16:57,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 31, ARMENPRESS. Armenia is suspending the visa-free entry regime for Chinese nationals effective February 1 until March 31 over the coronovirus outbreak, Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan said on Facebook.
The World Health Organization has declared on January 30 that the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 213 people in China now constitutes a global public health emergency.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Previously, only the National Security Service had the right to wiretap
The Armenian parliament adopted a Law on Wiretapping on January 21. Now, not only the National Security Service will be able to eavesdrop on conversations of citizens, but the police will be able to as well.
• Georgian parliament gives final approval to “wire-tapping” law
• Audio recording between heads of Armenian National Security Service and Special Investigation Service causes scandal in Armenia
Moreover, MPs adopting the law did not take heed the pleas of the government. The day before the vote, Deputy Minister of Justice Srbuy Galyan, on behalf of the government, called on the parliament to vote against the wiretap bill, which, incidentally, was developed by members of the ruling My Step party. The deputy minister called on MPs not to pass the bill given that the adoption of the law involves large additional costs for the purchase of technical equipment for the police.
In addition, the government had an idea to grant the right to wiretap conversations to a private company, assuring parliament the activities of this organization would be under strict control. However, the parliament preferred to give this right to the police.
Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian with Clara Bousian Bedrosian and members of her family. Seated from l to r: Clara Bousian Bedrosian, Barlow Der Mugrdechian
FRESNO—The Armenian Studies Program of California State University, Fresno is pleased to announce that a $50,000 endowment has been established through a generous donation from Clara Bousian Bedrosian of Fowler, California. The Clara Bousian Bedrosian Endowed Fund will benefit the Armenian Studies Program in two ways: by supporting qualified students studying in the Armenian Studies Program with scholarships, and by supporting the Armenian Studies Program Lecture Series. ASP Coordinator Professor Barlow Der Mugrdechian thanked Bousian Bedrosian at an intimate gathering held at her home in Fowler.
“This endowment will benefit generations of Fresno State students and enhances the Armenian Studies Program,” said Der Mugrdechian. “Mrs. Bedrosian’s gift is important in highlighting the partnership between the Program and the community.”
Clara Bousian Bedrosian is a 1958 graduate of Fresno State.
PM Pashinyan offers condolences to Putin over dam collapse in Krasnoyarsk Krai
18:01,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has addressed a telegram offering condolences to Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the tragic incident that took place in the Krasnoyarsk Krai.
“It was with deep pain that I learnt about the tragic news of the fatalities as a result of the dam collapse in the Krasnoyarsk Krai.
On behalf of the Armenian people, please convey my sincere condolences and words of support to the families and friends of the victims, and I wish speedy recovery to all the injured,” the Armenian PM said in the cable.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
ArmInfo. By the decree of the President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian, Grigory Hayrapetov was relieved of the post of head of the State Protection Service of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia.
Based on the Prime Minister's proposal to dismiss Grigory Hayrapetov from the post of head of the State Protection Service of the National Security Service of Armenia, "the presidential decree reads. Grigory Hayrapetov was appointed to this post on June 11, 2018, almost a month after the political changes in Armenia. He managed to be the personal bodyguard of three former presidents, as well as the incumbent Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
Armenian President pays homage at Monument to the Unknown Hero in Belgrade
15:36, 5 October, 2019
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS. As part of the official visit to Serbia, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian and First Lady Nune Sarkissian visited the Monument to the Unknown Hero in Belgrade on October 5. They were accompanied by Serbian Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin.
The monument was built was built in 1938 on the place where an unknown Serbian World War I soldier was buried.
President Armen Sarkissian and First Lady Nune Sarkissian paid homage to the memory of the WWI soldiers in the memorial. Sarkissian then signed the guestbook: “At this historic moment we remember those who dedicated their lives to their fatherland”.
The president then visited the Belgrade Fortress and toured the 3rd century BC castle accompanied by the monument’s director Marija Reljić and Mayor of Belgrade Zoran Radojičić.
In the 16th-18th centuries many Armenian merchants settled in Serbia and founded an Armenian church. The church did not surviving throughout the centuries but the gravestones with Armenian writings were moved to the fortress’s territory and are preserved up to this day. Sarkissian laid flowers at these gravestones during the visit.
Belgrade Mayor Zoran Radojičić said: “The Serbian people know the Armenian people’s history and culture, value it and appreciate the Armenian president’s visit to this historic location where an Armenian trace also exists”.
He said they’d be happy if Belgrade and Yerevan were to become sister cities.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Friday, September 27, 2019
Kim Kardashian Reveals ‘Big Plans’ For Armenia
September 27, 2019
U.S. -- Kim Kardashian arrives for the 2018 Met Gala on May 7, 2018, at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
American reality TV star Kim Kardashian has pledged to explore the possibility
of manufacturing her new shapewear line in Armenia and other business
opportunities during her upcoming trip to the country.
Kardashian has been invited to participate as a “special keynote speaker” and
panelist in the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) that will be
held in Yerevan on October 6-9. The forum is expected to bring together 2,500
tech professionals from more than 70 countries.
“I will be visiting Armenia in the next 2 weeks and hope to seek ways I can
help increase trade and hopefully create jobs for Armenians which includes
@skims production there in the future,” Kardashian said late on Thursday.
“I’ve been working extremely hard on this matter and hope my trip to Armenia
will bring some amazing news because I have big plans!” the Armenian-American
celebrity added in a series of tweets.
She was responding to a September 25 appeal from the Armenian National
Committee of America (ANCA) posted on Twitter. The lobby group praised
Kardashian for championing U.S. recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide in
Ottoman Turkey.
The ANCA also said: “We saw that you are making some @skims products in Turkey.
Please consider making them in Armenia which is known for great craftsmanship &
service.”
“We consulted with experts and searched globally for the best in class options,
some which was found in Turkey,” replied Kardashian. “We believe strongly
against discrimination of any kind; against anyone or any nation based on the
past.”
She stressed that she remains “very passionate” about Armenian genocide
recognition.
The ANCA appeared satisfied with her response. “We look forward to your
upcoming trip to Armenia,” it said.
It will be Kardashian’s second trip to Armenia. The 38-year-old first visited
her ancestral homeland in April 2015 together with her husband and rapper Kanye
West and sister Khloe.
EU Reaffirms Support For Judicial Reforms In Armenia
September 27, 2019
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- European Union Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin speaks at a conference on
judicial reform in Yerevan, September 27, 2019.
The new head of the European Union Delegation to Armenia reaffirmed on Friday
the EU’s readiness to assist the Armenian government in reforming the country’s
judicial system.
Ambassador Andrea Wiktorin said EU officials look forward to seeing and
evaluating a final government plan for judicial reforms.
“I think it is impressive and we have to welcome the fact that the Armenian
government is really active to introduce a judicial strategy and to implement
reforms,” Wiktorin told reporters. “This is work in progress. They are
finalizing the strategy. The strategy will be seen by experts.”
“You are in a very difficult phase and you are tackling one of the most
difficult problems. Ten years ago I saw what it means if normal people have no
confidence in the judicial system and judges,” said the diplomat who had served
as Germany’s ambassador in Yerevan from 2007-2009.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian vowed judicial reforms and urged supporters to
block court buildings across Armenia in May after a Yerevan court released from
prison his bitter foe and former President Robert Kocharian, who is facing
serious criminal charges. He demanded a mandatory vetting of all Armenian
judges, saying that many of them remain linked to the country’s former
leadership.
Pashinian has since repeatedly stated that he wants to make the Armenian
judiciary “truly independent.” His critics say, however, he is on the contrary
seeking to gain control over the courts.
Wiktorin declined to comment on the opposition allegations about government
pressure on the judiciary. “The EU is in direct contact [with the government,]”
she said. “If we have [critical] things to deliver we will do this directly.”
Donald Tusk, the outgoing head of the European Union’s top decision-making
body, welcomed the Armenian authorities’ “focus on creating an independent,
efficient and accountable judicial system” when he visited Yerevan in July.
The reform process is also closely monitored by the Council of Europe and its
Venice Commission in particular. According to an internal Venice Commission
report, Armenian and Council of Europe officials agreed later in May that a
general vetting of all judges “would be neither necessary nor useful.” Instead,
the Armenian authorities will expand legal mechanisms for disciplinary
proceedings against judges and anti-corruption asset declarations filed by
them, said the report.
Minister Backs Parliament Bid To Oust Constitutional Court Head
September 27, 2019
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- Justice Minister Rustam Badasian speaks at a conference on judicial
reform, Yerevan, September 27, 2019.
Justice Minister Rustam Badasian on Friday voiced support for the Armenian
parliament’s plans to urge the Constitutional Court to replace its chairman,
Hrayr Tovmasian.
The National Assembly will debate and almost certainly adopt early next month
an appeal to the court drafted by senior lawmakers representing Prime Minister
Nikol Pashinian’s My Step alliance. The document denounces Tovmasian’s handling
of Robert Kocharian’s appeals against the legality of coup charges brought
against the former Armenian president.
The Constitutional Court partly accepted one of those appeals on September 4.
It declared unconstitutional an article of the Armenian Code of Procedural
Justice used against Kocharian.
The draft parliamentary resolution accuses Tovmasian of committing serious
procedural violations during the consideration of the case. It says he should
not have dealt with the case also because of his personal ties to one of
Kocharian’s lawyers and past membership in the former ruling Republican Party
of Armenia (HHK).
“I consider the appeal substantiated,” Badasian told reporters. The minister
also effectively echoed Pashinian’s recent allegations that Tovmasian became
the Constitutional Court chairman in March 2017 as a result of a dubious
political deal cut with HHK leader and then President Serzh Sarkisian.
Tovmasian rejected Pashinian’s verbal attacks in July. But he has yet to
publicly react to the pro-government parliament majority’s efforts to oust him.
Although the anticipated parliament resolution is not binding, the high court
has to meet and discuss it. Tovmasian will lose his post if most of the court’s
eight other judges vote against him.He is not allowed to attend the discussion
and vote on his future.
One of the judges, Alvina Gyulumian, on Friday declined to comment on the
parliament measure. “A single word uttered by me could be interpreted in a
certain way and preclude my participation in the court’s consideration of the
issue,” she explained to journalists.
Gyulumian earlier denounced as offensive a Justice Ministry bill offering her
and her colleagues financial incentives to resign.
The idea of such a bill was first floated by Vahe Grigorian, another
Constitutional Court judge who was elected by the government-controlled
parliament in June. Grigorian claimed that only he and another judge, Arman
Dilanian, can make valid decisions because they were installed after sweeping
amendments to the Armenian constitution took effect in April 2018. The court’s
eight other members, including Dilanian, dismissed those claims.
Iran’s Rouhani To Attend Eurasian Union Summit In Yerevan
September 27, 2019
Iran - Iranian President Hassan Rouhani and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian inspect an Iranian honor guard at a welcoming ceremony in Tehran,
February 27, 2019.
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani has accepted Armenia’s invitation to attend
next week’s summit of the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) in Yerevan,
the Armenian government announced on Friday.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s office also confirmed the participation of the
presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan in the summit
scheduled for October 1. It said the leaders of the five EEU member states will
be joined at a separate session by Rouhani as well as Moldova’s President Igor
Dodon and Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.
Pashinian announced his decision to invite Rouhani to the summit in early
August. He said it was agreed with Russian President Vladimir Putin and the
other EEU heads of state.
Iran and the EEU signed a preferential trade agreement in 2018. The deal was
strongly backed by Armenia, the only member of the trade bloc that has a land
border with the Islamic Republic. The current and former Armenian government
said it will boost Armenian-Iranian trade.
Pashinian made clear last year that despite renewed U.S. sanctions against Iran
his government will “deepen not only economic but also political relations”
with Tehran. He paid an official visit to Iran in February this year.
In a magazine interview published earlier this month, Pashinian insisted that
the United States is not pressuring Armenia to curtail Armenian-Iranian ties.
Press Review
September 27, 2019
“Zhoghovurd” says that contrary to opposition claims the current Armenian
government has achieved positive changes “in many fields.” In particular, says
the paper, the government decided on Thursday to raise the salaries of
firefighters and other employees of the Ministry for Emergency Situations by
almost 30 percent. It also approved a six-fold rise in one-off payments to
families having their first child and a 41 percent increase in the monthly
benefits of working mothers of young children. “Low salaries have always one of
the main sources of complaints in our county,” writes the pro-government daily.
“This probably explains why the problem is at the center of the government’s
attention.”
“Haykakan Zhamanak” comments on criminal charges brought against former Defense
Minister Vigen Sargsian and a former chief of the Armenian police, Alik
Sargsian. “Naturally, opposition propaganda construed these facts as the start
of a new phase of political persecution and vengeance, an attempt to
‘dismantle’ security agencies and so on,” writes the paper controlled by Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian. It denies those claims, saying the new authorities
are simply uncovering abuses and corrupt practices that were the norm under the
former ruling regime. It seems to agree with suggestions that virtually all
former senior officials committed such abuses.
“Short-term interests presuppose that it is not worth digging into the past of
former senior security officials because that is fraught with a certain
internal political destabilization. But long-term interests oblige [the current
authorities] to thoroughly cleanse security agencies from those officers who
have been involved in some corruption schemes in the past, are now nostalgic
about those times and would use the first opportunity to restore the past,”
concludes “Haykakan Zhamanak.”
Lragir.am says that Pashinian never expected his latest trip to the United
States to be “decisive or fateful.” The publication says that the visit was
focused on “pan-Armenian” issues. “Official Washington regards the Armenian
community as a channel of interstate relations,” it says, adding that
Pashinian’s meeting with Armenian American organizations were very important
for U.S.-Armenian relations.
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
The Middle East’s history has been one of ethnic and cultural diversity. As the birthplace of civilization in the Fertile Crescent, and then of the three Abrahamic religions, it has naturally seen the ebb and flow of a vast number of distinct peoples and communities. Yet these days, that legacy’s continued status appears more in jeopardy than ever. With decades of war, instability and religious extremism worsening conditions, another of the region’s ancient communities is increasingly flowing outwards: the Armenians.
Armenians have been long present in the Levant and elsewhere in the region. With a rich history of mercantilism, small-scale migrations from their mountainous homeland in eastern Anatolia established the first communities in the region long ago. Most contemporary Middle Eastern Armenians, however, came to the region as a result of the 1915 Armenian genocide that saw Ottoman troops disperse them from their territories into the rest of the empire and beyond.
The communities established a century ago have since been whittled down, by a process that has drastically accelerated in the past 10 years and then even more so in the last 12 months. The long-term survival of Armenians as a distinct community across the region now is more in question than at any time before.
Of the three largest communities, the most severely reduced is that in Syria. Home to perhaps 80,000 Armenians before the war, the Syrian Armenians had the distinct misfortune of being concentrated in Aleppo, which suffered massively as the center of a four-year struggle between government and opposition forces. Even more shocking was the 2014 sacking of Kesab, an exclusively Armenian village in the country’s northwest, that transfixed Armenians across the world as anti-government jihadists ransacked the town. Their homes destroyed, more than 20,000 Syrian Armenians repatriated to Armenia with the help of that country’s government, while more went elsewhere. Some accounts place the number of Armenians remaining in Syria to be as low as 15,000.
Iran and Lebanon, the other two centers, have each shed many of their own Armenians in the past few years. Lebanon’s Armenian population, once perhaps a quarter of a million strong, saw its share of emigration during the 1975-1990 civil war there. More have left recently for more mundane reasons: economic stagnation and unemployment. This same factor has also played a key role in outflows from Iran, whose Armenian population dates back to a 17th-century resettlement program by the then-shah.
The ‘Velvet Revolution,’ as commentators have dubbed the peaceful uprising that toppled the Republic of Armenia’s authoritarian government last spring, has delivered an air of hope to the country
While these two countries have seen severe economic difficulties, the homeland has become much more attractive. The “Velvet Revolution,” as commentators have dubbed the peaceful uprising that toppled the Republic of Armenia’s authoritarian government last spring, has delivered an air of hope to the country. While it was once viewed in dour terms by the diaspora, this perception has been turned on its head, with immigration numbers (most of which are of ethnic Armenians) reaching their highest point in more than a decade.
Exact statistics are hard to come by, but repatriation organizations active in the republic note that the largest increase has been from Lebanon and Iran. Should successful economic and political reforms follow, further Armenian migration from these two countries would almost certainly ensue.
Another region-wide trend has played a major role: Christian persecution. Across the Middle East, Christian communities have suffered killings and other attacks with increasing regularity. Perhaps the two most severely affected have been Iraq, where anti-Christian violence since 2003 peaked with the rise of ISIS, and Egypt, whose Coptic Christians have suffered immensely. Both countries also play host to Armenian communities, the vast majority of whom, however, have since fled. Even in Israel, home to a few thousand Armenians, notably in Jerusalem’s 2,000-year old Armenian quarter, discrimination against the community has occurred on a sustained, if much less violent, level.
The trend has played out on a massive scale: whereas Christians were estimated to form more than 13% of the Middle East’s population in 1910, that number is expected to fall to barely 3% by 2025. A seismic shift in the region’s demographics is occurring, one in which the Armenians are caught up.
Unlike Arab Christians, however, Armenians do have a homeland state, one where the population shares their language, faith and customs. The mere existence of the Republic of Armenia is thus a major blessing for many Middle Eastern Armenians.
But there are still many challenges. Armenia is a developing country, with an average monthly wage of only US$300. Unlike locals, who mostly live in houses and apartments long owned by their families, repatriates must spend half their salary or more on rent alone. Two centuries of Russian and then Soviet domination have naturally affected local culture and mindsets as well, creating difficult-to-bridge cultural and linguistic gaps. Still, they are lucky to have this refuge.
The Armenian retreat stretches from Alexandria to Aleppo to Esfahan, and shows few signs of stopping. Most of the smaller communities, like those in Iraq, are already nearly gone. Those in Iran and Lebanon are likely to survive, albeit in truncated form, and possibly even thrive: Forming their own enclaves in each country, they are large enough to be self-sustaining, and also enjoy special privileges afforded to them under the respective national governments. The United Arab Emirates has also remained a rare hub, its financial opportunities and stability encouraging a still-vibrant Armenian presence.
The second half of the 20th century saw the vanishing of the Middle East’s Jews from the lands where they had lived for centuries; the first half of the 21st is witnessing the phenomenon repeated among Christians. For the Armenians, driven there by force a century ago, their fate now, again, seems to lie elsewhere.
This article was provided to Asia Times by Syndication Bureau, which holds copyright.