The Armenians in Hasaka city commemorated the victims of the Armenian Genocide during a symposium that addressed the history and civilization of the Armenians and the massacres they were subjected to, emphasizing the importance of preserving historical memory and promoting the values of co-existence, peace and human justice.
The Armenian Union Party, in cooperation with the Armenian Social Council, organized a dialogue seminar entitled “The Armenian Genocide Between Memory and Humanity” in al-Qiraa (The Reading) Garden in Tel Hajar neighborhood of Hasaka city, with the attendance of several council members and individuals interested in Armenian cultural and historical affairs.
The lecture was delivered by Hanna Soumi; the head of the Culture Committee of the Armenian Council, who discussed the history of the Armenian people, the stages of their cultural development, and the historical geography of Armenia and its status in the region throughout the ages.
In his talk, Soumi addressed the most significant historical events experienced by Armenians; the periods of persecution and genocide in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, noting that the Armenian Genocide of 1915 resulted in the death of hundreds of thousands of victims and is considered one of the most tragic events in the history of the Armenian people.
The lecturer also reviewed a number of events that preceded that period, such as the Sassoon Uprising and the political developments witnessed during the Ottoman Empire at the time, along with the accompanying tensions that affected various components of the population.
He also pointed to the forced deportations of Armenians during that period and the resulting immense human suffering across different regions, highlighting the harsh conditions endured by civilians, especially women and children, and the subsequent widespread loss of life and demographic changes in some areas.
The symposium concluded by affirming the importance of preserving historical memory, promoting the values of co-existence and human justice, and transmitting these events to future generations through documentation and awareness-raising.
This lecture coincides with the approach of the 111th anniversary of the Armenian genocide, commemorated by Armenians on April 24th each year, as it is estimated that more than 1.5 million Armenians were killed during the period at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.
ANHA
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Four candidates for UN secretary-general to audition this week
Four candidates to be the next secretary-general of the United Nations will audition for the job this week, far fewer than there were 10 years ago when António Guterres was selected as U.N. chief, the Associated Press reported.
Chile’s former President Michelle Bachelet — one of two women and one of three from Latin America — will be the first to face ambassadors from the U.N.’s 193 member nations during a three-hour question-and-answer session on Tuesday. Bachelet will be followed by U.N. nuclear chief Rafael Mariano Grossi of Argentina.
On Wednesday, U.N. trade chief Rebeca Grynspan will take center stage in the General Assembly hall, and finally, Senegal’s former President Macky Sall.
In 2016, a hotly contested race drew 13 candidates, according to AP.
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Major 7.5-magnitude quake hits off Japan, tsunami warning issued
An earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5 struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on Monday, as authorities urged residents to stay away from coastal areas where tsunami waves of up to 3 meters were expected, Reuters reports.
The tremor had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean and was 10 km deep, Reuters reported citing the Japan Meteorological Agency. The biggest waves were expected in Iwate, Aomori and Hokkaido prefectures, authorities said.
Reuters quoted Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi as saying that the government had set up an emergency task force and urged citizens in the affected areas to evacuate to safety.
Broadcaster NHK showed ships sailing out of Hachinohe port in Hokkaido in anticipation of the waves, as an alert ‘Tsunami! Evacuate!’ flashed across the screen.
Bullet train services in Aomori at the northern tip of Japan’s main Honshu island were halted due to the tremors, Kyodo news agency reported.
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BTA: Progressive Bulgaria leads with 44.7% in parliamentary elections, says Ce
Originally published by BTA
The Central Election Commission (CEC) has published preliminary results from the parliamentary elections of Bulgaria held on April 19 based on 96.41% of tally sheets of the section election commissions processed at the constituency election commissions as at 11 am on Monday.
Following are the parties and coalitions which cross the 4% electoral threshold:
Progressive Bulgaria 44.732%
GERB-UDF 13.417%
Continue the Change – Democratic Bulgaria 12.871%
Movement for Rights and Freedoms 6.668%
Vazrazhdane 4.307%.
Under the Election Code, the CEC must announce the votes received and the distribution of seats among parties and coalitions no later than four days after election day, and the names of the elected Members of Parliament no later than seven days after election day.
These were the eighth parliamentary elections in Bulgaria since 2021.
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No return to ‘active’ participation in CSTO, says Armenian Prime Minister
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on Monday that Armenia will not seek a return to “active” participation in the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), of which Armenia is officially a member but in which it has frozen its participation for several years due to the bloc’s failure to fulfill its obligations.
Pashinyan made the remarks in a video address, presenting the Civil Contract party’s election program provisions regarding multilateral cooperation formats.
“As you know, the Republic of Armenia’s membership in the CSTO is frozen, and no steps will be taken to return to active participation. This is also recorded in our pre-election program,” said Nikol Pashinyan.
Addressing Armenia’s participation in other multilateral formats, Pashinyan noted that Armenia’s engagement in such frameworks is important for making its balanced and balancing foreign policy more effective.
“In the UN and its specialized agencies, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the CIS, the International Organization of La Francophonie, and the European Political Community, the Republic of Armenia will continue to remain an active member. The Republic of Armenia has also become a member of the Board of Peace initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump and will continue its work in that format,” the Prime Minister said.
He reminded that from October 2026, the Republic of Armenia will assume the presidency of the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, becoming, for about two years, a country playing a central role in global decision-making on environmental protection. This, he said, will provide Armenia with significant opportunities both in environmental terms and in strengthening its international positioning.
“We are also interested in joining the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. In the context of a balanced and balancing foreign policy, Armenia will also consider its participation in other multilateral formats or cooperation with them,” the Prime Minister of Armenia noted.
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From Silicon Valley to Yerevan: Plug and Play launches its third program in Ar
Ministry of High-Tech Industry press release
On April 17, the third phase of the startup support program of the international company Plug and Play officially launched in Yerevan, implemented with the support of the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of the Republic of Armenia.
The opening event was attended by the Minister of High-Tech Industry of Armenia, Mkhitar Hayrapetyan, Deputy Minister Ruben Simonyan, as well as representatives of the tech sector, international mentors, and key players of the startup ecosystem.
Welcoming the participants, the Minister congratulated them on the launch of the program and emphasized the importance of such initiatives for the development of Armenia’s technology ecosystem.
Within the program, 18 selected startups will take part in a three-month pre-acceleration phase aimed at developing their ideas and preparing for entry into international markets. Participants will have the opportunity to work with experienced international mentors, gain practical knowledge and connections, and access Plug and Play’s global network.
The startups participating in the pre-acceleration phase include Bleenk, FIGURINGS, Empy.ai, Tedly, abda AI, Inc., SafeGround Technologies, Salute AI, LexAI, Uray Technologies, Ethery Tech, JAN DIGITRUST, RUXEN, Megaladata, AgenticFi, BeeSync, Dhomie, Muvia Inc., and BeautyFlo B.V.
Since 2024, two phases have already been implemented within the cooperation between the Ministry of High-Tech Industry of Armenia and Plug and Play, involving around 40 startups. The initiative is aimed at developing Armenia’s startup ecosystem, strengthening international cooperation, and increasing the competitiveness of local teams.
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Armenia seizes, destroys 9.7 tons of Nestlé infant formula over toxin concern
Armenian food safety authorities have seized and destroyed 9,700 kilograms of Nestlé NAN infant formula products amid concerns over possible hazardous toxins in the batch.
The Food Safety Inspection Agency said the reason for the seizure was laboratory analysis results received from Russia indicating the possible presence of hazardous toxins in the dry, instant milk-based and fermented milk infant formula products. It did not elaborate.
Pursuant to safety protocols, the authorities seized the batch imported into Armenia and destroyed it.
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Armenia’s first ambassador to Eritrea presents credentials to President
Armenia’s Ambassador to the State of Eritrea, Armen Sarkissian (residence in Cairo), presented his credentials to Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki at the presidential palace in the capital Asmara, the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a readout.
During the private conversation following the credential presentation ceremony, Ambassador Sarkissian conveyed the warm greetings and best wishes of the President of Armenia to the President of Eritrea, expressing Armenia’s readiness to develop bilateral relations with Eritrea and to form a multi-sectoral agenda between the two countries.
President Afwerki welcomed the decision of the Armenian government to accredit the first Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the State of Eritrea and noted that the launch of the diplomatic mission is an important and significant beginning in the formation of interstate cooperation, as well as the development of friendly relations between the peoples of the two countries.
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The war report is being hidden because of agreements with Baku. Oh
The former Minister of Defense of Armenia, Seyran Ohanyan, stated that the delay in the publication of the investigative commission’s report investigating the circumstances of the 44-day war may be related to possible internal agreements with the leadership of Azerbaijan and the authorities’ desire to cover up their own failures. This was stated by the leader of the opposition “Hayastan” faction in a conversation with journalists.
The politician emphasized that the final document should give a clear assessment of the enemy’s actions. However, in his opinion, the disclosure of data can harm diplomatic processes if there are secret agreements between the parties.
Ohanyan noted that the commission was obliged to comprehensively analyze the work of all branches of the government: the parliament, the executive and the judicial system during military operations. We are talking, in particular, about the assessment of the contradictory steps of the executive, which led to the disruption of the negotiation format, as well as to ignoring the 2019 proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs.
The opposition figure strongly criticized the inaction of law enforcement and judicial bodies in the crisis situation. According to him, the relevant structures did not take the necessary hard steps to prevent desertion and establish control in the military zone through additional checkpoints and accelerated investigative operations.
Summarizing the reasons for the non-publication of the report, Ohanyan emphasized that the document contains phenomena that “will harm themselves”, so the country’s leadership avoids presenting them to the public.
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Asbarez: As NATO Courts Yerevan, Pashinyan Says Armenia will Not be Active in
NATO envoy to Caucasus Kevin Hamilton (left) meets with Armenia’s National Security chief Armen Grigoryan in Yerevan on Apr. 20
As NATO sent an envoy to Yerevan to meet with high-level government representatives, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia will not see a return to “active” participation in the Russia-led Collective Security Treaty Organization—CSTO—of which it is a member.
The NATO Secretary General’s Special Representative for the Caucasus and Central Asia Kevin Hamilton was in Yerevan on Monday meeting various Armenian government officials, among them the country National Security chief Armen Grigoryan.
The two officials discussed strengthening relations between Armenia and the North Atlantic security group and aligning approaches to regional issues.
“The meeting focused on the current agenda and future prospects of Armenia–NATO relations. Grigoryan highlighted the positive dynamics in bilateral ties and emphasized Armenia’s commitment to further strengthening cooperation with the Alliance,” a statement from Grigoryan’s office said.
Hamilton reportedly underscored the importance of collaboration built through Armenia’s participation in NATO-led peacekeeping missions, noting that such engagement has contributed to deepening mutual cooperation.
Outlining the ruling party’s election program on Monday, Pashinyan vowed that his administration would not seek an active role in the CSTO.
The issue of Armenia’s participation in the CSTO become a focal point of meeting Pashinyan had with President Vladimir Putin of Russia on April 1 in Moscow. The Russian leader did not mince words when he and Pashinyan traded barbs over who was responsible for the effective closure of the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement issue.
“As you know, the Republic of Armenia’s membership in the CSTO is frozen, and no steps will be taken to return to active participation. This is also recorded in our pre-election program,” Pashinyan said in a video message.
Addressing Armenia’s participation in other multilateral formats, Pashinyan noted that Armenia’s engagement in such frameworks is important for making its balanced and balancing foreign policy more effective.
“In the UN and its specialized agencies, the Council of Europe, the OSCE, the CIS, the International Organization of La Francophonie, and the European Political Community, the Republic of Armenia will continue to remain an active member. The Republic of Armenia has also become a member of the Board of Peace initiated by U.S. President Donald Trump and will continue its work in that format,” Pashinyan said.
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