January 5, 2018 Western Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate 6252 Honolulu Avenue La Crescenta, CA 91214 Tel: (818) 248-7737 Fax: (818) 248-7745 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.westernprelacy.org PRELATE TO PRESIDE OVER REQUIEM SERVICE AT FOREST LAWN ON MEMORIAL DAY On Sunday, January 7, 2018, Christmas Memorial Day, requiem service will take place at Forest Lawn Hollywood Hills "Hall of Liberty" and Forest Lawn Glendale "Church of the Recessional" beginning at 10:00 a.m. H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, will preside over the service at Hollywood Hills Forest Lawn. *** CHRISTMAS SERVICE AT GLENDALE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL On Friday, January 5, 2018, the feast of the Nativity and Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ was celebrated at Glendale Memorial Hospital with a prayer service and the blessing of water. On behalf of H.E. Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, Prelate, Very Rev. Fr. Torkom Donoyan, Vicar General, conducted the service. He was accompanied and assisted by Archpriest Fr. Gomidas Torossian, Rev. Fr. Ardak Demirjian, Rev. Fr. Movses Shannakian, and Deacon Raffi Keshishian. Among the guests in attendance were State Senator Anthony Portantino, Glendale Mayor Vartan Gharpetian and Council members, Glendale Police Chief Robert Castro, Glendale Fire Chief Greg Fish, Congressman Adam Schiff's representative, and hospital administrators and staff. Chaplain Cassie McCarty greeted the guests and thanked the clergy for once again visiting and spreading the joy of Christmas, after which Senator Portantino conveyed his well wishes. Fr. Torkom spoke on the start of a new year and the Birth of our Lord as a time of renewal, and explained the meaning behind the blessing of water, and wished for Christ's peace, light, and love, to shine in the world and bring healing and harmony for all. The Blessing of the Home service and blessing of water ceremony followed, after which attendees received blessed water and prayer books. Afterward, clergy blessed a newborn and presented a prayer book to the new parents. ***
Author: Alex Jidarian
Italy to assume OSCE Chairmanship, particular attention will be paid to Karabakh conflict
News.am, Armenia
Jan 1 2017
Italy to assume OSCE Chairmanship, particular attention will be paid to Karabakh conflict Italy to assume OSCE Chairmanship, particular attention will be paid to Karabakh conflict
11:06, 01.01.2018
As of Monday, January 1, 2018, Italy will assume Chairmanship of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), reported RIA Novosti news agency of Russia.
In July 2016, this decision was unanimously approved by the 57 OSCE members. At that time, then FM of Italy, Paolo Gentiloni, had noted that the priority issue of the Italian chairmanship will be the settlement of the Ukrainian crisis.
He had added that special attention will be paid to frozen conflicts—including the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict—within the OSCE expanse, as well as to the migrant and refugee crisis, and the strengthening of cooperation between southern Mediterranean countries.
Culture: Naregatsi Art Institute to host literary meeting on Jan. 15
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 29 2017
Culture 16:51 29/12/2017 Armenia
Armenia’s Naregatsi Art Institute will host a literary meeting entitled "Osip Mandelshtam and Modern Armenian Poetry" on January 15, at 4:00 pm.
Within the framework of the event, a discussion will be held on the significance and role of Osip Mandelshtam in Armenian literature and how modern Armenian writers continue the traditions of the great classic writer, the institute said on Facebook.
The event is initiated by the literary critics of the Pan-Armenian Writers’ Union (President Abgar Apinyan).
Abgar Apinyan was born on February 5, 1960 in Vanadzor. Since 2016 he has served as the President of the Pan-Armenian Writers' Union.
He was the First Secretary of the Union of Writers of Armenia (1996-2001), the Head of the Press Office of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Secretary of His Holiness Karekin II (1994-1996).
Admission is free.
Who is against the domestic violence law in Armenia?
Netgazeti, Georgia
Dec 13 2017
Who is against the domestic violence law in Armenia?
by Mikayev Zolyan's
[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Georgian]
'Domestic violence' or 'harmony in the family'
The Armenian National Assembly [Parliament] finally adopted a law against domestic violence on 8 December 2017. Tough debates preceded the adoption of the law during the whole autumn. The regulations were approved with 72 votes against 12 and six MPs refrained from participating in the vote.
It would seem that the adoption of such a law should not have been a major problem, but the activists and organisations that said that this law was directed against traditional Armenian families stood against it. They also said that the West was forcing Armenia to adopt the law.
As regards women's organisations and activists, in general, they supported the law, although they pointed to its drawbacks. However, the voices of opponents proved to be louder. The people, who claimed to hold the position of defending the traditional Armenian family intimidated society by saying that this law was against Armenian families. Some of them argued that there was no domestic violence in Armenia at all or its rate was simply exaggerated.
Citizens often referred to the arguments like "beating your wife is a sign of love" or spoke about "an ordinary method of parenting you child is to smack him up a couple of times". The process did not end without holding victims responsible. Many said that women themselves were guilty of violence in their own families.
Initially, similar statements were mostly made by marginal groups like Karabakh Movement veteran Khachik Stamboltsyan, who has turned into a Christian fundamentalism over years. As time passed, some members of the ruling [Armenian Republican] Party joined him, including quite prominent faces, for example, Armenian parliament Deputy Chairman Eduard Sharmazanov and former Prime Minister Khosrov Harutyunyan.
The voices of those, who criticised the law, got lost against this background. They spoke about concrete drawbacks in the draft law and warned about the possible misuse of some clauses of the law by investigative agencies.
Eventually, the draft law was adopted with significant changes. The title of the law was also changed from "On halting domestic violence and rendering assistance to victims of domestic violence" to "On halting domestic violence, protecting victims of domestic violence, and restoring harmony in the family".
In addition, the term "traditional Armenian family" appeared in the text of the law. In the opinion of some Armenian activists, in particular, members of the Stop Violence against Women coalition, new supplements to the text of the law make regulations inefficient and much weaker.
It is not only the title that is a problem. The new terms that emerged in the text – "harmony in the family" or "traditional Armenian family" – do not have any legal content.
The introduction of such wording can be viewed as a symbolic concession to the opponents of the law.
Other more serious changes were also made to the law. For example, it does not reflect violence in situations, where a couple is separated.
Conservatism and geopolitics: Who launched a campaign against the law and why?
Why did the adoption of the law directed against an unambiguously negative phenomenon become controversial? Numerous countries of the world, at any rate, most European countries, have adopted such laws.
Over the past few years, Armenian society has been shocked by high-profile crimes like murders of women or violence against them on the part of husbands or relatives.
According to Open Democracy, 602 cases of domestic violence were registered in Armenia in October 2017. The hotline of Armenian nongovernmental organisations received more than 5,000 calls with requests for help in 2017.
More than 50 women were killed in Armenia in 2010-2017 "for jealousy reasons". In addition, courts imposed light punishment on murderers in many cases.
The point is that the problem was regulated by the Criminal Code before the law was adopted. Therefore, the victim of violence or a witness had a choice to report to the police on the crime or keep silent.
According to activists of women's organisations, it was possible to avert many such cases over the past years, had the domestic violence law existed.
In society that holds patriarchal views on the family, it is often regarded as shameful to report on your husband, even if he beat you.
In spite of this, Armenia has made progress. Thanks to nongovernmental organisations and activists, the problem of domestic violence that everyone used to keep silent on is now openly discussed.
Many representatives of the Armenian diaspora also supported the law. However, the position of European structures was decisive in the adoption of the law. Of course, contrary to the opinion of conspiracy theorists, European officials do not have the aim of ruining the traditional Armenian family and the Armenian national identity. However, the fact that the adoption of the law coincided in time with the settlement of relations with the EU implied that its fate would be linked the Brussels-Yerevan-Moscow triangle. Expectations emerged that a framework agreement would be signed with the EU and it was clear that Russia was not going to be particularly enthusiastic over it.
It is here we are to search for the reasons why the adoption of this law caused such a stir. It is difficult to deny that Armenian society is patriarchal. Surveys carried out lately have shown that Armenian society is one of the most conservative among the East European and post-Soviet countries: Homosexuality is regarded as immoral by 98 per cent, the use of drugs by 97 per cent, prostitution by 96 per cent, extramarital sex by 78, and so forth.
However, it is clear that the struggle against domestic violence is not a controversial issue and, if desired, the law could have been adopted without raising a particular stir.
Even the Armenian Apostolic Church that cannot be described very liberal held quite a balanced position.
One of its top hierarchs, Bishop Mikayel Ajapahyan, supported the law. It is true that the bishop voiced his own position in this case, but at any rate, none of other church hierarchs criticised the law or made a statement on their different position.
The problem lies not only in Armenian Society and its being patriarchal and conservative. Certain circles that hold ultra-conservative and anti-Western positions have launched a campaign against the law.
Figures like aforementioned Khachik Stamboltsyan, former nationalist and openly Russia-oriented Hayk Nahapetyan, the chairman of the anti-homosexual and pro-Russian Geopolitical Club, Arman Boshyan, and others are among those, who were against the adoption of the law.
Many arguments of the opponents of the law were taken from the Russian media and some placards were even printed in Russian.
All this was happening against the background of the expectations of the signing of the agreement between the EU and Armenia. It was to this that many Armenian analysts linked the campaign against the law.
Interestingly, Russian involvement in this story is on the opposite side [sentence as published]. Well-known Russian activist Alena Popova arrived in Yerevan to support her Armenian colleagues. This is what she wrote about the events under way in Armenia: "Does this not remind you of anything? I can clearly see [Sergei] Kurginyan's eyes and quotations from Parent Resistance [organisation]. I recall Yelena Borisovna Mizulina, a lawyer, who told me that there is no such problem as domestic violence here and the West is exaggerating all this".
Anyway, the law is adopted, albeit with significant amendments and changes. The adoption of the law is an informal obligation the Armenian government assumed within the context of dialogue with the EU.
Armenia and the EU have now signed the agreement and the process that is to lead to the liberalisation of the visa regime is to start soon. The Armenian government will have to carry out reforms that are no less important in the context of these processes.
And the domestic violence law has shown that other reforms will also have to travel a difficult road. In order to have these reforms carried out, their supporters, even with support from the EU, will have to overcome the resistance not only from influential groups in Armenia [including the government themselves] [square brackets as published], but also external forces.
SpitRain IX: The Multicontinental Edition
Garen Yegparian
BY GAREN YEGPARIAN
Winner of a Pulitzer Prize, National Book Critics Circle Award, U.N. Correspondents Gold Medal, the National Magazine Award, the Overseas Press Club Award, and two from the ANCA (Eastern and Western Regions) – do you know who this describes? Here’s another hint “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide”. In case it’s not yet obvious, she was also President Barack Obama’s Ambassador to the U.N.
Samantha Power is now a winner of the coveted SpitRain award, too, granted (by yours truly) to individuals who behave so shamelessly that the Armenian saying, “He’s so shameless, if you spit in his face, s/he’d think it’s raining” becomes applicable to her/him.
But she is not alone in earning this SpitRain. Rather, she was enabled by a host of others, to be named shortly.
No doubt you saw the news that she joined the Aurora Prize selection committee. This prize was founded by Noubar Afeyan (Harvard professor), Vartan Gregorian (extensive resume of distinguished academic and foundation positions), and Ruben Vardanyan (billionaire in Russia) to recognize, annually, the efforts and achievements of “an individual whose actions have had an exceptional impact on preserving human life and advancing humanitarian causes” – this is a great thing especially since it’s named after Arshalooys Mardiganian (Aurora Mardigian) who starred in the movie made portraying her own story of surviving the Genocide.
Samantha Power
But Samantha Power is also the person who did nothing to act on her “convictions” during her time in office. She was silent about the Armenian Genocide until some months before the end of her tenure, and even that was just a passing reference. Simply, she was no better than Obama or any other promise-and-renege official we’ve encountered countless times over the decades.
Imagine if soon after Ambassador John Evans’ unceremonious dumping (2006) for speaking honestly about the Genocide (2005), she had done the same as Obama’s Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights on the National Security Council (January 2009 – February 2013), as chair of a newly formed Atrocities Prevention Board (April 2012), or U.S. Ambassador to the U.N (until 2017).
How did she get appointed to the Aurora Prize Selection Committee (APSC)? It’s not spelled out in the press release, nor could I find a description of the selection process on the Aurora website. I have to assume that Afeyan, Gregorian, and Vardanyan did it, hence their complicity and sharing the shame required to earn a SitRain.
What of the other members of the APSC? Were they involved in her joining Aurora? It’s been more than a week, and I’ve seen no indication that any of them have voiced disapproval or dissatisfaction with Power’s being brought in their midst. Unfortunately, this leads me to include these august individuals as SpitRain recipients. In case you have any doubt as to their credentials, or simply do not know who they are, please read on or see the list with more detail on the Aurora website.
The APSC is comprised George Clooney (humanitarian, performer and filmmaker), Ernesto Zedillo (Former President of Mexico), Gareth Evans (Former Australian Foreign Minister), Hina Jilani (Former UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Human Rights Defenders), Leymah Gbowee (Nobel Laureate), Mary Robinson – Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and )President of Ireland, Oscar Arias (Former President of Costa Rica andNobel Laureate), Shirin Ebadi (Human Rights Lawyer, Iran’s first female judge, and Nobel Laureate), Lord Ara Darzi (Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London), and Vartan Gregorian.
Shame on these otherwise exemplary people!
And, even more shame on all of us, as Armenians, if we don’t raise a huge fuss over the poor judgment that led to Samantha Power being added to the APSC. She had her chance, she blew it. Unless she finds some way to make up for her eight year silence, she has no place in the Armenian circuit. Otherwise, many more like her will take advantage of us and dump us when it doesn’t suit their needs.
The Aurora Prize started, and should continue, as a proudly Armenian “thing” that is serving all of humanity in gratitude for the help we received when we most needed it Armenian rules and norms must apply. No back-door collusion, crafty compromising politics, or gamesmanship ought to be tolerated.
Fortunately, there’s already a bit of a stink being raised on Facebook about this as well as at least one other op-ed, published in Armenian, penned by Apo Boghigian. May there be many more. Write the Aurora folks at [email protected] or 2/2, Melik-Adamyan Street, 0010 Yerevan, Republic of Armenia. Heck, maybe there office should even be picketed!
Turkish citizen arrested for attempted drug trafficking of 100kg heroin through Armenia to Georgia
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia November 13, 2017 Monday Turkish citizen arrested for attempted drug trafficking of 100kg heroin through Armenia to Georgia YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, ARMENPRESS. The national security service of Armenia issed a statement regarding the heroin smuggling attempt from Iran, in response to media requests. The NSS said a criminal case was launched on July 10, 2017. The NSS said the 105kg 100g brutto and 101kg 830g 160g netto weight heroin was packaged in 204 bricks in Iran, hidden in a cargo vehicle. Later, three ethnic Kurdish people hired a Turkish national, a driver engaged in international transportations, to ship the narcotics to Georgia through Armenia. On July 9, 2017, the cargo vehicle entered the Armenian border, however the attempted smuggling was prevented by border officers. According to initial information, the heroin was planned to be further shipped to Europe by ship, in a destination controlled by a transnational drug trafficking organization. The driver has been charged and detained. The investigation is still ongoing. In addition to the abovementioned cases, the NSS has investigated 8 criminal cases on drug trafficking – confiscating 2kg of heroin, 3kg meth, and 14kg apion. The smuggling attempts were made from Iran, USA, Turkey, Netherlands.
Head of the State Food Security Service of Armenia considers it inappropriate to implement GMO products on the territory of the Republic
ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia November 9, 2017 Thursday Head of the State Food Security Service of Armenia considers it inappropriate to implement GMO products on the territory of the Republic November 09 Yerevan Naira Badalyan. The head of the State Food Security Service of the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia, Ishkhan Karapetyan, considers it unreasonable to sell GMO products on the territory of the republic. "I, as a citizen, do not want to eat food that contains GMOs," he told journalists on November 9 after a government meeting. The head of the department recalled that around the genetically modified organisms in science have long been various discussions. At the same time, within the framework of its powers, the State Service is currently carrying out appropriate actions and studying the process of import and turnover of these products. "Now the volume of seeds imported by Monsanto does not exceed 1% of total imports, I do not think that this, at the moment, contains big risks," Karapetyan said. Next year, the food safety state service planned large-scale monitoring programs to detect the presence of pesticides, nitrates and GMOs in plant products. "After summing up the monitoring results, we will get the full picture, which will allow us to assess the part of the control," he said. At the same time, according to the official, according to the imperative of the Armenian legislation, there must be a marking on the products indicating the presence of GMOs. The same principle is followed by the technical regulations of the Customs Union, where the permissible threshold of GMO content in food is set at 0.9%. In turn, as the Minister of Agriculture of Armenia Ignaty Arakelyan noted, at present the agency is studying the activities of the company Monsanto, which has been registered and functioning in the country for 20 years. "Today we are studying possible risks from the company's activities, also in terms of environmental protection," the minister said. It is noteworthy that, as Arakelyan pointed out in response to the question of ArmInfo, as early as 2013, the Ministry of Nature Protection acted with the legislative initiative on GMO products in Armenia, but for some unknown reasons the process was suspended. "We plan to return to the legislative initiative and understand how relevant it is today, and whether there is a need for it," he said. At the same time, the head of the Ministry of Agriculture sees the danger that the use of GMO seeds will spoil the soil and will jeopardize the development of organic farming in Armenia. "The danger exists always, we need to understand how true this is, what is being said today, what are the risks," concluded the head of the Ministry of Agriculture of Armenia. Note that on November 1, the efforts of the US Embassy in Armenia in Yerevan hosted a presentation of the activities of Valmont and Monsanto. Both companies are well known in the world market: the former is engaged in the sale and maintenance of mechanized irrigation equipment, and there are no complaints about it. The same can not be said about the transnational corporation Monsanto - this company is engaged in the production of transgenic seeds and poisons for their processing. And then the charge d'affaires of the US Embassy in Armenia Rafik Mansur marked the entry into the Armenian market of a whole presentation. In an interview with reporters, Alexander Zvyagintsev, Sales Manager for Monsanto in the CIS, assured that the company will not offer Armenian partners to work with genetically modified products, since they "do not do this in countries where it is prohibited." But for about 20 years now, the company has been selling seeds in Armenia and advising farmers. In turn, the US Embassy in Armenia reported that Monsanto has been selling its products on the Armenian market since 2006. Speaking about the objectives of the presentation of the Monsanto and Valmont companies (the sale of irrigation equipment) in Armenia, the US Embassy explained that the event was held in the context of US policy to stimulate US investments in the Armenian economy. The topic of a possible entry into the Armenian market of the American GMO giant was not left indifferent by the soloist of the rock band System of a Down, Serge Tankian, who, in his Facebook page, called on Armenia to "stay away" from the American company Monsanto. In particular, he wrote: "Because of its policy, Monsanto has earned a reputation in the United States and Europe for a" corporation of evil. "Unlike in the United States, in Armenia, I have the opportunity to enjoy the taste of organic, crunchy apples - a product of long-term agricultural work. then it will be like this. "Thanks to Monsanto, I can not find such apples in the US," Tankian writes. In the end of September, The Guardian published an unmasking article that Monsanto officially spent about 300,000 - 400 on lobbying for its interests in the European Parliament 000 euros per year, and internal correspondence was also made public where the company's employees discuss ways to better prevent the normal study of the glyphosate pesticide and its recognition as dangerous, and correspond with some US officials and scientists about it. that the European organization EFSA, responsible for product safety, copied its 2015 report on glyphosate from the Monsanto 2012 authorship report.
North–South Transport Corridor: Russia Wins, Armenia Loses
The Jamestown Foundation
Nov 9 2017
A long-proposed alternative to the western Caspian (or Azerbaijani) route within the NSTC is the Armenian-Iranian rail link, also known as the South Armenian Railway, which would connect Iran’s Bandar Abbas port to the Black Sea and Russia through Armenia and Georgia (Regnum, October 17, 2016; Civilnet.am March 23, 2017; EurAsia Daily, January 13, 2016; Ritmeurasia.org, February 17, 2016). However, since Baku is a crossing point for both North–South and East–West transcontinental transport corridors currently under development, Azerbaijan has gained a great opportunity to synergize the Russia–Azerbaijan–Iran railway with the just inaugurated Baku–Tbilisi–Kars (BTK) railroad, which is part of the East–West “Silk Road” corridor from China to Europe. Indeed, President Aliyev pointedly mentioned last month that the two transport corridors would be integrated (President.az, October 30, 2017). Such synergy of the North–South and East–West transport infrastructures rules out any prospects for the South Armenian Railway. This effectively puts an end to Armenia’s ambitions to become a regional transit country and adversely affects it politically as well as economically. Yet, Armenia’s closest ally, Russia, has essentially been unsupportive of Yerevan’s position on this issue. Why?
First, the Azerbaijani route will solidify the blockade on Armenia implemented by Azerbaijan and Turkey due to the Karabakh conflict. And the more isolated Armenia is, the more dependent on Russia it becomes. Indeed, a major rationale for the Armenian-Iranian railway was to subvert the blockade of Armenia while simultaneously reducing its dependence on Russia. This reasoning also explains why the United States was not opposed to the construction of a rail line linking its regional adversary Iran with Armenia, which is home to Russian military bases (see EDM, January 30).
The second basis for Russia’s indifference is the fact that the choice of the Azerbaijani route over the Armenian-Iranian railway will seriously undermine Yerevan’s attempts to build closer relations with Tehran independent of Moscow. It will also prevent Armenia from developing stronger transport connectivity with Europe as well as Georgia. As noted above, the Armenian-Iranian route would have continued northward into Georgia, which is politically at odds with Russia (Jam-news.net, February 28).
Third, at a cost of around $3.5 billion, the South Armenian Railway is not commercially viable (Newsarmenia.am, October 31). This sum is close to Armenia’s entire state budget. Yerevan has no prospects to finance the Iranian-Armenian railway on its own, while Baku has agreed to fund the $500 million still needed for the completion of the missing railway segment of the NSTC. In 2015, the president of Russian Railways made it clear that Moscow was not interested in the South Armenian Railway project, calling it “commercially unviable” (Azatutyun.am, June 9, 2015; Arka.am, January 19, 2016).
Russia’s current position on the business sense of building the South Armenian Railway sharply contradicts its policy from years earlier—before Armenia was as closely tied (politically and economically) to Russia as it is today. Back in 2008, Moscow had in fact assured Yerevan that it would participate in the implementation of the Iranian-Armenian rail link (Asbarez.com, November 14, 2008). At that time, the Russian Railways company took over Armenian Railways in a 30-year deal, which is extendable by another 20 years. Moreover, the proposed railroad was apparently on the agenda of the Armenian and Russian presidents’ Moscow meeting on September 3, 2013. Right after this, President Serzh Sargsyan announced Armenia’s decision to abandon the association agreement being negotiated with the European Union and declared his country’s intention to join the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (News.am, September 3, 2013 Arovat-ru.am, February 27, 2016; Jam-news.net, March 13, 2017).
Fourth, by supporting the Azerbaijani route, Moscow also aims to neutralize Chinese intentions to help fund the Iranian-Armenian railway to serve the One Belt, One Road project (Armenpress.am, November 16, 2015). The South Armenian Railway and China’s involvement in bringing it to fruition would have pulled Armenia out of Russia’s exclusive control. President Sargsyan had publicly stated that this project would lead to a stronger Chinese presence in the South Caucasus, something Moscow obviously would not like to see.
Last but not least, the Azerbaijani route will provide Russia with faster, easier and cheaper direct railway access to Iran as well as an overland passage to the Gulf and the Middle East. Due to Russia’s role in the Syrian conflict, burgeoning partnership and trade with Iran, and rising relations with Iraq, this railway connection can serve Moscow’s interest to project power into the region. Indeed, Russia’s attempted involvement in the recent Qatari-Saudi rift illustrates that Moscow is seeking a stronger presence in the Gulf region (see EDM, June 12). Iran’s Bandar Abbas port—the other end of the NSTC link—provides easier passage to Qatar and other Gulf countries for Russian goods.
Many in Armenia feel betrayed by Russia due to the effective failure of the Iranian-Armenian railway project. Yerevan has repeatedly counted on Moscow’s political support or economic backing for various regional initiatives, only to be disappointed. Ultimately, it seems, Armenia is simply too small to sacrifice Russian interests for (see EDM, April 14, 2016; February 13, 2017). This disconnect, however, has yet to fully register for the Armenian ruling elite (see EDM, July 27, September 8). And the reality is, Yerevan’s stubbornness on the Karabakh conflict has made the economy of Armenia and the prosperity of its people hostage to unrealistic ambitions for more than 25 years.
ANCA-Sponsored Conference on Christians Prioritizes Justice for the Armenian Genocide
A portion of the IDC and ANCA advocates following over 400 Congressional meetings on spotlighting the plight of Christians in the Middle East and demanding justice for the Armenian Genocide.
Three-Day IDC Summit Concludes with 400+ Meetings Across Capitol Hill
WASHINGTON – Hundreds of Christian leaders, international religious freedom advocates, and human rights defenders held over 400 Congressional meetings calling on legislators to reject Turkey’s Armenian Genocide gag-rule and draw upon the lessons of this crime in preventing renewed atrocities against Christians and other at-risk religious minorities across the Middle East.
The advocates were gathered for In Defense of Christians (IDC) 2017 Summit, “American Leadership and Securing the Future of Christians in the Middle East,” cosponsored by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), The Philos Project, and The Institute on Religion and Democracy (IRD).
A video overview of the IDC 2017 Summit is available at:
The meetings, which included Christian clergy of many denominations and supporters of diverse nationalities and creeds, focused on the summit’s five-pronged advocacy agenda, including support of H.Res.220, a bipartisan measure seeks to apply the lessons of the Armenian Genocide in preventing new atrocities across the Middle East, as well as efforts to advance: security and stability in Lebanon; emergency relief for victims of genocide in Iraq and Syria; allies and accountability in the Middle East; and, legal punishment for ISIS, al-Qaeda and other perpetrators of genocide.
Images from the meetings are available on the ANCA Facebook page.
Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY) with ANCA and IDC advocates during IDC Summit 2017
Prior to the Congressional visitations, a dozen Members of Congress joined with advocates to share their personal commitment to support the safety and security of the Middle East’s historic Christian communities and cited the importance of grassroots mobilization to advance those concerns. Among U.S. Representatives offering remarks were: Robert Aderholt (R-AL), Ron Estes (R-KS), Trent Franks (R-AZ), Glenn Grothman (R-WI), Andy Harris (R-MD), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Ruben Kihuen (D-NV), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Keith Rothfus (R-PA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Steve Stivers (R-OH), and Randy Weber (R-TX).
An IDC Summit supporter since its inception in 2014 and cosponsor since 2016, the ANCA lent its voice to a series of policy-driven panel discussions in the first two days of the conference. In a panel titled “Who Are America’s Allies and Enemies in the Middle East,” ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian offered a hard look at Turkey, calling for accountability for its ongoing denial of the Armenian Genocide, the escalating aggression at home and abroad, reaching the U.S. in May with the brutal beating of peaceful protesters in Washington DC by President Erdogan’s security detail and supporters.
Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) speaking with ANCA and IDC advocates during IDC Summit 2017
Hamparian’s remarks are available on the ANCA Facebook page at:
Allies and Accountability: The Case of Turkey
Allies and Accountability: The Case of TurkeyANCA's Aram Suren Hamparian speaking at the In Defense of Christians summit. Take action: www.anca.org/preventgenocide
Posted by ANCA on Thursday, October 26, 2017
A highlight of the IDC 2017 Summit was the announcement that the U.S. will open a new channel of direct U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) assistance, administered by faith-based groups and other non-government organizations, to help persecuted Christians and other at-risk Middle East populations. The policy shift, long sought by the ANCA, IDC and a broad range of coalition partners and Congressional allies was announced Wednesday evening by Vice-President Mike Pence at the IDC 2017 National Advocacy Summit Fourth Annual Solidarity Dinner.
“We will no longer rely on the United Nations alone to assist persecuted Christians and minorities in the wake of genocide and the atrocities of terrorist groups,” announced Vice-President Pence. “The United States will work hand-in-hand from this day forward with faith-based groups and private organizations to help those who are persecuted for their faith. […] We stand with those who suffer for their faith because that’s what Americans have always done, because the common bond of our humanity demands a strong response.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-AZ) with ANCA and IDC advocates during IDC Summit 2017
His Beatitude Moran Mor Bechara Boutros al-Rai, the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch and all the East and His Beatitude John Yazigi, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East had traveled from the Middle East to offer first-hand accounts of the plight of Christians in the region. Armenian faith leaders at the conference included His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of Eastern USA, Rev. Berdj Jambazian, Minister of Union of the Armenian Evangelical Church of North America and Mr. Zaven Khanjian, Executive Director and CEO of the Armenian Missionary Association of America.
Schoolchildren from Armenia and Artsakh participate in table tennis competition
On October 31, the RA Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs hosted the final stage of the Table Tennis Tournament for pupils studying in 8-12 grade at public schools.
About 70 pupils of secondary schools of Armenia and Artsakh are participating in competitions. The results of the Table Tennis Tournament will be summed up tomorrow at the sports hall of the “Armenia” Sport Union. The same day the winners will be awarded.