Monday, Armenian FM Visits Embattled Qatar . Emil Danielyan Qatar - Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani meets with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian in Doha, 18Jun2017. One month after President Serzh Sarkisian's official visit to Qatar, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has travelled to Doha and discussed with his Qatari counterpart the Gulf state's bitter dispute with other Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia. Official statements on Nalbandian's weekend talks with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani suggested that he reaffirmed Armenia's intention to continue deepening ties with Qatar. According to the Armenian Foreign Ministry, Nalbandian handed to Al-Thani a message from Sarkisian to Qatar's ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. A ministry statement said the two ministers discussed "the course of the implementation of agreements" that were reached by their leaders last month. Sarkisian and Emir Tamim reportedly agreed to give "new impetus" to bilateral cooperation when they met during the Armenian president's May 15 visit to Doha. Sarkisian used the trip to call for Qatari investments in the Armenian economy. Qatar - The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani, and Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian inspect a Qatari honor guard at a welcoming ceremony in Doha, 15May2017. The Armenian government lifted visa requirements for Qatari nationals on June 1, four days before Saudi Arabia and its allies cut diplomatic and other ties with the hydrocarbon-rich emirate, accusing it of sponsoring extremist militant groups active in the region. Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian indicated on June 8 that Yerevan will continue to seek closer links with Qatar despite the sanctions. In a short statement, the Qatari Foreign Ministry said Foreign Minister Al-Thani and Nalbandian discussed "ways of enhancing" bilateral ties as well as "the latest developments of the Gulf crisis." It said Nalbandian was briefed on "the siege imposed on the State of Qatar" by Saudi Arabia and its allies. Nalbandian was quoted by his ministry's press office as saying in that context that "all issues should be solved through dialogue." He also said that Armenia closely monitors "events in the Arab world" because of its "traditionally warm relations with Arab countries." No other details were reported. Armenia has maintained cordial relationships with some of the other Gulf monarchies, notably the United Arab Emirates, which has an embassy in Yerevan. Saudi Arabia, by contrast, has refused to not only establish diplomatic relations with Armenia but also formally recognize its independence due to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenia also has a friendly rapport with neighboring Iran, Saudi's Arabia's arch-foe that has denounced the sanctions against Qatar. Kocharian, Nalbandian's deputy, suggested that the sanctions primarily result from Qatar's continuing relationship with Iran, rather than its alleged support for Islamist terrorism. 4 Ethnic Armenians Elected To French Parliament France -- French President Emmanuel Macron casts his ballot as he votes at a polling station in Le Touquet, June 18, 2017 Four ethnic Armenians, all of them representing French President Emmanuel Macron's political party, won seats in France's new parliament elected on Sunday. According to preliminary results of the two-round elections, Macron's Republic on the Move (LREM) and its Modem allies will control at least 355 of the 577 seats in the French lower house of parliament. The recently elected centrist president will thus enjoy a commanding majority in the National Assembly. Four of the LREM deputies -- Daniele Cazarian, Nadia Essayan, Guillaume Kasbarian and Jacques Marilossian -- are French people of Armenian descent elected from constituencies in various parts of the country. A fifth French-Armenian candidate fielded by the LREM, Pascal Chamassian, was narrowly defeated by Valerie Boyer, a pro-Armenian member of the outgoing French parliament. Boyer is affiliated with the Republicans, France's leading conservative party that came in a distant second in the polls. A senior member of the Republicans, Patrick Devedjian, was the sole ethnic Armenian deputy in the outgoing National Assembly.The 72-year-old former government minister did not run for reelection this time around. France is home to an estimated 500,000 ethnic Armenians, most of them descendants of survivors of the 1915 Armenian genocide. Macron and other major candidates courted the influential community during presidential elections held in April. Macron described French-Armenian ties as "privileged" ahead of the April 23 first round of voting in the French presidential race. He made a point of visiting an Armenian genocide memorial in Paris on April 24 to mark the 102nd anniversary of the start of the mass killings and deportations. He was endorsed by leading French-Armenian organizations three days later. Macron's main challenger, far-right leader Marine Le Pen, also made pro-Armenian statements during the presidential election campaign. Le Pen paid tribute to the French Armenians and said that Nagorno-Karabakh should be "reunified with Armenia." France has long maintained a warm rapport with Armenia. Macron's three predecessors -- Francois Hollande, Nicolas Sarkozy and Jacques Chirac -- paid high-profile official visits to Yerevan while in office. The Armenian government will underline these close ties when it hosts next year a summit of La Francophonie, a grouping of over 70 mainly French-speaking nations. New Armenian Government Program Pledges Major Reforms . Artak Hambardzumian Armenia - Prime Minister Karen Karapetian (L) and Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielan (R) at a cabinet meeting in Yerevan, 19Jun2017. Prime Minister Karen Karapetian's cabinet committed itself to implementing "large-scale reforms" in Armenia in a new policy program formally approved by it on Monday. The Armenian parliament will debate the five-year plan of actions at a special session on Wednesday. The program's almost certain approval by lawmakers would amount to a vote of confidence in the government that was slightly reshuffled as a result of the April 2 parliamentary elections won by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia. Presenting the more than 100-page document to fellow cabinet members, Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielian said "large-scale reforms" are at the heart of its key aim: to ensure Armenia's "sustainable development" from 2017-2022. He said it lists concrete actions that the government plans to take in the socioeconomic, security and foreign policy areas. "I think the government program is setting quite ambitious targets," Karapetian said for his part. "We have made clear which goals we want to achieve in terms of economic growth, unemployment, the minimum wage, export volumes as well as the tax-GDP ratio." In Gabrielian's words, the program is based in large measure on economic priorities which President Serzh Sarkisian laid out in his May 18 address to the newly elected National Assembly. "In the course of 2016-2040 we must ensure an average annual GDP growth of around 5 percent," Sarkisian declared in an extensive speech. The government's previous, six-month program approved by the parliament in October promised a tougher fight against corruption, better tax administration and "equal conditions" for all businesses. It described corruption as "the biggest obstacle to the development of the state" and said "conventional approaches" can longer address Armenia's socioeconomic problems. Opposition politicians dismissed that reform agenda as a publicity stunt. Despite mapping out its wide-ranging policies for the next five years, Karapetian's cabinet will have to resign when Sarkisian completes his final presidential term and Armenia becomes a parliamentary republic in April next year. The president has yet to clarify whether he plans to become prime minister, replace Karapetian by someone else or keep the current premier in office. Mediators Warn Against `Further Escalation' In Karabakh Azerbaijan -- President Ilham Aliyev meets with OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs in Baku, 19Jun2017. International mediators on Monday called on Azerbaijan to avoid a "further escalation" of the situation around Nagorno-Karabakh following fresh deadly fighting between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces. The U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group also announced that the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents are ready to "resume political dialogue" as they completed their latest round of regional shuttle diplomacy aimed at kick-starting the Karabakh peace process. In a joint statement issued after meeting Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, they said they expressed "deep concern" over deadly truce violations along the Karabakh "line of contact" reported late last week. They said they "appealed to the leadership of Azerbaijan to avoid further escalation." "The Co-Chairs are sending the same message to the leadership of Armenia and de facto authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh," added the statement. "They encouraged the Sides to consider measures that would reduce tensions on the Line of Contact and the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan." The mediating troika met with President Serzh Sarkisian in Yerevan on June 10 before proceeding to Karabakh for similar talks with the Armenian-populated territory's leadership. On Friday evening, three Armenian soldiers died when Azerbaijani forces reportedly fired anti-tank grenades at their frontline position in eastern Karabakh. Another Armenian soldier was killed at a different frontline section on Saturday morning. Earlier on Friday, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported that one of its soldiers was shot dead by the Armenian side. It did not specify where the incident happened. Reacting to the Armenian combat deaths, the Karabakh Armenian military promised "targeted and disproportionate" retaliatory measures against the Azerbaijani side. For its part, Armenia's Foreign Ministry accused Baku of deliberately heightening tensions during the mediator's latest tour of the conflict zone. The ministry also protested against large-scale exercises which the Azerbaijani army began on Monday. The five-day drills will involve 23,000 troops and more than 100 tanks, according to the military authorities in Baku. Meeting with the mediators, Aliyev blamed the Armenians for the latest escalation. He claimed that his troops gave an "adequate response" to Friday's shooting of the Azerbaijani soldier. In their statement, the envoys -- Richard Hoagland of the United States, Russia's Igor Popov and France's Stephane Visconti -- also urged both warring sides to "re-engage in negotiations on substance, in good faith and with political will." "The Presidents expressed their intention to resume political dialogue in an attempt to find a compromise solution for the most controversial issues of the settlement," they said, adding that they will meet with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers soon to discuss "modalities of the forthcoming work." The statement did not specify whether Aliyev and Sarkisian are prepared to hold a face-to-face meeting in the coming weeks. The mediators have been pressing for such a meeting for the last several months. The two presidents most recently met in Saint Petersburg, Russia in June last year. Press Review Armenia -- Newspapers for press review illustration, Yerevan, 12Jul2016 (Saturday, June 17) "Haykakan Zhamanak" says that the annual economic growth target of 5 percent set by the Armenian government is not ambitious enough and will not lead to tangible betterment if the Armenian economy expands at such rates in the years ahead. "For developing economies a 5 percent growth rate is much more attainable than for developed economics," writes the paper.It claims that the government is not really committed to ensuring Armenia's rapid development. "Hraparak" says that unlimited loyalty to the Ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) and readiness to commit vote falsifications for the HHK are much more important criteria than competence in the choice of senior officials in the country. "But there is a line which must not be crossed even in a country like ours," writes the paper. "When a state official obviously does not correspond to their position, when there is long-running discontent with them, when they illegally get rich and become impudent in front of our eyes and neglect Armenia's citizens and their interests, they must go." "Aravot" believe that Armenian officials were wrong to react angrily to European Union Ambassador Piotr Switalski's thinly veiled criticism of Armenia's Central Election Commission (CEC). The paper argues that Switalski not only criticized but also praised the conduct of the recent elections held in the country. "Both Switalski and other Western diplomats have made similar statements in the past," it says, adding that the Armenian Foreign Ministry did not protest against Switalski's remarks. "Politicians and government officials should on the contrary continue working with the European Union," continues "Aravot." "That can give us nothing but benefits. One of the benefits is a substantial decrease in electoral violations committed inside polling stations. What should be done to reduce administrative pressure and vote buying? That is a purely political problem. Switalski was right to point to that problem." (Naira Bulghadarian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
Category: 2017
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 06/20/2017
Tuesday, EU Envoy Rejects Criticism From Armenian Government . Nane Sahakian . Astghik Bedevian Armenia - Piotr Switalski, the head of the EU Delegation in Armenia, speaks at a news conference in Yerevan, 20Jun2017. The head of the European Union mission in Armenia, Piotr Switalski, dismissed on Tuesday the Armenian authorities' angry reaction to his public criticism of the conduct of the country's recent parliamentary elections. Switalski questioned on June 15 the "credibility" of the government-controlled Central Election Commission (CEC), saying that it should be expanded to comprise civil society representatives. He also decried vote buying and other irregularities reported during the April 2 elections and suggested that the country's complicated electoral system should be revised. Justice Minister Davit Harutiunian and the ruling Republican Party (HHK) responded by accusing Switalski of meddling in Armenia's internal affairs. Switalski denied the accusations, saying that his "friendly and constructive" comments were in tune with earlier statements made by other European officials. "There are issues where we, as the European Union, not only have the right but also the duty to speak up," he told a news conference. "We do it because our Armenian partners accepted certain arrangements for our engagement." The envoy argued that proper conduct of elections is among political reforms which the Armenian authorities undertook to implement in return for financial assistance provided by the EU. "These financing agreements are not imposed," he said. "They are negotiated and agreed upon by the two sides." Early this year, the EU provided the Armenian authorities with more than $7 million for the purchase of special electronic equipment used during the parliamentary elections. In her official reaction to the vote, the EU's foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, said the voter authentication devices and web cameras installed in Armenian polling stations minimized serious fraud such as multiple voting. An April 4 statement by Mogherini's spokesperson deplored "credible information about vote-buying" and voter intimidation reported by European election observers. Still, it concluded that the official election result, which gave a landslide victory to the ruling HHK, "reflects the overall will of the Armenian people." Switalski similarly said that the EU funding led to "some improvements" in the electoral process. "We live in an interconnected world," the diplomat went on. "We must accept that there are mechanisms, conventions, treaties, working arrangements which enable others to express their views on what happens in one or another country." "We are very glad that so many ordinary Armenians understand this without my lectures or other educational efforts. And I'm not surprised because Armenians # perfectly understand that threats to [their country's] sovereignty lie somewhere else, and not in our friendly support," he stressed without elaborating. Armenia -- Armen Ashotian, a leader of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia, speaks to RFE/RL in Yerevan. Meanwhile, a senior HHK figure, Armen Ashotian, stood by the government criticism of Switalski's comments and insisted that the legislative polls were democratic. "Everyone could point to Europeans' growing skepticism towards European institutions," he told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). "But no Armenian official would allow themselves to talk about that with their European partners because they consider challenges facing European institutions an internal European affair." "I would warn against setting an artificial election agenda now because we have already written and turned that page together," he said. "So let's talk about the future and our tasks ahead, instead of revising something that is already a political reality." Ashotian, who chairs the Armenian parliament's foreign relations committee, also expressed confidence that the public spat will not undermine Yerevan's efforts to forge closer ties with the EU. The upcoming signing of a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement will raise the EU-Armenia relationship to "a new level," he said. The agreement will also demonstrate that "it's possible to build the European type of a state even in the Eurasian economic area," claimed Ashotian. Charges Against Babayan Eased . Sisak Gabrielian Armenia -- Former Karabakh Army commander Samvel Babayan speaks to RFE/RL in Yerevan, 17Oct2016 Law-enforcement authorities have somewhat reduced criminal charges levelled against Samvel Babayan, a retired army general close to an Armenian opposition alliance who was controversially arrested in March. Babayan's lawyer, Avetis Kalashian, revealed on Tuesday that he no longer stands accused of smuggling weapons into Armenia. He is only facing accusations of illegal arms "circulation" and money laundering, Kalashian told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). Kalashian did not elaborate, promising to comment on the case in detail later on. Babayan will risk up to 11 years in prison if found guilty of the revised charges. The initial criminal case against him carried up to 13 years' imprisonment. Babayan was arrested on March 21 hours after Armenia's National Security Service (NSS) claimed to have confiscated a Russian-made surface-to-air rocket system. The NSS alleged afterwards that the once powerful general, who was Nagorno-Karabakh's top military commander from 1993-1993, paid two other men to smuggle the shoulder-fired Igla systems from Georgia. The arrest came about two weeks before Armenia's parliamentary elections. Babayan was unofficially affiliated with the opposition ORO alliance led by former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian and two other opposition politicians. ORO condemned the criminal case as politically motivated. Kalashian said that his client continues to insist on his innocence. The lawyer also said that the criminal investigation into the case has been completed, meaning that Babayan will go on trial soon. The only other arrested suspect in the case is Sanasar Gabrielian, a longtime friend of Babayan's who also actively participated in the Karabakh war. He too is accused of illegal arms possession, a charge partly accepted by him. "He wanted to acquire weapons for the army by legal means," said Gabrielian's lawyer, Karapet Aghajanian. He said his client's only wrongdoing was to "deal with other individuals who did not live up to his hopes." The lawyer did not elaborate. Later in March, police in Georgia arrested an Armenian citizen wanted by the law-enforcement authorities in Yerevan as part of the same smuggling case. It emerged on Tuesday that the man identified as Robert A. has not been extradited to Armenia yet. The Office of Prosecutor-General claimed that the Georgian authorities have still not responded to an Armenian extradition demand. EU To Help Syrian Refugees In Armenia Armenia - Ethnic Armenian migrants from Syria at a meeting with Armenia's Prime Minister Karen Karapetian in Yerevan, 29Mar2017. The European Union announced on Tuesday 3 million euros ($3.3 million) in financial assistance to thousands of ethnic Armenian citizens of Syria who have taken refuge in Armenia in the last few years. The allocation is part of the EU's fresh 275 million-euro aid package for millions of Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and other countries. The European Commission said the sum set aside for Syrian Armenians living in their ancestral homeland will support them "by enhancing access to health and psychosocial services, improving housing conditions, increasing access to economic opportunities, and by facilitating the integration of schoolchildren and students." A statement by the EU's executive body gave no further details. Syria was home to an estimated 80,000 ethnic Armenians before the outbreak of the devastating civil war there five years ago. Only up to 10,000 of them reportedly remain in the war-ravaged country now. Armenia -- A Syrian Armenian family from Aleppo arrives at Yerevan airport, 25Oct2016. More than 16,000 Syrian Armenians have fled to Armenia alone. Many of them have been struggling to make ends meet in the unemployment-stricken country. Armenia's cash-strapped government has been unable to provide them with significant material assistance. Nor has it managed until now to attract large-scale assistance to the migrants from external sources. The EU funding is the biggest foreign aid allocation to them to date. Drawing on their business experience in Syria, some Syrian Armenians have opened small businesses such as restaurants and manufacturing firms in Armenia,. The Armenian government has encouraged that entrepreneurship by subsidizing business loans extended to them by local commercial banks. Dozens of firms set up by Syrian Armenians demonstrated their products and services during a German-sponsored fair held in Yerevan in May 2016. The four-day exhibition was aimed at facilitating their economic integration in Armenia. Press Review "Zhoghovurd" reports and comments on a statement which the American, Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group issued on Monday at the end of their latest tour of Armenia, Karabakh and Azerbaijan. "It is evident that the conflicting sides are not sincere in their statements on a compromise solution to the conflict," writes the paper. "Otherwise, they would not have attempted to torpedo the peace process with different methods and would have really opted for mutual concessions." The paper says that Azerbaijan is particularly disinterested in a peaceful settlement. It says this is why the mediators again effectively blamed Baku for ceasefire violations. But as "Haykakan Zhamanak" points out, the mediators stopped short of explicitly condemning Baku for the deaths of four Armenian soldiers late last week. The paper claims that the statement is a "victory for Azerbaijan." It further speculates that the mediators' claim that the Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents are ready to "resume political dialogue" amounts to pressure on Serzh Sarkisian. It suggests that the Armenia is hardly eager to meet with Ilham Aliyev in the coming weeks or even months. "Azerbaijan is really preparing for war," writes "Hraparak." "More seriously than it did before the April 2016 war, say official circles." "Aravot" reacts to a rift among the five members of Yerevan's newly elected municipal assembly representing the radical opposition Yerkir Tsirani party led by Zaruhi Postanjian. "If this party really wants to change something in the capital, it must definitely cooperate with [the opposition bloc] Yelk and the [ruling] HHK," editorializes the paper. "Or else, there will be only scandals and screams with no results whatsoever. Those who stand for such cooperation are not traitors if their agreements are public and principled." (Tigran Avetisian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org
Music: Armenian musician’s promising career at Shen Yun Performing Arts
PanArmenian, Armenia
– 16:16 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Stepan Khalatyan, a musician who resides in the U.S. and has performed at the most prestigious concert halls all over the world, has been working as a concertmaster of one of the orchestras of the five companies of the Shen Yun Performing Arts, as well as the principal second violin of the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra.
''In 2013 my friend Karen Khachatryan (trombone) told me about the Shen Yun Performing Arts in New York. It is an organization comprised of 5 companies which present Chinese art via dances and 3D animations, as well as with live performance of the orchestra throughout the world. In 2014 I took part in auditions and became the concertmaster of one of Shen Yun Performing Arts orchestras, as well as the principal second violin of the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra. This is how I found myself in the United States," violinist says.
During the last 4 years, Khalatyan has performed at the best concert halls of 37 out of 51 U.S. states: Carnegie Hall, Chicago Symphony Center, Boston Symphony Hall, John F. Kennedy Center, etc. He gave concerts at prestigious halls in Mexico, Colombia, Argentina. The orchestra has performed 77 concerts in 4,5 months.
''There are many Armenian musicians working in other orchestras of the Shen Yun Performing Arts: Karen Khachatryan (trombone), Mher Mnatsakanyan (clarinet), Ashot Dumanyan and Arsen Ketikyan (violin), Tigran Voskanyan (double bass). Last year Vardan Hakobyan (conductor, double bass) joined us. I am very proud of such Armenian present in the Chinese orchestra. I hope that together we will be able to perform for the Armenian audience," he says.
Khalatyan has been playing violin since he was 6. His father Hakob Khalatyan is playing the kamancha and is also a painter, while his mother, Anna Khalatyan, is a cellist. He studied at Alexander Spendiaryan Music School (the class of Eduard Margaryan, then the class of Armen Jenterejyan). In 2004 he entered the Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory – professor Shahen Shahinyan's class current rector of the Conservatory. He has got his master's degree here. Despite the age his professional biography is very rich. He performed at Martiros Saryan and Avetik Isahakyan House Museums as a part of a quartet. In 2006 Stepan performed (as part of the trio, quartet, quintet) with his father during a concert dedicated to the latter's 50th anniversary.
Music: President Serzh Sargsyan receives famous composer Giya Kancheli
Public Radio of Armenia
16:04, 20 Jun 2017
President Serzh Sargsyan received People’s Artist of Georgia and the USSR, composer Giya Kancheli who is in Armenia to attend the Yerevan music festival dedicated to Kancheli, scheduled for June 18-20.
Welcoming the renowned composer, the President of Armenia noted that Giya Kancheli’s art is loved and highly appreciated in Armenia, the evidence of which is the Yerevan Festival. According to the President, it is the best _expression_ of love and recognition of composer Kancheli’s musical heritage by the Armenian audience.
Serzh Sargsyan stressed that Armenia is always glad to host the well-known composer, who has made a great contribution to the strengthening of friendship between the Armenian and Georgian peoples.
In turn, Giya Kanceli noted that a considerable part of his creative activity had been associated with Armenia. Six of his seven symphonies were written at the Composers’ House in Dilijan; he has spent a lot of time in Armenia, thanks to which he has many good friends among Armenian composers. The well-known intellectual said to have kept warm memories of the meetings and contacts had with his Armenian friends and went on to emphasize that he is proud of all of them.
Noting that the Armenian-Georgian relations have reached a fairly high level now and go strengthening and deepening year after year, the interlocutors agreed in that the younger generation should be educated after the example of the representatives of the older generation, including the friendship between famous people in order to encourage and build up closer contacts in the field of culture.
Culture: “The Vision of Semiramis” one-act ballet to premiere at Yerevan Opera Theatre
Panorama, Armenia
Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after Alexander Spendiaryan on July 5 will host a jubilee concert dedicated to the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian state dance ensemble “Barekamutyun” (“Friendship”). As Panorama.am was informed from Armenia’s Ministry of Culture, “The Vision of Semiramis” one-act ballet will premiere at the concert.
During the concert, “Barekamutyun” dance ensemble will jointly perform with Royal Swedish Ballet's artists Mariko Kida and Vahe Martirosyan.
“The Vision of Semiramis” one-act choreographic performance is staged by Honoured Artist of Armenia Arsen Mehrabyan (Sweden). The cast includes Honoured Artist of the RA, Principal Dancer of Bavarian State Ballet, Tigran Mikaelyan (performing the role of Ara the Beautiful), with Anna Kalashyan performing Semiramis.
The artistic director of the dance ensemble is People's Artist of Armenia Norayr Mehrabyan.
Art: Armenian-American Artist Norik Astvatsaturov to Receive National Endowment for Arts Fellowship
Armenian Weekly
WASHINGTON (A.W.)—American-Armenian repoussé metal artist Norik Astvatsaturov will be one of nine 2017 National Heritage Fellowship recipients, who will each receive $25,000 and be honored in Washington, D.C. in September.
Norik Astvatsaturov (Photo: Inforum)
On June 19, the National Endowment for Arts (NEA) announced names of the recipients in a press statement.
“The National Endowment for the Arts is proud to honor these individuals for artistic mastery, as well as a commitment to sharing their traditions,” said NEA Chairman Jane Chu. “Our nation is a richer, more vibrant place because of these artists and the art forms they practice.”
An example of Astvatsaturov’s metal art (Photo courtesy of Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte)
Astvatsaturov was born in Baku in 1947. “I learned to carve wood and stone, using traditional designs that my father’s father would bring back after traveling to different villages via donkey cart. My father also brought stones for me to carve. Traditional art was always around me,” Astvasaturov explained in a 2010 teacher’s guide to his art, published by the North Dakota Council on the Arts in 2010. “Then when I was about 10 years old, I learned metal repoussé from an old Armenian artisan in Baku named Goga. He taught me all the old techniques: how to work both sides of the metal to create depth, volume and detail using nothing but a hammer and nail punch: how to read different kinds of metal-gold, silver, bronze, copper, how to polish and affect the color with just sand and water. Everything is done by hand.”
Another example of Astvatsaturov’s metal art (Photo courtesy of Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte)
Astvatsaturov and his family escaped the atrocities taking place against the Armenians in Azerbaijan in the late 1980s. They found refuge in Armenia and later the United States.
“We were given the green light to come to the U.S. two and a half years after becoming refugees, when my father was 44 and my mother 38. Throughout these events that shaped us, I was a quiet and shell-shocked girl who watched them with a curious eye. I was privy to the details of what happened, but it is hard to understand just how we got to where we are today,” recounted Astvatsaturov’s daughter, Armenian-American writer, lecturer, activist, and politician Anna Astvatsaturian Turcotte in an Armenian Weekly article published earlier this year. “As a 38-year-old mother of two, it’s now unimaginable to me the sheer depth of the sacrifices and suffering her and my father accepted for the well-being of their children. It is also impossible to imagine the amount of strength it took them not only to make it out alive through the atrocities of Baku, but the ingenuity to survive in Yerevan as refugees along with the drive to succeed and propel their children and grandchildren forward in U.S.”
Norik and Irina Astvatsaturov
Since arriving in the U.S., Astvatsaturov has worked tirelessly to teach and share his traditional art and its message with Americans and the Armenian Diaspora regionally and nationally. He has taught, given workshops, presented at folk festivals, exhibited regionally and nationally, and is a recipient of fellowships from the North Dakota Council on the Arts, the Fund for Folk Culture, and the Bush Foundation.
For a complete list of 2017 NEA National Heritage Fellowship recipients, click here.
The NEA will celebrate the 2017 National Heritage Fellows at two events this fall in Washington, D.C., both of which are free and open to the public. The NEA National Heritage Fellowships Awards Ceremony will take place at the Library of Congress on Sept. 14, at 5:30 p.m. and the NEA National Heritage Fellowships Concert will take place on Sept. 15, at 8 p.m. at George Washington University’s Lisner Auditorium.
The concert will also be webcast live at arts.gov.
The National Heritage Fellowships recognize the recipients’ artistic excellence and support their continuing contributions to our nation’s traditional arts heritage. Including the 2017 class, the NEA has awarded 422 NEA National Heritage Fellowships, recognizing artists working in more than 200 distinct art forms, such as bluesman B.B. King, Cajun fiddler and composer Michael Doucet, sweetgrass basketweaver Mary Jackson, cowboy poet Wally McRae, Kathak dancer and choreographer Chitresh Das, and gospel and soul singer Mavis Staples.
Established by Congress in 1965, the NEA is the independent federal agency whose funding and support gives Americans the opportunity to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the NEA supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the arts in every community across America.
ANKARA: Cradle of civilizations pictured from above
Daily Sabah, Turkey
ANADOLU AGENCY
Included in UNESCO's World Heritage List, Kars has been photographed from above by Anadolu Agency (AA) via a drone. The city, which is named the "World's City," "the Cradle of Civilization," "One Thousand Churches," and the "City with 40 Doors," has the first Turkish mosque on Anatolian soil at the Ani archaeological site, "Ebul Menucehr Mosque," as well as the "Amenaprgich Church," "Ani," "Ani Cathedral," "Dikrant Honentz Church" and "Abugamir Pahlavuni Church."
The Ani archaeological site near Arpaçay Valley located 48 kilometers (30 miles) from Kars city center was the Armenian capital during the reign of Pakraduni Heraldry between 961-1045 A.D. It has Islamic architectural buildings dating back to the 11th and 12th centuries, was included on the Temporary World Heritage List of UNESCO in 2012 and was registered as a world heritage site in 2016.
Countless civilizations including Saka Turks, Sassanids, the Bagratlı Kingdom, the Byzantines, the Şeddat Oğulları Chiefdom, Anı Georgian Atabegs, the Harzemşah State, İlhanlıs, Seljukians, Karakoyunlus, Akkoyunlus, the Ottoman Empire and Russians have resided in the city that dates back to the 3rd century B.C. The 21 remaining historical structures in Ani mesmerize both local and foreign tourists.
Ani was the first entry point for Caucasians into Anatolia and the pictures from above of these structures belonging to different generations is a sight to see.
The walls and sanctuaries still standing in this city of tolerance shed light on past civilizations. The site of "One Thousand Churches," and "the City with 40 Doors" has the first Turkish mosque on Anatolian soil called "Ebul Menucehr Mosque," as well as other notable structures such as the "Amenaprgich Church," "Ani," "Ani Cathedral," "Dikrant Honentz Church" and "Abugamir Pahlavuni Church," which are all cultural heritage sites.
The medieval city of Ani, built over a 68-hectare area in a tectonic region and protected by a 4.5-kilometer-long fortification system, welcomes guests throughout the seasons. The Ebul Menucehr Mosque, which is the first Turkish mosque in Anatolia, was built in 1064 A.D. and completed eight years later in 1072 and is a center of attraction for visitors.
Located on the historic Silk Road, the Ani archaeological site illuminates the remains of ancient times.
Incredible Historic Texture
Stefan Lindner, an Austrian tourist who visited the Ani archaeological site, told an AA correspondent that it was his first time in the area and he greatly enjoyed his visit.
Lindner explained that he has visited some of the regions in Turkey and that there are a number of unique and matchless places to be seen. "The historical texture here is incredible and nature is very beautiful. We're delighted to see this archaeological site. Now I want to discover everything about it," Lindner said.
Tourist Marten Stegfellner stated that he was very impressed when he saw the historical buildings and he said, "I come from Austria where there are high mountains. There are skiing areas nearby and it is a region with history, but I was incredibly impressed when I saw this here. I was really delighted. I hope that Ani is restored by the authorities. This place doesn't just belong to Turkey, but is a historical site that belongs to the whole world. I think it is very important to protect and to keep it as it is."
Hilal Topaktaş, a student at Kafkas University (KAU) Medical School, said, "I came to Ani for the first time. There are really beautiful buildings. Ani is a place where many civilizations have made their home and everyone should come and see it.
Travel: Air Cairo starts Hurgada-Yerevan flights
Public Radio of Armenia
12:53, 20 Jun 2017
The first plane of the Air Cairo Company touched down at Yerevan’s Zvartnots Airport today, the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia reports.
Political and culture figures, diplomats representing the Armenian community of Cairo were on board the first flight from Hurgada to Yerevan.
The regular flights will be operated every Tuesday. Besides, Air Cairo will carry out flights in Sharm El Sheikh -Yerevan- Sharm El Sheikh direction.
Sports: Europa League: Armenia’s champion Shirak draws Gorica of Slovenia
Public Radio of Armenia
16:17, 19 Jun 2017
Armenia’s champion FC Shirak will take on Gorica of Slovenia in the first round of the Europa League. Pyunik will travel to Slovakia to face Slovan Bratislava, while Gandzasar-Kapan has drawn Mladost Podgorica of Montenegro.
First qualifying round draw (matches 29 June & 6 July)
Sports: Dreams come true! Armenia makes history by winning B bronze medal
PARDUBICE2017
June 9 2017
Armenia makes history in by winning the B pool bronze medal! After a defeat to Great Britain in the B semi-finals, they turned in a great performance against the Cayman Islands and won the bronze medal for first time in Armenian history with a 6-3 win. The stars of the match were brothers Hovig and Garo Jerivan, who scored all of the Armenian goals.