Author: Edgar Tavakalian

The European Broadcasting Union has issued a statement in response to the petition on  calling for the results of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest to be revised:

The 2016 Eurovision Song Contest was a spectacular show and a testament to a year of hard work by so many people from so many countries. The live shows were world-class television productions with a thriller climax on Saturday night.

We understand the passions and emotions that are engendered through the Eurovision Song Contest. In light of this, we have taken notice of your petition and appreciate this opportunity to respond.

The winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest was decided by music industry professionals and you, viewers at home, each with a 50 percent stake in the result. Ukraine’s Jamala won, thanks to broad support from both the juries as well as televoters. She did so with an outstanding performance of an emotional song, telling a personal story.

Australia’s Dami Im won the jury vote and Russia’s Sergey Lazarev won the televoting. They both deserve credit for their world-class performances, their great songs and for taking their loss as true professionals. They may not have won the contest, but responded to the outcome as winners. We respect and appreciate them for that.

The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition. There can only be one winner. We understand that not everyone agrees with the outcome of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest however in a competition where the results are decided based on a subjective and often very personal opinions, there will always be people who do not agree. Regardless of this, the result remains valid by all means, in accordance with the rules as they were known to each participating broadcaster, each artist and each dedicated fan.

Ukraine is, and will remain, the winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. Whether you agree or disagree, we call upon those who signed this petition to embrace the result, valid in accordance with the rules, and to continue a constructive dialogue about how to further strengthen and improve the Eurovision Song Contest.

The Azerbaijani side kept firing in the direction of Armenian positions in the northeastern section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border last night, the Ministry of Defense reports.

The front divisions of the Armenian Armed Forces show restraint and resort to retaliatory measures only in case of extreme necessity.

According to the NKR Defense Ministry, the Azerbaijani side mostly used artillery weapons as it violated the agreement on ceasefire last night.

The Azerbaijani side not only continues to shell the populated areas in Karabakh, but also tries to present the events upside down, accusing the Armenian side of targeting its own settlements, the NKR Defense Army reports.

Committed to the principle of speaking with facts, the NKR Defense Army presents the video of rocket attack on the settlement of Mataghis.

Some recent reports in Russian media claim the negotiations on Nagorno Karabakh settlement are going to enter a more intensive stage with a focus on territories and the status of Nagorno Karabakh.

Spokesman for the NKR President David Babayan says the “publications pursue no geopolitical objective.” “The media outlets are thus trying to make a sensation, to publish information of great interest to the society, taking into consideration  the existence of large Armenian and Azerbaijani communities in Russia and the importance of the South Caucasus region.”

“What the Russian press writes about is not new. They just present the Madrid Principles and try to manipulate the issue by discussing unrealistic scenarios,” David Babayan told .

The Spokesman reminded that “the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries are mediators, not judges; therefore, they cannot impose any decision.”

As for the Madrid Principles, Babayan said “it’s just a working document, where the suggestions of the parties are being taken into consideration. The only issue Azerbaijan is interested in is territories, that’s why they have to make such offers, and the mediators have to include them in the working document. The Armenian side also makes proposals, which the co-chairs take note of. This is not an ultimatum, a final deal,” the Spokesman said.

He reminded the consensus principle, according to which “nothing is agreed until everything is agreed.”

“What final resolution can we talk about, when the war is just over? Today the efforts are focused on maintaining peace and stability,” Babayan said.

Speaking about the exchange of territories for status, the Spokesperson said “it’s not realistic today.” According to him, the two issues are on different levels. “Let’s assume we give territories in return for status. What if Azerbaijan refuses to recognize the status of independent Artsakh? Will we then be able to regain any land?” Babayan said, adding that “there can be no return to the borders of 1988, Karabakh will never be an enclave.”

He stressed that even if Artsakh is granted the status of an independent state, there are no guarantees that Azerbaijan, which glorifies an axe-murderer, tortures 95-year-old civilians and beheads soldiers, will not unleashnew  aggression.”

“Therefore, exchange of territories for status is impossible. There are a number of security, humanitarian, geopolitical issues, which are not easy to solve,” David Babayan concluded.

A cross-stone dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims was unveiled in the German city of Jena on April 17. The monument was blessed by Archbishop Karekin Bekdjian, Primate of the German Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Germany Ashot Smbatyan, Member of Bundestag, Chairman of the German-Armenian Forum Albert Weiler and Jena Mayor Albrecht Schröter offered opening remarks. The speakers noted that recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey is the milestone for reconciliation.

The event was attended by members of Bundestag and the Landtag of Thuringia, employees of the Jena City Hall, representatives of the local Armenian community.

Asbarez – Richard Hovannisian, Professor Emeritus at UCLA, Chancellor’s Fellow at Chapman University, and Adjunct Professor of History at the University of Southern California as a consultant for the Shoah Foundation, was in Cleveland in April 4-6 for back-to-back events relating to remembrance of and learning from the Armenian Genocide.

At Case Western Reserve University, Hovannisian was a key speaker at the inaugural Cleveland Humanities Festival organized by the University’s Baker-Nord Center for the Humanities. Prof. Peter E. Knox, the new Director for the Center, selected “Remembering War” as this year’s theme for the Festival.
Dr. Hovannisian’s topic was “Under Cover of War: The Armenian Genocide and Its Continuing Ramifications.” The capacity audience of over 200 people was captivated as they learned about the relationship of the Armenian Genocide to World War I and its relationship to the Holocaust one generation later and continuing crimes against humanity. The Q & A that followed included brisk discussions and possible international measures to deal with the scourge. A reception of Armenian pastries ended the event.

On April 5, Richard Hovannisian was invited to speak at the Federal Building in Cleveland to connect the Armenian Genocide and its lessons with the Holocaust and massive civil rights violations in its annual Holocaust Remembrance Observation program. Mr. John Luckas, Chief of Staff, for Finance and Accounting Service, Department of Defense opened the program. Ms. Dzaghig Poundardjian, a Department of Defense employee and Chair of the Holocaust Remembrance Committee, introduced the speaker after sharing her own personal family’s past and current impact of the continuing turmoil in Syria today.

Dr. Hovannisian delivered a powerful message on the theme of “Learning through Acts of Courage.” Several hundred employees in Cleveland, and remote connections, listened as the speaker integrated the experience of the Armenian Genocide into the daily lives of students and the public today.
Cleveland Armenian Genocide Centennial Committee’s Ara Bagdasarian and Kevan Asadorian initiated conversations with Case Western Reserve University to include Dr. Hovannisian in this important inaugural Cleveland Humanities Festival on April 4. Ms. Dzaghig Pounardjian invited Dr. Hovannisian and organized the April 5 talk at the Federal Building.

Richard and Vartiter Hovannisian were guests of honor at a reception at the Armenian Church of St. Gregory of Narek on the evening of April 5. Ara Bagdasarian and Father Hratch Sargsyan welcomed the couple and reflected on the importance of the recent programs relating to the Armenian Genocide, before presenting Hovannisian with a beautiful commemorative plaque. The church’s chorale group enriched the evening prior to enjoyable reception.

 

 

 

“The recognition of Artsakh’s independence by Armenia is not in process, but the agreement on mutual military assistance is being developed,” Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told reports today.

He said Armenia’s number one objective is to reach Nagorno Karabakh’s return to the negotiating table as a party to talks.

“The recent developments showed that there is no alternative to Karabakh’s involvement in the talks. It’s important for preventing such provocations in the future and for achieving progress in the negotiation process,” he said.

Referring to the visit of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, Shavarsh Kocharyan clarified that they’re coming to study the situation connected with the recent events.

“The utmost objective of the Armenian side and the international community is to prevent the reoccurrence of the developments of the past days, to ensure the maintenance of the ceasefire, which will, in turn, allow to return to talks,” Shavarsh Kocharyan said.

He added that the Madrid Principles are the only basis for negotiations.

EU High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini has issued the following statement on the escalation in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict:

Reports of heavy fighting along the line of contact are deeply worrying.

I call on the parties to stop the fighting immediately and observe the cease-fire. The sides must show restraint and avoid any further actions or statements that could result in escalation.

The European Union deplores the loss of life, in particular the reports of civilian casualties and deaths.

The European Union fully supports the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group and the three Co-Chairs. We expect both sides to respect strictly the ceasefire, refrain from the use of force and resume efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Nagorno Karabakh President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree today, releasing Harutyun Kushkyan from the post of the NKR Minister of Healthcare, according to his own request.

According to another presidential decree, Karine Atayan will replace Kushkyan as Minister of Healthcare, NKR President’s Press Office reports.

Photo: Valery Matytsin/TASS

 

Ukrainian pilot Nadiya Savchenko has been sentenced to 22 years in jail after being convicted of charges relating to the deaths of two Russian journalists, the BBC reports.

She was accused of directing the artillery fire in eastern Ukraine in which the two journalists died in June 2014.

Prosecutors said she was driven by “political hatred”.

She denied all the charges and her case has become internationally notorious.