Category: News

On 23 April Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan visited the town of Hadrout and held there a working consultation to discuss issues relating to the army’s activity and implementation of operational tasks by the Hadrout regional administration’s departments in this sphere

The President gave concrete instructions towards proper fulfillment of the discussed issues.

NKR deputy defense minister, head of the Artsakh Union of Freedom Fighters, Samvel Karapetyan, chairman of the “Yerkrapah” Volunteers Union organization’s board Manvel Grigoryan and other officials partook in the consultation.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received today survivors of genocides and crimes against humanity from Cambodia, Rwanda and Iraq, who have arrived in Armenia to participate in the Second Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide.

Minister Nalbandian emphasized the participation of outstanding scholars, political and public figures, artists and especially survivors in the global forum.

Minister Nalbandian attached importance to the joint efforts of the international community targeted at the prevention of genocides and elimination of their consequences. He noted that the Global Forum held in Armenia for the second year in a row has become an important platform for struggle against genocides and crimes against humanity.

Nadia Murad of Iraq presented the violence against Yazidis and the story of the barbaric killing of her family. She asked for Armenia’s support in raising awareness about the issue.

Minister Nalbandian assured of Armenia’s committment to maintain efforts towards raising the issue of the genocide of Yazidis on different international platforms.

The participants of the meeting hailed Armenia’s role in preventing genocides. Edward Nalbandian briefed the guests on Armenia’s initiatives and efforts in that direction.

President Serzh Sargsyan, who is participating at the Second Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide convened at the K. Demirjian Sport and Concert Compound, during the break between the sessions conversed with the participants of the Forum, exchanged views with the delegates, and presented Armenia’s views regarding a number of issues.

Speaking about the difficulties posed by the geographical location of our country, President Sargsyan said in particular, “It is true that two out of Armenia’s four neighbors are conducted hostile policy toward our country. Nevertheless, since independence we have adopted a multi-vector policy trying to develop relations with all our neighbors. Even with Turkey, we were the initiators of reestablishing the relations without preconditions. It was an initiative which revealed to the world why the Armenian-Turkish is closed, who is setting preconditions and why the Turkish-Azeri “one nation- two states” formula is a real factor. Those who until now have not yet comprehended the political essence of that formula, in their calculations have missed an important element. We are a peaceful nation. We hate no one and do not build our relations on animosity or hatred toward anyone. Our people don’t like to fight but we do it when we are forced to. We are forced to fight for one simple reason: we want to live on our own land and we want to be free.”

The President spoke also about Russia’s role in the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh issue. “Yesterday I received Minister of Foreign Affairs Lavrov, who was on a visit in Yerevan. I presented to him our position regarding the situation which has been established after the large-scale offensive unleashed by Azerbaijan. Russia as the OSCE Minsk Group member state is actively involved in the Nagorno Karabakh peace process. For years, we were a responsible member of that process, were trying to find mutually acceptable solutions, were trying to be constructive. Obviously, the blunt violation by Azerbaijan of the 1994 Ceasefire Agreement has thrown the peace process far back. We were convinced that the problem could be solved through exclusively peaceful means, however today the situation is different. Ceasefire and supporting agreements have been violated, five statements of the Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair states – US, France, and Russia – were violated, bloodchilling war crimes were committed, and now we are telling everyone – point your finger to the aggressor, expose the aggressor so that lessons are learned, so that we can move forward,” said President Serzh Sargsyan.

EBU Members in six different countries pay an eclectic musical tribute to William Shakespeare on the 400^th anniversary of his death (23 April 2016). The Public Radio of Armenia joins EBU to mark the anniversary. 

The New Shakespeare Songbook project brings together Members in Austria, France, Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland and the UK to celebrate the renowned English poet and playwright in seven new short films.

Some of Europe’s best known musicians responded to the challenge to set Shakespeare’s texts to music. These include French rapper Oxmo Puccino, Norwegian singer-songwriter Ane Brun and UK electronic musician Matthew Herbert.

Austria’s Eva Jantschitsch aka Gustav, singer Gregor Volk, piano trio Trio Rêverie, tuba player Goran Krmac and accordionist Janez Dovč from Slovenia and Swiss actress Anahì Traversi together with cellist Zeno Gabaglio are also taking part.

ORF, France Televisions, NRK, RTVSLO, SRG SSR and the BBC commissioned song settings from musicians in their respective countries, while viewers will be challenged to produce their own contributions and share them using the hashtag #newshakespearesongbook.

EBU Media Director Jean Philip De Tender said “Shakespeare is one of the pillars of European culture and the richness of his texts is reflected in the wonderful creative responses from EBU Members working with some of today’s most imaginative artists.”

UK

Switzerland

Slovenia

Norway

France

Austria

EBU project Shakespeare Songbook

About 15,000 demonstrators in the Armenian capital held a torchlight march to the Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex dedicated to the 1.5 million Armenians massacred a century ago by Ottoman Turks.

The Saturday evening march comes on the eve of official commemorations of the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

 

 

 

The Armenian Genocide is not just part of the Armenian history, it’s not the pain of a particular country or people, it’s part of world history, George Clooney said at the Second Global Forum against the crime of Genocide under way in Yerevan.

It’s been a long struggle to have things called by their names, Clooney said. He said it’s hard because we live in a complex world, but added that “one cannot deny what has happened.”

“When someone is trying to annihilate a whole human race, culture, people, that’s genocide, there can be no other version of it.”

Time and time again we repeat “Never again” after Germany, but after that we have had Cambodia, Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur. The truth is that it happens over and over again.

“What we are doing today has two objectives. First, we have to look back into the past and remember that  it’s not the pain of a particular country or people, it’s part of world history. Second, we need to move forward,” Clooney added.

The essence of the Aurora Prize is that the founders are trying to value the heroism of people, who risk their lives to ensure a better life for others, he stressed.

U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) today issued the following statement after the Administration failed to call the massacres of Armenians by the Ottoman Turkish government a genocide:

“As we mark the 101st anniversary of the Armenian Genocide on April 24, I call on the Administration to recognize the murder of 1.5 million Armenians from 1915-1923 by Ottoman Turkey for what it was: genocide. Recognition of past genocides is crucial for preventing future genocides, so it is long past due to speak honestly about what happened to the Armenians.”

Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Friday that U.S. President Barack Obama’s comment on the 1915 incidents represented a “one-sided interpretation of history,” Anadolu Agency reports.

President Obama described the 1915 ikilling of Armenians within the Ottoman Empire as “Meds Yeghern”, an Armenian term meaning “great calamity” in a

In a written statement ,Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Obama’s statement was a new example of a one-sided history telling of the “pain suffered during the World War I”.

“Turkey has shown the will to build a joint future with peace based on the shared living experience for centuries between Turkish and Armenian nations. It is sad that friend and ally countries encourage the circle that [aim] to deepen the conflict instead of answering [Turkey’s] call. It is obvious that the efforts to politicize the pain suffered in history do not do any good to anyone so far.”

“While this is the situation, the circles that aim to profit from the positions that third-party countries would take on the different dates of the year not only harm the hope for friendship and peace but they also disrespect the pain suffered during those days.”

“We invite the U.S. government to evaluate the historical facts based on a fair memory while taking into consideration the pain of all sides and adopt an objective, reasonable and constructive approach.”

President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan had a phone conversation with UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon at the initiative of the latter.

The UN Secretary General said he regrets the delay of the visit to Armenia due to unforeseen circumstances.

Ban ki-Moon attached importance to the process of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict and expressed his full support to the activity of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

Noting that the Armenian society had long been waiting for the UN Secretary General’s visit, President Sargsyan voiced hope his visit would be organized within new mutually agreed terms.