21:59,
YEREVAN, MARCH 17, ARMENPRESS. 6 new novel coronavirus cases have been diagnosed in Armenia, bringing the total number of infections to 78, Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan announced.
He said the latest cases are direct contacts of an infected person from a manufacturing plant.
The first novel coronavirus case in Armenia was confirmed on March 1.
So far, out of the 78 cases one patient has recovered.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
The Multicultural Mosaic Foundation (MMF), a Colorado-based nonprofit organization which derives its inspiration from the Turkish Muslim religious leader Fethullah Gulen, voted to recognize the Armenian Genocide on March 7, The Armenian Mirror-Spectator reported.
MMF issued a statement on March 8 explaining the context, as follows: “MMF established a committee three years ago tasked with learning what happened in 1915 to the Armenian citizens of the Ottoman Empire. For the last three years members of this committee have been attending lectures and dialog sessions with scholars of Ottoman history, Armenian history and genocides. Further, committee members engaged in meetings with family members who survived the Armenian Genocide. The study of academic articles, watching documentaries, panel discussions, private discussions were also part of the three-year journey.
“At the end of the three years the committee decided to vote on the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The committee of about 20 members voted unanimously in favor of recognizing the Armenian Genocide. This vote was presented to the board as a recommendation to recognize the Armenian Genocide. Mosaic’s board followed the recommendation of the committee and recognized the Armenian Genocide on March 7, 2020.”
MMF was careful to note in its statement that the decision was made by MMF alone and only reflects its own position, as no other affiliated organization or platform participated in its decision-making process. MMF also defined itself as an organization “dedicated to the promotion of understanding, dialog and peace among all cultures and faith traditions.”
Georgia on Wednesday reported the first case of coronavirus in the country.
Health minister Ekaterine Tikaradze said an infected Georgian citizen, who was traveling from Iran, crossed the border from neighboring Azerbaijan, Reuters reported.
“He was immediately taken to hospital from the border check-point,” she said.
Tikaradze said the infected man, who traveled by mini-bus with other 12 passengers, crossed the Georgian border with Azerbaijan on Tuesday.
All of them had been checked by bodyguards and taken to hospital, the minister said.
“Coronavirus positive was only in one case,” Tikaradze said.
Other members of the group tested negative, but remain in a quarantine, she said
Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Gakharia has created a group to coordinate actions to try to prevent a disease outbreak in the country, the premier’s press service said.
The group has decided to suspend travel between Georgia and Iran for two weeks.
The novel coronavirus originated in China late last year and has infected about 80,000 people, killing more than 2,700, the vast majority in China.
Friday,
Syrian Parliament Recognizes Armenian Genocide
Syria -- Members of the People's Assembly adopt a resolution recognizing the
Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey, Damascus, .
In a move welcomed by Armenia, Syria’s parliament has voted to recognize the
1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey following the latest upsurge in
tensions between Damascus and Ankara.
“The parliament ... condemns and recognizes the genocide committed against the
Armenians by the Ottoman state at the start of the twentieth century,” reads the
resolution adopted by it on Thursday.
The resolution followed deadly clashes between Syrian and Turkish troops in
Syria’s northwestern region of Idlib. The Turkish military has sent
reinforcements to the jihadist-dominated area after an offensive launched by
Syria’s Russian-backed army.
The Syrian parliament speaker, Hammouda Sabbagh, condemned the Turkish
“aggression” as the legislature fully controlled by Syria’s ruling regime
unanimously passed the Armenian genocide resolution.
“We are currently living through a Turkish aggression that relies on the same
hateful Ottoman thinking” as "the crimes carried out by [Turkish President Recep
Tayyip] Erdogan's forefathers against the Armenian people", Sabbagh said,
according to the AFP news agency.
SYRIA -- Turkish military convoy drives through the village of Binnish, in Idlib
province, February 8, 2020
The Turkish government, which vehemently denies a systematic government effort
to exterminate the Ottoman Empire’s Armenian population, condemned the
resolution, saying that it reflects the “hypocrisy of a regime which has
indulged in every kind of carnage towards its own people.”
Predictably, the genocide resolution was hailed by Armenia.
“The genocide … a significant part of which was perpetrated in the territory of
Syria under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, is part of the common historical
memory of the Armenian and Syrian peoples,” the Armenian Foreign Ministry said
in a statement.
“The Syrian people … were among the first to lend a helping hand to the victims
of the genocide. Thousands of survivors found a new homeland in Syria,
establishing one of the most flourishing Armenian communities and contributing
to Syria’s progress,” added the statement.
Many of an estimated 1.5 million victims of the World War One-era genocide were
killed on their way to a vast desert in what is now eastern Syria. Many other
Armenians were starved to death after reaching the desert on foot.
Syria - Syrian Armenian pilgrims at the Armenian genocide memorial in Deir
ez-Zor, 25Apr2009.
A genocide memorial in the area contained some of the remains of the victims and
served as a pilgrimage site for Syria's Armenians before it was bombed by
jihadists in 2014. Visiting the site in 2010, then-Armenian President Serzh
Sarkisian said it is to Armenians what Auschwitz is to the Jews.
While helping descendants of survivors of those death camps become a thriving
community in Syria, the Syrian government for decades avoided recognizing the
1915 mass killings and deportations as genocide. Syrian President Bashar
al-Assad pointedly declined to visit a genocide memorial in Yerevan during an
official trip to Armenia in 2009. Assad had a warm rapport with Erdogan at the
time.
The situation changed dramatically after the outbreak of the Syrian conflict in
2011 and ensuing deterioration of Ankara’s relations with the Syrian regime. In
March 2015, the Syrian parliament held a special a session to mark the 100th
anniversary of the Armenian genocide. Two months later Assad drew parallels
between the Ottoman Turks who massacred Armenians and Islamist rebels in Syria
who he said are sponsored by Ankara.
More Arrests Made In Armenian Bribery Case
• Artak Khulian
Armenia -- The main entrance ot the National Security Service building, Yerevan,
December 14, 2019.
The National Security Service (NSS) said on Friday that it has indicted six more
people in an ongoing criminal investigation into a senior Armenian government
official arrested on corruption charges last week.
The NSS did not identify any of those suspects or specify the accusations
leveled against them. It said only that three of them have been remanded in
pre-trial custody.
Vahagn Vermishian, the head of the Armenian government’s Urban Development
Committee, and two other individuals were arrested on February 5. One of them, a
former senior law-enforcement, was released on bail at the weekend.
In a February 5 statement, the NSS said Vermishian has admitted receiving five
bribes, worth between 1 million drams ($2,100) and 2.5 million drams each, from
private construction firms that were given privileged treatment by various
government bodies in return. It said that the kickbacks were channeled into an
architectural firm which the official had set up and registered in a friend’s
name.
Vermishian’s lawyer, Mushegh Arakelian, said on Monday, however, that his client
denies taking the alleged bribes. The denial did not prevent a court in Yerevan
from allowing investigators to hold him in detention.
Vermishian has headed the government agency since March 2019 and has not been
formally relieved of his duties yet. He is the third senior member of Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government prosecuted on corruption charges. The two
other suspects worked as deputy ministers of education and health.
Vermishian, 55, served as the chief architect of Russia’s Oryol region from
2014-2017. He reportedly resigned amid protests sparked by his plans to renovate
the regional capital’s historic center.
Court Again Refuses To Stop Corruption Trial Of Senior Armenian Official
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - Davit Sanasarian, the head of the State Overisght Service, speaks to
journalists in Yerevan, June 21, 2018.
A court in Yerevan on Friday refused to throw out corruption charges brought
against a senior government official who actively participated in Armenia’s
“Velvet Revolution.”
The court dismissed defense lawyers’ claims that the National Security Service
(NSS) has no right to prosecute Davit Sanasarian because under Armenian law
senior officials can only be investigated by another law-enforcement agency.
Sanasarian’s lawyers earlier petitioned the court to suspend his trial and ask
Armenia’s Constitutional Court to rule on the legality of the high-profile
criminal case. The presiding judge, Davit Balayan, rejected that demand.
Sanasarian was suspended as head of the State Oversight Service (SOS) after
being indicted last April in a criminal investigation into alleged corrupt
practices within the anti-corruption government agency.
The NSS arrested two other senior SOS officials in February 2019, saying that
they attempted to cash in on government-funded supplies of medical equipment to
state-run hospitals. They were subsequently set free after pleading guilty to
the accusations.
Sanasarian was charged with abusing his powers to help the two men, who are also
on trial, enrich themselves and a private company linked to them. He strongly
denies the charges.
The trial prosecutor, Gevorg Sargsian, said during Friday’s court hearing that
Sanasarian knew that the company in question, Zorashen, is controlled by one of
the two other defendants, Samvel Adian, and is planning to import expensive
equipment for hemodialysis, a treatment of kidney failure. Sanasarian and Adian
abused their position to make sure that two hospitals buy such equipment from
Zorashen, according to the indictment read out by Sargsian.
Sanasarian insisted that he was not aware of that. He said Adian had assured him
that he is not linked to the supplier.
Sanasarian, 35, is a former opposition and civic activist who had for years
accused Armenia’s former leaders of corruption. He was actively involved in the
2018 revolution.
Sanasarian’s supporters, among them leaders of some Western-funded civic groups,
have voiced support for him and denounced the NSS. Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian hit back at the critics last year. He said that they place their
personal relationships with Sanasarian above the rule of law.
More Armenian Opposition Parties To Shun Constitutional Referendum
• Artak Khulian
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian speaks to reporters,
Yerevan, February 11, 2020.
Businessman Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) on Friday
questioned the legality of an upcoming referendum on constitutional changes
sought by the country’s leadership and said it will avoid any involvement in the
process.
Former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) likewise
announced that it will not actively campaign against the proposed changes
despite considering them “unconstitutional” and “undemocratic.”
The draft amendments to the Armenian constitution call for the dismissal of
seven of the nine members of the current Constitutional Court accused by Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian of being linked to the country’s “corrupt former
regime.” The Armenian parliament controlled by Pashinian’s My Step bloc decided
last week to put them on a referendum amid serious procedural violations alleged
by opposition lawmakers. Some of them said the amendments also run counter to
other articles of the constitution.
The BHK, which has the second largest group in the parliament, said after a
meeting of its governing body that the government push to replace the high court
judges is “questionable in terms of legality.” In a statement, it said
Tsarukian’s party will therefore “not participate in the process of holding a
referendum on the constitutional changes.”
“It is evident that right from the beginning of the process the authorities
moved the issue from the legal to political plane, turning it into a destructive
black-and-white confrontation,” said the statement. “For the BHK, the practice
of spreading divisions within the society and building barricades has always
been unacceptable.”
Armenia -- Deputies from the opposition Bright Armenia Party attend a parliament
session in Yerevan, January 20, 2020.
The Bright Armenia Party (LHK), the second opposition force represented in the
current parliament, went farther earlier this week, calling the referendum
scheduled for April 5 “completely illegal.” But it too decided not to officially
campaign for a “No” vote.
The former ruling HHK, which has repeatedly voiced support for Constitutional
Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasian and the six other judges, branded the upcoming
vote “unconstitutional, anti-legal and undemocratic.”
“The sole purpose of this adventure is to form a rubber-stamp Constitutional
Court,” read a statement released by the HHK leadership on Friday. It said the
party will not join in the referendum campaign.
Alen Simonian, a senior member of Pashinian’s bloc, shrugged off the HHK’s
decision, saying that Sarkisian’s party is not a major political force anymore.
He also claimed: “It’s clear that some forces are trying and will try to
sabotage the referendum process openly or in a covert way.”
Speaking during a working visit to Germany on Thursday, Pashinian defended his
administration’s efforts to replace the Constitutional Court judges. In a fresh
jibe at Tovmasian, he charged that Armenia’s high court has been “occupied” and
turned into a partisan structure. “We cannot tolerate this situation,” he said.
“[Pashinian’s] statement has nothing to do with reality,” countered LHK leader
Edmon Marukian. “I don’t think that people in Germany are not aware of that.”
Marukian also dismissed Pashinian’s claim that the Constitutional Court is
obstructing “institutional reforms” planned by his government. “Give me an
example of a single reform that has been scuttled by the court,” he told
reporters. “There is no reform.”
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
Actor-director Andy Serkis, who was honoured at the Baftas 2020 for his pioneering work on performance capture, said this form of “egalitarian” acting is a great tool for artistes going ahead in the 21st century. He was presented the Bafta for his outstanding British contribution to cinema by veteran theatre and film actor Ian McKellen.
The actor, who met with an accident while playing winter sports appeared onstage in crutches, received a standing ovation as he accepted the trophy from his “Lord of the Rings” co-star. Serkis has delivered powerhouse performances by playing computer-generated characters such as Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy and the revolutionary ape, Caesar in “Planet of Apes” film franchise to name a few.
The 55-year-old actor said performance/ motion capture signifies the “end of typecasting”, allowing actors to play any role they want to. “I truly believe performance capture is an egalitarian form of acting. It’s one of the great tools for actors and filmmakers of storytelling in the 21st century. It signifies the end of typecasting – anyone can play anything. It never used to be accepted as a standard industry practice, but it is now,” the actor-director said in his acceptance speech.
“So a monumental thank you to all the innovators, coders, animators, the CGI artistes, companies, and the actors who continue to develop it,” Serkis added. He thanked his wife and “favourite actor on the planet” Lorraine Ashbourne and his family in his address. Serkis also thanked “Lord of the Rings” director Peter Jackson, the team at WETA digital who did the visual effects that transformed him into Gollum.
“Thank you to Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyle for introducing me to the aforesaid spandex suit, spending many years with Ian and spending wonderful characters in your movies,” he said. In a nod to the “Planet of the Apes” team, the actor expressed gratitude to his “ape family” — Dylan Clarke, Matt Reeves, Rupert Wyatt, Terry Notary and Michael Giacchino.Serkis, who owns The Imaginarium, a production company linked to a digital performance-capture, thanked co-founder Jonathan Cavendish and team members for their contribution to the award.
18:53, 7 February, 2020
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 7, ARMENPRESS. the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh, representing non-governmental organizations, can participate in the upcoming elections in Azerbaijan only as international observers with appropriate guarantees for their safety. And members of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Artsakh, in turn, can organize training to share their experience of holding fair and transparent elections with their Azerbaijani counterparts. Only in this format can the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh participate in the upcoming elections in Azerbaijan, Chairwoman of the Central Electoral Committee of Artsakh Srbuhi Arzumanyan said, commenting on the announcement of the Central Electoral Committee of Artsakh, ARMENPRESS was informed from Artsakh’s CEC.
“Comment by Chairwoman of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Artsakh Srbuhi Arzumanyan on the Statement by the Central Electoral Commission of Azerbaijan
Such a statement by Azerbaijan is ridiculous. Just a few years ago, the Azerbaijani authorities tried to annihilate the peaceful population of the Republic of Artsakh, claiming that there were no civilians in Artsakh, and subjected the peaceful settlements of our country to large-scale attacks. And now they are cynically declaring that the citizens of Artsakh can participate in the upcoming elections in Azerbaijan. I would like to stress that there is no legal-political connection between the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh and the state of Azerbaijan. The people of Artsakh declared the establishment of its independent statehood yet at the December 10, 1991 referendum. For 29 years already, the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh have effectively exercised their inalienable right by establishing their own state structures through free and transparent _expression_ of will. And the regular national elections in Artsakh scheduled for March 31 will be another step on the way to the continued strengthening of the democratic statehood in our country. At the same time, I would like to note that the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh, representing non-governmental organizations, can participate in the upcoming elections in Azerbaijan only as international observers with appropriate guarantees for their safety. And members of the Central Electoral Commission of the Republic of Artsakh, in turn, can organize training to share their experience of holding fair and transparent elections with their Azerbaijani counterparts. Only in this format can the citizens of the Republic of Artsakh participate in the upcoming elections in Azerbaijan”, Srbuhi Arzumanyan said.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
Former Director of Armenia’s National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan commented on parliament’s decision of holding nationwide referendum on constitutional changes.
“Encroachment on right and law took place in Armenia yesterday. The consequences will be severe and will disrupt the judicial security of the country as well as damage its international reputation,” Vanetsyan tweeted.
To remind, the proposed referendum on constitutional and related changes relate among other at dismissing seven of the nine members of the Constitutional Court. It will also remove the requirement for the Constitutional Court to check the compliance of draft legislation with the Constitution of Armenia, and subsequently change the procedure of revision of the Constitution itself.
According to the substantiation of the draft law, the Constitutional Court has a problem of being perceived as a credible and unbiased court in the society.
Doctor of Law, Professor, Artur Ghambaryan, who is the candidate of Justice Ministry at the Expert Commission on Constitutional Reforms, told Panorama.am that the current Constitution does not allow the National Assembly to make constitutional amendments without the endorsement of the Constitutional Court.
"In all cases, the answer is clearly no," he said.
He refused to reply to other questions, explaining that he does not give interviews.
Another member of the commission, Arsen Tavadyan, refrained from answering journalists' questions until the committee is set up.
Anyway, Panorama.am asked him, as a lawyer-scientist, whether the 2015 edition of the Constitution allows the National Assembly to make constitutional changes without the highest court’s validation.
"Look at Article 168 of the Constitution," Tavadyan replied.
Article 168 of the Constitution defines the powers of the Constitutional Court. Part 2 of the article states: “The Constitutional Court shall, in the manner stipulated by the Law on the Constitutional Court: (2) Prior to the adoption of the draft Constitutional Amendments, as well as drafts of legal acts put to a referendum, determine their conformity with the Constitution.”
The article makes it clear that the National Assembly cannot bypass the Constitutional Court while amending the Constitution.
Asked whether in this case the bill drafted by the My Step faction openly runs counter to the Constitution, Tavadyan did not answer.
"Several journalists have called me. I am repeating myself all over again. I am waiting for the commission to be set up to make any comments. As soon as the commission is formed, I will express my opinion, it will be more appropriate,” he said.
Asked what will change after the formation of the commission, he responded: "Well, that's it."
In response to the question whether the lawyer is constrained to make further comments, Tavadyan said, "There is no constraint."
Commenting on Panorama.am’s questions, Anahit Manasyan, another member of the commission, said: “These questions require a thorough and professional, multilateral analysis. For neither your professionalism nor my professional ethics to suffer, let us first of all see what the fate of these changes will be. These legislative amendments can be adopted in a completely different way, as there may be new proposals and changes during the course of their debate. You can conduct an interview on the matter then. Believe me, I will not respect myself in terms of professional ethics if I say something in just a few words. "
“In general, I have heard what this is all about. Overall, I have familiarized myself with the matter. I will not feel at ease in terms of my conscience or my profession if I make some analysis in two words,” she said.
Moreover, she was reluctant to make a more detailed analysis of the issue.
Another member of the commission, Tigran Markosyan, did not respond to our phone calls for two days.
PanARMENIAN.Net – French President Emmanuel Macron has said that the February parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan could have a positive impact on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and that some progress could be achieved in spring.
Macron made the comments at the annual gala dinner of the Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) on Wednesday, January 29, Panorama.am reports.
The French President said he sees a way out after contacts were established between the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
According to him, the conflict is also a human drama which keeps people living in Karabakh and adjacent areas in instability and isolation.
http://www.panarmenian.net/eng/news/277409/Macron_hopes_for_progress_in_Karabakh_settlement_this_spring
Macron said France is there for Armenia, which he said is at the crossroad of great crisis.
French Presidents have traditionally attended CCAF dinners for many years. This year, Turkish historian Taner Akcam was a guest of honor.
The CCAF brings together the biggest political, cultural, educational, religious and social organizations of the Armenian community in France.