Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

CO-CHAIR OF EURONEST PA: ARMENIA’S STAND ON KARABAKH PROBLEM IS WRONG

by Tatevik Shahunyan

Wednesday, March 18, 17:08

“Armenia’s stand on the Karabakh problem is wrong. Yes, this is our
opinion. I am making an official statement”, Boris Tarasyuk, member
of the Ukrainian Supreme Rada, Co-Chair of the Euronest Parliamentary
Assembly, has said to ArmInfo’s correspondent.

Such a viewpoint of Tarasyuk and Ukraine is partly explained by
Yerevan’s stand on the Ukrainian crisis. In particular, Tarasyuk thinks
that Armenia is fully under the influence of “Russian propaganda”;
consequently, it cannot demand understanding of other countries,
particularly, Ukraine in the matter of Karabakh problem settlement
and Armenian Genocide recognition. “If you do not recognize Putin’s
unilateral continuous aggression against Ukraine, why should we
support your position? The Russian propaganda is very effective in
Armenia. The whole world considers Moscow to be an aggressor, but
Yerevan does not. If you deny Russia’s aggression against Ukraine,
how can you demand the Armenian Genocide recognition from the
world?” says Tarasyuk.

When commenting on ArmInfo’s remark that the Armenian Genocide
was committed 100 years ago and Ukraine could have followed other
countries’ example and could have recognized that crime against
humanity, whereas the Ukrainian crisis is just 2 years old, Tarasyuk
says, “And why doesn’t Armenia recognize the Ukrainian Holodomor?”

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN RUNNERS TO DEDICATE LA MARATHON RUN TO CENTENNIAL

Friday, March 13th, 2015

The message that will be carried by the marathoners on their t-shirts

PASADENA–Community activists from Pasadena, Sona Donoyan Arabian
and Sako Defterian will once again run the Los Angeles Marathon this
Sunday, except this year they will carrying the message of “We Demand.

We Remember” to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide.

With more than 25,000 runners covering the 26.2-mile course and an
anticipated one million total spectators on the marathon router,
Donoyan Arabian and Defterian thought to raise awareness about the
Armenian Genocide by having Armenian tri-color pins on their t-shirts
with special messaging to mark the Centennial of the Genocide.

This definitely is not an individual effort as their marathon run
has generated quite a lot of interest in the community, which has
rallied behind the cause.

On Sunday, members of the Armenian Youth Federation Pasadena Nigol
Touman chapter will be joined by the athletes and scouts of the
Pasadena Homenetmen Chapter to support the runner by supply water
and ice along the route.

The AYF and Homenetmen volunteers are also anticipating to set up an
aid station on the nine-mile mark of the route, which is in Little
Armenia, as well as other points along the run.

Donoyan Arabian and Defterian plan to run the Paris Marathon on April
12 and have enlisted the help of the AYF Nor Serount of France to
advance Genocide awareness.

From: Baghdasarian

PETITION URGES OBAMA TO RECOGNIZE THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

15:23, 17 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee of America has launched
a petition on Change.org, which calls on US President Barack Obama,
the House of Representatives and the Senate to recognize the Armenian
Genocide. The petision has been signed by over 3,000 people by now.

The text of the petition is provided below:

“This upcoming April 24, 2015 marks the 100th Anniversary of the
Armenian Genocide. Join us as we call on President Obama and Congress
to remember the Armenian Genocide by reaffirming past U.S. policy of
labeling this event a “genocide.”

Between 1915 and 1923, two million Christian Armenians were
forcibly uprooted from their homeland with 1.5 million of that number
systematically slaughtered by the Ottoman Turkish government under the
cover of World War I, effectively eliminating the 5,000-year presence
of Armenians in their historic homeland. This campaign of ethnic mass
murder – which also targeted Christian Greeks and Assyrians living
in Turkey – is considered the first documented genocide of modern
times and included crucifixions, torture of women and children, sexual
slavery, deportations, mass executions, forced labor, enslavement of
children and purposeful starvation. Similar to the pattern seen in the
Holocaust, this genocidal campaign also consisted of the confiscation
of the personal and real property of the genocide victims, as well
as that of the Armenian Church.

The Armenian Genocide is settled history. The International Association
of Genocide Scholars has repeatedly and unanimously declared these
events to be a genocide. In 1918, Theodore Roosevelt referred to the
Armenian Genocide as “the greatest crime of the war.”

In 1939, Adolf Hitler referenced the Armenian Genocide as justification
for the Holocaust saying, “Who, after all, today speaks of the
annihilation of the Armenians?” The creator of the word “genocide,”
Holocaust survivor and lawyer Raphael Lemkin, said he conceived the
word to describe the pattern of ethnic cleansing seen in WWI with
the Armenians and WWII with the Jewish people.

Despite this overwhelming evidence, the Turkish government denies
its past. It has criminalized discussion of the Armenian Genocide by
its own citizens and built a powerful coalition of lobbyists in the
United States who use political influence to deny the truth about
the genocide and prevent international recognition of this crime,
including former Congressional leaders like Dick Gephardt and Dennis
Hastert and the law firm of Greenberg Traurig.

We call on President Obama and Congress to rise above Turkey’s threats
and political pressure to take a stand for historical justice. Join
the 22 other countries – including 11 NATO allies, the Holy See, 43
U.S. states, and numerous past Presidents including Ronald Reagan –
in recognizing that the events of 1915 were, in fact, a genocide.

In the case of President Obama, we simply ask him to keep his promise:
As a Senator and candidate for President, President Obama strongly
endorsed recognition of the genocide, promised he would recognize the
genocide as President, and said America “deserves a leader who speaks
truthfully about the Armenian Genocide.” We couldn’t agree more, Mr.

President.

The surest way to prevent atrocities in the future is to acknowledge
and learn from those in the past. Sign on to our petition today to add
your voice to the growing chorus who demand recognition and justice.”

From: Baghdasarian

EXHIBITION DEDICATED TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE OPENS IN VILNIUS

17.03.2015

On March 16 in the Museum of Genocide Victims of Lithuania officially
opened the exhibition entitled: “Armenian Genocide: Front Page Coverage
in the World Press”. The exhibits had been provided by the Armenian
Genocide Museum-Institute.

The RA NA Deputy Speaker, the Head of Armenia-Latvia, Lithuania,
Estonia Parliamentary Friendship Group Eduard Sharmazanov, the RA
Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Baltic countries
Ara Ayvazyan, Head of the Group for inter-parliamentary relations with
Armenia in the Lithuanian Seimas Dangutë Mikutiene, Group Member for
inter-parliamentary relations with Armenia, Head of the Friendship
Group with Nagorno Karabakh in the Lithuanian Seimas Dalia Kuodyte,
Deputy Head of the Group for inter-parliamentary relations with
Armenia Algis Kaðëta, Director of the Museum of the Genocide Victims
Teresë Birutë Burauskaitë, as well as representatives, historians of
national minorities in Lithuaniaattended the opening of the ceremony.

The RA NA Deputy Speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, the RA Ambassador
Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Baltic countries Ara Ayvazyan,
Group member for inter-parliamentary relations with Armenia, Head of
the Friendship Group with Nagorno Karabakh in the Lithuanian Seimas
Dalia Kuodyte, Deputy Head of the Group for inter-parliamentary
relations with Armenia Algis Kaðëta have come up with speeches at
the opening ceremony.

The Deputy Speaker in his word has particularly mentioned that the
opening of the exhibition is not pointed against any country, including
Turkey, but rather held for the sake of the restoration of historical
justice, and international recognition and condemnation of genocides.

He has added that the Armenian Genocide was the first in the 20th
century: one and a half million Armenians were massacred for the only
reason that they were Armenians. In the Deputy Speaker’s word, it is
the classical example of racism and xenophobia. He has documented
that the exhibition presents the European press reaction which is
the evidence of the Armenian Genocide occurrence.

The Deputy Speaker has stated that the civilized society should condemn
the crime against mankind and for the sake of justice must not let
the perpetrators remain unpunished and the genocide successors –
uncompensated.

From: Baghdasarian

L’ARMENIE ET L’UNION EUROPEENNE TRAVAILLENT A UN NOUVEL ACCORD

DIPLOMATIE

L’Union europeenne et l’Armenie sont en train de discuter d’un nouvel
accord qui servirait d’alternative a leur accord d’association annulee,
a declare un parlementaire europeen de haut rang lundi.

“Le nouvel accord qui est en cours de discussion n’est pas un accord
d’association >>, a declare Heidi Hautala, la co-presidente de
l’Assemblee parlementaire Euronest comprenant les legislateurs des
Etats membres de l’UE et des republiques ex-sovietiques impliques
dans son programme Partenariat oriental.

sur ces liens plus
etroits. “L’Armenie est prete a poursuivre la cooperation globale avec
l’Union europeenne dans tous les formats possibles, les zones et les
directions, tout en tenant compte de nos obligations dans d’autres
processus d’integration,” a-t-il dit.

Les autorites armeniennes ont ete desireuses de negocier un nouveau
cadre juridique pour des liens plus etroits avec l’UE depuis
leur inattendue decision de 2013 d’adherer a l’Union economique
eurasienne dirigee par la Russie (EEU). Elles ont exprime l’espoir
qu’il comprendra non seulement les aspects politiques, mais aussi
certaines dispositions economiques de l’accord d’association qui a
ete abandonne par l’UE a la suite volte-face pro-russe d’Erevan.

Le vice-ministre de l’Economie de l’Armenie Garegin Melkonian avait
declare le 4 mars que les negociations officielles sur le nouvel
accord UE-Armenie n’etaient pas encore commencees.

mardi 17 mars 2015, Ara (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

LEADERS OF 26 STATES TO VISIT MOSCOW FOR VICTORY DAY CELEBRATIONS

(c) Sputnik/ Vladimir Astapkovich
RUSSIA
15:11 17.03.2015(updated 15:56 17.03.2015)
47160
The heads of 26 countries, UNESCO and the Council of Europe confirmed
their desire to participate in Moscow’s Victory Day celebrations on
May 9. Some European leaders accepted Russia’s invitation despite US
pressure, Russia’s foreign minister said.

(c) SPUTNIK/ ANTON DENISOV Military From Over 10 States to Take Part
in Victory Parade on Red Square MOSCOW (Sputnik) — The leaders of 26
countries have confirmed that they will take part in Moscow’s Victory
Day celebrations on May 9, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov
said Tuesday.

“As of yesterday, the leaders of 26 states, as well as UNESCO and
the Council of Europe had confirmed their participation,” Lavrov said.

These include the leaders of China, Cuba, the Czech Republic, Greece,
Slovakia and Cyprus, according to the minister.

(c) SPUTNIK/ EVGENIYA NOVOZHENOVA Leaders of CIS States to Hold
Informal Meeting in Moscow on May 8 Lavrov noted that some of the
European leaders accepted Russia’s invitation despite US pressure.

Moscow is set to host grandiose celebrations to mark the 70th
anniversary of Nazi Germany’s defeat in the Second World War.

Several European leaders, including Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel,
UK Prime Minister David Cameron and European Council President Donald
Tusk declined Moscow’s invitation to join the event, citing Russia’s
alleged involvement in the crisis in Ukraine as justification for
their absence.

Read more:

From: Baghdasarian

ARMENIAN TOWNS WHICH EXCEEDED DUST AND SULPHUR DIOXIDE ANNUAL MAXIMUM CONCENTRATION PERMISSION IN ATMOSPHERIC AIR FOR 2014

15:32 March 16, 2015

EcoLur

In 2014 the dustiest air is in Gyumri, while the atmospheric air in
Alaverdi is most saturated with sulphur dioxide, as the certificate
says issued by “Environmental Impact Monitoring Center” of Nature
Protection Ministry for 2014. Gyumri Town is in the first line
exceeding the annual average MPC of dust twice. Ararat Town holds the
second line with 1.2 times exceeding the MPC. In other communities
no excess in dust MPC has been recorded.

Alaverdi Town is characterized with the pollution with sulphur
dioxide. Under the automatic observations, the annual average
concentration of sulphur dioxide has exceeded the MPC by 3.1 times.

Gyumri follows Alaverdi with the pollution with sulphur dioxide. The
annual average concentration of sulphur dioxide exceeded the MPC
by 1.5 times, and in this regards, Vanadzor holds the second line,
where the annual average concentration of sulphur dioxide exceeded
the MPC by 1.2 times.

It should be mentioned that in Qajaran, where Qajaran copper and
molybdenum mine is developed, the residents complain of the dust
saturated with copper and molybdenum. Nevertheless, the certificate
doesn’t contain any information about the dust concentration in
Qajaran air, while for Yerevan it says that a total of 30 metals
were detected in the samples of Yerevan air, nevertheless, the dust
concentration in Yerevan air didn’t exceed the MPC.

From: Baghdasarian

“WHY DOESN’T ARMENIA RECOGNIZE HOLODOMOR?” UKRAINIAN MP ON THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

03.17.2015 13:26 epress.am

The Armenian authorities have already made their decision and it
has absolutely no connection with the European Union but instead is
tied to Moscow, said Ukrainian Parliament MP, Co-chair of Euronest
Parliamentary Assembly Borys Tarasyuk in an interview with Zhoghovurd
daily while in Yerevan for the Euronest sessions taking place from
March 17-18.

He noted that even if Armenia were to sign any document with the
EU in the future, it would not drastically change Armenia’s and the
Armenian authorities’ orientation towards Moscow.

When asked by a Zhoghovurd journalist as to what he thinks about
Turkey’s decision to commemorate the anniversary of the battle of
Gallipoli on April 24, Tarasyuk stressed that he did not wish to get
involved in Armenian-Turkish, or Armenian-Azerbaijani relations.

The Ukrainian MP recalled that in the 1930’s about 7 million Ukrainians
died during a planned famine (Holodomor) during Stalin’s reign of
terror. According to him, Ukraine expresses its condolences for any
people who have been subject to mass murder; “However, now I ask you,
why does Armenia deny the existence of Holodomor in all possible
ways? For example, I think that the Armenian Genocide is a crime,
then why does Armenia and Armenians not consider the death of 7
million Ukrainians as Genocide?”

MPs from EU’s Eastern Partnership countries are in Yerevan from
March 17-18 to participate in the Fourth Session of the Euronest
Parliamentary Assembly.

From: Baghdasarian

LARK MUSICAL SOCIETY TO HOST INTERNATIONAL READING DAY

Monday, March 16th, 2015

Lark Musical Society

LOS ANGELES–The International Literature Festival Berlin (ilb) and
the Lepsiushaus Potsdam have designated April 21 as International
Reading Day to commemorate the Armenian Genocide.

Writers, intellectuals and artists from the four corners of the world
will read the 7th and 8th chapters of Romanian-Armenian author Varoujan
Voskanian’s novel “The Book of Whispers,” in memory of the victims
of the Armenian Genocide and in association with the demand for the
international recognition of the Genocide. By January 5, 2015, over
300 persons, among them several Nobel laureates, from 71 countries,
had already committed to participate. The text for the reading is
available in 17 languages.

LARK Musical Society, with the permission and cooperation of
the two organizations, has undertaken to organize the reading day
appropriately in our region. An ad hoc Committee has been formed to
make the necessary arrangements.

The International Literature Festival was founded only ten years
ago but has soon gained an army of supporters, since it doesn’t
get involved in commerce. Their plans are exclusively devoted to
encouraging literature. The Festival designates a day (or at most two)
each year as an International Reading Day to advocate for prosecuted
writers. It also organizes conferences and sessions dedicated to
authors.

Lepsiushaus Potsdam is a center in the eponymous city to preserve
the archives of the German missionary, Orientalist and great humanist
Johannes Lepsius, and advance Armenian-Turkish-German understanding.

The details of the event being organized by LARK will be made
available soon.

From: Baghdasarian

POLICE SPECIAL MISSION UNIT BASE OPENS IN SAMTSKHE-JAVAKHETI

March 17, 2015 13:49
EXCLUSIVE

Photo: REUTERS/David Mdzinarishvili

Yerevan /Mediamax/. A modern police special mission unit base opened in
the village of Apindza in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti by Georgian
Prime Minister Irakly Gharibashvili and Minister of Internal Affairs
Vakhtang Gomelauri today.

Samtskhe-Javakheti is mostly populated with ethnic Armenians.

The ceremony was dedicated to the 10th anniversary of establishment
of the Department of Special and Emergency Measures Center at the
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Georgia.

The base in Aspindza has a regional status, its construction started in
2013, Mediamax’s own correspondent reports. Special military equipment
and technique were presented at the event.

At the opening ceremony, Irakly Gharibashvili noted that the
construction of the base started upon his initiative when he was
heading the Georgian Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“There was a kindergarten here before. Afterwards, the building was
neglected. The former authorities wanted to build a hotel but they
didn’t manage”, he recalled.

“Earlier, there was no special mission unit in Samtskhe-Javakheti
and now citizens will feel more protected”, stated the PM.

From: Baghdasarian