Author: Karapet Navasardian

Tribute to the memory of heroes that fell for peace

Karapet Navasardian
Panorama, Armenia
May 9 2019
 
 
Tribute to the memory of heroes that fell for peace
2019-05-09 13:08:30
 
President Armen Sarkissian, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, high-ranking officials and servicemen, war veterans, diplomats accredited to Armenia visited the Victory Park in Yerevan today.
 
They laid flowers at the memorial to the Unknown Soldier and paid tribute to the memory of the heroes who sacrificed their lives for the protection of the homeland and peace.  
 
Talking to reporters, President Sarkissian said “our victories are special, because those are our national victories.”
 
“If we go one hundred years back and refer to Sardarabad, Bash Aparan, the victories that preceded the First World War, well see that we will see that these are national victories, because not only the Armenian army, but also the whole nation was fighting,” the President said.
 
“The same was true for the Second World War, the Artsakh War and the April War,” Armen Sarkissian stated.
 
“At times of danger, our people unite, making victory a target. And this is a very important fact,” President Sarkissian stated.

El Ayuntamiento de Soria reconoce y condena el genocidio armenio

Karapet Navasardian
La Vanguardia, España
9 mayo 2019


 
Redacción

09/05/2019 11:47

Soria, 9 may (EFE).- El Ayuntamiento de Soria ha aprobado este jueves una declaración institucional, en el último pleno de la legislatura, que reconoce oficialmente el genocidio armenio y condena los crímenes contra la Humanidad que se cometieron entre 1915 y 1921.

La declaración institucional, leída por el alcalde de Soria, Carlos Martínez,, será trasladada a la asociación Ararat, al presidente del Gobierno, al ministro de Asuntos Exteriores, los grupos políticos del Congreso de los Diputados y de las Cortes regionales y la embajada de Armenia en España.

El pleno del Ayuntamiento de Soria ha aprobado esta declaración institucional cuando se cumple este año el 101 aniversario del genocidio armenio, considerado el primer genocidio del siglo XX.

“Entre los años 1915 y 1921 tuvieron lugar un conjunto de masacres y deportaciones de la población armenia del actual territorio de Turquía, especialmente durante el régimen de los jóvenes turcos, en que murieron 1.500.000 armenios y otros 2.000.000 tuvieron que abandonar sus lugares y expandirse por todo el mundo, formando la gran diáspora armenia”, señala la declaración.

Las masacres se caracterizaron por su brutalidad y la utilización de marchas forzadas con deportaciones en condiciones extremas, que generalmente llevaban a la muerte a muchos de los deportados.

El genocidio armenio ha sido reconocido por países como Argentina, Bélgica, Canadá y Francia, cuarenta y cuatro estados de los Estados Unidos y tres comunidades autónomas españolas (País Vasco, Cataluña y Canarias).EFE

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https://www.lavanguardia.com/politica/20190509/462135207946/el-ayuntamiento-de-soria-reconoce-y-condena-el-genocidio-armenio.html

US Official Admits: Baghdad Saved by General Soleimani

Karapet Navasardian
FARS News Agency, Iran
Saturday
US Official Admits: Baghdad Saved by General Soleimani
 
 
TEHRAN (FNA)- Former Italian Ambassador to Iraq Marco Carnelos said that he been told by American troops during his time of service in Iraq that Baghdad would have fallen to terrorists had it not been for Iran’s measures under Commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Major General Qassem Soleimani.
 
“I had some personal meetings with American officials and they admitted during the meetings that had it not been for Iran’s immediate meddling in Iraq in 2014, Baghdad and Erbil would have fallen to the ISIL,” Carnelos, who also served as an advisor to Italy’s prime minister on Western Asia and North Africa, told an Iranian daily, Farhikhtegan.
 
He added that, based on his experience in Iraq, it was always Americans who were seeking to meet with Iranians and their requests were always declined by the Iranian side.
 
“I should admit that the US troops deployed in Iraq have a deep understanding of General Soleimani. They praise his capabilities. Through the Quds Force, Iran has managed to impede the American military’s progress in the Middle East. The American forces have no choice but to accept the general as a key military figure in the region,” highlighted the Italian diplomat.
 
Early in March, Foreign Policy’s 10th annual special edition of Global Thinkers named Soleimani as the world’s best strategist in the field of defense and security.
 
It placed General Soleimani on top of the list of the most influential people in the defense and security sector, followed by German Defense Minister Ursula von der Leyen.
 
The magazine wrote, “Qassem Soleimani has led Iran’s military efforts for two decades now, but his role has never been larger than it is today. Soleimani’s fingerprints are everywhere that Iran is active.”
 
He has also become the public face of Iran’s response to the US President Donald Trump’s threats. “We are near you, where you can’t even imagine,” General Soleimani warned in July 2018. “We are ready.”
 
Earlier in mid-September, Armenian member of the Iranian Parliament Karen Khanlari lauded General Soleimani for his efforts in fighting against the terrorist groups and saving the lives of the Armenian and Assyrian people in Syria.
 
“I should thank General Qassem Soleimeni and other military forces who are present in Syria at the demand of the country’s government to establish security. They could keep away the Syrian Armenians and Assyrians in many conditions from massacre and serious harms,” Khanlari said.
 
He added that the Armenians mostly live in Aleppo region in Syria which was occupied by the ISIL and al-Nusra Front (Tahrir al-Sham Hay’at or the Levant Liberation Board) and they were under high pressures and many of them were killed by the terrorists, noting that in several cases, the Iranian military advisors in Syria have saved them from the danger of death posed by the terrorists.

Sports: Coach hails Armenian weightlifters’ performances at European C’ship as ‘brilliant’

Karapet Navasardian
Panorama, Armenia

The second coach of the Armenian weightlifting team, Vigen Khachatryan has hailed the performances of the Armenian sportsmen at the European Championships taking place in Batumi, Georgia as ‘brilliant’. 

The Armenian men’s team has won two medals in the 89 kg weight class in the championship. In particular, Hakob Mkrtchyan lifted a total of 371 kg to win the gold medal and set a new European record, while Davit Hovhannisyan took the bronze with a combined total of 360 kg.

The coach stressed the Armenian weightlifters performed better than they could. “Our athletes showed their high class,” he was quoted as saying by the National Olympic Committee.

“Good trainings were followed by successful performances, especially that of Davit Hovhannisyan. Davit achieved new results, while the 207 kg result recorded by Hakob Mkrtchyan in the clean and jerk event was excellent. I assess the performances of our weightlifters as brilliant,” he said. 

Genocidio degli Armeni, il ricordo a Brancaleone

Karapet Navasardian
NTA calabria, Italia
11 aprile 2019


Maristella Costarella
Brancaleone ricorda il genocidio degli Armeni perpetrato dagli Ottomani nel 1915. Appuntamento fissato per il prossimo 25 aprile nel borgo antico.

Il 25 Aprile a Brancaleone Vetus si terrà un evento molto atteso.

Anche quest’anno – fa sapere Carmine Verduci, presidente della Pro Loco di Brancaleone – la nostra associazione, con il Patrocinio Morale dell’Ambasciata della Repubblica di Armenia; e dell’Amministrazione Comunale di Brancaleone ha organizzato l’importante giornata del ricordo per il popolo Armeno. L’evento si terrà presso una delle sedi più antiche e caratterizzate dalla presenza di popoli che hanno lasciato a noi e in tutto il territorio segni tangibili del loro passaggio. Si celebrerà a Brancaleone Vetus alla presenza di autorevoli personalità; accompagnati da delegazione Armena per condividere un momento di riflessione molto intimo.

Finalmente – continua Verduci – giunge anche la notizia che tanto aspettavamo! Il Governo Italiano ha riconosciuto in maniera ufficiale il genocidio degli Armeni ad opera dei turchi. E questo è un grandissimo onore per noi. Aver contribuito a questo processo culturale e morale che da anni, e grazie all’opera del più grande studioso degli Armeni in Calabria come Sebastiano Stranges (Socio Onorario della nostra Associazione); ha portato la nostra comunità alla riscoperta delle nostre antiche origini interessate dal passaggio e lascito di cultura; toponimi e DNA Armeno che pochi conoscono. Ma che sono tracce inequivocabili del loro passaggio.

Il nostro è stato un percorso lungo che in questi anni è molto maturato, realizzando uno degli eventi unici in Calabria che sta avendo forti risonanze mediatiche in tutta Italia e nel mondo.
La giornata del 25 Aprile sarà quest’anno commemorata con un momento molto importante sulla storia e sui fatti riguardanti il Genocidio degli Armeni perpetrato dagli Ottomani nel 1915. La relazione sarà a cura di Sebastiano Stranges.
Successivamente ci sarà la benedizione del pane tipico Armeno “Lavash” che dopo benedetto sarà distribuito ai presenti in segno di amicizia e nel ricordo dei Martiri Armeni.

Una processione guiderà i presenti sul sito dell’antica chiesa Protopapale dell’Annunziata (punto più alto del borgo antico di Brancaleone). Qui sarà quindi acceso un fuoco simbolico ed osservato un minuto di silenzio per le vittime di questo olocausto. Non mancherà dopo la visita alla Grotta dell’Albero della vita “simbolo storico ed archeologico del passaggio degli Armeni a Brancaleone”.

L’evento sarà regolato nel traffico, per cui abbiamo ritenuto opportuno mettere a disposizione una navetta che dalla frazione di Razzà raggiungerà il borgo (è previsto un contributo di 3€ per il servizio) di andata e di ritorno.

 

http://www.ntacalabria.it/area-grecanica/genocidio-degli-armeni-il-ricordo-a-brancaleone.html


Dangerous games in the Transcaucasus endanger stability

Karapet Navasardian
Res news agency, South Ossetia
April 4 2019
Dangerous games in the Transcaucasuss endanger stability
by Inal Pliyev
[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Russian]
Talk about military friendship between Georgia, Azerbaijan and Turkey began back in the 1990s. In 1997, the GUUAM military and political alliance with the participation of Georgia, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Moldova was set up as a counter to Russia. In 2005, Uzbekistan quit the organisation and its name lost one letter U.

GUAM highlights

At a concrete stage, GUAM also considered the possibility to form its own peacekeeping battalion. However, as former Moldovan President [Vladimir] Voronin put it, he blocked the initiative. For the last time, the GUAM summit was held in Kiev in 2017. No information has been reported about discussions on military issues. The only information reported is about discussions on peaceful issues: Full-scale organisation of an agreement on free trade, a transport corridor within the GUAM frameworks, and so forth.

As you can see, Moldova is in no hurry to scale up military cooperation within the GUAM frameworks. As for Ukraine, for obvious reasons, it cannot act as a sponsor of the military cooperation with remaining Georgia and Azerbaijan. Against this background, the latter are actively seeking ways of military alliance with Turkey.

Tripartite ministerial format created

In May 2017, Georgian expert in security issues Vakhtang Maisaia said in his interview to radio Sputnik that forming an alliance between Georgia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan on the basis of a tripartite ministerial was not ruled out and that the given format was oriented on ensuring energy security and other issues of military and economic character. Several days prior to this, the fifth tripartite ministerial was held in Batumi at the level of Georgian, Turkish, and Azerbaijani defence ministers. After the meeting, Georgian Defence Minister Levan Izoria, his Turkish counterpart Fikri Isik and Azerbaijani Defence minister Zakir Hasanov signed a joint statement, which said that the sides were going to continue participating in safeguarding peace and stability at the regional and international levels. In the same year, heads of the general staffs of the armed forces of Georgia, Turkey, and Azerbaijan got together in Tbilisi within the frameworks of the same format.

On 31 March 2018, the sixth meeting between the defence ministers of these countries was held in the Turkish city of Giresun. On the same occasion, it was said that relations between Turkey, Georgia, and Azerbaijan had intensified in the defence sphere since 2012, when a foundation was laid for a ministerial in a tripartite format at the level of the heads of the defence agencies.

In November 2018 too, Azerbaijani Defence Minister Col-Gen Zakir Hasanov, Turkish Army Chief of General Staff Yasar Guler and Georgian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Maj-Gen Vladimer Chachibaia held the next meeting in Baku.

After the meeting, Hasanov said that the meeting was organised at the instruction of the leaders of the three fraternal countries: “At the meeting, we discussed the military and political situation in the region. This was aimed to sustain the strategic projects of the three fraternal countries, which are being implemented in the region, as well as to maintain peace and stability.”

As he put it, at the meeting, they discussed the work, which had been carried out by the working group over the past several years. Apart from this, they also approved the working plan for 2019.

As Hasanov put it, at the tripartite meeting, they once again confirmed their adherence to the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the states. “At the meeting, a decision was taken to increase cooperation in the military, military and educational, and military and medical spheres,” [he said].

Ministerials have become traditional and they are held in turns in each of the three countries. The issues, which are predominantly discussed there, are enhancing cooperation in the military sphere between the three countries and ensuring stability and security in the region.

We can see that there are quite intensive contacts between the defence agencies of the three countries. Needless to say that Turkey is going to play the leading role in the alliance. Georgian expert Irakli Japaridze holds the same opinion. In one of his articles, he wrote: “Secretly or explicitly, Turkey is sure to preserve its leading and unequal role in the coalition, as it outstrips our Georgia and Azerbaijan in economic, military, and political terms, making no secret of its expansionistic ambitions, at the same time.”

Georgia’s alliance with Azerbaijan, Turkey to lead to crisis in relations with Armenia

According to a number of serious Georgian experts, including Irakli Japaridze, the strengthening of the military alliance between Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey is sure to lead to a crisis in relations between Georgia and Armenia. “If Ankara is ready to show support for Baku in the conflict over [Azerbaijan’s breakaway Nagorno-]Karabakh, Georgia, which has close economic contacts with Armenia, is not year ready to sacrifice this to ensuring the integrity of the tripartite format,” the pundit is certain.

He also warned that “if military coalition between Georgia and Turkey becomes stronger, the danger of Georgia-based Kurds’ and Yezidis’ engagement in ‘retaliatory acts’ on our territory, i.e. Georgian territory, will increase.

Strengthening of alliance ‘direct threat’ to Armenia, South Ossetia, Abkhazia

There arises a question: What do the three countries, which often fought against each other in the distant past, have in common?

Each of them wants to retain or return the territories, which they got hold of by foul means in the distant past. However, as we can see from the aforementioned quotation from Hasanov, they are veiling their predatory ambitions with the words such as “adherence to territorial integrity”, “sovereign states”, and so forth.

It is clear that this is only a euphemism for the seizure of [Georgia’s breakaway] South Ossetia, Nagorno-Karabakh and [Georgia’s other breakaway region of] Abkhazia. However, Armenia is going to defend Nagorno-Karabakh. To seize Nagorno-Karabakh, one has to smash up Armenia. Therefore, it is not difficult to realise that the strengthening of the alliance between Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Turkey and the emergence of a military and political constituent as a counter to the [Russian-led] CSTO [Collective Security Treaty Organisation], which Armenia is a member of, is a direct threat to Armenia, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia.

Asbarez: Schiff, Bilirakis Introduce Armenian Genocide Resolution

Karapet Navasardian
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Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) introduced a new Armenian Genocide Resolution

New Armenian Genocide Resolution Locks-In Official Recognition, Rejects Turkey’s Denial, Encourages Public Education. Representatives Schiff and Bilirakis joined by over 70 U.S. House Colleagues in Launching New ANCA-Backed Bipartisan Resolution

WASHINGTON—On the eve of the Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide Observance, Congressmen Adam Schiff (D-CA) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) on Monday were joined by more than 70 of their U.S. House colleagues in introducing a new Armenian Genocide Resolution aimed at establishing, as a matter of U.S. policy, 1) the rejection of Armenian Genocide denial, 2) ongoing official U.S. government recognition and remembrance of this crime, and 3) the importance of education about the Armenian Genocide in preventing modern-day atrocities, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“All who oppose genocide welcome today’s launch of legislation locking-in U.S. recognition of the Armenian Genocide and – once and for all – locking-out Turkish denials of this crime,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “This bipartisan measure – spearheaded by Representatives Adam Schiff and Gus Bilirakis – also permanently locks down – as official U.S. policy – that future generations should be educated about the facts of this crime, America’s noble relief efforts for its victims, and – most urgently – the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.”

Rep. Schiff highlighted the genocide prevention role of the legislation. “Over 100 years ago, the Ottoman Empire undertook a brutal campaign of murder, rape, and displacement against the Armenian people that took the lives of 1.5 million men, women, and children in the first genocide of the 20th century,” said Rep. Schiff. “Genocide is not a relic of the past, but an ever present threat. Its denial is not only a continuing injury to the survivors, but makes its repetition against another people more likely. It is therefore all the more pressing that the Congress recognize the historical fact of the Armenian Genocide and make clear that we will never be an accomplice to denial.”

New Armenian Genocide resolution locks-in official recognition, rejects Turkey’s denial, encourages public education.

Republican lead sponsor Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), explained, “Genocide must not be denied. It must be acknowledged for what it is—a scourge on humanity. Official recognition of the Armenian Genocide would represent a courageous new chapter in American foreign policy. With the bold leadership of the current Administration, it is time for the United States to take a stand against Turkish genocide denial.”

Joining Representatives Schiff and Bilirakis as original cosponsors of the measure are Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Appropriations Committee Chair Nita Lowey (D-NY), Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Ethics Committee Chair Ted Deutch (D-FL), Natural Resources Committee Chair Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Mark Takano (D-CA), Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal (D-MA), House Select Committee on Intelligence Ranking Republican Devin Nunes (R-CA), Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission Co-Chairs Jim McGovern (D-MA) and Chris Smith (R-NJ), and Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Salud Carbajal (D-CA), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Judy Chu (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Gil Cisneros (D-CA), Katherine Clark (D-MA), Lou Correa (D-CA), Jim Costa (D-CA), Joe Courtney (D-CT), TJ Cox (D-CA), Dan Crenshaw (R-TX), Diana DeGette (D-CO), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), John Garamendi (D-CA), Jimmy Gomez (D-CA), Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ), Josh Harder (D-CA), Kevin Hern (R-OK), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Peter King (R-NY), Steve King (R-IA), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), James Langevin (D-RI), Brenda Lawrence (D-MI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Debbie Lesko (R-AZ), Andy Levin (D-MI), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Daniel Lipinski (D-IL), Alan Lowenthal (D-CA), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Grace Meng (D-NY), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Chris Pappas (D-NH), Edwin Perlmutter (D-CO), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Kathleen Rice (D-NY), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Janice Schakowsky (D-IL), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Albio Sires (D-NJ), Ross Spano (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Tom Suozzi (D-NY), Dina Titus (D-NV), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Lori Trahan (D-MA), Juan Vargas (D-CA), and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL).

Additional original cosponsors may be added before the end of the day and will be updated on the ANCA website at: st1yle=”margin:0px 0px 10px”>In a “Dear Colleague” letter sent to U.S. Representatives by Congressmen Schiff and Bilirakis in early April, Congressmen Schiff and Bilirakis took on Ankara’s anticipated opposition to an honest U.S. remembrance of the Armenian Genocide head-on, writing: “Let us be direct. Genocide recognition is opposed by a single entity: The government of Turkey. For decades, Turkey has deployed threats and an intense campaign of lobbying to intimidate the Congress from recognizing the genocide carried out by the Ottoman Empire.” They went on to argue that: “Turkey’s denial of the Armenian Genocide is also a source of continued regional tension, undermining the foundations of a durable peace that would be in the best interests of the United States and our national security. Official recognition of the Armenian Genocide can help open a new chapter in United States foreign policy. It is time for the United States to take a stand for the truth, and against genocide denial.”

The Armenian Genocide Resolution notes that the U.S. has, as early as 1951, officially recognized the Armenian Genocide through a filing with the International Court of Justice, followed by House legislation adopted in 1975, and 1984 and President Ronald Reagan’s Proclamation in 1984.

The resolution resolves that it is the policy of the United States to:

1. Commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance;
2. Reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the U.S. Government with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide; and
3. Encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the U.S. role in the humanitarian relief effort, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.

The full Text of the Resolution is provided below.

Armenian Genocide Resolution Text – 116th Congress

116TH CONGRESS
1ST SESSION
H.RES. ___

Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide.
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Mr. SCHIFF submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the
Committee on__________

RESOLUTION

Affirming the United States record on the Armenian Genocide.

Whereas the United States has a proud history of recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide, the killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire from 1915 to 1923, and providing relief to the survivors of the campaign of genocide against Armenians, Greeks, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Arameans, Maronites, and other Christians;

Whereas the Honorable Henry Morgenthau, United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire from 1913 to 1916, organized and led protests by officials of many countries against what he described as the empire’s ‘‘campaign of race extermination’’, and was instructed on July 16, 1915, by United States Secretary of State Robert Lansing that the ‘‘Department approves your procedure . . . to stop Armenian persecution’’;

Whereas President Woodrow Wilson encouraged the formation of the Near East Relief, chartered by an Act of Congress, which raised $116,000,000 (over $2,500,000,000 in 2019 dollars) between 1915 and 1930, and the Senate adopted resolutions condemning these massacres;

Whereas Raphael Lemkin, who coined the term ‘‘genocide’’ in 1944, and who was the earliest proponent of the United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide, invoked the Armenian case as a definitive example of genocide in the 20th century;

Whereas as displayed in the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Adolf Hitler, on ordering his military commanders to attack Poland without provocation in 1939, dismissed objections by saying ‘‘[w]ho, after all, speaks today of the annihilation of the Armenians?’’, setting the stage for the Holocaust;

Whereas the United States has officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, through the United States Government’s May 28, 1951, written statement to the International Court of Justice regarding the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, through President Ronald Reagan’s Proclamation No. 4838 on April 22, 1981, and by House Joint Resolution 148, adopted on April 8, 1975, and House Joint Resolution 247, adopted on September 10, 1984; and

Whereas the Elie Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act of 2018 (Public Law 115–441) establishes that atrocities prevention represents a United States national interest, and affirms that it is the policy of the United States to pursue a United States Government-wide strategy to identify, prevent, and respond to the risk of atrocities by ‘‘strengthening diplomatic response and the effective use of foreign assistance to support appropriate transitional justice measures, including criminal accountability, for past atrocities’’: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that it is the policy of the United States to—

(1) commemorate the Armenian Genocide through official recognition and remembrance;

(2) reject efforts to enlist, engage, or otherwise associate the United States Government with denial of the Armenian Genocide or any other genocide; and

(3) encourage education and public understanding of the facts of the Armenian Genocide, including the United States role in the humanitarian relief effort, and the relevance of the Armenian Genocide to modern-day crimes against humanity.

A criminal case has been initiated against Samvel Aleksanyan

Karapet Navasardian
  • 02.04.2019

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A criminal case was initiated in the RA police based on the statement by former NA deputy Samvel Aleksanyan about the kidnapping of TV commentator Hamlet Ghushchyan. This was reported by the Police Information Department in response to the written inquiry of “Pastinfo”.


The case was initiated on March 29, 2019, under Article 38-131, Part 1, and Article 131, Part 2, Clauses 1, 2, and 3 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, that is, the kidnapping of a person by a group of persons with prior consent using weapons or objects used as weapons, which was accompanied by the use or threat of violence dangerous to life or health.


The case was sent to RA Investigative Committee for preliminary investigation.


Let’s remind that Ghushchyan stated in a conversation with Hraparak.am that Samvel Aleksanyan, a former deputy of the Armenian National Assembly, businessman, kidnapped him and held the gun to his forehead. “Who is that scum to beat me? They just stole me, kidnapped me, took me away at night and put a gun to my head and said, ‘You will tell us what we tell you.’ I’ve been through all of them, I’ve looked death in the eyes, I’ve said: fire, do what you brought to the fire, because then God will punish you, if none of them punish you,” Hamlet Ghushchyan said.


On March 4, the prosecutor’s office announced that the media publications regarding Hamlet Ghushchyan’s statements were sent to the Main Department of Criminal Investigation of the RA Police with the task of verifying the circumstances presented in them.

Sports: 9 freestyle wrestlers to represent Armenia in European C’ship

Karapet Navasardian
MediaMax, Armenia
April 1 2019
 
 
9 freestyle wrestlers to represent Armenia in European C’ship
 
 
 
Armenia will be represented by 9 freestyle wrestlers in the European Championship.
 
Head coach of the national team Habetnak Kurghinyan has revealed the names of the athletes who will compete in Bucharest on April 8.
 
They are: Vaghinak Matevosyan (57kg), Arsen Harutyunyan (61kg), Vazgen Tevanyan (65kg), Davit Safaryan (70kg), Varuzhan Kajoyan (74kg), Grigor Grigoryan (79kg), Hovhannes Mkhitaryan (86kg), Sargis Hovsepyan (97kg) and Andranik Galstyan (125kg).
 
 

Armenian Defense Ministry confirmed information about riot in Megri regiment

Karapet Navasardian
Arminfo, Armenia
Tatevik Shahunyan

ArmInfo. Artsrun Hovhannisyan, spokesman for the Armenian Ministry of Defense, commented on information about the rebellion in the Megrian regiment of the  Armenian Armed Forces on his page on Facebook.

Hovhannisyan, in fact, confirmed the information leaked to the media.  According to him, some servicemen of the regiment attempted to  violate the charter, establish their own rules, and act willfully. As  Hovhannisyan explained, these servicemen refused to eat the food  provided by the menu, refused to wear a uniform. The officers,  according to the spokesman, tried to maintain order, which caused  resentment of rebellious military personnel. 

“They provoked other regimental servicemen, as a result of which a  riot was organized,” Hovhannisyan wrote.At the same time, he  emphasized that all violators of the military charter would be  severely punished.  Moreover, as Hovhannisyan explained, both guilty  soldiers and officers will be punished. “Some officers were fired,”  he noted.Hovhannisyan especially stressed that all those who encroach  upon the order and the combat capability of the Armed Forces will be  severely punished. “Such manifestations are inadmissible,” the  Defense Ministry spokesman summed up.