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Author: Elizabeth Jabejian
Kim Kardashian remembers Armenian genocide anniversary with throwback photos of her 2019 visit to the country with sister Kourtney and their kids
Daily Mail, UK
- The reality TV star released a poignant statement, writing, ‘Today is the 107th anniversary of the #ArmenianGenocide. Let’s all stand together & remember the 1.5 million people who were massacred’
- The SKIMS founder, 41, also expressed her pride in America, adding, ‘I’m so proud that America recognizes the Armenian genocide #NeverForget’
- The Armenian ancestors are on the Kardashians’ father’s side – his family emigrated to the United States from an area that now lies in Turkey
- Kim visited the land with her kids North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two, who she shares with ex-husband Kanye West, 44
- Also present on the trip was her sister Kourtney, 43, and her little ones, Mason, 12, Penelope, nine, and Reign, seven, who she shares with ex-boyfriend Scott Disick, 38
- The Armenian genocide was the systematic killing and deportation of Armenians by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire
- In 1915, during World War I, leaders of the Turkish government set in motion a plan to expel and massacre Armenians
Kim Kardashian took to Instagram on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the Armenian genocide with throwback photos of her 2019 visit to the homeland.
The reality TV star released a poignant statement, writing, ‘Today is the 107th anniversary of the #ArmenianGenocide. Let’s all stand together & remember the 1.5 million people who were massacred.’
The SKIMS founder, 41, also expressed her pride in America, adding, ‘I’m so proud that America recognizes the Armenian genocide #NeverForget.’
Homeland: Kim Kardashian took to Instagram on Sunday to mark the anniversary of the Armenian genocide with throwback photos of her 2019 visit to the homeland: Pictured with her kids North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two
The Armenian ancestors are on the Kardashians’ father’s side – his family emigrated to the United States from an area that now lies in Turkey.
Kim visited the land with her kids North, eight, Saint, six, Chicago, four, and Psalm, two, who she shares with ex-husband Kanye West, 44.
Also present on the trip was her sister Kourtney, 43, and her little ones, Mason, 12, Penelope, nine, and Reign, seven, who she shares with ex-boyfriend Scott Disick, 38.
Remembering: The reality TV star released a poignant statement, writing, ‘Let’s all stand together & remember the 1.5 million people who were massacred’
The Armenian genocide was the systematic killing and deportation of Armenians by the Turks of the Ottoman Empire. In 1915, during World War I, leaders of the Turkish government set in motion a plan to expel and massacre Armenians.
By the early 1920s, when the massacres and deportations finally ended, between 600,000 and 1.5 million Armenians were dead, with many more forcibly removed from the country. Today, most historians call this event a genocide: a premeditated and systematic campaign to exterminate an entire people. On April 24, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden issued a declaration that the Ottoman Empire’s slaughter of Armenian civilians was genocide. However, the Turkish government still does not acknowledge the scope of these events.
SOURCE: HISTORY.COM
During the trip the star and her children were baptized at Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia’s main cathedral.
In one beautiful photo, the businesswoman was dressed in a traditional floor-length black gown and a large silver necklace as she posed with all her kids.
She looked glamorous as ever for the occasion, wearing perfect makeup and wore her long raven tresses parted in the middle and cascading down her shoulders.
In yet another snap she was seen posing in front of a mountain view with her sister as well as North and Penelope.
Kourtney donned a matching dress and necklace for the occasion, while their daughters also sported black dresses.
Additionally, North had on a gorgeous silver headband and metallic necklace.
Kim then shared another important memory of The Keeping Up With the Kardashian stars meeting with Armen Sarkissian, who was the Armenian President at the time.
The ladies put on their power suits for the special occasion, with Kim wearing a chic black velvet suit and heels.
Kourtney sported a similar look, wearing a dark suit and a white T-shirt underneath her blazer.
Another beautiful throwback snap featured Kim, Kourtney, Mason and Penelope as they laid flowers at the Armenian Genocide Memorial Complex in Tsitsernakaberd, Yerevan.
The memorial is made up of twelve slabs, which are positioned in a circle and they represent the twelve lost provinces in Turkey.
An eternal flame is situated in the centre, which is dedicated to those who lost their lives.
Kim first visited the site on April 24, 2015, the 100th anniversary of the deaths, where she lay red roses.
Opera theater to organize commemoration concert ahead of Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day
15:27,
YEREVAN, APRIL 21, ARMENPRESS. The Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet will organize an open-air commemoration concert on the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.
The orchestra and choir will play Armenian spiritual music from the balconies of the Opera building on April 23, a day before the April 24 remembrance day.
The first-of-a-kind concert will be live-streamed online on the Armenian National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet Facebook and YouTube channels.
RFE/RL Armenian Report – 04/21/2022
Thursday,
EU Envoy Discusses Armenian-Azeri Transport Links
Armenia -- Toivo Klaar, the European Union’s special representative for the
South Caucasus, meets with Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazian, Yerevan,
February 22, 2021.
A senior European Union diplomat has met with deputy prime ministers of Armenia
and Azerbaijan for further discussions on the planned opening of transport links
between the two countries.
Toivo Klaar, the EU’s special representative to the South Caucasus, described
the separate talks as “excellent.”
“Good to see strong commitment from both sides,” he wrote on Twitter on Thursday.
Klaar visited Baku and Yerevan on Wednesday and Thursday respectively as Russia
sought to wrest back the initiative in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process
following an Armenian-Azerbaijani summit organized by the EU in Brussels on
April 6.
Meeting outside Moscow on Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Armenian
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian reaffirmed Russia’s key role in the international
peace efforts.
In a joint statement, Putin and Pashinian stressed the importance of
“revitalizing” the work of a Russian-Armenian-Azerbaijani intergovernmental
commission dealing with practical modalities of reopening regional transport
links.
“The Russian side is ready to take part in projects to restore the railway
infrastructure of Armenia, including the railway in Syunik and other regions of
Armenia,” read the statement.
It was a clear reference to a 45-kilometer railway which is expected to connect
Azerbaijan with its Nakhichevan exclave through Syunik.
The EU indicated after Pashinian’s April 6 talks with Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev that it is ready to finance the restoration of Armenian-Azerbaijani
rail and road links.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted on April 8 that it was Putin who
had brokered Armenian-Azerbaijani understandings on these and other
confidence-building measures. Lavrov accused the EU of seeking to sideline
Moscow and use the Karabakh conflict in the standoff over Ukraine.
An Armenian government statement noted that the “unblocking of regional
transport links” discussed by Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian and Klaar is
envisaged by a Russian-brokered ceasefire that stopped the war in Karabakh in
November 2020.
Pashinian spoke with European Council President Charles Michel by phone on the
eve of his visit to Russia.
Armenia May Ease Gun Restrictions
• Anush Mkrtchian
Ukraine -- A customer checks his rifle in a gun shop in Lviv
A group of pro-government parliamentarians have drafted legislation that should
make it easier for Armenians to acquire firearms.
Armenia has traditionally had strict restrictions on gun ownership. This is a
key reason why only a small percentage of its population legally possesses
weapons.
The Armenian police have the exclusive right to issue a firearm license. Only
members of the national Hunting Association can apply for one.
Under an Armenian law on gun ownership, association members are at first allowed
to possess only hunting rifles. They must wait for at least five years to get a
permit to buy more potent firearms.
Amendments to the law drafted by the lawmakers representing the ruling Civil
Contract party would scrap these requirements.
They also stipulate that a firearm license would be valid for ten years, as
opposed to just five years required by the current law. In addition, they would
increase from five to ten the maximum number of guns that can be possessed by a
single person.
One of the authors of the bill, Vilen Gabrielian, claimed on Thursday that it is
meant to improve gun control in the country, rather than loosen the existing
restrictions.
“Under our model, you need to pass an exam in order to get firearms,” he told
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “The current law is much more liberal than what we
are proposing.”
Gabrielian said at the same time that the proposed amendments would expand gun
ownership in the country by making weapons more affordable for citizens. Rifles
and handguns are now mostly owned by wealthy Armenians because they are
expensive, he said.
It is not clear when the Armenian parliament will debate the bill. The Armenian
government’s position on the proposed changes to the gun law is not known either.
Nina Karapetiants, a human rights activist, questioned the wisdom of those
changes, saying that they could increase the country’s violent crime rate that
has long been quite low.
“[Gun control] is a complex mechanism,” she said. “I’m not sure the authorities
will make it work properly.”
The vast majority of residents of Yerevan randomly interviewed by RFE/RL’s
Armenian Service in the streets said they want no guns in their homes.
“We don’t need weapons now,” said one man. “That would create a dangerous
situation because we are hot-tempered people.”
“I wouldn’t like my husband or other family members to have guns,” said a young
woman.
Ashot Avetisian, another Yerevan resident, has owned a hunting rifle for the
last ten years. He believes that “everyone must know well how to use weapons and
ammunition.”
“For me, a gun is first of all a means of hunting and also a means of
self-defense,” said Avetisian. He admitted, though, that he has never gone
hunting since obtaining his rifle.
Opposition Leader Predicts Mass Protests
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Opposition leader Artur Vanetsian holds a news conference in Liberty
Square, Yerevan, April 18, 2022.
Opposition leader Artur Vanetsian predicted mass demonstrations against the
Armenian government on Thursday as he continued a nonstop sit-in in Yerevan’s
Liberty Square.
Vanetsian and a group of activists of his Fatherland party began the protest on
Sunday, urging Armenians to thwart what they say are sweeping concessions to
Azerbaijan planned by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Armenia’s other major opposition groups backed the move and pledged to take
coordinated actions aimed at toppling Pashinian. But they have so far given few
details of their promised campaign.
Vanetsian claimed that his sit-in is changing public mood in the country and
setting the stage for massive anti-government protests.
“In the last few days I have seen many people in Liberty Square who were
disappointed, didn’t like us and the authorities, blamed everyone and were ready
to emigrate,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “But people have now realized
that they are losing the homeland.”
“Believe me, in a short period of time there will be lots of people in the
streets and squares of Armenia who will voice demands and … definitely defend
Armenia and Artsakh (Karabakh),” he said.
Vanetsian’s party and the former ruling Republican Party (HHK) make up the Pativ
Unem bloc, one of the two opposition forces represented in the Armenian
parliament. Pativ Unem and the other parliamentary opposition bloc, Hayastan,
rallied thousands of supporters in Liberty Square on April 5 to warn Pashinian
against agreeing to restore Azerbaijan’s control over Nagorno-Karabakh.
Pashinian met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Brussels the following
day for talks hosted by European Council President Charles Michel.
Speaking in the parliament on April 13, the prime minister said the
international community is pressing Armenia to “lower a bit the bar on the
question of Nagorno-Karabakh’s status” and recognize Azerbaijan’s territorial
integrity. He signaled Yerevan’s intention to make such concessions to Baku,
fuelling more opposition allegations that he has agreed to recognize Azerbaijani
sovereignty over Karabakh.
Some pro-government lawmakers insisted afterwards that Pashinian did not call
for the restoration of Azerbaijani control of Karabakh. But they did not say
what exactly “lowering the bar” on the territory’s status means.
Armenian Authorities Accused Of Blocking Hearings On Turkey
• Gayane Saribekian
Armenia - Opposition deputies arrive for a parliament session on Turkey
boycotted and thwarted by the pro-government majority in the National Assembly,
Yerevan, February 23, 2022.
Opposition lawmakers on Thursday accused Armenia’s ruling Civil Contract party
of obstructing parliamentary hearings on Turkish-Armenian relations in order to
avoid upsetting Turkey.
The hearings initiated by the main opposition Hayastan alliance were due to take
place on Thursday, three days before the 107th anniversary of the Armenian
genocide in Ottoman Turkey. The leadership of the Armenian parliament controlled
by Civil Contract said on Wednesday that they will not be held as planned for
“technical reasons.”
Artsvik Minasian, a senior Hayastan lawmaker, said he and his opposition
colleagues were told that the parliament staff cannot organize the hearings
because it is now busy preparing for a session of a Russian-Armenian
inter-parliamentary commission slated for Friday.
Minasian dismissed the official explanation as unconvincing and illegal. He
argued that the parliamentary statutes do not allow the leadership National
Assembly to block or delay such discussions demanded by the parliament’s
factions.
“We realized then that their decision is political,” said Minasian. “As we can
see from their recent behavior on Armenia-Turkey relations, they are afraid of
any thoughts containing demands [to Turkey.]”
“This once again shows that we are dealing with a government which is not only
inept but also shows its readiness to cater for Azerbaijani-Turkish interests,”
he told reporters.
Turkey - Foreign Ministers Ararat Mirzoyan of Armenia and Mevlut Cavusoglu of
Turkey meet in Antalya, March 12, 2022.
Special envoys named by Ankara and Yerevan held earlier this year two rounds of
negotiations aimed at normalizing Turkish-Armenian relations. They are expected
to meet again in the coming weeks and months.
Armenian opposition leaders claim that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is ready
to make sweeping concessions to Ankara in return for the opening of the
Turkish-Armenian border and establishment of diplomatic relations between the
two nations. In particular, they say, the Armenian government could agree to
stop seeking a greater international recognition of the 1915 Armenian genocide
vehemently denied by Ankara.
Pashinian’s government and political allies maintain that Yerevan stands for an
unconditional normalization of Turkish-Armenian ties.
Turkey has for decades made the normalization conditional on a resolution of the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict acceptable to Azerbaijan. Turkish Foreign Minister
Cavusoglu has repeatedly made clear Ankara is coordinating its ongoing dialogue
with Yerevan with Baku.
In February, the pro-government majority in Armenia’s parliament rejected an
opposition proposal to condemn a joint declaration adopted by the Turkish and
Azerbaijani presidents during a visit to Karabakh last year. Lawmakers
representing Pashinian’s party said that it would complicate the
Turkish-Armenian talks.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2022 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Asbarez: Ferrahian School Expansion Becomes a Reality
Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School will expand with the purchase of adjacent property
Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan and the Prelacy Executive Council announced the expansion of the Holy Martyrs Church and Ferrahian High School campus through the purchase of the adjacent three-acre property, located at 5338 White Oak Ave., Encino and owned previously by the church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints.
“Thursday, April 14, 2022 was a momentous day in the history of the Western Prelacy with the final historic steps of acquisition of this property. This milestone achievement, is the product of unyielding determination, generous financial assistance, and fortuitous timing, which was made possible through the diligent efforts of the Prelate, the Executive Council, Parish and School Boards, and the collaboration and generous donations of community members,” said a statement from the Western Prelacy.
With the new property, the Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School’s potential for growth has increased. The school can immediately utilize new classrooms, a second indoor basketball court, several multi-purpose rooms, a large banquet hall, and ample parking which will relieve the congestion during Christmas and Easter Divine Liturgies. Naturally, this enables the school to offer new and state-of-the-art programs to its ever-increasing student body, including computer science/coding, drama, music, graphic arts and engineering. The new facilities will also expand the proud Armens athletic program, allowing for simultaneous events and the introduction of additional team and individual offerings for our student athletes.
“All of these improvements would not have been possible without the unflinching generosity of our benefactors and donors within the community, and this consistent giving has laid the foundation for this opportunity. Our deepest appreciation and gratitude also goes to our lead philanthropist for their anonymous $5 Million contribution that secured the purchase and enabled our community to realize this dream after decades of trying. There is more work to be done to continue to build on this excellent tradition, but this has been a truly unique moment for Armenians in Los Angeles,” the Prelacy said.
“As Armenians in the Diaspora, we are all aware about the pivotal and major role the Armenian school plays in building our future generations. Holy Martyrs Ferrahian High School, as the first Armenian day school in the country, is poised and prepared to make the most of this unprecedented opportunity, and will continue to provide the resources and guidance to have our students flourish and thrive,” added the Prelacy in its announcement.
The last two years have been tremendously difficult for Armenian communities worldwide. During this time, all Armenian schools struggled.
“But with spring comes rebirth, our Encino community is once again on the rise, and the enrollment at the Ferrahian/Cabayan/Pilavjian schools have reached record levels. The community is smiling again, and the purchase of the adjacent property will no doubt usher in a new chapter of pride and purpose. We know that the community will continue to financially and morally support and encourage this project until we collectively, as one big family, achieve the fulfillment of this project and its successful completion,” said the Prelacy.
Armenian-American Danny Tarkanian running for Congress
Public Radio of Armenia
April 5 2022
American of Armenian heritage Danny Tarkanian – a longtime champion of Armenian American issues – is running to unseat Mark Amodei.
Douglas County Commissioner Danny Tarkanian has launched a primary election challenge to six-term Republican Mark Amodei in Northern Nevada’s lone congressional district.
Tarkanian — son of famed UNLV basketball coach Jerry Tarkanian and a frequent campaign filer — announced the move in a video recorded as he drove to Carson City to file candidacy paperwork.
“We’re going to file for congress against Mark Amodei in Congressional District 2,” he said in a roughly one-minute clip posted by his wife, Amy, on Twitter. “It’s important not just that Republicans take back control of Congress in this next election, but to have Republicans in there who will vote as a conservative with America First values.
“Mark Amodei has shown over the past 11 years that he’s anything but that,” he said.
Japan plans to gradually reduce coal imports from Russia
10:11, 8 April, 2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 8, ARMENPRESS. The world’s third-largest coal importer Japan plans to reduce Russian coal imports gradually while looking for alternative suppliers in the wake of sanctions against Moscow, Reuters reported citing the Japanese industry minister.
The move also highlights a potential shift in Japan’s energy procurement policy.
The minister, Koichi Hagiuda, told reporters that Japan will aim over time to end coal imports from Russia, the country’s second-biggest supplier of thermal coal in 2021. He said finding immediate alternative suppliers would be difficult.
Russia accounted for 11% of Japan’s total coal imports in 2021, according to the government data.
Azerbaijani troops remain deployed on one part of Karaglukh – Artsakh authorities say
12:41, 28 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 28, ARMENPRESS. The situation in Artsakh’s line of contact is relatively stable, the Artsakh authorities said.
“In the evening of March 27 and on March 28, as of 12:00, the operative-tactical situation at the entire line of contact, including at the eastern section of the line of contact, is relatively stable, no significant ceasefire violations were recorded,” the official Information Center of Artsakh said in a statement.
It added that the village of Parukh in Askeran region is now under the control of the Russian peacekeeping contingent.
According to the Artsakh authorities, thanks to the “courageous efforts of the Artsakh military the Armenian side succeeded in thwarting the Azerbaijani military advance and maintained control over the main part of Mount Karaglukh.”
The Azerbaijani troops remain in positions on one part of Karaglukh.
“Works continue with the Russian peacekeeping contingent’s command over returning the Azerbaijani side to its initial positions,” the Artsakh Information Center said.
COVID-19: 14 new cases, no death in Armenia in past 24 hours
11:18, 30 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS. 14 new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Armenia in the past 24 hours, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 422,498, the ministry of health said.
1998 tests were conducted on March 29.
The recoveries rose by 26 in a day, bringing the total number to 409,879.
No death case has been registered. The death toll stands at 8611.
As of March 30, the number of active cases is 2332.
Azerbaijan’s Shusha declared cultural capital of Turkic world for 2023
EntornoInteligente
April 1 2022
Entornointeligente.com / Shusha city is known for its rich historical and cultural heritage and was occupied by Armenian forces for nearly three decades before Baku fought and reclaimed the area in 2020. Azerbaijan and Türkiye declared to rebuild and revitalise Shusha city after a war with Armenia in 2020. (AA) The International Organization of Turkic Culture (TURKSOY) has declared the Azerbaijani city of Shusha as the cultural capital of the Turkic world for 2023.
Thursday’s decision was taken at an extraordinary meeting of TURKSOY in Türkiye’s northwestern Bursa city, which is the cultural capital of the Turkic world for the current year.
Shusha, known for its rich historical and cultural heritage, was chosen as next year’s cultural capital on the recommendation of Azerbaijan’s Culture Ministry and with the approval of the members of the TURKSOY Permanent Council.
The city was declared Azerbaijan’s cultural capital last year, months after it was liberated from nearly three decades of Armenian occupation.
During the meeting, Kyrgyzstan’s candidate Sultanbai Raev was unanimously elected as the secretary general of TURKSOY for 2022-2025.
In a statement, the Turkish Foreign Ministry thanked outgoing secretary general Dusen Kaseinov «for his contributions and extraordinary services to the solidarity of the Turkic World» and wished success to Raev for his tenure.
READ MORE: Occupied Nagorno-Karabakh: Azerbaijan retakes Shusha from Armenian forces
Shusha Declaration
After Baku gained back its Armenian-occupied territories, Türkiye and Azerbaijan declared the » Susha Declaration «, a pact that focuses on defence cooperation and establishing new transportation routes.
The pact ensures assistance to each country in case of threats from other states, and that joint meetings are frequently held on security issues.
It also helped in expanding joint efforts against terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking and illegal immigration.
Türkiye was a key backer of Azerbaijan during the conflict, which erupted in September 2020 and ended with a Russian-brokered ceasefire after six weeks of fighting and some 6,000 deaths.
The truce saw Armenia cede territories it had occupied for decades, including Shusha, which both Armenians and Azerbaijanis claim as a cradle of their culture.
READ MORE: Shusha and Lacin: The two towns shaping the Armenia-Azerbaijani conflict