Author: Varazdat Torgomian

Armenpress: Moscow to host next EEU Inter-governmental council session

Varazdat Torgomian

Moscow to host next EEU Inter-governmental council session

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11:52, 9 August, 2019

YEREVAN, AUGUST 9, ARMENPRESS. The next session of the Eurasian Economic Union’s Inter-Governmental Council will take place in Moscow, Russia on October 25, Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev has announced, according to RIA Novosti.

“We’ve agreed to hold the next session on October 25 in Moscow. It will take place together with another important event, the CIS Head of Government Council session,” Medvedev said in his speech at the ongoing Eurasian Economic Union’s Inter-Governmental Council session in Kyrgyzstan.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan.

Why are Karabakh Armenians restoring a mosque?

Varazdat Torgomian
JAM News
Aug 10 2019
JamNews
Tatia nikoladze

The project involves Armenia, the Karabakh authorities, an Iranian charity and a Kazakh oligarch

Albert Voskanyan, Stepanakert

The restoration of the Govhar Agha mosque in the Karabakh city of Shushi is raising questions among locals: why a mosque when there are no Muslims left to pray?

The mosque suffered heavily during the Karabakh war in 1992-1994, and its restoration was to attract not just the attention but the excitement of locals as well, given that it’s not everyday a mosque gets rebuilt in the area.

Govhar Agha mosque in the city of Shushi / Shusha in Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: Albert Voskanyan, JAMnews

The Gohvhar Agha mosque has long not had a flock – and the issue isn’t that the mosque has been destroyed for 25 years, but rather that there will be nobody to pray here once it is finished. 

Before the military phase of the Karabakh conflict in the 1990s, the majority of the population of Shushi were Azerbaijanis. But they left their homes during the war, and now the area is exclusively settled by Armenian Christians. 

The question locals are asking is: why is the mosque being restored, especially when residential buildings and commercial areas are needed? 

“For us it is a matter of preserving the historical and cultural heritage, regardless of religious or cultural affiliation ,” said Arman Grigoryan, head of the cultural monuments department of the Ministry of Culture and Sports of Nagorno-Karabakh told JAMnews.

The Armenian-funded Eastern Historical Heritage Foundation is responsible for the restoration work, but the work itself is being carried out in close cooperation with Iranian specialists with the support of ICOMOS-Armenia and ICOMOS-Iran.

Locals consider the mosque to be of Iranian heritage, and this is precisely why they explain Iran’s active participation in financing the restoration work.  

But the financing of the project comes from another completely unexpected source.

Repair work in the Govhar Agha mosque in the city of Shushi, Nagorno-Karabakh. Photo: Albert Voskanyan, JAMnews

Initially, the IDeA Foundation, the government of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Armenian Revival of Oriental Historical Heritage Foundation launched a joint mosque restoration program.

Later, in January 2018, it was announced that Kazakh businessman Kairat Boranbayev was the main donor. 

On Forbes list of 50 richest businessmen in Kazakhstan, Boranbayev ranks 13. He owns the McDonald’s network in Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Russia, and has close family ties with Nursultan Nazarbayev, the former president of Kazakhstan and now informal leader. 

Azerbaijani IDPs from from the city of Shusha [ed. Azerbaijani spelling of the town] recall in a conversation with JAMnews their past and the Govhar Agha mosque.

Govhar Agha is also known as the Upper Mosque, given that it is located on the higher planes of the town. 

Ashot Harutyunyan, a native of Shushi and head of the local history museum, said that there were 12 madrassas in Shushi. Now they are all in a dilapidated state.

“The Upper Mosque in Shushi was rebuilt in 1883 by order of Govhari Beyim-Agha, the granddaughter of Panah Ali Khan, the founder of the city of Shushi. The mosque was restored by the architect Karbala Sefihan of Karabakh.

Govhar Agha was built in a style typical of the Karabakh region, with a two story gallery nestled between two stone columns.

On the main facade of the mosque, inscriptions are preserved and are now being restored – surahs from the Qu’ran in Arabic.

The mosque was converted into a historical museum during the Soviet era, but before the start of the war had been newly restored.

Shushi, located on the trade route between the Russian Empire and Iran, was the capital of the Karabakh Khanate, and was one of the most developed cities in the South Caucasus during the 19th century. 

For some time, the mixed Azeri and Armenian population lived in peace. However, at the beginning of the 20th century relations between them deteriorated. In 1920, Armenians were forced to flee after a series of pogroms which left many dead.

Azerbaijanis became the new majority in the city.  

However, following the violent suppression of riots against Sovietization, the Azerbaijani population was forced to flee to Iran and the regions of Lower Karabakh.

The Armenian population began to return, but this again did not last.

 In 1923, Nagorno-Karabakh was established as an Autonomous Region of Azerbaijan by the Soviet Union. Azerbaijanis again became the majority of the region. 

In the 1960s and 70s, Soviet micro districts were built over the historic Armenian quarters.  Slowly, Azerbaijanis from other regions of Karabakh occupied this new housing – but not of their own free will.

In a 2002 interview with Echo newspaper, then president of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev, is quoted as saying, “there was no work force in Stepanakert itself [in the 1960s and 80s]. Azerbaijanis were sent there from places surrounding the region. With these and other measures, I tried to have more Azerbaijanis in Nagorno-Karabakh, and the number of Armenians reduced.”

As a result of these measures, the Azerbaijani population in Sushi grew to 85 percent (1979 census of the USSR).

During Soviet times, the city was divided into Armenian and Azerbaijani districts, with schools operating in Azerbaijani, Armenian and Russian.

Representation in government was also balanced. As a rule, the first secretary of the district committee of the Communist Party (the main local authority) was Azerbaijani, and his deputy was Armenian. The same went for the police force. 

During the 1991 – 1994 Armenian-Azerbaijani armed confrontation the city of Shushi became especially significant. The city is located at an altitude and from there it was possible to shell the capital, Stepanakert, and nearby Armenian villages. 

On May 8, 1992, fierce battles took place outside the city. The Karabakh Self-Defense Forces won and the Azerbaijani population was forced out of the city. 

The Govhar Agha mosque was seriously damaged during these battles. Scars left by artillery shells are still visible on its walls. 

Since the ceasefire in 1994, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic exists as a de facto independent republic, not recognized by any state in the world, including Armenia. Azerbaijan considers Karabakh and its surrounding territories occupied, and demands their return.

 

Parties to the conflict regularly report contact line battles and blame each other for provocations.

 

 A survey among residents of Shushi regarding the decision to restore a mosque

Opponents of restoration, characteristic comments:  

“So, in a year there the mullah will pray and convince Muslims to pray and call for the destruction of the Armenian population, as was the case in 1988-1990.”

“This is just the authorities flirting with each other, nothing more – nothing but politics. This mosque was built by those who captured this country, why bother to restore the traces left by them when our churches are dilapidated.”

“Thousands of families have no housing, but there is money to restore the mosque. They should be ashamed.”

Supporters of restoration, characteristic comments:  

“Culture should not suffer as a result of human conflict and hatred. Ignoring necessary restorations is a disregard for the cultural heritage of this country. ”

“It is very correct that it is being restored! A true manifestation of Christianity! Respect and not ruin! This is a story that cannot be thrown out, they lived there, and this mosque is part of the cultural heritage of this city. ”

“Azerbaijanis considered the mosque theirs and visited it. Now they do not live in Shushi, but this is not a reason to turn the temple into a stable, and even more so to demolish it. “

“I am against the destruction of cultural monuments, wherever they are. In Iran, our temples are being restored and guarded, why not do the same here? And what’s the problem anyway? It’s another touristic attraction for our city. ”

https://jam-news.net/why-are-karabakh-armenians-restoring-a-mosque/





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Գյումրին մեր տունն է. նախագահը իր մեկ տարվա աշխատավարձը նվիրաբերել է «Մեր Գյումրի» ծրագրին

Varazdat Torgomian
  • 30.07.2019

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  • Հայաստան

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  • arm

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  • rus

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ՀՀ նախագահ Արմեն Սարգսյանն իր մեկ տարվա աշխատավարձը` շուրջ 23 հազար ԱՄՆ դոլար, նվիրաբերել է «Հայաստան» համահայկական հիմնադրամի «Մեր Գյումրի» ծրագրին:


Այս մասին հայտնում է ՀՀ նախագահի աշխատակազմը:


«Հայաստան» համահայկական հիմնադրամի նախաձեռնությամբ աշնանը Գյումրիում կմեկնարկի սոցիալական բնակարանաշինության նոր ծրագիր։ Նախագահ Արմեն Սարգսյանն իր մեկ տարվա աշխատավարձը՝ շուրջ 23 000 ԱՄՆ դոլար՝ նվիրաբերել է «Մեր Գյումրի» ծրագրին»,- նշված է հաղորդագրությունում:


Նախագահ Արմեն Սարգսյանը կոչ է արել վերակառուցել Գյումրին:


«Գյումրին մեր տունն է, եկեք վերակառուցենք մեր տունը, կենդանություն տանք։ Սա յուրօրինակ քաղաք է, գեղեցիկ պատմություն ու լավ մարդիկ ունեցող»,- նշել է նախագահը:

Fighting with us makes no sense, since it is doomed to failure – Pashinyan

Varazdat Torgomian
ARKA, Armenia

YEREVAN, July 22. /ARKA/. Armenia needs such an army, such a state and society that can ensure an unconditional victory to it, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Monday as he attended the military educational institutions’ 2018-2019 academic year graduation ceremony at the Defense Ministry headquarters.

The premier congratulated the students on graduating from military educational institutions and being awarded the rank of officer, the press office of the government reports.

Nikol Pashinyan handed out graduation certificates to a group of students.

“We need such an army, such a state and society that can make the potential adversaries realize that fighting with us makes no sense, since any war waged against us is doomed to failure as it will lead to the unconditional victory of the Republic of Armenia, its people and its armed forces,” he is quoted by the government’s press office as saying at the ceremony.

Stressing that Armenia is a pacifist state, the premier said that its armed forces are the main guarantors of peace.

“The Chinese military strategy believes that talented generals win without a war, and we need such peace,” he said. “And all of us, irrespective of our uniform, are dedicated to these victories, and each of us, from the National Assembly and to the House of the Government, should serve this noble mission. We all wear the epaulettes of our people, our history, our ancestors, our descendants. Long live those who wear these epaulettes with dignity.”  -0—

Sanitek International files lawsuit against Yerevan municipality

Varazdat Torgomian
ARKA, Armenia
July 3 2019

YEREVAN, July 3. /ARKA/. Sanitek International has filed a lawsuit against the Yerevan Municipality, according to DataLex. am, a website that posts judicial information.

The company seeks 24.7 million drams (about $51,784) in damages. The judge that will hear the case is Ruben Nersisyan. No other details are reported.

For several months, residents of Yerevan have been complaining over the failure of Sanitek’s Armenian division to collect garbage throughout the city.

Earlier, Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan publicly expressed displeasure at the work of the Sanitek company, stressing that Yerevan residents will no longer tolerate its ineffective work.

In the spring of this year, Sanitek was twice fined for failing to fulfill its contractual obligations in the amount of 13 million drams (more than $26,800) and 26 million drams ($54,100). 

Sanitek Armenia, the branch of Sanitek International Group –a multinational waste management company headquartered in Lebanon, was chosen by the Yerevan Municipality to handle sanitary cleaning and waste recycling of the capital city and until recently it was as a monopolist in this business.- 0-


Is Kim Kardashian Proud of her Armenian Heritage?

Varazdat Torgomian
The Cheat Sheet


Suse Forrest | More Articles

As you may be well aware of, to the Kardashians, their family is everything to them. They attend events together, have parties together, pray together, and even star in reality shows together. They are definitely a close-knit family that values each other and are proud to be in one another’s lives. 

Although the Kardashians are living the life of luxury now, it was actually Robert Kardashian Sr.’s side of the family that helped them get to where they are today. So, what does Kim Kardashian think about her Armenian side of the family? Is she proud of her Armenian heritage? Here is what we know about the history of Kim’s family and what it means to her.

The Kardashians: From Armenia to America

The story of how the Kardashian family ended up in America is actually very interesting. Robert Kardashian Sr.’s paternal great-grandparents fled Karakale, Armenia with their son in the early 1900s because an illiterate 11-year-old boy wrote out a prophecy in great detail that depicted war and death for many Armenians in the near future.

After they got to America, their son married a woman and had a son named Arthur Kardashian (Robert Sr.’s father).

On the other side of Armenia, in a town called Erzurum, Robert Kardashian Sr.’s maternal great-grandparents had heard about the same prophecy and also decided to take their child to go live in America as well. Once they were in America, their daughter got married and had a daughter named Helen Arakelian (Robert Sr.’s mother).

Shortly after both families left Armenia, the first World War took place, followed by what is now considered the “Armenian Genocide,” where roughly 1.5 million Armenians lost their life. So, the prophecy was in fact correct.

Thanks to both sides of Robert Sr.’s family (who both moved to California), his parents were able to meet and eventually get married and thus the Kardashian family line was able to continue on.

Is Kim Kardashian proud of her Armenian heritage?

Kim is proud of her ancestors’ courage and strength that they had shown when they moved to a completely foreign country at the thought of something bad happening in the future. That shows that for generations now, her family has not taken any chances when it comes to the safety of everyone. 

Kim is not only proud of her family, but she is also extremely proud to be an Armenian. The Armenian people, in general, are a group of strong-willed people who stand up for their beliefs and convictions.

Kim is very happy that she can include herself as part of that group. That is why she uses her celebrity status to help give a voice to the hundreds of thousands of Armenians who lost their lives at the hands of the Turkish government in World War I.

During World War I, the Turks were reportedly trying to get rid of all of the Armenian people. Their alleged eagerness to “purge” as many Armenians from this world as they could is the reason why over 1.5 million Armenians lost their lives during the first World War. This is the reason why it is referred to as the “Armenian Genocide.”

However, the Turkish government refuses to acknowledge that this ever happened, and instead say that so many Armenians lost their life due to the fact that it is just an unfortunate part of the war. But they insist that they had nothing to do with it.

Kim Kardashian definitely believes that the fact that so many Armenians lost their life was due to genocide and she often uses her social media presence to bring awareness to the atrocities that happened to her people back in 1915. She is even a huge supporter of the movie The Promise which is based on real events that happened to the Armenians in the early 20th century.

In 2015, Kim, Khloé, and two of Kim’s cousins all took a trip to Armenia in 2015 to see where their family came from. Kim also brought along Kanye and their daughter North. Kim and her family stopped at several historic spots in Armenia, including the Armenia Genocide Memorial in Yerevan.

Although she no longer has any family that lives in the country, she was able to meet several local people that did know her family back when they lived in Armenia.

“The neighbors were like, Oh, the Kardashians! We remember them!” Kim told the Los Angeles Times when talking about the people she met on her trip. “They were told the Kardashians worked in these string-cheese farms and had two horses and carriages, which they said is the equivalent of two private jets today.

With such a rich and interesting history, it is no wonder why Kim is proud to be a part of the Kardashian family.



Vahe Grigoryan passes confirmation vote to become Constitutional Court Judge

Varazdat Torgomian

Vahe Grigoryan passes confirmation vote to become Constitutional Court Judge

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16:36,

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. Vahe Grigoryan has passed a confirmation hearing in parliament and was installed as Constitutional Court Judge with 99 votes in favor. 22 lawmakers voted against. 122 MPs in the 132-seat parliament took part in the vote.

This was the second confirmation hearing of Grigoryan for the position.

Back in October 2018, when the parliament was dominated by the then-ruling Republican party, Grigoryan’s candidacy was voted down. Then, already during the incumbent parliament’s tenure, two other candidates for the post were voted down until Grigoryan was once again nominated.

The power to nominate a candidate for this position is vested in President of Armenia Armen Sarkissian.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Officials, staff of Armenian judicial system resign en masse

Varazdat Torgomian
JAM News
JAMnews, Yerevan
Artur Xachatryan

The prime minister recently demanded that judges who cannot remain objective and who know they should not be in their position should resign

A series of large-scale resignations in the judicial system has begun in Armenia.

On June 14, two members of the Supreme Judicial Council, Sergey Megryan and Armen Bektashyan,  submitted their resignation.  The Supreme Judicial Council is composed of ten members, six of whom have already abandoned their seats.

Other representatives of the judicial system have also resigned.  On June 7, Justice Minister Artak Zeynalyan himself resigned.

The series of resignations began after the statement of the Prime Minister of Armenia on the need for reforms in the judicial system.

“The people perceive the judiciary as a remnant of the former corrupt system, where conspiracies against people were constantly developed and carried out…Obviously, the public does not trust the court decisions. And I say this not only as the prime minister, but also as a representative of the Armenian people, who has the right to speak on its behalf…” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan has promised that the government will pursue the creation of a more effective and impartial judicial system, noting that constitutional changes and a referendum may be necessary.

Pashinyan outlined steps for further actions to improve the country’s judicial system and to get rid of the traditional ‘puppet’ system:

  • all judges, without exception, must pass a vetting, that is, a reliability check
  • all judges who have made decisions with violations recognized by the European Court of Human Rights must resign or be dismissed as must judges who themselves realize that they cannot be objective

A week after this statement, the head of the Supreme Judicial Council, Gagik Harutyunyan, first resigned.

He had held this post since March 5, 2018, and since 1996 had been the chairman of the Constitutional Court of Armenia.

After Gagik Harutyunyan’s resignation, Gevorg Danielyan, acting head of the Supreme Judicial Council, resigned as well.

He was followed by a member of the Supreme Judicial Council Armen Khachatryan.

The closing link was the resignation of Sergei Megryan and Armen Bektashyan.

Iskra Kirov, Senior Researcher at the Open Society Foundation of the European Policy, says:

“Armenia really needs fundamental changes. The previous government fully controlled the composition of the courts. The notorious judicial system served the interests of the authorities to preserve this very power.

“The Prime Minister of Armenia and his government should clearly show to its international partners and their people that they are serious about the issue of judicial and legal changes and are determined to reform the right way.”

European specialists have expressed readiness to help in the reformation of Armenia’s judicial system, which has been explicitly welcomed by PM Pashinyan.

https://jam-news.net/officials-staff-of-armenian-judicial-system-resign-en-masse/




Vanetsyan warns: NSS knows everything

Varazdat Torgomian
Arminfo, Armenia
Tatevik Shahunyan

ArmInfo. There is a small group of people who are targeting the NSS.  This was stated by the Director of the National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan in an interview with Shant TV.

"These people just have to take into account the fact that the National Security Service, on the basis of its authority, immediately learns about their secret meetings and goals. Yes, we do not advertise it, but we know everything, we also know by whom these actions are directed, "he said.

Vanetsyan stressed that this a small group of people, who target the National Security Service, because for some reason they don't benefit from a high rating of the Service. At the same time, the head of the NSS assured that he always perceives healthy criticism positively:  "If we make a mistake, we can apologize, but slandering the Service is unacceptable, since groups that try to weaken the NSS undermine the foundations of the state".

Armenian PM prioritizes conjunction of EAEU and Silk Road Economic Belt

Varazdat Torgomian

Armenian PM prioritizes conjunction of EAEU and Silk Road Economic Belt

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16:58, 7 June, 2019

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan highlights the institutionalization of access to global economic centers for Armenia, the correspondent of ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan said during his speech at St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. “For countries like Armenia the institutionalization of access to global economic centers is very important. This is first of all about our cooperation with Russia and membership to the Eurasian Economic Union. We are ready for future improvement of our strategic partnership with Russia and maximally raising the effectiveness of our membership to the EAEU. For achieving that goal we will make al efforts to improve the cooperation mechanisms between the members of our union and maximally deepening the integration. This applies equally to our CSTO membership”, Pashinyan said.

Nikol Pashinyan emphasized that Armenia is interested in expanding the external economic relations of the EAEU. “In this context China has a special importance. I am glad to note that during the recent period we have recorded high level of dynamics and development of relations with that country, which is one of the key actors of the global economy. As an EAEU member state we highlight the creation of institutional cooperation with different integration unions and initiatives. I prioritize the implementation of the idea of conjunction of EAEU and Silk Road Economic Belt, it’s totally rational and reasonable”, the Armenian PM said.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan