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declaration signed for planned Armenian American Museum, ‘a jewel in our city’

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Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, sitting left, Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian, sitting right, Reverend Berdj Djambazian, standing left, and Bishop Mikael Mouradian, signed a declaration of partnership regarding the Armenian American Museum during a press conference on Wednesday. (Raul Roa / Staff Photographer)

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The Glendale City Council joined faith and community leaders this week in signing a “declaration of partnership” celebrating their work on the future Armenian American Museum.

Museum and city officials inked the document during a joint press conference Wednesday following Glendale City Council’s unanimous approval of the ground lease agreement for the museum’s future site. The event was held on the second floor of the Downtown Central Library, overlooking the southwest corner of Central Park where the museum will be built.

“It’s great to be here on this momentous occasion,” said Glendale Mayor Zareh Sinanyan. “It is a proud day for the city of Glendale and we are excited that the Armenian American Museum’s future home is going to be in our city.”

Initially, the museum was going to be built on a 1.37-acre, city-owned parking lot at Mountain Street and Verdugo Road, but community push-back forced it to be relocated.

Councilwoman Paula Devine said Wednesday was “one of the proudest days of her life” in public service.

“The Armenian American Museum is going to be a jewel in our city and a world class center that we are all going to be proud of,” Devine said.

The $1-a-year ground lease agreement will be for 55 years with options to extend the lease term for four 10-year periods, for a maximum lease of 95 years. The current parking areas around Central Library and park will be turned into additional green space.

Construction on the 60,0000-square-foot, three-story museum will begin within the next year, once museum board members and city officials begin raising funds for the $100-million project and reviewing paperwork, said Berdj Karapetian, museum executive chairman.

The museum will also include a performing arts theater, a learning center, a demonstration kitchen and a café. A parking garage with 2,626 spaces will also be built.

“People from all walks of life will see that the citizens of Glendale led the charge for this marvelous building,” Karapetian said.

Museum officials will announce opportunities for the public to get involved with the project at a later date.

Councilman Vartan Gharpetian spoke about a portion of the museum being dedicated to the Armenian Genocide, the extermination of roughly 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire 103 years ago.

“As a descendant of a survivor of the Armenian Genocide, people ask me how did Armenians survive?” Gharpetian said. “First, we settled into an area we’re comfortable with. We build our churches first, then we build our schools and our cultural centers.

“This is a center for children, as well as present and future residents, to come in and learn about where Armenians came from and where we’re going,” Gharpetian said.

Councilman Ara Najarian, the self-described “Armenian from Ohio,” talked about how committed he would be to the museum.

“I intend to be an active partner because I am committed to this museum, and I will help make sure it is is done timely and with the full community’s support,” Najarian said.

“The museum will be a legacy for the next generation and we have taken a great step towards making the project a reality,” he said.

Nikos Kotsias: Purpose of my visit to create a strategic partnership between Armenia, Greece

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Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today a delegation led by Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotsias. “This year ushers in the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Greece. Our friendly relations are at a very high level, but we are keen to activate the cooperation with Greece and take it to a new qualitative level,” Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan said addressing the guests, according to the government press service.

Stressing the need to boost economic exchanges, the head of the Armenian government said there is great untapped potential in this area. Karen Karapetyan welcomed the ongoing bilateral cooperation within international institutions and the fact that the two countries keep by similar positions on a number of issues on international agenda.

Pleased with his stay in friendly Armenia, the Greek Foreign Minister conveyed warm greetings on behalf of Prime Minister of Greece Alexis Tsipras.

“We have always been brotherly peoples. The purpose of my visit is to create a strategic partnership,” Nikos Kotsias said. Highly appreciating the Armenian-Greek political dialogue, the Greek Foreign Minister agreed in that economic relations are on a low level, and there is a need for their harmonious development.

As they discussed issues of bilateral and multilateral economic cooperation, the parties highlighted the role of the Armenian-Greek joint commission on economic, industrial and scientific-technical cooperation. In particular, the interlocutors discussed the possibility of holding an Armenian-Greek business forum. In this context, Prime Minister Karapetyan suggested clarifying the areas of mutual interest to the two countries’ business circles and actively working on joint projects.

Karen Karapetyan and Nikos Kotsias exchanged views on cooperation within the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union, the furtherance of EEU-EU dialogue, as well as on the prospects for regional cooperation.

Earlier the Greek Foreign Minister was received by the Speaker of Armenian Parliament Galust Sahakyan.

The parties have stressed the high-level relations between Armenia and Greece with rich bilateral agenda, ranging from political dialogue to mutually beneficial cooperation in number of spheres.

According to the National Assembly press release, Galust Sahakyan has highlighted the Armenian-Greek inter-parliamentary relations that have been productively growing.

U.S. General Sees Closer Partnership With Armenia

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YEREVAN (RFE/RL)—U.S.-Armenian defense cooperation has grown “strong” over the past decade and will continue to deepen during President Donald Trump’s tenure, the top military official from the U.S. state of Kansas said on Monday.

“Our security cooperation, engagements that we do now are as strong as they have ever been, and we are really, really fortunate that we’ve had this partnership with the Republic of Armenia since 2003,” Major General Lee Tafanelli, the Kansas adjutant general said.

“Each year continues to get better and better with the quality of the engagements and partnership between our two countries,” he said in an interview in Yerevan.

Tafanelli arrived in the Armenian capital late last week to take part in official ceremonies that marked the 25th anniversary of the establishment of Armenia’s Armed Forces. He also held separate talks with Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan and the chief of the Armenian army’s General Staff, Lieutenant General Movses Hakobian.

Despite its military alliance with Russia, Armenia has stepped up defense cooperation with NATO and the United States in particular since the early 2000s. It contributes troops to NATO-led missions in Kosovo and Afghanistan and regularly participates in multinational exercises organized by U.S. forces in Europe.

Armenia’s Peacekeeping Brigade has received considerable technical assistance from U.S. Army Europe and the Kansas National Guard, which is overseen by Tafanelli. In particular, U.S. instructors have been training the brigade’s medical personnel and demining experts. Sargsian inaugurated a U.S.-sponsored paramedic school of the Armenian army in October.

The U.S. has also been helping Armenia to recruit and train more non-commissioned contract officers in line with ongoing defense reforms supported by NATO. As part of that effort, 25 Armenian army sergeants underwent further training in Kansas in August.

According to the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, U.S. military assistance to Armenia has totaled $48 million since 2002.

Tafanelli, who twice visited Armenia last year, said the Kansas National Guard is “very satisfied” with its partnership with the Armenian military. “We’ll do about 15 engagements a year, and for our size of a state that’s quite a bit … As our partnership continues to grow and evolve over time, now we want to really focus on improving the quality of all those engagements,” he said.

The U.S. general was confident that bilateral military cooperation will continue unabated under the Trump administration. “The relationship is going to continue to grow,” he said. “We’re very, very committed to our partnership with Armenia and that will not change.”

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

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Armenia natoPolitical 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.

Breaking news: Scandal at Eastern Partnership summit

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f555f0e9ba0ec8_555f0e9ba0f03.thumbThe EU Eastern Partnership Summit in Riga was interrupted all of a sudden after Azerbaijan refused to sign the agreement, disagreeing with provisions regarding Nagorno-Karabakh.
Italian President Sergio Matarella, who chaired the meeting, declared a break, Tert.am’s source reports.
Azerbaijan move has spurred disappointment among the EU countries attending the summit.

Artsakh and Fuller Center for Housing Armenia Launch Partnership

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BERDZOR, Artsakh—The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia (FCHA) team with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Artsakh, Ara Harutyunyan, marked the official launch of fuller-center-berdzorthe Artsakh Project on Wednesday. The launch of the program in the Republic of Artsakh coincided with the day of the Declaration of Independence of Armenia as well as the launch of the FCHA’s 300th house construction.

“It is symbolic that we launch such a wonderful project on this day, which shows the development of liberated Berdzor. Thanks to the Fuller project and its donors for this chance. I’m looking forward to seeing quick expansion of this program in Artsakh, with the support of the government,” said Ara Harutyunyan.

“May is a month of victories for our nation; may the symbolism have its impact on the project too and may it be a prosperous and contagious one with more families assisted,” said FCHA president Ashot Yeghiazaryan in his opening remarks.

The May 28th launch of the program started with the construction of the symbolic 300th home. The partners joined the Khachatryan family of three helping them build their home.

Lyudvig and his parents lost their home during the Nagorno-Karabagh conflict when their village — Maragha — was invaded by Azeri troops and which still remains under their control. Ludvig has met his future wife in Berdzor, the latter had moved to Berdzor from the city of Masis, Ararat region, in Armenia. The family had to earn their living and build a home at the same time. The Khachatryans managed to build two small rooms during the first 4 years, lived there for a while but soon they sold it and left for earning their living abroad. Later in 2010 the couple returned to their homeland. They managed to buy a half constructed house with only the walls built and the roof installed. They renovated the roof with the support of the municipality. Since then the family has been trying to complete the construction of the half-built house and finally have simple housing conditions.

“The launch of this program is encouraging. Each resident of our town came here with an only dream to build and strengthen our land and we all still believe in it; your support will make us stronger in our dreams and we will continue working hard to create a better future for the coming generation,” said Lyudvig, the family father.

Thanks to this collaboration, the Khachatryans will have finally completed the construction of their dream home by the end of year. The Khachatryan family house is sponsored by Minakian and Candan families.

Up to now enough funds have been raised from individual donors to sponsor three families to be assisted in the framework of this project.

All Armenians and interested sponsors are encouraged to participate in the Artsakh Project. The completion of a half-built home is $10,500 and a renovation project is $2,900. To join this new movement, please send your donation to: The Fuller Center for Housing, Inc., PO Box 523, Americus, Georgia 31709, USA. Be sure to add “Armenia-Artsakh” in the memo line. Online donations can be made here. All donations from the USA are tax-deductible.

The Fuller Center for Housing Armenia is a non-governmental, charitable organization that supports community development in the Republics of Armenia and Artsakh by assisting in building and renovating simple, decent and affordable homes, as well as advocating the right to a decent shelter as a matter of conscience and action. FCHA provides long-term, interest-free loans to low-income families. The monthly repayments flow into a Revolving Fund, which is used to help more families, thereby providing a financial foundation for sustainable community development. Up to now the Fuller Center for Housing Armenia has assisted 300 families. For more information, please visit www.fullercenterarmenia.org.