Author: Jack Hunanian

AI For Business kicks off in Yerevan

Jack Hunanian

 14:33, 2 February 2024

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, ARMENPRESS. The AI For Business conference has brought together leading IT specialists and experts in Yerevan to study modern artificial intelligence strategies.

Speakers at the forum include CEO and founder of Embodied, Inc. Paolo Pirjanian, McKinsey & Company partner Leonid Kirakosyan and ABBYY founder and Board Director David Yang.

“This conference is important for us because it matches with the main goal of our economic policy, which is the increase of productivity of work,” Minister of Economy Vahan Kerobyan said at the event.

Minister of High-Tech Industry Mkhitar Hayrapetyan said the forum will enable to identify the directions for introducing AI instruments in Armenia’s economy and the fields of digitization and science. Hayrapetyan said his ministry will assume leadership in promoting AI in the country. He said that the fears of AI must be broken in order for the country to become competitive.

Vice Speaker of Parliament Hakob Arshakyan said that AI will bring great changes in the world very soon and warned that countries failing to use all positive opportunities of AI could appear in deep crisis.

“I want us to treat this seriously,” Arshakyan said. He said that the country needs to create databases in order to be able to introduce AI and conduct various procedures such as paperwork circulation or research.

[see video]

Board of Regents Hosts Orientation Conference with Prelacy School Boards, Principals, Preschool Directors

Jack Hunanian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Community, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

A scene from the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools orientation conference held on Jan. 25


The Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools hosted an orientation conference on January 25 for School Board members, School Principals, and Preschool Directors at Vahan & Anoush Chamlian Armenian School. All Prelacy Armenian Schools and Preschools were represented and participated in the conference. 

Armen Abrahamian, Treasurer of the Board of Regents and the moderator of the orientation conference, welcomed all the participants and acknowledged the presence of George Chorbajian, Secretary of the Western Prelacy Executive Council and Liaison to the Board of Regents. He thanked Vahan and Anoush Chamlian Armenian School for graciously hosting the orientation conference, and invited Rev. Fr. Karekin Bedourian, Pastor of Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church, and Board of Regents member, to lead the invocation. 

Sarkis Ourfalian, Chairperson of the Board of Regents of Prelacy Armenian Schools, delivered the opening remarks and expressed his gratitude to Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan for his ongoing support of Prelacy Armenian Schools. Ourfalian emphasized that our network of schools and preschools operate under the auspices of the Western Prelacy and Prelate Bishop Donoyan.

Ourfalian highlighted the significant role of School Board members who volunteer their time to further advance the Prelacy Armenian Schools’ educational mission. He provided a concise overview of important projects and accomplishments of the Board of Regents, particularly highlighting the recent expansions of Prelacy Armenian Schools and the increase in student enrollment.

Acknowledging the necessity of expanding Prelacy schools to accommodate more students, Ourfalian shared that the Board of Regents, along with the Executive Council of the Western Prelacy, and the School Boards have been actively involved in expanding and adding to their network of schools and preschools.

“We are grateful for the growth of our schools and preschools and we encourage each school to consider ways to further expand their existing facilities, and if necessary, explore the possibility of establishing satellite campuses,” said Ourfalian.

Additionally, Ourfalian revealed that the Board of Regents will appoint a centralized expansion sub-committee, whose primary objective will be to collaborate closely with all Prelacy schools and preschools to either expand their current campuses or establish new schools.

The orientation conference included five separate sessions: 

  • Board of Regents Strategic Plan and Subcommittees
  • Psychological Counseling and Mental Health
  • Zarmanazan Camp 2024 
  • Centralized Database 
  • Prelacy Armenian School Surveys 
  • Process of Onboarding New Teachers & Support   

Following Ourfalian’s welcoming remarks, Armen Abrahamian presented key principles of the Board of Regents Strategic Plan and core values: Academic Excellence, Armenian Heritage, Integrity, Growth, and Organizational Sustainability. He discussed the Board’s mission and vision,  which includes for Prelacy Armenian Schools to be beacons of educational excellence, where Academic Excellence and Armenian Heritage serve as the foundational pillars of our schools. With a focus on financial stability, the Board aims to ensure the long-term stability of these institutions, by allocating resources and fostering growth. Abrahamian also presented the list of centralized sub-committees that will be appointed by the Board of Regents and explained the objective and task of each sub-committee. 

The next session, titled “Psychological Counseling and Mental Health,” was presented by Shakeh Avakian, secretary of the Board of Regents. The presentation highlighted the significance of creating a psychologically safe environment, where individuals feel accepted, safe, respected, celebrated, and where their voices matter. Avakian discussed the importance of building a culture of “Psychological Safety” within school campuses. She emphasized the need for School Boards to provide adequate support and resources to their administrations, to enable effective mental health counseling and services to students.

Following a brief break, Tamar Tufenkjian, presented “Zarmanazan Camp 2024.” Tufenkjian shared that the Board of Regents has partnered with the Gulbenkian Foundation and for the first time Zarmanazan Camp will be held in the Western United States, at Camp Arev in Frazier Park, during the summer of 2024. She elaborated on the nature of Zarmanazan Camp, describing it as a unique language immersion program in Western Armenian, where campers can engage in creative and interactive activities that facilitate language acquisition. Zaramanazan Camp 2024 is open to all children ages 10 to 17.

A session on “Centralized Database,” which the Board is in the process of developing, was also presented by Tufenkjian. She introduced the system called “Little Green Light” which will serve as a data storage and organizational tool. The system will provide features for information retrieval and querying, integrity, security, as well as performing analysis. The system will offer a reliable and efficient platform for storing, organizing, and retrieving data, leading to improved decision-making and overall business success. 

The next session, titled “Prelacy Armenian School Surveys” was presented by Khajag Jamgotchian. Jamgotchian shared that the Board of Regents conducted a district-wide survey  at the end of the 2023 school year, with the objective of gathering feedback from various stakeholders including parents, teachers, staff, School Board members, and High School students. The comprehensive survey aimed to identify the strengths, weaknesses, and areas in need of improvement at Prelacy Armenian Schools and Preschools. Providing valuable insight, Jamgotchian presented district-wide results and data on issues and problems, overall rankings, and strengths that were mentioned by stakeholders. He also encouraged Principals, Directors, and School Board members to dedicate some time to thoroughly review their individual school survey results, as they contain significant information and feedback from the stakeholders.  

The final session, titled “Process of Onboarding New Teachers & Support” was presented by Pattyl Aposhian Kasparian, Board of Regents member. Aposhian Kasparian emphasized the significance of new teacher orientations and its role in introducing and retaining new educators in the school environment. She provided a detailed list of areas that should be covered during the first days of a new teacher hire, such as school safety plans, communication, faculty and student handbook, resources, and evaluation procedures. Additionally, Aposhian Kasparian highlighted the importance of having a plan in place to connect new teachers with experienced colleagues, administrators, and support staff, emphasizing the need for both informal and formal support systems throughout their journey. She also discussed the crucial induction period, the first two or three years of teaching, which plays a vital role in developing teachers’ capabilities. Aposhian Kasparian concluded by presenting a list of recommended best practices, one of which was for new teachers to shadow experienced teachers. 

In his closing remarks, Ourfalian expressed his gratitude to all the participants for taking the time to attend the orientation conference and announced that the Board will arrange similar gatherings and workshops regularly during the upcoming year, which will enable School Board members, Principals, and Directors to convene, engage in dialogue about the current state of Prelacy schools, and discuss future initiatives.

Ambassador Mkrtchyan, Minister Kairidis discuss the development of Armenian-Greek relations

Jack Hunanian

 18:22,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 30, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan on January 30 met with the Greek Minister of Migration and Asylum Dimitris Kairidis.
According to the Armenian Embassy in Greece, the Armenian Ambassador briefed on the geopolitical situation in the South Caucasus.  During the meeting, the interlocutors addressed issues related to the development of bilateral relations and the expansion of the legal-treaty field.
Minister Kairidis expressed solidarity with the Armenian people, emphasizing the cultural and civilizational commonalities with the Greek people. The Minister highlighted the high level of bilateral relations.
As a result of the meeting, an agreement has been reached to further enhance activities aimed at the development of bilateral relations.

European Lawmakers Call for Mechanisms to Prevent ‘Cultural Genocide’ in Artsakh

Jack Hunanian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

A conference tackling the protection of cultural heritage in Artsakh takes place at the European Parliament on Jan. 25


Members of the European Parliament on Thursday called for the dispatch of an international peacekeeping mission to Artsakh, as well as the creation of succinct mechanisms to prevent the “cultural genocide” being perpetrated by Azerbaijan.

The European lawmakers made the suggestions during a conference on Protecting Armenian Cultural and Religious Heritage in Nagorno-Karabakh that took place at the European Parliament on Thursday.

“The European Parliament has on numerous occasions raised the issue of the fake Azeri narratives and deliberate destruction of Armenian cultural heritage. But nevertheless, the EU is playing a short-term economic game and has an agreement with Azerbaijan. This is unacceptable, and it is our duty to do everything to save the Armenian heritage,” said European Parliament member Miriam Lexmann, who organized the conference.

Armenia’s representative to the EU Tigran Balayan said that Azerbaijan is not only deliberately destroying and distorting everything that is Armenian, but it is also violating all legal obligations. He blamed the arbitrary enforcement of legal decisions and inconsistent posture of actors for what’s happening.

“We must create a monitoring mechanism, and the European Parliament has sufficient means to create such a group. Our duty is to save what’s still left in Nagorno-Karabakh,” Balayan said.

Pierre d’Argent, professor at the University of Louvain and a guest professor at the University of Leiden, warned the European lawmakers that Azerbaijan is trying to “control history.”

“Discrimination and falsification of history are state policies in that country,” he said, noting that Azeri authorities are “questioning what’s Armenians, and for them, Nagorno-Karabakh doesn’t exist,” d’Argent said.

More than 4,000 Armenian monuments, monasteries and cultural buildings are under Azeri control today and face the risk of destruction.

Sneška Quaedvlieg-Mihailović, the Secretary-General of Europa Nostra, pan-European Federation for Cultural Heritage called on the EU to adopt stronger rhetoric and introduce clear mechanisms to prevent the cultural tragedy.

Conference of European Churches Secretary Peter Pavlovic also called for a monitoring mechanism in Nagorno-Karabakh.

European Parliament member Fabio Castaldo said that European satellites should be used to monitor and document what’s happening in Nagorno-Karabakh and use the images as evidence in international organizations. He said that only a strong package of sanctions against Azerbaijan could be the solution to the issue.

Customs officers seize $5,374 in undeclared gold, silver items on Turkey, Armenia borders

Jack Hunanian
Agenda, Georgia
Jan 11 2024

Georgian customs officers seized ₾14,429 ($5,374) in undeclared gold and silver items on the Sarpi border crossing with Turkey in Georgia’s south-west and the Sadakhlo Border Crossing Point on the country's southern border with Armenia.

The country’s Revenue Service on Thursday said the items – weighing in at about 326,34 grams – were seized during personal and luggage search of Georgian and foreign citizens.

The body added the offenders were fined ₾14,429 ($5,374) for the offence.

New Governor of Armavir named

Jack Hunanian

 10:01,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 11, ARMENPRESS. Mayor of the town of Armavir Davit Khudatyan is set to be appointed Governor of Armavir Province.

The appointment is included in the agenda of the January 11 Cabinet meeting. 

Khudatyan has been the Mayor of Armavir and the President of the Armavir Regional Board of the Civil Contract Party since 2018.

Armenpress: Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia meets with Head of Division for European External Action Service

Jack Hunanian

 21:04, 9 January 2024

YEREVAN, JANUARY 9, ARMENPRESS. Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan on January 9  received the delegation headed by  Rory Domm, Head of Division for European External Action Service, Grigoryan said on social media.

"I welcomed the delegation's visit to Armenia and highlighted the development of Armenia-EU cooperation in the field of security. I emphasized that collaboration with the EU contributes to maintaining a stable security environment in the region,’’ said Security Council Secretary.

Grigoryan added that during the meeting they discussed the process of providing support to Armenia through the European Peace Facility.

Economic growth in 2023 to be around 8,3-8,5%

Jack Hunanian

 16:24, 8 January 2024

YEREVAN, JANUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s economic growth in 2023 will stand around 8,3-8,5%, Economy Minister Vahan Kerobyan has said.

“We assume that economic growth in 2023 will be around 8,3-8,5%,” Kerobyan said at a press conference.

GDP per capita is projected to be $8,280.

In 2017, Armenia was 122nd among 196 countries according to GDP per capita; Armenia improved its position to 112 in 2020, and according to IMF projections the country will be 86th with 2023 data.

‘Armenian Melodies’ Float Wins Grand Marshal Award

Jack Hunanian
Jan 8 2024

The American Armenian Rose Float Association earned the Grand Marshal award for “most outstanding creative concept and float design” for its “Armenian Melodies” float in the 135th Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day.
Inspired by the strength of Armenian matriarchs throughout history, the float featured dynamic Armenian mother and daughter figures dressed in vibrant, traditional garb, surrounded by important symbols within Armenian heritage and culture. In line with the Tournament of Roses theme, “Celebrating a World of Music,” “Armenian Melodies” showcased several musical instruments endemic to Armenia.
Glendale resident Meline Mailyan rode in the float, which was adorned with symbolic objects including Armenian instruments, birds and pomegranates. Mailyan is on the board of Center for Truth and Justice, an organization that formed to tell the stories of Armenian war survivors.
This was the sixth year the American Armenian Rose Float Association has participated in the Tournament of Roses with the mission of “inspiring, educating and raising awareness around the rich history, traditions and values of the Armenian community” through its floats, as stated on the organization’s website.

First published in the January 6 print issue of the Glendale News-Press.

https://glendalenewspress.outlooknewspapers.com/2024/01/08/armenian-melodies-float-wins-grand-marshal-award/

The hardest winter away from Karabakh

Jack Hunanian
Jan 5 2024
January 5, 2024

After Azerbaijan’s latest offensive, the self-proclaimed autonomous republic was canceled and one hundred thousand inhabitants fled en masse, mostly to Armenia. Where “the situation is critical”, says the president of Caritas

Since January 1st, Nagorno Karabakh no longer exists. This land nestled in the mountains of the southern Caucasus, cradle of an ancient people of Armenian ethnicity and Christian faith, has been officially erased from the maps. And its people, after the extremely violent attack by the Azerbaijani army on September 19th, quickly abandoned their homes and belongings. All of it, apart from a few dozen elderly people who – they say – want to die where they have always lived, just like their ancestors, for generations.
“In a few days, over one hundred thousand people poured across the border: we tried to welcome them with dignity, but the situation is critical”, says the director of the Armenian Caritas Gagik Tarasyan. “Today, twenty thousand have managed to reach Russia or some European country, but the others are still here and will most likely stay in the long term.”
What is underway is only the latest, tragic act in the tormented story of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh – the ancient Armenian name of the area -, which has dragged on between conflicts and armed truces for decades. This region, which for centuries had managed to carve out an autonomy under the domination of Persians and Romans, Byzantines and Arabs, Turks, Tatars, Russians and Azerbaijanis, at the time of the Soviet Union became aoblast inserted into the socialist Republic of Azerbaijan, despite being 97% inhabited by Armenians. It was only with the perestrojka that its inhabitants asked for independence and annexation to Armenia. Serious tensions, pogroms and wars arose. The first (from 1992 to 1994) was won by the Armenians, but in the following years the conflict remained frozen and the negotiations inconclusive, until the Azeri offensive in autumn 2020 marked the defeat of the Karabakh forces and the loss of many districts, including the symbolic city of Sushi.
“That aggression caused, among serious violations of international law, more than 5,000 victims,” recalls Tarasyan. Which underlines: «The Trilateral Declaration on the ceasefire, signed on November 9, 2020 by the Armenian Prime Minister Pashinyan, the Azerbaijani President Aliyev and Vladimir Putin, provided among other things for the safety of the movement of citizens and goods through the Lachin corridor , the only road that guarantees the connection of Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world.”

But things have gone very differently in the last year. «From December 12, 2022 until the attack last September, the Goris-Stepanakert highway, which crosses the Lachin corridor, was closed by Azerbaijan: for almost ten months, due to the blockade, all inhabitants, including 30 thousand children have suffered from the serious shortage of food, medicines, basic necessities, but also fuel and electricity.” It is these same people, already exhausted from the long period of isolation, who have fled en masse following the latest large-scale Azeri offensive, which on the first day of the attack alone caused 200 deaths and more than 400 injuries. To avoid a tragedy on a scale never seen before, local Armenian leaders had to accept surrender: the pact, agreed with Azerbaijani representatives and Russia, includes the complete disarmament of the self-defense forces and the dissolution of the enclave’s authorities. When, on September 24, the road to the outside world was finally reopened, it took just a few days for the inhabitants of Artsakh to leave their homeland en masse, fearing that in that very land, where culture is so deeply imprinted, the art and faith of the Armenian people, there is no more room for this people.
“Our family had to face the third forced displacement in a few years,” says Razmela, who with her husband and six children found refuge in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, thanks to the support of Caritas. “Until the 2020 war we lived in Avetaranoc, a village in the Askeran region, where we had a beautiful house and worked as farmers,” recalls the woman. «Then, the area was occupied by Azerbaijan and we fled to Armenia. Months later, we returned home to settle in Dahrav, where we bought a small house and renovated it with our savings: there we started a new livestock and agriculture business. We didn’t imagine that we would have to relive the terrible experience of being displaced.”

Instead, Razmela and her family had no choice. Together with their father-in-law – and also bringing their dog with them – nine of them traveled for 26 hours in an old Soviet-era car, until they reached Armenia again. «But this time we lost everything we had built over a lifetime – she sighs. We currently live in a tiny 20m2 apartment and my eldest son earns some money working in the construction sector, but unfortunately my husband has health problems and it is very difficult for me to find a job, so we survive thanks to the help of some humanitarian organisations” .


Since the beginning of the emergency, Caritas has mobilized to meet the enormous needs of refugees, integrating its interventions with those of the government – supported by funding from the European Union and countries such as the United States and Canada – and NGOs local and foreign. The director says: «In the first weeks we had to respond to basic needs, providing hot meals to over five thousand people, water, blankets and sheets, but also medical and psychological assistance and immediate shelter. Then, with the arrival of winter, we had to organize ourselves to meet the most vulnerable groups in particular, such as the elderly, children and people with disabilities: among other things, we help pay electricity bills and distribute voucher for use in supermarkets. Thanks to a project supported by Caritas Internationalis we are assisting around six thousand displaced people between Yerevan and the provinces of Syunik – on the border with Azerbaijan – and Ararat, where many have settled because the climate is milder”.


But after the initial phase of emergency reception will come the even more complex phase of sustainable integration, given that “many of these refugees are destined to remain in the long term”. The imperative, therefore, shifts towards “the creation of a reliable source of income, with support for employment and entrepreneurship, and the finding of adequate housing”. This is not an easy prospect: today refugees make up almost 3% of the entire Armenian population. «And even the local people, particularly in the North of the country, live in very precarious social conditions, not to mention the twenty thousand refugees from the previous conflict, who often still live in the container», underlines Tarasyan. The current surge in requests for housing, which adds to the effects of the arrival of thousands of Russians following the war in Ukraine, has caused house prices to rise, to the obvious discontent of the people.


«The massive influx of these desperate people from Artsakh – reflects the director of Caritas – is destined to have a far-reaching impact on the socio-economic landscape of the country, which is already extremely vulnerable for various reasons, especially the dependence on global factors outside its control, including climate change, supply chain disruptions and exchange rate fluctuations.”

And while the crisis of the displaced people of Nagorno Karabakh has taken a back seat in the awareness of the international community – and that of donors -, focused on the Ukrainian tragedy and the Middle East in flames, public opinion in Yerevan does not hide the discontent for the President Pashinyan’s choice to renounce a land that is symbolic of the Armenian collective memory. There is fear of the destruction of ancient monasteries, churches, cemeteries with their Khachkar, the traditional crosses carved in stone. The Azerbaijani president promised a “peaceful reintegration” with “equal rights and freedoms for all, regardless of faith”. But Aliyev’s words could not erase the image of him trampling the flag of Artsakh and raising that of Azerbaijan in the deserted capital Stepanakert, after renaming its main street in honor of Enver Pasha, one of the triumvirs who organized the genocide Armenian of 1915.