Tumanyan in the Land of the Brothers Grimm ICARE's Agribusiness
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AUGUST 31, 2019 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXX, NO. 7, Issue 4600 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Petition against ICARE’s Agribusiness Research and Education Istanbul Convention In Armenia Expanding with Ecofarm Reaches Echmiadzin YEREVAN (Panorama.am) — The initiative group “Kamq” which is sponsoring a petition campaign By Aram Arkun named “No to Istanbul Convention” arrived on Monday in Echmiadzin, Armenia’s Armavir region. Mirror-Spectator Staff “Our campaign continues in Echmiadzin, at central square near Komitas Vardapet statue. Join us WATERTOWN — International Center through signing the petition,” the group posted on for Agribusiness Research and Education Facebook, calling on the citizens to leave signa- (ICARE) director Arthur Grigoryan was in tures in support of their cause. the United States recently, during July, on The Istanbul Convention, which is subject to rat- a fundraising trip. ICARE (http:// ification by Armenia, protects women against vio- icare.am/), he explained, has expanded lence and obliges the state to prevent, prosecute greatly since its establishment in 2005 from and eliminate violence against women and domes- education in agribusiness and marketing to tic violence. However, the document has triggered encompass training in wine production, a debate in Armenia over what some say are con- greenhouse crop production and soon, an troversial concepts which jeopardize the national ecofarm. It also conducts various types of identity, according to the critics of the bill. research, going as far afield as aquaculture. It all began as a joint project with Texas Germany Completes A&M University to provide a certificate pro- gram in agrobusiness and marketing in Ratification of Armenia. The graduates would use their newly acquired knowledge in applied eco- Armenia-EU Agreement nomics and business to further Armenia’s Working in the vineyards BERLIN (PanARMENIAN.Net) — Germany has food and agriculture production. Grigoryan completed the ratification of the Comprehensive said, “I am a graduate of that program too, and Enhanced Partnership Agreement signed so I grew from being a student and faculty Vinification and Teaching Skills from France, Italy and elsewhere, which was between Armenia and the European Union (EU) in member, to doing development at ICARE, For Employment very expensive. Instead, ICARE founded November 2017, the spokesperson for the to being a director. That program was and Grigoryan said, “We realized some years EVN (like Yerevan’s airport code) Wine Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anna is very successful.” ago that as the wine sector was beginning to Academy, which by now has 60 graduates. Naghdalyan revealed on Monday, August 26. Today there are about 100 students at grow in the mid-2000s, we need to prepare Three of them, Grigoryan said, have “On August 23, 2019, Germany notified the EU ICARE, and many of them are enrolled in good winemakers, and wine businessmen established their own wineries, including Council on the completion of its internal proce- this program. ICARE expanded, Grigoryan and business women.” Diasporan and local one called Alluria (http://alluria.wine/). dures necessary for the ratification of the Armenia- said, from providing education at the Armenians were establishing modern winer- He said, “I am especially proud of it EU deal,” Naghdalyan said in a Facebook post. undergraduate level to including the mas- ies but needed winemakers with the requi- because it produces non-mainstream wines. The European Parliament, Cyprus, Slovakia, Sweden ter’s level. It initiated various practical cer- site modern knowledge. These were not It is something similar to biodynamic — it is Finland, Hungary, Germany, Luxembourg, Great tificate courses. available locally so they had to bring them not really biodynamic but it is wild fermen- Britain, Romania, Denmark, Bulgaria, Poland, Estonia, tation. Alluria is trying to move towards Latvia and Lithuania, Malta, as well as the Czech wild dynamic wine production.” Chamber of Deputies and the French Chamber of see ECOFARM, page 3 Deputies have so far ratified the CEPA. The agreement will enter into force once all the Amulsar Mining Risks 28 members of the EU ratify it. ‘Manageable,’ Insists Museum Visitors in Top Investigator Armenia Up 31% YEREVAN (Arka) — Prime Minister Nikol YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — A major gold Pashinyan reported on August 26 on his Facebook mining project launched in Armenia by a page that the number of visitors of the country’s Western company poses only “manageable” museums has grown 31 percent from January to environmental risks, a senior law-enforce- June. He said 607,797 people visited the Armenia’s ment official who has investigated it insist- museums in the first half of this year against the ed on Monday. 463,908 of the same period a year before. The official, Yura Ivanyan, also stood by He said a significant growth was recorded in the investigators’ conclusion that the tourist visits from Germany, China, the Armenian Ministry of Environment Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Arab Protection did not break any laws or regu- Emirates, Greece, Italy, the United Kingdom, Japan, lations when it formally allowed the compa- Russia, Sweden and the United States. ny, Lydian International, in 2016 to develop Gegashen pupils perform a work by Tumanyan. the Amulsar gold deposit. “The assessment of the environmental and social impact on the mine’s exploita- Tumanyan in the Land of tion received a positive conclusion from the INSIDE Ministry of Environment Protection with- The Brothers Grimm out any violation of the law,” Ivanyan told a news conference. Art of Dance in BERLIN/YEREVAN — This year Armenians in the Republic and in the dias- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told pora are celebrating the 150th birthday of Hovhannes Tumanyan (1869-1923), a Armenia’s Investigative Committee to look beloved national poet. Known for his into the legality of Lydian’s mining license Dutch vast literary output including ballads, see MINING, page 20 By Muriel Mirak-Weissbach poems, fables and essays, he is best Page 12 Special to the Mirror-Spectator remembered for his fairy tales. One first encounters such magical stories in childhood, but the vivid memories remain through adulthood, and in later years may be shared with children and grandchildren. Tumanyan searched through the legends and sagas, fables, humorous tales, INDEX allegories and anecdotes of his native Armenia and unearthed an immense liter- Arts and Living . 12 ary treasure. But he looked into the traditions of other cultures as well, and Armenia . 2,3 translated Russian, Indian, Japanese, Irish, Italian and Persian fairy tales into Community News. 6 Armenian. The genre of fairy tales thus became a vehicle for cultural dialogue. Editorial . 18 Yura Ivanyan, a senior official from the International . .. 4,5 see TUMANYAN, page 17 Investigative Committee, at a news confer- ence in Yerevan, August 26, 2019. 2 S ATURDAY, AUGUST 3 1 , 2 0 1 9 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin Celebrates Feast of Assumption, Blesses Grapes Ex Finance Minister ECHMIDZIN — On August 18, Charged with Fraud Armenian Apostolic Church celebrated YEREVAN (Armenpress) — National Security the Feast of the Assumption of the Service (NSS) Director Artur Vanetsyan disclosed Virgin Mary. Karekin II, Supreme this week a few details from the criminal investiga- Patriarch and Catholicos of All tion into misuse of particularly large amounts of Armenians, attended the Divine Liturgy funds and official misconduct where ex-Minister of in Gayane Monastery. The Divine Finance Gagik Khachatryan is a person of interest. Liturgy was celebrated by the Director Vanetsyan told reporters that they have gathered of the Mother See of Holy Echmiadzin. evidence and carried out large-scale work which Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan. eventually led to searching Khachatryan’s residence Mirzakhanyan noted that the story and offices. of the Transfiguration is of unique edu- “Before that Gagik Khachatryan was summoned cational significance in family life, in the for several times to the investigations department relationships of parents and children, and was questioned as a witness. The combination of conveying maternal love and caring, the evidence gave us grounds to carry out today’s faithfulness and holiness, responsibility, actions,” he said, referring to the search. gratitude, and humility. Vanetsyan said that together with Khachatryan The catholicos also touched upon they will also detain Karen Khachatryan, a former the significance and tradition of the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II behind the vats of blessed grapes State Revenue Committee staffer affiliated with the Blessing of the Church in the Armenian former finance minister. He said that the investiga- Church, noting in particular: “Jesus is tors will determine the statuses of both men in the presented in the Gospel as a vine, and toms on religious holidays, making in the open altar of Trdat. investigation. the wine as the blood of the Lord for them national festivals, such as At the end, the blessed bunches of No charges have been pressed against Khachatryan the council of the Holy Communion. Ascension, Zangyulum, grapes were distributed to the faithful. so far. Today, the fields and orchards are Transfiguration, Vardavar, and today blessed for abundant productivity. And the Blessing of Grapes. “ again, Glory to the Father of our faith,