Category: News

Asbarez – Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge) on Thursday said he is very pleased with one significant aspect of Governor Brown’s May revision of the California State Budget, the restoration of funding for the Pasadena Playhouse and the Armenian American Museum in Glendale.

“While others were declaring defeat, I got to work and advocated in favor of the budget allocations for these two laudable projects.  I’m very pleased and grateful that the Governor responded to these requests and restored the funding for two outstanding projects in the 25th State Senate District,” commented Portantino.

The Pasadena Playhouse is the State Theatre of California. It is a showcase for world class theatrical productions and educational programs targeted to California’s diverse population.  The Armenian American Museum, proposed to be built in Glendale, is a new facility slated to bring Genocide awareness and educational programming to our region. Both facilities were set to receive $1 million dollars from last year’s budget but had that funding initially suspended by the Governor in his January budget proposal.

Upon seeing the budget draft, Senator Portantino impressed upon the Governor’s office, the Department of Finance and the Senate Budget staff on the importance of these projects. The Governor agreed by restoring the funding for both.

Photo: Reuters/Mian Khurshee

 

A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate on Friday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan, killing at least 25 people, officials said, Reuters reports.

At least 35 people were wounded in the blast near the town of Mastung, 50 km (30 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. Television footage showed a vehicle mangled by the blast.

Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, told Reuters minutes after the explosion he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries.

“There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy,” he said by telephone.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack from the many militant groups operating in Baluchistan.

Haideri is a member of Jamiat e Ulema Islam, a right-wing Sunni Islamist political party that is part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s coalition government.

District health official Sher Ahmed Satakzai said the death toll had risen to 25 and 10 were in critical condition in hospital.

Armenian Weekly — The United States Director of National Intelligence Daniel R. Coats published on May 11 the U.S. Intelligence Community’s (IC) 2017 “Statement for the Record” entitled “Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community,” which includes a part on the increased tensions between Artsakh and Azerbaijan that took place in April 2016.

The IC is a federation of 16 separate U.S. government agencies that work separately and together to conduct intelligence activities considered necessary for the conduct of foreign relations and national security of the United States. The statement that assesses potential threats to U.S. national security reflects the collective insights of the Intelligence Community.

The statement, which is divided into global and regional threats, includes subcategories like cyber threats, weapons of mass destruction, terrorism, and counterintelligence.

Relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan are addressed in the “Russia and Eurasia,” section of the regional threats division, in a subsection entitled “The Caucasus and Central Asia.”

The statement provides particular attention to the escalation of tensions between Artsakh and Azerbaijan and concludes that the situation is likely to remain in 2017. It also makes a reference to Azerbaijan’s economic difficulties and the possibility of Azerbaijan’s regime being challenged as a result.

“We in the Intelligence Community are committed every day to provide the nuanced, multidisciplinary intelligence that policymakers, warfighters, and domestic law enforcement personnel need to protect American lives and America’s interests anywhere in the world,” read a part of the report.

Below is the section on Armenia and Azerbaijan in its entirety:

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Tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan over the separatist region of Nagorno-Karabagh flared in April 2016, and both sides’ unwillingness to compromise and mounting domestic pressures suggest that the potential for large-scale hostilities will remain in 2017. In Azerbaijan, ongoing economic difficulties are likely to challenge the regime and increase its tendency to repress dissent to maintain power while it continues to try to balance relations with Russia, Iran, and the West.

The World Bank project a 2.7 percent growth in Armenia in 2017, reflecting the sustained expansion of the tradable sectors and a modest recovery in domestic consumption.

“Medium term growth is projected to average 3-3.5 percent a year, given structural weaknesses in the domestic policy framework, and remaining uncertainties in external environment. The government’s planned expenditure restraint and full implementation of the Tax Code are expected to keep the fiscal deficit below 3 percent of GDP over the medium term. Policy changes envisaged in the Tax Code would boost revenues by 2 percentage points of GDP by 2021,” the World Bank says.

Future poverty reduction will hinge on the recovery of the domestic economy, labor-market dynamics, and remittance inflows. Low growth rates, unfavorable external conditions, and limited fiscal space could slow the pace of poverty reduction; as a result, the poverty rate is projected to fall from 23.8 percent in 2017 to 22.2 percent in 2019.

According to a new report, Armenia’s medium-term outlook remains sensitive to internal and external factors, which entail both upside and downside risks. Growth prospects depend on the government’s ability to scale up high-quality investment, and speed up structural reform.

The government of China will donate another 200 ambulance vehicles to Armenia. The Armenian government Okayed the singing of the agreement at today’s sitting.

The vehicles will help the Armenian side fully satisfy the demand for ambulance vehicles in the republic.

The Chinese government earlier donated 88 vehicles to Armenia, of which 56 were sent to the republic’s provinces.

Photo: Getty Images

 

Boeing has temporarily halted test flights of its new 737 MAX aircraft due to possible issues with the engine, the BBC reports.

The stoppage came days before the US planemaker was due to make its first delivery of the aircraft to a customer.

But Boeing said it was sticking with plans to begin MAX deliveries this month, adding that production of the jets would continue.

American Airlines, Southwest, and China’s Shandong Airlines are among those who have placed orders.

The MAX fleet is designed to be a more fuel-efficient version and replaces Boeing’s previous 737 model which has been a best-seller for the aerospace giant.

The Human Rights Defender of Artsakh is on a visit to Budapest, Hungary, to attend an International Conference on “Victims of armed conflicts at the juncture of international humanitarian law and human rights law.”

The Conference has been organized by the foreign affairs agencies of Hungary and Switzerland.

On 10 May Ruben Melikyan had meetings with the leadership and members of Armenian self-government in Hungary, with the Spokesman of the Armenian minority in the Hungarian Parliament Dr. Tamás Turgyán, and had an interview with Armenian minority program broadcasted by the Hungarian Public Radio.

While referring to Ramil Safarov’s extradition, Mr. Melikyan highlighted its causal link with the atrocities carried out by Azerbaijani armed forces during the 2016 April War.

Ruben Melikyan noted that Safarov’s glorification was accompanied by the state encouragement to set his crime exemplary for the Azerbaijani youth, and the example was taken in April 2016.

The ombudsman added that Artsakh people remember the thousands of Hungarian citizens, who raised their voice of protest against the decision to extradite Safarov.

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry has commented on the shooting at the vehicle of TV crew, which left the cameraman wounded.

“This incident is another proof that Azerbaijan does not abandon its traditional policy of aggravation of the situation and escalation of tensions on the Line of Contact,” Ministry Spokesman Artak Nersisyan said in comments to Tert.am.

“The incident comes to reaffirm the importance of immediate implementation of the agreements reached at the Summits in Vienna, May 16, 2016, and St. Petersburg, June 20, 2016, aimed at the stabilization of the situation on the Line of Contact,” he said.

 

 

 

Armenia has always been interested in the extension of mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, Spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Tighran Balayan said in comments to .

The remarks come after accusations of failure to prevent the closure of the Office in Armenia.

“Those who declare that Armenia, namely the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, have not taken steps to ensure the extension of the mandate, do not understand the processes taking place within the OSCE,” Balayan said.

Second, he said, “they are not aware of the statements made by the current Austrian and the previous German chairmanships of the OSCE and the European Union.”

The Spokesman said the accusations are “void and have nothing to do with reality.” “Armenia has been declaring until the last moment that it’s interested in the extension of the mandate of the OSCE Office in Yerevan and continuation of its activity in the country,” Tigran Balayan stated.

On May 11 Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received the delegation of the Yerkrapah Volunteers Union (YVU) headed by chairman of the organization’s board Manvel Grigoryan.

A range of issues related to the situation along the Karabakh-Azerbaijani borderline, army-society ties and upbringing of the younger generation were addressed during the talks.

For courage and bravery shown during the defense of the Homeland and in connection with the Victory Day, the 25^th anniversary of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic Defense Army and Liberation of Shushi President Sahakyan handed in high state awards to a group of YVU members.