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Armenia’s first contemporary art Biennial, Announced at Event held at Armenian Consulate General in Los Angeles, Video.

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By Wally Sarkeesian,

Gagrulelive: Los Angeles Full coverage of event hosted by Armenian Consul General Ambassador Armen BAIBOURTIAN Announcing Armenia’s first contemporary art Biennial, Mr. Fabio Lenzi Co-Founder Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation, introduced Biennial concept to the audience. a very successful evening with full house attendees.

The Yerevan Biennial was founded as an initiative of the newly established Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation, which was founded with the aim of developing and executing cultural and educational initiatives in the region. The Foundation takes an all-encompassing approach to establishing a creative ecosystem interconnecting the realms of the arts, culture and education, and is a platform for public engagement that operates locally, nationally and internationally.

A key aim of the Foundation and the Yerevan Biennial is to empower today’s Armenian youth and to create new professional paths for the future generations, particularly in the creative and cultural sector, with a strong emphasis placed on the educational and public programmes that will accompany the Biennial exhibition period.

Building on Armenia’s rich history and cultural heritage, the Foundation is also committed to enhancing and consolidating Yerevan’s reputation by promoting the entire region as an exciting cultural and tourist destination, where local heritage and contemporary art and thinking can interconnect on a global cultural platform.

Fabio Lenzi, co-founder of Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation, said: “I am delighted to establish the Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation and look forward to shaping the programmes and organizational structure together with my colleagues, the local communities, our institutional partners, stakeholders in Armenia and abroad, as well as the wider international artistic community. Yerevan is an extraordinary city. Those who have not yet visited Armenia should take this opportunity to explore a country that has so much to offer, including extraordinary landscapes, powerful nature, ancient monuments, traditions and exquisite gastronomy. Armenia is a real gem but is still so little known.”

More information on the curator, theme and programme for the 2020 Yerevan Biennial will be announced in Spring 2020. 

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Samos, Greece: Meet the famous Turkish-Armenian Sevan Nişanyan A linguist, writer & self-taught architect in exile, Face-to-Face meeting with journalist Wally Sarkeesian Video, Photos

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Greece Island Samos, Sevan Nişanyan, Ira Tzourou, Wally Sarkeesian

“The bird has flown away”

Samos Island: Sevan Nişanyan is a Turkish-Armenian linguist and travel writer. An author of a number of books, Nişanyan was awarded the Ayşe Nur Zarakolu Liberty Award of the Turkish Human Rights Association in 2004 for his contributions to greater freedom of speech.

On July 14 Sevan Nisanyan, a famous jailed intellectual, announcing he’d escaped from a Turkish prison. He had been behind bars since January 2014 and wasn’t eligible for parole for another 10 years.

he’s a self-taught architect who renovated his home village of Sirince in the hills above the Greco-Roman ruins of Ephesus, turning it into a tourist attraction on Turkey’s Aegean coast. That’s what got him in trouble In late July, Nisanyan surfaced in Greece, where he received a temporary resident permit and has applied for political asylum.

Nisanyan, found new life in one of the Greek Island called Samos and is doing almost exactly what he use to do in Turkey, writing and rebuilding villages with his newly married wife Ira Tzourou both are very active.

Wally Sarkeesian, this man is fearless when I decided to go see him at Samos Island. I kept my trip very secret for his safety and security. After I arrived at the Island, he told me no worry the Turkish Government is very happy that I left.

Nişanyan, a graduate of Yale and Columbia, whittled away his time locked up by writing, reading, and debating with his fellow inmates — “professional thieves, drug sellers, plenty of murderers, organized gang personnel, armed robbers, wife-stabbers, con artists, the lot.” He spent 3.5 years of an 11.5-year prison sentence in eight facilities, not all of which were quite as pleasant as Foça. “A couple of them were horrible,” “[There was] extraordinary overcrowding. 120 people in a ward designed for 40.”

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Gagrulelive: Meet Professor Georgi Chaltikyan, MD, Ph.D. Focus on Digital Medicine, education, and research, Interviewed by Wally Sarkeesian Video.

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Professor Georgi Chaltikyan

By Wally Sarkeesian

Yerevan: It was great pleasure meeting Professor Georgi Chaltikyan At WCIT 2019 International Technology Conference in Yerevan, Armenia.

Georgi Chaltikyan, MD, PhD

Professor and Expert in Digital Health (WHO Roster of Experts); Physician, Surgeon, Health ICT Specialist.

Pfarrkirchen, Bayern, Deutschland

Medicine and healthcare professional, trained as a general and laparoscopic surgeon, with ca 20 years of experience in clinical practice, medical and healthcare education and research, healthcare project management. Current primary focus: Healthcare ICT, Digital Health (use of IT and telecom to make healthcare better, safer and accessible for all), Cross-Border and Global Healthcare, Healthcare Information Management. Professor at the European Campus Rottal-Inn (ECRI) of Technical University of Deggendorf (THD), Bavaria, Germany. Founding President of Armenian Association of Telemedicine (AATM).

Specialties: Digital Health, Telemedicine, eHealth, Health ICT, Clinical Medicine, Global Health, Healthcare Administration, (Cross-Border) Healthcare Management, Medical and Health Education and Research.

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Las Vegas: From Wally Sarkeesian Travel Book: Friday Evening event at St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church Video.

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Las Vegas: From Wally Sarkeesian Travel Book: Every Friday evening at St. Garabed Armenian Apostolic Church. The Church members cook food, sing, dance, and enjoy their Armenian culture. We were delighted to take part by invitation of the church, We would like to thank the Archpriest Fr. Vahan Gosdanian – The Pastor and Hagop Havanjian active church member. Las Vegas Armenian community is rapidly growing We wish them all a very Happy New Year 2020…

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Yerevan: GagruleLive Videos from WCIT 2019 technology Conference

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The World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT 2019) opens in Yerevan and will last three days from October 6 to 9

WCIT is the signature event of the World Information Technology & Services Alliance (WITSA). WITCA is the consortium of ICT associations of 83 countries, representing 90% of the  IT industry.  For 40 years, technology leaders—CEOs and investors, policy makers and government officials, academics and technologists—have joined in this annual event to discuss the state of the industry, where it is headed, and what it means for our future.

In previous years, WCIT was hosted by Brasília, Brazil’s capital city, Taipei and India’s Hayderabad.

Over 2,500 from 70 countries are participating in this year’s Congress. This year, WCIT will address The Power of Decentralization: Promise and Peril and explore how information and communications technology is transforming our lives for better and for worse, and its impact on profits and prosperity, safety and security, democracy and humanity.

The Congress is hosted by Armenia with the support and under the high patronage of the Government of the Republic of Armenia, and the main organizing body is the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE).

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Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Speech at UN and columbia University Video

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Peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is of key importance for the stability and security of the region. The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, noted about this as he addressed the general debate of the 74th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, on Wednesday in New York.

He said that from the very first day of his tenure, he has taken steps in this very context. He said, to this end, he had issued a statement stating that any resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be acceptable to the peoples of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan said it is noteworthy that he was the first Armenian leader to express such a position on the conflict settlement. The PM said he was strongly criticized in his country for a resolution that equates the three sides to the conflict. He added, however, that he believes this is the key to a peaceful resolution of the conflict, as it implies an opportunity for compromise, mutual respect, and balance.

He said he submitted this resolution not only to the public, but also within the framework of the negotiations being held under the co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group. He added that to move forward, he was expecting a similar statement from Azerbaijan, too. However, as per Pashinyan, the highest authorities of Azerbaijan remained in their position, seeking a solution to the Karabakh problem that would be acceptable only to the people of Azerbaijan.

The Armenian PM said this means that the Azerbaijani authorities have no intention of resolving this conflict, instead, they want to defeat the people of Nagorno-Karabakh, and they do not want to compromise at all.

Pashinyan said Azerbaijan’s objective is revenge for its failed attempt of aggression against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh in the 1990s and in 2016, and that is why it is stirring up anti-Armenian sentiments among its people, spending huge resources on armaments, and Armenophobia has already become the official policy of Azerbaijan.

The PM said that, in fact, Armenians’ adversaries want to bring back Nagorno-Karabakh’s status in Soviet times. But, as per Pashinyan, this is a futile endeavor, as the people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region in the Soviet period declared their independence and exercised self-determination just as Azerbaijan did by leaving the Soviet Union, and therefore this position of Azerbaijan is tantamount to the idea of restoring the Soviet Union.

Pashinyan said the Azerbaijani government presents the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a territorial dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, but Armenians do not agree at all with such an interpretation of the conflict. The PM stated that this is not a dispute between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and this dispute is not about territorial claims, but about people, men, women, and their right to live in their homeland, just as their ancestors have lived throughout the centuries.

As per Pashinyan, sadly, the Azerbaijani authorities do not want to speak to these people and negotiate with them because they want to have territories, but not people; to be more precise: territories without people.

The Armenian PM said he finds it important to explain why he is referring to this topic. As per Pashinyan, it may seem that he wants to contribute to increasing tension in the region. In his words, however, of course not, on the contrary, he would like to say that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is a very complicated and painful matter for the peoples of the region, and it cannot be resolved without hard and consistent work, compromise, mutual respect, and a balanced approach.

So, the Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan urged Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev to adopt the resolution to create conditions for progress in the peace process. As per Pashinyan, any solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict must be acceptable to the people of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Azerbaijan, and they must work together to make this resolution a reality.

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Every Wednesday at 7:00 PM on GagruleLive: Harut Sassounian and Wally Sarkeesian discussion on Armenian foreign and domestic affairs Video

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GagruleLive, Wednesday 7:00 PM Harut Sassounian and Wally Sarkeesian discussion on newly created Pan Armenian Council of Western USA, and on a separate track work in progress for new Diaspora parliament, also we covered how PM Pashinyan manage day to day business in Armenia

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Writer Harut Sassounian on ‘Pan Armenian Council of Western USA’ Or Council of Armenian Organizations? video

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A coalition of 20 Armenian-American organizations announced the formation of a “Pan Armenian Council of Western USA” on August 15, 2019.

The coalition members are:Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North AmericaWestern Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of AmericaArmenian Catholic Eparchy of Our Lady of Nareg of North AmericaArmenian Evangelical Union of North AmericaArmenian Revolutionary Federation of Western USAArmenian Democratic Liberal Party Western DistrictArmenian Relief Society of Western USAArmenian General Benevolent Union, Western DistrictArmenian Missionary Association of America Homenetmen Western USA Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Society of the Western USAArmenian Youth Federation of Western USA Unified Young Armenians Armenian National Committee of America Western RegionArmenian Assembly of America Western Region OfficeArmenian Bar AssociationOrganization of Istanbul ArmeniansArmenian Youth Association of CaliforniaArmenian Society of Los AngelesIraki Armenian Family Association of Los Angeles

These are respectable organizations that have carried out admirable work in the Armenian-American community. 

The Council announced that “other community organizations which desire to be part of this collective effort and have a minimum of 300 active members are hereby invited to become members of the Council.”

Furthermore, the Council explained that “the advisory nature of this Council and its decisions are not binding on any of its member organizations. Thus, the Council’s existence does not confer upon the Council any authority over the activities of its member organizations.”

The Council stated that its mission is:

 • “To implement and realize projects of a pan-community nature.

 • To encourage and assist projects which advance the collective interests and the rights of Armenian communities across the Western United States.

 • To undertake steps to resist actions and efforts which are contrary to the collective interests and rights of Armenians.

 • To gather and apply the Armenian Community’s resources for the benefit of the Community’s interests as well as the welfare of the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh.

 • To always be mindful of the collective welfare and security of the Armenian Community.”

These are all worthwhile goals for the benefit of the local community as well as the interests of Armenia, Artsakh and the Diaspora. Anytime Armenians of all walks of life join hands, it is a good thing. As we all know, unity is strength. The more Armenians get organized and speak in one voice, the more powerful they become as a global nation.

The member organizations of the Pan Armenian Council met on August 16, 2019, at the Western Diocese in Burbank, California, and signed a joint statement. Even though the event was publicized as a press conference, no opportunity was provided to the attending journalists to ask questions and clarify certain important issues.

Here are some of the questions I would have liked to raise at that conference:

1) What prompted these organizations to establish such a Council at this time?

2) Prior to the creation or recreation of such a Council, a similar coalition with almost identical membership existed from 2013 to 2015, under the banner of “the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee – Western USA.” Why was the latter disbanded in 2015 and reconstituted now, losing the opportunity for four years of collaborative efforts? As one of the co-chairmen of the Centennial Committee I had repeatedly urged the group not to disband it after the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide in 2015. Furthermore, as I reported in my October 8, 2015 editorial, during the Sept. 26, 2015 worldwide conference of the Armenian Genocide Centennial State Committee in Yerevan, Armenia, with the participation of representatives of Armenian Genocide Committees in 40 countries, a resolution was adopted to form a “Pan Armenian Council” which would supersede the Centennial Committee. An organizing committee was appointed composed of high-ranking Armenian government officials and major Diaspora organizations. Unfortunately, the envisaged Pan Armenian Council did not materialize and the 40 chapters of the Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee were disbanded.

3) If the purpose of the newly formed Pan Armenian Council is to establish a coalition of Armenian organizations in Western USA, the community already has had such a coalition for a decade, functioning under the banner of “United Armenian Council of Los Angeles” composed of 39 Armenian organizations.

4) The name of the new Pan Armenian Council should have been something like “Coalition of Armenian Organizations of Western USA.” Pan Armenian means that all Armenians in Western USA are members of this Council, whereas only members of certain organizations are represented in it. The great majority of Armenians, who are not members of any organization, are not represented in this Council.

5) Even though two of the three traditional Armenian political parties are in the Council, the third one, the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, for some unknown reason, is not represented in the Council. There are other major Armenian organizations that are not members of the Council, such as the Armenian Professional Society, and Armenian Engineers and Scientists of America. More importantly, the huge community of immigrants from Armenia is not adequately represented in the Council.

Finally, the true Pan Armenian Council or an entity with a similar name should be elected by the votes of all Armenians in the Western USA or throughout the Diaspora, not just by members of several organizations. Only such a democratic entity can claim to represent all Armenians and speak in their name.

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Divine Liturgy and Blessing of Grapes, at Orange County California. Forty Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church.

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By Wally Sarkeesian

Orange County: The feast of the Assumption of the Holy Mother of God was celebrated at Forty Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church with special services including Divine Liturgy and the blessing of grapes. on Sunday, August 18, in which clergy members participated.

Also see Wally Sarkeesian full interview with Rev. Karekin Bedourian, Paster

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Armenian Church doctrine teaches that the Blessed Mother Mary has a primary place of honor because it was ‘of’ her and ‘by’ the Holy Spirit that God became incarnate (took human flesh).  She is seen as the image of humanity fully obedient to God and ultimately sanctified by doing God’s will.  Therefore on the feast remembering her Dormition (falling asleep in Christ) and Assumption (ascending to heaven), we celebrate the Blessing of Grapes.

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During the Divine Liturgy Rev. Karekin Bedourian, Paster reflected on the message of the feast and the image of the Holy Mother, which is the utmost example of virtue and purity, modesty and sacrifice; for families, Armenian women and for all Armenian Christians.“On this Feast Day of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin, the Church also celebrates the dedication and sacrificial lives of all mothers. Inspired by St Mary the Holy Mother of God, you have taken upon yourselves the duty and responsibility to teach, educate and discipline your children and grandchildren the Word of God,”

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