16:50,
YEREVAN, MAY 12, ARMENPRESS. The meeting of Foreign Minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov took place in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, the Armenian foreign ministry said.
The Armenian FM visited Dushanbe to participate in the sitting of the CIS Council of Foreign Ministers.
The meeting of Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan is scheduled in Dushanbe.
Minister Mirzoyan will also hold meetings with CIS partners.
10:57, 3 May, 2022
YEREVAN, MAY 3, ARMENPRESS. 70 protesters were detained by police in Yerevan as of 10:00, police said in a statement.
Police said the protesters are detained for failure to obey a lawful order.
Opposition protesters demanding the resignation of the Pashinyan administration were marching in central Yerevan and blocking streets early Tuesday morning in what they describe as civil disobedience actions.
BREAKING:
14:14, 4 May, 2022
YEREVAN, MAY 4, ARMENPRESS. The National Security Service (NSS) of Armenia said it obtained reliable intelligence that the organizers of the demonstrations in Yerevan are planning to attempt to seize the parliament building.
“Dear compatriots, reliable operative information was received by the National Security Service that the organizers of the rally in Yerevan are planning to instigate unlawful actions through provocations during today’s parliament sitting and incite the demonstrators to seize the parliament building and force to make any action, thus destabilizing internal security of the country, disrupting public order and safety.
The National Security Service is strongly warning the organizers and participants of the rally to refrain from making illegal actions, otherwise the organizers of such actions will bear the full responsibility.
The National Security Service is calling on all law-abiding citizens to not give in to provocations, refrain from committing illegal actions or otherwise share the entire burden of criminal responsibility,” the NSS said.
After the NSS released the statement, the police also issued a similar statement, warning that it has also obtained information that the demonstrators could try to seize the parliament building today.
On May 1, a large opposition rally took place in Yerevan’s France Square and was attended by representatives of both the Armenia Alliance and I have Honor parliamentary blocs, as well as other groups. The protesters are demanding the resignation of Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan for his handling of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and its aftermath.
Credits: Ruptly
14:03, 2 May, 2022
YEREVAN, MAY 2, ARMENPRESS. Rosa Linn, Armenia’s representative for Eurovision Song Contest 2022, rehearsed her song Snap for the first time at the PalaOlimpico in Turin, Italy, Armenpress reports citing the official website of Eurovision Song Contest.
The 21-year-old singer was born in Vanadzor. She is composer and producer.
“My songs are a journey to my inner world, my soul and my feelings. Music is home. I never give up on music. Even the worst days can become the best melodies and lyrics”, the singer once said.
The Eurovision 2022 will take place in Turin. The first semifinal will be held on May 10, the second one on May 12, and the final is scheduled on May 14.
Construction of the Ajapnyak metro station is about to start, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said at the government sitting today.
A tender for the design of the station was announced, and the winner has been selected, he said.
“Today we are discussing the issue of financing to have the project of Ajapnyak metro station worked out, which will mean that we are already entering the construction stage,” Pashinyan said.
Yerevan Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan noted that in 2021 a contract had already been signed with the design company. According to the mayor, the project will be implemented in 510 days, or maybe sooner.
Admittedly, I didn’t have a great understanding of the Armenian genocide on my first visit to Armenia in January of this year. Since then, I’ve educated myself about the mass killing of Armenians.
“On 24 April 1915, the Ottoman authorities arrested and deported hundreds of Armenian intellectuals and leaders from Constantinople. At the orders of Talaat Pasha, an estimated 800,000 to 1.2 million Armenians were sent on death marches to the Syrian Desert in 1915 and 1916. Driven forward by paramilitary escorts, the deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to robbery, rape, and massacres.” – Wikipedia
Final estimates range from 600,000 to 1.5 million Armenians perished during the death march and subsequent acts (like starvation) at the hands of the Ottoman empire according to Genocide studies.
The country declared April 24 as a day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide and public holiday.
In Yerevan, thousands of Armenian people and visitors like myself, make the long walk from the city to the Memorial sitting high atop the city. Depending on the time of day and origination point, the walk can vary from about three to seven miles. Mine started at the base of the Armenian Brandy Museum.
I started my walk at nearly 9 pm and as such, I had the longer march to the top. My initial cursory understanding was that the roads were closed due to crowds, some 200,000 are expected in a city of approximately a million people. However, with understanding, it’s not just a practical measure but also one that reflects the death march walked by the victims of the Armenian genocide.
Note: There are some shuttles for those who prefer to participate but would be challenged by the walk. It’s not limited to the handicapped, but despite constant shuttle trips, each one was full to the brim. If you’re able to walk the distance, it’s recommended to leave space for those who might not be able to do so.
The walk does include segments along a highway and while the road was closed, vehicles were permitted to drive it sparsely, though they do drive fast. Participants should be aware of this.
The memorial rests behind the Sport and Concert complex. Massive steps lead up to the memorial, though they are used only for departures on April 24th. It’s built in the town of Tsitsernakaberd and is sometimes called simply that, though English searches (especially on google maps) are just as likely to return results for the Armenian Genocide Memorial.
Behind the Sport and Concert complex, guests are first greeted by a sign demonstrating the countries that recognize the Armenian genocide. One of the latest to recognize was the United States as officially announced by President Biden in 2021. The state of California, home to many in the Armenian community diaspora, had recognized it in 1997.
“The 44-meter stele symbolizes the national rebirth of Armenians. Twelve slabs are positioned in a circle, representing the twelve lost provinces in present-day Turkey. In the center of the circle, at a depth of 1.5 meters, there is an eternal flame dedicated to the 1.5 million people killed during the Armenian genocide.” – Wikipedia
An immense amount of wreaths and flowers are laid at the stele outside the walls. Inside, around the eternal flame, visitors place their own flowers in even more astonishing numbers. It’s a rather powerful and moving scene. The group inside, the flame flickering against the walls to represent the 12 provinces of Turkey from which Armenians were expelled and ultimately died, gives the impression of an indoor gathering. On a perfect, clear night, the stars and the 100-foot spire outside were visible but all but forgotten by those laying flowers in remembrance.
There are few experiences that have been so moving as walking to the memorial on Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day and one that brings me pause. So many of our travel experiences are the highest [x] or biggest [y], reviews of hotel suites, and whining about galley noise on a business class flight. This puts into perspective one of the many reasons why we travel – to participate in different cultures, and sometimes, that means reflecting on dark pasts.
ArmInfo.The goal of the political forces that have taken to the streets is far from the security of Artsakh, not the creation and implementation of a new domestic and foreign policy agenda and concept.
These people, having taken to the streets under old and boring slogans, seek to shake the foundations of the current government in Armenia in order to weaken its position in working with Western partners, including around the Artsakh problem. Sociologist Karen Sargsyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
According to the sociologist’s forecasts, everything that happens today on the streets of Yerevan will inevitably be used against Pashinyan in his negotiations with Russian President Putin in the future in order to wrest concessions from Armenia on the same issue of Artsakh. In other words, the connection between internal Armenian politics and geopolitics, in his opinion, is evident today.
The analyst believes that despite the many questions and dissatisfaction with the current government, it is due to this government that the civilized world has not turned its back on Armenia. And it will be so as long as this government remains and is not replaced by forces whose main mission is to serve specific foreign interests,” he stressed.
According to Sargsyan, the leaders of today’s protest are using a symbiosis of technologies, on the basis of which Pashinyan himself came to power in 2018, and technologies with geopolitical “overtones”, for example, in the form of posters with Mevlut Cavusoglu grinning and demonstrating the gesture of the “Grey Wolves” to the Armenians. Thus, trying to ride the wave of protest under the brand “no peace with the Turks thirsting for our blood.” “And this is against the background of the fact that similar discontent reigns in Turkey and Azerbaijan, which can be beneficial only to one country,” the sociologist believes.
19:14,
YEREVAN, APRIL 25, ARMENPRESS. On April 26, President of the Artsakh Republic Arayik Harutyunyan met with a group of students of the Diplomatic School of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia headed by School Director, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Vahe Gabrielyan, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press servic eof the Artsakh President;s Office.
During the meeting, the Head of the State presented the issues facing Artsakh in the domestic, foreign, socio-economic spheres, the main directions of the policy pursued, as well as the latest regional and global developments.
President Harutyunyan also answered the questions of the participants. Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Artsakh Republic David Babayan and other officials partook in the meeting.