Author: Badalian Vardan

PADUA HOSTS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENNIAL

20:40, 13 March, 2015

YEREVAN, 13 MARCH, ARMENPRESS. An international conference on “Armenian
Genocide: 1915-2015: 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide”
was held at the main hall of the University of Padua on 11-12 March.

As the Department of Press, Information and Public Relations of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia reports to
“Armenpress”, the conference was organized by the group studying
the Shoah and massacres and the Department of Political Sciences,
Law and International Studies at the University of Padua.

The event began with welcome speeches by Rector of the University
of Padua Giuseppe Zaccaria, Armenia’s Ambassador to Italy Sargis
Ghazaryan, Head of the Department of Political Sciences, Law and
International Studies Antonio Varsori and representative of Padua
Municipality for cultural affairs Flavio Rodechiero.

In his speech, Ambassador Ghazaryan mentioned that the events
commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide in
Armenia will be in four directions, including tribute to the victims
of the Armenian Genocide and canonization by the Armenian Apostolic
Church of the victims, the gratitude of the Armenian people to those
who helped the Armenians during the difficult days of the Genocide,
support to the international community’s efforts aimed at preventing
new genocides and the renaissance of the Armenians having survived
the genocide and having reestablished independence.

EVENTS DEDICATED TO ARMENIAN GENOCIDE TO BE HELD IN FRAMES OF GOLDEN APRICOT FESTIVAL

15:17, 13 March, 2015

YEREVAN, MARCH 13, ARMENPRESS: The Golden Apricot Yerevan International
Film Festival this year is devoted to the centennial of the Armenian
Genocide and on that occasion the Festival will have special
programs. The annual Festival will be held on July 12-19 in 2015.

The Project Manager of the Golden Apricot Yerevan International
Film Festival Michael Stamboltsyan stated at the meeting with the
journalists on March 13 that a great attention will be paid to the
Genocide in the framework of the Film Festival.

Analyst: Armenia’s joining EEU does not hamper relations with the West

16:54, 14.03.2015

YEREVAN. – Armenia’s recent accession to the Eurasian Economic Union
(EEU) does not interfere and has not interfered at all with the
country’s relations with the West, political scientist Levon Shirinyan
said at a press conference on Saturday.

In his words, Armenia can even become an intermediary between these two.

“What place can Armenia occupy in the EEU? We [, Armenia,] may choose
the optimal options for the recovery of industry. First of all, I mean
fundamental science, theoretical physics, chemistry, mathematics, and
engineering work,” Shirinyan stressed. “If we do that, we definitely
will have our place among the other three EEU countries [i.e. Russia,
Belarus, and Kazakhstan].”

Armenia News – NEWS.am

Vatican Holds ‘Moment of Reflection’ on Armenian Genocide

14:39, 14 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Pontifical Oriental Institute on Thursday held a “moment of
reflection” to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the “Metz Yeghern,
the Great Evil: ter voghormia, Lord have mercy,” Vatican Radio
reports.

Metz Yeghern is the traditional expression used for attacks by the
government against ethnic Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Between one
and one and a half million people are believed to have been killed
between 1915 and 1918.

Thursday’s event centered on the presentation of the work of Father
George Ryssen, SJ, and on the commemoration of alumni of the
Pontifical Armenian College who were killed during that time. Father
Ruyssen’s work, of which four of a projected seven volumes have been
published, collects all the documents pertaining to the historical
events to be found in the different archives of the Holy See.

The Prefect for the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Cardinal
Leonardo Sandri – who is also Chancellor of the Institute – attend the
event, and addressed the participants.

In his remarks, Cardinal Sandri said the “moment of reflection” was
not only an academic exercise, but was also “a Christian gesture of
justice and mercy.” The event, he said, shows that we are untiring
seekers after the Truth that is Christ; collaborators [working for]
the coming of the city ‘in which dwells righteousness’; and
supplicants invoking the intercession of the witnesses, the martyroi
of the Armenian people” who made the supreme profession of faith by
shedding their blood.

Cardinal Sandri also noted the gratitude of the Armenian people to the
Pope of the time, Benedict XV. He said the work of Father Ruyssen
“allows us to understand how the Holy See was diligent in attempting
to stay the hands of the executioners, and to bring possible relief
and aid to those who escaped the massacres that took place one hundred
years ago.”

We are still saddened, he continued, for those who rose up to kill
their neighbours, but even more, astonished by the silence of so many
nations and so many powerful people, as we are still astonished to day
on the part of others to speak with objectivity, to arrive at the
longed-for goal of reconciliation, in truth and in justice.”

The mystery of evil, he said, “mysterium iniquitatis, that is able to
flow from the heart of man, and that is made manifest in the
destruction that every sin brings with it, compels us to get down on
our knees, and pray, as we say in the subtitle of our meeting: “Ter
voghormia… Lord have mercy!” Have mercy on man whom you have created,
but who now is wounded, is far from you, poor, a sinner, capable, as
Cain was, of conceiving death for his brother, capable of nourishing
hatred and seeking vengeance.”

Cardinal Sandri concluded his remarks with the words of Benedict XVI
during the former Pope’s visit to the extermination camp at Auschwitz:
“We cannot peer into God’s mysterious plan – we see only piecemeal,
and we would be wrong to set ourselves up as judges of God and
history. Then we would not be defending man, but only contributing to
his downfall. No – when all is said and done, we must continue to cry
out humbly yet insistently to God: Rouse yourself! Do not forget
mankind, your creature! And our cry to God must also be a cry that
pierces our very heart, a cry that awakens within us God’s hidden
presence – so that his power, the power he has planted in our hearts,
will not be buried or choked within us by the mire of selfishness,
pusillanimity, indifference or opportunism. Let us cry out to God,
with all our hearts, at the present hour, when new misfortunes befall
us, when all the forces of darkness seem to issue anew from human
hearts: whether it is the abuse of God’s name as a means of justifying
senseless violence against innocent persons, or the cynicism which
refuses to acknowledge God and ridicules faith in him. Let us cry out
to God, that he may draw men and women to conversion and help them to
see that violence does not bring peace, but only generates more
violence – a morass of devastation in which everyone is ultimately the
loser.”

Armenia joins statement on supporting Christians of the Middle East

15:10, 14.03.2015

Armenia has joined the statement “Supporting the Human Rights of
Christians and Other Communities, particularly in the Middle East”
that was adopted at UNHRC session in Geneva on Friday.

The Holy See, together with the Russian Federation and Lebanon, has
drawn up a declaration in support of Christians and members of other
communities in the Middle East who continue to suffer from serious
human rights violations

The statement reads:

“The Middle East is living in a situation of instability and conflict
that recently have been aggravated. The consequences are disastrous
for the entire population of the region. The existence of many
religious communities is seriously threatened. Christians are now
especially affected. These days even their survival is in question.

Efforts to build a better future for all are frustrated. We witness a
situation where violence, religious and ethnic hatred, fundamentalist
radicalism, extremism, intolerance, exclusion, destruction of the
social fabric of whole societies and communities are becoming the
features of a non-viable political and social model, endangering the
very existence of many communities, the Christian community in
particular.

Millions of people have been either displaced or forced to leave their
ancestral lands. Those who stay in conflict zones or areas controlled
by terrorist groups live under the permanent threat of human rights
violations, repression and abuses. Both communities and individuals
fall victim to barbaric acts of violence: they are deprived of homes,
driven from their native lands, sold into slavery, killed, beheaded
and burnt alive. Dozens of Christian churches and ancient shrines of
all religions have been destroyed. The situation of Christians in the
Middle East, a land on which they are living for centuries and have
the right to remain, raises deep concerns. There are more and more
reasons to fear seriously for the future of the Christian communities
that have more than two thousand years of existence in this region,
where Christianity has its full place, and began its long history. The
positive contributions of Christians in the different countries and
societies of the Middle East are well known and creative.

We are confident that Governments, all civic and religious leaders in
the Middle East, will join us in addressing this alarming situation by
building together a culture of peaceful coexistence. In our globalized
world, pluralism is enrichment. The presence and the contributions of
ethnic and religious communities reflect an ancient diversity and a
common heritage. A future without the different communities in the
Middle East will run a high risk of new forms of violence, exclusion,
and the absence of peace and development.

We call upon the international community to support the deeply rooted
historical presence of all ethnic and religious communities in the
Middle East. Here world religions appeared, including Christianity.
Now, they live a serious existential threat from the so-called
“Islamic State” (Daesh) and Al-Qaida, and affiliated terrorist groups,
which disrupts the life of all these communities, and creates the risk
of complete disappearance for the Christians. This support will help
the countries of the region to rebuild healthy plural societies and
sound political systems, ensuring human rights and fundamental
freedoms for all. Therefore we ask all States to reaffirm their
commitment to respect the rights of everyone, in particular the right
to freedom of religion, which is enshrined in the fundamental
international human rights instruments.”

The victim alarms that he was exposed to violence by the officials

12:32 | March 14,2015 | Official

On October 28, 2014 the president of the observation team in charge of
exercising control in the Detention Facilities of the arrested people
of the Republic of Armenia submitted an application to the Head of the
Special Investigation Service and the General Prosecutor of the
Republic of Armenia declaring that on October 26, 2014 at 13:30 Armen
T., who at the given moment was in the police department, telephoned
the hot line of the observation team and informed that he was exposed
to violence by the policemen.

In the course of the preparation of the materials in the Special
Investigation Service of the Republic of Armenia, Armen T. refused to
give a report and provide an explanation about the crime. Later, Armen
T., even after being found a victim in the course of the preliminary
investigation of the criminal case launched in accordance with Part 2
of Article 309 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia,
refused to give testimonies.

The Special Investigation Service of the Republic of Armenia has
launched a preceding against the criminal case instituted with regard
to the fact of refusal from giving testimonies by the victim Armen T.
in accordance with Part 1 of Article 339 of the Criminal Code of the
Republic of Armenia.

A preliminary investigation is underway.

SIS

SPORTS AUTOMOBILES
Le champion automobile franco-arménien Nicolas Minassian reçu à Erévan
par le président arménien

Le président arménien Serge Sarkissian a reçu dans son palais
présidentiel à Erévan, le champion automobile franco-arménien Nicolas
Minassian. Serge Sarkissian a tout d’abord félicité Nicolas Misassian
pour sa brillante carrière et confié que

Armenia is most open country for innovation in region:Wojciech Biden

12:09, 12 March, 2015

YEREVAN-BARCELONA, 12 MARCH, ARMENPRESS: Among the countries of the
former Soviet Union, Armenia occupies a special place in the
development of the digital sphere, because in the sector of
technological modernization there is a huge support from the
Government. The operators of portable networks in Armenia quickly
respond to the market demands and global innovations. The director of
Ericsson Company’s pivotal clients work Wojciech Biden stated this in
an interview to “Armenpress”.- How do You evaluate the activities of
Ericsson Company in Armenia in recent 6 years?

– The Armenian market is quite interesting to us, and there we were
able to carry out a successful operation in the various fields. All
began in 2009, when we set the basis of cooperation with Ucom Company,
helping the company to invest in new IP television system. As Armenia
today, we are cooperating with almost all mobile operators in the
country. Today in Armenia we are almost collaborating with the all
mobile operators. In the territory of Armenia we don’t cooperate only
with Orange, but in global level Ericsson is the preferred partner of
Orange.

– What programs do you carry out jointly with the Armenian Government?

– At this moment, we have been cooperating with the Government of the
Republic of Armenia in two projects sectors; those are electronic
healthcare and digitization of television. The implementation of two
projects we’ve got by taking part and winning the public competitions.
At the moment, the electronic health plan based on our customers and
mutual agreement is temporarily slow, which is conditioned by
purchasing equipment and implementing documentation works.

Next year, in January the pilot project will begin, followed by the
program of commercial exploitation in the Republic. By this system the
doctor will be able to see the visitor through the visitor’s
healthcare story, as well as send the prescription to pharmacy closer
to the house of visitor, where the employee will be able to give the
right medicine and the appropriate dose, which is assigned by the
doctor.

– How easy it would be to implement such a system in Armenia, taking
into account that every doctor should be compelled to buy a computer
or tablet?

– In fact, the technique is not a problem; because this program is
possible to use even in the cheapest tablet. During the importation of
this system our biggest challenge is not the purchase of equipment or
any other technical problem, but the doctors are reluctant to work
with the new system and many of them are from elder generation and
avoid having a work with a computer or tablet.

– The launch of digital TV in Armenia is announced that will be held
this year in the beginning of July. Is it realistic, regarding the
country’s geographical peculiarities?

– The analogical TV digitization program will enable all regions of
the country to solve the digitization of television, which assumes to
include from Yerevan to the highland villages. Last November, we
implemented the first signal transmission testing and last
implementation phase of work will start in spring, in order to start
the operation of digital television on July, in Armenia. As a result
of that the television broadcast quality will be at the same level in
Yerevan and mountainous areas.

– Beside the aforesaid programs, in Armenia, in which sector can be
expected the implantation of projects?

– As I said, the most open country in the region towards innovation is
Armenia, because the government realizes their importance and
allocates remedies for the implementation. Such an each program
requires a minimum investment of several million dollars, which pays
the government.

I think that it will be interesting to apply in Armenia the Estonian
version, where was created smart meter energy-saving system, that in
advance by planning switches the washing machine or dishwasher
machine, as well as gives the ability to avoid some of the problems,
which are arising during the measurement of energy bills. We also
think that the importation of elements of “smart city” will be
interesting to the Yerevan Municipality, which can be implemented
through a joint program with the operators. Over the next two years or
until 2018 we will witness many innovations.

Interview by Anahit Minasyan

Armenian Journalists Ready to Go on Hunger Strike Ahead of Putin’s Visit

Vahram Aghajanyan, Editor-in-Chief of the closed newspaper
Law – 14 March 2015, 14:52

The staff of the independent Armenian newspaper Tretya Sila Plyus, TSP
(The Third Force Plus), illicitly closed by the Russian government, is
preparing to announce a hunger strike ahead of the visit of the
Russian president Putin to Yerevan on April 24.

As it has already been informed by the media of the world, the
editorial board of the TSP accuses the lieutenant colonel of the
Russian FSS Vadim Pozdishev of stealing the funds of the international
staff of the newspaper. However, it has been four years the Russian
law enforcement agencies, violating the legislation of their country,
refuse to investigate this case, without providing any explanation of
their strange position on this fact of crime. The strange thing is
that the Russian authorities have dismissed Pozdishev from state
service for stealing the savings of journalists but are not willing to
return the money to the newspaper.

There is so much evidence to embezzlement by the officer of the
Russian FSS that it would be enough for several criminal cases. And
even a provincial neighborhood police officer would reveal this case.
However, neither the Prosecutor General’s Office, nor the
Investigative Committee and the Military Prosecutor’s Office, let
alone the FSS of this country, breaching the legislation of the
Russian Federation, bothered to interview the witnesses to this case,
despite multiple requests of journalists and readiness to provide all
the evidence to embezzlement of the funds of the newspaper. The
Russian Embassy to Yerevan is also quiet. Only the Russian Ministry of
Internal Affairs tried to create visibility of some investigation but
after three difficult months of deliberations it decided to transfer
the case to the FSS due to the “special importance” of this case.

The French newspaper Le Monde Diplomatique, a partner of the Armenian
publication, protested against the arbitrariness of the Russian
government. In this respect, “For whatever reasons that are unknown to
us, Mr. Pozdishev seems to have assumed full control over the bank
account and has deprived the Armenian newspaper of its financial
resources.” The letter informs that the editor-in-chief and the staff
of the TSP have written a letter to Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev
who have authorized the Ministry of Internal Affairs and FSS to
investigate this case. However, nothing has been done. It states that
the situation is serious, and the closure of the Armenian newspaper is
unfair and illicit. “We would be thankful, Your Excellence, if you
would pay attention to this case and found a solution to put an end to
the unjustified damage to our Armenian publication,” the letter of Le
Monde Diplomatique to the Russian ambassador to France Alexander Orlov
states.

At the same time, Le Monde Diplomatique has written a letter to the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, calling to “influence the
Russian authorities to make sure that the damage inflicted on the
Tretya Sila Plyus is recovered as soon as possible.” Ms Anna-Cecile
Robert has informed the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs that
despite multiple attempts of the TSP, “this obscure story continues
and threatens our Armenian publication which is not able to return its
funds”.

According to some rumors, the head of FSS A. Bortnikov personally
makes titanic efforts to make sure that the letters of the journalists
do not reach the Russian president and prime minister. Although, the
assistants to the spokesman for the Russian President who introduced
themselves as Yulia and Veronika informed that Dmitry Peskov is aware
of the crime of the FSS against the Armenian newspaper: “Your letter
is on his table”. The audio recording of the information provided by
the fair ladies has been saved – if anyone wants, we invite them to
come and listen to it.

Before announcing hunger strike the representatives of the staff of
the newspaper will address an open letter to Vladimir Putin, informing
all the embassies in Yerevan, human rights organizations, press of
different countries, Yerevan Press Club and Yerevan-based Stepanakert
Press Club, as well as Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Bako Sahakyan,
the Constitutional guarantors of the rights and freedoms of the people
of Armenia and Karabakh (the main part of the staff is citizens of
Armenia and NK). At the same time, the journalists are preparing to
apply to the International Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.

Aznavour joins Swiss Armenian Genocide discussion at Swiss parliament

14:51 * 14.03.15

French-Armenian prominent singer and musician Charles Aznavour, who is
Armenia’s Ambassador to Switzerland has taken part in a discussion on
the Armenian Genocide at the Swiss Federal Assembly.

The event, entitled “Mets Yeghern 100 years on: Consequences of the
denial of the Armenian Genocide”, was attended by the co-chairmen of
the Armenia-Switzerland Parliamentary Friendship Group and National
Council and Council of States, reports the Foreign Ministry’s press
service.

Raymond Kevorkian, a French-Armenian historian and professor at the
French Institute of Geopolitics, delivered a lecture to introduce the
historical and legal aspects of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey’s denial
policies and their consequences.

Swiss parliamentarians later raised different issues, including but
not limited to, the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, the
situation in the Middle East, particularly with regard to Turkey’s
role in Syrian and Iraqi crises, the international community’s efforts
towards the prevention of crimes against humanity and installation of
“Streetlights of Memory” memorial in Geneva.

A book entitled “Armenian Genocide Memorial” (co-authored by of
Raymond Kevorkian and Yves Ternon) was presented at the end of the
meeting.