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AHVAL

Sept 15 2018

Erdoğan vows to keep Armenian border closed during Azerbaijan visit 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Eroğan said that Turkey would continue to keep its border to with neighbour Armenia closed in the absence of a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue during his visit to Azerbaijan on Saturday, independent news site Diken reported.

Nagorno-Karabakh, which broke away from Azerbaijan in 1991 with Armenian military support, is the subject of ongoing dispute between Azerbaijan and Armenia.

"Those who cannot explain what happened in Khojaly 26 years ago, the massacre in Upper Karabakh, and declare the killers heroes, should not give Turkey any kind of history lesson," Erdoğan said, in an apparent reference to Armenia during an event marking the 100th anniversary of the liberation of Baku by the Caucasian Islamic Army.

The targeting of Azerbaijanis in the Khojaly massacre in 1992, during which 161 Azerbaijani civilians were killed by Armenian armed forces, and the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute led to the breakdown of relations between Armenia and Turkey in the early 1990s, with Turkey closing its border to Armenia in a show of support for Azerbaijan in 1993.

ARKA, Armenia

Sept 17 2018

Defense ministry spokesman: Armenian border villages shelled by Azerbaijani troops this night

Armenia’s border areas were shelled by Azerbaijani troops Sunday night, Novosti-Armenia reported Monday morning referring to Artsrun Hovhannisyan, the Armenian defense ministry spokesman.  

In his words, Tavush province was shielded, but not as intensively as before, in recent days. 

No losses and consequences are reported on the Armenian side. 

The ministry’s spokesman said that Armenian troops responded to the opposite side by return fire. 

Earlier, Artak Davtyan, chief of the Armenian armed forces’ staff, said that Azerbaijan has intensified its artillery attacks at Armenia’s residential areas. Its troops have shelled Baganis, Koti, Chilari and 

Vazashen villages as well as Voskepat-Baganis road. 

He also said that the Armenian army is instructed to refrain from firing at residential zones and to target only fire nests of the opposite side, but if the treat grows appropriate commands will be given. 

MediaMax, Armenia

Sept 15 2018

Pashinyan to Macron: Aliyev is not as frank as he seems

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan discussed the perspective of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement with French President Emmanuel Macron at the meeting in Paris on September 14.

“President Macron wanted to know about our idea of the settlement and whether there is a possibility to hold serious talks on it now. 

As I told him, I believe the leader of Azerbaijan is not as frank as he may seem when he speaks about the settlement, because resolution of a conflict is only possible in a corresponding climate. To speak of settlement amidst threats is not quite realistic. We are ready for the settlement, and if the mediating parties want to achieve it, first of all they need to call the President of Azerbaijan to order. 

If Mr. Aliyev thinks he can pressure us into concessions with threats, he is wrong. Azerbaijan’s aggressive actions will be met with counter-actions from the Armenian people,” Nikol Pashinyan told the representatives of the Armenian community of Paris, with whom he met in the evening of September 14.

The Armenian Prime Minister added that there was no agreement yet on a top level summit between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

News.am, Armenia

Sept 15 2018

PM to Armenian diaspora: Common goal is Armenia and Karabakh 

Political processes have brought and put us before a common goal, and that goal is Armenia and Artsakh [(Nagorno-Karabakh)].

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who was on a two-day working visit to Paris, said the abovementioned at his talk with numerous representatives of the Armenian community of France, on Friday evening.

Reflecting on the matter of Armenia-Armenian diaspora relations, the PM said as follows, in particular: “We [Armenians] have one common task. We have [the task of] making our people’s potential more effective, increasing our political opportunities.

“The model that is used in the French Armenian community can become exemplary for the organization of all Armenian communities. In the French Armenian community, Armenian organizations have united in one organization. (…). I see the formula for the Armenians’ mutual cooperation in a way that we are with each other.”

Pashinyan noted that as a result of the recent velvet revolution in Armenia, Armenian people have begun believing in themselves.

Arminfo, Armenia

Sept 18 2018

The "Armenia!" Exhibition opens in the world-famous Metropolitan Museum in New York

Alexander Avanesov. 

In the world-famous Metropolitan Museum in New York on September 22 an exhibition "Armenia!" Will open, where exhibits from the Museum of the History of Armenia, Matenadaran and Etchmiadzin will be presented.

The Minister of Culture Lilit Makunts, the director of the Museum of the History of Armenia Grigor Grigoryan, the director of the Matenadaran Vahan Ter-Ghevondyan and the director of the Museums and Archives of the Holy Echmiadzin Astghik Karapetyan stated this at the July 18 press conference. The exhibition is devoted to the artistic and cultural achievements of the Armenian people from the adoption of Christianity to the 17th century. The exhibition will feature 140 exhibits, including 34 exhibits from the Museum of the History of Armenia, 20 exhibits from Etchmiadzin and 28 manuscripts from Matenadaran. There will be exhibits, which will be exhibited for the first time.

Minister Makunts noted that the exhibits were also provided by the Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia, the fraternity of the St. Hakobyan Church, the Mkhitarist Congregation, the Galust Gulbenkian Museum and other museums. Makunts stressed that before the opening press conference will be held for the international press, there will also be interviews that will increase interest in this important event. The curator of the exhibition is the Byzantologist Helen Evans, who worked in Yerevan for many years. The charity companies donated money to the event. The exhibition will last until January 13, 2019.

PanArmenian, Armenia

Sept 18 2018

Sino-Armenian cooperation in focus of King’s College London conference 

Prospects for Sino-Armenian cooperation in the financial-banking sphere were discussed during the annual conference of the British Association for Chinese Studies was held at King’s College London on September 12-14.

The prestigious academic conference organized by The Lau China Institute, King’s College London and British Association for Chinese Studies.

Selected scholars from different countries were invited to participate and introduce their research on international security issues.

Mher Sahakyan, the head of the “’China-Eurasia Council’ for Political and Strategic Research,” Foundation, Armenia, was among participants.

He presented his research on “One Belt, One Road Initiative’s Financial Resources and Prospects for Sino-Armenian cooperation in the financial-banking sphere”.

The presentation was followed by a discussion on both the topic of research and the methods used by Sahakyan.

News.am, Armenia

Sept 15 2018

Armenia trucks temporarily block customs checkpoint on Georgia border 

At midnight, several dozens of truck drivers from Armenia blocked the Bagratashen-Sadakhlo customs checkpoint—between the Armenia-Georgia border—for two to three hours.

Thus, they protested against the Georgian government’s decision to ban grain transportation via motorways on the territory of Georgia.

Lusine Mkrtchyan, spokesperson for the State Revenue Committee (SRC) of Armenia, told the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“The [Armenian] customs checkpoint also permitted to carry out the [protest] action without obstruction because the objective [of this protest] wasn’t to obstruct the operations of the customs house,” the SRC spokesperson added. She noted that the customs checkpoint is open at this time.

By a decision of the Georgian government, the import of grain and some similar crops into Armenia via Georgian motorways were to be prohibited as of Saturday, September 15. As a result, grain and bread prices may increase in Armenia.

This decision applies to all countries which carry out such type of cargo transportation via Georgia.

But the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies of Armenia has informed Saturday that this ban on grain cargos’ import via Georgian motorways has been put off to October 1.

RFE/RLReport

Sarkisian’s Brother Decries Cash Payment Demanded By Armenian PM

September 17, 2018

Sargis Harutyunyan

A controversial brother of former President Serzh Sarkisian on Monday condemned as illegal a $30 million payment to the state demanded from him by Armenian 

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.

Speaking at a September 11 rally in Yerevan, Pashinian said that Aleksandr “Sashik” Sarkisian holds the lump sum in one of his bank accounts in Armenia. “I demand that Sashik Sarkisian publicly pledge that within one week he will withdraw that $30 million and return it to the state budget,” he said, speaking in the context of his government’s declared fight against corruption.

The Office of the Prosecutor-General said on Monday that this and other personal assets of Sarkisian were frozen in July as part of a criminal investigation conducted by the National Security Service (NSS). It did not give any details of that investigation. The NSS likewise declined to elaborate.

In a written statement, Sarkisian insisted that both Pashinian’s demand and the freezing of his bank account are illegal. He argued that the authorities have not come up with any proof that the money in question was earned illegally. The 62-year-old also accused the prime minister of breaching bank secrecy guaranteed by Armenian law.

Sarkisian made clear at the same time that he will be ready to donate “a part of the financial means legally belonging to me” to the state if his and his family members’ assets are unblocked. But he gave no numbers.

Pashinian’s press secretary, Arman Yeghoyan, reacted cautiously to Sarkisian’s statement. “We need to wait for further developments,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).

Sarkisian, has repeatedly caused controversy in the past with his flamboyant behavior and insults addressed to opponents of Armenia’s former governments. He is thought to have significant business interests.

Critics have long accused him of abusing his brother’s power to accumulate his wealth. Some of them have alleged that during Serzh Sarkisian’s 2008-2018 rule 

Armenian businesspeople were routinely forced to give Aleksandr 50 percent stakes in their lucrative firms. The new authorities in Yerevan have publicized no evidence of that yet, however.

In his statement, Aleksandr Sarkisian claimed that he first made a fortune in Russia where he lived from 1985-1995. “I returned to Armenia with a large sum, after which I did not stop doing business for a single year,” he said.

Sarkisian was twice briefly detained by law-enforcement bodies for questioning after Pashinian swept to power in May in a wave of mass protests that brought down his brother’s government. He was not formally accused of any crime.

Instead, the authorities brought criminal charges against his two sons. One of them, Hayk Sarkisian, was arrested in July on charges of attempted murder and illegal arms possession which he strongly denies. The other son, Narek, fled the country shortly before being charged with kidnapping.

MediaMax, Armenia

Seot 15 2018

Armenian PM meets with top Lydian managers in Paris

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received Lydian International’s Chairman of the Board Gordon Wylie and Board Member Gillian Davidson in Paris on September 14 on the margins of his working visit to France.

 

“The parties discussed current situation with Amulsar gold mine and possible solutions. Prime Minister Pashinyan highlighted the priority and the importance of protecting Lake Sevan and water resources in Amulsar area in this context. At the same time, the Prime Minister said that any solution should be based on concrete facts.

 

The head of the government also attached importance to the continuous dialogue between Lydian International and the Armenian society, especially the local communities,” the Armenian government said in a press release.

Vatican News

Sept 17 2018

Pope to Armenian monks: continue to illuminate the path to unity

By Linda Bordoni

A letter from Pope Francis was read at the conclusion of celebrations marking 300 years from the foundation of the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation in its Monastery in Venice.

Pope Francis on Sunday praised the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation for their tradition of theological humanism and prophetic ecumenical openness and urged them to continue to provide precious witness.

Mekhitarist Congregation 

The Congregation of Benedictine monks is widely recognized for its contribution to the renaissance of Armenian philology, literature, and culture early in the 19th century and for the publication of old Armenian Christian manuscripts, a tradition that Pope Francis described as a “beneficial gift for the ecumenical journey, which increasingly reveals itself as a sign of the times” in our effort to meet the Lord’s request to his disciples “to be one”.

In a letter addressed to Archbishop Boghos Levon Zekiyan, apostolic administrator of the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation, the Pope said the congregation “is called to preserve and deepen its charism for the good of all Armenian people."

Francis’ message was read in the presence of Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches during celebrations of the Divine Liturgy on the Island of San Lazzaro in Venice.

300th anniversary  

The ceremony took place on Sunday evening to the mark the third centenary of the foundation of the Armenian Mekhitarist Congregation.

He said that together with the Mekhitarist Monastery of Vienna, the island of San Lazzaro where the Congregation is based, has become its beating heart.

“Despite a general reduction in numbers, each monk is called, there and everywhere, to keep his horizons open and wide and the bond of communion strong” he said.

The Mekhitarist identity, the Pope continued, consists above all in being entirely consecrated to God.

Strength in the face of current trials 

“Your vocation, he said in conclusion to the monks, cannot be realized without real communion with your brother monks and without a total and joyful respect for your vows of poverty, chastity and obedience” which are an evangelical source of true renewal and strength in the face of the trials we face today.