Author: Yeghisabet Vorskanian

Bill Calls for Naming Part of 101 Freeway for Katcho Achadjian

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
by Asbarez Staff

 

 January 27, 2022

 

in Community, Latest, News, Top Stories

The late Katcho Achadjian

A bill introduced by Republican California Assemblymember Jordan Cunningham on Wednesday seeks to name a portion of the 101 Freeway for the late lawmaker Kacho Achadjian, the San Luis Obispo Tribute reported.

Achadjian, who passed away in March, 2020 was beloved member of the California State Assembly, representing San Luis Obispo for six years, before which he was a 12-year member of the San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors.

“Katcho was my friend and mentor,” Cunningham said in a press statement Wednesday.

“He was an American success story and a true public servant who always put the Central Coast first. His legacy of energetic representation, consensus-building and public service is a model for all that seek elected office. While he will always be missed by the Central Coast community, the renaming of this segment of Highway 101 ensures that he will never be forgotten.”

“Katcho was the heart and soul of his family,” his wife, Araxie said in Cunningham’s news release Wednesday. “His love for his community was unconditional; his contributions to society were innumerable; his pride for this nation was unmatchable. … Thank you to Assemblyman Cunningham and this legislative body for honoring Katcho’s memory in such a meaningful way. We are sincerely grateful for their efforts.”

Achadjian, who grew up in Lebanon and moved to California, was a life-long member of the Homenetmen. In 2016, he and his wife, were named honorary presidents of the Navasartian Games.

In 2013, Achadjian joined the first California State delegation to Armenia and Artsakh led by the Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region, and upon his return worked with his colleagues to create the first California Armenian Legislative Caucus.

A recipient of the Mkhitar Gosh Gratitude Medal bestowed by Artsakh President Bako Sahakian, Achadjian was also honored as the ANCA-WR Legislator of the Year at its annual gala banquet in 2013.

Throughout the six years of his tenure, he generously assisted in ensuring the success of numerous ANCA-WR events, including annual Advocacy Days in Sacramento, serving as a panelist at the 2015 ANCA-WR Grassroots Conference, traveling to Los Angeles from San Luis Obispo to enthusiastically support ANCA-WR town halls and banquets, and highlighting the ANCA-WR by recognizing its chair, Nora Hovsepian, as one of 80 Women of the Year in the State Capitol in 2015.

In 2016, Achadjian ran for Congress in California’s 24th District.

FM Mirzoyan, EU delegation members discuss steps to raise level of security on Armenian- Azerbaijani border

Yeghisabet Vorskanian

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 13:03, 21 January, 2022

YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan received today the delegation of the European Union’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia Toivo Klaar and representative of the French presidency at the Council of the EU Isabelle Dumont, the foreign ministry reports.

FM Mirzoyan congratulated France on assuming the presidency of the Council of the EU, expressing confidence that it will be effective and will contribute to the establishment of security and stability in the South Caucasus. The further development of the Armenia-EU partnership was also emphasized.

The meeting also touched upon the humanitarian problems caused by the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh War. In this context the immediate repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and civilian captives, held in Azerbaijan, was emphasized.

The sides discussed also taking actions to raise the level of security and stability on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. In this respect the minister highlighted the implementation of the agreements reached by the Sochi trilateral statement and the Brussels meeting mediated by the President of the European Council. The necessity of observing the ceasefire, refusing the militaristic rhetoric by the top leadership of Azerbaijan was stressed.

The Armenian FM attached importance to the full resumption of negotiations for the lasting and comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict under the mandate of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

The ECHR recognizes the violations of Nikol Pashinyan’s rights after the 2008 elections

Yeghisabet Vorskanian

The ECHR recognizes the violations of Nikol Pashinyan's rights after the 2008 elections

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 19:36,

YEREVAN, JANUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) on January 18 issued a judgment over the case of Pashinyan v. Armenia, recognizing violations of Nikol Pashinyan's freedom, personal immunity, as well as the right to freedom of peaceful assembly in the 2008 post-election period by the Armenian authorities.

ARMENPRESS reports the decision of the European Court of Human Rights was adopted on the basis of the European Convention on Human Rights, based on the April 1, 2010 and September 9, 2010 lawsuits filed by the then opposition politician Nikol Pashinyan.

The verdict published in the ECtHR refers to the imprisonment of Nikol Pashinyan, an opposition figure and supporter of presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosyan during the February 19, 2008 presidential election in Armenia.

PM Pashinyan did not demand any material compensation from the state.

Newspaper: Who is seen in Armenia ex-President Robert Kocharyan’s team as next mayor of Yerevan?

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 28 2021
Newspaper: Who is seen in Armenia ex-President Robert Kocharyan's team as next mayor of Yerevan?
09:59, 28.12.2021

YEREVAN. – Hraparak daily of Armenia writes: Yesterday [ex-President] Robert Kocharyan announced that they will definitely run in the Yerevan mayoral elections. "We will find a candidate who will be acceptable and perceptible to the residents of Yerevan," [he said].

According to our information, on the days of expressing impeachment of [now former mayor of Yerevan] Hayk Marutyan, when there were rumors that they may go to snap elections in Yerevan, as the council of elders will not elect a new mayor, the political forces discussed the matter of new elections.

The [opposition] "Armenia" Bloc [led by Robert Kocharyan] considered the candidacy of the [former] president's youngest son, Levon Kocharyan, who was number 50 on the [aforesaid bloc’s] NA [(National Assembly)] [snap election] electoral list. L. Kocharyan told us that they did not have such a discussion, and about his candidacy he said: "As long as there are no scheduled elections, I consider it wrong and untimely to talk about all this."

However, in all probability, there will be no snap elections [in Yerevan]. The second president also spoke about it at yesterday's press conference. "I believe the authorities would have gone to the polls if they had a little confidence that they will win in Yerevan. They did not go [to the polls] because they realize that they will have a serious problem in Yerevan and they cannot apply the same model in the capital as they did in Vanadzor, Goris, or elsewhere. The capital has always been more rebellious," [Robert Kocharyan said].

Ex-PM: Armenia authorities want to leave Karabakh to Azerbaijan’s whim

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 28 2021
17:53, 28.12.2021

The Armenian authorities want to leave Karabakh to the whim of Azerbaijan. Former PM of Armenia, chairman of the Freedom Party, and political scientist Hrant Bagratyan told this to a press conference Tuesday.

According to him, the aforesaid means that Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), in fact, will not get any autonomy.

"After a while, Baku will start demanding that the laws of Azerbaijan be extended to the whole territory of Karabakh. Yes, the Russian military will stay [in Artsakh]. But after the approval of the Azerbaijani legislation, the issue of the return of refugees will be raised. The Azerbaijanis will return to Karabakh, whereas the people of Karabakh—no. Then the Azerbaijanis will start settling in Armenia, whereas they, the Armenians, will not return to Baku and Sumgait. And so, the problem will start to deepen," Bagratyan said.

At the same time, he did not rule out the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeeping contingent from Artsakh in case of a change of power in Russia.

"Turkey and Azerbaijan want to resolve the Karabakh issue as soon as possible. This is due to the fact that Russia's attention is now focused on Ukraine. Besides, Russia is in a rather distorted information area in terms of Armenia. Not only some MPs of the Russian State Duma, but also representatives of the MFA, even the press secretary of the Russian president are behaving wrongly towards Armenia," the former premier noted.

Azerbaijan releases 10 Armenian POWs

Yeghisabet Vorskanian

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 11:59, 19 December, 2021

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, ARMENPRESS. 10 Armenian prisoners of war were released by Azerbaijan and sent back to Armenia, the Foreign Ministry spokesperson Vahan Hunanyan said in a statement.

He said the repatriation was carried out at the mediation of the President of the European Council Charles Michel.

Hunanyan released the identities of the released POWs.

  1. Galstyan Hrachik A. (Date of Birth: 25․01․1990)
  2. Dilanyan Mkrtich V. (Date of Birth: 13․11․1982)
  3. Harutyunyan Gagik V. (Date of Birth: 10․11․1982)
  4. Poghosyan Radik R. (Date of Birth: 19․01․1990)
  5. Ghevondyan Andranik G. (Date of Birth: 16․11․1973)
  6. Nazaryan Artur S. (Date of Birth: 23․11․1978)
  7. Shahinyan Marat Zh. (Date of Birth: 06․01․1977)
  8. Petrosyan Sevak A. (Date of Birth: 14․11․1984)
  9. Stepanyan Karlen R. (Date of Birth: 21․01․1974)
  10. Vasilyan Hayk L. (Date of Birth: 19․10․1984)


Putin thanks Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
Vestnik Kavkaza
Dec 21 2021
 21 Dec in 16:40

Russian President Vladimir Putin thanked the Russian peacekeepers in the Karabakh region for professionalism, endurance, and persistence.

"Our peacekeepers have been assisting to maintain stability in the Karabakh region for more than a year," Putin said at an expanded meeting of the Defense Ministry on December 21.

"The humanitarian situation has been improved, the territory of a number of districts has been cleared of mines, social infrastructure has been restored, historical and cultural monuments have been preserved thanks to the efforts of our peacekeepers," he noted.

"I would like to thank the personnel performing peacekeeping tasks for professionalism, endurance, and persistence," Putin added.

Turkish press: Turkey, Azerbaijan sign deals in field of energy

Yeghisabet Vorskanian
  • December 24 2021 07:00:00

Turkey and Azerbaijan have signed five agreements in the field of energy, Turkish Energy and Natural Resources Minister Fahrettin Dönmez has said.

“When we consider our motto of ‘two states, one nation,’ our ongoing projects are running successfully,” Dönmez told reporters on Dec. 22 in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, where he attended the Turkey-Azerbaijan 1st Energy Forum.

“We can also carry this relationship to third countries, especially on energy,” he said.
The areas of the agreements were natural gas, mining, geological exploration, mineral research and electricity transmission.

Dönmez noted that there is a shortage of energy supply in Europe, especially regarding natural gas.

“In order to meet the increasing demand, we are holding some preliminary talks on increasing the existing capacity,” he said.
“These are not issues that will be solved from today to tomorrow, because there is also the production side of this. It is not enough to increase the capacity in the pipeline alone. The main thing is to work on increasing the amount of production in the Caspian.”

Power generation was also on the agenda of the talks between Turkish and Azerbaijani officials, Dönmez said.
“Azerbaijan has solid targets for renewable energy. They have a huge potential. They have determined green energy targets particularly in the Karabakh region, which has been liberated from [Armenian] occupation,” said the minister.

Caspian Sea offshore and onshore wind turbine projects are also on the table, according to Dönmez’s remarks. Representatives of Turkish companies are expected to meet with Azerbaijani officials and businesspeople on those projects in the upcoming months.

Dönmez also said that an electricity trade route could be established between the two countries through Georgia, a country that both Turkey and Azerbaijan currently has power transmission deals.

Turkey’s natural gas consumption will reach nearly 60 billion cubic meters this year, according to the Energy and Naturel Resources Ministry. No supply problems have occurred thanks to long-term contracts and extra contracts.

In recent years, Turkey paid approximately $12 billion for around 45 billion cubic meters of imported natural gas annually.

Turkey imports natural gas through pipelines from Russia, Azerbaijan and İran. It also buys liquefied natural gas (LNG) from suppliers including Qatar, Nigeria, Algeria and the United States. Nearly a third of the country’s gas needs are met with LNG supplies.

A recently discovered natural gas field in the Black Sea is set to provide nearly a third of Turkey’s domestic needs when it reaches peak production capacity by 2026. Turkey could start with the initial annual production capacity of 3.5 bcm at Sakarya Gas Field in 2023.

State-run energy company Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO) plans to drill 40 wells over four phases in the Sakarya field, which is estimated to have recoverable gas reserves of about 540 billion cubic meters.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has touted the find – the biggest ever in the Black Sea – as a boost to Turkey’s $765-billion economy.

We continued to discuss issues on our agenda – Pashinyan about private conversation with Aliyev

Yeghisabet Vorskanian

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 20:19,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, ARMENPRESS. Answering online questions from media and NGO representatives, Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan provided details of the private conversation with Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev in Brussels.

“During the private conversation, the same thing was discussed as before and after the private conversation. It's not so that Charles Michel left the room for about 20 minutes, and we said he is gone, now let's talk about what we should have talked but didn’t talk. The same conversation continued, we continued to discuss the issues on our agenda, our discussion. The dynamic and content of that conversation did not change in any way”, ARMENPRESS reports Pashinyan as saying.

Pashinyan assured that those 15 or 20 minutes or maybe half an hour of their private conversation did not differ in any way from the previous conversation.

The Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and the President of the European Council Charles Michel had a trilateral meeting in Brussels on December 14. Charles Michel left the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan alone for some time.




France welcomes the appointment of special representatives by Armenia and Turkey

Yeghisabet Vorskanian

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 20:22,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 20, ARMENPRESS. The French Foreign Ministry referred to the processes aimed at normalization of relations between Armenia and Turkey.

"We welcome the announcements of the Armenian and Turkish authorities on appointing special representatives aimed at normalizing relations between the two countries. A process that France will fully support”, ARMENPRESS reports reads the statement issued by the French Foreign Ministry.

Deputy President of the National Assembly of Armenia Ruben Rubinyan will represent Armenia, while former Ambassador of Turkey to the USA Serdar Kılıç will represent Turkey.