Author: Arpi Talalian

Museum of the Bible to celebrate Armenian culture

Arpi Talalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Jan 27 2022
, 12:38

 1 minute read

The Museum of the Bible in Washington will celebrate Armenian, the world’s first Christian nation, on January 29.

“The Armenian people have one of the richest biblical histories and cultures in the world. Their historic lands include the traditional resting place of Noah’s ark and the garden of Eden,” the Museum of Bible said as it announced the celebration.

The sacred traditions, Christian culture, and stories of the Armenian people will be explored.

The day will be marked by a variety of events including Lunch and Learn with Dr. Christina Maranci, local Armenian artists, and more.

A local Armenian artisan market will open as part of the celebration. It will feature Armenian silk scarves, jewelry, art, hand-made soap, edibles, and souvenirs.

Digital exhibition Ancient Faith: The Churches of Nagorno-Karabakh will be presented. It will allow to take a virtual exploration of the sacred spaces, Christian culture, and stories of the people who live and worship in Artsakh, known internationally as Nagorno-Karabakh.

Christina Maranci, Arthur H. Dadian and Ara T. Oztemel Professor of Armenian Art and Architectural History and chair of the Department of the History of Art and Architecture at Tufts University, will speak about Christmas traditions in Armenia.

Students from St. Mary Shnorhali School. will present a selection of Armenian dances and poetry.

Hye Choral Group will perform Armenian songs in Armenian, with a short presentation of their meaning afterward.

The presentation will be given by Dr. Jesse S. Arlen, director of the Krikor and Clara Zohrab Information Center, and postdoctoral research fellow in Armenian Christian Studies at the Orthodox Christian Studies Center of Fordham University, will present the history of the Armenian Bible

For Armenians, the development of the Armenian Bible is imbued with sacred importance, since it enabled the spread of Christianity, the development of Armenian theology, and the survival of a distinct, unified cultural community.

Closing remarks will be delivered by Armenia’s Ambassador to the US, Lilit Makunts.

We support contacts of Yerevan and Ankara within so-called ‘3+3’ and others possible in Antalya. Klaar

Arpi Talalian
  News.am  
Armenia – Jan 27 2022
22:17, 27.01.2022

The EU fully supports normalisation of relations and opening of communications between Armenia and Turkey as an important objective to ensure lasting peace in the region, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar told NEWS.am about what are EU’s expectations from the Armenia-Turkey negotiations.

“We also support the upcoming resumption of flights between Yerevan and Istanbul and other high-level contacts between Armenian and Turkish officials, such as the contacts within the so-called ‘3+3’ platform and other possible contacts in the framework of the Antalya Diplomacy Forum,” Klaar stressed.

EUSR informed NEWS.am that during the last visit to Yerevan on January 21, 2022, with Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly / Special Representative Ruben Rubinyan he “had a very interesting exchange of views on these issues”.

“It seems to me that his (Ruben Rubinyan – ed.) first meeting with his Turkish counterpart held in Moscow on December 14, 2021 was commended by both sides. The EU welcomes this effort and is ready to contribute to any further positive development in this direction, provided the sides show corresponding interest.

As stated by several Armenian officials recently, including at the level of Prime Minister Pashinyan, we expect this process to bring stability and prosperity to the peoples in the region and we hope to see additional concrete steps in this direction in the near future. It is my hope that it will result in agreements for the long-awaited establishment of diplomatic relations and opening of the Turkish-Armenian border,” stressed Klaar.


Hayastan faction to announce its decision on presidential candidate soon, secretary says

Arpi Talalian
panorama.am
Armenia – Jan 25 2022

The opposition Hayastan parliamentary faction is discussing the issue of nominating a presidential candidate, its secretary Artsvik Minasyan told a briefing on Tuesday, adding their decision will be unveiled soon.

“We are holding discussions at this point. We will announce our decision in the near future,” he noted.

Referring to Nikol Pashinyan’s remarks that the Armenian parliament should elect a new president who will be in sync with his government and the parliament majority, Minasyan the new president cannot be only "the president of the political majority".

“The president must ensure the full implementation of the approaches stipulated by the Constitution,” he said.

Hayastan faction MP Anna Grigoryan called Pashinyan's statement on political harmony between the president, legislative and executive branches “dangerous”.

"Pashinyan wants the president to be someone who will not raise objections to any issue, will not create obstacles, will be completely silent and oblivious to the situation in the country," the lawmaker said.

President Armen Sarkissian submitted resignation late on Sunday, stating that the president does not have the necessary tools to influence the important processes concerning the domestic and foreign policy in difficult times for the country.

He is entitled to withdraw his resignation within one week.

​Armenian president resigns citing ‘difficult times’ for nation

Arpi Talalian
France 24
Jan 23 2022
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian announced Sunday that he is resigning his largely symbolic position, citing the inability of his office to influence policy during times of national crisis.

"This is not an emotionally-driven decision and it comes from a specific logic," Sarkisian said in a statement on his official website.

"The president does not have the necessary tools to influence the important processes of foreign and domestic policy in difficult times for the people and the country," he said.

Sarkisian was at the centre of a domestic political crisis last year that erupted in the wake of a war between Armenia and its long-standing rival Azerbaijan for control of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

His role is largely ceremonial and executive power rests primarily with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.


Sarkisian and Pashinyan had disagreed over a decision to remove the chief of the military's general staff in the wake of the war and amid protests that brought thousands onto the streets of the Caucasus nation.

"I hope that eventually the constitutional changes will be implemented and the next president and presidential administration will be able to operate in a more balanced environment," the statement added.

Sarkisian was born in 1953 in the capital Yerevan. He served as prime minister between 1996-1997, according to an official biography, before being elected president in March 2018.

Armenia's economy has struggled since the Soviet collapse and money sent home by Armenians abroad has aided the construction of schools, churches and other infrastructure projects, including in Nagorno-Karabakh.

(AFP)


Turkey, Armenia both aim for full normalization: FM Çavuşoğlu

Arpi Talalian
Toys Matrix
Jan 21 2022

By Kemal Pasha On Jan 21, 2022

Turkey and Armenia aim for full normalization as diplomatic talks will focus on confidence-building measures in the next round, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said late Wednesday.

Addressing reporters in the capital Ankara, Çavuşoğlu evaluated the normalization talks between Turkey and Armenia to mend broken ties.

“In the first meeting, the aims of starting the process and what is expected from this process were discussed. Special representatives will work on what other steps can be taken besides the start of flights in the next meeting,” he said. Çavuşoğlu pointed out that confidence-building measures will be discussed in the next meeting.

Noting that the aims of the normalization process and what is expected in the coming period were discussed in the first meeting between the representatives of the two countries, Çavuşoğlu said: “The goal is full normalization. Armenians are also very happy with it.”

Ankara wants the next Turkey-Armenia diplomatic talks to be held in one of these two countries, Turkish diplomatic sources also said Thursday.

Starting Feb. 2, round-trip flights will be launched between Turkey and Armenia amid ongoing discussions to normalize the long-time broken ties between the two countries.

Turkey’s budget carrier Pegasus Airlines will operate the flights between Istanbul and Yerevan three times per week and Fly One Armenia will run three flights between Yerevan and Istanbul. The announcement came less than a week after the two countries held normalization talks in Moscow.

Following years of frozen ties, the envoys of Turkey and Armenia last Friday held their first talks toward normalizing ties in Moscow. The parties agreed to continue the negotiations with the goal of full normalization without preconditions, Turkey’s Foreign Ministry had said after the meeting.

Underlining that Turkish special envoy Serdar Kılıç and Armenian special envoy Ruben Rubinyan met in Moscow as part of the process of normalization between Turkey and Armenia, the ministry stated: “During their first meeting, which took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere, the special envoys exchanged preliminary views.

Turkey and Armenia had no diplomatic or commercial ties for three decades and the talks were the first attempt to restore links since a 2009 peace accord. That deal was never ratified and ties have remained tense.

The neighbors are at odds over various issues, primarily the 1915 incidents and Turkey’s support for Azerbaijan regarding the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Ankara supported Azerbaijan during the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Turkey began calling for a rapprochement after the conflict. Relations between Armenia and Turkey have historically been complicated. Turkey objects to the presentation of the 1915 incidents as “genocide” but describes the events as a tragedy in which both sides suffered casualties. Ankara has repeatedly proposed the creation of a joint commission made up of historians from Turkey and Armenia and international experts to tackle the issue.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said recently Armenia needed to form good ties with Azerbaijan for the normalization effort to yield results.

The Armenian government said recently it has decided to lift the embargo on Turkish goods starting on Jan. 1. Armenia originally imposed the blockade after Ankara supported Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict last year.

Both countries hope that the talks will bolster peace efforts for the Caucasus region and lead to the reopening of their border to encourage trade and boost economic ties.

Ankara has made frequent calls for a six-nation platform comprising of Turkey, Russia, Iran, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia for permanent peace, stability and cooperation in the region, saying it would be a win-win initiative for all regional actors in the Caucasus. Turkey believes that permanent peace is possible through mutual security-based cooperation among the states and people of the South Caucasus region.

The first meeting of the platform has taken place in Russia, without the participation of Georgia, which announced it will also not take part in the next round, expected to take place in Turkey.

Commenting on the tension between Russia and Ukraine, Çavuşoğlu said: “Here, the dialogue process between the United States and Russia will be decisive. NATO now responded verbally to Russia, Russia had offers. Now it will also be in written form. The tension still continues. The situation is still serious. We will continue our contact. We hope to reduce the tension in this way.”

Turkey is ready to play a role in de-escalating tensions between Russia and Ukraine, Presidential Spokesperson Ibrahim Kalın said Tuesday, adding President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be traveling to Kyiv to hold talks with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy there in a couple of weeks.

Speaker Simonyan meets President of International Republican Institute and Regional Program Director for Eurasia in US

Arpi Talalian

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 15:05,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 20, ARMENPRESS. The delegation led by Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan met with the President of International Republican Institute Daniel Twining and the Regional Program Director for Eurasia Stephen Nix in Washington DC on January 19, the Parliament’s press service reported.

At the meeting the sides discussed a number of issues relating to human rights and democracy. A talk was held over the legislative reforms of some spheres in Armenia. The sides highlighted the necessity of the joint continuous agenda aimed at democratic values.

The Armenian side passed a package of proposals to the Russian and Azerbaijani sides – Mirzoyan

Arpi Talalian
panorama.am
Armenia – Jan 19 2022

The Armenian side has prepared and submitted a package of proposals on de-escalation of the situation on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border area, which also contains measures aimed at enhancing stability, Armenian FM Ararat Mirzoyan stated during the Q/A session in parliament.

In Mirzoyan's words, the proposals were passed to the Russian side and at their mediation to the Azerbaijani side and other partners. He added that the Armenian side is now waiting for the feedback. 

"Apparently, I cannot publish details, and there is no need to do that now. I can only state that the proposals stem from the approach earlier voiced by the government and the prime minister about the simultaneous withdrawal of the troops from the contact line and establishing additional security mechanisms," Mirzoyan said, adding the package had been discussed at the Security Council. 

Armenpress: PM Pashinyan had a working dinner with the heads of banks

Arpi Talalian

PM Pashinyan had a working dinner with the heads of banks

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 21:44,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 13, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan had a working dinner with heads of banks, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan and Chairman of the Central Bank Martin Galstyan also participated in the working dinner.

Nikol Pashinyan stressed that in crisis situations, the Armenian banking system has been able to overcome trials with a clear policy and maintain stable activity. The Prime Minister expressed confidence that the continuous development of the banking system will contribute to the further progress of the country's economy.

During the meeting, the sides exchanged views on the further development of the banking sector and the implementation of the priorities of the Government.

Kazakhstan: Armenian peacekeepers guard crucial bread factory in Almaty, hold defensive drills

Arpi Talalian

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 12:24,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenian peacekeepers deployed in Kazakhstan as part of the CSTO held exercises under the scenario of a potential assault on the largest bread factory in Almaty, the Russian Rossia 24 TV channel reported.

In the report, Rossia 24 noted that the CSTO peacekeepers are guarding the bread factory because it is “literally feeding the entire population of the city.”

Seyran Kocharyan, an Armenian peacekeeper, told Rossia 24 that the residents of Almaty and the bread factory’s staff are very hospitable, have received them openheartedly and are appreciating their mission.

[see video]

EU officials highlight necessity for distancing of Armenian and Azerbaijani forces

Arpi Talalian

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 15:21,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 12, ARMENPRESS. The officials of the European Union commented on the January 11 Azerbaijani attack on the Armenian military positions, highlighting the necessity for a distancing of the Armenian and Azerbaijani forces.

“Latest exchange of fire on Armenia-Azerbaijan border with reported deaths and wounded reconfirms the necessity for a distancing of forces and confidence building measures”, Lead spokesperson for the external affairs of the EU Peter Stano said on Twitter, adding that the EU is working with both sides to promote a comprehensive settlement of the conflict.

EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar has also expressed his deep concerns about the reports of renewed incidents and casualties on the border.

“Important for the sides to de-escalate and make full use of available mechanisms, in particular the hotline between MoDs established under EU auspices in November 2021. EU is ready to work with sides for a distancing of forces and reiterate our readiness to provide additional support in working with Armenia and Azerbaijan on border delimitation and demarcation”, he said on Twitter.