Category: 2020

Stepanakert: Massacre in Maragha is an unprecedented war crime committed by Azerbaijan on the basis of hatred against Armenians

Ophelia Vardapetian
Arminfo, Armenia

ArmInfo.Today marks the 28th anniversary of the massacre of civilians of the Armenian settlement of Maragha, Martakert region of the Republic of Artsakh, committed by  the armed forces of Azerbaijan, the press service of NKR MFA reports.

“The massacre in Maragha is an unprecedented war crime committed by  the Republic of Azerbaijan, on the basis of hatred against Armenians  aimed at the annihilation of the Armenian population.

On April 10, 1992, after several hours of shelling, the Azerbaijani  armed units invaded Maragha. Prior to this, a significant part of the  population was evacuated, but the people who remained in the village,  were subjected to inhuman torture and massacre by the Azerbaijani  servicemen. The self-defense forces of Artsakh managed to liberate  Maragha, but two weeks later, the Azerbaijani troops attacked the  settlement again and committed new crimes against the civilians who  had returned to bury their relatives.

Maragha was captured by the Azerbaijani armed forces and to this day  is under the occupation of Azerbaijan. According to various data,  including the reports of the human rights organizations Human Rights  Watch and Amnesty International, as a result of the war crimes  committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces in Maragha over 50  civilians, including 30 women, were brutally killed. About 50 more  people, including 29 women and 9 children, were taken captive, and  the fate of 19 civilians is still unknown.

As testified by Member and former Vice Speaker of the House of Lords  of Great Britain, human rights activist Baroness Caroline Cox, who  visited the village with representatives of the organization  Christian Solidarity Worldwide immediately after the tragedy, the  bodies of the brutally murdered residents of Maragha were  dismembered, mutilated, and burned. Lady Cox called Maragha  “contemporary Golgotha many times over”.

The massacre of Armenians of Maragha became another manifestation of  the consistent policy of ethnic cleansing carried out by the  Azerbaijani authorities against the Armenian people, first in  Sumgait, Baku and other settlements of Azerbaijan in 1988-1990, and  later in Northern Artsakh. The fact that commander of the Azerbaijani  armed units Taghiyev Shahin Taliboglu, who had committed the massacre  in Maragha, was awarded the title of national hero of Azerbaijan  testifies that the responsibility for this crime lies entirely with  the Azerbaijani authorities.The impunity of the crimes committed by  Azerbaijan against Armenians and the lack of an adequate political  and legal assessment by the international community created favorable  conditions for rooting an atmosphere of hatred towards Armenians and  all Armenian at the state level in Azerbaijan. 24 years later, in  April 2016, during the aggression unleashed against Artsakh,  Azerbaijan attempted to use the same methods to carry out new  genocidal acts in Artsakh that were prevented by the decisive actions  of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh.

The massacres of civilians in Maragha are a crime against humanity  with s no statute of limitations, and they must be condemned by the  international community, and their organizers and executors must be  justly punished.

Today we bow our heads in commemoration of the victims of the  massacre in Maragha and assure that the authorities of the Republic  of Artsakh will take all measures to guarantee the inalienable right  of the people of Artsakh to live freely and safely in its homeland”,  the statement of NKR MFA stated.

Moscow on electoral processes in Artsakh: Elections are necessary to ensure the normal functioning of the population

Greg Madatian
Arminfo, Armenia

ArmInfo.Moscow commented on the nationwide elections in Artsakh.  Thus, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, at a  weekly briefing assessing the fact of the elections in Artsakh,  recalled that regarding the elections held in Nagorno- Karabakh on  March 31, there is a statement by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs on  the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement, which includes representatives of  Russia, the United States and France.

However, she stated that the statement can be found on the official website of the OSCE  (www.osce.org).

“We presume that elections are necessary to ensure the normal  functioning of the population. At the same time, the Russian  Federation does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent  state. Its status should be determined through political  negotiations, which is what the OSCE Minsk Group is doing (the whole  range of problems).

At the same time, we do not believe that the course of the further  peace process in any way depends on the mentioned event. I would like  to comment on this. I emphasize that it is not initiative, but only  in response to the corresponding question, “summed up Zakharova.

Recall that on March 31, presidential and parliamentary elections  were held in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR).

According to the NKR Central Executive Committee, the second round of  the presidential election will be held in the republic since none of  the presidential candidates scored the required 50% + 1 votes for the  final election victory.

The second round of the presidential election will be held 14 days  after the vote, that is, April 14th.  According to preliminary data  from the CEC, former Prime Minister Araik Harutyunyan won 49.26% of  the vote, while Foreign Minister Masis Mayilyan won 26.4. In third  place is the ex-secretary of the Security Council, Vitaliy  Balasanyan, who scored 14.7%.

Five parties will enter the new parliament of Nagorno-Karabakh. The  majority of votes were gained by the Free Homeland / United Civil  Alliance bloc (40.4%), led by ex-Prime Minister Araik Harutyunyan.   Also, the United Motherland parties – 23.63%, Justice – 7.9%, ARF  Dashnaktsutyun – 6.4% and the Democratic Party of Artsakh – 5.81%  passed to parliament.

It should be noted that a number of structures and countries have  already issued a statement in which they emphasized that they do not  recognize the electoral processes in the NKR and stated that these  processes can in no way affect the determination of the final status  of Artsakh or the negotiation process. A statement was made in  particular by the OSCE, EU, NATO, neighboring Iran and Georgia, the  United Kingdom, Italy and several other European countries.

Torosyan: Spread of coronavirus got out of control in Armenia

Khondkarian Raffi
Arminfo, Armenia

ArmInfo. In Armenia, the number of deaths from coronavirus reached 12. Minister of Healthcare of the Republic of Armenia Arsen Torosyan announced this on April 10 during a meeting of the Standing Committee on Health and Social Affairs of  the National Assembly of Armenia.

Earlier, 11 cases of death from COVID-19 were reported, however, as  Torosyan informed, an 81-year-old citizen, who also suffered from  serious illnesses, later died. Speaking about the situation with the  spread of coronavirus in the republic, the minister called not to be  deceived by a relatively small number of new cases. The fact is that  if earlier in the day about 50 new cases from one outbreak (for  example, a manufacturing enterprise) could be detected, today it is  16-30, but from 10-20 sources of infection. Thus, according to him,  the spread of the coronavirus has got out of control in Armenia.

According to him, the experience of other countries testifies to the  correctness of the measures taken. For example, in Sweden, where  practically no steps are taken to ensure that citizens acquire  immunity, about 800 deaths from coronavirus were recorded per 10  million people. If a similar scale is transferred to Armenia, then at  the moment the number of deaths should have reached 200. Thus, the  current figure in 12 cases of death is the result of tough measures. < They may seem tough in terms of impact on the economy, the  psychological state of citizens, as well as the stress on medical  staff. However, they are very effective and efficient. Our task is to  maintain a low mortality rate and move forward>, Torosyan said.   To note, a total of 937 cases of coronavirus were confirmed in  Armenia.

Sports: Roma Want to Extend Mkhitaryan Loan Through Next Season

Emil Lazarian
MSN.com
 
 
Roma Want to Extend Mkhitaryan Loan Through Next Season
 
 
With so much uncertainty in the world of football at the moment, it wouldn’t be terribly shocking to see clubs take a more conservative route on the transfer market. Even with the Financial Fair Play rules relaxed for the 2020-2021 period, there is just so much uncertainty with respect to revenues, salaries and broadcast contracts, so it might make sense for clubs to tighten their purse strings this summer. This is especially true for a club like Roma, who are not only in the dark regarding the resumption of play this season, but have no idea who will even be signing their paychecks next season as the Dan Friedkin takeover remains in limbo.
 
With an uncertain future on the pitch and in the boardroom, Roma might have no other option than to run it back next season with roughly the same squad. During the current pandemic, we’ve already heard reports that Roma are attempting to extend Davide Zappacosta’s loan with Chelsea, and while I’m sure they’d love to do the same with Chris Smalling, they are trying to renew the loan of their third Premiership loanee, Arsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
 
Mkhitaryan has had an injury-marred debut season with Roma, missing 16 matches with a variety of muscle injuries, but when healthy he’s been outstanding. In 17 appearances between Serie A and the Europa League, Mkhitaryan has scored six goals and provided four assists, all while averaging a 7.06 match rating per WhoScored. His six goals are second to only Edin Dzeko and equals his total from last season, though they came in almost half as many minutes. Playing several positions this season, including in the midfield and out-wide, Mkhitaryan has provided Paulo Fonseca with the movement, creativity and killer instinct Fonseca Football® needs to be successful.
 
Despite his injury record, Arsenal reportedly won’t let the 31-year-old go for less than €25 million, a price deemed excessive by Gianluca Petrachi. Accordingly, per Calciomercato, Roma are working with his agent Mino Raiola on an extension of his loan with Arsenal, keeping Mkhitaryan in Roma through June 30, 2021.
 
Mkhi has been fantastic when healthy, but his injury woes this season makes it two straight years in which he’s missed at least 10 games due to leg and foot injuries. Would you be willing to risk €25 on that trend reversing, or might one of the free agents we discussed earlier this week be a better investment in Roma’s attack?
 
Renewing his loan is certainly the lowest-risk move, but will Arsenal comply with Roma’s request?
 
 
 
 
 
 

Armenian Museum of America announces “Share Your Stories“ contest attached to the 105th anniversary of Armenian Genocide

Yeghisabet Arthur
Arminfo, Armenia

ArmInfo. The Armenian Museum of America has made an announcement, which reads:

”April is the month when the Armenian Museum of America, like so  many other Armenian organizations and communities from around the  world, commemorates the Armenian Genocide.  In this, the 105th  anniversary of the start of the Genocide, the Armenian Museum had  planned to open an exhibition and program in remembrance of the  victims of the Genocide, but with the restrictions surrounding  COVID-19 we closed our Museum doors until we can safely welcome back  visitors to our galleries.  To still remember the victims, we decided  to take a different approach this year by reaching out to our  members, supporters and the Armenian community at-large to invite you  to share stories and photos of family who survived the Genocide  and/or contributed to the many relief aid groups that assisted the  survivors. These stories of triumph, survival and strength will not  only allow us to remember the struggles and challenges they endured  but will also show those of us now going through difficult times that  there is hope and promise in the days ahead.  With your permission,  the Museum will then post these stories and photos throughout the  month of April on our Facebook page and on the Museum’s website:  . 

Sports: Khachanov says he looks forward to opportunity to visit Armenia

Kajoyan Gevork
News.am, Armenia
April 9 2020

Karen Khachanov, a Russian tennis player with Armenian roots, took to his Instagram page to answer some questions from his followers.

Asked how often does he visit Armenia, Khachanov noted that he has been there several times and look forward to the opportunity to visit Armenia.

By the way, back in 2018, Karen Khachanov said in an interview with NEWS.am Sport that he was born and raised in Russia, but has always had a close connection with Armenia and loves Armenia very much.

“I was born in Moscow, but I have both Armenian roots on my father’s and mother’s side. My grandfather was born and lived part of his life in Yerevan, and then moved his family to Moscow. My grandfather on the maternal side also had Armenian roots,” he said.

Tennis season has been suspended and will resume no earlier than July amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sports: Armenian football team maintains 102nd spot in FIFA ranking

Garnik Tadevosian
Panorama, Armenia
April 9 2020

17:48 09/04/2020Armenia

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has released the updated ranking for national football teams on Thursday, with the Armenian squad maintaining the 102nd position as of April 2020, the Football Federation of Armenia reported.

According to the latest ranking, the list is still topped by Belgium, followed by France, Brazil England and Uruguay.

Music: Soprano, opera soloist Gayane Grigoryan passed away

Emil Lazarian
Panorama, Armenia
April 9 2020
19:55 09/04/2020

Soprano Gayane Grigoryan passed away on Thursday, the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Armenia reported. Grigoryan who had lived  and performed in France for most of her career passed away aged 60. 

“The theatre staff members express their deepest condolences to the family members and relatives of Gayane Grigoryan,” the message issued by the Theatre said. 

Music: Vache Sharafyan’s works performed at concert dedicated to 100th anniversary of Armenian-American relations

Emil Lazarian
News.am, Armenia
April 9 2020
Vache Sharafyan’s works performed at concert dedicated to 100th anniversary of Armenian-American relations Vache Sharafyan’s works performed at concert dedicated to 100th anniversary of Armenian-American relations

18:03, 09.04.2020
                  

The concert dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Armenian-American diplomatic relations featured performances of the works of composer Vache Sharafyan.

On March 4, 2020, an unprecedented multimedia-concert dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Armenian-American relations was held as part of “An Armenian Odyssey: The Color of Pomegranates” Festival at the Washington National Cathedral and was organized by the Embassy of Armenia to the United States of America, in cooperation with PostClassical Ensemble.

The music composed for this concert is by famous composer Vache Sharafyan. The concert featured performances of Sharafyan’s “Armenian Odyssey” suite for the orchestra and the Zulal vocal trio composed by the order of PostClassical Ensemble, as well as Sharafyan’s Concerto No 2 for the Cello performed by famous cellist Narek Hakhnazarian.

The music was accompanied by Syrian-Armenian artist, New York-based painter Kevork Mourad with a multimedia illustration dedicated to Sayat-Nova. The event began with a performance of Dle Yaman by proclaimed dudukist Jivan Gasparyan and Jivan Gasparyan Junior.

Art: Edman O’Aivazian: A tribute to the Armenian-Iranian artist and his phosphoric landscapes

Chalian Meline
The National, UAE
April 9 2020

The
artist who frequently painted members of the Saudi royal family died in March due to Covid-19 complications

Iranian-Armenian painter and architect Edman O’Aivazian died aged 89 late last month from coronavirus-related causes. Photo by Arin O’Aivazian

There is something almost chemical about Edman O’Aivazian’s landscapes.

The green colour of his hills have a phosphoric glow to them, and the sky that hangs over his mountains are lit fluorescent blue.

The paintings border on the abstract, with a few hand-picked details grounding them as natural scenes – a couple of crisp blades of grass, a lone house on a hill, or a particularly detailed face of a mountain.

You would be hard-pressed to find the original inspiration for these landscapes. They could be inspired by the mountains of Iran or the hills in the Armenian countryside, both countries that O’Aivazian had roots in.

The painter – who died aged 89 late last month from Covid19-related causes – left few clues about where the real-life locations of his landscapes were. Some of his work clearly indicates the scenery inspiration – such as the painting titled Gilan, named after the Iranian province – but most are cryptically named.

Perhaps because O’Aivazian knew that the landscapes of his homes could not be found anywhere other than in memory, after years of travelling and living abroad. But, this is merely conjecture.

One basis for my reasoning is that O’Aivazian’s marine paintings have titles that clearly indicate their location. There are paintings that show the moored boats of Maldon, an English town on the Blackwater Estuary, or beach-goers in the shadow of a pier in Santa Monica, California.

These paintings touch upon realism much more than his phosphoric landscapes. The colours in them are nowhere near as fantastical. The scenes are presented in high detail, the figures in them, clear and crisp: the water shimmers with a photographic representation.

Last Light of The Day by Edman O’Aivazian. Courtesy: Garin O’Aivazian.

Maybe it is because O’Aivazian actually stood in front of these places as he painted, and had a scene to refer to.

There are a few pictures of him online that show him by the beach, standing behind an easel, brush in hand.

Maybe, for his landscapes rather than seascapes, he had to refer to memory, painting through the wistful lens of nostalgia.

O’Aivazian’s works can be found in museums around the world, including Armenia, England, Saudi Arabia and the Ukraine. His Thuluth and Kufic calligraphic designs have decorated the interiors of several mosques in Oman, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. He also designed the interiors of Armenian churches in Iran and Europe.

Little is publicly known about the man himself, beyond a biographical broad stroke.

He was born in Tehran in 1931 into an Armenian family, and began painting at the age of 13. As a young artist, he participated in group exhibitions and solo
shows that explored Iran’s vast country on canvas. He
travelled to Europe and, in 1971, moved to London via Rome, where he studied at the Academy of
Arts.

“In my formative years I studied Persian art at Isfahan, a cradle of Islamic art and design,” O’Aivazian wrote on his website. “I designed a 250-metre calligraphy frieze, which was installed in Riyadh Airport in 1985. More recently, I was commissioned to design a 50-metre mural for the King Abdulaziz National Museum, Riyadh.

Edman O’Aivazian / Sultan Qaboos Grande #Mosque, #Muscat, #Oman. 2001.

multitudinous Glass, Gold and Stone #Mosaics pic.twitter.com/hhJj2aPyBs — mayersche_hofkunst (@mayersof_munich) September 16, 2016

In 2002, O’Aivazian
joined the Wapping Group of Artists. The collective was founded in 1946 with the aim of recording the busy life of London’s arterial river. They met every Wednesday between April and September to paint the Thames and the land on either side of it.

On his website, O’Aivazian wrote he felt very much at home with the group and in “the company of like-minded painters, who are dedicated to recording the essence of the Thames and the human activity that this great river supports on its banks.”

An Iranian-Armenian oil painter, Edman O’Aivazian, passed away from coronavirus yesterday. I’m just sharing a few of his I really like.

He never wanted to sell his work.

We’re losing our best people.

So sad.#coronavirus #Armenia #Iran pic.twitter.com/2oH8RABAzw — Natasha Zimardi Berstein (@nmonego) March 26, 2020

O’Aivazian was not a fan of selling his artwork. He preferred his pieces to be hung in people’s homes as opposed to in the galleries of art collectors.

During the 2016 opening of one of his last exhibitions, Colours of the Homeland, at the Niavaran Cultural Centre in Tehran, he said: “Selling an artwork is like selling one’s own child. I am financially secure and therefore I prefer my works to be hung on the walls of houses. That way instead of having to dust my paintings, other people do the dusting.”

However, he believed that art exhibitions could help forge connections between an artist and their audience, saying they presented an opportunity for artists to learn from people in ways they could not if they were isolated.

“When you hold an exhibition, you can find your way to people’s hearts and there is no place where you can hide something there,” he said.

Besides his landscape and marine works, O’Aivazian was also a skilled portrait painter.

He frequently painted members of the Saudi royal family. One of his paintings of King Abdulaziz Al Saud shows the monarch sitting barefoot in his office with a child on his lap. The painting is perhaps the most intimate portrait of the founder of Saudi Arabia that I have ever seen, showing him more as a family man than a monarch.

A portrait of King Abdulaziz Al Saud

Admittedly, I did not know much about O’Aivazian before his death. A few years ago, I saw his portrait of Aram Khachaturian – who O’Aivazian met and painted in 1977 – while visiting the Armenian composer’s house-museum in Yerevan.

The portrait is
stunning, it faithfully captures
the Sabre Dance composer’s feverish conducting style with minute scratch-like lines. It shows
the conductor with his hands high up in the air, his ghostly hair slicked back and a subtle frown on his face that will make
you think someone in the orchestra was not playing on time, or was slightly out of tune.

That portrait of Khachaturian is the only one of O’Aivazian’s works I have so far seen in person.

Had the artist’s death not been announced by Iranian
media on March 25, I probably would not have scoured the web to find more information on him.

As stunning as O’Aivazian’s portrait work and marine paintings are, it is his brightly coloured landscapes that drew me to him most, and had me regretting that I had not stumbled on more of his works earlier.

Death is, perhaps, the greatest publicist.

Updated: April 9, 2020 07:44 PM

More of his paintings at