Author: Babken Chilingarian

Karen Giloyan receives the Secretary General of the Serbian Chess Federation

Babken Chilingarian

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 16:35, 5 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 5, ARMENPRESS.  Deputy Minister of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia Karen Giloyan received Secretary General of the Serbian Chess Federation Andrija Jorgic on May 5.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the Ministry, the Serbian delegation consisted of Biljana Obradović, President of the Armenian national community of Serbia, Darko Obradovic, Program Manager of the Center for Strategic Analysis of Serbia, and Liliana Stojanovic, Editor of Borba newspaper.

The meeting was also attended by Arkady Papoyan, Head of the Department of Foreign Relations and Diaspora of the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport.

Welcoming the guests, Deputy Minister Karen Giloyan expressed readiness to strengthen the Armenian-Serbian sports relations within his powers.

The Secretary General of the Serbian Chess Federation Andrija Jorgic, thanking for the reception, noted that this is his first visit to Armenia, he has great impressions, and he arrived in our country with a special mission.

"We know that chess is taught in Armenian schools, and we would like to apply that practice in our country. Armenia is a country with a great chess history and traditions, and we will be very happy to cooperate with you. My mission is to study the methodology of teaching chess in Armenia, try to apply that experience in Serbia."

Stating that we are ready to share our experience with friends, Karen Giloyan noted, “Teaching chess in secondary schools has undoubtedly had a positive effect on the popularization of the sport. We can give your specialists the opportunity to get training here, to study our experience. We can also provide specialists to conduct master classes in Serbia."

Darko Obradovic, Program Manager of the Center for Strategic Analysis of Serbia, and the other guests also emphasized the need to raise the Armenian-Serbian relations to a new level, to create cultural, sports and educational bridges between the two countries.

The Secretary General of the Serbian Chess Federation will visit the Chess Academy of Armenia on May 5 and will meet with the founder-president of the academy Smbat Lputyan.

Asbarez: ANCA-WR Endorses Henry Stern for Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors Third District

Babken Chilingarian
 by Contributor

 

 April 26, 2022

 

in Community, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories
 0

Earlier this week, the Armenian National Committee of America–Western Region announced its endorsement of Henry Stern for his bid for Supervisor in Los Angeles County’s Third District for the 2022 elections. 

“The ANCA-WR has enjoyed a productive relationship with Henry Stern throughout his career as a California Senator and is proud to endorse him as an LA County Supervisorial candidate,” remarked ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq. “As a principled leader on Armenian issues, we look forward to working with him to address the concerns of the Armenian community in the Third District,” she continued.  

“I have been incredibly proud to represent the vibrant Armenian-American community of the San Fernando Valley during my time in the California State Senate, and am honored to earn the endorsement of the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region for the Third Supervisorial District,” said Senator Stern.

“As Senator, I was grateful for the opportunity to visit Armenia and work to strengthen relations between the Republic of Armenia and California. I was also honored to have worked to establish the Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education – an issue close to my heart – to promote greater public awareness and education on the scourge of genocide so as to ensure these crimes are never forgotten nor repeated. From combating genocide denial, confronting the unprecedented rise in hate crimes plaguing our communities, to forcefully condemning Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression against the Armenians of Artsakh – I look forward to being a strong voice for the Armenian-American community in Los Angeles County,” Stern concluded.

Henry Stern was first elected to the California State Senate in 2016, representing the 27th District, which includes the densely Armenian-populated areas of the San Fernando Valley such as Northridge, Encino, Reseda, Woodland Hills, Simi Valley, and portions of Santa Clarita. 

As a Senator, Stern has been committed to elevating the voice of his Armenian-American constituency and representing the needs of the local community. Senator Stern has been outspoken on the issue of justice for the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide. In 2021, Stern was appointed the Co-Chair of the recently formed Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education. The Council was established in 2021 to combat the rising anti-Semitism and other acts of hate, with a particular emphasis on the public school system, in light of new evidence showing a lack of knowledge about the Armenian Genocide, Holocaust, and other mass atrocity crimes among California students.

Stern’s commitment to confronting hate in all its forms was demonstrated following hate crime incidents at the Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School and the AGBU Manoogian-Demirdjian School when Turkish flags were hung on the school gates. Stern, whose district encompasses both schools, issued his strong condemnation and denunciation of the hate crime at the time.

Senator Stern is also a member of the California, Armenia, and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art and Cultural Exchange Senate’s Select Committee. In 2018, under the auspices of the ANCA-WR, Stern traveled to Armenia with other elected officials, where he met with political and business leaders in Armenia in order to deepen economic and cultural ties between the Republic of Armenia and California. 

During the invasion of Artsakh by Azerbaijan – with Turkey’s support – in September 2020, Senator Stern was vocal in expressing his support for the Armenian people. Senator Stern joined together with dozens of Jewish leaders ranging from local clergy, political officials, and community organizations in condemning Azerbaijani and Turkish aggression and standing in solidarity with the Armenian people.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is responsible for a roughly $30 billion annual budget covering a wide range of services, which include child services and foster care, the sheriff’s department, jails, and transportation, among many others. The newly adopted Supervisorial District Three encompasses the cities of Canoga Park, Chatsworth, Encino, Granada Hills, Lake Balboa, North Hills, Northridge, Panorama City, Reseda, Sherman Oaks, Van Nuys, Valley Glen, Topanga Canyon, Toluca Lake, Winnetka, Woodland Hills, and portions of Hollywood, North Hollywood, Studio City, Sun Valley, and Sylmar.

Los Angeles is home to the largest Armenian diaspora community globally, with up to half a million residents of Armenian ancestry across the county. The Armenian-American community of Los Angeles has made an indelible impact on the social, cultural, political, and economic fabric of the county.

With primary elections approaching on June 7th, Armenian-Americans have an important opportunity to ensure our community’s collective voice is heard, and are poised to play a significant role in shaping the county’s future. 

The ANCA-WR will continue to announce its endorsements as it works tirelessly to ensure issues of significance to the Armenian-American community are addressed by candidates ahead of the upcoming elections. 

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is the largest and most influential nonpartisan Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues in pursuit of the Armenian Cause.

Armenian FM, USAID Director Samantha Power discuss perspectives of expanding cooperation

Babken Chilingarian
Public Radio of Armenia
May 2 2022
May 2, 2022, 22:06

 

On May 2, Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is on a working visit in Washington, held a meeting with the Director of USAID Samantha Power.

The interlocutors commended the consistent development of the Armenian-US relations based on common democratic values.

Ararat Mirzoyan emphasized USAID’s support in the reform initiatives of the Government of Armenia in a number of spheres, particularly in the fight against corruption, judiciary and patrol police. Reference was also made to the innovative, sustainable development programs implemented by USAID in Armenia within the framework of Armenia-US cooperation aimed at promoting democratic development, economic growth, and strengthening energy security, as well as implementing reforms in the social spheres in the country.

The sides also discussed the perspectives of expanding the cooperation and implementing new joint programs.

During the meeting, Minister Mirzoyan presented to the interlocutor the humanitarian issues resulting from the 44-day war. In this context, the need for the repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilians held by Azerbaijan was especially emphasized.

Police: 244 people apprehended in Yerevan as of 2pm

Babken Chilingarian
NEWS.am
Armenia – May 2 2022
14:34, 02.05.2022

YEREVAN. – Since early Monday morning, Armenia’s opposition members and their supporters are blocking roads and carrying out peaceful actions of civil disobedience in the capital Yerevan.

As of 2pm Monday, 244 citizens carrying out disobedience actions in Yerevan have been brought to police stations, Armenian News-NEWS.am has learned from the Police of Armenia.

They have been taken to taken to police stations for failing to comply with the lawful requests by police officers.

Peaceful disobedience actions by the opposition have started in Armenia’s capital Yerevan early Monday morning. Accordingly, a number of streets have been blocked.

Earlier, Armenian News-NEWS.am reported that the opposition forces had set up tents Sunday at France Square in downtown Yerevan and stayed there overnight. Resistance Movement coordinator Ishkhan Saghatelyan—the National Assembly deputy speaker from the opposition "Armenia" Faction and a representative of the Supreme Body of the opposition Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Dashnaktsutyun Party of Armenia—announced Sunday that peaceful acts of civil disobedience will begin Monday throughout Armenia, especially the downtown Yerevan streets will be closed off. Also, he called for boycotting school classes and holding labor strikes.

To note, it is raining in Yerevan since the morning, and all these peaceful actions of civil disobedience are being held under the rain.

Aliyev says Armenia could get access to Azerbaijan’s energy resources

Babken Chilingarian
PanARMENIAN
Armenia – April 29 2022
April 29, 2022 – 19:00 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has declared that normalization between Baku and Yerevan could give Armenia access to Azerbaijan's energy resources, Haqqin.az reports.

Aliyev said Thursday, April 28 that both Azerbaijan and Georgia are involved in energy and transport routes and maintained that "there is an opportunity to invite Armenia to join the regional development.

"Normalization of relations with Azerbaijan will open opportunities for Armenia that cannot be predicted now," he said.

"They (Armenians – Ed.) will only benefit from this and will be able to take advantage of access to our energy resources and, to a certain extent, become part of international transport corridors."

The Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers will meet on the sidelines of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers in Dushanbe on May 13, according to a statement from the Armenian side.

U.S. official`s statement evidence of USA, EU`s combined efforts to force Russia out of South Caucasus – David Stepanyan

Babken Chilingarian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo. The statement by U.S. Secretary of State  Antony Blinken is evidence of the combined efforts of the United  States and European Union to force Russia out of Artsakh first and  later of the entire South Caucasus, David Stepanyan, associate  member, Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs  (AIISA), said in an interview with ArmInfo. 

"This statement by Mr Blinken, as well as his telephone talks with  Armenia's Premier Nikol Pashinyan and President of Azerbaijan Ilham  Aliyev before the Brussels meeting, are evidence of not only indirect  – through the EU – but also direct involvement of the United States  in, let us say, the post-Minsk process of settlement of the Artsakh  problem. And we can be sure of the USA's presence, albeit invisible,  at the Michel-Pashinyan-Aliyev meeting in Brussels on April 6, 2022,"  he said. 

In his remarks at the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee session,  Secretary Blinken said the United States supports a long-term  political settlement with regard to Nagorno Karabakh.

"I have been very actively in directly engaged with leadership in  both Armenia and Azerbaijan including just as recently as a week ago  phone calls with Prime Minister Pashinyan and with President Aliyev,  as well as their foreign ministers, trying to help advance prospects  for a long-term political settlement with regard to Nagorno  Karabakh", Blinken said. "We have been developing and promoting  various confidence- building measures. We have been trying to push  back on any unilateral actions particularly by Azerbaijan that would  only inflame the situation and we have a number of programs in place  that are part of the budget to try to help advance more peaceful  prospects".

After the geopolitical confrontation over Ukraine entered an active  phase, the trilateral OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship has  transformed into two separate, even rivaling, processes. And intense  rivalry of the United States and France with Russia is an  accomplished fact. However, neither the USA nor France or Russia is  not going to officially dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group in the  foreseeable future, primarily due to the fact that it is as OSCE  Minsk Group co-chairs that they are internationally mandated to  mediate between Armenia and Azerbaijan.   

"I would like to emphasize the part of Mr Blinken's statement saying  that the USA has 'been trying to push back on any unilateral actions  particularly by Azerbaijan.' I think that part of the statement is  addressed to Moscow rather than to Baku. And it is not without  reasons that the United States believes that Russia, along with  Turkey, is actually provoking Azerbaijan's excessive bellicosity as a  means of keeping a tight rein on Armenia and preventing it from  making any steps toward the West," Mr Stepanyan said.

In other words, the USA's statements are a means of curbing the  present and preventing further militant tendencies by President Ilham  Aliyev thereby stripping its principal rival, Russia, of one of the  means of influencing Armenia and, therefore, the settlement process. 

"Of course, it is being done primarily in the national interests of  the United States, which is seeking to project the current situation  in Ukraine to the South Caucasus and force Russia to leave the other  side of the Caucasian Range," Mr Stepanyan said.    

Remembering the Armenian Genocide: why it’s important

Babken Chilingarian
Your Central Valley

by: Stefani Booroojian

FRESNO, Calif. (KSEE)- President Biden labeling the Russian assault on the people of Ukraine as genocide. “Yes, I called it genocide because it has become clearer and clearer that Putin is just trying to wipe out the idea of even being able to be Ukrainian,” The president recently said.

Thousands of Ukrainians have lost their lives in cities and villages bombarded by Russian troops. Brutal acts sadly seen before. In 1915, the Ottoman Turkish empire attempted to wipe out the Armenian people from their historic homeland – it’s labeled the “first genocide of the 20th century.” Atrocities Turkey to this day denies.

marks the 107th commemoration of the Armenian genocide. Fresno’s Honorary Consul of Armenia Berj Apkarian says we must remember the genocide in which one and a half million Armenian people lost their lives because the lack of consequences for what happened in Armenia, allowed countries like Russia to wage the horrific war we see today. “Basically we’re paying the price for inaction at that time where we did not deal with the situation. we could have prevented many other atrocities and genocides around the world, ” Apkarian says.

The genocide drove the Armenian survivors worldwide. Now two, three and even four generations later, the central valley is home to tens of thousands. But their ancestral homeland is not forgotten. Apkarian leads local doctors on a yearly medical mission to Armenia, and in March took a small group to Lebanon, providing free medical care to impoverished Armenians and others in and around Beirut. He credits the community, donations and Community Health Systems for making it possible.
“Whereever the Armenian communities and they are in need. as long as I got the community’s backing, I’ll take my time and do it,” says Apkarian

Marking an enormous loss 107 years ago. A story that sadly repeats itself even to this day. But it also marks the survival of a culture.. that in spite of everything- even genocide- continues to thrive.

Traditional torchlight march in memory of victims of Armenian Genocide started in Yerevan

Babken Chilingarian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Alina Hovhannisyan

ArmInfo.The traditional torchlight march in memory of the innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide committed by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 started from the  Republic Square in Yerevan. Thousands of participants in the march,  which this year is held under the slogan "Zartnir, lao!" (Wake up, my  son>) with torches and flags, went to the Tsitsernakaberd memorial  complex.

The traditional march in memory of the victims began at 19:15, which  symbolizes the year of massacres of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey. The  organizers of the march are the Armenian Youth Union of the ARF  Dashnaktsutyun and the Student Union of the ARF "Nikol Agbalyan". A  message spread a few days earlier by the organizers said: "The  torchlight march is a symbol of our rebirth, our just struggle and  unity. This year it is even more important. The Armenian people,  Armenia and Artsakh are going through the most difficult times in  their history.

By participating in the march, we will show the world  that we are the owner of our Homeland, that we will not tolerate  denial, betrayal. " It should be noted that the 2nd and 3rd  Presidents of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan and Serzh Sargsyan, confirmed  their participation in the torchlight march a few days earlier.   Today, a torchlight march in memory of the victims of the Armenian  Genocide was also held in Aleppo. An march was held in Israel near  the Turkish Embassy, the participants of which condemned Turkey for  denying the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide and the latter's  participation in the Artsakh war of 2020.

According to the Chancellery of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin,  on April 24 at 10:30 a.m., a liturgy to commemorate the victims of  the Armenian Genocide will be held at the Church of St. Gayane in  Etchmiadzin.

The Torchlight March in Armenia in memory of the victims of the  Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire in 1915 has been running  since 2000.

UN Secretary General will visit Ukraine on April 28

Babken Chilingarian

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 12:11,

YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. UN Secretary General António Guterres will visit Ukraine on April 28, ARMENPRESS reports, citing TASS, the office of Guterres said in a statement on April 22.

"The Secretary-General will visit Ukraine next week. On April 28, he will hold a working meeting with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and President Volodymyr Zelensky," the statement said.

The Secretary-General's press service stressed that Guterres plans to meet with UN partners working in Ukraine to discuss plans for expanding humanitarian assistance to the population.