Author: Babajanian Karo

ZHIRAYR SEFILYAN: NATIONAL-LIBERATION STRUGGLE HAS NOT FINISHED

17:15 08/05/2013 ” POLITICS

The national-liberation struggle in Armenia has not finished, Zhirayr
Sefilyan, member of Sardarapat movement’s initiative group, commander
of Shoushi battalion, told reporters today when commenting on the
latest domestic political events.

“This struggle continues. Today, we are facing the task of waging
a liberation struggle without weapons. First, we will implement a
generation change in politics, and will get rid of power usurpers. At
the same time, we should understand that the target is not the
Presidential Palace,” he said. “First of all, we should target the
consciousness of citizens. We should overcome ourselves, and overcome
the complex of weakness.”

According to Sefilyan, Sardarapat movement is in favor of a revolution
in the thinking of the people. “As for weapons, if the rival shoots
at us, we are ready to respond to him.”

Source: Panorama.am

BAKO SAHAKYAN: MAY 9 IS WRITTEN IN OUR HISTORY WITH THE BLOOD OF OUR BRAVE GRANDFATHERS AND FATHERS

18:12, 8 May, 2013

YEREVAN, MAY 8, ARMENPRESS: The President of the Artsakh Republic
Bako Sahakyan issued a congratulatory address on the occasion of the
Victory Holiday, the Day of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Defense
Army and Liberation of Shoushi. As Armenpress was reported by the
Central Information Department of the Artsakh President’s Staff,
Bako Sahakyan’s address says in particular:

“Dear compatriots,

Dear veterans of the Great Patriotic and Artsakh Liberation Wars,
Respected generals, officers and soldiers of the Defense Army,

On behalf of the Artsakh Republic authorities and personally I
cordially congratulate You on the Victory Holiday, the Day of the
Nagorno Karabakh Republic Defense Army and the Liberation of Shoushi.

May 9 is written in golden letters in the history of our nation,
written with the blood of our brave grandfathers and fathers, sisters
and brothers, with the blood of those who considered the freedom and
independence of their motherland above everything else and perished
for the sake of implementation of nationwide ideas. The memory of
motherland devotees will always remain bright in our hearts and deeds.

During the World War II the Armenian nation, passing through a great
deal of hardship, fought together with other peoples against the
greatest evil of the century – fascism, and celebrated together the
Great Victory.

Multiplying their glory and feat, our generation made miracles of
heroism and courage on the battlefield and defended their native
Artsakh. We created a regular and efficient army, liberated the
ancient Armenian fortress-town Shoushi, and today we continue to
make prosperous our ancestral land and our home country, deepening
and strengthening the Armenia-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity hand in hand
with all the Armenians.

I am confident that with joint efforts and united we will more have
many new achievements and accomplishments and will record further
success in different spheres of life.

Dear compatriots,

I once again congratulate all of us with this glorious Triple Day
and wish peace, good health and all the best. May victories accompany
our people forever”.

VISIT TO YERABLUR ON THE DAY OF SHOUSHI LIBERATION

18:05 08.05.2013

Speaker of the National Assembly of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan visited
Yerablur Pantheon today on the day of liberation of Shoushi.

The Head of the Parliament accompanied by the Chairman of the Yerkrapah
Volunteers Union, freedom fighters and deputies laid flowers at the
tombs of Sparapet Vazgen Sargsyan and Commander Andranik and at the
memorial dedicated to the memory of freedom fighters.

At Yerablur the NA President also took part in the event organized
by the Yerkrapah Volunteers Union on the occasion of the three May
holidays.

TAX BILL ADDRESSED TO MAN’S GRAVE IN FRANCE; ARMENIAN MAYOR REPORTED SHOCKED

17:15 ~U 08.05.13

A tax bill has been addressed to a particular grave in a cemetery
in the Ile-de-France region, the Huffington Post reported, citing
The Local.

According to L’Expansion, France’s public finances recovery department
has sent correspondence to the deceased in the past; however, this
is said to be the first time a piece of mail has been specifically
addressed to a cemetery plot.

The Vincennes-based branch first sought to reach out to man, who died
several months ago, but received the returned mail with the words
“Deceased” scrawled atop the letter. However, it seems, the department
did not stop there. In an attempt to ensure the letter got to its final
destination, someone re-addressed the tax bill (in handwriting) to
“Autheuil Cemetery – Tomb 19 – 61190 Autheuil,” Ouest-France reports.

As to be expected, the tax bill was not delivered to its intended
recipient, who is currently six feet under, and was instead forwarded
to Beatrice Devedjian (an ethnic Armenian), the mayor of the small
village of Autheuil in northeastern France. Speaking to France’s
RTL radio, Devedjian expressed her shock with the determination to
“harass a person until his final resting place.”

However, it appears the cemetery-addressed tax bill may be more of a
prank than anything else. As Le Figaro reports, the center of public
finances for Saint-Langis-lès-Mortagne, which oversees Autheuil,
called the re-addressed letter “more of a schoolboy prank” and said
the statement did not come from its department since the man did not
live in Autheuil.

Despite the mystery surrounding the origin of the tax bill, the
municipality plans to track down the descendants of the deceased man
in order to deliver the mail.

Armenian News – Tert.am

MIGRATION SERVICE: 5-6 THOUSAND OF ARMENIAN CITIZENS CLAIMED ASYLUM IN THE EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRIES FOR THE LAST TWO YEARS

ARMINFO
Wednesday, May 8, 16:51

The total of 5-6 thousand of Armenian citizens claimed asylum in the
European Union countries for the last two years, chairperson of the
Migration Service under Territorial
Administration Ministry, Irina Davtyan, said when presenting a
programme “Prevention of illegal migration to Belgium through
informing of Armenian society”, 8 May.

She said that in the 90-s, 8-9 thousand of Armenian citizens used to
claim asylum in European countries, but this indicator gradually
reduced. “If in the 90-s the main reasons of migration were the USSR
split, the Karabakh war and the earthquake, at present, unemployment,
low salary and other phenomena in the society are the reasons of
emigration”, – she said. She also added that in 2012 only 100 Armenian
citizens out of 3 thousand that applied for asylum, got it. “Earlier,
stemming from humanism, European countries were receiving applications
for asylum for treatment. However, today the rules changed and only
those applications are satisfied, in which a disease is fixed which
cannot be treated in the country where an applicant has come from”, –
she said and added that in the European countries there is a list of
diseases which are not treated in other countries.

For his part, the head of International Organization for Mankind
Development, Armen Galstyan, said that many Armenians think that if
they emigrate to a European country, they can have free treatment and
later get citizenship. “However, this is wrong. There is no problem if
one has got money and wants to be treated in Europe and come
back. But the European taxpayer does not want and is not obliged to
pay for the treatment of a citizen from another country”, – he said.

3 MEN SOUGHT IN SAFE THEFT FROM ARMENIAN CHURCH IN SANTA ANA

17:15 08.05.2013

Police are asking for the public’s help in identifying three suspects
wanted for stealing a safe from an Orange County Armenian church, CBS
Los Angeles reports.

The three men are suspected of forcefully breaking into Forty Martyrs
Armenian Church just before 5 a.m. on May 1, Santa Ana police said.

According to officials, the suspects stole a safe containing
approximately $15,000.”

The three men were seen fleeing the church in a gray newer model
sedan, police said.

Santa Ana detectives believe the suspects may also be involved in four
additional burglaries in the area where safes were taken.

MATENADARAN GETS FIRST ARMENIAN LANGUAGE PRINTED BIBLE

May 8, 2013 – 16:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The collection of old-print manuscripts at
Matenadaran, the Depository of Ancient Manuscripts, has been enriched
with a unique exemplar of the first Armenian language printed Bible.

The Bible by Voskan Yerevantsi, a volume of unique value, was printed
in 1666 in Amsterdam. This stunning sample of book art has for years
been part of a private collection and was brought to Yerevan thanks
to the donation made by VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian.

The volume is of particular cultural and historical importance:
Voskan Yerevantsi had presented it to Catholicos Hakob Jughayetsi,
one of the most active proponents of the development of Armenian
typography. In 1668 the Bible was decorated with a silver cover,
a unique example of the Armenian iconographic arts.

The cover was made by a representative of the Erzrum School, one of
the famous centers of the Armenian silversmith art. The face of the
cover depicts a scene of Annunciation and the back of the cover holds
a picture of the Resurrection. The opening part of the book depicts
the four evangelists and their symbols.

“Probably, I won’t be exaggerating, if I say that Matenadaran has
the same symbolic meaning to us that the biblical Ararat has. It is
a sacred place that best characterizes our nation. Armenians’ love
for the writing and the literature knows no bounds. Even the menace
of physical extermination could never hold back the people who fought
for its honor and existence from saving books often at the expense of
own life. The Armenian people have expressed their pain through music,
art and prayer and have saved their culture. I am happy to be useful
to Matenadaran with my modest contribution,” Mr. Yirikian commented.

He also donated to Matenadaran another two Bibles from his personal
library. One of the Bibles was dated 1854, and the age of the other
Bible is still to be determined by specialists.

REPRESENTATIVES OF RUSSIA, LATVIA, FINLAND AND GEORGIA TO FEATURE IN DORIANS CONCERT IN COPENHAGEN

15:05 08.05.2013

The representatives of Russia, Latvia, Finland and Georgia at
Eurovision Song Contest 2013 will feature as special guest at the
concert of the Dorians rock group in AmagerBio Concert Hall in
Copenhagen on May 10.

Diana Garipova (Russia), PeR duet (Latvia), Krista Siegfrids (Finland)
and Nodi Tatishvili (Georgia) have accepted the invitation to present
1-2 songs at the concert. Dorians will present a 1-hour program
in Copenhagen.

The concert will take place with the support of the Armenian Embassy
in Denmark and the Public Television of Armenia.

Dorians will perform 11th in the second semi-final of the Eurovision
Song Contest 2013 in Mamolo, Sweden.

TODAY IS SHUSHI LIBERATION DAY (VIDEO)

2013-05-08 09:22:01

Exactly 21 years ago, on the night of May 9, the Armenian forces
launched an operation to liberate Shushi.

The Capture of Shushi, referred to as the Liberation of Shushi
by Armenians and Occupation of Shushi by Azerbaijanis was the
first significant military victory by Armenian forces during the
Nagorno-Karabakh War. The battle took place in the strategically
important mountain town of Shushi on the evening of May 8, 1992,
and fighting swiftly concluded the following day after Armenian
forces captured and drove out the defending Azeris. Armenian military
commanders based in Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital of Stepanakert had been
contemplating the capture of the town after a hail of Azeri military
bombardment had begun shelling that city.

The seizure of the town proved decisive. Shushi was the most important
military stronghold that Azerbaijan held in Nagorno-Karabakh –
its loss marked a turning point in the war, and led to a series of
military victories by Armenian forces in the course of the conflict.

However some of the shelling was, according to the accounts of former
residents, either indiscriminate or intentionally aimed at civilian
targets.

In February 1988, Nagorno-Karabakh had been an autonomous oblast for
over seventy years inside the borders of the Azerbaijan SSR. Following
its government’s decision to secede from Azerbaijan and unify with
Armenia, the conflict erupted into a larger scale ethnic feud between
Armenians and Azeris living in the Soviet Union. After the Soviet
Union collapsed in 1991, the Armenians and Azeris vied to take control
of Karabakh with full scale battles taking place in the winter of
1992. By then, the enclave had declared its independence and set up
an unrecognized, though self-functioning government.

The advanced weaponry of tanks, armored fighting vehicles, fighter
jets and helicopter gunships bought and used by both sides illustrated
the aftereffects of the free-for-all weapons vacuum created upon the
disintegration of the Soviet Union. A large scale population shift
had also been in effect since the conflict began with most of the
Armenians living in Azerbaijan and Azeris in Armenia trading places.

The battle was preceded by the controversial capture of the town and
the location of Karabakh’s only airport in Khojaly by Armenians in
February 1992. With the loss of Khojaly, Azeri commanders had been
redirecting the rest of their firepower upon Stepanakert from the
ridge on Shushi.

AUTHORITIES TO USE PROVEN SCENARIO IN 2017-2018 ELECTIONS

Wednesday,
May 08

Following the elections to Yerevan Council of Elders, Prosperous
Armenia Party (BHK) has decided to announce its decision to go into
opposition. It will happen at the beginning of the fall session of
Armenian parliament, “Haykanan Zhamanak” daily writes, citing its
sources close to BHK.

“According to the same sources, BHK plans to make some structural
changes in the party in the fall. The changes are now under
discussion. The authorities are already preparing for the elections
to be held in 2017 and 2018. In fact, they decided to use the same
scenario as in 2006-2008. At that time Orinats Yerkir Party was
the tool or “opposition”. Time will show what kind of mutations
the scenario will undergo and whether it will work effectively,”
the paper writes.

TODAY, 13:25

Aysor.am