Armenian News ... A Topalian... O'Brien and Movsesian
15 Minute film on Yerevan
that shows Armenian becoming a modern country.
RFE/RL Report
U.S. Vows Continued Aid To Karabakh
Sargis Harutyunyan
18.11.2015
The United States will continue to finance humanitarian projects in
Nagorno-Karabakh as part of annual economic assistance allocated by
the U.S. Congress, a senior State Department official said on
Wednesday.
Armenian-American lobby groups have been instrumental in at least
$44.5 million in direct aid to Karabakh which has been approved by
Congress since 1998 over strong objections from Azerbaijan. It has
been mostly channeled into humanitarian demining operations and the
reconstruction of the region's water distribution network.
Speaking in Yerevan, Alina Romanowski, the State Department
coordinator for U.S. assistance to the former Soviet Union, said the
U.S. aid to Karabakh will remain focused on these areas. "We will be
continuing our support for demining activities in that region," she
said, adding that the safety of Karabakh's population is particularly
important to the U.S.
President Serzh Sarkisian, a former wartime leader of Karabakh,
thanked Congress for the aid allocations when he visited Washington in
September. "That assistance has had a not only humanitarian but, first
and foremost, moral significance for the people of Artsakh
(Karabakh)," Sarkisian said at a reception held in his honor on
Capitol Hill.
arka.am
ARMENIA'S EXPECTATIONS FROM ITS MEMBERSHIP IN EEU
YEREVAN. Armenia's expectations from its membership
in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) did not materialize,
however, it is still early to draw final conclusions, ex-president
Robert Kocharyan said in an interview with Germany's state-run
international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle.
"The stated purpose and the motivation were that Armenia was entering
a large customs area, and that it would open up great opportunities
for Armenian businesses and exporters. Almost a year has passed, the
exports did not grow. Quite the contrary, they have decreased. The
trade with Russia has also declined," Kocharyan said.
According to Kocharyan, the decline resulted from a string of
events that radically changed the situation. In particular, the
sharp depreciation of the Russian ruble against the US dollar
led the process in the direction opposite to the expectations of
the Armenian authorities. It was added by Western sanctioned on
Russia and its authorities' efforts to substitute the imports by
domestically-produced goods.
"Therefore, the promised feast for the Armenian business apparently did
not take place. At the same time, it is too short a time for the final
evaluation. The signals suggest that our government should be extremely
active and creative in handling this situation," Kocharyan said.
According to Armenia's National Statistical, the country's exports in
the first 9 months of 2015 decreased by 0.9% year-on-year to $1.095.6
billion, while exports to the Russian Federation slashed by 265 to
$158.5 million.
lragir.am
November 19, 2015
An average of 1.04M viewers caught TBS' unveiling of Conan
In Armenia at 11 PM ET Tuesday, 666K of whom fell into the 18-49 age
bracket -- both about double what Conan's been averaging recently.
Another 317K viewers of all ages watched a replay immediately after
the premiere, at 12:30 AM ET, 226K of them in the demo, Deadline.com
reports.
When TBS unveiled Conan O'Brien's historic trip to Cuba in March,
it logged 1.3 million viewers in its 11 PM ET premiere on Wednesday,
after which the network immediately ran it again, posting another
510,000 viewers. That crowd grew to 3.7 million viewers who checked
out O'Brien becoming the first American late-night host to do a show
in Cuba in more than 50 years. Conan in Armenia likewise is expected
to grow.
In the video he has all sorts of merrymaking on his trip to the South
Caucasus country where in the streets and marketplaces he tries to
use some of the spoken Armenian phrases that he has learned from a
language instructor back in Los Angeles.
Besides the usual "Barev" (hello) and "Inchpes es" (how are you?)
phrases, those include expressions literally translated as "I eat
your liver" and "I die on your body", a way Armenians express their
sympathy towards close friends and family.
While in Armenia, O'Brien and Movsesian herded sheep and sampled the
local alcoholic beverages, and O'Brien took Movsesian to an Armenia
matchmaker -- all fodder for O'Brien's trademark sardonic humor.
O'Brien also appeared in an Armenian soap opera.
An average of 1.04M viewers caught TBS' unveiling of Conan
In Armenia at 11 PM ET Tuesday, 666K of whom fell into the 18-49 age
bracket -- both about double what Conan's been averaging recently.
Another 317K viewers of all ages watched a replay immediately after
the premiere, at 12:30 AM ET, 226K of them in the demo, Deadline.com
reports.
When TBS unveiled Conan O'Brien's historic trip to Cuba in March,
it logged 1.3 million viewers in its 11 PM ET premiere on Wednesday,
after which the network immediately ran it again, posting another
510,000 viewers. That crowd grew to 3.7 million viewers who checked
out O'Brien becoming the first American late-night host to do a show
in Cuba in more than 50 years. Conan in Armenia likewise is expected
to grow.
In the video he has all sorts of merrymaking on his trip to the South
Caucasus country where in the streets and marketplaces he tries to
use some of the spoken Armenian phrases that he has learned from a
language instructor back in Los Angeles.
Besides the usual "Barev" (hello) and "Inchpes es" (how are you?)
phrases, those include expressions literally translated as "I eat
your liver" and "I die on your body", a way Armenians express their
sympathy towards close friends and family.
While in Armenia, O'Brien and Movsesian herded sheep and sampled the
local alcoholic beverages, and O'Brien took Movsesian to an Armenia
matchmaker -- all fodder for O'Brien's trademark sardonic humor.
O'Brien also appeared in an Armenian soap opera.
CORK CITY LIBRARY HOSTS PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITION
COMMEMORATING ARMENIAN GENOCIDE
18 Nov 2015
The Irish Times - It was described by US President Theodore Roosevelt
as "the greatest crime of the war" and now the Armenian genocide
which began in 1915 has been commemorated with a special exhibition
of photographs at Cork City Library.
"The Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide" - officially opened by
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Chris O'Leary - features a series of old
photographs which depict the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians living
in what is now present day Turkey.
One of the organisers, Jimmy Lynch explained that the exhibition has
been put together by the Armenian community in Ireland to mark the
centenary of the genocide and it is based on an original project by
the Armenian National Institute and Armenian organisations in the US.
"In Ireland we rightly remember what happened in World War I in
places such as Gallipoli and Suvla Bay where many Irish suffered
and died but we should also be aware of what happened in Armenia -
this is an important and emotional year for the Armenian community
in Ireland and worldwide.
"They will be remembering and commemorating what happened to their
family antecedents in those dark times from 1915 to 1918 and the
people of Cork can share in that remembrance by visiting and viewing
the exhibition in Cork City Library," he said.
According to Mr Lynch, the panels of photographs depict the various
aspects of the genocide, known in Armenian as Medz Yeghem, including
executions, massacres, deportations and starvation of Armenians within
the Ottoman Empire by the Young Turk movement.
"Together these photographs recreate a sense of the terror exercised
by the Young Turk regime and reveal the extent of the dispossession
and decimation of the Armenian people in their historic homeland,"
said Mr Lynch.
"With panels displaying photographs of survivors, rescued women,
homeless children and refugees, the scale and depth of the uprooting
of the Armenian people is revealed," said Mr Lynch.
Many of the images were taken in the teeth of a strictly enforced ban
on photography by the Ottoman authorities and the collection represents
photographs that survived and were scattered across several continents
before being brought together, he added.
18 Nov 2015
The Irish Times - It was described by US President Theodore Roosevelt
as "the greatest crime of the war" and now the Armenian genocide
which began in 1915 has been commemorated with a special exhibition
of photographs at Cork City Library.
"The Iconic Images of the Armenian Genocide" - officially opened by
Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Chris O'Leary - features a series of old
photographs which depict the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians living
in what is now present day Turkey.
One of the organisers, Jimmy Lynch explained that the exhibition has
been put together by the Armenian community in Ireland to mark the
centenary of the genocide and it is based on an original project by
the Armenian National Institute and Armenian organisations in the US.
"In Ireland we rightly remember what happened in World War I in
places such as Gallipoli and Suvla Bay where many Irish suffered
and died but we should also be aware of what happened in Armenia -
this is an important and emotional year for the Armenian community
in Ireland and worldwide.
"They will be remembering and commemorating what happened to their
family antecedents in those dark times from 1915 to 1918 and the
people of Cork can share in that remembrance by visiting and viewing
the exhibition in Cork City Library," he said.
According to Mr Lynch, the panels of photographs depict the various
aspects of the genocide, known in Armenian as Medz Yeghem, including
executions, massacres, deportations and starvation of Armenians within
the Ottoman Empire by the Young Turk movement.
"Together these photographs recreate a sense of the terror exercised
by the Young Turk regime and reveal the extent of the dispossession
and decimation of the Armenian people in their historic homeland,"
said Mr Lynch.
"With panels displaying photographs of survivors, rescued women,
homeless children and refugees, the scale and depth of the uprooting
of the Armenian people is revealed," said Mr Lynch.
Many of the images were taken in the teeth of a strictly enforced ban
on photography by the Ottoman authorities and the collection represents
photographs that survived and were scattered across several continents
before being brought together, he added.
ARMENIAN CEMETERY
November 18, 2015
ISTANBUL -- Human skulls and bones were found during ongoing
excavations at Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Zaman newspaper
reports. The bones reportedly belong to Armenians, since an Armenian
cemetery was situated in the area till 1939.
Suleiman the Magnificent ordered construction of the cemetery when
his imperial chef Manuk Karaseferian denounced a group of people
trying to poison the Sultan. For almost four hundred years the site
formed part of the largest Christian burial ground in Constantinople:
the Pangalti Armenian Cemetery.
In 1865, the raging cholera infected not only the general public,
but also some courtiers in Istanbul. Armenians were thus banned from
burying their dead in the cemetery situated close to the winter palace,
an area in Sisli district of Istanbul allocated to the Armenians and
Greeks instead.
Sultan Abdulaziz ordered the confiscation of a part of Taksim Armenian
cemetery in 1870, with the whole area alienated in 1939.
Governor and Mayor of Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar confirmed the construction
of modern-day's Gezi Park and several buildings in 1940.
ISTANBUL -- Human skulls and bones were found during ongoing
excavations at Taksim Square in central Istanbul, Zaman newspaper
reports. The bones reportedly belong to Armenians, since an Armenian
cemetery was situated in the area till 1939.
Suleiman the Magnificent ordered construction of the cemetery when
his imperial chef Manuk Karaseferian denounced a group of people
trying to poison the Sultan. For almost four hundred years the site
formed part of the largest Christian burial ground in Constantinople:
the Pangalti Armenian Cemetery.
In 1865, the raging cholera infected not only the general public,
but also some courtiers in Istanbul. Armenians were thus banned from
burying their dead in the cemetery situated close to the winter palace,
an area in Sisli district of Istanbul allocated to the Armenians and
Greeks instead.
Sultan Abdulaziz ordered the confiscation of a part of Taksim Armenian
cemetery in 1870, with the whole area alienated in 1939.
Governor and Mayor of Istanbul Lutfi Kirdar confirmed the construction
of modern-day's Gezi Park and several buildings in 1940.
RFE/RLReport
Armenian POW Freed By Azerbaijan
18.11.2015
Azerbaijan set free and repatriated on Wednesday a Karabakh Armenian
soldier who was taken prisoner in March after crossing the
Armenian-Azerbaijani "line of contact" around Nagorno-Karabakh in
still unclear circumstances.
The 24-year-old contract soldier, Andranik Grigorian, crossed a
frontline section east of the disputed territory without his weapons
and ammunition. Shortly afterwards, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry
released a short video that showed Grigorian saying that he deserted
his unit because of being ill-treated by his comrades.
Karabakh's Defense Army was quick to dismiss the videotaped confession
as a fraud. It said that Grigorian was forced to make such claims.
Grigorian was sent back to Karabakh through "the line of contact" in a
handover facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC). ICRC representatives have repeatedly visited him in
Azerbaijani custody.
"The prisoner of war had previously confirmed to ICRC staff that he
was returning of his own free will," the Red Cross said in a
statement.
Haqqin.az likewise reported that Grigorian expressed a desire to
return home in his letters delivered by the ICRC to his elderly
parents living in a Karabakh village. "Forgive me for my mistakes," he
wrote, according to the Azerbaijani media outlet. "I just didn't
understand what to do and where to go."
The Karabakh Armenian military did not clarify on Wednesday whether
Grigorian will be prosecuted on desertion charges or will resume his
military service.
Armenian POW Freed By Azerbaijan
18.11.2015
Azerbaijan set free and repatriated on Wednesday a Karabakh Armenian
soldier who was taken prisoner in March after crossing the
Armenian-Azerbaijani "line of contact" around Nagorno-Karabakh in
still unclear circumstances.
The 24-year-old contract soldier, Andranik Grigorian, crossed a
frontline section east of the disputed territory without his weapons
and ammunition. Shortly afterwards, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry
released a short video that showed Grigorian saying that he deserted
his unit because of being ill-treated by his comrades.
Karabakh's Defense Army was quick to dismiss the videotaped confession
as a fraud. It said that Grigorian was forced to make such claims.
Grigorian was sent back to Karabakh through "the line of contact" in a
handover facilitated by the International Committee of the Red Cross
(ICRC). ICRC representatives have repeatedly visited him in
Azerbaijani custody.
"The prisoner of war had previously confirmed to ICRC staff that he
was returning of his own free will," the Red Cross said in a
statement.
Haqqin.az likewise reported that Grigorian expressed a desire to
return home in his letters delivered by the ICRC to his elderly
parents living in a Karabakh village. "Forgive me for my mistakes," he
wrote, according to the Azerbaijani media outlet. "I just didn't
understand what to do and where to go."
The Karabakh Armenian military did not clarify on Wednesday whether
Grigorian will be prosecuted on desertion charges or will resume his
military service.
RFE/RL Report
U.S. Vows Continued Aid To Karabakh
Sargis Harutyunyan
18.11.2015
The United States will continue to finance humanitarian projects in
Nagorno-Karabakh as part of annual economic assistance allocated by
the U.S. Congress, a senior State Department official said on
Wednesday.
Armenian-American lobby groups have been instrumental in at least
$44.5 million in direct aid to Karabakh which has been approved by
Congress since 1998 over strong objections from Azerbaijan. It has
been mostly channeled into humanitarian demining operations and the
reconstruction of the region's water distribution network.
Speaking in Yerevan, Alina Romanowski, the State Department
coordinator for U.S. assistance to the former Soviet Union, said the
U.S. aid to Karabakh will remain focused on these areas. "We will be
continuing our support for demining activities in that region," she
said, adding that the safety of Karabakh's population is particularly
important to the U.S.
President Serzh Sarkisian, a former wartime leader of Karabakh,
thanked Congress for the aid allocations when he visited Washington in
September. "That assistance has had a not only humanitarian but, first
and foremost, moral significance for the people of Artsakh
(Karabakh)," Sarkisian said at a reception held in his honor on
Capitol Hill.
arka.am
ARMENIA'S EXPECTATIONS FROM ITS MEMBERSHIP IN EEU
DID NOT MATERIALIZE, EX-PRESIDENT
November 18 2015
November 18 2015
YEREVAN. Armenia's expectations from its membership
in the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) did not materialize,
however, it is still early to draw final conclusions, ex-president
Robert Kocharyan said in an interview with Germany's state-run
international broadcaster, Deutsche Welle.
"The stated purpose and the motivation were that Armenia was entering
a large customs area, and that it would open up great opportunities
for Armenian businesses and exporters. Almost a year has passed, the
exports did not grow. Quite the contrary, they have decreased. The
trade with Russia has also declined," Kocharyan said.
According to Kocharyan, the decline resulted from a string of
events that radically changed the situation. In particular, the
sharp depreciation of the Russian ruble against the US dollar
led the process in the direction opposite to the expectations of
the Armenian authorities. It was added by Western sanctioned on
Russia and its authorities' efforts to substitute the imports by
domestically-produced goods.
"Therefore, the promised feast for the Armenian business apparently did
not take place. At the same time, it is too short a time for the final
evaluation. The signals suggest that our government should be extremely
active and creative in handling this situation," Kocharyan said.
According to Armenia's National Statistical, the country's exports in
the first 9 months of 2015 decreased by 0.9% year-on-year to $1.095.6
billion, while exports to the Russian Federation slashed by 265 to
$158.5 million.
lragir.am
HOW LONG WILL ARMENIA STAND?
Naira Hayrumyan, Political Commentator
19 November 2015, 13:27
The discussion of the 2016 draft budget in the parliament reminds
of political strip dance revealing how obsolete the political system
of Armenia is and how incapable of coming up with rational decisions
it is.
The independent Member of Parliament Edmond Marukyan asked the
minister of finance Gagik Khachatryan what the membership of Armenia
to the Eurasian Economic Union will bring to Armenia. The minister
answered frankly that the EEU is not exactly what everyone expected
upon membership. The revenues have gone down significantly, and it
is going to be even worse in 2016.
The Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielyan has announced that the
situation is complicated but we are not kneeling yet. In addition,
he said that of the borrowed 1.5 billion dollars only 10% has been
invested in economic development. Ostensibly, the rest flew to the
treasury. In other words, the membership of Armenia to the EEU has
left Armenia facing a threat of collapse and is surviving on loans.
The minister of finance Gagik Khachatryan says that this cannot last
long. In fact, one cannot borrow money all the time but without that
money a country will not be able to pay its debts and it can lead to
a disaster.
Gagik Khachatryan did not mention the period that Armenia can stand
but apparently the deadlines are tight. It is possible that December
is meant when the constitutional referendum will be held, and the
government will get some guarantees to be able to make a political
decision.
But what decision can the government make after the referendum? First
of all, they could opt for the resignation of the government and snap
elections to begin from a blank page.
Obviously, however, the government is expecting other proposals from
the political leadership and parliament which may reverse the movement
towards a disaster. Everyone is waiting for someone to be the first to
suggest leaving the Eurasian Union and changing the foreign political
vector. It will hardly be possible before the referendum but this
decision is a necessity if the Armenian leadership is not leading
Armenia towards a disaster intentionally.
There is a strange consensus in the Armenian parliament. Everyone
knows what to do and who is to blame but nobody is speaking about it
loudly. The ruling and opposition parties are unified to the point of
envy, bypassing all the main issues. Everyone is standing in front
of a closed door, not daring to push it open and is borrowing money
from neighbors through the window instead. Although the door is not
locked and it is enough to push it.
espess.am
33-YEAR-OLD ARMENIAN JUDGE DECLARED OVER
19 November 2015, 13:27
The discussion of the 2016 draft budget in the parliament reminds
of political strip dance revealing how obsolete the political system
of Armenia is and how incapable of coming up with rational decisions
it is.
The independent Member of Parliament Edmond Marukyan asked the
minister of finance Gagik Khachatryan what the membership of Armenia
to the Eurasian Economic Union will bring to Armenia. The minister
answered frankly that the EEU is not exactly what everyone expected
upon membership. The revenues have gone down significantly, and it
is going to be even worse in 2016.
The Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielyan has announced that the
situation is complicated but we are not kneeling yet. In addition,
he said that of the borrowed 1.5 billion dollars only 10% has been
invested in economic development. Ostensibly, the rest flew to the
treasury. In other words, the membership of Armenia to the EEU has
left Armenia facing a threat of collapse and is surviving on loans.
The minister of finance Gagik Khachatryan says that this cannot last
long. In fact, one cannot borrow money all the time but without that
money a country will not be able to pay its debts and it can lead to
a disaster.
Gagik Khachatryan did not mention the period that Armenia can stand
but apparently the deadlines are tight. It is possible that December
is meant when the constitutional referendum will be held, and the
government will get some guarantees to be able to make a political
decision.
But what decision can the government make after the referendum? First
of all, they could opt for the resignation of the government and snap
elections to begin from a blank page.
Obviously, however, the government is expecting other proposals from
the political leadership and parliament which may reverse the movement
towards a disaster. Everyone is waiting for someone to be the first to
suggest leaving the Eurasian Union and changing the foreign political
vector. It will hardly be possible before the referendum but this
decision is a necessity if the Armenian leadership is not leading
Armenia towards a disaster intentionally.
There is a strange consensus in the Armenian parliament. Everyone
knows what to do and who is to blame but nobody is speaking about it
loudly. The ruling and opposition parties are unified to the point of
envy, bypassing all the main issues. Everyone is standing in front
of a closed door, not daring to push it open and is borrowing money
from neighbors through the window instead. Although the door is not
locked and it is enough to push it.
espess.am
33-YEAR-OLD ARMENIAN JUDGE DECLARED OVER
$700 THOUSAND IN ASSETS
11.18.2015
The Administrative Court of Armenia is authorized to examine appeals
challenging decisions of state agencies; however, local Zhoghovurd
newspaper notes, the majority of the Court's judges are relatives or
children of government officials, which means "the independence of
the Administrative Court is out of the question."
Judge Ani Harutyunyan, for example, is the daughter of former deputy
chief of Armenia's National Security Service Grigor Harutyunyan. The
33O~Jyear-old lawyer was appointed Administrative Court judge in 2013;
however, she's managed to generate "very considerable wealth for
herself." According to Harutyunyan's annual asset declaration filed
with the state Commission on the Ethics of High-Ranking Officials, the
judge's financial assets amounted to AMD 62 million (about $128,400),
$350 thousand and EUR 200 thousand at the end of 2014.
11.18.2015
The Administrative Court of Armenia is authorized to examine appeals
challenging decisions of state agencies; however, local Zhoghovurd
newspaper notes, the majority of the Court's judges are relatives or
children of government officials, which means "the independence of
the Administrative Court is out of the question."
Judge Ani Harutyunyan, for example, is the daughter of former deputy
chief of Armenia's National Security Service Grigor Harutyunyan. The
33O~Jyear-old lawyer was appointed Administrative Court judge in 2013;
however, she's managed to generate "very considerable wealth for
herself." According to Harutyunyan's annual asset declaration filed
with the state Commission on the Ethics of High-Ranking Officials, the
judge's financial assets amounted to AMD 62 million (about $128,400),
$350 thousand and EUR 200 thousand at the end of 2014.
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