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The Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs visiting Yerevan

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arton123820-480x270The accession of Armenia to the trade bloc led by Russia and the Association Agreement between Georgia and the European Union can be used for deepening relations between the two neighboring countries, said the Minister of Affairs Georgian Foreign Mikheil Janelidze during a visit to Yerevan on Friday.

Janelidze and President Serzh Sargsyan agreed that Armenia and Georgia had a “great potential to develop bilateral cooperation in the framework of two different integration process.”

“Both countries believe that this will allow to intensify the Armenian-Georgian relations,” Sargsyan assured the office in a statement on the talks held by the two men.

Janelidze had also discussed the issue at a separate meeting with his Armenian counterpart Edward Nalbandian held earlier in the day. “We talked about how we could use these integration processes to benefit our cooperation,” he told a joint press conference with Nalbandian.

“There are no problems between Armenia and Georgia,” said Nalbandian for his part. “If there are any, they are solved through joint efforts.”

The Armenian minister added that they talked, among others, possible joint projects on transport infrastructure, trade and energy.

Armenia and Georgia are expected to build by 2018 a new transmission line that will make their interconnected grids. The $ 115 million is funded by the German development bank State and the European Union.

Membership in the Eurasian Economic Union led by Russia (EEU) requires that the Armenian government adopts substantially higher fees for goods imported from countries outside the bloc. Many expected that this will lead to the end of free trade arrangements between Georgia and Armenia, since Georgia has entered a “free trade area depth” with the European Union.

However, Armenian officials have assured the end of 2014 that Armenia has managed to convince the other member states of the EEU to let her keep special arrangements it has with Georgia.

Monday, March 28, 2016,
Claire © armenews.com

Numerous arrests after a protest in Yerevan

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arton123706-480x272The Armenian police have arrêté14 opposition activists after a demonstration in Yerevan Thursday, March 24 which degenerated into clashes with anti-émeutes.Les protesters forces had mobilized to demand the release of a member of a formation of the opposition who had been arrested in January and detained since. New Armenian public salvation Front has organized several rallies in the days leading up to protest against the continued detention of Gevorg Safaryan, whose arrest was denounced as politically motivated by the associations defending human rights .
More than a dozen women claiming that the radical opposition movement had gathered yesterday outside the headquarters of the Armenian police. G.Safarian is accused of attacking a police officer in the night of Saint Sylsvestre. The police resorted to use of force against Armenia of new militants Thursday, March 24, while they were chained to the floor of the Mashtots Avenue, one of the major roads in the center of the capital city. Ruzanna Yegnukian, who was among the protesters, was wounded in the head and was hospitalized.
Her husband, who is also a great figure of the new movement Armenia, Garo Yegnukian figure meanwhile the number of protesters arrested by police. However, it was released quickly enough in order to visit his wife in hospital Surp Grigor Lusavorich of Yerevan. G. Yegnukian said the head injuries his wife are due to a blow by a police officer. But Valeri Osipian, a deputy police chief of Yerevan, brought his denial. He claimed that the chained protesters were injured themselves while they struggled resisting police who were trying to make them leave.
The same day the Armenian government rejected a predictable opposition motion calling for officially commemorate the anniversary of the post-election violence of 2008, which had resulted in the death of 10 demonstrators in Yerevan. The Armenian National Congress (HAK) Levon Ter-Petrosian, who was leading the protest campaign to denounce in the street the results of Sarkisian’s election to the presidency in February 2008, wanted to be March 1 declared a day of remembrance of the victims and the “national uprising against state terror and repression.”
The violence and the many arrests that followed, had tarnished the inauguration Sarkisian for his first presidential term, even if the responsibility incumbent rather by his predecessor and mentor, Robert Kocharian, with which it is cold to Moreover since. But President Sargsyan, received half of his second term, has not seen fit to make a symbolic break with the tragic events that marked his rise to power and Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan addressed a plea of receive at the request of the opposition party.
Friday, March 25, 2016,
Gari © armenews.com

Armenia: Festive surprise to Yerevan women drivers on occasion of International Women Day

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armenian womanYEREVAN. – Armenian women drivers were also pleasantly surprised today in the framework of the festivities held by Yerevan Municipality on occasion of the International Women Day.

While the red light was on, young volunteers approached all women drivers’ at crossings and handed them flowers and post cards on behalf of Mayor of Yerevan Taron Margaryan, Yerevan Municipality press-service reports.

Russia MFA: Moscow does not hide its technico-military cooperation with Yerevan

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Круглый стол, посвященный первой годовщине воссоединения Крыма с Россией.

Круглый стол, посвященный первой годовщине воссоединения Крыма с Россией.

Moscow does not hide the fact of its technico-military cooperation with Yerevan, and it calls on Baku to be understanding.

Maria Zakharova, official  representative of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), stated the aforementioned.

“We [i.e. Russia] already have informed the Azerbaijani side, through diplomatic sources, that Russia is linked to Armenia with allied relations, including, it develops technico-military cooperation,” Zakharova said at a briefing. “This is a fact known to all. We cooperate openly, freely, and we don’t hide it. We hope that they understand this fact in Azerbaijan.”

In her words, Russia considers all regional risks when supplying weapons.

“Any supply of arms to both Armenia and friendly Azerbaijan is carried out by taking into account the need to maintain balance in the region,” Maria Zakharova noted.

Armenia: Trndez bonfire made in Yerevan church backyards: Yerevan celebrates Feast of Purification

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diantrageYEREVAN. – Araratian Patriarchal Diocese today made a “Trndez” bonfire in the backyard of Yerevan’s Surb Zoravor Astvatsatsin church on occasion of the Feast of Purification, a holiday symbolizing the coming of spring and fertility.

The celebration was mainly attended by fellows and girls, who hoped to find love by jumping over the fire. Newly-weds also took part in it dreaming of creating a strong family.

Being pagan by origin, Trndez is a holiday dedicated to the newly-weds. Some specialists think the word “Trndez” means “heaped up fired”. With the adoption of Christianity in Armenia, the name and essence of the holiday also changed.

One of the key constituents of the holiday is the bonfire. Loving couples jump over it, and if they manage to jump without leaving each other’s hand, they say the family will be strong and their love will be eternal.

The couples are followed by childless women who believe the fire will help them get pregnant. At the end, everyone dances in a circle.

The holiday symbolized the 40-day birth of pagan God Vahagn, who was born through flames. The priest took fire from those flames and made a bonfire for the pagan community. During the pagan celebration, the brides jumped over the fire to be able to give birth to male children like Vahagn.

According to another thesis, the holiday was dedicated to God Mihr and has to do with fire worship.

948 cases of acute respiratory infection, with 114 pregnant women affected in Armenia

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f56977eeba6b0a_56977eeba6b41.thumbAs of 10:00am, 948 cases of acute respiratory infection were registered, with 796 of them in the 0-18 age group.

Also, 422 people with pneumonia were hospitalized, with 199 of them aged 0-18. 114 pregnant women were hospitalized with acute respiratory infection and pneumonia. 92 patients are in intensive care units.

Yerevan’s Erebuni medical center reported the death of a woman (born in 1954), who had ischemic heart disease. Autopsy confirmed swine flu in her organism.

A pregnant woman who died at the Saint Gregory the Illuminator hospital had a Caesarean, and her state remained grave for a long period.

Eleven cases of death from swine flu have so far been registered, three of them late last year.

Yerevan to host festival of Japanese films

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f56938fe7257ee_56938fe725832.thumbA festival of Japanese films will be held in Yerevan on January 14-17, according to the Facebook page of Hikari Center.

6 films will be screened during the festival. A discussion with the participation of Japanese directors is scheduled for January 16.

The Japanese-language films with English subtitles will be screened in “Moscow” movie theatre of Yerevan. Admission is free.

Source Panorama.am

Kofta with lamb stuffed with rice: Syrian Armenian on New Year traditions

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KoftaYEREVAN. – Hovhannes Ashjian, 47, arrived in Armenia three years ago with his wife and daughter from the Syrian city of Aleppo. Welcoming the New Year in Yerevan for the first time, he faced numerous problems.

Ashjian told Armenian News – NEWS.am correspondent that his family was left without bread from December 31 to January 3, since they didn’t buy it beforehand: the shops were closed on those days, and even if they were open, there was no bread.

According to him, New Year is celebrated differently in Armenia and Syria. “In Syria, we celebrated the New Year only one day, on December 31: we gathered with close relatives and celebrated. And if there were many of us, we celebrated it at a restaurant, having fun till morning. We didn’t visit our relatives, and didn’t eat and drink for several days. It’s the other way round here: [New Year] celebration [here] lasts a week. Only one day – January 1 – was a non-working day for us. On that day we attended the church and took part in a liturgy,” Hovhannes says.

Traditions of the New Year table are, in his words, also very different.

“Everyone always prepared kofta with matsoun (yoghurt) and lamb stuffed with rice instead of the pork here. Here it’s necessary to have a large assortment of drinks, pork and other food. People even go to a pawnshop to have a nice table. It was different there: people put on the table what they had.”

There is also a big difference in terms of expenses,. In Ashjian’s words, in Syria everything also got expensive on New Year Eve.  “But regardless of how much the prices went up, we could lay wonderful table, which we can’t do here. It’s very expensive here, especially for us,” he says.

Ashjian heard the word “New Year tree” for the first time in Armenia: in Syria they decorate a “Christmas tree” or “Jesus Tree” not for the holiday but for Christmas.

“We put small statuettes of the Holy Mother, baby Jesus and shepherds near the Christmas Tree, thus getting the picture of the birth of Jesus. Here in Yerevan we try to decorate the [Christmas tree] and celebrate the New Year the same way. We manage to a certain extent,” he says.

Hovhannes is surprised by the fact that in Armenia the New Year is more important than Christmas.

Armenia: Yerevan Republic Square to be venue for New Year concert at night

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yerevan newyearYEREVAN. – The subway system of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia, will operate longer than usual on Thursday night.

On the occasion of the New Year celebrations in the city, the subway will operate until 2am Friday.

Those who wish to welcome 2016 at Republic Square in Downtown Yerevan, can participate in the festive concert that will kick off there at 10pm, and during which there will be premieres of new thematic songs.

And all through the New Year holidays, Santa will meet with children in his “castle” built at the square.

The New Year celebrations in Yerevan will come to a close on January 13 at 8pm, with the My Old and New New Year program.