Category: News

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Chad’s ex-ruler Hissene Habre has been convicted of crimes against humanity and sentenced to life in prison at his war crimes trial in Senegal, the BBC reports.

The judge also convicted him of rape, sexual slavery and ordering killings.

It was the first time an African Union-backed court has tried a former ruler for human rights abuses.

The prosecutor at the court in Senegal’s capital Dakar requested a life sentence for Habre, who refused to recognise its legitimacy.

The ex-president denied accusations that he ordered the killing of 40,000 people during his rule from 1982 to 1990.

John Fisher, the musical director of one of the leading opera theatres in the world – the Metropolitan Opera House, will arrive in Yerevan on June 4 at the invitation of the “Aram Khachaturian Competition” Cultural Foundation. The musical director of one of the most prestigious opera stages is the special guest of the 12^th Aram Khachaturian International Conducting Competition held in June 6.

The event will be attended by a number of outstanding musicians, art-managers, who will get an opportunity to discover young talented people in the framework of the contest.

The international competition will kick off on June 6, Aram Khachaturian’s birthday. Fifty-seven conductors from dozens of countries applied for participation in the contest. Only 14 of them have been selected to fight for a trophy from June 6 to June 14.

The Aram Khachaturian International Competition is the member of the World Federation of International Music Competitions. The Khachaturian Competition has is conducted thanks to joint efforts of the Ministry of Culture of RA, “Aram Khachaturian – Competition” Cultural Foundation and the Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan and is held under the high patronage of the spouse of the President of RA Mrs. Rita Sargsyan – the honorary president of the Board of Trustees of the competition.

The work on expanding the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office (PR CiO) is well advanced, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Personal Representative to the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, told APA.

The ambassador noted that at the summit of the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Vienna on 16 May, the presidents agreed to finalize an OSCE investigative mechanism, to expand the Office of the PR CiO, to continue the exchange of data on missing persons and to hold the next round of talks with an aim to resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement.

“To this end, I was asked by the Chairperson-in-Office to prepare a concept for the expansion of my Office, with the support of the OSCE Secretariat,” Kasprzyk said. “The work is well advanced and I hope to present the final outcome in the coming days for approval by the participating states of the OSCE in Vienna, including an updated budget.”

The ambassador stressed that the expansion will not change his existing mandate, but will increase the number of field assistants. “Thus my Office will be able to increase the number of monitoring exercises, as well as have more regular contact with the authorities,” he said.

The ambassador added that this will allow the OSCE Chairmanship and the co-chairs to receive more comprehensive information about the ongoing situation and provide a more rapid and flexible response to requests for support under his current mandate, reducing the risk of escalation.

The Armenian national team beat Guatemala 7:1 in a friendly held in Los Angeles.

The win marks the greatest victory in the team’s history. Guatemala’s Carlos Luiz scored the opener at the 7th minute, but the goal was cancelled by Henrikh Mkhitaryan at 39th.

With two more goals at the 60th and 70th minutes, Mkhitaryan netted the first hattrick in the history of the Armenian national team.

Goals: Carlos Luiz (7), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (39), Edgar Manucharyan (45), Gegham Kadimyan (50), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (60), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (70), Arthur Sarkisov (73), Zaven Badoyan (84).

Armenia will next face El Salvador on June 1 (7 a.m. June 2 Yerevan time).

Photo: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters

Real Madrid were crowned champions of Europe for the 11th time after defeating Atletico Madrid in a dramatic penalty shootout in Milan.

Sergio Ramos’ first-half goal was cancelled out by Yannick Carrasco in the 79th minute, but neither team could find a winner in 120 minutes.

In the shootout, Atletico’s Juanfran hit the post and Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the clinching penalty for Real to secure their second Champions League title in three years, and their fifth since 1998.

Today, on the occasion of the Republic Day President Serzh Sargsyan handed to the family members of the servicemen who died in year 2016 in combat and non-combat conditions, volunteers, members of the home guard and reservists the highest state decorations which have been awarded posthumously to the modern day heroes who fell valiantly while executing their patriotic duties. The ceremony took place at the Presidential Palace. President Serzh Sargsyan underscored in his speech that the young generation will remember them forever, just as we remember today the brave who fell one hundred years ago.

President Serzh Sargsyan’s message at the award ceremony

Your Holiness,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

As a rule, in situations like this, I start my speech with the words “Dear Awardees”. Today however is different. Our precious and beloved awardees are not with us. They are being awarded posthumously. I have to confess that psychologically this is the most difficult duty which I have to perform from time to time.

Our heroic sons and brothers fell for their beloved ones, for us all, for Armenia, for the peaceful and eternal existence of the Armenian nation. At the fateful moment, they’ve made their choice. They have chosen freedom and dignity. Many of them very young, way too young, but their choice and deeds were so mature that they have made our entire society more mature. In a couple of days, they changed from students into tutors and became the torchbearers of the new generation born by independent Armenia. They have raised the bar of decency so high that it will be impossible to get around. Their life and heroism embody the code of honor of the citizen of Armenia and of the Armenian soldier which will be impossible to get around. It will be impossible because their right here, with us, among us. They are present and they are doing a greater job than some of those physically “present”. For that very reason, allow me nevertheless to address them and to say:

Dear Awardees,

I congratulate you on receiving high state awards. I also congratulate you on the occasion of the Republic Day. Heroes just like you fell in the battles of 1918, so that the Armenian nation could live, so that Armenia could exist. And Armenia lives. For us, you are the same heroes as those of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan, Gharakilisa. One hundred years later, young generations will remember you, just as we remember today the brave who fell almost one hundred years before.

Dear Awardees,

Rest in peace and rest assured that we are a nation because of you, we are a state because of you, and we are decent people because of you. Every generation will know and will not forget it. You’ve left us with great pain, but also with great pride and bequest. We bow to your deeds and promise that we will spare no effort to do all the good that you didn’t get time to do.

***

On the occasion of the event, His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II gave his patriarchal blessings to the present and offered a prayer.

At the conclusion of the event, the President of Armenia made an appeal to the attendees.

“Your Holiness,
Ladies and Gentlemen:

Young servicemen present here are cadets from the RA Ministry of Defense, Vazgen Sarkissian Military Insitute, and Marshal Armenak Khanperiants Military Aviation Institute. I asked them to come here to be present at the ceremony award but not only for that. I also want them to approach you right after the ceremony, get acquainted with you, to connect with you and throughout their army duty to be with you, next to your families, thus becoming a link between your families and the Armenian Army.

It is very important for the army officer to stand by the families of our fallen heroes, to understand the pain of parents who’ve lost their sons, to understand the significance of sons, to appreciate the importance of soldiers – of those very soldiers whose commander he will be very soon, whom he will lead in training and on combat positions, whom he will be responsible for, also responsible for making them stronger, to make them more combat ready, to defend together with them our Fatherland.

I ask you right after the ceremony to use this opportunity. I also have a little hope that they will be able to console you, even if just a tiny bit. Thank you,” said President Serzh Sargsyan.

Today, at the Battle of Sardarapat compound President Serzh Sargsyan accompanied by His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II, the highest leadership of the Republic and guests participated in the festivities dedicated to the Republic Day. President Sargsyan laid a wreath at the memorial dedicated to the heroes of the Battle of Sardarapat and paid tribute to their memory. The President of Armenia, Commander-in-Chief Serzh Sargsyan greeted the participants of the military parade dedicated to the holiday and congratulated them on the occasion of the Republic Day. Later, the President of Armenia and attendees of the festivities watched the cultural program dedicated to the event.

In Sardarapat, the President of Armenia gave a congratulatory speech dedicated to the Republic Day.

Remarks by President Serzh Sargsyan on the occasion of the Republic Day

My fellow compatriots,

I congratulate you on the occasion of the Republic Day.

For us, this is first and foremost a salvation holiday. We saved our last piece of land and the last remnants of our nation residing on that piece of land. No matter how difficult to accept, but that was the truth.

The bleeding Armenian nation on the verge of desperation was able through the supernatural exertion to stand up to the enemy, to prevail, and throw the enemy back. Many consider the heroic battles of May and their victorious outcome a miracle. We prevailed, we survived, and we liberated ourselves.

Our independence and our statehood were not a gift to us. We paid for them the price nobody has ever paid. We did it alone; moreover, we did it despite the blows of the destiny.

With May 28, the foreign subjects and refugees had become citizens of a State. They became people who had solid ground beneath their feet and had a State behind them. It was a State they had to build; it was a state, which they had to serve to; it was a State, which they could make demands to; it was a State to criticize – with the anticipation of making it better. It was a State, which had to turn its almost lifeless populace, half of which were also orphans, into a political nation; it was a State, which had to bring up a new generation, re-born generation, which would be capable to register new scientific, cultural, and military achievements. It was a State, which predestined the existence of the Soviet Armenia and today’s Republic of Armenia.

My fellow compatriots,

Military hostilities that unfolded at the early April revealed more vividly some realities – good or bad, within and around us. Among all that the most important one for me was our new generation – the generation born with the independence, generation that proved to us and to all that they are the masters and guardians of our State. Those, who created the “May 28” in 1918, would only dream of a regular army, such as ours, and of a new generation, such as this one. And they are with us, now.

There will be no new Sardarapat since by and large it was a war of desperation. Those who fought there did not know what country’s citizens they were of, and if they were citizens at all. There will be no new Sardarapat since there stands a State. There is a generation born with independence, which wants to move in step with the contemporary world – and it will; a generation, which wants to move its country forward – and it will; a generation born with independence, which grasped the bequest of May 28 better than anyone else. All this stems from the fact that in their families and in their schools the bequest of May 28 was also grasped properly. We as a State, as a nation and as a society grasped the bequest of May 28 well.

My fellow compatriots,

On May 28 our nation stepped back from the verge of the abyss. We stepped back and moved towards the rebirth, towards creation, and toiling. We got back.

Glory to the Republic Day!
Long live the Armenian nation!

On 28 May Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan sent a congratulatory address in connection with the day of the First Armenian Republic. The message reads:

“Dear compatriots,

On behalf of the Artsakh Republic authorities and myself personally I cordially congratulate on the Day of the First Armenian Republic.

The 1918 battles of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan and Gharakilisa occupy their worthy place in the heroic chronology of our people’s history.

During their centuries-long history the Armenians become convinced many times that the main guarantee of secure life is an independent statehood, its consistent reinforcement and faith in their own strength. The Four-day April war when Azerbaijan once again tried to carry out its genocidal policy towards the Armenian people has demonstrated this too. But, it faced the force and spirit of the Armenian army and was unable to carry out any of his aggressive goals.

Today it is everybody’s duty to keep alive the victorious spirit of our hero ancestors in the memory of generations to come, having before our eyes their example, guided by the national ideology and selfless patriotism, do everything possible for the two Armenian states develop day by day, become stronger and more powerful. The only way to accomplish this is a consolidated and cohesive work, aggregating the potential of world-spread Armenians and efforts of any individual Armenian for the benefit of the solution of paramount national issues. Only in this way we can forge new victories and go to a secure future.
I once again congratulate our whole people on the state holiday and wish peace and great successes.”

The Armenian Defense Ministry has  reported sporadoc shooting from Azerbaijani side in the northeastern section of the shared border with Azerbaijan.

The Armenian Armed Forces keep the situation under control and confidently continue with their military duty,

according to operational information from the NKR Ministry of Defense, the relative peace was maintained at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan last night.

The rival used only artillery weapons of different caliber as it violated the agreement on ceasefire.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army refrained from response actions, the NKR Defense Ministry said.

 

 

 

“I want to see Armenians on both banks of Araks River,” says American singer Daniel Decker, who has been a citizen of the Republic of Armenia since 2015.

The singer is paying his 15th visit to Armenia. “I’m here to support the Armenian people at this hard moment following the April events,” the singer told reporters in Yerevan.

“Being an Armenian is a philosophy, a state of mind, not only blood,” said the singer, who has released a CD titled “Armenian By Choice.”

Daniel Decker and composer Ara Gevorgyan have launched a new project called “Araks.”

“I want to see Armenians on both banks of River Araks. Perhaps, this was the main reason for writing the song,” he said.

According to him, “Araks is not half-Armenians, it has always been a symbolic river for Armenia and the Armenian people.” The song is slated for release in October.

Armenia-related songs are included in Decker’s repertoire, but are not meant for the Armenian audience only. The Turkish pressures and persecutions are powerless against his resolve to tell the truth.

“I’m not interested in any pressures. What I’m interested in is the truth, and the truth is that there has been an Armenian genocide and Artsakh is an Armenian land,” Decker said.

To conclude with, he performed a song and dedicated it to Armenian soldiers.