President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan and President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan visited a number of military units located in the northeastern and southern parts of Artsakh and held consultations with the command staff.
A wide range of issues related to the current situation and the course of service was on the agenda of the consultations.
The Defense Ministers of the two Armenian states and representatives of supreme command staff accompanied the Presidents.
Ashot Melkonyan, Director of the History Institute of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) calls for resumption of military industry in the country.
Addressing the annual meeting of the Academy, Melkonyan first enlisted the weapons Azerbaijan used during the “four-day” war and urged to spare no means to acquire similar weapons or, why not, organize their production.
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said, in turn, that the government possesses necessary financial means to arm the military forces, and there’s no need to raise funds for acquisition of weapons, but added he does not mind voluntary assistance to the families of the deceased soldiers.
The military actions made it clear that the Armenian scholars also have a serious work to do. Director of the Institute of Radio Physics and Electronics Arsen Hakhumyan said “there is a great potential, and they are trying to achieve maximal results with scarce funds.”
Over the past years the Institute has developed a portable radar system that allows to spot the movement of people and equipment at the distance of 2-4 km, Hakhumyan said. He noted that that Armenia has the potential to produce laser systems, optical, engineering and communication systems, but added that large-scale machine production is necessary for producing attacking weapons.
Arsen Hakhumyan said different tools developed and produced in Armenia are being used at the frontline today.
The Academician added that today the world is moving towards a ‘clever war.’ Therefore, preference is given to the data processing, rapid response to problems, and assured that the country has a huge “scientific potential.”
On April 20, at 16.00, in accordance with the arrangement reached between the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, the Azerbaijani side handed over the body of a deceased serviceman near Bash-Karvend settlement.
At a meeting in Strasbourg PACE President Pedro Agramunt and the Head of the Armenian Delegation to PACE Hermine Naghdalyan discussed the current situation at PACE in the context of debates on Nagorno Karabakh and the perspectives of taking the discussions to a more constructive field.
The Head of the Armenian delegation also pointed to the biased and unilateral wording in the statements of Mr. Agramunt during the recent escalation at the line of contact.
“We have always said that we don’t see the Parliamentary Assembly as a proper podium for consideration of the Karabakh issue but this becomes a necessity under certain circumstances,” Naghdalyan told .
Mrs. Naghdalyan dismissed the reports on sanctions used against the Armenian delegation.
“The question refers to the criticism related to the lack of co-operation of the Armenian parliamentary delegation during the preparation of the report on the Sarsang Reservior during the January session. And the discussions were a follow-up to that report with no legally binding consequences,” the Head of the Armenian delegation said.
She said dissemination of false information does no honor to media outlets and does not benefit the country.
She informed that the Armenian delegates are actively working to present materials and provide true information about the recent developments to colleagues at PACE.
Rep. Adam Schiff took to the house floor to present an open letter to President Obama:
I dearly hope, as do millions of Armenians descended from genocide survivors around the world, that he will take this final opportunity as President to speak plainly about the genocide. To say that the Ottoman Empire committed the crime of genocide when it sought to wipe out the Armenians, and very nearly did. That their campaign of extermination nonetheless failed. And that, above all, we will never forget and we will never be intimidated into silence.
Mr. President, there is no higher moral calling than speaking the truth in the face of genocide denial. Please, this year, add your voice to the millions who speak out for those who died in the desert, for the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
Prominent musician and political activist, Serj Tankian has composed a special track called “Aurora’s Dream.” The composition will be the theme music for the upcoming inaugural Aurora Prize ceremony to be held in Yerevan, Armenia on April 24, 2016. The Aurora Prize was born of the 100 LIVES initiative, which is rooted in the inspiring stories of courage and survival during the Armenian Genocide one hundred years ago.
AFP/Getty ImagesImage
At least 413 people are now known to have died in the earthquake that struck Ecuador, the country’s government says, the BBC reports.
The 7.8-magnitude quake struck Ecuador’s Pacific coast on Saturday, and the search for survivors continues.
The cost of rebuilding is likely to be in the billions of dollars, President Rafael Correa said during a visit to the worst-affected region.
He said it was the biggest tragedy to hit Ecuador in the past seven decades. Some 2,500 people were injured.
Massis Post – A delegation of the Armenian Council of America (ACA) participated in the annual Armenian Genocide Advocacy Day sponsored by the California Armenian Legislative Caucus on April 18 at the State Capitol, marking the 101st year of commemorating the Armenian Genocide.
Following a press conference in the morning with members of the Armenian Caucus, H.E. Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America conducted a requiem prayer ceremony on the State Assembly floor. He payed homage to the 1.5 million Armenians who perished during the Genocide and discussed the situation in Nagorno Karabagh condemning the acts of violence against the peaceful Armenian people in Artsakh by the Azeri dictatorship. He proclaimed that one day, Artsakh will be a free and sovereign state.
Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian (D-Sherman Oaks) invited Assemblymember Katcho Achajian (R-San Luis Obispo) to introduce Assembly Joint Resolution 34 (AJR 34) which designates the year of 2016 as “State of California Year of Commemoration of the Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923 and April 24, 2016, as “State of California Day of Commemoration of the 101st Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide of 1915–1923.”
AJR 34 calls upon the President of the United States and Congress to formally and consistently reaffirm the historical truth that the atrocities committed against the Armenian people constituted genocide.
Assemblymember Achadjian described the plight of the Armenian people and said that our history exemplifies resilience. Achadjian noted that AJR 34 honors the memory of those lost during the Genocide and reaffirms our commitment to our brothers and sisters in Armenia.
Celebrating the importance of Armenian Americans in the U.S. through their achievements, Assemblymember Chris Holden (D-Pasadena) expressed his pride for representing a large Armenian American constituency. “I stand in solidarity with the Armenian community,” added Holden.
Assemblymember Cristina Garcia (D-Bell Gardens) spoke about Armenian women who were subjugated to shame and ridicule as they were robbed of their dignity by Turks who owned them as property after the Genocide. She emphasized that it is our duty to bring to light this often forgotten issue in Armenian history.
Sharing a personal Genocide survival story about his wife’s family who originated in Van, migrated to Russia and later settled in Iran, Assemblymember Scott Wilk (R-Santa Clarita) urged that all textbooks in California include material discussing the Genocide. He also advocated for AB2650 which urges Calpers to divest from Turkey. He added that Armenians have not only survived, but they have thrived.
Assemblymember Gatto (D-Los Angeles) whose district represents the largest Armenian American constituency in the U.S. stated that it is a privilege to serve in the Armenian Caucus. He urged those in attendance to continue telling the stories of the survivors who are no longer with us. “The survivors have died, but the truth has not died,” added Gatto.
AJR passed unanimously 76-0 on the State Assembly floor.
Following the passage of AJR 34 on the Assembly floor, the Resolution was introduced in the State Senate by State Senate President pro Tempore Kevin de Leon (D-Los Angeles), where he emphasized the importance of proper recognition of the Genocide not only in the United States and other countries, but the need for the current Turkish government to stop the campaign of denial in order to prevent future atrocities that may occur in other parts of the world.
The Resolution passed the California Senate floor with a vote of 37-0.
Subsequently Senator de Leon introduced deputy Consul-General of Armenia Valeri Mkrtumyan who expressed the Republic of Armenia’s gratitude for the State of California.
The State Capitol had on display educational posters and materials on Armenian Americans in politics who have served in the past and are present, including information about early Armenian American immigrants who settled in California’s San Joaquin Valley making it one of the richest agricultural regions in the nation.
The Armenian Ministry of Defense reports 18 cases of ceasefire violation by Azerbaijan at the northeastern part of the shared state border last night.
The Azerbaijani side used artillery and sniper weapons as it opened sporadic fire in the direction of the Armenian positions.
The front divisions of the NKR Defense army showed restraint and resorted to response actions only in case of extreme necessity.
Lusine Avanesyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Stepanakert
The issue of protection of the cultural heritage in unrecognized republics should be on the agenda, head of the Tigranakert archaeological excavation group Hamlet Petrosyan said at the sitting of the Intergovernmental Archaeological Commission in Stepanakert.
He said the documents adopted by UNESCO ignore the cultural rights of the people living in unrecognized republics.
Despite the legislative difficulties, foreign specialists participate in Artsakh expeditions, Petrosyan said.
He added that the Azokh expedition is international, and specialists form 22 universities of the world are involved in the research on the items discovered in Azokh. The 15-volume work on excavation works will be published this year.
The Commission traditionally holds its annual sittings on April 18, the International Day for Monuments and Sites. This year plans could change because of the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan. However, the archaeological findings unearthed by soldier digging new trenches prompted the decision not to delay the meeting.