Author: Paul Hambardsumian

Over 92% of Armenians are confident the Armenian Armed Forces and the NKR Defense Army will be able to rebuff actions of the Azeri army, while 82% are ready to participate in military actions, if necessary, according to a poll conducted by the Armenian Representation of the Gallup International Association. Its director Aram Navasardyan presented the results of the survey on “Public response to the four-day April war” to reporters today.

The survey has been conducted among 1,106 citizens of the Republic of Armenia between May 13 and 24.

According to the public opinion poll, 72.5% consider that war is the most serious challenge facing our country, followed by unemployment.

What was the reason behind Azeri aggression in April? 46.7% believe it was incited by outer forces, namely Turkey; 32.5% consider the military actions served a cover for domestic problems in Azerbaijan.

More than 84.4% of the respondents said the Armenian Army is fully prepared to rebuff any large-scale assault, while 86.4% believe it’s necessary to purchase new military equipment to get better prepared for any possible attack in the future. Thirty-eight percent consider it’s necessary to reduce the corruption risks in the Armed Forces.

Which was the primary source of information during the four-day April war? Most respondents say they have received information from TV, Facebook, the public and the Facebook page of the Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense.

As for the reliability of information, 76.5% said they trust the official information. 82% pledged ready to participate in military actions, if necessary.

According to Artsrun Hovhannisyan, Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, such surveys help reveal both the achievements and shortcomings.

“This optimistic study makes us return to reality, which often gets distorted on Facebook,” Hovhannisyan said.

The 6th session of the General Assembly of the States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage was held at UNESCO headquarters from May 30 to June 1.

Elections to the Intergovernmental Committee for the term of 2016-2020 were held within the framework of the session.

Armenia was unanimously elected member of the Committee from the second regional group (Eastern Europe) for a four-year term.

Countries elected from other regional groups include Cyprus, Austria, Guatemala, Columbia, Cuba, Philippines, Zambia, Senegal, Mauritius, Palestine and Lebanon.

The core functions of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage are to promote the objectives of the Convention, provide guidance on best practices and make recommendations on measures for the safeguarding of the intangible cultural heritage.

The Committee will further examine requests submitted by States Parties for the inscription of intangible heritage on the Lists as well as proposals for programmes and projects. The Committee is also in charge of granting international assistance.

The Members of the Intergovernmental Committee are elected by the States Parties meeting in General Assembly according to the principles of equitable geographical representation and rotation.

States Members to the Committee are elected for a term of four years, and every two years, the General Assembly shall renew half of them. A State Member of the Committee may not be elected for two consecutive terms.

A Turkish nationalist politician has been jailed over controversial remarks suggesting “hunting for Armenians” after a concert last year by a renowned Armenian pianist in the ancient city of Ani in the eastern province of Kars, the reports.

Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) deputy Garo Paylan had filed a lawsuit against Tolga Adıgüzel, the Kars provincial head of the “Idealist Hearths” (Ülkü Ocakları), which has organic ties to the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP), after Adıgüzel suggested “going out to hunt Armenians in the streets of Kars” as a counter-move after the concert.

The Kars third criminal court of first instance initially sentenced Adıgüzel to six months in prison, along with a pecuniary punishment of 11,240 Turkish Liras (about $3,800) on May 25 on charges of “overtly insulting some segments of the public based on difference of social class, race, religion, sect, sexuality or region.” The court then increased the sentence to seven months and fifteen days as the crime was committed via the media, which carries a heavier sentence.

Paylan described the court ruling as “hopeful” both for Armenians and for all parts of society in Turkey that believe in social peace and justice, vowing to fight against “all kinds of racist remarks and hate speech.”

World-renowned Armenian pianist Tigran Hamasyan and the Yereven State Chamber Coir gave a concert at Ani, on the Turkish border with Armenia, on June 21, 2015.

After the concert, Adıgüzel issued a press statement “strongly” condemning the performance, questioning its “aims,” and accusing its supporters of “treason.”

“Should we go out for hunting for Armenians in the streets of Kars? Can we give a concert at a place that they consider holy, or march our janissary band?” he had said.

Kris Jenner has revealed her desire to go back to be being called Kris Kardashian – and taken a jab at her ex’s gender transition in the process, reports.

In a deleted scene of Keeping Up With The Kardashians released after Sunday night’s show, the 60-year-old told her daughter Khloe about her plans.

Despite not have been known as a Kardashian since her divorce from the late Robert Kardashian back in 1991, the reality star thinks it is best for everyone.

The issue came up after Khloe asked how her mom gets a special order from beloved Los Angeles Mexican Casa Vega.

Kris explained: ‘I call the manager and say ”Hey! It’s Kris Kardashian.”’

When Khloe pointed out that is not her name, the momager did not seem perturbed: ‘I’m going to change my name back to Kardashian.’

Not hiding her distaste of the idea, Khloe said: ‘Why? You haven’t been that in over 24 years.’

Kris said she was taking the name back: ‘I was that before you were that. I was the original Kardashian.’

Kris and the late Robert Snr were married from 1978 to 1991 and share four children – Khloe, Kourtney, Kim and Robert Jr. while  she shares daughters Kendall and Kylie with Caitlyn.

In early April, while Nevada State Assembly Speaker John Hambrick was in Azerbaijan hobnobbing with its dictator Ilham Aliyev, his host was committing ISIS-like war crimes, Senators Bill Barton and  Lois Tochtrop write in an article published by the

The article reads:

“On April 1, Aliyev’s forces attacked the Armenian-populated Artsakh, also known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, in part because legislators like Speaker Hambrick have encouraged belligerent behavior by passing absurd resolutions in praise of Aliyev’s oil-rich dictatorship.

One heartbreaking account of Azerbaijan’s barbaric actions during the four-day war in April was the mutilated elders that journalists found in Talish after its recapture from Azeri forces. The bodies of husband and wife Valera and Razmela Khalapyan with chopped-off ears were found inside their home. Photographs released by Azeri soldiers on social media showed beheaded Armenian soldiers, including 20-year-old Yezidi Kurd Kyaram Sloyan. Among the Azerbaijani officers Aliyev honored at a ceremony following the four-day war was the man who had posed with Sloyan’s severed head.

One irony of Aliyev’s war crimes is the official praise of “tolerance” he has acquired from some American lawmakers. New Mexico Senate leader Mary Kay Papen, a frequent flier to the dictatorship, sponsored a nonbinding memorial in 2015 that praised Azerbaijan as a utopia for religious harmony. Incidentally, that year marked the 10th anniversary of Aliyev’s ISIS-like wipeout of the legendary cemetery of Djulfa—the world’s largest collection of medieval cross-stones (khachkars).

Sen. Papen is hardly alone. Earlier this year, Utah State Senator Gene Davis similarly praised Azerbaijan as “tolerant,” and the Idaho legislature even introduced—but did not pass—a resolution.

It was no coincidence, these seemingly innocuous statements followed on return of the legislative sponsor’s all-expense paid junkets to Azerbaijan, sponsored by the foreign dictatorship.

Some support for Azerbaijan is outright outrageous. Rep. Joe Towns of Tennessee was accused of taking bribes. Another Aliyev loyalist in Tennessee, Congressman Steven Cohen, has evolved from being a mere mouthpiece for Azerbaijan to copycatting its censorship. In April, Congressman Cohen banned his critics on Twitter after his baseless blame on Armenians as the aggressors of the four-day war caused widespread criticism. Aliyev also has international loyalists, such as UNESCO’s corrupt chief and UN Secretary General candidate Irina Bokova, who has accepted generous donations from Azerbaijan’s bloody dictator then allowed him to use UNESCO platforms to spread propaganda.

Azerbaijan’s lobbying isn’t limited to junkets, gifts, and donations. Azeri officials travel from state to state, asking uninformed politicians for innocuously-sounding statements in support of democracy, cooperation, and respect. Often out of sheer courtesy, state officials grant such privilege to Azerbaijan. Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, Utah Gov. Gary Herbert, Oregon State Representative Val Hoyle, Idaho Governor Butch Otter, Alaska Senate President Kevin Meyer, Alaska House Speaker Mike Chenault, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey, Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal, among others, recently signed onto innocent-sounding statements requested by Azerbaijan.

In politics, statements are not simply symbolic. Resolutions, even personal statements made by state lawmakers, are overblown in Azerbaijan’s state-controlled media for two reasons. One is to show to the Azerbaijani people that their government has great influence over the United States, thus making it easier to crackdown on dissent in Azerbaijan. The second is to manufacture impression of American support for Azerbaijan, making it easier to rally around the anti-Armenian flag.

For decades, the Aliyev clan has made Armenians as the scapegoat for all that is wrong with Azerbaijan— playing on resentment from the Armenian-Azerbaijan war of the 1990s. The latter broke out after autonomous Artsakh’s democratic decision to become independent, prompting a military attack by Azerbaijani forces aided by Chechen and Taliban mercenaries. In 1994, as Azerbaijan realized that Artsakh had won, a ceasefire was signed. Aided by Armenian volunteers from around the world, Artsakh had actually expanded its Stalin-drawn borders, who had expropriated the historic Armenian region to Soviet Azerbaijan.

The 1990s Armenian-Azerbaijani war victimized both sides but the conflict has since transformed to a clear-cut choice of right versus wrong.

In light of Aliyev’s April war crimes, consistent with Azerbaijan’s persistent belligerent behavior since the 1994 ceasefire, American public servants should stop emboldening Azerbaijan’s bloody regime through resolutions or even letters.

Otherwise, those officials would be responsible for encouraging further mutilation of civilians, beheading of fallen soldiers, and an ISIS-like wipeout of medieval Christian monuments.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Canada Armen Yeganian unveiled a monument to Armenian Genocide victims in the city of St. Catharines.

Attending the event were representatives of the federal, regional and municipal authorities of Canada, diplomats accredited to Canada, religious leaders, political and public figures, representatives of the Armenian community and journalists.

The opening ceremony was followed by an official reception. Addressing the attendees, Ambassador Yeganian noted that the unveiling of the monument to Armenian Genocide victims in St. Catherines is of particular importance, considering that  the city is where the first Armenian community of Canada was formed.

The Ambassador thanked the Canadian authorities and the local Armenians for their role in the development of Armenian-Canadian relations.

Hundreds gathered at the Republic Square in Yerean to protest against Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s visit to Armenia.

The participant of the rally marched to the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and headed fo the Russian Embassy in Armenia.

The Ukrainian Prime Minister, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, has announced he will resign next week, blaming politicians’ failure to enact “real changes,” the BBC reports.

“I am resigning as Prime Minister and I would like to stress with dignity my national liability before the state. I see my competences wider than those of a head of government,” he said in a regular weekly televised address.

Mr Yatsenyuk, in office since former pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted in February 2014, said he would inform parliament on Tuesday.

The current President, Petro Poroshenko, asked him to quit in February, saying he had lost support.

His government has been accused of inaction and corruption.

On Friday, 8th April, over 250 members of the Armenian-Australian community made the four-hour bus trip from Sydney to Canberra, to protest against the attacks on Nagorno Karabakh at the Azerbaijani Embassy.

A small group of 30-40 Azerbaijani and Turkish Australians were also present to counter protest.

The Armenian protesters made their voices heard, chanting “Karabakh Is Ours”, “Shame on Aliyev”, “Get Your Hands Off Our Lands”, and more. The protesters held up dozens of banners, prepared by members of the Armenian Youth Federation (AYF Australia) in preceding days, as well as Artsakh and Armenian flags.

Vache Kahramanian of the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) led the speakers, which also included AGBU Executive Director, Sarkis Manoukian, ANC Australia Executive Administrator Arin Markarian and AYF Australia chapter chairs, Aram Tufenkjian and Michael Kolokossian. The clergy present, from the Armenian Apostolic Church and Armenian Catholic Church began proceedings with a group prayer.

Kahramanian said: “Are we living in a world that protects borders drawn up by the Stalins of the world? Is it Stalin who should decide if the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh are Independent today? Or is it the people who live in Nagorno Karabakh?”

“Azerbaijan argues that it is Stalin who should decide. Would you, Azerbaijan, also agree to Hitler’s dreamed up European borders? After all, he to was a Dictator who had ideas about who should own what land?”

“We say NO TO STALIN. NO TO ALIYEV. NO TO DICTATORS.”

“We argue WITH the people of Nagorno Karabakh! Over 90% of them voted for Independence. They have the right to self-determination according to the Helsinki Act. They have as much right to Independence as Azerbaijan. If not more, considering pre-Dictator Stalin, Artsakh was Armenian.
Artsakh is Armenian. Nagorno Karabakh is Armenian.”

AYF Australia prepared and read out a letter to Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Australia, which was not accepted.

Tufenkjian read the letter, which in part said: “The attacks your government and military initiated on April 1-2 were unprovoked, and a threat to the sovereignty of the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh, who practiced their right to self-determination nearly 25 years ago.”

“The helicopter shellings, tank fire and drone explosions – all well-documented in this modern age of communications – are evidence of your attempt to destroy Armenian civilians; their homes, churches, businesses and schools.”

“Further evidence of these attempts by Azerbaijan is the brutal murder by shelling of our fellow Armenian youth from Martuni. Why did 12-year-old Vaghinak Grigoryan have to die while on his way to school? Why did his 3 classmates, one of them his brother, have to be wounded?”

“We cannot forgive this.”

“We also cannot forgive the war crimes that have also been documented during the previous week by your government. Three of our elderly in Talish were butchered in their homes. Their ears cut off.”

“This is not something Australians take too kindly to. This is not something we forgive.”

ABC TV covered the protest, as well as ABC Radio, 2UE Radio and 2GB Radio.

In an interview on national radio, Haig Kayserian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation said: “It never ceases to amaze me how some so carelessly misrepresent history. If we call Australia – born in 1788 – a ‘young’ nation, then Azerbaijan – born in 1918 – is barely a ‘toddler’ nation.”

“Armenia is one of the world’s oldest civilisations, and Armenians have inhabited Nagorno Karabakh for thousands of years.”

“Therefore the so-called ‘territorial claims’ of Azerbaijan can be likened to a child seeking the estate of their unrelated neighbour’s great great great great great grandparents, as Armenians have inhabited Nagorno-Karabakh for thousands of years.”

“Why do they feel they deserve that estate? Because a brutal Communist dictator from the dark pages of world history, Joseph Stalin, decided to give it to them when establishing the Soviet Union.”

“Australia and the nations of the world need to ask themselves? Do they want to continue protecting the dreamed up borders of Stalin? Or do they want to recognise the right to self-determination of the native Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh?”

The Protest was organised by the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Armenian Catholic Church, the Armenian Evangelical Church, the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Armenian Liberal Democratic Party, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, Hamazakaine, the Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen, Tekeyan, Dkhrouni, the Armenian National Committee of Australia, Nor Serount, and the Armenian Youth Federation of Australia.

The protest was organized by the Armenian Youth Federation of Canada (AYF Canada) and the Armen Garo Student Union.

Participants of the rally strongly condemned the recent Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno Karabakh and called on the Canadian government to denounce Azerbaijan’s belligerent policy.

“Our message to Azerbaijan is clear: Armenians from all over the world will speak out for the people of the free, independent Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh. The transgressions of this violent and criminal dictatorship will not go unnoticed,” AYF Canada said in a Facebook post.