Author: Christine Harutyunian

Armenian Assembly Advocacy Yields Results, Welcomes New Members to Caucus

Christine Harutyunian

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY OF AMERICA

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date:

Contact: Danielle Saroyan

Telephone: (202) 393-3434

Web: www.aaainc.org

ARMENIAN ASSEMBLY ADVOCACY YIELDS
RESULTS, WELCOMES MORE ARMENIAN CAUCUS MEMBERS 

WASHINGTON,
D.C. – As Congress returned to Washington, D.C. this month, the Armenian
Assembly of America (Assembly) held over 30 meetings with Congressional offices
and Members, thanking friends, discussing key issues, and adding more Members
to the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.

The Assembly is pleased to welcome Representatives
Ken Buck (R-CO), Joe Kennedy III (D-MA), and Grace Meng (D-NY) as the latest
Members to join the Armenian Caucus. Last month, Reps. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ),
and Anthony Brown (D-MD) also joined the Caucus as a result of the Assembly's
efforts to expand the Caucus, thus bringing the total as we start 2018 to 117
Members.

"I'm proud to be joining the Congressional
Armenian Caucus. I look forward to learning more about issues that impact the
American-Armenian relationship and about ways to deepen ties between our two
nations," Rep. Buck told the Assembly.

Rep. Buck serves on the House Committee on Rules and
House Judiciary Committee, as well as the Judiciary Subcommittees on
Immigration and Border Security and Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security and
Investigations. Last Congress, he also co-sponsored H.Res.220 and H.Res.154,
affirming the Armenian Genocide.

"I am proud to join the Congressional Armenian
Caucus. New York is home to many Armenian Americans and I am honored to
represent a strong and vibrant Armenian American community in my district in
Queens. I look forward to serving on the Caucus," Rep. Meng told the
Assembly.

Having previously served on the House Foreign
Affairs Committee, Rep. Meng now serves on the House Appropriations Committee
and its Subcommittees on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs as
well as Commerce, Justice, and Science. She represents the Sixth Congressional
District of New York, which includes the Armenian Church of the Holy Martyrs in
Bayside (Queens). Just this month, Community Board 11 in her district voted
unanimously to change the name of the street behind Holy Martyrs to
"Armenia Way" to honor the Armenians in Bayside. In addition to
co-sponsoring H.Res.220, the Congresswoman supported other Armenian Genocide
legislation, including H.Res.154 in the 114th Congress and H.Res.227 in the
113th Congress. She also co-sponsored H.R.4347, "Turkey Christian Churches
Accountability Act," in the 113th Congress.

Rep. Kennedy is a member of the House Energy &
Commerce Committee, and represents Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District,
near Boston. In 2015, he signed the Royce-Engel Letter, which urged the U.S.
and OSCE to "publicly condemn specific acts of aggression along the line
of contact" initiated by Azerbaijan, against Artsakh. The letter called
for "a few common sense steps for the U.S. and the Minsk Group to take to
deter further violence. Specifically, the call for all parties to withdraw
snipers, and the proposal to deploy OSCE monitors and equip them with gunfire
locator systems, provides tools to increase transparency and accountability for
each and every cross-boundary violation."

Rep. Gallego represents Arizona's Seventh
Congressional District, which includes portions of Phoenix. His district is
located near St. Apkar Armenian Apostolic Church in Scottsdale, where Assembly
Western Region Director Mihran Toumajan participated in its "Armenia
Fest" this past November. Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny will
present a Town Hall Briefing at St. Apkar Church on February 18.

"I'm proud to join the Armenian Caucus and
share in the richness that the Armenian Community brings to the United States.
I look forward to upholding and advocating for the Caucus' commitment to the
preservation of human and civil rights in Armenia, the United States, and
around the world," Rep. Gallego said to the Assembly.

Rep. Brown is part of the House Committee on Ethics,
House Committee on Natural Resources, and House Armed Services Committee. He
represents Maryland's Fourth Congressional District, which is comprised of
portions of Prince George's County and Anne Arundel County near Washington,
D.C.'s suburbs. Assembly Board Member Annie Totah and Executive Director
Ardouny have spoken with Rep. Brown on numerous occasions on U.S.-Armenia and
U.S.-Artsakh relations, and the importance of joining the Armenian Caucus.

"The Armenian Assembly looks forward to working
with these new Members and with the leadership of the Armenian Caucus as we
continue to strengthen U.S.-Armenia relations and confront Azerbaijan's ongoing
and deadly cease-fire violations," stated Executive Director Bryan
Ardouny. "In 2018, we will also continue to expand our network of State Chairs
across the country and are also planning a National Advocacy Conference in
Washington, D.C. later this year," he added.

The Armenian Caucus was established in 1995 as an
informal, bipartisan group of legislators dedicated to maintaining and
strengthening the U.S.-Armenia relationship. The coordinated efforts of this
diverse coalition of Congressional friends of Armenia and the Armenian American
community help to raise greater awareness of Armenian American issues on
Capitol Hill and unique and lasting bonds between the American and Armenian
people.

The Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues is
currently Co-Chaired by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Rep. Jackie Speier
(D-CA), Rep. David Trott (R-MI), and Rep. David Valadao (R-CA) with Vice
Co-Chairs Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL).

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of
America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting
public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a
non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

###

NR#
2018-002

Photo
Caption 1: Armenian Assembly Western Region Director Mihran Toumajan, Rep. Ken
Buck (R-CO), Assembly Grassroots & Development Associate Mariam Khaloyan,
and Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny

Photo
Caption 2: Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA) speaking with Armenian Assembly Western
Region Director Mihran Toumajan, Assembly Grassroots & Development
Associate Mariam Khaloyan, and Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny

Photo Caption 3: Armenian Assembly Western Region Director Mihran
Toumajan, Assembly Grassroots & Development Associate Mariam Khaloyan, Rep.
Duncan Hunter (R-CA) who co-sponsored H.Res.220, and Assembly Executive
Director Bryan Ardouny

Photo
Caption 4: Armenian Assembly Grassroots
& Development Associate Mariam Khaloyan, Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and
Assembly Public Affairs Associate Danielle Saroyan

Photo Caption 5: Armenian Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny,
Assembly Grassroots & Development Associate Mariam Khaloyan, Rep. Mike
Bishop (R-MI), and Assembly Western Region Director Mihran Toumajan

Photo Caption 6: Armenian Assembly Executive
Directory Bryan Ardouny, Armenian Assembly Board Member Annie Totah, and Rep.
Anthony Brown (D-MD)

Photo Caption 7: Armenian Assembly Western Region Director Mihran
Toumajan, Assembly Grassroots & Development Associate Mariam Khaloyan, Rep.
Dina Titus (D-NV), and Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny

Photo
Caption 8: Armenian Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny, Armenian Caucus
Co-Chair Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and Assembly Grassroots &
Development Associate Mariam Khaloyan

Photo Caption 9: Armenian Assembly Western Region Director Mihran
Toumajan and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA)

Available here: http://bit.ly/2DNNdxn


Bryan Ardouny, Annie Totah, and Rep. Anthony Brown_crop.jpg
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Gallego.jpg
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Dina Titus (D-NV)_crop.jpg
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Duncan Hunter (R-CA).JPG
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Linda Sanchez (D-CA).jpg
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Mike Bishop (R-MI).JPG
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Sports: UEFA Nations League, Armenia’s Additional Path to Euro 2020

Christine Harutyunian
The Armenian Weekly
Jan 29 2018

By M.J. Graham on

Special to the Armenian Weekly

The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Nations League is a new competition for European teams. The competition’s introduction will result in a decrease in the number of meaningless international friendly matches and an increase in competitive fixtures between similarly ranked teams. The competition also aims to increase the viewership and general interest in international soccer, in response to waning interest in favor of the club competitions Europa League and Champions League.

Armenian fans march to Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium before a 2013 Armenia-Czech Republic match (Photo: Vahan Stepanyan/Pan Armenian Photo)

The draw for the inaugural 2018-19 UEFA Nations League took place on Wed, Jan 17, 2018. Countries are split into groups across four leagues according to current UEFA ranking coefficients.

League A
Group 1: Germany, France, Netherlands
Group 2: Belgium, Switzerland, Iceland
Group 3: Portugal, Italy, Poland
Group 4: Spain, England, Croatia

League B
Group 1: Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic
Group 2: Russia, Sweden, Turkey
Group 3: Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Northern Ireland
Group 4: Wales, Republic of Ireland, Denmark

League C
Group 1: Scotland, Albania, Israel
Group 2: Hungary, Greece, Finland, Estonia
Group 3: Slovenia, Norway, Bulgaria, Cyprus
Group 4: Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Lithuania

League D
Group 1: Georgia, Latvia, Kazakhstan, Andorra
Group 2: Belarus, Luxembourg, Moldova, San Marino
Group 3: Azerbaijan, Faroe Islands, Malta, Kosovo
Group 4: FYR Macedonia, Armenia, Liechtenstein, Gibraltar

The four group winners of the top-ranked League A will qualify for the Nations League Finals in June 2019. Two single-leg semifinals, a third-place playoff, and a final match will determine the overall winner. Group winners from Leagues B, C, and D will gain promotion to the higher levels, while teams propping up each group table will be relegated. Since Group 1 of League C has fewer teams than the other groups in League C, the three fourth-placed teams and the worst third-placed team will be relegated.

The second edition of the Nations League season will take place in 2020-21.

Another feature of the competition, and one that should be of keen interest to Armenian fans, will be a secondary qualifying route into Euro 2020 for four teams, one from each League A/B/C/D. That avenue of qualification will be separate from the standard Euro 2020 qualifying campaign.

The regular qualifying format will remain largely the same but, rather than the best third-placed teams advancing to the play-offs as in years past… that stage will now be reserved for the 16 Nations League group winners. If any of the 16 teams in question have already qualified for Euro 2020 through the regular route, their place will be taken by the next best-ranked team. Four countries from each of the four leagues will compete in two single-legged semifinals and a final to secure the four Euro 2020 berths up for grabs. Most importantly, this avenue of qualification assigns one berth to each league, which means that teams competing in League D, those teams that would normally struggle in the regular qualifying format, now have a chance to qualify for the finals tournament by pitting their skills against similarly ranked nations.

This is an altogether positive development for the European Championships, a competition that has evolved over the years. Along with CONMEBOL, the South American confederation, UEFA can be considered to be of the highest standard among all confederations in FIFA. Historically, this has made the European Championships arguably harder to qualify for, and win, compared with the World Cup. Teams reaching the European Championships tend to be the cream of the crop from UEFA, whereas the World Cup (rightfully) allocates qualification berths to weaker confederations to ensure the competition is truly global. That adds to the romance of the competition, for sure, but increases the difficulty for lower-seeded European countries to qualify from UEFA, and favors countries from other confederations that are most likely lower in the FIFA rankings.

The point is, the European Championships was, at one time, a best-of-the-best competition. For example, Euro 1992 had eight participating countries, seven of which gained qualification alongside the automatic berth of the host nation. That competition represented only 20 percent of the nations in UEFA at that time. With the breakup of the Soviet Union and an increase in the number of competing nations, the tournament was expanded to 16 teams in 1996. However, the tournament still only had room for around one-third of the confederation’s nations, not to mention subsequent years where two nations hosted the tournament and thus gained automatic qualification for themselves while reducing the number of available berths for qualifiers.

Referring to the included table, in the 20-year period between 1992 and 2012, a span of six tournaments, there were only three occasions where lower-seeded nations qualified: i.e., teams drawn from seeding pots four or lower. The 2016 edition of the tournament, which further expanded the participation to 24 teams, was somewhat of an anomaly in terms of lower-seed qualifications. Four of the 24 participating nations qualified after being drawn from pots four and five. If that was truly an outlying case, a regression to the mean is expected. Therefore, a similar pattern of qualification failure will be seen for lower-seeded teams in 2020 and beyond. That is why the UEFA Nations League and its back-door path to Euro 2020 qualification is a very welcome development for nations of League C, and most definitely nations of League D. It will have Armenian fans sizing up the League D opposition and fancying their chances.

Euro Championship qualifying statistics (Table: Michael Graham)

When are the matches?

UEFA Nations League
Match day 1: 6–8  Sept. 2018
Match day 2: 9–11  Sept. 2018
Match day 3: 11–13 Oct. 2018
Match day 4: 14–16 Oct. 2018
Match day 5: 15–17 Nov. 2018
Match day 6: 18–20 Nov. 2018

*Group winners advance to Euro2020 playoffs (16 teams, four from each League)

League A Finals draw: Dec. 2018
League A Finals: 5–9 June 2019

Euro 2020 Qualifying
Match day 1 21–23 March 2019
Match day 2 24–26 March 2019
Match day 3 7–8 June 2019
Match day 4 10–11 June 2019
Match day 5 5–7  Sept. 2019
Match day 6 8–10  Sept. 2019
Match day 7 10–12 Oct. 2019
Match day 8 13–15 Oct. 2019
Match day 9 14–16 Nov. 2019
Match day 10 17–19 Nov. 2019

*Nations League A/B/C/D Group Winners (16 teams total, four per league)
Euro 2020 Playoff draw: 22 Nov. 2019
Euro 2020 Playoff Semifinals 26–28 March 2020
Euro 2020 Playoff Finals 29–31 March 2020

UEFA Nations League (Graphic: UEFA)

Azerbaijani Press: MP: Necessary to find ways for restoring trust between Azerbaijani, Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh

Christine Harutyunian
Trend, Azerbaijan
Jan 26 2018
17:18 (UTC+04:00)

    • Baku, Azerbaijan, Jan. 26

    By Leman Zeynalova –Trend:

    It is necessary to find ways to restore the lost trust between the Azerbaijani and Armenian communities of Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijani MP Rovshan Rzayev said at the winter session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) in Strasbourg Jan. 26.

    "We've long been looking to establish contact, to start dialogue between the two communities of Nagorno-Karabakh," the MP said.

    This could give a positive momentum to the negotiation process within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, he noted.

    Rzayev said that he has been unable to visit his native land for more than 25 years, due to occupation of Azerbaijani lands by Armenia.

    “Nagorno-Karabakh is my small homeland. Shusha – the city where I grew up, unfortunately, is under occupation today. This is our story. This is what we lived through, and we cannot forget it. But how do we see the future? How do we see tomorrow? I ask you to support our initiative on the dialogue that we can and must, in my opinion, establish between the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh. It is necessary to find ways to restore the lost trust,” added the Azerbaijani MP.

    The Azerbaijani delegation headed by chairman of the parliamentary committee on international and interparliamentary relations, Samad Seyidov, has been participating in the PACE winter session in Strasbourg since Jan. 21.

    The delegation includes chairman of the parliamentary committee on culture Rafael Huseynov, MPs – Sahiba Gafarova, Sevinj Fataliyeva, Ganira Pashayeva, Ulviya Agayeva, Sabir Hajiyev, Elshad Hasanov, Vusal Huseynov, Fazil Mustafa, Asim Mollazade and Rovshan Rzayev.

    Sarkisian Blasts Baku on Distorting Facts Surrounding Khojaly Events

    Christine Harutyunian
    • Armenia

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    9 hours ago

    President Serzh Sarkisian at the PACE winter sesssion

    During a questions and answer session following his remarks at the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe on Wednesday, President Serzh Sarkisian blasted a member of the Azerbaijani delegation for distorting the truth surrounding events in Khojaly at the height of the Karabakh war in the 1990’s.

    For decades, Azerbaijan has mounted a campaign to bill the events at Khojaly as “genocide,” blaming Armenians of committing that act.

    On Wednesday, during the PACE session, Samad Seyidov, a member of the Azerbaijan delegation, attacked Sarkisian for failing to mention the so-called “Khojaly genocide,” to which Sarkisian responded by first urging the Azerbaijani representative to “calm down.”

    “I was a participant in the just struggle of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. Why did I not mention the incidents in Khojalu, that you call a genocide? It was for the simple reason that immediately after those painful events, Ayaz Mutallibov, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, stated in great detail and an informed way, facts that clearly showed who actually organized and carried out those massacres,” explained Sarkisian.

    “It is unfortunate. Genocide is not a good thing. Carrying out or suffering a genocide is not an honor; it is a suffering. I think there is a trend in Azerbaijan to want whatever the Armenians have had. This is impermissible. Why do you need to call something that never occurred and was never carried out by the Armenians a ‘genocide’?” added Sarkisian.

    Seyidov went on to ask about so-called United Nations resolutions, which allegedly Armenia has violated—another talking point that Azerbaijan uses to distort the truth.

    “There is no international organization that would have adopted a decision that would have been rejected by Armenia. You tried to recall the United Nations Security Council resolutions. My advice to you, when you go into a topic, you had better study it. The world knows that the United Nations Security Council has never discussed the issue of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1993, the United Nations Security Council adopted four resolutions on stopping hostilities in the Nagorno-Karabakh area. After each resolution, Azerbaijan said it would not stop the fighting. It attempted new offensives and attacks, but as usual it suffered losses. In those four resolutions, the only commitment of Armenia was to use its reputation, authority and influence to get the hostilities to stop. To the credit of the then Government of Armenia, we honored this one commitment. Azerbaijan – the number one responsible for the hostilities – failed to stop the fighting,” explained Sarkisian.

    “As you know, in 1994, the cease-fire agreement was signed, but it was signed under the influence of other factors, not the United Nations Security Council resolution. Unfortunately, the provisions of that cease-fire agreement are not being honoured. The agreement clearly states that the hostilities need to stop, and for a political solution, an extensive process of talks must be launched. As your own words clearly illustrate, you want the most in this process of negotiation – you want what is impossible. You want to return Karabakh to Azerbaijan,” said Sarkisian.

    “Unfortunately, xenophobia in Azerbaijan has got to the point  that you are explicitly saying that you need Karabakh, but without the Armenians. That is impossible. It is never going to happen.
    “The essence of the struggle of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh is very simple. It is a struggle for liberty, a struggle self-determination, and I am sure that that struggle cannot have anything but a positive outcome,” added the president.

    Կառավարությունում ստեղծվեց առաջին փոխվարչապետի պաշտոնը. ո՞վ է այն ստանձնելու

    Christine Harutyunian
    • 25.01.2018

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    Կառավարության այսօրվա նիստում հավանության արժանացավ «Անվտանգության խորհրդի մասին» նոր օրենքի նախագիծը: Այն գործադրին ներկայացրեց արդարադատության նախարար Դավիթ Հարությունյանը:


    Էական տարբերություն կա Ազգային անվտանգության խորհրդի եւ Անվտանգության խորհրդի կազմերում: Մասնավորապես՝ նախագահը, Ազգային Ժողովի նախագահը եւ գլխավոր դատախազը Անվտանգության խորհրդի կազմում չեն ներառվելու:


    Դավիթ Հարությունյանը, խոսելով Անվտանգության խորհրդի կազմի մասին, ասաց, որ այն ղեկավարելու է վարչապետը, իսկ կազմում լինելու է առաջին փոխվարչապետը, փոխվարչապետները եւ այլն: Մինչդեռ օրենքի նախագծում փոխվարչապետների մասին որեւէ նշում չկա, միան ամրագրված է առաջին փոխվարչապետի պաշտոնը:


    Նշենք, որ սա առաջին օրենքն է, որտեղ ամրագրված է «առաջին փոխվարչապետ» պաշտոնը: Ամիսներ առաջ մամուլում գրվել է, որ առաջին փոխվարչապետի ինստիտուտ պետք է ստեղծվի, որպեսզի Կարեն Կարապետյանը զբաղեցնի այդ պաշտոնը, իսկ վարչապետն ապրիլի 9-ից հետո դառնա Սերժ Սարգսյանը, հիշեցնում է armtimes.com-ը:


    ՀՀ Սահմանադրության 147-րդ հոդվածը սահմանում է, որ կառավարությունը կազմված է վարչապետից, փոխվարչապետներից եւ նախարարներից: Փոխվարչապետների թիվը չի կարող գերազանցել 3-ը, իսկ նախարարներինը՝ 18-ը: Իհարկե, Անվտանգության խորհրդի մասին օրենքով չի սահմանվում կառավարության կազմը, սակայն ենթադրվում է, որ առաջիկայում նոր կառավարության կազմը հաստատելուց պետք է ստեղծվի «առաջին փոխվարչապետի» պաշտոնը:

    Sports: Alexis Sánchez move to Manchester United may hinge on Henrikh Mkhitaryan

    Christine Harutyunian 
    The Guardian (London), UK
 Tuesday 1:30 PM GMT


Alexis Sánchez move to Manchester United may hinge on Henrikh Mkhitaryan

· Armenian yet to decide on possible move to Emirates · Mkhitaryan and
Arsenal yet to have talks on any deal

by Jamie Jackson


Manchester United's hopes of buying Arsenal's Alexis Sánchez may
recede should Henrikh Mkhitaryan not wish move to the north London
club, with the Armenian carefully weighing up his options before a
possible move from Old Trafford.

Related: Manchester United spending a fortune to get Alexis Sánchez at
29 makes sense

There has as not yet been contact between Mkhitaryan and Arsenal
regarding his terms and potentially moving to the Emirates. It is
understood Mkhitaryan does not view himself as a makeweight in any
deal that would take Sánchez to United. Instead, the forward believes
he is the key to United being able to purchase the Chilean.

United's prospective terms are thought to include Mkhitaryan being
part of Sanchez's transfer but the 28-year-old is in no particular
rush to depart and would countenance remaining at the club.

Should he opt to do so, this would leave United having to decide
whether they wish to finance Sánchez's transfer without the sum of
around £30m they would have received from Mkhitaryan's sale. When
Sánchez's signing-on fee plus that of his agent's are factored in this
would mean United having to pay around £60m for a player who is out of
contract at Arsenal in the summer.

There is also the question of whether Arsène Wenger would allow
Sánchez to leave it he did not have Mkhitaryan as his replacement,
though Arsenal's manager is also pursuing Borussia Dortmund's
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

    Sports: Alexis Sanchez’s Manchester United transfer agreed but Henrikh Mkhitaryan demands are holding up the deal

    Christine Harutyunian 
    The Independent (United Kingdom)
 Tuesday 2:55 PM GMT


Alexis Sanchez's Manchester United transfer agreed but Henrikh
Mkhitaryan demands are holding up the deal

Arsenal had been favouring United's offer over Manchester City's
because it involved a player, but the Armenian's preferred option is
to go back to Dortmund

by  Miguel Delaney


The general terms of Alexis Sanchez's move to Manchester United from
Arsenal have now been agreed, but it is still open to question whether
Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be part of the deal, meaning there is still a
lot of negotiation left.

Arsenal had been favouring United's offer over Manchester City's
because it involved a player, but the Armenian's preferred option is
to go back to Borussia Dortmund after an unhappy time in England so
far, and it is understood that he and his representative Mino Raiola
are demanding high wages to make the deal happen.

Arsenal are currently reluctant to come close to their demands.

While there is still an expectation United will eventually sign
Sanchez whatever happens, the situation could yet rumble on for a few
days.

Read more

How Mkhitaryan has become the key man in Sanchez's move to United

Raiola has insisted it is Sanchez who is the makeweight in
Mkhitaryan's transfer to Arsenal, and not the other way around.

"Manchester United are not going to sign Sanchez unless Mkhi agrees to
join Arsenal," he told

The Times

"Mkhi is going to do what is best for him. He has two-and-a-half years
left on his contract, so it's his decision. "Sanchez is part of the
Mkhi deal, not the other way around."

    Press release – International Experts Respond to Artsvik Minasyan’s Invitation to a Meeting Around Amulsar Mine Issues

    Christine Harutyunian
    Բարի օր
    Հարգելի լրատվամիջոցներ խ    նդրում ենք հրապարակել կից անգլերեն հոդվածը ձեր կայքերի անգլերեն բաժնում՝ պահպանելով ակտիվ հղումները (hyperlink):

    Հարգանքով – Best regards,
    Հայկական բնապահպանական ճակատ (ՀԲՃ) քաղաքացիական նախաձեռնություն – Armenian Environmental Front (AEF) Civil Initiative

    Website: http://www.armecofront.net/
    YouTube channel:  http://www.youtube.com/user/armecofront
    Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/armecofront
    Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/armecofront

    Կապ / Contact person Լևոն Գալստյան / Levon Galstyan – հեռ./tel. +374 99 53 05 88, +374 91 53 49 59, +374 93 53 49 59

    Հասցե` Երևան, Սպենդիարյան 5, բն. 24
    Address: 5 Spendiaryan str. apt. 24, Yerevan, Armenia



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    Meeting Around Amulsar Mine Issues. Eng.doc
    MS-Word document

    Tehran: Armenians in Iran Mark Christian New Year

    Christine Harutyunian
    Iran Front Page
    Jan 3 2018
    January 3, 2018 – 08:33

    Iranian Armenians living in Tehran have celebrated the advent of Christian New Year at an iconic church in the capital city.

    Armenians celebrated Christian New Year at Targmanchats Church in Tehran. The church building was initially constructed by the International Council of Christian Churches in cooperation with the Armenian Diocese of Tehran for the Armenians whose homes were destroyed in the 1962 earthquake in Boeen-Zahra region in Iran and, therefore, were forced to migrate to Tehran.

    The church building was first nothing more than a simple hall. Later on, a church bell tower and a dome as well as other parts were added to it.

    The facade of the church is made of red bricks, but the interior walls are covered with plaster.

    The church has been extended through years.

    The Christian New Year begins on January 1, marking the birth of Jesus Christ. In the West, Christians celebrate New Year’s Eve as the seventh day of Christmas.

    Here are ISNA’s photos of the ceremony held a few days ago in Tehran: