How an Armenian Opened the First Coffeehouse in Prague


Czech Republic – May 19 2022

Do you ever wonder where the first cup of coffee was in Prague, or how it even got there? The first Europeans to get acquainted with coffee were mostly travelers.

The first traveler from the Czech lands to mention coffee was Kryštof Harant of Polžice and Bezdružice (Czech: Kryštof Harant z Polžic a Bezdružic, 1564 – June 21, 1621).

He was a Czech nobleman, traveler, humanist, soldier, writer, and composer. He joined the Protestant Bohemian Revolt in the Lands of the Bohemian Crown against the House of Habsburg that led to Thirty Years’ War. He discovered coffee on his journey to Constantinople in 1598.

Following the victory of Catholic forces in the Battle of White Mountain, Harant was executed in the mass Old Town Square execution by the Habsburgs.

History of Drinking Coffee in the Czech Republic

No one could even imagine that one day, a penniless but resourceful Armenian would make coffee accessible to everyone, also teaching people the right way of coffee drinking.

Many Czechs didn’t even realize the real purpose of the coffee beans that were sold at pharmacies for unthinkable prices, instead being assured that the beans were an effective means to fight indigestion.

Their unawareness could remain for a very long time if not for one enterprising Armenian named Georgies Deodatus. This quite unusual name was given to him in 1699 in Rome after he adopted Catholicism. As for his homeland, he was born in Syria.

In the early 18th century, Georgies arrived in Prague, having passed a long way. It was worth it though as he would eventually reach success, opening the first coffeehouse in the city. At first, penniless Georgies was strolling the streets of the city disguised as a Turk. He carried a small stove with him to make coffee on the go and sell it in small cups.

This small affair soon turned into a successful business. The Armenian merchant settled in Prague, married, and began to consider opening a permanent café in the city. In 1707, he received permission to open a coffeehouse, and in January 1708, he established the first public café in the country in a house named “U zlatého hada” (“At the golden snake’s place”) now located on Karlova St in the Old Town of Prague.

The before-unseen kind of a store immediately grabbed the attention of the locals. Georgies’ café was so popular that many of its visitors were drinking coffee outside the shop due to the huge number of buyers. Prague got addicted to coffee.

After the passing of Georgies, his coffeehouse for a short time provided his family with considerable earning. But in a year, the café would be closed down. One might consider that it was the end of the entrepreneur’s story. However, the legend of Georgies is one of the most known legends of Prague.

(Above scan from Vlastencové z Boudy: historický obraz by Josef Jiří Stankovský, 1904.)

Everyone knows that he has been an Armenian, but alas, his real name is known to none. Today, the building that used to accommodate Georgies’ shop houses a café also named “U zlatého hada”. The coffee of Georgies Deodatus even occupies an honorary spot in its menu.

Armenian Speaker of Parliament, Italian parliamentary delegation highlight further activating mutual partnership

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 17:04, 19 May, 2022

YEREVAN, MAY 19, ARMENPRESS. On May 19, Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Alen Simonyan received the delegation led by Member of the Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of Italy, the Head of the Section of Italy-Armenia Relations functioning within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Giulio Centemero, the Parliament’s press service said.

At the meeting the further activation of the Armenian-Italian interaction, the parliamentary diplomacy was highlighted, especially distinguishing the role of the Friendship Groups. The Speaker of Parliament has noted that Armenia-Italy Friendship Group is traditionally one of the largest functioning in the National Assembly, and he is happy that in the Italian Parliament, besides the Friendship Group with Armenia, within the framework of the Inter-Parliamentary Union the section of Italy-Armenia friendship bilateral relations functions. Alen Simonyan expressed his gratitude for the numerous statements and appeals condemning the 44-day war in 2020 and the Azeri-Turkish aggression against Artsakh before that. He especially singled out the resolution adopted by the Chamber of Deputies of Italy on March 2, 2021, which calls on Azerbaijan to release Armenian prisoners of war.

At the end of the meeting Alen Simonyan conveyed his warm greetings to the President of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy Roberto Fico, expressing hope that his planned visit to Armenia will take place, and the Armenian-Italian inter-parliamentary relations will continue developing.

Ombudsman: The people of Artsakh will not accept a document providing for autonomy within Azerbaijan

NEWS.am
Armenia –

No autonomy is acceptable for the people of Artsakh, Artsakh Ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan told reporters, answering a question about the possibility of signing an agreement between the heads of Armenia and Azerbaijan, according to which Nagorno-Karabakh can be granted the status of cultural autonomy.

Nikol Pashinyan and Ilham Aliyev are scheduled to meet in Brussels today.

“This is not an end in itself and not a whim. The people of Artsakh already know what autonomy is within Azerbaijan. He knows by clear demographic indicators, by the discriminatory policy pursued by the leadership of the AzUSSR. The number of the Azerbaijani population in the NPO was growing, the number of the Armenian population was declining. The Azerbaijani way of life, culture and so on were imposed on the people of Artsakh. We have repeatedly said that we will not be part of Azerbaijan. No matter who accepts, we will not be part of Azerbaijan,” he said.

Asked if the document nevertheless becomes a reality, the Ombudsman noted that the people of Artsakh will not accept it.

“The statements of the National Assembly, the daily statements of the Foreign Minister testify that the authorities and the people of Artsakh unanimously say: there are red lines that cannot be crossed, Artsakh will not be part of Azerbaijan. The fate of the people cannot be decided without taking into account their will. The person sitting in Brussels and Washington cannot decide how a resident of Stepanakert or Martuni should live. This is absurd,” he said.

Gegham Stepanyan noted that following the results of meetings in various formats, he also got the impression that under the guise of introducing international mechanisms for the protection of rights, involvement in Azerbaijan is being dragged through.

“Our clear answer was make no mistake, it’s impossible. We see a discriminatory policy, then there were 30 years of Azerbaijan's policy of hatred towards Armenians. What rational person would think after that that Artsakh can live as part of Azerbaijan or that the rights of Artsakh people can be protected in Azerbaijan?”

Gegham Stepanyan recalled that 80 civilians were brutally killed by the Azerbaijanis.

“Azerbaijan systematically destroys Armenian cultural monuments in the occupied territories. What kind of autonomy can we talk about? concluded the Ombudsman.

State of Mississippi recognizes Armenian Genocide

Caucasian Knot
May 6 2022
Mississippi has become the last, the 50th US state to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that more than 20 countries, including Russia, have recognized the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire. On April 24, 2021, US President Joe Biden recognized the Armenian Genocide. However, most other countries have not officially recognized the genocide.

The "Yerevan.today" has reported, referring to the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), that the authorities of Mississippi have recognized the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire.

The "Armeniatoday.news" has added that Tate Reeves, the Mississippi Governor, declared this April to be the Genocide Awareness Month.

Let us remind you that Turkey and Armenia have no diplomatic relations. Disagreements exist between the countries over the resolution of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, in which Turkey supports Azerbaijan.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 6, 2022 at 10:20 am MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.

See earlier reports:
Activists in Yerevan demand to recognize Nagorno-Karabakh, State New Jersey recognized Nagorno-Karabakh independence, Two US cities recognize Nagorno-Karabakh's independence.

Source: Caucasian Knot

Pasadena: Local Chapter of the Armenian National Committee of America Announces New Board Appointments

PASADENA NOW
May 7 2022

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) – Pasadena Chapter announced the appointment of its new board.

The newly appointed board will be looking forward to fostering the continuation of a fruitful working relationship with the City of Pasadena, its neighboring cities and their respective city councils, and to build on its long-standing, established and respectful association, the Chapter said in a statement.

The ANCA-Pasadena Chapter Board said it promised to continue with its enduring mission of leading the community in the right direction in the years ahead as it has in the past, and see to it that the Armenian American community preserves its ability to always be in good stead, thriving and unhindered on its path towards progress..

“The ANCA-Pasadena Chapter continues to relentlessly pursue avenues in which to elevate the Armenian American community’s standing while making strides and leading the way as an example of its prominence in the Community, and the time-honored relationship it has always had with the surrounding Cities,” said Vicken Harboyan, the chapter’s treasurer.

The following are the board members who will be serving on the ANCA board and the Armenian American Community in Pasadena:

  • Danny L. Donabedian – Chairperson

  • Garen Kirakosian, Esq. (Secretary)

  • Vicken Harboyan, (Treasurer)

  • David George Gevorkyan

  • Stephanie Khatchikian

In a statement, the Armenian National Committee of America – Pasadena Chapter said it is the oldest, largest, and most influential Armenian American grassroots organization of its kind within the City of Pasadena. Founded in 1979, the Pasadena ANCA advocates for the social, economic, cultural and political rights of the city’s thriving Armenian American community, and promotes increased civic service and participation at the grassroots and public policy levels.

Opposition MP: Armenian authorities punish dissidents by firing them

Panorama
Armenia – May 7 2022

Taguhi Tovmasyan, an MP from the opposition With Honor faction and chair of the parliament’s Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs, accused the incumbent Armenian authorities of cracking down on dissidents attending opposition rallies. Her full statement is provided below.

"The authorities punish people with alternative political views for expressing an opinion different from the authorities in order to restrain their participation in anti-government rallies.

Armenian citizens H. Ohanyan and A. Ghazaryan being Chief Specialists of the Revenue Collection, Property Management and Advertising Department of the Vanadzor Municipality were relieved of their positions on May 5 "based on the sharing of videos and photos proving their participation in the rally on Facebook."

I have sent relevant letters to the ambassadors of the USA, EU, Russia, France to Armenia as well as the head of the CoE Office in Armenia. I informed them that under the law "On Public Service", public servants are obliged to maintain political restraint and neutrality, but participation in a rally after the job should not be considered absolutely illegal. Besides, in Armenia the obligation to maintain political neutrality is applied mainly to the public servants with oppositional views, while those supporting the authorities with similar actions are not subject to relative punishment.

This is nothing but discrimination against citizens conditioned by their political views, which is prohibited by Article 29 of the Armenian Constitution.

I presented one more example of human rights violation. On May 5, on the fone of the active peaceful protests of thousands of Armenians, a work discussion in the Standing Committee on Defense and Security of the National Assembly was held, in which Committee Chairman Andranik Kocharyan called on the Ministry of Defense to take the list of participants of the peaceful protests from the police to involve those avoiding three-month training turn-outs and compulsory military service in three-month training turn-outs.

Actually, it turns out that the authorities punish people with alternative political views for expressing an opinion different from the authorities in order to restrain their participation in anti-government rallies. I requested them to hold such unfair approaches at the center of their attention and publicly respond to such cases of human rights violations, putting Armenia out of democracy."

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 05/06/2022

                                                Friday, May 6, 2022


Armenian Speaker Explains Mother’s Middle-Finger Salute To Protesters

        • Naira Nalbandian

Armenia -- A screenshot of a video that shows the mother of parliament speaker 
Alen Simonian giving opposition protesters the middle finger, Yerevan, May 6, 
2022


Parliament speaker Alen Simonian defended his mother on Friday after cameras 
caught her showing the middle finger to opposition protesters demanding Prime 
Minister Nikol Pashinian’s resignation.

A video circulated on social media showed a middle-aged woman repeatedly making 
the offensive gesture and spitting at the protesters from the balcony of an 
apartment in downtown Yerevan.

RFE/RL’s Armenian Service established that the apartment is the place of 
residence of Simonian’s mother, Mariam Hovannisian.

Simonian confirmed later in the day Hovannisian was the one who stuck her middle 
fingers out at the demonstrators. He claimed that she did so because some of 
them recognized and insulted her.

Armenia - Parliament speaker Alen Simonian at a session of the National 
Assembly, September 13, 2021.

“Knowing that this is our apartment, protesters shouted insults addressed to me 
and my family,” he said. “In response to that, my mom lost her temper.”

There is no evidence in support of Simonian’s claim in the publicized video of 
the incident.

The protesters were led by two opposition lawmakers. Simonian insisted that his 
mother’s gestures were directed not at the lawmakers but at some of their 
supporters. He suggested that she therefore cannot be prosecuted under a 
controversial law passed by the Armenian parliament last year.

Armenia - Opposition protesters block a street in Yerevan, May 6, 2022.
The law made it a crime to gravely insult state officials and public figures. 
Law-enforcement authorities have used it to prosecute dozens of government 
critics in recent months.

RFE/RL journalists stumbled upon Simonian’s mother’s apartment last October as 
they looked for the offices of an obscure construction firm managed by the 
speaker’s brother. They discovered that the apartment matches one of the 
company’s two officially registered addresses.

The company called Euroasphalt won earlier in 2021 two government contracts 
worth a combined $1.4 million, raising suspicions of a conflict of interest and 
even corruption. Simonian, who is a figure close to Pashinian, condemned 
Armenian media outlets for questioning the integrity of those deals.



Armenian Police Try To Arrest Former Chief At Anti-Government Protest

        • Robert Zargarian

Armenia - Security forces try to arrest former Armenian police chief Valeri 
Osipian during an opposition demonstration in Yerevan, May 6, 2022.


The Armenian police attempted to arrest their former chief on Friday as he 
participated in continuing anti-government protests organized by the country’s 
leading opposition groups.

General Valeri Osipian joined one of four large groups of opposition supporters 
who simultaneously marched to various parts of the city from its France Square, 
the epicenter of the daily protests, early in the afternoon. The demonstrators 
continued to condemn Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s policy on the 
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and demand his resignation.

One of the marching crowds was confronted by riot police after stopping at a 
busy street intersection and blocking traffic through it. The police officers 
jostled with the several hundred protesters and began arresting some of them.

Several officers dragged away Osipian, meeting with strong resistance from other 
protesters, who tried to prevent the arrest. In ensuing chaotic scenes, it was 
not clear whether they managed to take him into custody.

The police refused to clarify afterwards whether Osipian was among at least 59 
opposition supporters detained on Friday.

The former police chief did not answer phone calls. He spoke to some media 
outlets in France Square a couple of hours after the incident.

“They didn’t manage to take me away,” Osipian told the Hraparak daily. “People 
didn’t let them do that.”

Armenia -- Armenian opposition leader Nikol Pashinian talks to police Colonel 
Valeri Osipian during a rally in Yerevan, April 29, 2018.

Pashinian named Osipian to run the national police service in May 2018 two days 
after being elected prime minister following weeks of anti-government protests 
led by him. Osipian was until then a deputy head of Yerevan’s police department 
responsible for public order and crowd control.

He personally monitored many anti-government rallies staged in the Armenian 
capital during former President Serzh Sarkisian’s rule. Osipian frequently 
warned and argued with Pashinian during the 2018 “Velvet Revolution” that 
toppled Sarkisian.

Osipian was sacked in September 2019. He publicly voiced support for former 
President Robert Kocharian in the run-up to last year’s snap parliamentary 
elections.

Kocharian is the top leader of the Hayastan alliance, one of the two opposition 
forces that launched the “civil disobedience” campaign aimed at toppling 
Pashinian.

The ex-president’s younger son, Levon, was among demonstrators that marched 
through other parts of Yerevan on Friday. They nearly clashed with riot police 
at one point.

Levon Kocharian accused the police of trying to intimidate the opposition and 
its supporters. “But I can definitely that that is having the opposite effect,” 
he told reporters.



Court Refuses To Free Armenia’s Former Top Prosecutor

        • Naira Bulghadarian

Armenia - Outgoing Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian speaks with journalists, 
Yerevan, September 13, 2013.


A court in Yerevan on Friday refused to grant bail to former Prosecutor-General 
Aghvan Hovsepian who was arrested last September on a string of corruption 
charges denied by him.

Hovsepian served as Armenia’s chief prosecutor from 1998-1999 and 2004-2013. He 
went on to become the first head of a newly created law-enforcement agency, the 
Investigative Committee, in 2014. He ran the committee until the 2018 “velvet 
revolution” that brought Nikol Pashinian to power.

Hovsepian was one of Armenia’s most powerful state officials during his tenure.

The 69-year-old now stands accused of bribery, money laundering and illegal 
entrepreneurial activity. The Anti-Corruption Committee (ACC) claims that he 
also misappropriated several properties while in office.

An ACC official leading the criminal investigation told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
Service last month that Hovsepian abused his powers to earn roughly 6.8 billion 
drams ($14.5 million) through various businesses controlled by him. His lawyer 
insisted that the businesses belonged to his adult sons and that the 
ex-prosecutor had nothing to do with them.

Hovsepian again denied the charges at the start of his trial earlier this week. 
He said they are based on false testimony given by two individuals.

Hovsepian also hit out at ACC chief Sasun Khachatrian, who also used to work as 
a prosecutor. He claimed that Khachatrian is taking revenge for his refusal to 
give him a job in the Investigative Committee.

Defense lawyers petitioned the court to free their client from custody on bail. 
The presiding judge, Mnatsakan Martirosian, rejected the request. The lawyers 
said they will appeal against the decision.

The veteran judge is notorious for rarely making decisions going against the 
current and former Armenian authorities’ wishes.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

 

Protesters block streets in Armenian capital to call for PM’s resignation

May 4 2022
By Syndicated ContentMay 4, 2022 | 3:36 AM

TBILISI (Reuters) – Protesters calling for the resignation of Armenian President Nikol Pashinyan blocked major roads in the capital Yerevan on Wednesday and called for citizens to commit acts of civil disobedience.

Footage from local television showed protesters blocking Yerevan’s Kievian Bridge over the Hrazdan River, chanting “Armenia without Nikol!”

Traffic on the bridge has since resumed, according to a Reuters witness.

Pashinyan has faced heavy criticism since he agreed in November 2020 to a Russian-brokered ceasefire to end six weeks of war between ethnic Armenian and Azeri forces over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The deal that ended the heaviest fighting in the region since the 1990s secured significant territorial gains for Azerbaijan in and around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Pashinyan said he had been compelled to accept the deal, which prompted a wave of protests, to avoid greater human and territorial losses.

(Reporting by Reuters)

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Asbarez: Armenian EyeCare Project Founder Dr. Roger Ohanesian Receives Humanitarian Award

Dr. Roger Ohanesian

Thirty years ago, in 1992, Armenian-American ophthalmologist Dr. Roger Ohanesian took a trip to Armenia for the first time and subsequently founded the Armenian EyeCare Project (AECP), a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating preventable blindness in Armenia and making quality eye care accessible to every resident in the country.

Three decades later, Dr. Ohanesian is being honored for his decades of humanitarian service through the AECP by the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery (ASCRS). On April 24, 2022, Dr. Ohanesian accepted the coveted ASCRS Foundation’s Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award during the ASCRS Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C.

In his acceptance speech, Dr. Ohanesian expressed his awe at how much the AECP has accomplished in Armenia during the organization’s 30-year history and service to the country.

“You have no idea when you start something what it’s going to turn out to be,” the AECP Founder and President said. “It has truly, though, for me, been the honor of a lifetime.”

AECP Founder Dr. Roger Ohanesian accepts his award from Dr. David Chang AECP Founder Dr. Roger Ohanesian during his acceptance speech

The AECP’s list of accomplishments in its 30 years of service to Armenia is vast. Over 100 volunteer physicians have visited during Medical Missions to Armenia to train local physicians and work on complicated cases; local ophthalmologists in Armenia have received advanced medical education and training both by participating in U.S. fellowships and being trained in-country; and numerous patient care programs and facilities have been developed in Armenia including the AECP’s Mobile Eye Hospital, Center of Excellence for the Prevention of Childhood Blindness, Regional Eye Centers and much more.

“Very few of us will leave a mark on this world as important as that of Roger Ohanesian,” Dr. John Hovanesian, a fellow ophthalmologist and volunteer physician with AECP, said. “For 30 years Roger has dedicated his life to helping people rise above blindness half a world away. He’s been passionate, he’s been persistent, and he’s been extremely efficient in gathering resources and recruiting like-minded volunteers through his contagious enthusiasm and folksy charm.”

AECP Founder Dr. Ohanesian sees patient in Armenia while local physicians observe

Dr. Ohanesian said he was honored to be recognized by his colleagues within ASCRS for his 30 years of service in Armenia but that this work would be impossible without the team of doctors who’ve volunteered with the AECP through the years.

“I, alone, should not be the sole recipient of this award,” Dr. Ohanesian said. “It should be shared by each of those who have repeatedly joined our trips, brought instruments and expertise which is then left with our Armenian colleagues who have accomplished so much.” 

Most of all, Dr. Ohanesian expresses an immense amount of gratitude for being able to see his vision for Armenia come to life: “I am in awe of what we have accomplished and immeasurably proud of how far this program has come. It’s quite a thrill to see and I’m just so thankful for all of it.”

The ASCRS Foundation’s Chang-Crandall Humanitarian Award is also endowed by a generous gift from Dr. and Mrs. David and Victoria Chang, which Dr. Ohanesian has earmarked for the Armenian EyeCare Project.