Author: Hovsep Chakrian

Photo: Sputnik/Asatur Yesayants

 

A court in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, has dismissed a motion filed by prosecutors seeking detention of Russian national Sergei Mironov charged with money laundering and illegal arms export, RIA Novosti reported on Monday.

The issue of Sergey Mironov’s possible extradition is not yet closed and will be solved within 40 days, Ruben Kirakosyan, President of the Russian-Armenian Bar Association, told RIA Novosti.

“Before that Mironov will be in freedom, but will have to stay in Yerevan. He will not be allowed to leave the country until the issue is settled,” Kirakosyan explained.

Mironov, 30, was detained in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, on Friday for alleged money laundering and illegal transfer of military technology after the US government request.

The man is an employee of Moscow office of Synesis, the company developing intelligent video surveillance and business intelligence based on computer vision, RIA Novosti reported.

 

The Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire 41 times at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night.

The rival used firearms of different calibers as it fired more than 620 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep full control of the situation at the frontline and confidently continue with their military duty.

 

 

 

There can be no negotiation process unless Artsakh is involved in talks, Executive Director of the Foundation Against the Violation of Law (FAVL), Armenia’s first Human Rights Defender Larisa Alaverdyan told a press conference today. She said the process under the aegis of the Minsk Group is living a crisis.

“Whatever we call the process under way within the framework of the Minsk Group, it is in crisis. The lack of agreement on meetings and the cautious statements of the Co-Chairs come to prove this,” she said.

Larisa Alaverdyan said the steps of the Armenian side are unclear to her. “The OSCE has other institutes beside the Minsk Group – the OSCE Fact-Finding Mission, for example.” She noted that Azerbaijan applies to the mission on every occasion, while we never do.

Director of the Modus Vivendi Analytical Center, political scientist Ara Papyan noted that “the document on the table today is not new. It comes from the 1994 agreement.”

He said “the last document that has been spoken about is that of Kazan” and added that the solution of the issue in that format is unacceptable.

Speaking about the steps of the Armenian side, Ara Papyan stressed the need to change the “ground and essence” of the negotiation process. “The principle of territories against nothing should be cancelled,” he said.

According to the political scientist, there are both positive and negative factors in the geopolitical developments. “The positive factor is that there are opportunities Armenia should use to develop relations with the West, thus creating an alternative,” he said.

Larisa Alaverdyan does not exclude the perspective of a large-scale war. “The possibility is high, considering the lack of cusses in diplomacy. That means that Azerbaijan’s failed nasty attack in April was a signal to our authorities to reinforce the armed forces,” she said.

Alaverdyan said she has no expectants form the Minsk Group, but added that she’s not against meetings. “Meetings at least mean there should be no war.”

Ara Papyan does not expect from a possible Paris meeting, either.

A group of intellectuals has issued an appeal to Jirair Sefilian , urging him to interfere and prevent the undesirable development of events by calling on his friends to lay down arms and surrender to the authorities.

The statement reads:

“Dear Jirair,
We appeal to you assured that you value and attach importance to the word of intellectuals, their request and kind advice.

Your friends, who are our compatriots, have resorted to a radical step – an armed attack – and have taken people hostage, a Police Colonel has been killed.

Relying upon your good sense and patriotism, we are confident that with your wisdom and calls you will interfere and prevent this irresponsible  and short-sighted situation and undesirable consequences of the developments  by urging your friends to lay down weapons and surrender to the authorities.

We are confident that your and your friends’ further reasonable and watchful steps will be targeted at national unity, peace and security.”

The appeal has been signed by:
Ruben Babayan, director
Hovhannes Chekijian, director
Edward Topchyan, conductor
Tigran Mansurian, composer
Perch Zeituntsyan, writer
Yervand Manaryan, actor and director
Robert Elibekyan, artist
Ruben Matevosyan, singer
Sasun Paskevichyan, composer
Levon Malkhasyn, jazzman,
Alexander Grigoryan, director
Arthur Grigoryan, composer
Norayr Mehrabyan, choreographer
Sona Hovhannisyan, choir conductor
Shushan Petrosyan, singer
Narek Hakhnazaryan, musician
Nune Yesayan, singer
Zhirair Dadasyan, director
Robert Mlkeyan, choir conductor
Vahan Badalyan, director
Arev Petrosyan, artist-designer
Narek Duryan, actor
Sergey Smbatyan, choir conductor
Roland Sharoyan, writer
Alla Levonyan, singer
Nikolay Tsaturyan, director
Gevorg Hakobyan, singer
Ruben Hovsepyan, writer

New United signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan will thrive under Jose Mourinho’s playing style and training methods, according to former Armenia coach Raymond Verheijen, according to . 

The midfielder, who is Armenia’s all-time top scorer, made the £26 million move to Old Trafford from Borussia Dortmund last week.

The 27-year-old is expected to slot in on the right wing of Mourinho’s new-look side and could make his debut in that famous red shirt against Wigan on Saturday.

Although he is the first Armenian to ever play in the Premier League, Verheijen believes Mkhitaryan’s time at Dortmund will stand him in good stead in adjusting to the rigours of English football.

“What I think has been very smart is that he went from Shakhtar to Dortmund and from Dortmund to United.” he told M.E.N. Sport.

“I think the Bundesliga has made him sufficiently strong to take the next step to the Premier League. He will need time to adapt, but I trust Mourinho and his staff to let him gradually adapt to that level.”

Known for his blistering pace, Mkhitaryan once joked that had he not made it as a footballer, he would have been a sprinter instead.

This was a quality that struck Verheijen, who has also worked with Manchester City, the Netherlands, Barcelona and Russia, when he was involved with the Armenia national team in 2012.

“There is one characteristic of him that I have almost never seen with other players and that is the fact that he has an acceleration after an acceleration,” he said.

“When he starts dribbling, he accelerates quickly but then, just before somebody tries to challenge him, he can accelerate for a second time. That is something that I thought was very special.

“That is a talent that he has which makes him difficult to defend, especially in the counter-attack. United need to make sure he gets the ball as quickly as possible.”

One of Mourinho’s hallmarks is “his less is more” approach to training, with extensive ball work sessions favoured over fitness focused drills without the ball.

Verheijen previously criticised Mourinho’s predecessors, Louis van Gaal and David Moyes, for over-training United’s players and feels Mourinho’s approach will get more out of Mkhitaryan et al.

“If you look with Chelsea winning the title two years ago, they played with the same XI in almost every game,” he said.

“I think the same will happen this year with United. He will have significantly less injuries than Van Gaal and Moyes and he will play with the same XI much more often.

“When you do play and train with the same XI more often, the communication between your players and the tactical understanding between your players increases dramatically.”

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region (ANCA-WR) applauds and extends its gratitude to California Governor Jerry Brown, Senate President Pro Tempore Kevin De Leon and  Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon who included in the 2016-2017 State Budget the funding for the Armenian American Museum request submitted by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian and Senator Carol Liu.

“The ANCA-WR welcomes the funding allocated for the Armenian American Museum as the museum will truly be a multi-faceted, state of the art campus that will not only educate residents and visitors alike about the Armenian history, heritage and experience, but also serve as a place of enrichment for the youth.  We are truly grateful to Assemblymember Nazarian for taking the lead on obtaining funding by
submitting the initial request and of course Senator Liu who echoed Nazarian’s request on the Senate side – making it possible for the Assembly and Senate leadership to stand in strong support and receive
final approval by the Governor,” stated ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq.    “It is our hope that this positive action by the State will pave the way for funding from the private sector, foundations, and
other government entities,” remarked Hovsepian.

The ANCA-WR Chairwoman added that the organization was pleased to have lent its support toward securing the $1 million funding from the State.  She also expressed a willingness to work with the Armenian American Museum to secure additional State funding in the coming years.

The mission of the Armenian American Museum is to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Armenian American experience. The vision for
the Armenian American Museum is a cultural campus that enriches the community, educates the public on the Armenian American story, and empowers individuals to embrace cultural diversity and speak out
against prejudice.

President Serzh Sargsyan had today a phone conversation with the US Secretary of State John Kerry. The call was initiated by the American side.

The interlocutors spoke about the recent developments in the NK peace negotiations mediated by Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, particularly to the process of implementation of the agreements reached in Vienna and Saint Petersburg.

Pioneering rock guitarist Scotty Moore, who was a member of Elvis Presley’s original band, has died aged 84, the BBC reports.

He died in Nashville on Tuesday after several months of poor health.

He is credited with helping Elvis shape his music that came to be called rock ‘n’ roll, and inspired generations of guitarists.

Moore was the last survivor of Elvis’s original band which included Presley, bassist Bill Black and producer Sam Phillips.

As part of The Blue Moon Boys Moore backed Presley on many of his legendary songs including Heartbreak Hotel, Blue Suede Shoes and Jailhouse Rock.

Pope Francis on Saturday urged young people in Armenia to be active peacemakers in a world suffering from persecutions and conflict. Speaking at an open air prayer service in Yerevan to leaders of all the Churches in Armenia, the Pope called on people of faith to abandon “rigid opinions and personal interests”, showing instead humility and generosity on the path towards full Christian unity.

During the prayer service for peace in Yerevan’s central Republic Square, the leader of the Armenian Apostolic Church, to which most believers in the country belong, Catholicos Karekin II spoke bluntly about the suffering and conflicts that plague the Caucasus region today. He recalled the fighting that flared again last April in the contested Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh where, he said, “Armenian villages were bombarded”, killing both soldiers and civilians.

The Patriarch also talked again about the Armenian genocide a century ago, noting how countries including Germany, an ally of Turkey during the First World War, have recently moved to recognize the atrocities as a key step towards peace and reconciliation in the region.

Pope Francis, in his words to the Christian leaders, also spoke of that “immense and senseless slaughter”, saying it is not only right, but also a duty to keep the memory of that tragedy alive. But memory, he insisted, must be transformed by love and by the driving force of faith to sow seeds of peace for the future. Memory, infused with love, he said, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation

The Pope also spoke of the wars and conflicts in the Middle East today, fueled by the proliferation of weapons and by the arms trade. Adressing the young people present in the windswept square, he urged them to become peacemakers, “actively engaged in building a culture of encounter and reconciliation”.

Citing a famous 12th century Armenian figure, Catholicos Nerses IV, remembered as a champion of efforts towards church unity, Pope Francis said Christians must find the courage to abandon rigid opinions and personal interests in order to “heal memories and bind up past wounds”. He urged Armenians to work with humility and generosity for a peaceful society, based on dignified employment for all, care for those most in need and the elimination of corruption.

At the end of the prayer service, the Pope and the Patriarch watered seedlings of a vine planted by young Armenians in a model of Noah’s Ark, believed to have come to rest after the great flood on the slopes of Mount Ararat, whose snow capped peaks dominate the eastern part of the country

Please find below the English translation of Pope Francis’ address at the Ecumenical Prayer Vigil for Peace in Yerevan

Venerable and Dear Brother, Supreme Patriarch-Catholicos of All Armenians,

Mr President, Dear Brothers and Sisters,

God’s blessing and peace be with all of you!

I have greatly desired to visit this beloved land, your country, the first to embrace the Christian faith.  It is a grace for me to find myself here on these heights where, beneath the gaze of Mount Ararat, the very silence seems to speak.  Here the khatchkar – the stone crosses – recount a singular history bound up with rugged faith and immense suffering, a history replete with magnificent testimonies to the Gospel, to which you are heir.  I have come as a pilgrim from Rome to be with you and to express my heartfelt affection: the affection of your brother and the fraternal embrace of the whole Catholic Church, which esteems you and is close to you.

In recent years the visits and meetings between our Churches, always cordial and often memorable, have, thank God, increased.  Providence has willed that on this day commemorating the Holy Apostles of Christ we meet once again to confirm the apostolic communion between us.  I am most grateful to God for the “real and profound unity” between our Churches (cf. JOHN PAUL II, Ecumenical Celebration, Yerevan, 26 September 2001: Insegnamenti XXIV/2 [2001], 466), and I thank you for your often heroic fidelity to the Gospel, which is a priceless gift for all Christians.  Our presence here is not an exchange of ideas, but of gifts (cf. ID., Ut Unum Sint, 28): we are reaping what the Spirit has sown in us as a gift for each (cf. Evangelii Gaudium, 246).  With great joy, we are walking together on a journey that has already taken us far, and we look confidently towards the day when by God’s help we shall be united around the altar of Christ’s sacrifice in the fullness of Eucharistic communion.  As we pursue that greatly desired goal, we are joined in a common pilgrimage; we walk with one another with “sincere trust in our fellow pilgrims, putting aside all suspicion and mistrust” (ibid., 244).

On this journey, we have been preceded by, and walk with, many witnesses, particularly all those martyrs who sealed our common faith in Christ by their blood.  They are our stars in heaven, shining upon us here below and pointing out the path towards full communion. Among the great Fathers, I would mention the saintly Catholicos Nerses Shnorhali.  He showed an extraordinary love for his people and their traditions, as well as a lively concern for other Churches.  Tireless in seeking unity, he sought to achieve Christ’s will that those who believe “may all be one” (Jn 17:21).  Unity does not have to do with strategic advantages sought out of mutual self-interest.  Rather, it is what Jesus requires of us and what we ourselves must strive to attain with good will, constant effort and consistent witness, in the fulfilment of our mission of bringing the Gospel to the world.

To realize this necessary unity, Saint Nerses tells us that in the Church more is required than the good will of a few: everyone’s prayer is needed.  It is beautiful that we have gathered here to pray for one another and with one another.  It is above all the gift of prayer that I come this evening to ask of you.  For my part, I assure you that, in offering the bread and cup at the altar, I will not fail to present to the Lord the Church of Armenia and your dear people.

Saint Nerses spoke of the need to grow in mutual love, since charity alone can heal memories and bind up past wounds.  Memory alone erases prejudices and makes us see that openness to our brothers and sisters can purify and elevate our own convictions.  For the sainted Catholicos, the journey towards unity necessarily involves imitating the love of Christ, who, “though he was rich” (2 Cor  8:9), “humbled himself” (Phil 2:8).  Following Christ’s example, we are called to find the courage needed to abandon rigid opinions and personal interests in the name of the love that bends low and bestows itself, in the name of the humble love that is the blessed oil of the Christian life, the precious spiritual balm that heals, strengthens and sanctifies.  “Let us make up for our shortcomings in harmony and charity”, wrote Saint Nerses (Lettere del Signore Nerses Shnorhali, Catholicos degli Armeni, Venice, 1873, 316), and even – he suggested – with a particular gentleness of love capable of softening the hardness of the heart of Christians, for they too are often concerned only with themselves and their own advantage.  Humble and generous love, not the calculation of benefits, attracts the mercy of the Father, the blessing of Christ and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  By praying and “loving one another deeply from the heart” (cf. 1 Pet 1:22), in humility and openness of spirit, we prepare ourselves to receive God’s gift of unity.  Let us pursue our journey with determination; indeed, let us race towards our full communion!

“Peace I give to you.  Not as the world gives it, do I give it to you” (Jn 14:27).  We have heard these words of the Gospel, which invite us to implore from God that peace that the world struggles to achieve.  How many obstacles are found today along the path of peace, and how tragic the consequences of wars!  I think of all those forced to leave everything behind, particularly in the Middle East, where so many of our brothers and sisters suffer violence and persecution on account of hatred and interminable conflicts.  Those conflicts are fueled by the proliferation of weapons and by the arms trade, by the temptation to resort to force and by lack of respect for the human person, especially for the weak, the poor and those who seek only a dignified life.

Nor can I fail to think of the terrible trials that your own people experienced.  A century has just passed from the “Great Evil” unleashed upon you.  This “immense and senseless slaughter” (Greeting, Mass for Faithful of the Armenian Rite, 12 April 2015), this tragic mystery of iniquity that your people experienced in the flesh, remains impressed in our memory and burns in our hearts.  Here I would again state that your sufferings are our own: “they are the sufferings of the members of Christ’s Mystical Body” (JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter on the 1700th Anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People, 4: Insegnamenti XXIV/1 [2001], 275).  Not to forget them is not only right, it is a duty.  May they be a perennial warning lest the world fall back into the maelstrom of similar horrors!

At the same time, I recall with admiration how the Christian faith, “even at the most tragic moments of Armenian history, was the driving force that marked the beginning of your suffering people’s rebirth” (ibid., 276).  That is your true strength, which enables you to be open to the mysterious and saving path of Easter.  Wounds still open, caused by fierce and senseless hatred, can in some way be configured to the wounds of the risen Christ, those wounds that were inflicted upon him and that he bears even now impressed on his flesh.  He showed those glorious wounds to the disciples on the evening of Easter (cf. Jn 20:20).  Those terrible, painful wounds suffered on the cross, transfigured by love, have become a wellspring of forgiveness and peace.  Even the greatest pain, transformed by the saving power of the cross, of which Armenians are heralds and witnesses, can become a seed of peace for the future.

Memory, infused with love, becomes capable of setting out on new and unexpected paths, where designs of hatred become projects of reconciliation, where hope arises for a better future for everyone, where “blessed are the peacemakers” (Mt 5:9).  We would all benefit from efforts to lay the foundations of a future that will resist being caught up in the illusory power of vengeance, a future of constant efforts to create the conditions for peace: dignified employment for all, care for those in greatest need, and the unending battle to eliminate corruption.

Dear young people, this future belongs to you.  Cherish the great wisdom of your elders and strive to be peacemakers: not content with the status quo, but actively engaged in building the culture of encounter and reconciliation.  May God bless your future and “grant that the people of Armenia and Turkey take up again the path of reconciliation, and may peace also spring forth in Nagorno Karabakh (Message to the Armenians, 12 April 2015).

In this perspective, I would like lastly to mention another great witness and builder of Christ’s peace, Saint Gregory of Narek, whom I have proclaimed a Doctor of the Church.  He could also be defined as a “Doctor of Peace”.  Thus he wrote in the extraordinary Book that I like to consider the “spiritual constitution of the Armenian people”: “Remember [Lord,] those of the human race who are our enemies as well, and for their benefit accord them pardon and mercy… Do not destroy those who persecute me, but reform them; root out the vile ways of this world, and plant the good in me and them” (Book of Lamentations, 83, 1-2).  Narek, “profoundly conscious of sharing in every need” (ibid., 3, 2), sought also to identify with the weak and sinners of every time and place in order to intercede on behalf of all (cf. ibid., 31, 3; 32, 1; 47, 2).  He became “the intercessor of the whole world” (ibid., 28, 2).  This, his universal solidarity with humanity, is a great Christian message of peace, a heartfelt plea of mercy for all.  Armenians are present in so many countries of the world; from here, I wish fraternally to embrace everyone.  I encourage all of you, everywhere, to give voice to this desire for fellowship, to be “ambassadors of peace” (JOHN PAUL II, Apostolic Letter for the 1700th anniversary of the Baptism of the Armenian People, 7: Insegnamenti XXIV/1 [2001], 278).  The whole world needs this message, it needs your presence, it needs your purest witness.  Kha’ra’rutiun amenetzun! (Peace to you!).

Photo: Twitter/ Amichai Stein

 

An armed man wearing a mask is reported to have opened fire at a cinema complex in western Germany, the BBC reports.

German media report that at least 20 people have been injured in the attack at the Kinopolis complex in Viernheim, near Frankfurt.

They say the gunman is inside the complex and surrounded by armed police, who have sealed off the area.

It is unclear whether he is alone or if he has taken hostages.