Category: News

On 10 May Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan met at the Tigranakert archeological museum with representatives of Hay Dat Central Council, regional committees and offices, NKR President’s Press Office reported.

A wide range of issues related to Artsakh’s domestic and foreign policy, the Motherland-Diaspora ties, the large- scale military operations launched by Azerbaijan from 2 to 5 April and their consequences, as well as current regional developments were discussed during the meeting.

President Sahakyan appreciated the activity of Hay Dat in objective presentation of the Armenian Genocide, the Artsakh cause and solution of the issues of pan-Armenian significance.

Bako Sahakyan welcomed holding the conference of the ARF Hay Dat committees and offices in Artsakh underlining the unique importance of the event.

Asbarez – Citizens concerned about the safety of Garo Paylan, a member of the Turkish Parliament who has come under violent attack due to his Armenian identity and the free expression of his views, can now call upon the State Department, Amnesty International, and Human Rights Watch to speak out in his defense, using the Armenian National Committee of America’s dedicated portal: .

Videos of attacks on Mr. Paylan, in the Turkish Parliament and Constitutional Commission, have gone viral, and have been featured on major media outlets.With one click, advocates can write to Tom Malinowski, State Department Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; Ken Roth, Executive Director of Human Rights Watch; and Margaret Huang, Interim Executive Director of Amnesty International – USA. In their letters addressed to these three officials, supporters of Garo Paylan’s safety call for “public alarms” to be raised over the escalating threats and acts of violence directed against him. The letters specifically call for a forthright condemnation of those who seek to intimidate and incite hatred against Paylan.

Earlier this week, the ANCA called upon U.S. Ambassador to Turkey John Bass to publicly voice official U.S. concern regarding the safety of Garo Paylan. In the May 3rd letter, ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian compared Paylan’s persecution to that of noted Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, who was gunned down in broad daylight in 2007. “Prior to his [Dink’s] cold-blooded murder, the ANCA had called for an open expression of U.S. concern for his safety. Sadly, none was forthcoming. The only public words raised in his defense were those eulogizing him after his death,” noted Hamparian.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated the leaders of Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and citizens of Georgia and Ukraine with the 71st anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War, the Kremlin press service said on Sunday.

Putin stressed that the Victory Day is a sacred celebration that will forever remain the symbol of heroism and unity of peoples that defended their lands in bloody battles and liberated the world from Nazism.

The Russian president that history should not be allowed to be rewritten and tragic mistakes of the past should not be repeated. “Our common duty is to carefully preserve the memory about those who died in the Great Patriotic War and to care about veterans in every possible way,” he noted.

The Russian leader expressed hope that friendship and brotherhood tested in the common struggle will continue to serve as a basis for further strengthening of inter-state relations, facilitate development of integrational processes on the Eurasian continent.

Putin conveyed sincerest gratitude to veterans and home front workers, wished them good health and longevity.

 

 

 

“Today we are celebrating the feats of all our generations, which never fade and find their reflection in the deeds of  today’s soldiers and volunteers. They further enrich our history,” Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan told reporters today.

The Defense Minister said the situation at the frontline is relatively calm.

Asked whether the recognition of Artsakh could lead to new aggression on the part of Azerbaijan, Minister Ohanyan said: “The Armenian diplomacy is fulfilling its task at full, and the efforts are targeted at the gradual recognition of NKR. It demands a delicate and consistent work, and the military-political leadership of Armenia is busy with that. I think we’re on the right track,” Seyran Ohanyan noted.

 

Dear compatriots,
Dear veterans of the Great Patriotic and Artsakh Liberation Wars,
Respected generals, officers and soldiers of the Defense Army,

On behalf of the Republic’s authorities and personally myself I cordially congratulate you on the Victory Holiday, the Day of the NKR Defense Army and the Liberation of Shushi, a holiday that aggregates the victories of our people and has become a symbol of heroism and courage, selflessness and patriotism, a holiday that both glorifies our past and illuminates the future, serves as a landmark for the generations teaching them how to live and create, love the Motherland and defend it.

On this festive day we honor and bow our heads to our hero fathers and grandfathers who hand in hand with other peoples of the Soviet Union won the Great Patriotic War. We bow our heads to the brave sons of the Armenian nation who carved the victory in the Artsakh Liberation struggle defending the right of our people to live free and independent on their own soil.

Today we can proudly state about another great victory – our young generation, our modern heroes who continue their ancestors’ traditions with dignity, weaving new myths and legends in the battlefield. The selfless soldiers of the Defense Army stand firm in their positions and keep impregnable the Artsakh Republic borders.

Dear compatriots,

All our victories are the triumphs of unity and consolidation around the idea of defending the Motherland facing danger. I am confident that this spirit will always guide our people and we will celebrate more victories. This is the best way to keep alive the memory of our martyrs. This is the only true path to eternity, this is our only way.

I once again congratulate all of us on this glorious Triple Holiday and wish peace and new successes to our country and people.

The liberation of Shushi became a turning point in a war waged by Azerbaijan, and the fact that the day overlaps with the victory over fascism may not be accidental, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in comments to Public TV.

“Today the victorious Army of Artsakh is fighting a new expression of fascism. The aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh in early April was nothing but fascism. The statements full of xenophobia, intolerance and hostility coming from Baku were nothing but fascism. Today’s holiday is a vivid example of what happens to fascism,” Minister Nalbandian said.

“Six hundred thousand Armenian participated in World War Second, and only half returned home. My father participated in the victorious Battle of Stalingrad, my two uncles were killed in the war. There is no Armenian family that has not participated in the Great Patriotic War,” he added.

According to Edward Nalbandian, the Armenian nation has made a great contribution to the victory over fascism, and as we see, keeps doing that today.

Hundreds of Armenian expatriates attended the opening of a new cultural centre in Musaffah on Friday, situated by the first Armenian Church in the capital, Gulf News reports.

The centre, which will serve as a cultural hub for Armenian expats in Abu Dhabi, was inaugurated by Shaikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and His Holiness Aram I, patriarch of the Armenian diaspora.

Addressing the congregation, Shaikh Nahyan hoped the place of worship would serve as an important centre for enriching life, interaction and communication and help in taking care of the affairs of the Armenian community in Abu Dhabi and the UAE at large.

“This building underscores that the UAE, under the leadership of President His Highness Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, has always been and continues to be a country whose people embrace Islam, the religion that preaches tolerance and respect for other faiths, values which constitute the basic pillars of our country and created the fertile ground where all people live in co-existence, peace and security,” Shaikh Nahyan said.

“The church is a spiritual symbol for the power of belonging and loyalty of the members of the Armenian community and for deepening social and religious interaction,” he added.

Catholicos Aram I of the Holy See of Cilicia, which is based in Antelias, Lebanon, appreciated the efforts being made by Shaikh Khalifa for promoting tolerance between different religions and nationalities living in the UAE.

According to Hair Mesrob Sarkissian, Head of the Armenian Church in the UAE and Qatar, the Armenian community in the UAE is 10,000 strong, with more than 2,000 populating the capital. “The community centre stands next to the first Armenian church in the capital, which was officially inaugurated in December, 2014. The centre will serve as a hub for the Armenian community in Abu Dhabi.”

Hair Mesrob said the inauguration of the church and community centre would not have happened if not for the liberality of the country’s leaders. “We are grateful to the UAE government, who has been continuously promoting religious tolerance and inter-cultural communication.

On 9 May within the framework of celebrations to mark the Victory Holiday, the Day of the Nagorno Karabagh Republic Defense Army and the Liberation of Shushi Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan together with Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan and NKR second President Arkady Ghukasyan attended the Stepanakert Memorial Complex, laid a wreath and flowers to the monuments commemorating martyrs perished in the Great Patriotic War and the Artsakh Liberation Struggle.

On the same day Bako Sahakyan, Hovik Abrahamyan and Arkady Ghukasyan visited the town of Shushi and laid garlands and flowers to the pedestal of the tank-monument and the monument of Sparapet Vazgen Sargsyan. They partook in the opening of “Karabakh’s Revival” photo-exhibition of prominent photographer Martin Shahbazyan and his “Artsakh-Revival” book presentation, as well as were present at the candle lighting held at the Ghazanchetsots Church of Christ the Savior.

Primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, NA chairman Ashot Ghoulyan, prime-minister Arayik Haroutyunyan, high-ranking officials from Artsakh and Armenia, guests from the Diaspora and abroad partook at the festive events.

Horizon Weekly – More than 10,000 people marched  in Montreal on May 8 in honour of victims of all genocides of the 20th century. The March for Humanity and Prevention of Genocide (M4H) as held to raise awareness and prevent such atrocities from taking place again in the future.

“One hundred and one years after the Armenian Genocide, we continue to witness horrors around the world. Today, thousands march to raise awareness on the genocides and crimes against humanity of the 20th century,” declared Hrag Jinjian, Chair of the Armenian Genocide Commemoration Committee of Quebec. “It is our duty, as victims but also that of every Quebecer, to fight denial, fight indifference, and force governments into action where help is needed.”

UEFA President Michel Platini will resign from European football’s governing body after failing to have a six-year ban from football overturned, the BBC reports.

A Court of Arbitration for Sport (Cas) panel reduced the ban to four years on Monday.

Following the judgement, the 60-year-old said he would be stepping down.

Platini and former Fifa counterpart Sepp Blatter, were last year found guilty of ethics breaches over a 2m Swiss Franc (£1.3m) “disloyal payment”.

The pair, who deny wrongdoing, had their original bans reduced from eight to six years by the FIFA appeals committee.

Platini had taken his case to Cas seeking to get the ban overturned, but a three-man panel said it “was not convinced by the legitimacy of the payment”.

The two said the payment in 2011 was made for consultancy work Platini had carried out for Blatter between 1998 and 2002, and that they had a “gentleman’s agreement” on when the balance was settled.