard for the peacekeeping mission, and the absence of targeted and punitive measures by all international actors.

The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin Corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.  Azerbaijan has been ignoring the ICJ ruling and multiple calls by the international community to open the corridor. 

Nagorno Karabakh healthcare authorities later reported that the four people – all women –  who were taken to the Stepanakert hospital after feeling sick and losing consciousness in the Lachin Corridor are in non-life threatening condition after receiving treatment. 

Update shows information from healthcare authorities.




Lukaku snatches late draw for Inter in fiery cup clash at Juve

Garo Vardanian

Save

Share

 09:52, 5 April 2023

YEREVAN, APRIL 5, ARMENPRESS. Juventus and Internazionale shared the spoils in an energetic 1-1 Coppa Italia semifinal first-leg draw on Tuesday, after a stoppage-time penalty by Romelu Lukaku cancelled out a late goal by home-side midfielder Juan Cuadrado, Reuters reports.

Inter’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan could have made it 1-0 for the visitors in the 64th minute with a powerful low shot towards the far post, but he missed the target by centimetres.

Cuadrado gave the record 14-times winners the lead in the 83rd when he collected a loose ball inside the box and sent it into the bottom left corner after Inter defender Alessandro Bastoni had unsuccessfully tried to clear it off the line.

When it seemed that the game would end with a first-leg advantage for the home side, a handball by Juventus defender Gleison Bremer gifted the visitors a spot kick, flawlessly executed by Lukaku, who sent Perin the wrong way.

The Belgian striker’s celebration in front of the Juve fans was judged to be provocative and he was sent off after a second yellow card, while Inter captain Handanovic and Cuadrado also got red cards immediately after the final whistle.