Armenpress News Agency , Armenia Wednesday Gyumri to host 'Lentuda' Arts and Crafts festival YEREVAN, MAY 17, ARMENPRESS. Gyumri will host new tourism festival. On July 29 Arts and Crafts festival, entitled ‘Lenduta’, will be held in the second largest city of Armenia. During the festival, Alexandrapol-Gyumri traditional arts, crafts, with theatrical performances and concerts, will be presented. “Usually it is perceived that it is hot in Armenia in July and it would be better not to visit the country in that period. Moreover, tourism activeness decreases to some extent. But in July it is the best season in Gyumri, weather is wonderful”, Aleksan Ter-Minasyan, director of Gyumri’s Berlin Art Hotel, told a press conference in Armenpress. The festival will launch in the evening of July 28, with a festive concert. Next day march will be held in the streets of Gyumri. The program will continue until late at night. “Starting from 21:30, the central square will be turned into an Italian square, it will be in the form of a big cafe where people can order something. We have talked with the administrations of hotels, restaurants, we hope they will ensure that part. The aim is not just to eat, but to organize screening of musical movies about Gyumri in the big screen”, Aleksan Ter-Minasyan said. First Vice-President of State Tourism Committee Mekhak Apresyan said the festival is expected to be held annually. “Gyumri will be presented with its arts and crafts, taste and smell. This is good example of public-private sector cooperation. Gyumri has great potential to become a regional tourism center. Preconditions exist, two airlines operate flights from Gyumri. We are going to contribute to Gyumri’s development through various events, including this festival”, Mekhak Apresyan said.
Author: Hambik Zargarian
ANCA and LAX hold discussion about establishing Los Angeles to Yerevan direct flights
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) met Los Angeles World Airports (LAWA) officials about launching direct flights between the United States and Armenia, an ANCA policy priority that will – in addition to saving travelers time and inconvenience – substantially boost tourism, increase business travel, expand cargo traffic, and strengthen U.S.-Armenia bilateral economic relations.
The discussions with LAWA Chief Executive Officer Deborah Flint and Deputy Executive Director and Chief of External Affairs Trevor Daley provided an opportunity for a positive and constructive exchange of views about the practical steps needed to establish direct air service between LAX and Zvartnots Airport (EVN) in Yerevan. The ANCA was represented by Chairman Raffi Hamparian and long-time community leader Zanku Armenian, who has extensive experience in the commercial aviation industry, having worked with each of the major U.S. airlines on bilateral aviation agreements and a range of aviation-related regulatory and policy issues.
“We welcome our constructive engagement with the senior leadership of LAWA and value their willingness to facilitate discussions among a diverse set of U.S. and Armenian public and private stakeholders to realize our goal of direct LAX to Yerevan flights,” said Raffi Hamparian.
The ANCA is calling on the U.S. Department of Transportation to support a public-private partnership regarding establishing U.S. to Armenia flights, involving U.S. airlines and relevant government agencies, among them the Federal Aviation Administration, Department of Homeland Security, Customs and Border Protection, and Transportation Security Administration. These direct flights would serve the purpose of both passenger and cargo traffic.
“Establishing a direct Los Angeles to Armenia route aligns well with LAWA’s vision for the future – involving a far-ranging $5 billion upgrade that will both solidify its position as a world class global travel hub and expand its reach to new locations around the world. We look forward to continuing our discussions and to working with the LAWA team on this mutually beneficial initiative for Southern California,” said Zanku Armenian.
Speaking about the major LAX upgrade, Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti has said: “we’re making LAX a world-class airport befitting a city that is the global capital of creativity, innovation and possibility.” Â Los Angeles is currently a leading contender for the 2024 Olympics.
Armenia, with its world class Zvartnots airport, has solid tourism infrastructure and is witnessing steady annual tourism growth. It is an increasingly in-demand destination for family, business, healthcare, technology, and education related travel. Armenia’s capital, Yerevan, is a growing financial center, home to a thriving business community with strong ties to Eurasia and the Middle East. Direct U.S.-Armenia flights would, in addition to saving travelers time and inconvenience, deliver financial benefits to airline carriers and also material advantages to business leaders, commercial enterprises, and investors in both countries.
In addition to direct flights, the ANCA is pursuing an array of economic initiatives to grow the U.S.-Armenia bilateral commercial relationship. Since the 2015 signing of historic U.S.-Armenia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement – a longstanding ANCA priority – U.S. commercial activity in Armenia, has increased dramatically, with $500,000,000 in new American investments. The ANCA is working to remove barriers to bilateral cooperation, including through a long overdue U.S.-Armenia Double Tax Treaty that will eliminate the threat of double taxation of firms operating in both countries. At a more fundamental level, the ANCA is working with U.S. and Armenian stakeholders in support of a new Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) compact focused on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) programs in public schools.
Progress in all of these areas: 1) direct flights; 2) a Double Tax Treaty, and; 3) a MCC STEM compact will advance U.S. regional and economic interests, creating jobs in both countries, reinforcing Armenian independence in the face of pressure from regional powers, and strengthening America’s enduring friendship with the Armenian people.
François Fillon: Stalin arbitrarily attached Nagorno Karabakh to Azerbaijan
French presidential candidate François Fillon pledges to commemorate April 24th if elected. “It is important not to forget the thousands of victims,” he said in an interview with .
“The French of Armenian origin and the Armenian community of France constitute an example of integration, of success, of patriotism. Everyone loves France but all also have a bit of their heart in Armenia. With the law of January 29, 2001, France publicly acknowledged the Armenian genocide of 1915. By recognizing the existence of the first genocide of the twentieth century, the French Republic symbolically gave the Armenian drama a place in the collective memory of mankind,” he said.
“Turkey is very wrong not to look at its past. Every nation has its share of shadow and gains by recognizing it,” Fillon said.
“The French Republic has a duty to protect all its citizens, including our citizens who have found asylum, homeland and freedom in France. It is up to the justice of the Republic to act to ensure respect for its citizens. An important legislative work had to be carried out in order to draw all the legal consequences of this recognition, that is to say, the penalization of denial,” he said.
As for Turkey’s accession to the European Union, François Fillon said: “I have always been consistent. I have never changed my opinion: Turkey’s accession to the European Union is neither possible nor desirable. I regret that France and Europe do not have the courage to say it sincerely to the Turkish authorities.”
“There is no alternative to finding a peaceful and lasting solution to the Karabakh conflict,” François Fillon said.
“In April 2016, for six days, the Southern Caucasus once again flamed. Confirmed by international indifference, Azerbaijan tried to retake Nagorno-Karabakh by force. This murderous offensive ended with a precarious ceasefire. Today our French citizens of Armenian origin are worried and I am also worried because the Nagorno-Karabakh. Let us not forget that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is due to Stalin, who arbitrarily detached it from Armenia and gave to Azerbaijan in 1921. Now there is no choice but to find a Peaceful and lasting solution through the United Nations,” Fillon stated.
Impunity for Maragha atrocities encouraged new crimes – Shavarsh Kocharyan
Today marks one of the darkest, yet not widely known pages of the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Twenty-five years ago Azerbaijan committed gross violation of the International Humanitarian Law.
“On April 10, 1992, the Azerbaijani “OMON” – Special Purpose Mobility Unit, destroyed and set on fire Maragha village of the self-determined Artsakh Republic, burned alive and tortured to death through inhuman cruelty its peaceful population. A part of the villagers was taken as a hostage – the fate of some of them is still unknown,” Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said in comments on 25th anniversary of Maragha tragedy.
“In several hours of Azerbaijan’s control over the village its inhabitants went through the atrocities and barbarism, which fully meet all the criteria of a crime against humanity,” he said.
“The impunity for atrocities committed in Maragha encouraged the continuation of perpetration of new crimes in an atmosphere of complete permissiveness. The barbarism committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces during last April aggression against Artsakh undeniably prove that,” Shavarsh Kocharyan stated.
Armenia becomes 60th country to endorse Safe Schools Declaration
Armenia became the 60th country to endorse the international Safe Schools Declaration on March 22, 2017, the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA) said,
“We warmly congratulate Armenia for making this commitment to ensure that students and schools are better protected around the world, even during times of conflict,” said Diya Nijhowne, GCPEA director. “Armenia joins a growing community of states that recognize that more can be done, and that more must be done, so that students can study safely in their schools.”
Armenia’s endorsement means that the majority of Council of Europe member states have now endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration.
The Safe Schools Declaration is an inter-governmental political commitment that provides countries with the opportunity to express support for protecting students, teachers, schools, and universities from attack during times of armed conflict. It stresses the importance of continuing education during armed conflict.
By joining the declaration, countries pledge to restore access to education when schools are bombed, burned, and destroyed during armed conflict, and undertake to make it less likely that students, teachers, and schools will be attacked in the first place. They agree to deter such violence by promising to investigate and prosecute war crimes involving schools, and to minimize the use of schools for military purposes so they do not become targets for attack.
This latest endorsement occurs just six days before the Second International Safe Schools Conference, to be co-hosted by the Argentine ministries of foreign affairs and defense in Buenos Aires on March 28-29.
GCPEA is an inter-agency coalition formed in 2010 by organizations working in the fields of education in emergencies and conflict-affected contexts, higher education, protection, and international human rights and humanitarian law that were concerned about ongoing attacks on educational institutions, their students, and staff in countries affected by conflict and insecurity.
GCPEA is a coalition of organizations that includes: The Council for At-Risk Academics (CARA), Human Rights Watch, the Institute of International Education, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Protect Education in Insecurity and Conflict (PEIC, a program of Education Above All), Save the Children, the Scholars at Risk Network, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Armenia open to normalizing relations with Turkey without preconditions – FM
Armenia is open to normalizing relations with Turkey without any preconditions, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said at a joint press conference with visiting Foreign Minister of Greece Nikos Kotzias.
Minister Nalbandian said he hopes Turkey will once adopt a similar stance and will respect the agreements reached.
Minister Nalbandian reminded about the Armenian President’s initiative to normalize relations with Turkey without preconditions, which the latter turned down. “Although two protocols were signed, Turkey refused to ratify and implement those,” he said.
Minister Nalbandian said that “as a nation subjected to the first genocide of the 20th century, Armenia feels obliged to make efforts to prevent new genocides, new crimes against humanity.”
“We are taking steps on different international platforms, including the UN in that direction,” Minister Nalabdnian said, adding that a number of resolutions have already been adopted.
The Minister reminded that the UN recently accepted Armenia’s initiative to proclaim December 9 as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan thanks fans for get well messages
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has thanked Manchester United fans for their support as he works his way back from a hamstring injury.
The Armenian midfielder picked up a knock after netting the only goal of the game in a Europa League clash with Saint-Etienne.
Having trudged off the field in France, Mkhitaryan was then forced to sit out Sunday’s dramatic victory over Southampton in the League Cup final.
EuFoA publishes interim report on Artsakh Referendum
The European Friends of Armenia () has published its report about the referendum observation mission in Nagorno Karabakh / Artsakh Republic. The referendum on 20 February 2017 changes the local constitution to a strongly presidential system, and changes the name from formerly “Nagorno Karabakh Republic (Artsakh)” to “Artsakh Republic (Nagorno Karabakh)”.
“From all we have seen and the data we collected across Artsakh, the referendum was well administered and seen by most citizens as an obligation to respond to the threat from Azerbaijan, especially in the light of the largescale attack in April 2016. The result clearly represents the democratic choice of the people, while some improvements remain necessary to further increase local and international trust in future votes.” summarised Dr Michael Kambeck, Acting Director of EuFoA.
A full report will follow in a few weeks.
Please find the full text.
Documents prove Ottoman policy of Islamization of Armenian orphans during Genocide
The Research Center for Western Armenian Studies has published two documents, proving the Ottoman policy of Islamization of Armenian orphans.
During the Armenian Genocide the Ottoman Government pursued the policy of Turkification of Armenian women and children.
presents two Ottoman documents and their Western Armenian translations. The texts are related to Armenian orphans hosted at a building in Ankara.
In the first document Interior Minister Talaat says it’s inexpedient to leave the Armenian children assembled in the building and orders to relocate them to different Islamic organizations.
The second document is the response by Ankara’s Deputy Governor Atif, who reports details about the number of Armenian women and children in the region and informs that the Armenian orphans will be sent to Islamic organizations.
The documents have been provided to the Research Center for Western Armenian Studies by US-based researcher Gevorg Hakobyan.
Momondo: Yerevan among best budget holiday destinations of 2017
The independent global travel search site has included Armenia’s capital Yerevan among the best budget holiday destinations of 2017.
The website writes: “Give in to the minibus chaos to criss-cross your way through the city – for 100 Dram, and a loudly shouted “stop!” you’ll be dropped off at the Yerevan’s prized monuments. The pedestrian Northern Avenue takes you from the opera to the fountains at Republic Square. Imposing Soviet era buildings by day, elegant backdrop to a light and water show at night, the Republic Square is inevitably a must-see.
Enjoy the long summer nights in the pink city, as it’s called due to the pinkish stones of the buildings, at the cafĂ© terraces, while snacking on lamehjun (Armenian-style pizza). Rebuilt to hide the scars of wars and natural disasters, most of Yerevan’s current attire is only a century old. Yerevan’s oldest heritage lies along the outskirts of the city where the Hrazdan River and deep gorge create a natural border.”
Other cities in the list include: Sofia (Bulgaria), San Antonio (Texas, USA), ValparaĂso (Chile), Braga (Portugal), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (Spain), Belfast (Northern Ireland), Lviv (Ukraine), Pristina (Kosovo), Panama City (Panama), Kalamata (Greece), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina)