Bordeaux inaugurates Armenian cross-stone

 14:12,

YEREVAN, JUNE 27, ARMENPRESS. An Armenian cross-stone was inaugurated on June 25 at a public park in central Bordeaux.

The ceremonial inauguration was attended by Bordeaux Mayor Pierre Hurmic, the Armenian consul-general to Lyon Narine Nikolian, officials from Nouvelle-Aquitaine, members of the Armenian community of France and the representative of the Diocese of France of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Nikolian thanked the French government for recognizing the Armenian Genocide and supporting Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), and noted the historic decision by President Macron on pantheonizing Missak Manouchian.

The cross-stone is dedicated to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, the martyrs of Nagorno Karabakh and the Armenians who died for France.

Azerbaijan restores Red Cross access to Nagorno-Karabakh

 

Ten days after all traffic to and from the region was blocked, passage through the Lachin Corridor checkpoint has been restored for vehicles of the International Committee of the Red Cross. 

This was confirmed by Nagorno-Karabakh authorities on Sunday. The Lachin corridor had been blocked to all traffic since 15 June following a clash between Armenian and Azerbaijani border troops.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s Ministry of Health reported that on Sunday and Monday, Red Cross vehicles transported 32 people from Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenian hospitals along with 20 companions. 

On Saturday, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with Red Cross representatives in Baku, and stated that Azerbaijan was willing to grant Red Cross vehicles access to Nagorno-Karabakh. 

The Azerbaijani representatives also reportedly suggested that Azerbaijan could meet ‘other supply needs’ of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians, ‘in connection with the current situation’. 

No information has yet been made public about reopening passage to Russian peacekeeping vehicles, which had also provided humanitarian aid to the region prior to the obstruction of all traffic. 

On 23 June, the Nagorno-Karabakh authorities published footage showing Azerbaijani border troops installing concrete barricades near the checkpoint at the entrance of the Lachin Corridor, and accused Azerbaijan of fully blocking the only road in and out of Nagorno-Karabakh. 

The following day, as the road remained blocked to all traffic, a one-year-old child in critical condition was transferred to Armenia in a Russian peacekeepers’ helicopter.

The peace agreement which ended the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020 stipulates that the Lachin Corridor, a five-kilometre-wide area that includes the only road in and out of Nagorno-Karabakh, will be manned by Russian peacekeepers, and allow free passage to and from the region. 

However, since December 2022, the road has been blocked to civilian traffic. It was first closed by a group of Azerbaijani government-supported ‘environmental activists’, and later by Azerbaijani border troops who installed a checkpoint at the entrance of the Lachin Corridor. 

Since then, local authorities have reported a dramatic decrease in the supply of food, medicine, and other essential goods to the region, announcing rationing of fuel and some staple foods. 

Nagorno-Karabakh has also faced severe electricity shortages since December, after the electricity supply from Armenia was cut as a result of damage to a cable running through Azerbaijani-controlled territory. The region has since had to rely on self-produced electricity, mainly hydroelectric, and introduced rolling power cuts. 

The increase in demand for hydroelectric power production has also led to water shortages in the region,  as Nagorno-Karabakh’s largest water reservoir faces depletion. 

 For ease of reading, we choose not to use qualifiers such as ‘de facto’, ‘unrecognised’, or ‘partially recognised’ when discussing institutions or political positions within Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. This does not imply a position on their status.


Armenian PM says Armenia, Azerbaijan FMs will meet in Washington next week

Al-Arabiya, UAE
REUTERS

The foreign ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in Washington next week, Russian news agencies cited Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan as saying on Thursday.

Washington, Moscow and the European Union are all trying separately to help ensure permanent peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which have fought two wars in the last 30 years and regularly clash over the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave.

In 2020, Azerbaijan seized control of areas controlled by ethnic Armenians in and around Nagorno-Karabakh. The enclave is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but populated mainly by ethnic Armenians.

Both sides routinely accuse the other of breaking a ceasefire agreed in 2020.

Central Bank of Armenia: exchange rates and prices of precious metals – 23-06-23

 17:14,

YEREVAN, 23 JUNE, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs “Armenpress” that today, 23 June, USD exchange rate up by 0.96 drams to 387.10 drams. EUR exchange rate down by 4.25 drams to 420.70 drams. Russian Ruble exchange rate down by 0.04 drams to 4.57 drams. GBP exchange rate down by 2.76 drams to 492.31 drams.

The Central Bank has set the following prices for precious metals.

Gold price down by 10.26 drams to 23896.08 drams. Silver price down by 4.95 drams to 281.52 drams.

Armenia awaiting Russia’s response over incident near Lachin Corridor

Panorama
Armenia –

Armenia is waiting for a response from Russia to the latest incident at the entry of the Lachin Corridor, Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Vahan Kostanyan said on Monday.

Armenian border guards deployed nearby opened fire to stop a group of Azerbaijani servicemen from advancing into Armenian territory and installing an Azerbaijani flag there on Thursday.

A video of the incident shows that the Azerbaijani troops were escorted by Russian soldiers as they crossed a bridge over the Hakari River in the Lachin Corridor to place the flag.

Russian Ambassador to Armenia Sergei Kopyrkin was summoned to Armenia’s Foreign Ministry over the incident.

“A probe into the incident near the Hakari bridge is underway,” Kostanyan told reporters in the parliament. “The Armenian Foreign Ministry has voiced its position and concerns over the issue, and we are awaiting an official reaction.”

Advanced Technologies and The Armenian Language

PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Avenida de 
Berna 45-A, 1067-001 Lisboa, Portugal
Contact: Vera Cunha
Telf: (+351) 21 782 3658
Web: gulbenkian.pt

Առաջատար թեքնաբանութիւնը եւ հայերէն լեզուն
Գալուստ Կիւլպէնկեան Հիմնարկութեան Հայկական Համայնքներու Բաժանմունքը կը 
համագործակցի Հայաստանէն եւ Սփիւռքէն բազմաթիւ մասնագէտներու հետ՝ աջակցելու լեզու 
եւ թեքնաբանութիւն ոլորտին մէջ անհրաժեշտ նախաձեռնութիւններու իրականացումին: Ասոնց 
շարքին են՝ հայերէնի համընդհանուր ուղղագրիչները, հայերէնի բառակազմութիւնը 
վերլուծող կայքէջերն ու տուեալներու շտեմարանները, համապատասխան յաւելուածները, 
հայերէնի քերականութիւնը վերլուծող հարթակները, թուայնացուած հրատարակութիւններն ու 
հայերէնով որոնելի առցանց գրաւոր նիւթերը: Հաշուի առնելով հայերէնի գործածութիւնը 
բարելաւելու մեր առաքելութիւնը, այս բաց եւ հասանելի թուային աղբիւրներն ու 
գործիքները դրուած են ամենօրեայ ընթերցողներու, հետազօտողներու, լեզուն սորվողներու 
եւ զայն գործածողներու տրամադրութեան տակ:

Լեզու-թեքնաբանութիւն ոլորտին մշտական եւ արագ զարգացումները նկատի առնելով, եւ 
համաձայն Հիմնարկութեան նոր հնգամեայ ծրագիրին, Հայկական Համայնքներու Բաժանմունքը 
եւ «ԹՈՒՄՈ ստեղծարար տեխնոլոգիաների կենտրոն»-ը կազմակերպեցին աշխատանքային 
հանդիպում մը հայերէնին վերաբերող թեքնաբանական աշխատանքները ծրագրելու համար։ 
Հանդիպումին ներկայ եղան աշխարհի տարբեր տեղերէ աւելի քան քսան մասնագէտներ, որոնք 
30 եւ 31 մայիս 2023-ին հանդիպեցան ԹՈՒՄՈ Երեւան՝ երկօրեայ աշխատաժողովի մը համար:

Հանդիպումին նպատակն էր ախտորոշել ներկայ պահանջքները եւ ստեղծել անհրաժեշտ 
գործիքները՝ լեզուի կիրարկութիւնը աւելի ընդլայնելու եւ անոր կենսունակութիւնը 
ապահովելու համար։ Քայլ պահելով թեքնաբանական առաջընթացին հետ, հանդիպումը կը միտէր 
ուսումնասիրելու ոլորտին ամենահեռանկարային գաղափարները եւ նախաձեռնութիւնները, եւ 
քննարկելու ներկայ առանցքային հարցերը. որո՞նք են անհրաժեշտ գործիքները հայերէնը 
թեքնաբանութեան առաջնագիծ բերելու համար։ Ի՞նչ հնարաւորութիւններ եւ սպառնալիքներ 
կրնան յառաջանալ արհեստական բանականութեան վերջին զարգացումներուն լոյսին տակ: 
Ինչպէ՞ս կարելի է ապահովել հայերէնի իմացութիւնը արհեստական բանականութեան զանազան 
գործիքներուն մէջ:

2023-ի այս աշխատանքային հանդիպումին յստակացան որոշ կիրարկելի քայլեր, ներառեալ՝ 
թուային տուեալներու մեծ եւ կենդրոնացած շտեմարաններու գոյացումը, բաց եւ հասանելի 
քոտերով. քերականական գործիքներու, առցանց թարգմանիչներու, խօսքէն-գրութիւն եւ 
գրութենէ-խօսքի վերածող գործիքներու ստեղծումը, ինչպէս նաեւ խորհրդատուական մարմնի 
ձեւաւորումը, որ փորձագիտական խորհրդատուութիւն պիտի տրամադրէ նշեալ 
նախաձեռնութիւններուն վերաբերեալ:

Այս հանդիպումը հիմնուած է 2015 թուականին կայացած աշխատաժողովի արդիւնքներուն 
վրայ, որ տեղի ունեցաւ Գալուստ Կիւլպէնկեան Հիմնարկութեան եւ ԹՈՒՄՈ-ի համատեղ 
նախաձեռնութեամբ։ Հիմնարկութիւնը հայերէնին վերաբերող լեզու-թեքնաբանութիւն ոլորտի 
իր հետագայ ծրագրաւորումը մեծ մասամբ կազմած էր հիմնուելով 2015-ի այդ հաւաքին 
վրայ: 2023 թուականի մայիսի հանդիպումը նոյնպէս հիմք պիտի հանդիսանայ այս ոլորտին 
մէջ Հիմնարկութեան գործունէութեան ծրագրաւորումին՝ վերջերս մեկնարկուած 
Բաժանմունքին 2023-2027 հնգամեայ ծրագիրին ծիրին մէջ:

Յաւելեալ տեղեկութիւններու համար` այցելեցէք 
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://gulbenkian.pt/armenian-communities/__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!uAnSXWsv12g6SddqxSHJtwUHzlet8PeeCW2ZO4i0sOyAch_gl43IJuGvErwR7RVfbI8XvaAugCvUZIfubg$
  էջը, բաժանորդագրուեցէք Բաժանմունքի տեղեկատուին եւ հետեւեցէք մեր Facebook-ի 
էջին՝ 

 
-- 


The Armenian Communities Department of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation has 
been collaborating with various partners in Armenia and in the Diaspora to 
support the development of important language-related IT initiatives. These 
include universal Armenian spellcheckers, websites and databases analysing 
Armenian word formations, respective apps, universal platforms analysing 
Armenian grammar, and considerable amounts of digitized publications and 
searchable texts in Armenian. In line with our mission to enhance the use of the 
Armenian language, these freely and openly accessible digital resources and 
tools have been put at the disposal of everyday readers, researchers, and 
language learners and users around the world.

To chart the next steps that need to be taken in the language-related IT 
programming – given the constant and fast-paced developments in the sector – and 
as part of its new five-year plan, the Armenian Communities Department teamed up 
with the TUMO Center for Creative Technologies, to host a working meeting on 30 
and 31 May 2023, wherein a team of more than 20 domain experts from around the 
world met at TUMO Yerevan.

The objective of the meeting was to identify the necessary tools to be created 
in order to enhance the use of the language further and to ensure its vitality 
keeping it compatible with advancements in IT, to explore the most promising 
ideas and initiatives in the field, and to discuss the key questions of the day: 
What are the essential tools needed to bring Armenian to the forefront of 
technology? What opportunities and threats are likely to emerge from the latest 
developments in artificial intelligence? How can we ensure that Armenian 
proficiency is built into Large Language Models and other generative AI tools?

Some of the actionable points that emerged from the 2023 working meeting 
include: creating an exponentially larger corpus of digital Armenian data; 
centralizing data in order to make it accessible to the open-source community; 
creating grammar tools, online translators, speech-to-text and text-to-speech 
tools; and forming an advisory body to provide expert advice on initiatives to 
undertake.

This initiative builds on the results of the 2015 workshop entitled “Advancing 
Armenian Language through Information Technology and New Communication Tools” 
that took place as a joint initiative of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation and 
TUMO. The Foundation determined many of its subsequent IT and Armenian language 
related programming based on the 2015 gathering. Similarly, the May 2023 meeting 
will inform programming in this area during the newly launched 2023-2027 
five-year plan.

For further information please visit: 
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://gulbenkian.pt/armenian-communities/__;!!LIr3w8kk_Xxm!uAnSXWsv12g6SddqxSHJtwUHzlet8PeeCW2ZO4i0sOyAch_gl43IJuGvErwR7RVfbI8XvaAugCvUZIfubg$
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--END--

Armenian Resistance fighter Missak Manouchian will join France’s Pantheon greats

Le Monde, France

Manouchian, who was shot by the Nazis in 1944, will join the elite group of France's revered historical figures in the Parisian mausoleum.

Le Monde with AFP

Portrait of Missak Manouchian (1906-1944), an Armenian poet, journalist, trade unionist and Resistance fighter, in soldier's uniform while on leave. 

Missak Manouchian, an Armenian poet and communist fighter in World War II, will enter the Pantheon mausoleum and join an elite group of France's revered historical figures, French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday, June 18.

Known as being "pantheonized," the rare tribute is reserved for those who have played an important role in the country's history. Manouchian, who arrived in France in 1925 as a stateless refugee after fleeing violence, later joined the communist Resistance during World War II.

He led a small group of foreign Resistance fighters against the Nazi occupation, carrying out attacks on German forces and acts of sabotage in Nazi-occupied France in 1943. Macron said Manouchian "embodies the universal values" of France and "carries a part of our greatness."

In 1944, the group, which included a number of Jews, was put out of action when 23 of its members were rounded up and sentenced to death by a German military court. Manouchian was shot by the Nazis on February 21, 1944. The collaborationist Vichy regime later tried to discredit the group and defuse the anger over the executions in an infamous red poster depicting the dead fighters as terrorists.

By entering the Pantheon, Manouchian will become both the first foreign and communist Resistance fighter to be awarded the honour. Manouchian will enter the Pantheon alongside his wife Mélinée, who survived him by 45 years and is buried alongside him at the Ivry-sur-Seine cemetery.


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?fbclid=IwAR2sSw-_jfAQ2DP7tYlNvASxYRptN-HgSJ4lNiDdgBdee5GltEM2PfGj17I

Macron paid tribute to Manouchian's "bravery" and "quiet heroism" in a statement Sunday, as well as to other foreign Resistance fighters. Other major French figures to be reburied in the Pantheon include Victor Hugo, Voltaire and Marie Curie.

On Sunday, Macron also decorated Robert Birenbaum – part of the foreign Resistance fighter group – at the Mont Valérien site where Manouchian and hundreds of other resistants were executed by the Nazis. The memorial coincided with the anniversary of the dramatic appeal of June 18, 1940, when Charles de Gaulle made a historic call to defy the Nazi occupiers after making his escape from a defeated France.

The call – widely seen as the start of the country's resistance movement – is marked every year at Mont Valérien by French leaders. Macron and assembled members of the government including Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne listened to the Appeal of June 18 read by French actor Philippe Torreton, before holding a period of reflection at the site.

The pantheonisation of Manouchian had been long called for by the French left, particularly the Communist Party. The party's national secretary in France, Fabien Roussel, said on Twitter that Manouchian symbolised a "certain idea of France: a political nation, made up of citizens of all origins, united by universal values".

Since 2017, Macron has pantheonised three others including the French-American dancer and rights activist Josephine Baker, who became the first black woman to be honoured at the site. Baker was also just the fifth woman to be honoured with a place in the secular temple to the heroes of the French Republic, which sits on a hill in the left bank of Paris. The move followed years of campaigning by her family and admirers for her place in French history to be recognised.

The tribute on Sunday also marks part of a long series of memorials leading up to the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, which are set to continue next year with events to commemorate the liberation of Paris.

Le Monde with AFP


 

The California Courier Online, June 15, 2023

The California
Courier Online,

1-         Pashinyan
Refuses to Resign, Despite

            Precipitous
Decline in his Popularity

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

2-         Glendale: 3 arrested as
protesters outside board meeting

            clash over
LGBTQ curriculum

3-         Fallen
Soldier’s Mother Freed After Judge Hands Down Suspended Jail Term

 4-          Letter to the Editor

****************************************************************************************

1-         Pashinyan
Refuses to Resign, Despite

            Precipitous
Decline in his Popularity

            By Harut
Sassounian

            Publisher,
The California
Courier

           
www.TheCaliforniaCourier.com

Two polls were conducted in Armenia recently, giving the people
a chance to express their views on various issues, including the sharp decline
in Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s popularity.

The first survey was conducted January 23-March 4, 2023 by
the Center for Insights in Survey Research, a project of the Washington,
D.C.-based International Republican Institute. This scientific survey, based on
a random sample of Armenia’s
population, was funded by the United States Agency for International
Development (USAID).

Question: “Do you think Armenia is heading in the right
direction or wrong direction?” 52%: wrong direction (up from 11%-14% in 2018 when
Pashinyan first came to power); 36%: right direction (down from 72%-73% in
2018).

Question: “How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the
pace of democracy in our country?” 17%: satisfied; 46%: dissatisfied; 35%: no
change.

Question: “How much interest do you have in politics?” 43%:
very much or somewhat interested; 57%: not at all or somewhat not interested.

Question: “How would you evaluate the prevailing mood of the
Armenian population?” 44%: future will be better or somewhat better; 55%:
insecurity, worry, fear for the future, total disappointment, and disbelief in
any improvement.

Question: “Which politician or public person do you trust
the most?” 64%: none; 14%: Nikol Pashinyan; 3%: Ararat Mirzoyan; 2%: Robert
Kocharyan; others 2% each.

Question: “Which political party or alliance, if any, you
would vote for if national parliamentary elections were held next Sunday?” 47%:
would not vote or refused to answer or don’t know; 17%: Civil Contract; 5% Armenia Alliance;
4%: Public Voice party; 2%: Prosperous Armenia party; 2%: ARF Dashnaktsutyun;
others 1% each.

Question: “How satisfied or dissatisfied are you with the
following institutions?” Armenian
Apostolic Church,
54%: very or somewhat satisfied; 40%: very or somewhat dissatisfied; Prime
Minister’s office, 38%: satisfied (down from 82%-85% in 2018); 61%:
dissatisfied (up from 13-17% in 2018).

Question: “How do you feel about the direction of each of
the following spheres during the past six months?” Freedom of speech, 56%:
improved a lot or somewhat improved (down from 73%-83% in 2018); 18%: regressed
a lot or somewhat regressed (up from 3%-6% in 2018); 26%: no change (up from
19% in 2018). Foreign policy, 37%: improved a lot or somewhat improved (same as
2019); 33%: somewhat regressed or regressed a lot (up from 17% in 2019); 26%:
no change (down from 39% in 2019). Armenia’s policy on Artsakh, 10%:
improved a lot or somewhat improved (down from 32% in 2019); 69%: regressed a
lot or somewhat regressed (up from 18% in 2019); 18%: no change (down from 45%
in 2019). Direction of fight against corruption, 43%: improved (down from 82%
in 2018); 22%: regressed (up from 2% in 2018); 32%: no change (up from 14% in
2018).

Question: “What do you think is the biggest success of the
government in the last 6 months?” 43%: none; 21%: don’t know or refused to
answer; 6%: development of diplomatic relation; other minor issues.

Question: “What do you think is the biggest failure of the
government in the last 6 months?” 21%: don’t know or refused to answer; 15%:
closure of Lachin Corridor; 9%: overturning the Artsakh issue; 8%: national
security of Armenia
and border issues; 7%: loss of territories; other minor issues.

Question: “What are the things Pashinyan’s government must
achieve in the next 6 months?” 23%: improvement of army conditions; 22%:
protection of Armenia’s
national security and borders; 16%: creation of jobs; 15%: establish peace;
13%: opening of Lachin Corridor; 13%: Pro-Armenian settlement of the Artsakh
issue.

Question: “To what extent is corruption a problem?” 73%:
very large or somewhat large problem; 25%: somewhat small, very small or no
problem.

Question: “How do you evaluate the relationship between Armenia and…?”
96%: France (very good or somewhat good); 91%: Iran;
88%: United States; 86%:
European Union; 84%: China;
80%: Georgia; 50%: Russia;
44%: Ukraine; 23%: Turkey; 4%: Azerbaijan. The relationship
between Armenia and Russia has gone
down from 87%-92% in 2018 to 50% good in 2023. The relationship between Armenia and Turkey
has gone up from 1%-11% in 2018 to 23% good in 2023, while 75% of Armenia’s
citizens (down from 85% in 2018) consider the relationship bad.

A second poll was carried out in May 2023 by the Marketing
Professional Group, affiliated with Gallup International. This is a scientific
survey based on a random sample of Armenia’s population.

Question: How do you evaluate Nikol Pashinyan’s recognition
of Artsakh as a part of Azerbaijan?
3.8%: definitely positive; 5.4%: rather positive; 63.4%: not positive; 18.5%:
rather not positive; 8.9%: no answer.

Question: Do you think it is possible for Artsakh Armenians
to exist as an ethnic minority in Azerbaijan? 2.8%: yes; 5.6%: rather
yes; 77.7%: no; 8.7%: rather no; 5.1%: no answer.

Question: “Which of these judgments do you agree with?”
32.8%: Pashinyan is trying to conduct a balanced policy with the West and Russia; 20.5%: Pashinyan is trying to integrate Armenia with Europe, the West and NATO circles;
14.7%: Pashinyan is aiming to bring Armenia
closer to Azerbaijan and Turkey; 12.9%: Pashinyan’s actions are directed
to push Russia out of Armenia; 19%:
no answer.

Question: “Given Armenia’s internal and external
challenges, is it necessary to hold extraordinary parliamentary elections and
form a new government?” 41%: definitely necessary; 18.9%: rather necessary;
12.2%: rather not necessary; 19.5%: not necessary; 8.5%: no answer.

Question: “Turkey
expressed its displeasure at the placement of the Nemesis statue in Yerevan and as a first
step closed its airspace to Armenian flights. Do you think the Armenian
government or city officials should give in to Turkish pressures and dismantle
the memorial dedicated to the Nemesis heroes?” 82.5%: definitely no; 7.7%:
rather no; 2.6%: definitely yes; 3.5%: rather yes; 3.5%: no answer.

Question: “Did you participate in the 2018 revolution?” In
the 2023 survey, 62.6%: no; 37.4%: yes. In the 2018 survey, 91%: yes; 9%: no.

Question: “Is it right for protesters to block streets and
movement of cars?” In the 2023 survey, 44.5%: yes; 50.8%: no. In the 2018
survey, 87.1%: yes; 8.7%: no.

Question: “Five years have passed since the revolution: In
the meantime, how well were your expectations realized?” In the 2023 survey,
3.8%: fully realized; 21.5%: partially realized; 18%: partially not realized;
52.1%: not realized. In the 2018 survey, 14.4 %: fully realized; 64.2%:
partially realized; 7.6%: partially not realized; 10.9%: not realized.

Question: “Evaluate Prime Minister Pashinyan’s performance.”
In the 2023 survey, 5.4%: fully positive; 13.4%: rather positive; 24.2%: rather
negative; 47.1%: negative; 10%: no answer. In the 2018 survey, 45.4%: positive;
46.2%: rather positive; 3.9%: rather negative; 2.4%: negative.

We all have our personal opinions, but it is important to
know what the citizens of Armenia
think about these issues. There are major changes in their perceptions from
2018 to 2023.

****************************************************************************************
2-         Glendale: 3 arrested as protesters outside
board meeting

            clash over
LGBTQ curriculum

A furious debate over how gender identity and sexual
education should be taught to children and protected in schools unfolded on
Tuesday, June 6 at the night meeting of the Glendale Unified School District
(GUSD) School Board.

At 5 p.m. a crowd of more than 200 gathered outside GUSD
headquarters. The crowd stood in two physically and ideologically divided camps
with a row of Glendale
police officers between them. The protest swelled in size and intensity and
police set up physical barriers between the two sides and around the building’s
entrances.

Several police helicopters circled overhead. Glendale Police
Department officers locked down the building at one point after a fight broke
out outside. Police called all staff to return to the building, declared an
unlawful assembly and cleared a crowd from the parking lot. On one side were
protesters opposed to teaching children about sexual identities in
school—including a large number of Hispanic Americans and Armenian Americans—
holding American flags and signs that said, “Leave our kids alone.” On the
other side were LGBTQ+IA advocates speaking a message of inclusion.

The school board’s agenda included a resolution celebrating
Pride month, but the agenda had no items related to curriculum changes or
gender policies.

Law enforcement arrested three individuals amid the mayhem
after the protest “exceeded the bounds of peaceful assembly,” for various
charges including unlawful use of pepper spray and willfully obstructing
officers in the course of their duties the Glendale Police Department announced
Tuesday night.

Attendance at the meeting was capped at 75 public speakers
who, over the course of several hours, shared their views on the district’s
LGBTQ+IA inclusive curriculum, on allowing students to select their own
pronouns, and on transgender students’ access to bathrooms and locker rooms.

“I’m here on the side of parents who want to keep the focus
in schools on academics rather than on sexual orientation, or on so-called
gender identity, which is a fake, made-up concept with no basis in material
reality and does not help kids get ahead in life,” said Alyssa Cohen. “LGBTQ+,
those letters represents a harmful ideology that’s impacting kids’ education.”

GUSD on Monday, June 5 further released a statement and FAQ
in response to criticisms raised by the anti-LGBTQ+IA activists. “Recently,
intentional and harmful disinformation has been circulating about what is being
taught in our district and the ways we serve our students,” said GUSD
Superintendent Vivian Ekchian. “This includes disinformation about LGBTQIA+
curriculum, sex education, and supporting transgender and gender nonconforming
youth. We have absolutely no agenda. We are not in the business of converting
anyone’s child.”

At GUSD, tension has grown for more than a year over the
district’s approach to gender and sexuality identity. In a recent statement,
Ekchian said that GUSD is committed to “providing a safe, inclusive environment
where every child can learn and thrive” and follows “all laws and policies
established by the California
legislature and Department of Education.”

In elementary school, GUSD students are not taught specific
information about LGBTQ+IA or gender identity, but are taught lessons on
diversity and about different types of families. In secondary school, GUSD
students are taught about the contributions of LGBTQ+IA Americans in their
social studies curriculum as required by the state in Senate Bill 48.

The district’s policies of allowing students to select their
own gender pronouns, and use the restroom of the gender with which they
identify, are also in line with California
state laws. Since 2013, state law and the interpretation of state law by the
California Department of Education have mandated that students have a right to
ask to be referred to by a name or pronoun that might be different from that on
their official record. 

California
law requires that, “students shall have access to the restroom and locker room
that corresponds to their gender identity asserted at school.” No student is
ever forced to disrobe or change clothes in front of any adult at school.

Governor Gavin Newsom issued the following statement after
Monday’s reports of violence outside of a Glendale Unified
School District board
meeting: “I spoke with Superintendent Ekchian and I want to thank her and the
Glendale Unified School Board for standing tall against this organized campaign
of hate. In California,
we celebrate the beauty of pluralism — how our diverse communities, heritages,
and identities belong and, together, make us whole. Glendale represents the best of this
commitment, but the hate we saw on full display last night does not,” said
Newsom in the statement.

 “What should have
been a routine vote — simply recognizing Pride Month for the fourth year in a
row — turned to violence. The words of the resolution did not change from years
past, but what has changed is a wave of division and demonization sweeping our
nation. With hate on the rise nationally, we must rise together in California to affirm what both Pride Month and Immigrant
Heritage Month represent — that in the Golden State,
no matter who you are or what diverse community you are from, you belong,”
Newsom concluded in the statement.

Many people spoke out during the meeting about the
importance of embracing the LGBTQ+IA community as did members of local advocacy
organizations including GALAS LGBTQ+ Armenian Society, the Armenian American
Action Network, Southern California Armenian Democrats and the LA LGBT Center.

“My experience as a young LGBTQ+ student was made difficult
because I did not see any representations of what it meant to be gay,” said
Erik Adamian, a former GUSD student and board president of the GALAS LGBTQ+
Armenian Society. “We are in full support of our public schools’
acknowledgement that diverse families and LGBTQ-plus identities exist, and we
ask our community members and allies to push for safe and welcoming schools for
all students.”

Planned performances by students, listed on the meeting
agenda, were scrapped due to safety concerns expressed by the Glendale Police
Department, said Board President Nayiri Nahabedian.

“I feel like that’s a huge loss for all of us in this room,
and watching online, to not get to celebrate children because of arguments
adults are having about politics,” said GUSD parent Amanda Shiroh. “So I wanted
to recognize those children who didn’t get to be here today and express a great
gratitude to all of you (school board members) for supporting our inclusive, diverse
community.”

The heated meeting came on the heels of a June 2 protest at Saticoy Elementary School, where parents
objected to a book reading that explained same sex parents. LGBTQ advocates
organized a counter-protest. Days before the reading, a transgender teacher’s
Pride flag was burned at Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood, California.
The flag burning incident is under LAPD investigation.

On Thursday, June 8, the Armenian Sisters of Academy in Montrose, California
(which falls within the Glendale
school district) issued a promotional statement “in support of the GUSD parent
voices who are speaking out against the sexualization of our children. The
actions of public schools have highlighted the incredible differences between
the curriculum, which is based on political ideologies, and our school, based
on the Christian faith and the Armenian culture.”

“Don’t let the public education system steal your children’s
minds away from you,” said the statement. “Especially in these times devoid of religion
and morals, consider us for your child’s education. You will recognize how
important a decision this was not too long from now.”

****************************************************************************************
3-         Fallen Soldier’s Mother Freed
After Judge Hands Down Suspended Jail Term 

            By Robert
Zargarian

(RFE/RL)—A woman accused of attempting to “kidnap” Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s son was freed on Friday, June 10 after a court in Yerevan gave her a
four-year suspended prison sentence at the end of a short trial. Gayane
Hakobian, whose son Zhora Martirosian was killed during the 2020 war in
Nagorno-Karabakh, walked free because of pleading guilty to the accusation
strongly denied by her until then. She avoided talking to the press after the
announcement of the guilty verdict. The final session of the trial took place
behind the closed doors.

The lawyers who represented Hakobian for the last two weeks
said earlier in the day that she has fired them because of disagreeing with
their defense tactic. They did not deny that she struck a deal with
prosecutors.

“There is a conflict between Mrs. Gayane’s and our
positions,” one of the lawyers, Hovsep Sargsian, told reporters. “We planned on
continuing our defense aimed at her acquittal, but Mrs. Gayane is of a
different opinion now.”

Hakobian already replaced other lawyers who represented her
right after her arrest on May 17, which sparked angry protests by several dozen
other parents of fallen soldiers and hundreds of their sympathizers. That move
fueled speculation that she is cooperating with what the protesters condemned
as a politically motivated investigation into her argument with Ashot
Pashinyan.

Armenia’s Investigative Committee charged Hakobian with
tricking the prime minister’s son into getting in her car and trying to drive
him to the Yerablur Military Pantheon where her son was buried along with
hundreds of other soldiers killed in action. Pashinyan jumped out of the car on
their way to Yerablur.

The grief-stricken woman insisted at the start of her trial
on June 5 that Ashot Pashinyan was not forced into her and that she only wanted
to talk to him at Yerablur.

The high-profile trial began hours after the Court of
Appeals moved Hakobian to house arrest. The lower court judge presiding over
the trial promptly issued a new arrest warrant demanded by the prosecutors and
Ashot Pashinian. The latter told the judge that she committed a “grave crime”
and must remain behind bars.

Armenian opposition leaders and other critics of the
government claim that Nikol Pashinyan ordered Hakobian’s arrest in a bid to
muzzle the families of deceased soldiers who have staged demonstrations over
the past year to demand his prosecution on war-related charges. Hakobian
actively participated in them.

Pashinyan triggered the regular demonstrations in April 2022
when he responded to continuing opposition criticism of his handling of the
disastrous war with Azerbaijan.
He said he “could have averted the war, as a result of which we would have had
the same situation, but of course without the casualties.” The soldiers’
families say Pashinyan thus publicly admitted sacrificing the lives of at least
3,800 Armenian soldiers.

****************************************************************************************

4-         Letter to
the Editor

Dear Editor:

Finally we witness some show of spine and self respect when
Nikol Pashinyan in his interview with CNN Prime News of Check Republic has said
that, “In the Russia’s war with Ukraine Armenia is not Russia’s ally.”
Putin’s secretary Dimitry Peskov acknowledged the announcement and said, “We
accept this as an information…”.

Well, I suppose it is payback time. During the 44-day War,
our so-called trusted ally Russia,
did not lift a finger to help Armenia.

Sincerely,

Armine Koundakjian

Torrance,
Calif.

****************************************************************************************
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What Would a World Without Genocide Look Like?

June 5 2023
Reparations of the Heart prompts the question: Where would diaspora Armenians and other SWANA communities be if the Armenian Genocide had never happened?

DEARBORN, Michigan — Reparations of the Heart, Chicago-based artist Kristin Anahit Cass’s exhibition at the Stamelos Gallery Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, features more than 100 photographs that prompt the question: Where would diaspora Armenians and other Southwest Asian and North African (SWANA) communities be if the Armenian Genocide had never happened? Cass’s images, which position people in both traditional and futuristic environments, build an imagined world of inclusivity through self-determined and alternative narratives. These narratives re-present ancient indigenous lands and their people — whose ancestors endured the trauma of genocide and displacement — as healed bodies and spaces. 

Cass’s work depicts the story of Armenian families who, in the late 19th and early 20th century, were systematically massacred and deported from their ancient lands of Armenian Cilicia, and forced to migrate and settle across a number of Southwest Asia and North Africa (SWANA) lands and communities. A descendant of genocide survivors, the artist’s work collectively acknowledges the generational trauma living in the bodies of the descendant generations, but also sees this generation as the conduit through which the reparations of both heart and body can become actualized. 

For example, in one photograph, two women sit across from each other drinking coffee, a backgammon board set on the table between them. They seem to be outside a village home, under the shade of a tree — the highlands in the backdrop. Both wear black and white, but a striking royal blue dominates one of the women’s traditional garments. These two women symbolize a hopeful present and future in a place they can no longer claim as their own. At the same time, the scene paints a picture of synergy between one woman in traditional dress who has stayed on that land, and the other, who seems to be imported from the present day. The indigenous land is untouched by war and genocide. One woman remained, and the other returned. They both embrace their culture, merging the past, present, and future into a new moment captured by the light of this photograph. 

In these ways, Cass’s work collectively functions like a reparation — each photograph, set side by side, reaffirms the desire for amends of the past and draws from indigenous geography to project a healed global community. People are aligned and within a SWANA futurity. Some images are set in space, on the moon, or on mythical mountaintops. What becomes apparent in the work is also the artist’s critique of the exclusion of SWANA communities in science fiction, technology, and mainstream media as she forges images that move away from Western European conventions and toward a range of scenarios and phenomena where cultural traditions are celebrated across their own space and time. Through these interjections, this exhibition is in dialogue with the lived experiences of other Indigenous communities around the world, who have faced similar experiences of genocide, colonialism, and displacement. 

In Cass’s world, peace and harmony dominate. Women and members of the LGBTQ+ community are active contributors. As one of the photographs inscribes, “Our space is destroyed but we are not.” Each photograph recognizes the lived experience of trauma, yet owns the ability of humans to individually and collectively reframe that experience in their hearts to make way for reparations.

Reparations of the Heart: Recent Work by Kristin Anahit Cass continues at the Stamelos Gallery Center at the University of Michigan-Dearborn (First Floor, Mardigian Library, UM-Dearborn, 4901 Evergreen Road, Dearborn, Michigan) through June 25. The exhibition was curated by Laura Cotton, Stamelos Gallery curator and manager, and Kristin Anahit Cass.

See photos at 

Armenian American was victim of hate crime by pro-LGBTQ vandal outside of parental rights protest in Glendale, CA: police

The Post Millennial

"IT'S OK TO BE QUEER" was carved into the paint of the car.


An Armenian American was the victim of "hateful vandalism" on Friday in Glendale, California. The man's car was keyed with pro-LGBTQ sentiments and a derogatory phrase against people of Armenian descent.  

According to a news release, The man parked his car at 9:00 pm Wednesday, and when he returned Friday morning the words "IT'S OK TO BE QUEER," "PRIDE," STOP HATING," and "LGBTQ" were carved into the paint of the car. 

"The Glendale Police Department stands with our community against all hate," the release said. "We are committed to protecting those who live, work, or visit Glendale and maintaining a safe and inclusive community."

Investigation into the incident is ongoing and the Glendale Police Department is asking anyone with information to contact them by calling 818-548-4911.  

The vandalism took place less than a mile away from the site of the Glendale Unified School District school board meeting where violent clashes that broke out earlier this week Armenian American parents and Antifa militants. 

The parents were there to protest the Glendale school board meeting, voicing their opposition to their Pride celebrations and the indoctrination of their kids. They demanded transparency in what their children are being taught, which the school board has refused to provide. 

Things turned violent when "some so-called Antifa, or hoodlums, anti-social folks who were here, 20-30 folks, who segregated themselves with LGBTQ protesters, then they moved away and went to a parking lot, they met a group of Armenian men. One of the Antifa attacked an Armenian man and the men fought back," one father on the scene said. 

This was the second clash between Antifa and the parents. The first incident took place on June 3, when parents were protesting a "PRIDE assembly" outside of Saticoy Elementary School in North Hollywood, California. 

The parents who are part of the Glendale Unified School District Parents' Voices went to protest the assembly that was aimed at kindergarten to fifth-grade students. They held signs that said "Stop grooming our kids" and Parental choice matters." 

Reports note that a fight broke out after a far-left agitator in support of children's pride events allegedly assaulted one of the parents.