JANUARY 11, 2020 Mirror-SpeTHE ARMENIAN ctator Volume LXXXX, NO. 25, Issue 4618 $ 2.00 NEWS The First English Language Armenian Weekly in the United States Since 1932 INBRIEF Armenia Expresses Armenia Urges US, Iran to De-Escalate Tensions Condolences to PRIMEMINISTER.AM PHOTO YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenia has Australia called on neighboring Iran and the United States to de-escalate their tensions follow- YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Armenian Minister of ing the assassination of Iranian General Foreign Affairs Zohrab Mnatsakanyan has Qassem Soleimani. expressed “full solidarity” with Australia amid the Official Yerevan also pledged over the raging bushfires in the country. weekend to maintain neutrality in the con- “Most disturbed by the catastrophe of flict while offering condolences to Tehran #AustralianBushfire. The victims and millions over the death of the powerful commander affected bear very powerful message and call for of Iran’s elite Quds Force. action globally, this concerns every nation on Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad earth. Condolences to bereaved families. In full sol- Zarif and his Armenian counterpart Zohrab idarity with people and government of #Australia”, Mnatsakanyan discussed the crisis in a Mnatsakanyan tweeted. phone call which the Armenian Foreign Earlier on Sunday, Australian Prime Minister Ministry said was initiated by the Iranian Scott Morrison warned that the devastating bush- side. fires raging in the country might go on for months. “On behalf of the Government of At least 24 people have died since the fires began Armenia, Foreign Minister Mnatsakanyan in September, according to the BBC. expressed condolences to the Government Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan meets Iranian President Hasan Rouhani in Tehran and people of Iran on the demise of the in February 2019. Scores of German high-ranking Iranian official,” the ministry said in a statement. Songs by Komitas It added that Mnatsakanyan also tion through peaceful means.” Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said later “stressed the importance of preventing fur- “Iran is a friendly country for us and the on Sunday. “In this situation we certainly Published ther tensions and de-escalating the situa- United States is a friendly country for us,” cannot be drawn into anti-Iranian actions. VIENNA (Panorama) — The scores of nine songs We cannot be drawn into anti-American written in German by Armenian composer Komitas actions either.” ,as well as a piano composition, have been pub- “So our message is that our partners in lished, soprano Hasmik Papian wrote on her Iran and the United States should refrain Virabyan Expanding and Making Armenia’s Facebook page on January 7. The publication of from steps that would aggravate the the scores, she said, was one of her long-cherished already tense situation in our region and National Archives More Accessible dreams. international relations,” Pashinyan stressed Komitas created the songs during his years 1923. By 2006, after various stages of orga- in a live video address which he aired on studying in Germany, using texts of poets Ludwig nization, the central archives came to have Facebook during a hiking tour in north- By Aram Arkun Uhland, Wolfgang von Goethe and Nikolaus Lenau. 11 provincial branches (including also a eastern Armenia. Mirror-Spectator Staff Papian next thanks all people who contributed film, photo and audiovisual archive in Yerevan was quick to express serious and coordinated the publication of the scores, Yerevan; http://www.armarchives.am/ concern after the US strike in Iraq on among them the former director of the Yeghishe YEREVAN — Anyone who has had occa- en/content/69/) and 29 regional offices Friday, January 3, which killed Soleimani as Charents Museum of Literature and Art Henrikh sion to use the National Archives of (http://www.armarchives.am/en/con- well as other Iranian military officials and Bakhchinyan for providing the copies of Komitas Armenia (http://www.armarchives.am/) tent/73/). They contained at that date, their Iraqi allies. But unlike Russia, manuscripts, expert in literature Albert has come into contact with its hearty and according to the official website of the archives, Armenia’s main ally, it stopped short of Musheghyan for translating the texts into Armenia, energetic director Amatuni Virabyan. He 5,759 fonds (record or archival groups) pre- explicitly condemning the assassination. Director at Komitas Museum Nikolay Kostandyan has worked for many decades at the serving 3,419,353 documentary units. Soleimani’s killing raised fresh fears in for the photos of the Berlin period of the compos- archives and has left a strong imprint on The oldest document in the archives is a Yerevan of a direct military conflict er’s life. the institution. 1607 deed signed by Shah Abbas I of Persia between the US and Iran which could fur- The scores are available electronically. Papian The decision to establish the state central on land benefits to the Armenian meliks or ther complicate Armenia’s transport and also promised to gift copies to libraries. archives in the Soviet period took place in see ARCHIVES, page 3 see IRAN, page 3 Armenia Projected Ryanair Launches New Armenia-Greece Flights To Have Highest DUBLIN (Breaking Travel News) — Ryanair announced this week Greece as its newest direct GDP per Capita in link with Armenia. Two new, twice weekly routes from Gyumri to South Caucasus Athens and from Yerevan to Thessaloniki will start in May, as part of the low-cost carrier’s extended YEREVAN (RFE/RL) — Armenia’s GDP Armenia summer schedule. per capita is on course to exceed neighbor- Armenian consumers and visitors can now book ing Azerbaijan’s and Georgia’s this year, their summer holidays to Greece as far out as October. according to the International Monetary Fund. In its most recent World Economic Outlook, the IMF forecast a GDP per capita of $4,760 for Armenia in 2020, compared INSIDE with $4,720 for oil-rich Azerbaijan and $4,630 for Georgia. Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II celebrating Christmas. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made the same prediction when he spoke in the Albanian Star, Armenian parliament in December. Christmas, New Year’s Pashinyan seized upon the IMF projec- tions in a Facebook comment posted on French Doctor Monday, January 6. “Based on the results of Celebrations in Armenia 2019, we have surpassed Georgia [in terms Page 13 of GDP per capita,]” he wrote. “In 2020, we YEREVAN — Armenia celebrated New Year and later Christmas with pomp and will also surpass Azerbaijan and become ceremony on January 6. the leading country of the South Special services were held in all churches; Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, his Caucasus.” wife Anna Hakobyan, and government officials attended the services at the Gregory The Armenian economy has expanded INDEX the Enlightener Cathedral in Yerevan. Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II robustly since 2017 after years of sluggish Arts and Living . 13 presided over the services. growth that followed the 2008-2009 global Armenia . 2,3 Community News. 6 Pashinyan issued an address on New Year’s Eve at Republic Square, referring financial crisis. According to government data, economic growth reached 7.5 percent Editorial . 18 back to the site being instrumental in his Velvet Revolution. International . 4,5 see CHRISTMAS, page 2 in 2017 but slowed to 5.2 percent in 2018, which saw a dramatic regime change in the see GDP, page 2 2 S ATURDAY, JANUARY 1 1 , 2 0 2 0 T HE A RMENIAN M IRROR -S PECTATOR ARMENIA News From Armenia Karabakh Economy Continues Robust Growth STEPANAKERT (RFE/RL) Speaking at a year-end news confer- “energy self-sufficiency” in 2017. That — Nagorno-Karabakh’s economy grew ence in Stepanakert, the Karabakh state was made possible by the construc- Defense Minister Visits by an estimated 9 percent in 2019, con- minister, Grigory Martirosyan, said tion of 31 small hydroelectric plants tinuing a more than decade-long rapid growth was primarily driven by trade on the mountainous region’s fast-flow- Military Pantheon expansion, according to officials in and services in January-September ing rivers. A dozen more such plants Stepanakert. 2019. are reportedly under construction YEREVAN (Armenpress) — Minister of Defense The Karabakh government’s latest Martirosyan also reported significant now. Davit Tonoyan visited the Yerablur Pantheon mili- growth projections released last week increases in manufacturing and electric- Speaking at a December 23 meeting tary cemetery in Yerevan to pay homage to those show that the Armenian-populated ter- ity production. Karabakh’s overall in Yerevan of Armenia’s and Karabakh’s who died in service to Armenia. Tonoyan visited the ritory’s Gross Domestic Product was on industrial output accounted for around leaders, Sahakyan also said that cemetery today, on January 7, the day following course to total 341 billion drams ($713 30 percent of GDP, the Artsakhpress Karabakh has become a major wheat Christmas which is marked as Merelots – the day of million). The resulting GDP per capita news agency quoted him as saying. A exporter. “In 2019, we produced commemorating the departed. of more than $4,800 would be slightly large part of that output is generated by 112,000 tons of wheat, which is twice as Yerablur is the final resting place of many higher than in Armenia. a copper and molybdenum mine located much as our internal demand,” he said. renowned Armenian statesmen and military figures The Karabakh economy was worth in the northern Martakert district. Despite its robust economic growth, such as military commander Andranik Ozanian, just 70 billion drams in 2008. Official Government data cited by Karabakh remains very dependent on Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsyan, military comman- figures indicate that it has since grown Martirosyan shows that nearly one-fifth annual subsidies from Armenia’s gov- der Monte Melkonyan and others.