Author: Ophelia Vardapetian

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday commemorated the lives of Armenians lost in 1915, reports.

In a statement that was read out by the head of the Armenian church in Turkey at an Istanbul ceremony to remember those who died in the early years of World War I, Erdogan paid tribute to those gathering to mark the “tragic conditions” of the war.

“I welcome this commemoration which is taking place once again in Turkey, the most meaningful place to share the grief endured by the Ottoman Armenians, as well as to honor their memories,” he said.

“In the lands of Anatolia, where humanitarian duties are never neglected and happiness and grief are sincerely shared, the sense of conscience and justice are held above all.”

“We will never give up working for amity and peace against those who try to politicize history through a bitter rhetoric of hate and enmity and strive to alienate the two neighboring nations, who are bound with their common history and their similar traditions,” he added in the statement, read by Patriarch Aram Atesyan.

“With this in mind, I once again commemorate the Ottoman Armenians who passed away and extend my condolences to their children and grandchildren.”

The president went on the pay tribute to all Ottoman citizens “regardless of their ethnic or religious origins” who lost their lives. “I would like to reiterate that we share this common pain,” he said.

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.

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.

The Armenian Ministry of Defense reports 18 cases of ceasefire violation by Azerbaijan at the northeastern part of the shared state border last night.

The Azerbaijani side used artillery and sniper weapons as it opened sporadic fire in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense army showed restraint and resorted to response actions only in case of extreme necessity.

Khadija Ismayilova, an investigative journalist from Azerbaijan, has been chosen to receive the 2016 UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize, according to .

An independent international jury of media professionals recommended Ms Ismayilova in recognition of her outstanding contribution to press freedom in difficult circumstances.

“Khadija Ismayilova highly deserves the Prize and I am happy to see that her courage and professionalism are recognized,” said Ljiljana Zurovac, President of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize 2016 Jury.

Ms Ismayilova, a freelance journalist and contributor to the Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe, was detained in December 2014, and, in September 2015, was sentenced to seven and a half years’ imprisonment on charges relating to abuse of power and tax evasion.

The Prize will be awarded during the celebration of World Press Freedom Day, 3 May, hosted by Finland this year.

Created by UNESCO’s Executive Board in 1997, the annual UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize honours a person, organization or institution that has made an outstanding contribution to the defence and, or promotion of press freedom anywhere in the world, and especially when this has been achieved in the face of danger.

The $25,000 Prize is named in honour of Guillermo Cano Isaza, a Colombian journalist who was assassinated in front of the offices of his newspaper, El Espectador, in Bogotá, on 17 December 1986. It is funded by the Cano Foundation (Colombia) and the Helsingin Sanomat Foundation (Finland).

Photo: Channel 4

 

A hi-tech investigation of William Shakespeare’s grave has concluded his skull was probably stolen, teh BBC reports.

The discovery gives credence to a news report in 1879, later dismissed as fiction, that trophy hunters took the skull from his shallow grave in 1794.

A team used a ground-penetrating radar (GPR) scan to look through the grave at Holy Trinity Church in Stratford in the first archaeological probe of the site.

It allowed investigators to see below ground without disturbing the grave.

Archaeologist Kevin Colls of Staffordshire University, who carried out the project with leading geophysicist Erica Utsi, concluded: “We have Shakespeare’s burial with an odd disturbance at the head end and we have a story that suggests that at some point in history someone’s come in and taken the skull of Shakespeare.

“It’s very, very convincing to me that his skull isn’t at Holy Trinity at all.”

 

 

 

The Yerevan Brusov State University of Languages and Social Sciences hosted an event dedicated to Greece’s liberation from Ottoman rule on March 25, 1921 and the centuries-long friendship between the Armenian and Greek peoples.

Attending the events were the Greek Ambassador to Armenia Ioannis Taghis and representatives of the Greek community.

Addressing the event, Vice-Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov congratulated the representatives of the Greek community and noted that “Armenians and Greeks have always supported each other at times of hardship.”

According to Sharmazanov, a testament to the centuries-long friendship between the two peoples was the raising of the Armenian Issue at the Ottoman Parliament by Greek lawmakers in 1870s . He reminded about Greeks fighting next to Armenians during the battles of Sardarapat and Artsakh.

Speaking about the Greeks of Armenia, Sharmazanov said “they’re ready to serve a bridge between the two friendly peoples tied by the past and the present.”

“There are many similarities between Armenians and Greeks, they have fought together to get rid of Turkish yoke,” the Vice-Speaker said.

“Of course, Turks are unhappy with the fact of Armenia and Greece working together, fighting together,” Sharmazanov said. He added, however, that “our joint struggle is not targeted against Turks.” “We are fighting for the sake of our peoples, our friendship, we are fighting for the enduring independence and freedom of Armenia and Greece, as well as Cyprus and Nagorno Karabakh,” he said.

“If we come across obstacles to that independence, in the face of Azerbaijan and Turkey, we must unite to fight against the evil. Armenians and Greeks have proved that one cannot be annihilated of one does not want to be annihilated.”

“History shows that Armenia and Greece have been struggling side by side against a common enemy, which has reinforced the ties between the peoples,” Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Greece to Armenia Ioannis Taghis said, in turn.

President Serzh Sargsyan visited today the Eghishe Charents Art and Literature Museum and National Gallery of Armenia. At the Museum, the President observed the exhibition named the Middle East Art: Markos and Sabrina Griogrian Collection.

For exhibiting this rich collection, which comprises 2500 original pieces, the area provided by the Art and Literature Museum was renovated and a new permanent exhibition was presented which became possible through the funding from the state budget. The President of Armenia observed the exhibited works and conditions created for their proper demonstration.

At the National Gallery, the President visited the Eghishe Tadevossian: Retrospective: Collections of Armenia’s National Gallery and Vahagn Grigorian exhibition dedicated to the 145th birth anniversary of the great artist. In the Gallery, Serzh Sargsyan observed also the exhibition dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the world famous Armenian artists Panos Terlemizian and Sedrak Arakelian titled Lyrics of the Native Land and Rural Life.

The murder of ex-Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko in 2006 was “probably” approved by President Vladimir Putin, a public inquiry has concluded, the BBC reports.

Mr Litvinenko died aged 43 in London days after being poisoned with radioactive polonium-210, which he is believed to have drunk in a cup of tea.

Chairman Sir Robert Owen said it was likely Mr Putin signed off the killing following a long-running feud.

Mr Litvinenko’s widow Marina said she was “very pleased” with the report.

Speaking outside London’s High Court, she said: “The words my husband spoke on his deathbed when he accused Mr Putin have been proved by an English court.”