News Inbrief
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FEBRUARY 1, 2020 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXX, NO. 28, Issue 4621 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Armenia Offers Patriarchate Condolences to Turkey Objects to Over Deadly Earthquake YEREVAN (Public Radio of Armenia) — “We Public express our deepest condolences to the families of the victims following yesterday’s terrible earth- quake in Elazıg,” the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Tender for Affairs announced in a Twitter post on January 26. “We wish speedy recovery to the injured and Iconic Building rehabilitation of affected areas of Turkey,” the Ministry added. ISTANBUL (Ahval) — Turkey’s Armenian There are no direct reports from Armenia so far Patriarchate said on Friday, January 24 that mentioning any impact of this earthquake within the authorities’ decision to hold a tender to the republic or Artsakh. rent the Sanasaryan Han was unjust as the The following paragraph from Associated legal process over the ownership of the icon- Press has been reported by many publications ic Istanbul building was still underway, the with no further detail: “The Kandilli seismology Agos Armenian newspaper reported. center in Istanbul said the quake measured 6.5., The General Directorate of Foundations Prince Charles at the Armenian Church of Nativity in Bethlehem while the U.S. Geological Survey gave the pre- said the inn was to be put out to tender on liminary magnitude as 6.7, and said the quake January 28 to rent it out for the next 35 Prince Charles Visits Bethlehem affected not only Turkey but also years and make it a five-star hotel, in an Syria, Georgia and Armenia.” announcement published in the Official Gazette on December 31. Armenian Church The Armenian Patriarchate of Turkey New Baltics Diocese JERUSALEM (Combined Sources) — On January 24, Prince Charles of Great said in its statement that such a move Britain visited the Armenian Church of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem. Established would be wrong as Turkey’s Constitutional Prince Charles was welcomed by Archbishop Court had been examining the appeal of YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The Armenian Sevan Gharibian, the Canon Sacrist of the the Patriarchate about the conflict on the Armenian Diocese of Baltic States was established by the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem and pre- ownership of Sanasaryan Han. Patriarchal Epistle of the Supreme Patriarch sented him the history of the Armenian presence President Attends Sanasaryan Han in the Sirkeci district is and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II on in the Holy Land and the mission carried out by Auschwitz Program one of the oldest Armenian buildings in January 24. The Diocese of the Armenian religious the Armenian Patriarchate. On behalf of the Istanbul. The historic building was built in communities of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia was Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem His Eminence gifted HRH an Armenian 1881 thanks to Mkrtich Agha Sanasaryan established through their separation from the ceramic handmade plate. He also recited the famous sentence of Hitler “Who in order to support the Sanasaryan School Armenian Diocese of Russia and New Nakhichevan. see CHARLES, page 5 in Erzurum. Sanasaryan Han building was Bishop Vardan Navasardyan has been appointed seized first by the Ottoman and then the the Primate of the newly established Diocese. Turkish Republic governments and con- verted into the General Security and Police tration of the Armenian Patriarchate in The Armenian Patriarchate filed a law- Headquarters of Istanbul. Istanbul in 1920, but the Turkish state con- suit in 2014, asking authorities to return Armenia Foreign The building was put under the adminis- fiscated it in 1928. the building. After years of legal battle, a Ministry Discourages Turkish appeals court last year ruled to return the title deed of Sanasaryan Han to Trips to China the General Directorate of Foundations. The Patriarchate’s lawyer, Ali Elbeyoglu, YEREVAN (Armenpress) — The Ministry of took the case to the Constitutional Court Foreign Affairs of Armenia has urged Armenian cit- as a result. Elbeyoglu also filed a legal izens to avoid all but essential travel to China amid see SANASARYAN, page 5 the coronavirus outbreak. The Foreign Ministry announced on January 28 that they are monitoring the developments togeth- er with the Embassy of Armenia in China, the Kobe Bryant Pilot Special Armenian Healthcare Ministry and other special- Permission to Fly Being ized bodies and are in touch with international organizations, the Chinese authorities and other Analyzed by NTSB countries. “Necessary information exchange is being carried out. Based on the current situation regarding the By Christina Maxouris, Holly coronavirus infection, we urge Armenian citizens to Yan and Darran Simon temporarily avoid all but essential travel to China”, Guests assembled at the TCA event, with Mayda Kuredjian standing at the center. the foreign ministry said January 27. “We call on our citizens who are currently in China to maintain con- New Tekeyan West Coast Executive Secretary LOS ANGELES (CNN) — As investigators stant contact with the Armenian embassy and the scour for clues in the helicopter crash that Armenian Foreign Ministry.” Installed at TCA Beshgeturian Center killed nine people, including NBA legend Kobe Bryant, the pilot’s last words with air traffic ALTADENA, Calif. — Representatives of the Central Board of the Tekeyan control illustrate a foggy scene in the sky. Cultural Association of the United States and Canada (TCA) introduced their Pilot Ara Zobayan said he was climbing to new executive secretary for the West Coast, Mayda avoid a cloud layer, the National INSIDE Kuredjian, to local Tekeyan executive members and Transportation Safety Board said. But when leaders of various Los Angeles Armenian organiza- air traffic control asked him what he planned tions on January 16 at the TCA Beshgeturian to do, there was no response, NTSB board Center in Altadena. Leaders of the Armenian member Jennifer Homendy said. Concert Marks Democratic Liberal Party (ADL), the Armenian see PILOT, page 7 General Benevolent Union (AGBU) and the Social Anniversary Democratic Hunchakian Party were present along with cultural figures and media representatives such as editors from the California Courier, Massis, Page 12 Baikar and Armenian Mirror-Spectator. TCA Executive Director Aram Arkun served as TCA West Coast Central master of ceremonies. He and TCA Central Board Board Executive President Edmond Y. Azadian spoke highly of Secretary Mayda INDEX Kuredjian’s background and experience. She grew Kuredjian Arts and Living . 12 up in Beirut with her life intertwined with TCA’s Armenia . 2,3 activities. She attained leadership positions in ADL Community News. 6 and TCA at a young age due to her energy and passion, two characteristics which Editorial . 18 remain inextricably associated with her to this day. International . 4,5 see KUREDJIAN, page 8 Pilot Ara Zobayan (CNN) 2 S ATURDAY, F EBRUARY 1 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Armenian Chief Justice to Sue Around 42,000 Tourists Pashinyan For ‘Slander’ Visited Artsakh in 2019 STEPANAKERT (Panorama.am) — Around 42,000 YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Prime tograph of an expensive pen which he Tovmasyan court chairman as a result foreign tourists arrived in Artsakh in 2019, the Minister Nikol Pashinyan doubled down said Tovmasyan gifted him at a 2018 of an illegal seizure of the judicial Minister of Culture, Youth Affairs and Tourism on his verbal attacks on Hrayr meeting in Yerevan of the governing authority by a “group of officials.” It Lernik Hovhannisyan of the Artsakh Republic told a Tovmasyan on Monday, January 27, board of a pan-Armenian charity. He said that took the form of forgery com- press conference on Wednesday. The minister after the embattled chairman of portrayed the gift as proof of “the mitted by former parliament speaker informed that the number of the visiting tourists has Armenia’s Constitutional Court decided weirdest flattery I’ve ever seen.” Ara Babloyan and one of his top increased by 46.7 percent to compare with the num- to file a defamation lawsuit against him. Tovmasyan responded through one staffers, Arsen Babayan. Both men ber in the indicated period of the previous year. Pashinyan again lambasted him at a of his lawyers, Amram Makinyan, later strongly deny relevant accusations lev- The hotel infrastructure has grown buy 29 weekend news conference held in the on Sunday. “Constitutional Court eled against them. amounting to 92 hotel units with total accommoda- southeastern town of Kapan. In partic- Chairman Hrayr Tovmasyan has read In late December, a senior prosecutor tion capacity of 1830. Some 2,254 used Tourist bus ular, he charged that Tovmasyan Nikol Pashinyan’s ‘disproportionate declined to endorse those accusations, service in the republic in the period from June 1 to ordering the SIS to conduct an “addi- September 1, while tourism attractions of Artsakh tional investigation.” were presented at number of international fairs. A few days later, Tovmasyan was The minister spoke about the ongoing efforts indicted on other, unrelated charges. toward the preservation of historical-cultural monu- Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian said ments and historical environment. that he unlawfully privatized an office in Yerevan and forced state notaries to Yerevan Council Member rent other premises “de facto” belong- ing to him when he served as Armenia’s Resigns Amid Outcry justice minister from 2010-2014. Tovmasyan