A protest in defense of Artsakh was held outside the Azerbaijani Embassy in France on Thursday, Lilit Asryan of the Artsakh Foreign Ministry said, sharing videos.
French MP Francois Pupponi, Chair of the France-Artsakh Friendship Circle, also delivered a speech at the protest, saying, “If Artsakh falls, Armenia will also fall, which is unacceptable.”
He urged the French government to recognize the Artsakh Republic.
17:00,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. According to the update issued by the FAO/WHO International Food Safety Authorities Network (INFOSAN), five Kinder chocolate products made in Belgium and Germany are considered potentially risky.
The Armenian Food Safety Inspection Agency said it is suspending the sale of the Kinder Surprise Uovo Maxi 100g (1728 items) made in Germany and the Kinder Schokobons 125g (3792 items) made in Belgium.
At the same time the agency said that no restrictions were imposed against other Kinder chocolate products in the market.
Samples were taken from the suspended batches and the laboratory analysis will be reported later.
This report comes after the agency said on April 11 that it ordered a temporary ban on imports of Kinder chocolate products from Germany after studying reports from European countries linking the chocolate to salmonella cases.
EU’s full ban on Russian coal to be pushed back to mid-August – Reuters
13:43, 7 April, 2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS. European Union envoys are set to approve on Thursday a ban on Russian coal that would take full effect from mid-August, a month later than initially planned, following pressure from Germany to delay the measure, Reuters reported citing two EU sources.
Once approved, it will be the EU’s first ban on any import of energy from Russia since the start of what the Kremlin calls a “special operation” in Ukraine on February 24.
Oil and gas, which represent far bigger imports from Moscow, are still untouched.
Today, celebrated Armenian American sisters Ani (cello) and Marta (piano) Aznavoorian release their debut duo album, Gems from Armenia, on Cedille Records. The Chicago-based Aznavoorian Duo celebrates the sounds of their ancestral homeland through a panoramic survey of Armenian classical music, including works by composers Komitas Vartabed, Aram Khachaturian, Arno Babajanian, and Avet Terterian; contemporary Armenian composers Serouj Kradjian, Alexander Arutiunian, and Vache Sharafyan; and the world premiere recording of a new piece by Peter Boyer. The duo will perform a recital featuring works from the album on Sunday, May 15, 2022 at 3:00pm at Nichols Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago in Evanston.
The Aznavoorian Duo comments, “The idea for this CD sprung out of gratitude to the proud and soulful people of Armenia and our homage to the historical challenges they have overcome and continue to engage with.” In the liner notes, Gary Peter Rejebian writes, “Gems from Armenia voices a range of opposing emotions across three periods of time: some ringing clear in their own right, others but a whisper of other peaks and valleys in the Armenian story.”
The album opens with five ancient folk songs arranged by early 20th-century Orthodox priest, composer, and musicologist Komitas Vardapet. Rejebian says, “Komitas strove not merely to capture melodic tunes, but to evoke the very life and heartache of the people who passed down poetic lyrics in song over centuries as he documented them for the ages.”
He continues “Soviet-era composers Aram Khachaturian, Arno Babajanian, Avet Terterian, and Alexander Arutiunian collectively represent a musical renaissance for the Armenians; a period of greatness analogous to the first millennium ‘Golden Age’ of the Armenian kingdom… Khachaturian’s glorious ode to his hometown (Yerevan) and Babajanian’s tribute to Khachaturian, his mentor (Elegy), speak with impassioned fondness in very different voices. Terterian’s Sonata, first performed in 1956, precedes the symphonies and stage works for which he is best known… As a snapshot of his lively style inspired by memorable folk melodies, Alexander Arutiunian composed his Impromptu in 1948.”
A third era, of contemporary music, is embodied by Serouj Kradjian, Vache Sharafyan, and Peter Boyer. Rejebian shares, “Lebanese-born pianist and composer Kradjian arranged Sari Siroun Yar (Beautiful Mountain Girl) as a faithful retelling of the troubadour Ashod’s ballad about a mountaineer pining for his beautiful village love… Sharafyan composed his Petrified Dance through multiple iterations of string-piano combinations for Harutyun Khachatryan’s documentary about Armenian street artist Vahan Ananyan.”
“Boyer composed Mount Ararat for the Aznavoorian Duo specially for this project as a reflection of how Armenia’s biblical heritage resonated with a composer from a completely different background,” Rejebian writes.
About The Aznavoorian Duo
Cellist Ani Aznavoorian and pianist Marta Aznavoorian are Armenian American siblings renowned for their passion, artistry, and energy. The Los Angeles Times describes Ani as a cellist “who shows great sensitivity and great virtuosity at all moments” while The Boston Globe praises Marta as a pianist of “exceptionally finished technique and purity of musical impulse.”
Ani Aznavoorian, 15-year principal cello of Camerata Pacifica, is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician with some of the country’s most recognized ensembles and has appeared with many of the world’s leading orchestras. Marta Aznavoorian has performed to critical acclaim throughout the world as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and educator, and has been nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. She is a founding member of the Lincoln Trio and has a vast discography.
The Aznavoorian Duo has toured France, Armenia, and Finland, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, and presented numerous programs in their hometown of Chicago. They have individually worked with leading contemporary composers including John Harbison, Clarice Assad, Lera Auerbach, William Bolcom, Osvaldo Golijov, Shulamit Ran, Peter Boyer, Augusta Read Thomas, and Stacy Garrop, among others. Separately, the Aznavoorians have recorded for the Warner Classics, Cedille, ARTEC, and Erato labels.
Ani proudly performs on a cello made in Chicago by her father, Peter Aznavoorian. Marta is a Steinway Artist. Learn more at www.aniaznavoorian.com and www.martaaznavoorian.com.
About Cedille Records
Launched in November 1989 by James Ginsburg, Grammy Award-winning Cedille Records (pronounced say-DEE) is dedicated to showcasing and promoting the most noteworthy classical artists in and from the Chicago area. The label’s catalog of more than 200 front-line albums brims with attractive, off-the-beaten-path repertoire from the Baroque era to the present day. Works from the classical canon, when they do appear, are usually heard in particularly imaginative pairings.
Cedille has recorded more than 180 Chicago artists and ensembles, with over 80 making their professional recording debuts on the label. Its catalog includes the world premieres of more than 400 classical compositions.
The audiophile-oriented label releases every new album in multiple formats – physical CD, 96 kHz, 24-bit, studio-quality FLAC download, and 320 Kbps MP3 download – and on major streaming services.
An independent nonprofit enterprise, Cedille Records is the label of Cedille Chicago, NFP. Sales of physical CDs and digital downloads and streams cover only a small percentage of the label’s costs. Tax-deductible donations from individual music-lovers and grants from charitable organizations account for most of its revenue.
Cedille’s headquarters are at 4311 N. Ravenswood Ave., Suite 202, Chicago, IL 60613; call 773-989-2515; email: [email protected]. Website: www.cedillerecords.org.
Cedille Records is distributed in the Western Hemisphere by Naxos of America and its distribution partners, by Naxos Music UK, and by other independent distributors in the Naxos network in classical music markets around the world.
www.aniaznavoorian.com
www.martaaznavoorian.com
Trilateral meeting between Nikol Pashinyan, Charles Michel and Ilham Aliyev takes place in Brussels
02:08, 7 April, 2022
YEREVAN, 7 APRIL, ARMENPRESS. The trilateral meeting between the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the President of the European Council Charles Michel and the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev took place in Brussels, ARMENPRESS was informed from the Office of the Prime Minister.
Nikol Pashinyan referred to the situation and the humanitarian issues in Artsakh caused by the recent actions of the Azerbaijani military units.
Issues related to the implementation of the trilateral statements of November 9, 2020, January 11 and November 26, 2021, as well as the agreements reached at the trilateral meeting in Brussels on December 14 were discussed.
Based on the results of the meeting, an agreement was reached to set up a bilateral commission on border delimitation between Armenia and Azerbaijan until the end of April envisaged in the agreement reached in Sochi on November 26, 2021, which will be authorised to deal with security and stability issues along the border.
The Prime Minister of Armenia and the President of Azerbaijan instructed the Foreign Ministers to start preparations for peace talks between the two countries.
12:11, 31 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 31, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan tries to keep the tension on the border and the opportunity of resuming the military operations also during the demarcation process, to present territorial claims against Armenia and resort to military provocations if those demands are not met – this is an unacceptable approach, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said during the Cabinet meeting.
He said Azerbaijan is using the Armenia-Azerbaijan border demarcation and delimitation issue for forming a speech justifying escalation.
“Based on the results of the trilateral meeting held in Sochi on November 26, 2021, the President of Russia, the Azerbaijani President and the Prime Minister of Armenia adopted a statement which says that they agreed: “to take actions to raise the level of stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and push forward the process to the creation of a bilateral commission dealing with the delimitation and then the demarcation of the state border between Armenia and Azerbaijan”.
I don’t think that this statement could be misinterpreted, and it’s obvious that the creation of the commission on demarcation and delimitation issues must be preceded by steps aimed at raising the level of stability and security on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border”, the Armenian PM said.
Pashinyan said Azerbaijan hasn’t made any proposal over these steps, whereas Armenia made a proposal over withdrawal of troops in mirrored fashion from the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and giving the protection of that border to a limited number of border troops, as well as conducting an international monitoring of the border.
“Azerbaijan hasn’t given an official response to this proposal yet, according to the information received by the third countries, our proposal is not acceptable for Azerbaijan”, Pashinyan said. He added that Armenia has been and will be maximally flexible on this matter and has also proposed several formulas for withdrawal.
“Azerbaijan either does not accept or does not respond to these proposals. What does it mean? In fact it means that Azerbaijan is trying to keep the tension in the border and the opportunity of resuming military operations also during the demarcation process, in order to present territorial claims against Armenia and if these demands are not met, to resort to military provocations. This is an unacceptable approach”, the Armenian PM added.
He said it is necessary to launch an international monitoring mechanism of border situation.
“We proposed several such options also to Azerbaijan, and any of these options, that Azerbaijan accepts, will be acceptable for us”, he said.
A poster of Hrant Dink hangs on the facade of the building of Agos where he worked as editor-in-chief, in Istanbul, Turkey, Jan. 20, 2019. (DHA PHOTO)
Turkish police announced on Sunday that A.I., a fugitive suspect in the 2007 murder of Armenian Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, was brought to Turkey on Saturday after being detained in Kyrgyzstan.
A.I. was convicted in a trial over the shooting death of Dink in Istanbul and was sentenced to 12 years and six months in prison. He was accused of helping convicted murderer O.S. by hiding the weapon used in the murder and lending money to the murderer as well as his own cellphone.
Turkish counterterrorism police and police intelligence had discovered that A.I. was hiding in Bishkek and contacted Kyrgyz authorities. The suspect was caught by Kyrgyz security forces in February. When he was caught, he was carrying a passport belonging to his brother, with his own photo glued on the photo ID instead.
The police said the suspect was handed over to the authorities of Metris prison in Istanbul to serve his sentence.
A.I. was sentenced by an Istanbul court in 2012 on charges of “aiding and abetting premeditated murder.” His sentence was upheld by an appeals court in 2013. In another trial on Dink’s murder, he was sentenced to one year, 10 months and 15 days in prison for membership of a terrorist group in 2019, but it was discovered that he already fled abroad.
Dink was editor-in-chief of Agos newspaper when he was shot dead by teenager O.S. in broad daylight, a murder which stirred up a public outrage and triggered unprecedented protests. An outspoken critic, as well as supporter of a rapprochment between Turkey and Armenia, Dink was allegedly killed over his stance by the teenager who had identified himself as a nationalist.
O.S., who was captured as he was returning to his hometown in northern Turkey from Istanbul where he shot Dink dead outside the offices of Agos, was sentenced to 22 years and 10 months in prison, but the trial and investigation took another turn when a prosecutor, now wanted on charges of membership of Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ), said in his indictment that Ergenekon, “a terrorist group,” was behind the murder. Ergenekon was the name of a network of individuals described as a terrorist group by prosecutors, police chiefs and judges who orchestrated trials against them. Years later, it was discovered that Ergenekon was an organization concocted by FETÖ’s infiltrators in the judiciary and law enforcement to imprison people the terrorist group targeted using trumped-up charges and forged evidence.
Though O.S. was sentenced, the trial and a parallel investigation into his links continued for years, an unusually protracted period of time and ambiguity that is now blamed on FETÖ’s role in the investigation. When the terrorist group was designated as a security threat in late 2013 after two coup attempts and its infiltrators in the judiciary were suspended and detained, the course of the investigation changed yet again.
In 2014, a court paved the way for the indictment of public officials over their role in the murder. Former police chiefs, who were arrested for their FETÖ links, were also tried in this new case of Dink’s murder. A new indictment included FETÖ leader Fetullah Gülen, prosecutors and journalists linked to the terrorist group in the case. Prosecutors stated that the murder was the first violent act of FETÖ in its bid to seize power in Turkey. Gülen and others had apparently aimed to imprison their critics or those blocking their infiltration into law enforcement, judiciary and army by linking them to the murder, under the guise of the “Ergenekon” probes. Last year, six FETÖ-linked suspects, including former police chiefs, were sentenced for a coverup of the murder while a trial is underway for fugitive suspects including Fetullah Gülen.
The defense ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh says three of its soldiers were killed in a strike by Azerbaijani drones
YEREVAN, Armenia (AP) — The defense ministry of Nagorno-Karabakh says three of its soldiers were killed in a strike by Azerbaijani drones.
The Friday incident raised concerns about the stability of a cease-fire that ended the 2020 war between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the territory. More than 5,500 soldiers were killed in the six-week war that ended with Azerbaijan regaining areas surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh that had been under Armenian control since the end of a separatist war in 1994.
Most of Nagorno-Karabakh itself remains under the control of ethnic Armenian forces, although it is within Azerbaijan. The cease-fire was mediated by Russia, which then sent some 2,000 troops it called peacekeepers to the region.
The ministry did not give details of the attack. Nagorno-Karabakh ombudsman Gegam Stepanian said 14 others were wounded.
16:17,
YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS. During the UN 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women in New York, the Armenian Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Narek Mkrtchyan delivered a speech, presenting the programs for the displaced residents of Artsakh.
Mkrtchyan told ARMENPRESS that he presented the challenges facing the people of Artsakh who were displaced as a result of Azerbaijan’s war of aggression.
“The majority of the more than 90,000 displaced people from Artsakh are women and children, and they have been included in different support programs. I presented the work aimed at overcoming the social crisis. I also spoke about what needs to be done to ensure dignified conditions for them,” Mkrtchyan said.
A significant part of the displaced persons have returned, but many have stayed in Armenia and they require assistance and dignified conditions. Accommodation remains a problem. As long as their housing issue isn’t solved in Artsakh they will stay in Armenia.
The movement of the Azerbaijani army is suspended at the moment, but the adversary has not returned to initial positions
21:26,
YEREVAN, 24 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. The movement of the Azerbaijani armed forces is currently suspended in the territory of Artsakh, but the adversary has not yet returned to its initial positions ARMENPRESS reports the Artsakh Information Headquarters informs that the situation in the direction of Parukh-Khramort settlements of Askeran region is under the control of the Russian peacekeeping troops stationed in the Artsakh Republic.
“As a result of the talks and additional security measures, the movement of the Azerbaijani armed forces is currently suspended in our territory, but the adversary has not yet returned to its initial position,” the statement said.
The Azerbaijani armed forces violated the line of contact in the direction of the village of Parukh in Artsakh’s Askeran region.The government of Artsakh said representatives of the Artsakh Defense Army and the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Artsakh are attempting to prevent through negotiations the further advance of the Azerbaijani troops and return them to their original positions.
As a safety precaution, women and children in the village of Khramort in Askeran region have been evacuated.