Author: Garo Vardanian

Armenia, Bulgaria sign 2022-2025 cooperation program in sphere of culture

Garo Vardanian

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 16:33,

YEREVAN, JUNE 14, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and Bulgaria’s Minister of Culture Atanas Atanasov signed a cooperation plan on June 14, the Armenian MFA said in a statement.

“The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and the Minister of Culture of Bulgaria Atanas Atanasov signed the 2022-2025 cooperation program in the sphere of culture between the Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Armenia and the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria”, the statement says.

Armenian FM meets with families of POWs illegally held in Azerbaijan

Garo Vardanian

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 17:21, 7 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a meeting with the parents and relatives of the Armenian prisoners of war who are still illegally held in Azerbaijan, the ministry said.

Minister Mirzoyan touched upon the works aimed at presenting the issue of the release of the POWs and other persons held to international high-ranking officials, parliamentarians, human rights organizations and then answered to the questions of the meeting participants.

Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed that the Foreign Ministry makes all possible efforts for the quick release and repatriation of the POWs.

PM’s spouse Anna Hakobyan visited Lori province

Garo Vardanian


The visit started in Vanadzor town, particularly in the Vanadzor medical center where Anna Hakobyan was welcomed by the Governor of Lori, the acting mayor of Vanadzor and the director of the hospital.

Anna Hakobyan visited the maternity hospital in the town. Meeting with the parents of new-born babies, Anna Hakobyan said that the future of children depends on their parents, expressing hope that they will pay great attention to the health and education of their children.

Anna Hakobyan was also introduced on the new physiotherapy department at the medical center. The center is operating since February this year and has been renovated with the support of the Aznavour Foundation. The department serves as a rehabilitation center for the war participants, however, it also provides services to civilians. The department is equipped with the latest equipment meeting the highest European standards. According to the head of the department Artur Mkhitaryan, the center is the second in Armenia with its capacities, after the Soldier’s House rehabilitation center.

The next station was Darpas village where Anna Hakobyan met with the family of serviceman Karen Avetyan fallen at the 2020 Artsakh war. Karen’s mother welcomed Anna Hakobyan and accompanied her to her son’s bedroom. Karen Avetyan was the only child of the family.

 




CoE: Armenia: despite legislative reforms, survivors of human trafficking face uphill struggle to access justice

Garo Vardanian
May 31 2022
GROUP OF EXPERTS ON ACTION AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN HUMAN BEINGS (GRETA) STRASBOURG 31 MAY 2022

The Council of Europe’s Group of Experts on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings (GRETA) have published a new report on Armenia focusing on human trafficking victims’ access to justice and effective remedies. GRETA acknowledges improvements in the legislative and policy framework but asks the authorities to strengthen the provision of information to victims, improve access to legal aid and psychological assistance, facilitate access to compensation from the perpetrators, as well as to effectively investigate offences of human trafficking for all forms of exploitation and promote reintegration of victims.

Since the previous evaluation in 2017, Armenia has continued to develop its anti-trafficking legislative and policy framework: in 2021 a new Criminal Code and a new Criminal Procedure Code were adopted and amendments to the Labour Code were being prepared. GRETA urges the authorities to ensure that access to legal assistance is guaranteed as soon as there are reasonable grounds for believing that a person is a victim of human trafficking and before the person concerned has to decide whether on co-operating with the authorities in a criminal investigation.

The report also examines progress made on the implementation of previous GRETA recommendations on selected topics. GRETA urges the Armenian authorities to continue reinforcing the capacity and skills of all relevant officials to detect and investigate cases of trafficking for labour exploitation. Further, the authorities should strengthen efforts to prevent child trafficking among vulnerable groups (children in rural areas and children placed in child-care institutions) and pay more attention to the link between child trafficking and the use of information and communication technologies.

The total number of victims of trafficking identified in the period 2017-2021 in Armenia was 68. Two thirds of identified victims were women and girls. The prevailing form of exploitation was sexual exploitation, followed by labour exploitation and forced begging. Almost all identified victims were Armenian nationals exploited inside Armenia. The real number of trafficking victims is probably higher, the report says, as self-identification by trafficking victims occurs only rarely due to the lack of awareness of their rights, stigma, the feeling of shame and distrust vis-à-vis the authorities.


https://www.coe.int/en/web/portal/-/armenia-despite-legislative-reforms-survivors-of-human-trafficking-face-uphill-struggle-to-access-justice

No evidence of violence against police by protesters in Yerevan clashes, lawyer says

Garo Vardanian
Panorama
Armenia – June 4 2022

There is no evidence that opposition protesters used violence against police officers during clashes in Yerevan late on Friday, human rights activist Ruben Melikyan said.

Dozens were injured in the wake of the skirmishes that erupted after demonstrators attempted to break through a police cordon near Nikol Pashinyan’s official residence in central Yerevan. Police officers used stun grenades and detained scores of protesters.

“There is no single footage of protesters using violence against police officers. Whereas, there is a lot of footage of police violence against protesters,” Melikyan wrote on Facebook on Saturday.

“There is footage showing how police officers throw stun grenades at other policemen,” he added.

The lawyer denounced “mass unrest" charges against protesters. He said around 12 demonstrators, some of whom had been brutally assaulted, were arrested.

Melikyan highlighted that no police officer responsible for the violence was arrested.

Armenian President meets with Senior Minister of Singapore in Davos

Garo Vardanian

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 14:35, 25 May 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 25, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan met with Senior Minister of Singapore, Coordinating Minister for Social Policies, Tharman Shanmugaratnam on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the Presidential office said.

The sides exchanged ideas about issues relating to the global security and raising the efficiency of the operation of the public administration system. They noted that there is a big partnership potential in high technologies, science and education sectors.

The necessity of uniting efforts aimed at the exchange of experience in different areas and the effective implementation of the reforms was emphasized.

Nothing new in U.S. Ambassador`s statement on Artsakh – Tigran Khzmalyan

Garo Vardanian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
David Stepanyan

ArmInfo. U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynne Tracy's statement on the Artsakh population's role in deciding its fate did not contain any new messages, Chairman of the European Party of Armenia Tigran Khzmalyan said in an interview with ArmInfo.

"The fact is that the United States has always recognized the right  to self-determination. Let us recall even the Roosevelt-Churchill  negotiations on the fate of the British Empire during World War II.  In this context, I do not see anything new in Ms Ambassador's  statement. And if it is something new to us, it can only suggest that  the wrong policy has been pursued for decades or that the Armenian  political elite has been deceiving their own people," Mr Khzmalyan  said.  

The new thing is perhaps the fact that Armenian society has not been  informed that there were not any contradictions between territorial  integrity and the right to self-determination. Specifically, in  contrast to constantly changing borders, the principle of  self-determination is everlasting and inviolable. So in case this  principle is adhered to, the rights to security and the fate of  Armenia and, first of all, of Artsakh will be considered in the  context of the law of the U.S., EU and of the rest of the civilized  world.  

According to Mr Khzmalyan, this is what the United States is giving  hints about to Armenia time and again. And the last message was in  the autumn of 2018, when Mr John Robert Bolton, then United States  National Security Advisor, arrived in Yerevan to meet with Armenia's  newly appointed Premier Nikol Pashinyan. That message contained  proposals for arms supplies to Armenia. But it was in fact a proposal  to make a choice between the Western and Eastern civilizations, Mr  Khzmalyan said.

Armenia Central Bank puts into circulation silver collector coin “Davit Bek”

Garo Vardanian

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 10:17,

YEREVAN, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia has put the silver collector coin “Davit Bek” into circulation starting , the Bank said in a statement.      

 

“Davit Bek (date of birth unknown, died at the end of 1728) – a leader of the Armenian national liberation movement, a military commander.

He served in the army of the king of Georgia Vakhtang VI. At the request of the Armenians of Syunik, he entered Sisian and Kapan with his military force in 1722 and led the armed popular struggle against foreign occupiers.

In 1722-1725, Davit Bek liberated all of Syunik from the Iranian troops andMuslim invaders. In a short time, he organized regular Armenian contingents and a professionally trained army, restored old fortresses and fortifications, created new military strongholds, and established an independent Armenian principality with its center in Halidzor.

In 1725-1727, the Ottoman army attempted to seize Syunik. Starting from February 26, 1727, Davit Bek and his forces put up a heroic resistance to the numerically superior enemy who surrounded his major fortress of Halidzor, and on March 4, with a sudden counterattack, they defeated the invaders and threw them out of Syunik. In the battle of Halidzor 13000 Turkish soldiers were killed. The Armenians counted 148 military bannersamong the captured materiel. This victory contributed to the consolidation of the Armenian liberation movement in Syunik and Artsakh and to further successes of the Armenian troops.

Davit Bek is a symbol of patriotism and the national liberation struggle of the Armenian people.

The historical novel by Raffi “Davit Bek”, the eponymous opera by Armen Tigranyan and the feature film by Hamo Beknazaryan are dedicated to Davit Bek.A monument to Davit Bek is erected in the city of Kapan (Syunik region), streets in Yerevan and in other settlements of the Republic of Armenia are named after him”, the statement says.

Obverse: the fortress wall of Halidzor against the background of Mount Khustup, a torch and a sword.

Reverse: a fragment of the monument to Davit Bek in Kapan (sculptors: S. Baghdasaryan, M. Nurijanyan, 1978), the arms thrown at the feet of a horse.

 

Designer: Vardan Vardanyan.

The coin is minted in the Mint of Poland.

 

Technical spesification

 

Face value                                           1000 dram

Metal/fineness                                      silver 9250

Weight                                                 33.6 g

Diameter                                              40.0 mm

Quality                                                 proof

Edge                                                    ribbed

Quantity of issue                                   250 pcs

Year of issue                                         2022

 

Notice

 

Collector coins are made of precious metals and are issued to present to the society the national, international, historical and cultural, spiritual and other values of the country, to immortalize these values in the metal and to meet the demands of the numismatic market.

Like any other currency the collector coins have face value which makes them the means of payment. However, the face value of these coins is much lower that their cost price which includes the cost of the precious metal used for manufacturing of the coin, mintage and other expenses. Low face value and high cost price allow these coins to be considered as the items of collection and not the means of payment used in money circulation. The collector coins have also the sale price set by the Central Bank of Armenia.

As the items of collection the collector coins are issued in very restricted quantities and are not reissued.

Numismatists, collectors and all interested persons can buy the Armenian collector coins in the sales salon  which is in the building of the Central Bank of Armenia and is open for everyone.

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/1083887.html?fbclid=IwAR1FbBFcJgZK4Y690IX4oLMcSblJfWHWxZ4rX5HkwMZ2-IK_a5vdpurmhn4

Opposition campaign stopped process of ‘lowering the bar’ on Artsakh’s status, leader says

Garo Vardanian
Panorama
Armenia –

The protest campaign launched by the Armenian opposition has stopped the authorities’ attempts to “lower the bar” on the status of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), one of its leaders and a deputy parliament speaker from the opposition Hayastan bloc, Ishkhan Saghatelyan, told a news conference in Yerevan’s France Square on Saturday.

The anti-government protests dubbed Resistance Movement began in Armenia in April after Nikol Pashinyan hinted at concessions over Artsakh, saying that the international community wanted Yerevan to "lower the bar" on its status. 

“On April 25, we began the nationwide Resistance Movement, with large-scale acts of civil disobedience, including marches and rallies, launched on May 1. The Armenian people have stood up against the current government policies," Saghatelyan said.

He outlined the four key achievements of the protest campaign.

“The movement has stopped the process of lowering the bar on the issue of Artsakh's status,” he said.

“It has created a real political crisis and for our international partners the question of Nikol Pashinyan's legitimacy is obvious at least at this point.

“The movement has proved that the Armenian people will not put up with any concessions imposed on them and Nikol Pashinyan has no mandate to lead the country to new concessions.

“The movement has made it clear that there is a public demand for the ouster of the current authorities. The movement is unique in the history of independent Armenia over the past 30 years in its scale and popularity. It is, in fact, the second Karabakh movement,” Saghatelyan noted.

Armenian community meets with Irvine Mayor Farrah N. Khan

Garo Vardanian
 ANCA Orange County ANCA News 0

Artin Melkomian, Levon Kazarian, Ani Kocharyan and Manuel Sardaryan – UC Irvine ASA; ANCA-OC chair Violet Bulujian; Charlie and Annie Vas – Daughters of Vartan; Nishan Dulgarian – Knights of Vartan; AYF OC “Ashod Yergat” Chapter member Karine Codilian; Ani Sarkissian and Sogher Wartan, Ari Guiragos Armenian School students.

IRVINE, Calif. – Members of the Armenian American community of Orange County met with Mayor Farrah Khan and the City Manager on May 9th following a widely circulated video of Mayor Khan with well-known genocide deniers. In response, many constituents sent letters and emails, called the City of Irvine and attended a City Council meeting on April 12th.

Mayor Khan confirmed that all genocide deniers, including both Ergun Kirlikovali and Erkan Demiragci, have been removed from her advisory committee, and none are on any city council commission or committee. She also said that she no longer associates with genocide deniers.  

Following much discussion about the genocide education program, Mayor Khan stated that she will reach out to Cyril Yu, trustee of the Irvine Unified School Board, to lead the effort to coordinate and support the training of Irvine Unified School District educators by The Genocide Education Project.

Mayor Khan affirmed that a permanent Armenian Genocide Memorial can be erected in the city of Irvine and agreed to work with the community to achieve this. During its April 12th City Council meeting, the city of Irvine proclaimed April 24 of every year to be a day of remembrance for the victims of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenian National Committee of America-Orange County (ANCA-OC) welcomed the mayor’s eagerness and intent to work with the Armenian community and plans to follow up on her promises. In addition, ANCA-OC intends to make sure that the city of Irvine writes to President Biden in support of humanitarian aid to Armenians of Artsakh along with enforcing section 907 to stop military aid to Azerbaijan. Advocates also want a second letter be sent to the Azeri Consul General demanding the release of the Armenian POWs still being held following the 44-day war of 2020.

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ANCA Orange County is a grassroots organization advocating for social, cultural and political interests of Armenia and the Armenian-American community.