Category: 2017

Serzh Sargsyan visits Armenia’s border military unit on December 31

Jirair Kafian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 31 2017
Serzh Sargsyan visits Armenia’s border military unit on December 31 Serzh Sargsyan visits Armenia’s border military unit on December 31

22:32, 31.12.2017

Armenian President, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Serzh Sargsyan and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II visited on December 31 a military unit stationed on the state border, presidential press service reported.

The president met with soldiers and commanders serving in Armenia’s Tavush region, got acquainted with the course of service, and the conditions of the soldiers.

The President congratulated all servicemen of the Armenian army on the upcoming New Year and Christmas holidays, expressed good wishes and thanked them for their self-sacrificing service.

More photos at

Karabakh President: Powerful and capable army is the most important guarantee of security our republic

Ophelia Vardapetian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 31 2017
Karabakh President: Powerful and capable army is the most important guarantee of security our republic Karabakh President: Powerful and capable army is the most important guarantee of security our republic

23:01, 31.12.2017

The powerful and capable army is the most important guarantee of the security and natural development of our republic and people. No effort would be spared furthermore to hold at the highest level the combat capability of the armed forces, to ship the army with advanced military hardware, Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan said in his New Year message.

“Dear compatriots, 

Time has come to bid farewell to the year of 2017 and welcome the new year of 2018. 

The expiring year has been eventful, rich in different developments and achievements. 

The Artsakh Republic new Constitution was adopted by the nationwide referendum in 2017. Reforms aimed at rendering the governance more efficient, further strengthening democratic institutions and the protection of human rights and freedoms have been undertaken in the country. 

New educational institutions, medical centers, apartment buildings, various infrastructures have been built in our country. The strategically important Vardenis-Martakert highway, one of the major arteries connecting Artsakh to Mother Armenia and the outer world, was put into operation after the solemn opening ceremony. 

We have registered accomplishments in numerous other fields too. Yet, a great deal of work remains to be done. 

In the coming year we envisage the implementation of diverse projects in almost all sectors of the economy directed to boost the well-being of our people and improve their social conditions on a continuous basis. 

Of course, we will continue keeping on the spotlight the defense and army building spheres. The powerful and capable army is the most important guarantee of the security and natural development of our republic and people. No effort would be spared furthermore to hold at the highest level the combat capability of the armed forces, to ship the army with advanced military hardware.

In 2018 we are going to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Artsakh Movement, the centennials of the First Armenian Republic formation and the 1918 May heroic battles. We are not only obliged to mark those days and keep the memory of all the heroes, but also follow the precepts of our devotees, reinforce and develop our independent and free country for the sake of which the most committed sons of the

Armenian nation sacrificed their lives. 

Eternal glory and honor to all the martyrs!  

Dear friends, 

At this very moment all of us have warm and cherished desires. Quite naturally, first and foremost, we wish peace, health and happiness to our children, families and friends, safety and well-being for the elder.

I would like to extend my congratulations to all the brave sons from generals to privates who are safeguarding the country’s borders. May they courageously and safely fulfill their obligations of defending the Fatherland! 

I congratulate the entire Armenian nation, all our compatriots in Artsakh, Mother Armenia and the Diaspora. I wish everybody robust health, success and all the best. 

Let the coming 2018 be a year of new achievements and victories for our country, our people, every single family and citizen of Artsakh! 

Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!” Bako Sahakyan noted.

Armenian analyst: Polarization of Turkish society still continues

Toneyan Mark
News.am, Armenia
Dec 31 2017
Armenian analyst: Polarization of Turkish society still continues Armenian analyst: Polarization of Turkish society still continues

15:05, 31.12.2017
                  

YEREVAN. – A number of important events took place in Turkey last year, from which it’s worthy to mention the referendum on constitutional changes in April and persecutions against the Gulen supporters, political analyst Vahram Ter-Matevosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

He believes the opposition in Turkey remains paralyzed.

“Though Erdogan succeeded in reaching his goal, and a part of society voted for the proposed constitutional amendments, still it was clear that it could hardly be called a victory. The slight difference between the for and against votes, the open dissatisfaction of a large part of society and the fraud that Erdogan and his team made in the election campaign showed that the split and polarization of the Turkish society continues”, the expert said.

He noted that during the months following the referendum, Erdogan’s step by step authoritarian manifestations became more obvious.

“As a result, the mechanisms of mutual counterweight between different branches of authority in Turkey became more formal, almost completely accommodated to Erdogan's will. Opposition continues to be paralyzed. The two co-chairs, nine deputies and 80 mayors of the Pro-Kurdish Democratic Party, continue to be in prison, and the propositions of the largest oppositional Republican People's Party do not go beyond speeches and marches. The new opposition force formed in the past year, the Good party, although started its path quite promising, but still, didn’t come out with any memorable steps”, Ter-Matevosyan said.

He noted that the next issue of domestic political processes in Turkey was extension of the emergency regime and its endless series of trials, imprisonments, detentions, arrests and dismissals.

“Since July 2016, a total of 148,000 government officials, teachers, professors, civil servants and scientists have been dismissed based on a series of government decisions concerning the ongoing struggle against the Gulen supporters, the Kurdish Workers' Party, and the Islamic State. About 3,000 schools, dormitories and universities have been closed, and about 6,000 scholars and researchers have been dismissed. 187 media agencies were closed in 18 months and 308 journalists were arrested. It's no coincidence that as in previous years, Turkey continues to be the largest prisoner of journalists.”

“This resulted in an atmosphere of fear and mutual suspicion. Journalists, analysts and researchers living in Turkey, who somehow expressed their position on important domestic political issues a few years ago, avoided voicing criticism against the government over the past 2-3 years”.

What’s the big deal over Jerusalem?

Kanayan Tamar
The Gleamer, Jamaica
Dec 31 2017
What's the big deal over Jerusalem?

AP
A Palestinian protester tries to throw a gas canister shot by Israeli soldiers during a demonstration in the West Bank city of Bethlehem, recently.

Yet again, faced with threats from Big Bully from the North, Jamaica chickened out, choosing obsequiousness over principle.

On Thursday, December 21, the United Nations took a firm stand against USA's aggressive, discriminatory, and unnecessary "recognition" of Jerusalem as Israel's capital. By this arrogant announcement, which flies in the face of a consistent policy pursued by Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, President Dunceton has unilaterally inflamed middle east tensions and severely set back the objective of peace in the middle east.

Why? What's so important about this Jerusalem thingy? Isn't Jerusalem currently located in Israel? What's the big deal? Ok, we need to start with a geography-history combo. Modern Israel is entirely captured land although Jews will say it's restored to its original "owners". Today's Israel sits on lands formerly the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah (give or take). Although Zionism (Jewish Movement calling for the re-establishment of a Jewish homeland in Palestine) began before the turn of the 20th century, it wasn't until 1948, after a British mandate (from the Ottermans) to rule Palestine post-World War I in order to create a Jewish National Home had been thwarted by Arab Nationalist resistance, when massive migration after World War II by dispossessed Jews ended in the declaration of Israeli Independence. Since then, Jews have been defending their newly acquired territory from Palestinians and allied Arab forces intent on expelling them.

HOSTILE CONFLICT

 

Previously, after a period of Christian control, Palestine became predominantly Muslim from about the 7th to the 11th centuries when the Crusades made it the focus of Christian-Muslim hostilities. However, from around the turn of the 14th century, it was mainly Muslim, with Arabic as the dominant language until the Ottermans and then the British took over circa early 20th century.

Before Christian control, Palestine was the home of Jews for over 1,000 years until about the 3rd century AD. Almost 2,000 years later, in 1948, Jews reclaimed and resettled Palestine and have been fighting to keep it ever since. The key point about the history of Jerusalem is that after so much variegated occupation, conquer, destruction, and rebuilding, it has become a Holy City for many different religions. During its colourful history, Jerusalem has been destroyed at least twice, besieged 23 times, attacked 52 times, and captured and recaptured 44 times. Three main religions now look to Jerusalem as a sacred city, namely Christianity, Islam, and Judaism.

Geographically, Jerusalem is divided into four quarters: Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Armenian. At their core is the Old City, characterised by a maze of narrow alleyways and historic architecture. It's surrounded by a fortress-like stone wall and is home to some of the holiest sites in the world. Christians have two quarters because the Armenians are also Christian. The Armenian quarter, the smallest of the four, is one of the oldest Armenian centres in the world.

Inside the Christian Quarter is the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, a major pilgrimage destination for millions of Christians worldwide. It's located on a site, which is central to the story of Jesus, his death, crucifixion, and resurrection. According to most Christian traditions, Jesus was crucified there, on Golgotha, or the hill of Calvary; his tomb is located inside the sepulchre; and this was also the site of his resurrection.

The Muslim Quarter is the largest of the four and contains the shrine of the Dome of Rock and the al-Aqsa Mosque on a plateau known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif, or the Noble Sanctuary. The mosque is Islam's third holiest site. Muslims believe that the Prophet Muhammad travelled here from Mecca during his night journey and prayed with the souls of all the prophets. Nearby, inside the shrine of the Dome of the Rock, is contained the foundation stone, where Muslims believe Muhammad then ascended to heaven. Muslims visit the holy site all year round, but every Friday during the holy month of Ramadan, hundreds of thousands of Muslims come to pray at the mosque.

HOLY OF HOLIES SITE

 

The Jewish Quarter is home to the Kotel, or the Western Wall, a remnant of the retaining wall of the mount on which the Holy Temple once stood. Inside the temple was the Holy of Holies, Judaism's most sacred site. Jews believe that this was the location of the foundation stone from which the world was created and where Abraham prepared to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Many Jews believe, the Dome of the Rock is the site of the Holy of Holies.

Today, the Western Wall is the closest place Jews can pray to the Holy of Holies. Every year, millions of Jewish visitors from all over the world visit the Wall to pray and connect to their heritage.

One last piece of historical fact is that West Jerusalem was captured in the 1948 Arab-Israeli war and annexed to Israel, while East Jerusalem remained in Jordan until it was captured by Israel and annexed during the 1967 six-day war. It's doesn't take a rocket scientist to see why the status of Jerusalem, in the context of recent history, is such a pivotal issue in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and why it's vital to world peace that this issue be resolved by negotiation not edict from Washington.

In 1980, the Knesset passed a Jerusalem Law referring to Jerusalem as Israel's undivided capital. All branches of the Israeli government are located in Jerusalem, including the Knesset (Israel's parliament), the residences of the Prime Minister and President, and the Supreme Court. The international community rejected the East Jerusalem annexation as illegal and treats East Jerusalem as Palestinian territory occupied by Israel. However, Israel's claim to sovereignty over West Jerusalem is on sounder footing. Until President Dingbat's recent outburst, only the Czech Republic and Vanuatu recognised Jerusalem as Israel's capital, and since the 1980s no foreign embassies have been located in Jerusalem.

 

 

So, how does the leader of a nation foreign to Israel or Palestine, but that is considered by many as the world's most powerful, rise up one day and designate Jerusalem as Israel's capital? In his anxiety to pander to the US Jewish vote, Dimwit has forgotten that the city is as holy to Muslims and Christians as it is to Jews and that Palestinians have at least an arguable claim to the city's Eastern half. Then, in the face of a UN revolt, Dumbo has the temerity to intervene extraordinarily in the business of that august body by threatening developing nations that vote for the UN Resolution in a most crass and vulgar way with the withholding of aid funds.

The Security Council's resolution simply demanded that all countries comply with pre-existing UN Security Council resolutions on Jerusalem, dating back to 1967, including requirements that the city's final status be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.

In that context, Jamaica had a simple choice. Support the resolution, which accords with settled international law and common sense, or support, out of fear, a most irresponsible undiplomatic and irrational attack on peace in the middle-east by President Dungbrain. In the end, Jamaica lapped its tail and abstained. But abstention is abdication of responsibility. Abstention stands for nothing so will fall for anything. Abstention is a cowardly response to Big Bully from the North's threatening bluster. Why have we become so weak in the knees? Don't we know that bullies are thinly disguised cowards who, when you stand up to them, shrivel up and disappear?

Local Tribalists abusing critics of Jamaica's cowardice because those critics might abstain from local elections are either obtuse or disingenuous. This isn't a JLP/PNP issue. This is an issue of Jamaica's foreign policy and ALL of our standing in the international community whether we support JLP, PNP, or neither.

Suddenly, from leading the world on the crucial issue of Apartheid despite USA and UK's reluctance to condemn, Jamaica finds itself, a mere forty years on, skulking in the shadows as Barbados, Belize, Cuba, Dominica, Guyana, Grenada, and St Vincent and the Grenadines boldly set a principled pace. Shame on us! Shame on Caricom/Latin American neighbours Antigua, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, and Panama who also weaseled out. Shame on Honduras and Guatemala who voted no!

But, is it mere cowardice? The JLP has always been aligned with USA's Republican Party to the extent that all my Labourite friends expressed extreme disappointment at Barack Obama's election as president and had nothing positive to say of his presidency throughout his eight years in office. They applauded Trump's election. So, question: Is this merely putrid pusillanimity? Or is it partisan politics? One thing it's definitely NOT, and that's plain principle!

In 2018, let's commit to putting principle before politics every time. Happy New Year to one and all!

Peace and Love.

 

   

Zartonk Daily 30.12.2017

Mary Lazarian

Սիրելի ընթերցող, 


Կցուած կրնաք գտնել «Զարթօնք»ի այսօրուայ թիւը ՝

Շնորհակալ ենք, որ ընտրած էք «Զարթօնք»
կարդալ: 


Սիրով՝

«ԶԱՐԹՕՆՔ»ի
Խմբագրութիւն



Armenia President: We will return our relatives to Armenia

Adrine Hakobian
News.am, Armenia
Dec 31 2017
Armenia President: We will return our relatives to Armenia Armenia President: We will return our relatives to Armenia

00:11, 01.01.2018
                  

YEREVAN. – Armenia will do its outmost to return our relatives who left the country, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in his traditional New Year message.

“Honorable citizens of the Republic of Armenia, Dear Compatriots, I would like to thank you before we bid farewell to 2017. I am grateful to soldiers and workers, intellectuals and businessmen of Armenia for selfless work, patriotism and patience,” President said addressing the Armenians.

“Let the faith for our people and the future of the country give us strength in the New Year. We are gathered at the table to celebrate. All of us are summing up the passing year, expressing gratitude to God. Let’s greet 2018 with positive emotions of friendship and love. 2017 was a year of consistent work and implementation of serious projects, the rate of large-scale changes has not reduced, and, it made the changes more determined. The achievements are first of all the positive results we have this year.”

“And yet we have to work much to consolidate the foundations of the Armenian statehood and society. Our ambitions are great and we will be consistent in their implementation. We will continue to safeguard the rights and interests of Artsakh. Every citizen of Armenia should feel the work of the Armenian authorities and should give us a sense of confidence. We have a wonderful country and we should be proud of being a citizen of such a country.”

“Dear Compatriots, in 2017 we elected a new National Assembly.

The political competition was hot, but the atmosphere was constructive. We avoided hostility and separation of the opposing camps. It is much more important than the percent of votes.

This is another sound trend that we have to move from the past year to a new one. From now on, mutual respect, tolerance and solidarity are the constant guidelines of Armenia’s political life. At the end of next year, we will finish our work on a new government system. It is a wonderful coincidence that we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Armenia in 2018.

We can confidently say that this date is approaching with stronger and more developed state and non-governmental organizations. Together we will return our relatives who have left Armenia. They will come because they will see a bigger area for working and expressing themselves in Armenia. The purpose of our work is to open new opportunities, to create a wider field of activity for every citizen of Armenia.”

“Dear compatriots,

In 2017, we gave impetus to the strengthening of our Armed Forces. As a result of the changes, the parents sending their child to the army should be confident that he is serving in the Armed Forces with excellent organization and exceptional discipline. Let’s wish our servicemen good service. Let’s express our gratitude to those safeguarding our peace.

Another year in the millenniums of Armenia and the history of our young independent statehood. Let the Armenian-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity continue to strengthen in 2018, let our borders be secure and our homes hospitable.

Let us lift a glass and wish peace to Armenia, warmth and strength to our families. And, let’s never forget that family is the foundation of our country. May always the atmosphere of love, happiness, care and understanding be at each home. Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!”

Azerbaijan Wrestles with Rising Iranian Influence

Varazdat Torgomian
Lobe Log
Dec 31 2017
    

by Zaur Shiriyev

Azerbaijan’s government is growing increasingly concerned about what it sees as growing Iranian manipulation of the country’s Shia Muslim believers.

Azerbaijan’s security services recently presented senior government officials with a report describing how Iran has “increased its capabilities in Azerbaijan’s regions,” one analyst close to the government told EurasiaNet.org. “Many more people are now under Iran’s influence, and this has sounded alarm bells inside the government,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In 2013, Azerbaijan relaxed restrictions, in effect an informal ban, on religious figures linked to Iran on preaching in public. This tactical embrace of Shiism was aimed at stemming the flow of Azerbaijanis joining ISIS and fighting in Syria and Iraq, a trend that Baku believed was inspired by a rise in hardline Sunni tendencies.

But now it appears the policy is having unintended consequences, resulting in what authorities believe is increased control by Iran over Shia practice in Azerbaijan. According to official data, 22 of the 150 Shia madrassas in the country are “under the control of Iran,” wrote Kenan Rovshanoglu in a recent report for the Azerbaijani news agency Turan.

Many secular Azerbaijanis have been alarmed by the increasing visibility of Shia practices in the country. During the Ashura celebrations in September in Baku, some children participated in the ritual, which involves self-flagellation. “When I saw children, who do not have a real understanding of religion, wearing hijab and attending Ashura ceremonies, I thought they are going to become kamikazes to be sent in the future to Syria,” said MP Zahid Oruc.

In response, in early October, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs of Azerbaijan proposed legislation that would prohibit children from taking part in Ashura commemorations and similar religious rituals. The legislation has not yet been voted on.

Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, appeared to publicly criticize the proposed law during a November meeting with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev in Tehran. “We should appreciate this great opportunity and the glorious mourning ceremonies of the Shiites in Azerbaijan, because they will strengthen the identity of Azerbaijan’s nation and country,” Khamenei said.

Azerbaijan, however, has been wary of publicly calling out Tehran. The two countries have had uneasy relations since Azerbaijan gained independence in 1991, as Baku fears Iran’s religious influence and Tehran is concerned about Azerbaijan’s potential influence over the large ethnic Azeri population in northern Iran. Each also has close ties to the other’s biggest enemy: Azerbaijan with Israel, and Iran with Armenia.

Since President Hassan Rouhani’s coming to power in 2013, Iran has been forced to recalibrate its relations with Azerbaijan. Official bilateral contact has increased dramatically since then, with the two sides signing more than 20 cooperation agreements in the economic sphere.

In one project that would have been unimaginable before 2013, Azerbaijan has provided a loan to build a 100-mile stretch of a railroad in Iran, from the Azerbaijani border to the city of Rasht, part of the North-South Transport Corridor. Baku hopes that the initiative can derail plans to develop rail links between Iran and Armenia.

The government has not publicly claimed that Iran influenced the Ashura commemorations, but one official, Deputy Chairman of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organizations Gunduz Ismayilov, pointedly said that “there are some forces in Azerbaijan who seek to bring political elements into Ashura commemorations in the country.”

In early December, the government-connected website Haqqin.Az published an article accusing Iran of trying to recruit Shia pilgrims visiting the holy city of Karbala in Iraq. The article claimed that 30,000 Azerbaijanis visited Karbala for Ashura this year, an increase of 33 percent over the previous year.

The article also alleged that the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard and its associated Shiite militia, “Hasdi Shabi,” have recruited Azerbaijanis to gather intelligence and conduct anti-government propaganda against Baku. Some of the propaganda, the article claimed, was focused on Nardaran, a center of Shia conservativism in Azerbaijan.

In 2015, security services carried out a series of raids in Nardaran, arresting religious activists they accused of plotting to overthrow the government. Azerbaijan’s authorities also believed that Nardaran’s religious leaders were under Iranian influence, and that after the operation, that influence has been curbed. The Iranian propaganda, the Haqqin article said, criticized the Nardaran events as an “infringement of rights and persecution of Shias.”

Some in Baku question the government’s focus on Iran’s influence over it Shia. “It would be too easy to claim that all the people who went to Iraq for holy visits end up under Iran’s influence,” one mid-level government official told EurasiaNet.org on condition of anonymity. The official added, though, that “falling under the influences of foreign intelligence is much easier there than anywhere else.”

The official suggested that more Azerbaijanis visiting Iraq and Syria are recruited by ISIS: The number of Azerbaijanis joining ISIS has been on the rise in the last two years, and last year 151 people were stripped of their Azerbaijani citizenship for fighting in the ranks of terrorist organizations. “This is the main threat,” the official said.

Another article, by a government think tank, the Center for Strategic Studies (SAM), also appeared to speak to Baku’s concerns about Iran, this time about its relations with Armenia.

The unsigned article raised eyebrows among Baku’s foreign policy community, both for its tone – reading more like an official statement than a piece of analysis – and its language. It was published in Azerbaijani, instead of Russian and English, suggesting the topic wasn’t SAM’s usual international audience, but a message to the Iranian government via its embassy in Baku.

The piece criticized increasing contacts between Tehran and the de facto authorities of Nagorno Karabakh, whom Baku regards as a separatist regime on Azerbaijani territory. It described recent appearances of Karabakh officials in the Iranian media and the publication of two books on Karabakh. And it highlighted a November 15 conference in Iran devoted to Karabakh. “The Iranian International Studies Association, one of the founders of which is the Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarifi, has created a kind of platform for the conduct of anti-Azerbaijani propaganda by Armenian scientists,” the author wrote.

While Azerbaijani criticism of Iran-Armenia relations is not new, it appears to have reached a new level, one analyst with close links to the Azerbaijani government told EurasiaNet.org, speaking on condition of anonymity. Baku is unsure why Tehran is emphasizing ties with the de facto Karabakh authorities, and fears that it will serve to legitimize them in Iran and create sympathy for them, which Baku regards as a threat to its interests, the analyst said.

Photo: Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev (C) meets with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani (L) and Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in March 2017

Zaur Shiriyev is an Academy Associate at the Royal Institute of International Affairs (Chatham House). Republished, with permission, from .

http://lobelog.com/azerbaijan-wrestles-with-rising-iranian-influence/

Three Iranian films to vie at PS filmfest.

Emil Lazarian
Mehr news Agency, Iran
Dec 31 2017
News ID: 4187778 – Sun – 17:01
Culture

TEHRAN, Dec. 31 (MNA) – The 29th Palm Springs International Film Festival will host ‘Yeva’ and two other Iranian films.

29th Palm Springs International Film Festival will host ‘Yeva’ in the special awards season.

Palm Springs Film Festival, which usually screens a selection of films introduced to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to vie at the best foreign language film section, has chosen ‘Yeva’ directed by Anahid Abad as the representative of Armenia.

‘Yeva’ tells the story of a woman suspected of murder who flees to an Armenian village with her young daughter. This film which is a co-production between Armenia and Iran has so far vied at Montreal World Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival and Asian World Film Festival and has received audience award from Pomegranate Film Festival.

‘Beyond the Clouds’ by Majid Majidi and ‘No Date, No Sign’ by Vahid Jalilvand are the other two Iranian films vying at 2018 PS Film Festival.

2018 Palm Springs Film Festival is slated for January 2-15 in the US.

How one Azerbaijani man saved million Pakistanis

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
Vestnik Kavkaza [Azeri funded news outlet]
Dec 31 2017
31 Dec in 9:00 By Vestnik Kavkaza

Famous millionaire and philanthropist of the Russian Empire Hajji Zeynalabdin Taghi oglu Taghiyev helped a lot of people during his long life. At the beginning of the last century Baku shipyards, oil plants, first horse-railway, fire station, Baku water pipeline, first banks, first cotton mill, schools, mosques, hospitals, theaters were opened and developed thanks to the money of one of the most generous Baku millionaire industrialists. He paid for education of future specialists, oil workers, lawyers and doctors in the most prestigious foreign educational institutions. Polytechnic institute was opened in Baku thanks to him.

Moreover, Taghiyev's charity work went beyond the borders of the Russian Empire. Pakistan is an example of this Today it's the sixth most populous country in the world. It has the second largest Muslim population after Indonesia.

In the 19th century, the territory of modern Pakistan was occupied by British troops. It became a part of British India. At the beginning of the 20th century, when independence movement was on the rise, a pandemic of plague broke out. Experts say that there are two clinical varieties of plague – bubonic and pneumonic. A flea bite may cause the first one, while the second one is a severe version of bubonic plague. The worst thing is that pneumonic plague spreads like a flu and has 100% mortality rate. Over 100 thousand people died from the rapidly spreading deadly disease. It was possible to defeat this disease only by vaccinating those who had not yet fallen ill. And that' when Hajji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev bought and sent over 300 thousand ampoules of vaccine to Pakistan, which played a major role in the victory over this deadly disease.

In 1947, after Pakistan gained independence, this story became a part of textbooks and since then Pakistani people consider Azerbaijan a brotherly state and fully support Baku's position on the Karabakh settlement. It's interesting that Pakistan is the only state in the world that doesn't recognize the Republic of Armenia because of its position in the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

During his tenure as Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif visited Azerbaijan and said: "Baku, which is also called the City of Winds, reminds many Pakistanis of their homeland. Multani Caravanserai, located in the center of Baku, is an evidence of the historical connection between our peoples. It's named Multani in honor of the city of Multan. It's a very beautiful place, for thousands years main trade routes passed through it. We must continue these traditions."

How Augmented Reality Is Helping Raise Awareness About One of Armenia’s Most Endangered Species

Elizabeth Jabejian
The Smithsonian Magazine
Dec 31 2017

<img src=”“https://thumbs-prod.si-cdn.com/ePfuSteTw7pgT0BHhq5fZcCREaA=/800×600/filters:no_upscale()/https://public-media.smithsonianmag.com/filer/1c/1b/1c1be224-6926-4275-bdff-65b40bcd5c25/19025215_1366527680095831_6775332096175927222_o.jpg” alt=“Leopard” itemprop=“image”>

(Argishti Mkrtchyan)
By Laura Kiniry
smithsonian.com
December 29, 2017
354620377

In the early summer of 2017, visitors to Yerevan Botanical Garden in Armenia’s capital were likely to come across an unusual sight: one of the country’s last remaining Caucasian leopards, patiently awaiting guests on his outdoor perch. Often he’d sit, occasionally he’d pace, and once in a while he’d roar. Despite the animal’s sharp teeth and fearsome claws, people stopped to pose with him, pat his back and even challenge him to a game of chess.

Yerevan’s ‘urban wildcat’ was actually a part of an environmental campaign called “Take a Photo with the Leopard,” a collaboration between the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)’s Armenia and ARLOOPA, a Yerevan-based augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) app and game development company. Although the original AR markers—in which people could pose beside a life-size virtual leopard—have since been removed, anyone can still download a free pocket-size version and snaps pics with the animal wherever they go.

Caucasian leopards are the world’s largest leopard subspecies by size, and one of the most endangered. Once common in the mountainous regions of the Caucasus, habitat loss and hunting decimated populations. During the Soviet era, the government considered them a threat to farms and livestock, offering a reward of 70 RUB per head for their removal. Today, less than 1,300 individuals are estimated to inhabit a territory stretching across Iran, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, Azerbaijan and Georgia. Fewer than a dozen remain in Armenia. 

“The Caucasian leopard is an extremely cautious animal, and also one that’s verging on extinction,” says Arsen Gasparyan, WWF-Armenia’s National Coordinator of the Conservation of Leopard in the Southern Caucasus project, “so seeing one in the wild is rare. We wanted to increase public awareness about this threatened species [in a new and inventive way].”

WWF-Armenia first began discussing the idea for a campaign integrating AR technology back in February 2017, commissioning ARLOOPA soon after to bring it to life. “We are known in Armenia as digital magicians,” says Arman Atoyan, ARLOOPA’s Co-Founder and CEO, “because of our use of cutting-edge tech.” After a few brainstorming sessions together they came up with the idea to have a life-size, computer generated leopard accessible in different spots throughout Yerevan. 

In addition the botanical garden, AR markers were placed at other heavily foot-trafficked spots throughout Yerevan, including Yerevan City Center, Tumo Park, the Hilton Doubletree hotel and outside the vegan-friendly Green Bean coffee shop. After downloading the ARLOOPA app onto their smart phones, users could scan the marker and a virtual 3D leopard would appear on their respective screens. The campaign also asked participants to post their results on Facebook, along with a conservation message or interesting details about the animal, in order to be entered into a juried contest. The user who shared the most creative and informative post, as judged by a panel including members of Armenia’s Ministry of Nature Protection, ARLOOPA, WWF-Armenia, local journalists and comedians, received a brand new mountain bike.

This app is one of a small, but growing number of augmented reality experiences that conservation groups are hoping will grab the public’s attention, increasing awareness for issues threatening species’ survival. National Geographic launched a series of installations in shopping malls around the world that brought rhinos to life (among other creatures), and just this month the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), working with app developers Neo-Pangea and Element X, released a new app that allows visitors to interact with the world’s fastest land animal. (Just don’t get too close or the cheetah will growl.)

For WWF-Armenia, the results of the “Take a Photo with the Leopard” campaign were significant. The campaign reached more than 100,000 people worldwide and generated more than 20,000 scans—results that Gasparyan was extremely happy with, “not only because of the high numbers,” he says, “but also because we received very positive feedback over a wide age range. It was one of the most successful awareness raising campaigns WWF-Aremenia has carried out.” 

WWF-Armenia first launched its overall Caucasian leopard conservation project in 2002 to help raise awareness for and protect the handful of individual leopards still remaining in southern Armenia. The Caucasian leopard is considered an “umbrella species” by conservationists, meaning that projection of the leopard indirectly also protects the health of the many other species that live in the Caucasus eco-region, including bezoar goats and mouflon, a type of wild sheep.

Together with other conservation groups, WWF-Armenia has helped to strengthen management of the leopard’s existing known habits, such as Khosrov Forest—with its dense trees and deep canyons—and establish new protected areas, including Zangezur Sanctuary and Arevik National Park. They also launched an initiative establishing a network of leopard caretakers in five communities adjacent to leopard habitats, such as Syunik Province’s Vorotan Canyon. “The caretakers are people from these communities,” says Gasparyan, “that make regular visits to the adjacent areas, performing research, observing, installing and gathering data from trap cameras, etc.” The project hopes to expand participation through another mobile app, currently in development, that will allow rangers, environmental inspectors, community members and even visiting hikers to anonymously record and report signs of illegal logging and poaching. WWF-Armenia hopes some of the people who experienced the wildcat in virtual form might pitch in.

Encouraged by the success of the Yerevan-based campaign, the United Nations Development Programme Kyrgyzstan commissioned ARLOOPA to create an AR snow leopard for the International Snow Leopard & Ecosystems Forum held in Kyrgyzstan last August, and WWF-Adria, which works to protect biodiversity in Albania, Serbia and Croatia, commissioned a similar AR visualization of a great white shark, a species that many people don’t know inhabits the waters of the Mediterranean. Other WWF offices around the world are looking to follow suit with other threatened species ranging from brown bears to Siberian tigers.

Using this type of technology to raise conservation awareness is a relatively new approach, Gasparyan says, “and—like anything new—it’s helpful in attracting public interest.” So to keep pushing the bar forward, WWF-Armenia and ARLOOPA have come up with the next iteration: “magical” augmented reality T-shirts, each one sporting a leopard that—like its predecessor—can be brought to 3D life through your phone. These types of applications, Gasparyan says, “allow people to connect with information in an interactive way that makes the wildlife feel much more real.”

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-augmented-reality-helping-raise-awareness-about-one-armenias-most-endangered-species-1-180967670/