Author: Baghdasarian Karlen

HIGH-LEVEL ARMENIAN-ITALIAN TALKS IN ROME

19:21, 09 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

On an official visit to Italy, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
visited the Vittoriano Museum of Rome, laid a wreath at the Memorial
to the Unknown Soldier and had a meeting with Italian President
Sergio Mattarella.

President Sargsyan voiced hope that the meeting would contribute to
the further deepening of the Armenian-Italian dialogue and expand
the bilateral agenda.

According to the Armenian President, the visit on the threshold of
the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, testifies to the
importance we attach to the ties with Italy.

President Sargsyan expressed gratitude to the Italian people for
providing shelter and inspiring hope to the Armenian Genocide
survivors. He also thanked for the unanimous recognition of the
Armenian Genocide by the Italian Parliament 15 years ago.

The Presidents discussed the process of settlement of the Nagorno
Karabakh conflict. Sergio Mattarella noted that his country stands
for the peaceful resolution of the conflict within the framework of
the OSCE Minsk Group format.

The Italian President praised the fact that even after joining the
Eurasian Economic Union Armenia continues the cooperation with the
European Union and added that this membership opens new perspectives
for the development of Armenia-Italy relations.

From: Baghdasarian

INVESTIGATIVE BODY FEARED RELATIVES OF MURDERED FAMILY WOULD LYNCH PERMYAKOV

Lragir.am
Law – 09 April 2015, 13:04

The Kommersant reported that the term of custody of the Russian
serviceman Valery Permyakov who killed an Armenian family in Gyumri
has been extended. The serviceman is facing life sentence under at
least two points of the indictment.

The trial was in the premises of the 102nd Russian base. According to
Kommersant, the investigative body demanded to hold the trial in the
base fearing that the relatives of the victim could seize him from
law enforcement bodies while transporting him to Yerevan and lynch him.

Aside from multiple murder and desertion, he is accused of murder
of a helpless minor, illegal use and misappropriation of weapon. The
murder of a minor, as well as multiple murder face a life sentence.

From: Baghdasarian

PENDING JUST RETRIBUTION

Wednesday, 08 April 2015 16:59

Though it is sad to state, but the history of relations between
Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan is replete with numerous tragic pages
reflecting the criminal anti-Armenian policy of this state formation.

For decades, in fact, from the moment when the Bolsheviks included
Nagorno Karabakh in the structure of Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijani
authorities have systematically implemented the policy of ethnic
discrimination of Armenians.

Since the beginning of the current stage of the Karabakh Movement,
which originated in late 80s, this policy has openly gained a
genocidal character, which resulted in the mass pogroms and massacres
of Armenians in Sumgait, Kirovabad, Northern Nagorno Karabakh, Baku,
and other regions. The continuation of the long chain of bloody crimes
by the Baku regime was the terrible tragedy in the Armenian village
of Maragha, the Martakert region of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,
which experienced the horrors of the Azerbaijani fascism.

On April 10, 1992, after three-hour artillery preparation, the units
of the regular army of Azerbaijan broke in Maragha. Victims of the
aggression were about 100 people – mostly women, children and the
elderly. Those who had not managed to leave the village were killed
by the Azerbaijanis in the most sadistic ways – were dismembered with
axes and sickles, were sawed and were burned alive. Dozens of people
were taken hostage, some were later exchanged, but the fate of many
is still unknown. The next day, the Karabakh forces liberated Maragha,
but after almost two weeks, on April 22-23, the village was subjected
to new attacks and was actually wiped out. Today, it is still under
the Azeri occupation.

There are a lot of documentary evidences by the residents of Maragha –
survivors of the massacre, irrefutably proving the extreme cruelty and
vandalism by Azerbaijan, which are beyond the human reason. They are
complemented by photos and videos by Vice-Speaker of the British House
of Lords, Baroness Caroline Cox, which recorded chilling footages. It
is known that on April 11, the day after this war crime by the
Azerbaijani army, Lady Cox visited Maragha. She was just shocked by
what she saw. “They are not of the human race”, such was Lady Cox’s
reaction to the atrocities of the Azerbaijani OMON units, which had
committed the massacre. She qualified the tragedy in Maragha as a
crime against humanity.

It is important to note that the armed attack on Maragha cannot be
considered a military operation, as the village, inhabited only by
civilians, was far from the epicenter of active hostilities. The fact
that the main target of Azerbaijan’s armed aggression was the civilian
population convincingly demonstrates that the goal of these criminal
acts, like in the bloody events in Sumgait, Baku, and Kirovabad,
was to intimidate the Armenians of Artsakh and to ultimately expel
them from their native land.

Unfortunately, the monstrous crimes in Maragha, like the preceded
“sumgait”, “kirovabad” and “baku”, have not got the appropriate
assessment by the international community. It is despite the fact
that in 1997, several human rights organizations issued a joint and
extensive inquiry about the tragedy in Maragha and submitted it to
the United Nations Commission on Human Rights. Alas, there was no
reaction. Such indifference of the international structures to the
criminal actions of Azerbaijan prompts the latter to permissiveness
and encourages it to flagrant violation of international law. The
formation of such illusion at the criminal Baku authorities is very
dangerous, because it threatens the security of both the NKR and the
entire region.

Here is a remarkable fact. Recently, the mass media has informed
that seven men were arrested in Serbia suspected of war crimes in
Srebrenica, where in 1995 mass killings of Bosnian Muslim civilians
were committed. Agree, this is an example worthy of emulation for
Azerbaijan, which has not yet condemned the crimes of its army in
Maragha and other settlements of Artsakh. However, expecting similar
actions by the Baku authorities is a thankless undertaking, since all
the crimes against the Armenian population of Azerbaijan and Artsakh
were and are committed at the state level. Official Baku does not
either hide today its intentions to unleash a new war against the
NKR and to commit another act of genocide. In these conditions,
the words of Caroline Cox addressed to us are still topical:
“You have the most powerful weapon – the truth. You should raise
in international structures the issue that Azerbaijan attempted to
commit genocide against the people of Karabakh. You should actively
present to the world the mass crimes against Armenians in Maragha,
Sumgait, Baku and others. These are crimes against humanity”. They
are crimes pending their just retribution.

Leonid MARTIROSSIAN Editor-in-Chief of Azat Artsakh newspaper

From: Baghdasarian

TOP PLACES TO VISIT AS KIM KARDASHIAN TAKES DAUGHTER BACK TO HER ROOTS IN ARMENIA

09:06, 09 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Kim Kardashian has already taken her young daughter North West to the
likes of Paris, New York and London, and now the reality TV star has
taken her little one back to her roots in Armenia.

Kim, whose late father Robert Kardashian was a third-generation
Armenian American, has always expressed a desire to understand her
dad’s culture and the country’s history. Now, together with her rapper
husband Kanye West and daughter, she is visiting Armenia just weeks
before the 100th anniversary of the Armenian genocide.

As Kim draws sets about learning more about her heritage, the Hello
Magazine takes a look at the largely undiscovered travel gems the
Eurasian country has to offer…

YEREVAN Armenia’s capital is one of the oldest continuously inhabited
cities in the world. It’s home to dozens of charming boulevards
dotted with cafes, parks, elegant squares and beautiful 19th-century
buildings.

Several museums in this antique city also offer an education of
the country’s history. The Armenian Genocide Museum in Yerevan
is a gripping walk through history, from the pre-genocide era to
heart-wrenching interviews, eyewitness reports and films that speak
of the intense anguish of the genocide survivors.

THE DEBED CANYON Particularly beautiful and rich in monuments,
the Debed Canyon is perfect for exploring Armenia’s culture and
history. Here you’ll find the monasteries of Sanahin and Haghpat,
both World Heritage-listed, as well as numerous little villages,
each of which has a chapel, church or old fort of interest.

GORIS This ancient mountain town is found high up in the mountains of
Syunik, where the pace of life is slow and time appears to have stood
still. Don’t miss the Rock Forest – a labyrinth of rocky pyramids,
columns and obelisks.

LAKE SEVAN As one of the biggest highland freshwater lakes in the
world, it’s little wonder Lake Sevan is known as Armenia’s “blue-eyed
beauty”.

Come summertime, its shores become a veritable riviera where locals
flock to enjoy the sunshine and sparkling turquoise water.

MOUNT ARAGATS This breathtaking mountain is also home to some medieval
architecture including a monastery, fort and observatory/weather
station. Although warm in summer, Aragats has a snow cap for about
250 days a year.

TATEV The gorgeous scenery of the Vorotan River Canyon is what draws
most visitors to Tatev, as well as the hikes along, within and atop the
canyon that offer spectacular views. The amazing monastery of Tatev,
a World Heritage Site, perched on a rock fortress is a jaw-dropping
bonus.

From: Baghdasarian

CHARGES BROUGHT AGAINST FOUNDING PARLIAMENT CHAIRMAN

22:04 * 09.04.15

Armenia’s law-enforcers have brought a criminal charge against Chairman
of the Founding Parliament Garegin Chugaszyan.

He has been charged on Point 1 of Article 225 of Armenia’s Criminal
Code (organization of mass disorders) and transported to court.

From: Baghdasarian

FRANCETV INFO : APPEL A TEMOIGNAGES SUR LE GENOCIDE ARMENIEN

Publie le : 08-04-2015

Info Collectif VAN – – “A l’occasion de la
commemoration du centenaire du genocide armenien, vendredi 24
avril, francetv info recueille vos temoignages. A l’occasion des
commemorations de ce centenaire, marquees par la visite du president
Francois Hollande a Erevan (Armenie), vendredi 24 avril, francetv
info recueille les temoignages des Francais d’origine armenienne
sur ce drame. Si une personne de votre famille est morte pendant ce
genocide, ou y a survecu pour se refugier en France, racontez-nous
son histoire.” Le Collectif VAN vous propose cette information publiee
sur le site Francetv info le 4 avril 2015.

Francetv info

Appel a temoignages : si votre famille a connu le genocide armenien,
racontez-nous son histoire

Par Thomas Baïetto

Mis a jour le 07/04/2015 | 13:26 , publie le 04/04/2015 | 13:49

A l’occasion de la commemoration du centenaire du genocide armenien,
vendredi 24 avril, francetv info recueille vos temoignages.

C’etait le 24 avril 1915. Il y a 100 ans, a Constantinople, la police
ottomane arrete les intellectuels armeniens de la ville, une rafle qui
donne le coup d’envoi du genocide des Armeniens de l’empire Ottoman.

Environ 1 200 000 membres de cette minorite chretienne perissent,
massacrees sur place ou deportees dans le desert syrien par les
soldats turcs. Les survivants quittent l’empire, et beaucoup se
refugient en France.

A l’occasion des commemorations de ce centenaire, marquees par la
visite du president Francois Hollande a Erevan (Armenie), vendredi 24
avril, francetv info recueille les temoignages des Francais d’origine
armenienne sur ce drame.

Si une personne de votre famille est morte pendant ce genocide,
ou y a survecu pour se refugier en France, racontez-nous son histoire.

Comment celle-ci est-elle abordee au sein de votre famille ? Comment
l’a-t-elle marquee ? Participerez-vous aux commemorations de ce
centenaire ? L’outil a la fin de cet article vous permet de nous
confier ces souvenirs, que nous rassemblerons dans un article.

Merci de nous preciser votre nom, votre lieu de residence et vos
coordonnees (numero de telephone et/ou adresse e-mail), pour que nous
puissions vous recontacter. Vos coordonnees ne seront pas publiees.

Source/Lien : Francetv info

From: Baghdasarian

UN SOLDAT ARMENIEN TUE HIER PAR UN TIR AZERI A LA FRONTIERE EST DU HAUT KARABAGH

HAUT KARABAGH

Hier 7 avril a 17h15 sur une position de defense a l’est du Haut
Karabagh, un soldat armenien est mort. Levon Mirzoyan, la victime
qui a recu une balle mortelle tiree par l’ennemi azeri avait 20
ans. Une enquete est menee par l’armee armenienne afin de determiner
les circonstances precises de cette mort du jeune soldat armenien. Le
ministère de la Defense du Haut Karabagh a presente ses condoleances
a la famille de la victime.

Krikor Amirzayan

mercredi 8 avril 2015, Krikor Amirzayan (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

REUNION A EREVAN DE LA CONFERENCE DES PRESIDENTS DE LA REGION EUROPE DE L’AP/FRANCOPHONIE

ARMENIE

La presse du jour rend compte de la reunion de la Conference
des Presidents de la region Europe de l’Assemblee parlementaire
de la Francophonie, a Erevan, le 31 mars. Le President de
l’AN, Galoust Sahakian, et le Ministre des AE ont pris
part a cette reunion. Dans son discours disponible sur
, le
Ministre des AE, Edward Nalbandian, a souligne que chaque annee,
la celebration de Saison de la Francophonie devient un temps fort
de la vie culturelle armenienne. L’annee 2015 sera, selon lui, une
annee exceptionnelle pour la Francophonie en Armenie, car Erevan
accueillera, les 30-31 octobre, la 31ème session de la Conference
ministerielle de la Francophonie, qui constituera un evenement
marquant pour l’Armenie. Le Ministre a par ailleurs evoque le centième
anniversaire du Genocide armenien, jugeant imperative la lutte contre
la prevention des Genocides : .

Rappelant que cette annee la Saison de la Francophonie s’inscrit dans
le cadre du centième anniversaire du Genocide, le President Sarkissian
a souligne le rôle de l’OIF dans la lutte contre de tels phenomènes
comme le racisme, la xenophobie et l’intolerance, mais aussi dans la
promotion de la paix, de la democratie et de la defense des droits
de l’Homme. Rappelant l’implication de l’Armenie dans les missions
internationales de maintien de la paix, le chef de l’Etat a indique
que l’Armenie examinait son eventuelle participation a la mission de
maintien de la paix de l’ONU en Afrique sous commandement francais.

Enfin, il s’est egalement felicite de la tenue, cette annee a Erevan,
de la 31ème conference ministerielle de la Francophonie, affirmant
que l’Armenie fera son possible pour qu’elle soit organisee au
meilleur niveau.

Par ailleurs, les Presidents de la region Europe de l’AP/Francophonie
ont adopte une declaration condamnant le Genocide dont a ete victime
le peuple armenien, rendant hommage aux victimes et exprimant
la solidarite a la lutte de l’Armenie et de son peuple en vue de
restituer ses droits. La declaration invite egalement la Turquie
a faire face a son histoire et a reconnaître le Genocide armenien,
ce qui servira de point de depart pour la reconciliation des deux
nations. / Rapporte par l’ensemble de la presse

Extrait de la revue de presse de l’Ambassade de France en Armenie en
date du 1er avril 2015

mercredi 8 avril 2015, Stephane (c)armenews.com

From: Baghdasarian

ANZAC DAY BEING HIJACKED BY TURKS TO HIDE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE CENTENARY

13:54, 08 Apr 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Ngapuhi leader and academic David Rankin has called for Maori
to boycott this year’s centennial ANZAC commemorations becaue the
Turkish Government is using the event to deflect attention from the
Armenian Genocide, in which over a million indigenous Armenians were
killed by the Turks, Scoop Politicsreports.

“The Armenian holocaust began on 24 April 1915, so what better way
for Turkey to hide it than to put all attention on ANZAC Day,” says
Mr Rankin. “The indigenous Armenian population was slaughtered by
the colonising Turks and our involvement in the ANZAC centennial at
Gallipoli is supporting the genocide of the coloniser. Indigenous
peoples need to stand up and fight the oppressor”

“Turkey was the ISIS of its day,” says Mr Rankin. “It killed nearly
one and a half million Armenians because they were Christians and
they were on territories that the Turks wanted to colonise. We are
effectively supporting this by going along with the commemorations that
are being orchestrated at Gallipoli. They are a diversionary tactic.”

Mr Rankin wrote to the Turkish Ambassador to New Zealand about this
matter in January but has not received any response. “This shows me
that their attitude to indigenous peoples has not changed in a hundred
years. We can still be ignored and treated like dirt,” says Mr Rankin.

Mr Rankin is calling on Maori and other indigenous groups to boycott
this year’s ANZAC Day events and as a sign of their solidarity with
the indigenous Armenians, to stop wearing poppies this year.

From: Baghdasarian

Meet Sam Sevian, America’s 14-year-old chess grandmaster

The youngest ever US grandmaster – a 14-year-old from suburban Boston
– on intimidation tactics and what it will take to become America’s
first world champion since Bobby Fischer

Chess prodigy Sam Sevian became the youngest American grandmaster in
history before his 14th birthday. Photograph: Nicholas Kamm/AFP Ashley
Branca

Tuesday 7 April 2015 05.00 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 7 April 2015
16.55 EDT

Hello Sam! Hello, Small Talk!

You have a big couple weeks ahead with the US Championship. How are
you feeling? Of course there is a little bit of anxiety, but I have
played many such tournaments where I am outrated by a couple hundred
points, so I don’t think this should be something that is new to me.

How does this US Championship compare to the others you competed in,
especially since it is the first since you have reached the rank of
grandmaster [Sam is doing pretty well so far, last Friday he beat
world No8 Wesley So]? This is the strongest US Championship in
history, and that kind of puts a little more pressure on me. I did
play in the US Championship two years ago, and I did quite well
there. Of course, this competition is even stronger, so that makes me
excited to play.

In other sports, as folks head into big competitions, they taper, or
slow down training to reserve energy. What does your training look
like heading into big competitions, and do you have any sort of
“tapering”? In general, yes, one should preserve energy for
tournaments, and probably [Garry] Kasparov and [Bobby] Fischer are
good examples of that. For me, I try to do both; I try to stay relaxed
and at the same time stay sharp. To stay sharp, I do problems and to
stay relaxed, I watch sports and basically take my mind off the game.

You are the youngest ever US grandmaster in history. Not such a bad
thing to have on your resume. What was your first thought when you
became GM? I was really happy because that game I had to win to become
grandmaster was a really intense game! It came down to the wire, and I
was able to win it, so it was really exciting in the moment. After the
tournament, it settled down, so I understood more what it meant.

Sevian became the youngest grandmaster in American history with a
thrilling win over Andrey Gorovets of Belarus in November.
But in the moment, you were just focused on winning the game. It was
stressful just reading about it because it was a nail-biter, but that
buzzer beater won you a monumental achievement overall. How did you
stay focused in the moment? There was a lot of pressure on me, and I
tried to basically focus on just the game. But at some point, I got
really deep into the variations. I had very low time, but I made the
game very sharp, and my opponent then also kept getting lower and
lower on time.

Now we’re thinking ticking time bomb … At some point, I even had only
one second on the clock, and I had to make my move extremely fast.

And looking back, was it the right instinct? Yes, I think it was the
correct move.

Trash talk isn’t really a big part of the culture of chess. What kind
of mental intimidation occurs over the board between opponents?
Sometimes people try to stare down their opponents, but …

But you have a mind of steel, Professor X … Well, I will just stare
right back.

I understand that you have your eyes on a world championship. What do
you need to do to get there? Anyone who plays the game has eyes on the
World Championship title, and if they say otherwise, don’t believe
them. Basically, though, it comes down to work ethic, and when I say I
want to become world champion, I think that time will show. I just
became a grandmaster, and there are still so many steps to get to that
title.

Matches can span a long period of time, what’s the longest match you
have ever played? I played in a big tournament a few months ago in the
Netherlands called Tata Steel Chess, and in the fourth round, I was
playing the former European Champion, Vladimir Potkin. The game went a
little more than seven hours.

How do you sustain yourself -mentally, physically and emotionally –
from exhaustion in long matches? Well basically during tournaments, a
win really adds to your confidence, and I don’t really get hungry.

Because of the adrenaline? I drink water, but I don’t need anything
else. But I do stay physically fit in general. I go to the gym. I run
and swim and play sports, which you should do for these long games
that can last so many hours.

With all that water over those hours, can you get up and go to the
bathroom? [Laughs.] Of course, you can do that as much as you need.

Sevian turns the screw on an opponent in November. Photograph: AP

Despite the fact that a match can last a long time, there is a time
limit for making your move. How can you stay ahead of the clock, and
when is it most challenging to have the clock in your ear? Right now I
have some problems with my time management because I can start
calculating the line and get very deep into the variation, and this is
time-consuming. I am working on it. Of course, when you are up on
time, you play a little differently.

How much of chess, then, is playing against your opponent versus
playing against yourself? When it comes to playing your opponent, you
especially want to be up on time or at least equal on time to keep the
pressure on.

What do you think separates greats, then, from my neighbor Max, who
plays in the park most days? I think it’s just the work ethic and the
time. Greats spend a lot of time on chess, but I don’t think that most
folks do.

You started to play chess when you were five. What’s your first memory
of playing the game? I remember when I was just learning the moves, my
dad was playing against me without a queen … he took out his queen,
and he was beating me! I couldn’t imagine how one could win without a
queen.

Chess is a huge part of your life, but you have lots of other
interests. What are those, and how do you balance them. Well, I watch
sports and go to the gym. Mainly on a daily basis, though, if I study
for six or seven hours, there’s not much time to do other things. I
read chess books a lot, but I love it!

Well, it’s a pretty addictive, almost like golf for the brain for a
lot of people. Because chess is so popular, it’s in a lot of films –
X-Men, James Bond. What actor (or who) would you want to play you in a
movie of your life? Well, I would want someone who would understand
the complexities of the Sicilian defense would be nice! [Failing that]
Will Ferrell. He could come close.

Does he play chess? I don’t know. He should!

Notably, you’ve had the chance to train with Garry Kasparov. What’s
been the best part of training with him? I like to watch and listen to
Kasparov and try to get into his mind to see how he thinks. He’s one
of those unique players who is able to give many ideas at once. It’s
hard to evaluate all of the ideas, but that’s part of what makes him
one of the best players of all time, and it’s also what I really
admire about him.

Sevian has broken a number of `youngest ever’ records throughout his
meteoric rise. Image: FIDE.com

If there is one thing that Kasparov says to help improve your play,
what is it? He told me to make my game a little more practical, to
work on my time management, to think a little less, and to work on my
decision-making process.

Well, when you think about your ability in the past to make split
decisions, such as in the game you won to become grandmaster, that
shows your instinct is there. Well that was a really rare case. I had
10 seconds and thought, “That’s enough time to make a move.” But then
I looked up and saw I had no time, so I just immediately made a
move. It happened to be the best one.

It’s certainly tradition in sport to have teams split by gender. There
are lots of reasons for this in physical competition. Many would
consider chess to be largely a mental sport. What are your thoughts on
the gender divide in chess, particularly in modern day (and in the
future)? In chess the best female players in the world play in men’s
tournaments, and the best make it far. Take, for example, Judit
Polgar. She was once the best player in the world and was very close
to becoming world champion.

She rarely if ever played in women’s only championships, right? Yes,
she refused to.

So what does this mean for the future of men’s or women’s only teams?
I think it will change more and more. There are so many great female
players, and many will continue to make it to higher rankings.

You have a little sister. Does she play chess? If so, do you two ever
play together? No, she doesn’t really like it. Every time we bring up
chess, she seems like she thinks it’s annoying or she doesn’t like it.

You travel a lot for competition and are home-schooled, so a lot of
your friends live all over the world. I wasn’t home schooled in
elementary school, but I started being home-schooled in middle school
because public schools don’t allow that many absences in a month.

Which is hard when you have a lot of tournaments with adults, who are,
you know, finished with school. How often do you get to see and speak
with friends your age, and how has this changed over the years? I
either meet my friends at tournaments or talk to them on Skype. Most
of them live in the States.

Will any of them be in St Louis? No … not yet.

How do you balance all of the hard work of your day with being a
14-year-old? Because I love the game I pretty much spend a lot of time
playing it. I don’t have any other big interests yet. I do get to talk
to friends and relax, but I do love chess.

Many people get totally overwhelmed by the infinite possibilities and
combinations of moves in chess. What do you think is the most
misunderstood part of the game? I think chess helps with your life and
with your logical thinking process … if I play this, my opponent can
reply with that. I don’t think people really understand that chess can
be helpful not just as a sport but in applying the thinking to your
life.

Thanks for talking to us, and good luck! Thank you!

# Sam Sevian is among the nation’s top 12 players competing at the US
Chess Championship at the Chess Club & Scholastic Center of Saint
Louis. The round-robin tournament started last week and runs through
13 April.

From: Baghdasarian