Author: Markos Nalchajian

Antelias News 10-09-2017

Markos Nalchajian

Mrs. Carla Khijoyan is appointed as the Programme Executive for the Middle
East at the World Council of Churches


Mrs. Carla Khijoyan
was appointed as of 1st of September as the Programme Executive for the Middle
East at the World Council of Churches. Her main responsibilities reside in
ensuring ecumenical and interfaith relations in the Middle East, planning,
monitoring and coordinating the programmatic work of the WCC in the region, as
well as responding to the emerging challenges through specific ecumenical
initiatives. 

 

Mrs. Khijoyan has
been the chairperson of the Armenian Church University Students Association (ACUSA)
as well as an executive committee member of the World Student Christian
Federation representing the Middle East region. She has served on the Lebanese
ecumenical committee and the Middle East ecumenical committee for several
years. She has represented the Catholicosate of Cilicia in several youth
related ecumenical regional and global meetings. During the past eight years,
she was the coordinator of the youth programme of the World Council of
Churches.

 

Mrs. Khijoyan was a
teacher of French literature at M&H Arslanian College in Lebanon. She holds
a Masters in Literature and Humanities and is fluent in Arabic, French and
English.

 

On the 8th of
September, Mrs. Khijoyan met H.H. Aram I in Geneva and received his blessings
for her new appointment.

 

—

Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia
Communication & Information Department 
PO Box : 70 317 Antelias – LEBANON
Tel: (+961-4) 410 001 / 3
Fax: (+961-4) 419724
E-mail: 
             [email protected]

Number and Armament of the Armed Forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan – Union of Informed Citizens

Markos Nalchajian
  • 10:36 | August 29,2017 | Politics
  • Հայ

As it is known, Armenian state authorities are reluctant to pulish figures related to the personnel and the technical resources of the RA Armed Forces. For that reason, “Union of Informed Citizens” NGO has decided to publish some not classified information related to the number of the armed forces of Armenia, Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) and Azerbaijan, which the RA Ministry of Defense refuses to publish.

CFE

Armenia has been member of the Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe since 1990s. The treaty regulates issues related to arms control. Within the framework of the treaty, foreign military inspectorates have visited Armenia numerous times, and Armenian specialists have carried out inspections in a number of other countries (Turkey, Greece, Great Britain, Bulgaria, Ukraine, Moldova, and etc.).

Under the treaty, states are obliged to submit reports related to the number and distribution of conventional arms (both personnel and technical resources).

Based on the proposal by the Armenian Ministry of Defense, we have examined the 2017 report prepared based on the CFE member countries’ reports, which we have used to compile the information below (all data as of the beginning of 2017).

We will also try to highlight the data that have changed compared to 2016. The changed data are in italics.

Armenia and Artsakh

Number: According to the report, the overall number of Armenian servicemen is 44.800, 41.850 out of which are ground forces (the rest serve in the air force and air defense). The total number of recruits in the ground forces is 18.950.

In the report on Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the numbers are not completely unambiguous since NKR is not a member of CFE and, hence, is not accountable to it. Nevertheless, according to the report, the number of the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh is between 18 and 20 thousand.

However, the report assumes and we do not rule out that part of the armed forces personnel and equipment may be included in the numbers presented for the Armenian armed forces. This is also confirmed by the circumstance that during the 2017 parliamentary elections, there were only around 21.000 people in part of the lists of voters doing the compulsory military service and the contractual servicemen. Meanwhile, that list should have included around 19 thousand voters doing compulsory military service and about 5 thousand contractual servicemen.

Hence, we can conclude that part of the 42 thousand servicemen mentioned in the report were in Nagorno Karabakh or served there (Armed Forces of NKR).

Thus, the total number of Armenia’s and Nagorno Karabakh’s ground forces probably amounts to 50-55 thousand servicemen.

Another 4300 servicemen serve in the RA Police and in the border troops.

Structure: The Armed Forces of Armenia are composed of:

  • 5 army corps (one intelligence, tank, artillery battalions, 2-4 motorized infantry regiments in each of them, sometimes also signal, self-propelled artillery, logistics battalions, and other forces). Only the 5th Army Corps including Yerevan and Gyumri is different in that it has a more modest composition of troops.
  • 5 separate brigades (special, artillery, motorized infantry, and air defense).
  • 6 separate regiments (2 air defense and radio-tech each, 1 anti-tank and engineer each). Compared to last year, one radio-tech regiment has been added.
  • Air force.

Armaments: According to the report, the Armed Forces of Armenia have:

  • 101 T-72 tanks (additional 8 older tanks), and about 200-300 similar tanks are possessed by the Armed Forces of Nagorno Karabakh (verification of data on Artsakh is very difficult). Armenia also possesses 1 T-90.
  • 86 infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs), 12 reconnaissance combat vehicles, and 130 armored personnel carriers. 75 of IFVs are BMP-1. Majority of armored personnel carriers are BTR 60 and BTR 70. And there are about 250-350 IFVs and armored personnel carriers in the armaments of Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
  • 232 artillery units with a diameter of more than 120 mm, including 38 self-propelled, 131 towed units, 51 multiple launch rocket systems and 12 large-caliber mortars.

It is noteworthy that the report does not include the two “Smerch” multiple rocket launchers shown during the military parade in Yerevan in September 2016. 
There are additional 250-300 artillery systems in possessed by the Armed Forces of Nagorno Karabakh Republic. Among them, 40-50 are BM-21 “Grad” multiple rocket launchers.

  • The anti-tank units mainly possess “Fagot”, “Shturm”, and “Konkurs” systems. The anti-tank units also have Т-12 antitank guns.
  • Air defense armaments of Armenia’s and Artsakh’s Armed Forces include S-75, S-125, “Krug”, “Osa” and “Kub” There are also “Igla” and “Igla-1” portable air defense systems in the possession of Armenia and NKR. Armenia also has two divisions of S-300PS missile systems.
    It is worth noting that though not mentioned in the report, the 2016 military parade makes it clear that Armenia’s air defense also possesses “Buk” missile systems.
  • The military aviation is composed of 15 Su-25 “Frogfoot” jet aircrafts, 14 training airplanes, and 2 IL-76 During the recent year, the air force has obtained only one non-combat A-319 Airbus.
  • Armenia also possesses “Krunk” unmanned aerial vehicles of local production, which, however, were not included in this year’s report.
  • The Air Force also possesses 11 Mi-24 and Mi-8  helicopters, as well as 2 Mi-9 helicopters (mainly for commanders).
  • From tactical ballistic missiles, Armenia possesses 8 “Elbrus” and 4 “Tochka” missiles.

During the recent year, 4 “Iskander” type missile systems were added.

Azerbaijan

Number: According to the report, the total number of servicemen in the armed forces of Azerbaijan is 66.950, 56.850 out of which are ground forces, 7.900 are the air force and air defense forces and 2.200 serve in the navy.

There are 5.000 servicemen in the border troops (including coastal troops) of Azerbaijan. Furthermore, the police forces have about 10.000 personnel.

Structure: The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan (ground forces) are composed of 5 army corps commands, which include 23 motorized infantry brigades. Besides, there are 2 artillery, 1 rocket-artillery, 1 anti-tank, 1 engineer, 1 security, 1 signal and 1 logistics brigades.
The air force and the navy of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan are separated. The navy has one reconnaissance brigade of marine troops.

Armaments: According to the report, the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan have:

  • 439 tanks, 95 out of which are T-55, 244 are T-72 and 100 are T-90s. These tanks were designed in 50s to 90s respectively.
  • 191 infantry fighting vehicles (IFV), 15 reconnaissance combat vehicles, and 568 armored personnel carriers. The production of 88 of the IFVs dates back to the late 1980s, and these are BMP-3. 90 of the armored personnel carriers are of Azerbaijani production.
  • 554 artillery units with a diameter of more than 120 mm, including 123 self-propelled, 207 towed units, and 112 multiple launch rocket systems. At the beginning of last year, Azerbaijan had 6 “Solntsepyok” heavy flamethrower systems. This year their number has grown to 18.

In the artillery armament, there are also 148 mortars of 120 mm diameter, 36 out of which are self-propelled armored “Nona-C” and “Vena” systems.

  • The anti-tank units mainly possess “Fagot”, “Metis”, “Konkurs”, “Skif”, “Malyutka”, “Spike-LR” and self-propelled “Khrizantema” systems.
  • The Air Defense of the Republic of Azerbaijan is composed of “Krug”, “S-125”, “Osa”, “Strela-10”, “S-200”, “Buk-1M”, and “Kub” systems, as well as 2 divisions of S-300PM2 “Favorit”
    The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan also possess “Igla-1” and “Igla-C” portable air defense systems.
  • The Azerbaijani air force possesses 21 attack aircrafts (most of them are SU-25 “Frogfoot”), 14 MIG-29 “Fulcrum” fighter jets, 12 training and 4 military transport planes.
  • The report contains contradictory information about Azerbaijan’s unmanned aerial vehicles. But according to other sources, their number fluctuates between 50 and 120, part of which is produced in Azerbaijan.
  • The air force is also equipped with 26 “Mi-24”, 13 “Mi-8”, 2 “Mi-2” and 20 Mi-17
  • From tactical missiles, Azerbaijan possesses 4 “Tochka” missiles from 1960s.
  • Azerbaijan’s naval forces are mainly equipped with 4 combat, 8 patrol, 6 amphibian and other (with smaller capacity and logistics-type) ships.

It is worth noting once again that all the data are as of beginning of 2017 and are considered open (not classified) information.

Union of Informed Citizens



Entertainment: Aznavour at the top of the poster in order to finally receive his star in Hollywood

Markos Nalchajian
The Sherbrooke Times

Aug 24 2017



magictr |

Hollywood pays tribute to Charles Aznavour Thursday: the legendary singer-songwriter has finally received, at 93 years of age, his star on the “Walk of Fame”, in the middle of a constellation of other stars.

“I am French and Armenian, the two are inseparable like milk and coffee,” said Aznavour, in English, to the cheers of hundreds of fans upon his arrival on the Hollywood Boulevard.

A few minutes before the ceremony, a poster at the top of the theatre, Pantages, dedicated to musicals, announced in large letters that the musician and actor franco-Armenian was going to see his star, the 2 618ème of the Walk of fame, inaugurated and cemented on the forecourt.

Several hundreds of fans, many Armenians, but also people from France, Belgium and west Africa – have warmly welcomed the singer, who arrived in a blue suit and tinted glasses, with her guests.

“I’m a fan but this is mostly for my parents that I am here, I am going to send them photos. It is a great singer he has toured a lot in Africa. I like his songs Hes and La Bohème,” and John Hode, a man of 38 years old came to settle in Los Angeles since the Benin

Baydsar Thomasian, a member of the team of california state senator Kevin de Leon, who represents Hollywood which has a very large Armenian community, has taken the initiative to request that a star in the name of Aznavour is shining, finally, on the famous “Walk of Fame”.

“As Armenians, we are extremely proud to make it known to the world. Of course, he is French, but we have the feeling that he is also Armenian and we want to share this honor with the entire world,” explained to the AFP Mrs. Thomasian during the preparations for the ceremony a few days ago.

Shahnourh Varinag Aznavourian, his real name, “has written hundreds of songs that are very known. It has received lots of awards for his work, and it’s still going up on stage at his age, it’s beautiful… You really feel that it deserves,” said Ana Martinez, producer of the ceremonies on the “Walk of Fame”.

The one who has been declared by a poll from CNN and Time, in 1998, the “singer of variety the most important of the 20th century”, ahead of icons such as Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Frank Sinatra, has sold over 180 million records, written 1 300 songs in multiple languages, and played in over 60 films.

Born in Paris of parents armenians, and became one of the most ardent champions of the Armenian diaspora, he came to Hollywood last year to receive an honorary degree.

“I come to Hollywood for years, I’ve worked a lot in the United States because (…) the country of the “show business”, this is America,” he declared to the AFP.

The author and performer of “La Boheme”, “Take me” or “My Grief” is part twenty of the “persons born French and honoured on the Walk of Fame. And there are also, of course, of the Americans with French roots. In 2009, we gave a star to Leslie Caron… It is located next to that of Louis Jourdan at the far end of the street,” said Ana Martinez.

Armenia banana warehouse target of acid attack

Markos Nalchajian
Aravot, Armenia

Aug 11 2017

Vahram Mirakyan, a businessman who helped end a long time monopoly on the import of bananas to Armenia, said that his warehouse refrigerators were attacked on Aug. 10.

According to RFE/RL’s Armenian service, Mirakyan said that an unknown assailant poured acid on the refrigerator compressors of the warehouses where bananas imported by his company are kept.

“If the refrigerator had stopped working at night, 20 tons of produce would have perished within an hour,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. Mirakyan alerted the Armenian police about the incident and will determine the damage after a police inspection.

According to Mirakyan, no other equipment was damaged and none of his produce was stolen. He said that he presumes that the attack was the work of those who wish that he no longer imports bananas into the country.

For several years, Armenia’s banana imports were effectively monopolized by the Katrin Group, which is said to be controlled by Major General Mihran Poghosyan, Armenia’s former Chief Compulsory Enforcement Officer. Poghosyan resigned last year after being accused of having secret offshore accounts exposed by the Panama Papers. The Special Investigation Service (SIS) of Armenia launched a criminal investigation shortly after Poghosyan’s resignation. On Jan. 24, the SIS announced that it will not press criminal charges against the Major General.

Earlier this year, Poghosyan was elected to the Armenia’s National Assembly as a part of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia’s (RPA) candidate list.

Shortly after taking office in Sept. 2016, Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan promised to liberalize the import of several products into the country, Mirakyan began importing bananas in 2016. Since then, some 40 other entities also import bananas into Armenia.

Sports: Henrikh Mkhitaryan admits he can still improve at Manchester United

Markos Nalchajian
The Peoples Person



Posted by
Date:

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has insisted there is still plenty more he can offer Jose Mourinho at Manchester United following his opening campaign at Old Trafford.

The Armenian, signed for £27m last summer, suffered a difficult opening to his Man United career, spending almost three months on the sidelines.

He was slowly immersed back into the fold and produced a number of breathtaking moments during the second half of the season – culminating, of course, in the killer goal against Ajax in the Europa League final.

But the 28-year-old has made it clear that there remains plenty of room for improvement ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.

“Some people they say ‘you have been another player in Dortmund’ but I’m saying I never regret coming here,” he said. “I am very happy and coming here I become another player.

“In these kind of moments, if you are giving up you are going to lose the meaning of the life. I mean you have to stay positive, you have to stay strong and work very hard because in one click everything can change and that’s what happened.

“I think there is always a place to improve. I am expecting something good because I know that you can always do better and better, there is no limit. I will try, I will try my best.

“It doesn’t matter how you did last year. It has been a good year for us, for me as well, because we won three titles. But I know for this upcoming season I can do better and better. I’m trying, I’m working hard on myself and I know that I will achieve more.

“I’m not saying just goals or assists. As well the playing style, the understanding between my team-mates, I mean everything.

“The manager in general is saying that we need to do more. Everyone understands that because we know this season is going to be a little bit harder because we are not going to play in Europa League we are going to play in Champions League, which is different. We are working very hard on it and we are sure we can have good results.

“I am ready to play wherever he wants me to play. I don’t have a preference in a position. I like to play and if I’m playing and will try my best if I’m in the middle, on the wing, on the side or up front. It doesn’t matter.

“Manchester United is always playing for high places. We’re always playing for titles. This year as well we’re going to try to win some titles. This is the main goal for Manchester United. I will try to do everything to help the team.”

Mkhitaryan’s time at Old Trafford so far aligns quite accurately with the frustrating promise of United under Mourinho last season: unquestionably capable of brilliance but for whatever reason unable to make it count on a regular basis.

The Armenian is a unique talent. He can heap pressure on opponents with his rapid, direct, close control approach, and there have been times – that 3-0 win over Leicester serves as an example off the top of my head – where his mazy brilliance has just been too much for defenders.

With the ice breaking process over with and Romelu Lukaku offering an option in behind next year, supporters can be hopeful of seeing Mkhitaryan continue to imprint his style on Mourinho’s set-up.