Author: Rose Khoyetsian

Armenian-Americans block traffic on freeway in Hollywood, protest outside CNN building in LA

Rose Khoyetsian

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 10:43, 4 October, 2020

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 4, ARMENPRESS. Armenians in the United States are holding protest in Hollywood against the ongoing aggression of Azerbaijan and Turkey on Armenia and Artsakh.

The Armenian-Americans blocked the traffic on both sides of the 101 Freeway in Hollywood as sign of protest.

The demonstrators were holding the Armenian flag and kept the freeway blocked for about an hour, according to CBCLA.

Hundreds of Armenians again mobilized outside the CNN building in Los Angeles, urging the media outlet not to stay silent over the ongoing aggression of Azerbaijan and Turkey. They are holding posters “Where are you CNN?”, expressing their surprise on the media outlet’s silence. The representatives of Yazidi people have also joined Armenians.

Azerbaijan launched an attack on Artsakh on September 27 with the support of Turkey, targeting also the civilian settlements, including the capital Stepanakert. Civilians were killed in Artsakh as a result of the Azerbaijani offensive.

Fierce battles took place between the Azerbaijani and Artsakh sides, with both suffering huge losses both in the manpower and the military equipment. But the losses of the Azerbaijani side are much more than that of the Artsakh side. The Azerbaijani armed forces have also targeted Armenia’s military and civilian infrastructures. There is evidence that Turkey is directly engaged in Azerbaijan’s offensive, in particular it transported mercenaries from Syria for using them against Artsakh.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

[see video]

Ilham Aliyev’s authority has always been based on manipulations of NK conflict – Armenia MFA

Rose Khoyetsian

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 16:28,

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Spokesperson of the Armenian foreign ministry Anna Naghdalyan commented on the statement of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev delivered at the UN General Assembly.

Armenpress presents the MFA spokesperson’s comment:            

“The peoples of the region inherited a complex conflict, the final resolution of which requires an agreement that will be acceptable for the people of Armenia, the people of Artsakh and the people of Azerbaijan. Only the authorities enjoying the mandate of their people are capable of demonstrating the political will for reaching a compromise and establishing peace. Both Armenian and Artsakh authorities have received the mandate of their peoples and are ready to launch a dialogue with the authorities of Azerbaijan that enjoy the relevant mandate of their people.

Ilham Aliyev, who inherited the power from his father and who shares it within a single family, is not such a leader. His authority has always been based on manipulations of the conflict, promoting the image of Armenia and the Armenian people as a “useful enemy” within his own society, rather than addressing the latter’s needs.

Under the rule of Ilham Aliyev Azerbaijan missed the historic opportunity to use the “oil boom” to build a modern country and society. Today the authorities of Azerbaijan are perceived in the world as an authoritarian and repressive regime which uses all the opportunities, including the COVID-19 pandemic, to harass and silence its own people.

In the region, we deal with such a governmental system where the values are replaced with a cult of personality, dynasty and own wealth, while the interests serve the preservation of inherited power at all costs. Regrettably, “all costs” are paid by the people of Azerbaijan deprived of voice and freedoms”.

Music: Open-air concert dedicated to the anniversary of Komitas Vardapet to be held in Yerevan

Rose Khoyetsian
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 24 2020

National Centre of Chamber Music is organizing an open-air concert on the birthday anniversary of Armenian cooper and musicologist Komitas.

As the Centre said in a release, the concert will take place on September 26 at 19։30 in the park adjacent to Komitas Chamber Music House. This year marks the 151st anniversary of Komitas birthday. The Centre also reminds that the 150th anniversary celebrations were included in the UNESCO Calendar of anniversaries of eminent personalities and important events for the 2018-2019 cycle. As part of the celebrations, the musicians of the National Centre of Chamber Music performed converts and in Armenia and around the the world, including at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris.


Armenian government donates 21 modern ambulances to provincial hospitals

Rose Khoyetsian

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 12:03, 3 September, 2020

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 3, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian government adopted a decision today according to which hospitals operating in the provinces will be provided with modern ambulances within the frames of the 2020 state budget.

During today’s Cabinet meeting first deputy minister of healthcare Anahit Avanesyan said 5 ambulances will be provided to Tavush province, 3 to Syunik and 2 to Aragatsotn provinces.

The deputy minister said that a total of 21 ambulances have been purchased.

The selection of hospitals was made based on the needs presented by the governorates.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Turkish press: Why is Kamala Harris’ vice presidential candidacy important?

Rose Khoyetsian
 OP-ED 
AUG 24, 2020 12:05 AM GMT+3
Joe Biden (L), U.S. Democratic presidential candidate and former vice president, and Kamala Harris, U.S. senator and Democratic candidate for vice president, celebrate after Biden accepted the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination during the final night of the Democratic National Convention, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S., Aug. 20, 2020. (Reuters Photo)

U.S. Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden accepted his party’s nomination last week with one of the most powerful speeches of his career. It was different from previous conventions because of the COVID-19 concerns. It was a virtual Democratic convention that unified around Biden and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris. Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and even some Republicans made speeches during the convention.

Obviously, after Biden introduced Harris as his vice presidential candidate, everyone responded differently to the decision. Capping the joyful response from the Democratic Party, the Biden-Harris campaign announced that they had raised $26 million in the 24 hours after declaring his vice presidential pick – the latest development revealing that his own campaign and the reaction campaign against U.S. President Donald Trump have converged. As far as I can see, Harris is a threat to the Trump campaign, as the president started targeting Harris on Day One. It will be interesting to watch Vice President Mike Pence and Harris debate during a televised face-off on Oct. 7.

The 55-year-old senator is the daughter of an Indian mother and a Jamaican father. In 2003, she served as the district attorney in San Francisco and then as the attorney general of California. Known for her sensitivity to civil rights and her identity as a lawyer, Harris's announcement on Martin Luther King Jr. Day regarding her presidential candidacy attracted notice. After ending her presidential bid, she kept good relations with Biden and his team. In fact, Harris’s candidacy as vice president is unsurprising, for she had been seen as the No. 1 candidate for the last three months.

Biden’s subsequent statements in March 2020 were significant: “The most important thing is that it has to be someone who, the day after they’re picked, is prepared to be president of the United States of America if something happened." In four years, Biden will turn 81 years old. Many in the U.S. believe that Biden will take office for one term and leave the office to Harris. Of course, Biden and Harris’s first term and their level of success will become clearer when the time comes.

What I mean is that Biden did not introduce Harris as his vice presidential candidate for nothing. He has chosen a vice presidential candidate who will support him and help defeat Trump. We can clearly see that Harris is a long-term investment. Why not? At one time, Obama was not even given a chance because he was African American, but he ended up leading the country for eight years. It wouldn't be surprising if Harris became the first African American and Indian American woman to lead the country one day.

Harris' foreign, Turkey policy

Harris was one of the members of the Intelligence and Homeland Security Committee in the U.S. Senate and in particular, one of the prominent senators in the congressional Russia investigation sessions. She voted against increasing the defense budget and stated that she did not want the American Army to be involved in many places abroad. Stating that she cannot be silent about what has been done to the Uighur Turks in China, she also asserted that Trump's heavy quotas for China are wrong.

She has stated, as Biden has, that arms sales to Saudi Arabia should be blocked, and she reacted to Saudi dissident and journalist Jamal Khashoggi's murder. She also stated that Israel is an important ally and that she sides with the two-state solution on the matter of Israel and Palestine.

The only conspicuous statement by Harris on Turkey was about the alleged Armenian genocide. It should not come as a surprise, given that she is a politician representing California. Since a powerful Armenian diaspora lives in California, many politicians in the state have made statements against Turkey. Harris has said that it is wrong of Trump to decide to withdraw U.S. troops from Syria and was heavily critical of this. It is important to remember that Biden and Harris would support PKK/YPG terrorists in Syria.

We have seen many discrepancies between what is being said during presidential campaigns and what happens after the candidate takes office. If Trump gets reelected, there will not be any changes to bilateral relations. If Biden and Harris get elected, it will not be an easy process for Turkish-American relations; however, I believe that sincere communication and open diplomacy are always a solution to problems.

In 2011, Trump donated $6,000 to Harris to support her campaign, and now he is slamming her. While she was criticizing Biden harshly for racism last year, she now works for Biden.

This is what’s called politics. You never know what tomorrow holds.

Soon, we will see Harris in the spotlight more than Biden. She is ambitious and has a lot of supporters due to her powerful speeches at the podium. If the elections go as the Democrats wish, it could be said that Biden has even paved the way for Harris’s future presidency.

*Senior foreign policy expert, a 2019 Ellis Island Medal of Honor recipient

Armenian Premier League kicks off

Rose Khoyetsian

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 10:04, 14 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 14, ARMENPRESS. The Vbet Armenian Premier League is kicking off with the first match scheduled for August 14th at the Nairi Stadium where Alashkert will clash with two-time champions Ararat-Armenia.

On August 15th, FC Van will debut in the Premier League with a match against Gandzasar Kapan at the Charentsavan Stadium.

The Noah-Shirak and Ararat-Pyunik matches are scheduled for August 16 in Yerevan.

The first round will be wrapped up with the Urartu-Lori match on August 17.

Reporting by Varvara Hayrapetyan; Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Measurement works reveal 30 previously unknown stones at “Armenian Stonehenge” Carahunge

Rose Khoyetsian

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 12:55,

YEREVAN, AUGUST 10, ARMENPRESS. The Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory and the National University of Architecture and Construction have jointly completed the measuring works at Carahunge (Zorats Karer) – the prehistoric archaeological site near the town of Sisian in the Syunik Province of Armenia.

The work included scanning of monuments and adjacent areas, aerial photography and scanning, and the measurement and photography, as well as charting and determining the axis of vectors of all the holes in the stones.

As a result of the work, the researchers discovered 30 new stones with holes, in addition to the already known 84, as well as other stones of astrophysical importance which weren’t recorded earlier.

The Byurakan Observatory said in a news release that as soon as the results are summarized they will launch astrophysical calculations based on new, high-precision data.

Carahunge is often internationally referred to as the Armenian Stonehenge. The construction date of the structure is unknown – presumably sometime between the Middle Bronze Age and Iron Age.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Situation is calm at Armenian-populated village of Georgia, says mayor

Rose Khoyetsian
News.am, Armenia
Aug 9 2020

01:10, 09.08.2020
                  

Speaker of Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan extends condolences to Lebanese people

Rose Khoyetsian

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 10:16, 5 August, 2020

YEREVAN, AUGUST 4, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan has offered condolences to the people of Lebanon over the deadly explosion that hit Beirut on Tuesday.

“Together with the brotherly people of Lebanon, we mourn the deaths of the victims of the Beirut blasts,” Mirzoyan said on Facebook.

The blast erupted at a port warehouse in the Lebanese capital on Tuesday. More than 100 people are dead and 4000 injured. 

The enormous blast was reportedly heard as far away as Cyprus, some 150 miles away from the port.

Beirut authorities have traced the blast to a massive stash of explosive ammonium nitrate in a warehouse at the port. The cause of the explosion is under investigation.

Editing and Translating by Stepan Kocharyan

Biden’s Ethnic Engagement Director Has Ties to Pro-Erdogan Group

Rose Khoyetsian
August 4,  2020

Elvir Klempic, for executive director of Turkish Heritage Organization is now Biden’s National Ethnic Engagement Director

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

The campaign of Joseph Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee for president, has appointed Elvir Klempic, the former executive director of the Turkish Heritage Organization (THO), as National Affinity and Ethnic Engagement Director.

Klempic, who immigrated to the United States with his family from Bosnia, settling in Iowa, has been active in Democratic circles for several years now. However, Klempic’s tenure at the THO, which has close ties not only to the Turkish government, but also to the inner circle of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan should raise red flags, especially since he is tasked with engaging the various ethnic communities—presumably also the Armenian community—around the U.S. in Biden’s bid for the presidency.

THO was established in 2014 and registered as a 501 c-3 U.S. tax exempt organization, which by law cannot engage in political activity. Leaked emails published by Wikileaks in late 2017 show that the organization was created, with the involvement of Erdogan’s son-in-law, Berat Albayrak, who at the time was Turkey’s energy minister (currently finance minister) as a way to “camouflage” Turkey’s lobbying activities in the U.S.

In the emails, the THO’s former president Halil Danismaz details a “roadmap” to “circumvent tax and other impediments in the laws” by hiring journalists who could get access to “American political and bureaucratic circles,” including members of Congress. These journalists would then get paid to write and publish articles in American newspapers and news sites essentially advocating for Erdogan’s agenda and developing opinion in legislative circles.

As the executive director of THO, Klempic advanced the the organization’s agenda by appearing as a polished “American” spokesperson for Erdogan’s priorities on various news interviews and appearances.

Danismaz, who before becoming THO president was a board member of the Turkish American National Steering Committee, was questioned by the FBI along with other Turks operating in the U.S. over their operations in the U.S. and ties to the Turkish government.

He unceremoniously left THO and was replaced by Ali Cinar, who has actively and vocally worked against so-called “Armenian lies.” During an event in 2015, Cinar said “Armenian Genocide allegations are both racist and dishonest.”

Klempic has essentially pivoted from his role at THO to becoming the Biden campaign’s gatekeeper on ethnic issues, including the long-standing expectation by Armenian-Americans that the President of the United States properly acknowledge the Armenian Genocide and, once and for all, end Turkey’s gag rule on U.S. policy.

As it stands, Biden’s record of reneging on his campaign promises about Armenian-American concerns while he served as Vice-President hasn’t been forgotten. Moreover, his latest statement on the Armenian Genocide, which failed to mention those that masterminded it, hasn’t endeared Armenian-American voters to take a chance on him in the November election.

With the appointment of Klempic, the Biden campaign seems to signal that Armenian votes do not matter as he is fighting to unseat President Trump.