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Paris Hasmig Hovnanian, the wife of the late Diaspora-Armenian businessman, public activist, and benefactor Vahakn Hovnanian, passed away Sunday in Armenia’s capital city of Yerevan.
Her wake will be held on Monday.
Paris Hasmig Hovnanian’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, in Yerevan.
Egyptian Parliament (Photo: AFP)
CAIRO, Egypt (Armenpress)—The Parliament of Egypt is preparing to include the resolution on condemning the Armenian Genocide by Ottoman Turkey in its agenda.
Head of the Armenian National Committee of Egypt Armen Mazlumyan said that Egyptian MP Mustafa Pakri mentioned the inclusion of the resolution during a meeting with a European delegation.
“Mustafa Pakri briefed the members of the delegation on the stance of the Egyptian Parliament regarding the Armenian Genocide, affirming that they are preparing to present the resolution on condemning the massacres by Turkey to voting. He confirmed that it is a “shame stigma” for Turkey and all other governments must also condemn that inhumane massacre” said Mazlumyan.
Pakri said they initiated a petition and 337 lawmakers approved the initiative on recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide – expressing confidence that the voting will be done in favor of the resolution. The Egyptian lawmaker also condemned the stance of Arab states regarding the Armenian Genocide, mentioning that until now only Lebanon has recognized it.
Harut Sassounian Photo by gagrule.net
BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN
An unprecedented U.S. presidential campaign came to an end with the unexpected victory of Donald Trump!
Since the November 8 elections, there has been endless speculation by self-styled Armenian analysts about the President-elect’s business ties with Azerbaijan and Turkey, wrongly concluding that he would side with Armenia’s enemies! Since Trump has made no comments on Armenian issues, no one can really know what his position is likely to be….
Beyond Trump’s sweeping campaign promises to “drain the swamp in Washington,” and “make America great again,” no one can predict what he might do on domestic or foreign policy fronts. In addition, there is no guarantee that he will stick to the positions he assumed during the campaign. In recent months, and particularly since the election, Trump has moderated his views on a number of major issues, such as banning all Muslims from entering the United States, building a wall along the Mexican border, deporting 11 million illegal aliens, and repealing Obamacare. As Pres. Obama explained during his November 14 press conference, Trump is a pragmatist, not an ideologue with fixed opinions.
Consequently, rather than speculating about what Trump may do as President, let’s follow Hillary Clinton’s wise advice to keep “an open mind” and give Donald Trump “a chance to lead!”
Since the President-elect has not yet taken a concrete position on Armenian issues, now is the time for Armenian-Americans to ask friendly Republican members of Congress to convey the community’s vital concerns to Trump and his team. It would be much more difficult to make such contacts once the President is inaugurated in January and has given his marching orders to the new Cabinet. Meanwhile, Turkish and Azeri officials are busy establishing their own contacts with Trump’s transition team and Congress through their high powered lobbyists in Washington! Furthermore, while many heads of state, including those of Armenia and Azerbaijan, have sent congratulatory messages to the President-elect, Turkish President Erdogan personally telephoned Trump, urging closer ties between their countries!
Already there are warning signs that two of Trump’s closest aides, who may be appointed to top positions in the new administration, are rabid Turkophiles:
1) Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has repeatedly declared his admiration for Kemal Ataturk, the father of modern Turkey, viewing him as a hero;
2) Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn wrote an article in The Hill last week, calling on the U.S. government “to adjust our foreign policy to recognize Turkey as a priority. We need to see the world from Turkey’s perspective.”
While Armenian-American ties with the President-elect are practically non-existent, the community has fortunately cultivated excellent relations with many reelected members of Congress, both Democrats and Republicans, who can adopt bills and pass resolutions on issues of importance to Armenia and Armenians.
Over 90% of the Congressional candidates endorsed by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) were elected on November 8. In the House of Representatives, 117 out of the 122 candidates endorsed by ANCA won their election bids, including Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Anna Eshoo, Armenian-American Democrats from California. Regrettably, Cong. Robert Dold (Republican-Illinois), Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, was not reelected; and candidate Danny Tarkanian (Republican-Nevada) lost his bid for the House.
In the U.S. Senate, 7 of the 11 candidates endorsed by ANCA won their election bids on November 8. Armenian Caucus member Cong. Chris Van Hollen (Democrat-Maryland) was elected to the Senate after defeating Turkish Caucus member Cong. Donna Edwards in the Maryland Primary. Unfortunately, Senator Mark Kirk (Republican-Illinois), a staunch supporter of Armenian issues, was not reelected.
Significantly, while 11 members of the Congressional Armenian Caucus did not return to the House due to failure to win, retirement, resignation or seeking other office, the Turkish Caucus suffered a greater loss, with 19 of its members not returning to the House, including Co-Chair Ed Whitfield (Republican-Kentucky) who resigned earlier this year due to an ethics probe.
The substantial electoral success, enjoyed by Congressional friends of the Armenian community, bodes well for the pursuit of Armenian issues in the new Congress. Given that the Republican Party will be controlling both Houses of Congress and the White House, it is incumbent upon Republican Armenians to win over more members of the majority party, while Democrat Armenians can build on their long-established ties with the minority party. After all, the Armenian Cause, as a nonpartisan issue, should be supported by both parties!
Interview By Wally Sarkeesian
(aiisa.am) The Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs—AIISA—is an independent research institute based in Yerevan, pursuing the goal of promoting independent foreign and domestic policy analysis for Armenia anchored in the shared values of human rights, political freedom, and free market.
Shaping the peace and security nationally and internationally through
- Comprehensive Monitoring & In-Depth Analysis
- Risk Assessment & Strategic Forecast
- Policy Implication & Intellectual Impact
- Crisis Management, Conflict Prevention & Resolution
(Styopa Safaryan) is the founder and head of research programmes of the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs—AIISA. He is a policy analyst, political scientist, politician with remarkable personal, academic and professional experience in foreign and security policies, and domestic politics. Author of numerous analytical articles and researches, several monographs, participant of many authoritative forums, conferences and networks, Safaryan is actively engaged both in domestic politics as a young politician and policy expertise as an influential opinion maker.
Prior to the AIISA, Safaryan headed another well-known Armenian think tank—the Armenian Center for National and International Studies—ACNIS, for many years. He left ACNIS after being affiliated to the Heritage opposition party and elected a member of the Armenian Parliament—National Assembly. He represented Armenian Parliament in parliamentary assemblies of NATO (2009-2012), Euronest of Eastern Partnership (2010-2012), BSEC (2007-2009), Francophonie (2007-2012).
Safaryan has graduated from Yerevan State University and its PhD programme, Academy for Public Administration of the Republic of Armenia and University of York, UK. He was a lecturer and an assistant head of two departments at the Armenian Academy for Public administration, as well as delivered lectures in Yerevan State University and European Regional Academy.
Safaryan has been a regular participant and/or speaker of events, conferences and projects of Wilton Park, Ditchly Foundation, Chatham House, IISS (UK), SWP (German Institute for International and Security Affairs), Munich Security Conference, Munich Young Leaders Reunions, Berlin Foreign Policy Forums, (Germany), Woodrow Wilson Center (USA), ICBSS (Greece), Economic Forums (Poland), Democracy Forums (Lithuania, Ukraine, Georgia) and other prominent think-tanks in Europe and the USA.
Safaryan authored or co-authored about 10 books, yearbooks, textbooks, and more than 100 articles and researches, appeared in many TV programs, lots of interviews and comments.
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Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Lithuania, Moldova, Russia, Serbia and Ukraine are seen as having the most severecorruption problems, according to a new report by Transparency International.
The report is based on answers of 60.000 respondents from 42 European and Central Asian country.
24% of the Armenian respondents gave a positive answer as to whether they or any member of their household have made an unofficial payment or gift when using certain services over the past 12 months.
The services include the road police, public agencies issuing official documents, the civil courts, public education (primary or secondary), public education (vocation), public medical care, public agencies in charge of unemployment benefits or any other public agencies in charge of other social security benefits.
A key way for citizens to help stop corruption is by stepping forward and speaking out when they see or experience corruption in their lives. Disclosures by whistleblowers and citizens are one of the most effective ways to uncover and address corruption and other malpractice.
Reporting rates are particularly low in Greece, Latvia, Lithuania, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Belarus, where fewer than one in 10 of those who had paid a bribe subsequently reported it. TI decided to explore the barriers that prevent more people from coming forward to report corruption, seeking to help devise strategies to overcome them.
Citizens in France and Portugal are the most likely to think that it is socially acceptable to report a case of corruption (74 per cent and 78 per cent respectively), with around three quarters or more agreeing; while in Montenegro, Belarus, Ukraine, Hungary, Croatia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Armenia, Russia and Bosnia & Herzegovina people are far less likely to agree (from 10 to 17 per cent), the report says.
As part of its campaign for the primary right, Nicolas Sarkozy received Monday, November 14 at his headquarters in the rue de l’Université a delegation of Armenian personalities and associations in the Paris region. The meeting took place a few days after his visit, Wednesday, November 9 at the National Armenian memory Décines Centre, where he had addressed a panel of local Armenian representatives, Raffi Krikorian, president of the CFC in the Lyon region.
In Paris, Ara Toranian, national co-chair of CCAF, took the first speech in minutes to expose the feelings of the French of Armenian origin in relation to this campaign and their concerns about the precarious conditions in which continues to be the Armenian entity 100 years after the genocide. He mentioned in particular the situation in Nagorno Karabakh, a real strategic and civilizational lock, whose survival guaranteed not only that of Armenia but also represented a security for Europe. He renewed the request for a Center of Civilization and Memory in Paris, indispensable for the perpetuation of an Armenian identity that we must all the more defend that it was the target of an enterprise of extermination. He finally reaffirmed his refusal of Turkey’s entry into Europe.
The very frank discussion with the former President of the Republic also spoke of the commitment of some personalities who are close to him and whose unclear ties with the Azerbaijani dictatorship are no longer to be demonstrated. On this issue as on all the others, Nicolas Sarkozy was very direct and answered the questions of all the participants. He asserted himself as the leader of his camp, hammering that it was he who set the course of his campaign and not his supporters, whose decisions he did not necessarily endorse or automatically approve. He recalled that all his rivals at the primary had been his close collaborators, which did not prevent them being today with him in an internal competition. He mentioned his commitments and especially his actions as President of the Republic, which for him remain more talkable than promises. He particularly remembered that when he was voting for the law criminalizing denial of the Armenian genocide, Alain Juppe and Fillon were vehemently against the law and had to scrap with his ministers to keep his word Towards the Armenian community.
He also said his very old opposition to the entry of Turkey into Europe, contrary to the position of the Socialists and Francois Hollande, which he said were for and continues to be. He also said that he had fought at the time of Jacques Chirac against his own camp, in particular Jean-Louis Debré, to block the favorable trend in Ankara. For Nicolas Sarkozy, there can be no difficulty between him and the Armenians of France whose French patriotism he hailed and the attachment to their cause which is also that of the Republic.
Referring to the issue of genocide, he said he would refuse to trivialize its meaning. According to him, there were only 4 genocides, the Armenians, the Jews, the Cambodians, and the Tutsi. The genocidal dimension of the Armenian drama makes the defense of the identity of this people a universal struggle. Bearing in mind the indifference of the media and sometimes their hostility towards the Armenian cause, he drew parallels with his personal situation and invited the Armenians to remain faithful to what they are, to continue their journey and to Not to worry about these negative comments, especially those who have spoken out against penalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide.
Tuesday 15 November 2016,
Ara © armenews.com
The Beijing Language and Culture University will offer Armenian language courses as a separate specialization, Chinese Minister of Education Chen Baosheng told his Armenian counterpart Levon Mkrtchyan at a meeting on Tuesday, November 15.
Also, the Chinese Minister hailed the agreement reached between the parties on implementing joint educational projects and issuing double degree by the Armenian State Pedagogical University and Beijing Pedagogical University.
In addition, the officials discussed a range of issues concerning the construction of a Chinese school currently underway in Yerevan, stressing the regional importance of the project.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved and instructed to sign a draft agreement on a joint military force with Armenia.
According to the project, RIA says, the two countries seek to establish a joint group of forces in the Caucasus.
The bill says a Unified Command structure will be created to manage the force “to ensure the security of the sides in the Caucasus region.”
The initiative’s prerogatives include “repelling any armed attack on either party, as well as defending the state borders of Armenia and Russia.”
Jim Costa, a State of California Democratic Party member of the House of Representatives of the US Congress, told the Voice of America Armenian service that he does not believe that President-elect Donald Trump has relevant information on Armenian Genocide, and we need to see whom he will appoint as the new US Secretary of State.
To note, Congressman Costa was re-elected in Tuesday’s elections.
When asked whether Armenian Genocide recognition at the level of the US President is possible during Trump’s term in office, he responded that the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues should raise this matter sooner or later.
As per Jim Costa, it is very important as to what US foreign policy team Trump will select.
The congressman, for his part, pledged to continue the ongoing efforts—together with his colleagues in the US Congress—toward recognition of Armenian Genocide, deepening of US-Armenia relations, and resolving matters with respect to several other important issues for Armenia.
A special team of archaeologists on Saturday unearthed the third shrine of the Arsacids (Arshakunis, AD 54-428) in Aghtzk, a village in Armenia’s Aragatsotn region which is historically known to be home to the royal family.
The historic ceremony was attended by President of the National Assembly Galust Sahakyan, Minister of Culture Armen Armiryan, Russian Ambassador to Armenia Ivan Volynkin, member of the National Assembly Aragats Akhoyan (Prosperous Armenia), and residents of the village.
Speaking to reporters at the excavation site, a lead archaeologist of the team, Hakob Simonyan, said they have completed only the first phase of their activities to later submit the excavated samples for laboratory testing before creating museum exhibits.
“The research allows us to conduct an excursus from the 4th century until the period of Shah Abbas the Great’s invasion, the 17th century, to see the genetic structure of the people who lived here and the genetic transformations in ourselves,” he explained.
Minister Amiryan added that they are planning to fund a special project aimed at turning the ancient crypt into a museum and making the village a special tourist attraction site.
Source: http://www.tert.am/en/news/2016/11/12/shrine/2191177