Author: Aram Torosian

 14:44,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 23, ARMENPRESS. Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan met with Syrian Foreign Minister Fayssal Mikdad in Damascus on February 23.

FM Mirzoyan offered condolences to FM Mikdad and the friendly people of Syria on the devastating February 6 earthquake and expressed the support of Armenia and the Armenian people, the foreign ministry said in a read-out. In this context FM Mirzoyan said that the search and rescue (SAR) teams sent by Armenia were one of the first SAR teams in Syria after the earthquake, and added that Armenia has already sent three batches of humanitarian aid to affected regions.

The foreign ministers discussed issues related to the Armenian-Syrian cooperation in bilateral and multilateral formats. The FMs noted that the relations between the two peoples are based on the multi-century friendship between the Armenian and Syrian peoples. In this regard it was stressed that the Armenian community of Syria plays an important role as a bridge between the two countries.

Regional security issues were also on the agenda of the meeting.

FM Mirzoyan presented to his Syrian counterpart details on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh resulting from the blockade of the Lachin corridor by Azerbaijan.

 19:54,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan received Toivo Klaar, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

The Prime Minister highly valued the cooperation between Armenia and the European Union and noted with satisfaction the fact of the institutional reforms being implemented in our country with the support of the EU. At the same time, Nikol Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the activities of the EU civilian mission in Armenia, which will contribute to stability and peace in the region.

The interlocutors referred to the consequences of the humanitarian, environmental and energy crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh resulted by Azerbaijan's illegal blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Prime Minister Pashinyan emphasized the importance of the resolution adopted by the European Parliament regarding the unblocking of the Lachin Corridor.

The interlocutors exchanged ideas on the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

 11:44, 2 September 2022

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. The Foreign Minister of Sweden Ann Linde welcomed the recent trilateral meeting between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and President of the European Council Charles Michel in Brussels.

“Welcome continued strong engagement by President of the European Council Charles Michel and the 4th meeting between leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan. Important for EU to be part of the process for peace and stability in the South Caucasus,” Linde tweeted.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met in Brussels on August 31 under the mediation of European Council President Charles Michel.

Issues related to the release of prisoners and the clarification of the fate of the missing, border delimitation and border security, de-blocking the region, the normalization of Armenia-Azerbaijan relations, and the Nagorno Karabakh issue were discussed.

An agreement was reached to continue substantive negotiations at the level of foreign ministers on the drafting of the peace treaty. The meeting of the foreign ministers will take place within a month.

The next meeting of the Commission on Delimitation and Border Security will take place in Brussels in November.

The next meeting of the leaders of the countries will take place in November.

IALA’s Creative Writing Grant will award $2,500 annually to one Armenian writer whose work-in-progress shows exceptional literary and creative ability. In 2022, the grant will be awarded for a work of fiction, and in the coming years, to works of poetry and creative nonfiction, as well as other mixed genre forms. The 2022 grant will be judged by Raffi Wartanian, Aline Ohanesian, Aida Zilelian, and Nancy Agabian.

The Creative Writing Grant is meant to foster the development of contemporary Armenian literature in English through an annual monetary award. Additionally, IALA will support grant recipients in promoting their publications through marketing on our website and social media channels, through book reviews and readings and discussions. Click here to apply.  

IALA’s Translation Grant will award $2,500 to one translator working from Armenian source texts into English. In 2022, the grant will be awarded for any work of prose written in Western Armenian by a female author. Although preference will be given to more recent (post-20th century) works, we welcome works from any time period. The 2022 grant will be judged by Tatevik Ayvazyan, Gagik Stepan-Sarkissian, and Garen Torikian.

International Armenian Literary Alliance’s Translation Grant graphic

Given the traumatic history of the Armenian diaspora, many readers are unable to read works in the original Armenian, and therefore, have centuries of literature inaccessible to them. Translators working with Armenian texts have traditionally lacked resources in the publishing world, as well as access to other funding, due to the overwhelming influence of so-called “majority languages.” IALA’s Translation Grant is meant to foster the development of contemporary Armenian literature in English through a monetary award. 

Additionally, in partnership with the Armenian Institute and Mashtots Press, and with funding from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation – Գալուստ Կիւլպէնկեան Հիմնարկութիւն,  IALA will support the grant recipient in publishing and promoting the selected work. As Western Armenian is on UNESCO’s endangered languages list, we believe that it is imperative to bring more attention to Western Armenian literature. As female authors producing Armenian literature are a minority within a minority, it’s also necessary to highlight the works of these writers. Click here to apply.

For more information on both grants, visit the website. Please read the eligibility criteria and guidelines in full before applying. 

Both grants were made possible by a generous donation from the Armenian Allied Arts Association, an organization based in Southern California that discovered, encouraged and promoted new talent of Armenian descent for over eighty years.

For more information, please visit IALA’s website.

 09:52,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Four people are under arrest amid an ongoing investigation into the August 25 fire in Stepanakert city, the prosecution of Artsakh said in a statement.

The fire broke out in the territory of the Stepanakert Industrial Combine and starting spreading in the area where ammunition was illegally stored, which caused the subsequent explosion.

No one was injured in the incident.

The four arrested people are suspected in illegally acquiring and storing ammunition.

 16:03,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 23, ARMENPRESS. Over 133 participants are competing in the Prime Minister’s Cup Swimming Tournament in Lake Sevan.

An 82-year-old man and a 73-year-old woman are the eldest participants.

Participants include 18 foreign nationals (6 women and 12 men).

Lifeguards from the Ministry of Emergency Situations are on patrol on 6 boats to ensure safety.

4 winners in the two age groups of the men’s and women’s divisions will receive 1,000,000 dram prize each. The runner-ups will receive 600,000, while those finishing 3rd will be awarded 400,000.

150,000 dram prize is envisaged for the 4th place, 100,000 for the 5th place and 75,000 for the 6-10 places.

The tournament features 2 age groups:

I) Women aged 18-35 and Men aged 18-40;

II) Women above 35 and Men above 41;

The Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sport Karen Giloyan said in remarks that the purpose of the Prime Minister’s Cup is to “promote healthy lifestyle and sports in Armenia.”

The lengths of the lanes are 1000 and 1500 meters for women and men respectively.