Category: News

The Referendum on the draft Constitution of Artsakh Republic took place on Monday, February 20. According the Central Electoral Commission’s announcement, 87.6% (69,540 votes) of citizens voted in favor of the drafted constitutional amendments, 9.7% (7,686 votes) opposed. The invalid percentage of votes was 2.8% (2,202 votes). 76.44% of eligible voters participated in the referendum.

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) deployed a mission of eight professional, highly experienced independent observers from Spain, the United Kingdom, Slovakia, Romania, Latvia, and Slovenia to observe the Referendum.

The short-term observers who visited 48 polling precincts in all eleven constituencies reported transparent, well-organized and orderly electoral process. The isolated cases of irregularities did not influence the general outcome of the Referendum.

After the observation, the four deployed teams presented positive reports about the electoral procedures. They mentioned the high level of awareness of the population about the voting procedures, as well as the competence and professionalism of commission members referring to the majority of the precincts.

The electoral procedures were in general executed in an efficient way and in correspondence with the electoral law, despite several irregularities connected to non-competent actions of some commission members.

“This is already the second short-term observation mission that is deployed by our organization to follow the electoral process in Nagorno-Karabakh, the first being the Parliamentary Elections of May 2015,” said EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian.

“This time, again, for the referendum on Artsakh constitution we had employed a team of eight independent observers, as we believe observation of electoral processes are part of establishing a democracy. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe’s Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), the European Union (EU), and other international organizations should also deploy teams of official observers, as such observations contribute greatly to the democratic process of every state, whether it is recognized or not,” Karampetian added.

“Moreover, it is another step towards breaking the isolation of Artsakh imposed by the Azerbaijani government. We are glad to receive very positive feedback from independent STOs about transparent and free Referendum in accordance with international standards,” he concluded.

Prior to the referendum, the short-term observers had a chance to meet with the Central Electoral Commission (CEC) of Nagorno-Karabakh. During the meeting, the observers were provided with thorough information about the electoral processes and on competencies and responsibilities of the CEC.

The observers also met the President of the Republic, Bako Sahakian, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Karen Mirzoyan, as well as Artsakh civil society organizations, where they were familiarized with the realities facing the young Republic.

On June 2, 1915 Ottoman Interior Minister Talaat Pasha sent a secret telegram to the Governor of Ankara, instructing to hand over the arrested Armenian intellectuals to the Military Court of Diyarbakir.

Despite the telegram, the Armenian intellectuals arrested and exiled to the city of Ayas were brutally killed without any judicial proceedings.

US-based researcher Gevorg Hakobyan has provided the copy of the document to .

 

Representatives from Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) visited Yerevan, Armenia, earlier this month to negotiate changes to the terms of the third portion of a loan to Armenia.

According to an EDB press release, the changes aim to optimize parts of the loan and define new terms and conditions based on the changing priorities of the Armenian government. One recommendation included that the government pursue a means of fiscal stability. The parties plan to discuss budget deficit issues again later in the year.

They also discussed a time frame for making social service centers operational, with 20 slated to open in the near future, down from an original 38 planned.

The third installment of the loan is also designed to help make the country more attractive to investors and entrepreneurs and to boost economic activity, increasing access to loans for small- and medium-sized businesses.

Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan received today Ambassador Günther Bächler, Special Representative of the OSCE Austrian Chairmanship for the South Caucasus.

The Defense Minister expressed support for the priorities of the Austrian presidency targeted at the settlement of conflicts, easing of tensions and establishment of an atmosphere of trust.

Presenting the worrisome situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani line of contact, Vigen Sargsyan attached importance to the efforts towards implementation of an investigation mechanism and stressed the importance of condemnation of the breach of all arm control commitments by Azerbaijan.

Referring to the situation around the OSCE Yerevan Office, Vigen Sargsyan valued the role of the Office and the OSCE at large in the development of democratic institutions in Armenia, modernization of electoral systems and improvement of human rights.

Noting that Armenia’s cooperation with the OSCE is based on common values and principles, the Defense Minister deemed the Azerbaijani policy of hindering the activity of the Yerevan Office and defaming the initiatives of the OSCE unacceptable.

Ambassador Günther Bächler reiterated the importance of intensification of the OSCE efforts towards settlement of the Karabakh conflict and easing of tensions. he voiced hope that the situation around the Yerevan Office would be solved in compliance with the interests of Armenia and the OSCE.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the mechanisms of cooperation during the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Armenia.

The Prime Ministers of Armenia and Georgia Karen Karapetyan and Giorgi Kvirikashvili discussed issues of bilateral cooperation as they met in Tbilisi today.

“We are willing to deepen the regional cooperation, intensify the commodity turnover and use the whole potential,” the Georgian Prime Minister said. He added that “Georgia attaches importance to the further deepening and development of cooperation with Armenia.”

Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan noted, in turn, that “the bilateral relations have entered a new stage. The Armenian Georgian cooperation keeps developing in an atmosphere of trust, which is a guarantee of the further development and reinforcement of relations. We are willing to discuss issues of cooperation both in bilateral and multilateral formats and seek ways for further intensification of collaboration.”

The Prime Ministers of Armenia and Georgia discussed a wide range of issues related to cooperation in the trade-economic field, agriculture, transport, tourism and culture. The interlocutors hailed the level of cooperation in the field of energy and discussed the perspectives of transport communication.

They attached importance to the Meghri Free Trade Zone and the perspectives of its use as a platform for making the markets of third countries more accessible.

The interlocutors also stressed the importance of preserving the rich cultural heritage.

Aurora Humanitarian Initiative has announced the jury of Aurora Creative Contest launched on January, 2017. The jury comprised of artists and art professionals in Armenia will select the best artworks presented by children aged 7-14.

Aurora Creative Contest Jury has 6 members chaired by animator Gayane Martirosyan.

“This contest is a good opportunity for people and especially for children to gather around the idea of humanism. It is very important that Aurora invites everyone to take part in this contest regardless where they live. I believe that the artworks will brighter illustrate what humanism is because children better perceive the world than we do,” said Gayane Martirosyan.

The other members of Jury are Marine Ales, composer, member of the Aurora Prize Creative Council; Eleonora Malkhasyan, journalist and theatric critic, manager of cultural projects at IDeA Foundation; Tigran Matulyan, artist; Arev Petrosyan, artist; and Hrant Vardanyan, film director. The detailed bios of the jury members are presented below.

The results of the contest will be announced in April 2017. The authors of the best three entries will be awarded by Aurora Humanitarian Initiative and the best five will have a unique opportunity to attend the Aurora Prize Award Ceremony on May 28, 2017, in Yerevan, Armenia. The deadline to submit the entries is March 31, 2017.

Contest Jury

Gayane Martirosyan – Gayane Martirosyan is animation film director. She is a professor at the Yerevan State Institute Theatre and Cinema leading the class of animation film directing. Gayane Martirosyan is the founder of massive animation at HayFilm studio. She is the author of a number of animations including The secrets of Dragon Carpets series (2008-2013), Three bells (2002), The War in our Street (1989) among others. She is a laureate of various national and international awards.

Marine Ales – Marine Ales is a composer and theatre critic. She is the author of 300 songs in Armenian and Russian. Her songs were released in 5 albums: I’ll Leave You (1999), My Poplars (2001), Thoughts (2003), With and Without You (2007), Barefoot in the Sky (2010). She was jury member of the 2016 Golden Apricot International Film Festival. Marine Ales is co-founder of Gift of Life Foundation. She is the laureate of numerous awards for life-time achievements. In 2010, Marine Ales published the collection of her poetry Shards. Marine Ales is the member of the Aurora Prize Creative Council.

Eleonora Malkhasian – Eleonora Malkhasian is a journalist and theatre critic. She is the manager of cultural projects of the Initiatives for Development of Armenia (IDeA) Foundation. Eleonora Malkhasian has worked for many cultural journals including Muse journal published in Los Angeles, CA. She taught History of Art and Theatre in various art universities and institutions in Armenia. Eleonora is the co-author of Museums of Armenia book published in 2002.

Tigran Matulyan – Tigran Matulyan is contemporary artist. He is a member of Artist Union of Armenia. His works were exhibited in many solo and group exhibitions around the world. Matulyan’s artworks are part of the collection and permanent exhibition of the Armenian Museum of Contemporary Art, Arame Art Gallery, Armenian National Gallery, Khrimian Museum of the Holy See Echmiadzin, The Museum of the History of Yerevan. He holds the title of Honorable artist of Armenia.

Arev Petrosyan – Arev Petrosyan is the founder of Arev Art Gallery in Armenia. Arev is the author of the stained glass picture The Power of Unity put on display in the Assembly Hall of Coucil of Europe. She was presented in many national and international art exhibitions and galleries. She has designed TV studios for various TV shows. The artist is also known for her charity and social activities aimed at the solution problems and healthcare issues of socially vulnerable people, namely the poor, orphans, the elderly, women and children with disabilities.

Hrant Vardanyan – Hrant Vardanyan is a film director. He made his first short “Silence” in 1995. Since then Hrant Vardanyan has made a number of short and feature films. He directed music videos for well-known Armenian musicians. In 2011 Hrant Vardanyan founded Arev Film Studio in Armenia. He is the laureate of national Hayak film award for his The dream of sheep film(2014).

Iraqi security forces have recaptured Mosul airport, a key part of the government’s offensive to drive the so-called Islamic State (IS) from the western half of the city, the BBC reports.

The operation took four hours. IS continued to fire mortars at the airport from further inside the city after losing the ground to the army.

The jihadists have also entered a nearby military base amid further clashes, a military spokesman said.

Eastern Mosul was retaken last month.

The airport’s runway has been destroyed by IS, but BBC Middle East Correspondent Quentin Sommerville, who is embedded with Iraqi federal police units, says it still has value.

It’s a large piece of land, and controlling it will help secure southern routes to west Mosul, our correspondent says.

Iraqi security forces have launched an attack on Mosul airport in their bid to retake the city from so-called Islamic State (IS) militants, the BBC reports.

They also stormed a nearby military camp, according to state TV.

The airport and the al-Ghazlani base are on Mosul’s southern outskirts on the western side of the Tigris river.

Iraqi forces have already pushed IS out of the eastern part of the city. More than 160,000 people have fled their homes in and around the city.

Azerbaijan will achieve nothing with senseless and false statements, Armenia’s Human Rights Defender has said.

“The Members of the European Parliament are not wanted by the Interpol, and this has already been confirmed by RA Police,” Ombudsman Arman Tatoyan said, commenting on the information that a criminal case has been instigated against MEPs Frank Engel, Eleni Theocharous and Jaromir Stetina for visiting Artsakh and observing the Constitutional Referendum.

Arman Tatoyan is confident that Azerbaijani’s steps will make the visits of journalists and politicians more frequent. “A vivid evidence of this was the visit of 104 foreign observers from 30 countries during the Constitutional referendum in Artsakh. All of them, including Frank Engel, Eleni Theocharous and Jaromir Stetina, are carriers of democratic values. The visits of foreign guests and their activity in Artsakh have always and will always be lawful.”

“We have to do our best to reach the recognition of Artsakh with its democratic institutions,” the Ombudsman said.

Arman Tatoyan reiterated his commitment to work to ensure the democratic recognition of Artsakh.

He believes “it’s high time to eliminate the so-called “black list.” “No vicious step by Azerbaijan will ever hamper the development of democracy in Artsakh,” the Human Rights Defender concluded.

Contract serviceman of the Artakh Defense Army Gor Khudinyan (born in 1991) was fatally wounded under unknown conditions at one of the military unites located in the northern direction of the Defense Army, Artsakh Defense Ministry reports.

Probe into the details of the incident is under way.

The Defense Ministry shares the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses support to the serviceman’s family and friends.