16:59,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Defense Suren Papikyan visited on March 25 a military base which will house the women’s regiment and a boot camp for women troops.
Papikyan surveyed the buildings and issued concrete instructions regarding the deadlines of the construction.
The Armenian military plans to introduce a new option of voluntary military service for women.
[see video]
17:57,
STEPANAKERT, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Azeri troops have unlawfully advanced further into the territory of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), local authorities warned Saturday.
In violation of the 9 November 2020 trilateral statement, the Azerbaijani forces breached the line of contact in the Shushi-Lisagor section on March 25 and secured some “positional advance”, the official Information Center of Nagorno Karabakh reported.
The Nagorno Karabakh authorities immediately notified the Russian peacekeepers on this yet another violation by Azerbaijan.
“The authorities expect the peacekeeping contingent to take practical steps for eliminating the consequences of this violation and preventing new violations,” the Information Center said in a statement.
“Azerbaijan’s false claim on the alleged use of the Stepanakert-Ghaybalishen-Lisagor mountain road for arms shipments is simply a pretext for their own renewed aggressive and destructive actions. They ambushed and killed three on-duty police officers and injured another on March 5 under this same pretext. The government of Artsakh has numerously said that in conditions of the ongoing blockade since December 12, the given mountain road is used for civilian, urgent connection between Stepanakert and four communities in Shushi region, which is carried out with [high-clearance] large vehicles, given the highly complex and hazardous terrain.
And the existence and normal functioning of the Defense Army doesn’t pose any danger for anyone, because it is envisaged exclusively for self-defense, taking into account the real and direct dangers and threats against the physical existence and safety of the people of Artsakh,” it added.
19:47,
YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. Turkey’s Minister of Youth and Sports Mehmet Kasapoğlu has arrived in Yerevan to attend the Armenia vs. Turkey Euro 2024 qualifier, the Public Television reported.
Kick-off is scheduled for 21:00 local time, March 25.
The match will take place at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium.
Another post-Soviet country, part of the CSTO’s Kremlin military bloc, has joined the states that will be required to arrest Russian President Vladimir Putin on a warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). The Moscow Times reports.
On Friday, March 24, the Constitutional Court of Armenia approved the ratification by the Parliament of the Rome Statute, the main document governing the work of the ICC.
As the Constitutional Court ruled, the obligations enshrined in the Rome Statute do not contradict the Constitution of Armenia. The decision is final and comes into force from its publication.
More than 120 countries, including those in the CIS, are members of the ICC and recognize its jurisdiction – including the duty to detain persons in respect of whom the court has issued arrest warrants.
Among them is South Africa, where Putin was invited to the BRICS summit scheduled for August. A decision on the Russian president’s trip to South Africa “has not yet been made,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday. Previously, he called the ICC warrant “legally void” and stressed that Russia does not recognize the court’s decision.
On March 22, the Brazilian authorities warned about the possible arrest of Putin in the event of a visit. Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said that the Russian president “undoubtedly faces the consequences” if he plans to visit the country.
Due to presence across the region, in our role of a neutral intermediary we addressed the pressing humanitarian needs occurred in relation to the situation along the Lachin corridor since December 2022.
We continued facilitating resilience-building programs in communities situated along the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We cooperated closely and worked in complementarity with the Armenian Red Cross Society (ARCS) supporting its activities as well as joined efforts in response to the needs of civilians affected by the escalations.
We continued working with the families of people unaccounted for following the escalations of hostilities, logged hundreds of tracing requests and assessed the needs of a number of families whose loved ones went missing during the escalation in autumn 2020. In addition, we provided technical and material support to relevant authorities in Armenia, including forensic expertise, to facilitate the issue of dignified management of human remains and clarification of fate of people missing in connection with conflict or other emergencies.
Across the region, the ICRC kept visiting those detained in connection with the conflict escalations in 2020 and 2021, whose detention had been confirmed by the respective authorities. During the visits, we assessed treatment of the detainees and conditions of their detention as well as facilitated the exchange of news with their families. With the consent of the authorities, the family contact was maintained by means of Red Cross messages, phone calls, oral greetings and pre-recorded video messages. This is always an important emotional lifeline for the detainees and their loved ones, and often the proof for families that their detained relatives are alive.
Find below the Armenian and English versions of the complete report on the ICRC's work in Armenia in 2022.
IN PERSON
RSVP
Join us for an afternoon of art and music. Following a tour of Janyak: Armenian Art of Knots and Loops by exhibition curator Gassia Armenian and opening remarks by UCLA’s Narekatsi Chair of Armenian Studies Peter Cowe, enjoy one of Armenia’s leading folk singers, Hasmik Harutunyan, who will perform with UCLA ethnomusicology candidate Armen Adamian, who will play the duduk, a traditional woodwind instrument. Light refreshments will be served in the courtyard.
2:30 pm: Opening remarks
3:00 pm: Exhibition walk-through
3:30 pm: Musical performance
This program is co-sponsored by the Armenian Music Program at UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music
Armen Adamian is a PhD candidate in ethnomusicology at UCLA. His research examines the aesthetic dimensions and political implications of folk music in the post-Soviet Republic of Armenia. Alongside his academic work, Adamian is the co-founder and artistic director of the LA-based Armenian folk revival ensemble Lernazang, and instructor of UCLA’s Armenian Music and Dance Ensemble.
Gassia Armenian is the curatorial and research associate at the Fowler Museum at UCLA, where she conducts collections research and facilitates curatorial and scholarly endeavors. She also liaises with domestic and international institutions, private collectors and lenders to the Fowler, and manages various aspects of planning and organizing the museum’s exhibitions and publications. Over the past 25 years, Gassia has helped to mount many exhibitions at the Fowler. Prior to that, she served as a consultant and project coordinator for the U.S. Agency for International Development for Junior Achievement of Armenia, developing and implementing civics education training programs and teaching methodologies.
Peter Cowe is Narekatsi Distinguished Professor of Armenian Studies and director of the UCLA Center for World Languages. His research interests include: Late Antique and medieval Armenian intellectual history, the Armenian kingdom and state formation across the medieval Mediterranean, Muslim-Christian dialogue, and modern Armenian nationalism. The author of five books in the field and editor of 10, he is the past co-editor of the Journal of the Society for Armenian Studies and has served on the executive board of the Society for Armenian Studies and Association Internationale des Études Arméniennes. A recipient of the Garbis Papazian Award for Armenology, he has been inducted into the Accademia Ambrosiana, Milan and awarded a doctorate honoris causa by the Russian-Armenian University of Armenia.
Hasmik Harutyunyan is a renowned singer of Armenian folk music and a Meritorious Artist of the Republic of Armenia. A student of folk revivalist Hayrik Muradyan, Harutyunyan was a member of the Akunq Azgagrakan Ensemble and is a co-founder of the Shoghaken Folk Ensemble. She has recorded several albums for Traditional Crossroads of New York and Face Music of Switzerland. Her record Armenian Lullabies was recognized by the New York Times as one of the best world music recordings in 2004. Hasmik has published a collection of Armenian lullabies titled, Ororner–Lullabies, and a collection of traditional Armenian folk songs for children titled, Arev, Arev, Yek, Yek. Currently, Hasmik is mentoring the LA-based ensemble Lernazang and directing workshops for UCLA’s Armenian Music and Dance Ensemble.
Opening Program: Join us to hear from exhibition curators, participating artists, and other key players who make possible our presentations of world arts and cultures.
Parking available in UCLA Lot 4, 198 Westwood Plaza, directly off Sunset Blvd; $3/hr or max $15/day. Rideshare drop-off at 305 Royce Dr.
Image credit: Marie Pilibossian, Armenian needle lace, early to mid-20th century; thread and needle used as a knotting tool; Fowler Museum at UCLA, X80.1162; Gift of Marie Pilibossian
https://fowler.ucla.edu/events/opening-program-janyak-armenian-art-of-knots-and-loops/
For the first time, Turkey and Armenia want to permanently reopen their borders. In 1993, Turkey unilaterally closed its border with Armenia. However, the reopening is not for everyone for now.
According to information from Yerevan, Armenia and Turkey want to permanently reopen their borders for the first time in 30 years – but initially only for third-country nationals and diplomats. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirsoyan said on Friday that despite their conflicts, Yerevan and Ankara have agreed to re-allow land border traffic until the start of the tourist season.
There is already air traffic between Armenia and Turkey. Turkey first opened the border in February when Armenia sent humanitarian aid and workers in the wake of the earthquake in the country.
Turkey unilaterally closed its land border in 1993 in solidarity with its sister state, Azerbaijan. This meant serious economic problems for Armenia, which is still in a bloody conflict with Azerbaijan over the mountainous region of Nagorno-Karabakh.
The relationship between Ankara and Yerevan is quite tense. However, the two neighbors have resumed diplomatic contacts since the end of 2021. Relations between the two countries are also strained due to the deportation of Armenians in the Ottoman Empire more than 100 years ago.
The "We Are All Armenian: Voices of Diaspora" book, edited by writer Aram Mrjoian, is a compelling collection of essays that explores Armenian identity and belonging in the Diaspora. Published on March 14, 2023 by University of Texas Press this contemporary anthology includes contributions from both established and emerging Armenian authors.
The book elevates the voices of individuals from historically silenced communities who share personal experiences of displacement, assimilation, inheritance, and broader definitions of home.
“In a century since the Armenian Genocide, Armenian survivors and their descendants have written of a vast range of experiences using storytelling and activism – two important aspects of Armenian culture. Wrestling with questions of home and self, Diaspora Armenian writers bear the burden of repeatedly telling their history, as it remains widely erased and obfuscated. Telling this history requires a tangled balance of contextualizing the past and reporting on the present, of respecting a culture even while feeling lost within it,” says the preface of the book.
Mediamax.am had an interview with the editor, writer Aram Mrjoian.
Why was the book called "We Are All Armenian: Voices of Diaspora"?
The title for the anthology evolved with the project. When I was first receiving drafts from contributors, the manuscript was untitled, but eventually, I began seeking out a title from somewhere in the essays provided. At first, it was titled “Imagining and Seeing: Voices of Diaspora”, which refers to the contribution of Chris McCormick, an American novelist and short story writer, but after some discussion with my editor and team at the press we decided “We Are All Armenian” really captured the spirit of the collection. The anthology is intended to be intersectional and inclusive, so my hope is that the title makes that evident.
Can you please talk about the book, how the idea came about, and what the purpose of this book is?
The book came together from a mix of personal interest and seeing what I felt was a need in the community. I was reading a lot of Armenian writers and was interested in developing some kind of collaborative project. Then the University of Texas Press sent me an anthology of voices from the Iranian Diaspora that I found really well done. It gave me the inspiration to propose a similar project, one I am very lucky and grateful they accepted. I think I was mostly in the right place at the right time and had space while I was working toward my Ph.D. to make it happen.
Photo: Raffy Boudjikanian
It is hard for me to imagine a book having any specific purpose because I like to see art as something that changes over time and can have different meanings as it ages, but for the moment, I am mostly interested in how this anthology can open up conversations within and outside of Armenian communities.
What were the principles the authors of the book were chosen based on, and who are the authors?
The authors are a blend of emerging and established Diaspora Armenian artists writing today. It was important to me to reach out to both writers I really admired and whom I saw as mentors, as well as those who were at the beginning of their careers. The selection process was part of the proposal, so I had to figure out who would contribute very early on before I had even signed a contract with the publisher. This meant doing a lot of reading and research on the front end and having to be fairly methodical in my curation.
How long did the authors write the book, and what are the main points of the book?
From start to finish, the book took about three years to be put together. Only a small portion of that was writing time, but there were several rounds of collaborative revision and then a long lead time to proof and prepare the anthology for publication. Again, I do not necessarily want to be too prescriptive in what the essays are about, especially since I am not the author of them, but a few common themes emerged, including imposter syndrome, definitions of home, and activism. I would say these themes function as a kind of conversation between contributors and develop a larger arc to the project.
How important is it to have this kind of publication, and is this also an idea to unite and gather in one place the Armenian writers who are in Diaspora and whose life has been put in different directions over time?
Well, again, I hope the publication is useful in the sense that it opens up conversations and perhaps even inspires other collections, not only by Armenian artists but also others. I never expected this anthology to be comprehensive, so I had to accept that I could only gather so many contributors, even if I wished I could include more. I guess I mean I am cognizant that I could only accept and curate a relatively small number of essays, and so that is limiting in some ways, but I hope it is fairly representative and that readers hear some perspectives they might not have elsewhere.
What kind of ethnic nuances appear in the book, and what is revealed to the reader in that regard?
The main nuance I hope is revealed is that every experience is different, even if we share some similarities.
In my introduction, I argue: “Diaspora Armenians cannot be pinned to a number of essays that is any smaller than the total Diaspora population, and even that is problematic, only a brief and glancing representation of each person and community at a singular moment.” Getting past problematic tropes and generalizations is important to me, so I hope that is revealed to the reader from the introduction all the way until the end of the collection.
In some places in the book, the Armenian Genocide is mentioned, is that done to draw the reader’s attention to the history of the Armenian Genocide?
I left the decision to discuss the Genocide or not to each of the contributors individually since one of my editorial goals for the project was to allow the writers as much creative freedom as possible. Truthfully, I imagined many of the readers that would pick up the anthology would already have some familiarity with the Genocide, and so it is not so much to draw attention as it is part of the context of the entire collection. I can not necessarily control what a reader takes from this book, but I hope they are willing to explore the contributions with thoughtfulness and a curiosity to learn more.
And at the end, I want to ask you, is the mentioning of all the beautiful details about Armenia and Yerevan aimed to inspire the Diaspora Armenians to visit their homeland at least once and get to know Armenia?
That is a great question, but it is hard for me to know. Intentionally, both in the anthology and outside of it, I try not to speak too much in generalizations about Armenians, and I do not want to assume one experience would universally appeal to everyone. I have never visited Armenia, at least not yet, though I have always wanted to and hope to at some point in the future: that is a personal decision rather than a collective one. In the same way that each writer has his/her own story, each person has to make his/her own decisions about how to relate to their heritage and how to choose to explore it.
Tallar Kallougian
Russia on Saturday accused Azerbaijan of violating the Moscow-brokered ceasefire that ended the 2020 war with Armenia, by letting its troops cross over the demarcation line.
"On March 25… a unit of the armed forces of Azerbaijan crossed a line of contact in the district of Shusha, in violation" of the agreement of November 9, 2020, the Russian defence ministry said in a statement.
It said Russian peacekeepers "are taking measures aimed at preventing escalation… and mutual provocations."
Earlier on Saturday, Azerbaijan's defence ministry said it has taken control of some auxiliary roads in its Armenian-majority breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh over which it has fought two wars with arch-foe Armenia.
The ministry said "necessary control measures were implemented by the units of the Azerbaijan Army in order to prevent the use of the dirt roads north of Lachin" for arms supplies from Armenia.
The sole road linking Karabakh to Armenia, the Lachin corridor, has been for months under Azerbaijani blockade, which Yerevan says has led to a humanitarian crisis in the enclave.
Occasional shootouts have broken out along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and in Karabakh since a Russian-mediated truce ended six-weeks of fighting in autumn 2020.
Last week, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned against a "very high risk of escalation" in Karabakh.
Armenia has also accused Russian peacekeepers of failing to protect ethnic Armenians living in the restive region.
When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991, ethnic Armenian separatists in Karabakh broke away from Azerbaijan. The ensuing conflict claimed some 30,000 lives.
(AFP)