Category: News

Asbarez – Aline Ohanesian’s book, “Orhan’s Inheritance,” is among 12 finalists announced for the 2016 Dayton Literary Peace Prize — half for fiction, half for non-fiction. A winner and runner-up in each category will be announced Oct. 11. Winners receive a $10,000 honorarium and runners-up receive $2,500.

Set against the backdrop of the Armenian Genocide, the book tells the story of Ohan, whose brilliant and eccentric grandfather, who built a dynasty out of making kilim rugs, is found dead in a vat of dye, Orhan inherits the decades-old business. But his grandfather’s will raises more questions than it answers. Kemal has left the family estate to a stranger thousands of miles away, an aging woman in a retirement home (Ararat Home of LA) in Los Angeles. Her existence and secrecy about her past only deepen the mystery of why Orhan’s grandfather would have left their home to this woman rather than to his own family.

Joining Ohanesian as finalists are “A Little Life” by Hanya Yanagihara; “Delicious Foods” by James Hannaham; “Green on Blue” by Elliot Ackerman; “The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh Nguyen, and “Youngblood” by Matt Gallagher.

“Many of this year’s finalists explore the contradictory strength and fragility of the family bond, and the threat that external forces such as poverty, war, and prejudice can place on that bond,” said Sharon Rab, co-chair of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize Foundation. “Through these narratives we explore the sources of conflict within the family but also what our immediate relationships can teach us about healing and reconciliation in the larger world.”

The awards will be presented at a gala ceremony hosted by award-winning journalist Nick Clooney in Dayton on Nov. 20.

Last month, organizers of the event announced that novelist and essayist Marilynne Robinson will receive the 2016 Richard C. Holbrooke Distinguished Achievement Award. Holbrooke was the U.S. diplomat who helped negotiate the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base that put an end to the three-and-half-year-long Bosnian War.

The finalists for nonfiction: “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates; “Find Me Unafraid” by Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner; “Nagasaki” by Susan Southard; “Showdown: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court Nomination That Changed America” by Wil Haygood; “The Reason You Walk” by Wab Kinew, and “The Train to Crystal City” by Jan Jarboe Russell.

Inspired by the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords, the Dayton Literary Peace Prize was launched in 2006. It is the only literary peace prize awarded in the United States.

Finalists will be reviewed by a panel of prominent writers including Alexander Chee, Christine Schutt, Ruben Martinez and Evelyn McDonnell.

Arthur Davtyan was elected Prosecutor General with an overwhelming majority of the votes today.

Three of the 103 MPs participating in the secret ballot, voted against Davtayn’s candidacy, another three ballots were considered invalid.

The newly-elected Prosecutor General pledged to spare no effort to come up to the expectations.

Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink would be 62 today.

Dink, the highly esteemed former editor-in-chief of weekly Agos, was murdered in broad daylight in front of his newspaper’s building on Jan. 19, 2007 by a 17-year-old Turkish nationalist.

The triggerman, Ogün Samast, was convicted of premeditated murder and sentenced to 22 years and 10 months of prison after a two year-trial.

Made in Armenia Expo 2016 organized by the Armenian Ministry of Economy and the Development Foundation of Armenia will be held at “Meridian” expo center from September 19 to 22.

The exhibition will bring together more than 300 Armenian companies that offer a wide range of products and services.

Made in Armenia is the foremost international event in Armenia where local industry professionals can meet, network, and conduct business deals.

Given its unique atmosphere of national and international entities, both private and governmental, it is the ideal event to start an effective business dialogue with Armenian manufacturers and professionals.

The goal of Made in Armenia is to provide participants with not only quality products but also a high quality network for each industrial sector.

Armenia’s Acting Foreign Minister Edwrad Nalbandian will visit Bishkek September 15-16 to participate in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the CIS member states, Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

Armenia’s newly appointed Prime Minister has said his program will consist of two stages, and does not promise rapid changes in the first one.

“As for the second stage, we need time to decide which direction we’re chosing for our country,” Karen Karapetyan said at his first Q&A session at the National Assembly.

He advised not to expect rapid changes in the economy but added that “there will be signals on the direction of future development of economy.”

The Prime Minister said the program of the previous government will be used and added that “creation of favorable conditions for those who create added value will be a priority.”

Referring to the formation of the Cabinet of Ministers, he said the emphasis will be put on maximal professionalism irrespective of party affiliation.

A delegation of the distance learning group from the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia, led by the coordinator of the information management system of the “Partnership for Peace” program and the “GlobalNet” program, Davit Ghazaryan, participated in the NATO distance learning forum, taking place at the modelling and simulation center in Suffolk, Virginia.

During the forum, the working group from the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia presented its achievements in distance learning. The distance learning program designed for servicemen of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia took firm place in the presentation-competition that took place during the forum. Among the 11 participants in the competition were, NATO member states, the US, Finland, Turkey, as well as NATO institutions such as the NATO school, the NATO Defense College, etc.

Currently, the working group of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Armenia is cooperating with the “Partnership for Peace” consortium of the NATO reform command. Aid for the distance learning program is obtained from OSCE Yerevan.

The distance learning program that took first place is already being implemented in the education and academic programs of the staff of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia.

“Yesterday’s signature of the new political agreement on electoral reform in the Republic of Armenia between the Government coalition and opposition parties, and consulted with civil society representatives, is a positive development supporting the implementation of electoral reform in the country,” Maja Kocijancic, Spokesperson for EU Foreign Affairsand Security Policy, said in a statement.

“The European Union’s financial assistance, together with that of other international partners and the engagement of the Government, will enable the implementation of the technical aspects defined by the new Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia,” she added.

“The electoral stakeholders in Armenia should now fully implement the new electoral legislation in good faith in order to increase credibility, transparency and public trust in the new electoral system and procedures in line with international standards,” the statement reads.

On September 13 Tigran Mkrtchyan, Armenia’s Ambassador to Lithuania, had a meeting with the members of Armenia friendship group in Lithuania’s Seimas.

Greeting the Ambassador, Dangutė Mikutienė, the head of the friendship expressed confidence that the previously formed friendly relations will have continuation.

The Ambassador noted that necessary steps will be undertaken aimed at further deepening of Lithuania-Armenia political dialogue, activation of mutual visits, ensuring of the continuous increase of trade volumes, organization of cultural events.

The Ambassador presented the main directions of his mission, in particular underlining the importance of economic and cultural diplomacy.

Ambassador Mkrtchyan thoroughly talked about the priorities of Armenia’s foreign policy, the efforts exerted by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs in the peaceful settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

EU Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn has welcomed the signature of new political agreement on electoral reforms between Armenian government and opposition, consulted with the Civil Society.

“EU stands ready to assist, also financially, the implementation of this important agreement,” Commissioner Hahn said in a Twitter post.