17:42,
YEREVAN, APRIL 15, ARMENPRESS. Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia Aram I held a meeting with the Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to Lebanon Walid Bukhari in Beirut.
The Catholicosate said that “issues related to the domestic life of Lebanon” were discussed at the meeting.
The Ambassador and the Catholicos touched upon the upcoming parliamentary elections, as well as the Christianity-Islam dialogue and in this context the key role of Aram I.
ArmInfo. No doubt, Azerbaijan prefers to solve the Artsakh problem by settling all the issues at a time by means of another military aggression, Ruben Mehrabyan, an expert for the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs, said in an interview with ArmInfo.
“And we all see Baku is not at all concealing its goals, which can be explained – first of all, due to the proportion of forces between Armenia and Azerbaijan. And we understand that this proportion allows Azerbaijan to have such plans. Another question is the price Azerbaijan and [President Ilham] Aliyev himself could pay for that,” Mr Mehrabyan said.
An attempt to resolve the Artsakh problem by force will turn into a political price for the organizers, while Baku is not at all sure if such a price will be acceptable to them – or what price it will prove to bee at all. In this context, Mr Meharyan thinks that capturing Artsakh could well turn into a political bankruptcy for Aliyev.
“It is clear that Azerbaijan’s life-long ruler does not at all like this prospect. He is perfectly aware that such actions would make him ‘unworthy of handshake’. So all the risks are being reckoned with – and Baku is good at reckoning. So I think they are most likely to refrain from such steps given their unpredictable consequences,” Mr Mehrabyan said.
In this context, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Brussels is an attempt to curb Azerbaijan’s expansionist aspirations. Given the present international situation, the very meeting between Pashinyan and Aliyev is a deterrent. In this respect, Mr Mehrabyan considers Armenia’s diplomatic efforts right.
Armenia’s premier is in Brussels now and is scheduled to hold a meeting with President of the European Council Charles Michel and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. Before leaving for Brussels, Mr Pashinyan announced intentions to discuss issues related to commencement of peace negotiations with Aliyev.
“In fact, Aliyev is rather vulnerable. So he cannot ignore a number of geopolitical factors and international position. Armenia, in turn, has to take advantage of these factors in opposing Azerbaijan to curb its aggression, which is actually being done now. And success depends on effective and consistent steps, as well as on a number of external factors. One thing is certain, Armenia has every chance for it and has just to take it,” Mr Mehrabyan said.
09:51, 7 April, 2022
YEREVAN, APRIL 7, ARMENPRESS. Artsakh Republic President Arayik Harutyunyan addressed a congratulatory message in connection with the Motherhood and Beauty Day, the Presidential Office said.
The address reads:
“Dear women,
Today, the April 7th, stands out in our calendar as Motherhood and Beauty Day, on the occasion of which I want to convey my best wishes and the most cordial words of gratitude to you, our hero Armenian women living in Artsakh, Mother Armenia and the Diaspora.
You deserve all the best, dear mothers, who gave birth and raised heroes, wives, sisters, daughters and beloved girls of the devotees who sacrificed their lives for the Motherland, women who became the support of Armenian men both on the battlefield and in civilian life, their faithful friends and reliable companions-in-arms.
Let me bow to each of you as an appreciation to your nobility, selfless devotion to the Motherland and family. I wish you to be healthy, surrounded by love and warmth, to the extent of your great soul and merit.
May peace and happiness reign in your homes, and in our cherished Homeland!”
The International Armenian Literary Alliance announced the second annual Young Armenian Poets Awards, a contest for emerging Armenian writers between the ages of 14 and 18.
This year’s entrants are asked to consider the following prompt: In “Let’s Build a Bridge,” poet Marine Petrossian writes, “my country is not your country but maybe some of my dreams are your dreams also.” How can poetry serve as a bridge between Armenia and the over five million persons of full or partial Armenian ancestry living outside it today? What kinds of conversations might be necessary between Armenians and the world or across the diaspora itself?
IALA encourages submissions from any young writer who identifies as Armenian, no matter gender identity and _expression_, sexual orientation, disability, creed, national origin, socio-economic class, educational background, personal style/appearance, citizenship and immigration status or political affiliation.
Submissions will be read by IALA board members and judges Gregory Djanikian, Arminé Iknadossian, and Raffi Wartanian. Awards will be granted for the top three poems, which will be published in the online cultural arts magazine h-pem. Deadline for submission is 8:59 p.m. PST on May 31.
“In times of uncertainty, there is nothing more crucial than our poetic lineage to continue with new voices. The future is young,” said IALA board member and poetry chair Arthur Kayzakian.
“Once again, we’re hoping to honor the next generation of Armenian poets with an opportunity to be read and a platform to be recognized for their work,” noted contest director Alan Semerdjian. “Last year’s contest drew submissions from several countries, including the United States and Armenia, and we’d like to see that expand to anywhere and everywhere Armenians live across the globe.”
The winners of our inaugural contest, featured in our IALA Emerging Writers Showcase, can be found here.
The International Armenian Literary Alliance is a nonprofit organization launched in 2021 that supports and celebrates writers by fostering the development and distribution of Armenian literature in the English language. A network of Armenian writers and their champions, IALA gives Armenian writers a voice in the literary world through creative, professional, and scholarly advocacy.
For more information about this year’s contest and submission guidelines, please visit IALA’s website, or contact Alan Semerdjian at [email protected].
Armenia urged Moscow on Monday to remove Azerbaijan’s troops from an area of Nagorno-Karabakh policed by Russian peacekeepers in the latest flare-up of a bitter territorial dispute in Russia’s backyard.
Armenia’s Foreign Ministry rejected Russian claims of a full withdrawal by Azerbaijan troops from a village in Nagorno-Karabakh, a largely Armenian-populated territory that’s recognized internationally as part of Azerbaijan. They also called for an investigation into the actions of Russian peacekeepers.
The Russian Defense Ministry said Sunday that Azeri troops had withdrawn after a recent incursion.
“We consider it important to conduct a proper investigation into the actions of the [Russian] peacekeeping contingent during this entire period of the incursion of Azerbaijani units,” Armenia’s Foreign Ministry said, repeating previous calls.
“We expect Russian peacekeeping forces in Nagorno-Karabakh to take concrete measures to stop the incursion of Azeri units into the peacekeepers’ area of responsibility and the withdrawal of Azeri armed forces,” it added.
Azerbaijan’s Defense Ministry denied withdrawing from the disputed area.
“There have been no changes in the positions of the Azerbaijani army in the village of Farrukh and in the surrounding heights, which are part of the sovereign territory of our country,” it said.
Armenia said that three of its soldiers were killed and 15 wounded in clashes last week. Azerbaijan did not report any casualties.
Ceasefire violations have been common since the two ex-Soviet countries ended a six-week war in 2020 that claimed more than 6,500 lives.
Armenian officials have linked recent clashes to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and pro-government Azeri media seeking to discredit the Russian peacekeeping contingent.
Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) Board President, Kelly Gonez has partnered with the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region’s (ANCA-WR) Education Committee to host a series of webinars for educators and families, focused on effective methods for implementing Armenian Genocide education in classrooms and promoting cross-cultural understanding in the community.
“This series continues our commitment as a school district to ensure that the Armenian Genocide is not only taught but that it is a critical lesson in recognizing cultural heritage and tolerance across lines of difference,” said Board President Kelly Gonez. “This series will provide our educators with resources to meaningfully integrate powerful lessons in our K-12 classrooms. I’m grateful to the ANCA-WR Education Committee for their ongoing partnership.”
“As we get close to the 107th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, opportunities such as these are key to support educators with the most up-to-date educational resources and best practices for integrating the history of the Armenian Genocide effectively across the curriculum,” remarked ANCA-WR Education Committee’s Vice-Chair, Sedda Antekelian. “LAUSD Board President Kelly Gonez and her team are committed to ensuring that educators across the district are trained and supported in this way and that this chapter in Armenian history is covered in the classroom and not forgotten.” she continued.
On March 30, 2022, the first webinar will be hosted for Elementary teachers, where the presenters will introduce teachers to a variety of educational resources that will support the themes of cross-cultural understanding, belonging, and community responsibility through the lens of Armenian culture and history. On the following day, Middle and High School teachers will engage with these themes and will learn about stories of survival and resilience as well as the unique role that the U.S. played in providing humanitarian support during and after the Armenian Genocide.
On April 20, 2022, a webinar will be hosted for families that will focus on how to have meaningful conversations about culture and identity to expand their skills for social-emotional learning and how to be responsible citizens in their community.
14:07, 29 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 29, ARMENPRESS. Human Rights Defender of Armenia Kristinne Grigoryan received today Kathryne Bomberger, the Director-General of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), the Office of the Ombudswoman said.
The meeting was also attended by Armenia’s Ambassador to the Netherlands Tigran Balayan.
During the meeting Kristinne Grigoryan presented the constitutional mandate of the Human Rights Defender and the activity directions of the Office. She told the guests that the Office is enjoying high public trust, which, according to her, is an important guarantee for the effective implementation of her mission.
She presented the activity directions carried out by her Office with the families of missing persons. The Ombudswoman said the protection of rights of the families of missing persons, prisoners of war and civilian captives is under her daily spotlight.
In her turn Kathryne Bomberger thanked for the reception and presented the 25-year-old working experience of the ICMP aimed at helping countries to study the cases of missing persons in the post-war period, providing their families with legal support, as well as creating proper investigative mechanisms and institutional procedures.
The meeting sides highlighted the importance of engagement of families of missing persons into the development process of both the legislation and mechanisms.
Summing up the meeting, the sides agreed over concrete directions of future cooperation.
11:05, 30 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS. Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency (Rosaviatsiya) has confirmed the extension of the regime of temporary restrictions on the operation of airports in southern and central Russia until April 7, TASS reports citing the agency.
“Until April 7, 2022, 03:45 Moscow time, the regime of temporary restrictions on the operation of airports has been extended in Anapa, Belgorod, Bryansk, Voronezh, Gelendzhik, Krasnodar, Kursk, Lipetsk, Rostov-on-Don, Simferopol, Elista,” the message said.
The Federal Air Transport Agency has recommended airlines to use alternative routes through the airports of Sochi, Volgograd, Mineralnye Vody, Stavropol and Moscow to transport passengers to closed airports.
According to the agency, the other Russia’s airports, including international ones, operate in a routine mode.
The airspace in Russia’s south was closed on February 24.
15:28, 30 March, 2022
YEREVAN, MARCH 30, ARMENPRESS. Representative of the RA Human Rights Defender, Ms. Anna Karapetyan participated in the OSCE Supplementary Human Dimension Meeting I entitled “International co-operation to address violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law”, which took place in March 28-29, 2022, in Vienna, the Ombudsperson’s Office said in a press release.
Issues related to the requirements and application of international humanitarian law and human rights law were discussed during the meeting, focusing on the situation of the civilian population in conflict zones and the impact of the conflict on them; best practice in documenting and investigating human rights and international humanitarian law violations, including issues related to digital technologies supporting national human rights institutions.
During the meeting, the representative of the Office of the Human Rights Defender made a speech, referring to the human rights and international humanitarian law violations by Azerbaijan during the Artsakh war, as well as the humanitarian crisis in Artsakh as a result of the war.
The representative of the Office of the Human Rights Defender presented the violations of international humanitarian law against the border population of the Republic of Armenia by the Azerbaijani side, the human rights violations and the torture of prisoners of war by the Azerbaijani authorities, referring to the facts presented in the ad hoc reports of the Human Rights Defender.
In particular, the fact that the presence of the Azerbaijani armed forces has posed serious humanitarian problems to the border residents of Armenia was mentioned in the speech. Due to the behavior of the Azerbaijani authorities, which violate all well-known norms of international law, people in Artsakh have been deprived of gas supply for weeks, which disturbs the implementation of the latter’s right to health, education, work, and other fundamental rights. The recent aggressive acts of Azerbaijan have caused not only social but also serious security issues.
The representative of the Office of the Human Rights Defender made a particular reference to the urgency of the need to return the prisoners of war and civilian captives still held in Azerbaijan.
During the speech, the criminal behavior of Azerbaijan was strongly condemned, and a call was made to national human rights institutions and international organizations to act to stop the genocidal policy against Azerbaijan. In their speech, the representative of the Office of the Human Rights Defender emphasized the importance of securing the presence of international organizations in conflict zones, both during and in the post-conflict periods, as a mechanism of guaranteeing and protecting the rights of the civilian population.