Armenia Archives

Record 33 Armenians to participate in 2016 Summer Olympics

July 12, 2016 By administrator

summer-olymics Swimmers Vahan Mkhitaryan and Monika Vasilyan joined the 31 Armenian athletes who have qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympics.

For the first time in the history of independent Armenia, the country will have 33 participants in one of the most anticipated sports events.

The 2016 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXXI Olympiad, and commonly known as Rio 2016, is a major international multi-sport event in the tradition of the Olympic Games due to take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 5 to 21 August 2016.

NATO-Armenia partnership projects more substantiated than NATO-Ukraine cooperation – political scientist

July 12, 2016 By administrator

Political scientists are divided over whether the NATO Summit in Warsaw made historic decisions.

Stepan Grigoryan, head of the Analytical Centre on Globalisation and Regional Cooperation (ACGRC), believes summit made historic decisions. The NATO summit resolved a number of problems. The first is that NATO will deploy its forces in the Baltic States and Poland, which are becoming full members of NATO. The summit also announced Georgia’s admission to NATO and so on.

Summing up, he said:

“That is, decisions were made without Russia’s position considered.”

As to whether the summit’s decision on the deployment of 4,000-strong troops in the Baltic States and Poland is a step toward further confrontation, Mr Grigoryan answered in the affirmative.

Director of the Caucasus Institute, political scientist Alexander Iskandaryan said that the Warsaw summit resembled the summit in Wales.

“If I am right, historic decisions were mentioned at that time as well. But no historic decision was made, but what happened in Warsaw should have been expected,” Mr Iskandaryan said.

Georgia will not be able to become a NATO member for a long period.

“And the troops to be deployed in the Baltic States are, to put it mildly, not what the states themselves expected. The actually expected real military bases, and their wish can be understood.”

The analyst ruled out any “cold war” scenario between the US and Russia, noting that the summit did not adopt any decision vital for the South Caucasus. “The Caucasus at this summit was not treated as just a province; rather, it was an extremely remote periphery, so the debates addressing the Caucasus, particularly Nagorno-Karabakh, were not within the authorities of what NATO normally deals with. Hence, the region will not see any developments. And even if it does, that will have nothing to do with the NATO summit.”

Armenia attended the event as a participant in the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan. “Armenia is among the countries named as the best partner of NATO. What makes it specific is that Armenia is the only country in the Transcaucasus that takes part in two peacekeeping operations with NATO and also the only CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organization] member state that develops such a cooperation,” Poghosyan said.

Poghosyan said he finds the NATO-Armenia partnership projects and sub-projects more profound and substantiated than the NATO-Ukraine cooperation, adding that the country lags very little behind Georgia in terms of joint initiatives with the alliance.

Tremor near Armenia-Georgia border measures magnitude 6-7 at epicenter

July 12, 2016 By administrator

tremor near border YEREVAN. – The earthquake, which was recorded in Armenia on Tuesday afternoon, felt a magnitude of 3 in capital city Yerevan.

Hrachya Petrosyan, head of the “Survey for Seismic Protection” Agency of Armenia, told the aforementioned to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The quake occurred at 2:14pm local time, nearby the Armenia-Georgia border, 13 kilometers northeast of Bavra village and rural community in the Shirak Province of Armenia.

“The earthquake was recorded magnitude 4.7,” said Petrosyan. “Its center was 10 kilometers deep; it was felt magnitude 6-7 at the epicenter.”

The tremor was felt magnitude 4-5 in the northern part—Gyumri, Vanadzor, Stepanavan, and Alaverdi towns—of Armenia.

Iran government endorses agreement on visa-free regime with Armenia

July 11, 2016 By administrator

visa free A session of Iran’s Cabinet made decisions on lifting of visa requirements between Armenia and Iran.

The members of Iran’s Cabinet on Sunday reached decisions with respect to setting regulations for abolition of visas for holders of diplomatic and ordinary passports as well as holders of travel documents (leaf of travel) between Iran and Armenia, according to Mehr News Agency of Iran.

On June 16, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif and Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had signed an agreement on lifting visas between the two states.

The agreement, which was approved earlier by the Armenian government, is now also endorsed by the Iranian government.

Accordingly, Armenian and Iranian citizens holding ordinary or diplomatic passports are allowed to stay a maximum of 90 days in the other country, without a need to obtain a visa.

Karabakh in focus of Armenian, French Presidents’ meeting

July 9, 2016 By administrator

meeting 333 President Serzh Sargsyan and his French counterpart Francois Hollande on Saturday, July 9 discussed the Nagorno Karabakh conflict in Warsaw, the presidential press service reports.

Talking on the sidelines of a NATO summit, Sargsyan hailed Frances’ and personally Hollande’s own efforts aimed at resolving the issue.

Both of them attached great importance to previous meetings in Vienna and Saint Petersburg, during which Armenian and Azeri leaders discussed opportunities for bringing the negotiation process back on track.

Sargsyan and Azeri leader Ilham Aliyev met on June 20 in Saint Petersburg to address the conflict, with Russian President Vladimir Putin mediating the talks. The Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents confirmed their commitment to the implementation of agreements reached at a Vienna-hosted meeting on May 16. To that end, they have agreed to increase the number of international observers in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict zone. Also, they expressed satisfaction that the ceasefire was now holding.

Prior to that, a meeting between both leaders was organized on May 16 in Vienna, with top diplomats from the MG co-chairing countries hosting the summit.

Hailing evermore developing economic relations between the two countries, President Sargsyan expressed gratitude over the French National Assembly’s vote to criminalize the denial of the Armenian Genocide.

Armenia Presentation of the Film Festival “Golden Apricot” Yerevan

July 8, 2016 By administrator

The organizers of the 13th edition of the International Film Festival of Armenia Golden Apricot Yerevan presented on July 6 programming in collaboration with several diplomatic missions and international organizations in Armenia. The best French, Russian and British films will be presented as part of this festival. In cooperation with the British Council in Armenia, the Apricot Festival d’Or and will present a special program dedicated to the 400th anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare. The best films, adapting it to the screen the works of the English playwright, or inspired by, and naturally find their place in this festival.

Furthermore, in cooperation with the Embassy of France in Armenia, the festival will present three iconic films of the “New French Cinema”. The program will be inaugurated by the latest film by Pierre Léon, Two Remi, two (2015). The “new Danish film” will also be on show at the festival in cooperation with the Danish Film Institute. The program will showcase the best Danish films of the last five years, including “The City” (2015) by director Thomas Winterberg, which will open this special page dedicated to Danish film.

The Europe of the regions has also its place in the Armenian festival with a selection of the “new Basque cinema”, illustrated by the films of four Basque filmmakers, including “An Autumn without Berlin (2015) Lara Izagirre, who will inaugurate the program . The 13th International Film Festival of Armenia Golden Apricot Yerevan to begin July 10 with the screening of a classic of the Armenian cinema, Zareh film director Hamo Beknazaryan. It will conclude on July 17 with the award ceremony of Golden Apricot awarded to the best films and actors.

Friday, July 8, 2016,
Gari © armenews.com

Armenia is approaching a major agreement with the European Union

July 7, 2016 By administrator

armenia eu cop Armenia and the European Union hope to negotiate in the coming months a comprehensive agreement to deepen political and economic relations, said Wednesday the office of President Serzh Sargsyan.

Sargsyan discussed the issue with Herbert Salber, EU special envoy for the South Caucasus at a meeting in Yerevan. According to the presidential press service, Sarkisian and Salber agreed that the relations of Armenia with the block of the 28-nations have a “dynamic development.”

“The interlocutors expressed hope that negotiations on the new framework agreement EU-Armenia will be successfully concluded in the coming months,” said presidential press service said in a statement.

The new agreement will serve as an alternative to an association agreement negotiated by Yerevan and Brussels in the summer of 2013. Sargsyan prevented the signing of this major agreement unexpectedly in September 2013 to seek membership of Armenia an alliance of states of the former Soviet Union, led by Russia.

The replacement agreement should contain many political and even economic provisions, common with the Association Agreement canceled. But it will be no component related to free trade because of the accession of Armenia to the Eurasian Economic Union.

The négocations this agreement officially started in Brussels last December.

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan and several other senior Armenian government officials discussed the progress in these discussions at a meeting in Yerevan late last week. A statement from Abrahamian government asked them to ensure the effective conduct of the negotiation process. The agreement “lay a solid foundation” for closer ties between Armenia and the EU.

Statements of official Armenian sources have suggested that Salber meetings with Sarkisian and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian focused on international efforts to end the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenian President had informed the envoy of the EU on the next steps in the peace process provided by Armenia and the United States, Russia and French mediators. He also praised the EU’s efforts to create a “favorable atmosphere” for a settlement of Karabakh.

The Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict was also the priority of the agenda of the previous Salber travel to Yerevan, which took place two months ago.

Thursday, July 7, 2016,
Claire © armenews.com

Naira Hovakimyan: Armenia has the talent and enthusiasm for development of robotics industry

July 7, 2016 By administrator

EREVAN. – Naira Hovakimyan is director of Intelligent Robotics Lab at the University of Illinois. In an interview with Armenian News-NEWS.am, Naira Hovakimyan spoke about the development of robotics in Armenia and the future projects.

Naira, why have you left for U.S.?

I do not think that I have left for USA, as I never intended to do so. In 1998, I was invited for six months to work at Georgia Tech on stability of adaptive flight control systems. Prior to that I worked more than a year in Stuttgart University, Germany, and about a year in INRIA, Sophia Antipolis, France. Because Unites States is a country rich with opportunities, my stay at Georgia Tech was extended for another six months, then another year, and I eventually assumed a permanent faculty job in Virginia Tech in 2003. Then the successful collaboration with United States Air Force and NASA got us the visibility by the top universities, and University of Illinois recruited me with a competitive offer, providing opportunities for aggressive growth of my research program. If tomorrow another high-caliber research institution recruits me from Europe, I may move back to Europe. My permanent home is Yerevan, Armenia. I never left Armenia. I just happen to work in places that have long commute time with Yerevan.

Is it easy to make a career in U.S.?

It largely depends on what you want to do and what you want to achieve. You have to be in the right place the right time. In my case, the answer is absolutely NO, NO and again NO. I am sure that had I stayed in Armenia in mid-90’s, I would have left science forever. However, I want to emphasize that there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. My very good friends in those years moved into software industry and now hold leading positions in major software companies in Armenia. That is a different career path. In USA, I had to restart everything from the beginning. My prior degrees and education meant nothing in the context of the problems that I was challenged to solve during my research at Georgia Tech. Also, the US academic market is very much driven by the pedigree and connections in USA. If you are not a graduate of one of the top schools with a famous adviser, the barrier for entry into academic circles is very high and quite often impossible to break in. This reality has not changed for me until now despite numerous success stories delivered by my group. One step at a time we have moved forward. The key is never to give up. Hard work and persistence always pay off. You just have to stay focused and be open to new opportunities and twists of life as they come your way.

You are a co-founder of IntelinAir, Inc., a company that commercializes data-drones for delivering actionable information from aerial imagery for various industries. How are these drones used? For which purpose?

Right now we are focused on digital agriculture. We are creating the “MRI of farms”, by flying the drones at low altitude and taking high resolution imagery. We hope that with this technology we will be able to develop an early warning system for anomaly detection to prevent major damages and alert farmers on taking actions ahead of time. It is obvious that with today’s farming techniques it will be impossible to feed the 9bln population of Earth in 2050. IntelinAir aims to contribute to this grand challenge in a novel way that can have long-lasting impact..

Are you going to have such a company in Armenia too? What do you think whether it is possible to establish such a company in Armenia?

Our company has already opened its Armenian subsidiary in Yerevan. We have a group in Armenia, and I am very excited by its growth.

Since 2015, you are the director of Intelligent Robotics Lab of CSL at UIUC. Armenians also try to develop this branch in Armenia. What do Armenians need to reach the best result? Do we have necessary resource for developing it?

We certainly have the human resources and the enthusiasm that’s needed; we lack funding for supporting hardware purchase/development and educating students to develop competitive algorithms. We lack visionary leaders. Robotics today is very multidisciplinary. We work at the intersection of control technology, machine learning, human-computer interaction, cognitive psychology and medicine. Today’s roboticists need sufficiently good understanding of all these fields to interact with corresponding experts to integrate the advances from each of these disciplines into the next generation of robots. I cannot emphasize enough the role of multidisciplinary education and the role fundamental science.

Naira, an L1 adaptive flight control system is being modified for the U.S. Air Force’s VISTA F-16 aircraft by you and your graduate students. Have you already tested it in VISTA F-16?

We haven’t yet tested; we are anxiously waiting for those tests, which are scheduled in September.

What plans do you have for future? Any new projects?

I have plans to finish two more books in the next five years. I would like to see my students leading major innovations in the world based on the training that they get in my lab. I would like to see them holding faculty jobs in top universities or leadership positions in major industries. I would like to see IntelinAir growing into a powerful and prominent company. I would like to see some of my students creating other companies based on their work in our lab. In the near future, personally, I think I will be more focused on the cybersecurity solution developed in collaboration with my colleagues from Computer Science and will do my best to support that development and its commercialization, if at all possible. We have a unique opportunity there. Such a solution should help all robots to be safe from software viruses and attacks by hackers.

Are you going to make any projects in Armenia?

If interested groups have desire to work with me, I will certainly support such development and work with them. IntelinAir is just a good beginning, and I am very excited by our group in Armenia, its potential and its growth. I look forward to creating more initiatives like that.

Armenia speaks at the UN racism in Turkey and Azerbaijan

July 3, 2016 By administrator

Armenia un turkey Armenian diplomats have spoken of violations of human rights in Azerbaijan and Turkey to the UN. Mher Margaryan, representing Armenia, made a speech at the 32nd session of the Council of Human Rights of the UN.

He recalled the obvious manifestations of xenophobia and racism in Azerbaijan, who have recently been documented by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance and the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.

The speech of Mr. Margaryan is presented below:

In response to Azerbaijan

We have already drawn attention to this advice on the scandalous practices of Azerbaijan regarding racism and xenophobia, these are well documented and reported more recently by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance ( ECRI) and the UN Committee on the elimination of racial discrimination. The Azerbaijani authorities regularly cite 30,000 Armenians living in Azerbaijan, which is the same contradiction with their own census data quoted in the current report. This production was also noted by the Advisory Committee on the Framework Convention of the Council of Europe for protection of national minorities in its third opinion on Azerbaijan adopted in October 2012, indicating that only 306 people, not 30,000, indicate an Armenian ethnicity in the census of 2009. We are not aware of a movement of people with Armenian origin from Azerbaijan. If the Azerbaijani government has such information why not share it with the international institutions as well? There are many facts of third country citizens who carry an Armenian surname who are denied entry into the country, which are held at checkpoints and airports that are returned. Is it not a contemporary form of discrimination and racism in flagrant violation of the Durban Declaration and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination. We urge the Azerbaijani delegation not to air a new wave of hatred and intolerance manifestation within this Council.

In response to Turkey

It is not our intention to raise the issue of the Armenian Genocide recognition or refusal by Turkey. Instead, we will address the manifestations of racism and racial discrimination and xenophobia that accompanies active campaign of denial by the Turkish authorities. Free hateful threats and insults, spread hatred and intolerance towards Armenians and Turks who publicly acknowledge the genocide and to appeal to the government to do the same has become a norm in the political discourse of the Turkish authorities. The situation has reached a point where politicians with Turkish origin in other countries who dare to certify the fact of genocide or vote for their wider recognition are stigmatized, subjected to derogatory labeling, are pushed by blood tests laboratories by the highest authorities of Turkey. Define people by their blood is nothing less than a total manifestation of racism and xenophobia. We believe that these comments should not continue and must be properly addressed by the mechanisms of the Council and of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Thank you.”

Armenian parliament ratifies air defense system deal with Russia

June 30, 2016 By administrator

joined defense With a vote of 102-8 (no abstention), Armenia’s National Assembly on Thursday, June 30 voted to ratify the agreement on creating a joint air defense system with Russia, Yerkir Media reports.

Russia and Armenia on December 23, 2015 signed a collective security deal on a joint regional air defense system in the Caucasus. The agreement was signed by the heads of defense of the two countries, Sergey Shoigu and Seyran Ohanyan.

As Deputy Defense Minister Ara Nazaryan said at the parliament, the deal seeks to improve the air defense system in the Caucasus region.

Earlier on Wednesday, Minister Ohanyan said that under the agreement Armenia will be able to make use of 4th generation multifunctional Russian fighter jets, S-300 missile systems, plus not just air defense but also missile defense facilities.