Armenian News... A Topalian 9 editorials
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 27 2019
Artsakh official: Azerbaijan suffered two losses during attempted subversive attack
Another Azerbaijani serviceman was seriously wounded during a failed incursion on the Artsakh frontline positions on Sunday, September 22, Artsakh presidential advisor Tigran Abrahamyan wrote on Facebook.
In an official statement the Artsakh Defense Ministry said the Azerbaijani subversive group left behind one body in the no-man’s land after being repelled by the Artsakh frontline troops.
“The Defense Army suffered no losses,” the ministry noted, adding that some episodes of the attack were caught on the surveillance cameras.
Artsakh returned the body of the killed saboteur to Azerbaijan on 24 September.
Abrahamyan said the wounded Azerbaijani soldier somehow managed to throw themselves back into their trenches and apparently succumbed to his wounds later.
“Our servicemen who witnessed the incident also confirmed this,” he said.
The advisor cited Facebook user Alen Ghulyan, who found and shared a video from the funeral ceremony of the soldier killed on the same day and in the same direction. He also posted photos of the Azerbaijani saboteur, which obviously show that he was not a conscript.
The second saboteur was identified as Qürbət Qürbət oğlu Quliyev.
News.am, Armenia
Sept 27 2019
China Ambassador: More than 10,000 Chinese expected to visit Armenia this year
The friendly bilateral and cooperative ties between China and Armenia are growing healthily and sustainably, and over the past years, Chinese-Armenian relations have entered a new stage of rapid development through the Belt and Road Initiative. This is what Ambassador of China to Armenia Tian Erlong told journalists today.
“The trade and economic cooperation is growing sustainably, and the sectors of cooperation are expanding. Since 2009, China has been Armenia’s second major partner in trade, and the amount of the Chinese-Armenian trade turnover comprises nearly 10% of Armenia’s total foreign trade,” he said.
The Ambassador also attached importance to cooperation in the humanitarian, educational and cultural sectors and fully hopes that the free visa regime is established between the two countries soon, adding that this will provide the opportunity to enhance tourism as well. “Whereas 2-3,000 Chinese citizens visited Armenia in 2015, this year, more than 10,000 Chinese citizens are expected to visit the country,” he said.
The construction of a new Chinese embassy in Yerevan is conditioned by the expanding cooperation between the two countries and, according to Tian Erlong, even though the current building is suitable, it is small since there are more than 50 employees.
Arminfo, Armenia
Sept 27 2019
SOS Amulsar Initiative Indicates Uranium Reserves Available
The SOS Amulsar initiative posted a photograph on its Facebook page, which indicates the presence of large reserves of uranium at the Amulsar gold deposit. So, according to the record, the letter U of the yellow device indicates the presence of uranium in the measured material. The number "245" indicated opposite it indicates the density of uranium in one ton, in grams. Meanwhile, the norm should be 4 ", - noted in the record.
Earlier, ArmInfo, referring to the work of the famous Armenian scientist Petros Aloyan "Uranium bearing of geological formations in Armenia" noted that the Amulsar occurrence of uranium is located 4 km southeast of the village of Ketchut and 5 km northwest of the top of the mountain of the same name. Approximately 76 tons of uranium were calculated for five sections of the Amulsar manifestation, and taking into account uranium in the thorium section, its total reserves can be estimated at 100 tons. Moreover, according to the studies of another scientist, Professor G. Avagyan, according to 40 samples of Amulsar ore, there are 195 tons of uranium and thorium there. Meanwhile, the development of uranium deposits requires special permission from the government, which Lidian does not have.
According to the company, the deposit contains about 73733 kg of gold with an average grade of 0.78 g per ton, as well as 294.367 tons of silver with an average grade of 9.29 g per ton. At the same time, not a word about uranium itself. Lydian Armenia, which implements the construction of the field, is a subsidiary of British Lydian International. The total cost of the Amulsar project is $ 370 million. The field's life will be 10 years and 4 months, with an average of 200 thousand ounces of gold being mined annually. Amulsar field is the second largest reserves in Armenia.
Arminfo, Armenia
Sept 27 2019
French courts annulled two more friendship agreements between administrative units of France and Artsakh
The court of the French city of Lyon canceled the friendship agreements between the French cities of Decines-Charpieu, Saint-Etienne and the Karabakh Shushi and Martuni districts, signed on September 25, 2017 and October 21, 2018.
According to the justification of the court, these agreements contradict Article 73 of the French Constitution, which regulates the code of territorial units of the country and other laws of France. To note, the French courts have already canceled 9 such agreements signed between the cities of France and the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh. The agreements were canceled due to the efforts of Azerbaijan.
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 28 2019
Armenian church commemorates St. Gevorg the Captain, Adoktos and Romanos the Singer
The Armenian Apostolic Church marks today the commemoration of St. Gevorg the Captain (St. George the Warrior). As qahana.am reports, he was born in a pious Christian family. Becoming a soldier of the Roman Army in a short period he deserves the honor of becoming Captain thanks to his courage and devotion. During the council convened by the Roman Emperor Dioklethianos he opposes to his plans on Christians’ execution, and thus the fact that he is Christian, is revealed. The King, becoming surprised and astonished, orders to imprison the Captain and subjects him to severe torments. Many people, among them the Queen Alexandria, become Christians thanks to the preaching of St. George.
After the King’s repeated requests St. Gevorg finally agrees to offer sacrifice to the idols. However, reaching the heathen church he breaks all idols one by one. For this act the King orders to behead St. Gevorg and he is martyred in about 303 A. D.
St. Romanos the Singer (the Melodist) is considered to be the author and creator of the church hymns’ canons. He has served as a deacon in the Church of St. Sophia, of Constantinople. Many people have mocked at him for his being unable to sing and read well. Once St. Mary appears to him in his dream and giving him a paper roll, orders to eat it. After the dream Romanos is granted the virtue to create and sing church hymns and songs. St. Romanos passes away in 556 A. D.
RFE/RL Report
Luxury Hotel ‘Donated’ To Armenian Government
September 26, 2019
Naira Nalbandian
The Armenian government completed on Thursday the nationalization of a luxury hotel handed over to it by a former senior official facing a corruption investigation.
The Golden Palace hotel located in the resort town of Tsaghkadzor has until now belonged to Armen Avetisian, a former chief of the Armenian customs service, and his family. They offered to donate it to the state last November after the National Security Service (NSS) moved to prosecute Avetisian for illegal entrepreneurship and money laundering.
The NSS claimed in October 2018 that Avetisian financed the construction of a similar five-star hotel in Yerevan when he headed the State Customs Committee (SCC) from 2001-2008. The financing was carried out through an obscure company registered in Cyprus and falsely presented as foreign investment, it said.
It remains unclear whether Avetisian was formally charged afterwards.
In February this year, the then NSS director, Artur Vanetsian, said that the Tsaghkadzor hotel’s transfer to the state is “in progress.”
The government completed that process at a weekly meeting chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian. The latter said that the government should decide before the end of this year what to do with the presently disused
property.
Armenia’s State Property Management Committee estimates the hotel’s market value at around $16.5 million. The head of the government agency, Narek Babayan, said some investors have already offered to buy it at a higher price.
“But I believe that an auction would be the best option in case of a sale [of the hotel,]” Babayan told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
The NSS launched the investigation into Avetisian shortly Vanetsian alleged that former President Robert Kocharian and his family accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars worth of assets when he ruled Armenia from 1998-2008.
Kocharian dismissed the allegations, challenging law-enforcement authorities to prove them. In an August 2018 interview, he also insisted that Avetisian did not make a huge personal fortune while in office.
The former customs chief faced corruption allegations by opposition figures and media throughout his tenure.
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 27 2019
Kim Kardashian reveals ‘big plans’ for Armenia
Reality TV star Kim Kardashian West has said that she has ‘big plans’ for Armenia and hopes her upcoming visit to the country will bring some ‘amazing news’.
“I’ve been working extremely hard on this matter and hope my trip to Armenia will bring some amazing news because I have big plans!” she tweeted.
“I will be visiting Armenia in the next two weeks and hope to seek ways I can help increase trade and hopefully create jobs for Armenians which includes @skims production there in the future,” Kardashian said in another tweet.
The TV star’s comments came after the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) expressed concerns over the fact that her SKIMS shapewear are made in Turkey.
“We consulted with experts and searched globally for the best in class options, some which was found in Turkey,” she explained in a separate tweet.
ANCA also thanked Kardashian for her contribution to the Armenian Genocide recognition.
Kim Kardashian will be a keynote speaker at the WCIT 2019 to be held in Yerevan on 6-9 October.
Sept 27 2019
Armenia photo essay | The last villagers of Bardzrashen
Uprooted by the Soviets, they returned to their farms after the collapse. Now climate change is driving them back to the city.
Winslow Martin, Herman Avakian , Vladimir Dubrovsky
Vladimir Dubrovsky
Residents of Bardzrashen didn’t have a choice in 1980 when Soviet authorities decided they must be moved. It was too hard to reach the mountain village in northwest Armenia, the authorities declared. For several months each winter, snow blocked the road. Besides, the nearby towns where they would be settled needed laborers.
Down the mountain Bardzrashen’s 80 families were brought to the town of Isahakyan, on the Turkish border, where they were given apartments and instructed to work on a collective farm.
Then the Soviet empire collapsed. Earthquake. War. Blackouts. Closure of the Turkish border. Poverty. And no more collective farm.
It didn’t take long for the former villagers to realize the lack of heat and running water made apartment life undesirable. About 40 families returned to deserted Bardzrashen and began to restore their farmsteads, to start village life anew. A school opened. Residents got their water from melting snows.
And then the snows stopped. The past two winters have been dry. Without water, life is impossible in these arid hills. People are, once again, leaving. The school closed seven years ago. There are maybe five families left.
Armenian photographer Herman Avakian began documenting life in Bardzrashen, which is also known as Babrlu, in 2002. Later he introduced photographers Winslow Martin, an American, and Vladimir Dubrovsky, a Russian, to the villagers.
A few months ago, one resident, Yeghish Simonyan, asked Avakian to photograph him one last time. He plans to leave before winter. “I cannot bear it anymore,” Simonyan told Avakian. “There is no life without water.”
Consulting with the villagers, Avakian organized a charity exhibit of the three photographers’ work. It opened earlier this month at a gallery in Gyumri and hopes to raise money for a pipe system to bring water 6 kilometers up the mountain to Bardzrashen. The cost: about $12,000.
The governor of Shirak Province, Tigran Petrosyan, attended the exhibition opening and later visited the village.
Winslow Martin is a photographer based in Arlington, Massachusetts. Herman Avakian is based in Yerevan. Vladimir Dubrovsky is a Russian photographer.
See photographs by clicking on:
Harper's Wine and Spirit Trade Review, UK
Sept 27 2019
Hallgarten lists first Georgian and Armenian wines
By Mathew Lyons
Importer Hallgarten & Novum Wines has added two new wineries to its portfolio from Armenia and Georgia, the first time it has listed wines from those countries.
Founded in 1957, Vachnadziani is Georgia’s largest wine producer and is based in the country’s Kakheti and lmereti regions. Hallgarten is listing seven single-varietal wines made from five indigenous local grape varieties: Rkatsitelli, Krakhuna, Mtsvane, Saperavi and Otskhanuri Sapere. Two of the wines have been fermented in traditional Georgian qvevri earthenware amphorae.
The ArmAs winery in Armenia is an 180 ha estate situated in Aragatsotn on the 45th parallel close to Mount Ararat. Its vines are planted at between 700 and 1,900 metres above sea-level in volcanic, limestone and clay soils. Hallgarten has added four of its wines, two from the Voskahat grape and two from the Karmrahyut grape.
Steve Daniel, head of buying at Hallgarten & Novum Wines said: “The wines from Armenia and Georgia have always fascinated me and I am thrilled to be able to introduce wines from two countries that have so much history.
“Each of the producers we have introduced utilise the country’s indigenous grape varieties, their unique terroir and a combination of modern and ancient winemaking techniques that result in wines of epic proportion.”
Hallgarten is also adding a single wine from Greece’s boutique Akriotou winery located in the Sterea Ellada region of Central Greece. The Orivatis, which translates as ’Mountaineer’, is a Savatiano made from 45-year-old vines grown at between 280 and 380 metres above sea level.
Daniel said: “I have found what I believe to a missing link in our Greek portfolio. In 2015, Vassiliki Akriotou created her first range of Akriotou wines at a micro-winery in the heart of Greece and now we have the sublime Savatiano, made from 45-year-old vines, in our portfolio.”
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