Category: News

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called for enhanced economic and political relations between Iran and Armenia, saying that stronger bilateral ties would benefit both nations, according to the President’s official website.

His Holiness Aram I, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, closely follows the trial on the return of the Sis Patriarchate launched at the Constitutional Court of Turkey.

Within the framework of the visit to the United States, His Holiness had a meeting with Taner Akcam, member of the commission of the trial, who positively assessed the work done so far and stressed the importance of maintaining efforts.

It has been decided to hold a press conference in Istanbul ahead of the general parliamentary elections in Turkey scheduled for June 7.

The Catholicos keeps in touch with other members of the commission and follows the reactions of Turkey and international media.

On Tuesday 28 April 2015, the attorney of the Catholicosate of Cilicia in Turkey submitted a brief to the Constitutional Court in Turkey, requesting the return of its Centre in Sis (Kozan).

French Armenian musician Raffi Arto, 13, rocked the stage at the BBC Easter Night Show at London Coliseum.

In this Easter special, award-winning comedian Michael McIntyre hosted a star-studded night of entertainment from the majestic Coliseum in the heart of London’s theatreland.

Michael was joined on stage by a stellar line-up of fellow comedians, singing superstars and jaw-dropping specialty acts.

Armenian midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been voted into Bundesliga’s after Borussia Dortmund boosted their chances of European qualification with a 2-0 win over Hertha Berlin – their fifth game in all competitions without defeat.

Borussia Dortmund seem to have hit form at just the right time and Henrikh Mkhitaryan has played a key role in BVB’s late charge towards the European places. The Armenian midfielder assisted both goals in the win over Hertha, according to Bundesliga’s official website.

Canadian Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan is among the 2015 winners of the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards, reports.

Five Canadians were named for the country’s highest honour for lifetime artistic achievement at an announcement Thursday morning in Montreal, Victoria, Vancouver and Toronto and via live stream.

• Walter Boudreau, C.M., composer, conductor and artistic director
• Atom Egoyan, film and stage director
• Diana Leblanc. actress and director
• Sarah McLachlan, singer, songwriter
• R.H. Thomson, C.M., actor, director, producer and arts advocate

The award is accompanied with a $25,000 cash prize contributed by the Canada Council for the Arts and a commemorative medallion produced by the Royal Canadian Mint.

The awards will be handed out by Canada’s Governor General David Johnston at a special ceremony in Ottawa’s Rideau Hall on May 29. The recipients will be celebrated with a star-studded gala featuring special performances and tributes at the National Arts Centre on May 30.

Founded in 1992, the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards are given to Canadians whose accomplishments are deemed to have inspired and enriched the country.

 

A major earthquake has struck eastern Nepal, two weeks after more than 8,000 people were killed in a devastating quake, the BBC reports.

The latest earthquake hit near the town of Namche Bazar, near Mount Everest.

The US Geological Survey said it had a magnitude of 7.3. An earthquake on 25 April, centred in western Nepal, had a magnitude of 7.8.

The latest tremor was felt as far away as the Indian capital Delhi, as well as Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh.

Strong tremors were felt in the capital of Nepal, Kathmandu, which was badly damaged in last month’s earthquake.

The epicentre of the latest earthquake was 83km (52 miles) east of Kathmandu, in a rural area close to the Chinese border.

Two significant decisions on Aram Khachaturian International Competition were made at the General Assembly of the World Federation of International Music Competitions was held in Italy on May 8.

First, members of the Federation unanimously voted to include “conducting” in the competition program of the contest in 2016.

Moreover, the 2016 General Assembly of the Federation will be held in Armenia. That means Yerevan will host the most important event of the organization, which counts 115 members on 6 continents today.

The Aram Khachaturian International Competition was admitted as a new member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions in 2013, thus becoming the first Armenian member ever joining this more than prestigious musical family.

The Aram Khachaturian International Competition is organized by “Aram Khachaturian” Cultural Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and the Yerevan State Conservatory.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin may also file a legal claim, demanding that Turkey return the property confiscated from the church during the years of the Armenian Genocide, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, told the in an interview.

“An instruction has been given and this matter is being studied to reveal the relevant documents. This process requires great efforts to reveal the archive documents and prepare a well-grounded legal package,” he said.

“We believe that Turkey has no alternative to facing its history, recognizing and condemning the Armenian genocide and restoring justice towards our people,” the Catholicos said in the interview.

His Holoness said the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide victims in Turkey was a positive step.

On Sunday, 10 May 2015, the Office of the Armenian Community Representative, Vartkes Mahdessian, in co-operation with the Armenian Prelature of Cyprus, organised the eighth annual visit-pilgrimage to the Sourp Magar Monastery (Magaravank), Gibrahayer EMagazine reports.

The first time was on 6 May 2007, when the Armenian-Cypriot community visited the occupied Armenian Monastery after 33 years. According to the Representative’s Office, around 100 Armenian-Cypriots visited the Monastery on Sunday, some of whom came especially from abroad.

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is providing $4 million for a pilot project which will enable Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, to modernise its street lighting system by introducing new energy-efficient technologies.

The EBRD’s sovereign loan will be on-lent to the Street Lighting Company owned by the city of Yerevan. The loan is expected to be complemented by a capital grant of up to $2 million from the Eastern Europe Energy Efficiency and Environment Partnership (E5P). Technical cooperation for project preparation was financed by the TaiwanBusiness-EBRD Technical Cooperation Fund and the EBRD’s own resources.

Yerevan has a population of 1.1 million, roughly one-third of the total population of Armenia, and the street lighting network consists of old, inefficient and environmentally polluting mercury-based lights. The heavy-metal based content of the current lighting system contributes to energy waste and is a considerable environmental hazard. Due to the antiquated condition of the current system and the high percentage of lights that are not working, large parts of the city are not sufficiently illuminated.

To overcome this problem the pilot project will introduce new energy-efficient LED lighting, a control and monitoring system, pole replacement and renovation as well as power cable replacement. This will result in better service quality and improved environmental standards due to reduced energy consumption and the minimisation of operating and maintenance costs. Lighter streets will also be safer for pedestrians and motorists alike.

Mark Davis, EBRD Head of Office in Yerevan, said: “We welcome this project and are pleased to support it with financial means as well as technical assistance. The new street lighting will contribute to Yerevan’s goal of reducing its CO₂ emissions, while at the same time significantly reducing the city’s energy bill. In addition, the project will contribute to the comfort and safety of residents.”

Since the start of its operations in Armenia in 1992, the EBRD has invested over €900 million in more than 135 projects in the country’s financial, corporate, infrastructure and energy sectors, with 87 per cent of investments being in the private sector.