Tuesday, Armenian Government Keen To Scrap Debt Ceiling . Tatevik Lazarian Armenia - Finance Minister Vartan Aramian presents a government bill in the National Assembly in Yerevan, 12Dec2017. The Armenian government has moved to abolish a legal limit on the size of the country's public debt which has tripled in the past decade. An Armenian law stipulates that the total amount of the government's outstanding debts cannot exceed a sum equivalent to 60 percent of Gross Domestic Product. The debt-to-GDP ratio currently stands at 55.4 percent. The National Assembly began debating on Tuesday a government bill that would scrap that debt ceiling which Finance Minister Vartan Aramian described as too restrictive and outdated. As well as removing the borrowing cap, the bill would require the government to come up with a plan of actions to ease the debt burden. The government would also have to certify that fresh loans secured by it foster economic growth. Answering questions from opposition lawmakers concerned about the initiative, Aramian claimed that it is not primarily aimed at allowing the government to obtain more multimillion-dollar loans."The whole purpose of this package is not to enable us to borrow new loans but to set rules regarding what we should do, what fiscal-budgetary policies we should pursue," he said. "It's not about getting or not getting loans," he insisted moments later. "It's about the nature of our fiscal-budgetary policy." The minister declined to specify whether the government plans to resort to further borrowing. But he did reaffirm its recent pledge to cut the debt-to-GDP ratio by one percentage point in 2018. According to official statistics, economic growth in the country accelerated this year. The government expects it to remain relatively robust in 2018. Armenia's public debt, which also includes foreign loans extended to its Central Bank, passed the $6 billion mark recently. It stood at less than $2 billion before the 2008-2009 global financial crisis plunged Armenia into a severe recession. The authorities in Yerevan have since borrowed heavily from the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other external sources to prevent massive spending cuts and finance infrastructure projects. Opposition politicians and other critics of the government increasingly voice concern at the rising debt. They also accuse the authorities of misusing external loans. Government officials dismiss these claims. Aramian argued earlier that low-interest loans provided by the IMF, the World Bank and other international lenders account for the bulk of the national debt. The minister acknowledged in February that budgetary expenditures on debt servicing will continue to rise and will peak at $500 million in 2020. The Armenian state budget for 2017 is worth roughly $3 billion. IMF Still Sees Lack Of Competition In Armenia . Sargis Harutyunyan Armenia - Yulia Ustyugova, the IMF representative in Armenia, speaks to RFE/RL in Yerevan, 12Dec2017. Armenia's economy is continuing to suffer from a lack of competition, a senior official from the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. "Our assessment is that competition in the domestic market is indeed limited and there is a lot of room for improvement," Yulia Ustyugova, the head of the IMF office in Yerevan, told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) in an interview. "We have been raising this question and having very candid discussions with the authorities," she said. "According to our assessment, it does impede growth." Ustyugova said the government should ensure that companies dominating various types of business do not abuse their positions. It is also essential to improve the investment climate so that new firms can enter those sectors, she added. "We are convinced that the business environment in Armenia is improving," Prime Minister Karen Karapetian declared a month ago. "But we also acknowledge that we have weak spots which we must definitely work on." Speaking in the parliament last week, Karapetian insisted that his government is liberalizing lucrative sectors of the Armenian economy that have long been dominated by a handful of wealthy entrepreneurs. But he said more time is needed to complete that process. Ustyugova pointed out that the government's five-year policy program approved by the Armenian parliament in June contains major anti-trust measures. "But the question is implementation," she stressed. A World Bank survey released in 2013 said that "oligopolies" control 68 percent of economic activity in Armenia, making it the most monopolized economy in the former Soviet Union. The lack of competition has been particularly acute in lucrative imports of fuel and basic foodstuffs such as wheat, sugar and cooking oil. Economists have long said that de facto monopolies hamper the country's sustainable economic development. Echoing government forecasts, Ustyugova said the Armenian economy may grow by more than 4 percent this year after practically stagnating in 2016. But she cautioned that that will not be enough to significantly reduce very high unemployment which official statistics put at about 20 percent. The government should focus on more job creation, including by "retraining those who need jobs," added the IMF official. Visiting Yerevan in April, the head of an IMF mission, Hossein Samiei, said the current Armenian government is committed to implementing major reforms needed for speeding up economic growth and reducing poverty. "I'm not saying everything is perfect," he told reporters. "But hopefully things are moving in the right direction." Karapetian has repeatedly pledged to create "equal conditions" for all business since he was named prime minister in September 2016. Deal With EU To Strengthen Armenia, Says French Envoy . Anush Mkrtchian Armenia - French Ambassador Jonathan Lacote arrives for a news conference in Yerevan, 12Dec2017. Armenia's policy of seeking a "privileged" relationship with the European Union while remaining part of a Russian-led bloc will strengthen its positions in the region and make it more attractive to investors, France's ambassador in Yerevan said on Tuesday. Jonathan Lacote referred to the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between the EU and Armenia that was signed in Brussels on November 24. "The key thing about this agreement is that while being a member of the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) Armenia can also have privileged relations with the EU," he told a news conference. "I think that thanks to this agreement Armenia can become a very important actor in the region," said Lacote. "This is what I realized especially after meeting with French businesspeople in Armenia. Things will get easier for them because Armenia will move closer to European norms with [CEPA-related] reforms initiated by it." French companies doing business in Armenia, the diplomat went on, are first and foremost interested in tariff-free access to markets in Russia and other ex-Soviet states making up the EEU. "And if Armenia can offer a secure business environment it will certainly take on the role of a bridge," he said. "In our view, membership in the two systems strengthens Armenia." The French investors include the liquor giant Pernod Ricard, which bought Armenia's largest brandy company about two decades ago. More than 80 percent of its Armenian subsidiary's output is exported to Russia. The CEPA does not provide for a free-trade regime between the EU and Armenia in view of the latter's membership in the Russian-led trade bloc. Instead, it says, the two sides will seek to ease non-tariff barriers to mutual commerce such as technical regulations and licensing and labelling requirements. Citing "common values" shared by the two sides, the 350-page accord commits the Armenian government to implementing political reforms and "approximating" national economic laws and regulations to those of the EU. Yerevan will regularly report to Brussels on "the progress made with regard to approximation" specified by several annexes to the agreement. This "regulatory harmonization" will cover business regulation, agriculture, transport, environment, consumer protection and even energy. Lacote stressed the significance of Yerevan's reform commitments undertaken as part of the CEPA. Press Review "Aravot" comments on President Serzh Sarkisian's weekend speech in which he warned local government officials against embezzling public funds. The paper says that Sarkisian referred to cases that amount to grave crimes and must be investigated. "But it's not hard to imagine that the practice is so widespread that if the law starts to be enforced then half of the country will have to go jail and the other half must become their prison guards," it says. "Zhoghovurd" says that Sarkisian also promised in his speech, delivered at a government conference in Dilijan, that Armenia's per capita Gross Domestic Product will reach $10,000. The paper says that Sarkisian is far more likely to raise Armenia's per capita public debt to $10,000. That figure currently exceeds $2,000, it says. Interviewed by "168 Zham," a Lithuanian political analyst, Laurinas Kasciunas, welcomes the November 24 signing of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Armenia and the European Union. He says that the deal will breathe a new life into Armenia-EU ties that were thrust into uncertainty in 2013 following the collapse of an Association Agreement negotiated by the two sides. "Now we have an agreement signed as a result of common sense demonstrated b both sides," he says. "It testifies to a strong political will, and is positive." (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
Category: 2017
Տեղի ունեցավ Հայկազյան հայագիտական հանդեսի հերթական հատորի շնորհանդեսը
Please find the attached press release of the Ministry of Diaspora. Sincerely, Media and PR Department (+374 10) 585601, internal 805 ---------------------- Հարգանքով` Մամուլի և հասարակայնության հետ կապերի վարչություն (+374 10) 585601, ներքին 805
437.Տեղի ունեցավ Հայկազյան հայագիտական հանդեսի հերթական հատորի շնորհանդեսը.docx
application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document
JPEG image
2.jpg
JPEG image
3.jpg
JPEG image
4.jpg
JPEG image
5.jpg
JPEG image
Sports: Armenian cyclist to participate in international tournament in Portugal
Pan Armenian, Armenia
Dec 12 2017
Armenian cyclist to participate in international tournament in Portugal
Leading Armenian cyclist Edgar Stepanyan will take part in an upcoming international ranking tournament in Portugal on December 15-16. Stepanyan will perform in the scratch event.
The cyclist's personal trainer Armen Gyozalyan said that they have also applied for the 4km pursuit race. It will become clear on the spot, however, whether to participate or not.
"It's the end of the season but Edgar is in good shape. The important thing is that he is very well-tuned and is in combat mode. He will try to score points," Gyozalyan said, according to the National Olympic Committee.
Sports: Skier Sergey Mikaelyan wins Armenia’s first 2018 Winter Olympics quota
MediaMax, Armenia
Dec 11 2017
Secretary General of the Armenian Ski Federation Gagik Sargsyan stated that although the names of the competing athletes will be released on January 20, Mikaelyan will definitely feature in the Olympics, as he already gained the necessary number of points.
“Sergey had a knee joint injury and is recovering now. He would like to compete in qualifying tournaments before the Olympics. However, we will discuss this with the doctors and the coach before making a decision,” Sargsyan noted.
Another Armenian athlete, alpine skier Sasun Hakobyan won a quota for the Paralympic Games, which will take place on March 9-18.
Sports: Artsakh sportsman becomes double World Champion
Aravot, Armenia
Dec 11 2017
STEPANAKERT, DECEMBER 11, ARTSAKHPRESS: Ashot Danielyan; the Head of the Department of Sport of Artsakh Ministry of Education, Science and Sport; told Artsakhpress that Artur Arushanyan won the world champion’s title in the weight category up to 60 kg.
Artsakh sportsman Artur Arushanyan won a victory over Russia representative Farid Kasumov.
Music: Summing up the 5th Khachaturian International Festival
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 12 2017
Culture 18:02 12/12/2017 Armenia
On December 11, the 5th Khachaturian International Festival summed up. The closing ceremony of the festival was just as impressive, as the start. The Gala concert was live streamed on the world's leading classical music channel MEDICI.TV. MEDICI.TV’s permanent followers are over 500,000. The State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, headed by conductor Sergey Smbatyan, presented compositions by two great representatives of the Armenian Composers' School: the Symphony No. 3 by Avet Terterian and the Symphony No.2 “The Bell Symphony” by Aram Khachaturian.
Summing up the 5th festival the Artistic Director and Principal Conductor of the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia Sergey Smbatyan noted that one of the peculiarities of the festival was the introduction of musical formats that were new to the world.
''We presented concert programs with contrasts (Prokofiev, Shostakovich, Schnittke, Mirzoyan, Terteryan, Khachaturian), and we have chosen everything carefully. We also demonstrated the high performing art of the orchestra. These two months of music and packed halls state the fact that the society has a desire to listen to good music,'' maestro Smbatyan noted.
Sergey Smbatyan added that the live stream of the concert by MEDICI.TV is one of the major achievements of their big team.
''MEDICI.TV is the largest platform of classical music dictating high standards, musical principles, and it is a great victory to present on this channel Armenian program,'' maestro added.
The Director of the HD Studio Karen Khachatryan was responsible for the live streaming. He noted that MEDICI.TV has specific requirements for content, shots, as well as artistic requirements. Karen Khachatryan added that it was a great responsibility for them to supply the live streaming for MEDICI.TV. '' Working for four years with Youth Orchestra and thanks to the audience, gaining a great portfolio, we managed to reach the point that MEDICI.TV appreciated our work''.
During the evening, a movie about the 5th Khachaturian International Festival was screened on Medici.tv. The film retrospectively reflected on the past two months.
Thunder of applause and ovations: both compositions were highly appreciated. Avet Terterian wrote the Symphony No. 3 in 1975, a composition in which the composer harmonized the zurna and the duduk with the orchestra. And the Symphony No.2 by Aram Khachaturian is full of deep drama and diverse sound.
The Khachaturian Festival has also received appreciations in the professional circles.
The Minister of Culture of RA Armen Amiryan noted that the Khachaturian Festival has its unique, stable place in our cultural life and communicates us with global stars, presents such programs that are novelties in the world.
“Never setting aside any program, however, we must admit that Khachaturian festival has a very creative idea, is very interesting and always follows innovations in art, takes new steps and new initiatives which make the festival and the cultural life more interesting and colorful. I want to congratulate all those who had the opportunity to communicate with this exclusive concert and the organizers and I hope that the festival will continue to keep the high level in the years to come and will take the high standard of art to the upper level of development of our cultural life, and will be in the highest point,” Armen Amiryan noted.
Maestro Tigran Mansurian characterized this musical feast as rich and productive.
''I would especially like to highlight the first performances of the compositions, the premieres, among which Symphony 13 ''Babi Yar'' by Shostakovich and Orca Symphony by Serj Tankian, are the most notable. I would like to especially mention the visit of John Malkovich to Yerevan and his narration of Narekatsi in English. These events greatly enriched the festival as well. Sergey Smbatyan's work should be perceived within the frames of the highest estimate, because this was a festival of high artistic manifestations and at the same time a huge energy of organizing a complete festival and it was a result of work of mind requiring great attention,'' maestro Mansurian noted.
To remind, the 5th Khachaturian International Festival is held under the high patronage of the President of RA Serzh Sargsyan. It is implemented thanks to the joint efforts of the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia (General Partner of the Orchestra – VivaCell-MTS), with the support of the Ministry of Culture of RA, the “Khachaturian” Foundation, European Foundation for Support of Culture.
You can watch the Gala Concert of the festival here .
Music: Armenian tenor Liparit Avetisyan nominated as Breakthrough Artist in UK Opera
Panorama, Armenia
Dec 11 2017
Nominations have been released for the prestigious 18th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards with the soloist of the Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet Liparit Avetisyan nominated for the Breakthrough Artist in UK Opera category. As Panorama.am learn from a Facebook post of the theatre, Avetisyan is nominated for his performance as Nemorino in L’elisir d’amore.
WhatsOnStage Awards are only major UK theatre awards in which audience vote for the artisits and performances. According to the source, this year’s voting will close at 23:59 on 29 December. The results will be announced on 2 January 2018, while the winners of the awards will be announced at a ceremony at the Prince of Wales Theatre on 25 February 2018.
Voting for the winners of the 18th Annual WhatsOnStage Awards is available online .
To note, Armenian tenor Liparit Avetisyan made his Royal Opera debut in the 2016/17 Season as Alfredo Germont (La traviata) and returned later that Season to sing Nemorino (L’elisir d’amore).
Throughout his career, Avetisyan has sung at the XXI International Music Festival Stars of the White Nights in Saint Petersburg, Moscow Easter Festival, Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival in Poland, MustonenFest in Estonia and Midem Festival in France. He regularly appears in recital at St John’s Smith Square, and performed in benefit concerts to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide with Evgeny Kissin at Carnegie Hall and the Music Center at Strathmore.
Food: Cave dining in Armenia with Simon Majumdar: Sauté Magazine
Pan Armenian, Armenia
Dec 12 2017
– 13:32 AMT
Cave dining in Armenia with Simon Majumdar: Sauté Magazine
British-born, food and travel author, and food television personality Simon Majumdar has unveiled the story of one of the best meals he has ever had during his recent trip to Armenia.
Published on the Sauté Magazine, the article details Majumdar's experience in the unlikely setting of a cave in Armenia.
"The meal in question came towards the end of a three-week sojourn to the region of the Caucasus. By the time we reached Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, we were already convinced that this region was deserving of more time in the culinary spotlight, and what we experienced throughout this extraordinarily hospitable country served to confirm it even more," he said.
"On one of our early trips away from the capital, we had been fortunate enough to be given a tour of the Areni-1 Wine Caves, an archaeological dig that is uncovering the earliest known wine-making facility known to man, dating from some 6,000 years ago. We were still talking about what we had seen when our guide indicated to our driver that we should pull off the road into a small clearing, and announced to us that this was where we would be having lunch.
"There was nothing much there, apart from a few benches under an awning to protect them from the sun and the rain, to suggest that this was going to be a premium dining location. Our guide led us across a small gurgling spring into a cool cavern where we met the owner, Vardges. He explained that “The Cave” was the result of years of plentiful hard work as he and his family cleared the wild undergrowth to reveal what was now the location of their kitchen and a small elevated private dining area."
According to the author, the lack of “big agriculture” defnitely has had a positive effect when it came to the quality of produce, which by default had to be seasonal in availability and locally sourced. In fact, as Vardges explained , much of what was put before us was grown by the family themselves.
"There must have been at least fifteen different dishes on the table waiting for us. As well as the re-hydrated lavash, there were assorted cheeses, including a traditional string cheese laced with nigella seeds. There were plates of fresh meaty tomatoes, green peppers and cucumbers so dense they could barely be equated with supermarket versions you might find in the U.S. There were jet black olives, roasted vegetables and hot sauce with pickles that had a balance of sharp and sweet that I have been trying to recreate (unsuccessfully, I might add) since I returned home. Best of all, there was a bowl of thick, creamy and tangy matzoon, a sour dairy product, similar to yogurt, that seems to be at the heart of so many Armenian meals," the article says.
"The matzoon was served with a large mound of assorted fresh herbs, which included dill, tarragon, basil, parsley, wild oregano and mint, as well as a small number of fresh green onions, which like the herbs, had also been harvested that morning. As instructed by our dining companions, I began to fashion a roll comprised of a handful of herbs and onions, a layer of string cheese and a plentiful dollop of the matzoon. The first bite, which delivered an amazing combination of the freshness of the herbs, the saltiness of the cheese and the tang of the strained yogurt, was enough to convince me why Armenians like to begin every meal this way.
"So taken was I with these hand rolls that I almost forgot about the lamb, which had been brought sizzling to our table. That would have been a shame, as it was every bit as delicious as Vardges had promised us.
"I added some of the lamb to the rolls of herbs, cheese and matzoon. The sweet, crisp and charred lamb fat gave way to the meat below, which dribbled juices onto my chin as I dug in. It was a bite that confirmed everything that we had been excited about during our journey to the region, and one that confirmed that a meal in a cave in The Caucasus would go straight into the top whenever when people next ask me, “What is the best meal you have ever eaten?”
Hamshen Armenian Activists Released from Turkish Prison
Nurcan Vayiç Aksu (left) and Cemil Aksu (standing) with their son, Arev upon being released from prison
HOPA, Turkey—Hamshen Armenian activists, Nurcan Vayiç Aksu and Cemil Aksu, who were arrested in October by Turkish police, for allegedly posting anti-government content on social media, were released on Friday.
Vayiç Aksu was taken into police custody on October 19 following a raid of their house in the middle of the night. She is a rights activist and a member of the Socialist Party of the Oppressed (ESP).
Her hustband, Cemil, was arrested on October 25, leaving their eight-year-old son, Arev, without parents. While the Aksus were in jail, Arev was cared for by his aunt.
Aksu was arrested for allegedly “praising crime and criminals” in his social media posts. He is the local co-chair of the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), and is one of the editors of the Gor-Hemshin cultural magazine.
The couple is from the town of Hopa in Artvin, in what is commonly known as the Hemshin (Hamshen) region, around 12 miles of the Georgian border.
As long-time political activists and writers, the Aksus have written and spoken out not only about local history and identity in the Hemshin region, but also on environmental matters, women’s rights, and Turkish politics, among other matters. Both have been critical of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Upon being released, the couple posted a photo on social media, finally having been reunited with their son, Arev.
Armenian Legal Center Highlights Link between Property & Religious Rights
Kate Nahapetian (center) at the Archon conference
Members of Congress, Religious Leaders and Advocates from Across the World Gather at Archon International Conference on Religious Freedom
WASHINGTON—Kate Nahapetian, Executive Director of the Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC), spoke on a December 6 panel on the Protection of Sacred Sites and Property Rights at the Archon International Conference on Religious Freedom in Washington, DC organized by the Order of St. Andrew, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
The overarching theme of this year’s discussions was, “Persecution of Christians in the Holy Lands and the Middle East: Consequences and Solutions.” Dr. Elizabeth Prodromou of Tufts University Fletcher School for Law & Diplomacy and a former Commissioner with the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom opened the conversation by highlighting the purpose of the frequent destruction of sacred sites, which “are designed to humiliate to remind [religious minorities] that they are second class citizens.”
In her opening remarks, Nahapetian outlined the historic weight of the issue, telling the audience that, “Property issues were integral to realizing the [Armenian] Genocide because if you dispossess the community, you ensure that they are impoverished and that they cannot resist the persecution. If you take away their religious sites, you ensure that they will not return.”
Other panelists, including Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Ecumenical Director and Diocesan Legate of Diocese of the Armenian Church of America (Eastern), touched on the confiscation of church properties in Turkey pointing out that, “The Armenian Patriarchate in Jerusalem has 950 pieces of property in Constantinople, Smyrna and some parts of Asia Minor. [They] have been trying to get in touch with the Turkish authorities for the last ten years.” According to the Archbishop, to this day not a single piece has been given back.
In a similar vein, Nahapetian further noted that, “Of the over 2000 Armenian churches that existed before the Armenian Genocide, less than 50 of them are operational today in Turkey. Only three of those 50 are outside of Istanbul, and it’s no coincidence that there are very few Armenians outside of Istanbul.”
Nahapetian suggested several solutions to the issue, including creating third party arbitration for issues of religious minority property confiscation, as the court systems in offending countries like Turkey are frequently hostile to such claims and often mount numerous bureaucratic and judicial obstacles to pursuing them.
However, she also explained the frequent insufficiency of treaties in protecting religious minorities and their properties from politically motivated destruction and dispossession, reminding the audience that, “[Treaties protecting the Christian community] are not enough. Before the genocide there were treaties that protected the Christian community of the Ottoman Empire.”
Instead, Nahapetian offered another possible solution, “to document the properties to make them toxic for third party use.” She argued that even in the absence of proper legal remedies, which will inevitably take time to establish, “You can decrease the profit motive in using these properties by third parties who care…including corporations or other investors.” If these properties came with significant political consequence down the road, investing in them, “repurposing” them, would become too expensive an endeavor for third parties to undertake, increasing the incentive to voluntarily return them to the expelled communities.
Nahapetian went on to introduce the ALC’s long term project for doing just that, its Property Documentation Database, announced earlier this year, which catalogues stolen and confiscated properties in modern day Turkey. Submit documentation concerning stolen or lost properties from the Armenian Genocide.
Other panelists included Ambassador Patrick Theros, Representative of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the United States and Rabbi Arthur Schneier, founder of the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. The panel was chaired by Dr. Anthony Limberakis Commander, Order of Saint Andrew, Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Members of Congress from both the Senate and House Foreign Relations Committee, academics from across the country, and religious leaders and human rights advocates from the Greek, Armenian, Syriac and Coptic communities addressed other panels during the three day conference from December 4-6, 2017.
The Armenian Legal Center for Justice and Human Rights (ALC) fights to redress human rights violations emanating from the Armenian Genocide that continue to this day and undermine stability in a region that has for far too long been marred by policies founded on genocide, not human rights and justice. ALC promotes scholarship on the legal avenues for addressing the challenges emanating from the Armenian Genocide, in addition to pursuing cases in national and international courts, while promoting the protection of Armenian cultural heritage through the return of stolen properties and artifacts.
Watch video of the panels.