Armenian News... A Topalian... 6 editorials
The worlds oldest rug was made in Armenia
(with very interesting images of rugs and their characteristic motifs)
The world’s oldest rug was made in Armenia - PeopleOfAr
The oldest surviving knotted carpet is the Pazyryk rug, excavated miraculously in the frozen tombs of Siberia, dated from the 5th to the 3rd century B.C., now in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg.This square tufted carpet, almost perfectly intact, is considered by many experts to be of specifically Armenian, origin.
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TASS, Russia
March 29 2019
Azerbaijan, Armenia give fresh impetus to Karabakh negotiations — Azerbaijani leader
Azerbaijan and Armenia have given a fresh impetus to the negotiating process during a meeting in Vienna on Friday, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev said, replying to a question by TASS.
"We highly assessed our talks, which were conducted in a constructive atmosphere. This was the first official meeting between the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia after a long break. All the previous talks had been held mainly in the format of international meetings," he said, adding, "The foreign ministers of the two countries have held several rounds of talks. The most important fact is that the current meeting gave another start to the negotiation process."
"We have discussed the issues related to strengthening trust measures during contacts between people," Aliyev continued. "Earlier, there had been contacts between members of the public. So it is too early to talk about this (the humanitarian measures - TASS)."
According to Aliyev, Baku has not conceded to any changes. "We are back to the situation when you have to conduct substantial talks. We instructed the foreign ministers to meet in order to continue the negotiating process, and they will do that in the near future, most probably," the Azerbaijani leader noted.
"The negotiating process should be supported by humanitarian measures. It is of huge importance that the format of talks remained unchanged - only Armenia and Azerbaijan discuss their problems as it was many years before," he went on.
"The negotiating process received a fresh impetus. We highly assessed the statement made by co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group on March 9. The document reaffirms that every changes in the format of the negotiating process may occur only if both sides agree," the president added.
Armenia's opinion
Pashinyan said after the meeting the talks have been productive, however, there has been no breakthrough.
"In general terms, I estimate the meeting as positive. However, I cannot say that there has been a breakthrough in the negotiation process, or an evolution," he said. "However, the main thing is that the sides started to talk about the issues. I hope that President Aliyev will also see this meeting as positive."
Vienna talks
Aliyev and Pashinyan met in Vienna on Friday to discuss the regulation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This is their fourth one-on-one meeting. Earlier, they met on the sidelines of the CIS summits in Dushanbe and St. Petersburg (September and December 2018 respectively), as well as in Davos during the World Economic Forum (January 22, 2019).
During the talks, both leaders have stressed the importance of peaceful steps to resolve the conflict, the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmen Igor Popov (Russia), Stefane Visconti (France) and Andres Schofer (USA) stated on the outcomes of the meeting.
"The meeting took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere and provided an opportunity for the two leaders to clarify their respective positions. They exchanged views about several key issues of the settlement process and ideas of substance," the statement by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs informs. "The two leaders underlined the importance of building up an environment conducive to peace and taking further concrete and tangible steps in the negotiation process to find a peaceful solution to the conflict."
The Azerbaijani president and the Armenian PM also agreed on humanitarian measures to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
"Recalling their conversation in Dushanbe, the leaders recommitted to strengthening the ceasefire and improving the mechanism for direct communication. They also agreed to develop a number of measures in the humanitarian field," the OSCE informed.
"The Prime Minister and President instructed their Ministers to meet with the Co-Chairs again in the near future. They also agreed to continue their direct dialogue," the statement added.
Nagorno-Karabakh, a disputed border region between Armenia and Azerbaijan, sought independence from Azerbaijan at the end of the 1980s, which resulted in a war between Azerbaijan and Armenia that claimed the lives of 25,000-30,000 people between 1988 and 1994. Since then, the territory has been under Armenia’s control.
Talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement have been going on since 1992. Russia, the US and France are co-chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) that acts as a mediator in resolving the crisis. The group also includes Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Germany, Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Turkey.
News.am, Armenia
March 30 2019
Catholicos Aram I reconsecrates Armenian church in Syria
Catholicos of the Armenian Church Catholicosate of the Great House of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Aram I, has reconsecrated the Forty Martyrs Armenian Cathedral in Aleppo, Syria, the Facebook page of Cilicia TV informed.
As reported earlier, Aram I on Friday was to arrive in Aleppo to perform this reconsecration ceremony.
Built in the 15th century, the Forty Martyrs Armenian Cathedral is considered the oldest church in the Armenian community of Aleppo.
Restoration at this church, which was considerably damaged during the years of the Syrian conflict, was launched in May 2018.
Armenpress.am
28 March, 2019
Moody’s improves predictions over Armenia’s banking system, making it “positive”
Moody’s international rating agency has changed the rating for the banking system of Armenia from “stable” to “positive”, ARMENPRESS was informed from the statement issued by the agency. According to Moody’s, the change of the prediction is conditioned by a number of economic factors.
According to the agency, in 2019-2020 Armenia will retain high GDP growth rate, nearly 4.5% annually.
“The economic growth will foster domestic consumption and exports, which will ensure growth in bank credits – by 12-15% annually. Asset quality will continue to improve”, Moody’s says, expecting decline of problem loans from 7.9% (end of 2018) to 6%.
Moody's predicts that the level of capitalization in Armenia will continue to remain steady. According to the report, the profitability of the sector will rise.
"The main source of financing banks in Armenia is customer funds, which at the end of the year 2018, formed 70% of the funding base. Despite the decline in the dollarization of the banking system, in 2018, the dollar deposits remained high and made up 60% of total Armenian banks' deposits”, the report said.
The final part of the report states that the Government's support to banks has improved, which is also reflected in the "positive" forecast of Armenia's banking system.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
Panorama, Armenia
March 30 2019
Presidential Palace to offer Change of Guard ceremony for visitors
The President’s Office of Armenia plans number of cultural events in the Presidential Palace and the adjacent park, including concerts, exhibitions and presentations with a goal to make the place public friendly and attractive for the visitors. The initiatives will kickstart on April 3 with a solo concert of famous pianist Svetlana Navasardyan at the Presidential Palace. As the press office of the president reported, the event will open the so-called series of presidential concerts.
Furthermore, from Aril 1st, the Presidential Palace will open its doors to visitors for longer hours. The gates of the Palace will be open for public from 18:00-20:00 from Monday to Saturday and from 12:00 to 20:00 on Sundays.
As the statement by the press office said, the visitor are welcome to enter the nearby territory of the administrative building of the President’s residence and tour the adjacent park.
Another novelty is the introduction of the Change of Guard ceremony when sentries providing ceremonial guard duties in front of the Presidential Palace are relieved by a new batch of sentries. The guards exchange will be accompanied by performances and maneuvers.
The Change of Guard ceremony will be held on every Saturday at 18:00, 19:00, 20:00 and every Sunday at12:00, 13:00, 14:00.
ARKA, Armenia
March 29 2019
Konstantin Orbelian dismissed as director of Armenia’s National Opera and Ballet Theater
Konstantin Orbelian was dismissed as director of Armenia’s National Opera and Ballet Theater, but retained the post of artistic director of the theater, Anush Ghazaryan, an official of the Ministry of Culture said today.
She said Orbelian was dismissed as director of the theater because of a breach of the law, which says that the director of the theater cannot hold another position nor have other paid job. Ghazaryan said the Ministry of Culture did asked Orbelian several times to choose one of the posts, but Orbelian replied that he was not ready to refuse any of them.
Ghazaryan also said that the written request was sent to Orbelian twice - in January and February of the current year. After another refusal, the Ministry of Culture decided to remove Orbelian from the post of director of the National Opera and Ballet Theater.
“Considering that under the law the minister has the right to both appoint and dismiss director, the minister terminated Orbelian’s powers based on clause 3 of article 15 of the Law on State Non-Profit Organizations,” she said.
Earlier reports said after the change of power, disagreements emerged between Orbelian and the new Culture Minister Lilit Makunts. The latter told an August 27 news conference that the theater needed serious structural changes. Orbelian retaliated by saying that the intention of the Ministry of Culture to separate the posts of director and artistic director was ineffective idea.
Konstantin Orbelian was appointed artistic director of the National Opera and Ballet Theater in 2016. In 2017 he was also appointed as director of the theater.
Extract from
CNN
March 29 2019
23 of the world's best hiking trails
Joe Minihane, CNN
12. Armenia and the Silk Road
Armenia's beautiful natural landscapes are best explored on foot.
Easily overlooked, Armenia has some of the best walking trails in Europe.
The 11-day Armenia and the Silk Road trip takes in some of its finest routes, connecting the UNESCO protected monasteries of Sanahin and Haghpat, passing over limestone peaks and through verdant forests, with the opportunity to hike in the wild Geghama Mountains and climb to the top of Aragats, the country's tallest mountain.
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