14:10,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 10, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government has so far allocated a total of nearly 29 billion drams for support programs for forcibly displaced persons of Nagorno-Karabakh, Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan has said.
16:53, 9 January 2024
YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. French President Emmanuel Macron appointed 34-year-old Education Minister Gabriel Attal as his new prime minister on Tuesday, Reuters reports.
Attal, a close Macron ally who became a household name as government spokesman during the COVID pandemic, will replace outgoing Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne.
One of the country's most popular politicians in recent opinion polls, Attal has made a name for himself as a savvy minister, at ease on radio shows and in parliament.
"Dear @GabrielAttal, I know I can count on your energy and your commitment to implement the project of revitalisation and regeneration that I announced," Macron said on X, who at the end of last year said he would announce new political initiatives.
Attal will be France's youngest prime minister.
18:18, 9 January 2024
YEREVAN, 9 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 9 January, USD exchange rate up by 0.38 drams to 405.61 drams. EUR exchange rate up by 0.05 drams to 443.49 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate up by 0.05 drams to 4.51 drams. GBP exchange rate up by 1.09 drams to 515.98 drams.
The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.
Gold price down by 382.39 drams to 26408.65 drams. Silver price down by 1.48 drams to 297.91 drams.
78 rpm records from the collection of the Armenian Museum of America are being digitized, restored and shared on its website under the Virtual Resources tab (Photo: Jonathan Lizcano)
By Jesse Kenas Collins
WATERTOWN, Mass.—Over the past year, the Armenian Museum of America’s Sound Archive program has taken a giant step forward. Each month, the Museum posts a handful of songs digitized and restored from its collection of 78 rpm records on its website along with a historical writeup about the artists.
Along with more conventional musical recordings, some of the recordings touch on Armenian cultural, political and educational history, as well as the history of recording technologies. The program is sponsored by a generous grant from the SJS Charitable Trust.
The Museum hosted musicologist Ian Nagoski at its galleries to weave the story of the influential but largely forgotten soprano Zabelle Panosian, who was born in Bardizag and emigrated to Boston in 1907. Nagoski’s talk drew from his recently published book Zabelle Pansoian: I Am Servant of Your Voice, co-authored with Harout Arakelian and Harry Kezelian.
In November, the Museum welcomed world-renowned composer and musician Ara Dinkjian. Speaking to a packed house, Dinkjian discussed the early history of some of the first recordings of Armenian music through the 1940s. The presentation built on his book and CD compilation Armenians in America on 78 rpm.
“As we approach our fourth year presenting the Sound Archive at the Armenian Museum of America, we are proud to make this content available to people around the world,” says Executive Director Jason Sohigian. “For half a century now, the Museum’s collection of 78 rpm records has grown thanks to generous donors who have been entrusting us with their personal collections.”
“This music was almost lost to history at least twice in the past 100 years alone,” adds Sohigian. “First as a result of the Armenian Genocide, and then when audio technology has changed from records to other media in the 21st century. The Museum is now at the forefront of preserving and sharing these treasured archives of Armenian history and culture.”
The Sound Archive explores the Museum’s extensive collection of recordings including some that serve as more than entertainment, anchored by a series of articles about moments of cultural and political history. In one segment, listeners can eavesdrop on a party at the home of the writer Hamasdegh (Hampartzoum Gelenian) on the night of June 10, 1939. The commemorative disc opens with an introduction by none other than William Saroyan.
A second article covers an NBC San Francisco radio broadcast from June 24, 1945, highlighting the Armenian National Chorus as well as advocacy work about the Armenian Question from celebrity chef George Mardikian and attorney Souren Saroyan of the Armenian National Committee.
Most of the posts focus on the most influential Armenian artists recording during the 78 rpm era. The Museum highlights two post-war music icons, The Gomidas Band, a group at the frontier of kef style, and Guy Chookoorian, an artist and musical comic with a character and approach all his own.
Writing, research and audio digitization are undertaken by this author along with Harout Arakelian and Harry Kezelian. To explore the archive of digitized recordings and articles dating back to 2021, please visit: www.armenianmuseum.org/sound-archive.
Jesse Kenas Collins is a digitization specialist responsible for the transfer of analog recordings to digital files for the Armenian Museum of America. Collins is a museum professional and music preservationist with more than a decade of experience working in collections care, exhibitions production and audio digitization. Collins’s preservation work and research into the music of the Middle East extends into his work with the restoration of historical musical instruments.
His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II
Dear Faithful in the Homeland and the Diaspora,
On this New Year’s Eve, from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, we bring our pontifical love and best wishes to you all. The New Year is the borderline of the days that have become history and the hopeful future.
We welcome the dominical year of 2024 with deep concerns, filled with the relentless pain of immense losses in our hearts. We experienced a challenging year, but relying on the Lord, we look to the future of our nation with hope and optimism. In the face of the occupation and depopulation of Artsakh, the severe situation created around Armenia and the existing problems, we must resolutely overcome the difficulties, keeping strong the dedication and love for our homeland and faith in our Almighty Lord.
Dearly beloved, whether in moments of joy or distress, our people have always relied on God, always drawn strength from the Most High, believing that God is with us. Undoubtedly, our people’s spiritual potential and strength of spirit will lead us to the revival and the triumphant resurgence of Armenian life. We are the heirs of a nation that was in pain and suffered but did not surrender, experienced the genocide but was not destroyed, was massacred but did not die.
Certainly, the history of a people whose historical records are marked with beautiful testimonies of godliness and patriotism, with a ceaseless desire to live and create, cannot be interrupted. Trials often happen in peoples’ lives, but those nations that remain resilient in spirit and have faith in God, bravely face hardships and challenges. “The Lord is the hope of all those who trust in Him,” says the Psalmist (17:31).
Now, dear ones, let us renew ourselves in spirit and mind, let us be strengthened with hope, reflect on our progress and deeds with self-examination, correct the shortcomings and slips; let us not allow the division of hatred to be sown in the national life, the destructive adaptation and indifference to take root. Let us live a life adorned with faith, with God-bestowed love for each other, so that we feel God’s gracious presence amongst us. Let us “build ourselves up on our most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God,” as the Apostle urges (Judas 1: 20-21).
Let us surround our sisters and brothers forcibly displaced from Artsakh with caring love; let us increase hope in them so that the vision of returning to native Artsakh never fades and faith in God remains strong.
Let us be united in Armenia and the Diaspora and use our collective efforts to protect national interests and to create a new dawn in the life of our countrymen and the nation. Let us realize that the motherland is the only sacred place where the prayers and dreams of Armenian generations of all times are stored, where the identity of the Armenians will continue to be formed, and from whose sacred land the Armenian people will continuously gain strength. Let us surround our sisters and brothers forcibly displaced from Artsakh with caring love; let us increase hope in them so that the vision of returning to native Artsakh never fades and faith in God remains strong. Let us support the needy and distressed and seek the help of the Most High for our missing and captured ones and their families.
And following the message of the Holy Scripture, let us not forget charity and sharing the resources we have with each other, because such sacrifices please God (cf. Heb. 13:16), and this is the way to a pious and safe life of our people; this is the way towards the viability and permanence of our nation and state, nurtured with time-tested values.
Let us pray wholeheartedly, so that the Heavenly Lord keeps our homeland and the whole world in peace, so that with His support He spreads the grace of hope and love and the gift of victory to our homeland and to the lives of all Armenians passing through dangers, today and always and forever, amen.
Happy and blessed New Year.
His Holiness Karekin II
Catholicos of All Armenians
December 31, 2023
Holy Etchmiadzin
Armenia
Tuesday, January 9, 2024
Armenian Government Reports Strong Growth In 2023
Armenia - Economy Minister Vahan Kerobian speaks with journalists during a
Russian-Armenian business forum in Yerevan, September 20, 2021.
Armenia’s economy grew by more than 8 percent in 2023, according to preliminary
government estimates cited by Economy Minister Vahan Kerobian.
“We assume that economic growth in 2023 was in the 8.3-8.5 percent range,”
Kerobian told a news conference on Monday.
The government recorded even faster growth in 2022: 12 percent. It was driven,
in large measure, by re-exports of various goods to Russia sanctioned by Western
nations for its invasion of Ukraine. The same factor appears to have been the
main driving force behind the Armenian economy’s continued rapid expansion last
year.
Data from the Armenian government’s Statistical Committee shows that the
country’s industrial output rose by only 2.1 percent in January-November 2023,
compared with more than 41 percent surges in its exports and imports.
Second-hand cars, consumer electronics and other goods manufactured in Western
countries and their allies and re-exported from Armenia to Russia accounted for
most of this sharp gain. Armenian exports to Russia rose by 63 percent, to $2.9
billion, in January-October 2023, generating half of the South Caucasus nation’s
overall export revenue.
The re-exports prompted concern from European Union and especially U.S.
officials in early 2023. They pressed the Armenian authorities to comply with
the Western sanctions. The authorities introduced in May mandatory government
licenses for shipments of microchips, transformers, video cameras, antennas and
other electronic equipment to Russia.
Kerobian said that his government is trying to “diversify” the exports. “We are
working on India, China, Japan and many other directions,” the minister said
without elaborating.
Although China remained Armenia’s second most important trading partner after
Russia last year, Armenian firms exported less than $350 million worth of goods
to the country in January-October.
Armenian Opposition Leader’s Arrest Extended
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Armen Ashotian, deputy chairman of the opposition Republican Party of
Armenia.
A court in Yerevan has extended by three more months the arrest of Armen
Ashotian, a prominent opposition politician facing what he calls politically
motivated charges, ignoring an appeal for his release signed by other
oppositionists.
Ashotian, 48, was an influential figure during former President Serzh
Sarkisian’s rule, serving as education minister from 2012-2016 and subsequently
heading the Armenian parliament’s foreign relations committee. He has been a
vocal critic of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian ever since the 2018 “velvet
revolution” that toppled Sarkisian.
Ashotian was charged in November 2022 with abuse of power and money laundering
in connection with his past chairmanship of the Board of Trustees of Yerevan’s
Mkhitar Heratsi Medical University. The accusations, strongly denied by him,
stem from a number of property acquisitions carried out by the university
administration on his alleged orders. Armenia’s Investigative Committee claims
that those deals caused the state-run university substantial financial damage.
The law-enforcement agency also charged Ashotian with “waste” of public funds
following his arrest in June 2023 which it attributed to his alleged attempts to
obstruct its investigation. The oppositionist, who is a deputy chairman of
Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK), denies this accusation as well.
Vahe Dolmazian, the judge presiding over Ashotian’s ongoing trial, on Monday
allowed the investigators to continue holding him in detention until April 15.
Accordingly, the former police officer and prosecutor, who took the bench only
17 months ago, rejected the defense lawyers’ petition to free Ashotian on bail
or move him to house arrest.
The petition was backed up by a “guarantee” signed by about a dozen
parliamentarians and other opposition figures. They pledged in writing that
Ashotian will demonstrate “proper behavior” and not go into hiding or obstruct
justice if set free.
Armenia -- Levon Zurabian.
Surprisingly, the signatories included Levon Zurabian, the deputy chairman of
the Armenian National Congress (HAK) party led by another ex-president, Levon
Ter-Petrosian. The HAK was in opposition to Sarkisian during his 2008-2018 rule.
Speaking during Monday’s court hearing in Yerevan, Zurabian described Ashotian
as a political prisoner who is prosecuted for denouncing Pashinian’s policies on
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and other issues.
“I have no doubts that the purpose of this criminal case is to silence a critic,
rather than expose and punish corruption,” Zurabian told the court.
Sarkisian’s HHK has likewise condemned Ashotian’s arrest as government
retribution for his harsh criticism of Pashinian’s Karabakh policy. Pashinian’s
government and political allies say that he did not order the investigators and
courts to prosecute his outspoken critic.
U.S. Keeps Pushing For Armenian-Azeri Talks In Washington
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan (right) meets U.S. envoy
Louis Bono, Yerevan, January 8, 2023.
The United States keeps trying to host fresh talks between the Armenian and
Azerbaijani foreign ministers that had originally been scheduled for November, a
senior Armenian official said late on Monday.
Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, told Armenian
Public Television that this was the main focus of U.S. special envoy Louis
Bono’s meetings with him and Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan held earlier in
the day. He did not say whether Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov has
agreed to meet with Mirzoyan in Washington anytime soon.
Baku cancelled Bayramov’s November 20 trilateral meeting with Mirzoyan and U.S.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken in protest against what it called pro-Armenian
statements made by James O’Brien, the U.S. assistant secretary of state for
Europe and Eurasia. O’Brien visited Baku in early December in a bid to convince
the Azerbaijani leadership to reschedule it.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s top foreign policy aide, Hikmet Hajiyev,
said afterwards that Washington must reconsider its “one-sided approach” to the
conflict before it can mediate more peace talks. Later in December, Bayramov
said he has offered to meet with Mirzoyan on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border
without third-party mediation.
Despite holding no face-to-face negotiations in recent months, Baku and Yerevan
have exchanged more written proposals on an Armenian-Azerbaijani peace treaty
discussed by them. According to Grigorian, the Armenian side responded to the
most recent Azerbaijani proposals on January 4.
The official did not disclose that reply. He indicated only that Baku has
toughened its position on some key points of the peace accord.
“There are issues that were agreed upon during verbal negotiations, but we have
seen some steps backwards in the [Azerbaijani] text of the peace treaty,”
Grigorian said without elaborating. “But there are also points on which we made
progress.”
Azerbaijani officials said last month that the two sides should sign the treaty
before delimiting the long Armenian-Azerbaijani border, raising more fears in
Yerevan that Baku remains reluctant to formally recognize Armenia’s territorial
integrity. Mirzoyan insisted that the treaty should contain a concrete mechanism
for the border delimitation.
In recent weeks, Baku has also renewed its demands for the opening of an
extraterritorial corridor that would connect Azerbaijan to its Nakhichevan
exclave via Armenia. Yerevan has repeatedly rejected such demands before.
Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2024 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
13:40, 7 January 2024
YEREVAN, 7 JANUARY, ARMENPRESS. ANIF would like to inform that, at the initiative of the Ministry of Economy, changes were made to the management staff, including the board of directors of ANIF. Previously the Board of ANIF was chaired by Dominique de Villepin, former PM of and Minister of the Interior of France. By the decision of the Minister of Economy, he was replaced in this position by the Deputy Minister of Economy of RA Ani Ispiryan. Ani Ispiryan holds the post of Deputy Minister of Economy since September 2021. Before that, in 2020-2021 she worked as an expert at the RA Ministry of Economy within the framework of the "iGorts" program.
New members of the Board of Directors were appointed: Edgar Mkrtchyan, the Chief of Staff of RA Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigoryan, and Arman Adilkhanyan, the Chief of Staff of RA Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Khachatryan.
The contract of ANIF Director David Papazian was prematurely terminated by the vote of three new members of the Council. After this decision of the Ministry of Economy, the former Chairman of the BOD, Dominque De Villepin, also submitted his resignation from the position of a member of the BOD. Another long-time member of the Board of Directors of ANIF, Isidoro Lucciola also left the Board. Mr Lucciola is the founder and chairman of an investment banking and corporate finance independent boutique (Appeal Strategy & Finance), of a systemic provider of advisory and agency services to banks active in Italy (loan agency services) as well as of the Italian market leader in invoice trading fintech solutions for corporations (TSFVC). Mr. Lucciola has also been a member of ANIF's Board of Directors since its inception, and has supported the implementation of a number of investment projects in Armenia.
Khaled Helioui, the head of ANIF's investment committee, and Michael Thompson, a member of the Investment Committee, have also resigned.
Since 2019, ANIF has implemented a number of strategic projects with the now former composition of the board of directors and management structure, including the largest foreign investment project in Armenia at the moment, the "AYG-1" project jointly with the UAE State owned Masdar company, as well as Fly Arna Armenian National Airline jointly with Air Arabia.
A brief description of ANIF's recorded success in numbers:
Attracting foreign direct investments (FDI) in the total volume of 84.6 billion drams (at the exchange rate of 09.11.2023) or 210 million US dollars, of which:
Fly Arna: 10 million USD.
AYG-1: 200 million USD;
Investments in the domestic market through the "Entrepreneur + State anti-crisis investments" in 2021-2023:
7.8 billion drams – money directly invested by ANIF,
900 million drams – money co-invested by private partners, 1.931 billion drams – money drawn from commercial banks.
Paid taxes in 2021-2022: 837 million drams;
Taxes paid in 2023 in 9 months: 3.3 billion drams;
Taxes to be paid in 2023-2024: 8.9 billion drams (including taxes actually paid in 9 months of 2023);
More than 800 jobs created
Average salary in the projects created by ANIF in 2023. as of now: 558 thousand drams, when the average salary in RA is 263 thousand AMD.
Systemic investment attraction solution: creation of ARFI (Armenia Financed), the first online state crowdfunding platform in the world, which systematically solves the problem of ensuring a stable flow of investments from the diaspora to the Homeland.
1.76 billion drams (about 4.5 million dollars) net accounting profit in 2022. as of December 31.
The outgoing ANIF CEO David Papazian said “It has been an honor to lead Armenia’s nascent Sovereign Investment Fund since its inception in 2019. I am thankful to everyone who has believed in our journey, to our local and international partners, to everyone who through interaction has taught me lessons which I now take to my next career chapter. I wish the Ministry of Economy much success in building on top of the heritage we pass on to them today”.
16:30, 8 January 2024
YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan has said that he expects poverty rate to drop significantly with 2023 data.
He said that the poverty reduction is a highly important indicator for the government.
“In 2022, when we were living in an environment of high inflation and high economic growth, our international partners were warning us that high inflation could lead to up to 40% growth in poverty. But thanks to the outrunning actions taken by our government, not only didn’t we let poverty level to grow, but we also secured a certain reduction. Poverty dropped from 26,5 percent to 24,8%. However, for 2023, we again have high economic growth, but lower inflation, which allows us to hope that we will have significant reduction in the poverty rate as of 2023,” the Economy Minister said.
19:48, 8 January 2024
YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan has arrived in Azerbaijan for an official visit.
According to Azerbaijani media, President of the United Arab Emirates Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan was welcomed by Azerbaijani First Deputy Prime Minister Yagub Eyyubov, Deputy Foreign Minister Yalchin Rafiyev and other officials.
Theophany: The Dawn Of A New Life
Once again, the Christian world is illuminated by the miraculous birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In the unfathomable mystery of Theophany, we perceive the humility of the Son of God, who descended from heaven to earth, ushering in the dawn of a new life.
The nativity of Jesus Christ must indeed be seen as a profound manifestation of His immense love for humanity. His birth bridges heaven with earth. We’re mindful of this truth, taught by the scriptures:
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
The New Year gains its spiritual dimension from the birth of Christ, opening the door for spiritual
rebirth and eternal life. Its significance echoes profoundly when we commit to live lives resembling that of Jesus.
Throughout history, humanity has renewed itself by embracing the light of divine love and wisdom.
Christmas marks the culmination of this miracle in human life—a miracle essential at every step of our existence.
To understand Theophany, one must perceive it through a spiritual prism. Only then can we grasp its ultimate truth—a deep mystery that serves as a healing balm for the wounds afflicting humanity.
Now, more than ever, we must rekindle the vision and spirit of new life, intertwined with the birth of Christ. Let us see Christ’s humility in His revelation through Christmas. May Christ’s life become a mirror for our own, allowing us to delve into the depths of our souls, acknowledging our strengths and areas for growth. When Jesus is the mirror of our life, reflection and self-awareness deepen.
Christmas is a worldwide celebration. Our prayers gain potency when we pledge to experience spiritual revival through Christ’s birth. Today’s world, especially our nation, needs to overcome life’s challenges through the mystery of Christ’s birth. The meaning of Christmas transcends worldly explanations—it is nothing short of divine. In this sense, every family with a newborn embodies a miniature nativity scene.
Hence, we must experience that holiness within our families as well.
Let us individually and collectively celebrate the birth of Christ. Let us celebrate with conviction,
knowing that Christmas keeps alive our Christian calling, our yearning for the Fatherland Armenia, and the holy land sanctified by the blood of our ancestors. In our hearts and souls, we cherish the freedom-loving spirit of Artsakh, the sanctity of the Armenian family, and our timeless spiritual and cultural values. We owe a debt of gratitude to the young heroes of our nation who sacrificed for our lives.
Today, we also renew our covenant with Holy Etchmiadzin.
Beloved faithful,
Embrace the beginning of a new life on the threshold of Christmas. Let your heart be the cradle that holds the baby Jesus. Walk with Him, drawing strength from His divine power and wisdom to stand firm against weaknesses, making your life more purposeful, successful, and creative, knowing that our lives belong to God.
Christ is born and revealed. Blessed is the revelation of Christ.
Prayerfully,
Abp. Hovnan Derderian, Primate
Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America