Category: News

Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan will lead the proportional list of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) at the parliamentary elections of April 2, RPA Spokesperson Edward Sharmazanov told reporters after the sitting of the Party’s Executive Body.

He presented the names in the top ten positions and informed that there are 64 people on the proportional list.

1. Vigen Sargsyan
2. Taron Margaryan
3. Arpine Hovhannisyan
4. Ara Babaloyan
5. Armen Amiryan
6. Armen Ashotyan
7. Edward Sharmazanov
8. Margarit Yesayan
9. Samvel Farmanyan
10. Karen Avagyan

No chief of the RPA headquarters will be appointed. It will be led by theExecutive Body headed by President Serzh Sargsyan, Sharmazanov said.

Asbarez – On February 4, 2017 the first ever Divine Liturgy of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church in Malaysia was celebrated in Kuala Lumpur by Very Reverend Father Zaven Yazichyan, Pastor of the Armenian Spiritual Pastorates of Singapore, Myanmar and Bangladesh and the Representative of the Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians to The Far East. The Divine Liturgy was delivered at the Archangel Michael Russian Orthodox Church in Kuala Lumpur. The event was organized by Emil Petrosyan, the President of the Armenian Society in Malaysia, with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians. Ashot Tunyan, a prominent member of the Armenian Society in Malaysia hosted the Spiritual Father for the occasion.

The Divine Liturgy was attended by all the members of the Community, guests and friends of the Armenian Society in Malaysia, Armenians living in Johor Bahru (Malaysia), as well as Armenians from Indonesia.

During the Divine Liturgy Father Zaven Yazichyan addressed his message to the faithful and expressed his gratitude and appreciation to Emil Petrosyan, the President of the Armenian Society in Malaysia, as well as to all the members of the Community for their outstanding efforts and contributions towards organizing this historic and brilliant event. Particularly, Father Zaven Yazichyan emphasized stating that: “…strong faith and boundless love towards our Mother Church and Homeland unites us today in this sacred place… despite the reality that there is no Armenian Church in Malaysia, your zeal, enthusiasm and keenness deserves appraisal, as well as your love and devotion, efforts and energy for making this beautiful vision become a reality… you truly and proudly continue to be the heirs to the legacy of our forebears who came to this country and established a good name and created history.” On this landmark occasion Father Yazichyan conveyed the appreciation and blessings of His Holiness Karekin II Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians and wished that the Almighty God multiple the successes and grant new achievements and the very best in everything as the Community prepares for new and remarkable events in the days to come.

Following the Divine Liturgy, the Holy Sacrament of Baptism was performed and three children were reborn a spiritual birth and sanctified by the Holy Spirit and became as children of God and true members of the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church. The ceremony of the Holy Sacrament of Baptism was a kind of “rebirth and resurrection” of the Armenian community in Malaysia; lik e a bell -sound which once again proved the dedication of the community towards the Armenian Apostolic Mother Church. The happiness and joy of the faithful audience was boundless, expressed in mixed feelings of hope and faith in our future.

After the Holy Sacrament of Baptism, a Requiem service was offered; for one of the relative of the member of the Community, who suddenly passed away in Armenia. Father Zaven stated in his speech that “…it was with deep sorrow that we learned of the untimely death of Sasun Tunyan, cousin of Ashot Tunyan, one of the members of the Armenian Community in Malaysia. We all are with you in this difficult moment. No one can prepare you for a loss; it comes like a swift wind. However, take comfort in knowing that he is now resting in the arms of our Lord. A person that departs from this earth never truly leaves, for they are still alive in our hearts and minds, through us, they live on. Prayers and fond memories are what we have to remember our dearly departed. May the love of family and friends comfort you during these difficult days. Please accept our heartfelt condolences.”

The day ended with lunch in the Church hall, during which Emil Petrosyan, the President of the Community expressed his gratitude to Father Zaven stating that “…today a memorable, unforgettable, unrepeatable and prayerful day was recorded in the history of the Armenian community in Malaysia”. Afterwards, on behalf of the Women’s Guild of the Community, Emil Petrosyan handed a souvenir to Father Zaven as an expression of their gratefulness. All the Community members thanked the visiting Pastor for his strong spiritual encouragement.

Armenians settled in South-East Asia from 16-17 th centuries. Settling on the foreign soil and forming communities, the priority was and still is to preserve their identity, language, culture and faith. Armenians have come to Malaysia mainly from India and Old Jugha, Iran. They have settled in the Malay Peninsula, southern part of Indochina peninsula. Currently, it is divided between Myanmar, Malaysia and Thailand. Armenians mostly settled in the city of Georgetown, Penang State and after a short while played an important role in the shaping of the economic and cultural history of the state. Till today the most famous street in Georgetown is called Armenian Street or Lebuh Armenia which is an indelible part of the history of Penang. The locals proudly recount to everyone about the rich legacy of the Armenians. Today the street and almost all the buildings on that location which were once owned by prominent Armenians are under the protection of UNESCO World Heritage.

Legendary and famous Sarkis brothers, who were the most eminent businessmen in South-East Asia, established The Eastern & Oriental Hotel in Penang. The Sarkis brothers also founded the Strand Hotel in Yangon, Myanmar and the Raffles Hotel in Singapore, as well as the Crag Hotel on Penang Hill which in the 1950’s became the first home of the Uplands School.

Another prominent Armenian Dr. Avetoom who went on to become one of the leading figures in Penang Society founded the first George Town Dispensary. Despite the small numbers, the Armenians were responsible citizens and built an Armenian Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator on Bishop Street. Unfortunately, in 1906 the Church was demolished and an elegant monument took its place.

Although there are no Armenians in Penang now, they have undoubtedly left behind a rich cultural legacy that all Armenians can be proud of. Today Armenians are mostly settled in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia.

 

 

 

Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan will visit France on March 8 at the invitation of French President Francois Hollande. Aside from official meetings, President Sargsyan is expected to meet with representatives of the business community, French Ambassador to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier told a press conference today.

“This will provide a good opportunity for presenting Armenia as an attractive for investments,” the Ambassador said. He noted that the Armenian-French relations are developing dynamically in all directions.

Speaking about the Karabakh issue, the Ambassador said “the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs spare no effort to create bases for dialogue in the negotiation process.” “The three Co-Chairs are confident that there is no alternative to a peaceful solution. The status quo cannot be acceptable to any of the parties, because losses are reported on both sides,” he said.

Jean-Francois Charpentier attached importance to the implementation of the agreements reached between the parties on different levels. He pledged the willingness of France to host a meeting between official representatives of the parties, but added that “the resolution of the issue depends on the political will of the parties, not the mediators.”

The Ambassador said “the Armenia-EU negotiations on a new Framework Agreement will be completed soon.” He noted that the deal that will be signed upon the conclusion of the talks will be different from the Association Agreement negotiated, but not signed in 201, but no less important.

Photo: Reuters

 

Donald Trump’s national security adviser, Michael Flynn, has resigned over his contacts with Russia, the White House has announced, the BBC reports.

Mr Flynn is alleged to have discussed US sanctions with the Russian ambassador before Mr Trump took office.

He is said to have misled officials about the conversation.

Earlier, US media reported that the Justice Department had warned the White House about the contacts late last month.

They said that Mr Flynn might be vulnerable to Russian blackmail.

Senior Democrats had called for Mr Flynn to be fired.

It is illegal for private citizens to conduct US diplomacy, and the calls happened late last year before Mr Flynn was appointed to the administration.

In his letter of resignation, Mr Flynn said he had “inadvertently briefed the vice-president-elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian ambassador”.

A White House statement said Lt Gen Joseph Keith Kellogg had been appointed as interim replacement.

An Azerbaijani lawmaker blames France for pro-Armenian position and urges to send a note to Paris over President Francois Hollande’s recent statement on Nagorno Karabakh.

MP Azay Guliyev on Tuesday criticized French President Hollande’s latest comments on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, calling on Baku to send a note of protest to Paris.  He believes “France supports Armenia in violation of the norms of international law.”

Addressing the Parliament’s plenary sitting, the MP described Hollande’s recent statement on self-determination for Karabakh as a “non-constructive” step.

He said “France is a country which has the closest relationship with Armenia” and noted that French citizens constitute the majority of those visiting Nagorno Karabakh.

The comments come after French President Francois Hollande’s remarks at the .  Addressing the meeting Francois Hollande announced plans to discuss the Karabakh issue with Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan during the latter’s visit to France in March. He emphasized the urgency of finding a way out of the conflict “because the murderous clashes that occurred during those terrible days of April 2 to 5 remind us that deaths are reported in Nagorno-Karabakh almost every day.”

“So we have to act. We must act, first of all, to stop hostilities when they happen – this is what we did with our Russian and American partners: there was a halt to the fighting, the opening of a dialogue , a truce. But we cannot be satisfied with a truce, because the ceasefire is not the solution. We must open real negotiations for the resolution of the conflict. It would be a serious mistake, once again, to consider that the situation has stabilized. We need to find elements of conflict resolution. We know them; they have been fixed; these are the Madrid principles – I will not state them here – but we know that they will lead, if they are applied, to the self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh,” Hollande stated, in part.

“This was the first time a President of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing country declares that if applied, the Madrid Principles will lead to the self-determination of Nagorno-Karabakh,” said Kayts Minasyan,  analyst at the Center of Strategic Studies of France, said in an interview with . Accoridng to him, no President had done it before.

“President Hollande spoke about the principle of the right of peoples to self-determination, without even referring to the other ones. Surely, other principles are also included in the Madrid Principles, but he didn’t speak about territorial integrity,” said Minasyan, who was present at the dinner.

Commenting on Azerbaijan’s anger over the statement, the expert said: “Azerbaijan has recently suffered three defeats on the diplomatic fields.  First, France’s current Interior Minster is on Azerbaijan’s black list for having visited Nagorno Karabakh two years ago. The second defeat was President Hollande’s statement. The third defeat was the refusal of the French Court to accept a complaint from Azerbaijan against MP Francois Rochebloine, a friend of Armenians.”

Chairman of the Religious Council of the Armenian Patriarchate in Istanbul Bishop Sahak Mashalian has announced his resignation in a statement released on Monday, stating that General Vicar Aram Ateshian is to blame for his decision, reported Istanbul-based newspaper.

Mashalian stated in his resignation letter that his decision came after the Clerical Assembly meeting on February 13, where he stated that Archbhishop Ateshian had “unfavorable attitudes.” Mashalian also announced that he will step down from his candidacy for the patriarchal seat, and has plans to leave Istanbul.

The Religious Council voted Archbishop Aram Ateshyan to lead the Patriarchate after Patriarch Mesrob Mutafyan II withdrew from his duties due to his diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease.

Mashalian in his letter presented the proper procedure of holding elections for the patriarch, indicating Ateshian’s attempts to sabotage the process.

He informed that the religious council had set up a commission comprised of 4 clerics, which was to submit an application to the authorities about holding new elections. But Ateshian did not allow the letter to be submitted to the governor of Istanbul as a result of which the submission process has been suspended.

Mashalian noted that the elections should be held following the constitutional referendum in Turkey, referring to the Armenian community leader Bedros Sirinoglu and Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan January 27 meeting, adding that it should have accelerated the election process. Ateshian, however, used this information as another pretext to avoid elections.

“Ignoring his promise given to the community, he told the media without consulting with anyone that no application will be submitted for holding elections. The Religious Council of the Patriarchy, and I, the chairman of the Council, got to know about it from media,” the bishop stated.

During the February 13 meeting, Mashalian stated that the application of the commission should be immediately submitted to the governorate and released to the community. “His Eminence Aram managed to manipulate this issue with his capricious and threatening attitudes; he even threatened us with leaving the meeting,” he wrote in the letter, adding that his proposal was rejected.

“It’s evident there can be no Patriarchal elections as long as Aram Ateshian holds the position of the General Vicar of the  Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople. Today already everyone shares the opinion that the existing situation, when the post is vacant, while the chaos goes deeper, worsens due to Aram Ateshian,” said Mashalian, adding that the Patriarchal post has never been vacant for eight years in the Armenian Church’s history. “Manipulating for 8 years by using his powers, abusing his position has criminal nature and he deserves punishment according to Church laws,” the Bishop said, announcing that he steps down from the post of chairman of the Religious Council.

“Clerics, leaders and people, leave me alone. This is a speech of defeat. But I am not the only defeated, you are all defeated. Once again only one person remains victorious,” Mashalian concluded in his letter.

Mashalian’s letter can be read below:

It is a duty for me to inform all of my people on the following problems in the light of recent developments concerning the patriarchal election.

General Assembly of the Church decided to elect a new patriarch since our patriarch was superannuated and started the process. This process should have proceeded per tradition: a değabah (locum tenens) should have been elected, an Enterprising Committee should have been formed and governor’s office should have been informed with a letter in order to start the legal process. This simple process, which should have taken only a few weeks, has failed once again due to Vicar of Patriarch Archbishop Aram Ateşyan’s resistance and reluctance, and no legal application has been made so far.

His Eminence Aram displayed the following unfavorable attitudes:

1. Right after the seat was declared vacant, a Değabah should have been elected. However, His Eminence Aram prevented this election with all kinds of threats and caprices. Considering some sensitive issues, the Clerical Assembly had to tolerate vicarship of His Eminence Aram. However, His Eminence Aram continued to have his own way in accordance with his old habits, instead of acting like a real değabah. This revealed the vital importance of the değabah in order to have a decent election process.
2. General Assembly formed a commission consisting of four clerics to write the letter of application to the state. This commission reviewed the previous applications and wrote a letter that includes main elements. This letter was supposed to be an informing letter. It should have included the existence of the Enterprising Committee and stated that their names will be given to the governor’s office later. His Eminence Aram vigorously insisted that the Enterprising Committee shouldn’t be mentioned and permission of the state should be asked. A letter was written after some compromises and we started to wait for an appointment from the governor’s office.
3. Meanwhile, Chair of Surp Pırgiç Hospital Foundation Bedros Şirinoğlu came together with President Erdoğan and announced that the problem of election will be solved right after the referendum. This development should have accelerated the process. However, His Eminence Aram used this good news as another excuse for evading the election. On January 6 Dzınunt feast, he even broke the promise that he made to our people and announced that he won’t apply for holding an election without talking to anybody in advance. The Clerical Assembly, and I as the head of that assembly, learned about it from the press.

Today, on February 13, Clerical Assembly came together and His Eminence Aram managed to manipulate this issue with his capricious and threatening attitudes; he even threatened us with leaving the meeting. Majority of the Clerical Assembly refused the proposal of His Eminence Sahak, which was the following:

The news that we received from the president informally should have accelerated the process. For instance, we could form a new Enterprising Committee on Wednesday, give the letter of application to the governor’s office on Thursday and disclose the letter to our people. In this way, we could wait for an election that will be held after the referendum with inner peace. This was the prudent and honorable action that the people should have expecting from the Clerical Assembly. This suggestion of mine is refused.

However, the problem went beyond the issue of waiting for the referendum and His Eminence Aram made the Clerical Assembly decide to ask for STATE’S PERMISSON after the referendum. This means that the Enterprising Committee will be formed after the permission. In a friendly manner, I tried to explain him with legal terms that a secular state would never give such permission and this would mean that the election will be held when two Sundays come together. However, His Eminence Aram, who seems to be scared of Enterprising Committee more than he is scared of the devil, has got he wants. In sum, there WON’T be an election after the referendum!!! I don’t know how many times more this issue will be brought to this confused people, but I cannot stand it anymore.

It is obvious that this election won’t be held as long as His Eminence Aram is the vicar. Everyone agrees on the fact that His Eminence Aram makes the situation worse in a time when the patriarchal seat is vacant and the chaos is getting intense. In this regard, it is impossible to consider His Eminence Aram’s attitudes and actions as unintended simple mistakes.

1. He hadn’t realized the decision of the General Assembly immediately; on the contrary, he used his authority as the vicar for postponing the election by leaving the process hanging in midair.
2. He ignored the consultation of the Clerical Assembly, which is a higher authority than him, he hadn’t informed the assembly on the developments and decided not to hold an election on his own. Thus, His Eminence Aram committed a serious disciplinary action against the General and Clerical assemblies.
3. In the 1717-years-old history of the Armenian Church, the seat of the patriarch or catholicos has never been vacant for 9 years. The manipulations that he has been doing for 9 years by using his authority and his abuse of his seat and authority for the sake of his personal interests constitute crime and require penal sanctioning upon the ecclesiastics law.

For me, it is impossible to be together with clerics who are nothing but a bunch of cowards and His Eminence Aram, whose scandalous actions are rewarded instead being punished.

1. I resign from my duty as the head of Clerical Assembly.
2. I resign from my duty as the vice president of Hovagim 1461 Foundation, which stinks so much that I cannot take it anymore.
3. I don’t want to serve for imprudent foundation executives who hand over all the authority to a single person and for a people who are indifferent to the problems of the church and their society. I am leaving this city.
4. Let me answer the most intriguing question: I am not a candidate for the patriarchal seat. I want to use my productivity and the rest of my life for more meaningful services. There are more than enough people who would die for that seat anyway.

Clerics, executives and people; you left me alone. This is a cry of defeat. However, I am not the only one who is defeated; you are defeated as well. After all, a single person won once again.

God help you all.

Sahak Bishop Maşalyan

 

 

 

Fambox, a startup operating in Gyumri’s Technology Center (GTC), will develop a project for the World Bank’s Headquarters in Washington using the MarkLogic database.

GTC manager Amalya Yeghoyan says the cooperation is unprecedented for Armenia. “This is the first time the World Bank acts as a client and business partner, not as creditor,” she said, speaking to .

Fambox submitted a trial project before receiving an order from the World Bank, said David Hyusyan, the Company’s Founding Director.

The project will cost $50,000 in the initial stage. It will help create new jobs and open up good perspectives for young specialists of the sphere.

“This will also make Armenia better known to the world and will raise the country’s international standing,” said Technical Director Emil Yeritsyan.

Fambox was among the 12 winners of the competition of innovative ideas announced by the Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) in 2015. The Gyumri Technology Center was established in 2014 by the Government of Armenia and Enterprise Incubator Foundation with financing from the  World Bank.

Photo: Sputnik/Sergey Pyatakov

 

The chief of the Georgian Orthodox Church Patriarchate’s Property Management Service, priest Georgy Mamaladze has been detained on charges of plotting the murder of a church hierarch, Georgian Chief Prosecutor Irakly Shotadze said Monday, reports.

The Rustavi 2 TV company reported Sunday about a possible attempt to poison Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II. According to the report, Mamaladze was detained at Tbilisi airport on Friday night, later he was arrested.

“Georgy Mamaladze had a systematic relationship with the Catholicos-Patriarch and his entourage. The investigation established that Mamaladze had been preparing the murder of a person and that was why he had bought from an unknown person the poisonous substance cyanide,” Shotadze told reporters.

The chief prosecutor added that the detained official of the Georgian patriarchate had planned to take the poisonous substance to Germany, where Catholicos-Patriarch Ilia II is undergoing treatment.

Lebanon’s Minister of Tourism, Avedis Guidanian, emphasized on Sunday the importance of respecting the specificity of the Armenian community when dealing with the issue of a new electoral law that preserves the equity of representation, Lebanon’s reports.

Speaking to the Voice of Lebanon Radio, Guidanian said that the new electoral law would be approved by the majority of politicians.

The Minister stressed the importance of parliamentary elections, hoping that the Armenian deputies would get elected by Armenian votes.

He noted that Armenians have been marginalized over the past 25 years.

He also called on all politicians to issue an electoral law that ensures equity in representation to all Lebanese components.

“I warn against setting up new (electoral) divisions at the expense of Armenians,” he went on.

Guidanian said that the Armenian Revolutionary Federation would participate in the parliamentary elections whether the electoral law adopted was proportional or majoritarian.

Tensions were high at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan last night, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.

The rival used D-44 cannons, mortars, grenades and firearms of different calibers as it violated the ceasefire 80 times, firing over 950 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army follow the developments at the line of contact and take necessary measures to pressure the activeness of the rival.