American Armenian tennis player Andre Agassi has joined the promotion campaign for the Armenian Genocide film The Promise.
âIâm so proud to see that Kirk Kerkorianâs vision has become a reality. Help me keep Kirkâs promise,â Agassi says in a video shared on Twitter.
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— Andre Agassi (@AndreAgassi)
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austriaâs Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz, today joined the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairsâ call for the sides to renew engagement in the political settlement process as expressed in their statement on 29 March.
âThe fighting and the violence we witnessed one year ago â the worst in the past two decades â caused destruction, suffering and human losses. It was a vivid reminder of how quickly the machinery of war can undermine efforts for peace. On this occasion, we call on all sides to refrain from any actions that jeopardize the ceasefire. All sides must live up to their commitment to strictly observe their international humanitarian obligations â war crimes can never be justified,â said Kurz.
Recalling the outbreak of violence in April 2016 along the Line of Contact, he underlined his hope for fresh impetus in the negotiations: âClashes and serious violations of the ceasefire on the Line of Contact, resulting in casualties, were of particular concern to us throughout the past year. It is now high time for a focus on pragmatic and practical steps for confidence-building as well as a resumption of substantive negotiations,â emphasized Kurz.
In this context, Kurz voiced his regret at the further loss of lives since the tragic events in April 2016 and expressed his condolences to the affected families. âThe aftershock of the fighting one year ago has made it more difficult for Armenians and Azerbaijanis to believe in peace, but as I have stated on numerous occasions, there is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We should plan for peace now, and not allow war to return with all of its terrible consequences,â Kurz added.
Kurz also commended the work of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his team, illustrated by the active facilitation of a humanitarian operation by the International Committee of the Red Cross in February 2017 to retrieve the remains of the deceased servicemen.
âThe OSCE Chairmanship stands ready to contribute to the efforts of the sides to further advance and implement the agreements reached during the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg in 2016,â concluded Kurz.
“What happened to Armenians was awful,” Elton John said, as he announced the release of the Armenian Genocide film The Promise.Â
“I am excited to announce the release of The Promise, a story of the Armenian Genocide at the outset of World War I. What happened in Armenia was awful. It was wrong. Letâs keep the promise to never forget and to promote human rights wherever we are and however we can,” the singer said.
“Like our belief about HIV & ending AIDS, no one should be left behind. In this spirit of championing human rights, all of the filmâs proceeds will be donated to charity. I thank you so much for your support, & hope that you too vow to Keep the Promise,” Elton John stated.
Elton John and EJAF chairman David Furnish at West Hollywood Park during an Oscar commercial break.
Set in 1914 right before the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the film follows Michael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac), a hopeful medical student who arrives in Constantinople to bring modern medicine to his ancestral village of Siroun in Southern Turkey. In the bustling capital, he soon meets Chris Myers (Christian Bale), an American photo-journalist, and Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), an Armenian artist. Both Michael and Chris soon fall in love with Ana and a love triangle ensues just as the Turks join the war on the German side, turning against the Armenians. Everyone must find a way to settle their differences in order to survive the coming chaos.
President Serzh Sargsyan received today the Special Coordinator and Head of the OSCE short-term observer mission Ignacio Sanchez Amor and his delegation who have arrived to Armenia to carry out the monitoring of the parliamentary elections which will take place on April 2, President’s Press Office reports.
The President  stressed the importance and highly valued the role of the OSCE observer missions in the electoral processes in Armenia, including the ongoing improvement and development of the electoral system, as well as the assistance provided to Armenia in the last twenty-five years.
Serzh Sargsyan noted with satisfaction that for monitoring the April 2 elections to the National Assembly, the PACE and OSCE/ODIHR have come up as a unified mission which is led by the skillful political figure, Mr. Ignacio Sanchez Amor who is well known for his principled position and experience.
Underscoring that the forthcoming elections are an important milestone on the road towards calling to life the vision of good governance in Armenia, the President noted that the Armenian authorities stress the importance of enhancing and enforcing the trust of the voters towards the electoral process. Towards this end, after wide political and public discussions and as a result of a consensus adopted were and enshrined in the new Electoral Code provisions dealing with the mechanisms called to secure the validity of the electoral processes. According to the President, the large-scale works conducted in this area allow to argue that all requisites are in place â political will, legislative regulations, technical means â to conduct good elections in Armenia, and the authorities in the framework of their jurisdiction will do the best to make it a reality.
Noting that election naturally imply competition, and as in any competition in elections too many of the competitors to get a prize may give in to various, including unacceptable methods. The President in this context stressed that it is critical for all observer missions to manifest a balanced, unbiased approach and form their assessment based on their own observations and credible data. The President of Armenia noted that the Armenian authorities have demonstrated readiness to assist comprehensively to all observer missions in the implementation of their monitoring, including on the election day and after that. The Special Coordinator and Head of the OSCE short-term observer mission Ignacio Sanchez Amor assured that there will be no deviation in their professional performance and that the OSCE/ODIHR, as the most experienced in Europe election monitoring organization which has been over a month in Armenia and has already carried out large-scale activities on the expert assessment of the situation, will continue to fulfill its mission with high professionalism and meticulousness.
The Head of the observation mission noted with satisfaction that the government of Armenia has engaged in the observation mission a large number, over 30 thousand representatives of local public organizations which also include multiple foreign observers. He also highlighted that it is important that all missions approach their work responsibly, with high professionalism.
Ignacio Sanchez Amor also welcomed and encouraged reforms carried out in Armenia.
No âLavrov Planâ on settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan has ever been compiled, Russiaâs top diplomat said in an interview with Azeri-Press Agency.
The collective proposals of the OSCE Minsk Group are the only option currently on table, Sergey Lavrov said.
“I have publicly stated on many occasions that there is no Lavrov Plan,” he said. “The ideas that are now up for discussion are based on the proposals worked out collectively by the three states co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.”
“To be more precise, those are the provisions of joint statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement by the presidents of Russia, the United States and France. They are well-known,” he added.
According to the Russian minister, the sides generally stick to these agreements, but have different approaches to the sequence of measures that have to be implemented to achieve the target.
“Any changes or new plans that change the system developed by the co-chairs are ruled out,” he said. “Above all, we need to help the sides find a balanced political solution that would allow drafting legally binding documents.”
Moscow, Washington and Paris speak with one voice on the issue of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, he went on.
According to Lavrov, co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group actively engage in discussions on the issue. “During their regular visits to the region, they, as a rule, speak with one voice at talks with the leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan,” he said. “I believe that a team approach of this kind is an example of how (sides) should cooperate in settling international conflicts.”
“I expect our close cooperation on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement to continue with both Washington and Paris,” Lavrov added.
“The Nagorno-Karabakh settlement issue is a very delicate subject, so details of talks are confidential,” he said. “At the same time I can say that many aspects have already been agreed upon. A few questions remain. But they are most difficult.”
“No consensus has been reached so far,” the minister added. “But nevertheless the work continues.”
“We are concerned about what is going on in a nearby region,” Russiaâs top diplomat continued. “Thatâs why we are interested in restoring peace and stability in the region, in opening borders, in bringing back refugees, in resuming trade and economic ties. This is why the solution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict remains among the absolute priorities of our foreign policies.”
Lavrov denied allegations that no practical steps toward reconciliation have been made so far.
“The Karabakh issue is constantly in the spotlight of attention of international mediators, who take collective and individual efforts intended to solve this problem,” the minister said.
“As far as Russia is concerned – a three-party summit on the issue was held last year at the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin,” he said. “At all times, the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement issue holds a prominent place during Vladimir Putinâs meetings with the leaders of Azerbaijan and Armenia.”
According to Russiaâs top diplomat, the issue was discussed in detail during Armenian President Serzh Sargsyanâs March 15 visit to Moscow.
“Naturally, top diplomats donât stand aside. A detailed discussion on the matter with Armenian Foreign Minister Edvard Nalbandyan took place in February, and with Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammedyarov in early March,” Lavrov added.
Initiatives for the Development of Armenia Foundation (IDeA Foundation) continues providing support to Syrian Armenians. With the support of the Foundation, the Aleppo Compatriotic Charitable Organizationâs (ACCO) Save A Life programme has led to 64 people being resettled from Syria to Armenia up to now. An additional 30 Syrian Armenians have expressed the desire to relocate to Armenia in the next three months.
In October 2016, the IDeA Foundation announced the allocation of $250,000 to support Syrian Armenians. This financial aid package is distributed among the four partner organizations, the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), Mission Armenia, ACCO and Repat Armenia â to develop and implement programmes for Syrian Armenians.
Since January 2017, with the funds provided by IDeA Foundation, Mission Armenia has covered the cost of rental accommodation for 40 Syrian Armenians who resettled in Armenia. Thanks to the efforts of the partner organizations, a number of meetings and events have been held in Armenia aimed at helping the integration process of Syrian Armenians.
European Council President Donald Tusk is due to issue draft guidelines on how the EU intends to negotiate the UK’s departure from the bloc, the BBC reports.
The proposals will be sent to the governments of 27 EU members.
They will help set the tone for two years of tough negotiations and efforts to finalise a deal.
EU leaders say the UK must first agree its exit terms before talks can move on to future ties. London is calling for simultaneous talks.
British Prime Minister Theresa May formally triggered the Brexit process on Wednesday, by sending the Article 50 notification to Mr Tusk.
System Of A Down frontman Serj Tankian, Canadian Armenian film director Atom Egoyan, actress Arsine Khanjyan and American Armenian film director Erik Nazaruan have arrived in Armenia to observe the parliamentary elections of April 2.
âItâs an honor to be here and participate in the elections as monitors,â Serj Tankian told a press conference in Yerevan today.
âWe started the initiative âJustice within Armeniaâ last year because we were afraid of what might happen in Armenia given the Sasna Tsrer situation and given the escalation of tension within the country after years of injustice and years of apathy. We wanted to participate in the election to help create justice within Armenia,â he said.
Born in Armenia, but raised in the US from the age of four, Erik Nazaruan said he feels more and more âexiledâ in Armenia.
âWe want to understand the mechanism of this voting, to reveal the shortcomings and opportunities. We donât want to feel like tourists in our country,â he said.
The director added he wants the attitude towards Diaspora Armenians to change. âOne does not need to live in Armenia to be an Armenian. Ayvazovsky had never seen Ararat, when he painted it. Kirk Kirkoryan never lived here, but did a lot for Armenia,â he noted.
âWe are here for the future. We are here for the time when brilliant young leaders will change the democratic system in Armenia,â Atom Egoyan said.
âWe must develop our democratic muscle around our strong old bones. We must not fall victim to tyranny, and most profoundly, self-tyranny and apathy. We are here to observe a prosperous and sustainable future,â Atom Egoyan said. He said that âthe decision not to vote in the Sunday election is self-tyranny.
Arsine Khanjyan said 300 observers from the Diaspora will travel to regions of Armenia throughout the day, and visit polling stations in different cities and villages of the country and return to Yerevan in the evening.
Serj Tankian said they do not support any of the political forces running in the elections. âThe will of the people is the most important to us in these elections,â he said.
âWe are not professional monitors. Our mission as artists is to encourage you to go and vote,â Tankian added.
The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) is rolling out Quick Connect, a new calling system that directly connects community members with their U.S. legislators to advance Armenian American advocacy priorities.
Activists taking part in Quick Connect get an immediate automated call-back on their phone, providing them with customized voice prompts and suggested phone scripts. They are then directly connected with the Washington, DC office of their U.S. Representative, so they can leave a short message with the receptionist or on voice-mail.
The ANCAâs inaugural Quick Connect campaign is in support of the Armenian Caucus letter urging President Trump to properly commemorate the Armenian Genocide this April 24th. U.S. Representatives who have already signed will get thank you calls, while others will be urged to support this bipartisan appeal.
âWe are pleased to offer Quick Connect as a quick and easy way for friends to communicate their priorities with their Members of Congress,â said Nerses Semerjian, ANCAâs IT Director. âWith research showing that phone calls are the single most effective way for grassroots communities to get the attention of U.S. legislators, we encourage everyone to take part and then to share this new tool with friends and relatives.
The running order of the Semi-Finals of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest was released by host broadcaster UA:PBC today.
The order was decided by the producers, using the same format that has been in place since 2013, in order to create a more exciting television show and ensure that each song stands out. The decision was approved by the EBU Executive Supervisor Jon Ola Sand and the Chairman of the Reference Group, Dr. Frank Dieter Freiling.
In January the Semi-Final Allocation Draw took place, determining the countries that will participate in each of the two Semi-Finals of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. At the request of German broadcaster ARD, and following approval from the Reference Group, the governing body of the Eurovision Song Contest, Germany will broadcast and vote in the Second Semi-Final on Thursday 11th May. At the request of Swiss broadcaster SRF and approved by the Reference Group, Switzerland will participate in the Second Semi-Final which will have 19 participants and the First Semi-Final 18 participants.
The running order of the First Semi-Final of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest:
The running order of the Second Semi-Final of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest: