Author: Maral Takmazian

Deadline Approaching for ANCA Capital Gateway Program Winter 2019 Session

Maral Takmazian
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9 hours ago

ANCA Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program Director Tereza Yerimyan working with the Fall 2018 CGP fellows. Yerimyan and the CGP Advisory Committee members offer personalized career services to program fellows and interns.

Recent Graduates Seeking Jobs in Washington should Submit Applications by November 15th for Free Housing and Job Placement Support; Student Internship Opportunities also Available

WASHINGTON–The Armenian National Committee of America’s Tereza Yerimyan joined with recent graduates Lucine Mikhanjian and Peter Sahagian in an online video reminding potential applicants about the upcoming November 15th deadline for the Winter 2019 session of the Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program.

The unique job placement and internship program, which offers three months of free housing, career-building workshops, and networking opportunities, helps Armenian Americans interested in starting policy, political or media careers in Washington, DC. Yerimyan serves as the program’s director.

Applications for the Winter 2019 session are due by November 15. The session starts on January 7, 2019.

“We’re your gateway to Washington,” said Yerimyan. “If you’re ready to make the move to DC, the ANCA staff and CGP alumni are ready to help with personalized career services and mentorship from top tier professionals.”

Launched in 2003 with a founding grant by the Cafesjian Family Foundation, the ANCA CGP has helped over two hundred Armenian American professionals from across the U.S. explore career prospects in Washington DC. Gateway Program fellows are offered three months of free housing at the ANCA’s Aramian House, located in the heart of Washington, DC, in the Dupont Circle neighborhood, just blocks from the ANCA offices. Yerimyan and the Capital Gateway Program Advisory Committee (CGPAC) coordinate a series of career placement workshops on a range of issues including resume and cover letter preparation, effective interview strategies and networking. The CGPAC also connects fellows with mentors most closely aligned with their career goals for one-on-one advice and encouragement.

For university students interested in a quarter/semester in Washington, DC, the ANCA CGP can assist with internship guidance and placements both at the ANCA headquarters and other public policy and government institutions. Students are offered up to three months of free housing at The Aramian House depending on space availability and along with assistance to ensure they meet their university program obligations.

Additional information about the ANCA Hovig Apo Saghdejian Capital Gateway Program is available at anca.org/gateway, by emailing [email protected] or by calling (202) 775-1918.

The ANCA CGP is named after Hovig Apo Saghdejian, a beloved young community leader who lost his life in a tragic car accident and whose eternal memory continues to inspire new generations of Armenian Americans. His family generously established the Hovig Apo Saghdejian Memorial Fund in his memory and, over the past decade, have played a vital role in the expansion of the program. Substantial support has also been provided by longtime ANCA benefactors Mr. and Mrs. Frank and Barbara Hekimian and the Armenian American Veterans Post of Milford, Massachusetts (AAVO).

The purchase of The Aramian House was made possible through a generous donation by the family of the late community leader and philanthropist Martha Aramian of Providence, Rhode Island. The Aramian family – led by sisters Sue, the late Margo, and the late Martha – have long been among the most generous benefactors of ANCA programs as well as of charitable projects in the Armenian homeland and the Diaspora.

Chess: Isle of Man Chess: Aronian drew with Gelfand, Melkumyan wins

Maral Takmazian
Panorama, Armenia
Oct 24 2018
19:04 24/10/2018

Armenian grandmaster Levon Aronian held to a draw by Boris Gelfand of Israel while Hrant Melkumyan wins Alina Kashlinskaya in the fourth round of Isle of Man International chess tournament on Wednesday. Armenian chess player Samuel Sevanyan representing the United States played draw as well.

After four rounds played, Arkadij Naiditsch and Wang Hao top the table with 4 points each. The representatives of Armenia have scored three points. 

A1+: New appointments of Mayor of Yerevan

Maral Takmazian
  • 12:49 | October 23,2018 | Official
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Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan has appointed new heads for the Nubarashen, Kentron and Erebuni administrative districts of the city.

Telman Tadevosyan was appointed to serve as head of Nubarashen, City Hall said.

Kentron, the administrative district comprising downtown Yerevan, will be lead by Viktor Mnatsakanyan, City Hall said.

Arman Abrahamyan was named head of the Erebuni administrative district, City Hall said.

Armenian FM, Chairperson of the African Union Commission hold meeting in Yerevan

Maral Takmazian 
ArmenPress, Armenia
Oct 12 2018


Armenian FM, Chairperson of the African Union Commission hold meeting in Yerevan



YEREVAN, OCTOBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Armenian foreign minister Zohrab
Mnatsakanyan held a meeting on October 12 with Moussa Faki,
theChairperson of the African Union Commission who is in Armenia to
take part in the XVII Summit of the International Organization of La
Francophonie.

During the meeting the Armenian FM said that expanding relations with
states of the African continent is among the important foreign policy
priorities of Armenia and that the country is ready to take practical
steps to use the existing potential to a greater extent. In this
context, the sides attached importance to the La Francophonie
platform, which enables good opportunities to involve member states in
both bilateral and multilateral formats.

The sides exchanged ideas over prospects of expanding Armenia’s
presence in the African region and direction of possible cooperation.

The sides also discussed the agenda issues of the XVII Summit of the
La Francophonie.

Yerevan is hosting the XVII International Organisation of La
Francophonie summit in 2018.

Armenia is a member of the organization since 2008.

The International Organisation of La Francophonie represents one of
the biggest linguistic zones in the world. Its members share more than
just a common language. They also share the humanist values promoted
by the French language. The French language and its humanist values
represent the two cornerstones on which the International Organisation
of La Francophonie is based.

The International Organisation of La Francophonie was created in 1970.
Its mission is to embody the active solidarity between its 84 member
states and governments (58 members and 26 observers), which together
represent over one-third of the United Nations’ member states and
account for a population of over 900 million people, including 274
million French speakers.

IOF organizes political activities and actions of multilateral
cooperation that benefit French-speaking populations. Its actions
respect cultural and linguistic diversity and serve to promote the
French language, peace and sustainable development.

IOF has concluded 33 cooperation agreements with international and
regional organisations and has established permanent dialogue between
the major international linguistic zones (the English, Portuguese,
Spanish, and Arab-speaking zones).

The IOF has its head office in Paris as well as four permanent
representations in Addis Ababa (at the African Union and at the United
Nations Economic Commission for Africa), in Brussels (at the European
Union), in New York and in Geneva (at the UN). It has three regional
offices (West Africa; Central Africa and Indian Ocean; Asia-Pacific)
located respectively in Lomé (Togo), Libreville (Gabon) and Hanoi
(Vietnam) and two regional antennas in Bucharest (Romania) and in
Port-au-Prince (Haiti).

Alongside the IOF, the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie and
the four direct operators are responsible for implementing the
programs decided at the Summits. The four direct operators are: the
Academic Agency of La Francophonie, TV5Monde, the International
Association of Francophone Mayors and The Senghor University of
Alexandria.

61 Member States and Governments: Albania, Principality of Andorra,
Armenia, Kingdom of Belgium, French Community of Belgium, Benin,
Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada,
Canada-New-Brunswick, Canada-Quebec, Cape Verde, Central African
Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon,
Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Laos,
Lebanon, Luxembourg, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia,
Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Mauritania, Moldova, Monaco,
Niger, New-Caledonia, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Säo Tomé
and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia,
Vanuatu, Vietnam, UAE, Kosovo, Serbia.

29 Observers: Argentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Canada-Ontario, South Korea, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic,
Dominican Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia,
Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, Mozambique, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia,
Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine,Uruguay, Gambia, Ireland, Louisiana (USA),
Malta.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Azerbaijani Press: Pashinyan’s speech at Francophonie event doesn’t correspond to talks in Dushanbe

Maral Takmazian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Oct 12 2018
16:39 (UTC+04:00)

By  Trend

In line with his statement made earlier at the UN General Assembly 73rd Session, the speech of the Prime Minister of Armenia at the opening session of the Organization of La Francophonie presented another falsehood and far from reality picture of the situation around the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the commentary regarding the speech of the Prime Minister of Armenia provided by the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan to Trend Oct. 12 reads.

Such rhetoric is completely detrimental to the spirit of talks that took place in Dushanbe between the President of Azerbaijan and the Armenian Prime Minister.

"If the Prime Minister of Armenia wants to be honest then we invite him to be completely fair and acknowledge violated fundamental rights of hundreds of thousands of ethnic Azerbaijanis forcefully expelled from their homes in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding regions of Azerbaijan," the commentary says.

It is noted that in a deliberate manner calling Armenian community as “people of Nagorno-Karabakh” the Armenian Prime Minister omits the fact of ethnic cleansing committed against the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. "If the Armenian leadership is calling itself democratic and speaks about creating an atmosphere conducive to peace then they have to act in accordance with the rule of law and democratic values and let those uprooted people return to their homes and withdraw its armed forces from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, as it is demanded by the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and other international organizations,” the commentary of the Foreign Ministry says.

The commentary also emphasizes that all statements by the Armenian leadership about advancement of peaceful settlement process will remain mere words unless they are translated into real actions that would put an end to the occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan and ensure the return of the forcibly displaced Azerbaijanis to their homes and properties in the Nagorno-Karabakh region and other occupied districts of Azerbaijan in safety and dignity..

"Armenia must comply with its obligations and the position of the international community, constructively engage in the result-oriented talks with a view of the earliest peaceful settlement of the conflict and soonest withdrawal of troops from the occupied territories of Azerbaijan. Only afterwards, a lasting peace can be ensured in the region," the commentary says.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

168: President Sarkissian meets long-time friend Henry Kissinger in NYC, invites to visit Armenia (photos)

Maral Takmazian
| 10:40 | October 5 2018
Categories
Official
Politics

President Armen Sarkissian and American statesman Henry Kissinger held a luncheon on October 4 in New York City, USA.

Henry Kissinger served as US Secretary of State and US National Security Advisor in the Nixon and Ford administrations.

During the luncheon Sarkissian and Kissinger exchanged views over global politics and international security, particularly addressing the issues and challenges of the South Caucasus area.

The Armenian President and Kissinger are long-time friends. They always take the opportunities of meetings to discuss various international and regional issues, according to Sarkissian’s office.

Sarkissian has invited Kissinger to visit Armenia, and the former US State Secretary accepted the invitation.

Foreign Minister unveils Armenian side’s stance on Artsakh

Maral Takmazian
PanArmenian, Armenia
Sept 28 2018
– 14:21 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan has briefed Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland on the Armenian side’s position regarding the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Meeting the Secretary General on the sidelines of the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mnatsakanyan unveiled the Armenian side’s priorities in the issue, stressing the need for creating a corresponding atmosphere, adhering to the ceasefire agreements and abandoning bellicose rhetoric to push the negotiations forward.

Weighing in on other issues, the two hailed cooperation between Armenia and the Council of Europe.

Also, Mnatsakanyan and Jagland discussed policy priorities adopted by the new Armenian government which will focus on the protection of human rights, strengthening of democracy and fight against corruption.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group said in a statement on Thursday, September 27 that a comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will require compromises on all sides.

“Armenia has made dynamic progress in terms of democracy’, Speaker of Parliament says

Maral Takmazian
| 18:46 | September 13 2018
Category
Politics

Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan says he is convinced that Armenia has made dynamic progress in terms of democracy during the past years.

“My main emphasis after the meetings with the president, the prime minister, the human rights defender, is that we have made dynamic progress in terms of democracy in the past years. We do not have the right to make backwards steps,” the Speaker told reporters. He added that democracy should now be strengthened even more.

Speaking about the parliamentary Q&A with Cabinet members on September 12, Babloyan said that the Prime Minister was given extra time on the floor in order for his speech to be completed in parliament, and not in the rally. “This is a more accurate approach. We must discuss serious issues, raise questions and get answers in the body where the political forces are represented,” he said.

During the September 12 parliamentary Q&A, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was given additional time to speak. He spoke about the circumstances which led to the release on bail of Yuri Khachaturov, the CSTO Secretary General who is charged amid the ongoing investigation into the March 1 case.

Armenia to send doctors, sappers to Aleppo

Maral Takmazian 
Interfax - Russia & CIS Military Newswire
 Monday 6:51 PM MSK


Armenia to send doctors, sappers to Aleppo

YEREVAN. Sept 10

Armenia is planning to send military medics, engineers, mine clearance
experts to Syria to provide assistance to Aleppo residents, Armenian
Deputy Defense Minister Gabriel Balayan said.

"Those are doctors, engineers, mine clearance experts, people of a
humanitarian occupation, who will help Aleppo residents, mainly its
Armenian community. On the basis of a request of the Syrian
government, we will send experts, who would try to provide assistance
to civilians by means of their knowledge, in addition to humanitarian
aid we are sending," Balayan told Armenia's Radio Liberty.

The group, which is to be sent, will not be a member of any coalition, he said.

"It is exclusively Armenia's assistance. The group is being sent as
part of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2254 of 2015
and an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation with Syria. That is
a result of the Armenian-Syrian agreement. The group will be
subordinate to a relevant Armenian agency. But we also do not rule out
certain cooperation with Russia or other parties, if the need should
arise in the process," Balayan said.

The deadline of the sending and the duration of the work have not been
definitively determined, because talks are still ongoing, the deputy
minister said.

Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry criticizes Armenian PM’s statement on Karabakh

Maral Takmazian 
Interfax: Russia & CIS General Newswire
September 9, 2018 Sunday 6:05 PM MSK


Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry criticizes Armenian PM's statement on Karabakh

BAKU. Sept 9

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's latest statements are
derailing OSCE Minsk Group mediators' efforts seeking settlement of
the Armenian-Azerbaijani crisis, spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry Khikmet Gajiyev said.

"Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's statement in Moscow that
Azerbaijan's Nagorno Karabakh Region is supposedly part of Armenia is
disregarding the norms and principles of international law, relevant
UN Security Council resolutions, and is wrecking the negotiating
process being maintained with OSCE Minsk Group's mediation," the
spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry said.

"The Armenian leadership is intentionally or unknowingly issuing this
kind of statements, which are fuelling the situation, in the capital
of a co-chairing country of the OSCE Minsk Group ahead of a meeting at
the ministerial level in New York involving the mediators. This
statement also coincided in time with the OSCE secretary general's
visit in Azerbaijan scheduled to take place next week," he said.

"I would like to emphasize once again that this sort of statements
hold Armenia and its leadership fully accountable for the possible
escalation of the situation," the spokesman of the Azerbaijani Foreign
Ministry said in a statement.

The unrecognized Nagorno Karabakh Republic should become part of
Armenia, Pashinyan said on Saturday.

"As to our plans for the future, I have already said that I am
contemplating Artsakh [the Armenian name of Nagorno Karabakh] as part
of Armenia. This path can include several steps, but our idea about
that is definite. There can be no doubts about that," Pashinyan said
at a meeting with Armenian businesspeople in Moscow on Saturday.

Speaking of possible concessions in Karabakh settlement, the Armenian
prime minister said that this depends on Azerbaijan's willingness to
make concessions.

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