Armenian News... A Topalian... Armenian Diaspora Publications at the British Library 27 Feb 2017

Armenian Diaspora Publications at the British Library
27 February 2017
Three books relating to Armenians in India, Japan and Ethiopia 

http://blogs.bl.uk/asian-and-african/2017/02/armenian-diaspora-publications-at-the-british-library.html 

armradio.am
Hayastan All-Armenian Fund turns 25
03 Mar 2017 
Today marks the 25 th anniversary of the founding of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. On March 3, 1992, as decreed by the first president of the Republic of Armenia, there came into being an organization which was entrusted with a pan-national mission of foremost importance and named HAYASTAN ALL-ARMENIAN FUND. 

On May 16, 1992, the fund’s 24-member Board of Trustees issued a statement, which said, “A devastating earthquake, thousands of homeless refugees, a dire situation faced by the Armenian population of Artsakh, an economy in shambles, and unrelenting blockades of the homeland: these and many other difficulties can be overcome only through the synergistic mobilization of the resources and efforts of the entire Armenian nation, and through united and harmonious work. Actively supporting the development and strengthening of Armenian statehood, which is the main prerequisite for the survival and prosperity of the Armenian people, and contributing to the economic, scientific, educational, spiritual, and cultural development of the homeland must be an honor and a matter of duty for each and every Armenian.” 

Today, in the 25th year of its existence, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund encompasses affiliates across the globe, legions of volunteers devoted to its patriotic mission, benefactors and grassroots donors who view the development of the homeland as a sacred duty, and a wide range of vitally important projects that have been implemented through collaborative work. In the past quarter century, thanks to the powerful unity of Armenians throughout the world, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund has carried out a long string of projects, including roads, hospitals, schools and kindergartens, water and gas pipelines, and initiatives fostering excellence in the arts, sciences, and culture. Our each accomplishment is a message to the international community that despite facing a myriad of challenges, independent Armenian statehood perseveres, and that we must and will do everything it takes to defend and bolster it. 

The achievements of the newest chapter of our history are the legacy we must leave to the new generation, to which we must also pass on a strong belief in collective strength and unwavering dedication to the homeland. 


Interfax - Russia & CIS Military Newswire
Stepanakert denies Baku reports on destruction of Armenian HQ in
Karabakh, heavy losses
March 2 2017
The Defense Ministry of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
(NKR) has denied the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry's report claiming
the destruction of the headquarters of the Armenian defense outposts
in the NKR.

"It is another false report by Azerbaijan; moreover, it has also been
circulated along with a poorly staged [video]. This information is
totally untrue," Senor Hasratyan, a spokesperson for the NKR defense
minister, told Interfax.

Baku said earlier that Armenian forces had sustained multiple losses
as the headquarters of their defense outposts in Nagorno-Karabakh had
been destroyed. 


news.am
UK ambassador expects agreements during Armenia IT companies’ London visit
04.03.2017 
YEREVAN. – Rich traditions, good workforce, and state assistance enable Armenia to become an advanced country in technology development, which, in turn, guarantees investment appeal, British Ambassador to Armenia, Judith Margaret Farnworth, told Armenian News-NEWS.am. 

Farnworth added that she considers the country’s information technology (IT) sector to be very promising. 

The ambassador noted that even though Armenia already has achieved certain success, it has an enormous untapped potential. And as per the UK diplomat, the Armenian IT companies’ forthcoming meeting in London with British entrepreneurs aims to accelerate this process. 

Farnworth noted that information and communications technology (ICT) is actively growing in Armenia, and it has a considerable share in the country’s economy. 

The diplomat, however, does not think that much time and energy will be needed for Armenian and British companies to find common ground, and she believes in the success of this initiative. 

Also, Judith Margaret Farnworth stressed that the forthcoming meeting in London is aimed at the establishment of ties and reaching of agreements.

 
RFE/RL Report 

Sarkisian Signals No Retirement
March 03, 2017

In a television interview broadcast late on Thursday, President Serzh
Sarkisian gave no indication that he plans to retire from politics
after completing his second and final term in office next year.

Sarkisian is not on the list of candidates fielded by his Republican
Party of Armenia (HHK) for the April 2 parliamentary elections.

Asked by Euronews, a multilingual TV channel based in France, whether
this fact means he is quitting politics, he said: "That means we take
into account the concerns voiced by our opposition that the
administrative resources can be used throughout the electoral
process. That also means that we are creating opportunities for young
people to express themselves in politics."

"I have been the leader of the Republican Party for ten years and I
remain the party leader," added Sarkisian. He did not comment further
on his political future.

The 62-year-old president has so far not publicly ruled out the
possibility of becoming prime minister after the end of his tenure in
April 2018. Some observers have speculated that he might only stay on
as HHK chairman and continue pulling the strings in that capacity. An
HHK representative said in November that Sarkisian will head the
ruling party for "many years" to come.

Sarkisian's political opponents claim that he is intent on holding on
to power after April 2018. They say this was the reason why he
initiated Armenia's transition to a parliamentary republic through
controversial constitutional changes enacted in late 2015.

"I firmly believe that the parliamentary model is more effective,"
Sarkisian told Euronews. He said the parliamentary system of
government is also more democratic.

The HHK spokesman, Eduard Sharmazanov, said this week that Prime
Minister Karen Karapetian will be playing a more important role than
Sarkisian in the party's election campaign.


lragir.am
KARAS wines win 1 gold and 2 silver medals in Germany
03 March 2017 
“KARAS” wines won one gold and two silver medals at the Spring Tasting of the Grand International Wine Award MUNDUS VINI held in Neuschtadt, Germany. MUNDUS VINI is one of the world’s most prestigious competitions among wine producers.

Nearly 200 international wine experts from 44 countries spent four days (February 23-26, 2017) judging almost 6,200 wines from more than 150 wine growing regions all over the world.

“KARAS” wines appealed for their excellent qualities at the MUNDUS VINI 20th tasting competition, with Karas Reserve winning a gold medal, while “Karas Red” and “Karas White” being awarded silver medals.

“Tierras de Armenia” CJSC


panarmenian.net
Armenia placed 114th among world’s richest and poorest countries: report
March 4, 2017  
Armenia was placed the 114th in the Global Finance ’s ranking of the world’s richest and poorest countries for 2016.

The tables use IMF data for per capita GDP, adjusted for purchasing power parity (PPP).

“GDP-PPP makes for a better comparison of living standards, because PPP takes into account cost of living and inflation rates, rather than just exchange rates, which may distort the real differences in income. This is the measure most economists prefer for comparing living conditions and economic strength across countries,” Global Finance says.

Based on this principle, Armenia, with a per capita GDP (PPP) of $8,881, took the 114th position, lagging behind Georgia in the 108th, Azerbaijan in the 71st, Turkey and Iran in the 63rd and 70th, respectively.

The richest five countries in the world are, in order, Qatar, Luxembourg, Macao, Singapore and Brunei Darussalam.

Similarly, the poorest five are, in order, Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burundi, Liberia and Niger.


news.am
Kaspersky Lab: Armenia is 14th in number of most cyberattack victims
17:49, 04.03.2017 
According to the 2016 statistics, 33.01 percent of Internet users in Armenia have been subjected to cyberattacks.

Sergey Novikov, Deputy Director of Global Research & Analysis Team at Kaspersky Lab, stated the aforesaid at a seminar in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan. He added that the respective top three are Russia, Kazakhstan, and Italy, in that order.

Novikov noted that last year, each Internet user in Armenia faced web threats 13 times, and came across corresponding local threats 83 times, on the average. Accordingly, Armenia is 55th in terms of the number of Internet users facing local web threats (40.41%). Vietnam is in first place in this respect.

“In 2016, 10 percent of the [Internet] users in Armenia have faced threats to mobile devices,” added the Kaspersky Lab official. “And the computers of one in every seven Armenian users [of Internet] are vulnerable [to cyberattacks].”


RFE/RL Report
Armenian Army Facility To Undergo U.S.-Funded Renovation
March 03 2017
Armenia - Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian (second from
right), U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills (right) inaugurate the start of
the revonation of the Zar Military Training Facility, 3Mar2017.

The Armenian military officially launched on Friday a U.S.-funded
renovation of the main training center of its special brigade that
contributes troops to multinational peacekeeping missions abroad.

Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian, U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard
Mills and high-ranking officers of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
inaugurated the start of reconstruction work with a special ceremony
held at the Zar Military Training Facility.

"Thanks to the assistance of our American partners, the training
center of the Armenian peacekeeping forces will be completely
renovated and will get a new look in the coming months," Sargsian said
at the ceremony." "This is yet another manifestation of active and
productive U.S.-Armenian cooperation in the area of defense."

Sargsian thanked the U.S. government and military for the
assistance. A statement on the event released by the Armenian Defense
Ministry did not report the amount of U.S. funding. It said that the
Armenian side will also finance the renovation.

The Armenian army's Peacekeeping Brigade has received considerable
financial and technical assistance from the U.S. and other NATO member
states ever since it was set up in the early 2000s. NATO assigned a
higher degree of combat readiness and interoperability to the brigade
after monitoring a four-day exercise held by it at the Zar facility in
2015.

More than 130 soldiers of the brigade are currently deployed in
Kosovo, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Armenia plans to join more
peacekeeping missions abroad with specialized medical and demining
units. They will undergo NATO training before their deployment.

In October 2016, Sargsian and Mills inaugurated a new paramedic school
of the Armenian armed forces. U.S. military instructors trained the
first group of Armenian teaching personnel for the school in August
2015.

The Defense Ministry statement quoted Mills as saying on Friday that
defense cooperation is now "one of the key cornerstones" of
U.S.-Armenian relations.