Category: 2022

Southland to Remember 107th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide

Talar Tumanian

Armenian-Americans will gather at several events throughout Los Angeles County Sunday to mark the 107th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide — the mass killing of Armenians by Turkish forces during World War I.

Los Angeles County is home to the largest population of Armenians in the United States, with an estimated 214,628 living in the county, according to the 2011 American Community Survey.

To honor the county’s Armenian residents and their culture, the Board of Supervisors last month proclaimed April as “Armenian History Month” — and, this week, also passed a motion declaring April 24 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in Los Angeles County.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom has also issued a proclamation declaring April 24, 2022 “A Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide” in the State of California.

“As we remember the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide, we also honor the strength and resilience of the Armenian people,” the proclamation said, in part. “Forced to build new lives in all corners of the globe, Armenians bravely forged ahead in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Thousands made their homes in California, and we are greater for their contributions.”

April 24 is also observed throughout the Armenian diaspora, and is a holiday in Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.

In Los Angeles, at 3 p.m. Sunday, the Armenian Youth Federation will hold a protest outside the Turkish Consulate at 8500 Wilshire Blvd. to demand the Turkish government acknowledge the genocide and stop its support of Azerbaijan in the Artsakh, a region fought over by Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Armenian Genocide began in 1915 and resulted in the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in a campaign blamed on Turkey’s Ottoman government. While the genocide has been chronicled by historians, who often view it as ethnic cleansing, Turkey has denied it occurred, saying the deaths of Armenians was a function of the chaos of World War I, which also claimed Turkish lives.

Until President Joe Biden in 2021 officially called the killings a genocide, American presidents had also declined to do so, instead classifying the deaths at the hands of the Ottoman Empire an atrocity, but not a genocide.

This week’s Remembrance Day motion by the L.A. County Supervisors — co-introduced by Supervisors Hilda Solis and Kathryn Barger — said, in part, “Despite overwhelming evidence, the Turkish government still denies the occurrence of an Armenian Genocide. Many international and American leaders and elected officials from local, state, and federal governments have condemned the atrocities committed against the Armenians and are calling on Turkey to acknowledge the genocide and its participation in it.”

The motion went on to say, “On April 24, 2021, President Joe Biden officially recognized the Armenia Genocide. That was a huge victory for the diaspora and the result of decades of tireless efforts to have the highest level of our government call this genocide by its name.”

Solis, whose district includes Little Armenia, said, “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day is an especially poignant commemoration for residents across Los Angeles County. … Through this motion, we mark our commitment to remember the lives lost in the Armenian Genocide, honor the legacy of survivors and elevate the voices of this dynamic and diverse community.”

Said Barger: “The month of April and the celebration of Armenian culture culminates in our Day of Remembrance, a day to mourn and remember the loss of over 1.5 million innocent lives. I am heartened that my Armenian constituents are a resilient people — determined, focused and dedicated to persevering.”

Last year, following Biden’s declaration, Rep. Adam Schiff — whose district includes Glendale — said, “For Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was — the first genocide of the 20th century. In so doing, he has cast aside decades of shameful silence and half-truths, and the broken promises of so many of his predecessors, and spoken truth to power.”

There will be other remembrances around L.A. County on Sunday as well.

The city of Glendale will hold its Annual Armenian Genocide Commemorative Event in-person for the first time in two years, at the Alex Theatre at 7 p.m.

The city said the program will allow people to experience a contemporary perspective of the genocide through music and dance. The program will feature the work of the Armenian priest Komitas through dance and musical performances curated by the Lark Musical Society. Tickets are free and can be reserved at itsmyseat.com/april24.

Also at 7 p.m. Sunday, St. Mary’s Armenian Apostolic Church, at 500 S. Central Ave. in Glendale, will hold a concert dedicated to the martyr’s of the Armenian Genocide and the 44-day war in the Artsakh.

 

107th Anniversary of Armenian Genocide to be Marked Across L.A. County

Toneyan Mark
PASADENA NOW
CITY NEWS SERVICE
Published on Saturday,
Armenian-Americans will gather at several events throughout Los Angeles County Sunday to mark the 107th anniversary of the beginning of the Armenian Genocide — the mass killing of Armenians by Turkish forces during World War I.

Los Angeles County is home to the largest population of Armenian-Americans in the United States, with an estimated 214,628 living in the county, according to the 2011 American Community Survey.

To honor the county’s Armenian residents and their culture, the Board of Supervisors last month proclaimed April as “Armenian History Month” — and, this week, also passed a motion declaring April 24 as “Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day in Los Angeles County.”

Gov. Gavin Newsom has also issued a proclamation declaring April 24, 2022 “A Day of Remembrance of the Armenian Genocide” in the State of California.

“As we remember the victims and survivors of the Armenian Genocide, we also honor the strength and resilience of the Armenian people,” the proclamation said, in part. “Forced to build new lives in all corners of the globe, Armenians bravely forged ahead in the face of unimaginable tragedy. Thousands made their homes in California, and we are greater for their contributions.”

April 24 is also observed throughout the Armenian diaspora and is a holiday in Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh.

In Los Angeles, at 3 p.m. Sunday, the Armenian Youth Federation will hold a protest outside the Turkish Consulate at 8500 Wilshire Blvd. to demand the Turkish government acknowledge the genocide and stop its support of Azerbaijan in the Artsakh, a region fought over by Azerbaijan and Armenia.

The Armenian Genocide began in 1915 and resulted in the deaths of as many as 1.5 million Armenians in a campaign blamed on Turkey’s Ottoman government. While the genocide has been chronicled by historians, who often view it as ethnic cleansing, Turkey has denied it occurred, saying the deaths of Armenians was a function of the chaos of World War I, which also claimed Turkish lives.

Until President Joe Biden in 2021 officially called the killings a genocide, American presidents had also declined to do so, instead classifying the deaths at the hands of the Ottoman Empire an atrocity, but not a genocide.

This week’s Remembrance Day motion by the L.A. County Supervisors — co-introduced by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Hilda Solis — said, in part, “Despite overwhelming evidence, the Turkish government still denies the occurrence of an Armenian Genocide. Many international and American leaders and elected officials from local, state, and federal governments have condemned the atrocities committed against the Armenians and are calling on Turkey to acknowledge the genocide and its participation in it.”

The motion went on to say, “On April 24, 2021, President Joe Biden officially recognized the Armenia Genocide. That was a huge victory for the diaspora and the result of decades of tireless efforts to have the highest level of our government call this genocide by its name.”

Said Barger, who represents Pasadena: “The month of April and the celebration of Armenian culture culminates in our Day of Remembrance, a day to mourn and remember the loss of over 1.5 million innocent lives. I am heartened that my Armenian constituents are a resilient people — determined, focused and dedicated to persevering.”

Last year, following Biden’s declaration, Rep. Adam Schiff — whose district includes sections of West Pasadena and Glendale — said, “For Armenian-Americans and everyone who believes in human rights and the truth, today marks an historic milestone: President Biden has defied Turkish threats and recognized the slaughter of 1.5 million Armenians for what it was — the first genocide of the 20th century. In so doing, he has cast aside decades of shameful silence and half-truths, and the broken promises of so many of his predecessors, and spoken truth to power.”

Jerusalem: MK Mossi Raz to take part in memorial ceremony for Armenian genocide

Hagop Kamalian


By JERUSALEM POST STAFF   

Published: APRIL 23, 2022 16:50

MK Mossi Raz (Meretz) will leave Israel for Armenia on Saturday night to take part in a memorial ceremony for the Armenian genocide on Sunday.

This will be the second time Israeli MKs take part in the ceremony in an official capacity after current Diaspora Affairs Minister Nachman Shai and former Likud MK Anat Berko attended in 2015.

“The murder of more than a million Armenians is one of the most awful shows of human cruelty,” said Raz. “The time has come for also Israel to remember the victims and their stories. It’s our duty as Jews and as human beings. It’s a great honor for me to represent the Knesset and Israel and this important event.”

Israel does not formally recognize the Armenian genocide although bills to do so have been submitted in the past.


 

To remember the Armenian Genocide, a poet reads ‘After the Survivors Are Gone’

Boshkezenian Garik
NPR – National Public Radio – USA
8:43 AM ET
Heard on Weekend Edition Saturday
For Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Peter Balakian reads from his poem After the Survivors Are Gone.

Listen to the program at https://www.npr.org/2022/04/23/1094470446/armenian-genocide-poem
ALSO AT
https://www.kosu.org/arts-culture/2022-04-23/to-remember-the-armenian-genocide-a-poet-reads-after-the-survivors-are-gone
https://www.knau.org/2022-04-23/to-remember-the-armenian-genocide-a-poet-reads-after-the-survivors-are-gone
https://www.wesa.fm/2022-04-23/to-remember-the-armenian-genocide-a-poet-reads-after-the-survivors-are-gone
https://www.apr.org/arts-life/2022-04-23/to-remember-the-armenian-genocide-a-poet-reads-after-the-survivors-are-gone
https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/2022-04-23/to-remember-the-armenian-genocide-a-poet-reads-after-the-survivors-are-gone
https://www.redriverradio.org/2022-04-23/to-remember-the-armenian-genocide-a-poet-reads-after-the-survivors-are-gone
https://www.boisestatepublicradio.org/2022-04-23/to-remember-the-armenian-genocide-a-poet-reads-after-the-survivors-are-gone
https://www.delawarepublic.org/2022-04-23/to-remember-the-armenian-genocide-a-poet-reads-after-the-survivors-are-gone

Azerbaijan’s President calls for quick peace deal with Armenia

Manouk Vasilian
GeorgiaOnline.ge

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan urged for talks on a peace treaty with Armenia but said Yerevan would have to renounce any territorial claim against his nation, according to the news agency.

NEWSWORLD

 

Updated: 8 hours ago
ByMarcin Kentacky

President Ilham Aliyev of Azerbaijan urged for talks on a peace treaty with Armenia but said Yerevan would have to renounce any territorial claim against his nation, according to the news agency.

The President stated that the two former Soviet republics, which fought their last major war in 2020, could sign an agreement quickly if Armenia accepted the principles his country had put forward.

He was quoted as saying, “Armenia must officially recognise Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, as well as the fact that it has no territorial claims against Azerbaijan and will not have any in the future.”

Otherwise, “we’ll not recognise the territorial integrity of Armenia; we will declare it officially,” he added.

While speaking in Armenia’s parliament following Aliyev’s comments, Armenian Premier Nikol Pashinyan said he would not sign any peace treaty without involving ethnic Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh with Azerbaijan.

As per the reports, during the six-week war in 2020, at least 6,500 people were killed, the latest outbreak of a conflict dating back to the collapse of the Soviet Union. The war ended as a result of Russia’s intervention and sent peacekeepers to the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies inside Azerbaijan but was home to an estimated 150,000 Armenians before the latest round of fighting.

At least 6,500 people were killed in a six-week war in 2020, the latest flare-up of a conflict dating back to the collapse of the Soviet Union. It ended when Russia intervened and sent peacekeepers to the flashpoint region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies inside Azerbaijan but was home to approximately 150,000 Armenians before the latest round of battle.

After emerging as the decisive victor and recapturing territory lost between 1991 and 1994, Azerbaijan is in a strong negotiating position. However, many issues remain unsolved, including border demarcation.

The dispatch of nearly 2,000 peacekeepers confirmed Moscow’s role as a policeman and chief power broker in a volatile corner of the former Soviet Union, where Turkey, thanks to its close ties with Azerbaijan

https://georgiaonline.ge/news/46027/azerbaijans-president-calls-for-quick-peace-deal-with-armenia/

Mayor of Paris hosts reception on 107th anniversary of Armenian Genocide

Karakhanian Suren
Public Radio of Armenia
On the occasion of the 107th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, on April 22, the Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, held a reception attended by parliamentarians, members of the Paris City Council and hundreds of French-Armenians. The Mayor of Paris, the Ambassador of Armenia to France Hasmik Tolmajian, as well as the two Co-Chairs of the Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF) made speeches at the beginning of the reception.

Ambassador Tolmajian touched upon the need to condemn the denial of the Armenian Genocide, emphasizing its importance both for all Armenians and for the prevention of genocides and the international fight against crimes against humanity.

The Ambassador also reminded of the important role that France played in sheltering Armenian refugees who survived the genocide, emphasizing that the generations of Armenians who took refuge in France, while preserving their national identity, also became full-fledged responsible citizens of France, making a great contribution to the country and the deepening of Armenian-French relations.

She thanked the city authorities of Paris, and personally Mayor Hidalgo, for permanently being by the side of Armenia and Artsakh. She reminded that the Paris City Council was one of the first to adopt a resolution immediately after the 44-day war in 2020, calling for the recognition of Nagorno Karabakh. The ambassador also thanked Mayor Hidalgo, as well as Deputy Mayor Arnaud Ngatcha, for the implementation of the project to open the Armenian esplanade in the heart of Paris.

State minister: Artsakh has had Armenian overwhelming majority for 3,000 years

Hovhannisian John
Panorama
Armenia –

POLITICS 11:57 23/04/2022 NKR

Artsakh’s State Minister Artak Beglaryan on Friday refuted Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s claims on the population of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region. The minister’s full statement is provided below.

“Ilham Aliyev made new falsifications of historical facts, for this time – on the demography of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region.

At an event in occupied Shushi, the president of Azerbaijan, in addition to other false statements, said that during the soviet era the Azerbaijani population was majority in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, while the reality is the contrary.

1. In 1921, at the moment of Karabakh annexation, the Azerbaijani population was 4%, and in the following decades the USSR censuses show the following:

• 1926 – 10.06%,
• 1939 – 9.32%,
• 1959 – 13.80%,
• 1970 – 18.08%,
• 1979 – 22.98%,
• 1989 – 21.52%.

2. Definitely, the rest of the population was Armenian and a tiny percentage – minorities.

3. And those are numbers which had been collected by the Soviet Azerbaijani authorities, including the father of Ilham Aliyev. Therefore, they are inflated.

4. The stable growth of the Azerbaijani population in Nagorno-Karabakh during the soviet era is explained by the white genocide committed against the Armenian indigenous people.

5. The Azerbaijani authorities must keep in mind forever that Artsakh has had an exclusively Armenian overwhelming majority for 3,000 years.”

Military insurance fund launches In Memoriam donation campaign

Anna Tamamian

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 13:40,

YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. The Insurance Foundation for Servicemen has launched the “In Memoriam” donation campaign ahead of April 24.

The foundation’s PR manager Ani Harutyunyan said at a press conference that those willing can make donations to the foundation and pay tribute to the memory of an individual fallen serviceman and support the fallen troops and their families.

Those making donations will receive a certificate through email.

Donations can be done at the fund’s website.

Important agreements reached with Russia over principles of opening regional connections – Pashinyan

Kanayan Tamar

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 15:19,

YEREVAN, APRIL 22, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan says he drew special attention to issues related to regional stability and security during his meetings in Russia.

Speaking about his recent official visit to Russia, PM Pashinyan thanked his Russian partners for the warm reception.  He said that the visit was productive.

“We reached important agreements in the issue of principles of opening regional connections, recording the identical approaches of the Republic of Armenia and the Russian Federation. In the given matter we can record the uniformity of approaches of all our international partners in practice. And on this backdrop I’d like to once again reiterate the readiness of the Republic of Armenia to launch as soon as possible the construction of the railway and roads connecting the East with West through the territory of the Republic of Armenia,” the PM said at the Cabinet meeting.

Pashinyan expressed hope that the trilateral task force dealing with this issue and co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan will be able to develop and agree the required documents for launching the process soon.