Author: Arsine Chaltikian

Court refuses to end prosecution of MP Armen Gevorgyan

Arsine Chaltikian
Panorama
Armenia – June 15 2022

The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction has rejected a request to drop charges against Armen Gevorgyan, an MP from the opposition Hayastan bloc, and end his prosecution.

Presiding judge Anna Danibekyan on Wednesday denied the defense motion at a court hearing on the case also involving Armenia’s second President Robert Kocharyan.

The decision can be appealed to a higher court within one month after its delivery, Kocharyan’s lawyers said in a statement.

Gevorgyan is standing trial for alleged corruption and money laundering.

Government of Armenia stood, stands and will stand by Artsakh – PM

Arsine Chaltikian

Save

Share

 15:09,

YEREVAN, JUNE 15, ARMENPRESS. In 2021-2022 the budget of Artsakh has reached an unprecedented level: the budgetary support provided by the Armenian government to Artsakh has reached an unprecedented amount. The government of Armenia has stood, stands and will stand by Artsakh, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in his remarks during the Parliament’s debate of the 2021 state budget performance annual report.

Pashinyan said that during 2021 the opposition has developed two main thesis according to which the government has left Artsakh alone, and secondly, they urged to adopt the resolution “Artsakh will never be part of Azerbaijan”, trying to justify that this has been their policy when they were in power, and if today’s leadership is not adopting it, it is a betrayal regarding the Artsakh issue.

The PM said the first thesis is denied just by the budget indicators. “In 2021-2022 the budget of Artsakh has reached an unprecedented amount, and the Armenian government’s budgetary support to Artsakh has reached an unprecedented amount. In 2019 the budget of Artsakh comprised 117.9 billio drams, which has been the highest in the pre-war period, I mean, since 90s. 57.8 billion drams of this money has been paid by the Armenian government. In 2021 the revenue part of the Artsakh budget has been 174 billion drams, 128 billion drams of which is the money paid by Armenia. In other words, the budget of Artsakh in the post-war period has been the highest in history, Artsakh has never had a bigger budget, and Armenia has never provided support with such a scale to Artsakh. Thus, Armenia’s assistance to Artsakh in 2021 has increased by 122% compared to 2019 or by 70 billion drams. And the budget of Artsakh has increased by 48% or 45 billion drams”, the PM said.

Pashinyan reminded that the government of Armenia has implemented a program worth 136 billion drams in Artsakh from December 2020 to the end of 2021. The salaries of employees of all budgetary agencies of Artsakh, the pensions and benefits have been paid that time with the funds provided from the budget of Armenia. The healthcare and education expenditures have been covered with these funds.

Coming to 2022, the budgetary support of the Armenian government to Artsakh comprises 160 billion drams, in other words the support provided by Armenia to Artsakh in 2022 has increased by 32 billion drams compared to 2021, and 102 billon drams compared to 2019. These funds contributed to the increase of pensions and benefits in Artsakh by around 20%, large-scale housing works are underway.

The PM said the government has not voiced this so much. “And I think we did right because this is our work. And the government of Armenia has stood, stands and will stand by Artsakh, no matter how much some circles do not notice it or try to sow contradictions between Armenia and Artsakh”, the PM added.

Armenpress: Armenpress and Qatar News Agency sign MoU on exchange of information

Arsine Chaltikian

Armenpress and Qatar News Agency sign MoU on exchange of information

Save

Share

 21:44,

YEREVAN, JUNE 13, ARMENPRESS. Within the framework of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's official visit to Qatar, a Memorandum of Understanding on information exchange between "Armenpress" news agency and "Qatar News Agency" was signed.

Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Hambardzum Matevosyan signed the memorandum on behalf of Armenpress, and Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on behalf of Qatar News Agency.

Commenting on the signing of the memorandum, director of ARMENPRESS news agency Narine Nazaryan said, “ARMENPRESS is expanding the geography of cooperation. We appreciate the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with Qatar News Agency. The publications in 6 foreign languages, including Arabic, will allow our partners to get more comprehensive information about Armenia, the Armenian world, as well as international events. The Memorandum of Understanding signed with Qatar News Agency will provide an opportunity to exchange information and photos on a daily basis and more operatively. The cooperation of ARMENPRESS and Qatar News Agency will bring the two countries closer. I would like to remind you that a few days ago ARMENPRESS signed a cooperation agreement with Télam news agency of Argentina. This means that ARMENPRESS has a wide geography of partners, from Asia to Latin America, from Europe to the Middle East, and the Persian Gulf countries. We seek to make information available to our readers from around the world through this form of cooperation.”

Armenia PM to Al Jazeera: We are currently in process of constructing very strategic highway

Arsine Chaltikian
NEWS.am
Armenia –
10:55, 14.06.2022

Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, who is in Qatar, gave an interview to Al Jazeera Monday, during which he touched upon the processes taking place in the South Caucasus, the Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) conflict, Armenian-Turkish relations, and several other topics. Below is the text of an excerpt from this interview.

You speak in a very positive language, while Armenia's relationship with neighboring countries is generally bad with the exception of Iran, and some are actually surprised that Iran, the Islamic Republic, stood by you in the face of Azerbaijan, the Muslim country? How do you explain this situation?

We have four neighbors, we have very good relations with two of them; I mean Georgia and Iran. Iran is a friendly country for us, which also has good relations with Azerbaijan, we do not intend not to have good relations with countries that have good relations with Azerbaijan. But now we have very close ties with Iran, by the way, we hope that by cooperating with Iran we will be able to expand our bilateral relations with Qatar as well. We are now working to develop communications between Iran and Armenia, and we are currently in the process of constructing a very strategic highway called North-South, which connects our border with Georgia to the border with Iran. We hope that as a result of this program, our economic relations with Iran will develop. By the way, the Eurasian Economic Union, I have already said that Armenia is a member of it, has a free trade agreement with Iran, which is very important in the context of our bilateral relations.

Let me to conclude this meeting with a question about your tour in the Arab region, what is your expectation from the Arabs?

I should mention that there is a very warm attitude towards the Arab world in Armenia, because we have traditional relations. Now I hope for the growth of bilateral trade between Armenia and Qatar, because there is a very positive political environment in our bilateral relations with this wonderful country.

European Parliament urges Turkey to recognize Armenian Genocide in fresh report

Arsine Chaltikian
Panorama

Armenia – June 8 2022

In a report adopted on Tuesday by 448 votes in favor, 67 against and 107 abstentions, the European Parliament urged Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide and fully respect its obligations to protect Armenian and other cultural heritage.

In the fresh report, MEPs “commend” the recent rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia with regard to the decision to start bilateral contacts, the appointment of special envoys and the resumption of flights between the two countries, considering this attempt a “highly positive development which has a positive impact on prosperity and security in the region”.

The Parliament encourages both sides to pursue these efforts with a view to fully normalizing their relations and calls for the EU to actively support this process.

“The European Parliament encourages Turkey to pave the way for genuine reconciliation between the Turkish and Armenian peoples, including settling the dispute of the Armenian Genocide, and to fully respect its obligations to protect Armenian and other cultural heritage; expresses the hope that this may lead to a dynamic of normalisation of relations in the South Caucasus; further welcomes Turkey’s diplomatic efforts to normalise relations with various countries in the Middle East, especially Israel; encourages Turkey, once again, to recognise the Armenian Genocide,” the report says.

Issues related to the development of the higher educational system discussed at Government

Arsine Chaltikian

Save

Share

 19:36, 9 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 9, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan chaired a consultation at the Government, during which issues related to the development of the higher educational system and the formation of the academic environment were discussed, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that the development of higher education is of strategic importance for the Government, emphasizing the need for higher educational institutions to meet international standards and ensure high-quality education.

During the meeting, a number of issues related to the solution of the existing problems in the sphere, the modernization of the universities, the possibilities of establishing an academic city were touched upon. Various observations and suggestions were presented by the heads of the concerned departments.

The study of international experience and cooperation with professional circles abroad were highlighted.

Prime Minister Pashinyan noted that it is necessary to have a clear vision of the development of the higher educational system, and instructed the officials in charge to develop a relevant concept and a roadmap for the implementation of measures, which will also include the program of establishing an academic city.

Asbarez; Yerevan Decries CSTO’s Lack of Response when Azerbaijan Breached Armenia’s Borders

Arsine Chaltikian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (right) during a press conference on June 10 in Yerevan with CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas


Imperative for Karabakh Status Addressed at CSTO Summit

During a summit of CSTO-member states’ foreign ministers in Yerevan on Friday, Armenia’s top diplomat decried the security organization’s lack of response when Azerbaijani forces breached Armenia’s sovereign borders last year and advanced their positions into the Syunik and Gegharkunik provinces.

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said while Yerevan remains committed to the mission of the CSTO—the Collective Security Treaty Organization—Azerbaijan’s incursion into Armenia in May 2021 remains an open issue for Armenia.

Soon after the May 13, 2021 incursion by Azerbaijani forces into Armenia’s sovereign territory, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan applied to the CSTO for assistance. The organization did not respond until July, when it said that Armenia and Azerbaijan need to resolve the matter through negotiations.

“In January the organization responded to the incidents in Kazakhstan at the right time, but the issue connected with the incursion of the Azerbaijani troops into Armenia’s sovereign territory, which started in May 2021, still remains open,” Mirzoyan said during a joint press briefing held after the summit with CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas in Yerevan on Friday.

“Armenia has been and remains committed to the initiating cooperation within the CSTO aimed at expanding the mutual partnership between the member states, including developing the foreign policy coordination within the CSTO and raising the role of the Organization in the international arena,” added Mirzoyan.

During a meeting with Zas and the CSTO foreign ministers, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan also echoed Mirzoyan’s concerns over the group’s lack of response during last year’s armed incursion by Azerbaijan into Armenia’s territory.

He also highlighted the importance of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, voicing Yerevan’s support for the involvement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs. Since the Ukraine war and the showdown between the West and Russia, the three co-chairing countries—Russia, the United States and France—have signaled that the group’s fate is in question. The co-chairs representing each country have been given new diplomatic ranks having to do with the Caucasus.

Pashinyan briefed the CSTO representatives about the current situation in the region, and spoke about the activity of the Armenia-Azerbaijan delimitation and border security commission, the opening of regional transit routes and the return of Armenian prisoners of war, hostages and other civilians still being held in Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan emphasized that the transit routes that are to be opened must operate with the sovereignty of the country through which they pass remaining intact. In this context, he also said that there cannot be discussion of a corridor, referring to Baku’s insistence to establish the so-called “Zangezur Corridor” that connects mainland Azerbaijan with Nakhichevan through a road in Armenia.

NJ Restaurant Brings ‘Plant-Based’ Armenian Favorites To Montclair

Arsine Chaltikian

June 6 2022
Eric Kiefer,Patch Staff

MONTCLAIR, NJ — Zareh and Nvair Beylerian chose to give up eating meat five years ago. But for the couple, the most challenging thing about their new diet wasn't giving up American staples such as steak or burgers, but the Armenian foods from their childhoods. That includes lahmajun, a millennia-old Armenian/Arabic/Turkish staple made of flatbread and ground lamb mixed with minced tomato, parsley, onion and peppers.

But necessity is often the mother of invention.

Experimenting in her home kitchen, Nvair Beylerian created a lahmajun substitute by replacing the meat with brown lentils — and voila, the first recipe for worldFLATS was born. Apparently, it's a formula for success; worldFLATS recently opened up its third location in Montclair alongside its other eateries in Ridgewood and Paramus.

The "fast-casual" restaurant, located at 58 Church Street, offers dine-in, pickup or online ordering for delivery within a five-mile radius. The restaurant is vegetarian and vegan-friendly.

The "FLAT" staple of the worldFLATS menu is known in Armenia as lavash. According to the restaurant's purveyors, lavash is what many Americans would call a "flatbread," but it's softer and more pliable than a traditional flatbread and commonly circular in shape. Flats can be eaten flat like a pizza, or folded in wrap form.

The restaurant also offers vegetarian soups, salads and desserts, as well as the option to add plant-based proteins to most menu items. Beverages include shadlavs (Armenian yogurt drinks) and their house-made agua frescas (fruit-infused water with a touch of agave).

A major goal of the restaurant is to help people learn about the joy of eating "plant-based meals," the Beylerians say.

"I love it when a customer tells me that they don't miss the meat and especially when someone reports that when they took dinner home to their family and it wasn't revealed that it was plant-based until after they ate," Nvair Beylerian said. "They're usually very surprised and ask for more."

https://patch.com/new-jersey/montclair/nj-restaurant-brings-plant-based-armenian-favorites-montclair

Azerbaijan works to revive recaptured Karabakh resort of Shusha

Arsine Chaltikian
June 6 2022
By Nailia Bagirova

SHUSHA, Azerbaijan, June 6 (Reuters) – The area around Shusha was once called the "Switzerland of Azerbaijan" for its wooded hills and mild climate – a nickname that belies a history of periodic violence between ethnic Azerbaijanis and Armenians stretching back more than a century.

A year and a half ago, Azerbaijani forces retook the town from the ethnic Armenians who had seized it in 1992 for the Armenian-backed breakaway enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, driving out the 15,000 Azerbaijanis who lived there.

But the Shusha they recaptured, in Soviet times a tourist resort, was a shadow of its former self. The 4,000 or so ethnic Armenians who had settled there – and called it Shushi – fled, leaving behind an empty town still bearing most of the scars of 1992.

Slowly, though, Azerbaijani construction workers are bringing life to the streets.

The local council building, the police headquarters and the main post office have been restored, and there is scaffolding around the Govkhar Agha mosque and the Armenian Orthodox Ghazanchetsots Cathedral.

The building of three hotels allowed Azeri authorities to choose Shusha as the host of the annual Baku Energy Week conference, and announce that the Emirati firm Masdar would build solar and wind plants for Azerbaijan that together will produce 4 gigawatts of power.

Three supermarkets are open and, from this month, five buses a week link Shusha to Azerbaijan's capital, Baku, bringing local tourists as well as workers.

"When I arrived in Shusha, everything was destroyed," said Elkhan Guliyev, who works for the Azerishiq electricity company. "A lot has been done in these eight months. Electricity and water have been installed, everything has been restored. Many tourists and students come here now."

Jahid Alekperov left when he was just 25. Now 56, he has returned as a construction worker, but longs for the day when former residents will be allowed back to their properties.

He has been to inspect the ruin of his family's old home.

"Only the walls are left from it," he said, picking at the peeling yellow wallpaper.

"I work for a company that is working to restore the city. But Shusha is beautiful in this state, too."

Writing by Kevin Liffey; Editing by Janet Lawrence
https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/azerbaijan-works-revive-recaptured-karabakh-resort-shusha-2022-06-06/

High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs meets with Armenian community of Michigan

Arsine Chaltikian

Save

Share

 15:08, 6 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 6, ARMENPRESS. High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Zareh Sinanyan is on a working visit to the United States of America, his Office said in a news release.

For the first time, the High Commissioner visited the state of Michigan and held meetings with organizations and representatives of the Armenian community of Detroit.

On his first day visit, Zareh Sinanyan attended the St. John Armenian Church Women's Guild annual membership dinner, where he met with 70 women leaders of the community and was acquainted with their work. The High Commissioner noted the importance of the inspiring activities of women in the community and their contribution to the preservation of the Armenian identity.

Afterwards, High Commissioner Sinanyan visited the Manoogian Manor, an assisted living facility for elderly Armenians and other nationalities, which was opened in 1949 as the first Michigan Home for the Armenian Aged by thirteen dedicated Armenian Women and the entire Armenian Community, and the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. Manoogian. Mr. Sinanyan had the honor of meeting one of the Manor’s oldest residents, 100-year-old Margret who told Mr. Sinanyan stories of her travels to Armenia.

Later on, the High Commissioner sat down with Edmond Y. Azadian and Harry Kezelian from the Armenian Mirror-Spectator at the Edward and Helen Mardigian Library for an in-depth conversation about the work of our Office and the future of Armenia-Diaspora Relations.

Then, Mr. Sinanyan visited the St. John’s Armenian Apostolic Church and complex in Southfield, Michigan which has been the pillar of the Armenian community in Greater Detroit. Very Reverend Father Aren Jebejian and Reverend Father Armash Bagdasarian introduced the High Commissioner to the church’s history and activities. Known for its large golden dome, the expansive church complex is home to the Parish Council, the Women’s Guild, the Komitas Choir, the Church Sunday School, The Armenian Church Youth Organization of America (ACYOA), Detroit Junior and Senior Chapters, the Men’s Society, and the Armenian Heritage & Culture Lyceum. On the church grounds are the complex houses, the Armenian-American Veterans Building, dedicated to veterans of World War II and the Korean War, as well as the Alex & Marie Manoogian Museum, the Edward & Helen Mardigian Library, and Perish Bookstore.

Zareh Sinanyan also visited the Alex & Marie Manoogian Museum which is North America’s largest museum of Armenian art, artifacts, and culture. The museum’s eight galleries offer a unique glimpse of Armenia’s past and present, paintings, sacred vessels and vestments, rugs and carpets, household and personal objects, early printed books, manuscripts, textiles, and ancient objects.

High Commissioner Sinanyan's next visit was at the AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School, a tuition-free, multi-cultural school located in Southfield, Michigan that serves students in preschool through 12th grade, with a robust Armenian language program for all grades. The AGBU Alex & Marie Manoogian School’s Middle and High School programs have both been ranked by U.S. World & News Report as high-performing charter STEAM-focused and college-prep schools.

During the tour, High School Principal Dr. Hosep Torossian showed the recent expansion of the school for the STEAM program, which will soon have a fully functioning robotics workshop. Mr. Sinanyan also had the opportunity to speak with the 12th-grade students in their Armenian class and introduce them to the work of our Office and opportunities for youth in Armenia.

High Commissioner Zareh Sinan‎yan's visit to Michigan was concluded with a meeting attended by community leaders from various Armenian churches, educational and cultural organizations in the Greater Detroit area. During the meeting, Mr. Sinanyan presented our Office's programs, emphasizing the importance of professional repatriation and the need for highly skilled employees in the public sector. The meeting was attended by the leadership of multiple key Armenian-American active organizations. Zareh Sinanyan also touched upon the current challenges of Armenia-Diaspora cooperation and our Office's work to create and deepen healthy relations with the Diaspora. The meeting continued in the format of questions and answers. Very Reverend Father Aren Jebejian thanked the High Commissioner for his visit and meetings, stressing the importance of working locally with the community.