Armenpress News Agency, Armenia
Sunday
Awarding ceremony held at Presidential Palace on occasion of Republic Day
YEREVAN, MAY 28, ARMENPRESS. The awards and honorary titles bestowing
ceremony took place at the Presidential Palace on the occasion of
Republic Day on May 28, press service of the President’s office told
Armenpress.
A group of individuals were awarded by the President of Armenia
withhigh state awards and honorary titlesfor their contribution in the
fields of science, education, healthcare, economy, arts, culture, and
sports, efficient work, patriotism, boundless dedication, deepening
and expansion of the Fatherland-Diaspora ties. Serzh Sargsyan
congratulated the awardees on the occasion of Republic Day and on
receiving high state awards and honorary titles.
President’s Sargsyan addressed congratulatory remarks at the awarding ceremony:
“Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, I cordially congratulate
you all on the occasion of Republic Day, and on receiving awards and
honorary titles of our state. Armenia has entered a phase of critical
changes. These changes rest first of all on the principle of justice.
To change the image of our country, we have to always reveal and honor
those worthy. That’s the way to tell good from bad, truth from lie,
decent from indecent. Societies reach success only if they rely on
true values. I have no doubt that the good, right, and decent are the
values which bind together members of our society. That’s the way to
solidify the foundation of our statehood and move forward with
confidence. Today we celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the
First Republic of Armenia. In the last 99 years, many values have been
created – material, spiritual, technological. They are the results of
the labor of dedicated and professional individuals, of their talent
and purposefulness. Nowadays, you have come to take their place, and
our society takes pride in your efforts and dedication. Reforms going
on in our country will continue, becoming large-scale and structural,
and the results will not linger. Moreover, the results will be
noticeable and tangible for every citizen of Armenia. The next two or
three years are critical. I expect that you too, with all your vigor
and knowledge will partake in that gratifying undertaking. I am
confident that our citizens’ lives will be improving day by day. I am
confident that Armenia will be a strong and prosperous country. I am
confident that to achieve that we all have to work diligently and
consistently. I congratulate you once again, dear friends, on this
momentous holiday and on receiving awards. I thank you for your honest
work”.
At about 4 years old, Alex Babajanyan II used to run away from his school in Armenia so that he could spend time drawing.
Although today the E.D. White Elementary School art teacher advises his students against the same practice, Babajanyan said his uncle, for whom who he’s named, bought him art equipment back then and encouraged him to draw as much as possible.
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“There hasn’t been a day when I wanted to try something else,” Babajanyan said. “It’s always been art.”
Babajanyan, a professional artist since he was 14, is now living with his 7-year-old son in the newly opened affordable housing artist colony in Glendale, ACE 121, which was created to bring local artists under one roof near the downtown hub of culture and entertainment.
Roger Wilson / Glendale News-Press
The Glendale artists' colony ACE 121 at 121 N. Kenwood St. had its grand opening on May 25. (Roger Wilson / Glendale News-Press)
Located at 121 N. Kenwood St., walking distance from the Alex Theatre and the Museum of Neon Art, ACE 121 is a five-story, 70-unit colony that integrates a maker space, performing arts and music room, as well as a gallery run by resident artists.
Babajanyan contributed two pieces to the gallery, one titled “Vladimir Atanian,” a pencil-on-paper drawing of his former art teacher. The piece won a National Juror’s Award for works on paper last year.
“When I teach art history at school, I talk about the community of artists that they used to have in Paris — even in Armenia they had a community of artists,” Babajanyan said. “That sense of community, you don’t see it a lot anymore.”
Babajanyan also works out of his nearby studio, which he keeps open to the public. He runs regular art programs out of the space, including a twice-monthly session that gives the ability for military veterans and orphans to come in and draw for free.
Michelle Coulter, project manager at Meta Housing Corp., which, along with the city’s Housing Authority, developed the complex, said the colony brings a level of authenticity.
“As [nearby artist colonies] get more investment and make their names as arts districts, they are also pushing out many of the artists,” Coulter said. “And so what ACE 121 does is really preserve an authentic community of artists.”
Babajanyan is currently working on three pieces, one of them for a forthcoming art show at the Brand Library and Art Center.
“We’re always fighting for the arts, always fighting for arts education in school, so when you have an artist colony … it sends a positive message,” Babajanyan said.
President of the United States of America Donald J. Trump has congratulated President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.
“On behalf of the American people, I want to congratulate you and the people of Azerbaijan as you celebrate Republic Day on May 28,” said Trump in his congratulatory letter.
“Azerbaijan is a valued partner of the United States. Together, we are working to enhance global security through our joint counterterrorism efforts. We stand with the people of Azerbaijan and are committed to strengthening our relationship through dialogue on security, economic cooperation, and democratic principles,” noted the US president.
“You are building new sources of energy for Europe, and we are grateful for our long and successful history of cooperation in this area. As you move to diversify your economy, we look forward to building new business ties to the benefit of both our countries. The United States also strongly supports the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said Trump.
“I congratulate you again on this important day and look forward to working with you as an active partner to ensure a greater future for our countries and the world,” he added.
The OSCE is expected to monitor the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on May 25, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry told APA on May 24.
The monitoring will be held under the mandate of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative in Azerbaijan’s Tartar district, the ministry said.
On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be carried out by field assistants of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative Ghenadie Petrica and Martin Schuster.
On the Azerbaijani territories occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring will be held by field assistants of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Personal Representative Mihail Olaru and Simon Tiller.
Yerevan is not planning new foreign military bases on its territory, but is about to modernize the Russian base in Gyumri, Armeniaâs Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan has said.
âArmenia is definitely not holding talks on the opening of any new foreign military bases. We have not received any offer from the Russian side,â Sargsyan said in an interview with .
He noted, however, that the Russian Military base #102 in Gyumri is âof great importance.â
âWe hold intensive discussions with our Russian counterparts on its modernization and expansion of its capacities. There are concrete topics and directions, where new forms of cooperation are possible,â the Minister said, meaning particularly the cooperation in the field of air defense.
âRussia is largely supporting the reinforcement of the Armenian Armed Forces. We have a lot of joint programs starting from training of our cadets to joint operation planning,â he added.
The Minister also informed about an agreement on cooperation in the military-industrial sphere reached during his meeting with Russia’s Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Manurov.
Former Superman Dean Cain has produced a new film – Architects of Denial – which delves into the Armenian genocide and the denial by the Turkish government and other authoritative bodies that atrocities ever took place.
âArmenians have been persecuted for centuries. Itâs unreal,â recently when discussing his upcoming project. âThey were the first bastion of Christianity. They were the first country to, I think, recognize Christianity, and they are the only bastion of Christianity in the Middle East.â
The film shares new insight  into genocide from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, FBI Whistleblower and journalist Sibel Edmonds, US Ambassador John Evans, Genocide Watch founder Dr. Gregory Stanton and a host of eye-witnesses and survivors who reveal how easily the world turns away from the horror of mass extermination for political and economic convenience.
“Turkey has gone around the world aggressively lobbying to make sure there are no references to the Armenian genocide,” said Wikileaks editor-in-chief Julian Assange in the recently released trailer for “Architects of Denial.”
“Architects of Denial” not only digs into the persecution of Armenians and Christians in the Middle East, both past and present, but also sheds light on those politicians who refuse to acknowledge an event many historians and scholars accept as a sad reality.
The trailer shows camera crews confronting two Democratic members of Congress, Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson of Texas and Rep. Steve Cohen of Tennessee.
“Do you deny that the Armenian genocide happened?” asks one of the filmmakers of Rep. Johnson.
She replies, “I do deny that.”
Architects of Denial is a first person account of genocide through the eyes of its survivors. Also included are several experts who graphically illustrate the real connection between its historical âdenialâ with present day mass exterminations in conflict zones around the world.
This film warns that those responsible for genocides who are not brought to justice and confronted with the truth of their crimes, will only set the stage for more worldwide massacres in the future.
Dean Cain and Montel Williams are executive producers of the decumentary directed by David Lee George.
The film is scheduled to be released October 2017 in limited theaters.
Being the winner of Armenian national selection in December 2016, Artsvik will represent Armenia at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest with her song ‘Fly With Me’.
Shortly before the first rehearsal at Kyiv’s International Exhibition Centre Artsvik had no doubts about smooth running of the preparations. âI’m sure the rehearsals are going to be great, because there are a lot of professionals here, so IÂŽm sure IÂŽm in safe hands,â she said.
Artsvik made her way through the world of music and art through hardship and difficult choices. She initially decided to start her career as a speech therapist however later realised it was music that captured her soul. The singer believes that it is crucial to remain true to yourself, be honest with others and pursue the dreams no matter what happens. âAlthough I started to sing very late, I can say one thing, I know that dreams do come true and I want to encourage everybody to follow their dreams irrespective of age and profession,â said Artsvik.
Regardless of the results, Artsvik is here at Eurovision to share her music and reach new audiences with one key message; love is love. “I think nowadays world needs a lot of love,” said Artivik. The entry will incorporate colourful and mysterious graphics, fireworks as well as two dancers performing on the stage.
When talking to the Armenian participant underlined the importance of 2017 slogan Celebrate diversity that she finds very meaningful and important; âIt really shows how so many different countries are united in one place by musicâ. Artsvik was so inspired by the slogan that even came up with her own idea of creating a Celebrate Diversity Challenge where she challenged other participants to sing traditional songs.
âIâm challenging other participants from other countries by singing folk songs from their countries and in response they sing something traditional from Armeniaâ, explained Artsvik. The challenge has already been accepted and undertaken by five countries.
Armenia’s second rehearsal will take place on 4th May. Artsvik will participate in the First Semi-Final on Tuesday 9th May.
The Russian Prosecutor-Generalâs office will look into all circumstances of Monday afternoonâs blast on a St. Petersburg metro train, including security measures, PGO spokesman Aleksandr Kurennoi told the Vesti-24 television news channel, TASS reports.
“We offer our condolences to the families of those killed and all those affected,” Kurennoi said, adding that the investigative authorities were already probing into the explosion, but the prosecutors would examine absolutely all aspects of the affair.
“We will do our utmost to clear up the factors that made the terrorist attack possible to rule out such cases in the future,” he said.
St. Petersburgâs prosecutor Sergey Litvinenko is coordinating law enforcersâ activities on site.
About 10 people have been killed in an explosion between two underground stations in St Petersburg.
The head of Russia’s National Anti-Terrorist Committee said the blast hit the train between Sennaya Ploschad and Tekhnologichesky Institut stations.
On 2 April Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan partook in the opening ceremony of the new Oncology Center in Stepanakert.
The President expressed gratitude to the âHayastanâ all-Armenian Fund and French philanthropist of Armenian origin Richard Ohanesian and acknowledged their effective participation in the implementation of the project, underlining the significance of such an institution corresponding to modern conditions in the life of our republic.
National Assembly chairman Ashot Ghoulyan, Prime Minister Arayik Haroutyunyan, other officials and representatives from Armenia and the Diaspora attended the event.
President Serzh Sargsyan has arrived today on a working visit to the United Arab Emirates. At the Abu Dhabi airport, the President of Armenia was greeted by the Vice President of the UAE, Minister of presidential affairs Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
After the official welcoming ceremony, the President of Armenia had a meeting with Minister Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Serzh Sargsyan expressed gratitude for a swift organization of the forum on Armeniaâs investment opportunities. The agreement to conduct such forum was reached during Presidentâs previous meeting to the friendly UAE. President Sargsyan expressed hope that the results of the forum, as well as agreements reached with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan will have their considerable input and role in the development of the Armenia-UAE relations.
President Serzh Sargsyan had a substantial talks related to Armenia-United Arab Emirates investment forum also with the Minister of Economy of UAE Sultan Al Mansouri.