2019 – Page 61 – Armenian Directory & News

PM awards posthumous Medal of Combat Service to Sergeant Mushegh Abovyan

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Kajoyan Gevork

PM awards posthumous Medal of Combat Service to Sergeant Mushegh Abovyan

14:59, 5 October, 2019

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS. President Armen Sarkissian has formalized a recommendation by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on awarding a posthumous Medal of Combat Service to Senior Sergeant Mushegh Abovyan.

Abovyan was on-duty when he was shot dead by Azerbaijani cross-border gunfire on October 3 in Tavush province, Armenia.

He was awarded for “selflessness in the line of duty”.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Armenian President pays homage at Monument to the Unknown Hero in Belgrade

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Emil Karabekian

Armenian President pays homage at Monument to the Unknown Hero in Belgrade

15:36, 5 October, 2019

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS. As part of the official visit to Serbia, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian and First Lady Nune Sarkissian visited the Monument to the Unknown Hero in Belgrade on October 5. They were accompanied by Serbian Minister of Defense Aleksandar Vulin.

The monument was built was built in 1938 on the place where an unknown Serbian World War I soldier was buried.

President Armen Sarkissian and First Lady Nune Sarkissian paid homage to the memory of the WWI soldiers in the memorial. Sarkissian then signed the guestbook: “At this historic moment we remember those who dedicated their lives to their fatherland”.

The president then visited the Belgrade Fortress and toured the 3rd century BC castle accompanied by the monument’s director Marija Reljić and Mayor of Belgrade Zoran Radojičić.

In the 16th-18th centuries many Armenian merchants settled in Serbia and founded an Armenian church. The church did not surviving throughout the centuries but the gravestones with Armenian writings were moved to the fortress’s territory and are preserved up to this day. Sarkissian laid flowers at these gravestones during the visit.

Belgrade Mayor Zoran Radojičić said: “The Serbian people know the Armenian people’s history and culture, value it and appreciate the Armenian president’s visit to this historic location where an Armenian trace also exists”.

He said they’d be happy if Belgrade and Yerevan were to become sister cities.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

My administration has laid out a vision for Armenia which places IT as its core, says PM

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Anna Tamamian

My administration has laid out a vision for Armenia which places IT as its core, says PM

16:34, 5 October, 2019

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS. The Government of Armenia has declared ICT to be a sector of strategic importance and is ready to reform the education system, modernize strategic infrastructures and invest in human capital to make the country a technological global leader, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said in a welcoming address ahead of the upcoming World Congress on Information Technologies (WCIT 2019) which will take place in Yerevan.

“Dear international guests, distinguished speakers and Armenian compatriots,

It is my privilege and great pleasure to welcome you all to the World Congress on Information Technology held in Armenia. I sincerely hope that over the next three days you will have a chance to enjoy everything that Yerevan has to offer.

I am extremely proud to learn that this is the first time in the WCIT’s 40-year history that the Congress is taking place in a small nation like Armenia. The World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) represents 90 percent of the global ICT community and frequently influences international public policy in IT matters.

The WITSA’s decision to hold this Congress in Yerevan is a compelling acknowledgement of Armenia’s status as a global technology hub.

Innovation and enterprise have long been central pillars of Armenian identity. Throughout history the Armenian people have produced scientists, engineers and inventors, who have disproportionately contributed to the progress of humanity and the raising of global living standards. As a Soviet Republic, Armenia nurtured a technology ecosystem which garnered it a reputation as “the Silicon Valley of the Soviet Union”. Since independence, Armenia has consolidated its position as a technology-driven economy.

The Government of Armenia has declared ICT as a strategic are of focus, passing legislation designed to attract international technology firms, and nurture a native industry. My administration has laid out a vision for our country which places IT as its core. In order to reach our goal of turning Armenia into a global tech leader, we are committed to reforming our education system, upgrading strategic infrastructure and investing in human resources.

Today Armenian startups boast a significant presence in Silicon Valley. Armenia’s technological prowess continues to be felt throughout the tech ecosystem, be it at large tech giants or innovative startups. To ensure the preeminence of Armenian tech well into the future, we will multiply our efforts to promote the proper educational and institutional infrastructure to meet the needs of a dynamically developing industry. This will allow local firms as well as multinational corporations to operate in Armenia while benefiting from the Armenian Diaspora’s strong network and vast resources.

As the host-country for the WCIT 2019, Armenia provides an invaluable setting which will gather the world’s leading thought-leaders, business leaders and political figures to discuss some of the most significant questions facing the future of technology, the results of which may have far-reaching social, economic and political ramifications for all of humankind.

I am certain that Armenia will live up to the critical role that we have taken on.

Looking forward to welcoming you to Armenia,” the Armenian PM said in the address published in the online brochure of WCIT 2019.

Azerbaijan breaches Artsakh ceasefire 100 times in one week

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Arbi Tashjian

Azerbaijan breaches Artsakh ceasefire 100 times in one week

17:05, 5 October, 2019

STEPANAKERT, OCTOBER 5, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan breached the ceasefire at the Artsakh Line of Contact more than 100 times in one week (September 29-October 5), the Defense Ministry of Artsakh said in a news release.

It said that Azerbaijani troops fired around 800 shots at Artsakh’s military positions from various caliber small arms.

The Artsakh military added that they continue maintaining full control at the frontline.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Asbarez: Glendale AYF Angered about News-Press Editorial Cartoon

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Alex Jidarian

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The Armenian Youth Federation Glendale “Roupen” Chapter issued, in a statement issued on Friday, called an editorial cartoon published in the Glendale News-Press, “divisive,” as it evidently attempts to target Artsakh Street, the stretch of Maryland Avenue renamed last year following a Glendale City Council decision.

Below is the text of the AYF “Roupen” Chapter statement:

The AYF Glendale “Roupen” Chapter finds the editorial cartoon below divisive and fallacious. Armenians have been residing in the city of Glendale for several decades and have contributed a great deal to the city. Instead of implicitly attacking specific groups, we recommend highlighting them and noting the significant developments they have made for the betterment of the city.
Juxtaposing an Artsakh Street sign with the headline, “I miss the old Maryland Avenue,” implicitly targets Glendale’s ethnic Armenian community. Mentioning restaurants that have long since closed is a crude attempt at masking the xenophobic intent of the cartoon.

For those uninformed on what Artsakh is and its significance to both Armenian and American culture, it would serve them well to educate themselves first before drawing racist caricatures. Artsakh is an independent republic that has continually fought for not only its sovereignty, but its very existence. The name and history hold a significant place in the hearts of Armenian-Americans, and evoke our most cherished American values — freedom, self-determination, and independence.

As the city celebrates the one-year anniversary of the renaming of this street, and in light of the incident last week when the Armenian Council on Aging building was vandalized with messages stating “Death to Armenians” and “Leave now,” it is extremely distasteful and unacceptable that the Glendale News-Press could be this tonedeaf and contribute to the perpetuation of racism in the city. These racist undertones are already evident in some of the comments under the Facebook post of this political cartoon, as people have begun to allude that Glendale was lost to an “invasion” years ago.

Jokes and satire have their place, but every satirical piece carries a message. With this cartoon, the Glendale News-Press bolsters a message of returning Glendale to the days before the diverse population made its mark. The Newspress should be reminded that in those “long gone” days, Glendale played host to avowed white supremacists and racists, and that “in the past” is exactly where that history should stay. Such a cartoon is absolutely unacceptable for a newspaper with the stature of the Glendale News-Press (acquired by the Los Angeles Times) to publish, a newspaper that is supposed to also represent the tens of thousands of Armenian-American residents of the city.

While folks may be deprived of Tony Roma’s and Chuy’s — all to no fault of the renaming — they do not need to be deprived of culture, acceptance, and the understanding that our collective diversity is what makes us all, including the city of Glendale, great.

Հրավեր ՙՀայ և պարսից գրականությունը՚ խորագրով քննարկում

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019 Karlen Baghdasarian

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U.S. warns Turkey over offshore drilling near Cyprus

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 Emil Lazarian

U.S. warns Turkey over offshore drilling near Cyprus
MSN.COM

Reuters

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a group of people sitting at a table: U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Greece
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U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visits Greece

ATHENS (Reuters) – There are rules in exploring energy resources in the Mediterranean Sea, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday, warning Turkey not to engage in drilling activity that is "illegal" and "unacceptable".

"We've made clear that operations in international waters are governed by a set of rules. We've told the Turks that illegal drilling is unacceptable and we'll continue to take diplomatic actions to … ensure that lawful activity takes place," he said during a visit to Greece.

"No country can hold Europe hostage," Pompeo told a press briefing.

Tensions between Cyprus and Turkey over offshore drilling have intensified after Ankara sent a drilling ship to an area already licensed by Nicosia to Italian and French energy companies.

Earlier on Saturday, Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis urged the United States to use its clout to defuse tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, where Cyprus and Turkey are locked in a dispute over offshore rights.

Mitsotakis told Pompeo that Turkish moves south of the island in recent days were a "flagrant violation" of Cyprus' sovereign rights.

Turkey and Greece are allies in NATO but long at loggerheads over Cyprus, which has been ethnically split between Greek and Turkish Cypriots since 1974.

"The United States have a particular interest in the Eastern Mediterranean region. Cyprus is only asking for the self-evident, the implementation of international law," Mitsotakis told Pompeo, who is visiting Greece on the last leg of a trip to southern Europe.

Pompeo referred to the issue after meeting Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias. He said the United States would work to help the parties involved find mutually agreeable solutions and that it was eager to extend its partnership with Greece on energy issues.

Ankara says some of the areas where Cyprus is exploring are either on its own continental shelf or in zones where Turkish Cypriots have equal rights over any finds with Greek Cypriots.

A Turkish drill ship, the Yavuz, is currently 50 nautical miles off Cyprus. Turkish Energy Minister Fatih Donmez said on Saturday that drilling would start "as soon as possible".

In his remarks, Pompeo also said that the relationship between Greece and the United States "has truly never been stronger" and that he was very confident that Greece can be a pillar for stability in this region.

But he also added that he was concerned about Chinese investments in infrastructure, an issue also raised during his visit to North Macedonia on Friday. Greece and the United States have traditionally close relations even though many blame Washington for its tacit support to a military junta that ruled Greece between 1967 and 1974. Protest marches to the U.S. Embassy are an annual event.

As Pompeo visited town, groups of protesters marching to the U.S. Embassy on Saturday clashed with police, who fired teargas to disperse them.

Earlier, several hundred demonstrators had gathered in Athens's main Syntagma square, chanting "Americans, Murderers of Peoples" to protest against the amendment of a defense agreement between the two countries concerning U.S. military bases in Greece.

They held banners reading "Pompeo go home – No to the Greece-USA agreement".

(Additional reporting by Ali Kucukgocmen and Alkis Konstantidis; Writing by Michele Kambas; Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Frances Kerry)

Microsoft may earn an Affiliate Commission if you purchase something through recommended links in this article.

Iran warns Turkey against military action in Syria

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 Maral Takmazian

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif on Sunday warned Turkey against any military move in Syria, calling on Ankara to respect other countries’ territorial integrity.

The stance of the Islamic Republic on Syrian Kurds is “completely clear,” and that the only way to maintain security in Turkey is through the establishment of the Syrian central government’s military presence in the border areas, Iran’s private Tasnim news agency quoted Zarif as saying in an open session of the parliament in Tehran.

Zarif’s statements follow those of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who in his strongest warning yet, on Saturday said that an operation targeting U.S.-backed Kurdish militia in northeastern Syria could take place “any day.’’

Turkey has repeatedly warned of an operation citing a lack of progress on a U.S.-Turkish deal to secure Syria’s troubled border with Turkey.

Turkey and the United States in August agreed to set up a safe zone in northern Syria. Ankara aims to clear the area south of its border of the Kurdish-led People’s Protection Units (YPG), which it sees as an existential threat due to its links to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), an armed group that has been at war in Turkey for over 30 years.

“The Islamic Republic certainly believes that regional security is possible through observing two principles: first, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity and security of all regional countries, and second, respect for the rights of all its inhabitants, including our Kurdish brothers and sisters…,” Tasnim quoted Zarif as saying.

Iran backs Syrian President Bashar Assad and along with Russia and Turkey is part of the so-called Astana Group. The group was launched in 2017 and aims to end the Syrian conflict.

Azerbaijani press: Moscow to continue military-technical co-op with Baku, despite Yerevan’s discontent, says expert

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 Arpi Talalian

5 October 2019 18:36 (UTC+04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 5

By Matanat Nasibova – Trend:

At the Valdai Forum in Sochi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev reaffirmed the intentions of their countries not only to continue, but also to strengthen military-technical cooperation, famous Russian TV anchor, political expert Yevgeny Mikhailov told Trend.

He was commenting on the recent meeting of the two leaders on the sidelines of the annual meeting of the Valdai Discussion Club.

He said that cooperation in the military-technical sphere between Azerbaijan and Russia will continue in the future, despite the discontent of Armenia.

“Despite that the Armenian leadership represented by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan asked the Russian side to declare embargo on the supply of new weapons to Baku, this call was ignored by the Russian side,” the expert noted. “They didn’t hear it. Accordingly, this clearly confirmed the fact that Azerbaijan is a friend and partner of Russia for many years. Azerbaijan is stable politically and economically, which is now rare in our rapidly changing world. The supply of new weapons is first of all politics, and then money, which means that Russia is more confident in Azerbaijan than in those who are against the country.”

The expert suggested that if Baku enters into joint military-political blocs with Moscow and other countries, this fact will shock the “ancient and proud neighbors” in the region.

“Yerevan understands that the closer relations of Moscow with Baku are, the faster it will be necessary to return the occupied territories,” he said. “Time works against the politicians of Armenia, who are driving their country and people into a dead end of hopelessness and poverty.”

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

Azerbaijani press: MFA: Position of current authorities of Armenia – nothing but self-deception

October 6, 2019October 6, 2019 Emil Lazarian

5 October 2019 09:52 (UTC+04:00)

Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 5

Trend:

The position of the current authorities of Armenia is nothing more than self-deception and misleading of its own people, spokesperson for the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Leyla Abdullayeva said, answering a question from the media, Trend reports.

In response to a question regarding the last comment of the press service of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia, where the thesis about the interests of the “people of Nagorno-Karabakh” was again voiced, Abdullayeva stated that Azerbaijan’s position was repeatedly voiced on this issue.

“President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev in his speech within the Valdai Discussion Club quite clearly and decisively spoke about this,” she noted. “The position of the current authorities of Armenia is nothing more than self-deception and misleading of its own people, however it is impossible to deceive the international community. It is obvious that there is an urgent need for leadership of Armenia to carefully study the international documents adopted as part of the settlement process of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, as well as statements by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.”

“None of the documents on the conflict’s settlement uses the concept of “people” regarding the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan,” she said. “In this regard, I would like to remind that both the joint statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs and the relevant agreements of the two parties to the conflict referred to by the press service of the Armenian Foreign Ministry clearly note the necessity to prepare the populations for peace. The president of Azerbaijan in an accessible and clear form noted that there is no concept of “the people of Nagorno-Karabakh”, there are the Azerbaijani and Armenian populations in this region of Azerbaijan.”

“If the Armenian side is really interested in the victory of democracy in this region, then Armenia, as a country that really controls the occupied Azerbaijani territories, should, first of all, withdraw its troops from these territories and not prevent the return of the forcibly expelled Azerbaijani population there, and this will serve to ensuring its legal and democratic rights,” said Abdullayeva.