Monday 13 March 2017

Armenian News... A Topalian... Rich MixDashArts...


Rich Mix is a charity providing access to culture for all in East London. 

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VARDAN HOVANISSIAN AND EMRE GULTEKIN
THURSDAY 11 MAY 

https://www.richmix.org.uk/events/music/vardan-hovanissian-and-emre-gultekin 

5 Medical Innovations You Didn't Know were Armenian  

https://gettreated.co/blog/5-armenian-contributions-world-medical-innovation/

lragir.am
Baku's Angry About Change in Karabakh
Naira Hayrumyan, Political Commentator
11 March 2017, 23:52 

On March 10 the OSCE office in Baku addressed a statement to that organization on changes in the disposition of Karabakh. “Unfortunately, we encounter unacceptable elements, such as the deployment of the OSCE observation mission at the line of confrontation, which is a change of the modus operandi and is not in line with agreements reached at the level of presidents,” the statement holds.

In fact, Baku is blaming OSCE for deploying a mission of observers in Karabakh without its consent.

The mission of the OSCE CiO’s personal representative Andrzej Kasprzyk has been present in Karabakh since 1995, after the end of the war. The mandate of the representative’s office had a limited number of staff who periodically monitored the situation and reported to OSCE.

After the war in April 2016 OSCE insisted on increasing the number of observers, as well as enlarging the mandate. The enlargement of the mandate might suppose different functions, from detecting ceasefire breaches to certain actions.

In fact, Baku informs that OSCE has enlarged its mandate without Azerbaijan’s consent. And this is a new situation in the Karabakh settlement where the international mediators kept the parity between Armenia and Azerbaijan and do not undertake anything with which none of the sides agrees.

Is it possible that OSCE has made up its mind to take a unilateral step in Karabakh, receiving the consent for unilateral deployment of observers from the Armenian side?

After the sides had agreed to station mechanisms of investigation of incidents in Vienna and Saint Petersburg, and Azerbaijan objected, experts asked a question whether the OSCE could install such equipment on the Armenian side unilaterally.

It is possible that Baku hints at this in its vociferous statement. This question was asked to the American co-chair of the Minsk Group Richard Hoagland visiting Baku but he did not comment.

What kind of deployment of OSCE observers in Karabakh is meant? What equipment do they have and do they have a mandate for any actions in case of ceasefire breaches?

In this regard, the statement of the president of France Francois Hollande during the meeting with Serzh Sargsyan in Paris is significant. He stated that the breaches should not only be detected but also punished.

Has France offered its services to Armenia for the mechanisms of “investigation of incidents and punishment”? Did the French co-chair of the Minsk Group Visconti mean this when he announced in Baku that the process has moved from ground zero?

If France or OSCE have expanded the mission in Karabakh with a view to strengthening the ceasefire, this changes all the disposition. And Baku’s indignation is clear in this case.


panorama.am
Today marks Yeghishe Charents's birthday
13 . 03.17

An event organized by Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Arts, Yeghishe Charents House-Museum and the Writers’ Union of Armenia was today held at the monument of “The Frenzied Masses” dedicated to the 120th birthday anniversary of prominent Armenian poet Yeghishe Charents.

During the meeting with the reporters literary critic Davit Gasparyan noted that Yeghishe Charents was a complicated figure.

“He early works came as worships of mystery, future. Later on, we see monumental Charents and the early years of love and lyrics were left behind. In 1935, 36, 37, before his death, he faced cruel and hard years with his works taking new forms and directions. His poems were extremely deep and diverse,” he noted.

Yeghishe Charents Museum of Literature and Arts, as well as its branch museums will hold events dedicated to Charents’s 120th anniversary throughout the whole year.

Yeghishe Charents (Yeghishe Soghomonyan) was born in Kars (then a part of the Russian Empire) in 1897 to a family involved in the rug trade.

He first attended an Armenian, but later transferred to a Russian, technical secondary school in Kars from 1908 to 1912.In 1912, he had his first poem published in the Armenian periodical Patani (Tiflis).

Amid the upheavals of the First World War and the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire, he volunteered to fight in a detachment in 1915 for the Caucasian Front. Sent to Van in 1915, Charents was witness to the destruction that the Turkish garrison had laid upon the Armenian population, leaving indelible memories that would later be read in his poems. He left the front one year later, attending school at the Shanyavski People's University in Moscow. The horrors of the war and genocide had scarred Charents and he became a fervent supporter of the Bolsheviks, seeing them as the one true hope to saving Armenia.

Charents joined the Red Army and fought during the Russian Civil War as a rank and file soldier in Russia and the Caucasus. In 1919, he returned to Armenia and took part in revolutionary activities there. A year later, he began work at the Ministry of Education as the director of the Art Department. Charents would also once again take up arms, this time against his fellow Armenians, as a rebellion took place against Soviet rule in February 1921. Then, Charents published his satirical novel, Land of Nairi (Yerkir Nairi), which became a great success and twice published in Russian in Moscow during the life of poet.

A victim of Stalinism, he was imprisoned and died in prison during the 1937 Great Purge. He was rehabilitated in 1954 after Stalin's death.


Ahlul Bayt News Agency: Providing Shia News, Iran
First Halal Certification office opens is Armenia 
March 12 2017 

It will be engaged in assessing the conformity of Armenia-made food products to the requirements of Iran, to contribute to the growth of demand for Armenia-made products, and give a boost to tourist flow.

Armenia’s minister of economic development and investments Suren Karayan noted that the Halal certificate will allow Armenian producers to export their products not only to Iran, but to all 57 member countries of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).

“This is the result of our joint work. We took the initiative to give our businesses the opportunity to pass the Halal certification in Armenia to make this process more attractive and easies for them,” Karayan told reporters during the opening ceremony.

He added that the opening of the office in Yerevan is just the beginning of the process, and there is an agreement that if necessary, such offices will open in the regions of Armenia, first of all in the southern regions of the country, bordering Iran.

In turn, the director of the office Abdul Hussein Farhari said that they have been working in Armenia for two years having provided Halal certificates to two slaughterhouses.

“The purpose of opening the Halal office in Armenia is to meet the needs of Muslim tourists and help the Armenian farmers to export their products to Islamic countries,” he said.


nytimes.com
In Armenia, ‘What Do You Want to Be?’ Is Asked in Infancy
By BRYANT ROUSSEAU 
MARCH 12, 2017 
An Armenian ceremony presents an infant with a choice of objects, signifying different professions. Credit Illustration by Leif Parson; Photographs by Africa Studio, Oleg Krugliak, Chanyoot_CB, Rawin Tanpin, Olga Popova, Ruslan Ivantsov/Shutterstock

Children in Armenia start thinking about their careers at a very young age — around six months or so.

When an infant’s first tooth arrives, typically in four to seven months, a celebration takes place known variously as the “agra hadig” or “atam hatik.”

As part of the ritual, objects symbolizing different professions are arrayed in front of a child: a microphone for an entertainer, a stethoscope for a doctor, scissors for a tailor or money for a banker. Whichever object the baby chooses first is thought to be a sign of where the child’s professional aptitude lies.

With the appearance of teeth, a child can begin to eat solid food, and the acquisition of this skill is believed to be a propitious time to foretell what the future holds, said Yulia Antonyan, a professor in the department of cultural studies at Yerevan State University in Armenia’s capital.

There are no obligatory objects, but sets available for purchase will often include traditional artisan tools and choices epitomizing a more modern lifestyle. Parents are free to add to or omit from the mix as they wish.

“Parents may orchestrate the future life of their offspring by choosing only those objects that symbolize prestigious and desired professions,” Professor Antonyan said. “A book for a scientist or writer; a pencil for an architect, designer or artist; a calculator for an accountant.”

Parents can also game the selection by positioning objects nearer to or farther from their infant’s reach. At one recent ceremony, “the father of the baby asked to place a ladle a bit far from his daughter to save her from a destiny of a housewife,” Professor Antonyan said.
At the foundation of the ritual, and reflected in its names, is a magical association between teeth (agra or atam) and grain (hadig or hatik), according to Professor Antonyan.

The ceremony begins by pouring various cereal grains over and around the child. Typically but not always, the baby’s head is protected by a piece of fabric, a pair of hands or sometimes even an umbrella.

The ritual sprinkling is thought to ensure that the child will have healthy, even teeth. It could also have fertility associations, akin to throwing rice at a wedding, according to Levon Abrahamian, a cultural anthropologist in Yerevan.

Today, teeth-shaped cakes, toys, candy and balloons are popular party favors at these celebrations, which are widely practiced in Armenia and across the Armenian diaspora.

In the earliest written references to the ritual, from the 19th century, just two objects were put before the teething child. The prediction then was not about an adult profession but the sex of the next sibling: Grasping a knife meant a brother was on the way, a comb (or mirror) a sister.

“The divination for the future profession was developed much later in the urbanized and modernized environment of Soviet Armenia and the diaspora,” Professor Antonyan said, “when the future career would determine the baby.


armenpress.am
“Chess traditions, Armenian smartphones, Byurakan observatory” – Russia’s Vesti TV’s coverage
13 March, 2017 

 Russia’s “Vesti Nedeli” (News of the Week, Вести недели) news program made a comprehensive coverage on Armenia’s economic opportunities. Commenting on the archaeological discoveries in Armenia, the author of the report said it’s no coincidence that this ancient country is a technological and scientific center.

“The Byurakan Observatory is such a symbol for the Armenians like mount Ararat. Armenians are proud with the observatory’s achievements”, the reporter said, presenting the history and technological capacities of the observatory.

Speaking on separate historical episodes of Armenia, the reporter covers modern times, tells about the Armenian ArmPhone and ArmTab production.

The reporter of the program also mentioned the chess traditions of Armenia. As to why Armenians love to play chess, Levon Aronian responded in the coverage. “Armenians like to play chess because there is justice in this game. During history Armenians suffered from injustice, through this game, there is the aspiration for restoring justice”, Aronian said.

The coverage also featured a part from an earlier interview of President Sargsyan to famous reporter Dmitry Kiselyov. The President talked about his dream, which is: for all Armenians of the world to unite in the Fatherland.

The report also touched upon the possibilities of the TUMO center, and works of animator Davit Sahakyants.

Kiselyov told viewers of the report that the Valdai visiting session took place on March 11 in Yerevan, with numerous international experts arriving in Armenia.

https://youtu.be/R4hbliMUZLo
mediamax.am
Frank Engel replies to Azerbaijani MPs: “you will not succeed”
March 13, 2017
Member of the European Parliament and President of the Artsakh Group in EP Frank Engel addressed a letter to Azerbaijani MPs.

In late February, Attorney-General of Azerbaijan launched an investigation on EP members Frank Engel, Eleni Theocharous and Jaromir Stetina for their visits to Nagorno-Karabakh.

Frank Engel’s letter is addressed to Chair of the Committee on Foreign and Inter-Parliamentary Relations of Azerbaijan Samad Seyidov, Head of the Azerbaijani Delegation to EURONEST P.A. Fuad Muradov, and Co-Chair of the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Co-operation Committee Javanshir Fezyiyev, who earlers addressed messages to EU bodies.

We introduce to you the most notable excerpts from Frank Engel’s letter below.

“Gentlemen, you thought it fitting to accuse three members of the European Parliament of all evils on the basis of the simple fact that they travel to Karabakh.

To start with, I will have to state that I categorically refute the statements contained in your letter dated 2nd March 2017, and your extremely ill-placed accusations contained therein.


Azerbaijani and Armenian soldiers die on the frontline because a war is being fomented there, not because parliamentarians visit a territory. They die because somebody doesn't respect a cease-fire they should be respecting since 12th May 1994. They die because somebody refuses to have the cease-fire monitored by the OSCE.

Now, for the substance of visits to Karabakh. There is no trace in any internationally relevant legal text of the notion that a contested territory could not be visited. No principle of international law prohibits such visits. No country except Azerbaijan fantasises about there being such a principle, or a text. Moldova doesn’t threaten to arrest visitors to Transnistria, Georgia doesn’t threaten to arrest visitors to Abkhazia, China doesn’t threaten to arrest visitors to Taiwan, Serbia doesn’t threaten to arrest visitors to Kosovo. No-one does that, except Azerbaijan, on the basis of purely internal texts which stand outside any international principles or norms of law applicable in comparable situations and circumstances.

The European Parliament, in its resolution of 18th April 2012, has stated very clearly that it wants the Council, the Commission and the External Action Service to “underline the need for unconditional access for representatives of the EU to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding occupied regions”.

You will not succeed because if we bowed to your will, we would consciously and against reason, humanitarian ideals and European values, agree to isolate the population of Karabakh from the outside world. We would contribute to your relentless efforts to stifle the _expression_ of their political and institutional will. We would accept that the people of Karabakh be forgotten and forsaken, that their right to exist be denied. We will not do that.

I am not blind to the suffering that the war and the internal displacement have inflicted on the people of Azerbaijan. I am not indifferent to the pain of the hundreds of thousands who lost loved ones in war. But for that suffering to be remedied, the war of 92-94 must be brought to a definitive conclusion by a peace agreement, instead of the next war prepared. You insist to continue treating myself and colleagues who engage with Karabakh like criminals. Under these circumstances, you will have to accept that I, and the many colleagues in the European and national parliaments who are thus treated by you, will seek due attention to your behaviour and that of your authorities. This is the only way to protect ourselves from the arbitrary threats you submit us to.”


arka.am
Some $95 million to be invested in Tatev Gate project
March 13

During a working visit to the southern province of Syunik last Saturday Armenian prime minister Karen Karapetyan visited the site of Tatev cableway to have a consultative meeting with the representatives of the Foundation for Armenia Development, who presented to him the Tatev Gate investment project, the government’s press office said.

It said as part of the program, the Tatev Gate complex will be built next to Halidzor station of Tatev cableway, which will feature information, entertainment and service infrastructures and quality services designed to increase the flow of visitors.

The already finalized general development plan calls for establishing a visitor hub, a national kitchen and catering outlets, as well as a center of national traditions, ancient Armenian games and other entertainments. The project implies investment of USD 95 million in six strategic directions that will result in about 1,500 jobs and increased influx of tourists up to 400,000 annually.

The project may be implemented in a public-private sector partnership. Several infrastructure-related problems need to be addressed at Halidzor station. International financial organizations may be engaged in the project. Welcoming the idea, Karapetyan urged those responsible to finalize the project and begin substantive discussions in the government.

The 5.7-kilometer-long Winds of Tatev ropeway in the south of Armenia , built by Austrian-Swiss Dopplemayer/Garaventa transports visitors from the village of Halidzor across the Vorotan gorge to the village of Tatev, within walking distance of the monastery, allowing tourists and visitors to bypass a 90-minute drive on a road in and out of the Vorotan River Gorge.

The cable car travels at a speed of 37 kilometers per hour (23 miles per hour) and a one-way journey takes 11 minutes. At its highest point over the gorge, the car travels 320 meters (1,056 feet) above ground level. It has two cabins, each capable of carrying up to 25 passengers. The cable car is part of a $45 million-dollar public-private effort to develop tourism at Tatev and in the overall region of Syunik. The aerial tramway was officially registered by a representative of the Guinness World Records as the world’s longest aerial tramway built to transport visitors. –0--

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