Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

ARMENIAN SOLDIER SLAIN BY AZERBAIJANI FORCES

Ottawa Citizen

March 20 2012
Canada

Azerbaijani forces shot dead an Armenian soldier on Monday near the
border between the enemy ex-Soviet republics, the defence ministry
in Yerevan said.

It said the serviceman was killed in the Tavush region, where another
Armenian serviceman was also reported to have been shot dead by
Azerbaijani troops last week.

Yerevan and Baku are locked in a bitter dispute over the region
of Nagorno-Karabakh, which Armenian separatists backed by Yerevan
seized from Azerbaijan in a war in the 1990s that left some 30,000
people dead.

From: Baghdasarian

UKRAINIAN CULTURAL DELEGATION ARRIVES IN ARMENIA

ARMENPRESS
21 March, 2012
YEREVAN

YEREVAN, MARCH 21, ARMENPRESS. Days of Ukrainian culture will be held
March 21-28 in Yerevan and Armenian provinces, head of the Federation
of Ukrainian Armenians Romania Yavir told a news conference today.

According to her, the program is being implemented within the framework
of the Armenian-Ukrainian cooperation. An official delegation has
arrived in Armenia from Ukraine.

Yavir noted such like initiatives make the relations between the two
countries closer. “Ukrainians love Armenia very much,” she said.

Within the framework of the event a number of Ukrainian dancing and
singing bands will perform in Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

CRIMINAL CASE ON FACT OF ARMS SALE

Panorama.am
21/03/2012

One of the Deputies of Commander of Armenian Police Internal Troops
Gurgen Gabrielyan is sued over arms sales, Yerkir reports, citing
its own sources.

The newspaper asked Police press office for comments but in vain.

Police spokesperson Armen Malkhasyan told the reporter to appeal to
the Special Investigative Service.

“The Special Investigative Service said there is no criminal case
against the police official,” writes Yerkir.

From: Baghdasarian

ARF TO NOMINATE EIGHT CANDIDATES IN MAJORITY SYSTEM

Panorama.am
21/03/2012

ARF will nominate eight candidates for parliament in majority system,
member of ARF parliamentary faction Armen Rustamyan told a news
conference. The candidate list is as follows:

Artur Yeghiazaryan Karlen Grigoryan Gurgen Shahinyan Manvel Hayrapetyan
Arayik Hayrapetyan Artashes Nikoyan Zohrap Torosyan Gagik Gevorgyan

From: Baghdasarian

ARONIAN VS. KRAMNIK WEBSITE PRESENTED

NEWS.am
March 20, 2012

The official website of the Aronian-Kramnik match which is to take
place on April 21-28 in Zurich was presented. The grandmasters will
play 6 classical matches.

The competition will be held at Hotel Savoy Baur en Ville.

From: Baghdasarian

U.S. SENATE TO DEBATE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE RESOLUTION

RIA Novosti
YEREVAN
March 21, 2012

Two U.S. Senators have introduced a bill calling on the U.S.
government to recognize the Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire
in 1915-23, the Armenian Assembly of America (AAA) said on Wednesday.

The Turkish genocide in Armenia was first recognized by Uruguay in
1965. Many countries, including Russia, have since followed suit. In
the U.S., where 42 states have recognized the genocide, the federal
government has yet to pass a bill on the issue.

“It is time for the United States to join the 19 nations including
Belgium, Canada, France, Italy and the European Union that have
formally recognized the actions carried out by the Ottoman Empire
from 1915 to 1923 as genocide,” Senator Robert Menendez said.

Menendez and his colleague Mark Kirk handed over the bill that was
backed by seven senators and also Charles Schumer, the head of the
Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

“This resolution accurately characterizes the events of 1915-1923 as a
genocide, honors the memory of the victims, and strengthens America’s
moral leadership on human rights and the prevention of mass atrocities
around the world,” said a spokesman for Senator Kirk.

The Ottoman Empire persecuted Armenians in the late 19th-early 20th
centuries, allegedly massacring 1.5 million of them in 1915. Turkey,
which has sought EU membership, denies the genocide accusations and
bristles at any Western criticism on the issue.

Russia passed a resolution condemning the Armenian genocide in 1995.

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIA, KANSAS COMMITTED TO EXPAND COOPERATION

Armradio.am
21.03.2012 15:57

Within the framework of the visit to Kansas, Armenian Defense Minister
Seyran Ohanyan held discussions with Major General Lee Tafanelli,
the Adjutant General of Kansas, Speaker of the Kansas State Senate
Steve Morris, House Speaker Mike O’Neal and Governor Sam Brownback.

The Armenian Defense Minister and the Governor of Kansas stressed the
high level of cooperation between Armenia and Kansas and the great
potential for its further development.

The Governor signed a declaration of cooperation, which reads,
in part: “Kansas is proud to register progress in the cooperation
between Armenia and Kansas over the past nine years.

Kansas values the mission of RA servicemen in Kosovo, Iraq and
Afghanistan jointly with the US and NATO forces.

Kansas is committed to ensure the continuousness of the relations
and expansion of cooperation with Armenia.”

The declaration notes that Kansas and Armenia stand by each other’s
side for the sake of peace, prosperity and freedom.

From: Baghdasarian

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT TO HOST EXHIBIT ON ARMENIAN ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE

PanARMENIAN.Net
March 21, 2012 – 14:17 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – An exhibition titled “Armeniaca: The pioneers of the
study of Armenian architectural heritage” organized by the Armenian
General Benevolent Union Europe (AGBU Europe) will be hosted my MEP
Michèle Rivasi at the European Parliament from March 26 to 30, 2012.

The pioneers of the study of Armenian architectural heritage are
those few scholars and architects who have pioneered the rediscovery
and identification over the last decades of a vast, imperiled
Armenian heritage. Their work allows us to envisage the protection
and restoration of hundreds of invaluable buildings disseminated
throughout Europe, Turkey, the Middle East and the Caucasus, the
announcement says.

This exhibition is one of the outcomes of the Armeniaca project that
aimed to contribute to the preservation, digitalization and promotion
of archives dedicated to Armenian architectural heritage. It was
created with the support of the “Culture” Program from the European
Commission.

The Armeniaca exhibition is part of AGBU Europe’s work to promote
awareness of the need to protect Armenian heritage. Its first event was
the conference “A Journey of cultural rediscovery: Armenian heritage
in Turkey” organized on 13 November 2008 at the European Parliament
in Brussels.

From: Baghdasarian

ARFD CHOSE AN OPTIMAL LIST

Story from Lragir.am News:

Published: 13:59:42 – 21/03/2012

Armen Rustamyan said that they will be running in the next election
for the implementation of their political goals, that is full change
of power and change of the current power and systemic changes. All
this, according to Rustamyan, will boost the reforms and our country
will become a sovereign, democratic, legal and social country, as
the Constitution sets.

Artashes Shahbazyan noted that ARFD chose an optimal party list which
in this phase can work effectively.

Vahan Hovhannisyan noted that the voters understood that they can’t
believe false pledges. He noted that the Dashnaktsutyun has worked
very effectively, and the next parliamentary group of the party will
work even better. Hovhannisyan noted that worthy people make part of
the ARFD list.

Armenia Rustamyan noted that they have no intention to form coalition
at this moment. Nevertheless, he did not rule out that proceeding
from certain political circumstances, they are possible to cooperate
with other political forces, for example, relating to issues on the
security of Armenia.

From: Baghdasarian

RUSSIAN CO-CHAIR HOPES 2012 WILL MARK GREATER PROGRESS IN THE KARABAKH SETTLEMENT PROCESS

ARMRADIO.AM
20.03.2012 15:33

“The negotiations on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh issue
are rather intensive. The parties are discussing the main principles
of settlement, which should serve as a basis for elaboration of the
future peace treaty” Ambassador at large of the Russian Ministry of
Foreign Affairs and current Russian Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group
Igor Popov said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have held three meetings
over the past year to clarify each other’s positions on controversial
issues. During the summit in Sochi Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham
Aliyev announced plans to reach agreement on the basic principles of
settlement, taking into consideration the work done so far. “This
position speaks for the willingness of the parties to continue the
peace process and make efforts to have the process yield the expected
results,” Popov said.

The mediators play a great role, the Ambassador said, stressing at the
same time that the final solution primarily depends on the political
will of the conflicting parties themselves.

“Traditionally Russia has been actively participating the peace
process. In the recent years Russia has been using its ties with Baku
and Yerevan to find a solution, including in the format of trilateral
meetings between the Presidents of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan,”
Igor Popov stated.

“The Moscow Declaration of 2008 was an essential stage in the process,
because it was the first and still the only document signed by both
the Azerbaijani and Armenian Presidents. It states that both sides
will enforce stability and security by resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict through political means and on the basis of the principles
and norms of international law,” the Ambassador said.

According to Igor Popov, the resumption of dialogue between
intellectuals, the scientific and public circles of the two countries
will help “build bridges” between the two neighboring nations. He
voiced hope that 2012 would mark a greater progress in the process.

From: Baghdasarian