Author: Khoyetsian Rose

 

The Armenian-populated Nor Kyugh neighborhood of Aleppo came under shelling today, as armed terrorist groups violated the ceasefire after midday, Aleppo-based Kantsasar weekly reports.

An Armenian woman identified as Nuard Furunchian-Assatourian, born in 1955, was killed in the firing, a number of citizens were wounded.

President Serzh Sargsyan, who is in Greece on official visit, met with the representatives of the Armenian structures in Greece. At the beginning of the meeting, the President expressed gratitude for the opportunity to communicate in a warm and sincere atmosphere and informed on the extensive agenda of his official visit to Greece, results of his negotiations with President Prokopis Pavlopoulos, issues under discussion, and answered questions raised by the participants.

Serzh Sargsyan stated with contentment that the centuries-long Armenian-Greek warm relations have not only been preserved, but have entered the stage of the interstate and political ties in which according to the President, the Armenian community has had an important role. “I am living blissful moments each time when our Greek partners speak about the input of the Armenian community to the development of the Greek state, when they speak with special warmth about the diligence, dedication, and organized nature of the Armenians,” said President Sargsyan. Along with the Armenian-Greek relations, the President spoke about the issues on the internal and external agenda of our country which this year celebrates the 25th anniversary of independence, process of Armenia’s advancement, ideas and priorities, the most important issues facing Armenia and Spyurk, current regional and international challenges, numerous events organized as a result Armenia’s and Diaspora’s coordinated efforts and dedicated to the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, including activities aimed at the international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. “Greece is among the countries which was not only among the first to recognize the Armenian Genocide (in 1996) and announce April 24 the official day for commemoration of the victims of the Genocide, but also in 2014 criminalized the denial of the genocides of the Pontiac Greeks and Armenians. We will never forget the invaluable assistance of Greece and the Greek people extended to the Armenians during the Metz Eghern and in consequent years, when boats loaded with the Armenian refugees anchored at the seaport of Piraeus. With the help of Greeks, Armenians settled in Athens, Salonika, Thessaly, on the vast plains of Macedonia and Thrace and elsewhere and received unconditional support and assistance of the Greek authorities. Today too, we are witnessing active participation of the high-level officials of Greece in the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, particularly in the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Genocide. We are watching closely activities carried out by the Armenian community and with this regard I would like to give special thanks to the working group which was coordinating the events dedicated to the anniversary, its supporters, to all structures and individuals for the exceptionally high level of the events. We are fully aware that the centennial was a milestone which gave our struggle a new impetus. We should use this experience and achievements to move the Armenian Cause further in the most organized and synchronized way.

Dear attendees,

We truly have only two lasting values – Armenia and the Armenian nation. Everything else is subordinate to them. Thus, our strategic task is to have a strong and organized Spyurk, and the crucial task for the Spyurk is the preservation of the Armenian identity, in the name of our future generations fight against assimilation and loss of our culture and language. We have to make joint and persistent efforts on this direction, we should develop and call to life the most purposeful and far-reaching programs. I am confident that a strong Fatherland is the primary key for the preservation of the Armenian nation. By amassing the entire potential of our nation, we must build a strong and secure Armenia. Among the critical issues that Armenia and Spyurk face together is assistance to our compatriots who find themselves in a dire situation. Over 17000 of them have relocated to Armenia, and the Fatherland has been striving to support them in every possible way. I am glad that our plea to help the Syrian Armenians was joined by the Armenian communities all over the world, including your community which allowed to considerably alleviate their daily needs, especially in Syria.
Dear Compatriots,

This year our entire nation will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s independence with a great splendor. After the collapse of the Soviet Union we have had ups and downs, accomplishments and losses. Last twenty-five years have been full of difficulties and situations which seemed impassable. We became independent under really complex conditions – on the north the country had been struck by a devastating earthquake, we were in a war which was forced on us, Turkey and Azerbaijan imposed a blockade; in addition, the imperative to carry out fundamental reforms in the political and economic structures positioned us face to face with multiple challenges. But we didn’t give up: we won in the war imposed on us and stepped on the road leading to state building and development. Today, there still exist numerous factors and negative phenomena which hinder our normal advancement, but in this context I would like to mention an important fact: state is an absolute value – we must believe in our statehood and be devoted to it. Statehood, just like our families, needs a day by day care. In our state we represent both the positive and the negative; we cannot ascribe all good things to ourselves and reject the negative, or speak only about shortcomings, disregarding the accomplishments. We are the ones who create our state, each and every one of us, through our endless dedication and all together – through our united and common work.

Despite difficulties, in a quarter of century of our independence, we have had success which makes our progress irreversible. We have formed democratic institutions, civil society, and created vital prerequisites for the development of our economy. In these 25 years, our country became a full member of the international community, bringing its modest contribution to the international peace and security. Thanks to our transparent and consistent foreign policy, we have been able to avoid perilous geopolitical upheavals, establishing mutually beneficial partnership with various forces involved in our region. Nevertheless, state building is an incessant process: democratic institutions and the legal field should be upgraded constantly to bring their best to our citizens and expedite the achievement of our goals. As you know, recently we have introduced the most important changes to the Main Law of Armenia – the Constitution. This process propels us to a qualitatively new level of development which in my deep conviction will greatly promote the creation of the most open, most just and fair society, the most inclusive participation of the political units in addressing problems facing the country and will create the foundation for making the life of our future generations more favorable and more secure. Empowered with the twenty-five years of independence, today we look into the future with a greater confidence; we see and acknowledge our problems and we are making steadfast steps forward,” said President Serzh Sargsyan at the meeting with the representatives of the Armenian structures of Greece.

The 88th Academy Awards paid tribute to  the Kirk Kerkorian, the late three-time owner of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

During the 2016 Oscars, actor and Oscar winner Louis Gossett, Jr. introduced the In Memoriam tribute as Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters performed The Beatles hit “Blackbird.”

Once again, The Oscars took time to honor the many talents we lost during the previous year, the lives they touched and the art they made or made possible.

“There can be no lasting military solution of Nagorno Karabakh,” U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills said in a Facebook chat with reporters on the first anniversary of his mission in Armenia.

“The escalation of tragic violence and rhetoric along the line of contact is a source of deep concern to the U.S. government. The possibility of that escalation triggering even through misjudgment or error along the line of conflict is real in my view. That is why the Minsk Group Co-Chairs have urged both sides to take steps to reduce the level of violence along the line of contact, and to implement mechanisms for monitoring the situation,” Amb. Mills said.

“This was a topic of discussion when the two Presidents met in Bern, Switzerland, in December. The U.S. Co-Chair, Ambassador Warlick, is engaged with the other Co-Chairs in continuing to move the dialogue forward,” he added.

“The Minsk Group co-chairs have raised with both sides the importance of investigative mechanisms along the line of contact and other steps to reduce the level of violence. This was discussed between the two Presidents during their meeting in Bern, in December. It is up to the two leaders to reach agreement on such steps. The Minsk Co-Chairs are facilitating discussions that I hope will lead to agreement,” Richard Mills said.

“Although there are some stark policy differences between the U.S. and Russia, we are still able to find common ground and cooperate on other issues of importance to the international community – most notably on the Iran nuclear issue and within the Minsk Group, where I have seen first-hand the Russian, French, and U.S. co-chairs engage effectively,” the Ambassador said.

On February 1, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with the Ambassadors of the OSCE member-states accredited in Armenia and Andrey Sorokin, Head of the OSCE Office in Yerevan, on the latter’s initiative.

At the meetings the results of the OSCE Ministerial Council held in Belgrade in December, issues concerning the German Chairmanship of the OSCE in 2016, as well as a number of other issues of the OSCE agenda were discussed.

Edward Nalbandian presented the process of peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and outlined the importance of active role of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries. The sides touched upon the results of the meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan held in Bern at the end of last year.

Minister Nalbandian highly commended the activity of the OSCE Office in Yerevan and thanked Andrey Sorokin, Head of the Office, for his productive work.

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Human rights lawyer Amal Clooney has offered to take the case of jailed Azerbaijani journalist Khadija Ismayilova to the European Court of Human Rights, the Azerbaijani Service of Radio Liberty reports.

Ismayilova, an RFE/RL contributor, and her lawyer are said to be considering Clooney’s offer.

Clooney, the wife of Hollywood actor George Clooney, has taken on several prominent cases in recent years in such countries as Egypt, Armenia, and the Maldives, defending people imprisoned on charges often seen by human rights groups as politically motivated.

Ismayilova was sentenced in September 2015 to 7 1/2 years in prison on charges widely viewed as being trumped up in retaliation for her reports linking family members of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to massive business and real estate holdings.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan received today Charles Kupchan, Special Assistant to the U.S. President and National Security Council Senior Director for Europe.

President Sargsyan hailed the reciprocal high-level visits, which, he said, have a positive impact on the development of inter-state relations in all aspects.

Serzh Sargsyan stressed that the Armenian-American ties have been steadily developing ever since the establishment of diplomatic relations. He expressed gratitude to the United States for support to Armenia, which has resulted in achievements in different fields.

President Sargsyan attached importance to the continuous efforts of the US to contribute to Armenia’s economic development, implementation of reforms, advancement of democracy and civil society, as well as establishment of stability in the region.

During the meeting reference was made to the cooperation in the field of security, Armenia-NATO relations, Armenia’s participation in peacekeeping missions, urgent international issues, the situation in the region, negotiations on the settlement of the Karabakh conflict, the perspectives of development of Armenia-EU relations, other issues of reciprocal interest.

Charles Kupchan noted that the United States value Armenia’s commitment to contributing to global peace and security and praised the country’s willingness to contribute to the efforts of NATO and other organizations.

Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbandian will arrive on an official visit to Bulgaria on Friday, January 15 at the invitation of Bulgarian Foreign Minister Daniel Mitov, Focus News Agency reports, quoting the press office of the ministry announced.

The two Foreign Ministers will discuss the bilateral relations and the opportunities for their strengthening, the regional cooperation, the Armenia-EU dialogue and the development of the transport infrastructure.

Minister Mitov and Minister Nalbandian will hold a joint briefing.
In the frames of the visit to Bulgaria Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will also meet with President Rosen Plevneliev and National Assembly Chairperson Tsetska Tsacheva.

Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times

 

Kate Winslet received a Golden Globe Award for her role in “Steve Jobs.”

In Danny Boyle’s “Steve Jobs,” Kate Winslet took everything in stride as Joanna Hoffman, Steve Jobs’ Polish Armenian marketing matriarch at Apple.

She navigated product launches, technological innovation and Jobs’ erratic personality with a cool head. But in real life, backstage at the Golden Globes after accepting her award for supporting actress on Sunday, the British actress was far more emotional.

“I really am so shocked right now, so shocked,” she said. “I never expected it, never, ever. Standing here I keep thinking this is not happening; I honestly, truthfully did not expect this at all – and I am so thrilled,” according to