Author: Lara Chatinian

Miner Injured after Azerbaijani Forces Open Fire at Sotk Mine in Armenia

Lara Chatinian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 May 9, 2022

 

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

Azerbaijani forces opened fire at the Sotk gold mine in Armenia's Gegharkunik province

Azerbaijani forces opened fire at the Sotk gold mine in Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province on Saturday, injuring a worker at the operation.

Ruzanna Grigoryan, a representative of the GeoProMining company, which operates the mine told Armenpress that the shootings began on Friday evening and intensified by midday Saturday.

“The victim is the drill operator. He is hospitalized and is in a stable condition. The man was wounded in his left arm, near the heart, but fortunately did not suffer internal injuries,” Grigoryan said.

The shooting forced the mine to halt its operations.

Armenia’s Defense Ministry said that Armenian Armed Forces rebuffed the Azerbaijani forces, who also targeted Armenian military positions in Gegharkunik.

“On May 7, around 1:50 p.m. local time, Azerbaijani military units opened fire from various caliber small arms at the Armenian military positions deployed in the eastern direction of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, as well as in the direction of the Sotk gold mine, which resulted in one of the workers of the mine sustaining a gunshot wound. His life is not in danger. The Azerbaijani military shooting was suppressed by countermeasures,” Armenia’s Defense Ministry said.

Asked about the incident at the Sotk mine, Russia’s Ambassador to Armenia Sergey Kopirkin said on Monday that Azerbaijan and Armenia should refrain from any steps that could aggravate the situation and create the threat of escalation.

“Of course, we are interested in the mine operating normally, without interruptions. It is also very important for Armenia from a social point of view,” Kopirkin told reporters.

ANCA-WR Re-Launches HyeVotes Initiative

Lara Chatinian
 by Contributor

 

 May 4, 2022

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories
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ANCA-WR HyeVotes Initiative flyer

LOS ANGELES—The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region is re-launching its HyeVotes Initiative in preparation for the 2022 Primary and General Elections.

“For a decade, the HyeVotes initiative has worked to empower our community by promoting civic engagement amongst Armenian-Americans,” said ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq. “Our community is poised to make a significant impact during this critical election season. It is absolutely vital Armenian-Americans vote so as to ensure our community’s voice is heard and its needs are met,” Hovsepian concluded.

The HyeVotes website will serve as a central hub for our community, providing vital resources and information in both Armenian and English to ensure a high turnout in the upcoming elections.

Ahead of the primary elections, the HyeVotes Initiative will be conducting voter outreach and education in areas with a high concentration of Armenian-American voters – in particular Southern California, where it will partner with local Armenian organizations, schools, churches, media outlets, and businesses to get out the vote. HyeVotes is also committed to providing assistance and support to community members who require special accommodations for voting, particularly when it comes to Armenian language access.

Since its inception in 2012, the primary goal of the HyeVotes Initiative has been to increase the number of registered Armenian-American voters, to provide voters with comprehensive nonpartisan information about the contests on the ballot, and encourage civic engagement and volunteerism among our community’s youth. To date, HyeVotes has successfully registered over 50,000 Armenian Americans and mobilized the electoral participation of countless more.

Individual wishing to volunteer for the HyeVotes Initiative, may complete a volunteer application form.

The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region is the largest and most influential Armenian American grassroots advocacy organization in the Western United States. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and supporters throughout the Western United States and affiliated organizations around the country, the ANCA-WR advances the concerns of the Armenian American community on a broad range of issues.

Armenpress: International Jazz Day: China Moses, Andre Manoukian, Tony Karapetyan among stars of upcoming Yerevan concert

Lara Chatinian

International Jazz Day: China Moses, Andre Manoukian, Tony Karapetyan among stars of upcoming Yerevan concert

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 09:56, 27 April, 2022

YEREVAN, APRIL 27, ARMENPRESS. Renowned Armenian jazz bands and musicians will be joined by jazz stars from around the world for a concert on International Jazz Day – April 30.

The Armenian Jazz Association is organizing the event jointly with Yerevan City Hall.

The open-air concert will take place at the Cafesjian Center for the Arts in Cascade.

The founding Chairman of the Armenian Jazz Association Kamo Movsesyan told ARMENPRESS that they tried to bring together all renowned jazz musicians. “We have guests also from Russia, France and the United States. Tony Karapetian, a fine pianist and composer known all over Europe and America is invited from Russia. On that day, renowned American singer China Moses will perform on stage. Andre Manoukian from France will also perform, he is a renowned producer, musician and pianist. Everyone will perform on one stage,” Movsesyan said.

Asked why so much significance is given to jazz while Armenia doesn’t have a day marking Armenian national music, Movsesyan said: “The fact that national music isn’t celebrated is a problem that should be solved by state policy. I think we must have a day like that. But we have very deep roots with jazz coming from the past. In 1938 we already officially had a jazz orchestra with its traditions and musicians who were known all over the world. Armenian jazz, with its Armenian folklore elements, is rather well-known today in the world. The world knows Armenian musicians and Armenian jazz.”

Movsesyan said that they were able to change the society’s attitude for jazz thanks to dedicated musicians. “We were able to save and promote the music because every year, regardless of obstacles we are moving forward. Jazz is intellectual music and we want to develop it but keep its traditions.”

Meanwhile, the famous Armenian jazzman and keyboardist Gary Kesayan will perform on the same day at 20:00 at the Gary Kesayan and Friends concert.

Interview by Liana Sargsyan




Armenia’s Eurovision delegation off to Turin

Lara Chatinian
Public Radio of Armenia
, 18:24

 Less than a minute

The Armenian delegation of Eurovision has left for Turin.

Armenia’s Rosa Linn will perform 17th in the first semi-final of Eurovision Song Contest 2022 on May 10.

The running order of the Grand Final will be determined by producers in the early hours of Friday 13 May, after the Second Semi-Final. As Hosts, Italy have already been randomly drawn to perform from 9th position on Saturday 14 May.

David Babayan: The people of Artsakh are ready to establish good neighborly relations with Azerbaijan, but will never be under Azerbaijani slavery

Lara Chatinian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. The people of Artsakh are ready to establish good neighborly relations with Azerbaijan, but they will never agree to be under Azerbaijani jurisdiction as slaves, and even more so to turn into a concentration camp. Artsakh Foreign  Minister David Babayan stated this in an interview with ArmInfo in  response to today's statement by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev  that he considers the inhabitants of Nagorno-Karabakh to be citizens  of Azerbaijan.

Babayan drew attention to the fact that the population of the NKR has  always opposed being under Azerbaijani jurisdiction. Recalling that  Nagorno-Karabakh was forcibly annexed to the Azerbaijan SSR in the  Soviet years, the communist party leadership did not take into  account the opinion of the population, the Artsakh Foreign Minister  stressed that even then Stepanakert retained sovereignty on many  issues.

The head of the Karabakh Foreign Ministry noted that it was the  unwillingness to live under the jurisdiction of Azerbaijan that from  year to year raised a wave of discontent, which ultimately resulted  in the 1988 Karabakh liberation movement.

Meanwhile, when asked how he views Aliyev's statement today that  allegedly "positive impulses are coming from the Karabakh Armenians  and initial contacts have already begun," Babayan noted that speaking  about the Karabakh-Azerbaijani settlement, a number of important  aspects should be clearly fixed.

"The key one is that we do not consider this conflict as a conflict  between the Armenian and Azerbaijani peoples. It is clear that the  population of Artsakh does not have hatred for the Azerbaijani  people. The problem here is the policy of the Azerbaijani state,  which openly conducts anti-Armenian propaganda with elements of  fascism, sows hatred towards everything Armenian. We are well aware  that we will not be at war with Azerbaijan forever, and we are ready  to establish good-neighborly relations if the Azerbaijani authorities  give up their policy," Babayan said.

According to him, one thing is now clear that the Azerbaijani  authorities are pursuing a genocidal policy aimed at the  dearmenization of our homeland – Artsakh.

"The shortest and best way to resolve the Karabakh-Azerbaijani  conflict on the part of Azerbaijan is to establish good-neighborly  relations, the opportunity to be good neighbors. However,  hatred  agains Armenians in Azerbaijan is cultivated at the highest level,  the Armenian spiritual and cultural heritage is being destroyed,"  Babayan said, noting that such a recent manifestation was the  desecration of an Armenian church in occupied Hadrut a few days ago.

It should be noted that today Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said  that Azerbaijan considers the Armenians living in Karabakh to be its  citizens. At the same time, he added that positive impulses are being  received from the Karabakh Armenians and primary contacts have  already begun. As Aliyev said, "within the framework of the  Azerbaijani state, Karabakh Armenians may develop economically, feel  more secure and comfortable." However, i in his opinion n the first  place, it is necessary to give up "separatist sentiments and accept  the realities." Aliyev also pointed out that in the near future  hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis will return to Kalbajar,  Lachin, Shushi, Aghdam and the Armenians should live with them "in an  atmosphere of neighborhood." 

Slight increase in COVID-19 vaccinations registered in past week – Armenian Healthcare Minister

Lara Chatinian

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 12:24,

YEREVAN, APRIL 28, ARMENPRESS. 50% of citizens in Armenia received the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 44.1% of the adult citizens are fully vaccinated, Minister of Healthcare Anahit Avanesyan said at the Cabinet meeting today, adding that nearly 50,000 citizens have received a booster shot.

She said that vaccinations played a very important role for reducing the disease burden globally.

“Regardless of easing the restrictions, we will continue boosting vaccinations with all possible means. They will continue to be available in polyclinics, mobile sites, in the form of home visits, and we expect that the citizens will continue to get vaccinated, we see that tendency. We even have a slight increase in vaccination rates over the past week”, the minister said.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called for not weakening the vigilance because today there are citizens in China who live under lockdown, and no one can say what will happen next moment.

Highlighting the importance of continuing the vaccination process, the PM said there are wide range of vaccines in Armenia. “We have been opening an opportunity of vaccination also for foreign citizens for a long time”, he said.

Artsakh’s Presient meets with a group of students of the Diplomatic School of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia

Lara Chatinian

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 19:14,

YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. On April 26, President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with a group of students of the Diplomatic School of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia headed by School Director, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Vahe Gabrielyan, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press servic eof the Artsakh President;s Office.

During the meeting, the Head of the State presented the issues facing Artsakh in the domestic, foreign, socio-economic spheres, the main directions of the policy pursued, as well as the latest regional and global developments.

President Harutyunyan also answered the questions of the participants. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Artsakh Republic David Babayan and other officials partook in the meeting.

Artsakh FM: The priority task of the foreign policy agenda of Stepanakert is the international recognition of the independence of Artsakh

Lara Chatinian
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Marianna Mkrtchyan

ArmInfo. On April 26, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh David Babayan met with heads of parliamentary factions in the National Assembly of the  Republic of Artsakh., the press service of the Artsak mfa reports.

A wide range of issues related to the recent regional developments,  the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict and the foreign  policy of Artsakh were discussed.

David Babayan stressed that the priority issues of the foreign policy  agenda of Artsakh remained unchanged; the international recognition  of the independence of Artsakh, comprehensive settlement of the  Azerbaijani-Karabagh conflict with the full-fledged participation of  official Stepanakert, as well as the expansion and consolidation of  bilateral relations and  preservation of the status of Artsakh as a  geopolitical actor.  

The Minister noted the importance of maintaining the  Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity and the perception of Artsakh as a  supreme value by the Armenian people in the context of providing  effective solutions to the aforementioned issues.  

Minister Babayan also highly appreciated the role of parliamentary  diplomacy as an effective means of achieving  foreign policy goals.  

President of Artsakh visits Askeran region

Lara Chatinian

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 11:32,

YEREVAN, APRIL 12, ARMENPRESS. On April 12, President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan held a meeting in Askeran with responsible officials of the region, community heads and local residents, his Office said.

A range of issues related to the military-political situation in the republic, security-related as well as socio-economic problems were on the discussion agenda.

The Head of the State referred to the imperative of ensuring food security and employment in the current geopolitical conditions, emphasizing the need to make consistent efforts to intensify agricultural work, to efficiently use uncultivated lands and all possible economic resources in general.

President Harutyunyan listened to the concerns and opinions of the residents, gave instructions to the responsible officials on the tasks to be done.

Armenia delivers 4 tons of medical supplies to Aleppo hospitals

Lara Chatinian
PanARMENIAN
Armenia – APril 8 2022
April 8, 2022 – 15:36 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenia has delivered 4 tons of medical supplies to hospitals in Aleppo, Syria, according to a message published by the Center for Humanitarian Demining and Expertise.

In general, 24 tons of medicines have been handed over to the medical institutions of Aleppo since the first day of the deployment of the Armenian mission in Syria.

In February 2019, Armenia sent an 83-person team of sappers, medics, and an accompanying security detail to Aleppo․ The mission, which works in regions outside of active military operations, was sent specifically to the Syrian city with a sizable ethnic Armenian population.