Category: News

Armenia welcomes Georgia’s support to the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group – the only format with an international mandate to mediate the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said at a joint press conference with his visiting Georgian counterpart Mikheil Janelidze.

Speaking about the Armenian-Georgian relations, Minister Nalbandian said the friendship based on mutual respect has been checked by time. “There are no problems between Armenia and Georgia, there are issues that can be solved with joint efforts,” Minister Nalbandian said.

At a meeting in Yerevan the Foreign Ministers of the two countries discussed issues related to the development of transport infrastructures, cooperation in the fields of energy, trade, finances, education and tourism.

“We continue the cooperation with Georgia to preserve the Armenian cultural heritage,” Minister Nalbandian said.

Asbarez – Cambridge University professor and specialist in Armenian linguistics and dialectology Dr. Bert Vaux presented a lecture on “The Armenian Dialect of Salmast” at the 2nd Hampartzoum and Ovsanna Chitjian Conference organized by Professor S. Peter Cowe of the Narekatsi Chair of Armenian Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, which focused on Armeno-Persian Relations and the Persarmenian Community Throughout the Ages.

Professor Vaux explained that despite the Salmast region’s historical importance in Armenian culture, its dialect has yet to receive a proper linguistic treatment, normally being omitted from the standard manuals of Armenian dialects and at-best mentioned as a subdialect of Khoy / Urmia.

He provided an overview of the Salmast dialect and its place in the world of Armenian varieties (particularly, as compared to Khoy, Urmia, and Maragha), and illustrated phonological, morphological, and lexical features of the dialect using traditional riddles and sayings.

Some of the many distinctive Salmast forms discussed included väv ‘who’, khäyir ‘100’, talv‘husband’s sister’, lapəstrak lapəstrak ‘hare’, votəpöpikʸ ‘barefoot’, and the use ofwas ēr as a past tense marker, as in ēnēnts’ ēnk’ ēr ginäli = thus we knew.

Professor Vaux mentioned that the greatest Armenian linguist, Hrachea Adjarian, had collected a large corpus of Salmast dialect material during his time teaching in Iran 100 years ago, but was unable to assemble this material into a book-size treatment before his death in 1953.

Professor Vaux hopes to collate the Salmast materials in Adjarian’s Armenian Etymological Dictionary (1926-35) and Complete Grammar of the Armenian Language (1952-71); and, combine them with new words, phrases, texts, and video recordings collected from the last remaining Salmastsi speakers to produce a book-length grammar and lexicon of the Salmast dialect (taking account of its descendants in Karabagh and Armenia, particularly in Vayots‘ Dzor, as well).

Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial today. The Foreign Minister laid a wreath at the memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims and paid tribute to their memory with a minute of silence.

Deputy Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Suren Manukyan briefed Minister Janelidze on the tragic episodes of the Armenian Genocide, the history of construction and the architecture of the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial.

Suren Manukyan accompanied the Georgian Foreign Minister to the Memory Wall to introduce him to the humanitarian pages of the Armenian Genocide history.

Jars with soil taken from the graves of public and political figures, witnesses of the Armenian Genocide and friends of the Armenian people, are buried behind the Memory Wall.

The AGMI Deputy Director gifted some English and French publications to Mikheil Janelidze.

 

 

 

The gas price for consumers will be reduced, Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan has assured.

“The issue has been discussed by the Presidents of Armenia and Russia, and the relevant structured have been instructed to continue talks on the cut of gas price,” PM Abrahamyan told reporters today.

As for the perspectives of transit of Iranian gas through Armenian territory, the Prime Minister said “the issue will be finally determined by the end of the year.”

Hovik Abrahamnyan said many issues will be clarified during his forthcoming visit to Iran.

Today, on the death anniversary of the former Prime Minister of Armenia, state and political figure Andranik Margarian, President Serzh Sargsyan, accompanied by the highest leadership of the country, visited the Komitas Pantheon and paid tribute to the memory of Andranik Margarian, President’s Press Office reported.

On March 25, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan received students and lecturers of the Pázmány Péter Catholic University of Hungary, Press Service of the NKR Foreign Ministry informs.

The Foreign Minister welcomed the guests and noted that the visits of the Hungarian University students would allow them to get a true and comprehensive picture of Artsakh and establish contacts with representatives of Artsakh’s university circles.

During the meeting Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the main directions of the NKR’s foreign policy, touched upon the process of international recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and emphasized that the achievements in that direction contributed to the NKR’s international integration, as well as to the development and consolidation of cooperation in various spheres.

The NKR Foreign Minister answered the questions of the participants. While touching upon the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement process, Karen Mirzoyan noted that the reason for the lack of real progress was the destructive policy of the Azerbaijani authorities aimed at undermining the negotiation process at all costs.

Asbarez – The Organization of Istanbul Armenians (OIA) has initiated a Commemorative Oratorio Concert to be presented in memory of the Martyred Armenian Hero Hrant Dink, with the active support and participation of a wide spectrum of leading pan-Armenian institutions and community organizations.

The “Hrant Dink Oratorio Organizing Committee” (HDOOC) is comprised of numerous local Pan Armenian organization representatives.

The special event, “Hrant Dink the Legacy” featuring the North American debut performance of the Oratorio will also mark the start of the week of commemorative  activities  on the occasion of  the 101st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide . The Oratorio will be presented on April 16, 2016, at 7:30 p.m., at the Ambassador Auditorium in Pasadena, a beautiful venue famous for its amazing acoustics.  We are very excited to announce that Mrs. Rakel Dink will be our Guest of Honor at the performance.

Joining Mrs. Dink will be the Composer of the Oratorio, renowned musician Majak Toshigian.  The lyricist is Berchuhi Berberian.  Los Angeles is justifiably the first venue for this performance, outside Yerevan and Istanbul when it was performed in September 2015 and January 2016, respectively. Los Angeles, California, home to the largest presence of the Armenian Diaspora and where Hrant Dink delivered his last major speech to the Armenian people on October 5th, 2006 is clearly the natural host for this tribute to his legacy.  This commemorative occasion will also serve as an occasion for solidarity for All Armenians who demand and await justice for the crime of Genocide and for its most recent victim, a Martyr who was the voice his people, who loved his ancient homeland and relentlessly fought for justice. United as one Nation we will all proclaim “We Are All Hrant Dink”.

Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev will visit Armenia April 7-8 to participate in the sitting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council, Press Service of the Russian government informs.

The current state and perspectives of bilateral cooperation in the fields of trade and economy, investments, energy, industry, culture and other fields will be discussed during negotiations with the Armenian leadership.

A number of intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents are expected to be signed.

The sitting of the Eurasian Intergovernmental Council will take place on April 8. The priorities of Eurasian economic integration will be on the agenda.

Two prominent Turkish journalists are due to go on trial charged with revealing state secrets, the BBC reports.

Can Dundar and Erdem Gul, from the newspaper Cumhuriyet, were arrested in November over a report alleging that the Turkish government had tried to ship arms to Islamists in Syria.

They deny the charges but face possible life sentences if found guilty.

Supporters of the two men say the case is an important test of press freedom in Turkey.

The Turkish government has come under increasing international criticism over its treatment of journalists.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today Georgian Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze. President Sargsyan hailed the intensified high-level contacts and political dialogue between the two countries based on traditional good-neighborly relations and friendship between the two nations.

The parties agreed that despite being part of different integration processes, Armenia and Georgia have a huge potential to exchange experience and implement joint programs.

The Georgian Foreign Minister said, in turn, there are good perspectives for developing the bilateral economic cooperation parallel to the political relations.

Serzh Sargsyan and Mikheil Janelidze attached importance to the balanced policy of the two countries on sensitive issues and the effective Armenian-Georgian cooperation within the framework of international organizations.

During the meeting reference was made to regional security, the existing problems and challenges, the negotiations on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.