Author: Badalian Vardan

ARMENIA, INDONESIA TO DEVELOP CULTURAL COOPERATION

February 28, 2013 – 12:07 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian government approved a proposal on singing
an agreement with Indonesia on cooperation in the field of culture.

Minister of Culture Hasmik Poghosyan hailed the activation of cultural
cooperation with Indonesia in 2012, stressing the need to strengthen
it on legislative level.

A similar agreement will be inked with the government of Iraq, with
the cooperation to envisage exchange of experience in preservation
of cultural heritage and organization of festivals.

– See more at:

Action of protest timed to 25th anniversary of Sumgait pogroms held in
front of Azerbaijani Embassy in Paris

ARMINFO
Saturday, March 2, 19:28

An action of protest timed to the 25th anniversary of the Sumgait
pogroms was held in front of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Paris,
Saturday.

The picketers were chanting: “Sumgait, Baku, Kirovabad, Maragha – We
Will Not Forget,” “Nagorno Karabakh Is Our,” and “Aliyev Dictator.”
They say they will be fighting for international recognition of NKR
till the very end.

The Embassy staff tried to break the action by turning on deafening
namaz. However, this aroused public discontent and the namaz was
stopped after interference of relevant structures.

Actions have been held throughout the world timed to the 25th
anniversary of the tragedy in Sumgait where Azerbaijanis killed
thousands of local Armenians.

Raffi Hovannisian’s headquarters: Leaders of Heritage party of
Prosperous Armenia Party came to accord about many problems of
domestic policy which are still relevant today

ARMINFO
Saturday, March 2, 19:29

The problems which arose because of the political crisis after the
presidential election on 18 February, were discussed today by the
leaders of the Heritage party, Raffi Hovannissian, who is the second
in the presidential race, and Prosperous Armenia Party, Gagik
Tsarukyan, at the PAP Central office.

As press-service of the Heritage party reported, during the meeting
Hovannisian proved his position regarding the results of the election
which were falsified. For his part, Gagik Tsarukyan and the PAP
leaders said that citizens of Armenia have a full right to demand
respecting their rights, in particular, the right of choice. They also
shared Raffi Hovannisian’s anxiety about the political and social and
economic situation in the country, and proved that changes are
necessary. “People every day face injustice and infringement of their
rights due to the behavior of some power branches, and Prosperous
Armenia Party believes that increases public discontent,”
press-service reported.

In the course of the meeting Gagik Tsarukyan confirmed his party’s
stance and said that Prosperous Armenia will always be with the
people. The two parties agreed to cooperate to overcome the political
crisis and make emergency solution to the given issue.

The meeting was initiated by Hovannisian. Ruben Hakobyan and Hovsep
Khurshudyan of Heritage Party and Naira Zohrabyan, Vartan Oskanian and
Vahe Hovhannisyan of Prosperous Armenia party attended it.

We have strategy and clear plan of actions – Raffi Hovannisian

19:16 02/03/2013 » POLITICS

`A moment of great responsibility came to the Armenian people, and
everybody understands that this is not a chess game,’ Heritage leader
Raffi Hovannisian told the rally in Liberty Square.

According to him, he has a strategy and a clear plan of actions: with
the participation of Armenian citizens and Armenian people they are
going to protect the people’s right as well as to fulfill their demand
both in domestic and foreign politics. There are no other plans,
Hovannisian said.

`So far I have not received any proposal from President Serzh Sargsyan
on fulfilling the demands of the Armenian people. I am inviting him
here to the square,’ Raffi Hovannisian said.

Raffi Hovannisian said he also invites Prime Minister Tigran Sargsyan
and Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan to Liberty Square.

After discussing the issue with those gathered, Raffi Hovannisian said
he invites them to come to Liberty Square at 17:00 on March 5.

Source: Panorama.am

US State Secretary leaves Turkey with dossier in hand

March 02, 2013 | 16:16

ANKARA. – Newly appointed US Secretary of State John Kerry, who
arrived in Turkey on Friday, left the country on Saturday afternoon,
Hürriyet daily of Turkey reports.

But the news reporters also noticed that, while leaving from capital
city Ankara’s Esenboga Airport, Kerry was holding a thick dossier in
his hand.

During his visit to Turkey, the US Secretary of State met with the
country’s FM, PM, and president.

It is known that, during his talks with the Turkish authorities, John
Kerry’s main topic of agenda was the current situation in Syria. But
the US Department of State representative had earlier informed that
the situation in the Caucasus, the Armenia-Turkey relations, and the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict were to be discussed, too.

– See more at:

Details on Hovannisian – Tsarukyan meeting announced

March 2, 2013 – 18:58 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The campaign headquarters of former presidential
candidate Raffi Hovannisian has presented some details of the meeting
between Heritage party leader and Prosperous Armenia chairman Gagik
Tsarukyan .
According to the statement, post-election crisis was in the focus of
the discussion, with Hovannisian confirming his position on the voting
results, deeming them forged.
Tsarukyan shared Hovannisian’s concerns over the current political and
social-economic situation, stressing the need for changes. Prosperous
Armenia party, in turn, noted that `injustice and the ruling
authorities’ violations of the citizens’ rights fuel public
discontent.’
Tsarukyan reaffirmed the party’s position, suggesting Prosperous
Armenia will always support the people. The parties further agreed to
cooperate in handling the political crisis.
The meeting was attended by Heritage party’s parliamentary group
leader Ruben Hakobyan and spokesman Hovsep Khurshudyan, Prosperous
Armenia parliamentary group secretary Naira Zohrabyan, MPs Vahe
Hovhannisyan and Vartan Oskanian.

– See more at:

Envoy: Sumgait pogrom 1st ethnic cleansing against Armenians in USSR

March 1, 2013 – 20:26 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – On February 27, Armenian embassy in Lebanon
organized a concert in Beirut’s Saint Louis Church, with Geghard
Monastery choir participating.
In his opening speech Armenian ambassador to Lebanon Ashot Kocharian
noted that the concert will deepen the cultural ties between the two
countries.
The envoy said the event was timed to the 25th anniversary of Sumgait
pogrom, with hundreds of innocent Armenians falling victim to the
tragedy.
Ambassador Kocharian further described Sumgait pogrom as “the first
ever ethnic cleansing against Armenians in the Soviet Union.”
Leader of Armenian Prelacy of Lebanon Archbishop Gegham Khacherian,
high-ranking officials, foreign diplomats and cultural workers were
present at the event, MFA press service reported.

– See more at:

`I Think It Was a Slip of the Tongue,’ Larisa Alaverdyan Says About
Hakhverdyan’s Speech

March 1 2013

Larisa Alaverdyan, a former member of the Heritage Party parliamentary
group, resented yesterday’s speech of singer and musician Ruben
Hakhverdyan in Freedom Square, according to which Artsakh was a remote
Azeri region. `Yesterday a phrase was said that offended me very much.
I am very annoyed. I was told that he had used a phrase that was more
appropriate for, say, an economist. I am his fan and will be. I think
that it was a slip of the tongue. I don’t want to think that it was a
slip of the mind…; each of us shouldn’t interfere in every field of
activity,’ Ms. Alaverdyan told She doesn’t fear that
people in Azerbaijan will make use of Mr. Hakhverdyan’s `slip of the
tongue,’ but rather that people inside Armenia will do that. `I will
not talk about how it will be perceived in Azerbaijan anymore. I think
that Azerbaijan has fallen to the lowest level of civilization because
of its political elite. Our task will be to help the Azeri people
overcome that degradation.’ Arpine SIMONYAN

Read more at:

© 1998 – 2013 Aravot – News from Armenia

Ceasefire violated 250 times in the past week

14:10 02.03.2013

According to the data of the NKR Defense Army, about 250 cases of
ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were registered at the
line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and
Azerbaijan from February 24 to March 2.

The rival fired more than 1,000 shots from weapons of different
caliber in the direction of the Armenian positions.

Committed to the maintenance of the ceasefire regime, the front
divisions of the NKR Defense Army confidently carried out the military
duty all along the line of contact.

Kardashian family promoted a drive organized by the Armenian Bone
Marrow Donor Registry
13:57 02.03.2013

Lilit Sedrakyan
`Radiolur’
Los Angeles

The Kardashian sisters promoted a drive organized by the Armenian Bone
Marrow Donor Registry.

An appeal from Kourtney Kardashian on behalf of her cousin CiCi, who
needs a bone marrow donor after her body stopped responding to
chemotherapy, is at the center of this alliance between the celebrity
sisters and ABMDR.

The organizations director, Dr. Frieda Jordan, hopes that the
Kardashians involvement would attract new donors.

Dr. Frieda Jordan said, people from Armenia have also reacted to the
call of the Kardashian family. The results of the campaign will be
known soon.

This campaign will help enlarge the database of donors, which now
includes 22 thousand people.

Bone Marrow Donor Registry hope the call of the Kardashian family will
grow into a pan-Armenian campaign in the US and Armenia for the sake
of recovery of all Armenian patients. .