Category: News

On September 8, the feast of the birth of the Holy Virgin Mary, with the blessings of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; the icon of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide was placed in the St. Gregory the Illuminator Mother Cathedral of Yerevan for veneration and prayers of our faithful.

The icon of the Holy Martyrs was consecrated on April 23, during the of the Holy Martyrs of the Armenian Genocide.

The icon will reside in the Mother Cathedral for a month.

The Armenian St. Giragos Church in Diyarbekir was damaged as a homemade bomb exploded in Sur district, Ermenihaber.am reports, quoting the Turkish sources.

The windows of the church were broken, bullet traces were discovered on the walls, the source says.

Armenia’s Arthur Aleksanyan (98 kg) retained the World Champion’s title as he claimed victory in the 2015 Wrestling World Championships.

Aleksanyan defeated Ghasem Rezaei of Israel in the final round.

The Greco-Roman wrestler won his first World Champion’s title in Tashkent last year.

Turkey’s state-run television says 12 police officers were killed in a roadside bomb attack in eastern Turkey, the Associated Press reports.

TRT television says three other policemen were injured today in the attack in the province of Igdir, near Turkey’s border with Armenia.

The attack comes amid a sharp escalation of violence between Turkey’s security forces and Kurdish rebels. Sixteen soldiers were killed in a similar attack by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, on Sunday.

The improvement and development of the united air defense system of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries will be discussed in Astrakhan (southern Russia) on Tuesday by members of the Coordinating Committee on Air Defense under the CIS Council of Defense Ministers, TASS reports, quoting the Russian Defense Ministry.

The Committee’s regular meeting will be attended by delegations from the Defense Ministries of the Russian Federation, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

“The meeting participants will discuss the organization of joint operational and combat training activities of the CIS united air defense system in 2016, the focal areas of the study of problems of air defence and training of military personnel for the united air defence system,” a Russian Defense Ministry official said.

After the meeting, members of the Coordinating Committee will continue their work at the Ashuluk range in the Astrakhan region, where the active phase of the Combat Commonwealth-2015 joint exercise of the CIS united air defence system is underway from September 7 to 10.

“The members of the delegations will get familiarised with the peculiarities of the joint tactical employment of the coalition aviation and air defence forces of the CIS member states in the regions of collective security during anti-terrorist actions and in armed conflicts,” the Defence Ministry said.

During the active phase of the Ashuluk drills the troops will have various tactical episodes, including repelling massive missile and air strikes using the fighter, attack, bomber and long-range aircraft, and will also conduct live firing exercise using the S-400 Triumph, S-300 Favorit, S-125 Pechora-2M, and Buk anti-aircraft missile systems.

The united air defense system of CIS countries was created on the basis of an agreement between 10 Commonwealth countries, signed on February 10, 1995 in Alma-Ata, for an indefinite period.

At present, the united air defense system of the CIS member countries brings together eight states: Russia, Armenia, Belarus, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan.

Asbarez – A new organization, the Armenian Numismatics and Antiquities Society (ANAS) was launched in August on the sidelines of the American Numismatics Association’s World’s Fair of Money in Chicago.

This first gathering of the society included a public talk by renowned numismatic experts Dr. Levon Saryan and Frank Kovacs.

The fledgling organization has a website and plans to publish a quarterly journal. Dr. Saryan is vice president and journal editor and Dr. Chuck Hajinian is president of the group.

The goal of ANAS is to unite Armenians worldwide in their quest for knowledge about Armenian coins and related items, and to provide a forum for them to share their collections, post items for sale, and exchange ideas. The website is intended to be a place where anyone can find interesting items relating to Armenian history. In short, a “virtual museum” available to anyone in the world.

The website is a work in progress with pages set up for books, carpets, coins, embroidery, manuscripts, medals, and other forms of art. The initial focus has been on coins and numismatics, with plans to grow in the near future. The Los Angeles-based Armenian Numismatic Society operated successfully for more than 40 years but for various reasons its activity has diminished, which has created a void.

“We hope to keep the voice of Armenian numismatics alive and well,” says Hajinian. “We have a great love of everything Armenian, especially antique items. The reason is simple: for 1,000 years many of our families lived in western Armenia. All of their belongings—coins, ceramics, manuscripts, jewelry—were lost and stolen during the Genocide. This is our way of recapturing and honoring the lives they lived and preserving these items for future generations. We want to shine the brightest spotlight we can for all Armenians to see their history and to appreciate the artistic work that their ancestors created.”

“We have coins and artifacts all the way from prehistoric times to the present—these need to be presented to the world and to our own people. Despite the efforts of many people, most Armenians have only the vaguest notion of the heritage embodied in these items,” adds Hajinian.

“You can explore 3,000 years of Armenian culture in coinage alone. We want to bring this from the back rooms of museums, closets, drawers, and put it on the web for everyone.”

The organization is open to collaboration and ideas, and has already joined forces with Aram Manasaryan who set up the Armenian Numismatic Research Organization (ANRO) almost coincidentally. There is a prominent link to the ANRO website, which focuses on Armenian coinage with articles, a discussion board, historical data on auctions and sales, and a shop to purchase rare coins.

The launch event was significant since the World’s Fair of Money is one of the most prominent coin conventions in the US. Hajinian and Saryan discussed the new organization, as well as several specific coins and artifacts with experts and enthusiasts in the room. “The announcements in Chicago were this: We are here! This is our first meeting: join us, help us, have fun with us,” explains Hajinian.

ANAS hosted two of the finest and most knowledgeable speakers on Armenian numismatics in the world–Frank Kovacs and Levon Saryan. Mr. Kovacs reviewed highlights from his forthcoming book on the coinage of ancient Armenia. His book recasts some of the figures of ancient history, dating even earlier than the better known Artaxiad Dynasty of Tigranes the Great. One of the objects discussed is believed to be the oldest Armenian gold coin in existence, dating to the period of 401 BC.

While the topic is fairly obscure and little studied even among Armenians, the findings in this new volume are expected to cause controversy among researchers and collectors using long-established attributions for ancient artifacts and lineages of Armenian kings. “Some of our discussions are controversial,” notes Hajinian, “but this research deserves an honest and open minded review as there has been very little written in the field of ancient Armenian coins in the past 20 years, despite many new coins coming on the market around the world.”

Dr. Saryan presented several items for discussion, one of which was a rare medal issued by Russia in the 1830’s to commemorate the defeat of the Ottoman Turks in the eastern front. He also displayed extremely rare canceled checks from the early 20th century that were sent by Armenian immigrants from the St. Louis area to their families in the Ottoman Empire as a way of transferring their earnings.

In the area of ancient rugs, Chicago area dealer Oscar Tatosian shared information about the organization of antique Armenian rug collectors. The ANAS leadership confirmed that one of its goals is to unite these organizations under the ANAS banner, in order to reinvigorate the topics and attract the interest of new generations to collect Armenian artifacts and understand their cultural, historical, and political relevance.

Many questions were answered during the inaugural ANAS meeting, and it could easily have gone on for two more hours. The organization plans to hold events in other cities, with the hope of attracting dealers, collectors, and others with a curiosity or a family collection that has been passed down. For more information about ANAS, visit the website www.anasociety.org

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu has pledged to “wipe out” Kurdish PKK rebels in their strongholds after a deadly bomb attack on the Turkish army, the BBC reports.

“The mountains of this country, the plains, highlands, cities will be not abandoned to terrorists,” he said.

At least 16 Turkish soldiers died in Sunday’s attack in the south-eastern Hakkari province, the army said.

In retaliation, Turkey carried out several air strikes on PKK (Kurdistan Workers’ Party) targets on Monday.

Speaking at a news conference on Monday, Mr Davutoglu said: “You cannot discourage us from our war on terror. Those mountains will be cleared of these terrorists. Whatever it takes, they will be cleared.”

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan earlier said he was saddened by the attack and promised a “decisive” response.

“The pain of our security forces who were martyred in the treacherous attack by the separatist terrorist organisation sears our hearts,” he said.

There has been a surge in violence between the army and the PKK after a ceasefire collapsed in July.

The PKK said it was behind the attack. Initially it said 15 soldiers had been killed, but later raised the figure to 31.

But the Turkish army said on Monday that 16 soldiers died, while six were injured.

Asbarez – Vista Players, the acclaimed theater ensemble that “set the standard by which others were judged” (Sacramento News & Review), will stage the world premiere of “Happy Armenians,” the latest work by Elly Award-winning playwright and director Aram Kouyoumdjian. “Happy Armenians” will open on October 2, 2015 at the NoHo Arts Center, where it will enjoy a 12-performance run over four weekends through October 25.

“Happy Armenians,” a dramedy, tells a “parallel world” version of history in which Armenia has become a global empire, upending the world order as we know it. Its king, however, has only 30 more days to live, and Levon, a blood relative, is the unexpected – and unwilling – heir to the throne, who must manage a war against Switzerland, the geopolitics of African and South American colonization of Europe, and his budding love for a brilliant scientist named Siran.

A humorous, imaginative, and poignant rumination on love, war, and the burdens of history, “Happy Armenians” boasts a stellar cast, led by Daniel Hubbard as Levon and featuring the talents of Heather Lynn Smith, Tavis L. Baker, Jade Hykush, and Mark Eric Howell.

Maro Parian is designing the production’s towering set and constructing its unique costumes. Henrik Mansourian is the show’s lighting designer and Armineh Hovanesian its stage manager. Ara Dabandjian is composing the play’s original music score.

Performances are on Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 pm (except on Saturday, October 3, when the curtain rises at 7:00 pm), and on Sundays at 3:00 pm. Due to the intimate nature of the performances, no late seating will be allowed.

Kouyoumdjian is the winner of Elly Awards for playwriting (“The Farewells”) and directing (“Three Hotels”), and has been hailed for having “an adventurous artistic sensibility for intelligent productions” (Sacramento Bee). His directing credits include “Arcadia,” “Far Away,” “Marvin’s Room,” “The Play About the Baby,” and “Six Degrees of Separation.” His feature plays and solo pieces have been performed in half a dozen cities, from Los Angeles (Fountain Theatre) to London (Finborough Theatre). His most recent productions include “Ancient Gods” (Garni Theatre Ensemble at the NoHo Arts Center, 2014) and, earlier this year, the open-air, site-specific performance “i Go On” at DTLA’s Grand Park.

Vista Players is an award-winning theater ensemble devoted to staging contemporary plays of social relevance. It was founded in Northern California, where its premier outing was “Six Degrees of Separation.” Over the course of six seasons, the “acclaimed” troupe (Sacramento Bee) staged esteemed productions of nine plays by such leading playwrights as Tom Stoppard, Caryl Churchill, and Edward Albee. Vista Players is now L.A.-based, and “Happy Armenians” marks its relaunch in Southern California.

“The Karabakh talks suffered after Ramil Safarov’s extradition, when it became clear Azerbaijan is not an adequate partner,” says Karen Vrtanesyan, coordinator of Razm.info military-analytical website. At a meeting with reporters the expert referred to the recent escalation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the reasons behind it.

“By escalating tensions at the border, Azerbaijan pursues one goal – to grab concessions from Armenia through psychological pressure on the Armenian public,” Vrtanesyan told a press conference today.

The expert said the policy leads to a “deadlock.” “Azerbiaijan only suffers losses, while the Armenian side is not going to make concessions under the pressure of provocations,” he said.

Karen Vrtanesyan rules out the view that Azerbaijan is inciting war through border tension. According to him, Azerbaijan is afraid of war, primarily for economic reasons. “The Aliyev clan cannot be happy about the perspective of losing the successful oil business.”

Under Article 4 of the CSTO Treaty, “If an aggression is committed against one of the States Parties by any state or a group of states, it will be considered as an aggression against all the States Parties to this Treaty.” The organization never interferes with the developments at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, although Armenia is one of its founding members and has been in a military alliance with the member states since May 15, 1992.

“We see no need to apply to CSTO. We have been successfully fulfilling our tasks by now,” Karen Vrtanesyan said.

The expert believes that for more effective control and objective assessment of the border situation, the monitoring missions should be replaced by smaller and more flexible groups that will even keep watch over the frontline villages to react to any assault against the peaceful population on the ground.

Armenia also in favor of de-dollarization in the countries of the Eurasian Economic Union, Armenia’s Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said at a meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Grodno, BelTA reports.

According to the Prime Minister, Armenia endorses the draft documents that cover different areas of cooperation in the EEU. “We fully support the steps to strengthen and expand the industrial cooperation. Our countries have potential for efficient collaboration,” he said.

Hovik Abrahamyan also backed the earlier reached agreements on the regulation of the financial market. “The EEU needs measures to expand the use of national currencies in mutual transactions and reduce dollarization. Sharing the experience in the implementation of the coordinated macroeconomic policy is of utmost importance as well. In this respect the Russian ruble should be made an anchor currency in the mutual strategic trade in the EEU,” the Armenian Premier believes.

Close cooperation with the European Union is equally important, he added. “Keeping in mind our rich experience of negotiations in the trade and economic cooperation with the European Union, we are ready to assist the Eurasian Economic Commission in establishing such a dialogue and, if necessary, take the corresponding commitments of a negotiator in certain issues,” the Prime Minister said. Such cooperation should be based on the principle of mutually beneficial development of integration processes aimed at securing free movement of goods, workforce, services and capital.

The Prime Minister also informed the meeting participants that Armenia is ready for the fulfillment of all the commitments it has undertaken and for the active cooperation with partners in the EEU. “The Armenian side will soon present its candidate for the post of the Chairman of the Board of the Eurasian Economic Commission,” the Premier said.

Hovik Abrahamyan suggested holding the next meeting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council in Yerevan.