Deputy Prime Minister, Parliament Speaker, Ambassador to US
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AUGUST 3, 2019 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXX, NO. 3, Issue 4596 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Sanders Says He Will Deputy Prime Minister, Parliament Speaker, Acknowledge Armenian Ambassador to US Address Boston Armenians Genocide LOS ANGELES (Armenpress) — US presidential ARAM ARKUN PHOTO candidate Senator Bernie Sanders said he is ready By Aram Arkun to recognize the Armenian Genocide. During a round-table discussion with ethnic Mirror-Spectator Staff media on July 26 in Los Angeles, the US presiden- tial candidate vowed to address it as such during WATERTOWN — On July 19, Deputy Prime the annual presidential address on April 24, unlike Minister Tigran Avinyan and Speaker of the previous Presidents who have failed to uphold their Armenian Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan, promise, Massis Post reported. accompanied by Armenian Ambassador to Asked “will you stand up to the Turkish govern- the US Varuzhan Nersesyan, appeared at a ment and officially use the word genocide,” the public event held at the Armenian Cultural Senator said: “Yes, I think the debate [on the and Educational Center (ACEC) in Genocide] is now over.” Watertown. Dr. Ara Nazarian served as mas- Bernie Sanders is currently a co-sponsor of ter of ceremonies. This event was part of the the Armenian Genocide Resolution S.Res.150, visit of the high-level Armenian state officials spearheaded by Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and to several cities in the United States (see Ted Cruz (R-TX). accompanying articles). Dr. George Bashirians, president of the ACEC, spoke words of welcome, and was Armenian Soldier From left, Amb. Varuzhan Nersesyan, Speaker Ararat Mirzoyan, Deputy Prime Minister followed by Amb. Nersesyan, who explained Tigran Avinyan (Aram Arkun Photo) Killed Near Border that Mirzoyan came from participating in Washington at the House Democracy With Azerbaijan Partnership Forum. This was the first time to participate in meetings of foreign minis- new level of strategic dialogue, and that Armenia was invited to participate in this ters organized by US Secretary of State these meetings are one indication of this. YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — An Armenian soldier was important conference, and met with Mike Pompeo on religious freedom. Mirzoyan, speaking in Armenian, killed near the border with Azerbaijan on July 28, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Meanwhile Avinyan participated in a UN exclaimed that just a few minutes ago he a Defense Ministry spokesman announced. of the Senate Mitch McConnell. conference and held various meetings. and the other politicians visited the According to Artsrun Hovannisian, Arman Simultaneously, Armenian Foreign Minister Nersesyan concluded that Armenia’s rela- Hairenik archives and the documents about Bulghadaryan, a 24-year-old soldier serving in the Zohrab Mnatsakanyan was in Washington tions with the US this year have reached a the first Armenian republic and the Armenian armed forces under a contract, was hit on Sunday by a bullet from the Azerbaijani side at the ARAM ARKUN PHOTO ARAM ARKUN PHOTO Armenian Revolutionary Federation reminded him, a historian by training, of northeastern section of the highly militarized border. the lessons of the past. More immediately, No further details have been provided. he said, for 20 years, he and his colleagues Earlier, on Saturday, the Armenian military were striving to create a truly democratic reported another incident at the Armenian- Armenia and last year finally through a Azerbaijani border in which an Armenian contract mass movement a peaceful change of soldier was wounded. regime presented the opportunity to In a statement released then Armenia’s Defense achieve this. Among the first concrete Ministry accused Azerbaijan of seeking to escalate achievements of the new regime were the border situation. increases in the wages of soldiers and “Another provocative action by the Azerbaijani teachers, and pensions of retirees. Some side once again proves that the enemy continues to pensions were previously lower than the brazenly violate the ceasefire regime and consis- minimum sum necessary not to starve. tently escalate the situation on the border. It is Deputy Prime Minister Parliament Speaker Tours While he could not tell what will happen in Azerbaijan that bears full responsibility for the the future, he said two things were certain. escalation of the situation,” it said. Avinyan Focuses on the US, Touts Contacts With US First, the political team in power today does Economy Officials all in its power to have a good Armenia. Armenian Youth Killed Secondly, possibility and hope exist now in By Aram Arkun By Alin K. Gregorian Armenia. In Aleppo Mirror-Spectator Staff Mirror-Spectator Staff Avinyan then spoke in English, declaring ALEPPO, Syria (Armenpress) — A 17-year old CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Deputy CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Ararat that after independence from the Soviet Armenian youth, Shant Keoshkerian, was shot Prime Minister of Armenia Tigran Mirzoyan, the speaker of the Union, Armenia mostly failed in building its dead in Aleppo on July 29, the Arevelk website Avinyan visited New York and National Assembly and its leader,, new institutions, as the democratic frame- reported, citing its own sources. Boston in mid-July. The main goal of recently concluded a tour of the US work was absent. In December 2018, Keoshkerian was shot on Martin Street. The the trip was to participate in a with Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Armenia became a democratic state, he Police was able to apprehend the suspect. The United Nations high level political Avinyan. stressed, after fair and democratic elec- motives of the murder are under investigation. forum on sustainable development, On Saturday, July 20, during his stay tions. Despite all the tensions of the revo- On July 17, an Armenian woman, Syuzan Der but he also held many meetings with in Boston, Mirzoyan sat down for a lution and several elections, the economy Karkur, was stoned to death in Syria’s Idlib province. official colleagues at the UN as well press conference with staff of Armenian closed with 5.2 percent GDP growth, which as members of the Armenian com- newspapers in the Boston area, the he said was unprecedented. This year, munities of both cities. Armenian Mirror-Spectator, Hairenik Armenia with a 7.1 percent GDP growth is see AVINYAN, page 14 see MIRZOYAN, page 15 the champion of Europe. Probably, Avinyan see VISIT, page 2 INSIDE Famous International Lawyer Just Call This Benjamin Ferencz Joins Aurora Prize Taxi GG NEW YORK — The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative announced this week that Benjamin Ferencz, noted peace and human rights activist, has joined the Selection Committee of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity as its honorary co-chair. The Page 12 well-known Romanian-born American lawyer, who has been promoting the establish- ment of an international rule of law for many years, will be a global ambassador of the Aurora Prize. “We are delighted to welcome Benjamin Ferencz, whose persistent efforts to secure INDEX justice for the victims of crimes against humanity have made our world a better place. Arts and Living . 13 During his career he has defended human decency and our common humanity against Armenia . 2,3 persecution and genocide. We are happy to have him join the Aurora Prize Selection Community News. 6 Committee as its honorary co-chair,” said Vartan Gregorian, Aurora Humanitarian Editorial . 18 Initiative co-founder and president of Carnegie Corporation of New York. International . 4 see AURORA, page 20 2 S ATURDAY, AUGUST 3 , 2 0 1 9 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Deputy Prime Minister Avinyan Speaks at Armenian Business Network Cambridge Event (ARAM ARKUN PHOTO) 300 Special Needs Armenians in the world should feel that By Aram Arkun the Armenian state, the Republic of Students to Transfer to Armenia, is a part of them, and they are Mirror-Spectator Staff a part of that country. Because the Mainstream Schools Armenian state, the Republic of YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The City Hall of CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Deputy Prime Armenia should be the center for all Yerevan is transferring nearly 300 students from Minister of Armenia Tigran Avinyan Armenians.” The government, he said, three special schools under its jurisdiction to public appeared at an evening event in is ready to implement all the drastic and ones. Cambridge’s Sheraton Commander painful reforms that need to be done to Yerevan City Hall Director of Public Education Hotel hosted by the Armenian Business make Armenia a strong and resilient Department Anna Stepanyan sat at a press confer- Network (ABN) on July 18 to briefly country which will be a center for all ence on July 30 that the special schools will soon be speak and answer questions from the Armenians. re-organized into support centers. community. Avinyan then took questions from “We still have a lot to do, but I can already confi- The event was sponsored by Michael the audience, with the assistance of dently say that Yerevan is ready to completely trans- Guleserian and the Sheraton Jack Antounian of the ABN. The ques- fer to inclusive education,” she said. “Inclusive edu- Commander Hotel, which hosted him tions were wide-ranging in nature, cation has been carried out for many years in 54 of and all visiting officials from Armenia. including agricultural reforms, educa- Yerevan’s 155 schools. Today, these schools already Avinyan and Speaker of the Armenian tion, barriers to female investors, the have much experience. We began the process from Parliament Ararat Mirzoyan, accompa- effect of Syrian Armenian refugees, and last year when the government passed the decision”. nied by Armenian Ambassador to the Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinyan, supporting the high-tech sector. Some According to the City Hall official, this year they US Varuzhan Nersesyan, had a public with Jack Antounian seated concerned personal problems or pro- are focused on training the teachers, as well as sup- event on July 19 (see accompanying posals for business in Armenia.