Armenian News... A Topalian... Hripsime Jebejyan "Many midtakr in April war"
Panorama, Armeni
Aravot, Armenia
Oct 1 2017
‘Many mistakes in April war’
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
Artsakh Defence Army colonel assures that the opponent cannot mislead us anymore as they did in the four-day war
Colonel Victor Arustamyan, Head of Operative Division of the Artsakh Republic Defense Army, made a remarkable statement at the conference titled “The military-political tactics of the opponent and our plans” organized by the ARF.
Head of the “Yelq” faction Nikol Pashinyan, referring to the April war, had asked, how come our actions were not adequate at the moment of the attack, effect of unexpectedness occurred and everyone started to discuss it social network. The Colonel replied, “Periodically aggravating the situation on the front line, through constant penetration attempts by subversive intelligence groups, our attention was focused on counteracting those. Possessing no better intelligence means, we were not able. For example, two tanks were moved to the frontline, the next night we heard noises of departing tanks, they have been able to mislead us with the constant shift military hardware. Then, just after discovering the use of the military hardware, we took an action”.
“Aravot” asked Victor Arustamyan: if before the April war the opponent managed to make a constant shift of military hardware and to mislead us, how much alert we are now to stay away from being misled again, whether it is possible that we are misled again, Arustamyan answered, “No such thing can happen at the moment, since now everything is under control, both the monitoring and the intelligence systems are already operating at full capacity, we are already technically equipped”.
In response to the question, what the lessons are we learned from the April war, whether now we can talk about mistakes, Victor Arustamyan said, “There were a lot of mistakes, but also positive aspects, analysis have been carried out, measures are being taken to correct the mistakes, the positive is being spread by different actions. Now everything is done to eliminate the shortcomings. The most important lesson we have learned and understood from the April war was that no matter what is happening in the political arena, the armed forces should always be alert”.
Media, social networks regularly note a number of problems, that there was no fuel in tanks, fuel was fake. In this regard Mr Arustamyan said, “There is no such thing, as the head of the operative division of the Defence Army, I say that all tanks have been put into operation and reached their combat zones, there was no problem concerning the lack of any substance of any technique”.
To the question, whether now we are ready to solve the problem via military actions, Arustamyan gave such an answer, “We are ready and we will continue to prepare and perform our tasks”.
The Statesman
Oct 1 2017
IWF suspends nine countries for doping violations The member federations identified as such are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Nine countries have been suspended from weightlifting for a year by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
The decision by the IWF followed the retesting of anti-doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Countries with at least three doping offenses from those Olympics were suspended, reports Xinhua news agency.
The member federations identified as such are currently Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
“We have made it clear that the incidence of doping in some areas is totally unacceptable and that our members have a responsibility to ensure clean sport in their countries,” IWF President Tamas Ajan said in a statement.
“If they do not fulfil their responsibilities to ensure their lifters are clean then they will lose their right to participate.”
The suspensions could mean a drastically weakened world championships, scheduled from November 28 through December 6 in Anaheim, the Untied States.
Aravot, Armenia
Oct 2 2017
Survey: The majority thinks that the Armenia-Diaspora Forum was another useless gathering
Ami CHICHAKYAN
On September 18-20, Yerevan hosted the 6th Armenia-Diaspora Conference. Aravot.am asked its readers’ opinion on this.
The respondents were offered four options of answer: “it was very effective”, “it was another useless gathering”, “what Armenia-Diaspora, I haven’t heard of such”, “it wasn’t particularly effective, but it is good that so many people from the Diaspora came to the Homeland for at least a couple of days”.
And so, 7 percent of the respondents consider that the conference was very effective, 17 percent have not heard about it. 36 percent consider that it wasn’t particularly effective, but it is good that so many people from the Diaspora came to the Homeland for at least a couple of days. And the majority of respondents, 40 percent, consider that it was another useless gathering.
panarmenian.net
Sept 30 2017
85 people aged 100 or over live in Armenia, social affairs official says
Armenia’s aging population has increased in recent years, according to an elderly affairs official.
“The share of the people aged 63 and above makes up 12.9 percent (some 387 000 people) of the permanent population. The figures come to prove that Armenia is an aging country,” Anahit Gevorgyan, the head of the Department on Elderly Affairs of Armenia's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, told a news conference on Saturday.
She informed that according to the latest data, 85 people aged 100 or over live in Armenia, with the oldest person aged 115 living in Yeranos village of Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province. There are 22 people aged 100 and over living in capital city Yerevan.
According to the official, the aging population growth is linked to the falling birth rates, emigration and longevity trends. She stated this points to another fact that the number of working people is decreasing in the country.
Ms. Gevorgyan next turned to the measures taken by the ministry regarding the aging affairs, noting the new strategy adopted in the field, aimed at ensuring healthy and active aging.
According to her, the international experience shows the success registered in aging affairs are mainly conditioned with quality and affordable health care for the elderly, provision of lifelong education and longer working life, as well as the introduction of alternative social services.
To note, October 1 is marked as International Day of Older Persons for 25 years already.
Interfax - Russia & CIS Military Newswire
September 28, 2017 Thursday 6:28 PM MSK
Turkey obstructing Karabakh conflict settlement - Armenian Foreign Ministry
Turkey's attempts to intervene in the settlement of the conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh obstruct the problem's resolution, Armenian Deputy
Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian said.
"It is not the first time that Turkey has made destructive attempts to
intervene in the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. This is one of the reasons
that make it impossible to register any progress in the process of
settling the problem," the Armenian Foreign Ministry quoted Kocharian
as saying on Thursday.
It is precisely because of "Turkey's unilateral and destructive
position, which is at odds with the position of the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs, that Armenia has always urged Turkey to stay away from the
process of resolving the Karabakh problem," he said.
The Turkish defense minister had said earlier in Baku that, to
liberate Nagorno-Karabakh "from Armenia's occupation," Azerbaijan and
Turkey should manufacture the necessary weapons themselves.
MediaMax, Armenia
Sept 29 2017
UK Minister for Europe notes Armenia’s legendary hospitality
UK Minister for Europe Alan Duncan addressed a video message about his visit to Armenia.
“I’m delighted to be here in Armenia. It’s my first ever visit to Yerevan.
I had a very intensive day of useful political discussions yesterday and I’ve take the opportunity to reiterate the UK’s continued support to the government, its important constitutional changes which bring it closer to that of a parliamentary democracy, and I’m looking at a very strong and prosperous country,” said Alan Duncan.
He informed that the Good Governance Fund will allocate GBP 4 million this and next year to Armenia, which will help the country on that journey to better government.
Touching upon the trade and economy ties, Alan Duncan informed that UK Prime Minister’s new trade envoy Mark Pritchard will visit Armenia in a few days.
In regards to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Sir Duncan noted the UK wish for a lasting, peaceful settlement and confirmed the UK’s continued support to the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
“Before travelling here I’ve heard of Armenia’s legendary hospitality and I’m pleased to say I’ve been benefitting from it over the last couple of days. I would very much like to reiterate my gratitude for the welcome I’ve received here,” said Alan Duncan.
Vestnik Kavkaza
Oct 2 2017
Church of Georgian-Armenian discord
Giorgi Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
Mamuka Areshidze
On Sunday evening, the situation in the Kumurdo village of the Akhalkalaki district has somewhat stabilized after the turbulent events, which started on Saturday, when local Armenians broke into the courtyard of the nearly destroyed 10th century church, trying to prevent the employees of Georgia's Ministry of Culture from starting restoration work. First, the security at the object, which is a valuable heritage site of the country, kept the troublemakers from coming, but they broke into the territory, breaking the fence, and then resisted the police, throwing atones at the police cars. They also threw stones at special forces, which arrived at the scene following the order of the Interior Minister Georgy Mgebrishvili. The minister himself also flew to Kumurdo, held a meeting with concerned people, asked them not to break the law and promised to settle up the matter.
Armenian villagers complained that the restorers "do not respect the burial places of Armenians in the church yard." However, a source in Georgia's Ministry of Culture told the Vestnik Kavkaza that statements about the graves excavated by Georgian restorers are "malicious lies". Restorers do not dig out, they are just trying to restore the church and the wall inscriptions. The Ministry of Internal Affairs opened criminal files on several articles of the country's Criminal Code: "hooliganism", "property damage" and "disobeying police orders." The Caucasus scholar Mamuka Areshidze told Vestnik Kavkaza about the Kumurdo church and the acuteness of this problem for the Georgian-Armenian relations.
- Nothing of this kind had occurred in the past 25 years, that is, after gaining independence by Georgia and Armenia - there were disputes, but not clashes, especially with the involvement of special forces. Were you surprised by what happened in Kumurdo?
- I wasn't surprised. This is a very old story. Armenians have claimed for decades that the Kumurdo church is an Armenian cultural heritage. Back in 1987, when I was there as part of an archaeological expedition, there were similar complaints. Someone convinced local Armenians that this is an Armenian church, so restorers from Georgia's Ministry of Culture have nothing to do in Kumurdo.
- What is the basis of this belief?
- Someone told them that the Georgian inscriptions in the church were written in Armenian. The ancient Georgian and Armenian alphabets look similar. Many villagers do not know how to read ancient texts, but they are convinced that these are Armenian inscriptions. It is impossible to persuade them. That's why such a serious incident happened eventually. It must be borne in mind that only the skeleton of the wonderful Kumurdo church has reached us. However, this is a unique church with amazingly beautiful architecture. Local Armenians constantly said that Kumurdo is an Armenian, not a Georgian church, and the Tbilisi restorers came to "destroy the traces of Armenians and erase the evidence of the belonging of this cultural object to Armenians." Previously, restorers were not allowed to go there at all - only scientists from Tbilisi visited it to study wall inscriptions. The local residents threatened them, harshly said that it is the Armenian church and "others have nothing to do here", but it never actually came to fights and pelting rocks. Now the situation has changed dramatically. And for the worse - even the police and special forces were pelted with rocks.
- Maybe someone provokes these people?
- Without a doubt. This issue requires serious study and attention. The village of Kumurdo is a phenomenon even for the Javakheti region, where Armenians make up the majority of the population. Even the Armenians of Javakheti think that the Kumurdo people are "problematic". Their reputation is not the best one. Kumurdo is a very criminogenic village. There are many weapons. And natives of this village, living in Moscow, for example, do not get along very well even with other representatives of the Armenian diaspora. I do not exclude that the excessive "passionarity" of the Kumurdo people is used by someone to worsen the situation and ignite the confrontation, using claims about the church. However, the Armenian Apostolic Church does not openly claim this church. For the simple reason that everyone knows perfectly well that it is a Georgian 10th century church.
In the evening, Georgian TV channels broadcast an interview with the head of the working group on the restoration of the monument, who said that the restoration work "will be continued." The church is guarded by a small police squad, while nobody's trying to prevent the restorers, but the tension remains and it has left us with an unpleasant after-taste for a long time.
RFE/RL Report
First Major Solar Plant Built In Armenia
September 29, 2017
Armenia's first-ever major solar power plant went on stream on Friday,
with a senior government official predicting the country's growing
reliance on renewable sources of energy.
The 0.5-megawatt plant has been built by a private company, Energo
Invest Holding, in Tsaghkadzor, a resort town 60 kilometers north of
Yerevan.
"Today is a historic day for Armenia as the first solar power plant
has been connected to Armenia's electricity networks," the Armenpress
news agency quoted Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures Hayk
Harutiunian as saying at the inauguration ceremony.
Harutiunian said 11 more such facilities with a combined capacity of
10 megawatts will be constructed in the country by 2019. "Besides, we
are holding a tender for the construction of a big solar plant with a
55-megawatt capacity," he added, according to the ARKA news agency.
Solar and wind power currently make up only a tiny share of
electricity produced in Armenia. The Armenian government has declared
the spread of these renewable sources of energy a priority.
In July, Prime Minister Karen Karapetian attended the official opening
of Armenia's first factory manufacturing solar panels used for power
generation. The government exempted equipment and raw materials
imported by its private owner from customs duties earlier this year.
The Tsaghkadzor plant is equipped with German-made solar
panels. Energo Invest Holding claims to have invested about $500,000
in its construction.
"This is a pilot project," a senior Energo Invest executive, Liana
Lobasian, told reporters. She said her company plans to build larger
solar plants that will absorb "large-scale investments."
Energo Invest is part of the Tashir Group of Samvel Karapetian, a
Russian-Armenian billionaire businessman. The Russian-headquartered
business conglomerate owns Armenia's national electric utility and
largest thermal power plant. It is also expected to start managing
soon country's state-owned power transmission network.
Karapetian was the driving force behind the recent creation by three
dozen Russian businesspeople of Armenian descent of a
multimillion-dollar investment fund that pledged to finance various
business projects in Armenia. The fund is said to be particularly
interested in hydropower and solar energy. A1+
a1+
Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan train resumes its operation
October 2,2017
The train leaves from Yerevan to Tbilisi at 9:30 pm, in even days of each month.
The train returns from Tbilisi to Yerevan at 8:20 pm, in odd days of each month.
The time of the trip is 10 hours and 20 minutes.
Ticket prices range from 9,520 drams, for the top spot in a reserved seat, to 20,201 drams for one seat in a sleeping saloon.
SCR CJSC is a subsidiary of Russian Railways and carries out concession management of the railway system of Armenia. According to the concession management agreement, signed on February 13, 2008, the concession management period is 30 years, with a further 10 years extension with the mutual agreement of the parties.
Artsakh Defence Army colonel assures that the opponent cannot mislead us anymore as they did in the four-day war
Colonel Victor Arustamyan, Head of Operative Division of the Artsakh Republic Defense Army, made a remarkable statement at the conference titled “The military-political tactics of the opponent and our plans” organized by the ARF.
Head of the “Yelq” faction Nikol Pashinyan, referring to the April war, had asked, how come our actions were not adequate at the moment of the attack, effect of unexpectedness occurred and everyone started to discuss it social network. The Colonel replied, “Periodically aggravating the situation on the front line, through constant penetration attempts by subversive intelligence groups, our attention was focused on counteracting those. Possessing no better intelligence means, we were not able. For example, two tanks were moved to the frontline, the next night we heard noises of departing tanks, they have been able to mislead us with the constant shift military hardware. Then, just after discovering the use of the military hardware, we took an action”.
“Aravot” asked Victor Arustamyan: if before the April war the opponent managed to make a constant shift of military hardware and to mislead us, how much alert we are now to stay away from being misled again, whether it is possible that we are misled again, Arustamyan answered, “No such thing can happen at the moment, since now everything is under control, both the monitoring and the intelligence systems are already operating at full capacity, we are already technically equipped”.
In response to the question, what the lessons are we learned from the April war, whether now we can talk about mistakes, Victor Arustamyan said, “There were a lot of mistakes, but also positive aspects, analysis have been carried out, measures are being taken to correct the mistakes, the positive is being spread by different actions. Now everything is done to eliminate the shortcomings. The most important lesson we have learned and understood from the April war was that no matter what is happening in the political arena, the armed forces should always be alert”.
Media, social networks regularly note a number of problems, that there was no fuel in tanks, fuel was fake. In this regard Mr Arustamyan said, “There is no such thing, as the head of the operative division of the Defence Army, I say that all tanks have been put into operation and reached their combat zones, there was no problem concerning the lack of any substance of any technique”.
To the question, whether now we are ready to solve the problem via military actions, Arustamyan gave such an answer, “We are ready and we will continue to prepare and perform our tasks”.
The Statesman
Oct 1 2017
IWF suspends nine countries for doping violations The member federations identified as such are Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Nine countries have been suspended from weightlifting for a year by the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF).
The decision by the IWF followed the retesting of anti-doping samples from the 2008 and 2012 Olympics. Countries with at least three doping offenses from those Olympics were suspended, reports Xinhua news agency.
The member federations identified as such are currently Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, China, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Turkey and Ukraine.
“We have made it clear that the incidence of doping in some areas is totally unacceptable and that our members have a responsibility to ensure clean sport in their countries,” IWF President Tamas Ajan said in a statement.
“If they do not fulfil their responsibilities to ensure their lifters are clean then they will lose their right to participate.”
The suspensions could mean a drastically weakened world championships, scheduled from November 28 through December 6 in Anaheim, the Untied States.
Aravot, Armenia
Oct 2 2017
Survey: The majority thinks that the Armenia-Diaspora Forum was another useless gathering
Ami CHICHAKYAN
On September 18-20, Yerevan hosted the 6th Armenia-Diaspora Conference. Aravot.am asked its readers’ opinion on this.
The respondents were offered four options of answer: “it was very effective”, “it was another useless gathering”, “what Armenia-Diaspora, I haven’t heard of such”, “it wasn’t particularly effective, but it is good that so many people from the Diaspora came to the Homeland for at least a couple of days”.
And so, 7 percent of the respondents consider that the conference was very effective, 17 percent have not heard about it. 36 percent consider that it wasn’t particularly effective, but it is good that so many people from the Diaspora came to the Homeland for at least a couple of days. And the majority of respondents, 40 percent, consider that it was another useless gathering.
panarmenian.net
Sept 30 2017
85 people aged 100 or over live in Armenia, social affairs official says
Armenia’s aging population has increased in recent years, according to an elderly affairs official.
“The share of the people aged 63 and above makes up 12.9 percent (some 387 000 people) of the permanent population. The figures come to prove that Armenia is an aging country,” Anahit Gevorgyan, the head of the Department on Elderly Affairs of Armenia's Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, told a news conference on Saturday.
She informed that according to the latest data, 85 people aged 100 or over live in Armenia, with the oldest person aged 115 living in Yeranos village of Armenia’s Gegharkunik Province. There are 22 people aged 100 and over living in capital city Yerevan.
According to the official, the aging population growth is linked to the falling birth rates, emigration and longevity trends. She stated this points to another fact that the number of working people is decreasing in the country.
Ms. Gevorgyan next turned to the measures taken by the ministry regarding the aging affairs, noting the new strategy adopted in the field, aimed at ensuring healthy and active aging.
According to her, the international experience shows the success registered in aging affairs are mainly conditioned with quality and affordable health care for the elderly, provision of lifelong education and longer working life, as well as the introduction of alternative social services.
To note, October 1 is marked as International Day of Older Persons for 25 years already.
Interfax - Russia & CIS Military Newswire
September 28, 2017 Thursday 6:28 PM MSK
Turkey obstructing Karabakh conflict settlement - Armenian Foreign Ministry
Turkey's attempts to intervene in the settlement of the conflict over
Nagorno-Karabakh obstruct the problem's resolution, Armenian Deputy
Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian said.
"It is not the first time that Turkey has made destructive attempts to
intervene in the Nagorno-Karabakh problem. This is one of the reasons
that make it impossible to register any progress in the process of
settling the problem," the Armenian Foreign Ministry quoted Kocharian
as saying on Thursday.
It is precisely because of "Turkey's unilateral and destructive
position, which is at odds with the position of the OSCE Minsk Group
co-chairs, that Armenia has always urged Turkey to stay away from the
process of resolving the Karabakh problem," he said.
The Turkish defense minister had said earlier in Baku that, to
liberate Nagorno-Karabakh "from Armenia's occupation," Azerbaijan and
Turkey should manufacture the necessary weapons themselves.
MediaMax, Armenia
Sept 29 2017
UK Minister for Europe notes Armenia’s legendary hospitality
UK Minister for Europe Alan Duncan addressed a video message about his visit to Armenia.
“I’m delighted to be here in Armenia. It’s my first ever visit to Yerevan.
I had a very intensive day of useful political discussions yesterday and I’ve take the opportunity to reiterate the UK’s continued support to the government, its important constitutional changes which bring it closer to that of a parliamentary democracy, and I’m looking at a very strong and prosperous country,” said Alan Duncan.
He informed that the Good Governance Fund will allocate GBP 4 million this and next year to Armenia, which will help the country on that journey to better government.
Touching upon the trade and economy ties, Alan Duncan informed that UK Prime Minister’s new trade envoy Mark Pritchard will visit Armenia in a few days.
In regards to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, Sir Duncan noted the UK wish for a lasting, peaceful settlement and confirmed the UK’s continued support to the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
“Before travelling here I’ve heard of Armenia’s legendary hospitality and I’m pleased to say I’ve been benefitting from it over the last couple of days. I would very much like to reiterate my gratitude for the welcome I’ve received here,” said Alan Duncan.
Vestnik Kavkaza
Oct 2 2017
Church of Georgian-Armenian discord
Giorgi Kalatozishvili, Tbilisi. Exclusively for Vestnik Kavkaza
Mamuka Areshidze
On Sunday evening, the situation in the Kumurdo village of the Akhalkalaki district has somewhat stabilized after the turbulent events, which started on Saturday, when local Armenians broke into the courtyard of the nearly destroyed 10th century church, trying to prevent the employees of Georgia's Ministry of Culture from starting restoration work. First, the security at the object, which is a valuable heritage site of the country, kept the troublemakers from coming, but they broke into the territory, breaking the fence, and then resisted the police, throwing atones at the police cars. They also threw stones at special forces, which arrived at the scene following the order of the Interior Minister Georgy Mgebrishvili. The minister himself also flew to Kumurdo, held a meeting with concerned people, asked them not to break the law and promised to settle up the matter.
Armenian villagers complained that the restorers "do not respect the burial places of Armenians in the church yard." However, a source in Georgia's Ministry of Culture told the Vestnik Kavkaza that statements about the graves excavated by Georgian restorers are "malicious lies". Restorers do not dig out, they are just trying to restore the church and the wall inscriptions. The Ministry of Internal Affairs opened criminal files on several articles of the country's Criminal Code: "hooliganism", "property damage" and "disobeying police orders." The Caucasus scholar Mamuka Areshidze told Vestnik Kavkaza about the Kumurdo church and the acuteness of this problem for the Georgian-Armenian relations.
- Nothing of this kind had occurred in the past 25 years, that is, after gaining independence by Georgia and Armenia - there were disputes, but not clashes, especially with the involvement of special forces. Were you surprised by what happened in Kumurdo?
- I wasn't surprised. This is a very old story. Armenians have claimed for decades that the Kumurdo church is an Armenian cultural heritage. Back in 1987, when I was there as part of an archaeological expedition, there were similar complaints. Someone convinced local Armenians that this is an Armenian church, so restorers from Georgia's Ministry of Culture have nothing to do in Kumurdo.
- What is the basis of this belief?
- Someone told them that the Georgian inscriptions in the church were written in Armenian. The ancient Georgian and Armenian alphabets look similar. Many villagers do not know how to read ancient texts, but they are convinced that these are Armenian inscriptions. It is impossible to persuade them. That's why such a serious incident happened eventually. It must be borne in mind that only the skeleton of the wonderful Kumurdo church has reached us. However, this is a unique church with amazingly beautiful architecture. Local Armenians constantly said that Kumurdo is an Armenian, not a Georgian church, and the Tbilisi restorers came to "destroy the traces of Armenians and erase the evidence of the belonging of this cultural object to Armenians." Previously, restorers were not allowed to go there at all - only scientists from Tbilisi visited it to study wall inscriptions. The local residents threatened them, harshly said that it is the Armenian church and "others have nothing to do here", but it never actually came to fights and pelting rocks. Now the situation has changed dramatically. And for the worse - even the police and special forces were pelted with rocks.
- Maybe someone provokes these people?
- Without a doubt. This issue requires serious study and attention. The village of Kumurdo is a phenomenon even for the Javakheti region, where Armenians make up the majority of the population. Even the Armenians of Javakheti think that the Kumurdo people are "problematic". Their reputation is not the best one. Kumurdo is a very criminogenic village. There are many weapons. And natives of this village, living in Moscow, for example, do not get along very well even with other representatives of the Armenian diaspora. I do not exclude that the excessive "passionarity" of the Kumurdo people is used by someone to worsen the situation and ignite the confrontation, using claims about the church. However, the Armenian Apostolic Church does not openly claim this church. For the simple reason that everyone knows perfectly well that it is a Georgian 10th century church.
In the evening, Georgian TV channels broadcast an interview with the head of the working group on the restoration of the monument, who said that the restoration work "will be continued." The church is guarded by a small police squad, while nobody's trying to prevent the restorers, but the tension remains and it has left us with an unpleasant after-taste for a long time.
RFE/RL Report
First Major Solar Plant Built In Armenia
September 29, 2017
Armenia's first-ever major solar power plant went on stream on Friday,
with a senior government official predicting the country's growing
reliance on renewable sources of energy.
The 0.5-megawatt plant has been built by a private company, Energo
Invest Holding, in Tsaghkadzor, a resort town 60 kilometers north of
Yerevan.
"Today is a historic day for Armenia as the first solar power plant
has been connected to Armenia's electricity networks," the Armenpress
news agency quoted Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures Hayk
Harutiunian as saying at the inauguration ceremony.
Harutiunian said 11 more such facilities with a combined capacity of
10 megawatts will be constructed in the country by 2019. "Besides, we
are holding a tender for the construction of a big solar plant with a
55-megawatt capacity," he added, according to the ARKA news agency.
Solar and wind power currently make up only a tiny share of
electricity produced in Armenia. The Armenian government has declared
the spread of these renewable sources of energy a priority.
In July, Prime Minister Karen Karapetian attended the official opening
of Armenia's first factory manufacturing solar panels used for power
generation. The government exempted equipment and raw materials
imported by its private owner from customs duties earlier this year.
The Tsaghkadzor plant is equipped with German-made solar
panels. Energo Invest Holding claims to have invested about $500,000
in its construction.
"This is a pilot project," a senior Energo Invest executive, Liana
Lobasian, told reporters. She said her company plans to build larger
solar plants that will absorb "large-scale investments."
Energo Invest is part of the Tashir Group of Samvel Karapetian, a
Russian-Armenian billionaire businessman. The Russian-headquartered
business conglomerate owns Armenia's national electric utility and
largest thermal power plant. It is also expected to start managing
soon country's state-owned power transmission network.
Karapetian was the driving force behind the recent creation by three
dozen Russian businesspeople of Armenian descent of a
multimillion-dollar investment fund that pledged to finance various
business projects in Armenia. The fund is said to be particularly
interested in hydropower and solar energy. A1+
a1+
Yerevan-Tbilisi-Yerevan train resumes its operation
October 2,2017
The train leaves from Yerevan to Tbilisi at 9:30 pm, in even days of each month.
The train returns from Tbilisi to Yerevan at 8:20 pm, in odd days of each month.
The time of the trip is 10 hours and 20 minutes.
Ticket prices range from 9,520 drams, for the top spot in a reserved seat, to 20,201 drams for one seat in a sleeping saloon.
SCR CJSC is a subsidiary of Russian Railways and carries out concession management of the railway system of Armenia. According to the concession management agreement, signed on February 13, 2008, the concession management period is 30 years, with a further 10 years extension with the mutual agreement of the parties.
RFE/RL Report
Another EU-Funded Border Checkpoint Built In Armenia
October 02, 2017
Satenik Kaghzvantsian
President Serzh Sarkisian and other officials inaugurated on Sunday a
third checkpoint on Armenia's border with Georgia that has been
modernized as part of a $64 million program mostly financed by the
European Union.
The checkpoint at Bavra in the northwestern Shirak province has new,
better equipped and much bigger passport control and customs
facilities meeting EU standards.
The area borders on the Ninotsminda district in Georgia which is part
of the Javakheti region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians. Georgian
Deputy Prime Ministry Dimitry Kumsishvili also took part in the
official opening of the new Bavra checkpoint.
Armenian officials as well as the head of the EU Delegation in
Yerevan, Piotr Switalski, said the modern facility will boost
cross-border commerce and tourism.
A statement by Sarkisian's office said it will also facilitate the
transit of Iranian cargos via Armenia. The country's sole border
checkpoint with Iran is due to undergo similar modernization.
There are three checkpoints on the Armenian-Georgian border. Work on
their expansion and modernization began in 2013 after the Armenian
government secured 54 million euros ($64 million) in foreign
funding. The EU provided the bulk of the sum in the form of a grant
and a loan.
The Armenian side of the largest border crossing between the two South
Caucasus countries was rebuilt completely in November last year. The
Bagratashen checkpoint was inaugurated by Sarkisian and Georgian Prime
Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
A1+
23 people aged 100 and more live in Yerevan
October 2,2017
October 02, 2017
Satenik Kaghzvantsian
President Serzh Sarkisian and other officials inaugurated on Sunday a
third checkpoint on Armenia's border with Georgia that has been
modernized as part of a $64 million program mostly financed by the
European Union.
The checkpoint at Bavra in the northwestern Shirak province has new,
better equipped and much bigger passport control and customs
facilities meeting EU standards.
The area borders on the Ninotsminda district in Georgia which is part
of the Javakheti region mostly populated by ethnic Armenians. Georgian
Deputy Prime Ministry Dimitry Kumsishvili also took part in the
official opening of the new Bavra checkpoint.
Armenian officials as well as the head of the EU Delegation in
Yerevan, Piotr Switalski, said the modern facility will boost
cross-border commerce and tourism.
A statement by Sarkisian's office said it will also facilitate the
transit of Iranian cargos via Armenia. The country's sole border
checkpoint with Iran is due to undergo similar modernization.
There are three checkpoints on the Armenian-Georgian border. Work on
their expansion and modernization began in 2013 after the Armenian
government secured 54 million euros ($64 million) in foreign
funding. The EU provided the bulk of the sum in the form of a grant
and a loan.
The Armenian side of the largest border crossing between the two South
Caucasus countries was rebuilt completely in November last year. The
Bagratashen checkpoint was inaugurated by Sarkisian and Georgian Prime
Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili.
A1+
23 people aged 100 and more live in Yerevan
October 2,2017
On of the International Day of the Elderly, as well as ahead of the 2799th anniversary of the capital, Ruzanna Zakaryan, head of the municipality’s social security department, and representatives of the municipality, and administrative districts visited the apartments of Yerevan citizens aged 100 and over.
According to tradition, they congratulated the elders on behalf of Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan on the occasion of the International Day of the Elderly, wishing them health, longevity, and handing gifts.
It should be mentioned that 23 people aged 100 and more live in the capital.
Asbarez.com
An Armenian Island on the Bosphorus
The small island on the Bosphorus strait off Kuruçeşme neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, which is today known as Galatasaray Islet
The small island on the Bosphorus strait off Kuruçeşme neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, which is today known as Galatasaray Island
BY RAFFI BEDROSYAN
What makes Istanbul beautiful is the Bosphorus dividing the City between Europe and Asia, and what makes Bosphorus beautiful is a series of architecturally magnificent palaces, mansions and mosques. Most of these architectural masterpieces on both sides of the Bosphorus are created by one Armenian family of architects, the Balyans. This article will explain the little known history of the only island in the Bosphorus and its connection to the Armenians, specifically to the Balyans.
Over three generations of Balyans have served the Ottoman Sultans in the 18th and 19th centuries, building a multitude of palaces, mosques, barracks, schools and clock towers for the Ottomans as well as several churches, schools and mansions for the Armenian communities all over the Empire, but mostly in Istanbul and specifically along the Bosphorus. Among the most notable Bosphorus works by the Balyans are the Palace, Mosque and Clock Tower of Dolmabahce, Beylerbeyi Palace, Ciragan Palace (now a luxury hotel), Kuleli Military School (used as an orphanage by the British Army after World War One to gather thousands of Armenian orphans rescued from Turkish and Kurdish homes), Ortakoy Mosque, Kucuksu Palace, and several other mansions. The Turkish Tourism Ministry and official guides refrained from identifying the architects of these buildings as the Armenian Balyans until the 2000’s and instead, mentioned an Italian architect called ‘Baliani’…
Anyway, while the Ottoman Sultans ordered the Balyans to build one palace after another, they started to pile up enormous amounts of debt and had to declare bankruptcy in 1876. Chief Architect of the Empire, Sarkis Balyan was owed large sums of money as well, and Sultan Abdulhamid decided to give Balyan the only island in Bosphorus as compensation against his debt. The island was just a formation of rocks across from the village of Kurucesme, right in the middle of the Bosphorus. Sarkis Balyan decided to build a summer house on these rocks to enjoy with the love of his life, his wife Makruhi Dadyan, the daughter of another famed Armenian family in the service of the Ottoman Empire as suppliers of gunpowder and armaments. Unfortunately Makruhi died young soon after due to tuberculosis and Sarkis Balyan started living in seclusion on the island. The island became known as Sarkis Bey Island, a meeting point for Sarkis Balyan’s intellectual and artistic friends. One of his guests was famed Armenian-Russian painter Ivan Hovhannes Aivazovski, who always stayed on this island whenever he visited Istanbul. Some of his famous seascape paintings were created here.
Sarkis Balyan passed away in 1889, and the island was unfortunately not maintained by his heirs. The government took over the island and started using it as a coal depot for the steamships criss-crossing the Bosphorus. In 1940, the heirs of Balyan were successful in having the island returned to their ownership, but they ended up selling the island in 1957 to Galatasaray Sports Club, one of the most prominent sports institutions in Turkey. The island was renamed as Galatasaray Island, expanded with swimming pools and sports facilities. In 2006, it was leased to a private entity for further expansion with several restaurants as a high society entertainment center. In 2017, much of the expanded facility was demolished by the pro-Islamic government and at present, there are proposals to build a mosque on the original Sarkis Bey Island…
Bosphorus is connected with Armenians in many other ways. Robert College is the oldest American college outside the United States. It was founded in 1863 on the European shores of Bosphorus by Christopher Robert, a wealthy philanthropist and Cyrus Hamlin, an education missionary, who had learnt Armenian in order to communicate with the first students of the boarding school, mainly Armenian boys. The school expanded rapidly and became a leading educational institution in Istanbul, eventually adding a university with many faculties. Until World War One, most of the students were minorities, Armenians, Greeks, Bulgarians and Jews. Unfortunately, the 1915 Armenian Genocide claimed several Armenian graduates of Robert College as well, along with the rest of Armenian intellectuals. Prominent Armenian journalist Teotig (Teodoros Lapchinjian), who compiled a list of the Armenian intellectual victims in his 1919 book ‘Memorial to April 24′, mentions at least ten Robert College graduates murdered by execution or massacre.
I will conclude with a personal anecdote. I was also a high school student at Robert College. Our gym teacher was Abbas Sakarya, a sports legend in Turkey, the first Turkish wrestling champion who won international gold medals, the first accredited gymnastics coach, the first founder of a swimming academy, a very strict, severe man who never cracked a smile. Robert College held annual Bosphorus Crossing swim races from the Asian to the European side. The width of the Bosphorus Strait is about a mile but with the treacherous currents, one has to swim double or triple that distance during the crossing. Along with dozens of other university and high school students, I also participated in the race and I ended coming in second among the high school students. Sakarya congratulated me and along with a rare smile, he whispered into my ear: ‘Abris,’ in Armenian, roughly translated perhaps as ‘Bravo.’ At the time, I thought he may have used that word as a complement because he knew I was Armenian. But years later, near his death at age 97, I found out that this Turkish legendary sportsman and teacher was in fact a hidden Armenian from Bursa, an orphan of the genocide.
There are many secret and untold stories about Armenians in Turkey. Turks may not know or may not want to know them, but they must be told.
Reuters & The Indian Express, India
Oct 2 2017
Transgender Armenians stitch and sew their way out of prejudice
According to tradition, they congratulated the elders on behalf of Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan on the occasion of the International Day of the Elderly, wishing them health, longevity, and handing gifts.
It should be mentioned that 23 people aged 100 and more live in the capital.
Asbarez.com
An Armenian Island on the Bosphorus
The small island on the Bosphorus strait off Kuruçeşme neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, which is today known as Galatasaray Islet
The small island on the Bosphorus strait off Kuruçeşme neighborhood in Istanbul, Turkey, which is today known as Galatasaray Island
BY RAFFI BEDROSYAN
What makes Istanbul beautiful is the Bosphorus dividing the City between Europe and Asia, and what makes Bosphorus beautiful is a series of architecturally magnificent palaces, mansions and mosques. Most of these architectural masterpieces on both sides of the Bosphorus are created by one Armenian family of architects, the Balyans. This article will explain the little known history of the only island in the Bosphorus and its connection to the Armenians, specifically to the Balyans.
Over three generations of Balyans have served the Ottoman Sultans in the 18th and 19th centuries, building a multitude of palaces, mosques, barracks, schools and clock towers for the Ottomans as well as several churches, schools and mansions for the Armenian communities all over the Empire, but mostly in Istanbul and specifically along the Bosphorus. Among the most notable Bosphorus works by the Balyans are the Palace, Mosque and Clock Tower of Dolmabahce, Beylerbeyi Palace, Ciragan Palace (now a luxury hotel), Kuleli Military School (used as an orphanage by the British Army after World War One to gather thousands of Armenian orphans rescued from Turkish and Kurdish homes), Ortakoy Mosque, Kucuksu Palace, and several other mansions. The Turkish Tourism Ministry and official guides refrained from identifying the architects of these buildings as the Armenian Balyans until the 2000’s and instead, mentioned an Italian architect called ‘Baliani’…
Anyway, while the Ottoman Sultans ordered the Balyans to build one palace after another, they started to pile up enormous amounts of debt and had to declare bankruptcy in 1876. Chief Architect of the Empire, Sarkis Balyan was owed large sums of money as well, and Sultan Abdulhamid decided to give Balyan the only island in Bosphorus as compensation against his debt. The island was just a formation of rocks across from the village of Kurucesme, right in the middle of the Bosphorus. Sarkis Balyan decided to build a summer house on these rocks to enjoy with the love of his life, his wife Makruhi Dadyan, the daughter of another famed Armenian family in the service of the Ottoman Empire as suppliers of gunpowder and armaments. Unfortunately Makruhi died young soon after due to tuberculosis and Sarkis Balyan started living in seclusion on the island. The island became known as Sarkis Bey Island, a meeting point for Sarkis Balyan’s intellectual and artistic friends. One of his guests was famed Armenian-Russian painter Ivan Hovhannes Aivazovski, who always stayed on this island whenever he visited Istanbul. Some of his famous seascape paintings were created here.
Sarkis Balyan passed away in 1889, and the island was unfortunately not maintained by his heirs. The government took over the island and started using it as a coal depot for the steamships criss-crossing the Bosphorus. In 1940, the heirs of Balyan were successful in having the island returned to their ownership, but they ended up selling the island in 1957 to Galatasaray Sports Club, one of the most prominent sports institutions in Turkey. The island was renamed as Galatasaray Island, expanded with swimming pools and sports facilities. In 2006, it was leased to a private entity for further expansion with several restaurants as a high society entertainment center. In 2017, much of the expanded facility was demolished by the pro-Islamic government and at present, there are proposals to build a mosque on the original Sarkis Bey Island…
Bosphorus is connected with Armenians in many other ways. Robert College is the oldest American college outside the United States. It was founded in 1863 on the European shores of Bosphorus by Christopher Robert, a wealthy philanthropist and Cyrus Hamlin, an education missionary, who had learnt Armenian in order to communicate with the first students of the boarding school, mainly Armenian boys. The school expanded rapidly and became a leading educational institution in Istanbul, eventually adding a university with many faculties. Until World War One, most of the students were minorities, Armenians, Greeks, Bulgarians and Jews. Unfortunately, the 1915 Armenian Genocide claimed several Armenian graduates of Robert College as well, along with the rest of Armenian intellectuals. Prominent Armenian journalist Teotig (Teodoros Lapchinjian), who compiled a list of the Armenian intellectual victims in his 1919 book ‘Memorial to April 24′, mentions at least ten Robert College graduates murdered by execution or massacre.
I will conclude with a personal anecdote. I was also a high school student at Robert College. Our gym teacher was Abbas Sakarya, a sports legend in Turkey, the first Turkish wrestling champion who won international gold medals, the first accredited gymnastics coach, the first founder of a swimming academy, a very strict, severe man who never cracked a smile. Robert College held annual Bosphorus Crossing swim races from the Asian to the European side. The width of the Bosphorus Strait is about a mile but with the treacherous currents, one has to swim double or triple that distance during the crossing. Along with dozens of other university and high school students, I also participated in the race and I ended coming in second among the high school students. Sakarya congratulated me and along with a rare smile, he whispered into my ear: ‘Abris,’ in Armenian, roughly translated perhaps as ‘Bravo.’ At the time, I thought he may have used that word as a complement because he knew I was Armenian. But years later, near his death at age 97, I found out that this Turkish legendary sportsman and teacher was in fact a hidden Armenian from Bursa, an orphan of the genocide.
There are many secret and untold stories about Armenians in Turkey. Turks may not know or may not want to know them, but they must be told.
Reuters & The Indian Express, India
Oct 2 2017
Transgender Armenians stitch and sew their way out of prejudice
Martirosyan, who heads Right Side, is working on a map of potential future employers for her trainees. So far, only two beauty and fashion companies have agreed to employ transgender people. While the employment prospects might be bleak, trainees say the workshops provide a safe space.
When she was 14, Lilit Martirosyan decided she wanted to start earning money for herself. But finding a normal job was complicated – employers didn’t like the way she looked. So, like many transgender women in Armenia, she started selling her body to older men instead.
During her years as a sex worker, Martirosyan, 26, was beaten and threatened with a knife several times. Eventually, after eleven years of sex work, she decided to stop selling herself and start helping people like her instead. “Transgender persons face discrimination and violence in the family, at school; they usually leave school at a very early stage,” she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in her office in Armenia’s capital, Yerevan.
“Those who are very strong continue their studies at university, but there is more discrimination there – so they leave university as well,” she added, revealing tattoos on her arms as she fiddled with her long, blonde hair.
“That’s why they are engaged in sex work: they don’t have enough education to work and be competent in the labour market.” To curb that trend, activists are organising workshops to teach transgender people sewing and makeup, and help them find employment in the fashion industry, which they say is one of the most inclusive in the Armenian job market.
NIGHT OWLS
Armenia is one of the least LGBT-friendly countries in Europe, with only Russia and Azerbaijan ranked worse for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, according to advocacy group ILGA-Europe.
In a 2015 survey by PINK Armenia, an NGO that helps the LGBT community, 91 percent of Armenians said they did not know anyone who was gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender or intersex.
Politicians have repeatedly come out against LGBT people, saying they threaten Armenia’s cultural identity.
After Yerevan’s only LGBT-friendly bar was burnt down in 2012, Eduard Sharmazanov, a spokesman for Armenia’s ruling party, called the attack “right and justified” as supporters of LGBT rights were “defaming the Armenian national identity”.
While gay, lesbian and bisexual people can hide their sexual orientation, transgender Armenians say their physical appearance makes them recognisable and more likely to encounter discrimination, bullying and physical attacks. Many are afraid to go out by day and cannot find education or work. So they rely on sex work in the evenings to survive.
Drawing on her experience, Martirosyan founded Right Side last year, which she says is the only organisation in the Caucasus region focusing on transgender issues.
The group campaigns for equal rights for people regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity, it says.
STITCHES AND LIPSTICK
In one corner of the organisation’s large community space in Yerevan, fashion designer Agnes Malkhasyan is showing her pupils how to sew stitches on a piece of red material using a machine.
Armed with measuring tape and white chalk, she draws patterns on the fabric, marking the spots she will have to sew over, as her pupils look on attentively.
Malkhasyan is keen to help fellow transgender people learn sewing – a job where one can easily make money without having to leave the house and risk abuse. She says attitudes are improving.
“Years ago, if they saw a transgender person on the streets people would scream: ‘he’s a boy,’ would discriminate or beat them. Now they are a little more indifferent, more accepting.”
Still, she admits she is sometimes scared of going outside, and has not told her employer about her gender identity.
Over a period of three months, pupils will learn how to make their own clothes. At the end of the course, they will be briefed on how to handle job interviews and put in touch with transgender-friendly employers. The sewing classes – along with makeup and IT courses – are the first of their kind in the country.
Martirosyan, who heads Right Side, is working on a map of potential future employers for her trainees. So far, only two beauty and fashion companies have agreed to employ transgender people. While the employment prospects might be bleak, trainees say the workshops provide a safe space.
“It was one of my dreams to be able to sew and now I feel that it’s getting real,” Kira Schwarz, who identifies as gender-queer, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation after finishing her stitches. “Here, people can be free as they are and no one will judge or criticise. Here you can be yourself.”
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