Author: Kajoyan Gevork

Pashinian Hits Back At Sarkisian Over Remarks On Recent Border Clashes

Kajoyan Gevork
RFE/RL – Azatutyun
Aug 20 2020
Naira Nalbandian

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian has chided, through his spokesperson, former President Serzh Sarkisian over his remarks made at a press conference on Wednesday regarding the July clashes at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

Sarkisian, who held his first press conference since Pashinian-led street protests forced him to resign in April 2018, spoke at length about 2016 April clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Former Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian at a press conference in Yerevan, August 19, 2020.

He, in particular, said that four years ago battles in Nagorno-Karabakh were waged along a 200-kilometer frontline with Azerbaijan and by their scale could not be compared to the July 2020 fighting in Tavush that proceeded at a front of several hundred meters.

Following the clashes in Tavush Pashinian asked the president of Armenia to award 16 servicemen who participated in the battles with the Order of the Battle Cross of the 1st degree and 55 others with the Order of the Battle Cross of the 2nd degree. He also nominated Captain Ruben Sanamian for the title of National Hero and the Order of the Homeland.

During his press conference Sarkisian said that as a member of the public he would like to know for what particular actions the servicemen who took part in the July battles at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border had been nominated for such high awards.

“After the signing of the ceasefire agreement in 1994, when the first President of Armenia, Levon Ter-Petrosian, was summing up the results of the hostilities of the past four years, only about two dozen people received the Order of the Battle Cross and among them were active participants of the operation on the liberation of Shushi and other major operations,” the ex-president said.

Mane Gevorkian, a spokesperson for Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian

Mane Gevorkian, the press secretary of Prime Minister Pashinian, said that in order to avoid speculations the actions of all servicemen nominated for awards will be presented to the public in detail in the near future. “I sincerely regret that instead of praising the victorious actions of Armenian soldiers, Serzh Sarkisian is engaged in a futile business of discussing this important decision. The prime minister had every reason to turn to the president with such a request,” Gevorkian said.

Sarkisian also briefly commented on the current stage of the Nagorno-Karabakh negotiations, claiming that the talks have reached a deadlock, which increases the risk of renewed hostilities.

Tatevik Hayrapetian, a member of the pro-government My Step faction in parliament, reacted to this statement by saying that as a man who had been engaged in talks with Azerbaijan for many years Sarkisian should have known that it is Azerbaijan that is driving the process into an impasse with its maximalist statements.

The lawmaker argued that the actions of the Armenian side during the past two years “have made it possible to keep Azerbaijan within the context of the peace process as long as it is possible in conditions of its maximalist position.”




Armenian analyst: Ankara-Athens military operations will begin if Turkish ships approach Crete

Kajoyan Gevork
News.am, Armenia
Aug 21 2020

16:55, 21.08.2020
                  

WHO calls for end to ‘vaccine nationalism’

Kajoyan Gevork

WHO calls for end to 'vaccine nationalism'

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 16:46,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 18, ARMENPRESS. Countries putting their own interests ahead of others in trying to ensure supplies of a possible coronavirus vaccine are making the pandemic worse, World Health Organization chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday, Reuters reported.

“(Acting) strategically and globally is actually in each country’s national interest – no one is safe until everyone is safe,” he told a virtual briefing calling for an end to “vaccine nationalism”.

He said he had sent a letter to all WHO members asking them to join the multilateral COVAX vaccine effort.

Researchers Survey “Armenian Stonehenge”

Kajoyan Gevork
Architecture Magazine
Aug 11 2020

                

Tuesday, August 11, 2020

(Beko via Wikimedia Commons)
YEREVAN, ARMENIA—Public Radio of Armenia reports that 30 previously undocumented stones were discovered at a prehistoric monument known as Carahunge or Zorats Karer during a survey conducted by researchers from the Byurakan Observatory and the Armenian National University of Architecture and Construction. Located on a mountain plateau in southern Armenia, Carahunge is made up of at least 223 stones marked with holes, burial cists, and standing stones. The researchers measured the stones, scanned them with electronic equipment, and conducted an aerial photo-scan of the area. The new data will now be used for astronomical calculations. To read about the discovery of Neolithic pits surrounding England's henge site of Durrington Walls, go to "."

https://www.archaeology.org/news/8945-200811-armenia-carahunge-survey

Turkey accuses Armenia of pursuing “sneaky goals” by bringing up the Treaty of Sèvres

Kajoyan Gevork
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 11 2020

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Turkey has accused Armenia of pursuing “sneaky goals” by bringing up the Treaty of Sèvres 100 years later.

The Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “bringing up the Treaty of Sèvres which the Turkish nation overturned 100 years ago” is absurd.

It said “those who have the idea of achieving ‘sneaky goals’ should know that they will fail against Turkey’s determination to maintain its survival and national existence.”

Signed on August 10, 1920 between the Allied Powers and the Ottoman Empire, the Treaty of Sèvres was designed to liquidate the Ottoman state and set a post-war peace agreement, following the latter’s defeat during the war.

By the Treaty of Sèvres, Turkey was to recognize Armenia as a free and independent state. Turkey and Armenia would agree to leave demarcation of the borders of the two countries in Erzrum, Trabzon, Van, and Bitlis provinces (vilayets) to the decision made by the United States (the arbitral award of President Woodrow Wilson which on November 22 will also mark its 100th anniversary) and accept his decision immediately and all other proposals – to provide Armenia with an access to the see and demilitarization of all Ottoman territories adjacent to the mentioned border line.

The Treaty of Sèvres was not fully ratified (which means it remains unperfected), but was never denounced either.

On August 10, 2020 Armenia held a scientific conference desiccated to the 100th anniversary of the Treaty. In an address to the participants of the conference, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said “The Treaty of Sevres is a historical fact. It remains so to this day.”

“Although the Treaty of Sèvres was never implemented, it continues to be a historical fact, which reflects our long journey to restore our independent statehood. We are bound by duty to remember it, realize its importance and follow its message,” PM Pashinyan said.

Today is Asbarez’s 112th Anniversary

Kajoyan Gevork
August 14,  2020


Asbarez turns 112 years old.

One hundred and twelve years ago today, August 14, 1908, the first issue of Asbarez rolled off the presses, ushering in a tradition that until today remains true to the newspaper’s simple, yet profound mission—to become an arena (Asbarez) for the community and to build a bridge between the homeland and the Diaspora.

We thank you for your unwavering confidence in Asbarez. You, our readers, along with our community organizations and institutions, as well as our sponsors, advertisers and supporters are part of the diverse landscape that compels us to do better every day and advance our mission.

Since our last anniversary, we have all experienced—and Asbarez has covered—the global and national tectonic shifts that have come to define our every-day reality. The coronavirus pandemic this year has brought with it challenges—both personal and economic. Just in the past several weeks we have not only seen the escalation of Azerbaijan’s aggression against Armenia’s national security, but have witnessed a tragedy, and an escalation an already fraught crisis, when a massive explosion rocked Beirut and with it our community in Lebanon.

The challenges brought on by COVID-19 forced Asbarez to make difficult decisions based on public health and economic considerations. While during the initial weeks of the pandemic we paused our print publication, we quickly resumed it, albeit in an abridged manner, always with the intention to return to our daily routine. Never during this time, however, did we falter in our commitment to our readers and ensured that accurate news coverage, in-depth analysis and service to our community continued unabated. For this, we have to thank the dedicated Asbarez staff.

Since our centennial in 2008, it has become an anticipated tradition to mark our anniversary with you by asking for a symbolic birthday gift. However, our National priorities—helping the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Armenia and Artsakh and coming to the aid of compatriots in Lebanon—take precedence and require that we unite and collectively address the needs of our Nation.

You remain the backbone of our success and we are here to continue to inform and engage you through our website, print publication, email newsletters and social media platforms, while expanding the arena—Asbarez. We welcome you to join us.

See How it all Started. Read These Insightful Articles From our Archives
Read a first-person account of how Asbarez was founded (Published, August 14, 2008)

Read a retrospective of the newspaper by Paul Chaderjian (Published August, 2003)

Armenian peacekeeping brigade off to Afghanistan

Kajoyan Gevork
Public Radio of Armenia
Aug 15 2020

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A new peacekeeping brigade of the Armenian Armed Forces left for Afghanistan today, the Ministry of Defense informs.

The Armenian contingent will take part in training and pre-deployment exercises, after which it will carry out a peacekeeping mission as part of the International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan.

“The Armenian peacekeepers have always kept the honor of Armenia, the Armenian soldier high, during the missions they have been highly praised by the superior command, as well as by the high-ranking foreign military,” the Ministry of Defense says.


Ucom Customers to Transfer 105 Million Drams to Insurance Foundation for Servicemen

Kajoyan Gevork

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 12:09,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 12, ARMENPRESS. (Press Release) Ucom will transfer 105 million drams on behalf of its subscribers to the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen, taking into account the direction and importance of the latter’s activity. The decision has been made on the basis of the results of free SMS-voting and calls among Ucom fixed services’ subscribers.

The anonymous SMS-voting was carried out by “Nikita Mobile” company through the collection of the subscribers’ opinions on the disposal of the amount, sent to 1004 short number. 74.85% of thousands of subscribers have voted in favor of transferring 105 million AMD to the Insurance Foundation for Servicemen, while 25.15% voted in favor of distributing the amount among the subscribers.

“Despite this difficult period for the Company: the simultaneous departure of a large number of employees, technical and financial challenges, the Company has put continous efforts to resolve all tasks. We wouldn’t have liked the results of internal processes and settlement works to be visible to our subscribers, for which we apologize. We are really grateful to our customers for their patience, understanding and loyalty, and the decision to allocate funds is just our way of being thankful. The vast majority of subscribers preferred to transfer the entire amount to the Insurance Foundation of Servicemen and thus assist to solve one of the important issues in this country”, said Ara Sergei Khachatryan.

PRESS RELEASE – AUA Launches ChangeMakers Campaign to Prepare Future Leaders in Armenia

Kajoyan Gevork

The American University of Armenia (AUA) is excited to announce the launch of a new campaign titled 200 AUA ChangeMakers. This five million dollar campaign will bring together 200 philanthropic leaders to build AUA’s future Open Centers of Excellence, which aim to create opportunities for researchers, students, and collaborators to solve today’s complex challenges.

“At AUA, we take great pride in our students and alumni,” emphasizes President Markides. “AUA faculty and staff focus on providing our students with top quality knowledge, experiences, and networks in their respective fields. However, there is an awareness around the world that students will need more from higher education. The challenges they will encounter require skills in transformative leadership and the ability to tackle complex challenges with resilient solutions. We at AUA, are committed to teach these 21st-century skills to our students and for that we need support from our exclusive friends of AUA who will become AUA ChangeMakers and join us on this journey.”

“We aim to inspire friends of AUA to join us in shaping the future by cultivating 21st-century agents of change for Armenia,” President Markides continues. “Through building our Open Centers of Excellence, we create opportunities for researchers, scholars, students, and collaborators to approach and solve complex challenges. The harmful cyanobacterial blooms in Lake Sevan is an example of such a challenge, where the knowledge and inputs of various stakeholders can be used to consider broad scenarios and provide evolutionary solutions. With a focus grounded in economic, social, and ecological sustainability, we are challenging ourselves to discover new possibilities from the perspective of the latest findings in data science. We aim to gain insights into how machine learning, machine reasoning, big data and artificial intelligence will reshape our lives, as well as how emerging energy technologies will alter our planet to a sustainable future.”

“By connecting education, research, and outreach at AUA in the Open Centers of Excellence, we will build the academic strength to attract strategic partners to collaborate with the University. AUA envisions enabling transformative impact through these collaborations to grow the prosperity of local Armenian communities. Now is the time, more than ever, to embrace this challenge and the possibilities that it brings.”

The 200 AUA ChangeMakers are a group of benefactors who pledge to contribute $5,000 annually for five years, for a total commitment of $25,000. The names of the AUA ChangeMakers will be displayed on the wall of the bridge that connects AUA’s main building with the Paramaz Avedisian Building. 

“As AUA is preparing the next generation of ChangeAgents in Armenia, we are calling on 200 ChangeMakers to join us in this very exciting journey,” adds Gaiane Khachatrian, Vice President of Development. “Through the power of learning and discovery, we aim to enhance our institutional capacity and optimize our impact on the development of Armenia and the world. This will directly benefit our students and the greater community, advancing AUA as a center for academic excellence, innovation, inquiry, and diversity.”

To learn more about the campaign, please visit changemakers. and watch the campaign video here. 

Founded in 1991, the American University of Armenia (AUA) is a private, independent university located in Yerevan, Armenia, and affiliated with the University of California. AUA provides a global education in Armenia and the region, offering high-quality graduate and undergraduate studies, encouraging civic engagement, and promoting public service and democratic values. For more information about AUA and its donor opportunities, please visit philanthropy..

Kind regards,

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Margarit Hovhannisyan | Communications Manager

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Armenia reports 288 new COVID-19 cases in last 24 hours

Kajoyan Gevork

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 11:05, 5 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 5, ARMENPRESS. 288 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours, the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention of Armenia said. The total cumulative number of confirmed cases has reached 39586, with 30850 recoveries.

478 people recovered from the disease over the past day.

2 people died, raising the death toll to 770.

This number doesn’t include the deaths of 228 other individuals infected with the virus who died from other pre-existing conditions, according to authorities.

The latest fatalities both had underlying health conditions.

1848 tests were done over the past 24 hours. The number of the total tests is 170012.

Reporting by Lilit Demuryan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan