Armenian News... A Topalian... Armenian Delegation in Baku...
EurasiaNet.org
Sept 25 2017
Armenian Delegation in Baku Criticizes Azerbaijan’s "Xenophobic Propaganda"
Two Armenian members of parliament have made a rare visit to Azerbaijan, where they spoke out against their hosts' “xenophobic propaganda” and incurred the wrath of nationalist Azerbaijanis.
The delegation was in Baku last week to take part in a session of the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, a European Union body devoted to parliamentary cooperation with its partners in the former Soviet Union.
“We came here because Euronest is an essential platform for us,” said Armen Ashotyan, the head of the two-member delegation. “Armenia is about to sign a new agreement with the European Union. The other reason we came here is that such an event could have well been used for anti-Armenia rhetoric and propaganda in the presence of European MPs.”
In a speech to the assembly on September 22, Ashotyan also spoke about “Armenophobia and xenophobia” in Azerbaijan's school system, and gave a book titled “‘Azerbaijan: Childhood in Hate’ to the host country's deputy education minister, Armenian media reported. It's not known what the Azerbaijani official's reaction was.
The other delegate, Mane Tandilyan, said she toured Baku with the aim of learning about Armenian sites there.
“Tomorrow we’re going to take a walk to different places in Baku to check the condition of the existing Armenian heritage,” she said on September 22. She didn't report back on her findings, except that she couldn't get into Baku's long-closed central Armenian church, but said she would soon brief Armenians.
An Armenian delegation also visited Baku the last time Euronest took place there, in 2012, when “heated discussions” took place with their Azerbaijani counterparts over the territory of Nagorno Karabakh.
Azerbaijan decided to boycott the Euronest event held in Yerevan in 2015, accusing Armenia of “aggressive criminal actions” against it.
This time, there appeared to be no face-to-face clashes, but controversy nevertheless dogged the visit. One Azerbaijani MP, Rafael Jabrayilov, called for Azerbaijanis to take revenge against the Armenians. Jabrayilov was apparently offended by a photograph of the delegation members drinking in a hotel room.
“Had they been sitting in a restaurant and misbehaving there, any Azerbaijan would have hit the vodka bottle on their heads” Jabrayilov said. “To be honest, if such a thing happened, this would have taken a thorn out of my heart.”
An unsanctioned protest was organized against the arrival of Armenian MPs by activists from the “Liberation of Karabakh” movement. The protesters held up posters with slogans which read: “Armenian occupiers, get out of Baku!” and “Shame on those who called the Armenians to Baku!
The two countries rarely interact on a diplomatic level and Armenians can not visit Baku except in special circumstances like this, as Baku's consular authorities consistently deny visas to anyone with an Armenian name.
Armenia did not send a participant to the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest, held in Baku, but did send athletes to the 2015 European Games in Baku. Armenia’s 25 participating athletes did not take part in the opening ceremony, and instead travelled to Baku only for individual competitions.
More recently, a group of little-known Armenians appeared in Baku for an ill-fated “Peace Platform," which ultimately ended in mutual recriminations .
Statement by the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group
September 24,2017
The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, Stephane Visconti of France, and Andrew Schofer of the United States of America) met separately and then jointly with the Foreign Minister of Armenia, Edward Nalbandian, and the Foreign Minister of Azerbaijan, Elmar Mammadyarov, on 22-23 September on the margins of the UN General Assembly. The Co-Chairs were joined by the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Andrzej Kasprzyk.
The main aim of the consultations was to discuss the current situation in the conflict zone, to explore ways to reinvigorate the negotiation process, and to prepare for the upcoming summit between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The Co-Chairs expect the summit meeting to contribute to enhancing confidence and political will among the parties to find compromise solutions to the remaining key settlement issues. The Ministers expressed their commitment to work with the Co-Chairs to prepare for a successful summit in the near future.
The Co-Chairs also met with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger and UN Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jeffrey Feltman to discuss the situation on the ground as well as the latest developments in the peace process and to inform them of preparations for the next high-level meetings.
The Co-Chairs intend to travel to the region at the beginning of October.
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
September 23, 2017 Saturday
More than 200 ethnic Armenians killed during Syria war
More than 200 ethnic Armenians have been killed in Syria during
were killed in mine explosions. Jirair Reisianinformed that during
this period there have also been many wounded.
“We suffered both human and material losses. Numerous stores,
workshops, factories were destroyed. Many of them were robbed.
Numerous residential houses were damaged or eliminated. In addition to
private structures, community structures – schools, churches were also
damaged”, he said.
There are no exact calculations as how much damage the Armenia
community has suffered. Not everyone has been reported on their
losses. Jirair Reisiansaid at the moment a major recovery process is
taking place in Aleppo. In particular, the infrastructures have been
restored. The water and electricity supply issues are already being
solved in the city. The water supply and electricity have been
restored, however, there is still no 24-hour electricity supply.
During this period the classes in Armenian schools have not been
stopped. Schools continued their work in these difficult conditions.
“Today we can state that Aleppo returns to its normal life. The
situation is calm, there are no fires. People have returned to their
work, recover their homes, shops and working places”, he said.
The re-launch of Aleppo’s airport is expected. Jirair Reisianinformed
that the airport is completely ready for the re-launch, however, they
are waiting for an appropriate moment from security reasons.
Thanks to the calm situation, local Armenians return to their homes in
Aleppo. The returnees are the Syrian-Armenians who have been relocated
in Lebanon and Armenia. “This is normal since their houses are here
and they have spent their life here. Thus, the return of every citizen
is welcomed. People try to restore what they have lost during those
years”, he said.
PanArmenian, Armenia
Sept 25 2017
Armenian language will become official if Kurds vote for independence
Armenian will be among the five official languages if Kurds vote to become an independent state, TASS reports.
Members of the High Council for the referendum have revealed the details of the Kurdish authorities' plan in case the majority vote for independence from Baghdad.
Besides Armenian, the Kurdish, Arabic, Assyrian and the language of ethnic Turkoman people will also be declared official.
The draft of the rights of religious and national groups in the Kurdistan state also stipulates that all of them will have "full representation" in state institutions, "become real partners in the government of the independent state", while in the framework of the federal system, Arabs, Yezidis and Turkomans in particular, will independently manage their regions.
People in Iraq's autonomous region of Kurdistan are voting in an independence referendum, amid rising tensions and international opposition.
RFE/RL Report
Turkish-Armenian MP Seeks `Dialogue' Between Ankara, Yerevan
September 22, 2017
Emil Danielyan
Garo Paylan, an ethnic Armenian opposition member of the Turkish
parliament, pledged on Friday to try to "build bridges" between Turkey
and Armenia, while reiterating that Ankara is unlikely to normalize
relations with Yerevan anytime soon.
"I would like to open, even slightly, the door of dialogue. I know
that it will be difficult, but even in the darkest of times the door
of dialogue must be kept a little open," Paylan told a news conference
held at the end of his weeklong visit to Armenia.
"I can see that Armenia's leadership is prepared for such dialogue,"
he said. "When I return to Turkey, I will ask our government whether
they are ready for it or not."
Paylan arrived in Yerevan to take part in a government-organized
conference that brought together some 1,800 ethnic Armenians from
around the world.They discussed with Armenian government
representatives Armenia's relations with its worldwide Diaspora.
Paylan met with Prime Minister Karen Karapetian and Foreign Minister
Edward Nalbandian on the sidelines of the three-day forum that ended
on Wednesday. He was received by President Serzh Sarkisian later on
Friday.
Speaking at the UN General Assembly in New York on Tuesday, Sarkisian
announced his intention to formally annul U.S.-brokered agreements to
normalize Armenia's relations with Turkey. He cited the Turkish
government's continuing refusal to ratify them before a resolution of
the Nagorno-Karabakh acceptable to Azerbaijan. Ankara has still not
officially reacted to his announcement.
The protocols signed in Zurich in 2009 committed Turkey and Armenia to
establishing diplomatic relations and opening their border which the
Turks have kept completely closed since 1993.
"The 2009 protocols were really important documents," Paylan said when
asked to comment on Sarkisian's plans to invalidate them. "But we now
need a blank sheet of paper. That requires a dialogue."
The 44-year-old parliamentarian affiliated with the pro-Kurdish
People's Democratic Party (HDP) stood by his view, voiced during the
Yerevan conference, that only "a democratic Turkey" could open the
Turkish-Armenian border and recognize the 1915 Armenian genocide in
the Ottoman Empire. He was deeply pessimistic about such a prospect,
saying that President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's rule has left Turkey on a
"dictatorial path."
Erdogan unleashed a massive crackdown on his real and presumed foes
after surviving a coup attempt in July 2016. Some 150,000 people have
been sacked or suspended from jobs in the civil service and private
sector and more than 50,000 detained for alleged links to the putsch.
The Turkish authorities also arrested last year more than a dozen HDP
lawmakers, including the party's top leader, Selahattin Demirtas. They
are mostly accused of having links to the Kurdish militant group PKK,
a charge they strongly deny.
"Independent media and courts do not function in Turkey these days,"
said Paylan. "They are all controlled by Erdogan. The leader of my
party and my many other comrades are now in jail. Many journalists are
also in jail."
"Kurds now demand what we [Armenians] were demanding 105-110 years
ago: Turkey should become democratic," he said. And they now face the
kind of security risks which Ottoman Armenians did in the run-up to
the 1915 genocide, claimed the former Armenian school principal from
Istanbul.
Speaking to journalists at the Yerevan office of the Armenian Assembly
of America, Paylan also insisted that the HDP is the only mainstream
Turkish party genuinely committed to democracy and minority rights.
"Of course, we keep fighting against this fascist way but that is not
enough," he went on. "We really need support coming from all over the
world. But the West has turned a blind eye to human rights violations
in Turkey and other Muslim-majority countries. This is the problem."
The HDP is the only major party in Turkey that has recognized the
World War One-era deaths of some 1.5 million Armenians as
genocide. Paylan has repeatedly called for genocide recognition on the
Turkish parliament floor, angering Erdogan's loyalists and secular
nationalists. In July, Erdogan's AK Party pushed through the
parliament a law that banned Turkish lawmakers from mentioning the
Armenian genocide in the chamber.
MediaMax, Armenia
Sept 25 2017
Book Printing Museum opens in Yerevan
National Library of Armenia (NLA) opened Book Printing Museum today, which introduces the history of printing in Armenia. The museum is located in Tamanyan building of NLA.
NLA expressed the idea of establishing this museum in 2012, when Armenia was celebrating the 500th anniversary of Armenian printing, while UNESCO named Yerevan as World Book Capital.
The opening ceremony of the museum was also attended by Armenia Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan.
The six exhibition halls cover the period from pre-printing to modern printing. A large hall is dedicated to the “first-borns” of Armenian printing. The visitors will be able to see “Urbatagirk” (Friday Book) first Armenian book, printed in 1512 in Venice, the first Armenian Bible, printed in 1666 in Amsterdam, and the first Armenian periodical “Azdarar”, printed in Madras.
The museum features major centers of Armenian printing.
Armenians built printing houses, used hot typesetting to publish book in European countries, Transcaucasia, the West and various cities of historic Armenia.
“We have a very important exhibit in the museum. Three Armenian friends established a printing house in Shamakhi (currently in the territory of Azerbaijan) in 1848. Unfortunately, the museum does not possess the first publications, though we exhibit “Gitutyun Shnorhats” book, published in 1851. The house printed a large number of Armenian books,” Deputy Director of NLA Haykanush Ghazaryan said.
Panorama, Armenia
Sept 25 2017
Hollywood star John Malkovich to perform at opening ceremony of Khachaturian International Festival
The 5th Aram Khachaturian International Festival will be launched with the participation of Hollywood legend John Malkovich on October 11, at Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall.
John Malkovich and conductor Sergey Smbatyan have collaborated before, successfully performing on the same stage in Seoul (2015) and in Buenos Aires (2016), the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia reported in a press release.
Armenians will have the opportunity to communicate with the art of the world-famous actor thanks to Sergey Smbatyan. The official partner of John Malcovich's exclusive concert is the legendary Ararat Armenian cognac.
American actor, producer, director, screenwriter John Malkovich will perform with the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia, headed by conductor Sergey Smbatyan.
Accompanied by the orchestra, John Malkovich will perform as a narrator. The audience will be offered to taste the fantastic fusion of literature and music: “Report on the Blind” chapter from Ernesto Sabato’s “On Heroes and Tombs” novel jointly performed with the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra by Alfred Schnittke, one of the most eminent musical figures of the second half of the XX century. The soloist pianist is Anastasya Terenkova.
The multi-genre program of the Khachaturian International Festival featuring symphonic and chamber concerts and numerous premieres will accompany the connoisseurs of classical music up to December 11, the Closing Ceremony. The program features such long awaited projects as the Orca Symphony No. 1 by Serj Tankian and “Khachaturian meets jazz” concert series, as well as famous artists: pianists Gloria Campaner, Hayk Melikyan, Levon Karapetyan, violinists Davit Nebel, Marc Bouchkov, bass Vladimir Baykov are to be hosted under the festivals umbrella.
The 5th Khachaturian International Festival is dedicated to the 200th anniversary of Hovhannes Aivazovsky.
The festival is held under the high patronage of the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. It is implemented thanks to the joint efforts of the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia (General Partner of the Orchestra – VivaCell-MTS), with the support of the Ministry of Culture and the “Khachaturian” Foundation.
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