12:14,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. A pileup involving 17 cars apparently caused by snow injured 8 people in Kotayk Province Friday evening, the Rescue Service said in a statement.
The crash happened on the 43rd kilometer of the Yerevan-Sevan highway.
All eight injured victims have been hospitalized and are in non-life-threatening condition.
13:33,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. The Middle East has a special place in the foreign policy agenda of Armenia, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a social media post about Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan’s 2023 trips to the region.
“The Middle East has a special place in the foreign policy agenda of Armenia. In this context, 2023 was marked by several important developments. Foreign Minister Mirzoyan visited Egypt, Syria, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain.
"For the first time since the independence of the Republic of Armenia, the Foreign Minister of Armenia participated in the Arab League Council’s foreign ministerial meeting.
"Minister Mirzoyan’s visit to Syria, particularly to Damascus and Aleppo, took place after the devastating earthquake on February 6, and during the visit the minister conveyed the humanitarian aid provided by the Armenian government.
"Among other international treaties, Armenia signed a mutual visa waiver with the UAE in 2023, which will take effect in February 2024. In multilateral platforms, Minister Mirzoyan held meetings with the foreign ministers of Jordan, Lebanon and Saudi Arabia, and the secretaries-general of the Arab League and the Gulf Cooperation Council. Diplomatic relations were established between Armenia and Saudi Arabia in 2023. Political consultations were held on the level of foreign ministers of Oman and Tunisia, co-chaired by Armenian Deputy FM Vahan Kostanyan,” the foreign ministry said.
15:42,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Catholicos Karekin II of the Armenian Apostolic Church will visit the United States and the United Kingdom, the Church said on Saturday.
In a statement, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin said Karekin II has left for “the Eastern Diocese of the Armenian Church in the U.S., and the Diocese of the Armenian Church in Great Britain and Ireland.”
Karekin II will meet with philanthropists of diocesan organizations and the Armenian Apostolic Church to discuss the church programs.
16:45,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. More than 1000 children aged 2-14 who were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh and are now living in the communities of Dilijan, Ijevan, Berd, Noyemberyan and Azatamut of Tavush region and in Jermuk, Yeghegnadzor and Vayk communities of Vayots Dzor region received Christmas gifts from the national communications operator of Armenia, Ucom. The gifts were delivered to regions by Santamobiles. Director General of Ucom Ralph Yirikian and Ucom employees handed over the gifts to children at Yeghegnadzor and Ijevan cultural centers.
"We must ensure the New Year's miracle for our Artsakh compatriots. They need it very much. Supporting our compatriots forcibly displaced from Artsakh is an important commitment for us, which we carry out with great love and care. New Year is waiting for miracles and a starting point for their realization. Ucom, both as a national operator and as a company with a commitment to corporate social responsibility, will consistently fulfill at least a small part of the dreams of our children and, why not, at least a small part of the dreams of our compatriots who need help," said Director General of Ucom Ralph Yirikian.
Ralph Yirikian, Director General of Ucom, met with the governors of two regions: Vayots Dzor Governor Kolya Mikaelyan, whom he congratulated on his appointment, and Tavush Governor Hayk Ghalumyan. During the discussion with the governors, he thanked them for their support in providing aid and noted that the sectoral support will continue in those regions.
After the meetings, Ralph Yirikian, Director General of Ucom, together with Governor Kolya Mikaelyan in Vayots Dzor, and with Mayor of Ijevan Artur Chagharyan in Tavush handed over the gifts to forcibly displaced children of Nagorno-Karabakh.
***
Ucom provides the fastest fixed and mobile communication services in Armenia. It is the absolute leader in the provision of IPTV and fixed Internet services, and also occupies the leading positions in the Armenian mobile Internet market. With modernized 4G+ and own fiber optic networks meeting the best international standards, Ucom provides a complete set of fixed and mobile communication services to more than 700,000 subscribers.
On Thursday, , His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros of America paid a special visit to His Grace Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, the primate of the Eastern Diocese of America of the Armenian Church, to extend his warmest greetings on the joyous occasion of Armenian Christmas celebrated on January 6.
The visit was marked by heartfelt exchanges of warm wishes for peace, prosperity, and harmony among their respective communities. This momentous occasion not only strengthens the spiritual bonds between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Armenian Church, but also exemplifies the spirit of reconciliation and the quest towards unity that transcends confessional boundaries.
His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros was joined during this visit by His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, Rev. Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian and Deacon Petros Gomez.
https://www.goarch.org/-/archbishop-elpidophoros-visits-bishop-mesrop-during-the-season-of-armenian-christmas
On Thursday, , Archbishop Elpidophoros of America paid a special visit to Bishop Mesrop Parsamyan, the primate of the Eastern Diocese of America of the Armenian Church, to extend his warmest greetings on the joyous occasion of Armenian Christmas celebrated on January 6.
The visit was marked by heartfelt exchanges of warm wishes for peace, prosperity, and harmony among their respective communities. This momentous occasion not only strengthens the spiritual bonds between the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese and the Armenian Church, but also exemplifies the spirit of reconciliation and the quest towards unity that transcends confessional boundaries.
Archbishop Elpidophoros was joined during this visit by His Grace Bishop Athenagoras of Nazianzos, Protopresbyter Nicolas Kazarian and Deacon Petros Gomez.
https://orthodoxtimes.com/archbishop-of-america-visited-bishop-mesrop-during-the-season-of-armenian-christmas/
January 14, 2024, marks ten years since alternative civilian service was introduced in Armenia. The alternative civilian service arrangement allows conscientious objectors to contribute to their community by engaging in various forms of public service rather than serve in the military. Some of the tasks assigned include construction, landscaping, social work, or other public services. Since its introduction, over 450 of Jehovah’s Witnesses, all of them young men, have made the personal decision to participate in the arrangement.
Brother Samuel Petrosyan is currently working as a landscaper as part of his alternative civilian service. He said: “I strive to develop a good reputation. For example, I try to complete my work assignments properly and be honest in everything I do. Thanks to this, my supervisors have always treated me well and with respect.”
Brother Artur Martirosyan spent three years performing civilian service in a hospital. He reflected: “I appreciated the opportunity to help people in need. The experience also helped me to mature as a person. I learned how to be more flexible, cope with stress successfully, and be a better communicator.”
Prior to 2014, our young brothers in Armenia faced lengthy prison sentences because they would not violate their Christian conscience by serving in the military. Commenting on the success of the alternative civilian service program in Armenia, one senior official stated: “Initially, I opposed alternative civilian service due to concerns about national security and potential misuse. . . . However, time has proven me wrong. After several years, it’s evident that . . . Jehovah’s Witnesses pose no danger to national security while performing alternative service. Instead, we have dedicated workers in various spheres, thanks to the alternative service [arrangement].”
A member of the Republican Committee on Alternative Service also noted: “It has been ten years since we introduced alternative service in Armenia . . . We need to proudly admit that establishing alternative service was one of the wisest decisions by our State. Regular inspections in institutions where alternative service is performed reveal diligent work, a positive spirit, and genuine smiles. Year after year, we receive numerous letters of appreciation for the outstanding contributions of Jehovah’s Witnesses in the community as alternative civilian servants. Institutional leaders consistently praise them as their finest employees.”
Jehovah’s Witnesses in Armenia appreciate having the opportunity to contribute to the community by means of alternative civilian service while bringing praise to Jehovah by their “fine works.”—1 Peter 2:12.
https://www.jw.org/en/news/region/armenia/Jehovahs-Witnesses-in-Armenia-Mark-Ten-Years-of-Alternative-Civilian-Service/
Irvine is getting closer to erecting a memorial dedicated to the victims of the Armenian genocide within the Great Park.
Early plans for the memorial, approved by the Great Park Board on Tuesday, Jan. 9, include a potential location, the size of the memorial and how the memorial will be funded. City leaders unanimously approved the Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee’s proposal and directed staff to work with the committee in developing a schematic design and budget.
The proposed location is what will be called the Heart of the Park, a yet-to-be-completed area of the Great Park in its expansion over 300 acres of amenities. Because it is surrounded by a dense forest, the location will provide privacy and peace, said assistant city manager Pete Carmichael.
And the size of the memorial will be consistent and commensurate with the vertical and horizontal area provided within the surrounding forest, approximately 20 feet wide and 15 feet high, said Lauren Jung, the city’s senior management analyst.
The Orange County Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee, comprised of 11 members representing various Armenian organizations from around the county, hopes for construction to begin in the first half of 2026 and be completed in 2027, according to a staff report.
The Heart of the Park, where the memorial will be located, is slated for initial grading beginning this year with subsequent construction starting in 2026. That area “is a mix of quiet contemplation and social interaction,” Carmichael said.
The committee is in the process of incorporating as a nonprofit in California and requesting nonprofit status with the IRS to fundraise for the cost of the memorial’s design and construction, said chairperson Kev Abazajian.
Per city rules regarding monuments and memorials, the project proponent must foot the bill for the project while the city is responsible for the daily maintenance and upkeep of the memorial.
Abazajian said he anticipates the state designation to be made within the month while the 501(c)(3) designation may take a couple more months.
The process of homing an Armenian genocide memorial in Irvine began in 2022 after a video surfaced in which Mayor Farrah Khan appeared to joke and laugh with representatives of local Turkish groups, among them a man who has been outspoken in denying the genocide.
Khan, at the time, said the genocide was not a topic of conversation and the video was released out of context. Members of the Armenian community met with Khan, and she said she would support finding a place in the city for a memorial.
“Irvine is home to people from all over the world, including many like Armenians, who have faced a devastating genocide. We currently have Armenian community members whose family members are facing forced displacement in Armenia, Azerbaijan and in Jerusalem,” Khan said. “This is one of the ways that we, as a city, can provide a safe space for people to reflect on the past and strive to do better in the future.”
An estimated 1.2 million Armenians died during the genocide that began in 1915 in the Ottoman Empire, widely considered to be the first genocide of the 20th century, according to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. While most historians — and the White House — agree the deaths that occurred constitute a “genocide,” the Turkish government has denied a genocide occurred, contesting the estimated death toll.
In February 2023, city leaders directed staff to work toward the dedication of a memorial within the Great Park to the Armenians who died, according to the staff report, and in September, the Great Park Board adopted a policy dictating how the city considers requests for monuments and memorials within the park.
“Out of something horrific and divisive, something beautiful can come out of it,” said Garo Madenlian, a member of the Orange County Armenian Center.
Madenlian said the city moving forward with a plan for the memorial means a lot to the Armenian community in Orange County since many are descendants of genocide survivors.
“My grandparents were orphaned in the Armenian genocide,” he said. “This is really important for us to remember and never forget.”
The committee has planned for April a small commemoration of the start of the Armenian genocide, April 1915, which may take place at the project site.
“We are excited to move something like this forward of this gravity,” said Councilmember Mike Carroll, who also chairs the Great Park Board.
Staff is set to return in March with the schematic design and budget, Jung said.
https://www.ocregister.com/2024/01/11/for-irvines-great-park-an-armenian-genocide-memorial-is-in-the-works/
Jerusalem, Jan 12 (EFE).- Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Friday criticized Turkey’s history, saying “we remember the Armenians,” after its president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, announced that his country would send documents to the International Court of Justice in The Hague that support the charge of genocide brought by South Africa against Israel.
“The President of Turkey Erdogan, from a country with the Armenian genocide in its past, now boasts of targeting Israel with unfounded claims. We remember the Armenians, the Kurds. Your history speaks for itself. Israel stands in defense, not destruction, against your barbarian allies,” Katz said in a message directed at the Turkish leader on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The Armenian genocide refers to the systematic extermination of the Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire during World War I through massacres, death marches, and deportations.
The Turkish government maintains that the deportation of Armenians was a legitimate action that cannot be called genocide, and many countries seeking good diplomatic relations with Turkey have avoided acknowledging the events as genocide.
Israel does not recognize the events as genocide, and this is the first time a senior Israeli official has described the events as such.
Israel has been accused of genocide by South Africa before the UN’s top court, which held its first hearing in The Hague on Thursday and Friday, with the Israeli legal team accusing South Africa of “hypocrisy.”
Katz said South Africa is violating the Genocide Convention by supporting “the Hamas terrorist organization, which calls for the elimination of the State of Israel”.
Turkey has expressed “satisfaction” with South Africa’s complaint from the outset, and a Turkish parliamentary delegation is in The Hague to follow the trial.
“I believe that Israel will be convicted there. We believe in the justice of the International Court of Justice,” the Turkish president said.
Turkey is a historic ally of Israel, but after the Oct. 7 attack by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas, Erdogan denounced Israel’s response of massive bombardment of Gaza as a “war crime,” and Israel withdrew its ambassador from Ankara at the end of October. EFE
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