Author: Tambiyan Samvel

Phot: AFP

One of Pablo Picasso’s best-known portraits has been sold at auction in New York for $45m, the BBC reports.

Femme Assise, Robe Bleu (Seated Woman in Blue Dress) features one of his many lovers, Dora Maar.

During World War Two, the Nazis seized the painting but were intercepted on their way from Paris to Moravia by French Resistance fighters.

In 2015, Picasso’s Women of Algiers sold for $179m at Christie’s – a record for a picture sold at auction.

Seated Woman went to a US collector and six years ago it was sold for $26m.

Dora Maar and Picasso had an intense relationship for nine years. He painted Seated Woman in 1939, when he was 58 and she was 31.

Asbarez – On Saturday, eight Armenian-American received the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor during an official ceremony at the iconic and historic gateway for hundreds of thousands who were welcomed into the United States by the Statue of Liberty and made America their home.

The National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations, which awards the medals, announced that Varant Frank Melkonian, Dr. Garo M. Tertzakian, Ara Tekian, Joan Agajanian Quinn, Lucine Mardirosian, Harvey, Andy Andranik Madadian, Ruth Bedevian and Kurken Yetvart Berksanlar will receive medals of honor.

From successful businessmen, to a pioneering physician, to artists who enrich our lives through art and music and those who dedicate their lives to the advancement of our community through philanthropy, service to church and our organizations, the eight Armenians represent a cross-section of our ever-expanding reality.

The eight Armenians were joined by such luminaries as  journalist Fareed Zakaria, and former astronaut Buzz Aldrin. An Ellis Island International Medal of Honor was also presented to Malala Yousafzai, the teenager who won the Nobel Peace Prize after being shot in her native Pakistan while fighting for a girl’s right to an education.

According to the NECO website, “the Ellis Island Medals of Honor embody the spirit of America in their celebration of patriotism, tolerance, brotherhood and diversity. They recognize individuals who have made it their mission to share with those less fortunate their wealth of knowledge, indomitable courage, boundless compassion, unique talents and selfless generosity; all while maintaining the traditions of their ethnic heritage as they uphold the ideals and spirit of America. As always, NECO remains dedicated to the maintenance and restoration of America’s greatest symbol of its immigrant history, Ellis Island.”

Past Armenian-American Ellis Island Medal recipient s include, Harry Nadjarian, Mike Sarian, Vahe Karapetian, Elizabeth Aghbabian, Maria Mehranian, Dalida Keuroghlian, Sylva Akaragian and Christopher Atamian among dozens of others.

Chairman of the Central Electoral Committee Tigran Mukuchyan today handed the mandates to the newly elected members of the National Assembly of sixth convocation.

Four forces will be represented in the Pa
rliament. The Republican Party of Armenia will have 58 representatives in the 105-member Parliament, Tsarukyan Alliance will have 31 MPs. Yelk bloc and ARF Dashnaktsutyun will hol d 9 and 7 seats respectively.

President Serzh Sargsyan has offered condolences to his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani over the mine blast that left dozens killed, President’s Press Office reports.

President Sargsyan expressed deep condolences and offered his support to Hassan Rouhani, the friendly people of Iran, wishing strength of spirit to the families of the victims and a speedy recovery to those injured.

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has criticized US President Donald Trump for his statement in commemoration of the Armenian genocide, saying that his words are historically inaccurate and based on a one-sided approach to the event.

“We consider that the misinformation and false definitions contained in U.S. President Trump’s written statement of April 24, 2017 regarding the 1915 events are derived from the information pollution created over the years by some Armenian circles in the U.S. by means of propaganda methods,” the Ministry said in a statement.

“We expect from the new U.S. Administration not to accredit the one-sided historical narrative of these circles which are known for their tendency to violence and hate speech and to adopt an approach which will take into consideration the sufferings of all sides,” it added.

“We would like to remind the U.S. Administration that the Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives during the First World War, were commemorated again this year on April 24 at a ceremony held by the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul, with the respect they deserve. The statement conveyed to this ceremony by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan reflects the approach of Turkey on this issue,” the statement reads.

“Today, we remember and honor the memory of those who suffered during the Meds Yeghern, one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th Century,”  on Monday.

“Beginning in 1915, one and a half million Armenians were deported, massacred or marched to their deaths in the final years of the Ottoman Empire. I join the Armenian community in America and around the world in mourning the loss of innocent lives and the suffering endured by so many,” he stated.

 – Rising Washington Metropolitan Area rapper Marc 2Ray unleashes a visual for his gripping “” single, produced by Grammy Award-nominated producer, Godfather. With the video depicting Marc’s real-life connection to the Armenian Genocide, the powerful imagery and message of ending worldwide strife adds an especially resonant tone to the song.

The Armenian Genocide was the first genocide of the 20th Century, and Marc weaves a connection between that event and the Holocaust along with other global genocides of the past. Prior to the release of the video, “1915” has been used in multiple high school and college settings to educate those about the Armenian Genocide. For over a century, the Turkish government has sought to silence those who bring up the event but Marc 2Ray has found support in moving his vision of educating the masses of the tragedy forward.

“We are proud to support Marc’s innovative approach in spreading the word about the state-sponsored genocide that befell the Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian/Chaldean/Syriac people over a century ago in the Ottoman Turkish Empire,” said ANCA Eastern Region Board Member Armen Sahakyan.

”The release of the song is very timely in raising awareness not only about the three million innocent victims of the first modern case of genocide, but also of what is happening today to the Yezidi, Christian, and other minority groups in the Middle East at the hands of Daesh (the so-called Islamic State or IS). For humanity’s sake, it is crucial in stopping the ongoing vicious cycle of genocide, which begins with the truthful acknowledgment of facts and ends with the service of full justice.”

Marc is a grandson of a Genocide survivor and has spoken in area high schools and given a number of interviews describing his link to a nearly-forgotten page of history.

The video was directed by John Abarca.

Matthew Karanian’s work on behalf of Armenia earned him the annual “Service to Humanity Award” from Bucknell University this week.

Karanian is a lawyer in Pasadena, Calif., and is an alumnus of Bucknell, a liberal arts university in Lewisburg, Penn.

Bucknell grants the award each year to a member of its alumni community “whose selfless and caring work and deeds benefit society and humankind,” according to the press office of the University.

By Karanian’s recollection, he was the only member of his graduating class who was of Armenian descent. “I think I probably introduced Armenia to a lot of people” at Bucknell, he said. “This award is recognition for what I’ve done in Armenia, but it’s also a sign that I created greater awareness of Armenian culture here at home, too.”

Karanian has dedicated a significant part of his career to promoting human rights and developing the rule of law in Armenia, which is the ancestral home of his grandparents. He served for several years as an associate dean and professor of law at the American University of Armenia, and he launched the Armenian Law Review, Armenia’s first English language law review.

Shortly after Armenia had re-established its independence in 1991, he served as an advocate for the interests of the country’s newly formed non-governmental organizations. He had previously worked as a defense attorney in Hartford, Conn., with Halloran and Sage, the state’s largest trial practice.

Karanian is the author of numerous books about Armenia. His most recent publication is .

Karanian’s contributions to the development of cultural relations between the US and Armenia were recently recognized by the Republic of Armenia. He received the nation’s prestigious Arshile Gorky Medal during a ceremony at the Armenian Consulate in Los Angeles on Armenian Independence Day, September 21, 2016.

Karanian graduated from Bucknell with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science. He also holds degrees from Georgetown University Law Center and from McGeorge School of Law. He will accept the award in June at a ceremony on Bucknell’s campus in Pennsylvania.

A Special cover dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Armenia and the People’s Republic of China was cancelled on April 5.

The Special cover represents a unique philatelic product – a thematic cover, which is cancelled with a Special postmark.

The Special cover has been designed with a print run of 1000 pcs. The author of the Special cover’s design is the designer of “HayPost” CJSC Vahagn Mkrtchyan.

The Special cover depicts Etchmiadzin Cathedral and the Temple of Heaven in Beijing designed by the Armenian ornament and Chinese dragon symbolizing Armenia and China respectively. The stamp dedicated to the theme “Armenian national costumes. Yerevan” issued by “HayPost” CJSC in 2014 and the stamp dedicated to ancient towns of China issued by China Post in 2016 are attached on the Special cover.

The participants of the cover signing ceremony were the RA Minister of Transport, Communication and Information technologies Mr. Vahan Martirosyan, the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Edward Nalbandian, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the People’s Republic of China in Armenia Mr. Tian Erlong, President of the Union of Philatelists of the RA Mr. Hovik Musayelyan, “HayPost” CJSC Trust Manager Mr. Juan Pablo Gechidjian.