Hello there, fellow reader. Resignations, Armenian fashion, new TUMOs, COVID-19, and so much more. Here’s what you missed in the Armenian world last week.

What Comes Next? The Journalist Who Unearthed RA President Sarkissian’s Secrets Says “More”

Image caption: Journalist Who Investigated Into the Case of the President Talks to Armenia Media (Image from President.am)

According to an investigation by media outlet Hetq, the soon-to-be former President of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian, holds nationalities of three countries: Armenia, the UK, and Saint Kitts & Nevis. According to the Armenian Constitution, holding three nationalities as RA President is against the law, rendering all his actions as president illegal.

I contacted Samson Martirosyan, the investigative journalist at Hetq who uncovered this information. Here’s what he told me:

“Despite the fact that Mr. Sarkissian has his own explanations and his story on why he still had St. Kitts and Nevis citizenship, we claim he violated the [RA] Constitution. And the public has the right to know the truth.

Our final investigation will be published soon, it will include some more details, but we already presented the core idea and findings of it.

It's hard to tell what can be expected [...] his office said he will return to Armenia after medical checks. We have already been informed that the Public Prosecutor's office sent this new information to the National Security Service. Time will show how events will unfold.”

The process to follow is lengthy. According to an explanatory article by Harout Manougian of EVN Report, the RA National Assembly has 25-35 days to elect a new president – between February 24 and March 6. One-forth, or 27 MPs, must co-sponsor a nomination before said nominee can be considered for voting. This means both Civil Contract (71 MPs) and Armenia Alliance (29 MPs) have the ability to propose a candidate. The president cannot be a member of a political party throughout his/her tenure.

A Great Week for Armenian Fashion

Image Caption: Sonya Avagyan Is Among the Participants of the Dubai Expo 2020 Armenia Pavilion (Image Courtesy of Sonya Avagyan)

Armenia-native Sonya Avagyan was able to showcase her fashion items at the Dubai Expo’s Armenia pavilion. Her work is sustainable and decentralised (manufacturing is across many regions in Armenia), and her collections utilise fossilised sea lilies handpicked in the village of Astghashen in Artsakh, gold, and other fibers. She’s previously collaborated with Ruben Malayan, the famous Armenian calligrapher and designer. Check out her website here.

Organized by the Fashion Design Chamber and Hellenic Clothing Industry Association (HCIA) Textiles & Clothing Design Lab in Athens, Greece, 12 Armenian clothing and textile brands will showcase their products, attend meetings, and network with connections at the EU4Business: Connecting Companies “Textile Alliances” Project. Arm Ambassador visited the Armenian pavillion.

Additionally, world-famous soccer player Christiano Ronaldo was seen wearing Armenian brand “Azat Mard” in Dubai, the UAE. You can find the hoodie on the official store website here.

Cher, the American singer and actress of Armenian descent, was hailed by Vogue in an exclusive interview for being a fashion icon. No denying that!

Notable News Worth Mentioning

Image caption: Multifunctional Helicopters Received by the Ministry of Defence of Armenia (Image From MIL.am)

• Armenian Air Force receives brand-new helicopters.

• Arshile Gorky’s memorial fountain in Van, modern-day Turkey, vandalized.

• COVID-19 numbers soar in Armenia. This comes after the fresh herd immunity of the November COVID peak starts dying down. RA Prime Minister Pashinyan tested positive for the virus.

• Individuals flying to Istanbul will be exempt from the 10,000 AMD (app. $30 AUD) departure fee.

• The University of Luxembourg plans to host the newest TUMO Center on its premises.

• National Armenia Day was celebrated at the Dubai Expo 2020 in the UAE. Performances by the likes of Arto Tunçboyacıyan took place during the tri-colour celebrations at one of the world’s biggest expos.

• “Narine+” dairy factory opens at the Artsakh Scientific Center.

• Armenia’s Erebuni Museum and the world-famous Louvre Museum agree on future cooperation and collaborations, read more here.

• Diran & Seta Apelian donate $100,000 USD to Armenian Studies graduate students at the University of California, Irvine, to keep Armenian history and the Western Armenian language alive.

Multimedia Corner

This week’s multimedia corner will be full of content in Western Armenian. Check them out below!

• Read: With unlimited content to dig into, Zndoog.com is a recently-launched website full of Western Armenian multimedia material. Once you’re in, it’s hard to get out. Click here to visit the website now.

• Listen: With its music video released in 2014 and studio version in 2017, ‘Ariur ‘ar ‘ariur is a social commentary song by alt-folk band Collectif Medz Bazar. The song tells the modern cultural niches of the French-Armenian community, with a pinch of prickly humor. Listen on Apple Music and Spotify.

• Watch: Kourken Papazian’s “Gharbiyyeh”, a short docuseries about the Armenian community of West Beirut today. West Beirut, once the bustling hub of the intelligentsia, sits empty of most of its Armenian residents in the reality of post-war Lebanon. Watch the first (and other) episodes on the Etch Platform page here.

• Learn: Wordle’s a web-based word game that’s taken the internet by storm. Players are given 6 chances to guess the word of the day by crossing the odd letters out. My friend Souren Papazian and I made a Western Armenian version of the game – Բառիկ (spelled Parig) – and you can play it here.