Author: Janet Ekmekjian

Today, the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan held a meeting at the Presidential palace with the representatives of the different segments of the society: cultural figures, representatives of healthcare, Mass Media, public and political figures, members of the Public Council, as well as with the representatives of legislative and executive bodies, heads of the standing bodies and with the representatives of Armenian clergy headed by the Catholicos of All Armenians. The President  made a statement:

Your Holiness,
Distinguished Colleagues,

Yesterday, the situation created as a result of the assault by an armed group on the Police station was finally resolved. It was resolved in a way which was probably the most acceptable for all of us: the National Security Service, Police, State Security Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs through their consistent and coordinated activities compelled the members of the armed group to put down their weapons and surrender to the authorities. I am very glad that we were able to avoid the “classical” scenario of resolving situations such as this one even though the detailed plan for the implementation of such option was certainly on hand too.

We suffered two losses and have many injured. I express my condolences to the family and friends of the Police Force serviceman, Sergeant Yuri Tepanosian. We convey our admiration and respect to the family of Colonel Arthur Vanoyan. He was a true devotee, who had steadfastly passed from the Artsakh liberation war up to the April war, but was killed by a bullet of his fellow citizen at the moment when he was carrying out his duty towards Fatherland. Glory to you, proud Colonel!

As I have already noted, the state bodies of the Republic of Armenia took all conceivable measures to avoid human losses. With this regard, I first of all express gratitude to the representatives of the law enforcement bodies for their work. Composure and magnanimity signify professionalism and understanding of one’s own power. You have manifested them in full measure. I thank you for your expert work.

I also thank those who took the Hippocratic Oath – our doctors and medical workers for their awe-inspiring stance; I bow to their professionalism, to their courageous spirit.

I express my thanks to oufviolr General, Hero of Artsakh Vitalyi Balasanian who these days has become the voice of reason.

Distinguished Colleagues,

The unacceptable situation has come to an end; however its full resolution lies ahead. First of all there needs to be made a thorough investigation, a comprehensive and unbiased examination, and an open trial. Every single person must answer for his actions only and only before the law. There will be no other options; any attempt of personal vengeance will be stopped by the law. All processes unfolding in the Republic of Armenia will take place exclusively in the framework of the RA Constitution and laws.

The time has come to draw conclusions. A full analysis of these events will take a long time. However one thing is clear: the process of the radical changes in Armenia’s social and political life must be expedited. First of all, the very existence of the disastrous tendency to solve problems through violence must be eradicated. We have no right to tolerate even a intention of solving problems by force; the next one can be disastrous for our state.

Last two weeks and the losses we suffered in the course are unacceptable – human, social, loss of values and the huge blow which our economy has suffered. No country in the world can afford such thing to happen; moreover Armenia had no right to do it.

From now on we will allow no one to take our country hostage.
We will allow no one to undermine the foundation of our state.
Problems in Armenia will not be solved through violence or arms.

Yerevan is neither Beirut nor Aleppo. Let no one aspire to import Near East solutions of the previous century, of the Cold War to Armenia. Let those who don’t comprehend this need to look at the history of Lebanon’s civil war or at the consequences of the civil war going on the moment in Syria and draw conclusions.

I express gratitude to all political figures who have manifested themselves as true political and state figures and comprehending all that was going on from day one spoke about the unacceptability of the events. Unlike a few short-sighted persons, they understand only too well where ends the line of political competitiveness and starts the security of Fatherland. Critical situations often become litmus tests, pointing out for the society and history mature persons and singling our short-sighted one and adventurists.

I also thank our prominent culture figures, our public figures, our true intellectuals who understood very well that through the public condemnation of the unacceptable steps, conveying the word of reason to the members of the armed group, they contributed to a bloodless resolution of the situation, and showed these men a safe way out. Alas, those who were cheering them up unwisely didn’t understand that spilling out the spite accumulated in them they did a terrible thing and in reality led the armed ones to destruction.

Thanks God, good reason is prevailing in our country.

In Armenia a simple truth, which it seems could not be debatable in the first place, has prevailed. That truth lives in our system of values, in our mentality, in our kind, and is about our heritage. Anyone can dislike the authorities, or the government, or the President, can be categorically against our policies. However, dislike cannot be a reason for glorifying those who attempt to solve problems with arms. Authorities come and go; encouragement of terrorism will remain as cancer and will spread; it will ruin everything our nation has created. It is dreadful, it must be fully eradicated. Ladies and gentlemen, dear young people, the encouragement of terrorism is a mortal sin. Stay away from that horror no matter what’s the reason, even if it’s the most compelling reason. Say no to terrorism and all its manifestations. Say no in the name of our country, our nation, our generations, our Fatherland. Say no to that cancer. Toss it away, far away. I ask you.

Dear Friends,

I thank our journalists and reporters for their dedicated work and for working for a bloodless resolution of the situation. I also apologize to the journalists for the events which took on the night of July 30; during these events it was our greatest blunder. Certainly, conclusions will be made. I ask for our indulgence, I ask journalists but not the low enforcement personnel to forget about these events, because I am confident that it will never happen again. I also want these events to have no event subconsciously an impact on the freedom of your work.

Now about the criticism which has been voiced. I am not talking about the armed persons that were acting in a distinct terrorist style and were hiding their intentions under the slogan of patriotic and social justice. I am talking about concern which is present in some segments of our society. Yes, it is true that the Armenian authorities are not perfect. Yes, it is true that there are many problems and complex issues in Armenia. Our goal is to give them a speedy resolution.

At this stage our goal is also to form the authorities of national accord, in which issues will be solved under a wide consensus. The constitutional reforms are aimed at exactly that; the reforms have given a base for the formation of such authorities. A government of national accord is not about a lost someone who is trying to make his way to a high position; it is about the widest possible distribution and sharing of political responsibility, and have already provided for its entire institutional base. I state with confidence that only months later we will have a government of that kind, authorities of that kind.

We follow that route and that route is about political forces and political figures. I state once again, it’s about political figures but not about those who follow the route of armed terrorism and those who support them. Thanks God, as we have seen, today we have no shortage of political figures who share the values necessary for building a state and a country. There many of them in all political parties. And it makes the political wealth of our country.

I would like to speak about another issue, which we have spoken about on many occasions. It is about the Karabakh issue and so called “surrender of lands.” My personal statements with regard to our clear-cut position on that are probably numberless. I repeat once again: there will be no unilateral concessions in the resolution of the NK issue. Never. Nagorno Karabakh will never be part of Azerbaijan. Never.I repeat once again:it is out of question. I have given my entire adult life to this. To get to the solution acceptable for my nation, I have always been ready to sacrifice any position, and also my life. It is like that today, it will like that tomorrow.

Distinguished Colleagues,

I conclusion, I would like to stress that we as a state have emerged from that calamity even stronger. Today we are even more determined to move with doubled speed towards the implementation of the agenda of positive changes in our country. We will talk about it in a greater detail very soon.

Thank you.

Armenia will  take part in the  later this month.

From 28 to 31 July, the 37th Euroradio Folk Festival (EFF) will be held in Estonia, in conjunction with the 24th Viljandi Folk Festival, where some 50 artists/bands will perform (Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Croatia, South Korea, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Norway, Ukraine, Poland, Ireland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, Slovenia, Iceland, Sweden, Finland). Of that total, the EFF is represented by 27 groups entered by 21 EBU Members and Associates and selected by Estonian Public Broadcasting to be recorded and offered to EBU Members and Associates as part of the Euroradio concert exchange.

In a ceremony broadcast live by EBU Members Estonian Television and Estonian Radio, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, President of Estonia, will deliver the opening remarks at the 37th Euroradio Folk Festival (EFF), to be held from 28 to 31 July. Taking place in Estonia for the first time ever, this annual EBU event, launched in 1980, will be held in conjunction with the 24th Viljandi Folk Festival, presenting the best of folk and traditional music from Europe and well beyond.

Other featured speakers at the opening ceremony will include the CEO of Estonian Public Broadcasting, Margus Allikmaa, and the Euroradio Head of Music, Pascale Labrie.

Kanteles, fiddles, accordions, balalaikas, throat singing, yodeling: these and many more can be heard at the annual Euroradio Folk Festival, where bands and artists redefine the frontiers of folk music through their ethno, jazz, traditional and crossover projects. More than a mere festival, this event is a platform presenting the incredible diversity of musical genres and sounds of all lifestyles in European folk music. It aims to preserve the unique tradition of local and regional roots, while being open to the latest trends, migrations and encounters. It reflects the lives of Europeans in all their richness: who we are, where we come from, and where we are going.

Since it was launched in 1980, the Euroradio Folk Festival has been an unprecedented opportunity for over 2,000 vocal and instrumental musicians to present the multitude of traditions in Europe, but also other continents, and connect with one another. Thanks to the Euroradio network concert exchanges, many artists have become known far beyond their borders.
The theme of this year’s Viljandi Folk Music Festival is devoted to one of the most beautiful and expressive natural sound in the world – the woman’s voice. But why women, one might ask. Does that not hint at inequality and discrimination? Older Estonian folk songs have always been strongly influenced by the gender binary. You can usually identify whether the songs were sung by women or men based on the themes and motifs. These themes are still relevant today because these songs were sung straight from the hearts of our ancestors and we are able to listen to them today thanks to archival records and notes. This year, we are concentrating on what out female ancestors used to sing.

This year the folk festival will welcome around 150 journalists from all over the world.

On the kind invitation of Estonian Traditional Music Centre and EBU, Public Radio of Armenia will also take part in the 37th Euroradio and 24th Viljandi Folk Festivals. Armenia and Public Radio of Armenia will be represented by “Nubar” Folk Song and Dance Ensemble. The oncert will take place on July 30, at 20:00 at Traditional Music Center, Viljandi, Estonia.
Watch the live gala show on July 28, 2016 at 19:00 (GMT) on the official website of Public Radio of Armenia ().

Armenian Traditional, Folk Dance-Song Ensemble “Nubar” is a unique Armenian ensemble that is revealing the already forgotten folk songs giving them a new sound and a new soul. “Nubar” is preserving and disseminating the Armenian folk traditions, songs and dances revealing the specifications of Armenian traditional music. From time to time the ensemble organizes outdoor master classes for public attendance teaching the passers-bye the art of Armenian singing and dancing.

The main goal of “Nubar” is to preserve the heritage of our ancestors and pass it from generations to generations. From this point of view that is symbolic that all the members of the Ensemble are young enthusiastic people who are willing to be well aware of their roots and save their identity.

“Nubar” was founded in 2006 in Yerevan, Armenia. Lusine Nazaryan is the founder and artistic director of the Ensemble. This year the Ensemble is celebrating its 10th jubilee anniversary. The band has recorded 2 CDs with folk and ethnographical songs of different regions of Armenian. It has an outstanding repertoire and gives year-round concerts in Yerevan, Armenian regions, Artsakh, Georgia, as well as participates in various festivals both in Armenia and abroad. The Ensemble is always invited to have a participation in the local traditional events, fests and concerts, among these are the annual “Gutan” national song and dance festival, Dvin Festival for Armenian-Iranian friendship, Fresco International Festival of Cinematography, “Armenia on the Crossroads of Peace” annual international festival, etc. Up to now the Ensemble has given concerts in all the 10 administrative divisions – regions of Armenia and in the capital Yerevan. The Ensemble is actively involved in the activities of Armenian Public TV and Radio, including the New Year events, music programs, charity concerts, etc.

The swift rounding up of judges and others after a failed coup in Turkey indicated the government had prepared a list beforehand, the EU commissioner dealing with Turkey’s membership bid, Johannes Hahn, said on Monday.

Following a failed coup attempt on Saturday, Turkish authorities on Sunday rounded up nearly 3,000 suspected military plotters, ranging from top commanders to foot soldiers, and the same number of judges and prosecutors.

“It looks at least as if something has been prepared. The lists are available, which indicates it was prepared and to be used at a certain stage,” Hahn said.

“I’m very concerned. It is exactly what we feared.”

On the occasion of National Holiday of France, President Serzh Sargsyan visited today the Embassy of France in Yerevan. The President of Armenia congratulated Ambassador Jean-Francois Charpentier, the staff of the Embassy and in their person – the people of France. The President of Armenia underscored that he was glad to say once again on the occasion of the Holiday that Armenia is proud to have special relations with the friendly France. In the development and strengthening of the interstate relations, President Sargsyan stressed the importance and highly valued activities of the Embassy of France in Armenia and wished the diplomatic staff of the Embassy new achievements for the benefit of the two peoples and countries.

Ambassador Charpentier expressed gratitude to President Serzh Sargsyan for the visit to the Embassy, warm congratulations, good wishes and for the high assessment of the activities of the Embassy. He noted that it is a great honor and responsibility for him personally and for the staff of the Embassy through their daily work to further deepen the centuries-long friendship between Armenia and France which, according to the Ambassador, needs constant care.

On the occasion of the holiday, President Serzh Sargsyan also sent a congratulatory message to the President of the French Republic François Hollande.

“I cordially congratulate and send my best to you and the friendly people of the French Republic on the occasion of National Holiday.

The high level political dialogue between our two friendly nations and atmosphere of mutual trust constitute a solid base for the future comprehensive development and deepening of the Armenian-French relations. I am confident that through our joint efforts, we will continue to strengthen the ties binding together Armenia and France in the bilateral as well as multilateral formats for the benefit of our peoples.

You personal persistent stance on the issue of the criminalization of the denial of the Armenian Genocide is highly appreciated in Armenia; it once again underscores France’s and personally yours devotion to the universal human values, particularly to the international fight aimed at the prevention of crimes against humanity.

We attach the utmost importance to the involvement and efforts of France, as a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, together with Russia and the United States in the process of a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict for the benefit of peace and stability in our region.
I once again congratulate you on the occasion of National Holiday, wish you success and all the best, and I wish the friendly people of France greater advancement and prosperity,” reads the congratulatory message of the President of Armenia.

The Gas and Transport Company of Georgia has officially informed Gazprom Armenia about the temporary suspension of Russian natural gas supply to Armenia from July 10 to August 10.

The suspension is connected with reconstruction works on the damaged parts of the gas pipeline along the Kazakh-Saguramo highway, Press Service of Gazprom Armenia Company reports.

The gas supply will be implemented from underground storage in Abovyan.

Ankara called back its ambassador to Berlin in protest after German MPs voted through a resolution to call the killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire a genocide on Thursday.

The Turkish government has described the Bundestag’s approval of the Armenian genocide bill “null and void,” the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“The fact that the German Parliament approved distorted and baseless claims as genocide is a historic mistake. The German Parliament’s approval of this bill is not a decision in line with friendly relations between Turkey and Germany. This decision is null and void for Turkey,” Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said.

“This is an issue that scientists and historians need to reach a conclusion on, not politicians or parliaments. As Turkey, we will surely give the necessary response to this decision in all platforms,” he added.

Meanwhile, Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Hüseyin Avni Karslıoglu has been recalled toAnkara for consultations over the decision.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavuşoglu took to Twitter to criticize the vote.

“The way to close dark pages in [Germany’s] own history is not to defame the history of other countries with irresponsible and baseless parliament decisions,” Cavuşoğlu tweeted.

 

 

 

The Bundestag will most probably adopt the resolution on the Armenian Genocide, but there are no guarantees that it will be ratified by the German Chancellor, Director of the “Arevelk” Research Center, historian Gevorg Melkonyan told reporters today.

“Armenians still demonstrate an emotional attitude towards the events of 1915. The issue here is not about the word “genocide.” What’s more important is to understand what stands behind all this. By bringing the bill to the Bundestag floor Germany acknowledges its complicity in the Armenian Genocide and commits itself to contributing to the establishment of Armenian-Turkish relations,” Gevorg Melkonyan said.

How will Armenia benefit from the adoption of the bill? According to political technologist Vigen Hakobyan, we’re wise enough to understand that Germany is not guided by pro-Armenian motives.

Hakobyan links the issue of Armenian Genocide recognition to certain geopolitical factors. “The Armenian, Kurdish and other factors are simply tools of pressure in the hands of important geopolitical circles,” he said.

According to him, Merkel’s reputation is “at stake.” Besides, the sentiments in Europe have seriously changed, the West reacts harshly to domestic developments in Turkey. Considering all of these factors, the adoption of the bill on Armenian Genocide recognition is quite probable, Vigen Hakobyan said.

Photo: AFP

 

Russia’s foreign minister says a unilateral truce declared by the Syrian military could be extended to the city of Aleppo “in the next few hours,” the BBC reports.

Sergei Lavrov said Russia was working with the UN and US to include Aleppo in the “regime of calm” that has covered Damascus and Latakia since Saturday.

But Mr Lavrov warned that rebels would have to leave areas where allied jihadist militants were being targeted.

More than 250 people have been killed in Aleppo in the past 10 days.

About two-thirds of those deaths have been in the rebel-held eastern side of the city, including 50 in an air strike on a hospital the US says was deliberate.

On Tuesday, 14 people were killed by rebel rocket fire in government-controlled areas of Aleppo, including three in an attack on a hospital, state media reported.

Armenia has improved its media freedom ranking and is currently placed 74th in the 2016 World Press Freedom Index released by the Reporters Without Borders.

Other countries in the region are placed as follows: Russia – 148th, Georgia – 64th, Turkey – 151^st, Azerbaijan – 163^rd, Iran – 196th.

The 2016 World Press Freedom Index reflects the intensity of the attacks on journalistic freedom and independence by governments, ideologies and private-sector interests during the past year.

Seen as a benchmark throughout the world, the Index ranks 180 countries according to the freedom allowed journalists.

Three north European countries head the rankings. They are Finland (ranked 1st, the position it has held since 2010), Netherlands (2nd, up 2 places) and Norway (3rd, down 1).

At the other end of the scale, Turkmenistan, North Korea and Eritrea, in last place, were the worst performers.

The Index is based on an evaluation of media freedom that measures pluralism, media independence, the quality of the legal framework and the safety of journalists in 180 countries.

The Index is not an indicator of the quality of the journalism in each country, nor does it rank public policies even if governments obviously have a major impact on their country’s ranking.

The settlement of the Karabakh conflict should be in line with the right to self-determination, MEP Eleni Teocharous said in a statement on the incidents along the frontier of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan. The statement reads:

“The bloody incidents that erupted along the frontiers of Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh on April 2, 2016, constitute developments that can lead to a wider conflict and blow up the Caucasus regions.

It is obvious that the escalation of the crisis puts stability and peace at a high risk. The EU and the international community in general bear their own responsibility since, for many year, they underestimated how dangerous the dormant conflict in Nagorno Karabakh is. Therefore, the EU should take initiative and diplomatic actions with the aim of mobilizing the international community and thus prevent a further escalation of the crisis.

The current developments with many soldiers and civilians from both sides losing their lives come to prove the need for a comprehensive solution based on the right to self-determination. If international community and particularly the EU do not intensify their efforts towards a democratic solution, a new catastrophic war is to come.

Azerbaijani government should stop violating the agreed ceasefire through provocative military actions, which turn into boomerang not only for its own citizens, but also for the stability and peace within the wider Caucasus region.

The lack of EU strategy in Caucasus region is offering Russia the advantage of having the initiative moves and the diplomatic upper hand. The European Parliament cannot simply watch the parties involved play with fire. Therefore, it should ask the High Representative of the EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to play a constructive and active role and thereby avert the escalation of the crisis.

The EU and UN and the great powers through the Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ efforts could take such measures in order to consolidate stability and peace among the Azerbaijani and Armenian peoples, regardless of whether they are inhabitants of the Armenian Republic, the Azerbaijani Republic or Nagorno Karabakh. The settlement of the conflict should be in line with the right to self-determination. This is the only fair, democratic and realistic approach, which can lead to a viable settlement of the conflict.”