ArmInfo.A multinational group of inspectors from Turkey will visit Armenia on April 1-4.
The visit will take place within the framework of the Vienna Document of 2011, the Ministry of Defense told ArmInfo. The purpose of the visit of the Turkish inspectors is to carry out the inspection of the "specified area" in the territory of Armenia.
PM claims multi-million dollar smear campaign is underway against government, but domestic political situation is stable as never before
13:50,
YEREVAN, MARCH 19, ARMENPRESS. The domestic political situation in Armenia has never been as stable as today, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at a news conference today, noting that this stability isn’t a repressive one, but a democratic stability. He said that the government’s report on its action plan’s performance gives an in-depth description on the changes that took place in this period.
“I don’t think I have to speak much about these changes, but I would like to say one thing. There’s talk about polls, there was this same talk in the summer, autumn of 2018, before and after elections. This isn’t the case when the prime minister isn’t in control of the situation, I am very often in direct contact with people. They write as if the country is in a period of instability, that once again the cycle will begin, a heated spring, a heated summer, look what’s gonna happen. Nothing is going to happen. People must understand their [ship has sailed] long ago, they wouldn’t catch up with it even on a Ferrari if they wanted to, their chapter is closed. They have one way, stand before the people, repent and ask for forgiveness. But let me say, we will guarantee all their desires on being engaged in public and political activities,” Pashinyan said. He expressed certainty that if today elections were to be held, his My Step Alliance would once again win, this time even bigger. In the December 2018 election, My Step won a landslide victory with over 70%.
He claimed that millions of dollars are being spent on a smear campaign against his government, but the government is not taking any actions against this. Pashinyan did not specify who the propagandists are.
The PM stressed that the freedom of speech is an absolute value for the incumbent government.
“These circles must understand they cannot have this kind of business in Armenia, they cannot garner support among the Armenian people,” he said.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Dr. Mihran Agbabian
LOS ANGELES – The American University of Armenia (AUA) mourns the passing and at the same time celebrates the life of its co-founder and Founding President, Dr. Mihran Agbabian, who was a longtime benefactor to the University and played an instrumental role in establishing and shaping the academic institution.
A memorial service for Mihran Agbabian will be held on Saturday, March 16 at 2 p.m. at United Armenian Congregational Church, 3480 Cahuenga Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90068.
During Armenia’s historical transition into nationhood in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dr. Agbabian made a major impact on Armenia by setting the groundwork for what has now become known as one of the leading educational institutions in the region.
With few resources, he established the infrastructure for a university in every sense of the word, that included academic programs, offices for admissions, registrar, accounting, information and communication technologies, student council, alumni and career development office, and even the faculty senate. He organized the first graduation ceremonies in 1993 and developed relations with the government and other universities. Over the course of his five-year tenure as Founding President, Dr. Agbabian oversaw tremendous growth at AUA, which started with three degree programs in 1991 and added four more programs in subsequent years. Today, AUA offers 9 graduate and 5 undergraduate degree programs to nearly 2,000 students.
“I was fortunate to collaborate with Mihran in founding the University,” said Dr. Armen Der Kiureghian, current president of AUA and co-founder of the University. “He was a role model
for me, a mentor, and a source of inspiration. His legacy will live on at AUA forever.”
Both Dr. Agbabian and Dr. Der Kiureghian were dispatched with a team of seismologists and earthquake engineers to Gyumri (Leninakan at the time) by the United States National Academy of Sciences following the tragic earthquake in 1988 in order to assess the effects of the earthquake and provide technical assistance. As engineers who were also involved in academia, Dr. Agbabian at the University of Southern California and Dr. Der Kiureghian at the University of California Berkeley, they saw the opportunity to create hope in Armenia through education and an American-style institution. The American University of Armenia (AUA) opened its doors on September 21, 1991, the same day that the Armenian Parliament declared independence, with Dr. Agbabian as the Founding President of the University, Dr. Der Kiureghian as the Founding Dean of the College of Engineering, and Dr. Stepan Karamardian as the Founding Dean of the College of Business. Since then, the University has influenced the lives of thousands of students and 4,000 alumni.
Born in Cyprus in 1923, Dr. Agbabian was raised in Aleppo, Syria, and studied at the American University of Beirut in Lebanon, where he received two Bachelor’s degrees in Physics and
Engineering. He continued his education in the U.S. earning his Master’s degree in Engineering from the California Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering from the
University of California at Berkeley. Dr. Agbabian founded the consulting engineering firm, Agbabian Associates, and subsequently joined the faculty of USC as Chairman of the Civil and Environmental Engineering Department from 1984-1992. Dr. Agbabian was an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, as well as a Distinguished Alumnus of UC Berkeley and Caltech. He was the recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor; the Movses Khorenatsi Medal from the President of the Republic of Armenia for exceptional achievement in educational development; the Sahag-Mesrob Medal from His Holiness Karekin I, Catholicos and Supreme Patriarch of All Armenians; the Saint Mesrob Medal from His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the See of Cilicia; and the Saint Vartan Medal from His Holiness John Peter XVIII, Catholicos of the Armenian Catholic Church. Dr. Agbabian gave years of service to many organizations, including as a Central Board Member of AGBU, co-chair of the Boards of Haigazian University in Beirut and the Armenian Film Foundation in Los Angeles, a faithful member to the Armenian Missionary Association of America serving as its West Coast Vice Chair, and as co-Chair of the Armenian Assembly of America during its formative years. He was a member of the Armenian Evangelical Union of North America and a member and former deacon of the United Armenian Congregational Church. Along with his equally dedicated wife, Elizabeth, AUA remained a priority in their lives as they worked hard in unison to build a strong foundation for the University, from California to Armenia. The couple instilled the same pride and commitment to AUA and the homeland in their three sons, Paul (married to Kate Nyberg), Bryan (married to Valina Ghoukassian), and Michael, as well as their three granddaughters, Sabrina, Erika, Lori, and a grandson, Arman.
The AUA community will forever remember Dr. Agbabian for his lifelong commitment and love to AUA and his homeland.
In lieu of flowers emorial donations may be made to AUA (https://philanthropy.aua.am/) or AMAA.
Mesrob II’s death to signal election of 85th Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople
15:59, 8 March, 2019
YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. Istanbul’s Surb Prkich Armenian Hospital Director Bedros Sirinoglu has said funeral arrangements for Mesrob II Mutafyan will be reported shortly by the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul.
Mesrob II died today aged 62 in hospital after many years of suffering from dementia. He was in a coma since 2008.
Mesrob II was elected 84th Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople in 1998.
Because of incapacitation, Archbishop Aram Atesian was appointed Patriarchal Vicar – an acting patriarch in 2010.
Despite the Turkish-Armenian community’s demand for new elections, the Turkish government has always rejected the holding of an election, citing a 1863 National Constitution article that prohibits new elections if an incumbent patriarch is alive.
In 2015, Mesrob Mutafyan was retired by the synod because of his illness.
The synod sent a request to the Istanbul Governorate asking permission to hold new elections. In 2017, a new church assembly was convened to begin the process of organizing elections. Archbishop Garegin Bekchian was elected locum tenens – or patriarchal vicar.
After many months of work, however, the Turkish government declared they do not recognize the church assembly’s decisions. The government said it doesn’t recognize Bekchyan as patriarchal vicar and that new elections cannot be held because Mutafyan is still alive.
Eventually Bekchyan left Turkey, and Atesyan continued serving as vicar. However, a large part of the local Armenian community was unhappy with Atesyan’s tenure.
After Mutafyan’s death, it is expected that the Patriarchate will begin the process of holding an election of the 85th Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Inecobank and Blue Orchard Microfinance Fund sign 15 million USD bond agreement
19:04,
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 27, ARMENPRESS. Inecobank CJSC and Blue Orchard Microfinance Fund signed a subordinate debt facility agreement in the amount of 15 million USD with a seven-year maturity period on February 27, ARMENPRESS was informed from Inecobank CJSC.
“Today Inecobank, as a leading bank in Armenia in attracting funds from foreign institutions, has a highly diversified funding structure both by liabilities and share capital” points out Tigran Davtyan, CEO of Inecobank.
As reported by the bank, the funds attracted will be directed to financing the bank's overall activities, as well as will contribute to the growth of the bank's credit portfolio, in particular focusing on the SME segment.
“We highly value our lasting cooperation with Blue Orchard Microfinance Fund, which provides subordinated loan in Armenia for the first time. Such a long-term and productive cooperation with foreign financial institutions comes to testify the high level of trust towards Inecobank, which has been achieved thanks to the Bank's excellent financial performance and the high standards of corporate governance practices at the Bank", sums-up Mr. Davtyan.
A subordinated loan is a more flexible tool that enables to manage the Bank's assets and liabilities, mainly increasing the effectiveness of capital management. With the involvement of this subordinated loan, Inecobank’s regulatory capital will make up AMD 50 billion, which will improve the position of Inecobank in the market, thus ranking it among the most capitalized banks in Armenia's banking system.
CJSC Inecobank CJSC is one of the leading banks in the South Caucasus region, focused on individual customers, small and middle market businesses and large corporations offering a full range of banking services including break through and innovative digital banking solutions. For over 23 years the bank has been providing unmatched convenience in Armenia serving more than 400 000 customers and over 150 000 online users. Inecobank developed and delivered industry-leading digital banking solutions with the purpose of introducing an entirely new culture of banking services. • In 2009 the Bank digitalized and fully automated the “Point of Sale Loan” product, reducing the loan generation time from 3-4 days to a few minutes. • In 2012, with the introduction of InecoOnline, the Bank was one of the first to provide 24/7 banking services to its customers. • In 2014 the Bank launched InecoMobile, its Mobile banking application, which is the most popular banking application in Armenia with over 100,000 users. • In 2017, the Bank was the first to introduce a fully automated consumer lending solution through its mobile and online applications, which generates consumer loans 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. • In 2018, the Bank was the first banking institution in Armenia to introduce InecoPay, the cashless payments new system
Turkish-Armenian MP Garo Paylan, representing the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), took to Twitter to conveys a message of solidarity and support to Leyla Guven who has been on hunger strike for 100 days.
“Leyla Guven has been on hunger strike for 100 days to fight an unlawful isolation. Her only demand is about making the laws work. Let the laws work. Great job Leyla,” Paylan tweeted.
To remind, Leyla Guven of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), launched her action on November 8 while in jail to protest against Ocalan's prison conditions.
She was freed last month under judicial supervision but continued her protest, refusing any treatment. Guven, 55, is consuming only sugared and bread.
Police on Friday blocked supporters from approaching Guven's house in the Kurdish-majority city of Diyarbakir after a rally called by the HDP, an AFP correspondent said.
or salted water. More than 200 prisoners are on hunger strike to protest what they call Ocalan's isolation, according to the HDP.
ArmInfo. Second president of Armenia, Robert Kocharyan, is located in a single, small cell of the Yerevan Center, but he did not present any complaints on this matter to the prison staff. Armenian Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said this today in a conversation with journalists.
The only thing that the former president complained about, according to Tatoyan, is the absence of a computer in his cell. He also said that, until recently, Kocharyan was not allowed to meet with relatives, but after his petition, relatives received such an opportunity.
Tatoyan declined to answer the question of whether Kocharyan is a political prisoner: <The Ombudsman does not have the legal authority to determine who is a political prisoner and who is not. We work according to the law, within the framework of our authority>.
To note, Robert Kocharyan was arrested on charges of overthrowing the constitutional order in the March 1, 2008 case.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Feb. 6
By Rufiz Hafizoglu – Trend:
The so-called Armenian genocide is a lie and a political deception, spokesman for the Turkish president Ibrahim Kalin said.
Kalin was commenting on French President Emmanuel Macron’s statement about the 1915 events.
"The so-called Armenian genocide has no historical basis and there are no facts proving a mass extermination of Armenians during the 1915 events,” Kalin added, Trend reports referring to the Turkish media.
He added that Turkey strongly condemns the French president’s statement.
Kalin said that by his statements Macron wants to change the agenda in France, engulfed in a crisis.
Earlier, Macron called the 1915 events as "genocide of Armenians" and "a crime against humanity".
Armenia and the Armenian lobby claim that Turkey's predecessor, the Ottoman Empire, allegedly carried out "genocide" against the Armenians living in Anatolia in 1915.
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Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Representative of the Armenian Church at the Vatican, Archbishop Khajag Barsamian and Director of the Inter-Church relations Department of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin, Shahe Ananyan, have met Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in Ankara, News.amreports, referring to Agos Armenian weekly of Istanbul.
According to the Patriarchate statement, Armenian Patriarch elections were discussed during the meeting.
A "sincere" dialogue took place during the hour-long meeting, the source said.
According to the statement, Cavusoglu said that the state was following the developments of the election closely, but urged patience by the church’s leadership.