16:28,
YEREVAN, JANUARY 24, ARMENPRESS. During today’s session the Board of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) made a decision to keep the refinancing rate unchanged, 5.5%, the CBA told Armenpress.
The Lombard repo rate provided by the CBA is 7.0%. The rate of funds attracted from banks by the CBA is 4.0%.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Patriarchal Locum Tenens Bishop Sahak Mashalyan to visit Armenia for clergy meeting
12:59,
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 26, ARMENPRESS. Patriarchal Locum Tenens Bishop Sahak Mashalyan of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople will travel to Armenia at the invitation of Catholicos Garegin II to participate in the October 27 Supreme Spiritual Council session in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiatsin, the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople said in a news release.
Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan
Armenian minister of economy holds meeting with Indian Ambassador
17:49, 25 October, 2019
YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Economy Tigran Khachatryan on October 25 received Ambassador of India to Armenia Kishan Dan Dewal, the ministry told Armenpress.
Welcoming the Ambassador, the Armenian minister introduced the circle of main issues over which it would be possible to develop the bilateral economic cooperation in the future.
“Despite the fact that the Armenian and Indian peoples have a history of centuries-old friendship, cultural commonalities, and a great potential in a number of areas, today the cooperation opportunities are more than they are used”, the Indian Ambassador said, highlighting the intensification of actions aimed at attracting Indian investments in Armenia.
“We should try to contribute to the deepening of the economic relations between the organizations in the two countries and creation of new ties. I am confident that India has a great potential to share its achievements in several fields, for instance, in the field of high technologies”, the Armenian minister said.
The Ambassador touched upon the growth trends in the number of tourists visiting from India to Armenia and stated that there is a desire to increase also the interest of Armenians towards India. He said there is a great opportunity to shot Indian movies in Armenia.
The minister wished success to the Ambassador and expressed hope that his future activities will also contribute to strengthening the friendly ties between Armenia and India.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
Dilijan Chamber Music Series will present its “Hearts that Sings” concert on Nov. 3rd
LOS ANGELES—The critically acclaimed Dilijan Chamber Music Series presents its “Heart that Sings” concert. The performance will take place on November 3 at 3 p.m., at Zipper Hall in Downtown Los Angeles. An important U.S. Premiere by the living classic of Armenian music, Tigran Mansurian, headlines the concert, which also features new works by Los Angeles composers Artashes and Ashot Kartalyan, as well as beloved masterpiece of the chamber music repertoire, String Sextet No. 2 by Johannes Brahms.
Mezzo-soprano Danielle Segen of the University of California, Los Angeles VEM Ensemble is joined by her VEM colleagues, violinists Ji Eun Hwang and Aiko Richter, violist Morgan O’Shaughnessey, and cellist Jason Pegis. Also featured are distinguished musicians Robert deMaine, Principal Cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, Movses Pogossian (Dilijan Artistic Director and UCLA Professor of Violin), and Varty Manouelian (L.A. Philharmonic). The concert will also include an exclusive preview presentation of “Modulation Necklace,” a CD of Armenian Music by the Naxos-distributed New Focus Recordings label, featuring the UCLA VEM Ensemble and an array of internationally renowned artists.
The 15th Anniversary Season of the Dilijan Series presents an exciting mix of old and new, known and unknown. Beloved masterpieces by Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, and Haydn will be performed alongside works by Komitas, Arutiunian, Mansurian, Sharafyan, and other Armenian composers. In addition to some of Dilijan favorite returning artists, such as singers Tony Arnold and Shoushik Barsoumian, pianist Steven Vanhauwaert, violist Paul Coletti, cellists Antonio Lysy, Clive Greensmith and Peter Stumpf, the series will be welcoming several musicians in their Dilijan debut: LA Phil oboist Anne Gabriele, remarkable pianist and Artistic Director of the Yellow Barn Festival Seth Knopp, Canadian violinist/violist Scott St. John, clarinetist Yasmina Spiegelberg (Switzerland), cellist Yoshika Masuda (Japan), among others. The three Dilijan commissions of the season are works by Martin Ulikhanyan (homage to Tigran Mansurian’s film music), Dan Sedgwick, and a short film by Alik Barsoumian, which will be premiered alongside a live performance of the Prelude from Wagner’s Tristan and Isolde opera.
For more information and ticketing, please visit the website. Zipper Concert Hall is located at 200 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012. There is ample paid parking available in the nearby garages, including Disney Hall across the street from the Colburn School. Enjoy visiting the Dilijan YouTube channel for a large selection of performances from the previous seasons.
Established in 2005 by members of the Lark Musical Society (Vatsche Barsoumian, Founder/Director), the Dilijan Chamber Music Series is dedicated to showcasing traditional masterworks of Western classical chamber music, as well as pearls from the treasury of Armenian music. A strong believer in new music, the series has commissioned and premiered 54 works since its inception.
For Lark/Dilijan inquiries, please contact Ashot Kartalyan, Director [email protected]. For the UCLA Armenian Music Program, please contact Hasmik Baghdassarian, Coordinator, [email protected].
ARS offers assistance to victims of Saddlebridge Fire
As a result of the Saddleridge Fire, which broke out in Sylmar, California, during the evening of Thursday, October 10, the Armenian Relief Society of Western USA is calling on the community to join the organization’s efforts in offering immediate aid and assistance to individuals and families, who have been afflicted by this disaster.
News outlets report that over 4,700 acres have burned, causing mass evacuations and loss of homes in northern San Fernando Valley communities, including Porter Ranch, Granada Hills, and Sylmar.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the tens of thousands of individuals and families, who have suffered and been displaced as a result of the Saddleridge Fire. The ARS of Western USA is prepared to offer the utmost assistance to its victims and any family in need of immediate assistance is urged to contact the ARS Regional Headquarters,” stated ARS Regional Executive Chairperson Silva Poladian.
Donations and contributions, in any amount, toward relief efforts are also being accepted. Checks can be made payable to the ARS and mailed to: ARS Regional Headquarters, 517 W. Glenoaks Blvd., Glendale, CA 91202.
The ARS Regional Headquarters can be contacted at (818) 500-1343 or [email protected]. Talar Aintablian, Director of Operations of ARS Social Services, can be contacted at (818) 472-6251.
The Armenian Relief Society of Western USA, established in 1984 and with a regional headquarters in Glendale, CA, has 24 chapters and more than 1,100 members in four western states. The ARS operates a Social Services Division and Child, Youth, and Family Guidance Center, and funds numerous youth programs, scholarships, and relief efforts. For further information, please visit www.arswestusa.org or contact (818) 500-1343.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct.6
Trend:
Concept of “the people of Nagorno-Karabakh” does not exist, said Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev, addressing the plenary session of the 16th Annual Meeting of the Valdai International Discussion Club held in the city of Sochi, the Russian Federation, Oct.3.
“One of the topics of ongoing discussion is the settlement of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Russia is a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, which has a mediation mandate. I should note that Nagorno-Karabakh and seven other districts of Azerbaijan have been under Armenian occupation for over 25 years. Nagorno-Karabakh is the original Azerbaijani land. In Soviet times, the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region was set up. I must say that in connection with the conflict there is a fairly wide range of opinions often not reflecting realities. Therefore, in order to clarify, I must say that in 1921 the decision of the Caucasian Bureau was literally “to leave Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan”, not transfer it, as the Armenian side often interprets it. Before the conflict began, the Azerbaijani and Armenian populations in the proportion of 25 to 75 percent lived in the Nagorno-Karabakh autonomous region of the Azerbaijan SSR. As a result of the conflict, the entire Azerbaijani population was expelled from Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as from seven other districts of Azerbaijan. In other words, ethnic cleansing was carried out.
Today there is no Azerbaijani population in the occupied territories, while most of the occupied territories are scorched and destroyed lands – destroyed houses, schools, public buildings,” said the head of state.
President Aliyev noted that as a result of the conflict, Azerbaijan has been faced with a humanitarian catastrophe.
“More than 700,000 IDPs from Nagorno-Karabakh and other occupied territories of Azerbaijan, plus 250,000 Azerbaijanis were driven out of their historical lands in the territory of modern Armenia.
The UN Security Council has adopted four resolutions, including resolutions requiring immediate and unconditional withdrawal of Armenian forces from the occupied territories. For more than 25 years they have not been fulfilled. And here we come to the important issue of implementing the decisions made. The UN Security Council is the highest international body, and if the decisions adopted by the Security Council have not been implemented for more than 25 years, this raises a lot of questions about the effectiveness of this organization. We in Azerbaijan are concerned about the selective nature of the implementation of resolutions. Sometimes they are carried out in a matter of days, sometimes they are not required at all for certain military operations, in our case, the resolutions remain on paper,” said Azerbaijan’s president.
He pointed out that the solution of the Armenian-Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be within the framework of the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, the UN Charter adopted by the whole world, resolutions of the UN Security Council and the Helsinki Final Act.
“I have to say that the Prime Minister of Armenia has often said recently that a solution to the conflict should be acceptable to the people of Azerbaijan, the people of Armenia and the people of Nagorno-Karabakh. I must say that the concept of “the people of Nagorno-Karabakh” does not exist. There is population of Nagorno-Karabakh, which consisted of the Azerbaijani and Armenian people before the conflict, and they have equal rights. As for a solution acceptable for Azerbaijan, it consists in restoring the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan recognized by the whole world and returning refugees and internally displaced persons to their original lands, including Nagorno-Karabakh. This is consistent with Security Council resolutions and the Helsinki Final Act.
I must say that the military aggression of Armenia against Azerbaijan continues to this day. Yesterday, a civilian, a resident of Gazakh District which is located far from the conflict zone, on the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, was killed by an Armenian sniper. I must also say that during the military provocation in April 2016, six civilians, including a child, a girl, were killed in Azerbaijan. I would also like to touch upon the statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia that has caused surprise not only in Azerbaijan. A corresponding reaction was also given to it by the Russian Federation within the framework of the Valdai Forum. The statement is as follows: "Karabakh is a part of Armenia, and full stop." Well, first of all, it is a lie, to put it mildly. Karabakh – both upper and lower – is recognized by the whole world as an integral part of Azerbaijan. Armenia itself does not recognize this illegal entity. Karabakh is a historical and ancestral Azerbaijani land. Therefore, Karabakh is Azerbaijan, and exclamation mark!” said President Aliyev.
“Despite the occupation and the humanitarian catastrophe of the early 1990s, when an eighth of our country’s population were refugees, Azerbaijan has come a long way in development and creation. With the exception of the first years of independence when a puppet, anti-national and corrupt regime of the Popular Front ruled in the country, Azerbaijan has been living in a stable environment for 26 years. The key contribution to that was made by President Heydar Aliyev who managed to prevent civil war, stop the occupation, overcome chaos and ruin, and put Azerbaijan on a path of development. Thus, for 26 years, the Azerbaijani people have been living in the conditions of stability and development.
The international standing of our country is strengthening. One indicator of this is the election of our country as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council several years ago. A total of 155 states voted for us. It was not easy, it took us three days and 16 rounds but justice triumphed. I would also like to note that the Russian Federation and all other 154 countries provided us with great support,” said the head of state.
Gagik Khachatryan, the former RA Minister of Finance, and the former chairperson of the State Revenue Committee, has been in detention for a month already. He is accused of alleged abuse of official power and misuse of public funds. Khachatryan does not accept the charges against him. The following has been submitted by his team of lawyers, represented by Yerem Sargsyan.
1. There is not a shred of evidence that Gagik Khachatryan has committed the alleged crimes he has been accused of.
The court did not receive and did not examine any evidence whatsoever that would allow it to form a reasonable suspicion that the crime mentioned in the RA Criminal Code Article 179, paragraph 3(1) even occurred and that Gagik Khachatryan had anything to do with it. However, reasonable suspicion is a required ground for detention; therefore, the lack of such evidence is a clear ground for denying the motion to detain a person.
During the hearing, the defense motioned the court to specify in its decision on approving the detention motion, should such a decision be reached, the exact evidence supporting the probable cause that Gagik Khachatryan was the one who may have committed the alleged crimes. The court did not cite any evidence, because the materials of the case did not contain any such evidence, thus reaching an ungrounded, unreasoned and unlawful decision.
2. The court was unable to explain why it is deciding to detain Gagik Khachatryan.
The court was unable to show in its decision that, if let free, Gagik Khachatryan would abscond from justice, commit a new crime or interfere with the investigation. The RA Court of Cassation and the European Court of Human Rights have stated repeatedly in their case law that detention is the most severe of all the means of prevention used in a criminal case investigation. It is to be used only as a last resort, when all the other means of prevention cannot ensure the person’s proper conduct during the course of an investigation.
In this regard, it is interesting that as far back as on March 13, 2019 Gagik Khachatryan already signed a pledge not to leave the country, which is another means of prevention. In other words, another means of prevention has been in use against Gagik Khachatryan for about 5 months and it seemed to have been sufficient to ensure his proper conduct. He did not hide, did not abscond from justice, did not interfere with the investigation in any way and did not commit any new crimes in this period of time. The defense lawyers have asked – what was the compelling evidence that made the court think that Gagik Khachatryan would start running away from justice, interfering with the investigation or committing new crimes unless he is detained now. “If he were to engage in such unlawful behavior, why didn’t he do so in the last five months?” – the lawyers emphasize.
3. By some surprising coincidence, all of the motions regarding Gagik Khachatryan have been assigned to the same judge.
Gagik Khachatryan’s legal team is suspicious of the “coincidence” by which the motion to detain Gagik Khachatryan was assigned to the same judge who had approved the motions to search Gagik Khachatryan’s apartments without any justification. The same judge was assigned to the hearing on the lawfulness of Gagik Khachatryan’s arrest.
4. While in the Federal Republic of Germany, Gagik Khachatryan interrupted his post-surgery treatment and returned to the Republic of Armenia, at the first call from the investigator.
Gagik Khachatryan’s case contains evidence that, while free, Gagik Khachatryan did not hide from the investigation, did not interfere with the investigation and did not commit a new crime. While in Germany, he interrupted his mandatory post-surgery treatment and returned to the Republic of Armenia at the first call of the investigator, and reported to the investigative authorities, so that his presence could contribute to a complete and objective investigation. However, he needs a second surgery. It is obvious that, if Gagik Khachatryan had wanted to hide, he would not have returned to Armenia under any circumstances.
5. Gagik Khachatryan prohibited his lawyers from using the fact of his grave illness as an argument
Despite the fact that Gagik Khachatryan has grave illnesses that, according to a consilium of doctors cannot be treated in the Republic of Armenia (which requires the state not only to release him from detention but also grant him a permission to leave the country for a short period of time), Gagik Khachatryan has prohibited his lawyers from talking about it in great detail, because he hopes that, despite everything, the investigation will be objective and fair and the relevant authorities will make decisions based on laws.
6. Gagik Khachatryan’s position on the investigation.
Gagik Khachatryan returned to the Republic of Armenia and reported to the investigative authorities, specifically so that his presence would allow them to conduct a thorough and objective investigation. His position is that, if an objective investigation proves that he committed any crime, then he is prepared to be prosecuted for it.
However, the investigation has been going on for about 7 months already and it can take several more months or even years, and there is no reasonable justification as to why he should remain in detention throughout this time. Moreover, even though Gagik Khachatryan does not accept the charges, he agreed to make a deposit into a relevant government body’s account in the amount of damages that he is alleged to have caused, in order to demonstrate his proper behavior and readiness to assist the investigation in any way. If the charges against him are proven and confirmed by a lawful court verdict, this deposit will be used to provide compensation.
Court practice shows that in cases involving similar crimes, when the alleged damage is compensated in such a way, courts release the accused individuals on bail in most cases.
7. Demand for transparency of proceedings.
Every single hearing related to Gagik Khachatryan has been conducted behind closed doors. His lawyer has already talked about the issue of closed pre-trial hearings. If the pre-trial hearings were open to the public, everyone would see clearly that the decision on detention was made with simple, significant and blatant violations, which are obvious even to individuals with only basis legal knowledge. Therefore, it is impossible to believe that a judge with years of experience is not familiar with the basic legal principles. Based on the above, the only possible conclusion is that there have been direct or indirect pressures on the court.
Facts about charges against Gagik Khachatryan are also presented in brief video in Armenia
By Lusine Shahbazyan from Nur-Sultan
2019 Senior Wrestling World Championships in Nur-Sultan completed. The Armenian team with nine participants won two medals. Artur Aleksanyan and Slavik Galstyan became medalists. And Artur Alexanyan and Karapet Zalyan will head to Olympic Games. Slavik Galstyan became a bronze medalist in the non-Olympic weight category.
Armenia's "revolutionary" team and world championship
For the Armenian national team, this championship was not a lucky one. Artur Alexanyan became a silver medalist, Slavik Galstyan won a bronze.
The Armenian national team missed two, if not three, gold medals as Artur Aleksanyan withdrew from the final due to rib injury and the Russian representative Musa Yevloyev won a gold medal.
Karapet Zalyan was in a hurry that’s why he missed the chance to win the gold medal. Slavik Galstyan lost to Stepan Maranyan in the semifinals, but he was also very close to the gold medal. Karen Aslanyan also had the opportunity to reach the final, if there was no referee bias.
Artur Alexanyan's gift to Musa Yevloyev
Artur Alexanyan was the only favorite in the 97kg category at the World Championships but he had very strong opponents. Artur faced the toughest group and made it to the finals. In the qualifying stage, Artur Aleksanyan (97 kg category) competed with Belarus’s representative Aleksandr Hrabovik and beat him 5-0, Finnish wrestler Kusmanen (10-0), Turkish Cenk Ildem (4-2), Iranian Saravi (4-3) and Georgian Georgy Melia (3-1).
Artur Aleksanyan won the Turkish representative but suffered a serious rib injury. He fought hard in the 1/2 finals, but was no longer able to conceal the injury and restrain the severe pain and after the clash with his Georgian counterpart he could not even breathe in his way to the hall after the clash.
It was the worst thing that could have happened to him and was the biggest gift to Yevloyev before the final. The Armenian coaching staff and the head of the Armenian delegation Arayik Baghdadyan discussed Artur Alexanyan's participation. Minutes before the start of the final, Arayik Baghdadyan announced their position: Artur Alexanyan will not fight. This was probably the best decision in this case, but the worst for Artur Alexanyan as he had only one step left to become a four-time world champion.
The Russian wrestler celebrated his victory as Alexanyan just gave him the medal. Maybe years later no one will remember that Yevloyev became a world champion even without fighting.