Author: Karapet Navasardian

The Festal Works of St. Gregory of Narek, Annotated Translation of the Odes, Litanies, and Encomia,  a book presentation by Dr. Abraham Terian will take place on Monday, February 27, 2017, at the Armenian Museum of Fresno Exhibition Hall.

Monday, is also the first day of Great Lent in the Apostolic / Orthodox Churches, and for the Armenian Evangelical Churches. The Roman Catholic Church commemorates on this date Saint Gregory of Narek, who is most known for his prayerbook titled, Book of Lamentations.

This book, which has been translated to numerous languages, is an “edifice of faith for the ages, unique in Christian literature for its rich imagery, its subtle theology, its Biblical erudition, and the sincere immediacy of its communication with God.”

When proclaiming Saint Gregory of Narek a Doctor of the Universal Church, Pope Francis had this to say:

“Saint Gregory of Narek, a monk of the tenth century, knew how to express the sentiments of your people more than anyone. He gave voice to the cry, which became a prayer of a sinful and sorrowful humanity, oppressed by the anguish of its powerlessness, but illuminated by the splendor of God’s love and open to the hope of his salvific intervention, which is capable of transforming all things.” -Pope Francis, April 12, 2015

Terian’s is the first translation in any language of the surviving corpus of the festal works of St. Gregory of Narek, a tenth-century Armenian mystic theologian and poet par excellence (d. 1003). Composed as liturgical works for the various Dominical and related feasts, these poetic writings are literary masterpieces in both lyrical verse and narrative. Unlike Gregory’s better-known penitential prayers, these show a jubilant author in a celebratory mood. In this volume Abraham Terian, an eminent scholar of medieval Armenian literature, provides the nonspecialist reader with an illuminating translation of St. Gregory of Narek’s festal works. Introducing each composition with an explanatory note, Terian places the works under consideration in their author’s thought-world and in their tenth-century landscape. Liturgical Press, Collegeville, MN, 2016.

The first batch of humanitarian aid from Armenia has reached the St. Astvatsatsin Church in Latakia.

The humanitarian aid (18 tons, primary foodstuff) was delivered to Syria by an IL-76 aircraft of the Airforce of the Russian Federation.

Minister of Defense of the Republic Vigen Sargsyan and Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia Ivan Volinkin were at the “Erebuni” airport to see off the plane.

 

The British Government has officially rejected a petition calling for Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK to be cancelled, The Independent reports.

Nearly two million people signed the petition on the official Parliament website, with the number still rising.

In a written response the Foreign Office said it did not agree with the request and would extend “the full courtesy of a State Visit” to the controversial US president.

The Government’s statement says: “HM Government believes the President of the United States should be extended the full courtesy of a State Visit. We look forward to welcoming President Trump once dates and arrangements are finalised.

“HM Government recognises the strong views expressed by the many signatories of this petition, but does not support this petition.

“During her visit to the United States on 27 January 2017, the Prime Minister, on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, invited President Trump for a State Visit to the UK later this year.

“The invitation was accepted. This invitation reflects the importance of the relationship between the United States of America and the United Kingdom. At this stage, final dates have not yet been agreed for the State Visit.”

The petition will still be debated by MPs in Westminster Hall, however.

The NKR Defense Ministry has refuted the reports of the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry, claiming that a military vehicle belonging to the Karabakh forces and its personnel had been destroyed on February 9.

The Ministry earlier reported intensive ceasefire violations by the Azerbaijani side overnight.

The rival used 60 and 82 mm mortars, grenades and firearms of different calibers as it fired over 1,000 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

More intensive firing was reported in the eastern, southern and northeastern directions of the line of contact.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the operational-tactical situation at the lien of contact and resort to retaliatory measures, when necessary.

George Clooney’s wife, Amal, is reportedly pregnant with twins, reports.

Hollywood’s power pair is expecting a pair of babies this June, according to well-connected “The Talk” host Julie Chen, who confirmed and announced the actor and the British human rights attorney’s life-changing event on today’s show.

Clooney’s rep did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for confirmation.

These will be the first children for both the Oscar-winning producer, 55, and his 39-year-old wife.

They are said to be expecting a boy and a girl, reported, noting that rumors about the pregnancy came up after Amal Clooney (formerly Alamuddin) was spotted with a baby bump in London last month while their Clooney Foundation for Justice hosted a  screening of the Netflix documentary “The White Helmets.”

Amal “has let everyone in both families know quietly,” a source close to the couple told . “They’re all very happy.”

The Clooneys wed in Venice in 2014, despite several proclamations that the actor, a perennial bachelor, would never again wed or have kids.

An Istanbul court ordered life sentences for three of 12 suspects accused of murdering an elderly Armenian-origin Turkish citizen in the city on Feb. 9, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Three arrested suspects – Aram Hovhannisyan, Artur Ayvazyan and Serge Mikaelyan – were given life in jail for “voluntary manslaughter” and were sentenced to at least 25 years for both “attempted murder” and “looting and damage to property.”

The court ordered the acquittal of nine other suspects who were related to the incident.

Ayvazyan pleaded not guilty, saying they did not mean to kill and just intended to commit robbery.

One of the other suspects, Hovhanisyan, also said they do not intend to kill anyone, saying “if we wanted to kill we would have just done so.”

“We just went there for robbery. We did not have any masks. I tied [the victim] but I didn’t hurt him,” he added.

The incident occurred on Feb. 6, 2016 in the Şişli district of Istanbul.

Hagop Yakup Demirci, 85, was found dead in his apartment on Feb. 6. Burglars had left him and his wife Seta Ayda Demirci, 79, hogtied inside their apartment and stole some 100,000 Turkish Liras.

An Istanbul prosecutor demanded the arrest of 15 suspects on 13 different criminal charges including homicide and looting in relation to the incident.

The court ruled for the arrest of three suspects on charges of “homicide,” “looting,” “seizure,” and “violation of dwelling immunity.” Twelve women were released from detention upon a judicial control decision.

A special team formed of officers from the homicide bureau of the Istanbul Police Department Public Order Unit captured three of the 15 initial suspects in the Black Sea province of Trabzon late on Feb. 9, while five other suspects who are reported to have helped commit the burglary were captured in Istanbul on the same day.

Ex-Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan has announced the decision to quit the Republican Party of Armenia.

In a statement shared on Facebook Abrahamyan has said “the decision was not an easy one” considering the twenty years of his membership in the party.

Hovik Abrahamyan has expressed gratitude to fellow party members for the effective joint work.  He has  also thanked the former and current officials of the state establishments, the heads of Armenian provinces, cities and villages, to thousands of compatriots “for the achievements we have reached together.”

The ex-PM has said he’ll stay involved in politics. “I’m confident I have enough power, knowledge and experience to serve the state and the people. I will continue to live and work for the sake of Armenia.”

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and  Russia Edward Nalbandian and Sergey Lavrov held a meeting in Moscow today.

The Ministers discussed a broad range of issues on the agenda of the Armenian-Russian allied relations, the process of implementation of the agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries.

Edward Nalbandian and Sergey Lavrov referred to the preparations for the Armenian Prime Minister’s forthcoming official visit to Moscow.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to the implementation of the agreements on the Karabakh issue reached at the Vienna and St. Petersburg summits.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and  Russia exchanged views on urgent regional and international issues.

On December 28, the annual press conference of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan took place.

Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the activities of the Foreign Ministry during the year and noted that in 2016, too, the priorities of the NKR foreign policy agenda were the international recognition of the independence of Artsakh and the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict.

The Foreign Minister noted that during the year, the most serious challenges facing the Nagorno Karabakh Republic in general and the Foreign Ministry in particular were the large-scale aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan on April 2 and the elimination of its consequences. In this context, the Foreign Ministry has taken consistent steps to inform the international community about the causes and consequences of the April aggression, to reach the condemnation of the aggression, blatant violations of international humanitarian law, and the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces during that period. In particular, the NKR MFA circulated relevant notes in different international organizations, as well as contributed to the dissemination of the information provided by other state agencies and institutions of the NKR. Thanks to the work carried out with the mass media, the situation on the ground caused by the aggression and the stance of Artsakh on the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict were presented to the international audience.

Touching upon the process of the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, Karen Mirzoyan noted that, first of all, the efforts should be focused on ensuring stability and predictability on the Line of Contact, as well as creating necessary conditions for resuming the negotiations. Realization of the agreements, reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg, will become a serious step in this direction.

The NKR Foreign Minister reiterated that real progress in the process of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement can only be reached if the trilateral format of the negotiations is restored and the NKR, as a full-fledged party, directly participates in all its stages. Karen Mirzoyan also noted that against the background of the April aggression it had become especially evident that any proposal, which can pose even a minimal threat to the independence and security of the country, is unacceptable for the NKR people and authorities.

Karen Mirzoyan also noted that the international recognition of Artsakh is the imperiatve of time as an efficient means of preventing another aggression by Azerbaijan. The Foreign Minister expressed confidence that the international recognition of the NKR would also positively impact the peaceful settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, ensuring its irreversibility, and allow to focus on the development of necessary mechanisms and conditions for the peaceful coexistence of two independent and sovereign states.

Karen Mirzoyan assured that in 2017, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would continue to work consistently for the international recognition of Artsakh and expansion of international cooperation on different levels.

On 6 December Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received a group of angiologists from Austria who arrived in our republic the other day.

President Sahakyan expressed gratitude to the Austrian doctors for visiting Artsakh and sharing their experience, underlining that it substantially contributed to the development of our republic’s healthcare sphere and qualifying their activity as a vivid manifestation of humanism and friendship.