Category: News

Asbarez – Seven years ago, when Maria, a Yerevan resident, became a bone marrow stem cell donor with the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR), she had no clue that someday she would actually be able to help save someone’s life. That opportunity presented itself on March 9.

After Hadassah Medical Center’s Bone Marrow Transplant Department, in Jerusalem, contacted ABMDR for a matched-donor request, Maria, 36, was identified as a match for a cancer patient in Israel. As further tests confirmed Maria as a perfect match, Hadassah requested from ABMDR that her stem cells be harvested for a bone marrow transplant that could save the life of the Israeli patient.

Maria’s stem cells were harvested at ABMDR’s Stem Cell Harvesting Center, in the Armenian capital. Once the painless, non-invasive harvesting procedure, performed by Dr. Andranik Mshetsyan, was completed, the donated stem cells were flown to Israel through a special courier. Maria has been an ABMDR bone marrow stem cell donor since 2009. She is a nurse and the mother of two children: Alex, 15; and Knarik, 18 months old.

Present at Maria’s harvesting procedure were ABMDR Executive Director Dr. Sevak Avagyan and Medical Director Dr. Mihran Nazaretyan, as well as Dr. Bella Kocharian, former First Lady of Armenia. Dr. Kocharian became ABMDR’s very first registered bone marrow donor when the organization was established in 1999, and has served as its Honorary Chair ever since.

“We Armenians are a Mediterranean people, and, as such, share our genes with peoples throughout the region, whether they be Jews, Greeks, Italians, or Ethiopians,” Dr. Avagyan said. “Today we are absolutely delighted that the life of a patient in Israel is poised to be saved through an Armenian bone marrow donor. Nothing can be more gratifying!”

American celebrity Kim Kardashian-West shared the second photo of her son with hip-hop mogul Kanye West on social media, Saturday (March 12, 2016), whom she referred to as the “sun” in her morning.

Kim first gave her followers a look at her youngest child last February 22, wherein baby Saint West can be seen sleeping soundly in a white onesie. In the latest photo of her son, Saint West can be seen with opened eyes.

“You’re the sun in my morning babe,” captioned Kim in her Instagram post which has immediately garnered millions of likes.

The 35-year-old television personality gave birth to Saint West last December 5, 2015. Saint is her second child with 38-year-old Kanye, following North West who is now two years old.

The delegation of the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly headed by its President Sergey Naryshkin has arrived in Armenia for the sitting of the CSTO PA.

Upon their arrival in Armenia, members of the delegation, accompanied by Deputy Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov, visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to pay tribute to the memory of the 1.5 million innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.

“I visit Tsitsernakaberd Memorial every time I arrive in Armenia,” Sergey Naryshkin said.

“It’s necessary to remember what happened 100 years ago to exclude reoccurrence of such tragedies in the future. Every year the Russian State Duma commemorates the Armenian Genocide and adopts corresponding statements, expressing our condolences and our stance on the tragic events of 1915,” Sergey Naryshkin noted.

The Azerbaijani side undertook an infringement attempt on March 10, at 23:20, the NKR Ministry of Defense reports. The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army were quick to spot the advancement of the rival and forced the Azeri troops back to their initial positions.

Two Azeri soldiers were killed in the clash, the NKR Defense Army incurred no losses.

The rival fired more than 5,500 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions on March 10 and 11, using artillery weapons of different caliber, as well as 60 and 82 mm mortars, RPG-7 and HAN-17 grenades, and howitzers.

The President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan arrives in Cyprus on March 15 for a two- day official visit.

Armenian President will be the keynote speaker of a lecture entitled “Armenia`s political agenda on the eve of the 25th anniversary of independence” to be organized by the University of Cyprus on March 16, Famagusta Gazette reports.

According to a press release issued by the University, Rector of the University of Cyprus, Professor Constantinos Christofides and Representative of the Armenian Community in the Cyprus House of Representatives Vartkes Mahdessian will deliver welcome speeches.

The lecture, to be held at the University Campus at 16:00, will be followed by a short question and answer session. Greek and English translation will be available.

The Public Radio of Armenia will compete against Kiss FM Dance Music Australia in the quarter-final of the Radio Battle project hosted by Italian Rai Radio 2.

Keep tuned to Public Radio of Armenia (FM 107.7) on March 13, at 23:00 (8/9pm CET) or visit our official website (().

During the one-hour live show Armenia will “fight” against Australia.  Voting is only via Twitter, only during the show (one hour).

It’s really easy: just tweet #radiobattleAM or retweet the hashtag. Support Armenia and Public Radio of Armenia on March 13!

On a working visit to the Russian Federation, President Serzh Sargsyan attended today the official opening ceremony of the “Armenia: Legend of being” exhibition at the State Historical Museum of Moscow organized under the program of cooperation between the Ministries of Culture of Armenia and Russia.

More than 160 unique items from the three leading museums in Armenia – the History Museum, the Museum of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts – are showcased.

The exhibition will provide the visitors with an opportunity to learn about the centuries-long history of Armenia, its multifaceted cultural traditions.

President Sargsyan left a note in the book of honorary guests: “It’s an honor for me, as the President of Armenia, to be in one of the oldest buildings of Moscow – the State Historical Museum of Moscow, where the “Armenia: Legend of being” exhibition dedicated to the centuries-long history of the Armenian people is on display. There ar many glorious pages of interweaving of history of the brotherly Armenian and Russian peoples. I’m confident that the collection of the unique documents and items kept here will be enriched with new valuable testaments of our everlasting friendship.”

President Sargsyan later participated in an award ceremony at the Armenian Embassy in Russia. The President bestowed a Friendship Order to Valery Zorkin, President of the Russian Constitutional Court, for considerable contribution to the reinforcement and development of Armenian-Russian friendly ties, the long-term effective cooperation in the field of constitutional justice.

Friendship Orders were awarded to Russian’s Prosecutor General Yuri Chayka and President of the Russian Investigative Committee Ivan Bastrykin for their contribution to the deepening of cooperation between the law-enforcement bodies of the two countries, the reinforcement and development of Armenian-Russian friendly ties.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will visit Vienna on March 13 to participate in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European People’s Party (EPP), Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan defeated FIDE President Kirsan Ilyumzhivov in an unforeseen blitz chess game, Narek Nikoghosyan, Assistant to the Press Secretary of the President of the Republic of Armenia, said in a Twitter post.

The game took place on the sidelines of the Candidates Tournament in Moscow.

President of Armenia, Chairman of Armenia’s Chess Federation Serzh Sargsyan attended the official opening ceremony.

Armenia’s leading chess player Levon Aronian  participates in the tournament along with eight other acclaimed contenders. The winner of the tournament will compete for the World Champion’s title in New York on November 11-30.

As the Chess Federation of Armenia is a sponsor of the event, the opening ceremony was dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s independence.