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By Wally Sarkeesian
Think Travel Georgia: the weather in Armenia like Georgia has afternoon thunderstorm the amount of rain for 5 minutes equal almost all day in California, while we were getting close to Armenian border from Georgia
we got hit by a thunderstorm within three minutes we witness Storm, cow invasion sun, rainbow, and the Stork survive with the nest, it is incredible how Storks build such strong nest.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says the UWC Dilijan is the symbol of future Armenia.
The PM was speaking at the graduation ceremony of the international school’s students.
“I was born not far from here, in Ijevan. I have many friends living here. I am glad that you have a school like this in Dilijan. This is a symbol of future Armenia, love and solidarity, a country having a high level education”, the PM said.
Pashinyan called on the graudates to visit Armenia in the future also.
“We hope that you will tell our story in your countries. You will tell them that we are a small country of big hearted people, hope, human rights, democracy and solidarity,” he said.
YEREVAN, MAY 23, ARMENPRESS. The “Amulsar Without Mine” initiative, a protest movement against Lydian’s Amulsar gold mine, rallied today in Yerevan. The rally began from the Mashtots Park with demonstrators marching towards the Presidential Residence to hand over a letter to President Sarkissian. Demonstrators claim that the mining industry is being implemented in Armenia with numerous irregularities and violations, and has negative impact on nature and other branches.
The protesters said that their rally isn’t solely against the Amulsar project. They said their goal is to draw the attention of the government on problems in the mining industry. Demonstrators called for a new independent expert group to study the mine. They said their letter contains evidence regarding the problems related to Amulsar. Shortly after handing over the letter in the building, the President himself came down to personally speak to the protesters.
“If we view the most important issues of our country, certainly everything is important, however for me, as a citizen and as a president, there are three important problems. One is the security of our country. Security in a broad sense, it isn’t only the army, not only the military industrial complex, but also foreign relations and others. Second is education, eventually the future of our country will depend on the level of the new generation. And it’s not just about academic education, but also civil, which they got on the street. I hope this isn’t en emotional outburst and being a citizen will continue. I hope that the new generation will be citizens in their entire lives,” President Sarkissian said.
The third important issue, according to the President, is nature protection, where numerous unregulated issues exist. “If Amulsar was our sole problem I would be happy, but our nature preservation issues are a lot bigger, it’s not one mine, but many mines which require studies. The most important issue in nature protection is water, which is our wealth and it must be preserved. Recently I met with Eduardo Eurnekian [Argentine-Armenian business tycoon, owner of many businesses in Armenia], who is cultivating grapes in a 400 ha area, then produces wine and exports it. The man says he can multiply the area if the water issue is solved, whereas a significant part of water gets wasted in the pipes. Therefore, any issue which will impact the water base must be scrutinized. I assure you that Amulsar and other issues will be under our spotlight, “ the President said.
The President vowed to give a quick response to the letter. In a joyous conclusion of the demonstration, the protesters began dancing under some Armenian music, and the President joined the group.
The Armenian president has personally interacted with protesters in various unrelated instances while in office. Recently the president went outside his residence to talk with protesting staff of a defunct factory. And most notably, perhaps, the President walked through thousands of protesters in Yerevan’s Republic Square earlier in April to negotiate with Nikol Pashinyan, then-opposition leader who is now serving as Prime Minister.
The first feature film by Italian filmmaker Simone Spada “Hotel Gagarin”, which was almost entirely shot in Armenia, will hit the big screens in the director’s homeland on May 24.
Spada has also written the script which provides a poetic account of human nature, made of weaknesses, but above all of dreams and hopes.
In the film, an untrustworthy and fraudulent producer puts together a group of hopeless individuals and sends them to Armenia to shoot their first film together. For some reason, this can be a turning point in life for each of them: there is the dissatisfied professor who dreams about his first project, the prostitute who is offered a legal job, the wedding photographer who is neck deep in debt and so on. Unfortunately, however, the producer runs away with the money and leaves the troupe in a hotel in the desolate mountains of Armenia.
“Hotel Gagarin” is a comedy that depicts the search for personal redemption, showing how far too often people distance themselves from the real serenity in life, Cinemaitaliano.info says in its recap.
The film stars Claudio Amendola, Luca Argentero, Giuseppe Battiston and Barbora Bobulova, as well as Armenian actor Hovhannes Azoyan.
In a long-awaited measure to bolster a country fighting to recover from an ongoing economic crisis and seeking to reposition itself in the world economy, the Greek government has introduced a 25% cash rebate it hopes will attract foreign film productions to the Mediterranean nation.
Greece’s new incentive is substantial. A total of €450 million ($547 million) has been allocated for the new program over the next six years, offering foreign productions a 25% rebate on all qualifying local spending, with a minimum spend of €100,000 (around $122,000) and a €5 million (roughly $6.1 million) cap.
“I think the impact will be huge,” says Venia Vergou, director of the Hellenic Film Commission, who explains that the rebate will offer Greece a chance to capitalize on its rich natural and historic bounty. “We have amazing archaeological sites that no other European country has.”
In the past decade, Greece has struggled to attract high-profile foreign productions that were drawn to neighboring countries with competitive tax incentives. The most recent setback came last year, when “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” chose to shoot in Croatia. Vergou says the failure to attract the sequel to the iconic 2008 musical comedy that lensed on the Greek island of Skopelos was a particularly tough blow to the local film industry. “After losing ‘Mamma Mia,’ many people actually felt … what that loss meant,” she says.
American writer-director Steven Bernstein, who moved to Greece in 2016 and is building a film studio on the island of Syros, sees the incentive as an important sign of progress. “This tax rebate is a huge step in the right direction,” he maintains.
Bernstein trains 400-500 film students a year in Greece as part of an effort to develop the country’s crew base, which he views as a major obstacle to growing the local industry. Another key hurdle to overcome is the stiff 24% value-added tax, imposed as part of Greece’s bailout terms with international lenders. “The government is well-intentioned,” says Bernstein, noting a willingness to work within the framework of the law to find solutions.
Greece will also have to clear up its notorious bureaucratic logjams. For starters, the Hellenic Film Commission is spearheading efforts to streamline the application process for shoots at archaeological sites and offer a more structured fee system for film permits. But stakeholders have to be on the same page. Just days after the Greek government formally introduced the rebate, a BBC One-AMC adaptation of John le Carré’s “The Little Drummer Girl” was denied permission from the Central Archaeological Council to shoot at an iconic ancient site. Though a compromise was eventually reached, one official called the incident “an international embarrassment.”
Vergou concedes there’s work to be done. “It’s not only the incentives. It’s not only the cash rebate. It’s actually changing the mentality all over the country,” she says. “There has to be a very coherent strategic plan at the national level.”
“The dialogue between the film industry and the [government],” she adds, “has to be far more productive.”
Glendale, California: The Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) Zavarian Committee held a celebration of Centennial of the 1st Armenian Republic 1918 on Friday, May 4, 2018. 7:30 PM with guest speaker Dr. Khatchig Mouradian and many others with talented performers.
YouTube
On the occasion of the release of his book The Empire and the 5 Kings , Bernard-Henri Lévy said he wanted to present it to three communities in priority: Jews, Kurds and Armenians. This was done on April 25 at the invitation of the Armenian News Magazine , and this on the premises of the UGAB Paris. For nearly 2 hours, the philosopher and writer explained his reading of contemporary barbarities, especially those related to the Ottoman Empire and Turkey, highlighting his rejection of Turkish fascism against a hundred people very attentive, who have asked questions at the end of this conference and had their book signed.
Before entering the AGBU room, BHL was promoted by Cyrille Eldin, a journalist for Canal +.
Why come to present this book to the Armenians, asked Ara Toranian, editor of the Armenian News Magazine , to start this discussion. ” The medal I received from your hands 3 years ago at the CCAF dinner, I received it with real emotion, without words in the air, ” recalled Bernard-Henri Levy. The meeting of 25 April was therefore an opportunity to express its gratitude to the Armenian people, but also to highlight one of the main threads of the book: the question of Turkey and the resurgence of Ottoman temptation today. If he admits to having been part of the beginning of those who believed in Erdogan’s arrival, he clearly thinks today ” that pan-Turkism is at the root of his regime “. If he had the idea of the book The Empire and the 5 Kings during a trip to Kurdistan, the writer calls for solidarity between ” the people in excess “, the ” unaccounted for by the nations ” .
” The thesis of my book , the philosopher argued, is that today there are five master-singers in the world, the two most perverse are Erdogan and Putin. But they are in an alliance not unnatural, but counter-historical . Regretting that few people do not care: ” Europe lies down to this, that’s what I write in this book, that’s why I’m revolted. “
Before making a confession: ” If I were to die tomorrow, there is one thing I would be ashamed of for me: it was not being able to convince of the necessity of intervention in Syria “. Comparing the situations between Libya and Syria, ” from a place where one intervened and one where one did not intervene “.
Ara Toranian then asked him about Bashar Al Assad, perceived by the Christian minorities as a protector against the Islamists. He uses it as a strategic shield and human shield estimated Bernard-Henri Levy. What attitude do you have towards this? ” An international supervision for a given time? It will bring back bad memories, but if it’s the price to pay … “he said, adding that their fate was a top priority.
ournalist Le Monde , Gaidz Minassian then spoke, becoming at first the advocate of the devil: ” These five kings you speak – in China, Turkey, Iran, Russia, the Arab world – n do they have reasons to blame the West? “. To which Bernard-Henri Lévy replied: ” If I were Turkish, I will feel more humiliated by Erdogan than by the Westerners! “. But the author ensures not to be disenchanted, not to have lost courage – as proof of the publication of this book that ends with a message full of hope, ” but with some tears of melancholy, dedicated to Kurds ” – declaring under the applause: ” Erdogan, I think it will end up in the trash bin of history “.
According to him, it is up to Europe to take up the torch, since the United States is a little behind, the latter saying in words that Iran is his worst enemy, but leaving him such a gift in Syria, especially to Afrin. The problem: ” How to take up the torch if there is no solidarity between European countries? Yes, there is a war of civilization within Europe, and it is this battle that we must now lead “.
An exciting conference, which ended with a book signing.
Ottawa, Canada commemoration of Armenian Genocide 103
Parliament Hill was overflowing with members of the Armenian community in Ottawa on Tuesday, marking the 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The demonstrators commemorated the estimated 1.5 million Armenians who were killed in April 1915 before marching on the Turkish embassy to seek recognition from the Turkish government.Jimmy and Phil Philipossian, father and son, stood quietly on the edge of the hill. Jimmy Philipossian, 75, said his parents were living in Adana during the Turkish takeover of the former Armenian city. When the genocide began, they escaped.
“A very close person (to them) said,” You better go fast because they are going to kill you both, “said Philipossian. “So my parents, they moved very fast at that moment to survive.”
Now, more than a century after the genocide, Philipossian said it’s important to remember. Father and son said it was a “big relief” to see the large number of people at Tuesday’s meeting.
“There was a lot of land that was lost with lives … you can not forget such a past,” he said.
But Armenians were not alone on the Hill or in front of the embassy. They were greeted by a Turkish counter-demonstration of one-third the size of the Armenian participation. They say that the killings that took place from 1915 took place in the context of the civil war and did not deserve the label of “genocide”.
For Turkish community member Kevser Taymez, the historical context is complicated, with suffering on both sides, she said. “What Armenians and Turks in Canada should do is remember our losses together,” she said. “I am here to protest that Armenians are raising their children to hate the Turks.”
Terminology is an important issue for both communities. Sevag Belian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee, prefers to use the term “gathering” to describe the annual event on the Hill.
“We do not like to call it a protest,” he said. “Canada recognized the Armenian genocide at the parliamentary level in 2002 with the resolution of the Senate, in 2004 with the House of Commons resolution, and in 2006 the government recognized the genocide.
According to Belian, the real protest only began when protesters started down Wellington Street towards the Turkish embassy.
Armenian and Turkish groups were kept apart all afternoon by police barriers. They marched three kilometers to the embassy in separate intervals. Nearly 700 members of the Armenian community were surrounded by some 300 Turkish members of MacDonald Gardens, across from the embassy.
istanbul ban Genocide remembrance event
The Governorship of Istanbul, Turkey, has prohibited an Armenian Genocide commemoration event.
The Human Rights Association Istanbul Branch had planned to carry out an event devoted to the 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, at Sultanahmet Square, on Tuesday at noon, according to Evrensel newspaper of Turkey.
But learning that the term “genocide” will be used during the event, the Governorship representatives prohibited to carry it out and suggested doing it without using that word.
Its organizers, however, refused to hold this event without the term “genocide,” and decided to put off this public assembly until 1։30pm and hold it at Taksim Square, instead.
They noted that there will be figures from France at Taksim Square, and therefore Turkish authorities will avoid interference.
The leadership of the Congressional Armenian Caucus on Wednesday, April 11 called on their U.S. House colleagues to join them in pressing President Donald Trump to reject Turkey’s gag-rule by honestly and accurately commemorating the Armenian Genocide on April 24, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“Recep Erdogan is undermining U.S. interests, insulting U.S. allies, and threatening U.S. forces, yet he’s still granted a veto over U.S. policy on the Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.
“American complicity in Ankara’s genocide denial is a relic of the Cold War. It didn’t make sense then, and it makes even less sense now. “Take a moment today to ask your U.S. Representatives to demand an end to Turkey’s gag-rule.”
In a “Dear Colleague” letter to U.S. Representatives, Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jackie Speier (D-CA), David Trott (R-MI) and David Valadao (R-CA) as well as Vice-Chairs Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) and Adam Schiff (D-CA) explained that: “The Armenian Genocide continues to stand as an important reminder that crimes against humanity must not go without recognition and condemnation. Through recognition of the Armenian Genocide we pay tribute to the perseverance and determination of those who survived, as well as to the Americans of Armenian descent who continue to strengthen our country to this day. It is our duty to honor those contributions with an honest statement of history recognizing the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians as the 20th century’s first genocide. By commemorating the Armenian Genocide, we renew our commitment to prevent future atrocities.”
They closed by asking that the President: “appropriately mark April 24th as a day of American remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.”
Some three dozen countries, hundreds of local government bodies and international organizations have so far recognized the killings of 1.5 million Armenians in the Ottoman Empire as Genocide.
Turkey denies to this day.