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Author: Arbi Tashjian

Primate’s Easter Message

Arbi Tashjian
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Primate of the Western Diocese Archbishop Hovnan Derderian

“Glory to Your Miraculous Resurrection, Lord.”

The Mystery of Christ’s Resurrection is beyond the limits of human comprehension and logic. Christ’s Resurrection can only be felt and lived solely through faith. Faith is the key to immerse in the transparency of the Resurrection and comprehend its influence in the life of humanity, especially throughout various historical periods of our nation.

The Resurrection is the purest _expression_ of Christ’s limitless and unconditional love, the assurance His true promise, with which light overcame darkness, hope prevailed over uncertainty, life defeated death, and good prevailed over evil.

The Resurrection of Christ is the greatest testament to our faith, the framework of the validity of our creed, the undeniable truth of Christ’s divinity for the non-believers and skeptics, and lastly the anchor of our spiritual identity.

In these times, when the chaos of the world is overwhelming, some have resorted to unknowingly pose the following question: “Where is the Resurrected Lord?” Why didn’t God save us from the merciless coronavirus pandemic, why didn’t He send signs of the 44-day Artsakh War, why didn’t He resolve the differences between Russia and the Ukraine, a war between brother countries that may well turn into a global conflict and result in World War III?

The righteous Job also resorted to asking such questions, when he lost everything despite being pious and God-loving. Like others, Job also experienced feelings of hopelessness. However, when listening to Job’s complaints, God answered him “Would you condemn Me that you may be justified?” (JOB 40:8). Hearing this Job regretted his actions and repented by saying “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You” (JOB 42:5).

Let us not be naive like those who attempted to console Job through empty and wearisome explanations, being the cause of his temptation. The answers to the “Whys” rest in the Cross and the Crucified, the precious blood that He shed in sacrificing Himself for the salvation of humanity. The All Benevolent God does not wish death upon the sinful. The evil and the devastation that occurs in of the world are not His will nor does He command them. They are the result of our free will. St. James the Apostle says it rightfully “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone” (JAMES 1:13).

Therefore, such doubts and questions which may arise from our human condition ought to be answered in our partaking in Christ’s sufferings, as God demonstrated His salvific power, which ultimately culminated with His Glorious and Victorious Resurrection. It is for this reason that during Holy Week, when we sing “To Your Cross, Christ” (Khachi ko Krisdos), we praise and signify Christ’s betrayal, passion, burial, and resurrection.

As did our ancestors, we too must live our lives embracing the sunrise of Christ’s Resurrection, realizing that the temptations of life are impermanent and temporary. The mystery of Christ’s Victorious Resurrection ought to reside in the hearts of our people in Armenia and the Diaspora if we wish to heal our pain and diminish our sufferings. Comfort and consolation is derived from God. At times of doubt, sorrow and great pain, like Job, we bow before His Might. We regret and furthermore, we repent. It is only then that we will become worthy of seeing the Resurrected Lord.

Today, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church exhorts her faithful to renew their spiritual lives with the mystery of the Resurrection. Our Church commands us to relinquish slanderous discourse, destructive criticism, unsuitable complaints, the relay of self-responsibility on others. Our Church instructs us to express our God-loving nature by demonstrating keenness, care, and love for another, just as God loves us all. We rest assured that our spiritual reawakening and national strength is conditioned upon the realization of these aforementioned exhortations.

The Feast of the Resurrection becomes meaningful when our people embrace a spirit of forgiveness, welcome humility, rely on wholehearted faith signified epitomized by the Christian spirit. How can we become God-loving, if we cannot uphold these virtues? How shall we stand before the power and the glory of the Resurrected Lord, if we are unable to value our God-given gifts of our Homeland, our Holy Etchmiadzin, our language and our culture?

For us, the year 2022 is of great significance as we celebrate the 95th anniversary of the establishment of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America. We have dedicated this year as the year of “The Armenian Christian Family.” These occasions oblige us to celebrate the milestone anniversary with feelings of gratitude, emphasizing that the strength of our Diocese is conditioned upon the vivacity of the Armenian Christian family.

When we reflect on these two occasions, the light shines upon the path to an everlasting life.

Therefore, may our souls gaze upon that light wherein our salvation and the salvation of our nation is derived. Let us welcome and embrace Christ’s Resurrection proclaiming “Christ is risen from the dead. Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.”

ARCHBISHOP HOVNAN DERDERIAN
APRIL 17, 2022


Nuclear Power Plant’s power unit 2 on planned preventive repair

Arbi Tashjian

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 11:46,

YEREVAN, APRIL 16, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian Nuclear Power Plant’s power unit N2 is undergoing a planned annual preventive repair. The repair began 00:30 April 16 and will last 73 days, the plant’s administration said.

Highly experienced experts from Russia, Croatia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic and other countries have joined the NPP crew and specialists from the Armenian Nuclear Safety Regulatory Committee for the maintenance work.

The power unit N2 is scheduled to be re-launched on June 28.

Armenian opposition MPs still barred from entering Artsakh

Arbi Tashjian
Panorama
Armenia –

Armenian opposition lawmakers are still barred from entering Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) by Russian peacekeepers, the parliamentary faction of the Hayastan alliance said in a statement on Wednesday.

Several dozen MPs representing the opposition Hayastan and With Honor (Pativ Unem) blocs headed to Artsakh after announcing a boycott of the four-day parliament session on Tuesday. However, the Russian peacekeepers manning the Aghavno checkpoint in the Lachin corridor did not allow them to enter Artsakh without providing any explanations.

“It is worth noting that the incumbent authorities and the Azerbaijani side were very quick to react to the decision of the deputies to visit Artsakh, even making a demand to ban it,” the faction said.

“This behavior and situation, among other things, run counter to the commitment to ensure uninterrupted communication between Armenia and Artsakh. This situation is clearly unacceptable.

“At the same time, it is not clear what concrete measures the authorities have taken to solve the problem and prevent similar cases in the future, other than just making statements.

“We would like to inform you that the ban on the entry of MPs to Artsakh has not yet been lifted. The incumbent authorities, as a logical continuation of the statements made by them, must take immediate action and assure that unrestricted entry into Artsakh is allowed for all Armenian citizens," reads the statement.

Russia hopes situation around Nagorno Karabakh will end with peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan – Matviyenko

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 11:17, 29 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. Russia hopes that the current situation around Nagorno Karabakh will end with a peace treaty between Armenia and Azerbaijan, Chairwoman of the Federation Council of the Russian Federal Assembly Valentina Matviyenko said at the session of the CIS Inter-Parliamentary Assembly, TASS reported.

“We hope that this situation will end with a peace treaty, we sincerely want this”, she said, commenting on the statements of Armenian Speaker of Parliament Alen Simonyan and Azerbaijani Parliament Speaker Sahiba Gafarova about the possible peace agreement.

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expresses willingness to pay official visit to Armenia

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 12:37, 1 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi expressed desire to visit Armenia at a meeting with Ambassador of Armenia Hrachya Poladyan.

Ambassador Poladyan presented his credentials to President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. During a brief conversation, Poladyan conveyed Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan’s warm greetings and best wishes to President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Ambassador Poladyan said that Armenia is awaiting President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s official visit to Armenia with big expectations.

President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said he will take the opportunity and visit Armenia. He congratulated Ambassador Poladyan on the occasion of the presentation of credentials and spoke highly about the traditionally friendly relations between Armenia and Egypt and wished good luck to the Ambassador in his mission, the foreign ministry said in a readout.

Armenian FM holds meeting with OSCE Chairman-in-Office

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 13:01, 1 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 1, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan held a meeting with OSCE Chairman-in-Office and Poland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau.

The private talk was followed by an extended -format meeting, the ministry said.

The Armenian FM and the OSCE Chairman-in-Office will then hold a joint press conference.

The OSCE Chairman-in-Office arrived in Armenia as part of a regional visit.

Rau will also meet with Armenia’s President Vahagn Khachaturyan and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Azerbaijani press: Azerbaijani envoy urges end to Armenia’s "hate-driven" Karabakh agenda

Arbi Tashjian
11:00 (UTC+04:00)
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By Vafa Ismayilova

Azerbaijani Consul-General in Los Angeles Nasimi Aghayev has urged an end to Armenia's and foreign-based lobby's "hate-driven agenda" regarding Karabakh. 

He made the remarks on his official Twitter page.

"Armenia and its radical lobby must stop holding 25,000 ethnic Armenian citizens of Azerbaijan in Qarabagh [Karabakh] as hostages to their extremist, hate-driven agenda. Once illegal armed groups are withdrawn [from Azerbaijani territories] our [ethnic] Armenian citizens will enjoy equal rights like other Azerbaijani citizens,"  he tweeted.

Aghayev also shared an official map of Armenia submitted by Yerevan to the UN and questioned the presence of illegal Armenian armed groups on the Azerbaijani territories, namely in Farrukh village, which was regained by the Azerbaijani armed forces.

"Here is the official map of Armenia submitted by Yerevan to the UN, and the location of the village of Farrukh (site of the latest tension). The question is: What are the Armenian armed groups doing in the internationally recognized sovereign territory of Azerbaijan?" wrote the consul-general. 

The diplomat stressed that the reason for the current tension is the failure to completely withdraw illegal Armenian forces from Azerbaijan.

"Almost all media reports and statements from foreign officials conveniently omit to mention an important (and not fully implemented) obligation, enshrined in the Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian joint statement of 2020. Complete withdrawal of Armenian forces from Azerbaijan. It is the reason for the current tension," he tweeted.

Azerbaijani servicemen have hoisted the flag of Azerbaijan in Khojaly region's Farrukh village cleared of the illegal Armenian armed formations on March 27.

Baku earlier dismissed as inaccurate the Russian Defence Ministry statement on the withdrawal of Azerbaijani troops from Farrukh village.

Farrukh enters the administrative area of Pirlar village in Khojaly region located 16 km of Asgaran settlement and 32 km of Khankandi.

The Azerbaijani armed forces regained full control over the village, clearing it from illegal Armenian armed groups, who had to leave Azerbaijan's internationally-recognized territories in Karabakh under the ceasefire deal signed by Baku, Moscow and Yerevan on November 10, 2020.

On March 20, 2022, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said in Sugovushan that the so-called Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region functioned in Azerbaijan for many years during the Soviet era for purely political purposes.

"As you know, the Armenians pursued a policy of aggression against our people, and our native Karabakh and a part of East Zangazur were in the hands of Armenians for about 30 years. It had to end and it did. We saw that no negotiations or political steps were bringing us any closer to our goal. We saw and knew that we must be stronger and more determined to protect our rights and restore historical justice. The Azerbaijani state, the Azerbaijani Army, all our Armed Forces fulfilled this historic mission in 2020," he said.

He stressed that Azerbaijanis will live on liberated territories comfortably, in peace, tranquility and security and that the guarantor of peace and security is the Azerbaijani state and the Azerbaijani armed forces.

PM hopes prices of certain goods will decline in Armenia in future

Arbi Tashjian

 

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 12:01, 24 March, 2022

YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says the social situation in Armenia is complicating, but adds that the whole world is in the same situation. 

During the Cabinet meeting today the PM said that the world is in an unprecedented high stage of inflation, and one can know about its reasons while getting acquainted with the news at any moment. 

“And Armenia is still in a good situation in this sense, compared to many countries. And what is the policy of the government in this respect, it was seen in 2019 when the prices of food were increasing globally, but Armenia was one of the unique countries where the opposite was taking place, the prices of food were declining. Because we eliminated the artificial monopolies, and Armenia today is a free country in terms of imports and exports, and as a result of the measures taken, the prices of several important goods are not increasing in Armenia, and in fact will not increase, in some cases we have declines in prices. I hope we will have it also in the future”, the PM said.

He said they understand that they need to carry out a policy of mitigating the social issues, and added that they do this as much as possible, as much as the country’s budget allows which is formed at the expense of the taxes paid by everyone. “And how we collected the taxes, the data of 2021, the most crisis year for us, show, when the state budget’s tax revenues have been overpassed by 147 billion drams than it was planned. And if we take into account the additional revenues received without legislative amendments, about 110 billion drams. In general, the tax revenues of our budget after 2018 increased by nearly 35%, as I promised during the peaceful, velvet, people’s Revolution”, the PM said.

He said that there are speculations that they are raising the salaries of law enforcement officers and are not increasing the pensions. “Yes, but two things must be taken into account. Firstly, it’s one thing to raise the salary of 500 people, 5000 people or even 20,000, but it’s completely another thing to raise the pension of 550000 or 600000 people. These are absolutely different budgetary expenditures, moreover, these expenditures are not one-time, they must be carried out forever. And we, of course, do everything possible to implement our pre-election promises and vital necessary decisions”, he added.

“In any case, you should know for sure, dear compatriots, that like in the past, today as well all your pains are in our hearts, all your needs are in our mind and all your dreams are in our souls”, the PM concluded.

Pashinyan discusses tense situation in Artsakh with Putin

Arbi Tashjian
Panorama
Armenia –

Nikol Pashinyan on Friday held a telephone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the Armenian prime minister’s office reported.

The situation created after the invasion of Azerbaijani forces into the responsibility zone of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) was discussed, which Pashinyan assessed as tense.

He raised the need to investigate the actions of Russian peacekeepers in the given situation and stressed the need for returning the Azerbaijani armed forces to their initial positions with the efforts of the Russian peacekeepers.

The leaders of the two countries agreed to make efforts to resolve the crisis situation in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Ukrainian side says controversial tweet on Nagorno Karabakh was result of “technical error”

Arbi Tashjian

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 13:59,

YEREVAN, MARCH 25, ARMENPRESS. The Ukrainian side assured the Armenian side that the Twitter post made on the official account of the Ukrainian parliament was not an official position and happened as a result of a technical error, MP Hrachya Hakobyan said in a statement.

“Thanks to swift work of parliamentary diplomacy and the foreign ministry the controversial tweet made by the Rada [Ukrainian parliament] was removed. We received assurances that what was written in the tweet was not official position and was a result of a technical error,” Hakobyan, the Head of the Armenia-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group of the Armenian Parliament said.

Before Hakobyan’s comments, MP Arsen Torosyan also weighed in on the matter, expressing regret that Ukrainian colleagues are disoriented in the information war and are generating disinformation, thus harming the relations between Armenia and Ukraine.